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Tag: Nigerians

  • Balarabe Musa to Nigerians: don’t return PDP to power

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaigners got a bloody nose yesterday.

    Nigerians should not return the party to power, an elder statesman said.

    Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State Alhaji Balarabe Musa believes the country would be worse off if the main opposition party is allowed to come back.

    He said PDP’s 16-year administration before 2015 brought misery and underdevelopment to Nigeria, adding that the party almost ruined the economy completely with massive corruption and plunder of resources while in power.

    Musa was speaking in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from his Kaduna home.

    Musa, a socialist, who was elected in 1979 on the platform of the radical Peoples Redemptio Party (PRP) but impeached in 1981 by the opposition-dominated House of Assembly, said although all was not well with the country under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, Nigerians should never risk having any hope in the PDP to make things better.

    To him, the PDP lacks the moral right to ask for a return to power. A credible alternative is needed to turn things around, he said.

    The PDP gained momentum following the election of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate at its Port Harcourt Convention.

    But octogenarian Musa, who recently relinquished the leadership of the PRP on account of age and failing health, said:  ”I do not understand the hype about PDP returning to power. I just do not understand. Return to do what?

    “The party that created many problems for 16 years when they were in power,? No way!

    “Things are not too good in the country at the moment, but I think the country would be worse if the PDP is allowed to return. We saw what they did for 16years and they will definitely mess things up further.

    “Nigerians should not trust the PDP with power. We will be disappointed.What we need in the country right now is a credible alternative that would deliver good governance and respond to our needs,” he said.

    Musa said money had over the years influenced Nigerian politics, resulting in the emergence of unpopular leaders.

    The former governor said Nigerians must be prepared to change the narrative by voting according to their conscience in 2019 and beyond.

    He said the country was faced with a number of security and economic challenges, among others, which need the government’s creative intervention to address.

    Musa suggested the economic restructuring of the country to bring back privatised public corporations under government control for more efficient services.

    The former governor said the economy was being controlled by the private sector, which he said was ripping off the people with poor service delivery.

    Reacting to Musa’s statement, PDP spokesman Kola Ologbodiyan, said: “Perhaps Alhaji Balarabe Musa is talking about the PDP of old, not today’s rebranded PDP, which majority of Nigerians are rallying behind.

    “And because of the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians don’t need education or advice, from anybody, including Alhaji Musa on who to vote for.

    “Nigerians are determined to rescue themselves from the hunger, starvation, low purchasing power, the killings, the needless divisions across the nation and the apathy towards governance.

    “So Nigerians don’t need anybody’s education at this critical time for them to take a decision on who to vote for. They have tried Buhari and they have seen his manifest failure and they have seen that Buhari has been demystified in governance and politically deflowered.

    “Nigerians at this time don’t need anybody’s help or advice to make up their mind. They have already decided on where they are going.

    “And come 2019, they are going to vote en masse against Buhari, whether the Balarabe Musas of this world like it or not”.

     

  • APC to critics: Stop playing politics with reform in oil sector

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Nigerians, especially critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government should stop playing politics with the ongoing reform in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

    Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena told newsmen in an interview on Sunday that the current administration’s efforts to sanitise and reform the oil sector deserve the support of all well-meaning Nigerians.

    Read Also:Opponents of reforms in APC ganging up against me, says Oshiomhole

    Nabena said it was a courageous move by the current administration to reform the oil and gas sector through the introduction of a new price regime which has led to what he described as the technical liberalization of petrol price.

    He said the move was to reposition the country’s downstream oil sector and in particular ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) becomes a fully run commercial entity.

    He said “this administration’s efforts to sanitise and reform the oil sector should be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians. It is important that we don’t succumb to the temptation to play politics with the reforms in view of the strides that have been achieved so far.

    “In a general appraisal of the oil sector reforms undertaken by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, an often downplayed achievement is the fact that in a long time, Nigerians no longer have to waste valuable man hours queuing for fuel on account of scarcities.

    “The positive effects of the oil sector reforms have been instant and visible. Fuel shortages and resultant queues which were a recurrent issue in the sector due to our limited refining base are now in the past.

    “As the NNPC works to wholly meet the national petrol requirement due to the inability of private sector players to meet their supply quota, the increased private participation in our energy sector, is set to increase our local refining base with the near launch of privately-owned and high-capacity refineries. The resultant effect will be an end to the costly importation of refined petroleum products.”

