The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Honour

  • Senator Tinubu to honour Abiola, others at meeting

    Senator Tinubu to honour Abiola, others at meeting

    As part of efforts to promote the significance of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and constituents of Lagos Central are to hold a town hall meeting tomorrow.

    The senatorial district’s seventh town hall meeting is focussed on the exemplary legacy of the winner of the election, the late Bashorun MKO Abiola and others, who struggled to realise genuine transformation.

    With the theme: ‘Making the Sacrifice for Development’, the event is scheduled for the Lagos City Hall, CMS, Lagos Island.

    A statement by Senator Tinubu’s Constituency Office in Lagos indicates that top politicians, youths and a cross-section of the society have indicated interest in participating in the meeting.

    Like other past town hall meetings, tomorrow’s event will also include the launch of a Youth Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Scheme (YESAS), a new economic empowerment scheme to further improve the socio-economic circumstances of more constituents.

    Also, Senator Tinubu will brief her constituents and receive feedback from them on her duties, constituency projects and how the citizens can work together to achieve effective and lasting change in the society.

    She will also give an update on the N222.3 Drug Rehabilitation and Counselling Centre, which she facilitated for Lagos Central under the 2012 budget and the N223 million ultra-modern market that is about to be built in the district under the 2013 national budget.

    While her recent efforts in the Senate include the sponsorship of bills to provide social security for the elderly and amend sections of the Labour Act, which restrict employment opportunities for women, she is working with other senators on a bill aimed at conferring a special status on Lagos State.

    Outside the Senate, her social welfare/developmental initiatives include launching of the Post-Secondary School Scholarship Scheme (PSSS) for hundreds of indigent students, the Petty Traders Empowerment Capital Scheme (PETECS) to help beneficiaries re-capitalise an existing petty trade as well as the Elderly Citizens’ Assistance Scheme (ECAS), which provides funds to alleviate the plight of the elderly.

    Senator Tinubu’s commitment to education has brought benefits to institutions of higher learning. She helped secure funding from TETFUND to enable the Sir Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPE) construct its School of Primary and Early Child Care Education and the Lagos State University (LASU) to expend further resources on important matters of academic relevance.

    The release of N109million to MOCPE and another N108million to LASU is aimed towards addressing some of the deficiencies in core areas of teaching and learning facilities and resources.

    Through the Senate Committee on Education, she secured additional federal resources to rehabilitate schools in her district, including the Jibowu Junior High School, Yaba (N21 million); Banjo Primary School, Otumara-Ilogbo in Ebute Metta, Lagos Mainland (N20 million).

    Three primary schools are to benefit from N15 million rehabilitation funds each, under the initiative.

  • In honour of Chinua Achebe

    Being a paper titled: ‘Chinua Achebe. Historical lineaments of an icon’ presented by Okey Ikenegbu at the opening of a group art exhibition, tagged: Chinua Achebe –Visual Expressions held by some professional artists in Enugu to celebrate the late Prof Chinua Achebe.

     

    In this brief article there is no room and no need for me to write generally about this great man’s life and work. Obviously, this has already been done admirably, notably in obituaries and the encomia delivered by great people of all over the world since his demise.

    I am compelled to quote from his foreword to Igbo Arts, Community and Cosmos: Another reason why it is important to the Igbo to renew their art frequently is their view of the world as never standing still. “No condition is permanent” is the contemporary assertion of this view. In Igbo cosmology even gods could fall out of use and new forces were liable to appear without warning in the temporal and metaphysical firmament. The practical purpose of art is to channel a spiritual force into an aesthetically satisfying physical form that captures the presumed attributes of that force. It stands to reason, therefore that new forms must stand ready to be called into being as often as new (threatening) forces appear on the scene. It is like “earthing” (grounding) an electrical charge to ensure safety1.

    This above expression is necessarily apt to appreciate fully the subject of this reminiscence. Essentially, other contributors in times like this will have written of Achebe’s understanding and encouragement of African literary arts; I shall confine comments to Achebe’s love of visual arts, his skill in using the richness of the English language; his way with words. He was a formidable master of words.

    There is no doubt that in the field of literary art, Achebe was always larger than life, enjoying every minute and every encounter. Most people may well think of Achebe as a specialist in the visual arts of Africa. Achebe’s impact on the field of visual art is infused with intense sensibility and creative inspiration. Achebe always spoke eloquently about the power of objects to move us as well as the peoples of the society within which were created. He held that the visual arts are symptomatic of cultural values and that they are for the most part oriented positively, that is, toward man’s search for a secure and ordered existence.

