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Tag: Southwest

  • Wanted: Southwest Infrastructural Development Commission

    Wanted: Southwest Infrastructural Development Commission

    The Southwest is reputed for scoring many firsts in Nigeria. It is a politically conscious zone. It is the nation’s economic capital. It is the balancing zone. It is the most accommodating zone. It is a very productive geo-political region.

    Endowed with vast human and material resources, the zone has made invaluable contributions and enormous sacrifices for the country’s survival. The leaders of the region’s six states are loyal to the cause of a united, prosperous and equitable federal Nigeria.

    But the Southwest is in pains. It is battling infrastructural decay. The deficit is confounding. Most of the region’s roads are death traps, almost impassable.

    Many roads in the zone were constructed decades ago. With thousands of vehicles plying them and beset by years of poor maintenance, the lifespan of the roads wear out rapidly. Palliative work on them is a waste of time and resources. Unless they are reconstructed and rehabilitated to befit modern highways, plying them would remain harrowing.

    Throughout the six states, the awful picture of dilapidated federal highways stares the government and the residents of Yoruba land in the face.

    From Lagos through Ogun to Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states, the dilapidation is ubiquitous. It portrays the image of a region that once occupied the Olympian heights in development and modernity in the First and Second Republics. Today, the Southwest groans in utter neglect, aloofness, suspension, failed projects, and complaints by contractors.

    People of other zones even make jest of the Southwest, saying they should direct their grievances to the leading lights in the region who once held sway at the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Works, and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

    Others berate federal legislators from the states for not effectively articulating the collective interest of the region. But, for the bad federal roads in the Southwest, the Federal Government is to blame.

    Apart from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, 90per cent of federal roads have become an eyesore, with potholes, damaged bridges. They constitute threats to travellers.

    It took the Federal Government more than two decades to complete the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. Commuters had to endure endless traffic snarl. They include routine passengers, devotees and visitors to religious camps – Redeemed Church of Christ, Deeper Life Church, Mountain of Fire and NASFAT.

    The problem was compounded by indiscipline by road users, particularly reckless drivers who violated traffic rules and made traffic control a herculean task for traffic wardens and security agencies.

    The completion of the road, the busiest in Nigeria, if not Africa, has brought relief to Nigerians. The credit goes to the Muhammadu Buhari administration. It may now be possible to travel from the former federal capital to Ibadan within one hour.

    But there ends the cheery news. Other important roads connecting Lagos to other Southwest states beg for attention. For example, the Lagos/Abeokuta road creates a nightmare for people who live in Agbado/Sango axis and Abeokuta-bound passengers who spend hours when vehicular movements are stalled.

    Former Works Minister Babatunde Fashola, following the inspection of the Ikorodu/Sagamu road, hurriedly drafted contractors to the site. Hope brightened that the inter-state road would be fixed. Unfortunately, the road could not be completed before the tenure of the last administration expired. The few kilometres within the Sagamu end of the road, which have not been reconstructed, are impassable during the rainy season. It must be stated that the heavy load-bearing traffic cause the rapid wear and tear on the roads.

    The towns and villages along Itamaga-Ikorodu-Itoikin/Ijebu-Ode road are in agony. Those from Agbowa and Ota-Ikosi who reside in Ikorodu prefer to embark on an Israelite journey from Owutu-Agric through Ojota to Victoria Island, Lekki and Epe, before going to their native towns. That is too stressful.

    The road, which passes through Imota, Maya, and Adamo, used to be busy. After Maya, it becomes lonely; completely deserted because of gullies. It portrays infrastructural marginalisation on a grand scale.

    Such is also the harrowing experience among residents of Lekki and Epe who always have to contend with gridlock. It is hectic for them to pass through the corridor, especially those who work on Victoria Island, Lagos Island, Mainland and the suburbs.

    It is worrisome. These poor roads are to the detriment of Lagosians and visitors from the hinterland who have businesses to transact, or those who visit the metropolis for medicare.

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    Is the Lagos/Badagry road project still on course? It was half-completed from Mile 2 to Iyana-Iba. From that spot through the Lagos State University (LASU) in Ojo, up to Iyana Isashi to Ijanikin and Badagry, it is another story of abandonment.

    It is a prime international route linking Nigeria with neighbouring Benin Republic. Apart from LASU, other important institutions line the long stretch of the road. They include the Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria, the Federal Government College, Foreign Service Academy, Adeniran Ogunsanya University of Education, the Mathematical Centre, the French Village and the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) in Badagry.