    Reacting to the $3.5billion Subsidy fund being probed by the Senate, Nabena said: “The achievements of the oil sector reforms brings to fore erroneous insinuations of a $3.5billion Subsidy fund allegedly in the NNPC’s custody which the Senate has reportedly resolved to probe.

    “In NNPC’s bid to stem petroleum product supply hiccups, the corporation initiated a revolving National Fuel Support Fund of $1.05billion, since the corporation is literally the sole importer and supplier of products in the country.

    “The Fund has been domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ever since. NNPC has not independently spent a dime of the fund which is to ensure stability in the petroleum products supply in the country.

    “The Fund has been jointly managed by the NNPC, CBN, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OGF), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF).”

     

  • Cleric to FG, Nigerians: Leah must not die in captivity

    Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi Christian girl in Boko Haram captivity since February must be freed at all costs, a staff of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students(IFES), Rev Gideon Para-Mallam, has appealed.

    He told the Federal Government and well-meaning Nigerians to stop at nothing to secure the release of the 15-year-old girl and others in terrorists’ camp.

    Para-Mallam admitted the Federal Government has been doing so much behind the scene but urged that such efforts be intensified for Leah’s release as soon as possible.

    The Jos-based preacher told our correspondent however said the government should much more for the release of all abductees.

    “Such negotiations are difficult, confusing, convoluted and complicated. It happened during President Jonathan’s time and we just have to pray and trust God for the best outcomes, as it clearly shows that the government does not seem to be getting things on the right track at the moment.

    “No one will believe that the government is doing enough if there are no concrete results in securing Leah’s and others release from captivity.”

    Expressing pains over the execution of the 24-year-old aid worker Hauwa last week by terrorists, Para-Mallam said government should ensure that was the last of such incident.

    He said Leah and other abductees must not be allowed to go through similar treatment.

    “That Leah and Alice were left alive is something to thank God for. It also means in some way that Boko Haram is listening and this is where the appeals and advocacy at the local and global levels must continue to the Nigerian Government, the AU, EU and UN to do all they can to secure the release of Leah and other captives.

    “Other international bodies need to also support the efforts of the Nigerian government.

    “Such negotiations are always done in utmost secrecy or confidentiality, my hope and prayer is that the Government is engaging with the authentic negotiators from the Boko Haram’s side.

    “I believe the government needs to do more now, than ever before to secure Leah’s release.”

    On the declaration by Boko Haram terrorists that Leah and Alice have been converted to their slaves for life, Para-Mallam urged well-meaning Nigerians to collaborate government’s efforts to secure their release.

    “I wish to appeal to well-meaning Nigerians who are open to helping in contributing towards raising funds for the freedom of Leah to take decisive and concrete steps from now.

    “I will always like to maintain in prayer and hope that – may Leah’s release lead to the release of other captives: Christians and Muslims alike.

    “We must not make the mistake of leaving everything to the government. Governments are human although they like to portray themselves as super humans and almost invincible.

    “Governments make mistakes, they engage in missteps and therefore limited in more ways that they care to admit.

    “Bravado talks in complex situations such this yields nothing but empty talk which diminishes the credibility of government.”

    He asked Nigerians not to stop praying for Leah and Alice’s release, stating “Christians and Muslims, at home and in the diaspora should jointly pray for the freedom of Leah, Alice and others currently in captivity.

    “Pointing fingers alone at the government is not enough. Let’s work together. There will always be profiteers in such situations but they can be defeated so that men and women of integrity and work in partnership to see Leah and other captives safely home.”

     

  • Nigerians enjoined to focus on consumption to end poverty

    Food safety activist Prof. Dele Fapohunda has enjoined Nigerians to focus on the consumption of wholesome food to boost their health .

    In a statement to mark this year’s World Day Against Extreme Poverty, Fapohunda said aflatoxin contamination in staple crops is one of the biggest challenges that can directly reduce the local availability of safe and nutritious food in country.

    He said it is important to capture extreme poverty within the context of consumption of unwholesome food, because health is wealth.

    The Dean, School of Science and Technology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, said the consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food has been described by the United Nations (UN) under the late Dr Kofi Annan as an index of malnutrition.