    Chike Aniakor sums up the Achebe’s most critically acclaimed classical novel – Things Fall Apart, as a vivid picture of an Igbo society in its historical encounter with colonialism, by enthroning a sense of cultural and ideological consciousness, of both human freedom and history, in place of preceding colonial distortions of Africa. That, provided the historical benchmark for liberation of the African consciousness so that a man would know where the rain began to beat him.

    Similarly, Edith Ihekweazu in a perfect foreword to Achebe Celebration Exhibition Catalogue writes that Achebe’s artistic use of language, his wealth of imagery and symbolism, his recreation of a proud and dignified concept of African history and culture, and his unrelenting exposure and rejection of myths of racial superiority have helped in paving the way for the present achievements of Nigerian artists. Essentially, the Nsukka Art School is playing a major role in the emergence of modern artistic movements. She remarked that the exhibition was a land mark and a forecast of a new movement which counts Achebe’s works among its sources of visions and inspirations.

    It is significant to note that artists have drawn inspiration from societal life and experience while creating works as part of national development.

    Achebe’s contribution to visual art history was characterised precisely by his ability to see beyond the constricted and sometimes pedantic web that (we) spin for ourselves, and also his ability to contextualise a discourse of and about visual art within wider discourses – wider in terms of form, medium and time and place. Indeed, he nurtured the view that the greatest acknowledgement of the aesthetic power of a work of art is that it can still move us when it is presented totally both in and out of context. When confronted with the role of masquerade in Igbo cosmos, Achebe notably remarked,

    “What makes the dance and the masquerade so satisfying to the Igbo disposition is, I think, their artistic deployment of motion, of agility which informs the Igbo concept of existence. The masquerade (which is really an elaborated dance) not only moves spectacularly but those who want to enjoy its motion fully must follow its progress up and down the arena. This seemingly minor observation was nonetheless esteemed important enough by the Igbo to be elevated into a proverb of general application: Ada akwu ofu ebe enene mmuo, ‘You do not stand in one place to watch a masquerade”. You must imitate its motion. The kinetic energy of the masquerade’s art is thus instantly transmitted to a whole arena of observers.

    With Achebe’s death, literary and visual arts lost their most distinguished spokesman.

    Oke osisi a da go – A great tree has fallen.

    Oke mmanwu a naa – The big masquerade has gone.

    Nnukwu azu efue na mmiri – A big fish has disappeared from the waters.

    Ugo belu a daa n’elu oji – The eagle has fallen from the iroko tree

    These metaphors used by the Igbo to announce the demise of an important person, aptly describe the vacuum created in the arts by the death of Chinua Achebe.

    Notably, Achebe has a wonderful way with proverbial and traditional metaphors. In recognition of this, Dennis Walder a writer and critic notes, “As ever, Achebe brilliantly manipulates the style he has made his own, introducing proverbial and traditional metaphor, the ‘palm oil with which words are spoken’ in Ibo society, to enrich his meaning throughout,— and it is evident that no other African novelist currently in production comes near this level of achievement”. For the Igbo proverbs serve as speech embellishments, to fabricate and furnish firm and solid platforms on which social institutions and behaviors grow. In his works Achebe used proverbs and metaphors to keep the minds of readers on the alert.

    While his passing on Friday, March 23, 2013 in a foreign land was profoundly sad for all lovers of literary and creative arts, his life line of achievements and his enduring legacy in the fields of literary and visual arts are causes for celebration. Chinua Achebe was a true Igbo son. His interests were catholic, extending from ideas to politics, creative art to performance. It is the cherished thought of every Igbo man to die well. To die well means to be mourned for, in other words to have people around to mourn for one. This in its turn implies association. Igbo folklore teaches that he who possesses a relation is preferred to him who is in possession of great wealth.

    I consider myself extremely fortunate not only to have been part of visual artists who celebrated Achebe while alive, but also that of his epilogue6. As a special tribute from visual artists, this current exhibition in honour of the fallen iroko tree – Chinua Achebe has been mounted in appreciation of his role as a dynamic source of inspiration for artists both at local and international levels. Everything in life shall perish but not ideas. This exhibition is a harvest of creative energies from life experiences. It is indeed bold salute to the withered Rose. Of course, Achebe would certainly have agreed that a debt may get moldy but it never rots.

    I conclude with lines written by Achebe himself … his words on the marble:-

    “You cannot plant greatness as you plant yams or maize. Whoever planted an iroko tree – the greatest in the forest? You may collect all the iroko seeds in the world, open the soil and put them there it will be in vain. The great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there — so it is with greatness in men”.

