The Nation Newspaper

Tag: granted

  • We’ve taken nature for granted for far too long

    We’ve taken nature for granted for far too long

    Desmond Olumuyiwa Majekodunmi, renowned environmentalist and chairman, Lagos State Urban Forest and Animal Shelter Initiative, is a man truly passionate about nature. The son of first republic minister, Dr Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi and Nora Majekodunmi, founder of the elite Corona Schools, speaks with Yetunde Oladeinde about his love and campaign for nature preservation and how it all took roots during his three-year stay in Kenya.

    How would you describe the climate changes, rains, storms and hurricane happening in different parts of the world?

     

    It is something that the experts have been talking about and now we are seeing the reality ourselves. For instance, the velocity of that storm that hit Cuba is about 160 and it is a once in a hundred years storm .We had something like that five years ago in Houston. So it goes on and on, entering the Caribbean’s; and those people didn’t have any protection, just like the people in Benue State. We need to support them, even if it is the end of the world, many are called but few are chosen. Gen 2 vs. 15 says very clearly that HE put the man in the Garden to care for it and to keep it. Mind that it is the garden that is our support system, not only our life support but our children’s lives support system. So, I would try my best to keep it and when the day comes, I might be among the chosen. Protecting the environment is the most important duty of every human being. It is your primary assignment, your purpose.

    What prompted your passion for the environment?

    Many years ago, while I was living in Kenya, I got some inspiration there. I worked and lived in Kenya for three years – that was over 35 years ago. It was at a time when the oil boom had really taken off and we in Nigeria had abandoned our land, abandoned our agriculture totally. Meanwhile the Kenyans were really 100 per cent on agriculture and I realised that the mainstay of the Kenyan economy, about 90 per cent of it, was derived from agriculture and eco-tourism. Thousands and hundreds of thousands of visitors came in to see their wonderful nature, and their environment, which was protected very well. That experience really impressed me so much and I told myself that these Kenyans knew what they were doing. They didn’t abandon their land at all and food was cheap. And millions and millions of tourists’ dollars were coming in because they were protecting the environment. So, when I came back to Nigeria over thirty years ago, I started a farm in Lekki; it was just the Majekodunmi Farms, the Tenora Farms Plantations. Then I did a crash course in agriculture at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA.

    Luckily for me, I was advised that in that particular area, I should not destroy all the forest at all. There was thick forest in Lekki in those days; that was even before the expressway started; so we retained a lot of the forest and did what we called Agro Forestry. Then some people from the Nigerian Conservation Foundation came around to our place. When they saw the birds, they were so excited. It was a gathering of who is who; they had foreigners and high ranking people that included S.L. Edu of blessed memory, Philip Asiodu, Francesca Emmanuel and so many other people from the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.

    What exactly was their mission?

    They began to talk to me about the importance of preserving nature and the experience opened my eyes to a lot of things. Over the years, one learned and learned about how good and how important it was to care about the environment. In the last ten years, we have all come to appreciate that it is not just good and important but absolutely vital and essential. I also realised that we had been taking nature for granted for far too long. So I just keyed into the foundation and found that man had been living apart from nature. Whereas, the reality is that man is a part of nature and we need to appreciate that reality. We also need to fulfill our major role, which is to be custodians of the creations. We need to care for the creations, and all the scriptures are very clear about it. The Bible is clear about it and the Koran is also clear, that our role, our major duty is to care for our creations and that they are our life support systems.

    Basically, that is how I became passionate (about my environment); by having a deep love of God; and if you love your father, then you want to at least care for his house, especially when he has given you that house. I would also say that the love of my children and other people’s children influenced me greatly. The environment is our life support system and why won’t you want to look after your children’s life support system?

    Let’s talk about your farm. How far has it grown?

    Well, it has now been converted into a park, the LUFASAI (Lekki Urban Forest Animal Sanctuary African Initiative) Park. It is a 20-hectare park, just after Ajah, on the Lekki Expressway.

    What are we likely to find at the park?

    The first thing you would see are very mature palm trees, a lot of nice grass and you will feel very refreshed. And when you go deeper, you will see a bit of forest; and as you go deeper still, you would see a little patch of the original forest, that had always been there. We have made an arrangement with the Lagos State government that this would be preserved in its entirety as the main space for Lagos State. It is very, very refreshing, and when people come there, they usually don’t want to go because they feel so excited, relieved.

    You have talked about the gardens and the forests, what about the animals? What kind of animals are we likely to see at the park?

    We rescue animals at the park. We have horses, donkeys, monkeys; we actually have a couple of monkeys that interact with people. We have a monkey that can play football and basketball at the same time.

    What are some of the challenges faced doing this?

    The cost of maintaining the place is the major challenge. This is important because you have to keep it well. Right now, the cost is on my head but it is something that I am passionate about.

    What are the other things that occupy your time apart from the environment?

