The Nation Newspaper

Tag: letter

  • Okuama: Security personnel as endangered species

    Okuama: Security personnel as endangered species

    SIR: Nigeria has been plunged into mourning afresh. Recently, 16 soldiers were killed, their bodies brutally mutilated in a horrific show of violence that engulfed the obscure community of Okuama in Delta State. News reports have it that the soldiers were on a peacekeeping mission to the community, and as such, they were unaware of the nefarious plans of some of the villagers. And this is how the nation lost 16 of its able-bodied defenders to unscrupulous elements.

    The Okuama attack marks the second assault against security personnel within Delta State in recent weeks. Prior to the attack on the Nigerian Army personnel, images had already surfaced to show the decomposing bodies of seven police officers said to have embarked on a rescue mission to Delta State before meeting their tragic fate. Their bodies were discovered by security forces and local vigilantes who worked together and combed the forest in search of them in a forest within Ohoror community, Ughelli North Local Government of Delta State.

    The gruesome killings of security personnel by both state and non-state actors are utterly despicable. Understandably, the task of securing a nation is perilous and demands sacrifices, especially in a volatile country like ours. However, when those entrusted with the sacred duty of protecting lives, property, and the nation’s territorial integrity, gradually become endangered species themselves, a cause for grave concern arises. The situation can very well be likened to that of a shepherd being devoured by the wolves, leaving the sheep defenceless. The obvious question from this is, if those meant to ensure the safety and security of a nation are so easily and regularly slaughtered, what hope do the ordinary and unarmed citizens of the country possess?

    Read Also: Okuama/Okoloba: UPU youths, IYC hold peace meeting in Bayelsa

    However, while the killings of the soldiers are a national tragedy, the call on the military by some aggrieved citizens to wipe out the entire community is sorely misplaced. The right to life is an essential element of the fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution. The military knows better, and that is why they refused to heed the eye-for-an-eye call and have instead gone after the murderers who have reportedly taken shelter in the creeks.

    Ultimately, the Okuama tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by security personnel in the line of duty, and it underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to safeguard their lives as they protect our nation. Let us honour the sacrifice of those who have fallen by redoubling our commitment to upholding peace, justice, and the sanctity of human life.

    • Zayd Ibn Isah, lawcadet1@gmail.com

  • Letter to Osinbajo

    Sir: I read in one of the national dailies that the federal government feeds school children weekly with 594 cattle, 138 000 chickens and a whopping 6.8 million eggs. I would like to say that school children also need good infrastructure. I am an educationist and I know that children who learn under good and conducive infrastructure tend to learn better and faster than children learning under dilapidated condition.

    Education is supposed to be the bedrock of our society; it ought to be at the forefront. Entertainment, especially music, has taken over the trail. Our education which happens to be the legacy our parents crave to leave for their children no longer hold water. Children tend to prefer entertainment to education.

    It would interest you to know that our children now prefer musicians as their mentors and role models than our scholars. These are the musicians whose songs are solely based on codeine, Indian hemp, sensuality and sex. To make matters worse, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation is not helping issues. They don’t censor these songs again unlike in the days of yore. Television and radio stations prefer to air these songs free of charge than educational programmes. Educational competition comes with a meagre prize of N100,000 while a mere entertainment competition prize will come at stupendous millions of naira. Is this not a deterrent to our educational system in Nigeria?

    I can bet it that if we handpick 20 children randomly and they are asked to choose between you, Olamide or Whizkid as a role model, I believe strongly that only one of them will choose you while the rest will choose between Olamide or Whizkid. The reason is not far-fetched. These children believe that musicians have more impact and make more money in our society than our so-called scholars. Schools no longer interest our children!

    Sir, don’t just feed them; provide a good infrastructure for them too as this will afford them the opportunity to learn under a conducive environment. While propagating your feeding programme, please note that conducive environment is paramount to quality education. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander. Every child, just like yours, deserves a better education.

     

    • Dada Monday Oluwaseyifunmi,

    <mondayseyi2003@gmail.com>

  • A letter from my Mentor

    Morning Segilola;

    I think genius is not so much talent as it is attitude.

    You see, your attitude is the environment you decide to carry with you during the day. It proclaims to the world what you think of yourself and indicates the sort of person you have made up your mind to be.

    A genius attitude is deciding that you can do well at anything you make up your mind to do. When you do that, you give the project all you’ve got, and in doing so, attract the favorable attention of others.