    He said: “Malnutrition is recognised as an emblem of poverty. Aflatoxin which is common in mouldy and stale food items, is the only chemical of biological source listed as a Group 1 carcinogen, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Its repeated consumption with food and feed, at minute doses incite liver cancer in man and livestock.”

    Fapohunda who is also a former president of the Mycotoxicology Society of Nigeria, said the consumption of unwholesome food is common among the poor who embrace such by circumstance, rather than choice. He said that is why “a series of avoidable morbidities can arise from immune compromise that can result from such exposure”.

    He added: “In Nigeria, aflatoxin has been discovered in most stored crops of alimentary importance, at objectionable levels, igniting a scare that should naturally attract government attention through effective regulations, capacity-building and awareness campaigns.

    “In the forthcoming elections, Nigerians are advised to vote for only presidential candidates that recognise the importance of food safety as a critical component of food security. Such candidate should come up with a measurable road map to enhance human health and fair agro-export through sustainable stakeholder–driven interventions.”

  • 2019 elections: Centre urges Nigerians to make informed choices

    The Centre for Constitutional Government (CCG) has urged Nigerians to make informed choices in the next year’s general elections.

    It said only leaders, who mean well for the country and have the capacity to deliver, be voted for.

    CCG Executive Director, Dr. Adewale Balogun, in a statement, said Nigerians have a wide range of candidates for various offices to choose from.

    “There are a good number of candidates being fielded for the various positions by the different registered political parties in the country, so, there is no reason Nigerians should limit themselves,” the group said.

    The CCG condemned votes buying and selling, especially as witnessed in the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states elections and party primaries.

    “Vote buying obstructs the democratic process by interfering with the rights of citizens to freely decide who will represent them and their interests.

    “Ultimately, it undercuts citizens’ ability to hold their elected officials accountable after they must have bought themselves their mandates,” CCG said.

    The Centre, in a statement by its Programme Officer, Juli Iregbu, deplored the lack of transparency and internal democracy within political parties as manifested in their primaries.

    It called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on its efforts to ensure that the parties and their candidates comply with the electoral laws.

    The CCG urged the electoral commission to stop monetisation of process and refusal of political parties and candidates to adhere to the stipulated campaigning time-frame as been witnessed.

    The statement quoted Balogun as appealing to Nigerians, especially the youth, to shun violence and work together to support credible candidates with vision.

    It called for the rejection of candidates whose politics are marked by “greed and colossal pillaging that have sunk majority of the people into avoidable poverty, degradation and lack of say.”

     

     

  • Nigerians will still reject PDP in 2019 – Adiukwu

    Frontline female politician and former governorship candidate in Lagos State, Chief Remi Adiukwu, has said Nigerians across the country are waiting to ask the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates a lot of questions as the 2019 general election draws nearer. In this interview with Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain insisted that PDP and its flag-bearers will be rejected by Nigerian voters at the polls. Excerpts

    THE PDP is saying there is need to change the government in 2019. Do you think Nigerians will hearken to this call?

    Nigerian voters are part of the most enlightened electorates around the world. Even our aged parents in the rural areas are more enlightened than we think when it comes to deciding who they vote for. So, those calling for change must wait for the good people of Nigeria to tell them what they may not know or refuse to see as the gains of this current administration. It is the people who will decide.

    Come to think of it, the changes they are calling for, who will it benefit? Is it the people of Nigeria who yearned for good governance for sixteen years while the same PDP was in power, or a few PDP chieftains who are tired of life outside government just four years in the cold? I don’t think they are thinking about the people. I strongly think they are only calling for change to satisfy their desire to grab power again.

    Check the list of people who oppose the Buhari government; I mean look deep and see those calling for change today, they include parliamentarians, policemen, customs officials, immigration officials, civil servants who benefited from the corruption of the past. They are unhappy with the honesty of the present and are calling for change so that they can go back to business as usual.

    They are worried, not for you and me, but that another four years of Buhari will crumble whatever remains of their dreams of endlessly looting the country. They are bothered that their hidden loot will be discovered. They are afraid of policies of the current APC government that has made it difficult for them to continue to steal from the people while pretending to be working for the people.

    Are you saying Nigerians will not vote for the PDP?

