The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Propaganda

  • Tinubu and the inventions of propaganda

    Tinubu and the inventions of propaganda

    Sir: Political parties, especially those in the opposition, have seminal roles to play in educating citizens, mobilising consciences, and activating the right discourses. The opposition holds a decisive place in any democracy. Should this value be expended on asininities and on guerrilla warfare? If the essence of seeking power is corrective and righteous, where is the sense in efforts to bring down the roof with every artifice and conjuring available?

    No one is saying the opposition should be the consort of anyone, but patriotism dictates citizens must commit to the peace, unity, and progress of the country regardless of who is president.

    In the case of President Bola Tinubu, his villifiers have always sought, but fruitlessly so, to poison public perception against him. They invent ahistorical accounts, contort records, fabricate stories, and think up utter ridiculousness.

    During the campaigns, detachments of distortionists worked the mill of propaganda overtime. They invented tales and doctored videos. Time has revealed the falsity of those videos as well as the dark entrails of the promoters. Today, the president is seen speaking extempore, clearly, intelligently with poise, panache, and a sprightful gait.

    The traducing did not let up after the elections – even when it was expected that those in the adversarial phylum would form an opposition established on unrelenting issues of governance as they affect all Nigerians — and not on inanities and delusions. The fixation has been, laboriously, on the pursuit of a will-o’-the-wisp — not substance.

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    Despite indisputable evidence, punitive expeditions to the US were undertaken in furtherance of the smear campaign. There was nothing to be had from such endeavours ab initio, but to stir disruptive controversies and excite supporters whose morale is waning. The outcome of the Chicago State University expedition is an indictment on the species of opposition and their disposition of resistance.

    This dimension of opposition is ruinous, perfidious, and insidious. It tears down without building; it talks down without uplifting; it attacks without reason; it claims without evidence; it lies without let; it defames and defiles without conscience; and it opposes without a cause. All it seeks is to pull down and destroy – for as long as its longing for the chief seat remains a pipedream.

    At the heart of Nigeria’s troubled and enchanted existence are wild and minacious politics. Politics defiant of patriotism and national interest; politics vacant of soul and righteous purpose; politics of predation and degradation. Politics of gladiatorial contests and duels. Destructive, dangerous politics.

    We cannot make progress if our politics persists to be cancerous and a contest of absurdities. We seldom debate policies, and even when we do, it is usually from insular, dopey, and blighted lenses.

    Groundless tropes are the definers of our conversations when there are critical matters seeking attention. We keep going through the same foundry every cycle and expect a change. We have to be more purposive about governance, and less obsessed with thrilling distractions.

    I recall during the past administration; vicious conspiracy theories of ethnic domination and ethnic cleansing were noised as imminent truths. Ethnic epithets, slurs and tropes defined oppositional aspect to that administration. All for what reason – politics. It was all politics.

    Conspiracy theories are the animating force of Nigeria’s political discourses. They give taste to falsehood, tension, fear, and prejudice. And often, they are eaten, digested, and regurgitated by the unwary. It is only four months in the life of this administration, but the weavers of conspiracy theories are returning to their accustomed vocation. I would not give oxygen to the plot of lies and tall tales by reproducing them here.

    But it is important that Nigerians understand that those desperate for power will do anything to keep them hooked on the opium of lies, fear, and prejudice.

    •Fredrick Nwabufo,

    fredricknwabufo@yahoo.com>

  • Don’t involve us in your devious propaganda, Enugu workers, traders tell Ayogu Eze

    WORKERS and traders in Enugu State have described as false, baseless and mischievous, the allegation by factional governorship candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Senator Ayogu Eze, that the PDP was coercing them into submitting details of their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) Senator Eze, through his spokesman, Barr. Steve Oruruo, had while denying the allegations of gross embezzlement of public funds meant for road contracts, when he was chairman, Senate Committee on Works, alleged that “the Enugu workers and traders are being compelled to surrender the particulars of their PVC.” But in a swift reaction, the two bodies denied knowledge of such allegation and warned Senator Ayogu and his faction not to use the names of the state’s workers and traders to play senseless and devious politics.

