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Tag: Ezekwesili

  • Ezekwesili’s market obsession

    Ezekwesili’s market obsession

    In her three part article published last week in some newspapers, former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili in an attempt to venerate the market economy and canonize the private sector, traded extensively on factual inaccuracies, poorly substantiated arguments and invested it with the typical personal ego of Nigerian elite.

    One is concerned at her sweeping conclusions and generalizations even in matters, she does not have adequate grasp. In the third part of her article, she wrote that in 1978, the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping embraced the principles of the market. She further claimed that “it was less than three decades of abandoning communism and embracing what China calls “socialist market economic principles”, that it achieved the record two decades long double-digit growth.

    Actually 1978 was epochal and a turning for China but it was not because “Deng Xiaoping embraced the principles of the market”. Following the chaos unleashed by the gang of four, at whose head was Chairman Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, during the Cultural Revolution, China suffered enormous setback in her overall national construction and socialist modernization. Leading cadres of the communist party of China, including Deng Xiaoping who was party general secretary and vice premier has been purged and dubbed “capitalist roader No 2” by the gang of four and their mob of the red guard. Even the highly respected premier Zhou Enlai was similarly taunted as a prospective “capitalist roader”. Chairman Mao who was then, worried at the turn of the Cultural Revolution warned the gang of four about establishing a plant factory that manufactures and sticks labels at people. Even though, he acceded to the purge of Deng Xiaoping, he vehemently refused his expulsion from the party. Deng had been a veteran of long march, in which the communist party marched or trekked more than 6,000 kilometers for more than a year through 11 Chinese provinces, crossed over 15 mountain ranges and 10 rivers including the Yangtze river. Deng Xiaoping was the editor of the party press, the red flag and took notes at the historic Zunyi conference in 1935 at which Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai emerged the party leaders.

    Following the death of the key leaders of the Chinese revolution in 1976, (Premier Zhou Enlai died in February, army commander Zhu De died in June and Mao himself died in September) and the end of the Cultural Revolution, China was simmering with indecisiveness. In December, 1978, the Communist Party of China convened the historic third plenary session of the 11th central committee meeting of the party. At the historic meeting, Deng Xiaoping who led the discussion and presented a report on the difficult phase of the party and urged his colleagues that the party must return to its fine tradition that the “criteria for judging truth is practice”, and emancipating the mind through seeking truth from fact. Affirming the party’s proletarian outlook and its Marxist theoretical foundation, Deng warned that without emancipation of the mind, people would be wrapped up in the trammels of conventional ideas, bend in whatever direction the wind blew and practice book worship which was divorced from reality.

    The policy implication of the historic third plenum of the 11th central committee of meeting of the Chinese Communist party, CPC was the landmark economic reform and theoretical ramification was the unique practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. At no point was socialism and communism repudiated, but China maintained that it was at a primary stage of socialism and it would take several years even hundreds to reach the advance stage, which is communism. Infact recently at the 18th congress of the communist party, the party affirmed that it is the core duty of every communist to believe in the communist future and work assiduously to its realization.

    At the 14th national congress of the communist party, the party established the socialist market economy as the goal of the economy. Against Ezekwesili’s opinion that China repudiated socialism, China’s economic reforms from the beginning were decidedly socialist and its architect, Deng Xiaoping firmly convinced that “economic reform is the only way to develop the productive forces but also made clear that “in the course of reform, it is very important for us to maintain our socialist orientation”.

    State directed or centrally planned economy is not exclusively socialist, nor is the market economy the preserve of a capitalist economy. Whether with a private sector-led market or state directed market economy, there is a need for a strong, developmental and democratic state able to enforced its own laws and hold the ring for fair competition among all stakeholders. South Korea under the military dictatorship of General Park, the father of the current South Korean leader, Ms Park, created the framework for its current dynamic economy by huge state investments in core and priority areas of industry. And these are the stories of all modern capitalist market economies, including the advance Western countries of Europe and North America.

    Following immediately after the victory of Bolshevik party in Russia in 1917, Vladimir Lenin established the New Economic Policy, (NEP) which gave preponderance to market economy. One of the key figures in the political bureau of the Bolshevik party, Nikolai Bukharin advanced the view that peasants should be left to get rich by allowing the market to determine the prices of their produce. The extensive Stalinist bureaucracy constructed after the death of Lenin and following the victory of the Josef Stalin faction against the opposition led by the Leon Trotsky ensured that the incipient market economy did not survive.

