The Nation Newspaper

Tag: please

  • Will you pay attention if I say “Please”?

    Betty was excited that her husband had returned from work. She had a lot to tell him, ranging from her day at work to the issues the children had in school. Unfortunately, Fred wasn’t in the mood for any of that. He had a tough day and needed to free his mind from everything by watching a game of football. Betty tried to show how much she cared by asking him about his day at work. For Fred, however, that was the worst conversation he could have at that time, so, he managed a few incoherent statements while keeping his eyes “glued” to football game on the television.

    Since it was obvious that Fred wasn’t ready to share his “day-time” experiences, Betty would readily share hers. So, she started her narration. After a few “hum”, “really”, “ok” responses from Fred, she was certain he hadn’t heard her at all in the last 10 minutes. “Fred, did you hear what I just said?” She asked. “Of course darling, you said…” Fred was once again lost in his game so he didn’t complete his sentence. “Fred!” She called. “Yes dear?” “You weren’t listening!” “Of course I was, I just told you what you said,” he defended. “No you didn’t,” she said. “Ok, please give me a few minutes. I will give you my undivided attention during the halftime,” Fred pleased.

    Finally, it was halftime and Betty started her story again. “Like I was trying to say earlier, I just discovered this morning that the…” “One minute dear,” Fred interrupted, “Francis told me about this commercial at the office and I promised to look out for it”. After the commercial, Fred said, “I’m sorry dear, you were saying…” “No! I was TRYING to say that…” Then there was the sound of a phone ringing. Fred looked around for his phone but couldn’t find it. He frantically moved books, papers, etc until he found his phone. “Hello Billy,” Fred said. “What, he commented on my blog post? That is crazy! And how many likes do I have now? Wow, I’ll check it right away.” All the while, Betty looked on helplessly.

    After the blog post episode, Fred said, “I’m so sorry darling. So, what happened to the kitchen knife?” He was trying to be nice. “Never mind the kitchen knife. There is a major plumbing problem in our room. The bathtub is…” Betty stopped because Fred had sheepishly raised a finger in objection. “What is it this time?” She asked. “May I use the bathroom?” Betty was exasperated but she let him go. A few minutes later, Fred walked into the room while chatting on Whatsapp. In frustration, Betty screamed, “Will you pay attention if I say ‘Please’?” Fred was shocked by the outburst, so he dropped his device and settled down quietly to listen to his wife. But before she could get a statement out, Fred said, “Sweetheart, will you mind terribly if we continue this conversation after the game? The halftime is over.”

    There used to be a time when the problem was lack of information. In this age, however, the problem is information overload. We are told that the term “information overload” was coined by Bertram Myron Gross, an American social scientist, in his 1964 book titled, “The Managing of Organizations: The Administrative Struggle”.  If too much information truly exists, then there must be some direct or indirect consequences. Dr. Marsden, citing Miller’s Law, stated that the “maximum number of pieces of information a human brain can handle concurrently is seven.” If this is true, don’t you think we have a lot of problems today? Too many things are fighting for our attention, yet we can’t attend to all of them at the same time if we must be effective. Marsden also claimed that greater stress and poorer health are linked to information overload. It makes sense, therefore, for people to develop a sorting process through which they determine what is important and what is not. You must take responsibility for what you pay attention to; and whatever you choose to pay attention should be what will profit you.

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!

     

  • No gangster, please

    •The turmoil over five sacked lawmakers in Akwa Ibom does no honour to decency

    The evolution of Nigerian democracy sailed into tested waters this week in Akwa Ibom State as members of the state House of Assembly not only sacked five of their own but turned the presumably august institution into a primitive enclave with armed boys accompanying a governor. Gunshots, mob action against a few and a throwback to the First Republic mayhem played out in the oil-rich state.

    The drama began when a group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators announced their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and it set the stage for a drama that has raked in a harvest of hate and mischief. The five senators were branded as enemies and fired by the gang-up of the PDP senators.

    It is part of what seems a trend in the nation where the stranglehold of governors over the state houses of assembly is gradually ebbing. It is a good trend if only it happens without the puerility we witnessed in Akwa Ibom State.

    The idea of a group of lawmakers sacking their peers has become one of the acts of impunity in the country, which should be resolved when the matter has been exhausted in the courts, especially at the Supreme Court.

    The five lawmakers also tried to show strength peremptorily in one of the indefensible trends in our political history where a minority wants to oust a majority. We have seen this before in Plateau State under former Governor Joshua Dariye.