    That is all I do now, everything pales in. I am an Electrocutic Engineer. I also went into the production of music a long time ago. I did films, video productions and documentaries. But now, I just concentrate on propagating the gospel of creation care.

     

  • We musn’t take our democracy for granted, says Tinubu

    We musn’t take our democracy for granted, says Tinubu

    Text of a remark by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the anniversary of Democracy Day

    The history of mankind is an endless saga of justice, struggling against injustice, compassion against hatred, hope versus despair, prosperity versus poverty and liberty against oppression. Wherever man has resided with fellow man, they have cooperated but also clashed. Where greed and anger have been allowed to loom stronger than their more benign opposites, conflict and the rule of might over right prevail.

    The people suffer a caustic governance that, the more odious it tastes, the more it demands  of the people a blinding obedience that stifles most of what is good in the society. The people own not the deed to their very existence. They become fodder of a ruthless leviathan that would rather crush their humanity than suckle it.

    Where amity and fairness abide, social harmony and the rule of right over might raise a benign standard. The people suffer not to serve their rulers but their leaders suffer to serve them. The welfare of the people becomes the lodestar and not an afterthought of governance.

    In the life of any nation, of any people, good is always sought but never assured. Whatever is worthwhile is never freely given or easily attained in this most human of spaces where both good and evil sell their wares. When good prevails, it is a function of struggle and sweat, true vision followed by truer deed.

    This is why we celebrate democracy. It is neither a gift nor something easily come by. If our democracy was always here and abiding, we would not have cause to celebrate because it would just seem like the natural order of things. But, democracy is with us only because almost all prayed for it; most fought for it; many bled for it; some died for its sake. A thing so hard-won is something we dare not leave unattended to or take for granted. We must keep guard over it and honor it lest something evil comes to snatch it because you fail to stand watch.

    On this day, we affirm our belief that democracy is vital to our wellbeing but also never guaranteed. We must nurture and watch over it for good reason. The more we feed and nourish democracy, the more it feeds and nourishes the people, allowing them the sovereign control over their collective destiny. No other form of government extends such a winsome offer. No other form of government deserves to be consecrated as our national way of life.

    While constructed to guard against yielding absolute power to the wicked and ruthless, democracy is more than a shield against the evil that man at times throws at his brother. Democracy also recognises the basic goodness of people. It seeks to give us just enough power to exercise that goodness without giving any one of us so much power as to be able to confiscate the freedom and the fruits thereof which belong to others. Good begets good, love of freedom begets more freedom just as evil seeks to multiply itself and the acquisition of power begets a decadent appetite for more power. Democracy is the dynamic balancing of freedom and power so that society can be effectively led without the people being unduly suppressed.

    I have devoted the better part of my life to the struggle for Nigerian democracy. I would be more than happy to devote the rest of my days so that democracy can thrive and erase the unjust imbalances that have for too long been a heavy surcharge against the lives of most of our people.

    I believe in democracy for Nigeria because of my unyielding faith in the people. We are not perfect. No people are. But we are a good and decent national family. Our attributes, skills, compassion and generosity as a people are inferior to none. There is no shame in being Nigerian but only pride at how this people have withstood so much for so long yet have neither been broken nor have given themselves over to defeat. In the face of steep odds, you the people have been resilient unto victory.

    We have endured the harsh meter of authoritarian rule. After military rule gave way, we withstood the ambivalent nature of 17 years of civilian rule, not as brutish as the military, but not quite democracy neither. We existed in the twilight between darkness and light. Yet, we refused to get lost or to avert your focus from what was better.

    We lived in a land of elections the results of which were not always the expression of the sovereign will of the people, but of the will of a few people who mistook themselves to be the sovereign. Instead of holding elections, they used a superficially democratic process to coronate themselves as modern royalty. They misbehaved and misgoverned according to this fouled perception.

    The only honor such people could give democracy was to mock it. When they celebrated Democracy Day these past 16 years, it was as thieves and burglars celebrating one of their own becoming the chief security officer of a bank.

    The pall of falsity hung over our democratic process and future.

    However, right may be silenced for a moment but it never tells lies.  The inadequacy of such an arrangement became manifest. The people demanded better because they deserved better.

    By last year, we committed ourselves as a nation to ensuring that democracy was given full expression. No more full tricks or half truths.

    The people voted out the government and the party in office that had bragged they would hold Nigeria captive for six decades.  At that moment, democracy day was turned from a bittersweet irony into a blossoming reality.

    We planted democracy in Nigeria. As long as we exercise prudence and follow wise policy, never shall it depart from us.

    Now that we have planted democracy, we must move to the next phase. We must clear our system of the malpractices of the past that do not contribute to good governance but only perpetuate extant ills that we now seek to jettison. The people gave conservative elitist government 16 years to drive the nation forward. It drove the nation indeed: right into the ditch we found ourselves.

    The people are due an era of progressive and democratic good governance that augurs durable growth and widely-shared prosperity.

