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Tag: Memo

  • Memo to National Conference

    I predicted in 2005 that the then National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) would end up in the dustbin of history because the delegates deliberately failed to tackle Nigeria’s fundamental problem, namely, an appropriate geo-ethno-polity for the country. Till date, there is nothing from that conference that forms a strategic part of the Nigerian political economy despite the huge sums of public money and man hours expended on it. The ongoing National Conference will suffer a similar fate if its delegates play the ostrich and ignore this nagging problem. In fact this conference should be concerned with only one question: What kind of geo-ethno-political structure will facilitate Nigeria’s development? This conference will not turn Nigeria around for the better without the restructuring of the country from the current 36 states to at the least a six geopolitical zone structure.

    The current 36-state structure is extremely expensive. Cut Nigeria’s clothes according to her cloth. The current 36-state structure has created more avenues of corruption. Contract the states and reduce avenues of corruption. The current 36-state structure makes politicians out of people who do not have the credentials and personal qualities to deal with the daunting problem of Nigeria’s development. Come to think of it, no one in mainstream politics today, federal or state, comes close to the commitment, dedication, vision and developmental acumen and courage of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, M. I. Okpara, Ahmadu Bello, Dennis Osadebey, J.S Tarka, I. U. Akpabio, Anthony Enahoro, to mention a few. The quality and achievements of ministers, parliamentarians, and bureaucrats of the pre-civil era were far superior to what we have today. They had their own weaknesses, but nothing close to the degree of political, economic and developmental incompetence and societal disorganization that Nigeria has witnessed since their exit. They were saints and outstanding agents of development compared to what we have seen of Nigerian politicians and bureaucrats since the last 30 years. Contract the current 36-state structure into six zones. This will widen the geographic space from which politicians are drawn. This will help to reduce tout politics.

    Some delegates in this conference have indicated their interest in new states. Creating new states will increase Nigeria’s economic and social problems by enlarging the number of waste pipes by way of new governors, legislators, councilors, and bureaucrats most of who have no sense of urgency to change things in a country where more than 70% of the people either suffer from abject poverty or are managing to scrape-by in a land of plenty. Look at Nigeria’s development indicators over the years. One can extrapolate that the more the number of states the more dismal the national economic indicators.

    Yes, Nigeria was recently named one of the 26 largest economies in the world because it posted an impressive GDP. It overtook South Africa as the largest economy on the continent, yet thousands of Nigerians regularly stream to South Africa, or die at the borders of lesser economies in search of basic sources of sustenance. GDP does not put food on the table. Gainfully employed people do. GDP does not, in and of itself, create and/or enlarge employment opportunities. Competent, imaginative and courageous governments pave the way through pro-growth policies that harness the private sector to diversify economic activity.

    Some other delegates have suggested a six-year single term for the presidency rotated among six geopolitical zones. The concentrated decentralization resultant in a six-zone geo-political structure is a good start in the blueprint for geo-political restructuring. But you should remember that the rotation of the presidency and the number of years of incumbency are not as important as the amount of power embedded in the office. Dealing with the latter, that is, decreasing the power of the presidency is therefore part of the real restructuring endeavor.

    Remember also that the idea of a National Conference has a history. Restructuring the geo-ethno-polity was the primary reason for agitation for a national conference by its initial proponents. This conference should not forget that history. The 2005 conference relegated that primary reason to the margins of its deliberations. Restructuring was hardly discussed and those who talked about it were like voices in the wilderness. Hence the outcomes of that conference also ended up in the wilderness of history.

    Put more directly, a six-zone regional structure as federating units will reduce cost of government and save a lot of public money, reduce avenues of corruption, provide a better chance of selecting better people into government, create a sense of regional ownership, and enhance the developmental consciousness that comes with that sense of ownership and economies of scale.

    Yes, the delegates of the 2014 National Conference have proposed or created committees on social welfare, the environment, national security, science and technology, labour and sports, etc. Be informed that these are mere administrative issues. Failures in these areas occurred because the executive and legislative branches of government and their ancillary agencies failed in their duties over the years.

    What haven’t we heard, or what don’t we know, about the Nigerian economy, national security, energy, elections, science and technology, agriculture, transportation and the like that necessitate a national conference on them? I bet that volumes of reports on some of these issues have been gathering dust on the shelves of libraries of higher educational institutions, government agencies, private consultancies, and domestic and international non-governmental organizations, These issues which can easily be hashed out by a task force of the National Assembly occupied primacy in the 2005 conference and rendered that conference redundant and useless.