    In Igbo land Ugo the Eagle portrays a remarkable audacity of greatness. The eagle depicts success, and an outstanding achievement. It means excellence, first, purity and eminence in all ramifications. And so, there was a man! A man of the people, a man of the arts! …who acted the strong and clean, and withstood creative turbulence. He has fallen asleep. The eye is not harmed by sleep, as the great giant has joined the ancestors not on dead men’s path. Achebe did not die, don’t let him die. Chinua Achebe has merely passed on.

     

    •Ikenegbu is Director, School of Communication Arts, IMT, Enugu.

  • Lest we forget: this land was not always without honour

    Lest we forget: this land was not always without honour

    I have never in my entire public career, spanning nearly 50 years now, either given or received bribes, or any other form of gratification. I find doing so repugnant and personally demeaning – Dapo Fafowora 

    He called his memoirs, Lest I forget: Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat. But the book could well have been entitled, Lest we forget: This land was not always without honour – so trenchantly does his professed ethics rebuke today’s public service sewers.

    How many public servants today can boast Ambassador Dapo Fafowora’s claim above, made in his book, due for public presentation at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday?

    And if you think Dr. Fafowora’s declaration was that of a solo holier-than-thou, then consider this anecdote of 1959, which the young Dapo Fafowora witnessed, as a clerk in the Western Region Treasury.

    An accounts clerk going on leave had added 10 miles to the distance of his home town from Ibadan, hoping to gain five extra shillings to his leave pay. One Mr. Kemp, his boss, drove to his village to investigate the claim, found the distance was 10 miles short, and dismissed the clerk for five shillings fraud. For shame, that clerk committed suicide!

    Too good to be true today, when top bureaucrats accused of embezzling pension funds hire the best SANs to protect their alleged loot, superstar-style?

    Also consider the case of Ambassador Fafowora’s late father, Chief Olagunju Fafowora.

    As private secretary to the late Oba Akran of Badagry, a minister in the Chief Awolowo-led Western Region government, the minister had given the senior Fafowora 3,000 pound, to share among party hacks, without any particular list. Being no politician himself, Fafowora could not locate any politician; so he returned the money to his principal, reporting the failure of his Badagry mission.

    A bewildered Akran, expecting the man to have somewhat helped himself, told him he would never be rich! Not a few of his contemporaries also thought he was crazy. But the senior Fafowora placed his personal integrity far above a few pounds, which nevertheless was quite a trove in those days. So, if the junior Fafowora felt gratifications repugnant and personally demeaning, you at least knew where he was coming from.

    Then, the case of Pa Christopher Williams, Dr. Fafowora’s maternal uncle. He too was minister of Lands under the Awo Western Region government. But he resisted every pressure to allocate land either to himself or members of his family, pleading that the Action Group (AG) government frowned at such.

    In The Accidental Public Servant, Nasir El-Rufai committed no crime by allotting land to his spouse who, as he rightly argued in his book, was a Nigerian citizen, was qualified and had paid the requisite fees. But the difference between the two ministers, over different generations spanning some 50 years, is the decline in rigour over public morality.

    Still that past was no unanimous moral paradise, where everybody lived happily in probity. As Ambassador Fafowora would find out, his own personal probity would clash with institutional rot, fired by deliberate and systematic subversion of processes. That would lead to his sudden retirement at noon, when his career sun was most dazzling; and career halo most golden.

    Fafowora and other victims of that retirement gale (which belied all logic), by the new Muhammadu Buhari military government, were victims of ethnic paranoia in the Nigerian public services. The North, at independence, could clearly not compete with the South, in Western education-driven skills. Yet, the British had fed the northern elite with a strange sense of entitlement.

    But in fairness, the North’s fear was not unjustified; as the British themselves did not found Nigeria on any deliberate ethos of equity. In that crippling paranoia, the northern lobby succeeded in imposing the domination of the mediocre, which to survive, needed to eliminate real talents, which automatically became perceived threats.

    But could southern domination have been of the meritorious? Nobody knows. But even domination by merit would be equally intolerable, even with its surface benefits. Only equitable access and just treatment across the board would do. That painful moral must be gleaned from the lunatic retirements, which gale swept away the ambassador and the 80-plus career diplomats, among the finest in the country’s stock.

    For his retirement, Dr. Fafowora alleged a triangular axis of plotters: two dead, one still alive, in a chapter which he called ‘The Night of the Long Knives’. The late Lawal Rafindadi, director-general of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO) precursor to today’s SSS, reportedly passed Fafowora’s name “in pencil” to Gen. Buhari, who reportedly approved in error, since the name was originally not on the retirement list.

    But even with the error, both the late Gen. Joseph Garba (a former foreign minister in the Murtala-Obasanjo military government) and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari (another foreign minister under Buhari) allegedly colluded to ensure the error was done deal. Fortunately, Prof. Gambari is still alive to shed light on his alleged role in the exercise.

