The Nation Newspaper

Tag: season

  • In the spirit of the season

    In the spirit of the season

    There are many reasons to dump what has become a worthy tradition of this column.

    The recession has receded, but many are grumbling that the pains are yet to subside. A petrol crisis seems to be here, perhaps to perpetuate what has become  an end-of-year ritual of pain. Thankfully, the authorities have assured us that the queues are artificial.

    Some oddities are fast becoming our routine and culture. Fugitive Adulrasheed Maina, seen by many as a master of braggadocio and obfuscation, claims to have facts and figures on the incredible pension heist scandal. He has refused to come before the court to clear his name. Nigerians are pushing for the disbanding of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad for alleged brutality.

    Boko Haram remains a snake with a slashed tail – vicious in its scorched-earth tactic.

    Nevertheless, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. So, in the spirit of the season, here we are again with a mailing list of some compatriots who deserve gifts this Yuletide.

    President Muhammadu Buhari tops the list for obvious reasons. To the consternation of his adversaries, who had written him off for dead, he survived a major health challenge after about 90 days in Britain. He has since been working with the energy of a young man, flying here and there on official duties.

    A governor-yes; a governor – once swore that Buhari would not return alive from his medical trip. “Call me a bastard, if Buhari returns alive,” he was quoted as saying. In fact, the gentleman threatened to release six pictures of the President on his sick bed. Since Buhari’s return, those who apparently have no respect for protocol have been calling the said governor “His Excellency the bastard”. Being a gentleman and in his characteristic reticence, the governor has pretended not to have heard the invectives poured on him.

    For Buhari, I have ordered a Sequential Compression Device (SCD), a pair of therapeutic socks to be worn on his long flights to prevent blood clotting.

    Dr Goodluck Jonathan remains a jolly good fellow, his close associates claim. In the spirit of sportsmanship, they say, he has put behind him the loss of his presidency. He has, in fact, been very busy on the lecture circuit, expounding the principles of democracy and rule of law.

    His goal, the former President said the other day, is to see the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) back in power. “I will not sleep until PDP is back in power,” he was quoted by newspapers as saying.

    C’mon. You don’t need that sir. Insomnia is a serious health condition to which an ex-president should not be subjected just because his party lost an election after threatening to rule for 60 years.

    For Jonathan, I have ordered 12 packets of the herbal supplement Valerian Root, which ensures a restful night, deep sleep and calm nerves. It has no side effects.

    There seems to be no sign that the former president has started writing his memoirs, which many can hardly wait to read, particularly after he confessed that he had been caged. Who did such a wicked deed? Men? Women? How? Why? The world would like to know. I mailed to His Excellency last year Curtis Bisel’s How to write an autobiography. The secret tips to finally get started. It may have got lost in transit. Another copy will soon be on the way.

    Before feminists and Beijing belligerents descend on me for alleged bigotry, let me quickly put former First Lady Dame Patience Faka Jonathan on the list. Why not? There was no dull moment in her days at the Villa. It was full of drama, like an Indian movie. Now she is being accused of having a gargantuan appetite for money, the source of which detectives are probing.

    Her Excellency has been in and out of courts in a desperate battle to keep what she insists is part of her vast estate inherited from her loving mother – may her generous soul continue to rest in peace. All the commotion over the hefty sums in various currencies would not have happened if the money had not been hauled to the banks under various names.

    I have ordered for Mama Peace three home safes, made of the finest steel by Hamilton, which has been in the trade since 1967. These can be installed in a safe house in Otuoke. When she eventually recovers her fortune by court order, it can be moved there and kept away forever from the prying eyes of those impudent detectives.

    Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar deserves to be listed. The Wazirin Adamawa has just dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of which he had been a member. He says he jumped ship because he was sidelined in the scheme of things. Besides, he is doing it for the youth, His Excellency said.

    Instead of praising his courage and endurance, some critics have been excoriating Atiku for what they call his inconsistency and desperation. When did desperation become a crime?

    Some have even turned it all into jokes on the social media. Sample: “May your life never be moving forward-backward like Atiku’s political career. This disease is called ‘Atikulation’.”

    Others said the foremost politician had been struck by a strange disease called “sokugo” that keeps its victim restless, always moving, as described by novelist Cyprian Ekwensi in Burning Grass.

    Atiku has always kept his eyes on the ball. He won’t be distracted. From me Atiku will get a copy of Marie-Henrie Beyle’s “The Red and the Black”, a novel with unmatchable insight into the knotty nature of ambition.