    This phase shall be hard. Those who benefitted from injustices in the past  energetically plot their return. The looters of yesterday to whom we waved farewell in the 2015 elections now try to shimmy through the backdoor to continue their pilfering ways. There is no progressive policy in your benefit that they do not actively seek to undermine and make fail. They hope to use your kindness and patience against you.  They seek to erect barriers to discourage us into believing there is no other way than the backward path they offer.

    We shall forfeit the nation’s future if we give in to their deceit, or if we fall into despondency because progress does not appear to come as fast, or as systematically as we hoped.

    Remember, the quest for democracy is a battle not a banquet. We must stick with it and not give up hope, just when fairness and justice have finally gotten the upper hand. We must persevere not just until the tide of battle seems to have turned in our favour but until the opponents of democracy have been decisively and thorough bested.

    Thus, we do not relent in defending democracy just as we should not relent in expecting the benefits inherent in democratic good governance. This means we must not sit back and merely let government contest with those who would again turn government against the general welfare. All of us must join the fray because the fray is about us and whether we live in a manner than fulfills our national purpose.

    You, the people, must participate in government as never before.  We cannot be passive onlookers when what lies in the balance is the future of our children and their sons and daughters after them. If someone tried to kidnap your child, you would not fold your hands and close your mouth. Then, we should not do so when the vultures and hyenas of yesterday sneak about in an attempt to steal, perhaps not our children, but their very futures.

    Press forward! As a sovereign people, we must be the voice and masters of our collective destiny. We must be more active in expressing what we want government to do in order to better this nation and its governance. The people must articulate their opinions and goals to give government the input and impetus necessary for it to be as responsive and benevolent as possible.

    We have done much and have come a long way. Yet, we must not be tired when we are now so close to our destination. We must force ourselves to press on until pressing on becomes what we do both by reflex and reflection for democracy is never fully achieved. To keep democracy, we must keep perfecting it. Democracy is a fine home that always beckons us to improve it that we may improve our collective lot in the process.

    There are many challenges facing our nation. There are security problems in some areas. But thankfully, the government is making progress, particularly against Boko Haram insurgents.  This brutal terrorist group will soon be a thing of the bleak past. The sense killings and the destruction wrought will be no more.

    There is a problem that cuts all areas equally. If we are not careful, it will afflict us a long time to come. In a cold, swift stroke, the decline in oil prices has turned into a mockery the model upon which we had for so long based our political economy. We either must waste away or construct a new model.

    We should diversify our economy by expanding our infrastructural network, bolstering agricultural and farm incomes, as well as filliping industry and manufacturing to provide jobs for a rapidly expanding urban work force. We must revise how our children are educated and ensure that they are prepared for the 21st century instead of barely being educated to function in the 19th.

    In the spirit of Democracy Day, and of the discourse necessary to enliven the democratic spirit, I would like to share some thoughts on how I think we should address the prevailing economic challenge. For this might be the most perilous of all that confronts us. If we lose this battle, democracy may become so weakened at its core that it transmogrifies into what it ought not to be.

    To accomplish our economic rescue, we need a fiscal policy that stands unrivalled in its range and its objectives. Government must dedicate unprecedented amounts for productive expenditure in our transportation infrastructure, power generation, food security and job creation. We have entered a period of stagflation where recession or shrinkage of the economy is accompanied by higher prices. Unfortunately, if we try to fight both at the same time, we fight neither effectively. Given the rate of joblessness and poverty, it is more fitting to fight recession at this point than to focus on inflation. We can endure a bit more inflation if it means more jobs and greater aggregate demand that can develop the velocity needed to free the economy of recession’s gravitational pull. We must resist recession; it is harder to shake off once it takes grip of an economy.

    Moreover, if we are bold enough not to allow fear to paralyse us, we can start creating employment opportunities; we can modernise our infrastructure which will reduce the cost of living and doing business. We can institute policies that create new industries and businesses as well as improve old ones. These measures will form the foundation of a diversified economy that will become more resistant to inflation because it is less reliant on imports. Also, it will be more recession resistant because the economy will rest on multiple revenue sources instead of a single source that is dependent on foreign consumer preferences over which we have little control.

    Restructuring our economy is the most complex challenge before us. On this so much depends. We all must contribute if we are to win.

    Now is not the time to lament, murmur or give in to despair. It is time to summon once again the political and social courage that we well know and that well knows us. We need to push forward and to urge government forward to do that which it must to achieve this great generational feat. We stand between success and failure; but we cannot maintain this middling position forever. We must turn one way or the other. To me there is but one option. The other is unspeakable. We must be bold enough not accept an inferior destiny. We must win.

    To do so, we must use all the democratic tools at our disposal. I am proud and commend the Nigerian people for having carried the nation this far. Don’t faint now. We are almost out of the thicket and so close to home.