    They stated that they had earlier endorsed the PDP governorship candidate in Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for a second term in office, wondering what could have informed the idea of coercing them into submitting details of their PVCs. Reacting further, on behalf of the workers, the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria, Comrade Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe, said the accusation does not hold water and should be disregarded. His words: “Not to the best of my knowledge. There is no medium through which that has happened. No worker has reported such to me that he is being forced to release any details, and I have not had any meeting or conveyance of any such meeting. “As far as I am concerned, there is no circular to that effect, directing or instructing workers to do such.

    I am not aware and I can tell you no single worker has brought such complaint to me as their leader.” Describing it further as “laughable,” he said “no government takes such decision, it will communicate it through a circular and it will come from the office of the Head of Service and as far as I am concerned, we have not seen a copy of such circular. “The issue of forcing workers to submit details of their PVCs for salary, no government can do that as far as Enugu State is concerned.

    We will have been the first to come out publicly to challenge it. Workers’ PVCs are personal to them. So, there is nothing like that as far as the workers of Enugu State are concerned. Anybody making such claims should come and prove it.” On the part of the traders, the President-General of the Enugu State Amalgamated Traders’ Association, Mr. Temple Udeh, who spoke to newsmen, accompanied by other executives representing the three senatorial zones of the state, described the allegation as unfounded, baseless and a diversionary measure adopted by Eze’s camp to downplay the burning issue at the moment.

  • ‘I don’t subscribe to propaganda, deception

    ‘I don’t subscribe to propaganda, deception

    FORMER Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor Valerie Ebe has decried the use of propaganda and deception by some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of the local government elections scheduled for December.

    Ebe said she does not subscribe to the imposition of candidates for the election, adding that her name should not be used by the leaders of the party to curry the favour of Governor Udom Emmanuel, by linking her with a sponsored message congratulating the leadership of the party.

    In a statement in Abuja, Ebe said those using her name without her permission ought to know that they cannot sustain cheap propaganda for selfish reasons at other people’s expense.

    The former deputy governor said some party leaders were using the name of the governor as a cover to pursue their selfish interests, adding that she never attended any meeting and she was not a signatory to any document congratulating the party.

    Her words: “I had not attended any Mkpat Enin Elders Forum meeting subsequent to the fraudulently organised primary that led to the emergence of Mr. Ekanem Brown as the candidate of the party in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area. As such, I’m not aware and never took part in any such meeting where the purported ‘Goodwill Message’ was written and co-signed by me amongst the 20 signatories, as being portrayed by the said news report.

    “I will never tolerate such falsehood, because it is capable of tarnishing my name and reputation. The charlatans responsible for such fiendish sham should be properly educated about the consequences, so that they would desist from such in future.

    “Nothing can be farther from truth than this fabricated news item which is contrived to divert the attention of Mkpat Enin people and indeed the general public from the continual deception coined to downplay their rationalities to prevent them choosing a popular, credible and widely acceptable candidate to fly the party’s flag during the December 2, 2017 local government elections.

    “The good people of Mkpat Enin are not fools, as scornfully portrayed by the bogus report. As such, they are fully conscious of the irregularities that characterised the recent primary election. The self-acclaimed political gladiators and franchise robbers should know that they can only fool some people sometimes and not all the people all the time. Sooner or later, they will be paid in their own coins.

    “Such sect should remember that they cannot with cheap propaganda and deception win the support of the Mkpat Enin people for the governor whose interest they are not sincerely protecting. Rather, they are using the governor’s name as a cover for their selfish interests in the local government ahead of the 2019 elections.

  • Countering Boko Haram propaganda

    SIR: While the resilience, gallantry and supreme sacrifices of the Nigerian military and the civilian JTF in combating the scourge of Boko Haram is commendable, an alternative measure that has not been sufficiently explored is the power of communication through the instrumentality of Community Radio. Boko Haram appears to have succeeded in propaganda more than the nation itself if the rate at which innocent people falls prey to their antics is anything to go by. Perhaps this may have been partly facilitated by their radio station, which according to the VOA Hausa Service, is being received on the 96.8FM signal in Tolkomari village, Northern Cameroun.

    Radio has been recognized as an effective means to transmit propaganda since the World War II. The Economist in one of its 2010 edition wrote that “Community radio has the ability to provide news tailored to a smaller population, reporting on local issues that would not make international headlines”. Also Farm Radio International, (a charitable organization which supports rural radio broadcasters in 39 African countries) affirmed that “…radio remains one of the best communication tools for the rural poor. It is ideal for low-income populations and sparsely-populated areas since radios are affordable and broadcasts can reach a wide audience. In countries where access to the internet is limited and illiteracy rates are high, radio stations play a major role in sharing news and educational information.”