    Attitude is one of the most commonly used and yet most misunderstood words in the English language. However, if you understand what attitude really is, you’ll know how to bring the best of you to the surface every day.

    RDJ.

    I received this evergreen letter on the 22nd of February 2016 from one of my mentors, a Thought leader and experiential consultant on Communication and human behavior. He has greatly taught me the ABC of communication which is fundamental to cultivating a genius attitude in life. A big thank you to him.

    Today, my words are few; of course, I know that a word is enough for the wise. Attitude and Destiny are intertwined. A genius attitude is the passport to a great Destiny! A genius attitude is not learned in the classroom, not even in prestigious institutions like Harvard…It is learned from the trials and difficulties that you go through. I have learned to look differently at everything I’ve been through and give up the victim mentality. God has used all my experiences hitherto to fortify me with wisdom and knowledge in the path of Destiny. I’m fully persuaded that a great problem does not need a great solution when God is involved because his strategies often defy formulae.

    Amazingly, on a deeper level, the words of RDJ and TDJ ( T.D.Jakes, one of my favourite authors) intersect . “..Could it be that we allow the conditions in our lives to distract us from the meaning of our lives? Is it possible that we don’t spend enough time checking the dials and reading the compass of Destiny and its intrinsic pull on the human soul? If we are wise we will see the predestined purpose we were created for and, in our brief life span, find it and do it….The fulfillment of Destiny is the greatest kind of success you can ever hope to attain in life. It is an adventure, full of ups and downs…it drives us past the pain/challenges of life to the purpose of living…the sooner you develop a mind-set for Destiny, the more days you will have to devote your gifts to the world. Appreciate the value of time by focusing on what’s in front of you, not by lamenting what’s behind you. You’ve heard the expression-Hindsight is twenty-twenty. At any stage of life, we can look back at who we were and see the gifts or the potential we overlooked in ourselves. Hindsight can fuel feelings of regret when we fail to capitalize on the value of time…. Imagine a bank credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. At midnight, the account resets to another $86,400 and deletes whatever part of the previous day’s balance you failed to use. There’s no guarantee you will ever be given another day with $86,400. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

    Each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Each morning, you awaken with a credit of 86,400seconds. Every night, what you have failed to use is lost. Time carries over no balance from day to day. Time allows no overdraft and you can’t hold on to what you did not use the day before….

    Be wise enough to know that right now, you are smart enough, attractive enough, and secure enough to walk the trail of Destiny. Whatever circumstances we were born into, we can choose how we use our time, make a difference in our lives and leave our footprint on the annals of time” Culled from the book- Destiny by T.D Jakes

    What I say to one, I say to all; devote your time to worthwhile ventures. The things that destroy us look simple…bad attitudes are too costly for a man/woman of Destiny. When you’re down, what matters is, what can you see? Don’t allow your human mind to interrupt divine insights. Let your trials bring new wine out of you. There’s more going on in your life than just you…of course you are not the center of the universe ..showing your wound can help others with their own…be Destiny focused! Remember, a right attitude wins always.

  • Electoral Bill: Senators mum as Saraki reads President’s letter

     

    There was silence on Tuesday in the Upper Chamber as Senate President Bukola Saraki read a letter on the Presidential decision to decline assent to the Electoral amendment Bill, 2018.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators came in their numbers apparently to prevent anticipated plot by their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts to initiate moves to override the President’s assent on the controversial Bill.

    Saraki merely read the letter dated 6th December, 2018 which detailed reasons Buhari refused his assent to the Bill.

    There was pin drop silence in the chamber as Saraki read the two-page letter.

    He filed it away after reading the letter.

    Apprehensions Point of Order will be raised for consideration of the presidential letter were dashed when senators kept quiet.

    A source noted that “apparently in line with the rule of the Senate, no senator was allowed to comment on the contents of the Presidential letter.”

    It was however gathered that APC Senate caucus met on Monday to articulate how to foil any attempt to override the President’s assent.

    Finding also showed that the APC caucus mobilised members to attend Tuesday’s sitting.

    It was gathered members of the APC caucus were particularly spurred to action by the comments of Senator Dino Melaye on a national television on Monday on the voided Bill.

    Melaye, a senator said, was reportedly critical of President Buhari for rejecting the Bill “for us to leave anything to chance.”

