The Nation Newspaper

Tag: moral

  • The moral undertones of restructuring

    The call to restructure the Nigerian federation has in recent times gained a momentum unprecedented in Nigeria’s history. The call has become so popular and important that it has refused to disappear from daily national public and private discourse. Notable politicians, academicians, socio-political and economic analysts and many others across the country have spoken and or written, for or against this important national issue in recent times. At another level, there have been increasing agitations by different ethnic-based groups most of them calling for a restructuring of Nigeria, for devolution of powers to the states and for fiscal federalism.

    Protagonists of restructuring have laid claims among other things, to the verifiable and convincing developments and growth recorded in the different regions during the First Republic when true federalism was in practice. To them, the extant or current insecurity, economic downturn, under-development, high rate of unemployment, ethnic distrust, the various ethnic agitations, threat and counter threats, dictate and make restructuring of the nation expedient. Their conclusion is that the present national structure is not working; neither will it work in the best interest of all Nigerians in the nearest future. They posit that it is high time a new approach to nationhood be sought for and applied.

    In the quest for the restructuring of the nation, it will not be out of place to look at other dimensions and undertones. One of such dimensions is the moral undertones. For long, Nigeria and Nigerians have been plagued with high moral failures at all levels and in every facets of our national life. These moral failures are manifested in political deceit, high level looting and corruption in both high and low places, scandalous jumbo pay pack and monetary allowances for lawmakers, fictitious contract awards, misappropriation of collective resources, bloated administrative cost and wastage at nearly every conceivable institutions, reward and celebration of mediocrity instead of merit, flaunting and celebration of ill-gotten wealth, status and positions, application of different standards in admissions to schools/Institutions and in appointment to offices. Records of moral failures abound in the judiciary and in the security outfits, in educational, health institutions, and the financial, manufacturing and marketing world. The religious and traditional Institutions are also not free from this malaise of moral failures.

    At the national, state and local government levels, there are embarrassing leadership moral failures in terms of their lackadaisical responses to the increasing poverty, penury, underdevelopment, stunted growth, increasing crime, unrest, cultism, unemployment and lack of social amenities in many places. Many of our leaders, without qualms, continue to display and flaunt their ill-acquired wealth, live a life of self-aggrandizement and flamboyant life style, even in the face of imminent national crises.  The led (populace) are not left out in the moral malady. Many, like the Biblical Esau, have not only sold their birth-right (civic rights) for a pot of porridge, but have made themselves cannon fodder for those who in a gluttony fashion, feed fat on their sweat and on God-given collective resources. Indeed, every facet of our society has been inherently infested with moral failures, not only in decision-making, implementation and in accountability, but also in moral living.  In our moral failures, we have wrongly come to see leadership as means of acquiring wealth, power and undue status rather than service to mankind. We have also failed to see followership as being good citizens. Unfortunately the emerging generation has imbibed these maladies of greed, corruption, wrong work ethics, immoral shortcut to whatever they want and a rat-race for wealth, positions and power for selfish purposes. There seems to be nothing immoral which we cannot do to achieve whatever selfish and immoral things we desire.  It is these moral failures that have brought the nation to this dangerous precipice in which we are today. The story is one of moral failures by all and in the national structures, to the detriment of all; yet, these failures themselves have wrongly become platitude among Nigerians.

    It is obvious to all, if we care to look and discern the situation in the nation today, that, the moral failures have served in part, even if remotely, as catalyst for the increasing armed insurgencies and militancy in the nation today. It has served as impetus for the continued agitations for restructuring the nation. The unemployed, the marginalized and the hungry, have in certain cases, become ready tools in the hands of scandalous individuals who claim to speak for the people asking for national restructuring.  Unfortunately again, the restructuring has become another source of immoral selfish-enrichment for some. The truth is that, so far these moral failures and depravity persist in the land, agitations of all forms, either for selfish individual or group purposes or for the good of all, will also persist.

    We cannot and must not continue to stand in self-denial about these cancerous moral problems confronting the nation. It is a time bomb, which if not diffused on time, will swallow all. The nation cannot be truly restructured without first a reorientation of the wrong mind-set of the populace (leaders and the led) for love of and acquisition of money, affluence, positions and selfish ambitions instead of selfless service, good leadership and humility. To restructure the nation without first, a moral values re-orientation (restructuring) of the mind-set of the people is to restructure and build on air, deceit and muddy foundation. It would be discovered at the end, that such restructuring has been an exercise in futility, mockery and cosmetic at that, because what has been, (the endemic moral failures) will continue to be. The wisdom in the Holy Bible has said it all, it is only “righteousness that can exalt a nation” (Proverb 14:34).Similarly, Jesus Christ advised that, we should “first make the inside clean and the whole would be clean” (Matt 23:26).

    In our quest for restructuring the nation, it must be echoed loud and clear that there must be concerted efforts by all, but especially, the authorities in the land, to re-orientate the mind-set of Nigerians (leaders and the led). Moral value such as honesty, truth, justice for all, equitable distribution of national resources, reward and celebration of merit, freedom, citizen’s rights, equal opportunities regardless of race or creed, positive work ethics, right use of power, transparency, accountability  and the likes must be well entrenched and celebrated as national values. They will without doubt, go a long way in bringing about peace, unity, development, trust, goodwill, progress, stability and all that makes for nationhood.  It will also help to reduce ethic mistrust, agitations, militancy and insurgency. Concerted effort must be made in a restructured Nigeria to make, nepotism, mediocrity, corruption, abuse of power and all injustices by any one or groups of persons or institutions, serious offences which regarded and treated as anathema and also met with stiff penalties.

    For sure, the nation needs a restructuring before it can move forward. Perhaps we need to revisit the Independence national charter (constitution) and begin there. Nevertheless, any restructuring must firmly and highly entrench national moral values in the scheme of things. Restructuring Nigeria is like purging her of her laissez-faire approach to issues, systems, institutions and structures. Along with that purge, the citizens (leaders and the led) must also be purged from our moral laissez-faire. Until then, the utopia that we all long for may still be far away.

     

    • Ven. Dr. Adeloye is a Priest of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion.

  • ‘Catholic Church should offer Nigeria moral compass, says Kukah

    The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged the Catholic Church to offer Nigeria a moral compass.

    Dr. Kukah, who spoke at the weekend at the 38th Supreme Council Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba, at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos, said Catholics were known for playing prominent roles in all spheres of life.

    He said: “I believe the Catholic Church must urgently take up the challenge of offering our country a moral compass as we face a very uncertain future.

    “I note that your theme for the convention is ‘Family Values, Human Rights and the Challenges of Modernisation in Nigeria.’ I am not sure where to situate theme of Human Rights in the conversation and for the sake of clarity, I have decided to focus on the ‘Catholic Family and the Crisis of Modernity’. In doing so, I am arguing that everything else revolves round the quality of families we have in any society.”