    Interestingly the northern part of the country is reputed to have the highest radio audience throughout the country and this explains the spread of several foreign radio services such as BBC   and VOA Hausa services in the region. It is noteworthy that the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) launched its own Radio Station known as Dandal Kura Radio covering the entire Lake Chad region in August 2016.  The radio station which aired in both Kanuri and Kanembu languages on FM and Short Wave is said to be the first of its kind in Africa. This is quite commendable.  However, it is difficult to say that this has made the required impacts because we have witnessed intensification of Boko Haram terrorist activities. Perhaps this could be attributed to the coverage and contents of the radio station and not because of the initiative per se. Certainly there is need for more than one of such radio stations and the contents must be designed to suit the purpose for which it was created.

    The Community Radio initiative should be replicated across the region- North-east, parts of North-west and North-central since the spread of Boko Haram terrorism is not localized to Borno State alone.  As regards the contents, anti-terrorism contents should be constantly aired on the radio stations.  This must speak to the machinations which predispose the people to becoming a willing tool in the hands of the terrorists.

    Boko Haram strategies have been reported to include manipulation of children, brainwashing and hypnotizing of adults with a view to coercing them to suicide missions or to join as foot soldiers. It is alleged that they offer loan to the poverty-stricken community dwellers and in the likely event of failure to repay the loan the beneficiaries or their dependents are compelled to join the terrorists. Therefore the advocacy on the radios should be a disincentive to would-be terrorists. It should be able to disabuse the minds of parents and guardians from offering their children as cannon fodder to Boko Haram. Therefore the services of well trained and ideologically balanced clerics should be engaged to render educative contents on the radio contrary to the evil and satanic rhetoric of Boko Haram.

    The surest way to win this war is to counter the terrorists with propaganda.

     

    • Muftau B.Tijani,

    University of Lagos.

  • ‘During civil war, art was propaganda tool for govt’

    ‘During civil war, art was propaganda tool for govt’

    Former Arts Adviser to the Federal Government and founder, TAFAS Legacy Gallery, Ikeja, Lagos, Chief Timothy Banjo Fasuyi, who turned 82 last month, spoke with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on why it took him 33 years to hold his second solo art exhibition and why art is used by the government as a propaganda tool during wars. 

    What were the responses of collectors and your friends to your last exhibition when you turned 82?

    It was very heart-warming for me when I saw my old friends and artists come round to felicitate with me, except for few who could not come. I thank Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya and Kolade Oshinowo who appreciated and recognised my contributions to the art, despite my long stay away from Lagos art scene for over 20 years in Ilesa. They were happy to see me again and I think love don’t mind time of separation.

    You were absent from the Lagos art scene for long without an exhibition. What is the significance of art exhibition in the career of an artist?

    Exhibition is the harvest time of the artist. It is also the checkpoint of the artists. When you are working as an artist, a time will come you want to assess and review what you have done and what to do with all that you have produced. The artist uses the exhibition as a time to plan for the next stage of production. That is one reason.

    If during an exhibition the sale an artist made is good, he will not only smile to the bank but replenish his collection for future show. Also, the artist may not have made money from his exhibition but got constructive criticism from the press that will spur him to do better next time. This is another reason.

    Interestingly, an exhibition also provides opportunity for friends of artist to interact with one another outside studio time. In fact, some artists may learn from your works. But there are some political commissions. For instance, during the early days of Soviet Union, art became a tool of propaganda for the promotion of communism. Every artist then was commissioned to promote the ideology of the government.

    In Nigeria during the civil war, the Federal Military Government sent eight artists, including myself, to different parts of the world for art exhibition. This was to tell the world that artists were working and Nigeria was peaceful, in spite of the crisis. The artists were sent to Italy, Germany, London and US to exhibit their artworks. It was purely propaganda because there is no reward for that. It was service to the nation then.

    Artistes, including painters, sculptors, musicians, dramatists, writers and singers, are the soul of any society. When they poured out their souls via any media, they are reflecting the state of the society. Historians and art critics collect instructive messages about the society from artistes to reinforce their writings on the society.

    It took you 33 years to hold a second art exhibition after the first one in France, Paris. Why the long delay?