    Nigerians will still reject PDP in 2019. Mark my words, PDP will do worse than it did in 2015. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerians not to return members of the Peoples Democratic Party, whom he described as “those who brought Nigeria to its knees from 1999-2015” back to power. I want to align with him and urge Nigerians to ‘look well well.’

    The leaders of the party also know they cannot win. The process and outcome of their convention showed that they cannot win. They know Nigerians are yet to forget how they raped the country for 16 years. Buhari came and within three and a half years, he has done so much. I want to believe the change they are calling for will not happen because we already have the good change.

    So, to the best of my knowledge, Nigerians across the country are waiting to ask the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates a lot of questions when they hit the streets to campaign for the 2019 general election. It will be a time to answer for the many years of atrocities committed by that political party and its leaders against the people of this country.

    Based on the above, I want to insist that I am very confident that PDP and its flag-bearers will be rejected by Nigerian voters at the polls. I am waiting to hear what they will campaign with. What on earth will they tell Nigerians? Will they come with the same promises they failed to fulfill in 16 years? Will they deny the atrocities some of them who were with them warned them against and they refused to listen? Nigerians, I am sure, will never return PDP to power.

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is using the call for restructuring as a campaign promise. The party and its candidates say they will address the issue of restructuring if elected in 2019. What is your take on this?

    Let me answer this question very bluntly and sincerely. PDP can never restructure Nigeria and it is not good for the party to promise what it cannot do just because they want to win election. I can say this categorically because I have been a chieftain of the PDP for many years. I operated at the very top of the party’s echelon for all those years. I was part of many decision making processes within the PDP and as such, I can say I know what the party and its chieftains hold dear.

    Restructuring is not one of the things PDP believes in. They can jump on the band wagon now and proclaim their readiness to restructure Nigeria for the purpose of deceiving Nigerians and winning elections. But the leaders of the PDP and some of us who were with them but left because of their insincerity, know that PDP has no plan to restructure the country.

    Importantly too, restructuring means different things to different people in Nigeria today. It is a term that is now very misunderstood. It is only due to this misunderstanding of the term that we will still be seeing people who previously openly oppose the call for restructuring now saying they plan to carry out restructuring. When APC was championing restructuring all these years, PDP opposed it. Why the sudden change in tune as election approaches?

    By the time you interview six people, you are likely going to have six diverse meanings and or explanations for the same word. For me, restructuring is another simple way of describing true federalism. The reorganisation of the status quo, hopefully for a better result, is what I understand restructuring to mean. But this is not what some people see it as. There is no other way to better explain the term in the context of what Nigerians want and what Nigeria needs now than to equate it to true federalism.

    It is not the same as mere constitutional amendment. It is far more than that. Constitutional amendment is one of the ingredients needed to make restructuring possible. There are others like referendum, etc. For me, restructuring is more than just the redistribution of power, resources etc., in the country. That is what this is all about to some people. That is why somebody can tell you resource control is the solution to the country’s problem.

    Others will say it is zoning that will solve all our problems. I don’t think so. I believe these are just part of the issues we need to consider when discussing the whole issue. True federalism will address all these and more. So, Nigerians must be careful of what they believe. PDP cannot and will not carry out any restructuring even if it returns to power for 100 years. They had 16 years to do it, why didn’t they? APC have started the process; let us allow the current administration enough time to finish it.

    But some people say APC didn’t do enough towards restructuring the country since it came to power in 2015?

    The agitation for restructuring is as old as our democracy, if not older. Yet, no government has successfully addressed the call. But if you ask me, I will say before now, it has been a deliberate omission on the part of successive administrations. It is not possible to say that no government understood the call enough to address it. That was definitely not the case.

    Rather, I will say it is because the previous ruling parties benefit from the lopsided arrangements. With the centre as strong as it is, any ruling party would not be very eager to make a change. The power at the centre is quite enormous and anyone ruling will not want to whittle this down. Making the required change will need great selflessness and patriotism.

    And what Nigeria lacked all along are selfless and genuinely patriotic leaders. Unless we put such people who will look beyond personal interest and group satisfaction and consider national interest above party interest, it will be difficult to get a ruling party or government that will holistically and genuinely address the agitation for restructuring. That is the difference now. President Buhari’s selflessness is making it possible for the current government to move fast, very fast, towards restructuring.

