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Tag: character

  • ‘Your character is your beauty’

    ‘Your character is your beauty’

    If passion was a piece of clothing, Princess Sayo Adenle, a farmer and entrepreneur, would have worn hers for all to see. This Ekiti-born princess is a woman of culture with a die-hard passion for her homeland. This has earned her the coveted title of the Iyalaje-General in Ikere Kingdom; and, come August, she would be conferred with the title of Erelu of Aaye Kingdom in Ekiti State. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, she speaks on her passions and how she is empowering women in the state.

    Growing up that impacted the woman I became

    Childhood is a phase in life that is irreversible. Therefore, I appreciate my grandmother whom I spent my childhood with. I owe a lot to her because I learnt so much from her.

    My childhood experiences influenced my emotions. As a result, I always consider other people’s feelings and support them whenever I can. I was born and brought up in Ikere; a daughter of High Chief Odunro. But, I have always liked challenging tasks and to set goals for myself. I am always looking for opportunities that can be beneficial to people around me. I have a dogged disposition that makes me think at first glance that I am hard but I am very kind in nature and an easy going person.

    My connection to my roots

    I love my town, and I care for my people. I love Ikere more than any other place in the world, and I am comfortable living in Ikere. Some have asked me despite being a widely travelled businesswoman, why did I choose Ikere. I tell them, it’s home sweet home. I am passionate about my town. My aim is to make Ikere Kingdom a town to be envied by neighbouring towns in terms of success, wealth and prosperity in our businesses. I pray to God to grant my request. These led to the establishment of the Women Farmers Association in Ekiti State (WAFAES) and the Saver Shopping Village.

    My take on the Japa fever that has taken over Nigerians

    There’s an economic crisis everywhere. Therefore, eko gbigbona nfe suru.

    My memorable achievement as a woman of culture

    One of my greatest achievements is that I was able to bring my people together in Ekiti State using the women farmers association platform. 

    Being the Iyalaje-General of Ikere Kingdom

    I thank God for His mercy. Incidentally, I am the first Iyalaje General in Ikere Kingdom. My journey to Iyalaje began 7 years ago when I decided to contribute to the development of my town and to create job opportunities for the youths. This led to the establishment of my companies. I run a boutique, fish farm and animal husbandry (goats and ram farming). I love farming, and it’s one of our traditions in Ekiti. Many people cannot distinguish between Iyalaje and Iyaloja. Iyaloja is the leader of the markets in the town to coordinate trading activities. My role as Iyalaje is to assist in wealth generation, success and prosperity in businesses in Ikere.

    My passions for women and agriculture

    My grandmother was a very hard working farmer, who never depended on her husband. I used to follow her to the farm when I was young. As a result, I developed an interest in farming and have passion for women. Since women are the home builders and they form the majority of the state population, it becomes reasonable and proper to empower such groups as catalysts for development. Supporting women in agricultural farming in Ekiti State is meant to boost the state’s economy and ensure their proper participation in the agricultural transformation agenda of the government.

    Inspiration behind the establishment of Women Farmers Association in Ekiti State (WAFAES)

    After COVID-19 pandemic, the world had never been the same. I realised food items became expensive all over the world. As a result, we need to support ourselves and the government in order to boost our economy. Women farmers feel lifted and very happy seeing a woman farmer like them bringing them together with words of encouragement. Women farmers face considerable barriers to accessing financial services, which restricts their ability to reach markets at various stages of the agricultural cycle. To help women access markets and overcome barriers to entry into more profitable value chains, public funding needs to be targeted toward supporting or subsidizing innovative financial mechanisms.

    Read Also: Minimum Wage: Labour rejects govt’s ₦54,000 proposal

    Targeted financing for training modules on personal initiative and socio-emotional skills for women could also be added to extension training and has been shown to increase women’s likelihood of adopting more valuable crops

    My greatest challenge

    The greatest challenge is finance. The women farmers need capital to get their businesses off the ground and to grow them into successful operations. It is so unfortunate that public investments that promote the use of agricultural inputs and mechanisation are not reaching value chains where women are concentrated.

    Insecurity, lack of motivation and access to credit or improved seedling, storage challenge and poor access to market are some of the reasons the state and by extension, Nigeria is facing food insecurity. When some of these food items are available in the market, their prices are sometimes outrageous due to low production that is when demand outstrips supply. These are some of the motivation WAFAES.

     On the Saver Shopping Village

    Saver Shopping Village is an NGO. As our name suggests – Saver Shopping Village -aims to develop new markets by providing high quality products and services to Ekiti State communities at reasonable prices. Although, we are still struggling to achieve that, but it has created job opportunities for the youths.

    Combining work and family life

    The Lord has been my strength.

    Being a woman

    I thank God for being a woman of substance.

     Beauty to me

    Your character is your beauty.

    Secret behind my looking elegantly young

    If you are passionate towards your day to day activities, you will find it enjoyable, and it will be stress free.

     My favorite style to wear

    Some call me a fashionista, I am. I like dressing gorgeously. I love English clothes.

     My relaxation when not doing business or Iyalaje work

    I enjoy being in a quiet place.

    My hobbies

    I love eating healthy and keeping fit.

    My new project I am involved in

    I’m thinking of supporting children with special needs.