    But we know that even that act reflected brazen double standards. When last year an APC lawmaker, AsuquoAchibong representing Urue-Offong/ Oruko State Constituency defected to the PDP, the house welcomed him with warmth, blissfully unaware of their capacity to sack.

    But what was not acceptable is a situation where the governor of the state, Udom Emmanuel, turned into a political interloper by walking into the house and allowed armed thugs to shoot their guns as though we were in a banana republic.

    He went there to save his job as governor because if the actions of the minority pulled through, he would be out of office. But a minority cannot sustain such a move in a democracy. We saw this in Rivers State in the runup to the 2015 elections when members of the PDP tried to impeach the then Governor Rotimi Amaechi of the APC. It was also an ugly chapter in our political evolution when a chief executive would have to save his political life by plunging into the other branch of government.

    The state houses of assembly need to work as a sacrosanct branch of a Montesquieuan democracy. They have operated for too long as rubberstamps of one man, the governor. Part of the explanation is the rise of contrarian forces. The APC has been receiving some defections and this has led to some disruptions in the political space.

    We are also experiencing similar turmoil in Ondo State where a group of lawmakers are not in sync with the governor. They are also implying that the executive is working with the police to suffocate them. Hence they have gone to the court to seek protection against the police commissioner, even though 18 of them are holed up in Ibadan, Oyo State, many miles away from Akure where the law chamber is located.

    The police commissioner was changed also in Akwa Ibom State about a month ago, and Governor Udom has cried foul over the new posting, implying the new police commissioner is a ploy to sideline and undermine him. He was not angry while the former commissioner agreed with him. The situation in Akwa Ibom State does not merit a society in quest of a democracy.

    Both parties must realise that this is a democracy, and not a gangster system.

  • More convictions, please

    •EFCC says 603 convictions secured, but Nigerians want more of public sector looters brought to justice

    Is the narrative on the anti-corruption war changing? The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released figures that indicate that some progress is being made on the war against corruption. Hitherto, Nigerians  generally believed that very little is being done in this regard as we have had only a few high profile convictions in spite of the massive looting in high places, especially in the recent past.

    However, the statistics released by the commission last week could have altered the viewpoint. The statistics indicate that about 603 convictions have been secured.  This has elicited hope that those who participated in looting the treasury would at some point be brought to book. Already, some categories of officials hitherto regarded as untouchable have been charged to court.

    Top military officers, including former service chiefs, judges, former senators, governors and other politically exposed persons have found proving their innocence uncomfortable.

    For the first time, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Joseph Nwobike, has been convicted in a court. A few days after, a former governor of Taraba State who had deployed every trick available to stall trial for more than a decade was sentenced to 14 years in jail by Justice Adebukola Banjoko.

    Commendable as the feats are, there is still a long way to go. In spite of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) passed by the Jonathan government, unnecessary delay is still a feature of our judicial system. This has been credited to shoddy investigation, incompetent prosecution, failure of defence counsel to see themselves as officers in the temple of justice, and connivance by some judges. The battle to rid the country of corruption can only be won when all Nigerians resolve to join hands with the anti-graft agencies to fight the menace. The recent rating of the country by Transparency International (TI) showed that Nigeria is still one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This has implication for attracting investors and securing global assistance in combating the scourge.

    President Muhammadu Buhari should address the grey areas identified in the war. He should demonstrate that looters in his party are also subject to the same treatment as those in opposition. One sordid case is the indictment of his former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal. He was only eased out of office after relentless outcry. Since then, he has not been formally charged to court. There is also the case of former Director-General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ayo Oke, who was similarly relieved of his appointment.

    The judiciary has taken a step in the right direction by setting aside some courts to try corruption cases, but few states have actually done much in this regard. We commend the example of Lagos State where this has successfully taken off.

    Those in government must be told clearly that no one is above the law. And the only way to prove this is by ensuring that those who deprive the poor of their due are duly charged to court and expeditiously tried. We equally note that prosecution of such cases could be expensive as examples in other jurisdictions have shown. We therefore call on the government to adequately fund agencies established for the purpose.

    Unless the corruption monster is tamed, the clamour for improved education and health systems as well as provision of the much needed infrastructure would remain a mirage.

  • VAIDS: Tax with human face please

    Sir: Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme(VAIDS) was introduced by the current administration as an initiative designed to encourage voluntary disclosure of previously undisclosed assets and income for proper evaluation of payabletaxes.

    It has been implemented by the FIRS in collaboration with all the 36 State Internal Revenue Services. The campaign commenced at the Headquarters of Ministry of Finance in Abuja with top officials of the ministry, as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Service visiting markets and other popular places to sensitize people of the need for voluntary tax compliance.

