The Nation Newspaper

Tag: change

  • Continuity or change?

    Continuity or change?

    SIR: APC was formed as a progressive political party. But happenings since the inauguration of the party on May 29, suggest that there may not be a departure from what Nigerians experienced in the hands of PDP which ruled for 16 years.

    PDP was voted out at the centre for obvious reasons. Nigerians did not vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC because they want the status quo. Nigerians are beginning to doubt whether APC stands for continuity or change. Happenings in the National Assembly makes one to wonder whether the agenda of the party is continuity or change.

    Having discovered that PDP was not offering something new after their 16 years rule, Nigerians took the bull by the horn by voting for change. The tide of change also swept across states that were traditionally regarded as PDP states. Nigerians openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor level of governance under the PDP government.

    Nigeria is faced with numerous challenges and everyone looks up to President Buhari and his political party to fix these problems. The APC government needs to live up to the people’s expectations and have a radical departure from what obtained under the PDP. APC should not be tempted to adopt the policies and style of the PDP. Doing things the PDP way is definitely not an option for members of the APC at all levels of government. APC needs to vigorously pursue its change agenda without any hindrance.

    What played out at the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly on June 9, shows that true change may not have come after all despite President Buhari’s avowal in his inaugural speech. The coup d’état in the senate, the emergence of a PDP Senator as Deputy Senate President and the dissenting voices of some disgruntled members of the National Assembly all show what the course of events would be in the next four years.

    Nigeria is truly evolving; besides the APC is saddled with the responsibility of bringing about the desired change. It is up to APC to prove to Nigerians that what they voted for during the 2015 general elections is not continuity but change.

    • Bolaji Samson Aregbeshola,

  • Nigeria and the wind of change

    As a youth and a good citizen of this country, I say a hearty congratulation to President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of his inauguration. I wish him unquantifiable vigour and limitless energy as he embarks on the task of changing the country for good.

    It is good he knows that the political history of this country is replete with eras of maladministration and corruption perpetrated by a few. Over the years, the country has been on constant motion without moving forward. Although there had been efforts by people to bring about change in the country but the change they desired seemed impossible under the political environment in which the nation found itself. Of course, it is needless to observe that Nigeria is being torn apart by tribalism, religious bigotry, nepotism, and ethnic chauvinism. The change people crave for is one that will not only end its political woes, but also one that will bring about mutual respect among the citizens.

    The outcome of the recent general elections showed change is always possible if people are determined to achieve it. A new government has been sworn in and the hope for a new Nigeria is renewed; people have started to dream of a country where they can live freely without strife.

    With so much expectation from the government, Mr President should know that people do not want a leadership that will derive its strength from tribal sentiment. We want leadership that will not place one ethnic group above the other.

    Given the level of social relationship among all ethnic nationalities, there is need for the president to mend all the fault lines dividing the people. It should be known that mutual suspicion among ethnic nationalities is one of the problems threatening the unity of the country. This problem came to the fore during the election; the voting pattern was done on the basis of ethnicity and religion. There is no way we can build a nation with such mindset. We need a leadership that will pragmatically address this ill and keep the people united. Nigerians should be assured that, regardless of their belief system or backgrounds, all citizens are equal before the law.

    The other task that should be done with fervour is the reform of education. The years of bad governance have taken our education back to the Stone Age. Now, the sector is in dire need of reconstructing, which must start from the Acts setting up our schools to management and values. There is no gainsaying the fact that the rot in our education is the cause of the nation’s underdevelopment.

    If the foundation is not strong enough, there is no way a structure to be place on it will endure. We have been described as tomorrow’s leaders, but with our schools churning out half-baked graduates and people who cannot defend their certificates, what hope for Nigeria when the future comes?

    An American child read is taught how to read and write before the age of four, but in Nigeria, a five-year-old is still struggling to read. In many developed societies, students are made to sit for college examinations at the age of 16 and above, which gives opportunity to showcase their brilliance and expand their knowledge base.

    Let there be an end to a belief that until when anyone has a certificate or becomes a graduate of a higher institution before he can be employed in any form. This belief is hindering national growth. Youths who do not have the privilege to be under the proverbial four corners of university but have skills to add values to their lives should be given the opportunity to showcase their talent.

    Engaging them in productive ventures will keep their minds away from crimes and their thinking, every day, would be preoccupied with how they can provide solutions to the challenges facing the nation. In sane climes, youths are allowed to work, especially during summer, to improve their skills in whatever fields they have chosen. This keeps their minds and souls busy. Government should make vocational training compulsory for all youths, especially during the long vacation to enable them bring out their hidden talent.

    After the discovery of oil, agriculture lost position as a major revenue generator for the country. Nigeria is blessed with arable land and human resources. As a youth, I do not see it as a waste of time after graduation to become a farmer. In fact, there are many job opportunities for the youth in agro-allied industries, but how many youths want to be farmer? The country sees farmers as illiterates but they provide the food we all eat. Let it be known that Nigeria has untapped resources in its arable farmland and the government harness the human resources to develop our agriculture.

    Mr President should give incentives and training for people willing to work on the farm. It is most certain that Nigeria cannot continue to depend on imported goods; it would be a shame if by 2020 we still import local product, such as matches, toothpick and fruits.

    With the coming of President Buhari, Nigerians expect a quick resolution of electricity challenge, which has affected the economy negatively. Nigerians have been groaning under epileptic electricity supply and in the recent past, the situation assumed a very embarrassing dimension; economic activities have been brought to their lowest ebb. Factories are shutting down, artisans are closing shop, and companies are incurring huge costs to remain in business. All offices, including government establishments, rely on generators to power their operations.

    Lack of stable electricity is depleting the economy and arresting the nation’s development. The availability of power will automatically make a lot of difference in the economy if the present government can fix it.

    The wind of “change” blowing across the nation has not only influenced the mind of both the enlightened and dependent citizens, but it has also affected the thinking of the people. Therefore, Mr President must do everything possible to bring the desire of the people to reality.

     

    Tolulope, International Relations, LANDMARK UNIVERSITY

  • Change must start now!

    Days have turned into weeks since May 29, when Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as President of Nigeria.  But the much promised change is nowhere in sight and seems to have died with the election campaigns. The President’s most ardent supporters and loyalists are already running out of excuses for the apparent inaction that has characterised his government, unless you are counting foreign trips, which are becoming the hallmark of his presidency.