    The cleric said Catholics were expected to give Nigeria and the world at large a good direction.

    He noted that the Catholic Church believed marriage was indissoluble because that was how it was in the beginning when God created the world.

    His words: “Marriage, the Catholic Church teaches, is not something that happens by accident. It is part of God’s divine plan for humanity and this finds fulfilment when two people come together. Therefore, crises, no matter the enormity, should not open the exit door on the grounds of what the world calls irreconcilable differences. For what may seem irreconcilable in the human mind is reconcilable before God.

    “While divorce presupposes human convenience, indissolubility dwells on commitment. This commitment is part of the sacrificial ingredients of marriage, which, like that of Jesus, has redemptive value because it supports, it forgives and it helps us to carry one another’s burden.

    “Key factors that threaten the family today are enormous, but many of them hang around what is called modernity. The challenge to be modern demands that we meet a set of ideals the society has constructed.

    “Perhaps, nowhere are the casualties of modernity to be found more than in the family.”

    The quest for modernity has left in its wake, a huge wreckage of broken homes and families and a morally-flawed society.

    “Today, the statistics on divorce, broken homes and children out of wedlock are on the rise. This generation will come of age with a culture of violence and with no skills. They will grow up in a socially-deviant environment characterised by drugs, gangsterism, illiteracy, teenage pregnancies, domestic abuse, pornography, paedophilia, victims of human trafficking, slavery, etc.

    “We, as a church, must raise an army of well-trained teachers of sound Catholic doctrine among the laity. The ignorance of lay Catholics is a far greater threat to the future of the church than either other faiths or even the secular forces that threaten us today.

    “Catholics must become more consistent, return to the scripture, know the teachings of the church and insist on preaching the word of God.

    “It is the quality of the children we bring up today that will determine our tomorrow. We need to start a national campaign to save the Catholic family and make its values a model for the larger society. This means parents must find time to educate their children on Catholic family values and prepare them for life in the larger society. We must begin this campaign and make Catholic parenting and family values something to be cherished.”

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode hailed the Catholic Church for promoting peace and Christian morality.

    Ambode, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi, said he felicitated “with the Catholics on this august occasion.”

    A management expert, Prof. Pat Utomi, said: “Our society is in crisis because modernity has affected our religious and moral values. We should retrace our steps. If things don’t go well with the family, it will affect the society.”

  • Moral and ethical standards in society

    There is a moral gale sweeping through the Anglo-Saxon world.. The whole thing started with revelations about how the movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein has used, over the years, his power and influence to sexually molest young girls looking for breakthrough in the movie industry in Hollywood in the United States.  Close  to 20 ladies have come out to accuse the same man of either rape or improper sexual conduct. The list of abusers is growing every day and it now includes Kevin Spacey; Dustin Hoffman, Brett Rather and James Tobback. The 80-year old radical film star,  Jane Fonda even testified that demanding sexual favours from young stars has been going on in Hollywood for as long as one can remember. These accusations have come on the heel of the sexual misdemeanors allegedly committed by Bill Cosby who in his famous Bill Cosby Show for decades presented himself as the ideal father and husband that both white and black audiences could associate with. He is now derided as someone who was drugging women before sexually assaulting them.

    The  distinction must however be made between sexual harassment and sexual philandering or people having affairs. Sexual molestation is when one exploits his or her power to demand sexual favours from an unwilling person or even making sexually lurid and suggestive jokes to somebody of the opposite sex or somebody with a different sexual orientation especially homosexuals and lesbians. Kevin Spacey for example was accused by somebody who as a young 14-year  old,   found Spacey trying to make love to him.  This was a horrible situation because the poor boy was straight. In all these accusations those accused have denied the accusations or have said most of their sexual relations were consensual. The police in California and New York are looking into possible prosecution of those accused. Very few American politicians have been accused yet unlike the gale sweeping through Westminster. There is the funny accusations against  President George W. H. Bush who at 93 was said  to have touched the buttocks of the women taking care of him after telling them dirty jokes. The old man had to issue statements of regret and apology to his accusers. I personally feel the old man should never have been bothered. My son Seyi feels differently saying old age is not an excuse for inappropriate behaviour.

    The case in Britain is totally different from what is happening in America. The Deputy Prime Minister Damien Green  is under investigation for inappropriate behaviour dating back a decade ago when “extreme pornography” was found  in his computer  during investigation of inappropriate sexual conduct.  The Defence Minister Sir Michael Fallon has already resigned for touching the knees of a female journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer some 15 years ago and apparently for inappropriate proposition to a female cabinet colleague. Another Conservative member of parliament, Dan Pouter has been referred to an internal party disciplinary committee for proper investigation. The Labour Party has its own problem. Clive Lewis, a member of parliament has been accused of groping a woman at Labour’s 2017 conference. One or two members of parliament have been accused of raping young interns or junior members in their offices or of inappropriate behaviour such as a minister sending a secretary to buy him sex toys in a shop in notorious Soho area of London. Sexual scandals are not new in British politics dating back to the John Profumo scandals of 1961. The then Secretary for War was accused of sharing a prostitute with a Russian agent. He resigned in 1963 because he was found to have lied to parliament. Recently Sir Edward Heath a former Prime Minister in the 1970s was posthumously accused of inappropriate relations with young boys. I remember John Major, sleeping apparently on consensual basis, with one of his beautiful ministers of state in 1990 or there about. The longest serving female Labour MP, Harriet Harman said this kind of behaviour cuts across all facets of life in the United Kingdom especially when people  having power deal with those below them. She gave a personal experience of when she was about to graduate some decades ago. Her lecturer called her and told her “young lady you are close to an upper second honours degree and to make sure you make that grade you have to sleep with me. The choice is yours”. She did not say what later happened. For those who think Nigerian teachers are lecherous, you better believe that inappropriate behaviour in tertiary institutions is global. The point must also be made that female students are not saints in this sordid drama.

    What I find intriguing is that the  current brouhaha  about sexual harassment is not likely to cut any ice in France. Infidelity and sexual promiscuity has been tolerated in France  since the time of the Bourbon dynasty to the present. President  Francois Mitterrand for example had a daughter out of marriage and proudly went about with her without anybody raising an eyelid.  The mother of President  Francois Hollande’s children was not the First Lady of France in the last regime and neither was he married to her or the First Lady. The Germans are like their British fellow Saxons who probably hypocritically put on a moral armour in public while  doing something different in their privacy. The Italians of Silvio Berlusconi would laugh at the prudishness of the British. Journalists and victims of sexual harassment in Putin’s Russia will be too afraid to accuse anybody in government because they may be sent to jail or worse.

    I wonder what will happen if there were to be a focus on people in power in Nigeria in their relations with women under them. This would cut across all spectrum of the society in government, bureaucracy, tertiary institutions, business, and even the holy orders  of Christian and Islamic traditions.