    Ezekwesili’s fascination with the market which is no less than any thoughtful socialist is admirable; but her ideological deification of the market smack of the faith-like belief, for which she roundly berated President Buhari, whom she accused of holding on, to befuddled ideology. Even her refrain that “the best politics is good economics”, fall short that “economics is the concentrated expression of politics”, a point adequately grasped by the French economist, Thomas Piketty.

    In his massive work, “capital in the 21st century”, published in 2014 and globally acknowledged as epochal, he observed that “when the rate of return on capital exceeds the rate of growth of output and income, capitalism automatically generates arbitrary and unsustainable inequalities that radically undermine the meritocratic values on which democratic societies are based. There are nevertheless ways democracy can regain control over capitalism and ensure that the general interest takes precedence over private interests, while preserving economic openness and avoiding protectionist and nationalist reactions”. It is to that endeavour that Piketty devoted his 685 page tome.

    Inspite of the messianic hubris contained, Ezekwesili’s three part article is welcome development to the discourse of policy challenges to rebuilding a bludgeoned economy as ours.

    • Onunaiju, a journalist is director of Centre for China Studies, Abuja.

     

  • From Stiglitz to Ezekwesili

    From Stiglitz to Ezekwesili

    Never mind that the naira has been “technically” devalued, the debate on whether or not to throw the currency to the market hounds is getting more interesting by the day. I just finished reading an interesting piece titled Closing Developing Countries’ Capital Drain written by the duo of Joseph E. Stiglitz and Hamid Rashid. I must confess that the piece blew my mind. I therefore recommend it for reader’s enjoyment.

    As if he needs any introduction, Stiglitz is Nobel laureate in economic sciences and professor at the Columbia University, United States while Rashid is a former director-general for multilateral economic affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh, senior adviser at the UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy, and Chief of Global Economic Monitoring at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Both therefore should know.

    Why do I find the piece by the duo irresistible? It is the way they attempted to frame dilemma facing developing countries at this time – a refreshing call away from the puerile market orthodoxies in an unequal world!

    I also love their contextualisation of the current challenges facing us as “not just falling commodity prices, but also massive capital outflows”.

    The facts, as they say, speak for themselves. The duo, for instance, would have us know that from  a net capital inflow of $2.2 trillion in the five years of 2009-2014, net outflows from developing countries in 2015 alone, exceeded $600 billion –more than one-quarter of the inflows they received during the previous six years.

    They also note that “the largest outflows have been through banking channels, with international banks reducing their gross credit exposures to developing countries by more than $800 billion in 2015”.

    You ask why? It’s no other than the slowdown in China and the collapse of oil prices by more than 60% since July 2014!

    For the developing economies, the impact of the trend cannot be anything but devastating: “drying up liquidity, increasing the costs of borrowing and debt service, weakening currencies, depleting reserves, and leading to decreases in equity and other asset prices… large knock-on effects on the real economy, including severe damage to developing countries’ growth prospects.

    Familiar? It seems to me that some foreigners know where the rains started to beat us far more than our own people!

    Among many prescriptions, they wrote: “In some cases, it may be necessary to introduce selective, targeted, and time-bound capital controls to stem outflows, especially outflows through banking channels. This would entail, for example, restricting capital transfers between parent banks in developed countries and their subsidiaries or branches in developing countries. Following the successful Malaysian example in 1997, developing countries could also temporarily suspend all capital withdrawals to stabilize capital flows and exchange rates. This is perhaps the only recourse for many developing countries to avoid a catastrophic financial crisis. It is important that they act soon”.

    The above piece was written last week! Nowhere did I find the duo luxuriate in the illusion that the market would somehow self-regulate! And this is at a time our home grown economists would rather have us throw our forex vaults so the vultures can come and do as they please!

    This is why I found the offering by our very own Oby Ezekwesili, former minister and World Bank Vice president in the Vanguard of Sunday February 28 titled Ideologies don’t deliver results for the poor on the subject totally strange if not incomprehensible. Her piece supposedly to a critique of the Buhari administration’s economic policies turned out to be more than a validation of my piece of last week titled What the hell is wrong with us. Not only is her position a repudiation of the position of Stiglitz and co. in its obsesion with the market, it sadly takes strategic national intetrest out of the national economic equation!

    Samples: The president’s now well publicized and known stance on the acute foreign exchange crisis has magnified nervousness about his economic management history and ideology-centred policy direction…So strong is the president’s view on the value of the Naira that he uses words like “murder the Naira” to foreclose any consideration of alternative perspectives. It is precisely because of this manner of framing tough economic policy choices that the country is at this time engaged in an unhealthy debate that lacks empirical foundations and nuance”. So the problem is with the word “murder”? How about the activities of speculators that do more than murder the currency?