    In Dr. Fafowora’s view, Garba was a serial betrayer whose “perfidy was relentless and without any remorse”; thus echoing the Shakespearean quip of the evil men do living after them, while their good deeds were interred with their bones.

    Worse: the author also accused Garba of planting, to cover his allegedly confirmed perfidy, the yarn that Fafowora was wrongly retired because his name bore close similarity to another officer’s, listed for the exercise. So successful was that yarn that Prof. Jide Osuntokun quoted it in a tribute to the author! But Dr. Fafowora insisted that Magoro, another ranking member of Buhari’s Supreme Military Council, confirmed the retirement was the basic handiwork of Rafindadi and Garba.

    Thus, one of the golden boys of Nigerian diplomacy, pressed into service twice to fix ruptured embassies in Uganda and Turkey; and on specific request drafted as brain box as Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations, was shunted aside 20 years into service and 17 years before his due retirement – and at mere 43!

    His odyssey symbolised the prodigality, the waste and the lunatic self-bleeding that have turned the Nigerian bureaucracy a shadow of its once vibrant self – no thanks to the senseless purges of post-Gowon military barbarians, pioneered by Murtala Muhammad and climaxed by the grim Sani Abacha.

    Though Abacha was outside the scope of the work, Buhari gave a foretaste of Abacha-era savagery when he railroaded the late Prof. Ishaya Audu straight from a summon, as Nigeria’s UN Permanent Representative in New York, into gulag without trial for 18 months; released only after Buhari himself was overthrown.

    How did Nigeria get it wrong? This 549-page book, rich in anecdotes and even richer in sound knowledge of modern history to navigate diplomacy, might just offer a rich clue.

     

  • Honour for lawmaker, others

    Honour for lawmaker, others

    The Majority Leader in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr Adeyeye Ajibola has been honoured for good public policy to demoracy. He was among dignitaries honoured by Citinet International Organisation, a non-governmental organisation involved in promoting peace and development.

    The event took place at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. It was part of its second quarter annual Corporate Social Responsibility dinner.

    Others honoured included Hon. Akinola Hassan Ramotalahi, Hon Ajala Rasaq and Prince Abimbola Aboderin. Aboderin bagged Socially Responsible and Employees’ friendly Administrator honour for 2013.This is due to his contribution to entertainment, hospitality and farming activities.

  • African students honour Maigari, NFF

    African students honour Maigari, NFF

    The African Students Union Parliament on Thursday in Abuja, honoured NFF President, Aminu Maigari and the Federation as a corporate body for Nigeria’s triumph at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    As explained by the Speaker of the African Students Union Parliament, Rt. Hon. Addei Mohammed from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, Maigari’s capacity, courage and character has singled him out as an exemplary Pan-Africanist whose style of leadership can be likened to the former Ghanaian President, late Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah.

    “It is no longer news that in African countries, football serves as a basic unifying factor and whoever contributes to the development of football in any country of Africa is contributing to, not just the unity of such country, but also to the development of the youth,” he said.

    “Aminu Maigari’s energy and dynamism has driven Nigeria football from a low point to a very high level, and alongside his Board and Management, he continues to work very hard to take it to the highest point.”

    Describing Maigari as a visionary leader, icon, charismatic personality and epitome of development, the Students Parliament conferred on him the ASUP 2012/2013 Kwame Nkrumah Exemplary Leadership Merit Award.

    The ASUP Executives then presented a plaque of the same award to Maigari, while it presented a certificated Corporate Merit Award to the NFF, which was received by 1st Vice President, Mike Umeh.

    Apart from Rt. Hon. Addei Mohammed who flew in from Kigali, there were also Hon. Alao Assoua Walakaye Elias (Majority Leader, from University of Cheik Antar Diop, Senegal); Comrade Saint Solomon (Chief Whip, from University of Ghana, Legon); Comrade Nseh Donald (Director of Programs, from University of Uyo); Comrade Nwankwo Henry Nkem (Nigerian Coordinator, from Nasarawa State University); Comrade Baba Adamu (Deputy Nigerian Coordinator, from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) and; Comrade Joy Onuora (Deputy Director, Gender Matters).

    NFF President Aminu Maigari was joined at the Federation’s Boardroom by Umeh (1st Vice President), Emeka Inyama (Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee), Hon. Shehu Adamu (Chairman, Finance Committee), Barr. Musa Amadu (General Secretary), Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (Director of Technical), Mr. Idris Adama (Director of Marketing), special assistants Taiwo Odebunmi, Ibrahim Gusau and Tunde Aderibigbe, assistant chief legal officer Barr. Okey Obi and principal sports officer Dr. Christian Emeruwa.