    The interval between my last solo art exhibition in Paris in 1984 and this year’s outing is rather long. But, it was not  lazily used. I have occupied myself with other things that are part of my dream. Again, it is not a matter of timing but I had personal programmes I was working on all these years. My dream as a student at the Nigeria College of Arts and Science, Zaria included building a house, school, church and art gallery. I have an estate in Ilesa, built two churches and am working on my art gallery in Lagos. That I am lagging in one area does not mean that I am sleeping. I am doing well in other areas to achieve my dream. I voluntarily retired from the Federal Ministry of Education exactly on my 50th birthday, according to my plan. Some were worried about my retirement. And many thought I was been haunted by African juju because they could not comprehend why I should leave my job as director in charge of all the Federal Government’s colleges in the country. The Head of Service then, Mr. Gray Longe, called me to ask if anything was wrong with my head. I told him nothing was wrong with me. And since then, I have no regret.

    Again, the main reason I have not been able to exhibit for that long was because of the Federal Government’s order banning private practice in the civil service in the 70s. This order affected almost all professionals, including artists. But note that I was the Secretary of Society of Nigerian Artists and I participated in group exhibitions at the initial period of the association.

    However, when I left the civil service, I discovered that the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination was posing challenges to many students. So, I established a pre-varsity school at Ikeja to coach students seeking admission to varsities and polytechnics. This literarily took me away from the art.

    Last month, you celebrated your 82nd birthday with an art exhibition, symposium, award presentation and dinner. What lesson did you learn from the events?

    Since the previous exhibition, I have been working in the last five years at my Ilesa base before returning to Lagos. But, in spite of the logistics and planning costs, I was happy at the quality and turnout of guests, friends and artists at the various events marking my 82nd birthday. I specially thank the Society of Nigerian Artists and other artists, such as Dr. Kunle Adeyemi and Bolaji Ogunwo, for their support. Now that my exhibition is over, I am trying to reposition the gallery to accommodate larger collection of works. The National Gallery of Art is planning the launch of a book here very soon.

     

  • Dickson to Makarfi: propaganda won’t help PDP

    Dickson to Makarfi: propaganda won’t help PDP

    BAYELSA State Governor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Reconciliation Committee Seriake Dickson has described comments on the submission of his report to the National Executive of the party as mere propaganda.
    Dickson said rather than name-calling, resorting to propaganda and outright lies, it was high time the party came together in the interest of peace.
    The governor, who spoke in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said despite his sacrifices, it was unfortunate that some persons within the party, were making “uncharitable comments” on the report meant to salvage the party.
    He called on everyone who had any idea to take the party out of its crisis to proffer their own solutions, instead of seeking to pull down the little gains that had been made by the committee.
    Dickson said: “My attention has been drawn to series of half-truths and litany of lies being peddled by some leaders, stakeholders and members of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the recent submission of the report of the reconciliation committee, which I chaired.
    “In my usual character, I am not disposed to joining issues with anyone or group, especially on a matter that I think can be settled internally. More so, when some of the key actors are not sincerely committed to bringing an end to the festering crisis that has set us back as a party”.
    Dickson explained that he never supported the party’s court-declared chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
    He added that since the Appeal Court had recognised him as leader of the party, the laws had to be obeyed.
    He said: “First, let me state in clear terms that the ongoing blame game, name-calling and propaganda will not in any way help us. Rather, we are by such actions de-marketing ourselves and playing into the hands of the All Progressive Congress (APC), which appears to be the major beneficiary of the crisis rocking our party.
    “What we should be doing now is to look for an amicable solution to come out of where we are, rally round ourselves and form a bond like never before since INEC had released the timetable for the 2019 general elections.
    “Secondly, everyone, especially in the PDP Governors Forum can testify that I never supported Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as national chairman. I strongly canvassed against his choice because he was new to our party.
    “I felt that we needed a fresh face for a new beginning. But as a democrat, I believe in the plurality of opinions, which made me to tag along. Now with the Appeal Court judgment affirming him as the national chairman, it is only legal and strategic for all leaders of the party to engage him on a template such as what we have proposed.”
    He added: “Our conviction is that the recommendations of the report, chief of which is to hold a national unity convention, will finally put an end to the hydra-headed crisis. It is important to also state that our recommendations are not cast in stones but at the moment the most likely way to get us out of where we are.
    “I urge all party leaders and members who think they have a better solution outside what my committee has done to come forward with it for the interest of our great party. This is important and will help preserve the unity of the party”.
    The governor, who emphasised that there was still a lot of work to be done, noted that only the truth could save the party from further crisis.