    To be clear, no one expected a transformation of the country in a few weeks after years of rot.  But no one can see the baby steps that would indicate that change is in the offing.  We are seeing the same unprincipled horse-trading in the sharing of political offices, with scant regard for competence and track record.  Even the promised public declaration of assets, which was supposed to signal a new style of leadership, has not happened. What is supposed to be a simple proactive release to the public of the assets declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau has become a complicated, long-winded explanation clouded in sophistry.

    We are now being told that the declaration of assets made by the President and the Vice President and submitted to the bureau will be and can only be disclosed to the public after the bureau has verified them.  A critical question here is: Why? There appears to be logical answer to this question.

    What Candidate Buhari promised to disclose to Nigerians was not assets verified by the bureau.  What he is supposed to disclose to Nigerians is what he has declared to the bureau. A major reason why a public declaration of assets is critically important is so that citizens can be part of the verification process.  If a public officer has assets that he or she has not declared, there is no way the bureau can know this on its own, unless citizens are aware of what the public officer has declared and can come forward with information on assets that have not been declared or any aspect of the declaration that is false, inaccurate or incomplete.

    At this time, there is no legal or constitutional impediment preventing the President from making public the Declaration of Assets he has submitted to the bureau.  The only impediment right now appears to be the fact that the President has developed cold feet. Unless, of course, he never meant to disclose his assets publicly, to begin with.

    The failure of President Buhari to immediately fulfill his promise, voluntarily made in order to win the trust and confidence of Nigerians, and therefore secure their votes, will have grave implications for his credibility and consequently, the credibility of his government.  For his own sake and for the sake of Nigeria, we have to urge him to make good on this promise.

    Since the President also promised to encourage all his appointees to declare their assets publicly as part of his pledge to run a clean government, it is obvious that if he has not made a public declaration of his own assets, he would have no moral authority to encourage anyone else to do so.  He would also be sending a wrong signal to his appointees that he does not always mean what he says publicly.  This would be disastrous for governance.

    Such a situation would also be sad for another reason; namely the knowledge that they would be required to declare their assets publicly is one thing that could perhaps have discouraged some political jobbers intent only on lining their pockets from taking up political offices.

    Another issue which has implications for governance is the mode of appointment of government officials, particularly ministers.  Already, the signs are that the sharing of political offices remains that same nasty and messy business of “survival of the fittest” that it has always been in Nigeria.  There is no debate about who is best qualified to run what.  The considerations appear to remain who comes from where and who is loyal to whom. That is not change.

    For a while, the impression was promoted that the President could not constitute his team because the National Assembly had not been inaugurated and, as such, the Senate to confirm his ministerial nominees was inchoate.  The National Assembly has now been inaugurated with the Senate and its leadership in place, but there remains no progress on this front.

    In any event, when the President finally gets round to appointing his ministers, how he manages the process would be another indication of whether we are in for more of the same or whether change is truly coming to Nigeria.

    The established practice is that the President sends a list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation with no indication as to the portfolios that they will occupy.  In the screening process, therefore, the Senate really has no way of assessing their competence or qualifications for the positions that they will ultimately occupy, having no information whatsoever in this regard.

    Although this practice does not violate the requirement of the Constitution, it has encouraged the use of such political appointments for mere political patronage which does not serve the best interest of the country.  We have frequently seen the most incompetent of persons appointed to sensitive ministries, including Defence, with no consideration given to their qualifications, experience, competence or track record.  Besides, such officials take office with no clue as to what is required of them.  Citizens also do not know what is required of the appointees and are therefore unable to effectively assess their performance.

    President Buhari needs to address this problem within the framework of his reform agenda. Two options are open to him in this regard and he can apply either or both options.

    The first option is for President to send this list of ministers to the Senate for confirmation with their prospective portfolios indicated.  That way, a meaningful screening process can take place, with public engagement, where the qualifications, experience and track records of the prospective ministers for their positions are assessed and they are required to outline their plans and priorities before they are confirmed.  Their performance can subsequently be assessed by both the President and the public against their stated plans and priorities or the deliverables they promised.  Although the Constitution does not require this, it does not preclude it either and a President who is serious about bringing about fundamental changes in governance can implement this reform and establish it as standard practice for future Presidents.

    The second option is for the President to issue every political appointee, including his ministers, with “Terms of Reference” and very concrete deliverables that are disclosed to the public.  These terms of reference and deliverables will be based on the clear priorities in the different sectors, even if there is no public input and they are based solely on what the President and his inner caucus consider to be the priorities. In this way, the President, his officials and the public all have a common understanding of what is expected of the appointees and can assess their performance.  The current practice where people are appointed to offices and they simply dither in office for the duration of their appointments has contributed significantly to the mess that the country finds itself.

     

    So the change must start now!

    “President Buhari must appreciate that he has raised the hopes of Nigerians and that he stands on the cusp of a new era.  Never before have so many Nigerians been so invested in a government and so hopeful of positive change.  Given the clear tasks before him and the goodwill he currently enjoys, if he disappoints Nigerians, he would have done more damage to the country than all the leaders before him put together and history will judge him harshly for it. “

    • Ojo is Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, a non-governmental organization based in Lagos.

  • That law may not obstruct change

    The Law has not been spectacularly impressive in giving vent to Nigerian people’s yearnings for progress over the years. In a way, law itself had, unfortunately, undermined the goals of equality, true federalism, self-determination, economic progress, electoral liberty and the well-being of Nigerians at various turnings.

    But now that the new administration is attempting to set a new agenda to reverse decades-old decadence in Nigeria, the Legal Order, especially its law- making and law interpretation foots of the Tripod, must immediately awaken to the reality of the changing times. Except the law’s complicity is curtailed; and the Legal Order consequently rise firmly to align with the progressive agenda being set by the new administration, justice will remain a merely theoretical rather than a felt aspiration in Nigeria.

    To an appreciable extent, the people of Nigeria, and the rest of the world, look to Nigeria’s newly inaugurated administration with a good dose of justified optimism. The President’s Inaugural speech, and the tone of conviction evident in the manner of delivery, gives greater hope that a leadership sincerely committed to halting Nigeria’s decline, and re-inventing its progressive rise, is probably here. Many hope the era of meaningful ‘change’, away from the malfunctioning that had defined Nigeria for decades, has come. Some have, understandably, called for cautious hope, but theirs is also an expression of ‘hope’, however cautious.

    But will what has happened in Nigeria’s electoral space that saw a rejection of the old order, engender ‘changes’ of a scale never before seen in the country; or will it merely bring minimalist improvements incapable of ending the misery that has unjustifiably dotted the Nigerian inhumane space for decades?