    Also in a deplorable state are the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode road, Ijebu-Ode/Ore road, Ijebu-Ode/Ibadan road, Sango-Ota/Idiroko, Agbara/Lusada, Lafenwa/Egbado North, Abeokuta/Ilaro, Sango/Agbado, and Sagamu/Abeokuta roads, all display signs of stress.

    Federal roads in Oyo State are also in disrepair. Those linking up the state with its neighbours are in a sorry state. The Ibadan-Ogbomoso road is taking too long to complete; the Ogbomoso/Ilorin highway is nothing to write home about. But the worst in that axis is the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa road linking Oyo and Osun states to Ekiti and Ondo states. It is a pitiable sight to behold.

    In Ondo State, the lamentation over dilapidated roads cuts across the entire state. The non-dualisation of Ore-Ondo road has made it accident-prone. The Akure/Ikere road is horrible. The contract has been awarded but construction has been piecemeal. The plight of commuters on the Owo-Ikare road is unsavoury. People travelling to the North from the Southwest have abandoned the route and shifted to Itawure-Efon/Ikole/Omuo route.

    The most neglected roads are in Ekiti State. The disrepair among the roads makes the residents to wonder if the state is still a part of Nigeria. The only motorable road in that axis is the short road connecting Iwaraja in Osun State with Efon-Alaaye in Ekiti State.

    From Ilesa to Ijebu-Jesa to Itawure, the picture of dangerous roads persists. The federal road linking Itawure to Erio, Aramoko, Igede, and Iyin is the worst in the Southwest. Also, the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki-Ido-Ilupeju-Ayegbaju-Ikole-Omuo road has collapsed. The Ikere-Akure is a disaster.

    Roads are critical to the economic growth and wellbeing of the people. They are a factor in development and rural integration. Good roads boost agricultural development. In the absence of a good road network, farmers cannot bring their produce to the market. The perishable produce harvested in distant farmlands rot before they can get to their destinations.

    It is also roads that facilitate the transportation of raw materials to factories and industries so that finished products from factories can be conveyed to the desired markets. It implies that good roads reduce transportation costs.

    Also, road construction creates jobs for skilled, unskilled and semi-skilled people. There is a multiplier effect. Apart from engineers and suppliers of raw materials on site, food vendors are also engaged in the production chain. There is thus a nexus between effective transport system and national productivity.

    Conversely, a bad road may be an invitation to avoidable calamity or tragedy. Vehicles live out their lifespan very rapidly. Plying bad roads means that a huge man-hour is lost and commuters are denied travel comfort.

    Many avoidable accidents are attributable to the poor state of the roads. Security agents have also said there is a relationship between crime rate, particularly armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom. The  negligence by government is to the citizens’ peril. The people perish on roads when government displays indifference to the people’s plight in their journeys.

    Southwest states need to press for more federal attention. Their federal legislators should lobby for more budgetary allocation to infrastructural development in the zone. Their governors need to synergise with Works Minister Dave Umahi so that the states can undertake the construction of roads in their domains and get refunds afterwards from the Federal Government.

    The central government needs to declare a state of emergency on its roads in the Sothwest. Senators and House of Representatives members from the region must push for the setting up of Southwest Infrastructural Development Commission to tackle the infrastructural challenge in the zone. Southwest deserves more in a federal Nigeria.

  • ‘Major revenue from Customs comes from Southwest’

    ‘Major revenue from Customs comes from Southwest’

    The House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excuse has said the Southwest produces the majority of revenue the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) makes.

    Chairman of the committee, Leke Abejide, announced this at the inauguration of committee members in Abuja on Tuesday.

    He said: “The NCS is a big institution with a lot of commands, which are divided into Zones A, B, and C, with the Southwest falling into the Zone A category.”

    According to him, most of the revenue comes from Zone A, which comprises Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, and Ogun in the Southwest.

    He said Lagos has the highest seaport among the six, adding that Zone B came with Kwara, Kogi, Niger, and the Northwest, while Zone C fell within Rivers and Southwest.

    According to him, we need to do oversight in these places because we need to approve their budget, we must take a critical look at whatever comes in the budget.

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    Abejide said the committee worked extra hard during the Ninth Assembly to ensure the functionality of the NCS, which he chaired.