  • Is N5,000 stipend for the poor a propaganda?

    Long before President Muhammadu Buhari became a democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015, he was seen in many quarters as a leader who has the interest of the masses at heart.

    Towards this direction, so many programmes were promised for the masses by the ex-military General during all his campaign periods in the four times he aspired to lead the nation.

    So it was not surprising when N500 billion was appropriated to alleviate poverty in the 2016 Budget, which was the first budget of Buhari’s current administration.

    Part of the N500 billion social investment schemes was a programme to pay N5,000 monthly to one million poorest and vulnerable Nigerians.

    But events unfolding last week have started to raise concern in the minds of some Nigerians.

    Last week Monday, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, in a statement, disclosed that nine states have been captured in the first batch of the payment of N5,000 stipend to poor Nigerians.

    He listed the nine states in the first batch for the payment to include Borno, Kwara, Bauchi, Cross Rivers, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti.

    He said: “As part of its  determined efforts to touch the lives of Nigerians positively the Buhari administration has now started the payment of N5,000 monthly stipends to the poorest and the most vulnerable in the country through the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) of its Social Investment Programmes (SIP).

    “Under the CCT, one million Nigerians would receive N5000 monthly payments as a form of social safety net for the poorest and most vulnerable as budgeted for in the 2016 Budget.

    “In the first batch that commenced last week, nine states would be covered, and many of the beneficiaries have already reported receiving their first payments by Friday last week, December 30, 2016.

    “Funds for the commencement of the payments in four states were released last week to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) – the platform that hosts and validates payments for all government’s social intervention programmes.

    “Funds for another set of five states to complete the first batch of nine states would follow soon.

    “Though the sequence for the payment of the money would be operationally managed by NIBSS, beneficiaries in Borno, Kwara and Bauchi States have started receiving the money.

    “The other states in the first batch to commence the CCT payments are Cross Rivers, Niger, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun & Ekiti States.

    “The nine pilot states were chosen because they have an existing Social Register that successfully identified the most vulnerable and poorest Nigerians through a tried and tested community based targeting (CBT) method working with the World Bank.

    “However other states have already begun developing their Social Registers and would be included in subsequent phases of the CCT implementation.

    “Beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer of the Federal Government would be mined from the Social Register, initially developed by 8 States through a direct engagement with the World Bank.

    “Those states are featured in the first batch, with the added inclusion of Borno States where a validated list of IDPS were compiled in addition to the Social Register which is expected to go round the country.

    “Working with the World Bank, the CBT process has now been adopted for developing the Social Register in the other states around the country, for transparency, objectivity and credibility in the selection of the poorest and most vulnerable beneficiaries for the programme.

    “The Federal Government will actually commence community mobilization for the creation of the Register in more States soon, to expand the scope and reach of the CCT across the country.”

    But as soon as the news from the press statement hit the airwaves, Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, whose state was named among the nine states, faulted the Federal Government’s claims.

    Fayose described the N5,000 monthly payment as a mere propaganda by the Federal Government.

    He claimed that there was no evidence of the payment in his state.

    He said: “A blind man will say it is when it gets into my mouth that I will say you are feeding me, not promises.

    “Apparently, the states they claimed have started receiving the payment are APC-controlled states knowing fully that the governors can not come out to disprove the payment.”

    While pointing out that the Federal Government’s social intervention fund was World Bank project partnered by the Nigerian government, he said that the World Bank’s money has been paid since June last year.

    The governor did not fail to disclose that he is already paying social security package to over 10,000 poor people in his state without any delay and procrastination in the last one year, calling on the Federal Government to toe his line.

    But on behalf of the Federal Government, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, last Wednesday replied Fayose.

    He said the government is built on integrity and accountability and will not lie to Nigerians.

    He said: “It was announced specifically from the office of the Vice President that the scheme has started in nine states. And then a certain governor came and say it is not true.

    “It is just a matter of who do you believe. This is a government that is built on integrity and accountability. This government will not lie to Nigerians, does not lie to Nigerians, in fact anything you hear from this government you can take it to the bank, believe it.