    Well, it depends first on the availability and clear articulation of a robust socio-political and economic vision to be fiercely driven by the personal moral authority and intellectual depth of the leadership. Next, among other variables, is the question of how far law would be adroitly remodelled to become progressively unified with the dynamics of the said robust socio-political and economic vision.

    Unfortunately, the Law has not been spectacularly impressive in giving vent to Nigerian people’s yearnings for progress over the years. Law, be it in form of decrees, statutes, the constitution or judicial interpretations that advertently legitimise inequality, corruption and electoral injustices, cannot be absolved of complicity in the avoidable under-development of Nigeria over the years. In some poorly veiled ways, Law itself had unfortunately undermined the goals of equality, true federalism, self-determination, economic progress, electoral liberty and the overall well being of the people of Nigeria at various turnings.

    With its absurd unitarist scope, though falsely called Federalist, the Constitution and some fundamental laws purporting to derive authority from it, appear to have been deliberately designed to deny the attainment and experience of social justice, a sense of equality, economic liberty, self-determination, competitive growth, true federalism and prosperity to majority of the citizens. The complicit role, of a burdensome unitarist Constitution; and some fundamental laws deriving from it, have long provided fortresses from which Institutions of state, and actors within them, ‘legitimately’ perpetuate injustices against citizens’ rights to dignified life, economic development, self-determination, equal opportunity, freedom from discrimination, electoral liberty, true federalism etc. Ultimately, the Constitution will have to fundamentally change to significantly re-mould Nigeria into the truly federal nation it ought to have been over decades. The law-making foot of the Legal Order must not be allowed to stand in the way of such fundamental changes that sooner than later must take place.

    Though not conclusive of all that needs to be fundamentally fixed in Nigeria, the issues already identified in the President’s Inaugural speech would need an ideologically sturdy and well retooled Legal Order for them to get sustainable resolutions.

    But except the law’s complicity is curtailed; and the Legal Order consequently rise firmly to align with the progressive agenda being set by the new administration, justice will remain a merely theoretical rather than a felt aspiration in Nigeria. In what may well turn out to be an epic battle between an existing old order and, hopefully, an emergent new one, the Law cannot afford any complacent neutrality.

    The Legal Order must radically and sustainably harmonise its tripod branches of Law-making, law enforcement and law-interpretation towards ensuring the attainment of genuine unbiased justice, fair economic progress and the protection of the vulnerable henceforth become the key focus of law-making, enforcement and interpretation in Nigeria.  None of the tripods of the Legal Order should stand in the way of changes that must take place for the nation’s rebirth to become an incontestable reality.

    For instance, to entrench a democratic culture across all levels in Nigeria and ‘to consciously work the democratic process’ as the President has indicated, among other agendas, requires that the democratic space at all levels of governance, including the civil and professional societies, be opened. A good starting point is to henceforth halt the aberrations which have made local governments retarded appendages of undemocratic governors over the years. To help the administration ‘work the democratic process’ as it has indicated, the local governments must be freed from the chains of authoritarianism which have robbed Nigerians the opportunity to legitimately choose their Leaders at the local levels of governance.

    The law would be conniving to work against the democratic process if governors are allowed to continue pocketing the local governments. The condescending practices of governors, such as the unbridled penchant for disallowing periodic, transparent and definitive Local Government Elections across the states while preferring to unilaterally appoint stooges to lord over the people at the local levels must be halted, by Law. Such condescending practices emboldened governors to openly violate the Constitution by appointing so-called Caretaker Chairmen for local governments and also creating all sorts of dubious subversive mechanisms, to starve and control the funds constitutionally meant for local governments thereby stalling meaningful governance at the Local Level.

    The law must now be clear, and decisive, on the status of the local government as an autonomous tier of government that deserves to hold periodic elections in which the people of the respective localities determine who leads them, and how; contrary to the current atrocious practices of self-righteous governors denying people in the localities their basic democratic rights to legitimately choose their leaders.

    The law would also not be ‘working the democratic process’ if it continues to fail to decisively halt the current subversive practice which somewhat permits political parties to fail to hold party primaries to ensure party members, and party members alone, determine who flies their parties’ flags at elections. Working the democratic process does not start at general elections. It begins with the existence of a virile civil society and a transparent process of ensuring accountability in governance through making clearance to contest elective positions determinable by ordinary party members, and not some incoherent patronage system as currently obtains.

  • ‘The change is about them’

    ‘The change is about them’

    A remark by Senator Babafemi Ojudu on behalf of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Thank You Dinner organised by First Lady Mrs Aishat Buhari for  women.

    our excellency, the wife of the president of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Mohammed , the chair of today’s event, former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who I like to refer to as The Warrior For Change. To safe your time, I recognise all our mothers here present. I can attest to the fact that there is no title more honourable and more revered than the title Mother. So, I recognise you our mothers as well as the distinguished gentlemen here present

    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked me to apologise to you profusely for his inability to be here today.

    Three days ago, he was informed of the death of the first son of a very good friend of his in Paris. Asiwaju had to rush to Paris to share this very sad moment with him. Incidentally that friend contributed a great deal to the victory we are celebrating here today.

    Asiwaju ask me to tell you that tonight is not a night of long speeches but of celebration. It is a night of joy moderated by a sober reflection. A reflection on the fact that many of our women who made this possible do not have the opportunity and will never have the opportunity to partake of this dinner.

    He said I should tell you that while you are winning and dinning, you must spare a thought for;

    •That woman in the creek of Niger Delta who paddles her canoe night and day in search of her livelihood;

    •The woman in Kotonkarfi who fry Kose to provide for her children;

    •That woman in the deep forest of Igbo land who rides her bicycle with her hoe on her shoulder to cultivate cassava to send her children to school;

    •That woman in Ado Ekiti, who toils hours in the market selling Gari to train her children;

    •The Gwari woman who with her pot nestled on her shoulder walks kilometers daily in search of water;

    •The mothers of our missing Chibok girls who continue to live with the agony of the loss of their daughters;

    •The millions of ordinary Nigerian women who defied the elements and queued for hours to cast their votes for our great party.

    This change is about them , it is for them, for their children and their future. we must therefore do everything possible not to disappoint them. This change must not be aborted. You must defend it so that together we can say we have fulfilled our covenant with our people. Thank you.

