The Nation Newspaper

Tag: shadow

  • Trump and Obama’s shadow

    In a few days’ time, the Trump administration will mark its 100 days in office. To what extent President Donald Trump has so far been able to successfully focus on fulfilling his electoral promises to the American electorate is neither here nor there. One thing that is, however, clearly identifiable  and deeply entrenched in the Trump administration’s  style is Mr. Trump’s predilection towards demonizing his predecessor, Barrack Obama over every challenge that his administration has had to grapple with since its inauguration. This approach has become so recurring that it is almost becoming an obsession for President Trump.

    In the wake of recent horrific gas attack on civilians in Syria, the void in the Trump administration’s foreign policy became quite pronounced. Initially, the White House was unusually quiet in its reaction to the ugly incident. While the attack was swiftly and roundly condemned by leaders across the world, the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who was then on a visit to neighbouring Jordan disregarded questions from probing newshounds about the event, thereby maintaining his habitual quietness in the face of  troubling global occurrences.

    When the Trump administration eventually found its voice, it simply laid the blame on Barack Obama. In what now seems like a routine, President Trump used the attack, which killed dozens of people, including children, to score a cheap domestic political point against Barrack Obama when he described it as a direct “consequence” of Obama’s Syria policy. He said:  “These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration’s weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a ‘red line’ against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.”

    The response, no doubt, exemplified President Trump’s continuing sense of being in his predecessor’s shadow. Curiously, aside lambasting Obama, President Trump did not reveal what impact the attack would have on Washington’s approach to Russia and Iran who are major backers of Assad. It would be recollected that President Trump and his campaign team are being investigated to ascertain the extent of Russia’s involvement in the last American election.

    Till date and in-spite of his blame game, the Trump administration is yet to come out with an official position on Syria. Interestingly, prior to the Idlib attack, Paris had expressed deep worries over Washington’s inability to take a definite stand on Syria.  Indeed, after the gory Idlib event, French Foreign Minister, Jean -Marc Ayrault, vented his frustration at the confusing Trump’s Syria policy, arguing that the Idlib attack was carried out by Syria as a result of the Trump administration’s seeming non- committal stance towards Syria. He said: “It’s a test. That’s why France repeats the messages, notably to the Americans, to clarify their position.” Rather than blame his government’s failure on the previous administration, the Idlib massacre only goes to underscore a deep hole in the Trump administration’s weak approach to Assad’s barbarism.

    The same Obama bashing trend was taken to a rather ridiculous height when President Trump made unsubstantiated claims that Obama wiretapped him during the last election. This wild allegation which President Trump made on Twitter, as usual, has since been debunked by the chairman of a congressional committee investigating the affair. Indeed, Mr. Trump has been accused by former CIA Director, Leon Panetta of making the claim as a calculated diversionary ploy. He said: “They are trying to obfuscate and trying to cover up. They are trying to somehow raise other issues”.

    Similarly Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee have affirmed that they had no concrete evidence backing President Trump’s claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him. Curiously, when President Trump alleged that Obama ordered a wiretap on his phones during the election, he didn’t turn to the federal intelligence agencies for proof.

    There is, perhaps, no other event that portrays President Trump’s obvious discomfort with Obama’s shadow other than his administration’s recent bungling of its controversial health care legislation. After the health bill hit the brick wall, President Trump blamed everyone but himself. Characteristically, President Trump figured out Obama as the key guy responsible for the premature death of his health bill.

    Ironically, President Trump’s Republican Party controls the majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate. That he could not push through his first major bill in a government where his party controls the legislative arm speaks volume of the amateurish character of the government he leads. While he lashed out at the Democrats for not supporting the bill, one doubts if the usually self-confident President Trump ever deemed it fit to approach members of the Democratic caucus in the two legislative houses for support. He was so sure that his party’s superior numerical strength in the two houses was enough to seal the deal.

    Ironically, there were reports that he didn’t even make any concrete overture to the particular Republican caucus that was strongly opposed to the bill. At the end, President Trump unwittingly acknowledged his administration’s incompetent handling of the wobbling bill when he said: “We have learnt some hard lessons about negotiations through all this”. Certainly, a larger chunk of the lesson learnt would be that he failed to appropriately canvas for the bill before it met its waterloo. To highlight his gross disdain for the shadow of Obama, President Trump said that Obamacare offers nothing good for the Americans and will simply “explode” by itself. What simply meant is that, if possible, his administration would undermine Obamacare.