  • Friends, associates honour first Nigerian IBA-ARF chairperson

    For over five hours last Friday, friends, colleagues and associates of Mrs Olufunmi Oluyede took time out their busy schedule to be part of a lavish reception held in celebration of her election as the first Nigerian and female Chairperson of the International Bar Association (IBA) African Regional Forum.

    The well-attended event, which her husband, Ajibola said was intended as a surprise package, was held at the highbrow Best Western Hotel, Bar Beach, Vitoria Island, Lagos. It was also meant to celebrate her birthday.

    In attendance were chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Buruji Kahsamu; promoter and Managing Director, Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeanyi Ubah and Philps Jimoh-Lasisi (SAN).

    Others include Executive Council members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos branch led by its Chairman, Taiwo Taiwo and former President, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Mrs Stella Ugboma.

    Dressed in black gown, Mrs Oluyede, who was accompanied into the event venue by her husband (dressed in white traditional attire), was all smiles as speakers took turn to eulogise her.

    To every speaker, Mrs Oluyede epitomises the best of humanity. They also described the mother of two as a dutiful and meticulous house wife; a brilliant lawyer, a strategist, a devout Christian and successful bar politician.

    Lagos-based lawyer, Ayo Akintunde, opened the floodgate of eulogies. Akintunde, who remembered their days at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), described Mrs Oluyede as a very committed and dedicated person. “She is that virtuous woman that every man wishes to have as a wife.”

    Akintunde, who said he served as her campaign manager when she last contested for the post of National Treasurer, NBA, also described her as “a strategist.” He attributed her husband’s success as a lawyer, to her contribution.

    He expressed delight that Mrs Oluyede’s election to the IBA will provide Nigerian lawyers the opportunity to play active roles in the association’s activities.

    Mrs Easter Mouka, mother of Alex, the Secretary, NBA, Lagos, described Mrs Oluyede as a pious woman, who is extremely polite.

    “Thoroughness and dedicatedness are her ways of life, not mere attributes. Her sense of being polite transcends all things. She is a lawyer in her own right, but this woman will go to all extent to ensure sher procure food from the source to ensure that her family is well fed,” Mrs Mouka, a fellow pastor as Mrs Oluyede, said.

    A family friend, Sam Kolajo, said Mrs Oluyede “is brutally frank. She is not diplomatic like others. You know where you stand with her. I pray that she will live to witness more of the best of time.”

    Alex later proposed a toast to the celebrant’s “good health and achievement”, following which the Mrs Oluyede and her husband were invited to the dance floor. The couple held hands; took some beautiful dancing steps, to the delight of all, who smiled and clapped. In no time most guests were attracted to the dance floor.

    Ajibola praised all for taking out time to appreciate his wife. He said his wife “has been a wonderful person and that if afforded the opportunity to testify about his wife, the night would be inadequate.

    Mrs Oluyede is the Secretary of the NBA Committee on the Liberalisation of Legal Services, with Yemi Candide-Johnson (SAN) as Chairman and Mrs Mfon Usoro as Alternate Chairman. She was Chairman of FIDA, Lagos branch.

    The event was put together by her husband.

     

  • Honour for Deputy Speaker

    Honour for Deputy Speaker

    Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has become the proverbial gold fish that has no hiding place. At home and abroad, he is being sought out for recognition and honour in acknowledgement of the good works he has been doing; especially in public office.

    The latest of such honours came from Kenya where he bagged the 2013 African Achievers’ Award in Leadership and Good Governance. It is instructive to note that past recipients of the award of this category include World-famous Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola.

    The African Achievers’ Award is geared towards recognising African individuals and organisations that have excelled and distinguished themselves in their contributions to the growth and development of Africa.

    On February 23, 2013 at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in the capital city of Nairobi Kenya, an elite multi-cultural audience gathered to witness the conferment of the award on the Deputy Speaker. Though there were other recipients of the award, it is significant to note that the applause that greeted the arrival and recognition of Hon. Ihedioha remained the major highlight of the ceremony. He was the cynosure of all eyes at the colourful event which featured a red carpet, traditional Kenyan dances and some entertaining renditions, among others.

    The organisers of the event said in a citation: “Emeka Ihedioha was nominated as a highly deserving recipient of this year’s award in recognition of his rare and unique people-centric leadership qualities, which he has displayed as Deputy Speaker of the House from June 6, 2011 till date. The people of Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency and, indeed, Imo State have witnessed unprecedented development and infrastructural renaissance since 2003 when he was elected to the House of Representatives.

    “By his dint of hard work, selfless service to humanity and uncommon commitment to his people, his constituency is currently the cynosure of all eyes within Imo State and beyond.

