The Nation Newspaper

Tag: changing

  • Changing sitting order in a stuck Titanic?

    Changing sitting order in a stuck Titanic?

    The cartel of political prayer-warriors are bound to lay claims. But if anyone deserves credit for at least “fast-tracking” the return last Saturday evening of President Muhammadu Buhari to, as they say, continue his “good work” in Aso Rock, it must be the procession of contrarians who had laid a siege to Abuja and their comrades who barricaded Abuja House in London, regardless of official posturing to the contrary.

    By openly declaring himself fit but waiting for the doctor’s formal discharge, PMB had inadvertently made himself vulnerable to accusations of “moonlighting” away in London while the situation at home was growing precarious.

    Carried away apparently by the euphoria that engulfed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport the moment the presidential jet landed or maybe out of sheer empathy with a patient struggling to rise from the nadir, the media would effectively downplay the candle-lit vigil by the motley crowd of Nigerians who had assembled in front of Buhari’s London camp and heckled the president all Friday night till the morning of the day he departed.

    Had PMB not taken off that day, there was a certainty those pesky Nigerians, who had secured London police permit to so assemble and protest, would resume their heckling behind the nation’s green/white flag with the prospects of the name-calling degenerating to an international embarrassment.

    That could not be the kind of atmosphere you expect an old patient to convalesce effectively. His misery would only have been compounded.

    But of all the spectacle that later unfolded in Abuja that day, the most unsettling must be the appearance of Governor Nyesom Wike. A political master-stroke no doubt by the wily PDP gladiator from Rivers against his rivals now holed up in Abuja. Political difference, he seemed eager to demonstrate, should not result in death-wish. (Not surprising, his bitter political foe and Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, was missing at the welcoming party.)

    Expectedly, since Saturday, sycophants have been trying to outdo each other across the land in continuation of the culture of “eye service”. Not helping matters are those whose deeds tend to border more on profanity than holiness by issuing loud statements announcing plans to fast or pray for Buhari, as if the creeds of all faiths do not already oblige genuine believers to always remember leaders in prayers as a matter of compunction.

    The vitality of the king, we are already told, is the wellbeing of the community.

    One governor declared public holiday for “thanksgiving” even though he had for a whole week lived in denial of a grave pestilence that claimed no fewer 60 people in his state.

    Buhari’s sudden return would, however, seem to have spoilt things for someone like Sat Guru Maraji, just when many were beginning to expect to hear the day he would make his own appearance in London. Long before the much revered Pastor E A Adeboye of the Redeemed Church wrapped up penultimate Thursday the flurry of of august visitations from Nigeria, the Ibadan-based mystic had relentlessly offered to heal the ailing president like “I cured IBB”.

    But while laying claims to omni-potence, it seems completely lost on the self-styled prophet that the same IBB has over the years continued to bear the pain resulting from an injury sustained during the civil war with grace and today cuts the perfect portrait of forbearance against the agonizing ravages of radiculopathy.

    Well, we can only hope that with Buhari’s return and gratitude formally expressed in his Monday broadcast for all the “prayers”, such comical distractions will now stop.

    Reacting to the same broadcast, however, embattled Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin (of the “padded budget” fame) said what he heard sounded more like a “coup speech”. On the contrary, I thought I saw a president very much in a hurry to get back in Abuja groove and reassert his authority. Maybe, Jibrin was tempted to say that because the president evoked the picture of antiquity by not availing himself of latest technology in a teleprompter and instead chose to read a script, clumsily shuffling the sheets before viewers.

    Anyone familiar with the production of television broadcast by a political leader will readily attest it can be very, very exacting indeed, much more for a recuperating septuagenarian.

    In terms of content analysis, the speech was rather too fleeting to speak to the nuances of burning national issues the president obviously wanted to address.

    Hopefully, as he gets more briefing in the coming days, the commander-in-chief will gradually get a fuller picture to enable him better appreciate the dangerous shape things assumed while he was away.

    Perhaps the most memorable line in the broadcast was this: “The national consensus is that, it is better to live together than to live apart.”

    Clearly, Buhari, being a war-tested General, seems obsessed with only the security dimension of the national question.  By recalling his extensive conversation in 2003 with Emeka Ojukwu, the now late Biafran folk hero, Buhari appears too eager to demonstrate  to neo-Biafrans the futility of seeking to disinter the old sepulcher.

    But the real challenge is the need to understand what could have led Ojukwu’s political grandchildren into a nostalgia for the path abandoned 47 years ago. What this grave hour calls for is exquisite leadership skill to win back their trust and enlist their talents in the enterprise of nation-building.

    Overall, it is reassuring to hear Buhari speaking firmly, restating his promise to tackle decisively merchants of hate, kidnappers and “farmers versus herdsmen clashes” (sic). But the president needs to understand that these are only symptoms of deep structural defects long detected in the federal union. What remains is to summon the political courage to fix things and guarantee the union’s sustainability.

    Issuing threats or deploying maximum force will, at best, only secure temporary relief. Without rooting out the cancerous growth, administering tranquilizers today is tantamount to the laughable futility of thinking that merely changing the sitting order in a Titanic in the face of an approaching iceberg will eviscerate the looming existential threat. As we read of the proverbial Titanic that succumbed in the Atlantic Ocean, clueless janitors were busy rearranging the decks even as the sybaritic band continued playing while the vessel was sinking.

    In Buhari’s absence, the Council of State directed the Inspector General of Police to explore the possibility of community policing. This could only have been inspired by the realization that the present policing architecture can no longer meet today’s needs.