    I remember some incidents that make our situation a bit peculiar. In 1995, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led a delegation on behalf of the Abacha regime to the European Union. I was Ambassador in Germany winding down my mission to that country. The delegation sought a meeting with the German foreign office. I had to arrange it. We were given 15 minutes for the meeting. Ojukwu was the spokesperson for the group. After a rambling speech about the generosity of Abacha to Abiola in  detention, he dramatically said that Abacha allowed “four of Abiola’s senior wives to visit him every week”. The Germans with broad smile asked Ojukwu “How many wives does Abiola have?”

    The attitude in Asia is not much different. This reminds me of  what the minister of foreign affairs in the Philippines was said to have said to a  Philippine lady who complained to him during a visit to Saudi Arabia about being raped by her boss. He was said to have whispered to his aid without knowing that the microphone was switched on  that she should enjoy it. When the news got home, the minister was immediately fired.

    Although there is no universal norm of sexual relations, but we can all agree that no one should have the power to sexually exploit a fellow human being because of the position of power one holds. Even in marriage, one should not be able to exploit his or her partner sexually. A husband can technically be guilty of rape if a wife is forced against her will. As bad as we sometimes think  things are in Nigeria, people still maintain decent and respectable relationships with people of the opposite sex. I was in Redeemers University for 12 years and I can attest and affirm the fact that nothing of this sort occurred between staff and students. There were cases of improper relations among students. But this is to be expected among young people whose hormones drive them towards sexual relations. Unfortunately with the downturn in the economy in the country, girls and boys in order to survive, I am told, are forced to compromise their morals.Young people of today are less inhibited  as people of my generation. A former female student of mine told me she and two other former students were sharing an apartment in Lagos. I immediately assumed the other two were girls. I was shocked when she told me they were boys. I then told her that I found the situation a bit confusing to put it diplomatically. She explained that there were three different rooms, and that they shared a common kitchen and bathroom and toilet. She then said they were adults with knowledge of permissible boundaries. I then recalled my stay in Lillian Penson Post-graduate hall in the university of London in 1968. This was a mixed hall and my neighbour to the right and left were ladies. Since all the rooms were en suite, I never heard of any scandal through out my stay there yet coming from Nigeria where sexes were rigidly separated. I initially found the arrangement difficult to understand. It all boils down to discipline. Since we were all young and had no power or influence to exercise over others in exchange for sexual favours, the idea of sexual harassment did not come up. This is the crux of the matter. Sexual harassment is a manifestation of power.

  • Moral, ethical, standards should be our watchword

    Moral, ethical, standards should be our watchword

    Tajudeen Akande is a Financial Analyst, Senior Partner and Director at the African Board of PKF International; a global firm of chartered accountants with offices located in over 400 cities and 125 countries, with the aim of achieving continuity among clients, thereby building relationships and delivering superior services. In this interview with Omolara Akintoye, the Chartered Accountant with over 29 years’ experience, said a good manager must have emotional intelligence and that professionals can help society by ensuring that in every dealing, ethical standards should be introduced, which can help to reduce corruption to its barest minimum.. Excerpts…..

    What is your management style?

    I believe in participatory management, what is called democratic leadership style. I like to involve people in decision making so that they can also have an input. I always believe that as a leader, no matter your vision or your conviction, if that vision is not shared by your team members, it may ultimately not be effective in implementation. That is what defines my management and leadership style. I’m also very decisive when I need to take decisions.

    And your management philosophy?

    I believe in the philosophy of togetherness, trusting people to be involved in decision-making. My management philosophy is that as a leader, you must trust your subordinates to be able to take decisions through. As much as possible, delegate and co-ordinate, because it’s very easy for delegation to turn into a lassez faire system, which can be very chaotic. So, delegating decision-making process and getting involved in terms of co-ordination and ultimately, decision-making so that it is participatory. But the leader is still seen as leading from the front.

    Do you micro-manage?

    No, it is totally against my philosophy. In fact, any of my managers that is not delegating enough or cannot mentor, is not fit to lead. I believe in identifying future leaders and mentoring them to become good leaders. Anybody you are looking at, if he doesn’t have the characteristics of being able to delegate and mentor is not fit to be a leader.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    It’s different combinations, ranging from motivation by acknowledging their good deed. I believe in appreciating good deeds. What anybody has done well, because I’m also a very critical person. So, when you’ve done something good, I do acknowledge that. Over the years, I’ve discovered that it can be very motivating; you also reward performance. Also in my career and experience, timely feedback also serves as a good motivating factor for staff whether they are doing it right or making a mistake. Not when the deed is done and it’s already too late they get penalised. Unlike if their attention had been drawn to it with timely feedback, they would have changed in course of action.

    How do you reprimand erring staff?

    It depends on the situation and the gravity of what has happened. Sometimes it’s about calling, advising and in the course of that, you get a lot of harsh tongue. Not shouting; it could take a form of warning. It also depends on the frequency of occurrence. I don’t mind you making a mistake and correcting you but if I keep correcting you on the same issue overtime, then you’ll see my other side.

    Do you apply the carrot and stick approach?

    I do. You can’t flog all the time and you can’t pamper all the time. Sometimes you also dangle the carrot; so, I do.

    What has been your toughest decision as a manager?

    That was when I had to fire a staff who is also a personal friend, which was tough. I knew it’s a decision that would still come back to me, for someone who is close. We’ve been together for years, something happened and you just have to apply the same principle for everybody. That can be very tough. There is also a situation whereby, because I like to interact with people, you do this to break barriers and make them feel free. We’ve had a big time together and then an incident happened the next day in the office and you had to issue query. People got shocked, not believing you could actually issue that query. For me, it’s one of the toughest decisions.

    Your best decision overtime?

    That is my decision to stick with this career. In my formative years, I’ve got to cross roads as to what do you do, you’ve had offers here and there, you’ve seen colleagues move, you see things happen in different sectors. I just looked at myself and what I have a passion for and what my personal disposition is and I decided to stick with accounting practice. My friends even thought I signed my life to poverty, but today I look back and I’m happy to say that it couldn’t have been better anywhere else.

    What is your definition of a good manager?

    A good manager must be calm, plan before acting; must be able to motivate his team, as well as have the ability to create another manager through mentoring. He must also have emotional intelligence. You cannot afford to react emotionally, because decisions that are based on emotions are always very wrong. Yes, as human beings, we have emotions, but you must get over emotions before taking decisions. So, he must have the capacity to display high level of emotional intelligence.

    As an upwardly mobile executive, how do you ease off stress?