    “So if anybody comes and say it is politics, it is not true. Choose who to believe I can tell you that you should believe this government because this government will not lie to you.” He added

    Among the questions being thrown up now is: who is really deceiving Nigerians?.

    It is definitely not right to play politics with everything, especially with the livelihood of poor Nigerians.

    Besides the reported involvement of the World Bank and other organizations in identifying the poor Nigerians who will benefit from the scheme across the country, the programme should not just commence in states and the FCT without any form of ceremony.

    It will not be out of place to invite state government to such functions.

    If it is done with so much secrecy, the programme will be turned to a case of the more you look, the less you see.

    The handlers of the programme could even be accused of padding the list of poor Nigerians with the names of their cronies, relatives and loved ones at the end of the day.

  • ‘Rivers PDP’s planned reception for APC defectors is propaganda’

    ‘Rivers PDP’s planned reception for APC defectors is propaganda’

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Emma Chindah, has dismissed the “planned reception” for the party’s defectors by the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, as propaganda and deceit.

    He noted that despite the unfavourable January 27 judgment of the Supreme Court, no Rivers APC member had defected to the PDP.

    The party stalwart insisted that many PDP members were instead eager to join the APC.

    Chindah, who is also a former Commissioner for Agriculture, spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    The APC chieftain urged the peace-loving residents to discountenance Obuah’s claim and wait for God’s judgment on the governorship election in which he said over 100 innocent persons were killed and several others were injured or maimed.

    Chindah assured that APC leaders and members were prepared for the February 6 rerun polls involving three senatorial, 12 of 13 House of Representatives and 22 of 32 House of Assembly seats.

    The APC chieftain expressed optimism that the party’s candidates would win the rerun.

    Obuah, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, claimed that he planned to receive some prominent leaders and members of the APC from the 23 local government areas of the state.

    He claimed that the defectors were reacting to Governor Nyesom Wike’s olive branch to all politicians to join his administration, following his victory at the Supreme Court.

    Obuah said PDP’s umbrella was large enough to accommodate everyone, including defectors from the party on the eve of the apex court’s verdict.

    But Chindah said PDP’s promises to APC’s supposed defectors were mere propaganda that should be discountenanced.

     

  • Akwa Ibom: Beyond propaganda

    One of the areas in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) had an edge over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections was effective use of propaganda. The tool proved useful, helped especially by the state of despondency and hopelessness in the country, which brought about the loss of faith in the then ruling party.

    Now, having won the election, and even with the government firmly in its control, the party has not seen the need to change or abandon the culture of propaganda. We see it in the Ministry of Information and Culture as it sings different tunes at different times, depending on what the issues are.

    When the power situation improved generally all over the country in June and July last year, at a time President Muhammadu Buhari had yet to form his cabinet, the then All Progressives Congress attributed it to the body language of the president. But Nigerians knew it was the result of the efforts of the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    The APC is tactfully silent on the cause of the current worsening power situation. Instead, it prefers to blame the former President Jonathan for the apparently intractable fuel crisis, seven months after the later left office.

    That was after the government and its relevant agencies had run out of ideas to tell Nigerians on the true cause of the crisis that took the shine off the Yuletide celebrations. The frustration brought on lives and livelihoods of the masses by the fuel scarcity were never seen in the history of the country. Businesses where shut down, bringing untold hardship to the people.

    The Ministry of Information and Culture also failed to draw a distinction between insurgency and terrorism in the north-eastern part of the country, to explain away the failure of the military to meet the December 31 deadline the president gave them.

    It appears the APC in Akwa Ibom State has taken a cue from its national body in the use of propaganda. The party has applied the tool at every step of the way, from the electioneering period through the elections up to now.

    Before the election, it tried unsuccessfully to sell the dummy of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel tenure being a third term for Godswill Akpabio, the former governor.

    But the people of the state saw the former secretary to the government as the most capable to continue from where Akpabio stopped, and they expressed it through the ballot on April 11, 2015 elections.

    The party got otherwise respectable former political leaders in the state who fell out of favour with Akpabio to stay away from the elections, with video recordings of supposed empty polling stations and scenes of the pockets of violence that took place in a few areas, as alibi in its appeal for cancellation of the state governorship election.

    Now, with the Supreme Court yet to rule on the appeal that Governor Emmanuel has lodged in respect of the appellate court ruling that granted its prayers for total cancellation of the April 11 election, the APC has resorted again to the use of propaganda, insisting that the cancellation of the election is a fait accompli. But this is one propaganda stunt that will not achieve its purpose.