    A great historic push and effort are mandated. Change takes boldness, perseverance and moral fortitude; profound change requires even more so. The task is hard but I neither fret nor worry. In my heart, I am comforted by the knowledge that we are so much better and stronger than the obstacle before us. We shall, and must overcome it because it is in our nature and it is for our best destiny to do so.

  • Nigerians take their country for granted, says Danjuma

    Nigerians take their country for granted, says Danjuma

    •Honour for Dare at 70

    •Fayemi, Oshiomhole, Fashola, Amosun, others honour Olatunji Dare at 70

    It could well have been a gathering of the academia – many professors were there – or newspapermen – they came in their numbers.

    The colourful ceremony at the prestigious MUSON Centre on Lagos Island was predictable. Prof. Olatunji Dare, eminent teacher, distinguished newspaperman, pro-democracy activist and respected columnist, was 70 yesterday.

    The downpour failed to dampen the spirit of the ceremony.

    A public lecture and book presentation were held to celebrate the revered journalism teacher, who is described as “a master satirist”, “stylistic exemplar” and “magisterial editorialist and columnist”.

    The book: Public intellectuals, the public sphere and the public spirit, is a collection of essays in Dare’s honour. It was edited by Prof. Wale Adebanwi, with contributions from 26 media, literary and civil society scholars, media managers and social activists.

    A former Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, who chaired the event, spoke of the need for Nigerians to value their homeland.

    He has high regard for those who have achieved success abroad, the likes of Dare.

    Dare, who studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), graduating with First Class Honours, earned a Master’s degree in journalism at the famous  Columbia University in New York, and a doctorate in Communication Research from Indiana University, Bloomington, with specialisation in international communication and public policy analysis.

    He taught at (UNILAG), before he was appointed a columnist and editorial page editor at The Guardian. He subsequently took up a teaching appointment at Bradley University, illions,  United States. He is The Nation’s Editorial Adviser, running the popular column, At Home Abroad.

    Danjuma believes Nigerians must not take their country for granted despite the chances of succeeding abroad.

    “One of the things that most Nigerians, especially the elite, take for granted is our citizenship, the fact that we are Nigerians and this is our country. We take this for granted.

    “Until events happen and we have cause to flee the country in order to stay alive, suddenly, we become strangers in a foreign country.

    “At the point of entry, when they ask you: ‘Where are you from?’, and you say: ‘I’m from Nigeria.” Tthey will ask you: ‘When are you leaving?’ That is the time you will know that you’re nowhere.”

    “I have the highest respect for those who have had to leave their homeland, stay abroad and prosper Dare has gone through all that in his life.

    “He has had to transform from a reporter and writer to a teacher and doing so successfully. He excelled in all this,” Gen. Danjuma said.

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, attending his first public event since the June 21 election,  said he regarded Dare “as one of our very best in the industry.”

    He said he considered it a duty “to pay homage to intellect and to someone who has taught us importance of public intellectuals in the development and the deepening of democracy.”  “That is why I didn’t want to send someone here,” he said.

    The governor, who walked into the hall quietly and without a retinue of aides, noted that Gen. Dajuma praise his modesty, something that should be a way of life among public officials.

    “The very things that the chairman was congratulating me and commending me for are supposed to be the things that are no longer in demand or popular in this country.

    “Intellect, elitism, decency, progressive commitment to people are not supposed to be in great demand, at least if we go by what we read – because it is not ‘grassroots’ (general laughter, applause); it is not ‘stomach infrastructure’ (more applause),” he said.

    According to him, the alternative would have been for him to walk in with gun-totting security aides, a siren-blaring convoy and “goons disturbing the peace of the hall”.

    “That way, I will be the people’s governor. I really worry about that,” Fayemi said.

    Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, described Dare as a “mentor.”

    “Prof Dare is a man who can look at any demagogue and say it as it is, no matter whose ox is gored. The very acerbic, very aspericious, very dialectic and very coruscating words from Prof Dare are enough to explode the holes of power mongers which is a parallel of the sordidness that gnaw the outside of them. I wish him happy birthday at 70,” he said.

    Obahiagbon said the governor regretted “viscerally” his inability to attend the event.

    The guest speaker, Prof Kwame Karikari of the University of Ghana, Lagon, who met Dare at the Colombia University’s School of Journalism where they were foreign students, along with Dan Agbese, recalled that Dare was the best editorial writer in their class.

    Speaking on the topic: Memories of censorship: Defending and promoting freedom of expression in West-Africa , 1997-2013“, karikari  recounted the difficulties faced  by the media in the face of autocratic rule in Africa.

    Urging the media to explore legal remedies in defence of their freedom, he said they must also look inwards and ensure they are above board.

    “In my Akan language, there is a saying that, as you caution the cat, you must also advise the stinking fish. The media profession is not all that glorious. It should be acknowledged that the media profession around the continent is full of lapses, unethical behavior and plain corrupt practices that grant enemies of media freedom the excuse or pretext to constrain or repress media rights.