    People often accuse me that I work too hard, but I also play as much as I work. So in terms of socialising, I try as much as possible to catch fun with friends after work, that is why I belong to many social clubs. I’m a member of Lagos Country Club, also their current president, also a member of Sagamu Golf Club. I also belong to few other associations. I like to take holidays, just relax, and switch off the phone. It’s the key to healthy life, especially when you have a busy executive lifestyle. I’ve been an active clubber for over 20 years.

    In retrospect, what do you regret most in your career and profession?

    Absolutely nothing; no regret at all.

    Your fond memories of starting out as a professional?

    (Laughs) I recall going as a member of team for auditing, getting into various environment and people receiving us with a lot of respect. You see everybody checking themselves. You can see the anxiety all over them, they can’t wait for us to leave; it makes me feel important, really. Also by the virtue of the nature of the job, you have the opportunity of interacting with management and board members that, ordinarily, you wouldn’t have had access to. But as an auditor, you are able to interact with them. The job also exposes you to a lot of travelling round the country, staying in the best hotels in town; those were the experiences of the profession as a senior accountant in training then. I still look back to those days and I feel today my colleagues might have lost some elements of respect which we had in those days. Probably because there are more people in the profession now, more people have come from this side to the other side, so it’s like we know what they are coming to do. Another reason could be because of the way people also conduct themselves. In those days, when people heard that you were chartered, they look at you with a lot of respect, and with the training we received then, once you stepped out, you knew that you were representing your firm and you had to conduct yourself in an orderly manner. Even when you are hungry and a client is offering you something, you reject such offers. And eventually after having finished the engagement, you are given the best treatment by the entire management team. Unlike today, you are there, they just abandon them in one room. Those good old days are no more there.

    How best do you think professionals can contribute to the development of this country?

    First, there is something that is common to every profession, which is called ethical standard, medicine, law, accounting, journalism, engineering etc, which separates the professional that is well trained from the ordinary man on the street that learn on the job. One of the major problems I see in this country is corruption, pride and weak leadership arising from lack of practice of ethical standards. It’s easy to say let the professional get involved in politics, but when you look at those in politics, some are professionals while others are not. It’s about people maintaining and conducting business. I mean in every aspect of human endeavour, there should be a high level of ethical standards. So, professionals can help society by ensuring that in every dealing, ethical standard should be introduced, which can help reduce corruption to its barest minimum and the society will be better for it.

    Finally, you are the newly appointed president of Lagos Country Club, what are you bringing to the club that is different from what other past presidents had done?

    In a nutshell, I intend bringing transformational leadership. Every person that had served the club in the past has added one thing that is different from what their predecessor had done, so we’ve had progress. Transformational leadership in a way that we want to create change that is faster, that is revolutionary, so to say. I think we’ve had a fair share of being complacent in our developmental journey, in which case, majority of our members believe that our level of development, as good as it is, should be a lot faster than what it is. So my vision is to accelerate that level of development; to take us at the pace of where we are coming from to be able to implement what we would have done in ten years in one year.

     

  • How doughty is your moral armour?

    This tale may well be apocryphal, but it falls in tandem with the smelly puss, oozing from the killings in the house of God in Ozobulu, Anambra State.

    A victim, who escaped unscathed, even if he was bang in the line of satanic fire, was reported lamenting he at least should have resisted falling; but instead smash his mouth against the chairs or other hard objects.

    Reason?  Because if he had taken a bad fall, even not a bad bullet, he would be on hospital admission now.  That, he reasoned, would qualify him for a largesse of N5 million, an alleged payout to victims who lost an arm or two, or suffered a bruise.

    The benefactor?  The same “Bishop” alleged to be involved in the reported drug war, which allegedly caused the early morning massacre, at the cathedral!  Reportedly, a far huger sum — N10 million or N15 million — was earmarked for families whose offspring was among the dead.

    Now, can you beat that?  To start with, if a character allegedly donated a church in memory of his late mother, and on the basis of his link with the church, a gunman (or gunmen) stormed the facility to kill and maim, shouldn’t any of the victims shun any gift from such a person?

    Then if indeed, it was a drug war, and the person at the vortex of the whole saga was a drug lord as alleged, does it not logically follow that whatever compensation, no matter how generous, was a proceed of crime which ought to be shunned by all law-abiding citizens?

    If the tale from Ozobulu is true, the opposite reasoning was the case.  That shows how deep into the sewers Nigerian collective morality has sunk in these contemporary times.

    But even if morality is now so subjective it is determined by individual differences, what about the law?  Shouldn’t the law have stepped in, knowing that the “Bishop” has serious allegations hanging around his neck, and ensured he cleared his name first?  At least that would save the community from what, if any charge is proven, would pass for nothing but cynical generosity.

    Still, before you go gloating and mocking and blasting the Ozobulu folks, just imagine how your own community, East or West, North or South, rural or urban, would have managed similar temptations.

    Well, the dead are dead, aren’t they?  And the injured are impaired, many perhaps with live-long injuries?  Well, some windfall may come handy, just to better bear the pains of the irreparable loss — is that not so?

    If you reason that way, then your morality is right in the sewers.  That appears to hold true of not a few today, particularly when the issue is free money and unearned privilege.

    It’s the Ozobulu in everyone — sad!

  • Spiritual, moral lives of hunters

    Spiritual, moral lives of hunters

    Hunting has always been regarded as pastime for lazy men who have no serious means of livelihood. It is also regarded as vocation for those who have no regard for the mores of the land and, therefore, can indulge in any unwholesome activity. But hunters have refuted these views, saying they are an organised and law-abiding group guided by some ethical rules. BISI OLADELE writes that the joy and satisfaction hunters derive from the game are not as a result of wealth but as a result of members of the hunting profession upholding pristine and old-time values of honesty, respect for Ogun the god of iron and self-worth.

    Hunting has always been  an important aspect of life in rural communities. In the past, hunting provided the main source of animal protein and professional hunters occupied a highly respected position in the society. Even in modern times, some hunters depend almost entirely on hunting and gathering to obtain essential protein and cash income, while many others supplement their livelihood considerably by hunting.

    Hunting with guns and bows is predominantly a male activity.

    This age-long practice is still a hobby or better still, a source of income for most people living at the grassroots in Yoruba land.

    In the circumstances, local hunters are enjoying their world across communities in the Southwest region. The joy and satisfaction they derive therefrom are not as a result of wealth but as a result of members of the hunting profession upholding pristine and old-time values of honesty, respect for Ogun, the god of iron and self-contentment with the little they have.

    Against expectations, hunting, an age-long profession, is attracting more youths as they seek more ways of earning additional income and involvement in game-like activities. But the career is guided by strict rules that forbid members from allowing modernity to destroy their cherished custom.

    Aside individual hunting, group hunting has become regular, and used to celebrate popular festivals such as Christmas, New Year, Sallah and other traditional festivities.

    Unknown to many, hunting in modern time is highly regulated, not only by the government or society but by the association of hunters. The rules guiding joining and remaining a member are generated from inherited values summarised in the concept of omoluabi.