    According to the senator: “We were fully on standby to oppose any motion by Melaye and other PDP senators on the rejected Bill.

    “We were prepared. We knew the stand of Melaye on matters of this nature. Nobody should be taken for granted.”

    Turnout in the chamber on Tuesday was the highest by APC and PDP Senators in recent times.

    It is unclear what the next line of action will be on the rejected Bill.

     

  • Letter to President Buhari

    SIR: One wouldn’t have to be very clever to realize that we are going through troubling times as a nation. In fact our situation is very desperate that if at all our nation ever needed saving, that moment is now.  One might say that we have experienced a few successes and made progress on some fronts but I dare say that these few advances have flattered only to deceive, thereby creating a façade of false impressions even as our real problems as a nation seem to multiply and become ever omnipresent.

    The previous administration was a disaster to this country; we witnessed violence, deceit, corruption, rape, unending suffering and gross maladministration on a scale that we had never experienced in the history of this country. The few political safety nets such as zoning that were put in place to foster and consolidate internal democracy in the party were snubbed and swept under the rug  due to selfish interests of a select few. It was these challenges that brought about a complete disruption and realignment of political forces which precedent had never before been witnessed in the history of this nation: the grandest merger of political forces ever seen on the African continent; a convergence of the most unexpected political players on a mission to save this country from the jaws of violence, oppression and tyranny.

    Those valiant souls who supported you in 2015 knew that you were the man with the personality and determination to bring us out of the abyss and they knew that in order to defeat such an insensitive and self-serving administration, deeds and thinking had to be Machiavellian. These people risked their wellbeing, comfort and lives for you they stood by you nevertheless in the face of oppression and certain danger.

    Mr. President sir, there’s an ill wind blowing up North and we northerners have been going through the most trying times, and are about to lose everything we stand for. People are being blackmailed and drawn into cultism on a daily basis we are losing our privacy, security and rest of mind to these invaders.

    General T.Y Danjuma deserves all our respect and admiration for being one of the few northern leaders to speak out about this menace and it is high time other leaders follow suit and standup and do something about this nuisance. Your efforts in developing our nation’s infrastructure like roads and the railway system are highly appreciated but the gross insecurity we have witnessed as a people in the North, religious and ethnic clashes, the abuse of confidence and damage to organized society are pointers to the fact that our problem is a moral one and not material. Yes we want railways, electricity and other social amenities but we can’t to have them at the expense of our culture and identity we are an easy going people who lead a very simple way of life and we can’t afford to trade it for anything else.

    The North is almost beaten to submission. We are losing our economy, security culture, influence, values and everything we stand for; we the youths are facing a very bleak future. We are the victims of all this chaos. We the youths have realized that this is no more a PDP, APC or any other political party matter; this is about our future and how we can remain relevant in a fast changing, brave new world.

    Now that the presidency is zoned to the North, we need to use this golden opportunity to gather data, experiment politically, compete fairly and rejuvenate our battered political machinery. Everybody has a part to play irrespective of party affiliations and we need to concentrate on our similarities and not our differences as the political theatre has evolved, new power blocks are struggling to emerge and trying to enlist the support of other non-block political forces and we can’t afford to be left behind in this race.

    Our brethren in the Southwest have managed to scale the initial stages of the democratic hurdle and are now trying to consolidate.For us, we have a backlog and we have so much to do at once; this is our opportunity to mature our politics. It is a process that cannot be faked or bypassed no amount of cosmetology or grandstanding can solve this problem. It has to occur naturally and what we fail to do will surely come back to haunt us in the future and it is we the youths that will pay the ultimate price.

    We the youths have no choice than to build on the hope that out of this chasm, we will emerge buoyant and resilient as we look forward to the infusion of new spirits in the polity.

     

    • Aliyu Aliyu,

    Abuja.

     

  • I may write another letter, says Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday revealed that he would write another explosive letter on burning national issues, but said it will take a little while.

    Obasanjo also said that the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) was making an appreciable progress in mobilising Nigerians ahead of 2019, saying over 3,000,000 people, including himself, had so far registered as members.

    The Ebora – Owu who is the chief promoter of CNM, said the movement would make an inroad into the grassroots across the country, reiterating that he would pull out if CNM morphs into a political party or sponsor persons for elective offices in future general elections.

    The Octogenarian spoke at Victoria Island, Lagos, while fielding questions from women at the 14th annual lecture of the Women in Management, Business and Public Service(WimBiz), a non – governmental organization.