  • Change, morality and leadership

    An  ordinary election to bring in a new leadership in Nigeria’s legislature after the 2015 elections has turned into an unbelievable fiasco on change management  or mismanagement and has created a nightmarish  watershed in Nigeria’s  politics as  we  know  it today. Our  June  9  2015   leadership  election  in our   hallowed  legislature has  become  a grim  reminder  of the AG Crisis  of 1962  culminating in the breaking  of legislators  heads as well  as the Speakers mace at the Western Region  House  of Assembly  then   in  Ibadan, now  in Oyo  State. At  stake then  was the struggle  for power  between AG leader Chief Obafemi  Awolowo  and his deputy  Chief S L A  Akintola, the  Premier  of the then western region who refused  to cede control  of the party  to  his leader  because the leader has gone  to the center in  Lagos  to become the Federal  Opposition leader. Incidentally the two leaders were mentioned in our new president’s Inaugural  address  as  a  source  of inspiration for  a new generation  of  Nigerians by  the president. However the  leadership elections in our senate on June 9  2015 surely  brought  back  dark  memories  of the 1962 AG Crisis  which  was  a lesson in betrayal, treachery, disloyalty and a break down of party  discipline  and solidarity. That  incident boomeranged into several  other crises leading to the civil war  and the subsequent  military  interventions  before  our return  to democracy  on May  29  1999.

    Ominously the elections of  the leaders  of the House of  Representatives  and the Senate last week was another lesson in treachery and perfidy and a slap  on the face for party  leadership and  discipline. The  only difference was that there was  no break down of law  and order in Abuja  as was the case in Ibadan and  more pointedly the  beneficiaries  of the betrayal  of their  colleagues  proceeded  to  administer with  dignified  calmness the oaths  of allegiance  on the new legislators in both  houses as required by law and decorum in the best tradition of the dictum – Done deed, Done  deal.  Nevertheless  no  one is deceived  that  the new leaders  have gotten away with  murder as  the APC  has announced that it will use due  process  to mete  out punishment to those  of its  members  who  are beneficiaries of the betrayal  of their  party  and its leadership in the nation’s  legislative  chambers in Abuja.

    The  legislative leadership elections have thrown up many issues  to be discussed  for  a  long time  in this nation. Some  of such issues will be tackled  today and some later. Surely  Nigerians are’ flabberwhelmed’  and ‘overgasted’ as Peter Pan or  Peter  Enahoro wrote in his hilarious book ‘How  to be a Nigerian’  Undoubtedly   fundamental  issues  come to the fore as to the mode, nature, character  and make up  of those we call leaders  in our present  political  dispensation. We  shall  identify  some  of these  issues for discussion today  and link  that up  with the new assignment the G7  has  given our new president who  has swiftly  congratulated  the new leadership  of the legislature  even though his party  leadership  and new legislators  were  said  to be waiting for him for  a meeting before they were knocked  out of voting and counted out of reckoning in voting in a new leadership  at our legislative  houses.  President  Muhammadu Buhari  has  been busy  of late holding meetings with leaders of the Lake  Chad  Basin Commission   nations to prepare a  bill  for the G7  on the needs of those nations in  their  fight against the terror of  Boko  Haram which  has  claimed  affinity with  ISIS  and  has qualified  for total elimination as an enemy of the G7, the  EU  and indeed that  of the civilized  world.

    But  again  let  us look at the  issues  that the controversial  legislative  elections generated. The  first is the disenfranchisement  of those legislators waiting to see the president. They lost their voting rights on two grounds.  They were  both absent and at best guilty of punctuality as they arrived later.  A  sort of closing the stable doors when the horses  of power have bolted or were  properly  harnessed  in their absence. The  opposition PDP  literally  elected the Senate  president as less than 10 APC  members were present  and the PDP  had over 40  in attendance as at voting time. Which  opens a new chapter in inter and intra party  relations in  Nigeria  especially  in our legislature  and   marks the beginning of a chain  of events   the end of which  no  one knows  as Chief  Anthony  Enahoro  once said  when he proposed Nigeria’s independence in the early  fifties.  There  is  also  the issue  of quorum which  was  used decidedly  and negatively as the 51 APC  senators never gave notice of a boycott and were not involved in any accident and their absence  should have generated concern given their number  and not good cheer and good  riddance as the Clerk  and the   Senators present seemed to have swiftly  and  readily  assumed.  A  clear  case  of mischief  and  fraudulent intent was established  by the speed and execution  of the leadership elections. As if speed  was more the essence  rather than the seriousness  of getting legislators present and available in their correct  numbers to fulfill  their legislative duties and obligations  for  which they  have been  duly elected.

    More  importantly the elections in the legislature bring out the issue  that change  cannot  be managed successfully  and that indeed change management  is an  oxymoron.  Like’ living death’, change  and  management  as  the experts have said  don’t go together. That  is what the  APC leadership  is discovering after  securing  the 2015  general  election on a platter  of change  only  to be short  changed and ambushed in the legislature by its own members. That  also  showed  the  paradox  of change  in that  it can  not  be managed but accepted  and  followed  as it can maul and  destroy  those who stand  in its decided  path to  stop  or forestall  it. The  legislative  election of June 9  has shown  that the die is cast between the APC leadership  and that of the legislature. Only  time will tell  which  the  futile   attempt  at change management  will  propel  or destroy.  Definitely  however  a new  political  culture evolved  from the last leadership elections  in our legislature and  we are taken aback  by its morality  and wait   for what it portends as it for now looks  like an ill wind that bodes  no good.

    With  regard  to the president’s  new assignment  for the G7  we wish  him  and the G7  every  success  in the new  collaboration.  We however  want to sound a note  of  warning and that is that there is no  free  lunch  nowadays especially  in the war on terrorism  and  in the return of the Cold  War between the US and  EU  on  one side  and    Russia  under  its  President  Vladmir  Putin  on  the other. Surely  the nations bordering the Sahel  need  help  to  fight Boko  Haram but  they  are more powerful in doing this  when  they  cooperate  amongst  themselves  as our president has blazed a trail in doing than in relying on foreign aid  and largesse  which  must have  a price.