    “I want to assure you that the Committee on Customs and Excise will be steadfast in its pursuit of excellence.

    “We will work tirelessly to enhance trade facilitation policies, modernise Customs procedures, and foster an environment conducive for economic growth and development,” he said.

    The committee chairman said under the new Act, the NCS now had access to increased revenue via a new financing model of four per cent FOB, thus enabling it to operate more effectively and efficiently.

    “The new Act also introduces a robust e-commerce system, aligning the NCS with global digital trends and promoting rapid revenue generation and ease of doing business,” he said.

  • How to foster Southwest economic development, by Ondo commissioner

    How to foster Southwest economic development, by Ondo commissioner

    Southwest States should mirror Lagos State Economic Initiative to foster regional development, Ondo State Commissioner for Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations Prince Boye Ologbese has said.

    He lauded the Lagos State Government for its exceptional efforts in attracting British investors to the region and the country.

     Ologbese, who is also Chairman, of the Forum of Southwest Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission Focal Person, told reporters in Akure, the state capital, that the Lagos initiative underscored its commitment to creating a favourable business environment that will stimulate economic growth and foster international partnerships.

    He thanked the Chairman, the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for rallying Southwest states to sign a historic 500 billion naira investment agreement with Afreximbank and Access Bank in aid of infrastructural development in the region.

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    Ologbese said the collaboration of the Southwest Governors reflected their collective determination to harness and attract substantial investments that will yield significant socio-economic benefits.

    He added: “Through this partnership, the Region anticipates a positive ripple effect that will enhance the overall economic growth and development of the region.”

    The commissioner said the Southwest States are poised to experience unmatched achievements in various sectors that will lead to economic stability and development.

      He said the region has emerged as an attractive investment destination, capturing the attention of foreign investors. 

  • The passable view of roads in Southwest Nigeria

    The passable view of roads in Southwest Nigeria

    From time immemorial, the masses have relied on constituted governments to implement road projects for the socio-political economy of the society. Whichever government got the construction right would be praised while those who focused on the maintenance would also be eulogised by the masses. However, those who neither got the construction nor the maintenance right would be recorded in the psyche of the people. Hence the adage: ‘The king who sits on the throne in halcyon times, his name shall not be forgotten. Same for that whose reign is turbulent.’

    To say the truth, an emergency should be declared on the Nigerian roads. Without sounding alarmist, there is no road in any part of the country that is recommended, either as passable or standard; not even in Abuja, the nation’s seat of power. It is that bad! It is after we have accepted this that we may begin to appreciate the enormity of our problems. Whether “a minister has more than three Land Cruisers, Prado and other vehicles” or a Senator Sunday Karimi “spends a lot on” his N160 million Prado Jeep “because our roads are bad” is perhaps the least of our problems.

    For God’s sake, how can we be talking about movement of goods and services when our roads have become appallingly impassable? How can we relish the domestic economy or may attract foreign investments to the country when our roads have practically become death traps, and the standard of living is affected immediately? Exchange is inhibited locally and physically if and when movement is impossible on a daily basis. Energy sector is an important driver of growth but, talking about the wonkiness of our development, power outages have sadly become Nigeria’s middle name. Even the waterways that are supposed to bridge the gap are already filled with filth.

    Once upon a time in Nigeria, whenever we said that a contract has been given to the Germans, the thinking then was that the Germans were full of iron and that the job they would do would be solid. It used to be with former President Muhammadu Buhari but, now, it is President Bola Tinubu. The question is: is it in terms of the structure or quality of the job that’s being done? In terms of Buhari and Tinubu, what do we now have?

    Ilesa – Ijebu-Jesa – Ado-Ekiti Road! Lagos – Abeokuta Road! Lagos – Badagry Road! Lagos – Epe Road! Gbongan – Osogbo – Ilorin Road! The Southwest is the worst hit! From Ibadan – Ogbomoso – Ilorin Road which has been under construction since my days at the University of Ilorin, to Ibadan – Ile-Ife – Akure Road which has been under construction for over-15 years, the trouble is that there’s no vision; and, where there’s no vision, one can’t really move because concrete vision signposts development. Evidently, it is because governance has lost its meaning that we continue to eat our seed instead of sowing it. And if we may ask: interconnectedness in the Southwest, is it anything to write home about for a country that has become independent since October 1, 1960?