    The lecture is themed : Press for Progress: Women in Politics and Nation Building.

    He noted that women have not done enough for themselves to take reasonable positions in the nation’s political space, stressing that they also should be adequately prepared, first put their feet right and be willing to pay the necessary price to witness the desired change.

    He noted that there is no tradition or culture that encourages subjugation of women in Nigeria, but blamed the shortchanging of womenfolk in the scheme of things on “male chauvinism mentality and selfishness of men.”

    According to him, nobody would concede a space to the other person unless it is fought for and won.

    Obasanjo said experience had continued to show that when women are put in positions of responsibility, they do better and preached that they should be incorporated into all strata of leadership for nation building.

    He explained that in his time as a young Nigerian, people had more opportunities but less facilities to take advantage of such opportunities contrary to what obtained today where Nigerians have more facilities but less opportunities to function or embrace.

    He urged Nigerian women to take cue from America and prepare for politics, saying if being a woman alone was what it takes to succeed in political ambition, Mrs Hilary Clinton would be emerged the United States President today.

    “If only womanhood was enough to get Mrs Hilary Clinton would have made it to the White House but she had a man(Donald Trump) who did what he could do to get to power.

    ” I don’t want or expect women to climb palm trees to harvest bunch of palm fruits. If anybody says he wants to see my mother climb palm trees, I will take a second look at that person but women must do what it takes to succeed in Nigerian political space.

    “To you women, do not allow any body to build your world for you. Build your world for yourself. Yes, women need encouragement but they must do enough for themselves,” Obasanjo said

  • Obasanjo ‘letter bomb’: What can Buhari do?

    Obasanjo ‘letter bomb’: What can Buhari do?

    Following former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advice to President Muhammadu Buhari not to contest 2019 Presidential Election and his proposal for a new political movement as the way forward, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on what Buhari should do

    AHEAD of the 2019 General Election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has once again set the Nigerian polity agog with his unexpectedly critical open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari. While pointedly telling the President to forget all thought of seeking another term in 2019, he accused the current federal government of failing to live up to the expectations of Nigerians.

    The former President said Buhari has failed to deliver on his campaign promises and should therefore “dismount from the horse” to join the league of the country’s former leaders whose “experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country.” He also alleged that the current administration promotes nepotism and sectionalism with his activities in government.

    Obasanjo, who served for two terms as president on the platform of opposition People Democratic Party (PDP), expressed his disappointment in Buhari, whom he supported during the 2015 presidential election against former President Goodluck Jonathan, who ran as the candidate of PDP, Obasanjo’s party at the time. He however insisted that his decision to oppose Jonathan back then was the right thing to do in the interest of the country.

    “The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality, are very much with us today,” Obasanjo wrote.

    Recovering from Obasanjo’s punchy letter after almost 24 hours of silence, the federal government responded through Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, saying it appears Obasanjo had been so busy that he could not keep track of the progress recorded by the Buhari administration. Describing the former President as a patriot who has proven his love for the country many times, the government urged Obasanjo to take a second look at the score-card of the current administration.

    “Chief Obasanjo is a patriot, and he has proven this time and time again. We appreciate what he said concerning the administration’s performance in two out of the three key issues that formed the plank of its campaign: fighting corruption and tackling insurgency. Specifically, the former president said President Buhari must be given credit for his achievement so far in these two areas. We thank him for this,” the statement read.

    Mohammed continued that “On whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari should run for another term, it is true that many Nigerians have been calling on the President to run again, while others are opposed to his return. However, we believe this issue is a distraction for the president at this time. This is because Mr. President spends every waking hours tackling the enormous challenges facing the nation, most of which were bequeathed to his Administration by successive past administrations.”

    Following the exchange between the two camps and the divided opinions trailing the development, many Nigerians recalled a similar open letter from Obasanjo to the then President Jonathan, during the run up to the 2015 presidential election. An apparently angry Obasanjo, in what many described as one of the most acerbic letters in modern history, had accused Jonathan of ineptitude and of taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria.

    Saying it would be “fatally morally flawed” for Jonathan to contest in 2015, Obasanjo added, “as a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour, both of which are important ingredients of character. I will want to see anyone in the Office of the Presidency of Nigeria as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and character.”