    To those who see nothing being done yet, I want to tell them to be more patient. If we have to do it, let us do it well once and for all. There is no better way than for us to sit down and discuss the issue as a people. That is the only way because it has become an issue in Nigeria and we cannot wish it away. It must be handled with maturity and wisdom. For once, the people, and I mean the real people, must be allowed to say what they want. PDP cannot speak for Nigerian about restructuring.

    You were a staunch member of the PDP. Why do you think people are leaving the party?

    Well, I am no longer a member of the PDP. I am now a member of the APC. So, I will rather tell you why people are joining our party. Let PDP leaders tell you why people like me and others are leaving their party across the country. If they are serious, they should have looked into the way their prominent chieftains are leaving their camp to pitch their tent with the APC.

    People are moving into our party because of the growing confidence in APC. This is the party to be; this is the party that means well for the people. This is the party of development. Recently too, a former Chairman of the PDP, Moshood Salvador, officially joined us; he didn’t come into the APC alone. He came into the APC with nearly the entire structure of the PDP in Lagos State.

    I also left with my supporters and leaders of Crystal Alliance across the state. Tell me what remains of PDP in Lagos for example; very soon, we will obliterate PDP from the state political map. For me, coming back to APC was motivated by the development the party had brought to the state and the positive politics of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party.

    I returned to APC because of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ability to accommodate all and continually position the party as a winning team. His leadership style enticed me. The progress the APC is also making in Lagos made it necessary for me to join the progressives to further move my dear state forward. I also came to the APC because of Alhaji Balogun, the party chairman, who plays pure and progressive politics. All these are missing in PDP.

    But the PDP says it has repositioned and rediscovered itself after its loss in 2015?

    By their fruits we shall know. If truly they have repented of their sins as they say, many of us will not leave the party. Nigerians must beware, PDP cannot change. They impunity that ruined the party continued well beyond 2015. I was a candidate in the last convention of the party to elect national officers. We all know what transpired. A few people are still dictating the pace in PDP and such selfishness is driving people away from them.

    Also, those who had proved beyond any doubts that they have no good intentions towards the party are not being sanctioned sanctioned. A few people will threaten to deal with the party, like Governor Wike did recently, and the whole party will go begging. They will quickly change their plan and agree to the dictate of just one person or group of persons irrespective of what they majority want.

    If you now consider how money-for-votes and systematic rigging was brazenly perpetuated during the National Convention of the PDP, I will quickly remember the saying that says “A leopard cannot change its spot”. At that convention, PDP got reduced to a regional party as the South West Chairmanship candidates were frustrated by Wike and others in such brazen manner.

    The party is till not bigger than individuals or groups within the party. Those who want to be leaders through the courts are also not allowing the party to have peace. It is when they have ensured that across the country, all these impunities have been dealt with; when individuals or groups within the party no longer dictate for the majority that they can say PDP is truly ready to repent of its terrible ways.

  • Nigerians set New York aglow for independence festival

    Nigerians in the United States (U.S.) at the weekend set New York aglow with excitement and joy to celebrate the country’s 58th independence anniversary with parade and carnival.

    The largest U.S. city was painted with green-white-green insignia as Nigerians from all walks of life united for the country.

    The parade, which started on Second Avenue on 54th Street  in Manhattan, terminated at the Nigerian House on 44th Street.

    This was followed by the Independence Day Festival at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, near the United Nations Headquarters

    Known as the largest celebration of Nigeria not happening in the homeland, the 27th annual Nigerian Independence Day Parade celebrates the very best of Nigeria’s food, culture, music and people.

    The festival is also Africa’s largest Parade in the U.S., and showcases Nigeria’s unique culture and promotes the positive image of Nigeria to the rest of the world.

    Several  other nationals also joined in dancing to Nigerian music and cuisines, which pervaded the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza.

    Many Nigerian leaders joined other compatriots in the United States for the Independence Day Parade, and addressed the joyous crowd who thronged the venue to listen to Nigerian music and savour the cuisines.

  • Nigerians advised to pray for nation

    Lagos State government has urged Nigerians to pray for their country as it turns 58 today.

    At a prayer to mark the 58th independence anniversary,  Home Affairs Commissioner Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef implored Nigerians to have faith in their country and their leaders.

    Imam Mutohir Adams, who led the prayers held at the staff secretariat mosque, Alausa, Ikeja, said: “Although, we as a nation have made some progress since independence in 1960, we should have made more progress if we the leaders and followers had conducted our affairs in the way Allah has enjoined us.”