    This  is because  for  now it is the US  priority  foreign  policy  to promote  same sex  marriage globally  and Ireland  a Catholic  nation  recently passed  a referendum approving same sex marriage. Indeed  in  Uganda the US cut aid  on the grounds  that the Ugandan parliament banned  same sex marriage just like Nigeria has also  done. These  are clear cultural and religious  issues that the US and  EU  nations  have said  are civil rights  which  do not make sense to  those  of us  in  this  part  of  the world. So  in  packaging the needs  of the Lake Chad Basin  nations  to the G7 our  president and  his  colleagues  from other nations  must  ask  for  the price  the  magnanimity  of the G 7 entails.  This  is to  ensure  that in fighting  and  defeating  Boko  Haram we do not cut our nose to spite our nose  and inadvertently give  more  ammunition for recruitment  and expansion  to  Boko  Haram  which has shown already  that   it has no respect for human rights or any  religious or  moral  values except  to spread its insane  form  of religion in bogus  caliphates.  Boko  Haram  must  be contained  but at no extravagant  and  prohibitive cost  to our collective sanity,   culture and religion in the entire Sahel or  indeed  the whole ECOWAS  area.

  • Soludo: sustainable change won’t occurr without a new constitution

    Soludo: sustainable change won’t occurr without a new constitution

    Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo  at the weekend spoke on the economy and sundry issues of national importance including the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. In an interview culled from Premium Times, the ex-CBN chief foresees hope and opportunities for the new government.

    •I’m not available for public service now, says ex-CBN chief

    YOU promised not to keep quiet again and to ask more questions about the running of the economy after elections but you seem to have been very quiet since the elections. Can you now raise the questions?

    Great to see you too! And I hope this will be a short interview please. Two quick points: The elections have come and gone but that was the easier part. The hard part now begins.  Like most Nigerians, I am happy that Nigeria made history with the election. On your question, No; there was no need to raise further questions for the outgone administration.  President Goodluck Jonathan raised the bar and set a new tone in his statesmanlike acceptance of defeat. That was noble.  Last month, the government admitted that they were borrowing since January to pay salaries. What more do you want me to say? The two articles I wrote in January and February remain living documents and raised some of the salient questions, some of which may be bold markers for the new government. Our focus should be on the future and the new government.

     

     How is your relationship with Dr.NgoziOkonjo-Iweala now?

    Why do you ask? Of course, she is and will always be my dear elder sister and Madam; someone I deeply respect. We may not always agree, especially on public policy. The public spat was unfortunate. She felt she had an obligation to defend her government but she did so in a manner that I also felt an obligation to respond in equal measure. But all that is now history. There is nothing personal. Now without the encumbrances of government and its pressures, I look forward to our returning to the good old days in our personal relationship.

     

     The economy is really bad; falling oil prices, dwindling revenue, debt, inflation, unemployment, collapsed naira, etc. Where does President Muhammadu Buhari start from?

    I don’t envy President Buhari and his team. His government will preside over the transition to a post-oil economy, and it won’t be a tea party. If Buhari works eight hours a day, he has less than 7,500 hours left to bring about change in his first term in office or less than 9,700 if he works 12 hours a day, with three substantive annual budgets to go before the next elections. The clock is ticking already. But the Rescue, Stabilise and Transform (RST) Plan requires a 24 x 7 operation. There must be something in the President’s natal chart that keeps bringing him to govern us just when things are in shambles. But I see hope; I see opportunities. The president and his team have a historic opportunity to create a new Nigeria without oil; a Nigeria powered by competition and compassion. Fortuitously, Nigeria’s centenary was last year (2014). This year marks the beginning of the next 100 years.  President Buhari and the new crop of elected officers at all levels must lay the foundation for the next Nigeria; a re-engineered Nigeria with the structures and incentives to move from cake-sharing, or consumption, to cake-baking, or production. Old thinking and ways of doing things won’t work.  But an attempt to drive change from Abuja will fail. It will be akin to trying to clap with one hand. A coordinated national (not federal) response is required.

    On your specific question as to where President Buhari should begin, let me say that I don’t want to join the new industry in town which is ‘agenda setting’. Everyone is grabbing the microphone to ‘set agenda’. That’s ok. I am aware that the transition committee is working hard on an agenda, and I believe that the committee is made up of eminent Nigerians. For me, let us wait for them to unveil their action plan and we would have something to comment upon or contribute to. I am aware that the African Heritage Institution (Afriheritage) is planning a session focused on the agenda after it is announced. So, I won’t join this fashion parade of the day. Not yet.

     

     Let me be more specific. With the terrible condition of the economy, and the high expectations of Nigerians on the new government, what practical steps should Buhari take to create jobs speedily?

    I told you I do not want to discuss specifics now. For sure, job creation should be the focus of the new post-oil economy. Nigeria certainly needs a job manifesto, with a target of eight – twelve million jobs over the next four years. This is easier said than done. We are diversifying the economy by-passing the manufacturing/industrial sector to the tertiary sector (services). Creating value-adding jobs in such an economy with one of the highest rates of urbanisation in the world will task our creativity to the limit. The agenda will require a kind of coordination between the federal and state governments in a manner never seen before. Luckily the All Progressives Congress (APC) states are in majority and I hope their party will rein them in.  I have read some newspaper reports that solid mineral and agriculture sectors will be the new kids on the block to mint the jobs. That won’t happen! At least not in the manner it is being romanticised about.  They would have very limited impacts on job creation over the next four years, and over the long-run agricultural transformation will actually reduce jobs. The prospects of the solid mineral sector will depend on the policy framework and even legislation, the dynamics of commodity prices especially given the apparent end of the commodity super cycle, and the nature of forward and backward integration with the rest of the industrial structure.  Anyway, let us wait for government’s agenda before we can comment, please.

     

     In your previous answer you alluded to changing the structures of Nigeria.  What should President Buhari do with the report of the recent national conference?

     It is up to him to decide what to do with the report.  A fundamental point however is that you can’t create the new Nigeria, a post-oil competitive economy without fundamentally altering the existing constitution. The current constitution and the political-governance structures created by it are designed to share and consume the oil rent. A system designed for consumption cannot become efficient for production. Ours is a dysfunctional unitary-federalism, with a queer fiscal federalism and it won’t go too far. The federating units were created by the central government; it also created the local governments. Every month, both the governors and their local government chairmen are supposed to beseech Abuja to collect their allocations, each supposedly with powers to do whatever they like with the allocations. As oil stumbles, the fiscal viability of these creations is coming into question. Suddenly, states and local government areas designed to collect and spend oil money will be required to produce and create wealth to survive. We will see how the old order will give rise to the new without some creative destruction. The problem with the structure is that those who benefit most from it are required to dismantle it— the incentives are incompatible. We need to study the UAE (United Arab Emirates) model of competitive federalism – that created the incentives for Dubai and other prosperous non-oil regions to emerge. I have written a lot on this subject, and we can talk about this the whole day.  The point is that the APC cannot deliver sustainable change to Nigeria if it does not go to the roots, and effect systemic change. Tinkering at the margins will amount to papering over a cracked wall.