    A couple of hours after the letter, Jonathan and his men went all out for Obasanjo, telling him he lacks the moral right to caution the then President, among other things. Not a few people blamed the handling of Obasanjo’s letter by Jonathan and his handlers form his eventual loss of the presidential election the following year. Thus, as the debate over the former President’s letter continues, one question on many lips across the country is “what should Buhari do with Obasanjo’s advices and allegations?

    The way to go

    And from an unusual quarter came an advice to President Buhari to look beyond merely justifying the achievements of his administration and rather address the issues raised by ex-President Obasanjo in his letter. The opposition PDP said this while reacting to the trending news. According to the party, there is need for Buhari and his handlers to consider the mood of Nigerians before deciding whether to seek re-election or not.

    The opposition party said the indicator presented by the federal government in an “attempt to justify its claimed achievements” in almost three years of governance were “cooked up” and will be unhelpful to President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2019 elections. The party said rather than gloss over very serious issues of deteriorating economy, incessant killings, fuel crisis and corruption in the corridors of power as raised by Obasanjo, President Buhari should make effort to address them.

    The spokesperson of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said the government should be sober in addressing Obasanjo’s letter, adding that the presidency should understand that the issues raised by Obasanjo, while advising Buhari not to seek re-election, are already trending in the minds of Nigerians and cannot be easily dismissed. “The federal government arrogantly issued misleading indices at a time it ought to be very sober for its failures,” PDP advised.

    Chief Mrs. Remi Adiukwu, a chieftain of the opposition party in Lagos state, while speaking on the development said Nigeria belongs to everybody irrespective of religion or region and so good opinions should be welcome from all and sundry. While urging President Buhari and Nigerians generally to think less about the messenger and concentrate on the content of the message, the former governorship aspirant said there is great need for the federal government to “work with Obasanjo’s letter.”

    Adiukwu said if people criticize the government, it does not mean that they want it to fail. ”They want them to succeed like telling them to look at the areas they are lagging behind and telling them what they can do to change things. It is in this light I want the government to see Obasanjo’s letter and instead of putting up any stage-managed defense, they should promptly address the issues raised.

    “It is instructive to note that Obasanjo in his letter condemned the killings by Fulani herdsmen. The President should not wave that aside. It is not only Obasanjo that is worried about that. Nigerians are disappointed that as a General and a Fulani man himself, Buhari has no answer to this unnecessary killings. I would rather want him to see Obasanjo’s letter as a challenge for him to solve this problem.

    “And talking about Obasanjo’s statement that Buhari has failed to deliver on his electoral promises, I think the ruling party should share in that responsibility with the President. Nigerians have severally lamented the turn of things and if Obasanjo is now writing that in his letter, he is merely trumpeting a general opinion. Any reasonable and serious government and or political party will not joke with an opportunity to address its obvious lapses.

    “As far as I am concerned, those urging Buhari to confront Obasanjo over the letter neither mean well for Nigeria nor for Buhari. If they are saying Obasanjo is not the right person to say those things, are they saying none of the things he said is true? I am not a member of Buhari’s party, but I am a patriotic Nigerian. So, I will advise the government to see the letter as a wake up call and act promptly in the interest of the masses,” she said.

    Reviewing the situation, former Commissioner of Police in Lagos state, Abubakar Tsav, said the current administration may not be perfect, but it is wrong to say President Buhari should perish the thought of seeking re-election because there is need to again change the leadership at the federal level. He however added that the President need to take some urgent step to boost the confidence of Nigerians in him.

    “If there is any allegation against anybody working with him, he should order an immediate investigation. The question of delaying investigation is not proper. It creates a lot of doubt about his integrity. Also, I believe President Buhari should reshuffle his cabinet because we have only few ministers and they have a lot of responsibilities.He should relieve some of them from their responsibilities and give it to some people to do because one man in charge of three ministries is too much,” he said.

    Speaking further, he said “I believe Buhari should run in 2019 because we need somebody who will put the country back on track. We need somebody who is not corrupt; somebody who is not ambitious, who is not greedy and not planning to build empires for himself. We have all these qualities in the person of Buhari. We don’t want somebody who will assume office and start building empires for himself and his family.

    “As of now, we don’t have anybody who is better than Buhari. I am not saying that there are no better people in Nigeria who are better than him but for now, we don’t have anybody. Maybe after his second tenure, we may get somebody else who is better than him and the person may take over from him. Look at the level of corruption that we had before Buhari became president and look at the amount of money he had recovered from those who looted the treasury of the country.”