    Many Nigerians are still grumbling even after the government announced with relish that the economy has been saved from a crushing recession.  Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has been tackling the challenges – and many controversies. She has visited the National Assembly several times on budget performance, ‘Mainagate’ and others. The ministry got embroiled in the brouhaha over the compensation due to the whistle -blower(s) of the Osborne Towers cash haul. Now she will have to explain how and why Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) boss Mounir Gwarzo was suspended.

    She is also going after tax dodgers, majority of them men and women of immense influence and means. Just how much more can a young woman take?

    Mrs Adeosun will get the latest version of the M2 Basic Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, the OMRON brand.

    Garrulous Senator Dino Melaye has always made my mailing list. Belligerent and cocky, Melaye continues to amaze his friends and foes with his conduct, which his critics have traced to his days as a rent-a-crowd contractor. A source, who is close to the cousin of a senator’s uncle, has just told me that Melaye’s friends are planning to sponsor research into psychopathy by some young neurosurgeons. I wish them well.

    From me, the distinguished senator will get another pack of the herbal medication “Kalms” that aids sleep at night and keeps one calm all day. That’s what he got last year.

    With many of our governors doing wonders, it will be gross insensitivity or pure mischief to ignore them. In Ekiti, His Excellency Ayo Fayose has been busy – not on some project files or at those long nocturnal meetings on urgent matters of state. He has been working a sewing machine to its limit so as to meet up with the deadline for the delivery of clothes he has promised 10,000 kids for Christmas.

    Owelle Rochas Okorocha is yet to finish the immensely tasking job of erecting statues in honour of his heroes, an action that has delighted millions of Imo State residents. So popular was one of the early works, the one mounted in honour of South African President Jacob Zuma that it has been hilariously named “Zuma’s Erection,” or “Okorochas Erection”; take your pick.      To Governors Forum Chair Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, the governor of Zamfara State, I intend to mail 36 copies of Rudolph Giuliani’s “Leadership”.

    My mailing list remains open, dear reader. Feel free to contact me if you notice any omission. I would be glad to correct it. Best wishes for a great season.

     

    And Okorocha marches on

    Many have accused him of being proud and wasteful. Some even say he is frivolous and hysterical. But, to his credit, none of his traducers has accused Owelle Rochas Okorocha of lacking in creativity.

    The Imo State governor keeps surprising everyone. After riding the storm generated by Zuma’s statue, His Excellency is facing an uproar over the appointment of  a Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfillment.

    The appointee, the governor’s sister, has been fighting back.  “If you don’t understand something,” she has advised the critics, “keep quiet.” Read and research. Make good use of your sense.”

    Even before Mrs Ogechi Ololo settles down in office, a source has said, a large army of Nigerians are getting set for Imo in search of – what else? – happiness and fulfillment. Rejoice all Imo citizens; “The great march to the land of happiness and fulfillment” has begun.

    To shame those accusing him of nepotism, Okorocha, according to a Government House source, will soon make more of such prestigious  appointments. On the list is Commissioner for Enjoyment and Entertainment (E.E.). The lucky appointee, most likely the governor’s brother (for gender sensitivity), will ensure, among other urgent duties, that all the Isiewu and palm wine shacks are streamlined, serving the same good quality of the popular delicacy.

  • Aajiirebi enters new season, gets new presenter

    Aajiirebi enters new season, gets new presenter

    Yoruba language magazine breakfast show, Aajiirebi, is set to begin a new season. Announcing that the show will continue in its conversational style engagement with guests on Saturday in Lagos, the CEO of RareEdge Media, Mr Adeleye Fabusoro, also introduced a new presenter, Damilola Oni to join the duo of Bamidele Fagboyo and Feyikemi Agbola.

    A lady of many parts – presenter, actor and linguist – Damilola studied Yoruba at the University of Ibadan and brings her vast love and knowledge of the culture to the show.

    Bamidele, an experienced actor, has featured in not less than 100 movies and soap operas such as Superstory, Behind the Smile, The Journey, Tweeters and House 22. And Feyikemi who hosts Anike Kilonsele (a 4 minute segment on the show where useful and practical advice/tips on everyday living is shared) is a Physiology graduate from University of Ibadan. She is presently studying for a Masters degree in Public Health in University College Hospital, Ibadan.

    Aajiirebi, a pre-recorded 30-minute show, made its debut three years ago, presenting eclectic issues in contemporary Nigerian and African society. It has been directed by Tunde Oladimeji for the past two years. Oladimeji is also TV show host of the popular Yoruba programme Arambara.