  • Principal harps on morals for character development of pupils

    Principal harps on morals for character development of pupils

    Principal of Starfield College, Iju, Lagos, Mrs. Sara Oyinloye, has stressed the need for pupils’ character development through the teaching of moral values.

    At the school’s 23rd valedictory service, last week, she noted that it was an avenue to give thanks to God for taking the college thus far.

    “In this school, our students are nurtured under what we call a character development programme that is based on six pillars of character, citizenship, respect, responsibility, fairness and trustworthiness,” she said.

    The principal expressed delight at the brilliant performance of its pupils in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE,  noting that many have secured admissions into tertiary institutions while others had concluded plans to travel abroad for further studies.

    Read Also; ‘Education minister’ll not disappoint Nigerians’

    Director of Studies Mr. Christopher Eigbe said the school was thanking God for his mercies. He prayed for the 82 graduating pupils, saying they would excel wherever they go.

     “We are glad that none of the students we are celebrating died, no staff died and the college has continued to excel with great results. These are wonderful children. Anywhere they go, surely they will excel, they will succeed,” he said.

    In his exhortation, Pastor Lawrence Obi of the Christ Elect Assemblies, Lagos, urged the pupils to involve God in all their endeavours and never relent in the pursuit of academic excellence.

    “We thank God you all came out in flying colours. Today, we are celebrating your success. We are here celebrating God’s faithfulness. It is not because you are skilled that you excel, but it is God’s mercy and grace. As you go further, don’t relax and relent. In all things as you move on, rely on Jesus Christ. There is nothing you can do without Him. The school has given you a sound foundation that will take you higher,” he said.

     He advised them to be focused and associate with people who will help them actualise dreams.

     Remain focused and be prepared to get to enviable heights. Pay attention to your studies. Associate with people that will add value to your life. There are people you associate with that ruin your life, and there are those who add value to your life, move with Godly people,” he added.

  • 2019: Character or reputation?

    Sir: One of the hardest things to be in life is a leader. The fate of a leader is the fate of his people. If he leads a group of people in a society, or a large number of people in a country, the consequences of his decisions will be visited upon all his followers equally. Sadly, an irresponsible leader is often the least affected when the consequences of his actions come knocking in menacing forms.

    There is hardly a time when people outgrow their character when given power or elected to a position of power. In fact, the case is usually the unbridled manifestation of their innate self.

    The mistake people make often is to evaluate a would-be leader, or anybody for that matter, on the basis of reputation – not character. And unlike a person’s character, a person’s reputation is the most misleading basis for evaluation. A reputation can be easily created and doctored. A reputation is like an audience-specific movie; it is often created to appeal to people’s convictions, or as is usually the case in politics – public opinion.

    While I understand that there are people who are truly deserving of their reputation, I must also mention that there are more people whose reputations are ephemeral smokescreens. And that is why it always seems as though power changes people. That is untrue. Power does not change people. You just do not know them enough. Or, it is perhaps incredulous for you to see them in their distasteful and acerbic light – wicked and impassable. For when it seems as though leaders change after being elected or chosen to lead, the truth is that they were able to successfully hide their innate self behind the toga of the reputation that was created for them. And that is why the place of character in choosing or electing a leader must be emphatically prioritised.

    Do not get me wrong: other things matter, too, when choosing or electing a leader. But it is more important to always remember that character is a foundational determinant. The character of the man will determine what his reign would look like. His character will determine his policy direction and cabinet makeup. Just like no ideology is formed in isolation of its maker, no leader leads in isolation of his character. So when choosing or electing a leader, there can be no mistake in evaluating him for that which he aspires to become on the basis of his character.

    What’s more, character is very contagious. That is why many leaders become utterly corrosive after being elected or chosen. And when leaders become corrosive, they destroy everything. From the very fabrics of their leadership to the audiences that they lead – nothing is spared in their self-invoked hurricane of destruction.

    Certainly, many instances of character-deficit in leadership abound in today’s Nigeria. For the true test of a leader lies not in his ability to contrive a reputation, but in his ability to embody the truest character required for leadership to thrive.

    Therefore, it is important that the Nigerian electorate prioritise the unravelling of the character of those who are aspiring for the highest office of service in the land, or any office of public service for that matter, in 2019. The reputation of these candidates who are aspiring for political offices can be enticing, but more than that, their character must be stripped bare and deeply understood by all.

     

    • Adebayo Raphael,

    Abuja.

  • Character of Ekiti voters and leaders

    Chinua Achebe’s “Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching (Things Fall Apart). It will appear Ekiti voters who decided to sell their votes during July 14 governorship elections have finally seen through the hollowness and hypocrisy of the same set of cynical leaders that have taken them for a ride these past 19 years. Voters behaviour during the election was evidence enough that those who opted to sell their votes did not see much difference between leaders who do not understand that democracy as a process is not just about self-righteousness but also requires some sense of humour, common touch and respect for the views of the governed, and those who fraudulently claim serving is a matter of life and death whether the people wanted them or not. If voters who sold their votes are prostitutes, how about the fair-weather leaders who do not seem to believe in anything?