    “In many countries, the fast growing involvement of politicians and parties in media (especially radio and broadcast) ownership, for the principal object of political propaganda and fomenting of tensions during elections, is a trend worth our concern,” he said.

    Karikari believes there is a strong basis to be optimistic about the future progress of media development, media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa.

    “There will continue to be reversals, disappointments, relapses into tendencies toward violent and reprehensible forms of restrictions and repression. As long, however, that there continues to be citizens or professionals committed to pursuing progress – even at any cost – progress will always be in sight,” he said.

    An emotional Dare said his wife was absent because she had to attend to their autistic son.

    “My wife is not here today because our child is autistic,” he said, adding that he would devote his retirement to helping improve the lives of autistic children.

    “Autism is far more widespread than I realised. I’ve resolved to work towards creating awareness about autism and to bring those who suffer from autism some succour,” he said.

    Chairman, Board of Directors of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, Mr Wale Edun, represented by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Mr Victor Ifijeh, wished Dare success in his voluntary work.

    “On behalf of myself and indeed everyone at Vintage Press Ltd (The Nation), I most heartily wish you a happy birthday and many more years of health and happiness. In particular, I wish you much success in your desire to devote your retirement to voluntary work in the important field of autism, among other areas.

    “I have personally enjoyed, admired and learned a great deal from your writing in The Guardian in the 1980s and 1990s and now in your Tuesday column for The Nation, currently the widest circulating newspaper in Nigeria – a feat which is in no small part attributable to the enviable quality of our columnists, such as yourself.

    “Your readiness to sacrifice your livelihood on the altar of principle in the dark days of Abacha dictatorship is a rare case of a man willing to lead by example. It forever stands you out among men and will forever elevate you in the eyes of the silent majority; the seeming lack of public recognition and acknowledgement not withstanding.

    “It is for these reasons that I am honoured, proud and indeed deem it most pleasant duty to present this book; and to commend it to student-scholars, researchers, patriots and indeed the general public,” Edun said.

    The book reviewer, Prof Adigun Agbaje of the University of Ibadan, represented by Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, said Dare does not hide from matching public rhetoric with action. He described the octogenarian as a “master satirist”.

    The book, edited by Prof. Wale Adebanwi, is divided into five parts, with contributions from Prof Adebayo Williams, Prof Lai Oso, Odia Ofeimun and Dr Doyin Abiola, among others.

    At the event were Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Mr Tunji Bello, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN); Dr Adeleke Ipaye, who represented Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Yusuf Olaniyonu, who represented Ogun State Governor  Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Mr Segun Babatope, who represented Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; a member of the House of Representatives Abike Dabiri-Erewa; The Guardian Publisher Lady Maiden Ibru; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Prof Niyi Osundare; Prof Femi Osofisan; Prof Ropo Sekoni; Prof Ralph Akinfeleye; Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu; Hon. Olawale Oshun; Mr Clem Baye; The Nation Editorial Board Chairman Mr Sam Omatseye; The Guardian Managing Director Emeka Izeze and Editorial consultant  Lade Bonuola; The Nation Editor Gbenga Omotoso; The Nation Executive Director Finance and Administration Mr Ade Odunewu

     

  • Nigerians take their country for granted, says Danjuma

    Nigerians take their country for granted, says Danjuma

    •Fayemi, Oshiomhole, Fashola, Amosun, others honour Olatunji Dare at 70

    It could well have been a gathering of the academia – many professors were there – or newspapermen – they came in their numbers.

    The colourful ceremony at the prestigious MUSON Centre on Lagos Island was predictable. Prof. Olatunji Dare, eminent teacher, distinguished newspaperman, pro-democracy activist and respected columnist, was 70 yesterday.

    The downpour failed to dampen the spirit of the ceremony.

    A public lecture and book presentation were held to celebrate the revered journalism teacher, who is described as “a master satirist”, “stylistic exemplar” and “magisterial editorialist and columnist”.

    The book: Public intellectuals, the public sphere and the public spirit, is a collection of essays in Dare’s honour. It was edited by Prof. Wale Adebanwi, with contributions from 26 media, literary and civil society scholars, media managers and social activists.

    A former Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, who chaired the event, spoke of the need for Nigerians to value their homeland.

    He has high regard for those who have achieved success abroad, the likes of Dare.

    Dare, who studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), graduating with First Class Honours, earned a Master’s degree in journalism at the famous  Columbia University in New York, and a doctorate in Communication Research from Indiana University, Bloomington, with specialisation in international communication and public policy analysis.

    He taught at (UNILAG), before he was appointed a columnist and editorial page editor at The Guardian. He subsequently took up a teaching appointment at Bradley University, illions,  United States. He is The Nation’s Editorial Adviser, running the popular column, At Home Abroad.

    Danjuma believes Nigerians must not take their country for granted despite the chances of succeeding abroad.