    Hopefully, Buhari will also get to know in the coming days that even his party, All Progressive Congress (APC), has since realized the futility of living in denial that generally speaking, the national structure as presently constituted is sustainable. Apparently reading the national mood correctly, it has already raised an in-house committee to fashion its own response.

    This inevitability was succinctly expressed by Tunji Bello, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, in a keynote delivered at the Nigerian Bar conference which opened in Lagos on Monday. His words: “The practice of the current skewed federalism or what I call “military federalism” being camouflaged as genuine federalism must stop as most of the States are currently hemorrhaging  socioeconomically.

    “Even by logic, a federation derives its strength from its constituents. So, how then do we reconcile  the recent proposal that the power to organize local government elections be taken away from  the states and added to the functions of the national electoral body controlled by the government at the centre? If we say the reason is because the ruling party in the state tends to win all seats in council polls, what is the guaranty that it will also not become the turn of the party that controls the government at the centre to make a clean sweep of all the council seats as well?”

    The ailment has been diagnosed; what remains is to cure it.

     

     

    Trump and the psychiatric test 

    IF a bill proposed by a US Democratic congressman by name Zoe Lofgren from California sails through, then increasingly embattled President Donald Trump will sooner than later be forced to the psychiatrist’s studio.

    Lofgren’s bill, coming on the heels of Trump’s misstatements on racial issues thought long settled, would seem inspired by the growing concern over the mental health of the American leader.

    He impulsively tweets on even matters considered far beneath the dignity of the American presidency, raising hell when calmness will do, trailed by a litany of unforced errors.

    First to raise the red flag months ago is the American association of psychiatrists. It broke old convention by issuing a public alert that Trump, from their own observation, clearly exhibits disturbing symptoms.

    Lofgren’s bid appears to lend a new poignancy to the fear Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival in the 2006 presidential polls, had expressed: “A man who is quick to tweet at the slightest provocation is not to be trusted with the nuclear button at the Oval Office.”

    Back in Nigeria, the Lofgren proposal surely resonates. Longstanding has been been the agitation by some including mental health experts that such legal instrument be applied in the leadership recruitment process. However, their own concern is informed mainly by the perceived craze of our politicians and public officials to amass stupendous fortune most unlikely to be expended in three generations assuming each had the DNA of the biblical prodigal child.

  • Changing face of Afenifere

    Changing face of Afenifere

    The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has derailed from the philosophy and the ideals of its founding fathers, with most of its members now fraternising with strange bedfellows. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN, who has been following this development, reports. 

    The socio-cultural and political group was formed by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a rallying point for the Yoruba people, Afenifere, appears to have deviated from the ideals of its founding fathers. In its heydays, it used to be a powerful pressure group that was used to advance the interests of the Yoruba within the Nigerian federation.

    The group probably reached the apogee of its popularity under the leadership of the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin and Senator Abraham Adesanya, when it waged war against the country’s military rulers. In the process, its leaders were molested, unjustly detained and exiled by the military. Yet, they stood their ground. For instance, the late Adesanya narrowly escaped assassination during the struggle.

    Today, the leadership of Afenifere seems to have derailed, because it has departed from the philosophy and ideals of its founding fathers. Unlike in the past, the present day leaders are after personal benefits. Observers believe that they are now wining and dining with elements and groups ideologically opposed to the group’s guiding philosophy.

    The period before the restoration of civil rule in 1999 is believed to be the turning point for the group. The leaders of the group found themselves at a crossroads and were locked in a protracted battle. They were confronted by two crises. On the one hand, the deputy leader of the group, the late Chief Bola Ige, parted ways with his colleagues, because they rejected him and voted for Chief Olu Falae during the Alliance for Democracy (AD) presidential primary. Ige went ahead to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, without consulting with members of the group. The issue left an indelible mark in the history of the socio-political organisation, because it was not resolved; Ige died while serving in Obasanjo’s cabinet.

    The second crisis was the parting of ways of the late Chief Ganiyu Dawodu and Senator Bola Tinubu. Efforts to pacify and reconcile the two AD chieftains through the proposed 60:40 formula recommended by a panel headed by the late Sir Olaniwun Ajayi failed. Dawodu was bitter. He left the AD for another political party, the Progressives Action Coalition (PAC). On the eve of the 2003 governorship election, he directed his supporters to vote for the PDP candidate, the late Funso Williams.

    Since then, there has been a clash of ego and interests in Yoruba politics. When Ige died, his camp became divided. Two disciples of Ige — Chief Bisi Akande and Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa — decided to contest the AD chairmanship. Those opposed to Ige in Afenifere, such as Tinubu, Cornelius Adebayo and the late Lam Adesina endorsed Akande for the position. That was how the AD became factionalised. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was in dilemma as to which faction to recognise. The former Afenifere leader, Adesanya, could not resolve the imbroglio before his demise.

    Following the death of Adesanya, a succession crisis broke out. The organisation split into two, following the declaration by its interim leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti that Akinfenwa and not Akande was the AD national chairman. A good number of its chieftains were not in agreement with Fasoranti’s position. They include: Akande, Olusegun Osoba, Tinubu, Senator Biyi Durojaiye, Oba Olatunji Hamzat, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the late Lam Adesina and Chief Michael Koleoso.

    Fasoranti, a Second Republic Commissioner for Finance in Ondo State was later proclaimed as the leader of Afenifere by his faction. Key members of the Fasoranti’s group include: Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Femi Okunrounmu, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa, Chief Korede Duyile, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, Senator Akinfenwa and Chief Olu Falae.

     

    How Afenifere derailed

    Between 2003 and now, Afenifere has been in the political wilderness. While the group supported the second term ambition of five AD governors in the Southwest, it worked against that of Tinubu. But, ironically, the five governors were defeated by the PDP in the 2003 elections. Tinubu survived. In 2007, Afenifere floated another party, the Democratic Peoples’ Alliance (DPA). The party failed woefully, because the old Afenifere warriors lacked the mobilisation prowess.