    Chief Obafemi Awolowo died on May 9, 1987. But isn’t it a big shame that, as of today, Saturday, October 28, 2023, people still refer to ‘Awo Roads’? Bisi Akande also governed Osun State between 1999 and 2003. This is 2023, yet Nigerians still refer to ‘Bisi Akande Roads’. Whereas elsewhere, people are talking about 14 lanes, what we have in the Southwest, which are mostly single lanes, remain unattended to. So, when exactly is Nigeria ever going to develop? If goods must exchange hands – and there must be exchange – how many roads are there, linking, say, Ijebu-Jesa to Ilesa in Osun State? We talk about Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, yet it is difficult to maintain it. So, where exactly are we developing into? Nigerians started fighting one another over subsidy and all kinds of indiscreet things. They strived to earn resources, but … they didn’t know how to spend resources; and that’s unfortunate! Take it or leave it, ability to spend resources wisely is in itself an innovation and a motivation for development. These are the issues!

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    That Nigeria has no capacity to maintain its extant roads is a shame. It is also a shame that governance in this part of the world has lost its meaning. Of course, that’s what gave the military the effrontery that it could do and undo, and ignore the people. In his days as Nigeria’s Head of State, Yakubu Gowon didn’t know that Nigerians were so powerless until he was told that they were mere rabble-rousers, that they didn’t know much and that they were not in any way organised. Gowon was thankful to his informants. The rest is history! The military predators who came after ‘Jack’ only perfected the art. Is it any wonder that Nigeria has found herself in this mess?

    Back then, only in extreme cases would the military roll out tanks and fire one or two bullets in the air before everybody would talk to his or her feet because nobody wanted to die. As such, nobody wanted to know what his or her rights entailed, and that’s even if they knew that they had any rights in the first place. So, it is simple mathematics that where we have now found ourselves has a history. We are where we are because our leaders are asleep. But again, everything boils down to visionary leadership. It is the lack of vision that has brought Nigeria to her knees. Contractors look for higher pay in Nigeria, not because higher pay will make the job better, but higher pay will surely balloon the leisure; and that’s annoying. Until we change that orientation, nothing is going to change.

    Nigerians have been thrown into the mud due to lack of concrete knowledge. Tragically, to rise from the mud is a very difficult voyage. It is like a struggling man from the swamp. But it is achievable; and it is never too late. So, let the architects come with plain sheets of paper to, say, the National Stadium in Lagos or Liberty Stadium in Ibadan with a view to recalibrating the roads for the Southwest. What are we saying? That I used to go through this place in the past doesn’t matter. If we don’t have people who can dream, then we are in trouble. Surely, the entire roads can be redrawn to reflect modern reality; and that’s what development in the Southwest is all about. It is eternally on; and it will never stop. To stop is for development to stop. But nothing stops and rests except in docile societies.

    To sum up, it needs to be noted that, except one wants to be mischievous, the opposition now has a credible landing site. The Supreme Court said it; and that settled it. As things stand, nobody will say that the Atiku Abubakars and the Peter Obis of Nigeria ran away from the battle. No, not at all! Instead, they waited for the highest court in the land; and that’s all! They have fought a good fight and it has ended. Impliedly, Tinubu has no excuses again. Let him now get to work. Let him work diligently at fixing our roads. Those who can work with the president, let them stay while those who have nothing to offer again should look for where their expertise will be in high demand. And for Nigerians, the only hope is to keep trying and keep pushing until it bursts. After all, it is in the history of revolutions: even when one is not expecting things to burst, something will surely give.

    May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

  • Southwest speakers meet on region’s security, others 

    Southwest speakers meet on region’s security, others 

    Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in the Southwest met yesterday at the Lagos State House of Assembly to discuss the zone’s progress.

    The gathering comes a few days to the Abuja meeting of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, where a national chairman will be elected.

    Speakers at the meeting include Taiwo Oluomo (Ogun), Adebo Ogundoyin (Oyo), Adeoye Aribasoye (Ekiti), Adewale Egbedun (Osun) and Olamide Oladiji (Ondo).

    After a closed-door session, the host, Mudashiru Obasa, told reporters that they discussed issues relating to the growth and progress of the Southwest.