    “One of the things that most Nigerians, especially the elite, take for granted is our citizenship, the fact that we are Nigerians and this is our country. We take this for granted.

    “Until events happen and we have cause to flee the country in order to stay alive, suddenly, we become strangers in a foreign country.

    “At the point of entry, when they ask you: ‘Where are you from?’, and you say: ‘I’m from Nigeria.” Tthey will ask you: ‘When are you leaving?’ That is the time you will know that you’re nowhere.”

    “I have the highest respect for those who have had to leave their homeland, stay abroad and prosper Dare has gone through all that in his life.

    “He has had to transform from a reporter and writer to a teacher and doing so successfully. He excelled in all this,” Gen. Danjuma said.

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, attending his first public event since the June 21 election,  said he regarded Dare “as one of our very best in the industry.”

    He said he considered it a duty “to pay homage to intellect and to someone who has taught us importance of public intellectuals in the development and the deepening of democracy.”  “That is why I didn’t want to send someone here,” he said.

    The governor, who walked into the hall quietly and without a retinue of aides, noted that Gen. Dajuma praise his modesty, something that should be a way of life among public officials.

    “The very things that the chairman was congratulating me and commending me for are supposed to be the things that are no longer in demand or popular in this country.

    “Intellect, elitism, decency, progressive commitment to people are not supposed to be in great demand, at least if we go by what we read – because it is not ‘grassroots’ (general laughter, applause); it is not ‘stomach infrastructure’ (more applause),” he said.

    According to him, the alternative would have been for him to walk in with gun-totting security aides, a siren-blaring convoy and “goons disturbing the peace of the hall”.

    “That way, I will be the people’s governor. I really worry about that,” Fayemi said.

    Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, described Dare as a “mentor.”

    “Prof Dare is a man who can look at any demagogue and say it as it is, no matter whose ox is gored. The very acerbic, very aspericious, very dialectic and very coruscating words from Prof Dare are enough to explode the holes of power mongers which is a parallel of the sordidness that gnaw the outside of them. I wish him happy birthday at 70,” he said.

    Obahiagbon said the governor regretted “viscerally” his inability to attend the event.

    The guest speaker, Prof Kwame Karikari of the University of Ghana, Lagon, who met Dare at the Colombia University’s School of Journalism where they were foreign students, along with Dan Agbese, recalled that Dare was the best editorial writer in their class.

    Speaking on the topic: Memories of censorship: Defending and promoting freedom of expression in West-Africa , 1997-2013“, karikari  recounted the difficulties faced  by the media in the face of autocratic rule in Africa.

    Urging the media to explore legal remedies in defence of their freedom, he said they must also look inwards and ensure they are above board.

    “In my Akan language, there is a saying that, as you caution the cat, you must also advise the stinking fish. The media profession is not all that glorious. It should be acknowledged that the media profession around the continent is full of lapses, unethical behavior and plain corrupt practices that grant enemies of media freedom the excuse or pretext to constrain or repress media rights.

    “In many countries, the fast growing involvement of politicians and parties in media (especially radio and broadcast) ownership, for the principal object of political propaganda and fomenting of tensions during elections, is a trend worth our concern,” he said.

    Karikari believes there is a strong basis to be optimistic about the future progress of media development, media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa.

    “There will continue to be reversals, disappointments, relapses into tendencies toward violent and reprehensible forms of restrictions and repression. As long, however, that there continues to be citizens or professionals committed to pursuing progress – even at any cost – progress will always be in sight,” he said.

    An emotional Dare said his wife was absent because she had to attend to their autistic son.

    “My wife is not here today because our child is autistic,” he said, adding that he would devote his retirement to helping improve the lives of autistic children.

    “Autism is far more widespread than I realised. I’ve resolved to work towards creating awareness about autism and to bring those who suffer from autism some succour,” he said.

    Chairman, Board of Directors of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, Mr Wale Edun, represented by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Mr Victor Ifijeh, wished Dare success in his voluntary work.

    “On behalf of myself and indeed everyone at Vintage Press Ltd (The Nation), I most heartily wish you a happy birthday and many more years of health and happiness. In particular, I wish you much success in your desire to devote your retirement to voluntary work in the important field of autism, among other areas.

    “I have personally enjoyed, admired and learned a great deal from your writing in The Guardian in the 1980s and 1990s and now in your Tuesday column for The Nation, currently the widest circulating newspaper in Nigeria – a feat which is in no small part attributable to the enviable quality of our columnists, such as yourself.

    “Your readiness to sacrifice your livelihood on the altar of principle in the dark days of Abacha dictatorship is a rare case of a man willing to lead by example. It forever stands you out among men and will forever elevate you in the eyes of the silent majority; the seeming lack of public recognition and acknowledgement not withstanding.

    “It is for these reasons that I am honoured, proud and indeed deem it most pleasant duty to present this book; and to commend it to student-scholars, researchers, patriots and indeed the general public,” Edun said.