    Fabusoro highlighted other TV shows that Rare edge media is producing like (Awon Aladun De) which shows on Africa Magic Yoruba by 6pm on Fridays; Family First, also shows on Africa Magic family on Wednesday 6pm and Saturday 8:30pm.

    “We are also at the stage of principal photography of other mind blowing TV shows in both Yoruba and English that will blow the mind of the audience,” Fabusoro said.

    “We have produced some movies which will premiere in cinemas soon. Also, we are entering into other global partnerships to produce one of the first of its kind Yoruba series, reality shows and talk shows.”

  • It’s season to care for the poor —Senator Tinubu

    It’s season to care for the poor —Senator Tinubu

    The senator representing Lagos Central in the National Assembly, Senator Oluiremi Tinubu, has described the Eid-el-Kabir as an opportunity to remember the poor and the needy.

    Congratulating the Muslim faithful in the Lagos Central Senatorial District, Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole in a statement she issued in Lagos yesterday, the senator also called for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians irrespective of tribe of religion.

    She recalled that the Eid-el-Kabir, “otherwise known as the ‘festival of sacrifice’, in honour of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, is symbolic of our willingness to give up the things we value in obedience to God’s will.

    “Marked by charitable giving, we must at this time, remember the poor and needy in our society.

    “This season is a reminder that we must put aside our personal interests, desires and ambitions, shunning divisive comments for the greater good of family, community and country.

    “Thus, I urge us all to adhere to the tenets of faith, living peacefully with all our brothers regardless of religion, in furtherance of the peace of our great nation.

    “May the blessings of the season remain with us now and always; and may Allah accept your good deeds,” she said.

  • Season of sacrifice

    •Nigerians should seize the spirit of Sallah to reembrace national sacrifice and goodwill to all

    The Muslim season of Eid-el-Kabir is quite a spectacle in many parts of the country. An especial subject of adoration are the rams, live or slaughtered, that come with the season. Then, there are the great celebratory durbar in the North.

    The rams offer excellent fare for festival jollifications, as Muslim families and even friends of other faiths, go merry-ing and party-ing, in an atmosphere suffused with warmth and universal brotherhood, under the rubrics of one humanity powered by love.

    Pre-festival, youths, especially in Lagos and surrounding areas, have converted the rams to some frenetic sports, where an excited and hollering audience gather to see the rams matched in a fighting challenge, with the winner ram, in some cases, carting off a trophy! Such revelry — even if some animal rights campaigners have said such sports is sheer cruelty to those poor, soon to be slaughtered, animals!

    Still, the ram is an unfailing symbol of Prophet Ibrahim’s unflinching faith and total submission to the will of Allah, the Supreme Deity.

    Going by the Quran, the Muslim Holy Book, Ibrahim got divine instruction to sacrifice, to Allah, his only son. Painful as that might have been, Ibrahim was at the point of doing so, when a ram came from virtual nowhere, and Allah told him to slaughter the ram in lieu of his son. That was an extreme manifestation of ardent faith and total submission to God’s will; and also God’s mercy to man. Can you imagine a festival where adherents slaughter one of their offspring?

    These are the ethos Nigerians should imbibe, all through this joyous period — deep faith in country, belief in selves even if the present situation is tough, belief in fellow compatriots, and mutual love, as one family under God, even if adherents to different faiths.

    For too long now, the country has been a hot bed of hate, threats and scorn, with Nigerians all but arrayed along hate camps. Some say, it is because of the biting economic situations. Others insist there is too much injustice in the land for hate not to sprout.

    Yet love, like the placid water which swallows the hottest of roaring flames, trumps all hate, no matter how deep. Nigerians, across differing faiths, while rejoicing with Muslims, should seize the occasion of the Sallah to rededicate themselves to deep faith in their country and in its future, as a land of love, equal opportunities and fairness.

    But much as these traits are desirable, they don’t happen by accident. We all have to work towards them.

    That starts with the government. While the government tells people to adhere to these virtues, crucial for nation-building, it should be the first to show the way. Therefore, the government should not only be fair and just to all, it must be seen to be so.

    Nigeria, a country of 140 million people, spread across different ethnic groups, religious faiths and cultural orientations, is a vast country. Since these people are no zombies, there are bound to be differences and some acceptable passion, used to express them. That should be taken as healthy dissent, not to be mistaken for rebellion to be crushed. It is this all-inclusive temper that the government must embrace to give everyone a sense of belonging.

    In return, the people themselves must realise that a quarrel among kith-and-kin, no matter how outwardly severe, cannot be more than skin-deep. Being Nigerian should, after all, count for something. So, as much as people should express their differences as frankly as they possibly can, they should be wary of crossing the line into uncouthness, barbarity or even savagery.