     

    Hunting as a vocation

    The vocation is not just about hunting down animals in the bush. It is learnt for a period of time before one begins practising. The learning process also includes accepting the leading of Ogun, the god believed to be in charge of anything that has to do with iron, in Yoruba land, how to participate in group hunting and how to protect oneself with charms.

    According to Mr Rahman Adeyemo, for a hunter of over 15 years’ experience, hunting is a serious business that does not accommodate people with shady characters. Only honest, committed and highly spiritual people survive in the profession.

    Adeyemo, who is the Vice-Secretary, Hunters’ Association, Badeku, Ibadan branch, said he inherited hunting as a vocation from his father.

    He posited that the profession is profitable if carried out with sincerity.

     

    Hunting is spiritual

     

    Adeyemo underscored the spirituality of the profession by explaining that the entire hunting activity is based on the faith and reliance on Ogun. He added that the fear of God and Ogun paves way for success in the vocation.

    “Handling guns makes one to fear God and Ogun. Then one prays Ogun to make animals whose time to die has come to cross one’s path as one goes hunting. We pray in the name of Ogun. We pray against killing humankind while hunting. Without the prayers, one may find oneself wandering in the bush throughout the day or night without killing any animal. One may shoot an animal and it still escapes.

    “One may even get injured while roaming the bush. But once one prays, one does not trouble oneself if one is unable to get animals into one’s kitty. We believe that is the way Ogun wants it for that day.

    When we shoot animals and they refuse to die, we believe their appointment with death is not sealed. When we return to the village, we still thank Ogun for bringing us back safely,” Adeyemo said.

    He said any hunter who has an unresolved issue with a fellow hunter settles the issue before embarking on fresh hunting expedition. If two hunters have unresolved issues, other members intervene to resolve the issues before joining them for group hunting. If the differences are irreconcilable, both of them are prevented from participating in the group hunting exercise.

    If they are allowed, Adeyemo said, the group will end up without killing any animal throughout that day.

    When Ogun is unhappy with any hunter, Adeyemo said, such person would be unable to get animals during hunting and could sustain injuries regularly, among other discomfitures.

    However, their belief in God and Ogun does not prevent them from practising modern religions such as Christianity and Islam. He said many of their members belong to those religions.

     

    Training

     

    Explaining further, the State Secretary of the association, Mr Ismaila Saka, told Southwest Report that hunting is not all about competence in handling the gun.

    According to him, learning how to hunt animals takes minimum of six months. Apprentices begin with how to hunt, using dogs.

    He pointed out that some never mastered how to shoot, hence remain with dogs. Some still specialise on hunting with traps, including wire traps.

    After mastering the use of dogs and traps, apprentices are allowed to participate in group hunting. After group hunting, animals killed are cut into equal pieces for every participant.

    In group hunting, Saka further explained that only those competent in shooting are allowed to carry guns. Others go with dogs to chase out animals from the bush.

    This they do by combing the bushes. During this process, the hunters encircle a patch of vegetation known to harbour animals and work towards the centre beating and slashing the bushes.

    Signs used to determine whether or not a patch of vegetation is likely to contain animals include presence of droppings and food remains. The method is popular for hunting rodents, especially the grass cutter. Animals emerging from the bushes during the combing are either chased and caught by dogs or killed with clubs and cutlasses.

    For the spiritual aspect, apprentices also learn how to make charms to protect themselves against all forms of attack.

    “Professional hunters depend on their skills, experience; knowledge of the behaviour of wild animals as well as a thorough knowledge of the forest within which they operate. However, hunters may also adopt a number of strategies involving the use of “magic”, which are believed to either increase hunting success or offer protection for the hunter,” Saka added.

    Four such strategies that are well known and have widespread use, even though their effectiveness has not been studied are identified. They are:

    Use of charms: A hunter may wear a ring on his finger or toe, a bracelet, a necklace or a talisman round his neck or a waistband around his waist, which is believed to improve hunting success by acting as a charm which draws animals towards the hunter.

    Magic of transformation: This is another form of magical power which is supposed to confer the ability for a hunter to transform into an animal e.g., a hunter may transform into, say a bushbuck. This then increases the chances of individuals of the same species coming closer to the hunter, which greatly improves the hunting success.

    Power of invisibility: This is a “magical” power which makes a hunter invisible to a wild animal and the hunter is therefore able to approach the animal without being detected and is able to shoot at close range; this may involve a magical preparation which the hunter carries around and places on his head at the appropriate time.

    Disappearance powers: This form of magic is aimed at protecting the hunter. It normally involves a long process of rituals comprising periods of confinement, bathing in a series of herbal preparations and living on a prescribed diet.

    After the initiation, the hunter may or may not be given a magical band which he wears. It is more common among old big game hunters. The process is believed to confer on the hunter the ability to disappear in the face of danger. For instance, if a hunter is faced with a charging lion or bush dog, he might draw on such powers and disappear from the scene. The magic is invoked as soon as the hunter panics or when the hunter utters a word or a phrase.

     

    The don’ts

     

    A hunter is not allowed to look into the face of another hunter’s wife. If he does, Saka said he is adjudged to have committed adultery.

    “If you want to assist a fellow hunter’s wife to lift a load onto her head, you must not face her directly. Otherwise, you are adjudged to commit adultery with her. If a fellow hunter’s wife stands up from a seat, you are not allowed to sit on that chair. Otherwise, you have committed adultery. If you meet an animal struggling to survive on a trap set by another hunter, you will kill the animal and leave a sign there to show that a hunter helped kill the animal. You must not take the animal home; whoever does that, will be punished severely by Ogun. A hunter must not snatch another hunter’s wife,” he said.

     

    Profitability

     

    In spite of the excitement derived from hunting, the profession, they said, is not self-sustaining economically.

    Adeyemo said: “As interesting as hunting is, our members have to combine farming with it. Many others are into other vocations while some take up security jobs in the city.”

    He recalled that the situation was the same during his father’s time.

     

    Prospect

     

    Against expectation, many young men are going into hunting. Adeyemo said the 50-member association in Badeku village is made up of virtually youths. He said only two members are elderly people.

    But for the strict requirements aspiring members must meet before they are admitted as members, Saka said the association would have had more members.

    “We watch and scrutinise them thoroughly before finally admitting them because Ogun does not want dishonesty and indiscipline.

     

    Ogun Festivals

     

    Annual Ogun Festivals are still celebrated with items used from time immemorial. They include palm wine, roasted yam, plantain, salt, honey, red oil, sugarcane, beans, fried maize and killing of dogs.

    During the annual Ogun Festivals, members embark on group hunting and cook the meat for everyone to enjoy together. They can also share fresh meat for individuals to cook and enjoy at their various homes.