    In 2012, Afenifere struck a deal with the Ondo State Chapter of Labour Party (LP) to spite its members in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Despite the fact that it had become public knowledge that the LP was an extension of the PDP, the Fasoranti group endorsed the LP for that year’s governorship.

    Besides, it is also evident that the Afenifere is fraternising with elements and groups clearly opposed to its ideological orientation. For instance, apart from welcoming into its fold controversial PDP members like Chief Bode George and Senator Iyiola Omisore, the Afenifere has become the unofficial opposition to the Buhari administration.

    Many observers are yet to come to terms with the ignoble role played by the leaders of the group towards the 2015 general elections. What baffled them was how the group changed its perception of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, which it earlier described as anti-Yoruba. For instance, Falae was loud and clear in accusing Jonathan of marginalising the Yoruba in the constitution of his cabinet. He specifically alleged that Jonathan failed to appoint a Yoruba into topmost positions like the Senate Presidency, House of Representatives Speakership, Chief Justice of the Federation, Deputy Senate President, the Court of Appeal President, ministers in strategic ministries and Secretary to Government of the Federation. Falae noted that the absence of a Yoruba in power hierarchy had adversely affected the Southwest zone.

    Another Afenifere chieftain, Senator Femi Okunrounmu, was very critical of the Jonathan administration on the same ground that it marginalised the Yoruba. He said: “We (Yoruba leaders) had met with Jonathan to complain about the marginalisation of the Yoruba, but he has not done anything about it.”

    In spite of all complaints about the exclusion of the Yoruba in the Jonathan government, nothing changed. However, Okunrounmu was appointed the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, probably to court the Afenifere and secure their approval and support for the 2014 National Conference.

    Ironically, Afenifere leaders have not recognised or acknowledged the gains of the Yoruba under the Buhari administration. Unlike the Jonathan era, the Yoruba people are holding key positions in the government. They include: the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; Mr Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing; Mrs Kemi Adeosun (Finance); Professor Isaac Adewole (Health); Dr Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals) and Alhaji Adebayo Shittu (Communication).

    Rather than appreciate and commend the Buhari administration’s gesture, the Afenifere has not relented in its open confrontation against the government. At a stage, Fasoranti condemned Buhari, describing his administration as a dictatorship and a one-man show. The Afenifere leader has also castigated Buhari for making the war against corruption the only agenda of his government.

    The division within the Afenifere came to open after it endorsed Jonathan’s second term bid. Members with dissenting opinion dissociated themselves from the endorsement. They accused the leadership of taking a unilateral decision, which they said contradicted with the position taken at a previous meeting. A member who spoke in confidence said:  “That was not what we agreed at our meeting. We held a meeting and agreed that we should not mention anybody’s name among the presidential candidates. We agreed we should only talk about what each candidate stands for and direct our people to vote for anyone that has approximated our position.

    “In the communiqué, we issued, we agreed to support any candidate who has demonstrated commitment to the implementation of the National Conference Report, who will ensure devolution power and reduce the cost of governance. Did Jonathan who was endorsed by a faction of Afenifere make any attempt to meet the three conditions? No. The National Conference Report was submitted to him eight months before the end of his tenure; he failed to forward it to the National Assembly for approval and its incorporation into the Constitution. Jonathan was president for five years; he did not make any move to reduce the powers and functions of the Federal Government. Under Jonathan, the Presidency was bloated. There were many political appointees without offices and responsibilities.

    “An indication that the Afenifere has derailed was contained in the letter of resignation tendered by its leader, Chief Fasoranti, even though it was withdrawn weeks later. In the letter, Fasoranti noted that the group was formed to serve as an umbrella to be used to actualise the dream of a great nation and the Yoruba race.

    “As events have been unfolding in the past few years, the focus and goals of the founding fathers of our great organisation, the Afenifere, were gradually eroded. Several efforts were made to ensure actualisation of the Afenifere goals, but it appeared that we have not succeeded in achieving this.”

    With such revelation from Fasoranti, it is crystal clear that Afenifere has lost focus. The group has suffered many contradictions under the leadership of Fasoranti. Several of its members have left and found new voices in different organisations and political parties.

     

    Is reconciliation feasible?

    The younger elements led by Mr Wale Oshun, a Third Republic House of Representatives Chief Whip, formed the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) and tried in vain to reconcile the two factions led by Fasoranti and Fasanmi. The ARG members include Dr Kayode Fayemi, Mr Ayo Afolabi, Mr Segun Odegbami, Mrs Toke Benson and Mr Kunle Famoriyo.

    The ARG leader, Oshun, said the dispute among the Afenifere leaders manifested in the subversion of the AD. He said some Afenifere leaders declared support for Obasanjo’s second term, adding that the former president supported Akinfenwa for the AD chairmanship.

    Oshun explained efforts made by the ARG to reconcile the two factions of Afenifere thus: “Three years after the 2003 election, we young elements — myself, Ayo Afolabi, Kunle Famoriyo, Yinka Odumakin, Kayode Fayemi, Jimi Agbaje and Dr Adeniji — started meeting and came to the conclusion that we should not allow the dichotomy to continue. We organised a reconciliation meeting at the IITA, Ibadan. Both sides were fully represented. I could remember Akande, Falae, Adebanjo and Niyi Adebayo were present at the meeting. They agreed to sink their differences and work together as a group. Few weeks after, Adebanjo in a press interview lambasted the former governors over the the Afenifere crisis. Thus, the reconciliation floundered again. It was at that point that we younger elements met and decided to float the ARG in isolation of both the Afenifere leaders and the former governors.”