    We can trace the collapse of our political socialization process to Babangida and Abacha’s 13 years of fraudulent transition programme that produced our current ‘new breed’ politicians that bred nothing but greed. Obasanjo’s eight years of failed ‘mainstreaming’ through which he destroyed all budding political parties finally ended a political socialization process that started back in the 1923 with the inauguration of Herbert Macaulay’s ‘People Democratic Party’, the first political party in Nigeria.

    Since the led look up to their leaders for direction, it can be argued that voters who behaved like prostitutes by opting to sell their votes to the highest bidders during the July 14 governorship election were only following the foot-steps of their   political leaders.

    Let us start with Ayo Fayose. He was rigged into power by Obasanjo’s PDP in 2003. Following his impeachment in 2006, he sought accommodation in the Labour Party under whose platform he contested for a senatorial seat which he lost to Babafemi Ojudu. He then briefly flirted with Action Congress party before ex-President Jonathan who was desperate to use Ekiti as a springboard for his 2015 doomed re-election bid, provided N4.7b, thousands of policemen, soldiers and other security personnel to rig sitting governor, Kayode Fayemi out of office in 2014. Today, besides a bridge over land, Fayose has little to show for his second coming. The return of an ill-equipped man who does not understand even the meaning of government seems to have been designed to prolong the nightmare of Ekiti people. While he owed workers about six months backlog of unpaid salary arrears, he was alleged to have wired miserable N4000 and N7000 respectively to civil servants and pensioners on the eve of the July 14 election.

    We also have Engineer Segun Oni who was in the progressive camp until Obasanjo used him to settle scores with Fayose, his estranged godson. Obasanjo rigged him to office in 2007. While on the stolen throne, the sing song of his men was “we are in government, they are in court”. And for those three years, Oni pitched towns against one another over the siting of a nebulous University of Education. Oni moved from recklessness to folly creating disorder among his people. He later returned to his natural habitat-the progressive fold where he quickly rose to the position of deputy national chairman, southwest.

    Ayo Arise was a successful businessman before joining politics. For him therefore, politics is business, Thus when he lost the AD governorship primary election in 2003 and again that of AC in 2007, he without hesitation crossed over to PDP controlled in the southwest by Obasanjo, Adedibu, Bode George and Tony Anenih. He went on to win a controversial senate seat under his new party which was nullified by an appeal court ion July 8, 2009 as a result of ‘flaws during the conduct of the election’. He later won in the re-run election.

    Again, following irreconcilable differences between him and Fayose, he ran back to APC. While Governor-elect Fayemi has denied vote-buying in his own constituency where he voted, Arise, as a chieftain of APC was on Channels Television last week saying “My people told me PDP had paid them some money.  What do you expect me to do?”

    Opeyemi Bamidele, a brilliant and talented politician was a leading light of AC and APC in Ekiti before some disagreement with his friend and political ally, Fayemi drove him to the Labour Party. He contested against Fayemi and Fayose in 2014 declaring “God sees my heart, the only reason I am involved in Ekiti politics is to serve and help the people; I do not have any reason to be desperate”.

    But from the pronouncements of his PDP backers from Abuja, it was obvious he was used as a spoiler to narrow the chances of Fayemi in 2014. In fact the first person Fayose thanked for making it possible for him to become a governor after his controversial victory over Fayemi was Bamidele. Today he is back as a chieftain of APC.

    Prince Adeyeye is a progressive who once served as the national publicity secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, and also served as the national publicity secretary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).He left the progressive fold in December 2006 when he contested in the defunct Action Congress (AC) governorship primary won by Fayemi alleging the exercise was marred by irregularities. He dumped his progressive credentials and joined the PDP and was made State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairman by former Governor Segun Oni before he was later appointed Minister of State for Works by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He also served as PDP national caretaker committee publicity secretary.

    However, following the loss of the governorship primary to Fayose’s preferred successor, Deputy Governor Kolapo Olusola, not too long ago, he went back to APC claiming opposition to Fayose’s “continuity of impunity, imposition, poverty and unprecedented looting of the people’s common patrimony.” He said he was ‘joining forces with other eminent Ekiti sons and daughters to free the state from the vulture and predator feeding fat on the state’s commonwealth.’

    Another APC catch on the eve of the July 14 governorship election was Fatimat Raji Rasaki, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District. She is the wife of a former military governor of Lagos. Ekiti voters surely know Rasaki is one of Abuja senators smiling to their banks every month with a mouth-watering N13.5m besides her salary.

    It must be admitted Ekiti ‘new breed’ politicians are not different from their counterparts in nPDP or R-APC. Even Senate President Saraki who literally stole the senate presidency in 2015 now says moving back to PDP, a party he dumped in 2013, was informed by concerns for survival of democracy and the future of the country they have made ungovernable in the past three years and continue to impoverish through gluttonous consumption by their members.

    It is just as well that except for the nosy reporters and election monitors, none of the above Ekiti ‘new breed’ politicians is complaining. They cannot begrudge followers for following the foot-steps of their leaders.

  • Osinbajo to Nigerians: insist on leaders with character, integrity

    •Rule of law pillar of democracy, say CJN, Babalakin

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday urged Nigerians to insist on leaders with character and integrity.

    He said good governance would be impossible without the right people in power.

    The Vice-President spoke at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Faculty of Law 2018 public lecture with the theme: The rule of law as panacea for peace, security and good governance in a democracy.

    Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lecture, and UNILAG Pro-Chancellor Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), who chaired the event, said good governance and peace would be impossible without the rule of law.

    They also called for an independent judiciary and for court orders to be respected.

    Osinbajo, represented by Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Executive Secretary Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, said each arm of government must fulfill its constitutional role for rule of law to thrive.

    He said: “The rule of law being the heartbeat of democratic governance, we must accept that obeying the law will promote peace, security and ultimately good governance.

    “The rule of law is the principle of governance in which all parties are accountable to laws that are enacted, enforced and independently adjudicated.

    “It is one of the sacred constitutional doctrines that require taking necessary measures to ensure accountability, fairness in the application of law, avoidance of arbitrariness and procedural and legal transparency.”

    According to him, if the triad of government fails to fulfill their constitutional mandates, the aspirations for peace and security would be a mirage, everyone is victimised and the society pays the price.

    “Irrespective of the composition of government and the dominance or otherwise of one political party controlling the executive or the legislature, the triad of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary will work together as a cooperative government in order that the expectations of the people for good governance are not dashed, because what the people want is good governance.

    “The first step to achieve the goal set by the theme of this lecture is the proper evaluation of the character and the integrity of the persons elected or appointed to positions of authority in all the arms and levels of government. If we’re able to get this basic issue right, we’re closer to our dream of peace, security and good governance in our democracy.

    “Failure at this level implies that the foundation has been destroyed, therefore leaving the righteous with the difficult if not an impossible task of building something from nothing.”

    Osinbajo called for citizen involvement, saying: “For us to build a nation of our dreams, the citizens must also scrutinise the actions of those elected or appointed with objective and non-partisan mindset.”

    The Vice President praised the CJN for taking pro-active measures towards strengthening the judiciary.

    To Chief Justice Onnoghen, the observance of the rule of law is a pre-requisite for peace, security and good governance in a democracy.

    He regretted that the rule of law was “disregarded” by past administrations while powerful individuals acted above the law.

    The CJN said: “It is quite discouraging that the rule of law has over time been disregarded in Nigeria and successive administrations have continued to show total disdain for its development.

    “Hence, it will not be improper or out of place to conclude that without improvement on the observance of the rule of law, it will be impossible for Nigeria to experience peace, security and good governance.”

    Chief Justice Onnoghen believes that security is critical for national cohesion and sustainable development.

    “Any government that is against the enthronement of the rule of law is by implication inviting anarchy into the system. A democratic government must not only obey the law but also courts’ orders,” he said.

    The CJN believes that Nigeria urgently needs “a vibrant and independent judiciary” that must “at all times frown at any interference from other arms of government” while guaranteeing access to justice for all.

    According to him, the court system must be truly independent, accountable, efficient, impartial, accessible and credible, as courts expect the utmost respect of the law from the government that rules by the law.

    “The level of respect and obedience accorded by the citizens of any civilised democratic society to court orders, judgments and other judicial acts determine the level of development of the rule of law and consequently the maintenance of peace, order and public good in such a society or state,” Justice Onnoghen said.

    Dr Babalakin stressed that the rule of law could not thrive in the absence of an independent judiciary.

    “We’re still struggling to convince the entire society that it is to our mutual benefit that we have adherence to the rule of law. I’m relatively young in the system, but I’ve seen successive governments pay lip service to the rule of law.

    “They emphasise the rule of law when they’re in opposition, and capitulate as soon as they’re in government. Without the judiciary standing firm, only God knows where we would have been as a nation,” Babalakin said, adding:

    “We’ve seen arbitrariness of the highest order; we’ve seen total disdain for other’s rights. But we cannot have the sort of judiciary we desire unless we make it a collective assignment.”

    To the CJN, Babalakin  said: “I congratulate you for standing firm in the face of serious aggression against the concept of an independent judiciary. You have taken a position that is commendable to all those who appreciate that we can only have the rule of law if it’s situated within an independent, courageous and well funded judiciary.

    “You have not allowed the convenience of the moment prevent you from pursuing your ideals. I have no doubt that by the time your tenure comes to an end, the Nigerian judiciary would have the platform for growth.”

    He praised the Law faculty for organising the event, saying: “The Faculty of Law has set a pace and must be the envy of every other faculty in this university.”

    He said the faculty was living up to the ideals of its pioneer dean, the late Prof Taslim Elias.

    The faculty dean, Prof Ayo Atsenuwa, said the CJN was chosen in a bid to give the judiciary a voice.

    She said: “When we conceptualised the 2018 lecture, we wondered who could give us a momentous lecture in the sense that we wanted a lecture that would speak to the issues of the day. We thought: why not give an opportunity to the judiciary to have their voices heard?

    “By tradition and the exigency of their job, they don’t speak publicly because they don’t want to pre-judge cases. But we also must hear from the judiciary. We thought: who better than the CJN? And we thought that other arms need to hear from the Judiciary.”

  • Character, hard work key to devt, says Osinbajo

    Character, hard work key to devt, says Osinbajo

    Vice PresidentYemi Osinbajo has described good character, hard work and productivity as the panacea to Nigeria’s socio-economic and political development.

    He said Nigeria would have overcome some of her challenges if not being hindered by endemic corruption.

    Osinbajo spoke on Tuesday at a congregation of youths that converge on Osogbo for the 2018 Southwest Regional Youth Summit.