    Hunters believe animals will always exist in the bush. They don’t believe in possible extinction of any animal.

     

    Hunting materials

     

    Adeyemo and Saka revealed that hunters’ implements would include a gun, a small bag (often made out of animal skin) containing a supply of gun powder and cartridges, a cutlass or heavy knife and in the case of night hunting, also a powerful lamp which is carried on the forehead.

    The hunting lamp is a special device made from brass with a polished reflector and contains carbide. The reflection of the lamp in the eyes of the wild animal enables the hunter to spot the animals. The strong light has the effect of dazzling the animals and the hunter is therefore able to approach them and shoot at close range.

    They, however, regretted that imported hunting materials are now very expensive, a situation that has forced local producers to come up with cheaper alternatives.

    For instance, they now use torch instead of imported hunting lamps.

     

     

  • Olaniwun Ajayi: Goodnight to a moral beacon

    As we surrender his remains to mother earth this week, the life and times of Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, lawyer, statesman, politician, author, intellectual, prodemocracy activist and Knight of John Wesley, will continue to be celebrated by many whose lives he personally touched and the millions whose lots were directly or indirectly dictated, or could have been dictated, by the progressive politics to which he devoted his entire adult life. As a moral beacon and a man of great self-possession, Sir Olaniwun was a rare combination of unbending resolve and inexhaustible patience. Both attributes were fired by a commitment to egalitarian politics that even the serial setbacks that a polity sworn to political errancy such as Nigeria could not destroy. Though it had become “Africa’s failed asset,” as the title of one of his books concluded, Sir Olaniwun had no doubt that Nigeria could still be saved.

    It was a testament to that unquenchable trust in the possibilities of public good, the creation of a good society and an evangelical sense of rectitude that a few hours before his passing, the old man was still at work building alliances to save Nigeria. To conclude that it was as if he knew that time was running out for him – and for Nigeria – would be wrong, because, indeed, he knew so. “Asiko nlo,” (“we are running out of time”), he said repeatedly, insisting on “the fierce urgency of now” in the last decade of his life. When he and his fellow leaders of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Reuben Fasoranti, met with Governor Bola Tinubu only a few weeks before his death, it was the same urgency that drove them to insist on meeting the “Lion of Bourdillon” in his home rather than continue their tireless wait for Godot. It was yet another mark of the admirable commitment of the disappearing members of the old guard to which he belonged that they kept their eyes on the mission not minding the frustrations and slights they have had to endure. They were convinced that some factions of the progressive camp in Yorubaland were helping to polish the brass of a sinking ship. They had experienced this before and were worried that history was repeating itself as a farce.

    A man of sartorial elegance and measured speech, Sir Olaniwun was one of the most deliberate and considerate Nigerians that ever lived. He was a disciplined man who lived a reflective yet practical life; he was methodical in his private life as he was thoughtful in his public life. His combination of piety and secularist ethos was distinctive. There was no honour that he valued in his life more than his knighthood (of John Wesley) in the Methodist Church – a church to which he devoted a substantial part of his time, efforts and resources. This is why even though we all call him “Baba Olaniwun Ajayi,” we never forget to formally refer to him as “Sir Olaniwun.”

    I first had a close encounter with Sir Olaniwun when I wrote a scathing piece in the newspapers in which I criticized the Afenifere/Alliance for Democracy leaders for allowing President Olusegun Obasanjo to deceive and defeat them in the 2003 elections. I was then teaching political science at the University of Ibadan. He sent a message that I should contact him. I did and was invited to his Isara home. Thus began a relationship that has been so enriching intellectually and culturally. As someone who was interested in studying the Awolowo political movement, this relationship helped in deepening my insight in what resulted in my book, The Yoruba Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: Obafemi Awolowo and Corporate Agency (2014). Sir Olaniwun’s capacity for reading widely, even in old age would put many young people to shame.

    One of the unmistakable attributes of his class of Awoists is their modesty. Sir Olaniwun combined excess of accomplishments and monumental endowments with manifest unpretentiousness. Even as a living archive of the progressive movement in Nigeria, it was easy to relate to the old man because you knew clearly where he stood and where you stood with him. He was not one to mince words, even though he was a patient listener and sympathetic hearer. But his tolerance never conflicted with his persistence. His inflexible commitment to public good and his unrepentant valorisation of the egalitarian core of the Awoist ethos was not subject to compromise. In the best tradition of his late leader, Sir Olaniwun was a patriarch whose abundant wisdom never stood in the way of his attentiveness to the perception of youth. He possessed a rare capacity for attentive courtesy. I never had any hesitation to disagree with him. He would listen with a kind gaze and then respond with an excess of insight and prudence that would sway you even if your assuredness about the changing dynamics that his generation is yet to fully embrace discourages you from agreeing with his prognosis. One thing was sure though, you were always inspired, even if humbled, by an incontrovertible fact: Your generation will never equal the sacrifices of his generation, if not in the quality of their sacrifices, most certainly in the time span. Baba Ajayi’s generation breathed the struggle for a better Nigeria. From the days of Action Group through the years of the Unity Party of Nigeria to the barricades of the NADECO years and the democratic resurgence of the Alliance for Democracy and the post-AD eras, the Knight of John Wesley was always at his post contributing his task to the struggle to make Nigeria more liveable.

    I once asked him what was responsible for the unending trust in political and social rectitude that was the hallmark of the Awoist progressive politics. I noted that even in the twilights of his life and in the light of clear evidence that incompetence and lack of vision (matched by obduracy) were the persistent qualifications for the headship of the Nigerian state, Obafemi Awolowo still believed that the national political elite would see reason and embrace his Enlightenment project. Sir Olaniwun chuckled characteristically. He waited for a moment, then asked gently: “Do you think it is possible for Nigeria to continue this way indefinitely? Can the country survive along this path?” Even when I argued that the most backward sections of the polity most in need of radical socio-economic redemption are also the parts most conducive to regressive politics and predation; that such regressive politics marked by the story of the boy who sold his patrimony and then pleaded that he should be assisted because he had no inheritance has since been federalized, the old man remained unpersuaded that Nigeria was not saveable. I was forced to revert to my default position of trust in social and political rectitude.

    After all when Awolowo started his unsurpassed political project of “freedom for all, life more abundant”, the margin of error was huge and the possibility of success was almost non-existent. Yet more than six decades after, a combination of nation-wreckers without and heritage-hawkers within have failed to totally eviscerate that yearning for egalitarian rule that was holistically elaborated and cohesively mobilized by the visionary politician.

    Sir Olaniwun lived and fought for a just, equitable, free and egalitarian Nigeria. He and his peers in the long siege laid to the wall of Nigeria’s Bastille believed strongly that power could be truly democratized and decentralized in a way that could turn Nigeria into a truly transformational federation where “though tribe and tongue may differ” we all stand in brotherhood (and sisterhood – as that old national anthem forgot to add). Sir Olaniwun desperately wanted this to be true in his life time.