    Funny enough, analysts have claimed that there seems to be no remarkable differences between Mr. Trump’s aborted health bill and the much vilified Obamacare. Interpretation: He wanted Obamacare out at all cost and by all means, but he had no superior replacement for it. Before now, one used to think that it is only in Africa that this sort of politics that tends to undermine or obliterate the achievements of a previous government out of sheer envy and malice. President Trump has simply proved that politics in his homestead could be as crude as it is in other climes.

    In a nutshell, it would do Mr. Trump and his administration not much of a good, if he continues to make chasing the shadow of Obama as a key policy of his administration. The earlier he realizes that the elections are over, the better for him.

     

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
  • Fayose afraid of his shadow, says APC

    Fayose afraid of his shadow, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said Governor Ayo Fayose should be ready to face justice and stop accusing his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of plotting to remove him.
    It said the governor was afraid of his shadow.
    The state Deputy Chairman, Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye, who spoke yesterday at a rally for members in Ado-Ekiti Local Government, said Fayose was being haunted by crimes allegedly committed against the constitution.
    The rally, which took place at Ereguru was tagged: “March on Ado Ekiti by Ado APC”, was organised to sensitise the people to prepare for 2018.
    Mrs. Olaleye warned Fayose to leave Fayemi out of his travails.
    Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatunbosun said no amount of blackmail and propaganda would dissuade the party from seeking justice.
    “Fayose is jittery and he is being haunted by his past as regards to the 2014 election which he knows was manipulated.

  • Shina Peller shuns father’s shadow

    Shina Peller shuns father’s shadow

    Greatness is generally seen as a preserve of the wise. Heroes are acclaimed great because they do great deeds and the wise achieve greatness because instead of trying to be as great as heroes, they possess the wisdom to do something different. If the late professor Abiola Peller who dazzled the world with his supernatural feats was a hero, his son, Shina Peller, is great because he employs wisdom.

    Having grown up witnessing his father, a renowned magician, perform incredible feats, Shina was wise enough to know that he would never be able to rise above his father’s shadow unless he left the world of tricks and wonders and launched himself into a new field. Thus, the man known as ‘the one with the magical hands’ began his journey to self-made influence. Scorning his father’s fame as a conjurer, Shina Peller delved into the energy and entertainment industries.

    The light-complexioned head honcho of Aquila Oil & Gas has ditched trick-making for money-making. Only recently, he floated Quilox, a night club restaurant and all-round entertainment spot on Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos. His influence in the social scene has grown to the extent that the launch of the night club about two years ago drew governors and other prominent people around the country.

  • March and the shadow of religion

    “A“nd so we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with an enthusiasm that enables us to rally support for them based on confidence and trust.” – Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

    It is hard for one to look at the on-going campaign across Nigeria without developing deep resentment towards the entire process. Some of us, who follow news closely, must have known by now that our politics is hardly driven by any noble ideals or virtues. And for the most part, the politicians are committed to themselves above every other thing.

    In the quest to win elections, no tool is too unholy and no institution is too sacred to be used. Therefore, the current mudslinging and verbal crossfire by opposing politicians should not take us by surprise. If politics were to be like vocation, such as acting or soccer, which does not have any direct bearing on the quality of life of the ordinary man, its shamelessness would be enough to make most of us ignore it. But as you know, we can ignore it only at our own peril.

    As if it is not bad enough to drop the names of opponents, wish them death, try to sabotage efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), or plunge the nation into chaos, there is an ongoing manipulation of religion in the campaign. As a religious individual, I should be wary of commenting on this matter in order to avoid the temptation to end up speaking for my religion alone. But we cannot go on this way. In some parts of the country, the prevailing argument is that a certain candidate would Islamise Nigeria, while elsewhere, the argument is that somebody is out to Christianise the nation.