    “We therefore join the good people of Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency, Imo State and Nigeria in general to commend your exceptional strides as a way of encouraging you to do more for your people, the entire country Nigeria and Africa in general.”

    The award plaque was presented to the Deputy Speaker by Dr. Rilwan Lukman, former Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources and Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    He was assisted by hosts of the evening, Mr. Bob-Manuel Udokwu and Savahna Nightingale, a BBC Broadcaster and Columnist.

    The award confirms Hon. Ihedioha’s approach to the business of government which can be viewed from the point of people-centrism. The Deputy Speaker was accompanied to the event by Hon. Buba Umar Jibril, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Information while other guests included Mrs. Yemisi Suswan, wife of the governor of Benue State (who also received an award) as well as Chief Celestine Omehia, former governor of Rivers State, among others.

    In his remark after receiving the award, Ihedioha described the honour “as a humbling experience” and dedicated it to lawmakers across Africa.

    While commending the organisers of the event for finding him worthy of the honour, he said: “I am dedicating this award to the legislators all over Africa especially in Nigeria for their commitment and diligence to the business of lawmaking.”

    He further said: “I urge all my colleague lawmakers to rise up and get their job done so that Africa can have a stronger democracy. This is because if we don’t defend and promote good governance, dictatorship will set in. Therefore, it is our responsibility to continue towards contributing very positively to the business of governance. We must therefore rise up and take responsibility to realise the Africa of our dream.”

    The Deputy Speaker has received several awards and recognitions in acknowledgement of his depth, humility, leadership skills and commitment to service. The country has bestowed on him the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), among several other awards by groups, corporate and social organisations, churches, among many others.

    Tagging with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the duo have brought greater vibe and innovations in the 7th House that has redefined legislative democracy as it applies to separation of powers, rule of law and due process which has been the bane of the legislature in the past.

    Democracy and posterity will, indeed, remember very positively, the selfless efforts of Ihedioha towards making democracy more deepened and entrenched in Nigeria and Africa.

    •Onyeukwu is a media aide of the Deputy Speaker

    eputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has become the proverbial gold fish that has no hiding place. At home and abroad, he is being sought out for recognition and honour in acknowledgement of the good works he has been doing; especially in public office.

    The latest of such honours came from Kenya where he bagged the 2013 African Achievers’ Award in Leadership and Good Governance. It is instructive to note that past recipients of the award of this category include World-famous Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola.

    The African Achievers’ Award is geared towards recognising African individuals and organisations that have excelled and distinguished themselves in their contributions to the growth and development of Africa.

    On February 23, 2013 at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in the capital city of Nairobi Kenya, an elite multi-cultural audience gathered to witness the conferment of the award on the Deputy Speaker. Though there were other recipients of the award, it is significant to note that the applause that greeted the arrival and recognition of Hon. Ihedioha remained the major highlight of the ceremony. He was the cynosure of all eyes at the colourful event which featured a red carpet, traditional Kenyan dances and some entertaining renditions, among others.

    The organisers of the event said in a citation: “Emeka Ihedioha was nominated as a highly deserving recipient of this year’s award in recognition of his rare and unique people-centric leadership qualities, which he has displayed as Deputy Speaker of the House from June 6, 2011 till date. The people of Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency and, indeed, Imo State have witnessed unprecedented development and infrastructural renaissance since 2003 when he was elected to the House of Representatives.

    “By his dint of hard work, selfless service to humanity and uncommon commitment to his people, his constituency is currently the cynosure of all eyes within Imo State and beyond.

    “We therefore join the good people of Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency, Imo State and Nigeria in general to commend your exceptional strides as a way of encouraging you to do more for your people, the entire country Nigeria and Africa in general.”

    The award plaque was presented to the Deputy Speaker by Dr. Rilwan Lukman, former Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources and Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    He was assisted by hosts of the evening, Mr. Bob-Manuel Udokwu and Savahna Nightingale, a BBC Broadcaster and Columnist.

    The award confirms Hon. Ihedioha’s approach to the business of government which can be viewed from the point of people-centrism. The Deputy Speaker was accompanied to the event by Hon. Buba Umar Jibril, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Information while other guests included Mrs. Yemisi Suswan, wife of the governor of Benue State (who also received an award) as well as Chief Celestine Omehia, former governor of Rivers State, among others.

    In his remark after receiving the award, Ihedioha described the honour “as a humbling experience” and dedicated it to lawmakers across Africa.

    While commending the organisers of the event for finding him worthy of the honour, he said: “I am dedicating this award to the legislators all over Africa especially in Nigeria for their commitment and diligence to the business of lawmaking.”