    The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun while speaking on the campaign earlier, said   through data collected, the Federal Government has detected many people whose lifestyle do not justify the tax they pay, or who do not pay any at all. She assured such people will not be prosecuted or made to pay their tax arrears if they file the proper returns and regularize their tax payment before the VAIDS deadline which has now been moved from March 31st to June 30.

    For those with assets abroad, the minister said the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI), to which Nigeria is a signatory will deliver data on such with or without a formal request.

    In the words of Madaki  Ameh a legal Practitioner, ‘’the basic justification of the state in collection of taxes remains the need to raise funds to provide amenities for the common good.  Where those amenities are either lacking completely, or where they exist, are largely provided by the citizens themselves without any input from government, then the moral or legal right of the State to impose such taxes becomes suspect.

    He further explained that   in caring societies, the government provides a sense of belonging to all its citizens, irrespective of whether they are strong or weak. Those who are strong and able to work are consciously encouraged to engage in gainful ventures, which create wealth. Others who are not so lucky, either due to ill health or other causes, are recognized as such by the society and provided for in a caring manner”.

    “In Nigeria however, the reverse is the case. The few people in government consume most of the national wealth through a bogus government bureaucracy, which adds next to no value to the lives of the people.  Government recently admitted that 85% of the national budget is spent on recurrent expenditure, leaving only 15% for all other expenditure that touches the lives of the people. Meanwhile, less than 1% of the total population of the country works for government, and another very few are engaged in any form of meaningful employment.”

    “The irresponsible way the national wealth is frittered away without any form of accountability to the people, makes public office very attractive in Nigeria.”

    Speaking on the taxation policy of this current Administration, Mr Ebenezer Landue an Economist explained   that, taxation is a compulsory levy paid by the citizen and imposed by a public authority. Tax is an important fiscal policy measure used by the public authority to bring about price stability, stimulate economy, redistribute income and reduce inequality. As good as taxation is, it must be flexible, convenient, simple, certain, elastic, economical, productive and balanced.

    A tax system should encourage savings, production and investment. It should help to maintain full employment, stabilize prices, maintain equilibrium balance of payment and economic development.

    The imposition of a certain levy or tax on a group of people like VAIDS should be for a certain purpose, a certain time frame to raise income for either the payment of government debt, certain unforeseen expenditure like war, disaster etc.

    It is hope that VAIDS would not be a counterproductive tax which will discourage productivity and enterprise.

     

    • Comfort Yakubu, Abuja.
  • No excuses please

    No excuses please

    The future of the Nigerian game is here. The next 60 days will define if we can be called a football nation or one that adds to the number of countries who never make it to the big stage (God forbid). Ordinarily, we should make qualifying for any soccer competition a birthright, given our players’ exploits in Europe and the Diaspora. Besides, our feats in age-grade tournaments ought to provide the pool of talents needed to strengthen all the national teams.

    The reverse has been the case because many of the players don’t know how to manage their initial success. They are quick to jump at any contract outside Nigeria, not minding the effect of such moves on their future. The effect is that they never make it to the top. I won’t blame them since the flipside to their not going to Europe is the deplorable conditions of services in almost all our domestic league clubs.

    Players who earn a meagre N25,000 monthly and are being owed for over six months, would do anything to earn $4,000 (N1.8 million) a month anywhere else. The disparity in wages is so large for them to consider the future. After all, the productive life span of most athletes is between six years and 15 years. In the twilight of their careers the cash doesn’t come because there are limited options, for those who are injury-free. For the injury-prone ones, the time with the game is less. And such injuries could lead to their deaths, if poorly handled, which has been the case with our big stars in Nigeria.

    Our players’ mass movement to Europe in search of greener pastures has greatly affected the domestic game, resulting in the apathy shown towards the national teams during competitions. There is much for them to play for. Many would rather remain in the European clubs with the slightest knock than risk playing for Nigeria. One won’t blame them because of our penchant for using and dumping our injured stars, even for injuries sustained while playing for us.

    This kind of setting isn’t encouraging but we can’t sit back and moan while others dethrone us in FIFA’s monthly chart. It is the reason we sulk whenever our national teams don’t qualify for major competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.

    Nigeria won’t be at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Gabon. It serves us right because our administrators created the confusion that lead to a divided NFF. The former Sport Minister condescended to the level of trying to fix the next NFF President, against the democratic processes as enshrined in FIFA’s statutes. We always feel that there is a Nigerian way of doing things even when others adopt better but universal models. For us, it is business as usual, yet we expect changes reminiscent of what we see elsewhere. It won’t happen, hence the inertia with our game.