    He urged Nigerians to champion virtues of integrity as the only fundamental principle of development.

    Vice President added that Nigerians must begin to look inward on the need to support government’s efforts by being productive and hardworking, noting that a nation could only achieve her aspirations if the people are productive.

    Osinbajo canvassed good character among Nigerians, saying talent and potentials mean nothing if character is absent.

    He said: “If we truly want our nation to grow and develop, thus everyone needs to make necessary input and the only way to achieving this is to be productive in all we do.

    “We must begin to plan for the future of our nation. We must create foundation for values as it is critical to success.

    “We must work on the virtues that our founding fathers developed as this is the only way to set our nation on the path of greatness.

    “In whatever we do, we must emphasize Omoluabi ethos. We must champion hard work and bear at the back of our minds the need to advance our nation in whatever we do.

    “Talent and potential do not mean anything if there is no character, so no matter how talented one is, without character, there is no way to make success.

    “Integrity is the key to success. Every business that doesn’t emphasize integrity, always fails, thus everyone must be ready to work and make sacrifice if we truly want development.”

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola challenged the youth  to be productive for the country to overcome its economic challenges.

    The governor said education could be effective for national growth if it induced productivity.

    He noted that youths should see agriculture as a viable business as against the belief that it was meant for the uneducated.

    He said: “We must first discover ourselves and apply our discovery to advance our nation. There is no short cut to success other than hard work and productivity.

    “It’s unfortunate that we don’t produce what we consume as a nation, but we rely on rent. Though we are educated but our education lacks critical thinking.”

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi urged youths to be hard-working.

    He challenged them to  see themselves as the set of people who would drive the future.

    The governor said it is important to maximise the opportunity of the summit to chart a way forward for the youths in the Southwest and the nation.

    Ajimobi said: “The patriotic sentiment is to forge the future of the Southwest through this all important youth summit at this time when the nation at large needs to plan for the future.

    “I see the youths as the next set of people who will drive our destiny and take our race to the next level through hard work and creativity.

    “It is important to maximise the opportunity of this summit to chart a way for the growth and development of the South West.

    “It is by investing in the youth that we have a future and our dreams and aspirations as a people will be met.”

    Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) acting Director-General   Sheye Oyeleye explained that the summit was to have the inputs of the youth in the master plan of Nigeria’s development starting with the Southwest.

    He urged youths in the Southwest to always conceptualise their thoughts towards how to have a better future and take the region to its pride of place.

    “I think the time has come for the youth in the Southwest to come out of their shells and begin to see themselves as the cradle of development of Nigeria.

    “I know that our youths are intelligent and very vibrant, but it is time for them to start taking charge and put it into action.”

    The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, commended the Osun State governor for appointing more youths into his cabinet.

    “My governor in Osun has always set the tone for the youths to take charge of the future through the appointment of a lot of youth into his cabinet.

    “Osun has always been youth-driven and I want other Southwest governors to take a cue from this.”

  • Why Twitter eased 140-character pain

    Why Twitter eased 140-character pain

    Twitter is giving you more characters to express yourself. The social media platform increased its characters limit from 140 to 280 with effect from November 7, 2017.

    According to Aliza Rosen, Product Manager for Twitter: “Trying to cram your thoughts into a Tweet – we’ve all been there, and it’s a pain”.

    Earlier in the year, Twitter carried out a research which shows that the character limit is a major cause of frustration for English-speaking users while it is not a problem for the Japanese. “This is because in languages like Japanese, Korean, and Chinese you can convey about double the amount of information in one character as you can in many other languages, like English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French,” said Rosen.

    Understanding that Twitter is all about brevity, the company however believes that 280 words will help users better to express themselves, without editing sentences and using abbreviations often. However, Twitter users are emotional about the change and believe that the app will become cheesy when more words are used. People are expressing their disappointment at the change, which Twitter called: “new, still brief, constraint”.

    English novelist and author of Harry Porter, JK Rowling’s reaction was devoid of optimism.

    She said: “Twitter’s destroyed its USP. The whole point, for me, was how inventive people could be within that concise framework.”  The entrepreneur and public speaker, Scott Eddy lamented: “Hey #Twitter, instead of giving us 280 characters, how about giving us a few more characters in the bio?”.

    In a mocking tweet, a South-African user, Lwazilwaphesheya K. said: “Twitter went from 140 characters to 280.Then from 20 characters in the space given for a name to 50 characters. Next thing we’ll be sending PDF’s up in here.”

    Here in Nigeria, Twitter users and social media influencers are also complaining over the extension of Twitter characters to 280 words. In a tweet, popular blogger and influencer Japheth Omojuwa wrote: “Twitter was confused on the business side but got the technical side right. With 280 characters, convergence on confusion is imminent.”

    From the research carried out by Twitter, only 0.4 per cent of tweets written in Japanese exhausted the 140 characters space; while nine per cent of tweets sent out in English exhausted the same space. The implication is that more of people who tweet in English need more than 140 characters as more characters are needed to compose words.

    In the month of September when the 280-character extension was tested with few users, Twitter discovered some advantages. Some of the findings are: more space makes it easier for people to express themselves; users are still able to keep twitter’s brevity; and more room to tweet results in more engagement.