    As he departs, what can we learn from the life of this most accomplished of men? Plenty, no doubt. As members of my generation are often reminded by Sir Olaniwun’s more contentious and fervent friend and political ally of many decades, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, we must continue to have an unalloyed trust in the possibilities of political rectitude. Another lesson is a commitment to party spirit that is exceptional. The commitment of Sir Olaniwun’s generation to the Westminster model of party supremacy is difficult to replicate in this age. Worthy of emulation too is Sir Olaniwun’s personal commitment to the Awolowo family, particularly after the exit of the patriarch. I know this because I was a witness to his fidelity.

    Sir Olaniwun also taught us that it is never too late to accomplish – or at least try to accomplish –anything in life. At over 80, he began a project of becoming an author. He ended up with five books within a decade. He also wanted to study for a doctoral degree. He approached the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. When he was told that the process was too rigid to allow an octogenarian without a graduate degree to enrol for a Ph.D, he approached Professor Jacob Olupona of Harvard University in the US and Dr. Raufu Mustapha of Oxford University in the U.K. Both scholars were struck by the thirst of such an old man for knowledge generation. He didn’t succeed in gaining admission to either, so he turned his attention to private research and writing books. Finally, his life teaches us that personal rectitude will never go out of fashion among any serious people….

    Sir Olaniwun Ajayi made our world better. Good night to a good old man.

     

    • Adebanwi is a professor at the University of California, Davis.

  • Delta urges moral rebirth, as it celebrates international peace day

    The Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) ,Asaba branch has admonished all aggrieved groups in the country to sheathe their swords as the world celebrated the 2016 International Day of Peace.

    It canvassed the adoption of mediation and concilliation in the judicial process to foster peace and unity in the Nigerian State, adding that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is flexible ,quick at dispensing social justice , less expensive ,less time wastage, friendly, and conducted in private and strictly confidential.

    The group in collaboration with Delta State Ministry of Justice penultimate week organised a one-day workshop to train legal officers in the Delta State Ministry of Justice on mediation and concilliation as the primary mechanism for resolving disputes.

    The workshop with theme, ‘The Sustainable Development Goals:Building Blocks for Peace’ calls attention to the United Nations three prong approach to ensuring world peace I.e ‘end to poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all’.

    The group said the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism can ‘greatly help in fostering peace and unity in the Nigerian State even before 2030 which is the target date for achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nation (UN)’.

    The ICMC is the professional body of Nigerian practitioners that trains prospective candidates , and encourages organisations and institutions to adopt mediation and concilliation as the primary mechanisms for resolving disputes.

    Its President, Dr Louis Ogbeifun in an address at the occasion blamed ‘some stakeholders in the judicial process of hindering the anti-corruption fight of the present administration’, rand urged support for the anti-corruption crusade.

    He urged the federal government to take proactive measures to tackle the current recession,warning that the ‘sole catalyst for people’s revolt in almost all ages is poverty and hunger’.

    His words, ‘ Government can fight corruption with the teeth of the law.It can fight militancy ,insurgency and other wars with guns and bombs, but the war orchestrated by hunger if allowed to rear its ugly heads does not respond to any law ,arsenals and armament.’

    He said to prevent a masses revolt, government must provide necessary support to farmers, while encouraging citizens to cultivate small scale gardens and poultry farms.

    Ogbeifun said bailout funds should not be geared towards salaries but be channelled into employment generation ,reduction of poverty ,hunger and incentivising exportation to earn foreign exchange.

    On the successes  recorded by ICMC, Ogbeifun said, ‘So far, the ICMC is happy to have partnered with Delta ,Bayelsa, Ogun  and Edo States in setting up or in the process of setting up their multi Door Courthouses’.

    He harped on the imperatives of ADR in resolving disputes, adding that in ‘Delta State many lawyers have been trained to ensure effective administration of justice, and promotion of peace and harmonious coexistence among the various ethnic, religious and socio-political groups.’

    Delta Commissioner for Justice, and Attorney General  Mr Peter Mrakpor in his remarks said the fight against corruption should be attitudinal,adding that except Nigerians imbibe values and principles the war on corruption is doomed.

    His words: ‘It is an attitudinal change we need in Nigeria. Nigerians should understand  that what they need to live a qualitative life. Since we do not need a billion Naira to live a qualitative life, then someone should remind us that we do not need a billion to live a qualitative life.Food clothing and shelter are the basics in achieving this goal.We need to have a re orientation of values. You can take people to court, you can charge them or even send them to prison,despite these measures, society is still grappling with large scale larceny of our commonwealth.”

  • APC and the moral high ground

    APC and the moral high ground

    It is beyond dispute. President Muhammadu Buhari is a man of rock solid integrity. His sense of honour and high moral values are great assets to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) today. But ironically, it was not integrity that won Buhari the 2015 presidential election. He had that virtue aplenty when he lost his bid for the presidency on three previous occasions despite his massive grassroots support in the far North. There were at least four key reasons for his victory at last year’s presidential polls.

    Firstly, was the emergence of the APC as a pan-Nigerian political party that could match the spread and depth of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Secondly, were the sophisticated and creative political marketing strategies that radically transformed the Buhari persona and made him for the first time sellable to the Middle- Belt and South-West political zones. Thirdly, was better funding and logistics support that enabled him campaign more effectively across the length and breadth of Nigeria. And fourthly was the abysmally poor governance of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP that led to a steep appreciation in value of APC’s change slogan.

    Today, however, Buhari is clearly the most adored and admired politician and leader in Nigeria across a large swathe of the country’s political landscape. His stock has risen largely because of his single minded and unflagging commitment to fighting corruption as he promised during the campaigns. Most Nigerians are impressed that the anti-graft fire still blazes in his belly at 73 as much as it did when he was a young military Head of State over three decades ago. Buhari is quite unlike some of his very loquacious, annoyingly hypocritical, perennially letter-writing predecessors who endlessly mouthed anti-corruption slogans in office while feathering their nests with ferocious glee. The sheer lunatic scale of the looting frenzy engaged in by the PDP, as is being revealed daily, has also sensitised many Nigerians to the clear and present danger that this menace poses to the very existence of Nigeria and helped to galvanise more support for Buhari.

    Yet, the APC and President Buhari must tread very carefully. When you promise radical change from a decadent and fetid past as well as an all- out war against corruption, you must yourself stand on the highest moral pedestal possible. Let us not forget the piercing words of the fiery St Paul in the book of Romans: “Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you do it? You condemn idolatry, but do you steal from pagan temples? You are so proud of knowing the law but you dishonour God by breaking it”.