    And this: “Nigeria has oscillated from a command and control regime with government as driver in resource allocation to a more market oriented system since the past 30 years. We however can be said to now have a broad coalition and even near consensus that the market economy framework has served us better”.

    Only because the piggy back had hitherto been overflowing?

    And yet another: “…The effort at controlling and commanding the demand for foreign exchange can only worsen already bad economic distortions. It is these distortions, more than dollar demand side issues that form the crux of our current account and fiscal crises”.

    Because Bloomberg and The Economist said so?

    Left to the Ezekwesilis of this world, Nigeria’s problems begins and ends with the so-called market forces – nothing in between. To be sure, most Nigerians would probably agree that the current administration lacks a coherent economic direction just as many would readily concede that the administration that promised change could do far better than it is presently doing both in terms of rigour and pace. Like many, I have had to express my frustrations with a president who appears hung on old paradigms like for instance in choosing to retain the refineries and its forays into aviation.

    It is however a different call with the administration’s forex management policy particularly its insistence on not devaluing the currency. It is pragmatic and sound – far better than Ezekwesili’s overly romantic view of the market as the most effective allocator of a dwindling national resource like forex at a time of negative accretion! And we are here talking of a market controlled by speculators and street dealers! In other words, have the invisible forces call the shot while making the case for the sovereign to be in retreat?

    Let me raise a question that I didn’t find the space to ask last week: which true businessman would buy dollars at the rate of N400? To keep the factories going in spite of consumer purchasing power or what? Why can’t we push for our country to do what other civilised countries do – by rendering the hawking of currencies on the highways irrelevant?  Why should anyone seek to canonise the s so-called black market?

     

  • Buhari not emotionally connected to Chibok girls’ mothers – Ezekwesilli

    Buhari not emotionally connected to Chibok girls’ mothers – Ezekwesilli

    The Leader of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) movement, Oby Ezekwesilli , on Thursday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of not being emotionally connecting to the crying Chibok girls’ mothers that marched to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

    Ezekwesilli said from the feedback they got, it was clear the President feels he has already given his best in the efforts to rescue the girls.

    The former minister of Education spoke after members of the group converged at the Unity fountain after their interaction with the President.

    She also said lack of response from government has made the girls’ parents to feel like they are being ignored simply because they are poor and reside in the village.

    Ezekwesilli also accused the Minister of Women affairs, Aisha Alhassan, of attempting to break the ranks of the movement through her comments.

    She said, “You heard all the parents said at the meeting, is it because we are poor? Is it because we live in the forest? Is it because we live in the village? But that has no meaning in any society, there is no basis for discrimination on the basics of social status, political view, religious belief and other primordial device against any citizen.

    “In the feedback from the President you can see clearly that the President feels that he has given his best in the efforts to rescue our Chibok girls, our President however was not able to emotionally connect to those crying mothers. That is an important attribute but we will continue to demand and we will take up the responsibility that the NSA has taken and we will make sure that we don’t stop until our girls are back and alive.”

     

     

  • Ezekwesili urges Buhari to pardon convicted soldiers

    Ezekwesili urges Buhari to pardon convicted soldiers

    •Tastee Fried Chicken  launches foundation

    Former Minister of Education Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon soldiers convicted of mutiny in the fight against Boko Haram.

    Ezekwesili, coordinator of the #Bring Back Our Girls group, said the soldiers were wrongly punished for refusing to fight the insurgency ill-equipped.

    Delivering a keynote address: “A Caring Society Grows Faster and Better”, at the launch of the Bunmi Adedayo Foundation in Lagos yesterday, Mrs Ezekwesili said the diversion of the funds was a demonstration of how leaders and citizens exhibit ‘I don’t care’ attitude towards governance.

    She said: “The exemplification of a society of ‘I don’t care’ could not have been worse in manifestation than revelations that while the tragedy went on in the Northeast, those responsible for governance sat around the table, watched citizens being taken out by the bunions of terror and felt comfortable to share the resources meant to equip the soldiers and then turned around and said to those among the soldiers that refused to be sent on a suicide mission that they deserved to die.

    “How else can you define ‘I don’t care’? I hope you will join me in telling the President that those soldiers don’t deserve to die.  Our President must used the prerogative of mercy that the constitution gives him to waive any kind of charges against those ones, we are not saying all soldiers; because some may have misbehaved in the course of this war.  But we are saying that it is reprehensible that our society will degenerate to the level where leaders, who as are found in other societies, stay awake worried about the challenges of their citizens, in our own case, stayed awake sharing the resources meant to protect the territory and the people.”