     

     That reminds me of the ongoing debate about local government autonomy and joint account with the states. Shouldn’t the local governments be autonomous?

     Autonomy from who?  I know that it makes for our emotional satisfaction to “deal with the state governors” and let the local government areas have ‘autonomy’- but only in the sense of getting their “allocation” directly and unhindered by state governments but with no incentive – sanctions regime that ties such grants to certain productivity and fiscal viability criteria. The mistaken belief is that such autonomy will ensure that resources get to the ‘grassroots’. It is a funny argument which proceeds from the old model of ‘sharing the cake’. We must decide whether we want a federal or a unitary system; not both at the same time. Are the states the federating units or both states and local governments? Funny enough, the same constitution gives the state Assemblies the power to create local governments and maintain oversight over them.  At the same time, the constitution lists the local government areas created by the military as the ones to collect “allocations” from the Federation Account.  I want to see examples of federal systems in the world where the local governments directly receive statutory allocations from the federal government and with statutory powers to spend as they wish without performance-based criteria attached to such receipts. The mind-set is rooted in the past, but the problems are unfolding in the future.When it comes to incentives and sanctions regime for creating prosperity and accountability, our current constitution is a funny document. It is even worse for effective macroeconomic management.

     

     The contest is on for zoning and sharing of political offices, and there are fears of marginalisation by people from the Southeast and Southsouth because of their poor support for President Buhari and the APC during the elections. How should Buhari assuage the fears of these zones?

     You have raised many issues at the same time.  First, given the peculiar manner the election was done in the two zones, it is difficult to know exactly how the people voted.  There is no question that a majority of people in the two zones preferred Jonathan but we know what happened during the presidential/ National Assembly election.  Prof. Attahiru Jega and INEC did a great job but we still have a very long way to go. Second, the Constitution of Nigeria creates an absurdity in the name of federal character whereby a minister must come from every state. So, states in the Southeast and Southsouth must have ministers in the federal cabinet.  Third, and more substantively, I believe that the clamour for offices is simply a power game by the elite, which has only a symbolic or emotional significance to the masses. Yes, for some reasons, people like to see someone that shares their interests or attributes in government—it has a ‘feel good’ factor. But if occupation of such office has any personal benefits, it is largely to the occupant of the office and his friends and family.

    Our recent history has shown that it hardly matters where the occupant of a particular position comes from. I am not sure how the welfare of Ota/Ogun people changed because Obasanjo was President of Nigeria, or how the man in the street of Katsina or Otuoke/Bayelsa prospered more than others simply because their sons became President.  The Southeast voted massively for ‘one of their own’ in 2011 as president,  and also had Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Deputy Senate President, Deputy Speaker, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy and a coterie of other appointments. Yet, the zone had the least capital expenditure in the five-year presidency, and there is hardly any motorable federal highway in the Southeast. For me, this bickering for sharing of positions is an elite game for their personal rather than national considerations.  What the ordinary Nigerians want are institutionalised processes to guarantee their security and prosperity. They want services and don’t care who gives it to them.  Our federal cabinet is nothing but a miniature United Nations (UN) whereby each minister represents his or her state but no one represents Nigeria. At this critical crisis moment, perhaps what Nigeria needs is something akin to selecting the best 11 for our national football team: no one cares which state or zone they come from; everyone wants Nigeria to come home with the cup.

     

      Talking about positions in the government, there are rumours in town, especially on social media and even in some newspapers that you are being tipped to serve in the cabinet of the current government.  Are you likely to serve in the government or am I speaking with the prospective finance minister as speculated?

     Nigerians and their rumours! I am glad you said they are rumours and such rumours are normal. For sure, I wish the new government success and for the sake of Nigeria, everyone must contribute to assist President Buhari succeed. I will contribute in whatever way I can. However, everyone can’t sit in government in order to serve. Some will be there on full-time basis, others can contribute from outside.  For me personally, and at this point in time, I am not disposed or available for full-time public service now; perhaps in the future, it could happen, but not now. For now, my hands are full with several other experiments I am involved with (especially abroad) in the private sector, charity, think-tanks, and the international community. I am part of a major initiative in Africa’s mining and solid minerals sector, and this takes me through several African countries, etc. I am having great fun exploring totally new vistas of opportunity that are central to Africa’s great leap in the 21st century. I read that President Buhari will give priority to solid minerals. We can provide free advisory services and perhaps assist to mobilise investment in the sector or in any other areas if our advice is needed. In effect, there are several ways we can assist the government to succeed but not necessarily to take up full-time appointment. No, not now!

     

    So, who and who would you recommendto be part of the best 11 in the cabinet?

    There are many eminent Nigerians who are not only bold, critical thinkers but also with high execution capacity that the president can choose from. I wish him and his team good luck.

     

     Do you agree with the suggestion of the current CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, that Nigeria should sell off its oil stakes and retain say, 25 per cent  only?

    I won’t comment on it in detail until I read the study. From what is reported in the newspapers so far, I will surely have many questions and I have hinted the governor on this.

     

    Some CBN staff are currently being tried for alleged fraud regarding circulation of old notes, and the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) says this has been on for years – apparently more people may have been involved. Were you able to deal with that kind of fraud when you were in charge?

    First and foremost, I can’t imagine how such a fraud could be executed successfully given the architecture of controls and security at the CBN. Such would require the collusion of tens of persons from different departments and agencies, including law enforcement agencies and commercial banks. It is very unlikely to happen without someone blowing the whistle or leakage of information. I am particularly happy therefore that it was the CBN that discovered the fraud and reported to the law enforcement agencies. This is the important point.

     

    Years after leaving the CBN, give us your assessment of the bank under your successors.

      I still reserve my comments for now.  When I was in office, I made it a policy never to comment on my predecessors, and after I left office, I also insisted on a self-imposed five-year gag order not to comment on my successor. Several times, I was under immense pressure to break it but I thank God that I kept to it. The five-year ban is now over, but it is not yet time to comment.

     

    The National Bureau of Statistics recently came up with a revised methodology for calculating unemployment, with the claim that unemployment now stands at about six per cent. Are you as concerned as many Nigerians who believe that claim is baseless?