    So think of restructuring the geo-ethno-polity, that is, the intersection of geography, ethnic identification and political expression, as a more strategic issue. Think of restructuring as the path to your legacy in Nigeria’s history. Consequently, only two committees in the 2014 National Conference are worth spending the people’s money on. They are, The Political Restructuring and Forms of Government Committee, and the Devolution of Power Committee. The other committees are a waste of the people’s money.

    The devolution of power in a six-zone regional structure should be such that regions will intrinsically own and shoulder the ultimate responsibility for their development. That is what strong regions do all over the world. The present national psyche which sees the federal government as the ultimate instrument of national development is counter-productive and must come to an end. Geo-political restructuring holds the key.

     

    Ukaegbu, Professor of Sociology & Development Studies, currently serves as Distinguished Senior Lecturer at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA

  • Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(2)

    Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(2)

    And what in the world do they mean by tagging you a murderer of truth? They said you looked at them straight in the face and danced through your lies to the embrace of your husband. They wondered why it took you close to four months to come out with the half-truth, knowing that you never told anyone what you were actually treated for. In that split moment of self-glorification, the truth that had been hidden for months hit us like thunderbolt. By the time you finished the sermon on how you were brought back from the dead, you left us searching for the appropriate words to describe your conduct. Some called you a despicable liar. But I believe that was too harsh. I’d rather put it mildly by saying you were simply being economical with the truth. That’s a nicer way of saying it. It is a special privilege that Nigerian citizens accord top citizens; we are a grateful nation and we dare not accuse the highly-placed of lying from both sides of the mouth. For three harrowing months, you twisted logic and foisted the most incongruous illogic on us. I’ll explain, Ma.

    But first, your words when you mounted the pulpit on that innocent Sunday: “I actually died; I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened. I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his own. My doctors said all hope was lost.

    “A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I would return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days. I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.

    “I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no. People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre every day. It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month. It was not an easy one.”

    Now, my observations: Take, for example, the belated comparison of your ordeal to that of Lazarus in the Bible. From Nigeria to the Bible; indeed, you and your ways have come a long way Ma. People said if it was indeed true that you ‘died” for seven days before God’s healing balm touched you through your doctors, then you missed the chance to praise Him by, first, baying for the blood of imaginary enemies on your arrival in Nigeria. They said you went off the cuff by blowing the trumpet of no surgery in Germany when you actually went under doctors’ scalpels more than eight times! They also noted that your confession was lacking in key details and they are asking salient questions—If it was not “that hospital”, which hospital did you stay for the six weeks? If it was not cosmetic surgeryor tummy tuck, what were you treated for? Was it food poisoning as being alleged or could it be common cold and catarrh or even toothache? You see, the ways of VIPS like you never cease to confound us.

    Madam, you missed the point if you think that those asking these questions do not wish you well. On the contrary, they are your true friends—the ones that would never think of selling off your things because you were on a sick bed. They are not even qualified to become business fronts to the high and mighty. All they want from you is to set good examples. They want to see a virtuous woman that would not take God’s mercy for granted. They said your ‘resurrection’ will only have meaning if you begin to truly touch lives positively. For your information, there are too many vulnerable children out there who have no access to basic healthcare; many Nigerians cannot afford treatment for common ailments like malaria and flu; countless others rely on self-medication; and many more have died due to poor healthcare facilities.

    Yet, in this country, billions of dollars are frittered on medical tourism by those who are expected to make the system work. White elephants are erected to satisfy the taste of those in power. These, to my mind, are the physical evidence of wasted billions. Has it ever crossed your mind Ma that that black medical doctor that was flown from the United Kingdom to save your life, and who was probably flown into the country with taxpayers’ money just that he could attend your extravagant thanksgiving ceremony, could have been working in any of our medical facilities if they have not been turned into glorified consulting clinics! It grew so bad that those who loot the public till now travel abroad to give their teeth a clean wash! State governors and their lackeys now retain the services of medical personnel in far-flung countries while the hospitals at home rot away. There is no doubting the fact that your famed ‘resurrection’ must have left more than a modest dent on the nation’s leaky treasury. We, the people, thank God for your life. And in doing that, we hope that we would not have to die before having the chance to exhale….like you just did even if yours was heavily garnished with tissues of lies!