    The book reviewer, Prof Adigun Agbaje of the University of Ibadan, represented by Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, said Dare does not hide from matching public rhetoric with action. He described the octogenarian as a “master satirist”.

    The book, edited by Prof. Wale Adebanwi, is divided into five parts, with contributions from Prof Adebayo Williams, Prof Lai Oso, Odia Ofeimun and Dr Doyin Abiola, among others.

    At the event were Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Mr Tunji Bello, who represented Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN); Dr Adeleke Ipaye, who represented Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Yusuf Olaniyonu, who represented Ogun State Governor  Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Mr Segun Babatope, who represented Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; a member of the House of Representatives Abike Dabiri-Erewa; The Guardian Publisher Lady Maiden Ibru; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Prof Niyi Osundare; Prof Femi Osofisan; Prof Ropo Sekoni; Prof Ralph Akinfeleye; Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu; Hon. Olawale Oshun; Mr Clem Baye; The Nation Editorial Board Chairman Mr Sam Omatseye; The Guardian Managing Director Emeka Izeze and Editorial consultant  Lade Bonuola; The Nation Editor Gbenga Omotoso; The Nation Executive Director Finance and Administration Mr Ade Odunewu

  • Kenneth Omeruo granted work permit

    Kenneth Omeruo granted work permit

    SUPER Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo is now free to play in England with UEFA Europa League defending champions Chelsea, according to reports

    Work permits have been a big issue of late with all this talk of Bertand Traore, but another African-born Chelsea player was also in need of paperwork from the government in order to play for the club. Kenneth Omeruo needed a permit in order to play in England, and today he reportedly received some very good news:

    “Kenneth has been granted a five-year work permit by the British Home Office. It’s a big breakthrough.”

    This is huge news for Omeruo, as this now means he can potentially remain at Chelsea this season. If he’s sent back out on loan, this also opens the door for him to remain somewhere in England should the club choose to go that route.

    At 19, Omeruo will never qualify as either association or club trained by UEFA standards, but I believe he’ll still eventually qualify as homegrown by FA standards (although the specific language involved does leave some confusion about his future status). He’d qualify as U21 this season and won’t take up a roster spot if he remains in England, and with the way he’s played for Nigeria of late, he’ll likely be a very attractive option for many clubs if Mourinho doesn’t keep him.

    It will be interesting to see what the future hold for Omeruo, as he’s probably developed beyond the point where playing U21 football will do anything for him. He’s certainly capable of pushing the injured Tomas Kalas for minutes at Chelsea right now, and a loan to a Premier League side wouldn’t seem at all unreasonable. The fact that Chelsea went through the effort to get this paperwork done seems to indicate that they’re leaning this way if they don’t keep the player, so it will be a situation worth watching in the next few weeks.

  • A lunch date Jonathan should have granted with caution

    A lunch date Jonathan should have granted with caution

    Health experts believe that people eat for two reasons: for pleasure and to assuage hunger. In African setting, eating together is a symbol of truce where warring parties are involved. That is why supporters and admirers of President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo must have rejoiced when the two statesmen had lunch together at the presidential villa penultimate Friday, after bouts of verbal exchange.

    Jonathan would most probably not be anywhere near his present position without Obasanjo’s influence. His fortuitous emergence as the Bayelsa State governor, vice president and president were all made possible by Obasanjo’s political influence. He was minding his business as the deputy governor of Bayelsa State before the former governor of the state, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha, jumped bail in the UK after he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police for money laundering. The then President Obasanjo, who was in the heat of his anti-corruption campaign, piled pressure on the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to impeach Alamieyeseigha, paving way for Jonathan to step in as governor.

    It was also Obasanjo who nominated Jonathan as the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s running mate. As fate would have it, Yar’Adua died midway into his first term, and Jonathan fortuitously became the president. And while Jonathan dilly-dallied on declaring his interest in vying for the presidency after serving out Yar’Adua’s tenure, Obasanjo came out and publicly urged him to throw his hat in the ring, in spite of the zoning arrangement in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In the ensuing battle for the presidential ticket of the party, Jonathan defeated the consensus candidate of the North, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, before going on to win the election.

    In a clear instance of the instability of human relationships, Obasanjo and Jonathan fell apart after the former publicly criticised Jonathan’s handling of the destructive activities of the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of the country. At the 40th anniversary of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s call to ministry at the Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta State in November last year, Obasanjo had carpeted Jonathan for not deploying soldiers to invade the towns that harboured members of the sect and crush them like he (Obasanjo) did in Odi and Zaki Biam in Bayelsa and Benue states respectively after some militant youths in the communities allegedly killed policemen and soldiers deployed there to keep the peace.

    A few days later, Jonathan seized the opportunity of an interview he had on national television to dismiss Obasanjo’s invasion of Odi as nothing, but a monumental failure because the soldiers who invaded Odi only succeeded in killing and maiming innocent souls, while the real culprits escaped. From then on, both parties seized every available opportunity to throw words at each other before the surprise lunch they had together at the Presidential Villa.