    Mrs. Ezekwesili explained to a packed hall of dignitaries, friends and family of Mr and Mrs Adekunle Adedayo, owners of Tastee Fried Chicken, gathered at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre why Nigeria had been unable to achieve development milestones recorded by countries, such as  Botswana, Singapore and China.

    She said the combination of three factors: right policies, institutions and efficient and effective investments, together with the leadership helped these nations to move from Third World to middle class and First World economies.

    The former Minister of Solid Minerals said Botswana, which depended largely on aid after getting independence in 1966, turned around its economy when it discovered diamond using those factors properly; Singapore used them to transform into a First World country; while China was able to lift 600 million citizens, three times the population of Nigeria, out of poverty in three decades.

    “Botswana was an aid dependent country. In fact, 95 per cent of its budget used to be through donor support and one day, Botswana discovered diamonds, just as one day in Oloibiri, Nigeria discovered black gold, called oil. Botswana, however, got its combination right: It had sound policies, strong institutions and effective and efficient investment,” she said.

    With over 100 million Nigerians living below poverty line, she said Nigeria’s economic growth had not positively impacted the majority of its citizens and underscored the need for strategic planning for economic development encompassing the right mix of the three factors and a commitment to caring about what happens in the society.

    By establishing the foundation to cater for the educational needs of the less privileged, Mrs Ezekwesili praised the Adedayos for showing that they care about governance and are contributing their quota.

    “That is why I pay great tribute to the Adedayos because the single most important tool of social economic mobility is the development of a world-class human capital.  Through education you change the circumstances of the individual.  Through health care that keeps citizens productive, you change the productivity level of your citizens. This combination of health and education and the impact that it has had on these other societies I have told you about today is not rocket science,” she said.

    Dignitaries present included: Chief launcher Mrs Daisy Danjuma, who gave N5 million; Co-launcher Justice George Oguntade (N2 million); Mr Foluso Philips of Philips Consulting; Alhaji Abdulrasaq Okoya, chairman of Eleganza Group; Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, member of BAF Foundation BOT; among others.

    Bunmi Adedayo was the only child of the TFC family, who died on September 25, 2013. He dedicated his life to children – organising Christmas programmes for the less privileged in schools and hospitalS, talent hunt and spelling bee.

     

  • Ezekwesili to deliver Foursquare diamond jubilee lecture

    Ezekwesili to deliver Foursquare diamond jubilee lecture

    A public lecture to mark the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria holds in Abuja on Thursday at the National Christian Centre.

    It will be delivered by former Minister for Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, will speak on the topic ‘The Role of the Church in Nation Building.’ It will be chaired by House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara. General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Felix Meduoye, will lead the District Overseers, Zonal Superintendents, pastors and members of the church, to welcome dignitaries and invited guests from all walks of life.

    The lecture is second in the series of such events to mark the 60th anniversary of the Foursquare Gospel Church, which was established in Nigeria by the missionary, Rev Harold Curtis, and his wife, in 1955.

    The international arm of the church had been founded in 1923 in Los Angeles, United States of America, by traveling evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson. The maiden lecture marking the Diamond Jubilee had held in Lagos in May, and it was delivered by Professor Niyi Agunbiade, Vice Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State. The Diamond Jubilee Anniversary will be concluded in November with a special National Convention, which will attract delegates from different parts of the world, including the International President of the organization, Dr Glenn Burris Jnr.

  • Ezekwesili, BBOG to DHQ: where’re the girls

    Ezekwesili, BBOG to DHQ: where’re the girls

    The BringBackOurGirls and its coordinator, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili yesterday said it has not been engaging in hate campaign against the military.

    They also said it would not recant its observations on military operations in the North-East.

    They raised three posers for the military including a categorical statement  on the whereabouts of the 219 Chibok girls.

    The posers are:

    * Where exactly are our 219 #ChibokGirls?

    *Is there no military or human intelligence to enable us at least locate the whereabouts of all or some of them?

    * Is the raid on Sambisa now completed and if so, what news do we have on the whereabouts of our 219 girls who both the military, the National Security Advisor and the President had at various times promised would be rescued from captivity before May 29th?

    Ezekwesili and BBOG made their position known in a May 19 letter to the Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade.

    Olukolade stirred the hornet’s nest in a previous letter to Ezekwesili and the BBOG.

