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Tag: triumph

  • Triumph over the storms of life

    Triumph over the storms of life

    Text:”…. he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side….. And there arose a great storm of wind….” ( Mk. 4:35,37)

    A storm is a dangerous wave that has devastating tendencies; while there are natural storms, we also have spiritual storms. When a natural storm occurs, it comes with severe collateral damages such as displacement of organised settings and structures, disorganized structures and distortion of set orders (Job 27:21). To reduce the destructive consequences of a natural storm, captains of ships are always advised to avoid stormy locations. Where a natural storm cannot be avoided and it occurs however, the passengers are commanded not to loiter in the ship, luggages are properly organised in their compartments, breakable utensils are securely kept out of the reach of passengers and  cargoes are jettisoned to lighten the weight of the vessel, among other safety measures.

    While the effect of a physical storm can be sighted and ameliorated, a spiritual storm is however not visible to human eyes and it is much more destructive. A spiritual storm evolves suddenly like the experience of the woman with the issue of blood, the unanticipated affliction of the great Naaman with leprosy and the shocking death of the only child of the Shunamite woman from a seemingly ordinary headache (Mk. 5:25-26; 2Kings 5:1-14; 2 Kings 4:18-20). Besides that, it is worthy of note that a spiritual storm can emerge from an ordinary misunderstanding among couples leading to separation or divorce and can manifest in sudden unexplainable behavioral change. A spiritual storm is visible when a thriving business venture on spur of moment begins to go down; it is observable in perennial visits to Doctors for changing ailments, it is noticeable in unexplainable loss of revenue, seeable in increasing expenditure without commensurate increase in income, obvious in inability to meet up with matrimonial and occupational demands, remarkable when friends are suddenly turned to enemies and observable when there is unjustifiable dislike or hatred by superior officers etc.

    From our text, Jesus Christ informed His disciples about a journey to the other side, a journey from one location to another which was basically targeted at freeing a great Evangelist who was destined for greatness but tied down and bound by powers of darkness (Mk. 5:1-20). On their way to the other side, a great storm arose with the intention to hinder them. The fretful disciples drew the attention of the Ancient of Days to the raging storm and with a word, He rebuked the wind and the raging storm stopped. Eventually, Jesus Christ arrived safely at the destination and the great man who was bound was released from the captivity of the wicked and he became a great Evangelist in Decapolis. I therefore pray that the power of God shall frustrate the threat of storms around you, shall suspend laws of nature for your sake and His power shall take you from where you are to where you are supposed to be in the name of Jesus.

    Read Also: IGP deploys mobile policemen to Kuriga over abduction

    Brethren, kindly be informed that with Jesus Christ in the boat of your life does not exclude you from a spiritual storm. This is suffice to say that being a born again Christian, a church worker or a Pastor does not shut you out from the challenges of a storm (Psalm 34:19; John 16:33). It is nevertheless pertinent to note that it doesn’t matter what your experiences are today, you are not hopeless, because there is a God who specialises at making ‘the storm calm, so that the waves thereof are still’ (Psalm 107:29). He is the One that is “a refuge from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4) and He is the One that “sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22). He is your God and He will never allow you to be put to shame. I have good news for you my dear brothers and sisters, the present storm that you are wading through has a terminal date with Jesus Christ. There is no storm that can stop you. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. This is your morning of joy. This is your morning of new beginnings. As the storm came to you through one way, it shall surely disappear through another way. As the Lord lives, you shall surely get to your Promised Land. 

    I therefore encourage you at this time of Lent, to build your life on the Rock (Matthew 7:24 cf Romans 9:33), allow Jesus Christ into the boat of your life, surrender your life to Him, confess your sins and ask Him to forgive you, ask Him to come into your life and take full charge, make a commitment to live for Him henceforth, call on Him at all times, obey Him in all things and have faith in His power to deliver. As the Lord lives, the storms within and around you shall be silenced and you shall get to your other side of greatness and testimonies in the name of Jesus..

    Prayer: Almighty God come into the boat of my life, calm every storm, take me to the other side of my life, terminate my weepings and restore the joy of my salvation, in Jesus’ name.

  • Triumph of vision

    Triumph of vision

    •The Lagos Red Rail line, just inaugurated, should drive rapid investment in rail integration nationwide.