    He further said: “I urge all my colleague lawmakers to rise up and get their job done so that Africa can have a stronger democracy. This is because if we don’t defend and promote good governance, dictatorship will set in. Therefore, it is our responsibility to continue towards contributing very positively to the business of governance. We must therefore rise up and take responsibility to realise the Africa of our dream.”

    The Deputy Speaker has received several awards and recognitions in acknowledgement of his depth, humility, leadership skills and commitment to service. The country has bestowed on him the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), among several other awards by groups, corporate and social organisations, churches, among many others.

    Tagging with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the duo have brought greater vibe and innovations in the 7th House that has redefined legislative democracy as it applies to separation of powers, rule of law and due process which has been the bane of the legislature in the past.

    Democracy and posterity will, indeed, remember very positively, the selfless efforts of Ihedioha towards making democracy more deepened and entrenched in Nigeria and Africa.

    •Onyeukwu is a media aide of the Deputy Speaker

  • Students honour Rector, dean

    Students honour Rector, dean

    The Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) was agog last weekend. The Students’ Union Government (SUG) collaborated with Truism, a student-body, to organise a leadership empowerment and award to recognise the efforts of individuals that contributed to the development of the school.

    The event attracted dignitaries including the proprietor of Caleb Group of Schools, Dr Ola Adebogun, ex-official of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade David Oladele, former Vice-President, National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Comrade Seun Akintola, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Olakayode Oyediran, Dean, Students Affairs, YABATECH, Mr O.T. Raheem and Mr Deji Bademosi, a journalist.

    A guest speaker, Ayoola Lawal, admonished students to identify their priorities and see the need to build themselves to be useful to the country. Also, Mr G. Sobamowo, a lecturer in UNILAG, urged the students to search for information for transformation. He stressed that students must set standard for themselves to excel in life.

    Prof Oyediran, in his lecture, attributed the failure of governance to the lack of trust and selfishness on the part of politicians. He said: “Unless we return to God in all honesty, and trust Him, we may not witness the true leadership we all crave for.” He further urged the students to take charge of their destinies and believe in the Nigerian dream.

    Bademosi advocated for political reforms and encouraged the students to join political parties if they wanted change. He stressed that from 1960 till date, Nigerian leaders’ programmes had not gone beyond provision of water, electricity and road. To effect change, Bademosi said, the youth must unite to vote out bad leaders.

    Five distinguished guests were awarded at the end of the event. Those honoured included Dr Adebogun, Dr Margret Ladipo, YABATECH Rector, Mr Dave Ohiorhenuan, Director of Continuing Education, YABATECH, and Raheem.

    Raheem dedicated the award to Nigerian students, saying without them there would be no higher institutions

  • US State Department to honour Odumakin, others

    United States Secretary of State John Kerry will, on Friday, honour 10 women with the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award.

    Michelle Obama will join Kerry and the awardees as a special guest at the ceremony in the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the U.S. Department of State.

    Nigeria’s Dr. Joei Okei-Odumakin, president of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) is one of the awardees.

    The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognises women, who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in fighting for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of the award in 2007, the Department of State has honoured 67 women from 45 countries.

    Besides Dr. Odumakin, the other 2013 awardees are: Malalai Bahaduri, First Sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (Afghanistan); Samira Ibrahim, Coordinator, Know Your Rights (Egypt); Julieta Castellanos, Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras); Elena Milashina, journalist, human rights activist (Russia); Fartuun Adan, Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia); Tsering Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China); Razan Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and founder, Local Coordination Committees (Syria); Ta Phong Tan, blogger (Vietnam); and Nirbhaya “Fearless,” champion for justice (India);

    The honourees began their visit to the United States in Pittsburgh, where they participated in an open-to-the-press forum at Chatham University on Monday. They will meet with organisations, such as the Women and Girls Foundation and Gwen’s Girls. They will arrive in Washington today for meetings with Department of State and White House officials, members of Congress, and NGO leaders.

    After the award ceremony, the honourees will travel separately to cities across the United States to interact with Americans through an International Visitor Ledership Programme. They will visit Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Portland, San Francisco, and Tampa. The women will reconvene in San Diego to reflect on their visit and discuss ways to work together to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.

     

  • The bond of honour

    The bond of honour

    The evolving story of President Goodluck Jonathan’s one-term pact with governors invokes a critical signpost of the statesman: honour.

    Honour is not only a virtue, it is life. History has plied us with many men and women who have amplified this rare human light. Constitutions swear by, with it Mandela has gained immortality, Washington crafted the United States presidency on it, Jesus died for it. All other virtues – love, courage, loyalty, truth – find validation in the acts of honour.