    As Nigerian Muslims troop to the Eid grounds today, they should remember our country in prayers. But even as they pray and their Christian compatriots rejoice with them, all must use the spirit of the Eid-el-Kabir to rededicate themselves to the spirit of sacrifice today, so that tomorrow may be better.

    We wish our Muslim compatriots a happy and fun-filled Sallah celebrations. Barka da Sallah!

  • Season of diatribe

    It would appear the spectre of incendiary attacks by sections of the country set in motion by a coalition of Arewa youths is not about to abate. Not with the recrimination that has inundated the nation’s political space despite the deft moves by acting President Yemi Osinbajo to stem the tide.

    Not only have such attacks increased in momentum, they are assuming such a complex texture that could further complicate issues and rupture the fragile peace in the country. The same Arewa youth that issued the quit order to the Igbo resident in the north has had other outings as potentially explosive as their first. Masquerading under groups in the coalition, sundry persons claiming leadership positions have come up with statements that have had the net effect of heating up an already tensed polity.

    One Gambo Gujungu purporting as the national president of Arewa Youths Forum, issued a stern warning to politicians in the south-west to stop any game that may rob the north of its rightful slot to the presidency in the interest of peace and unity. He said the north was aware of plans by the south-west to push out Buhari through a campaign of calumny using his health as a cover and vowed that they would resist any plan to take over power from them either now or in 2019.

    “These south-west people think we don’t understand the politics they are playing, we will shock them when the time comes. Some people want to show us that they understand the game of politics more than us. But they are in for a surprise”, he averred.

    Another group of northern youth led by one Abdulazeez Suleiman said in a press conference that they have written the United Nations UN to declare the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra a terrorist organization. It wrote the UN “to invoke the relevant statutes to which Nigeria is a signatory to pronounce Kanu and IPOB as terrorist outfits; proscribe their activities and initiate criminal actions against them”.

    Keen watchers since a coalition of northern youth ordered the Igbo to vacate the north by October 1, may begin to construct a correlation between that order and the staccato of incendiary statements emanating from sundry northern youth groups. Due to the relative ease with which they got away with their initial provocative threats, the coalition quickly dissolved into amorphous groups issuing statements on behalf of the same north. Curiously, nobody has come out to distance that part of the country from some of these reckless and ridiculous statements. It is however, getting increasingly clearer that there is more to this cacophony of voices than ordinarily meets the eyes.

    There must be an issue of interest the north is seriously committed to that has given rise to the recruitment of sundry characters to foul the political air. In this wise, the agitation for self-determination by the pro-Biafra groups may not be the real issue. It may have been deliberately raked up as a launching pad for the actualization of a very selfish and parochial agenda that is at serious straits at the moment.

    The question that is yet to be answered especially in respect to the threat by the northern youth against the Igbo is, on whose behest were they issuing the warning order?  If those seeking self-determination want to exit the Nigerian federation, is it in the place of the youth from a geo-political zone to appropriate that challenge on behalf of the federal government? Is there any exclusive loss they stood to encounter over and above other federating units that should warrant the indecent haste in appropriating a challenge to the Nigerian state? Or what stakes if any, do they have over and above other federating units to the point of taking up a fight on behalf of the federal government?

    Perhaps, the clue to this riddle can be found in the threat issued by Gujungu against the south-west. In that statement, he spoke of plans to deny the north of their right to the presidency either now or in 2019 with a vow to resist them. As if the threat was not enough, he chided the south-west for living under the illusion that they understand politics more than the north with a promise to show them northern dexterity in the art and game of politics. Call it the usual arrogance associated with northern stranglehold on power and you will be right. Call it kite flying and you will also not be wrong.

    There has been no response from the south-west even as the purport of the statement is not lost on them.  The issues in contention are clearly not in doubt. They pertain to the current predicament wrought on the nation by the failing health of President Buhari. With little information on the exact state of health of the president after many weeks of medical treatment abroad, there are fears of the north possibly losing power.

    This is more so given that the acting president is from the south-west. There is fear of the possibility of acting President Osinbajo taking over power in the event of the worst outcome. So what the youth are saying is that if the need arose for the constitution to be activated in this regard, that would not happen. We do not pray for the worst case scenario. All well-meaning people sympathize with President Buhari and wish him very quick recovery.

    But, it offends public sensibilities for the northern youth leader to simulate calamity and on that basis prescribe situations that would amount to a subversion of the grand norms governing this country. If we show such disdain for the constitution of the country, then we are definitely in for grave danger. We have trod this dangerous path before. But for the intervention of the National Assembly, the consequences would have been very catastrophic. Nobody should again take us through that ominous path.