    President Bola Tinubu, by inaugurating the new 37-kilometre Lagos Red Rail corridor, can savour — with his Lagos team back then — the spectacular triumph of his Lagos government’s rail vision. It all started 21 years ago with the birth, in December 2003, of LAMATA — the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.

    Since then, LAMATA has delivered on its multi-modal transport mandate: first phasing out the notorious “Molue” urban lorry-buses. Then, infusing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) tracks, which other West African capitals are copying. Even later, the continuing mainstreaming of ferry and allied boat services, leveraging the Lagos splendour of creeks and the lagoon.

    But the clear game-changer, in all of these transport modes, is the Lagos Urban Rail Transit (LURT), with the rail’s capacity to daily move around millions in a teeming mega-city like Lagos, with relative comfort and at a cheaper cost too!

    Just as well the President did not dwell much on the fierce, lonely, near-hopeless war he had to wage with the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency, over the rail right of way, since the Federal Government had exclusive constitutional rights over them.

    The spicy rebuke of history was biting enough: the lowly governor that duelled the imperial president, just returned as president to crow about the triumph of that lonely dream — at a time integrated rail holds the ace to deepening the real sector! The audacity of dreams! The sheer steel of an unbending will!

    For Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, it’s kudos well-earned. Aside from former

    Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, who threw himself at the ground-breaking Blue Line corridor (from CMS to Mile 2 on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway), Sanwo-Olu has become “Governor Rail”, after finally delivering on both the Blue and Red Lines — the Red Line with its seven stations and 10 over-passes, vehicular and pedestrian, thus giving commuter safety premium thinking. Again, big congratulations, Mr. Governor.

    It’s even more exciting that the contract has been signed for Phase 2 of the Red Line: from Oyingbo to connect with the Blue Line at the National Theatre Iganmu station, en route to the Lagos Marina. That phase would be on an elevated platform. The Phase 1, inaugurated on February 29, runs from Agbado in Ogun State, to Oyingbo, in Lagos State. Work has also since started on Phase 2 of the Blue Line: from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko; with a future phase running from Okokomaiko to Badagry.

    Still, the Blue and Red lines are only two out of six, developed by LAMATA: the Green Line, the Purple Line, the Brown Line and the Yellow Line. 

    More heart-warming is the governor’s disclosure that the engineering design for the Green Line is ready. What remains is striking a deal with possible partners in a public-private-participation (PPP) model. The Line runs from the Lagos Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

    But that draws the discourse to raising capital for rail penetration. Former President Muhammadu Buhari invested in rail infrastructure more than any Federal Government before him since 1999. But he did it by obtaining loans — loans that current hysteria is near-criminalising.

    The other alternative is venture capitalists sinking own funds into rail and running it for an agreed number of years to recoup their investment with profit. That means, for example, instead of taking major loans from China, Chinese firms would come, invest and run the rail facilities, with the government only securing the project sites.

    Read Also: Oyebanji unveils local fabrics hub for job creation in Ekiti

    That transition might take some time. Yet rail, as an economic game-changer, is needed as soon as the proverbial “yesterday”. 

    That is the current challenge. Lagos is toying with PPP. It would be easier for the state for it not only has, in situ, two commercial rail lines, it has a master plan which it has developed over the last 21 years. But there is also a federal rail development master plan, which dated back to 2006-2007, though pre-Buhari governments did little to consummate that plan.

    President Tinubu must, therefore, further push for winning policies to attract rail investments, now that the subject is in the Concurrent List, where the state governments can play solo; or even band together as regional investment ensembles. The president has a historic duty — nay, burden — to put in place such a policy to replicate the LAMATA success story at the federal level.

    Rail is the way to go. It will not only have a firm grip on transport costs — particularly in heavy logistics, dry or wet — it will also help our roads to last longer, by taking over heavy bulk. With Nigeria’s massive market and far-flung territory, a rail investment is a near-gold mine, other things being equal.