    He said: “We looked at the progress of the legislature in the Southwest. Let me remind you that during the last Assembly, we all adopted a single Business Rules and Standing Order, which was reviewed at this meeting. We also discussed the coming election of the Conference of Speakers. We deliberated on that because we have to be there with one voice. We have two speakers, Ogun and Oyo, running for the position. So we have to harmonise our position before we go for the election.

    “We also discussed the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) as it relates to the economic progress and development of Southwest. I am happy to tell you we made tremendous progress in our discussion and we have concluded that we will meet again to continue our deliberation. But in all, we have discussed in the interest of the Southwest.”

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    Aribasoye, who also corroborated Obasa, added: “We met to discuss the Southwest, the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, the coming election, the security of our zone and the need for cross-fertilisation of ideas among the legislatures in the Southwest.”

    Earlier, while being received at the legislative chamber of the Lagos Assembly, the speakers told the lawmakers that their visit had opened their eyes to further directions they needed to take for the progress of their individual states.

    They praised their colleagues in Lagos for standing firm in the support for democracy, true governance and the leadership of Obasa, saying their activities have helped to sustain a virile legislature.

    “What we have seen at the Lagos State House of Assembly will guide us going forward,” Aribasoye added. He described Lagos as a true ‘Centre of Excellence’, and thanked Obasa for being a worthy leader to Southwest speakers.

    Oladiji, who said it was his first time visiting the Lagos Assembly, described his experience as “a true reflection of why the state continues to make legislative progress under Obasa.”

    Egbedun said the Southwest remains the leading democratic light in Nigeria, while Oluomo praised the Lagos lawmakers for standing with Obasa, who he described as “making history for being the longest serving Speaker in Nigeria.”

    Ogundoyin thanked Obasa for always helping Southwest speakers with his knowledge and experience.

    Obasa described his colleagues at the Lagos Assembly as dedicated, loyal to positive causes and passionate for the progress of the legislature and the state.

  • Next Level Agenda “ll benefit Southwest, says groups

    The Southwest caucus of the National Progressives Youth Forum (NPYF) has said that the new ministers would offer accelerated development.

    Raising from its meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the group hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for selecting capable men from the Southwest as ministers.

    According to the group, the choices made by the president have rekindle the confidence of the region for the ‘next level agenda’.

    A communique jointly signed by the Lagos State leader, Abdullah Eniolobo, and Secretary, Dayo Adeyemi,  nominees are Babatunde Fasola (SAN), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Sunday Dare, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Senator Tayo Alasoadura and Lekan Adegbite.

    The group congratulated the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole and its National leaders, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande and Aremo Olusegun  Osoba over the nominations.

    The group said the ministers will live to expectation.

    The group thanked the  Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila for considering Southwest indigenes for vital committees appointments.

     

  • Southwest takes pragmatic steps

    WHEN leaders of the Houses of Assembly in the Southwest met recently, unifying the principles and practice of lawmaking in their region was on their minds. In accordance with the Development Agenda of the Western Region (DAWN), the lawmakers decided that they would set a benchmark for lawmaking. That benchmark would include how principal officers are elected and impeached, and the establishment of a legislative advisory council. They have done well to kick-start the process of fine-tuning, stabilising and maturing legislative activities in the region, especially in the face of declining legislative competence in Nigeria.

    Tagged the “Validation and adoption of harmonised standing orders for Southwest Houses of Assembly”, the meeting was undoubtedly inspired by their common destiny as Yoruba people and the need to register the most advanced and enviable practice of lawmaking in the country. The ambition is noble, and if they pull it through, it would be a major contribution to the general advancement of the region and the institutionalisation of common administrative principles. The region has declined in executive, legislative and judicial practices. If it is to reclaim its lost glory, some common steps would have to be taken.

    Compared with the stellar performance of regional leaders in the decade preceding independence up to the first few years of independence, few would argue against the conclusion that many of the region’s recent governors have not been what they were cracked up to be. The region has declined on all scores, including in education, and with that decline in a country on a free fall have come frustrations and loss of values and pride in the accomplishments of the Yoruba.

    If the region’s legislative leaders could put their minds to it, and if their governors are wise and foresighted enough, they would unite to forge a better and richer region. But that would presume that Abuja would not be a cog in the wheel of regional advancements, and the elected governors and lawmakers have the capacity and vision to produce a great region insulated from the rot around the Southwest.