    We say so given that a couple of weeks back, the Chief of Army Staff complained publicly of attempts by some people to drag the military into some unconstitutional action. It would appear the scenario painted by Gujungu can only come through unconstitutional action. And that is where the danger lies.

    If the above portends grave danger for our democracy, the call on the UN to classify the IPOB as a terrorist outfit is not only dangerous but a great disservice to this country. It would appear the youth, in desperation to get even with the IPOB, lost sight of the dire repercussions of the UN labelling that group a terrorist outfit. By their calculations, once the UN makes such a pronouncement, our security forces will now move in their equipment to wage an asymmetric warfare in the section of the country the IPOB canvasses self-determination for.

    We will now be faced with another war with consequences more grave than what presently obtains in the north-east. Then, the northern youth group would have achieved their devious aim. But in canvassing such a position, they displayed crass ignorance of what constitutes the objective conditions for terrorism. Whatever one may wish to say about Kanu and his group, violence is not part of their agenda. They have made that clear for the umpteenth time. Those who seek to associate them with terrorism aim at settling scores by all means including the sinister.

    The call is a clear and potent danger. Another terrorist group in the country would have satisfied both the necessary and sufficient conditions for Nigeria to be classified as a terrorist state. That will come with dire repercussions. Apart from being a disincentive to foreign investments, it will expose our citizens to profiling-the type the US government is currently pushing against some countries. That was why for many years, Boko Haram insurgency was not labelled terrorist outfit until their international affiliations came obvious. The menace of the Fulani herdsmen should have come first if we are looking for terrorist outfits. These are potent dangers we face settling parochial scores through unwholesome means. We can do with less of this diatribe.

  • Black & white: Season’s biggest trend

    Black & white: Season’s biggest trend

    IT’S the easiest formula for a put-together look. Whether it is colourful or subtle, there are plenty of ladies who love this look. Black and white dress is a fashion trend that you wouldn’t want to miss. It is classy and sexy.

    Whether it’s a white dress with black accessories or a white blouse paired with this season must have graphic stripes wide-legged pants. It’s hard to mess up this timeless colour combo. And the beauty of it all is that you don’t have to spend hours worrying about what accessories will coordinate since white and black go with all colours.

  • A season of parties

    A season of parties

    It has been a season of revelry.

    Minna was throbbing with the rich and the powerful on May 13. So was Lagos where the pulsating rhythm of the state’s 50th anniversary flowed into other jollification, including the society wedding of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s son. Abuja was also in a party mood; former Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion turned 60. Deputy Senate President Ike  Ekweremadu  clocked 55.

    Minna snatched away the prize for hosting the biggest of the parties, not because of its lavishness and grandeur, but for the  impressive congregation of the crème de la crème of politics and power. A mixture of grandees and prominent personalities – in business and the professions.

    That was only to be expected at the wedding of former military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s daughter Halima.

    The array of private jets that landed at the city’s airport was breathtaking. For days it became the subject of gossip in the social media. With such men of means, why do we have so much poverty with us? Do these people live among us?

    Some of the comments were lurid; others lucid. For how long are we going to begrudge our men of affluence, their taste and style?

    Anyway, that isn’t the story. Just consider the A class guests list and the sitting arrangement. The chance meetings. Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan shared the front row with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. They sat beside each other.

    I do not know if they had met since the 2015 election, which then incumbent Dr Jonathan lost. They exchanged greetings quite all right. But banter? What was going through their minds as they maintained their straight faces. Those occasional smiles were about other matters at the party, I bet.

    What would Dr Jonathan have loved to tell Tinubu, the architect of the coalition of progressives that dealt the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) its most devastating blow ever?

    “Were you fair to me? Are you pleased with the situation of things now? Why didn’t you help me? What exactly did I do wrong? They said I didn’t fight corruption and I tried to educate them; corruption and stealing are two different issues; we don’t have to mix them. Now you can see how complex the whole thing is. I won’t criticise anybody o, but is this the change you envisioned?”

    “Thank you, your Excellency. We had to do what we did to save everybody, including you. To have allowed the nonsense to go on endlessly would have amounted to a class suicide. It had to stop. No apologies.”

    Former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and his rival Ahmed Makarfi were there. Both are leading the two major factions of what is left of the PDP. They shook hands and smiled. What was going on in their belligerent minds?

    “You’ll soon see yourself, yeye man; the Supreme Court will deliver the hammer blow.”