  • Triumph of Nigerian voters

    Last Saturday, February 23, was a new day for Nigeria and Nigerian voters. It was a day of victory for ordinary Nigerian voters with faith in our electoral system, INEC the umpire and democracy that has been under assault of the political elite  who regard election as ‘a do or die affair’ and for whom democracy means only one thing – victory at the polls by all means fair or foul. The successful completion of an exercise that has allowed people to freely choose their leaders by INEC whose integrity Obasanjo and his PDP have sadly attempted to undermine, signifies the triumph of Nigerian voters.

    In the run up to last week’s election, Obasanjo had with neither restraint nor proof impulsively declared: “I personally have serious doubt about the present INEC’s integrity, impartiality and competence to conduct a fair, free and credible election”. Even with the scar of 2007 election considered the worst in our nation history, Obasanjo, projecting himself as a champion of democracy went on to add: “Democracy becomes a sham if elections are carried out by people who should be impartial and neutral umpires, but who show no integrity, acting with blatant partiality, duplicity and imbecility”.

    And writing off the current INEC even before the election took off, he without grace, appealed to “the international community to send more people to the field to observe and work out punitive measures ranging from denial and withdrawal of visas to other more stringent measures including freezing accounts of INEC and security officials especially the police and taking them to International Criminal Court ICC”.  This was coming from a leader who undermined all institutions of democracy-political parties, the legislature and the judiciary whose judges according to Audu Ogbeh, former PDP chairman, received bribes in foreign currency to sell justice to the highest bidder.

    And to demonise President Buhari, a spiteful Obasanjo offensively likened him to Abacha, the brutal dictator and his nemesis, saying “Today, another Abacha era is here. The security institutions are being misused to fight all critics and opponents of Buhari and to derail our fledgling democracy. EFCC, police and Code of Conduct Tribunal are also being equally misused to deal with those Buhari sees as enemies.” PDP was to add: “Obasanjo’s submission has also reinforced our position that President Buhari, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), having realised that there is no way he can win in a free and fair election, is now besieging all democratic institutions, including the judiciary, the legislature the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while engaging in acts that threaten the unity, peace and corporate existence of our dear nation”.

    But in what appeared a battle between  parasitic  beneficiaries of our dysfunctional system in Abuja, VGC Victoria Island and Port Harcourt – exclusive preserves of the leisured class, and impoverished Nigerians in Mushin, Ekiti, Kwara Jigawa,  and other neglected parts of our nation, where poverty strikes every visitor on the face, millions  of Nigerians undeterred by   Obasanjo’s unfounded  allegations and unwarranted assault on INEC and the president, demonstrated their faith in INEC, by coming out to elect leaders of their choice. They equally defied Obasanjo’s hypocritical western backers and their institutionsincluding the London Economist and its ‘satanic verses’.

    Neither were resolute Nigerian voters swayed by hate preaching of the jet-flying prosperity prophets who tried to exploit their religious fears at a period the Pope was in the middle-east to prove that but for the extremists, all adherents of the Abrahamic religions- Judaism, Christianity and Islam are worshipping the same God.

    In Ekiti, an embarrassment called Fayose and his associates in the National Assembly with their baleful legacies of unpaid salaries, chicken farm and stomach infrastructure scam were swept away. In Oyo, the ‘constituted authority’ who regarded questions by students on his policy thrust on education as an affront was stopped from transiting from the governorship lodge to the senate chambers. Even in Kogi, the voters exercised their right to re-elect a jesting Dino Melaye as a senator. In Kwara, those that have been treated as properties of Saraki and his father, the owners of Kwara fiefdom for over 50 years, with a battle cry of “o to ge” finally liberated themselves. Godswill Akpabio, the invincible former governor of in Akwa Ibom lost his senate seat. Anambra settled for Ifeanyi Ubah who has spent the greater part of the last three years in and out of EFCC and DSS camps over oil deals. Kaduna Central Senatorial District asked fearless Senator Shehu Sani who besides exposing a well-kept secret of senators N14.5m monthly pay, also asked President Buhari to stop fighting corruption among his political foes with insecticide and his political sympathisers, with deodorant to return to his civil society advocacy engagements. The beauty of democracy is that people are allowed to make their own mistakes which they also have a chance to correct after four years.