    Analysts say reconciliation may still be a long way off. They recalled the spirited peace moves by the late Justice Kayode Eso, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu and Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi to reconcile the two factions also hit the rock. The analysts believe the obstacle to reconciliation now is the conflict of political interest; the reality is that despite the fact that leaders on both sides are committed to Yoruba interest, they are now adopting antagonistic approaches.

  • Changing world of consumers

    Changing world of consumers

    The world of consumers is becoming more complicated for marketers to understand. At a recent roundtable in Lagos, organised by a marketing research firm, KantarMilwardbrown, participants said advertisers and brand handlers needed to retool to understand consumers’ ever-changing lifestyle, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    The world is becoming mobile-centric, and the remaining personal computer markets are slowly migrating to mobile. For marketers and brand strategists, this is an ominous sign in a sector still driven by traditional creative thinking.

    In an attempt to build brands, most players still resort to old ways of pushing their brands in an era where consumers have become more sophisticated as their exposure to technology now defines how they relate with brands.

    At a roundtable in Lagos, by KantarMilward Brown, a global marketing and advertising research firm, experts came up with ideas for Nigerian brand and marketing managers, both from the agencies and client’s side, on how to relate with the changing world of consumers. This  is in order to connect with them to enhance returns on investment (RoI).

    On the occasion, the Chief Client Officer, Consumer Insights at KantarMilward Brown, Karin Du Chenne, said the market realities demanded stakeholders to understand the fact that today’s connectivity is reshaping consumers, commerce and content. Noting that marketing to consumers is now tougher, she said there was increased pressure on pricing and more competition.

    With low hurdles for new entrants into the market, consumers are now more empowered because of access to technology.

    Chenne said these have given rise to a range of new business models such as e-commerce and other technological-driven platforms that compete with traditional market.

    She said the models had elicited new experience among consumers who yearn for convenience. Rather than sending emails to make enquiry at far-reaching locations, consumers through their mobile devices just need a click and data on their phones to make purchases and sell.

    “Mobile connectivity has helped emerging markets to catch up rapidly. As expected, younger people remain the most connected. In an era of micro-moments it is important for brands to be a part of the conversation and be consistent across touchpoints,” she said.

    Chenne said further that brands and marketing professionals should expect such changing consumer behavioural pattern in a market that has reached maturity such as Nigeria’s, in which digital/social media is a daily habit with Lagos leading the way in digital/social.

    “As markets mature, consumers become more diverse in their digital behaviour,” she said.

    Experts also said there was a need for brand builders to understand media content consumption pattern among consumers. This is necessary to ensure designing a message that not only connects, but delivers RoI.

    The Global Brand Director, Link, KantarMillward Brown, Daren Poole, said agencies and advertisers should do research to find the missing link between their brands and the target market. While emphasising the role of creativity, he said the truth was that advertising and media content must deliver RoI. “Brands and ads need instant meaning,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kantar Africa & Middle East, Charles Foster, said there was a need for market operators to embark on consumer research to understand the changing lifestyle of consumers.

    He,  however, said advertisers and their agencies should not be afraid of cost of data collection.

    He said: “Data source agnostic will drive down data collection costs and change the skill sets in the industry.”

    KantarMillward Brown Nigeria Managing Director, Mrs. Ugo Geri-Robert, said research was key in building brand, adding that technology plays a big role, and that consumers have become more powerful with the use of technology.

  • APC: Changing the changers

    SIR, Most Nigerians cannot really fathom why up till this moment, the APC-led federal government has been unable to hit the ground running as no aspect of the economy seems to be experiencing the much desired palpable and positive change.

    There is no arguing the fact that the APC-led government inherited a government with an “empty treasury”, and assumed leadership at a time when the mainstay of the country’s economy – oil – started experiencing a huge nosedive in world prices. There is also no arguing the fact that they also inherited a government with an upsurge in insurgency – a huge threat to the sound economic and otherwise development of the country. Nevertheless, the party and its government has no excuse whatsoever for their hitherto inability to find their feet nine months now, and start giving its citizenry a little reprieve.

    It is extremely appalling that up till this moment, the APC-led government seems not to have found feasible and long-lasting solutions to the many problems besetting and stunting the economic, social and political growth of the nation which was the very reason why they were able to win the support of Nigerians during the campaign period. Whilst the President has been touring the world to get developmental supports, he should also know that Nigerians are in dire need of quick and immediate results that will help ameliorate their current sufferings.

    Recent happenings in the country has shown that there is an immense need for a change in the perception and operational abilities and capacities of our ‘change’ bearers if we intend to truly realize ‘change’ as promised by the APC. The party and its leaders must start to understand that whatever actions and inactions they take that do not bring about a palpable and positive change in the lives of ordinary Nigerians, will amount to a compromise in promise. They must start to truly make their campaign words, their bond.

    President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC government should realize the need to truly change to the demands of Nigerians who are passing through intense hard-times. They must, moving forward, be proactive and responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. They must start tackling head-on, the issues of unemployment, insurgency, restiveness, corruption, astronomical increase in the prices of goods and services due to the imbalance in the dollar-naira exchange rate, etc.

    As much as I firmly supported and will always support the APC based on their ‘change’ ideology, I will also not fail to let them know that they are currently not getting it right as expected. And for them to begin to get it right, there is the need for them to be truly changed (as our change bearers) so that they can truly give us the ‘change’ they promised us.

     

    • Daniel Ndukwe Ekea,

    Umuahia, Abia State.