    In response to users’ outrage, Alan Rosen wrote last week: ”We’ll continue listening and working to make Twitter easier for everyone while making sure we keep what you love.”

  • Justice Salami’s example of character and candour

    Justice Salami’s example of character and candour

    WHen he was appointed in late September as chairman of the 15-member committee to monitor financial crime and corruption cases, Justice Ayo Salami, who was controversially ousted as President of the Appeal Court by the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, was expected to accept the job. This column hoped he would decline the appointment for a number of reasons. And thank God, he has. First, the appointment was neither the exculpation he demanded and deserved nor did it atone for the lack of courage demonstrated by his colleagues who virtually abandoned him when the dispute waxed hot. Second, and more importantly, since the corruption cases were to be tried in special courts, Justice Salami and his committee, not to say the judges expected to preside over the special courts, would be tilting at windmills as long as the problems that confront the judiciary were not fundamentally addressed.

    For the past few years, the judiciary has been poorly funded, with their allocations declining from N95bn in 2010 to N85bn in 2011, N75bn in 2012, N67bn in 2013, up a little to N73bn in 2014, dropping again to N70bn in 2016 against a budget proposal of about N143bn that year, and rising once more to N100bn in 2017. On top of this poor allocation, judges are themselves poorly paid and court buildings and equipment across most states are in disrepair. The judiciary has attempted to reform itself structurally and operationally; but it has been unable to pay its functionaries well and modernise its equipment. Consequently, the reforms have met with qualified success. Instead of the new APC government in Abuja holistically examining the factors militating against speedy dispensation of justice, it has preferred to assail judges and even intimidate them, regardless of the fact that overworked judges (one judge to 800 cases on average) are only a part of the criminal justice system chain that is yet to be reformed.

    Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen probably meant well by setting up special courts and constituting a special committee to monitor their activities. But in the face of poor allocation, low pay and crumbling infrastructure, the special courts will meet with insurmountable obstacles. Any monitoring is, therefore, bound to peter out into fatuity. Like Nigerian doctors in public hospitals, judges are overworked and underpaid. Until the problem is fundamentally tackled, the result will be incontestably poor.

    There are speculations that Justice Salami declined the appointment because he had reservations about some of the committee members with whom he was expected to work. He has not confirmed this. Instead, he has suggested that his worldview does not quite agree with the regnant philosophy of the judiciary to enable him work with a clear conscience. He was probably referring to the witch-hunt and betrayal that culminated in his principled but uncelebrated exit from the appellate court. Whatever the reasons for declining the appointment, Justice Salami has once again proved that he is a man of character with a keenly developed sense of justice in all its subliminal and metaphysical ramifications. The brilliant and fearless leadership he gave the appellate court harks back to the golden era of the judiciary in Nigeria.

    It is unlikely he is still embittered. But from now on, having signalled his unpreparedness to tolerate half measures, his colleagues will probably leave him severely alone. He won’t care, for men like him with so much chutzpah and candour have a fanatical sense of their own destinies to worry about the sentiments and rejections of friends or foes. Had there been scores like him in the upper echelons of the judiciary, they might have escaped last year’s public humiliation orchestrated by a disdainful government and its secret service.

  • Kwankwaso: Of character and grace

    Scholars in leadership have since concluded that the most important attribute of leadership is not power but character. According to this school of thought, every leader is only as safe and secure as his character. Indeed, character matters essentially because it preserves a leader’s cause and legacy.

    Adjunct to the above perspectives is also the view that the currency of true leadership is trust. In other words, trust is the product of character. As noted by Theodore Roosevelt, character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

    Thus as Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso turns 61, this background is a fundamental basis for looking at his life and essence especially as regards his leadership. One is particularly interested in this interrogation of Kwankwaso’s celebrated life at this point in time in relationship with the concept of ubuntu, thereby factoring in his contributions (ideas and actions) to society and development as we can also possibly learn from his leadership ethos.

    Ubuntu as explained by Nelson Mandela in his preface to the acclaimed intimate work on him by his autobiographer and former editor of Time magazine, Richard Stengel, is the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others. Yes, this is crucial in understanding Kwankwaso’s leadership principles.

    From a humble beginning in 1956 to his ascendancy as a top bureaucrat in the civil service of Kano State to his foray into politics where he has made a distinct mark and legacy, there is a subsisting evolvement of clear correlation between Kwankwaso’s enigma and substantive leadership. A correlation encompassing in the main, the critical values of character, vision, humanity and a general sense of what and how a better society should be.

    A scion of the Mallam Aminu Kano School of politics, Senator Kwankwaso has so far carried on with impressive record of achievements, building on that remarkable footprint of Aminu Kano as a spirited public servant devoted to the talakawa, making it very important to tailor public policies to properly address pro-poor agenda for development.

    In achieving this altruistic goal, we come face-to-face with his modern day political philosophy otherwise known as Kwankwasiyya, a model which emphasizes the core of human development as a function of government’s sincerity to the people and in the process making trust the fulcrum of leadership.