    It was the triumph of the electorate over mischief-makers. The  ECOWAS  and Commonwealth observers, headed by former Tanzania President , Dr.JakayaKikwe, apart from observing that “Election related violence and loss of life, which occurred in a number of places, is deeply troubling and calling for those  responsible should be held accountable”, the interim report indicate the election was free, fair and transparent.  The EU interim report has also called attention to operational failures of INEC resulting in late arrival of election materials which led to delay in the commencement of voting in some areas’.

    With INEC’s successful completion of the exercise early on Wednesday morning, those who have since the birth of the fourth republic undermined the democratization process are again set to heat up the polity. Even while Prince Uche Secondus’ PDP was recording landslide victories after landslide victories in the party’s strongholds as predicted by pundits, he was preparing ground for another assault on democratisation process in the event PDP loses the election. He first issued a statement saying “all results currently being announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is incorrect thus unacceptable to our party and people.” At a time PDP was winning in opposition strongholds including Ondo and Edo, the APC chairman’s state, Secondus claimed “officials of both President Buhari’s government and the All Progressive Congress (APC), working with INEC officers, have tried to alter the course of history and disenfranchise our people through the cancellation and manipulation of figures”.

    Not done, Secondus also alleged, President Buhari “dispatched minister of the interior, to the Northwest, Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the northeast and the attorney-general to the Southeast and South-south regions, to perfect rigging of election whose results had been declared at every polling booth 12 hours earlier. He forgot to tell Nigerians that it was after the alleged dispatch that INEC announced PDP landslide victories in its strongholds of Akwa Ibom Ebonyi, Anambra and Plateau.  The inference from Secondus straight and crooked syllogism is that the election will only be seen as free and fair if PDP secures landslide and sea slide victories in opposition strong holds as NPN did in 1983.

    Such a deadly assault on democracy will not be without dire consequences. Secondus should realise Nigerians voting PDP are not all suffering from collective amnesia. Some do so because they genuinely have faith in market economy or the survival of the fittest and not necessarily because they share the views of a few rascals that ‘stealing government money is not corruption’. And there are those voting PDP because they were angry with Buhari and APC for not meeting expectations of Nigerians. Sixteen years of looting of our national resources and the documented repeated assault on our democratisation process as publicly attested to by former president, Obasanjo, former governor, Donald Duke, and former deputy senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, are not lost on Nigerian voters who now have more confidence in  their votes.

  • The women are winning

    The women are winning

    For long she kept quiet as her reputation suffered insufferable assault from those who ordinarily should protect her – even adore her. They mounted a massive campaign of calumny against her and everything that she stood for. They called her names, some of which I dare not report here for fear of being accused of hate speech and crass indecency.

    Without iron cast proof – or any proof at all, according to her legal counsel – she was accused of theft (of all offences; as if she is a common Lagos pickpocket); yes, theft, not stealing or corruption or misappropriation or misapplication or diversion as people of her status are often accused.

    Poor woman. Former First Lady Dame Patience Faka Jonathan went through a lot. Her patience apparently overstretched, she has come out to fight. She broke the ice with President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to rein in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its boss Ibrahim Magu.

    She accused Magu of planning to destroy her and her family in a statement signed by her Chief Press Secretary, Belema Meshack. Dame Patience believes she is being “persecuted because of her unflinching support for her husband during the 2015 elections.”

    “President Buhari should be reminded that his wife also supported him in all the elections he contested against her husband, former President Jonathan, but Dr Jonathan did not at any point in time carry out personal vendetta or go after Buhar’s wife,” she said in an emotional tone.

    Dame Patience said Michelle Obama campaigned vigorously for her husband, “but we are yet to see President Donald Trump move against her.”

    Good logic. Instead of praising her courage, those disgruntled fellows to whom the pursuit of any noble cause is an opportunity to exhibit their frustration, descended on the former First Lady. All the fine points she made in her defence against the accusation of theft, which the EFCC hurled at her, made no sense to them.

    If her mother willed to her the billions –in local and hard currency – she claims to own legitimately, what did the old woman do to earn such a fortune? Was she also a first lady? How much does a permanent secretary earn in Bayelsa State? Could her pay have got her the N6b property just discovered in Abuja? She said some of the cash came from her ice cream trade; is she Unilever?

    The inquisition went on and on. Even Imelda Marcos, in all her excesses, was not this relentlessly pilloried. When shall we begin to respect our dearest ones? Now all that must stop. Buhari will call Magu and his men to order and the Dame will go in peace to enjoy the life of bliss she has so hard to prepare for.