    It is pertinent to state here that football is our national sport. And if our players excel in their tournaments, the effect rubs off on other sports in many ways, especially funding, which is the nexus of making the industry to continue to exist as a business. Ministers, who ought to be neutral in NFF’s matters, fuel the crises that derail our progress.

    It appears we are ready to correct this flaw, now that the roof has fallen on our heads. And the new direction starts on October 9, when the Super Eagles file out against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in Ndola in one of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

    We celebrated when our foreign legion arrived in Uyo on time for the meaningless Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania. And it showed in the way the team played, although they frittered away goal scoring chances. It was expected, just as it raised the hope that at least the coaches have a squad that they can tinker with in subsequent matches. This wish appears to have been thrown into the lagoon, with Victor Moses, Isaac Success and Leon Balogun injured. Besides, Odion Ighalo is absent. He has sought permission to attend his father’s funeral this weekend in Nigeria.

    This unfortunate injury saga is the best test for the team’s depth in strength. No stress for a country with talented players. But the players must recognise the problems inherent in the team and report to the camp early to prepare for key matches.

    Nigeria is notorious for changing coaches, especially with the Super Eagles. Our notoriety is worse, with changing NFF board, with FIFA serving as the reason we are not fragmented in the Glasshouse. The new Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr, has stuck with most of the boys who beat Tanzania 1-0 in Uyo. Lack of continuity in the Eagles’ structure has been chiefly responsible for the perpetual building (or is it going back to the drawing board) of the team.

    However, those who would be picked to start the game against Chipolopolo of Zambia in Ndola know that they won’t be playing on lush green turfs akin to what they find in Europe. The bumpy pitch is part of the strategies that the Zambians hope to use to frustrate the Eagles. They will strive to kick our players, knowing that they won’t want to give their all in crunchy tackles.

    But the Zambians would be shocked to find the Eagles having swift dribblers who would leave their hard-tacklers sprawling on the turf. My hunches tell that at least two Zambians would be sent off by the referee, if they don’t play the game according to the rules.

    The Zambians will find in the Eagles an admixture of the younger generation of players from our World Cup winning squads and experienced players, most of whom are playing for European clubs.

    I note the Zambians’ rants that the Eagles are average players. I didn’t expect them to talk less. But they would surely eat their words because Mikel Obi isn’t the benchwarmer that he has been tagged by the host, not with his sparkling form at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

    I’m sure that many Zambians won’t watch the game till the end. Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are two of the best youthful players in the European game. By the time the referee would be blasting his final whistle, many of these boastful Zambians would be struggling to have their autograph books signed. They would be too stunned to repeat their pre-match cheap talk in which they described the duo as kids. Seeing is believing, dear Zambians.

    Curiously, Rohr is preparing Iheanacho and Iwobi for twin attacking onslaught on the Zambians, so they have their hands full, especially if both players reproduce their club form in Ndola on Sunday.

    Ordinarily, a game between Nigeria and Zambia anywhere should be a stroll in the park, with the kind of players that we have. But that is the beauty of football. There are no minnows anymore.

    Indeed, a game where Zambia beats Nigeria (God forbid) will attract the attention of European clubs’ scouts, who would want to see if there are players to pick.

    But the Zambians are in for a mouthful because most of the younger boys are from the domestic league, even though they presently play for European clubs. The Zambians would be shocked that the new Eagles will play very well on the bumpy pitch in Ndola. They play on such surfaces when they come home on holidays. But the difference this time is that they must ensure that Nigeria beats Zambia on Sunday.

    The message to the Eagles in Ndola is for them to convert as many goal scoring chances as they have. We must fight for the ball. We must dominate the play, such that their fans would applaud than jeer at us. If we beat them resoundingly, their fans would seek autographs from our players who they watch weekly on television. Goals will definitely decide the winner of the group’s sole qualification ticket.

    On form, the Eagles should beat Zambia, making the Algeria versus Camroon tie a cracker. We don’t want to start permutations with the first game. This fixture is in our hands to decide. We must beat Zambia with at least three goals, such that the results from Algeria won’t affect our top position. We shouldn’t start this group’s matches in second place. If we succeed to trounce Zambia and Algeria draws Cameroon, it gives us two points advantage and a big edge to beat the Algerians anywhere in Nigeria in November.

    With six points and a home game against Cameroon as our next fixture next year, we would have gained a two-point advantage even if the Algerians win their second game. The Algerians are the best in Africa. If we win our first three games, all we will need to do is go for the break against the Cameroonians in Yaoundé in the reverse fixture. We should be praying that the Zambians play for pride by at least holding Algeria in Ndola in the third game.