    In an article published in 2014, I had advocated that Kwankwasiyya be made a national ideology based on first-hand experience of vast development initiatives during a visit to Kano towards the end of Senator Kwankwaso’s second term as Governor of Kano State. I joined senior editors who were taken round several projects across the state for two days and at the end, it was too clear to all that Kano had actually witnessed a major renewal: from sterling education to infrastructure, roads, bridges and underpasses, modern housing, power, integrative agriculture,  creative empowerment and a general sense of societal regeneration. What we also saw and assessed was the methodical way the then governor carried out his duties, anchored on the true spirit of Kwankwasiyya that ensures prudence, transparency and accountability. The results were everywhere and we saw how Kwankwaso’s noble deeds had elevated his accomplishments in the minds of the people, casting him in the mould of a messiah and hence his huge popularity and followership. Thus beyond the ubiquitous symbolic red caps, Kwankwasiyya was and remains a workable model the nation could borrow to rejig our national development paradigm with the main focus on two basic parameters:  leadership trust and true development.

    Grippingly, the leadership question subsists as a national albatross. But the situation is not insurmountable if we as a people are ready to confront the dilemma squarely and conquer our collective fear. Of course, we must necessarily break from our past by reckoning with and taking decisive steps towards practicable and effective leadership which also transcends the enlightened self interest of the elite formation in the society. But certainly this mentality cannot take us far, not even in the least towards making a meaning of what really should constitute the basics in our search for a new direction.

    The crux of my thoughts in the foregoing were reflective in Senator Kwankwaso’s manifesto of revival tagged “Change is Possible” which also formed the kernel of his address during his declaration for president in October 2014. And until we are ready to tackle the inherent issues in our leadership odyssey as encapsulated in that major address, the jarring cries of national rot may yet remain a constant.

    The situation is really sad. A nation so endowed is now practically run aground with mind-boggling revelations of scandalous graft in high places. Tell me what an individual needs 56 houses for, more so when we realize these houses were built from our common patrimony by virtue of being in public office!  Obviously we are very sick as a nation. Thus a reordering of our values is basic to a new sense of direction in our national life—the beginning of the healing process. This is why the concept of ubuntu referred to in the beginning of this piece needs a closer look so that we can share a sense of sanity, brotherhood and togetherness as no one is an island. We must begin to believe that we exist for others as others also strive to serve a noble cause in our shared humanity. In this kind of consciousness, the resort to such brazen kleptomania in high places will probably be reduced to a tolerable level in our national life.  This is the higher purpose we can also pick from Kwankwasiyya as a leadership model. Admittedly the leader of this movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso continues to inspire, matching noble character with realism and grace.

    Succinctly, we need to inculcate a new ethic of responsibility and selflessness in public service and go beyond platitudes and tokenism in our resolve to tackle the scourge of corruption and underdevelopment. We owe ourselves a duty to enthrone men and women of integrity who can actually commit themselves to a new set of social contract— binding and altruistic.

    We have so far seen in our national history that power itself does not guarantee good governance; hence we need to place emphasis on the character of the office holder, men or women of distinguished character who will do us proud as patriots, who see public office as a TRUST. These are solemn thoughts for national rectitude as we celebrate with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on the occasion of his 61st anniversary.  Change is possible!

     

    • Olutomiwa, a journalist and public affairs analyst writes from Lagos.

  • Yoruba Summit: Triumph of Yoruba character

    Like most citizens of the Yoruba nation of south-western Nigeria, I am still thrilled by the huge success of the Yoruba Summit which was held in the city of Ibadan a fortnight ago, on Thursday September 7. That was a wonderful triumph of true Yoruba character, and I cannot resist revisiting it.

    To the heated debate going on concerning the restructuring of the federation, the summit was a powerfully positive contribution – a guide to how we all, the many nationalities of Nigeria, should conduct even the most contentious arguments concerning our common country of Nigeria. It was a very effective demonstration of the Yoruba nation’s understanding of how citizens should behave in situations in which their society is divided, in which their country is agonizing to find agreement or consensus over critically important issues.

    Countless Nigerians, young and old, as individuals and as groups or nationalities, are answering the call of duty by speaking up in this all-important debate. With the Yoruba Summit, the Yoruba nation stepped forward with the strongest national action yet.

    Over 6000 Yoruba citizens gathered at the Lekan Salami Stadium for the summit. It was the most representative assembly of Yoruba people in modern times. Tens of Yoruba civic organizations sent members to attend. Representatives of some youth organizations arrived with the kinds of fanfare that only youths can whip up – and earned the loud applause of the entire stadium. Representatives of various women organizations added colour to the gathering. Hundreds of the people in the large assembly were members of the Yoruba elite and intelligentsia – lawyers, doctors, owners or CEOs of leading Nigerian businesses, religious leaders (Muslim, Christian and traditional), university lecturers and professors and other educators, leading Yoruba politicians of all political parties including elected public officials, former governors, legislators, federal ministers and state commissioners, etc. Every one of the current governors of the six states of the South-west sent representatives. One of the governors, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, also came in person, to the great applause of the assembly. Masses of Yoruba people streamed in from all directions. Many Yoruba Obas, including the Ooni of Ife, came to add enormous dignity and gravity to the assembly.

    Also, very importantly, leading non-Yoruba Nigerians from other regions of Nigeria – leaders of the prestigious Ohanaeze Ndigbo of the Igbo people of the South-east, and leaders of PANDEF of the Delta peoples of the South-south – came to grace this great summit of the Yoruba people. Naturally, their arrival added much to the mounting excitement preceding the opening of the summit. No known national assemblage of any Nigerian nationality has ever been so honoured by other Nigerian nationalities. This was a first in Nigeria.