    Alhaji Adams said God loves Nigeria, adding: “He has been kind to us and has blessed us abundantly, especially in human and mineral resources. However, many of the sad tales we are telling are caused by us.”

    Quoting the Quran, he said Allah “will not change the way of the people, except they change (their affairs) by their own hands.”

    Nigerians, Adams said, must play big roles in building a nation where there would be justice, fairness, unity and peace.

    He implored the people to love, tolerate and assist one another.

  • When are Nigerians going to get angry?

    Education, as Mandela says, matters in a democracy

    You know I am not very happy with Nigeria.…but you let yourselves down, and Africa and the black race very badly. Your leaders have no respect for their people. They believe that their personal interests are the interests of the people. They take people’s resources and turn it into personal wealth. There is a level of poverty in Nigeria that should be unacceptable. I cannot understand why Nigerians are not more angry than they are.
    What do young Nigerians think about your leaders and their country and Africa? Do you teach them history? Do you have lessons on how your past leaders stood by us and gave us large amounts of money? You know I hear from Angolans and Mozambicans and Zimbabweans how your people opened their hearts and their homes to them. I was in prison then, but we know how your leaders punished western companies who supported apartheid.
    What about the corruption and the crimes? Your elections are like wars. Now, we hear that you cannot be president in Nigeria unless you are Muslim or Christian. Some people tell me your country may break up. Please don’t let it happen. Let me tell you what I think you need to do. You should encourage leaders to emerge who will not confuse public office with sources of making personal wealth. Corrupt people do not make good leaders. Then you have to spend a lot of your resources for education.
    “Educate children of the poor, so that they can get out of poverty. Poverty does not breed confidence. Only confident people can bring changes. Poor, uneducated people can also bring change, but it will be hijacked by the educated and the wealthy…give young Nigerians good education. Teach them the value of hard work and sacrifice, and discourage them from crimes which are destroying your image as a good people.—Nelson Mandela

    The 100th anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela that even got President Buhari excited in New York, despite his legendary and taciturnity, is not a wrong to time to encourage political leaders and followers in Nigeria to re-think about many things that are done to them and in their name. The copious quotation overleaf calls on Nigerians to remould or reshape their country, not only for their sake but also for the sake of Africa. It was as if Mandela had seen the weeks of the election to vote in someone to succeed Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State.

    The first observation by Mandela is in respect of quality of leadership in Nigeria. Mandela’s view that Nigerian leaders have no respect for the people shows clearly in the events that led to the just concluded election in Osun State. The PDP, the party that governed the country for straight sixteen years and now presents itself as the party to save Nigeria from APC, chose to act unilaterally after the death of the elder of Ademola Adeleke. The overriding criterion for picking Adeleke was his ‘electability.’ It was believed that Ede people would vote for him because of the sudden death of his brother, without looking at other factors that could produce a politician capable of serving as inspiration or good role model for the millions of youth he had been recruited to govern. Nobody seemed to care how educated (or literate?) he was or how educable he is. He was the soul or spectacle of any dancing party. Not much of a glib talker and thus not eligible to be referred to as a demagogue, nevertheless, his high skills in gyrations, to put it bluntly, was enough to endear him to the hedonistic layer of the society that has been dumbed down by clowning and infectious consumerism, especially in a Yoruba society that seems to have lost any confidence in the power of education on the mind of the leader and the follower.

    What is expected of senators even in Nigeria requires some measure of mental or intellectual presence. But gubernatorial responsibilities are more complex than those of senators. The governor must have enough literacy to read bills and understand their intentions. He or she needs to be able to make connections between laws that generate policies and grasp the interconnection between policy and implementation. I first wrote this piece two weeks ago but felt that it was not proper to publish it when candidates of various parties were seeking for votes from citizens, in the hope of avoiding being adjudged too partisan. I am bringing this out today because of the tempo of pro-mediocrity rhetoric of Yoruba people during the few days between the first and second ballots in Osun. By the time readers get to read this article, it would no longer affect citizens’ right to choose the leader they prefer.