    If the Zambians succeed to stop Algeria and Cameroon from beating them at home after our victory over them on Sunday, then Russia here we come. But the qualification ticket won’t come cheap, dear Eagles.

    The flipside would be if the Algerians beat the Cameroonians and we win, it becomes a straight fight between us. It is for this reason that the Eagles must beat the Zambians with three goals or more. The Cameroonians are big stage fighters. They don’t look like a team to lose their first game by three goals. It would be much easier for Nigeria to win a two-team qualification contest with Cameroon than with the Algerians.

    The North Africans use the advantage of their inclement weather to the optimum. The fans motivate them from the stand. They are the 12th man on the field. They also employ all the tricks in the books to win games that they need to.

    Beating Zambia, coupled with winning our three home matches fetches us 12 points. It leaves us with two games against Algeria and Cameroon to pick the sole point. You can see why we stand a better chance to grab that extra point, playing Cameroon at home than the Algerians.

    Did I hear you say the permutations have started? Yes. We must know where every victory leaves us. Otherwise, we are out of the series. Good luck Nigeria. Good luck Super Eagles.

  • Plug the holes, please

    INEC, the security agencies and other stakeholders have a duty to ensure smooth polls tomorrow

    Tomorrow, elections will be held into legislative houses in the 36 states of the federation, while governorship polls will be conducted in 29 states. Only after then could we applaud the electoral commission and other stakeholders for improving on the standards of the elections held in 2011.

    The quest to have elections that would compare to the best anywhere in the world is still on as some shortcomings were observed in the presidential and National Assembly elections held in all parts of the country on March 28. Logistics in terms of distribution of materials and officials remained a major challenge. In many polling units, accreditation that ought to have commenced by 8.00 am started about five hours behind schedule. Voting did not start in some places till it was dark and that encouraged malpractices. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ought to have perfected the processes.

    Another area requiring urgent step is in the training of electoral personnel. Many of those deployed to conduct the presidential poll were new to the system and were soon overwhelmed when the exercise took off. In addition to ensuring that only those who had been given basic training in handling the sensitive duty of conducting the elections are handed the assignment, the monitors and INEC supervisors must step up their game tomorrow.

    Introduction of the card reader machines is a master stroke in the march towards having credible and controversy-free elections. However, the failure rate observed in the last elections deserves attention. The technology, if it could work well in Ghana, ought to serve the purpose in Nigeria..

    We note that conducting elections is no rocket science or nuclear engineering. All it requires to ensure that we have the best is concerted action by all, including the umpire, political parties, politicians and candidates, the civil society, the central government and the security agencies. Organs of state involved in election duty should be evidently neutral. They must win the confidence of the electorate and the general public. And, where they step out of bounds by acting contrary to the laws and guidelines, prompt action is desired to deter others from taking similar steps.

    In the first round of the 2015 general elections, glaring shortcomings were observed in Rivers and Abia North. Unfortunately, INEC has failed to take firm steps to demonstrate to officials who allegedly flouted the rules that they would no longer be tolerated. One of the political parties, and indeed, observers have pointed out that what took place in Rivers State on March 28 was a charade. Sixteen of the political parties in the state have called for the transfer of the Resident Electoral Commissioner as assurance that the playing field is indeed level. Yet, no action has been taken in this direction.

    In Abia North, the case is even clearer. In addition to the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) denouncing the result pushed out of the mill, the returning officer has disowned it. The question is: where then did the result published emanate from? What role did the Resident Electoral Commissioner play in the saga, and what steps have been taken to ensure that the flaws are not repeated in the district and others tomorrow?

    Ultimately, it must be realised that the antidote to violent protests is conduct of transparently credible polls. All the parties and agents should be carried along by the commission. Violence is an anathema to democracy which is predicated on the expressed will of the majority. So far, the level of violence trailing political participation has been reduced, except in isolated cases in Rivers and Ekiti states. The electoral commission and other stakeholders have a common duty to ensure that we do not return to the ugly past.

  • ‘Please, don’t let me die’

    ‘Please, don’t let me die’

    •Blast victim seeks overseas treatment

    The well-lit room was bright,but around the youth all was dark. A huge blood-soaked bandage was woven round his head, covering his battered eye.

    “Please, don’t let me die,” he kept on crying.

    Ahmadu Bala’s right eye was blown off in Wednesday’s bombing in Kaduna. No fewer than 82 people died in the incident. Officials said 39 died.

    “Please, fly me abroad; I don’t want to die,” Bala ,18, cried on his bed at the Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital in the city.

    Bala recalled how he was caught up in the blast after leaving the venue of the Ramadan lecture by Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi.