  • Changing times

    •We laud military chiefs’ celebration of Christmas with troops at the war front

    Good times seem to be back to the Nigerian Armed Forces, with reports that the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Dan-Ali, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as well as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadiq spent the last Christmas holidays with troops fighting the Boko Haram insurgents in the north-eastern part of the country. This was a remarkable and refreshing departure from the immediate past when Nigerians were told the soldiers could have been tried for mutiny in the bush, shot and buried “all within five minutes” even when it was glaring that they lacked the weapons to fight.

    The military chiefs did not just visit the troops, they also gave them words of encouragement from the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari.  “The purpose of my visit to Yola is first and foremost to convey President Muhammadu Buhari’s greetings to our pilots and technicians who have been doing an excellent job in the north-east to deal with the internal security of insurgency problem we are having here in the north-east”, the Chief of Air Staff said during a morale boosting visit to troops in Yola, Adamawa State.

    He added: “The honourable Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff are in Damaturu, I was with them yesterday (Friday) in Maiduguri while they were with the troops in Damaturu, I am here (in Yola) to convey the greetings of Mr President to our pilots and technicians and to also have the opportunity to also celebrate the Christmas with them”. The CDS also made promises to the troops: “On our part we will do our best to ensure that all logistics and welfare required to prosecute the war to a logical conclusion were provided”.

    Although soldiers have signed to fight and die for their country if need be, the fact is that they are first and foremost human beings with blood flowing in their veins. Like other members of the society they have loved ones and other dependants; they also have dreams and aspirations. They should be treated like human beings, whether at war or peace times.

    Our political and military elite love watching foreign television channels and they see how things are done in other countries. Unfortunately, replicating same here has always been their problem. In 2003, President George Bush visited Baghdad on a surprise visit to the troops occupying Iraq. Several other American presidents had visited war zones to give the soldiers words of encouragement and galvanise them to give their all at the war front.

    Moreover, we see how those who die in war fronts are treated – their bodies are brought home with honour; they have elaborate military parades, their caskets draped in the country’s national colours, etc. Of course the soldiers know that their dependants would not be left to suffer. Why would anybody not want to fight to the last drop of blood in him in these circumstances?

    But what do we have here? When our soldiers die, their dependants are ejected from barracks as if their deaths were premeditated so that new occupants could move into their apartments. Their gratuity is often delayed; those of them sent on foreign missions are short-changed or not paid at all and when they protest, the military accuses them of mutiny.

    Things cannot change overnight. But we expect the new spirit in the military to continue and indeed become a permanent feature of our armed forces. It should not be a one-off. When we care for our soldiers they too will go the extra mile in carrying out their assignments.

     

  • Changing CSR story line

    Changing CSR story line

    The practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is fast changing. With CSR attracting various nomenclatures, such as corporate social investment, corporate sustainability and others, experts say the story line of CSR must continue to change, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Where does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget really go? In whose interest, the society, organisation or the CEO? Are CSR programmes designed to create value for the society or to earn a bragging right for the company? These were some of the questions that begged for answers at the just-concluded forum organised by Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN).

    With global attention fast shifting from CSR to sustainability, experts are of the opinion that many corporate organisations do not adhere to standard practice, hence, they fall below best global CSR reporting guidelines.

    With the theme: “Challenges of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria- Roles of Organisations, Government and the Media”, the forum held at Grand Seren Hotel, Iyaganku, GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State, last Friday.

    The Group Managing Director,  SO&U Limited and chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Ufot Udeme, in his presentation entitled: “Pushing the moral boundaries between CSR spend and CSR marketing budget”, queried the intention of corporate organisations on CSR efforts.

    “Is there really a need to leverage an organisation’s CSR initiatives? It is argued that some of the highest givers around the world give quietly, sometimes even anonymously; they sincerely want to meet a need without attracting unnecessary attention to themselves. Why don’t organisations do the same?”

    Ufot noted that CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and the society at large.

    To him, CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision making, and the honouring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, and Profit. “It is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society – to “make the world a better place,” he said.

    The Managing Director, TruContact, Mr. Ken Egbas, is worried that many companies fall below standard practice of CSR if benchmarked against global reporting guidelines.

    “They call people together and give them gifts, or give exercise books to school children or renovate a school classroom, grade a small stretch of  road, then, they call the journalist and splash the photos on the pages of their paper and they call that CSR,” he noted.

    He blamed the media for supporting the ignorance of corporate organisations about CSR, saying: “journalists contribute in lowering the standard.”

    “Where that leaves you is that it drops the standard so low because the journalists, who are supposed to demand for standard do not even know the standard for CSR and sustainability reporting, which is very sad,” Egbas observed.

    He stressed further that until the media pay attention to standard, it would be difficult to hold organisations accountable.

  • The changing national political equation (2)

    Did anything really change in the political behaviour of our compatriots from the South East in the 2015 elections? As indicated earlier, the people have always worked towards aligning with the mainstream. They believe that it is the only way to ensure that the national cake goes round. The attitude was further established after the civil war. They held on tenaciously to it this year. They were so sure that the incumbency factor is the most important in tilting the electoral scale and thus gave Dr. Jonathan and the PDP their full backing. They did not pause to analyse his chances or count the blessings that accrued from the electoral investment of 2011. In almost all the elections they supported the PDP. Even in Ebonyi where the outgoing governor, Martin Elechi, was given the short end of the stick and had to instruct his supporters to move into the Labour Party, the pendulum still swung in the PDP direction. In Imo and Anambra where the APC and APGA hold sway, the presidential choice was still Dr. Jonathan.