  • The southwest governors

    But for the timely intervention of leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the southwest before the last General Elections, the rampaging Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would have ‘captured’ at least three more states in the region, in the elections and the preceding election that ushered in the new government in one of the states, Osun, last year. Indeed, what happened in Osun State in the gubernatorial election last year was a narrow escape for the APC, and, as I have always said, needlessly so. Yet, it was not that the tell-tale signs had not been showing long before the election. I remember that, as far back as August, 2014 when the then incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola, was reelected for a second term, I had warned in an article on this page titled “Beyond Aregbe’s victory : For the progressives, it’s time for introspection” (August 17, 2014). The result of that year’s governorship election was more emphatic than the one that ushered in the Aregbesola government in its first term, but there were tell-tale signs that all was not well.

    Lest we forget, the Court of Appeal ruled that Aregbesola had 198,799 votes as against PDP Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s 172, 880 in the 2007 governorship election. The APC governor in 2014 had 394,684 votes as against that of the PDP’s aspirant, Iyiola Omisore’s 292,747 votes. I had argued, inter alia, in that piece that “…The political leaders in the region have to learn to sell their programmes to the electorate instead of putting up a ‘know-all ‘or being arrogant or messianic in doing things. And, when, like all mortals they find they are wrong, they should not hesitate to reverse themselves. That is one sure way to keep the predators at bay.”  Two weeks earlier, (i.e. on August 3, 2014), I had argued (in my article titled “Let Aregbe do it again”) for the reelection of the Aregbesola government. The truth was; long before then, I had, like many others, been seeing the warning signs of the danger that loomed in the state.

    I wish I could lay my hands on some other write-ups where I had warned of the looming take-over of some of these states, like Oyo and Ogun; I would also have loved to quote copiously from those articles.

    But that is not necessary, at least for now. The major elections have come and gone. We can heave a sigh of relief. The worst is probably over, at least for now. Oyo is already lost to the PDP as foretold by many. Ogun would have followed the same trajectory, again but for the APC leaders’ intervention. What some of these southwest governors do not realise is that they may be the direct losers of elections, but the consequence of the loss is felt by the generality of the people of the region. Sadly, the loser in the Ogun State governorship election would have been the party’s candidate and not the outgoing Governor Ibikunle Amosun who has had his two terms. Just the same way the incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola would have lost to the PDP if party leaders had not come to his rescue at the nick of time. Yet, both Aregbesola and Amosun somewhat managed things well when seeking second term for themselves. The good thing is that Amosun has been shown that the party is bigger than him or his desire. No one would try what he did in the military era.

    It is not by accident that Lagos State is the only state that has never fallen to any other political party since the return to civil rule in 1999, of the six states in the southwest, thanks to the indefatigability and political sagacity of the man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yet, it is this same man that some of those who had caused the fall of their states in the region to the ‘enemy’ despise and seek to diminish in stature, after in some instances cringing to him to get into political offices. As I have always argued, I have nothing against people who might have issues with Asiwaju Tinubu. That is only natural; especially in a politically active region like the southwest. Even the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had people who were opposed to him and whatever he stood for. But when such people happen to be the very persons that climbed on Tinubu’s back to power, it is imprudent to want to stab him in the back for selfish political gains. That is why till this moment I admire Olusegun Mimiko. He proved he was the issue when he dumped the PDP to contest under the Labour Party, won the governorship election in Ondo State and was sworn in in 2009. The only thing is that that franchise has expired, as the same Mimiko could not muster enough votes to see his senatorial ambition through.

    So, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, special assistant to the president on political matters would appear wrong to have blamed the political apathy in the region on some ‘self-sufficient elite’. Ojudu had, while reminiscing on the outcome of the presidential election, promised that the (APC would address the question of voter apathy in the region. But, if Lagos, in INEC’s record, had 5.5 million registered voters, and only about 1.5million (less than 18 percent) voted in the presidential election, it was worrisome indeed. Ojudu said, inter alia: “our leaders must do more recruitment of people into the electoral process. We must tell the self-sufficient elite to take interest in voting; this is the best way to get it right.” This is where I have issues with Ojudu, The point is; it is the political leaders themselves that are largely responsible for the apathy. Unless the governors are not part of the political leaders; then I can agree with Ojudu. Some of us had been warning of the catastrophe looming in the southwest when we saw the way some of the governors were behaving like Lords of the Manor.