    As would be expected, many supporters of Obasanjo and Jonathan hailed the development as an end to the feud between them. But the more discerning of Jonathan’s supporters, who are familiar with the antecedents of Obasanjo in such matters, have reasons to panic. A reputation for which the former president would never be found wanting is his ability to turn a lunch date with his political foe into regrettable moment. So recurrent is this aspect of his political life that observers now say he who Obasanjo wants to punish he first gives dinner.

    And instances of this abound. In January 2005, a lunch date supposedly designed to reconcile Obasanjo and the then PDP Chairman, Audu Ogbeh, became the latter’s albatross. Obasanjo had fallen out with Ogbeh over a letter Ogbeh wrote, accusing the presidency of worsening the political crisis in Anambra State. After several meetings were convened by party chieftains to reconcile the two, Obasanjo rode in the same vehicle with Ogbeh to the latter’s house where they feasted on pounded yam and egusi soup. Thereafter, Ogbeh went on national television and announced that whatever misunderstanding he had with Obasanjo had been settled. Less than a week later, Obasanjo struck. He went to Ogbeh’s house and told him to resign as party Chairman.

    Before then, there had been the celebrated quarrel between Obasanjo and the late former Senate president, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. A politician of immense political clout, Okadigbo had carried on his leadership of the Senate with little or no deference to Obasanjo, a situation that provoked a kind of personality clash between the two statesmen. After a series of quiet but bruising confrontations, a truce was brokered between them, following which Obasanjo was on hand to commission a new residence that was built for Okadigbo. At the commissioning ceremony, they had dinner together and Obasanjo even danced with Okadigbo’s wife. A few days later, Obasanjo brought his training as an engineer to bear by engineering Okadigbo’s impeachment and the then Senate president was removed.

    Other politicians who have suffered the similar fate in Obasanjo’s hand include the immediate past governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. After a serious disagreement between Obasanjo and Daniel over the latter’s successor, some Yoruba elders decided to intervene as Jonathan prepared to take his campaign train to the South West in the build-up to the 2011 presidential election. Consequently, the Yoruba elders, including Chief Afe Babalola; Chief Kessington Adebutu; Chief Kenny Martins; the Olubara of Ibara, Oba Jacob Omolade; and former governorship aspirant of the party, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, stormed Obasanjo’s residence with Daniel and supposedly worked out a truce. Daniel was said to have prostrated for Obasanjo who, in response, declared that his sins were forgiven. And to demonstrate the fact that he had truly forgiven Daniel, Obasanjo reached for his pocket and brought out a kolanut which they shared and ate. Today, Daniel is like a fly caught in the spider’s web as he fights the battle of his life with forces that owe their existence to the former head of state.

    The emergence of the presidential campaign posters of the Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, days after Jonathan and Obasanjo had lunch in Aso Rock, is seen by many as a concomitant of the incident. Any need for more proofs?

  • Don’t take APC for granted, Saraki tells PDP

    Former Kwara State Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not take the coalition of opposition parties under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for granted.

    Saraki, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, told the Presidency that time is running out on the 2013 budget.

    He spoke to reporters in Abuja on various national issues.

    The lawmaker, who is a member of the PDP, said it would be costly for the party to take APC for granted.

    Although he said APC would contend with some challenges, he added that the fact that the parties came together to form APC had created a two-party state, somehow.

    He noted that the fact that APC was formed for the sole purpose of wresting power from the PDP made it imperative for PDP not to take the coalition for granted.

    Said he: “In theory, if four or five parties put their forces together, they mean to be stronger.

    “But in practice, to me it is not based on any ideology, it is based on some kind of understanding.

    “So, my initial feeling is that they are going to have challenges, but at the same time, as a party, we should not take them for granted.

    “The fact that they have come together means that we are having something like a two party state.

    “Because all that is being done is to wrest power from PDP. So, PDP must take it seriously.

    “But they would have challenges. I think it is too early because it is just a pronouncement.

    “When we talk about development of the party, the principles and its administration, that is where the challenge is going to come from.

    “Then you can ask me the question down the line, say in six months when I begin to see the chapters being set up.

    “Where in a state you have ACN, CPC, ANPP in a place in Kano, let me see how this APC will work in Kano; whether it would remain APC or A would go one way, P would go one way and C would go another way.

    “If APC can stay in Kano, then I will tell you that we need to sit up, but my feelings, going by history, I think that A would stay away, P would stay away and C would stay away. C would not give to A and A would not give to P, and at the end of the day, they would part ways.

    “But it is good for democracy because we as the ruling party, it would keep us on our toes because we know that this is a formidable party.

    “It is just when you are hoping that a marriage does not work because you know that if it works it is a greater challenge.

    “It is too early. The easy part is just to pronounce it. The more difficult part is how it is going to work.”