    For the records Ma, I hope you understand that my piece is not an affront. Some people don’t like telling the truth, others don’t like hearing it. The truth hurts for a little while, but lies hurt forever. That you were given a second chance by the Ceeator demands something deeper and ennobling. A little bit of introspection should make it clearer. If only you can take a pulse and reflect on these things, you will understand that your decision to side-kick imaginary enemies devalues the essence of the office. However, in all this, the choice is yours for one lie often begets another. Good enough, truth is eternally triumphant. Make your choice, Ma!

  • Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(1)

    Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(1)

    Madam, I greet you in the splendour of your majesty.First, a clarification—I am not one of those ‘bad belle’

    people who wished you dead when you were enjoying a well-deserved rest in Wiesbaden, Germany, last year. I am not one of those lackeys who would rather tell you what you crave to hear either. Under the current administration, Nigeria’s multi-billion Naira sycophancy industry has blossomed in a phenomenal pattern. But I am not one of those ‘lucky few’ who gravitate around your corridors of power. Instead, like every other nosy journalist, my interest then was where you, Nigeria’s First Lady were; and what you could be up to. The implications of your action and inaction were of professional concern to me. In pursuit of the truth, I had pressed one or two buttons at the right quarters and thus the story published in this paper on how the surgeons battled to save the precious life of our First Lady—the one and only wife of our Otuoke-born President. For daring to mention the surgeon’s scalpel, some of “today’s men” hovering round your husband were quick in issuing a rejoinder, calling us names. They said we were peddling rumours; that you only relocated to Germany to have a nap as favour-seekers had made the palatial ambience of Aso Rock too stuffy for comfort. They hushed us into silence, vowing that you were never suffering from any life-threatening ailment. They urged us to wait with bated breath as we would soon witness your triumphant entry into Nigeria.

    And did you disappoint when you finally waltzed into the country on October 17, 2012? No, you did not. Indeed, your return was a carnival of sorts. No small measures where you are concerned, we all know. The crowd of sympathisers were neatly arranged; buses were provided and they besieged the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, bearing different colourful placards proclaiming your invincibility. Of course, the Presidential Villa was powerfully filled with ministers and top aides falling all over themselves as usual, just to make sure that they were captured by the television cameras. That, I assumed, was more important than a handshake with the First Lady. They blushed. They grinned. They offered peripheral gestures.

    They danced too. I watched as you sucked it all in. You waved as you came out of the presidential jet. It was your moment to hit back at those who shamefully lied that you had fallen ill and had been immediately air-lifted to Germany for a life-saving treatment. “Ko jo rara!” You mimicked in Yoruba. It was time to hit back at your ‘enemies dem’ and rub their noses on the bare floor. When you spoke, you minced no words in calling them bare-faced liars and nitwits. You were the woman of the moment; the newsmaker and you lapped it all. You cast the first stone right at the doorsteps of your detractors.

    You fired from all cylinders, saying: “At the same time, I will use this opportunity to tell those few ones that are saying that anybody that goes to Villa or Aso Rock will die. At the same time, I read in the media where they said I was in the hospital. God almighty knows I have never been to that hospital. I don’t even know the hospital they mentioned. I have to explain what God has done for me. I do not have terminal illness, either did I do any cosmetic surgery, talk more or less of tummy tuck. My husband loves me as I am and I am pleased with how God created me. I cannot add anything.”

    Madam, that memory is still fresh. In our usual fashion, your admirers must have been elated to be part of history—making the train of revellers that welcomed the wife of the President who went on a six- week unofficial rest abroad! You must have remembered how you ran into the embrace of your dear husband. Oh, it was a sight to behold as ‘Oga’ held you close, sans the probing eyes of other well-wishers and the paparazzi. We shared in that joy, knowing what that great reunion meant for the nation—the Mother of the Nation—a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State—is back!

    The news of the denial of surgery of any kind spread like wildfire and the media became the butt of derisive joke. Quite a number of people believed you. Why shouldn’t they? You were looking radiant, refreshed and relaxed. Okay, maybe you were a bit edgy on arrival but there were no signs of weakness for the few moments you interfaced with the throng of sympathisers. You made your points, cleared your conscience, went into another prolonged rest in Aso Rock, made some cameo appearances and then quietly took off to Germany for a routine medical check-up some weeks back.