     Integrity of our national statistics is a very serious issue. I don’t comment on statistics without serious scrutiny.  Having not had a chance to thoroughly examine the reviewed methodology, I will not comment on its veracity or appropriateness. It is one thing to have a new methodology, it is yet another to have a comprehensive, credible labour market survey. I will need information on these two parts to make informed judgment. Already, the NBS/past government have created the baseline data for the performance evaluation of the Buhari administration in the areas of poverty and unemployment. According to them, unemployment is about six per cent and poverty is about 32 per cent.  If true, then the Buhari government  is challenged to beat these numbers. The government must support NBS to be independent and do its job without interference.

  • The change we want to see

    There is a lot of talk about “inclusive capitalism” and “inclusive growth” these days. That’s all well and good but in addition to these, what we need is an “inclusive government”. A government that includes capable, honest citizens based on merit irrespective of gender.

    There is a positive correlation between gender equality and economic growth. Countries that do not treat women as second class citizens are more likely to prosper in a sustainable manner, and this is true regardless of the prevailing ideology or religion of that region. Rwanda and Dubai are two classic examples. Both places rank high in comparative regional gender equality surveys and both have experienced an upward trend in economic prowess and social development over the last 10 years and 40 years respectively. In the book, Flashes of Thought, the ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, says of his government: “Our job is to provide an environment that unlocks women’s potential–one that protects their dignity and femininity, helps them create the necessary balance in their lives, and values their talents and potential. Given this environment, I am confident that women will perform nothing short of miracles.” To that end, 70 per cent of university graduates in his country are women. Eighty five per cent of his personal team are women, 65 per cent of their government employees are women and 30 per cent of the leadership positions are held by women.

    Closer to home, let’s look at Rwanda. Since the genocide ended over 10 years ago, women have generally made up more than 50 per cent of their parliamentarians. Currently, approximately 63 per cent of their members of parliament are female. During that time, Rwanda has experienced year-on-year GDP growth. Their GDP per capita, their Gross National Income per capita, their Agricultural Production Rate and Food Production Rate have all increased steady over those years.

    Is this a coincidence? I think not. I once heard someone say that women are the greatest causalities of war and he might be right. This being the case, by putting capable women in leadership positions, we have a government that is less likely to make decisions that would lead to civil unrest or war. Prosperity fosters in times of peace. The absence of confusion and an orderly society foster progress. Thus one could probably argue that the more women we have in leadership positions, the more likely we are to have an orderly and prosperous country.

    In her essay, The Economics of Exclusion, University of Oxford Business Professor, Linda Scott, illustrates in monetary terms the national benefits of adequately including women in leadership and the hidden, indirect costs of excluding them: “Taking account of the benefits of including women should encompass not just the growth possibilities, but the bigger economic impact lies in avoiding the costs associated with exclusion, such as…hunger, violence and disease.”

    In some of her other works, Scott compares the Women’s Economic Opportunity data compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the National Competitiveness Index created by the World Economic Forum. Her findings show that “a country making concerted efforts to protect, support, educate, and place its women would be making similar decisions across the board to maximise its other resources.”

    There are examples of gifted leaders all over the world who happen to be female such as Valerie Amos, Michaelle Jean, Ursula Burns and Condoleezza Rice. We also have our fair share of such assets here in Nigeria and in deciding who should form part of the leadership team that moves this country forward, let those who are gifted with skill, scruples, stamina and a solid track record prevail.

    Overlooking women for positions in leadership would be akin to a self-inflicted, gender-based, brain drain. Speaking of a brain drain, Valerie Amos is originally from Guyana and Michaelle Jean was born in Haiti. Both women are doing wonders on behalf of their adoptive countries, the United Kingdom and Canada respectively. If the right environment had existed in their countries of birth, they probably would not have left and perhaps they’d be doing these wonders as emissaries of their birth countries rather than as representatives of their adoptive countries. Let us create the right environment here in Nigeria so that capable women (and men) don’t have to leave the shores of their country to find a place where their intellectual talents can be maximised and appreciated.

    Who or what is a leader?

    It is said that a leader is someone who improves the lives of those around him or her. People like Adepeju Jaiyeoba, the lawyer working to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates by providing kits to pregnant women in rural areas, or Mosunmola Umoru, the female farmer who empowers other farmers by helping them find a viable market for their produce.

    Similarly, it is said that a leader is anyone who can serve people and make them happy. For example, Enitan Kuku who discovers Nigerian fine artists and helps them sell their artwork in the international market, or Fisayo Olowu who runs a designated learning place for children under the age of 10 living in an impoverished shanty town, or Yewande Olofinro who goes to hospital wards to help those who can’t pay their medical bills.

    I also read somewhere that a leader is someone capable of creating positive change, whether at a micro level within his or her family or at a macro level serving the entire nation. People such as Ijeoma Idika-Chima, a young lady who galvanises other young people to vote, or Amina Ahmed who despite incredible odds is possibly one of Nigeria’s youngest female magistrates, or Temitayo Etomi, a manager in the Lagos State Civil Service, doing notable work in her state government.

    It should be a priority of new administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, to uphold the spirit and letter of our National Gender Policy. Let us “provide an enabling environment for women to achieve their highest potential.” That environment would be one that protects them from violence, one that does not force them to compromise their principles and one that includes them on the basis of competence.

    The positive change that we would like to see from the new administration is the significant inclusion of clever, capable, conscientious and compassionate women in the leadership.  Let us realise the benefits inherent in our greatest natural resource. We can create an environment that enables women to succeed or sets them up to fail. By choosing the former, the whole nation, male and female, young and old, will also move forward.

     

    • Ms Aboderin, a member of the Institute of Directors, writes from Ogun State.

  • Change and fight against corruption

    SIR: There is still only one word to describe the ultimate mood of this nation today: change. Whatever, the type of change we desire, I strongly believe that the powerful catalyst to ensure that this change occur is you and I.

    The new APC administration is the greatest opportunity that we have in this country to move this nation to where we want it to be. The desire of the APC is at idem with the genuine desire of the people for Change. This is why the APC won the election.

    Without doubt, the President and his party, the APC together with the law – makers of which the APC has the majority at the National Assembly will bear the greatest burden to give effect to the change.  They have their duty well cut out. They must all exhibit the will to fight corruption in deed. The president must place the right people in the various anti-corruption agencies and monitor such relentlessly. The law- makers on their own part must make the appropriate laws to give efficacy to the investigations and processes by these agencies. I foresee the enactment of new laws as the bed-rock to effect the changes. I foresee and support the creation of special anti-corruption courts with special rules and Practice Directions to tackle corruption cases while the normal courts will continue to exercise its jurisdiction also.