    He said: “I was on my way back from ‘Tafsir’ (Ramadan lecture) at Murtala Square when I heard a loud sound and before I knew what was happening, I found myself on the floor, far away from where I remember standing.

    “I felt my head was very heavy. My right eye had been blown off by the bomb and I lost consciousness. I was rushed to Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital here by a good Samaritan, I was told after I regained consciousness.”

    Bala came from Labar, near Jaji, Kaduna State, to attend Sheikh Bauchi’s lecture.

    He added: “I am pleading with the Kaduna State government to look into my plight and save my life and the lives of others affected by the bomb.”

    The Nation gathered from a source that of the five victims brought to that hospital, Bala’s case is the most serious.

    “His right eye is blown off. When they brought him, we quickly took him to the operating room, took care of the wound and he is now stable and partially responding to treatment.”

    He said Bala needed to be flown abroad for treatment.

    “We suggest that the government should as a matter of urgency, fly the young man abroad for proper treatment because his eye as well as part of his skull was affected by the blast and if it is not treated promptly, the wound can get infected and it may have a serious effect on the victim,” he said.

    Five victims of the Alkali Road bombing were brought to the hospital, but four of them who had minor injuries were treated and discharged.

  • More barbs, please

    More barbs, please

    IF Zimbabweans had any doubt that they were going to endure five more years of Robert Mugabe, that was settled on Tuesday when the court ruled that the election of the 89-year old was free and fair.

    His opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, denounced the election as “a farce” and “a massive fraud”. Local observers said it was a sham and western powers were critical of the poll, but the African Union (AU) whose observers were led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo said it was all free and fair. In his first public speech after the rancorous poll, Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, poured invectives on his opponents, telling those who accused him of vote grabbing to “go hang”. Tsvangirai was lucky the old man was in a good mood. Even before the voting began during his first attempt in 2008, he was given a black eye.

    In Britain, a professor has just condemned Winston Churchill’s speeches as uninspiring, saying it was wrong to claim that they stirred his compatriots to beat Nazi Germany. Prof Richard Tonye, in a new book, also asserted that the Second World War leader’s “finest hour” radio address, one of his most famous, lacked impact “because many people thought he was drunk”, according to “The Mail”.

    Back home in Nigeria, the barbs are flying. All Progressives Congress (APC) Chair Bisi Akande, in a widely publicised interview, told President Goodluck Jonathan that the presidency “is not for kindergarten”. For the Presidency, that was like a jab in the stomach. Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s aides were falling over one another to reply Chief Akande. One said he should respect his age. Fine. But, is it not said that with age comes wisdom, an attribute which nobody has accused the chief of lacking? If Chief Akande believes Jonathan’s handling of some critical issues is not good enough, what is wrong in saying so? Shouldn’t a lucid presentation of facts and figures have been deployed in replying him, rather than mere abuses? The debate is on for the phrase of the year. When the verdict eventually comes, I have no doubt that “kindergarten presidency” will snatch away the prize.

    The rain of blows in the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis seems to have subsided. Now, the two sides in the fratricidal war are launching verbal missiles. The other day in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike told his supporters to ignore what he said they must have read in the newspapers – that his opponents asked the President to remove him as a condition for peace. He said: “I have even overstayed. If you can be minister for two years, you must thank your God.” Many sneered at Wike’s comment. They do not need to. Given the chance, how many would not want to be minister for just one month? Just one month.

    Wike, who has his eyes on the governor’s seat in 2015, delivered a tirade in which he said: “We’ll make sure they will not sleep again, as they are sleeping now. They will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open because they know there is danger.” It was not really clear if his listeners were inspired. What seems evident is that not many residents are sleeping deeply nowadays, with the return of kidnappers, rusty ex-militants and other criminals from what was like a long long holiday.

    Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was a bit philosophical in his reaction to Wike’s broadside. He said: “I heard he’s going all over town, saying I didn’t appoint him; the President appointed him, but I nominated him…but, you know character doesn’t come easily; character is a very difficult thing and I am a man of character.”

    Amaechi, who was hosting some Niger Delta Bishops who had earlier visited First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan to resolve the differences between the duo, recalled how it all started and concluded: “As wife of the President who is the head of the government and head of the nation, she is my mother, and you expect that as my mother she should be able to protect her son. No mother takes away a police commissioner to the detriment of her son. So when next you see my mother, please, tell her that she should try and protect her son.”

    That was thought-provoking. Did the First Lady influence the posting of Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu to Rivers? His tenure has been as turbulent as a flight in a bad weather, yet the authorities keep saying Mbu would not be moved, even as the National Assembly has resolved that he should leave.