    “You can’t chase me out of a house that  others and I sweated to build.”

    “We’ll see what you’ll do after this case. We’ll see the man who has the people’s support.”

    “On the rule of law I stand. You people invited me to save the party and you decided to dump me. Just like that.  No. Nobody can use me. I’m too big for that.”

    Former Niger State Governor  Babangida “Servant Leader” Aliyu, fresh from a brief detention, was there. He was all smiles, perhaps to tell his adversaries whose efforts have landed him in court for alleged corruption, that he wasn’t finished yet. Talk of resilience. Did he pump his successor Abubakar Sani-Bello’s hand? What kind of meeting was it? Warm? Cold? Felicitious? Convivial?

    This is the first time in a long time that former First Ladies Turai Yar’Adua and Dame Patience “Mama Peace” Jonathan have had the unusual chance of sitting next to each other. When last did they meet? What did they talk about? Was it just the usual “good to see you again”? Did the Abuja land dispute in which they tore at each other like some prized fighter crop up?

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was there. So was Senator Shehu Sani, his arch-rival and critic-in-chief. Did they exchange pleasantries? Both were photographed – separately – smiling broadly. The two prominent citizens have been locked in a bitter war of wits over the governor’s style. Sani was once suspended for anti-party activity, but the senator would not keep quiet. He keeps hurling invectives at His Excellency, overstretching his capacity to tolerate dissent

    Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was there – red cap and all. Did he run into his successor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje? Interestingly, Ganduje would not drop the red cap, the symbol of Kwankwasiyya, the political movement nurtured by the former governor, even as both politicians are holding each other by the throat over the control of the state’s politics. In Kano, it is Kwankwasiyya versus Gandujiyya. And there they were, the two leading lights, partying.

    It was perhaps Abdullahi Dikko Inde’s first outing in a long time. The former Customs chief had disappeared from the social radar after some yet unproven allegations of serious fraud.

    Right there in Minna were men who have played major roles in the Nigerian story – from the military era to civil rule. They symbolise our success and failure, our defeat and victory, our heroic struggles and villainous enterprises, our gains and pains.

    From Minna, the party moved to Lagos where former President Olusegun Obasanjo hosted a colourful wedding for his son, Olujonwo and Tope, daughter of frontline businessman Chief Adebutu “Baba Ijebu” Kessington.

    There were governors and former governors, foremost businessmen and traditional rulers. Chief Olabode George was there. “O, he has settled with Baba,” a colleague screamed upon seeing the photograph of the PDP chieftain and his wife Roli at the wedding.  Beside George sat Makarfi, cool and composed as usual. Then somebody asked: “Where is Sheriff?”

    Former Governor Gbenga Daniel was also there, all smiles. And so was Dr Doyin Okupe, Obasanjo’s former spokesman who once fell out of favour. “Okupe? Baba has really changed; he is magnanimous now,” a guest remarked.

    Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion’s 60th birthday party in Abuja was nothing close to those fairytale birthdays of yore that the family patriarch Chief Osawaru Igbinedion celebrated on at least three continents. In New York, Johannesburg and, of course, London.

    Apparently in the spirit of the recession and in line with the body language of the present administration, Lucky Igbinedion decided to celebrate his day in Abuja.  A touch of modesty there.  Those he thought  he had lost some weight – in cash – got the message.  How wrong they were!

    The celebrator, decked out in an all-white Bini outfit, , fire-red beads dangling from his neck and his trademark heavy moustache lush as ever, was in a festive mood.

    “So, Lucky is now 60,” a colleague said, wondering how old the former governor was when he ruled Edo State. The cynical fellow recalled how Chief Igbinedion mounted the podium to campaign for his beloved son in whom the people had apparently lost confidence.

    The old man saved his son’s shot at a second term when he told a cheering crowd of supporters: “Una say Lucky fail, Lucky fail. Yes. If your pickin fail for one class, he no go repeat?”

    The message hit home. Igbinedion got another term. He was later to be convicted for corruption and ordered to pay a hefty fine.  Action man that he is, he simply strolled to his car, opened its trunk, dug out the cash, paid the fine, and walked away a free man.

    At the Abuja party was Chief James Onanefe “Ogidigboigbo” Ibori, who has just finished doing a term in London. He was the toast of the show, I am told. Everybody wanted to shake his hand. But for the fact that it was well advertised as Igbinedion’s birthday, the event would have been mistaken for one of those parties to welcome Ibori from the London trip – his longest and, definitely, most memorable ever. Only two days ago, he was awarded a staggering sum of one pound (N483) damages against the UK authorities for a two-day illegal detention after his release from jail. Justice – at last.