    Buhari beware

    In his own submission, a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, warned President Muhammadu to be cautious in the way he handles the outburst by ex-President Obasanjo. Perhaps recalling what happened between Obasanjo and Jonathan in 2015, Okupe said Buhari must not treat Obasanjo’s observations with levity. To do so, he said, is at the President’s risk.

    Okupe, who is now leader of Accord Party in Southwest geo-political zone, acknowledged that Obasanjo spoke the bitter truth in his letter and President Buhari and the ruling party must be careful not to be too arrogance to admit it the issues raised by the former Presdient. He added that the President should have departed for Obasanjo’s Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta immediately after receiving the letter.

    “The truth must be told Baba Obasanjo is a man you can never discard his counsel. He voiced the bitter truth but the APC will never accept it. What Buhari should have done is that, the following day after receiving this letter, take a flight, go straight to Ota and ask him to tell you the way forward. I read the presidency’s reply and it is watery. I don’t think that reply was necessary,” he added.

    Similarly, a pro-democracy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Buhari to caution the minister of Defence, retired Major General Mansur Dan-Ali against further subtle justification of the dastardly criminal attacks by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen. The call came in a statement through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf.

    The group also called on President Buhari to respect the constitutional provision of federal character principle and commence the immediate and comprehensive reconstitution of the national security team to reflect the Federal character of Nigeria and end the ugly era of the’ Fulanisation’ of national security team. The group insisted that the lopsided domination of the security forces by Hausa/Fulani ethnicity was a grave breach of the extant provision.

    “The current administration must respect the constitution and provide security to lives and property of the citizens and should desist from making irresponsible and insensitive statements which may be construed as seeking justification for the numerous bloody attacks waged by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen by an administration that is not determined to arrest, prosecute and punish all perpetrators of the bloody killings in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa and Enugu states.”

    Also urging President Buhari to treat the letter from Obasanjo as very important is Senator Shehu Sani, who represents Kaduna Central at the Senate. Describing Obasanjo’s correspondence to the President as truth wrapped in dynamite, he warned Buhari not to ignore or discard it nonchalantly. According to the APC Senator, Obasanjo’s letter “will heal the President better than the corrosive deception of the political pilgrims to the villa.”

    “Obasanjo’s views reflect and represent the views of many members of the political ruling establishment but who simply lacks the courage to speak the truth to power, out of fear of political consequences. There exist a regime and climate of fear among the ruling political establishment; the views expressed before the president is a polar difference and distant from the views they express behind the president.

    The bitterness of Obasanjo’s truth will heal the president better than the corrosive deception of the political Pilgrims to the villa. Those who celebrated Obasanjo when he called National Assembly members unarmed robbers should not demonize him when he calls the knights and Courtiers of the President names. President Buhari cannot get the truth from sycophants, favour seekers, patented friends of power and people whose political survival and future is dependent on his continued stay in office even is to the detriment of his integrity or moral seat in history.”

     

  • His letter bomb arrives, once again

    His letter bomb arrives, once again

    May you live in interesting times. It may well be that the deep and inscrutable Chinese had Nigeria in mind when they issued the above period advisory.  We surely live in interesting times in Nigeria. As soon as the latest cameo of General Olusegun Obasanjo vigorously cantering and capering to Highlife music with his beloved spouse went viral, yours sincerely told whoever cared to listen that the former president was about to unleash another parcel bomb.

    Before then, an eerie silence had enveloped the Abeokuta hilltop mansion of the former president. Dancing while the nation is in dire distress is not the usual pastime of a man who believes that God is yet to create another Nigerian like himself. It is usually a strategic prelude or diversionary camouflage for an impending ambush. The old war-lord did not disappoint.

    He struck at the appointed hour in a landmark bombshell which shook every corner of the land. It was a blistering invective dripping with venom and vitriol and at the end of it all, the former commander in chief virtually ordered his former subordinate officer to find his way back to his cows at the end of his tenure or to attempt to hang on at his own peril.

    After that, and as he is wont to do, the retired general retreated behind an impenetrable wall of silence, willed deafness and political cunning. Those who are lampooning and lambasting the former head of state do not seem to understand what motivates Obasanjo or makes him tick either. The old man has the skin of a rhinoceros. Snooper has been studying the retired general for over forty years.