    Now is the time to count the cost. Jonathan failed, and the East collapsed with him political. In the Senate and the House of Representatives, it has been impossible for them to hold any principal officer position legitimately. They had to attempt forcing their way in through the back door. It is not certain yet if they would get away with it. What is certain is that the motive of hanging around the power corridor has been defeated. It remains to be seen whether they would embrace realignment before the next set of election.

    On the contrary, the situation in the West has changed. The people have shown over the years that they are not afraid of taking the opposite position in the political amphitheatre. But, this time, a critical alliance with the North West has helped put them as key stakeholders at the centre. It is a strange role and no one knows if they would succeed in keeping the alignment alive till 2019.The leaders are used to getting the people vote for a narrow, partisan and regional interest. Now, they are at the national level. If the region is to remain relevant, it must adjust to the new reality fast. The position taken and pushed by the leaders in the early days of this administration shows that they are better at fighting the political war than winning the peace. Is there still a strategic thinking club in the region? Do the political leaders come together regularly to review situations, painting scenarios and planning ahead? How solid is the new alliance with the North west? Answers to these posers may determine how well the region fares in the national political setting as politicians start the 2019 movement.

    The Middle Belt that has always been a partner of the progressives of the South is now in the APC boat. Did it find its seat in the craft because its natural allies are in the party or because it has overcome the age-long animosity against the Hausa-Fulani who are seen as adversaries and hegemonists? In writing on the Political Mafia believed to be based in Kaduna in the Second Republic, Tyodden and Takaya brought out the seemingly permanent antagonism that defines the North-Middle Belt relations. It the ice has thawed, it is to the glory of the land and an indication that the country has changed. Now, only Taraba and Gombe remain in the PDP Orbit in the North East. Hurricane Buhari swept everything in sight into the APC basket.  Earlier in this Republic, the Bauchi axis of the region had opted for the PDP as it did with the NPN in the Second Republic. Adamawa, until this year, was a PDP state; the wind of change is blowing in the region and how fast the dust settles remains anyone’s guess.

    The North West is a dominant force in Nigerian politics. It has swung from a major PDP force to the APC. All the seven states are controlled by the new party and are largely responsible for the Buhari triumph at the poll. It is not certain if the president would have won without the almost 2 million votes from Kano and the solid support from Kaduna and Katsina States. Especially in view of the counterpoise from Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta States. Had the votes been split as they were in 2011, the result might have been different.

    It is however too early to predict if the trend would continue beyond this year. The PDP governors worked for Buhari’s victory, perhaps more because they detested the Jonathan style than their support for the President.

    The political behaviour of the states and regions in the years ahead may be determined largely by the vision, mission and performance of the President. If he manages to effectively change the Nigerian way of life, inculcate the correct values in the people and point the way to prosperity, he could consolidate his hold on power and ensure that the people are united in the same political camp; He also has to rise above naivety and pettiness if he is to go down in history as the leader who welded the people together and brought about a New Nigeria.

  • The changing communication landscape

    If we are to understand truly how the Internet shape the way we communicate, it is essential that we seek to understand how different varieties of language are used on the Internet. No doubt, the explosion of social media has completely changed the way we communicate with each other in an era where change is rapid. Whether via laptop computers, advanced mobile devices, Wi-Fi or enhanced 4G wireless networks, we are more connected than ever to the people we know. While those who use to “do things the old way” marvel at how we were able to make progress before this era, others are subtly drawing our attention to areas to look into as the change progresses.

    I interacted with two lectures last week who intimated me with some of the challenges they face in marking and grading seminar and examination papers. They marveled that a substantial number of their students actually write seminar papers and examinations with abbreviations! Some in the extreme even write without punctuations marks or caps. Part of the problem, they believe, lie with the usage of social media. I had to sit down for more than an hour with them to understand what or how deep the problems are and their solutions.

    Even the staunchest critic of the internet and social media – if there really are any – will agree that this communications boom has more positive educational benefits than negatives. The issue now is how we manage some of the negative side effect like “cyber slang” which is suspected of damaging students’ writing acumen like these lecturers identified.

    Writing was once a solitary activity but now it has become a very social way to communicate. Before the Internet, most people wrote to communicate with just one individual. But now we reach hundreds or thousands of people with a single post.

    With the prevalence of smartphones and popularity of texting, chances are you may have been with someone who was there, but not quite there. It’s not uncommon to see people glued to their technology even in social settings. If you can’t recall a time this has happened, you might be the offender yourself. Though we’re no less social, we are more distracted. Putting down our social media connections to focus on the ones right in front of us is something that takes a real effort.

    The lecturers agreed that social media is definitely changing the way we communicate, but in many ways it’s for the better as we expand our social circles and explore new horizons through our online connections. But they are concerned about cyber slang which is a term used to describe shortcuts, alternative words, or even symbols used to convey thoughts in an electronic document.

    Because so many digital media limit the number of characters an author can use at a time, students are becoming more creative to get the most out of their limited space. Common cyber-slang terms that have made their way into popular speech include BFF (best friends forever), LOL (laugh out loud), OMG (oh my God; some say oh my gosh), FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and YOLO (You Only Live Once) and a host of others.

    “I think it makes sense for these social conversations to be lightweight or light-hearted in terms of the syntax,” one of them said. “But ultimately, in the world of academic or business and in the real world the students’ will live in – in terms of their jobs and professional lives – solid reading and writing skills are fundamental. I’m a little worried about where we are in Nigeria with literacy levels dropping. Are these electronic devices helping us, or making it worse? I think they may be going the other way and making it worse.”

    I understood his concerns, but pointed out that words from the social media have found their ways into the English dictionary. Ten years ago, who would have thought the word “trend” will become a verb (on Twitter we read “It’s trending worldwide”). Others still have emerged as we adapt our language to new technologies; how about “crowdfunding,” “selfie,” and “e-cigarette?”