    The BBOG said it does not harbour any mole in its midst and asked military to respond to three posers.

    The letter, signed by Ezekwesili,  said in part: “However, as you can see, we remain engaged and determined to receive progress reports from our military on their effort to bring back our girls. We were in fact hoping that part of your letter would have provided a progress update on the state of the military mission to rescue our girls.

    “Once again, we thank you for writing. We hope we have convincingly persuaded you that our Movement is strictly engaged in empathy centered advocacy for our 219 #ChibokGirls who must be given the justice of successful rescue after 400 days in terrorist captivity.

    “Their continued captivity traumatizes our Movement and every one in our nation and all over the world who share the bond of humanity with our 219 #ChibokGirls.

    “Our ChibokGirls are victims of the failure of our government to rescue them and others we may still not know were abducted so far. That is why we as a Movement shall not stop advocating for them.

    “That is also why we are open to working with our Military and Government until our nation succeeds in this important endeavor of bringing back our ChibokGirls and all other abducted citizens of Nigeria.

    “So we use this opportunity of our reply to once more ask: “Where exactly are our 219 #ChibokGirls?” . “Is there no military or human intelligence to enable us at least locate the whereabout of all or some of them?”

    “Is the raid on Sambisa now completed and if so, what news do we have on the whereabout of our 219 girls who both the military, the National Security Advisor and the President had at various times promised would be rescued from captivity before May 29th?”.

    We demand that the Military urgently presents a mission update to the parents, our Movement and the wider public on the current plans for the rescue of our #ChibokGirls.”

    The BBOG also responded to all issues raised by Olukolade in his letter.

    The  group added: We acknowledge receipt of your correspondence dated 14 May 2015 and noted your concerns about our advocacy movement #BringBackOurGirls which has since April 30, 2014 been advocating for rescue of the 219 #ChibokGirls abducted 400 days ago at their school on April 14, 2014.

    “We especially noted  the following four key messages in your letter to our Movement.

    “We wish to respond to the four key issues raised in your letter as follows:

    “Our #BringBackOurGirls movement is a Citizens- led movement with open membership of all citizens who choose to identify with the cause of our 219 #ChibokGirls.

    “No one individual or group of persons within the Movement can determine the direction or position of our Movement on the issues we advocate.  This is because, the basis of all our decisions is Collectivism.

    “Moreover, both our Movement and our members are guided by a set of Core Values of Hope, Unity, Motivation, Affability, Nationalism, Integrity, Transparency, Empathy, Equity, Discipline and Sacrifice (HUMANITEEDS)  in our advocacy.

    “In our public and private communication, we are also guided by our rule of highest respect for adherence to the sanctity of facts or empirical evidence rather than anecdotes.

    “Our communications- statements, briefs, member representations – all pass through one of the strongest internal quality control process  to ensure accuracy in our messages.

    “Therefore, we wish to strongly assure you that #BringBackOurGirls has never and will never be susceptible to the kind of influence of any one or group of individual(s) engaging in a “hate campaign against you or our military”.

    “Such act would contradict our Core Values and our strictly empirical advocacy for the Government and military to deliver on their duty.

    “Thus, our singularity of purpose remains the rescue of our #ChibokGirls and all other abducted victims of the North East terrorist scourge. We shall continue to be civil and professional in our advocacy as we have widely been acclaimed to be since it commenced more than a year ago.

    “As a Citizens’ movement, #BringBackOurGirls is a demand for accountability from especially our Federal Government which has the constitutional duty for security of all citizens. In shaping our demand, we rely on publicly available news from your Directorate as well as all known credible media platforms.

    “In furtherance of our civic duty to be eternally vigilant we launched our Accountability Tools for rigorously monitoring, organizing and analyzing all news reports on the counter insurgency war in order to draw out key issues on which we could engage as citizens with our Government to help improve the prospects of success of the military efforts.

    “As earlier stated be reassured that all our statements and posts on social media conveying the results of our Monitoring/Accountability Initiatives have to undergo stringent quality control processes. It is after these that they are released with utmost sense of responsibility and a readiness to defend our position with evidence.

    “We therefore stand by all our analyses and assessments as conveyed in our statements. This explains why, so far, we have never had to recant, deny, or apologize for any statements we have made in the more than one year of our advocacy.

    “Nevertheless, we are open to receiving any specific instances or episodes of factual inaccuracy resulting from our monitoring, analysis, assessment, questions, scrutiny and statements.