    In all his testy crusades against reigning governments—most of which he helped to install— only once did the general chose to return to the site of his verbal carnage and that was when the old Daily Times chose to publish a garbled version of Obasanjo’s searing critique of the government of Shehu Shagari as the endgame approached in 1983. The Owu-born general promptly shot back with a vitriolic rebuke of the compromised paper, just in case its NPN confederates missed the message.

    Obasanjo’s latest intervention is perhaps the most intriguing and daring of all.  It is shot through with desperation and political brinkmanship. Unlike the Second Republic when he could rely on the military, particularly the dominant rump of the post-Gowon coalition, as Deus ex machina, or as with the Jonathan administration when he relied on a potent country-wide opposition and revulsion with Goodluck, this time around, the old general seems to have run out of a hegemonic enabler. Uncharacteristically, Obasanjo is rooting for a national coalition which remains as inchoate as it is incoherent barely a year to fresh elections.

    The danger may well be that while our attention is deliberately riveted on the wrong script, the real game may be proceeding apace. As the servant in The General in His Labyrinth famously observes: “ Only my master knows what my master is thinking about”. The general is a master of political subterfuge and self-fulfilling prophecies.

    Consequently, somebody somewhere may be loading the dice secretly in favour of an extra-constitutional interim government after enough chaos, facilitated by General Buhari’s obvious leadership deficits, has crippled the nation or an outright military intervention to stave off violent disintegration arising from senseless bloodshed.

    Yet, it is noteworthy that in all his past sorties against evil governance, only once did General Obasanjo ascribe the problem facing the country to clannishness and nepotism. This was in a famous Faculty Lecture at the University of Ibadan in June 1985 which also doubled as a coded red card for the Buhari military regime.

    Before then two civil war heroes, Generals Benjamin Adekunle and Alani Akinrinade, in open disdain for what was perceived as General Buhari’s obdurate sectionalism, had begun canvassing for confederalism as the antidote to the prevalent climate of ethnic chauvinism. With the military plot to oust Buhari well in place, Obasanjo warned those who believe that Nigeria belonged to their ancestors to have a rethink.

    Thirty three years after, history seems to be repeating itself, and both times as epic tragedies: in the same man and even as a returning head of state, patent patriotism is trumped by the perversely primordial.  But General Obasanjo steaming pap should be taken with caution and circumspection. Political insanity is doing the same thing all over again and expecting a different result. For the past thirty five years, each time Obasanjo has risen up in arms against a sitting government, it has always been to canvas the same solution: a change of costumes and actors.

    Yet It is curious that it has not occurred to the general that the reason for his Sisyphean odyssey, this constant rolling up of a boulder against the hill of incompetence and ineptitude in the Nigerian political firmament may have to do with a fundamental misconfiguration of the nation which prevents the right leaders, the right leadership recruitment process, the right parties and the right psychological conditioning of the political elite from emerging.

    But there may be some method to this madness. One might actually conclude that there is a point in pointlessness. No matter the state of the venture, the venturer or adventurer must not suffer losses. While the nation seems to have arrived at the scrap yard of failed states due to wrong prescription, Obasanjo and his selectorate caucus have actually increased their power, their prestige and their plutocratic wealth. The poorer the country has become, the richer its ruling quango has turned out.

    If this is not a crisis of structure, of a hegemonic party formation in terminal crisis, we wonder what it is. It is only at this level that one can join profitable issues with the retired general for the purpose of illuminating the path and passage of a tortured and tormented nation.  This is what this column intends to do next week and if not shortly thereafter. To serve as an appetizer, we bring you this morning, this column’s observations on General Obasanjo’s famous excoriation of the Jonathan administration and the possible fall-out as we saw it even then.

     

  • Letter to Nigerian youths

    SIR: Youths are the backbone of every society or nation. They are the agents of development and they can positively change the future of their societies. But today, they are the centre of societal problems. Armed robbery, kidnappings, drug abuse and prostitution are common among our youths that our country depends on for sustainable development. This is because of governmental policies that always neglect their roles and the positive impacts they can bring.

    Why are youths neglected? The answer is simple. They refuse to fully participate in politics aside being political thugs.  They refuse to contest so that they can enact policies that can be in their favour.