    Indeed, feminists are winning. Their campaign about women’s rights seems to be working, going by the events of the last few days.

    After a long silence, First Lady Aisha Buhari has launched a scurrilous criticism on our healthcare services, dismissing them as poor. She specifically cited the State House Clinic that attracts huge budgetary allocations yearly as lacking basic facilities. The x-ray machine has broken down. There are no syringes, but buildings are being erected, she said.

    I wonder why the President’s wife would expect any official worthy of his Villa access card to pay attention to syringes, plasters, cotton wool and such imperceptible items . They are bought with peanuts. All eyes are on the big projects in which billions are sunk, understandably so.  We need such buildings to keep those equipment Mrs Buhari spoke of. Besides, when the time comes to account for the funds received by the clinic, no serious auditor will be talking about syringes, plasters and such trivial details that cost some millions.

    Besides, is the clinic really meant for the First Family? The Villa is a big community – of gardeners, body guards, drivers, cleaners, stewards, clerks and others, including domestic animals.

    Before Mrs Buhari vented her anger, Her daughter Zahra had asked the clinic’s management to justify its N3b allocation. The query is yet to be answered. The Zahra query reminds the attentive audience of a former minister of Works who was asked by the Senate to justify the ministry’s  N300b allocation in the face of the near collapse of all major roads.  Chief Tony ‘the Fixer’ Anenih simply told the lawmakers to get educated; allocation is different from release, he said. That was the end of the matter.So, dear first daughter, there you have it.

    Just like Dame Patience, former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has suffered untold verbal assaults from people who could never have been qualified to know even a little about her lifestyle. They said she stole  N47.2b and $487.5m, bribed INEC officials with N362m to rig the 2015 election, bought choice property in Dubai and other cities of note and travelled the world in private jets.

    With remarkable stoicism, she bore it all – insults, lies and abuses. Perhaps  buoyed by the new wave of women activism, Mrs Alison-Madueke has told a court to order that she be allowed to defend herself in one of those numerous cases filed against her associates.

    Since she made that bold move, some cynical fellows who will never fight for their own rights let alone stand up for others, have been calling her names. She is shameless. Shouldn’t greed have a limit, even by her standards? Why will she not just stay in Britain, go through her trial quietly and stroll into jail or freedom? They did not spare her?

    Not to be outdone in the game, the Federal Government through Attorney General Abubakar Malami announced that Mrs Alison-Madueke would not be  allowed to return now.

    That is unfair. Why won’t they admire the former Minister’s courage – that she is threatening to return home and clear her good name? How many of those who have been indicted of looting the treasury are willing to return home?

    Let us spare a thought for women of courage. With so many weak men at the helm of affairs now, who knows, our salvation may well lie in their delicate hands.

    Until he brought in the women angle, nobody listened to Senator Isah Hamman Misau ( Bauchi Central). He accused Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris of corruption on a scale beyond imagination. He challenged the anti-corruption agencies to move in. The police fired back. They accused the senator  of being a deserter and threatened to make him account for his unpatriotic action.

    All was quiet. We all thought the matter had been settled in the usual way when big boys fight. Suddenly, Misau showed up in the Senate and accused the police chief of putting an officer in the family way and marrying her to cover up the misdemeanor. That was expolosive or salacious enough for the Senate to set up a high powered committee of members who have been distinguished in such oversight duties to probe Misau’s allegations.

    Now, Idris will have to face the Senate – in uniform – to explain how it all happened. Was it consensual or forced? Who started it all? Was it a case of seduction?  Who seduced who? Are police officers allowed to think about matters of concupiscence while on their delicate duty? In other words, are officers allowed to display their soft side while on duty? Is conjugal disloyalty a reflection of professional laxity? How soft is a police chief’s heart in matters of affection?

    Like a bolt from the blues, allegations of  levelling “injurious falsehood” against the IG have hit Misau. The hunter is now the hunted. Nigeria we hail thee.

    Whichever way it goes, our women should be happy. They are winning.

     

    Ala – Baru versus I- Kachikwu

    The barber shop crowd  – of analysts, emergency experts and loafers – was there again on Saturday. With Papi D presiding, as usual, it was a visitor’s delight.