    There must be a purposeful strategy to punish for acts of corruption no matter how small the act or amount of money involved. It is the same law that says we should not steal that makes stealing in billions or millions or thousands or hundreds a breach.

    The prosecuting agencies should be bold to present to the courts cases of corrupt dealings no matter how small the amount or advantage taken may be. Our adjudicating courts must be bold enough to award the maximum sentences for crimes associated with official corruption. This must be so if the whole country is to be seen by others as acting as one in dealing with this scourge.

    Clearly and by far the one single action that will foretell the readiness of our law makers to join and effect the necessary changes in our society will be their readiness to do the hitherto impossible things like disclosing their pay and accepting a reduction of such if found to be unsustainable in the context of our present socio-economic condition.

    Generally, we must be able to assist the law enforcement officers with concrete information to enable them do their job. It is certainly the next neighbour who will have information to give to the law enforcement agents concerning the house bought by the public officer in London or elsewhere and even the fronts he or she is using. We must report all cases of corruption to the responsible agencies. The sphere has to be broadened for everyone to participate in this process for change. The readiness to accept the consequences of our actions must be there as well as the opportunity to come clean it. We want to see people immediately discuss and return what have been unlawfully taken away from us in exchange for some form of pardon thereafter the full wrath of the law should take effect.

    As we mobilize ourselves to be involved, certainly, those with something to be afraid of will fight back. We expect to hear such ranting alleging victimization, political persecution and even ethnic jingoisms. We must as determined people resolve to ignore such ranting or propaganda as long as we are getting results no matter whose ox is gored.

    We should expect those who are benefitting from any sort of corrupt activities to scorn our approaches in other to weaken the new government if possible.

    Our chance to move our country forward consists in the above rather than in tolerating corruption in any form. There are countries that maintain a death penalty for this crime, like China, just to emphasize how important others treat this issue.

     

    • Barr. Orchardson Umoh

    Calabar, Cross River State

     

     

  • The power of change

    The sun breaks through the cumulous clouds, heralding another day with its charming smiles. The once mist-crowned mountains glow in green. The ocean tides surge to the shore in foaming fury, remoulding the dream castles of the sinking sands.

    Suddenly, the whirlwind whips across the crowded market place, clearing the debris of dirt and dust. And somewhere in the forest jungle, an egg shell cracks as bloodlines trickle to the earth, before the eagle rises with a brand new song. That is change for you.

    Powerful, provoking and many times painful. Change is the all-potent tool in the hand of the Maker to redirect events, people and places according to His divine Master plan. We call it Destiny or Providence. Mostly unexpected and characterized against  the Newtonian  law of matter that wants to remain still where it has always been, or keep moving if it has always been in motion, change is more meaningful when we adapt to it quickly. As it is in the jungle, so it plays out with man; it is the survival of the fittest, according to the law of evolution.

    When we extrapolate this to the current Nigerian situation, it presents an interesting political scenario. Here we are, after a change of baton from one democratically elected civilian president to another, with the political parties enacting the game of revolving chair, for the first time in our recent history. It would also go down in the history books that a former military dictator, who headed the second undemocratic government to truncate our democracy, now comes in as the greatest beneficiary of that momentous victory. What an irony of history! Little wonder he has dropped the tag of a ‘General’.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has metamorphosed from a dictator to a democrat and so shall it be. He has adapted well to the change mantra in Nigeria’s effervescent political landscape. He therefore, symbolizes survival of the fittest, and more. We all may not belong to his legion of the diehard admirers, with some trekking across deserts and forests to express their love. But mention his name anywhere and the image that crops to mind is that of a man of integrity, of probity and honesty of purpose, a man whose lifestyle is so simple, it abhors the current obscene perquisites of office. In the marketing parlance therefore, Buhari is a sellable brand. Truth be told however, I have my fears for him and the country as well.

    The first is the polity, as it currently evolves. How do we drastically reduce the enormous costs of running government that earmarks over 80 per cent of the annual revenue to recurrent expenditure? How do we re-orientate the mindset of the average Nigerian politician to see his appointment as that of selfless service to the people, instead of amassing unmerited wealth and living life of luxury while those who voted for him groan in grinding poverty?

    Similarly, how do we tell Nigerians that the APC-led government has no magic wand to wave off fuel scarcity and epileptic electric power supply, if all the oil marketers involved in hoarding fuel, and  the pipeline vandals do not have a change of heart? Add these to the debilitating debts left at both the federal and state levels and the picture should be crystal-clear that indeed, the hard times are here.

    We cannot move Nigeria forward if the payment structure to political appointees is not scaled down in tandem with current economic realities. This is the era when we need volunteers in government. The nation is in crying need of patriots who would utilize their time and talents to seek the common good, as one has been consistently advocating over the years. We can no longer tolerate, or even survive the insidious and pervasive culture of the twin evils of corruption and impunity. No!

    It is indeed a sad commentary on our nation-state that as part of the speech made by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu on January 15, 1966 during the first military coup, the troubling issue of corruption featured prominently and 49 years later we are still grappling with the rampaging monster. Said he: “The aim of the Revolutionary Council is to establish a strong united and prosperous nation, free from corruption and internal strife.” It would do Nigerians a world of good if we compare the current state of the nation with what obtained as at December 31, 1983 when the then General Muhammadu Buhari took over the reins of political governance.

    This is an excerpt from his speech at that historic moment. “It is true that there is a worldwide economic recession. However, in the case of Nigeria, its impact was aggravated by mismanagement. We believe the appropriate government agencies have good advice but the leadership disregarded their advice. The situation could have been avoided if the legislators were alive to their constitutional responsibilities. Instead, the legislators were preoccupied with determining their salary scales, fringe benefit and unnecessary foreign travels, et al, which took no account of the state of the economy and the welfare of the people they represented.”

    Furthermore, Buhari had this to say: “As a result of our inability to cultivate financial discipline and prudent management of the economy, we have come to depend largely on internal and external borrowing to execute government projects with attendant domestic pressure and soaring external debts, thus aggravating the propensity of the outgoing civilian administration to mismanage our financial resources”. Please, read that again.

    Now, it is obvious that Nigeria’s political class has remained virtually the same over decades. Only the actors have changed. The script remains the same, characterized by greed and graft with the ugly drama played out by crooks and criminals. Every meaningful change MUST therefore, start with the polity. Those unwilling to change should be swept off by its tide.

    Above all, the change we clamour for can only be meaningful if the ordinary Nigerians become the greatest beneficiary.