    “We also recall our meeting of the 6th May 2014 with you and the Chief of Defense Staff team at the Defense Head Quarters. We had at that meeting agreed that the military will act in ways consistent with civil-military relations and democratic accountability by hosting us to a regular meetings to discuss the progress of your rescue mission for our girls and more broadly, the prosecution of the counter-insurgency war.

    “It is regrettable that subsequently following that agreement, none of such meetings ever happened again and that instead, our attempt to participate in your National Information Center briefings was frustrated and then prohibited.”

  • Military angry with Ezekwesili

    Military angry with Ezekwesili

    Former Minister of Education Dr Oby Ezekwesili has come under attack from the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) for her Chibok girls campaign.

    The girls were abducted from the Chibok Secondary School in Borno State more than one year ago. The 219 girls have not been seen since then.

    Dr Ezekwesili is a key member of the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group that has been campaigning for the girls’ release.

    But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has taken exception to the campaign.

    Defence spokesman Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a letter to the former minister – copies were sent to other coordinators of the BBOG group, including Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman and Mrs Bukky Sonibare – accused Mrs Ezekwesili of monitoring a hate campaign.

    “Indeed, there is still room for more merciful and robust engagement or interface between you and the government and security agencies in the drive to secure the return of our girls. Enough of undue hate campaign and antagonism,” he wrote.

    The DHQ denied that the military was engaged in propaganda.

    Gen. Olukolade said: “I have followed your activities with due interest.  I personally have nothing against your organisation or its advocacy concerning efforts to recover our girls from captivity of terrorists.  I believe that someday, both your efforts and that of the Nigerian military will be duly understood and appreciated.

      “It is unfortunate that some have sought to equate our efforts to give accounts of activities on the nation’s war on terror as propaganda or cover-up.  This is not true.  We know the difference.

    “The fact is that the battle situation around could be very fluid and susceptible to rapid changes.  The situations around the battle could also change accordingly in an inexplicable manner.

    “This trend is also compounded by various perspectives that have been employed to seriously polarise the understanding of the situation along the line of all kinds of sentiments and biases prevailing in the environment.  We cannot engage in a shouting match with those who have other motives.  We can only try to explain situation to the best of our understanding and available information.

    “The report we present on situations are based on the available information and observance of the elements of propriety, security, policy and accuracy, which has remained our guiding principles.  It is really not true as you have been made to assert repeatedly that the Defence Headquarters and myself are the only sources of information on the operation.”

    He said the group’s sweeping statement on the activities of the military in the North-east  was in bad faith.

    “The sweeping judgement and insistence that we must do things in a particular way or your claim that we do not follow best practices as well as your remarks comparing our approach to that of other armies is very unfair.

    “ Indeed, you must know that no two military operations are the same, and the conduct must endeavour to reflect the realities and peculiarities being confronted in the field.

    “Your allegations or claim that we lack transparency is definitely not well informed neither is it being expressed in good faith.”

    On lack of access to mission areas, the DHQ spokesman said no one was being prevented.

    Gen. Olukolade  said the military was however concerned about the safety of those seeking information.

    He said: “Be assured that nobody has been restrained from accessing the mission area in the ongoing operation except when there is clear case of undue interference with safety and operational environment.  Infact, occasionally, we conduct the media on tour of the operational area.

    “Our concern remains the issue of safety for anyone in search of information.  Much as we want to assist genuine seekers of information, we do not feel obliged to devote scarce resources to satisfying the fancy of pleasure seeking adventurers or the curious and mindless critics who just want to roam around with questionable motives.

    “ We should not be blackmailed into compromising the security of information and operations in the name of undefined idea of transparency.

    “We have strived to keep the populace informed in the best way possible in the circumstances we find ourselves.”

    The DHQ spokesman said the military had done its best to be as transparent as possible.

    He dismissed the allegation that the military had credibility deficit.

     added: “ No one has been through this same path before. We keep improving and seeking how to cope with the enormous challenges.  You may recall that although it was in the line of duty, I was the first and perhaps the only military officer who against all odds have addressed your leadership and the group as a whole when you marched to the Defence Headquarters at the early stages of your campaign.

    “ I believe we had cordial interactions all through at that period.   It is noteworthy that this gentleman, my sworn antagonist, was not present at that interactive meeting.

    “We really have no reason to engage in deception as your forum is always quick to allege – apparently with a view to discrediting us and our efforts.

    “Your assertion, claiming that we have credibility problem is only in the imagination of those pursuing the hate campaign against us.

    “It is definitely not in the view of the generality of the populace who still trust, depend on and utilise the outcome of all our efforts to inform the public on the counter terrorism campaign.