    What really is the defining essence of corruption, which for our purposes can be characterised simply as the criminal and illegal privatisation of collective resources by individuals and groups in positions of public trust? Yes, it is a violation of moral norms and values but that is not it. Yes, it is a negation of lofty philosophical and ethical principles but that is not it. Yes, it is an assault on elevated religious sensibilities but that is not it. Yes, it manifests as a denudation of the integrity of the human conscience but that is not it. Yes, it can lead to human suffering on an industrial scale but that is not it. Yes, it can result in harmful social inequality on an epochal dimension but that is not it.

    What then, I ask again, is at the very core, the centre, the quintessence of corruption? I think the answer is simple. It is, first and foremost, a brutal rape of stipulated rules and regulations. It is a calculated assault on the rule of law. It is a veritable coup against due process. It is a wilful, if insidious. snapping at the binding chords that prevent a descent from society to anarchy. In one word, corruption is but just another variant of impunity.

    This is why I am astounded that there is even any debate at all as to whether Buhari’s anti-corruption war must be conducted within the bounds of the rule of law or not. There is simply no alternative. You cannot fight impunity with impunity. The rule of law exists to protect us all from the tendency of power to corrupt and absolute power to corrupt absolutely. Let no mistake be made about it. No occupant of public office, no matter how saintly or well-intentioned, can be immune from the corrosive moral effects of exercising powers without restraint.

    Impunity is not a copyright of the PDP. Even the APC must be inoculated against this virus by strict adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law whatever the circumstances. Thus, the boundaries of separation of powers must be respected. Court orders must be obeyed and the integrity of the courts protected. Nobody, no matter how much you hate his face, can be pronounced guilty in the media without following the due process of law no matter how laborious. Impunity is the common factor that binds the thieving public official, the Boko Haram terrorist, the armed robber and the elected office holder who defies court orders in one sinister brotherhood of evil.

    Yes, ‘Dasukigate’ involves the criminal diversion of $2.1 billion of funds meant for the purchase of arms for our military into private pockets purportedly for political purposes. But then, ‘Kogigate’ involves the felonious conversion of votes from the duly elected AbubakarAudu/James Falake ticket to the illegal Yahaya Bello sole candidacy, which is completely unknown to the constitution. Yes, ‘Dasukigate’ involves the stealing of humongous amounts of money. But ‘Kogigate’ involves the stealing of an entire state! Pray, which of these atrocious crimes is better? No sir, one form of impunity is not better than another.

    In ‘Ekitigate’, leading PDP politicians are accused of illegally colluding with security agencies to manipulate the 2014 governorship election that brought the feisty Ayo Fayose to power. But in ‘Kogigate’, can leading APC politicians swear that they did not collude with INEC officials to contrive a so-called inconclusive election that enabled them to foist a candidate of their choice on the state against all rhyme and reason? So it is only when PDP elements pervert state institutions that it is a crime? I tire o!

    There are two emerging trends in the APC administration that I find worrisome. First, is the creeping cheap campaign of blackmail against journalists and media houses who question the administration’s methods in prosecuting its war against corruption. Columnists are routinely described as ‘hack writers’ or agents of corruption fighting back. This is unwarranted. The administration must not cultivate the image of intolerance. The intelligent, experienced and resourceful Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has a duty to guide the administration on a better path in this regard. Incidentally, the minister is highly regarded in media circles.

    Secondly, is the frequency with which the integrity of judicial officers is being attacked without the slightest scintilla of proof as being cogs in the wheel of the anti-corruption war. It is my view that if any judicial officer is alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices or abused his or her office in any way, such a person should be reported to the anti-corruption agencies which can investigate and prosecute in accordance with the law. But nobody should expect court judgements to be based on public opinion or media reports. Otherwise, we could as well abolish the courts and set up popular tribunals to summarily execute anybody accused of corruption in the media.

     

    Neither Ayo Fayose nor Temitope Aluko

    In the simmering controversy over the alleged rigging of the 2014 Ekiti State governorship election, popularly christened ‘Ekitigate’, I vote neither for Governor Ayo Fayose nor Dr Temitope Aluko, ex-Ekiti State Secretary of the PDP. Both men have no scruples. They lack character even though Fayose appears the more decent. Aluko testified before the Ekiti State Election Petition Tribunal that the election was free and fair. Now, he is singing a different tune because he says Fayose demurred on his earlier promise to make him Chief of Staff. There is absolutely nothing new that Aluko said which was not already in the public domain. Yes, money was voted for the elections. But which elections are fought without money? Yes, Security was illegally deployed to intimidate APC leaders and members. But does that explain Fayose’s victory in all Local Government Areas of the state including that of the incumbent governor? Does that explain why there was not a whimper of protest anywhere in Ekiti State at such alleged massive rigging? How did the PDP, despite Hurricane Buhari, convincingly win the 2015 Presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly Seats in Ekiti? The Ekiti APC should simply stop chasing shadows, look inwards and begin rebuilding itself for the future.

  • NOA decries moral gaps in education

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has decried the gaps in education which have given rise to moral decadence in the society.
    The missing gaps as identified by NOA are; lack of good virtues such as self control, love, hard work, integrity, humility, justice, wisdom, courage, positive self esteem and good name which are the ingredients of character.
    The State Director of NOA, Rivers State, Mr Oliver Wolugbom, who made this observation at a one-day Enlightenment Workshop organised for private and public school teachers in Port Harcourt Local Government Area also said that teacher should possess these qualities and be able to pass them on to the pupils.
    Unfortunately, Wolugbom lamented that they are missing in teachers hence the need for attitudinal change so that the social reforms in economy, culture and other areas of national life, which are based on education could be implemented.
    At the workshop organised in partnership with Port Harcourt City Council, Wolugbom described the teachers as role models and charged them to be above board.
    “Most school children recognise what the teachers tell them than what the parents say, thus making it imperative for teachers to say and do the right thing always. If after passing through school a person remains unrefined, it means the teachers had not done their work,” he said.
    He said the enlightenment programme would be taken around all the local government councils of the state.
    In the lead paper presented by Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, NOA, Mr Ellis Dappa, he explained that basic education is all about value re-orientation and roles of teachers.
    In the paper titled: “Basic Education and Value Re-Orientation: the Classroom Teacher as a Model”, Dappa decried a situation where “vices such as cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, lesbianism and homosexuality, disrespect for constituted authority, use of indecent and abusive language, poor reading culture, dishonesty, ‘sorting’ and deceitful behaviour have today become the norm rather than the aberration.”
    He blamed all members of the society for the situation, noting that “we have all contributed one way or another in the various units of socialization where we are expected to be in charge, be it family, schools, religious house, age grades and others.”
    In a welcome address, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Port Harcourt City Council, Mr Clifford Oparaodu, noted that youths are the future leaders and if not given “the right sense of direction, training and sensitization on the ethics of good behavioural pattern in our social institutions, then our tomorrow is shattered and jeopardized.”