    Unknown to many, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark had been preparing for his 90th birthday. Today. He took some time off the planning the other day to throw a jab at Obasanjo over some aspects of Segun Adeniyi’s books, which he felt the former President influenced. Obasanjo, a master of repartee and put-downs, simply ignored the Ijaw leader.

    The merrymaking goes on – recession or no recession.  Will they ever spare a thought for the poor?

     

    The coup talk and all that hysteria

    It is reassuring that the military came out yesterday to say that there are no plots to roll out tanks and halt our democratic march. Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai’s warning to officers hobnobbing with politicians was nothing out of the ordinary, the Defence Headquarters said.

    But why did the clarification come this late? Was somebody flying a kite?

    I gather from knowledgeable sources that the mammy market has not recovered its  rhythm since the Gen. Buratai warning shot.

    With the clarification, we can safely and merrily return to sharing bowls of steaming-hot peppersoup with our military brothers.

    All’s well that ends well.

          

     

     

  • A season so brittle

    It may sound impolitic, if not sinister to say that our country is  currently at end-stage inertia. But that is what it is if the harsh truth must be told. It is indeed a very brittle time we are in, but the larger danger is that most of the populace would rather deny that fact or live in benumbing denial.

    This column raised the red flag early in the life of this administration, warning that the delay in its take-off was nothing to do with any grand planning or reflection upon the desired roadmap, but pure, plain absence of acumen. One had been roundly attacked as impatient and indeed anti-government. But the jury is abroad now.

    The obduracy of President Muhammadu Buhari has met with a failing health; a dishevelled ruling party mates with a debauched National Assembly. And what we have is a very brittle situation. But the graver danger is that many of us don’t seem to realise the magnitude of our troubled state. A few illustrations will suffice:

    A president in retreat: Our most gnawing worry today is that our President is out of circulation and the presidency is being run by proxy. It is troublous enough that he is ill, the nation does not know the nature or extent of the illness and we do not have a way of knowing. For the third week, the President has been absent from most public functions. He only appears to us like an apparition and officials can only weave lies and even more lies to cover previous ones.

    The result is a confused presidency with no clear-cut head. While the Vice-President is statutorily in charge, close presidential and security aides play the cabal to the hilt, peddling influences and seizing undue advantages.

    If the State House is caught in such a bind, the country is only akin to a headless body thrashing about, feigning life but is in reality, in the throes of death. It is unfathomable why the entire country would have to go down with one man in a most abominable manner as this.

    And again, which corruption is worse than a President not coming clean with his people on his state of health; where is the integrity and honour in a President holding the entire country down when he ought to step down. Let it be on record that as things stand now, the greatest legacy PMB can possibly bequeath to this country is to resign honourably. History would be kind to his era if he resigns now.

    A confused state: While the President is ill, it is apparent that the cabinet is in a flux, to put it mildly. Let us consider a few incidents. First, the so-called Ikoyigate cash haul. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its normal run of duty, uncovers a huge cache of cash (N13b) in a private flat owned by the wife of a serving boss of an intelligence agency.

    Then the chief spook who ought to have fallen on his sword or escaped the country through the nearest footpath comes forward to insult the rest of us. First the cash was for covert operations; no it was a small leftover of a huge slush fund meant for the last election. The last president authorised it. Oh, the current Defence Minister is aware of the fund. Now what is to be done? A presidential panel made up of the Vice-President, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Defence Minister was hurriedly set up. It is to determine why a sitting intelligence boss was hiding cash large enough to raise an army. It is also to determine why the deposed Secretary to the Government of the Federation, long fingered for fraud, should be fingered for fraud in the first place.

    But to cut the long, tacky story of this panel short, it is the best illustration of a much waning presidency, divided and lacking in verve or initiative. Is it not trite that persons, high or low, suspected of fraud or any malfeasance should be sidelined and handed to the appropriate authorities to investigate, prosecute or set free as the case may be?

    To set up a special presidential panel on cases that represent the very test of the administration’s integrity is ab initio tainted. And let it be put on record also that the so-called presidential panel is a bloody waste of the nation’s time and resources especially at a difficult time the presidency needs all the focus and concentration it can muster. But most remarkable is that whatever report the panel presents would only be received with a pinch of salt. Pity.

    The zealot CSO and the rudderless NASS: The fascist action of Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the President, in summarily dismissing a correspondent from the Presidential Villa may seem minor, but it is a bold pointer to the current state of dysfunction. Everybody simply morphed into a small president in his own corner!