    The voter enlightenment that Ojudu spoke about is only a minute part of the problem. Even when we accuse the ‘self-sufficient elite’ of not voting, the attitude of some of the governors in the region is enough put-off, even to the ordinary folks; not to now talk of the elite. The point is; the Yoruba people would always want to assert their pride. They would never want to be seen in any position suggesting being condescending to people that they supposedly put in government. When a governor talks so rudely to people and they clap for him for having such a caustic tongue; he should watch it; he would get his result on Election Day. Some of these governors just have to learn how to bridle their tongues, especially when speaking in public. People who are too big to mind their language in public need not vie for such public offices, unless they were not the ones that offered themselves to serve. In this business of elections, the elector is king.

    One should not be tired of saying it; some of the APC governors messed up big time and this was evident in the result the party got even in the last governorship and state house of assembly elections. It was clear before the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ogun State that the candidate of the incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun would be trounced at the poll.

    As I had said in some of my write-ups on this vexatious issue, what I hate about some of these governors is the way they humble themselves when looking for the positions only to get there and become too big for their boots. Many of them see good press as part of their birthright. If you write a whole page praising them for doing their job, they won’t see that. The only thing they see is the one or two sentences in the full page where you criticise them; whereas their counterparts from the other regions will call to engage and thank you even if you lampooned them.

    Let the APC leaders in the southwest beam their searchlight on Ondo State before the next governorship election there. Quote me, the state is likely to go the way of Oyo State if things continue the way they are. I guess what His Excellency’s reaction would be like after reading this piece. But, that is not important to me now. What is important is not to allow the people of Ondo to take the unusual decision of wearing their caps on their navels instead of their heads. That is what we have in the southwest when the people are provoked unnecessarily.

     

  • OPC to Dokubo, others: stay away from Southwest

    A pan-Yoruba group, the Oodua People’s Congress-Reformed (OPC-R), has warned ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo and those planning to foment trouble during Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections to stay away from the Southwest in their own interest.

    It also warned them to stop issuing inflammatory remarks and threats of attacks on the Yoruba.

    Dokubo was widely reported in a section of the media a few days ago to have threatened to deal with the Yoruba in a video posted on Youtube, if non-indigenes were attacked during the polls.

    In a statement issued by its President, Comrade Dare Adesope, the group said its men are prepared to protect Yoruba and their Igbo counterparts in Lagos State.

    He said: ” Asari Dokubo and others should mind their choice of words while addressing Yoruba people because it is very clear that the Yoruba are not enjoying the privilege we give to the Igbo and other tribes in their land.

    ”The presidential election is over and we are looking forward to the governorship poll. We have decided to stand up to the task and protect our states by ensuring that the election is violence-free. Any group planning to disrupt the poll should have a rethink because OPC(R) is prepared to resist such act with our last blood.

    ”Heavy presence of our members would be adequately felt in all the polling booths across the Southwest.”

    virtue of this , we are imploring all registered voters to come out and exercise their franchise without fear of attack from any quarters.

    ”And to all Igbo groups and persons threatening to attack Yorubas, I am sounding a strong warning that they should give it a second thought because we are very ready to defend our people. They should know that the gentility of a tiger is not  is not an act of cowardice.”

     

  • Southwest and growing insecurity

    Today’s Nigeria has reached unprecedented levels of insecurity and material/spiritual poverty that are of course, deeply rooted in the past political engineering as well as politicking. This scenario is worrisome because without security of lives and property, no country or system can experience progress in the spheres of technology, economy and robust politics among other things. This theoretical construct applies universally. Consequently, every serious geo-polity appreciates and appropriates the fact, that security is firmly enshrined in the domain of preventive engagement or proactive-ness, as opposed to reactiveness. In other words, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. However, no country is completely insecurity-free no matter the high level of its technological and economic progress. Security is an integral part of human society at every point in time and space. But this dreadful monster (insecurity) can be thoroughly tamed in the face of very committed, large-hearted political leadership.

    Nigeria’s insecurity is complex in character and cannot be neatly disentangled from the desiccation of the Sahara leading to theshrinking of Lake Chad which was once the sixth largest lake in the world. According to some palaeo-ecologists and palaeo-hydrologists, Lake Chad was once a source of livelihood for over 40 million humans across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, until the 1960s.It is pertinent to note here, that the entirety of the Sahara was experiencing heavy or monsoon rains making it possible for humans and, animals as well as aquatic eco – systems to flourish in the broad zone about 100,000 years ago. By about 5,000 years ago or thereabouts, the waterways in the Sahara had vanished, forcing a lot of Saharans to move southwards with their knowledge of pastoralism and to a lesser degree, crop farming. Today, modern technological know-how can help to mitigate the harsh effects of the shifts in the world’s weather patterns.