    Mbu himself has defended his integrity, saying he is a professional and not a politician – an assertion backed by no less a personality than Inspector-General Mohammed Abubakar. Whoever will pick the Policeman of the Year will surely have a problem choosing between Mbu and former Kogi State Police Commissioner Amanana Ababakasanga -remember him? – the one who barred Osun politicians from travelling to Abuja because, according to him, they showed no convincing reason for embarking on the trip.

    Whichever way the Rivers crisis is resolved, it will be difficult to find a sarcasm that will be as biting as Amaechi’s on our dear First Lady. In other words, the first family’s spokespersons surely have their job well cut out for them.

    In Imo State, Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has dumped the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for the APC. APGA is angry. Before one could say nna, which faction, Okorocha had been slammed with suspension. But the governor said he was not disturbed because Ndigbo’s interest is paramount in his mind. Such interest, he said, could be well served in the APC. “APC remains the best vehicle to promote the interest of our people. PDP has marginalised the Southeast and has nothing to show for all its years in power,” said the governor.

    Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako told the world why he is not at peace with PDP Chair Bamanga Tukur. He cited what he described as Tukur’s dictatorial attitude. He believed Tukur is not the best for the job, adding: “Tukur is killing PDP. He has been setting up reconciliation committees, left, right and centre…without results. He has just made Umaru Dikko chairman of PDP disciplinary committee. Dikko was indicted during the military era; he would have been brought home from UK to Nigeria if not for the vigilance of the Scotland Yard Police. Now, Tukur glorified such a character, bringing integrity problem to PDP.”

    Nyako, who spoke through the party’s factional secretary, went on: “We are sure many Nigerians will lose confidence in the party… .” You can say that again, sir.

    Tukur has taken up the gauntlet, asking those pushing for his resignation to forget it. “I’m not resigning,” he said in a statement he personally signed. He added: “I am not looking for anything at my age other than putting it on record that God has helped me, and then I am using the opportunities he gave me to serve the rest of Nigeria to the best of my abilities.” Fine. But, chairman, some people are wondering whether Adamawa’s governorship isn’t big enough a toy for your son.

    Asked by this newspaper’s Edo State Reporter to comment on the Rivers crisis, Patrick Obahiagbon, the inimitable former member of the House of Representatives who is now the Chief of Staff to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, replied: “What are Amaechi’s transgressions? That he regularly gives vent to the collective decisions of his brother governors? That he nurses vice presidential ambition, which he has even denied? That he habilimented himself with a perfume of recusancy and not decumbency when he suspected a foul play on the oil wells that he insists belong to Rivers State? That he hobnobs with progressive governors? That he insists on the exercise of his inalienable right to recontest as chairman of the Governors’ Forum? Is this why the apparatchik and coercive apparatus of state sustained by taxpayers’ money has been arrayed against him? I see in this malodorous script the hands of Esau though the voice of Jacob and this is certainly an eschewable socio-political asphyxia cascading into a Frankenstein monster that does not dignify the Presidency and this Makosa dance must stop forthwith.” Mouthful. Indeed.

    Whether they are blabbing or babbling or sneering or sniggering, our politicians are surely an exciting lot. How I wish they could keep it all at this – no cudgels, no cutlasses, guns, bombs and bullets. After all, didn’t the late songster, the weird one, Fela Anikulapo- Kuti, a politician in his own right – MOP, Movement of the People (you remember? ) – say yabis is no case? Let the barbs fly, please.

  • Please, pay our gratuities

    After years of meritorious service and resignation since 2009 from the employ of Pharma Deco Plc, Agbara Ogun State, contrary to labour laws, we have not been paid our gratuities despite the fact that we were all cleared of all wrongdoings after rigorous screening.

    Our families have been suffering many financial handicaps as a result of the company’s failure to pay our gratuities.

    All efforts, till date, have not yielded any positive result.

    We seize this medium to appeal to the management of Pharma Deco to act swiftly and save our souls.

    Abiola Ogunbewon

    Agege, Lagos

  • No sacred cow, please

    No sacred cow, please

    Violence, killings and terrorism are fast becoming the norm in Nigeria today such that the society is no longer shocked each time Boko Haram strikes. As if here is Iraq, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Nigerians are beginning to react with less concern to the unnecessary bloodletting in the country by these terrorists.

    There seems to be a sense of déjà vu each time there is another attack on Christians/churches and other innocent Nigerians in the north by Boko Haram leading to loss of lives and properties. Save for those affected in one way or the other, the rest of us seem to have lost count of the number of terrorist attacks and associated deaths/killings since we were pushed on this path by some forces of darkness and are going about our businesses as usual as if nothing is amiss.