    Honour dwarfs money, reinforces friendship, disdains consequences, affirms heroism. A love story slacks when it lacks honour. And it is because, against all odds, it is truth between partners that consummates all. In Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horsemen, the epic theme is the failure of honour at the last moment. Okonkwo, in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, dies for the honour of his people, even if tragically the novelist propagates surrender.

    When the news of the pact broke, it conjured a recent absurdity: Dame Patience Jonathan’s banquet. She threw the party to celebrate her recovery from a terrible illness, which still remains nameless. The President and his crew of publicists denied that the woman was embroiled in so serious a situation. Just like the stories of the ailing governors who wrapped their medical narratives in a cloud, we knew what was going on and we did not know what was going on until we knew what was going on.

    But in the banquet last week Sunday we saw the extravagances: the extravagances of dances and choreography, the extravagances of flatteries, the extravagances of sartorial vanity and the extravagances of money. But the worst of the extravagances was lies. The same people, including the President, who said all was well or routine with the First Lady came to celebrate with her over the fact that all was not well before it became well. It was a banquet of lies because the basis of it was a lack of honour. Before the party we witnessed another extravagance: of curses. She poured woe on those who said she had died. It is not the sort of civility we expect from the first family.

    So, if the President could not be faithful to Nigerians in smaller matters such as telling the truth to the Nigerian people on his wife’s situation, why should the governors expect him to be faithful about a matter such as fulfilling a promise to abdicate an ambition to be president.

    Governor Babangida Aliyu is an ebullient man, whose dramatic flair in his public utterances is sometimes matched by a stunning candour. When he means it, he would say exactly what he means by saying exactly what he means. And for many in the media, the news blindsided us. How come no one had this scoop and the word was not out there to haunt Jonathan through his campaign and the early year of his Presidency?

    Was it that the governors had such infinite confidence in the man that he would not renege? Or was it naivety, losing the art to find his mind’s construction in his face? Maybe President Jonathan meant it before he did not mean it, especially after he settled to the epic pomp, grandeur and dizzy comfort of the throne? The aphrodisiac has taken root. The President’s spokesman, Ahmed Gulak, griped that Jonathan did not win Niger State. He implied that since the northern governors as “field commanders” did not capture the North for Jonathan, then the President owed no one any obligation, pact or no pact. Gulak has fallen into Jonathan’s moral gulag.

    The governors who sat – 20 in all – were probably lost in amnesia at the time. Two governors who were there confirmed to me that the meeting held, one of them told me how the President was almost moved to tears at the proceedings. But by December 2010, when the deal was allegedly brokered, Jonathan was pooh-poohing another pact of honour: zoning.

    Jonathan denied that such agreement existed. Constitutional maestros blindsided him by telling him that it was in his party constitution. He countered by appealing to his constitutional right. He had the right to run, but not the honour to step down. The same Jonathan swiveled back shamelessly to zoning in doling out positions. Why did the governors sign another pact when they knew all this?

    Jonathan’s men deny it, but when did honour matter in this Presidency? Even if there was no pact between the governors and the President, the President has not earned the right for us to believe him based on what that Presidency has turned itself to with its serial untruths.

    “It is not titles that honour men,” wrote Nicolo Machiavelli who knew a thing or two about opportunistic lying, “but men who honour titles.” The President and his men have not honoured the Presidency because what they said have not settled their differences with what they do. He has said many things about governance, about infrastructure, agriculture, education, but the chasm between reality and promise is a big gulf.

    Was it not the same President who said that he had no hand in the intrigues to oust former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva when the heat was on and all fingers pointed in his direction? But did he not come out in Yenagoa in his unforgettable stone-throwing speech to say that he was the one behind it because the ex-governor did not perform and singled out an uncompleted hotel as evidence?

    I don’t expect the President to say anything now about the so-called pact. Even if he signed it, he can still invoke, as in the case of zoning, his constitutional right to run. But it is a matter some have challenged in court, and the jury is still out. It is not a matter of law but of honour.

    It is an irony of juridical history that the law came into being to inspire and preserve the honour of men, yet men can hide under it to subvert honour. Hence the American essayist D. H. Thoreau said, “The law never made anyone a whit more just.” That was the frustration of law theorists like the eminent Ronald Dworkin who died recently. The author of Law’s Empire argued that moral principles were superior to all else in interpreting the law.

    The pressure to give up the transient comforts of the now often militates against the pursuit of honour. That is why gallantry among soldiers, the sacrifice of a family member, the desire to be a statesman and not a politician over lofty principles often fail in human societies. That is the challenge of our politics, not only in the PDP, but every party in the land. But Jonathan, as the man on top of it, has not shown examples.

    “I would prefer even to fail than to win by fraud,” wrote playwright Sophocles. When you fail for honour, you win for society. That is the challenge before Jonathan.