    In all honesty, we thought the final curtain had fallen on that matter. We were prepared to lick our wounds. It was your word against ours, anyway. It was some kind of relief that your trip did not add to the over $500m allegedly spent on medical tourism yearly by the money guzzlers in government. In fact, that six-week nap abroad must have given you the opportunity to interact with foreign investors – not just the usual officialese when Nigerian VIPs go abroad to burn truckloads of dollars. That was the economic angle that your detractors failed to see. Now, they know better. No wonder, you promised, on your return, to “work with women of Nigeria, children and the less privileged.” No surgery, No ill health. No tummy tuck. No hospital treatment. Just a trip to observe rest!

    Sadly, that was the first leg of the tale as told by you in October, 2012! Little did we know that it was a moonlight story wreathed in white lies. And, if you ask me, I will say it is a sad commentary on what leadership is all about. Some said truth was callously slaughtered and integrity thrown out of the window.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Memo to Interior Minister

    Memo to Interior Minister

    SIR: I thank The Nation for permitting me the use of its medium to air my views in respect of some national issues especially the Immigration service. The recent sacking of the Comptroller of Immigration Service (CGIS) on Tuesday, January 15 and the subsequent setting up of a committee of inquiry to probe the activities of the erstwhile CGIS as carried by some national dailies including this paper on Saturday, January 20, is a vindication of my earlier write up of January 7, in The Nation. The said article was a tip of the iceberg of the horrendous happenings in the service. I have tried to exercise some restraints so as not to expose the service to public odium and ridicule. My intervention therefore is to help the service, the committee set up to probe to ministry and the minister himself.

    Even without the probe committee, the minister knows everything that is happening in the service. The minister himself has his own blames and weakness. It’s not his place to supervise the day to day running and activities of the service. Postings and deployments of officers from certain ranks should not be his concern either. Certainly, the CGIS is the accounting officer of the service and not the minister. This is the only way to obviate areas of conflict between the CGIS and the minister. Of course, the minister’s undue interference in the daily routine matters of the service did not start from the present one; it began from the time of his immediate predecessor in office. Because the former was her kinsman, the erstwhile CGIS didn’t raise an eyebrow then. It was therefore difficult for her now to wean the present minister away from the honey pot, so to say.

    The Federal Government should not stop at the sack of the CGIS; her activities in the past two years she held sway must be probed. There is the need to know how many young Nigerians were recruited into the service; it should uncover what she dubbed recruitment through “replacement “. Not only this, we should know the placements of those recruited on the basis of federal character and quota. It won’t be a bad thing if a searchlight is beamed on how the recruitment exercise of 2011 was carried out too.

    The veil on foreign postings must be removed so as to know those who are benefiting. Also related to this is the need to know how foreign postings on ad hoc duties are being carried out and how many officers have benefitted so far on federal character basis. The immigration board itself doesn’t live above board!

    As for the so called promotion exercise that was done last year, the less said about it the better. It was a big sham and a fraud. It was done without due regard for seniority and merit. The minister knows this and he did confirm that his office had been inundated with petitions from aggrieved officers who were affected. He should expect more. In many instances, the promotions were bought. It was learnt that the original promotion instrument approved by the board of immigration was jettisoned by the sacked CGIS and replaced with a doctored one. All the minister need do is to call for the promotion list as approved by the board. It’s as simple as that. Fortunately, the minister is the chairman of the board. I wish to counsel that this is done before rushing to conduct another phantom promotion interview for fairness, equity and justice to reign supreme.

    • Ogidi Martin,

    Asokoro, Abuja.

     

  • Memo to Senate constitution review committee

    Memo to Senate constitution review committee

    We say no to autonomy for local councils. We also wonder at the apparent zeal to create more states despite prevailing realities. If our distinguished senators insist on autonomy for local councils as a third tier of government, let the states be abolished.

    Enlightened opinion has rejected attempts by our legislators to amend a fundamental document guiding their operations. Such exercise should be more appropriately handled by an independent ad-hoc body so constituted. Only such a detached assembly can produce a thorough, dispassionate and enduring constitution. The Nigerian state glaringly slides downwards as it now exhausts 70% of its annual budget on recurrent expenditure, a clearly unsustainable profligacy. For a nation dangerously tottering on the brink, autonomy for local councils, creation of additional states, should only be treated as incidentals after much more critical and urgent agenda. Our distinguished senators need to rise above narrow partisan interests to produce a befitting document.