    A young man fires the first question of the day.

    “Sir, what is this Baru, Kachikwu matter all about?”

    Papi D smiles mischievously and begins with a lengthy reply. All is quiet.

    “You see, when you’re confronted with this kind of wuruwuru situation, with Baru threatening to dabaru everything, you draw from your philosophical and etymological experience.

    “In Oyingbo market, alabaru  is the porter. He is onye-ibu in Ariaria market and mai-kaya in Geri Kasuwa. If you don’t watch him closely, he may disappear with your goods. He may also slip and fall, spilling it all, if he is tired or his basket is overloaded. What you have here is an NNPC chief Baru who has refused to be a porter (alabaru), threatening to destroy (dabaru) everything and spill the beans because of the intrigues (wuruwuru).”

    “That’s a bit complex sir. Can you break it down? Expound your argument, Papi D.”

    “Okay. Listen. Kachikwu means ‘who is greater than God’. Right? Put an ‘I’ in front of that and merge it with the first two letters, taking off ‘Chukwu’; what do you have? “Ika” (evil). When a Baru feels a Kachikwu wants to visit him with evil, you have this kind of situation, which Fela Anikulapo- Kuti (my respects, always) called roforofo.”

    There are many questions. Why will a minister find it difficult to see the President? Did Kachikwu’s letter get to Buhari? They told us no money changed hands; so? Who hasn’t heard about the cashless policy? Why have an NNPC Board with members whose job is just to drink tea and share jokes? What does the future hold for Kchikwu? Not cheery, I’m afraid.

  • Etiebet @73: Trip to triumph

    He has never been an adherent of the original religion of his nativity in that Christianity, accompanied with Western education and other alluring social amenities, had distinguishingly pushed African traditional religion and some other indigenous practices to darkening corner of relics of history. Although it gained acceptability around the neighbourhood of his birth place at Ikot Ekpuk in present day Oruk Anam Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom, more than a decade before he was born on September 15, 1944. Though his first change agents –family, local church and Government School Ikot Ibritam – had already laid foundation for his firm footing in Christian faith, the authorities at Holy Family College, Abak, where he studied from 1958 to 1962 and obtained his West Africa School Certificate, were not pleased with the name, Obot, which denotatively translates Nature, and connotatively means Destiny. And so, upon his baptism in Catholic Church that owns the school, even without having the Damascus experience like the Biblical Saul, his name changed to Paul. Obot’s first name was changed to Donatus, but for the love of originality and nativity, he could not dump his maiden name in dustbin of history, hence his name, in full, remains Donatus Obot Etiebet.

    The Etiebet household was well-heeled, at least, regarding socio-economic rating around their immediate community yet the family was not alienated from ignorance of modern method of means of making meaningful livelihood. His mother was said to be the first woman in the area to have owned and rode Raleigh bicycle, which was then in that rural hinterland, akin to today’s Roll Royce. With older siblings, particularly his brothers, relatively reigning in robust resources, the then young Etiebet, positioned ninth in his mother’s womb, might have had some sort of rare advantages.

    Notwithstanding his family’s substantial means of living, it could be deciphered that he, like others around him there and then, was not fed with silver spoon but with wooden spoon, and plates and pots made of clay, as those were standard kitchen utensils at his place at the time. It is also not newsworthy that in his elementary school days, he walked barefooted; after all, it was a uniform thing.  Pampering privileges by parents was uncommon as it was perceived as a measure of spoiling children. So, his bourgeois background did not give him immunity from prevalent socio-cultural practices that were antithetical to Western civilization and constituted clog in the wheel of progress.

    Etiebet’s innovative adventurism and sterling strides in private entrepreneurship have no linkage of happenstance. Recognising that destiny lies more in hands of individual persons than reliance on fate of good luck or bad luck presumed to be associated with names, he sharpened his pencil even in the hands of his creator by not resting on oars of his natural brilliancy and silly comfort of his family local championship, but stayed steadfast to his scholarly adventure. He got his Higher School Certificate (HSC) after studying at Immaculate Conception College in Enugu between 1963 and 1964. From 1966 to 1969 he was at Imperial College of Technology, University of London in England, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Technology. He got M. Sc degree in 1971 in Applied Geophysics from University of Western Ontario, Canada.