    Why is it that our older politicians don’t want to quit politics and give the future generations opportunity to demonstrate their political capabilities in governing this country that we collectively own? Today in Nigeria, if a governor finishes his tenure; the next political ambition is to be a senator for the rest of his life. When we were in secondary and primary schools, we were told that “we are the leaders of tomorrow”. Which tomorrow? I think this tomorrow that we have been patiently waiting for has come and this is 2019. Nigerian youths must fully participate in politics not only by voting or being political thugs but by actively contesting.

    If we really want to address the inequality and the wide disparity between the masses and political elites, we must pressurise National Assembly to quickly amend the constitution so that we can have independent candidates as most youths do not have the financial capacity to contest elections under the platform of a political party. This is because of the huge amount that the political parties charge aspirants and we do not have the resources to buy votes at primary elections.

    Let us strategise for 2019 by making sure that youths contest and win elections in order to bring the desired changes that our future generations would be proud of and would not blame us for remaining in silence. According to Napoleon Bonaparte, the world suffers a lot not because of the violence of the bad ones but because of the silence of the good ones.

    Let us change the political history of our country by not allowing any serving senator to be at the Senate again, let us change the entire members and leadership of the National assembly because we have the power of achieving it, we can make it based on two things.

    First, by rationally using our voters cards  and secondly by utilizing the highest percentage of the population we have, We should utilize these political weapons to ensure that any poor performing governor is voted out; we have skilled, experienced, educated and unemployed patriotic citizens that can replace these self-serving politicians.

     

    • Hasheem B Ahmad,

    <hashimbahmad@gmail.com>

  • Restructuring: Open letter to PMB

    Sir: I strongly believe that you will go down in history as the father of modern Nigeria if you summon the courage to restructure the country so that we can move forward. What we have now is not working well and things will not work properly as long as we continue to do the same thing the same way that has not yielded any positive results.

    Those who are against restructuring are very selfish people. They see the present situation as a way to make easy money from Abuja whereby they collect money and spend it anyway they want without accountability. Poverty in the land is the result. Almost all governors, legislators, and top government officials are billionaires whereas the masses are in abject poverty. The political class is out of touch with Nigeria’s realities. This is not sustainable. This is what the present structure has created. Anybody who studied the sociology of social problems will tell you that the consequence for continuing this structure will not be palatable. The frustration in the society is getting to the peak and the masses are blaming the APC government for their predicaments because this government is not doing much to enlighten the people about what they are doing to make life better. The government is only known for complaining about PDP’s bad governance without explaining what they mean. They have not explained to Nigerians that the Nigeria’s oil revenue from 2010 to 2014 as published by OPEC was over $400 dollars so that Nigerians could ask about what happened to that whopping fortune.

    We say that Nigeria is very rich in natural resources, yet almost all the resources are on the exclusive list without the federal government making moves to exploit these minerals thereby making the people very poor. Take Ondo State for an example. They have (a) crude oil (b) natural gas (c) bitumen (d) silica sand (e) kaolin (f) ball clay (g) limestone (h) salt (I) granite and (j) iron ore. Yet, abject poverty is prevalent there. The unemployment rate is off the chart because the federal government has refused to let the state exploit these resources and the federal government has not exploited them either. This situation is prevalent in other states too. What is the purpose of having water everywhere without a drop to drink?

    The era of going to Abuja to collect free money every month without accountability must stop if we are going to move forward. Let us work for our money. Let every state generate their own funds and develop their area. That is how it is done in every developed nation. Nigeria should not be an exception.

    Restructuring has different meanings to different groups but I am limiting my scope to two most important areas that are very crucial to our development: Resource control with taxes paid to the federal government and, administrative reorganization to make government spend less money on political and administrative matters so that more money will be available for infrastructure development.

    Imagine America with their size, population, and strong economic status having only 100 senators while Nigeria has 109 senators with huge running cost. There is no way to move forward with this kind of wasteful spending of our limited resources.

    The advantages of restructuring are enormous. Agitations from different parts of the country will stop thereby giving a chance for peace to reign in the land. Secondly, governors will be held accountable for their actions and looting of the treasury will be minimally reduced. Thirdly, only people who are creative will be ready to contest for elections knowing that no easy money will be coming from Abuja. Fourthly, competition will be the order of the day and every governor will not like to be left behind. Finally, the federal government will be more efficient because some of their responsibilities like owning schools, power supply etc. will be left for the states.

    This is the time to act. Set up a constitution drafting committee to look into the work of former national conference reports and pick the reasonable recommendations in them to move this country forward.

     

    • Henry Akinnawo,

    Info7power@yahoo.com