    “The ceaseless criticism we continue to get from you has been so uncharitable and could ordinarily be discouraging.

    “We however derive a lot of inspiration from the appreciation and commendation we keep getting from other well meaning individuals and organizations who continue to urge us on.

    “The patriot and God fearing person in us will not yield to blackmail and malicious criticism of those using the platform of your otherwise noble organisation, to run us down and plan on how to disgrace us in the pursuit of an agenda to humiliate and ridicule the Nigerian Armed Forces.”

    Olukolade took exception to personal attacks on his person by an unnamed  member of the BringBackOurGirls.

    He said:  “Being in the forefront of the efforts to disseminate information is a job I do with passion and sense of responsibility.  I do not deserve the hatred and mindless antagonism your organization has continued to unleash on me.

    “I certainly have a life out of here and it is unfair to work purely for the purpose of destroying my reputation and years of committed and unblemished record of service to my country.

    “Despite the regular focus and disdainful reference to all communication from me as prompted by those who are so determined to ruin other people’s name and career, I have maintained the restraint required of me both by training and upbringing.

    Indeed, I am also conscious of the enormous power you wield.

    “The belief is that your organisation has the determination to ruin the name, career, and reputation of some targeted military officers among whom I have been specifically marked for such cruel treatment.

    “ I can only leave such matter to God and the good judgement of people who read or hear you.  I am so sure I will enjoy the blessing of being vindicated at last.

    “Meanwhile, I wish your team will consider my point here and spare me and the Nigerian military the undue attacks we have continued to be subjected to in the name of monitoring or calling for accountability.

    “ We call for fairness as against the present campaign that is fraught with calumny and promotion of one man’s malice against us and anything government.

    I will not be surprised if this appeal draws more or fresh vitriol from your organisation, especially at the prompting of the hawks in your midst who are the disciples of that prominent member and proponent of the malicious campaign.

    “This is more likely, considering the determination and unhidden hatred of those who have been acting with a view to drawing me out for a street fight.

    “ I can assure you that I will not react or join issues under whatever provocation.   I will be leaving all such sworn enemies to their conscience and God if they believe in Him at all.

    “To you as an organisation, please save your platform from being used to perpetrate this injustice as inspired by the prominent and phony member of your BringBackOurGirls campaign.”

  • Buhari, Ezekwesili, Chimamanda on Time’s influential list

    Buhari, Ezekwesili, Chimamanda on Time’s influential list

    Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili and bestselling author, Chimamanda Adichie are on the TIME magazine’s world’s 100 most influential peoples list.

    Excerpts from their profile on TIME’s website:

    Muhammadu Buhari  – A new choice for Nigeria (by Aryn Baker)

    Muhammadu Buhari made history in March by becoming the first candidate to oust a sitting Nigerian President through the ballot box. Now he has to live up to voters’ expectations.

    From battling the Boko Haram insurgency to tackling endemic corruption, Buhari has many challenges ahead. The greatest may be overcoming his past as a military ruler who seized power in 1983. Already the born-again democrat is demonstrating the inclusivity necessary to lead a nation driven by ethnic and religious tensions.

    “We must begin to heal the wounds and work toward a better future,” he said in his April 1 victory speech. “We do this first by extending a hand of friendship and conciliation across the political divide.” It’s a promising start for a President-to-be who wants to leave a legacy to match the historic conditions of his election.

    Oby Ezekwesili (by Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe)

    Like northern Uganda, where I live, northern Nigeria is very isolated. For many years, the women who were abducted from our region remained invisible.

    So although I have not met Obiageli Ezekwesili, I know the #BringBackOurGirls campaign that she championed is very important. It would have taken a long time to raise awareness about the girls taken by Boko Haram without her using her platform as a former Minister of Education.

    We need to remember that these girls are undergoing psychological and maybe physical torture. So I love that the campaign says, “Bring back our girls,” and not “Bring back my child.” Everybody is in unison with the parents and the relatives. Everyone is feeling their pain. Everyone will be ready to embrace the girls and offer them care and compassion if they are rescued or manage to escape.

    It has been a year, and the girls haven’t been rescued, but she has made a difference by speaking about it. Not just speaking but shouting. I know some people will say she is too loudmouthed. The loud mouth is needed. People hear it.

    Chimamanda Adichie  – Conjurer of character (by Radhika Jones)

    It’s the rare novelist who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong’o and honored with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. But the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is just that sort of novelist.