    One must agree even though with a measure of disappointment that, while many of those who populate the political space may have been growing old, they have not grown up. A grown-up person may still be motivated by the same instincts, but he pursues them with great decorum or at least, pretended decorum, because he recognises that society will destroy itself if its members scramble for private interests without deferring to a mutually agreed code of scrambling. This is not in Nigeria. For the most part, the Nigerian politician is a desperate creature. Lacking merit in his own self, he thoughtlessly jumps onto any bandwagon with the most crowds. Because he doesn’t represent any worthwhile thing, he must put on himself a disguise, using either faith or commitment to a system of values, neither of which he truly possesses.

    However, the politicians are not our problem. Instead, they are our own creation – a miniature of the larger society. Do we, the ordinary citizens, not use dirtier and more vulgar language every day on social media when we talk about the same elections? Do we not also draw insulting caricature of those we are not supporting? Do we not often ask our opponents to go “hug transformer”?

    Isn’t it unfortunate that even though we know very well that these people are not truly committed to anything – not even faith – except their interests, we still let them manipulate our sense of religion? Isn’t it even more unfortunate that they are just being like us on this religion issue? Like us, they are not committed to any faith and they know it.

    And like us, even though they are not committed to faith, they love to argue, campaign and wage influence based on it. Therefore, in truth, they like us – and we like them – are hypocrites who stick to a certain faith in public, not out of any deep conviction, but out of the mere satisfaction of appearing to represent something.

    The tragedy is, unlike them, most of us don’t know this truth. We have become so hypnotised by religious sentiment that we do not realise how far we are from religion we claim to practise. Many of us will fight to the point of death if anyone “insults” our religion, but a few of us even bother about the teachings of the same religion. Isn’t this why decency, honesty, kindness, endurance and love are so scarce in our national life? The truth is, whenever our sense of religion is not threatened, we also forget about the religion itself.

    We must not destroy Nigeria with religion. If we are truly religious people, it will not be shown in how fierce we fight over it, but how much of the noble values of faith we bring into the practice of politics and public life. We must wake up from this buzz and ensure we do not plunge the nation into chaos while we fight over the shadow of religion.

     

    •Msonter, 400-Level Medicine, BSU

  • A divided house goes for shadow poll

    A divided house goes for shadow poll

    There is crisis in the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as it holds governorship primary  today to elect its governorship candidate for next year’s election. The party is polarised by the ambition of two aspirants-Jimi Agbaje and Musiliu Obanikoro. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the acrimonious preparations for the shadow poll and the tension unleashed by the bitter competition for power.

    The die is cast between former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and the Afenifere chieftain, Jimi Agbaje, a  pharmacist. The two politicians are the frontliners in today’s Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries. Other aspirants – Dr. Segun Ogundimu, Mr. Bola Gbadamosi, Ambassador Tokunbo Kamson and Mr. Deji Doherty, an engineer-may be like spectators at the shadow poll.

    Ahead of the exercise, there is tension in the troubled chapter. Party sources said that there is desperation on both sides. Although Agbade has not approached the contest as a do-or-die matter, those supporting him are hinging their survival on his ambition and success at the general elections. Also, those backing Obanikoro are not leaving any stone unturned to get the ticket.

    Prominent PDP leaders backing Agbaje include Chief Olabode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, the former Minister of Works. George has fired salvos at Obanikoro, saying that he joined the race to cause trouble. He said it was curious that he resigned as a minister, few months after he was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan. George also said that Obanikoro was peddling falsehood, clarifying that he has not been endorsed by the President. In his view, Obanikoro’s candidacy may dent the image of the party before Lagosians.

    The bitter struggle underscores the personality crisis and ego war between George and Obanikoro. At the weekend, the former High Commissioner to Ghana returned the torrent of missiles from George. He said the retired naval officer and former military governor of Ondo State is his rival at the primaries, and not Agbaje, who he described as a foreigner in the chapter. He boasted that he will win the primaries without George’s support.  His supporters said that it is a not an empty boasting, recalling that he Obanikoro beat George’s candidate, Mrs. Hilda Williams, at the 2007 primaries.