    I guess readers might have noticed how many of these “new” words are actually just appropriated, meaning they are pre-existing words that are combined or given entirely new meanings. For example, “social network” became a word in the Oxford English Dictionary back in 1973, referring to the physical activity of networking in a social atmosphere. In the 1990s, people began using the term to refer to virtual engagement, and that became an official definition in 1998.

    As academics, I challenged them to conduct researches into how and why things are changing. I drew their attention to a research by Jacob Eisenstein and his colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA. Eisenstein conducted a study examining 30 million tweets sent from different locations in the U.S. from December 2009 to May 2011. The purpose of the study was to pinpoint the origin of popular slang words and track how they spread across the country. He came to the realisation that social media networks like Twitter allow linguists accurate and easily searchable records for exchanges.

    One of the banes of our current educational system is the dearth of quality research. Without research we cannot understand the origin or trend of a phenomenon. Eisenstein goal was to pinpoint the origin of popular slang words and track how they spread across the country. A Nigerian researcher can also track things here and see where some of the popular lingoes we use emanate from.

    Because of social media, words are moving around the world within weeks and months, whereas before, it could take a few years. Is it then that language is changing more quickly? I don’t think so, I believe technologies have developed and they allow the transmission of slang terms to pass from one group to another much more quickly.

    According to Fiona McPherson, Senior Editor in the New Words Group at the Oxford English Dictionary, the secret of a new word’s success is its longevity. She said a word must be in use for at least five years to be considered. So, whether we like it or not, when words like “LOL” become common, widespread, well understood, and stick around for more than five years, they’re eligible for a spot in the dictionary.

    As I conducted my own little research into our communication dynamics, I was able to discover that dictionary editors look to what people say when they vote on whether a word should have a place in their dictionary. Dictionaries are a valuable resource material, but they are human and they are not timeless meaning that they also can change just like the King James English changed.

    As a result of the IT revolution, there is a shift in reading practices from the paper page to the screen. This shift is more likely to occur especially among young people who grow up with computers. It will necessitate different psycholinguistic processes related to decoding information from a screen instead of a page, especially when the screen will be decoding words for the reader at the click of a finger or mouse.

    Similar to the changes in reading practices, changes are expected to be made in writing practices as well in pedagogical contexts involving the Internet. With the rapid changes brought about by globalisation and technological development, we have already entered the biggest language/linguistic revolution ever. Many people have learned to meet the demands of the new Internet conditions, such as e-mails, chat groups, Web pages, etc. The e-prefix must have been used in hundreds of expressions of people on a daily basis.

    The Oxford Dictionary of New Words had already noted e-text, e-cash, e-books, e-conferences, e-voting, e-loan, e-newsletters, e-cards, e-shop, etc. However, it is impossible to know how many of these e-expressions which originated with the Internet will remain in long-term use in the English language. We can only recognise and describe language change once it has occurred. Linguists have begun to investigate the linguistic properties of the so-called ‘electronic revolution’. Whether the way in which the English language is being used on the Internet is so different from previous linguistic behaviour, and should it be described as revolutionary.

  • Jonathan: we’re changing approach to Boko Haram

    Jonathan: we’re changing approach to Boko Haram

    President Goodluck Jonathan promised yesterday that Nigerians will witness a new approach to the battle against Boko Haram.

    He said activities of the Islamic sect or other international terrorists “cannot disintegrate Nigeria”.

    Dr. Jonathan spoke while receiving a delegation on Easter homage at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Suicide bombers killed no fewer than 75 people last week in Nyanya, near Abuja. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Noting that the nation is going through some challenges, the President said there is hope and that the country would overcome them.

    The President also promised that his administration would do everything possible to continue to bring development to every part of the country.

    But he harped on the need for the three tiers of government to work collectively to solve the problems.

    He said: “Easter is the most important ceremony in Christian faith. Without His resurrection, our faith would have been in vain. His resurrection gives us hope. You will have tribulations but there is hope for you. Today we are marking that resurrection.

    “Yes, as a nation, we are having tribulations but surely, Nigeria has hope. Surely, we will overcome these tribulations. Even those who think that this country will divide, those who think the country will be divided into North, South, East and West, no way. Boko Haram will not disintegrate this country.

    “Most of you are aware that when Nyanya was bombed, Nigerians from all religions and tribes participated in the evacuation of people who were injured even before the security arrived. People donated more blood than required.

    “That shows that no criminal group, funded within or outside this country, can separate us. No criminal group will disintegrate this country. Boko Haram will come and go. We are working very hard, we are changing our approach, God willing, we will end Boko Haram.

    “To you my brethren, I thank all of you for your prayers and I promise that we will work to do our best to bring development to this country. We have challenges. We have the issue of unemployment. Not too long ago, there was this ugly development at the Immigration Service, because of the level of unemployment and partial employment.

    “Some are doing jobs that do not meet their qualifications; they are partially employed. So when you talk of employment in Customs or Immigration, you will see everybody rushing there.”

    On the need for cooperation among the tiers of government, he said: “States are semi autonomous. The President does not control states or local governments’ resources. Governors and local government chairmen control their resources. If all of us work in concert, we will solve most of our problems instead of trading blames. Government is one. God willing, we will get to where we want to be.”

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, who led the delegation, presented an Easter card to President Jonathan.

    Senator Smart Adeyemi, chairman of the Senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said: “We are happy to have a President who trusts in God. Nigeria will triumph over its challenges. Mr. President, you will succeed.”

    In the delegation were: the Primate of Anglican Church, Dr. Nicholas Okoh, Senator Phillip Aduda, officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Chief Imam of Central Mosque, Abuja.