    I remember how Yoruba people used to joke forty years ago about Barkin Zuwo for not grasping the fine distinction between solid minerals under the earth in his state and mineral drinks such as Coke, Sprite, and Pepsi, etc. It is worrisome that after sixty years of Awolowo’s Free Education Scheme in old Western Nigeria, there are people whose political partisanship makes it acceptable for them to accept that someone without any evidence of being able to comprehend any complex material should be given a chance to learn on the job! In the era of Awolowo, persons who asked for support of their peers in their communities were professionals; lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. These were people who had intellectual preparation to do the job. Modern governance is different from Yoruba monarchy which is defined by the flowing of royal blood in the veins of a prince, rather than the flow of ideas in the heads of candidates for political office. It should not be at the time that villages are pleading that Kingmakers look for educated candidates to wear the crowns of their pre-literate ancestors that senators or potential governors should be accepted just for what or who they are.

    Education, as Mandela says, matters in a democracy. It matters for those who are called upon to rule and those who are to follow political leaders. A minimum measure of critical thinking is expected from citizens who release their power to rule to others they believe have better chances of doing so. Whatever has brought Yoruba land to this low level of ambition about the capacity of their representatives in the legislative and executive branches of government needs to be addressed immediately. Granted that a low level of education on the part of the citizen makes the job of a relatively better educated lawmaker or governor easier for him or her, but the consequence of installing someone with severely limited intellectual capacity for the polity and society is more serious than can be easily imagined. Anyone interested in understanding the psychology of stunted cognitive growth on people in power should read Ayi Kwei Armah’s Two Thousand Seasons.

    A democracy that puts little value on knowledge stands the risk of producing a dumb electorate; one that cannot understand the difference between the sublime and the ridiculous. This is not to say that there it is automatic that once a person has a string of university degrees, he or she will automatically become a good ruler. It is about what Rev. J. F. Akinrele, the second principal of my secondary school, Ondo Boys’ High School, left as one of the most quotable quotes about development of the school in respect of a right balance between ‘First-class Character and Second-class Upper Education’ as the right recipe for progress. Whoever wins tomorrow’s Run-off election in Osun State should heed the saying of Rev Akinrele referred to in the preceding sentence. Nothing more would make Mandela smile in his grave about Nigeria. And ensuring a good balance between academic or professional training and good character can reduce the risk of an African Spring spawned by citizens’ anger.

  • Nigerians urged to embrace peace during elections

    Nigerians have been charged to embrace peace in order to witness development in the country.

    A traditional ruler in Lagos State, Oba Babatunde  Lawal Ogunrounbi,  the Oba of Shasha, gave the charge, while receiving  the Sarkin Hausa/Fulani and his entourage at the Oba Palace in the Shasha area of Lagos.

    The traditional ruler explained that “Lagos is indeed a centre of excellence that accommodates people of various ethnic groups and religions, and there is need for unity in order to progress in all fields.

    Oba Ogunrounbi called for unity among the sarkins in the local government areas in Alimosho.

    The ruler appealed to the delegates to sensitize their people on the need not to be used by politicians for selfish interest and should not be used for thuggery and violence before, during and after elections in the country.

    Also speaking at the meeting, paramount Sarkin in the Alimosho Local Government Area, Alhaji Ahmed Haruna Kuraja, assured the oba of mass participation in the coming general elections with a peaceful approach and urged the kabiyesi not to relent in his efforts to ensure safety in every community in the local government area.

    Alhaji Kuraja said the meeting, which was the first of its kind to be hosted by any traditional ruler in Alimosho, was always necessary for the peaceful co-existence of all in the local government area.

    He appealed to other traditional rulers to emulate the method to peace management adopted by the oba in order to bring about development in the state.

    The Wambai of 17 southern states in Nigeria, Alhaji Sanni Muhammed Bulama, urged Nigerians to remain united and be their brothers’ keepers, irrespective of religions and tribes.

    The meeting had in attendance  baales, Sarkin Alimosho, Alhaji Ahmed Kuraja;  Sarkin Ikotun,  Alhaji Nuhu  Alhassan;  Sarkin Ayobo,  Malam Sule Abdullah;  Sarkin Shasha, Mallam Iliyasu Isa Kita; Sarkin Igando,  Mallam Abubakar Muhammed; Sarkin Egbe, Mallam Ado Baje; Sarkin Isheri, Mallam Yusif  Mustafa; Sarkin Idimu, Mallam Bello Musa; and many other prominent people.