    A party chieftian hinted at the weekend that Lagos PDP is in trouble again. Reflecting on the division, he said the party would be weakened by the escalation of crisis, ahead of the general elections. “If Agbaje wins, the supporters of Obanikoro will not support him because reconciliation is always difficult in this party. Also, if Obanikoro becomes the candidate, with what is happening now, George and his group will not support him. Is the party not jinxed? That is the situation now.”

    But, Ogunlewe, who is backing Agbaje, disagreed. He said while the shadow election is the internal affairs of the PDP, Lagosians will determine the fate of candidates at the general elections. The former minister said there is no way Lagosians will prefer Obanikoro to the All progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, who he described as a reputable chartered accountant and financial expert.

    Ogunlewe added: “A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is leaving the position now. Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun is a chartered accountant and a financial expert. Mimiko is a medical doctor. Ajimobi has profile. Where is Obanikoro coming from? Is he electable? The question is which type of governor do you want? In 2015, people will vote for personality, not party.”

    Obanikoro has been described as the most formidable aspirant. Politically, he is also the most experienced politician in the fold, having served as the Chairman of Lagos City Council, Vice Chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, senator between 2003 and 2007, High Commissioner to Ghana and Chairman of the National Industrial Training Fund. In 2007, he was the governorship candidate. Many believe that  strong Obanikoro has a structure and resources to fund campaigns and run for the election.

    However, Agbaje is not a push over. The Afenifere chieftain is a credible politician. He is loved by many people. In 2007, he was one of the aggrieved aspirants who defected from the Alliance for Democracy (AD), following the primaries that threw up Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) as the candidate. As the candidate of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA), he did not make much impact during the election. Agbaje is rich. He also has a network of friends ready to support his bid. But, his strength lies in his integrity and credibility. Lamenting his defection to the PDP, a chieftain of the APC said: “Agbaje has been around for a long time. He was there when the PDP was described as the nest of killers. Can he stand the sight of blood? Can he handle gun? Can he wait when he sees cutlass and broken bottles at campaigns? That is why I said that he has joined a bad company.”

    For 15 years, the Lagos PDP has gazing at the Government House. Its ambition to produce the governor has been aborted by the progressive bloc. In 1999, the PDP candidate, Chief Dapo Sarumi, was defeated by the Alliance for Democracy (AD) flag bearer, Senator Bola Tinubu. In 2003, former Governor Tinubu also defeated the PDP challenger, the late Mr. Funso Williams. In 2007, the PDP candidate, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, lost his deposit. He was defeated by the Action Congress (AC) candidate, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). Initially, the Williams’ widow, Hilda, was named as the flag bearer, following the primaries at the National Stadium, Surulere. But, based on the strategic advice of a PDP leader, Chief Tony Anenih, the ticket was given to Obanikoro. In 2011, Dr. Ade Dosunmu of the PDP could not make impact. He was also defeated by Fashola.

    Since its inception, the PDP has not known peace. Ahead of the primaries and the general elections, the party is in turmoil. The bickering has led to the defection of many chieftains to the ruling party in the state. The defectors include Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun, Senator Tony Adefuye, Chief Yomi Finnih, Dr. Aganga-Williams, Chief Demola Seriki and Chief Wale Mogaji. Prominent ACN chieftains, who had earlier defected to the PDP, have also retrace their steps. They include Mr. Tunde Braimoh, Enock Ajiboso, and Dauda Kako-Are ran back to the AC.

    Since the report of the Harmonisation Committee led by Chief Tunde Osunrinde from Ogun State was not implemented, the politics of exclusion permeated the chapter. Osunrinde had recommended the sharing of party officers on equitable basis so that peace could reign. Owing to the non-implementation of the report, other leaders, including Ogunlewe, Mrs. Modupe Sasore, the late Senator Wahab Dosunmu, and other chieftains were working at cross purposes with George.

    In fact, in 2011, many of them perceived Dr. Ade Dosunmu, not as the party candidate, but as George’s candidate. The party went for the election as a divided house. On poll day, it was crushed by the ACN. After the election, PDP leaders started to trade blames. A reconciliation move was mooted by some elders. But, it did not see the light of the day.