    Very many who attended the summit had travelled from distant parts of Yorubaland, including the Yoruba parts of Kwara, Kogi and Delta states. A torrential rain suddenly broke out as the summit was about to open, and threatened for some minutes to cause serious disruption. But it ended quickly (or, as we Yoruba would say, and are now saying, it was made to end quickly) – and it was not able to do any harm at all to the summit arrangements.

    All the wonderful success of the summit arrangements was the outcome of very detailed and careful planning over months, handled for the Yoruba nation by a competent Summit Planning Committee. The committee in its ultimate form comprised tens of members from different Yoruba organizations, with no one organization having more than one or two members on it. Every governor of the Yoruba South-west also sent a representative to serve on it.  Its over-all chairman and the chairmen of its various sub-committees were, deliberately, chosen from different Yoruba organizations. The Summit Planning Committee and its Contacts Sub-committee did all the heavy work of mobilizing the Yoruba people, leaders of all organizations, Yoruba leaders of political parties, Yoruba elected public officials, Yoruba traditional rulers, etc., to come to the summit. To maximize this mobilization effort, they used, not only personal contacts and letters, but also radio and television messages and jingles. Knowing that they had succeeded in rousing large numbers of people, they chose a stadium as venue. In this summit, the Yoruba put up the most emphatic show of Yoruba national unity in recent times.

    At the summit, a high-tech Summit Administrative Centre (with computers, printers and other communication gadgets) was set up, under highly qualified persons. This centre helped speakers who brought speeches and wanted their speeches reproduced for circulation. More importantly, it monitored all the speeches and ultimately digested them to produce the two important documents resulting from the summit – namely, the ‘Summit Communique’ and the ‘Ibadan Declaration’.

    The Summit Planning Committee handled the speaking on the raised platform with impressive discipline, allowing each speaker only a few minutes, and thereby making it possible for very many people to speak. Nobody who wanted to speak was denied, although particular recognition was given to representatives of organizations, youth organizations and women organizations, to persons who brought messages from the governors, to traditional rulers, religious leaders, etc. The opening speech by the chairman of the day – the legal luminary Aare Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University – set the tone for most other speeches of the day. The speech was powerfully reinforced by the speech of the chairman of the Summit Planning Committee, the eminent medical practitioner Chief Kunle Olajide.

    The core message from all the speeches was essentially the same, although each speaker rendered it in his or her own way and supplied his or her own details. That core message was a resounding call by the Yoruba nation for an urgent restructuring of the Nigerian federation. It was a serious warning that the over-concentration of power and resource control at the federal centre, an over-centralization which had been forced upon Nigeria by successive military dictatorships from 1966 to 1999, was grossly unsuitable for a country like Nigeria with hundreds of nationalities, that it had hurt Nigeria disastrously, that it is still hurting Nigeria, and that it now threatens the outright break-up of Nigeria. Every speaker pointed out some of the painfully destructive effects of this over-centralization on the Yoruba nation.

    The message sent by Governor Aregbesola of Osun State offered the most details of the proposed restructuring process. The speeches by Governor Ayo Fayose and Lawyer Femi Fani-Kayode (former Federal Minister of Aviation), excited the youths most and therefore generated enormous applause. Very loud applause also went to speakers who urged that the Yoruba nation should continue to give its well-known support to the existence and progress of Nigeria, but that if the restructuring of the Nigerian federation continues to be delayed, the Yoruba nation must begin expeditiously and peacefully to seek to have its own Oduduwa Republic separate from Nigeria. The august guests from the South-east and South-south were allowed time to speak, and they expressed their admiration for the summit, and the strong support of their nations for the same thing that the Yoruba nation desired – namely, a restructuring of the Nigerian federation without delay. The speeches ended with the greetings, thanks and blessings by the Ooni of Ife, voice of Oduduwa, the father of the Yoruba nation.

    The summit then ended by reading and loudly adopting the two documents – the ‘Summit Communique’ and the ‘Ibadan Declaration’. The motion to adopt this document was moved by the eminent Yoruba lawyer, Chief Niyi Akintola and seconded by another eminent lawyer, Chief Kehinde Sofola. The Yoruba nation thus created the documentary materials for the continued collective Yoruba contribution to the struggle of an increasing majority of Nigerians, for the restructuring of Nigeria – for the continued existence of Nigeria on the basis of an appropriate federal structure, thereby on the basis of equity and justice, and thereby towards progress and prosperity for Nigeria and expanded and expanding opportunities for all Nigerians.

    The summit at Ibadan was a possession of all Yoruba people of all religious and political persuasions and socio-economic pursuits and statuses. We Yoruba organized it to demonstrate our strong desire to see the Nigerian federation restructured without delay, so that Nigeria may survive the current serious threats to its existence, and so that Nigeria may become an orderly, harmonious, productive and prosperous country, a place of bouncing opportunities for us Yoruba and for all other peoples of Nigeria. We offer the Yoruba Summit as a powerful and patriotic step, hopefully worthy of emulation by other Nigerian peoples. In the swirling controversy over the restructuring of Nigeria, it is our potent answer to the call of duty as we know it.