    The only genuine reason for constitutional review now is to redefine our nationhood, so that a proper nation-state can evolve to give Nigerians hope. We want devolution of power back to the regions, or zones, as it was in the First Republic. We want to control our own resources, insignificant as they may be. We want to determine our own future within the context of a properly structured federation. In short, we want a truly peoples’ constitution, so that the Nigerian project can stand. Only our elite who earn their living directly from government may be pretending all is well, when the house has all but collapsed.

    A properly structured federation cannot tolerate the cynical, derogatory six-zone imposition which the committee has assumed as sacrosanct. Nigeria consists of over 250 ethnic nationalities. The southern minorities herded into the so-called south-south zone number over 100, with as many distinct cultures and languages. If, for example, Izon land were geographically contiguous, nothing prevents Nigeria’s 4th largest ethnic group from having its zone. The Mid-West Region stood on its own in the First Republic. It can do so now. So also can the minorities of the former Eastern Region. Your amendment should, therefore, incorporate a minimum of five regions from southern Nigeria alone, please.

    The argument between indigene and resident should never arise. The distinction between them is clear and should be left as already constitutionally provided for. Our worry is that abrogating one for the other suggests a subtle attempt to impose unitary government through the back door. A multiethnic secular state should forever abhor and reject the unitary system of government. Let the review committee prove its critics wrong. We plead with our distinguished Senators to strive to let the authentic wish of the people prevail, so that Nigeria can celebrate her centenary in one piece, and in peace.

    John Ingwu,

    4, Winners Way,

    Calabar, Cross River State

     

  • Memo to President Jonathan

    Memo to President Jonathan

    SIR: I would like to commend you for your thoughtfulness in acceding to the demands of most Nigerians in reversing the planned introduction of N5000 note and the deliberate ploy to annihilate N5, N 10 and N20 notes estimated to cost a whooping sum of N 40 billion.

    I am excited that your decision to put this redenomination and introduction of new N 5000 note on hold was premised on the popular decision and wishes of Nigerians. Sir, in line with this spirit of benevolence, I wish to appeal to you to replicate this kindheartedness also by completely reversing the increase in Premium Motor Spirit from N 97 to N65.It is not too much a surprise independence anniversary gift to your compatriots come October 1.

    Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of the SURE-P proceeds you promised. If you could not realise N1.3 trillion naira targeted, at least the international oil price has kept steady above the $100 per barrel mark – way above the budget benchmark price. You can impact our lives so much with that.

    Do you know that fuel queues have returned to our cities? You can put your detractors to shame once and for all by building more refineries and ensuring purposeful overhaul of the old ones. If you had thought of this immediately you took oath of office, on May 29, 2011, today the challenges of local refining of crude would have been a thing of the past. It would have been another good reason to roll out the drums and celebrate the breakthrough this Independence Day.

    You can start now.

    Boko Haram sect continues defiantly to ravage the North East/West and dangerously threatening the entire nation. How long would you allow this endemic blood-letting brute thrive to the detriment of our existence? Relying wholly on Ihejirika’s tactics could not guarantee the anticipated result. It will not and has not yielded better fruit anywhere else in the world. Change tactics.

    Thank you for honouring the Paralympians who made Nigeria proud and proved to the world that there is ability in disability. And Muhammad Tahir Zakari (MFR) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for his exceptional honesty in returning the sum of N6 million wrongly paid into his account. A good number of people would have zoomed off with the sum. But he followed the dictates of his conscience and chose the path of righteousness. Would it not have been better to seek for more Zakaris and the Paralympians and confer on them with National Honours instead of those you once accused as sponsors and members of Boko Haram?

    The licence of Dana Air has been restored less than three months after their flights crashed at Iju Ishaga in Lagos. As I put pen to paper, some families are yet to identify and recover the bodies of the victims. Kindly direct the aviation minister to take another look into the clean bill of health granted to Dana Air especially when the mandatory compensations have not been paid and inquest into the immediate and remote causes of the crash not concluded.

    Some national dailies have been speculating about the whereabouts and health condition of Her Excellency. Do not misconstrue the interest of the media for it is those we love, we ask after. It is our hope that as we celebrate 52 years of nationhood, we shall see her standing by your side as you wave school children and others march past you at the Eagle Square.

    Accept the assurances of my best regards and happy 52nd Independence Anniversary in advance.

     

    •Sunday Onyemaechi Eze

    Samaru Zaria