    Since last year, some elders have been brainstorming on how to package the party. Ogunlewe said necessity made it compelling to the chapter to do a thorough soul-searching. A team of researcher was sent out to do a pseudo-survey on the prospect of the party in next year’s polls. Its finding showed that the party was rejected in the past because the candidates could not compete favourably with candidates of the AD, AC and ACN. Consequently, a search team was set up to look for a credible candidate. None could be found in the party, as it were. Therefore the party tried to extend its tentacles beyond the fold. Agbaje’s name was suggested. But, some people pointed out that it may be difficult to convince him.

    Ahead of 2007, Agbaje was contacted by George. At that time, Williams had just assassinated. Prof. Wole Soyinka’s description of the PDP as the nest of killers came to his mind. He told George: “ Do you want me dead like Funso Williams?” Also, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel had beckoned on Agbaje to join the PDP. But, he also refused. Agbaje also refused to return to his former political family. Although he was persuaded to join the ACN in 2011, he rejected the offer of a juicy portfolio.

    When Agbaje eventually accepted to join the party, he joined because he believed that he would be endorsed as a consensus candidate. He met a party in crisis, making it difficult for the party to enlarged its coast.  Crisis resolution in the fold is also defective. Its leader, George, has often come under attack for alleged monopolisation and personalisation of party power. It has also become increasingly difficult for Lagosians to embrace the PDP because the state has been neglected by the PDP Federal Government.

    Sources said that the research team found out that Lagosians were favourably disposed to Agbaje’s candidature. Therefore, he was introduced to the PDP national leadership and members were urged them to work for him. Agbaje gave a condition. He said that he would accept the offer to fly the flag of the party, if peace returns to the party. This necessitated the settlement of the rift between George and Ogunlewe. But, the suspicion and gulf between George and Obanikoro has remained.

    When Obanikoro became minister, many thought that the coast was clear for Agbaje to emerge as the flag bearer. Trouble started when he resigned, after weeks of speculation. Agbaje camp was jittery because it was not indifferent to Obanikoro’s antecedents and past feats. When the Lagos PDP Elders’ Forum tacitly endorsed the pharmacist, Obanikoro replied that it will not work. His associate, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, who has traversed the major parties, spit fire, saying that only Obanikoro can win the poll for the PDP. The former governorship aspirant is supporting Obanikoro, having claimed that he has been edged out from the contest.

    Obanikoro has also accused George of interfering in the congresses. He said the party will insist on free and fair primaries.

    However, the elders’ forum explained at the weekend why Obanikoro cannot win the general election for the PDP. The group described him as a “certified spoiler, twisting and turning in the winds, thrashing about in wild, uncoordinated confusion, frozen in a destructive fixation to weaken our party before he jumps ship.”

    Ogunlewe, who spoke with reporters, said the elders have rejected Obanikoro, adding that he cannot add to the fortune of the PDP. He took exception to Obanikoro’s statement that He is contesting, not against Agbaje, but against George, who is seriously mobilising for him. He said: “George is not an aspirant. Why should Obanikoro say he is contesting against him? George has been supporting the steady rise of Obanikoro, even before he became a minister. The point of departure is that George has said that he had supported him to become minister and he cannot support his governorship bid.

    “There will be a level-playing ground. Whoever wins will be supported by the party. But, why should Obanikoro be fanning the embers of disunity. He was the Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee that brought into existence the structure of the party at ward, local government and state levels. What he should do is not to insult the leadership of the party, but to seek the support of the structures. He should be a game player and not  spoiler.”

    Ogunlewe said there is no controversy over Agbaje’s defection to the PDP, adding that he has been cleared to participate at the primaries. He added: “Let him come and beat Agbaje with his certificates, honour and integrity. People will not vote for those who have baggage. We want credible candidates. APC has shown us the way by picking from the East Senatorial District a Christian, a chartered accountant. They have shown us the way. We cannot go below that.

    “The people are already assessing Ambode. In the Lagos PDP, we don’t want those who have age problem, those who have questionable credential. People are still asking this question: how was City Hall burnt? In 2007, Obasanjo said Lagps PDP had picked a candidate and that we should go an sell him. But, he said we should wash him, put grease on his body. Take him to the sun and see whther people will take him from you. In 2015, voters will ask questions. We don’t want to look stupid. We will not return to Babylon.”