    More than before, the people of Akwa Ibom have become aware of the antics of the APC in the state to destroy what it cannot get. The party knows it cannot win an election in the state, no matter how many times it is conducted. Its recourse to the courts is simply an effort to frustrate the smooth running of a PDP government, in the vain hope that another election would afford it opportunity to perfect employment of the so-called federal might to win.

    The groundswell of support for the governor, which is building in the wake of the ruling of the appeal court, is evidence of a people that is united to ensure there is a limit to the use of propaganda in the affairs of man.

    Pledges of supports that are coming from all segments of the population for Udom’s continuation in office is hinged on what has become apparent, namely, the likelihood of a fresh election. The reason for this is not farfetched. In the short period that he has been in office, the governor has given a lie to the earlier branding of his government as a continuation of the administration of his predecessor.

    His retention of some key members of the Akpabio administration was for the purpose of guaranteeing a smooth and seamless transition, especially against the background of the need to build on the legacies of the previous administration.

    It is the reason he is building on the foundation laid by Akpabio in key projects that would herald the new era of industrialisation that he envisions for the state. Two important examples are the Ibom Deep Seaport, for which he has set up an implementation committee with a December 31, 2016 deadline for takeoff, and Ibom Power Plant, for which he has obtained a licence from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for increase in generation capacity from its current 190 megawatts to 685 megawatts.

    Also, the youth empowerment programme of the Udom administration targets training of 1,000 Akwa Ibom youths for Oracle certification in information communication technology.

    This figure will add to the pool of about 350,000 Oracle certificated professionals around the world who are in high demand in oil and gas, banking, manufacturing, security, agro-allied companies, construction, among others.

    Besides, 100 youths have been sent to Israel for agricultural training, to prepare them for roles in the implementation of the state’s agricultural programme that targets micro, medium and small scale enterprises in such areas as sea food, soap and detergent production, edible oil production, fruit juice bottling.

    The people of the state have also seen from the programmes and polices he has so far put in place, with three private refineries and a fertilizer plant in the pipeline, that he means business in his pledge to leapfrog the state into an industrial hub in the Gulf of Guinea.

    This is in addition to the various youth development programmes of the administration. Another governorship election would provide the people an opportunity to choose between propaganda and reality that is already visible to the eye.

    • Ojukwu is a public sector analyst, based in Abuja.
  • ‘Sylva thrives on falsehood, propaganda’

    ‘Sylva thrives on falsehood, propaganda’

    The Restoration Campaign Organisation (RCO) of Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has said All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, cannot differentiate between federal and state governments’ policies, especially on taxes and taxation.

    The RCO, which accused Sylva of spreading falsehood and propaganda to score political points, said the APC candidate wanted to get power by all means, including peddling falsehood.

    Sylva, in a statement, had accused Dickson of formulating a draconian policy with the introduction of multiple taxes.

    But RCO’s Director of Publicity Jonathan Obuebite noted that if Sylva was ignorant about such matters, it was clear he was not fit to lead the state.

    Sylva, according to him, was only being mischievous because he ought to know, as a former governor, that PAYE was a Federal Government tax policy not applicable to Bayelsa State alone.

    The statement reads: “Dickson did not introduce new taxes to Bayelsans. All he did was to get the people to pay PAYE, which is a federal tax law paid by all workers in Nigeria. How does this translate to operating a draconian policy?

    “Bayelsans are wiser now; they cannot be deceived by the antics of somebody, who was in power for five years and has nothing to show for it except violence.

    “Lies and propaganda have become the trademark of Sylva and his small group of supporters. Unfortunately, propaganda and lies don’t win an election.

    “Sylva should embark on issues-based campaign not propaganda. He should emulate Governor Dickson by going round the communities in the state and talking to the people, showcasing his achievements while in office.

    “The former governor needs to be tutored on what constitutes draconian policies. Is free and compulsory education draconian? Or, is he saying the numerous scholarships to deserving young men and women are draconian? What really is draconian? That workers are not owed salaries when workers in other states are being owed up to five months? Is it draconian to pay up Sylva’s N423 billion debts?  APC candidate knows that he has lost the support of the people in the state and it’s therefore not surprising that he is resorting to cheap blackmail.”