    And what about the merrymakers in the National Assembly? As they furiously pursue a bill to eradicate tribal marks, the country bleeds and grinds with no rudder. The latest great news from that quarter is that the Appropriation Bill will not be ready soon as the police raided the home of Sen. Danjuma Goje, Appropriation Committee chairman, disrupting proceedings and truncating their deadlines. Hmmn…

    And finally, a ruling party has never been in so much disarray. For nearly two years since it has been in power, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been unable to meet to manage its affairs not to mention helping to stir the ship of state. And we say all is well?

     

    As Nigerian editors convene

    Today, the best of Nigeria’s media converge on Lagos for another of her two-yearly convention. This year’s disquisition is on: “A Nation in Recession: Wither the Nigerian Media.” The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the leading media influence group in the country, will among other matters, hold election to pick members who will run its affairs for the next two years.

    The Guild has over the years grown in strength and stature, as it continues to impact more on the state of the nation. In like manner, its elections have continued to be keenly contested in a manner, not unlike what transpires in national politics.

    A five-man strong Election Committee has been inaugurated, made up of eminent Fellows of the Guild. It promises to be a successful convention which will usher in a fresh new season for the Guild. This is wishing all delegates from across the country a most fulfilling and safe outing.

  • Wide-leg pants:Season’s coolest trend

    Wide-leg pants:Season’s coolest trend

    THE popular choice with the fashionistas and celebs these days is trendy high-waisted wide-legged pants style with a smart top.

    They are very much in trend this season and its resurgence has been widespread. Even better news: they are pretty much flattering on everyone.

    They are comfortable and fun to wear. Whether  rock with heels or flats, you just can’t go wrong with it.

    Styling tricks

    *A pair of wide-leg pants with a high waist in and dark colour is flattering on almost anyone. If you lack height, it is better you choose a more discreet flare in the legs rather than big, billowy legs. The flare at the bottom of the wide-leg pants can help to balance out your shape.

    *The wide-leg pants can be elegant on ladies, if they are worn on the body hug top with a dramatic flare in the leg; it keeps the top glossy and simple. Try not making it look too busy by putting on a billowy top on it, especially if you are on the short side.

    *When putting on wide-leg pants, try wearing heels as they tend to visually cut leg heights. Choose slightly chunky shoes with a two to three inch heels rather than flats, if you want to step out in style. The shoes with pointed and long toes are flattering when worn with wide leg pants. If you are 5’4″ in height, I recommend you wear wide-leg pants that are without cuffs.

    *When wearing wide-leg pants, try using a belt on the waist; it brings out a good shape.

    Ladies, I believe the best way to determine what style of wide-leg pants you will look best in is to visit boutiques and try on various flares and I am sure you will find the one that the width is most flattering on you.

  • Man for this season

    Man for this season

    One of the virtues of Yorubaland is that Christians and Muslims live in harmony in ways not replicated elsewhere in the country, even in the world. Well, in Borno State, especially the southern part, it is the case. In an interview in the Daily Sun, comes a revelation from the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Naga Williams Mohammed. He spoke on how the harmony was ruptured by the 2006 Danish cartoon scandal and the rampages of Boko Haram, and the extraordinary interventions of the present governor, Kashim Shettima.

    The cartoon led to the killing of Christians and destruction of churches. The former governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, now a PDP storm in a tea cup, refused to fulfil his pledge to the Christians and alienated them until Boko Haram rose and turned many communities to dust and blood. Bishop Mohammed, whose father was Muslim, crooned in the interview how both faiths lived oblivious of each other’s loyalties. Just as in Yorubaland, where Muslims celebrate Easter and Christmas with their sibling Christians, Christians slaughter rams with their fellow Muslims during Sallah.

    The Christians groaned until Shettima entered the scene. Hear him: “In the history of Borno State, there is no governor that has been as fair to the Christian community as much as Governor Shettima.” The bishop, who is the former head of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in Borno, spoke of how Shettima personally visited the wards and allocated tens of millions of Naira for the welfare of the displaced Christians in the IDPs, as well as non-indigenes. He also waded into the pulverised churches. He monitored and ensured the rebuilding of many of the churches, allocating hundreds of millions to that project. He also is the first to allow the state sponsor pastors and other believers on pilgrimages and paying personal visits to the bereaved and supporting their families. He even wanted Christian and Muslim IDPs to stay together, although the religious leaders were wary of the move. Compassion trumps policy any day.

    Shettima is a man for all seasons, especially this season when people see blood instead of brothers. Kaduna State can learn from this example.