    Migration is an age-long phenomenon that has been shaping and re-shaping group identities globally. Internal and external types of migration are ontologically due to push factors, pull factors, or a combination of both. But there was no archaeological and/or palaeo-anthropological evidence that theSaharan migrants were violent in prehistoric times. They were not harassing their host communities with dangerous weapons contrary to what migrants/cattle herders from northern Nigeria are doing today to southern Nigerians. As a matter of fact, the Saharan migrants from about 3000 B.C. were instrumental to the formation of some new agriculture in Nigeria as elsewhere in West Africa.Theseeconomic and agricultural exchanges modified our culinary landscapes in profound senses although this development was not a one-way affair.

    Painfully, Nigeria is still light years away in this context. The Lake Chad (under the watch of the political leaders in the affected countries especially Nigeria) shrank from 22,000 square kilometres in the 1960s to 1,500 square kilometres today. Experts in environmental studies have also said that Lake Chad, in the absence of proper recharging, is going to be extinct about 21 years to come, like Lakes Fayum and Olduvai in Ethiopia and Tanzania respectively in prehistory. The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) is now coming up with plans to begin to re-charge the ailing giant African Lake. This entails pumping water through a 2,500-kilometre navigable channel from the Ubangi River in the Congo Basin into Lake Chad to reduce the rate of shrinking. It is a monumental project that needs advanced international diplomacy, huge monies, uncommon passion and dedication to duty.

    Now we have come to the crux of the matter. The disappearance of opportunities for pastoralism, fishing and crop farming by Nigerians living around the Lake Chad vis-à-vis the availability of rich pasture in the Middle Belt region and southern parts of the country has become a menace to most farmersand other innocents. Herders and their mercenaries, wielding sophisticated weapons including AK-47 rifles are placing some Yoruba settlements under a virtual state of siege. There are no practical solutions yet from the central government. Not unexpectedly, the government is under suspicion of subtly promoting cultural colonization in a country embedded in multiculturalism and a myriad of sensitivities. There is a lull in the herders/farmers’ clashes recently due to reasons too obvious to be recounted here. However, kidnapping of innocent people for ransom goes on especially in Ekiti, Oyo, Osunand Ondo states. For instance, seven kidnappers were arrested in Ondo on January 16.  They told the police authorities that they were from Kebbi State. Are these criminals going to be brought to justice? This is a reality of our contemporary, smelly, primordial politics that renders hollow the usual counter claim from the government quarters that this administration does not promote ethnic chauvinism or nepotism on a dangerous scale. Government must demonstrate sufficient willpower to wrestle crimes and criminality to the ground, in order not to complicate further the security situation in Nigeria.

    It is against this background that charity must begin at home-Yorubaland. Although some Yoruba stakeholders particularly the Afenifere socio-cultural group including Chief Gani Adams (the Aare Onakankanfo of Yorubaland) have been making efforts to redress the issue of insecurity in the southwest, there is need for several committees and sub-committees made up of eminent citizens and traditional rulers across Yorubaland.The need for a critical allegiance to the upper-crust essence cannot be overemphasised. It would be irresponsible, unthinking, and callous for members of these committees to turn such a deep assignment into parochial, party politics. Politicization of security issuesisdangerous in a number of ways. There is no time and need to continue to pass the buck.Innocent lives are being lost almost on a daily basis as the centre can no longer hold. Indeed, there is fire on the mountain! Governors in the southwestern region must try to domesticate the security architecture of their states. This has to be rooted among other things, in sophisticated intelligence gathering and sharing. No amount of money including other resources is too much to expend on the security and safety of lives and property. No single state in the region can successfully do this because people are always moving from one location to another. Therefore, intra/ trans-state vigilantismis a task that must be accomplished at all costs. While the central government is rhetorically ‘tackling’ the issue of the vanishing Lake Chad on a long-term basis, local strategies must be crafted in order to reduce insecurity in Yorubaland to the barest minimum. Only the living can reap the benefits of democracy.

     

    • Prof Ogundele is of Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.