    Hope is a tool Nigerians have been using since the existence of time to tackle their helplessness especially in the face of seemingly overwhelming adversities. Hope of a better tomorrow seems to make them live longer even when that tomorrow may never come. Little wonder then that we have been ranked the happiest people on earth even in the face of one of world’s most excruciating poverty.

    With our security forces seemingly incapable of protecting us against the onslaught of Boko Haram, Nigerians have resorted to hope, prayer and in some cases self help to free themselves from the grasp of these terrorists. But instead of the security situation as regards Boko Haram getting better, we are sinking deeper into this bottomless pit with seemingly no end in sight. Instead of our witch abandoning her witchcraft she kept on giving birth to daughters, so the matter continues.

    But since we are told that God is always behind the patient, the patience and hope of majority of Nigerians in this Boko Haram matter seems to be paying off as it does appear that we are getting closer to unraveling those behind this terror against the rest of us.

    Remember President Goodluck Jonathan alleged some time ago that our judicial, legislative and even the executive arms of government have been infiltrated by either Boko Haram operatives or sympathizers. Though he failed to name names, most of us believed him but were and still disappointed that he’s not been able to bring them to book. That seems to be about to change and the National Assembly has been his first port of call.

    Can you still recall one Senator Alli Ndume representing Borno North senatorial district in the National Assembly? The lawmaker accused some time ago of being in bed with Boko Haram? Yes, the same person who is currently battling prosecution in court to clear his name on this terrorism matter. Well, another Borno senator is being fingered again for allegedly aiding and abetting Boko Haram. His name? Senator Ahmed Khalifa Zanna representing Borno central.

    Both ‘distinguished’ Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have vehemently denied either backing for Boko Haram or support for terrorism. This is not a court of law, so I would rather leave the prosecution to prove its case if any against them and allow the court to judge.

    My concern here is not about their guilt or innocence but the fact that prominent people are being linked to this terror organization confirms my stand that there was no way Boko Haram or any such organization can survive without the support, tacit or full of the leaders and elders of the area concerned. At the risk of abuse and name calling by some elements in the north, especially the northeast axis, I’ve shouted myself hoarse calling for security searchlight to be beamed on the elders, leaders and even traditional rulers of areas where Boko Haram is firmly rooted, Borno and Yobe states in particular.

    The story filtering from Borno and environs shortly after the terrorists began their killings was that former Borno State Governor Senator Alli Modu Sheriff was behind Boko Haram and that he created the group as the militant arm of his campaign organization and indeed his administration, not only to win elections, but also to suppress his opponents. If this was true, he indeed succeeded in his mission as he not only won the elections (not all though) for his All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) but also ruthlessly dealt with the opposition, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Since all bad intentioned things cannot last forever, we were told SAS, as Sheriff is better known, fell apart with his boys who, with the type of training, ammunition and orientation they have been taken through opted for terrorism instead of a quiet and peaceful reintegration into the society. Welcome to Boko Haram. That was the story we were told.

    Now after years of silence, SAS is fighting back and has pointedly accused the PDP in his State of not only being behind Boko Haram and terrorism in Borno, but also fingered Senator Ahmed Khalifa Zanna as being their godfather. Uhuuuum!

    Following the arrest of an alleged Boko Haram operative recently in a Maiduguri house said to belong to Senator Zanna, by security agents, the lawmaker even though admitting the suspect is a relation denied having anything to do with him and said the house in question does not belong to him but Sheriff. SAS, he said should be held responsible. Uhuuuum.

    This is getting interesting. It appears both have something useful to say or know something useful about Boko Haram that could lead us to the solution to this problem and I think it won’t be a bad idea if both are taken into custody by security agents for thorough investigation. Coming out now and throwing this accusation and counter accusation could mean that the heat was getting closer to them and they felt it’s better to open the Pandora box now than keep quiet and suffer alone.

    When JTF began its campaign against the terrorists in Borno, a certain group of elders and leaders of thoughts accused the military of high handedness and called for troops’ withdrawal. Why? May be not unconnected to their desire and determination to protect their personal interests as events have now proven. Do we still need any further evidence to convince us that these so called elders and leaders are part of the problem?

    There are so many of them out there masquerading as leaders and elders, hobnobbing with government in the day but having dinner with Boko Haram at night. Security agents should painstakingly make effort in seeking them, taking them and using them to get to the root of Boko Haram and stamp out terrorism in our land. Nobody involved should be spared, no sacred cow, but at the same time, no innocent soul should be punished.