    First Lady Patience Jonathan was not at the homage visit.

    She also was not at the church service where the President recited the 2014 memory verse of the chapel from 1st Peter 5: 6 to 7.

    The first lesson was taken by the wife of the Aso Villa Chaplain, Mrs. Onwuzurumba, from the book of Leviticus 23: 9 to 14. Mr. John Kennedy Okpara took the second lesson from 1st Corinthians 15: 9 to 14.

    There was a prayer session for the first family, the congregation and Nigeria as a whole.

    The Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba maintained that only God can make somebody president.

    In his Easter Sunday sermon he said it was not a position anyone could just wake up and desire to fill.

    In his message titled: “Let’s celebrate”, Ven. Onwuzurumba said there was every reason to celebrate despite the bad and sad stories in the media.

    He said: “It takes a lot to become a President. It is not easy. It is not something you desire; it is what God gives.”

    He took the congregation through Romans 5: 12, 1st Corinthians 15: 19 to 29 and Ephisians 2: 12.

    Continuing, Ven. Onwuzurumba said: “When we celebrate, it is a way of showing appreciation of what God has done. We are celebrating Jesus today because he is the hope of the world.

    “This world does not offer us any hope. It is only Jesus Christ that brought hope to the world.”

  • Osun’s changing environment

    I have lived through several administrations since the creation of Osun State and none has had the sort of visible impact that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has had in so short a time. Perhaps what makes the difference is that no governor before him has approached the issue of the environment from a deliberate policy perspective as he is doing. He has developed a coherent policy on the environment, with a focus on health, which he has been implementing since he took office.

    Previously the situation in Osun was characterised by heaps of refuse everywhere, resulting from people uncaringly dumping waste in any open spaces they deemed suitable for that purpose – on roadsides and road median, in streams and rivers and just about anywhere. Another prominent feature of the landscape was the ubiquitous markets that opportunistically sprang up everywhere, with their enormous capacity for generating garbage. It needs little emphasis that we have had to live with the resultant untoward health implication, and we actually lived through the flooding consequent upon silting and blocking of waterways by refuse. Flood-occasioned destruction of lives and properties is one of my most enduring recollections of the reign of the last administration in the state.

    Ogbeni Aregbesola, on assumption of office, declared a state of emergency in environmental sanitation, with his O’Clean programme aimed at ridding our environment of filth and getting the people to have a change of attitude in the way they treat the environment. The 90-day emergency period saw a mandatory weekly sanitation exercise in Osun and the weekly cleaning of markets and places of work. This is strengthened by the daily street cleaning exercise by the O’YES volunteers.

    Obviously, ridding the streets of garbage heaps requires a waste management policy. The government of Aregbesola is no less impressive in this area. Besides getting the people to clean up and gather their refuse, collection and clearing of rubbish have been a fruitful partnership between government and private waste collectors who charge fees, but go into the inner streets where government trucks cannot reach. And there is the fee-free government alternative, but which requires taking one’s refuse to designated collection points for onward evacuation to landfill site for processing. The green-painted garbage trucks – and I’ve seen scores of them – with their peculiar honk are now a part of our daily morning traffic in Osun. The waste management is aimed at achieving an integrated system that will comprise transfer-loading-stations in all the local government areas of the state, from where the refuse would then be carted away to the central landfill site. Recycling facilities that are still under construction are a component of the system. These facilities, meant to enable the re-use of plastic waste, are to be complemented by a buy-back scheme for plastic waste for a more effective control of the hazards constituted by plastic bottles and pure water sachets.

    The environment policy includes the comprehensive dredging and de-silting of the quite numerous streams and rivers across Osun to make for free-flow of water. Anybody who is well familiar with the landscape in Osun State would understand what it means to take up the dredging and de-silting of its extensive network of streams, rivers and tributaries. Yet, this is precisely what the Ogbeni Aregbesola’s government has been doing, and is still doing, even now, because the dredging and de-silting are still ongoing. The exercise has covered streams and rivers extending over large areas, including Ipetu-Ijesa, Ife Ilesa, Ejigbo, Iragbiji, Ode-Omu, Iwo, Ila-Orangun, and Osogbo, the state capital. In Osogbo alone, more than 15 rivers, streams and canals are being dredged and de-silted.

    The effect of all these dredging and de-silting activities has been the safety of the lives and properties of the people of Osun from the devastation of flooding that has been their lot under the immediate past administration in the state. It is on record that there has been more rain since Aregbesola came into office yet there has been no flood, especially in Osogbo, unlike the tragedy that flooding has wreaked in neighbouring states in the South-west.

    Aregbesola’s environmental policy also covers urban development and beautification. Here, indiscriminate market activities are being discouraged, while ultra-modern market complexes are being constructed around the state. Notable among these are Dagbolu, Aiyegbaju and Aje markets, which are all in various stages of completion.

    The beautification project involves the development and modernisation of strategic spaces for public use in a manner that enhances the landscape architecture of our cities. The Hassan Oladokun Park at Gbongan Junction and the Freedom Park at Old Garage Roundabout stand out in this regard. The beautification also involves a massive tree planting exercise, for which some 2.5 million seedlings of different tree species have been purchased. The trees are intended to line the major roads right from the Oyo State border into the heart of the major cities in Osun, including the state capital, Osogbo. The trees will not only serve as beautifiers, they will also serve as checks to erosion, as well as help to limit the negative impact of stormy winds, not to mention their roles in reducing greenhouse gas emission.

    In only two years, Ogbeni Aregbesola’s environmental management is already a legacy that will be better appreciated.

    • Oyeleke writes from Osogbo