    A MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, Adichie writes of the complex aftermath of Nigeria’s colonial history and her nation’s rise to prominence in an era when immigration to the West no longer means a one-way ticket. With her viral TEDxEuston talk, “We Should All Be Feminists,” she found her voice as cultural critic. (You can hear it rising midway through Beyoncé’s woman-power anthem “Flawless.”)

    She sets her love stories amid civil war (Half of a Yellow Sun) and against a backdrop of racism and migration (Americanah). But her greatest power is as a creator of characters who struggle profoundly to understand their place in the world.

     

     

  • Chibok girls’ rescue must be prioritised, says Ezekwesili

    Chibok girls’ rescue must be prioritised, says Ezekwesili

    The former Minister of Education and leader of the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has said the group would not relent in its struggle to ensure the rescue of the Chibok girls, even with the change in government.

    She said the group intended to write, to say that the rescue of the Chibok girls must be prioritised.

    Dr. Ezekwesili said they would not relent until the Chibok girls were rescued.

    She added that they would ensure that during the transition, politicians prioritised the rescue of the girls.

    Her words: “Anybody thinking that there is a new administration, therefore we are going to be quiet, will be disappointed because we will not relent until our daughters are brought back alive.

    “We are not relenting, we will not retreat and we will not surrender until our girls are rescued. We intend to write that with the transition government being put in place, our daughters must be given priority so that they can return before the handover date of May 29.

    “During the transition, we want to see the efforts of our politicians to ensure that the rescue of our daughters is given priority.

    “To mark the one year anniversary of the abduction of our girls, the advocacy will hold a seminar. We will invite President Goodluck Jonathan and President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

  • Ezekwesili seeks empathy for Chibok girls, others

    Former Minister of Education and Mineral Resources, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has lamented the lack of empathy displayed by Nigerians towards the 219 school girls abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State in April.

    She said this at the graduation of the 2014 Stream V mentees and Induction of the 2015 Stream VI mentees of the Win with WISCAR (Women in Successful Careers) mentoring programme held at the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos last Saturday.

    Speaking on the topic: “Towards an Equitable Society: The Role of Empathy in Economic Development of Nigeria”, Mrs Ezekwesili warned that a failure to address the suffering in the north, caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, as a result of the thinking that those affected are far and perhaps not influential, may eventually lead to disaster for all.

    She faulted the system for not protecting the less privileged but rallying round the elites in times of need.

    “The mechanism of rescue does not work for the poor.  But when it comes to the elite, it works.  The deficit of empathy is the reason education is not doing well.  The more money budgeted for education, the worse the education system that we have.  It means it is not underfunding but lack of empathy on the part of those who needed to manage it and put themselves in the soes of those who education should help.  Whenever you see poor governance, it is not just the failure of the institutions but the deficit of empathy,” he said.

    To drive home the point, Dr Ezekwesili told folklore about some animals in a farm house that warned the rat to be careful because the farmer purchased a trap.  They felt the trap was not their business.  However, only the rat eventually survived.

    At the event, the 29 graduating mentees launched a book, Briefcases and Blenders: Every woman’s guide to Success in Career and Life, which was launched by the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola and other dignitaries.

    Mrs Fashola lauded the graduands for putting the book together.  She said it was a demonstration that they were putting what they had learnt during the one-year programme into practice.  She however called for similar investment in young men so they can grow up to be responsible.

    The event also featured a panel discussion that focused on the theme: Pioneering Women: Initiating, Leading and Succeeding.  Mrs Ezekwesili joined five other top career women celebrated internationally for their pioneering works in various areas of endeavour for the panel discussion, which was moderated by WISCAR founder, Mrs Amina Oyagbola.

    The panelists, namely: Mrs Nike Ogunlesi, CEO of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble; Managing partner, Maryam Uwais, Wali-Uwais and Co; Boma Ozobia, Managing, Partner Sterling Partnership,; and Mrs Funke Opeke, CEO, MainOne Cable Company, discussed their work and the various influences that  life.

    Mrs Oyagbola, who is also the Human Resources Executive of MTN Nigeria, said WISCAR aims to help young career women realise their full potentials and contribute meaningfully to  Nigeria’s development.

    “During the 12-month mentoring programme, each mentee will be matched with a mentor. Programmes have been designed during this period aimed to have transformational impact on our mentees, enhance their performance and progress them up the career ladder,” she said.

    Awards were presented to Dr Ezekwesili (Distinguished WISCAR Award), the panelists, mentors and other women that have supporte the inititative.

    Thirty-one new mentees were inducted into the programme.