    Today, besides his age, Etiebet has got to his apogee. Having his hands on a number of voluminous ventures has handsomely paid off for him in volumes of vital returns. When millions of money was millions of miles away from many Nigerians, Etiebet had made milestones through his mogul and ingenious enterprises and made his way to the then mean number of guild of men muscling in millions of money.

    His political pedigree is of presidential clout as he has been romancing and struggling with the powerful at the highest echelon in Nigeria. Remaining unscathed in a murky system is a testament of his strength of character. Etiebet’s exceptionalism lies more in building himself to pinnacle before getting into public office and coming out without traces of pillaging public purses. One of the physical signatures of his affluence, Etiebets Place, a magnificent skyscraper in Lagos, was completed in 1992, a year before he was appointed Secretary of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in the Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government.

    He is as an active citizen in the universal human community, but in fairness to his proud ancestral identity, treating him as a village boy peering with men and women in the global arena would be fittingly apt. His illustriousness on account of his inventory acumen and political prowess has given his native Akwa Ibom imposing national identification at a time the state was apparently in obscurity in Nigeria’s map. At a time lobbying for creation of states was only result-oriented when prosecuted by few privileged persons that had the means to ply with military politicians, he played a role, albeit, in privy, along Ime Umanah and few others, materialising in the creation of Akwa Ibom State on September 23, 1987 by Ibrahim Babangida.

    It is, however, worrisome that, perhaps owing to political differences, succeeding political leaders in his state since 1999, including those he had played a father-figure factor to, never deemed fit to accord him befitting recognition. Happily, it deserves pointing out that Governor Udom Emmanuel, who appears the only democratic governor in the state that is not in the category of his benefactor’s deeds is exceptional for not exhibiting enmity of any kind towards Etiebet but personally holds him in high esteem notwithstanding their different political persuasions.

    When this piece was scripted, it was not clear whether the governor has made any formal arrangement to accommodate Etiebet sharing in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Akwa Ibom. Nevertheless, as he turned 73,  the Iroko tree of many branches, has uncountable reasons to roll out drums with his true loved ones to celebrate his coming out from dimness era and environment with triumph to recognition beyond national boundaries.

  • Yoruba Summit: Triumph of Yoruba character

    Like most citizens of the Yoruba nation of south-western Nigeria, I am still thrilled by the huge success of the Yoruba Summit which was held in the city of Ibadan a fortnight ago, on Thursday September 7. That was a wonderful triumph of true Yoruba character, and I cannot resist revisiting it.

    To the heated debate going on concerning the restructuring of the federation, the summit was a powerfully positive contribution – a guide to how we all, the many nationalities of Nigeria, should conduct even the most contentious arguments concerning our common country of Nigeria. It was a very effective demonstration of the Yoruba nation’s understanding of how citizens should behave in situations in which their society is divided, in which their country is agonizing to find agreement or consensus over critically important issues.

    Countless Nigerians, young and old, as individuals and as groups or nationalities, are answering the call of duty by speaking up in this all-important debate. With the Yoruba Summit, the Yoruba nation stepped forward with the strongest national action yet.

    Over 6000 Yoruba citizens gathered at the Lekan Salami Stadium for the summit. It was the most representative assembly of Yoruba people in modern times. Tens of Yoruba civic organizations sent members to attend. Representatives of some youth organizations arrived with the kinds of fanfare that only youths can whip up – and earned the loud applause of the entire stadium. Representatives of various women organizations added colour to the gathering. Hundreds of the people in the large assembly were members of the Yoruba elite and intelligentsia – lawyers, doctors, owners or CEOs of leading Nigerian businesses, religious leaders (Muslim, Christian and traditional), university lecturers and professors and other educators, leading Yoruba politicians of all political parties including elected public officials, former governors, legislators, federal ministers and state commissioners, etc. Every one of the current governors of the six states of the South-west sent representatives. One of the governors, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, also came in person, to the great applause of the assembly. Masses of Yoruba people streamed in from all directions. Many Yoruba Obas, including the Ooni of Ife, came to add enormous dignity and gravity to the assembly.

    Also, very importantly, leading non-Yoruba Nigerians from other regions of Nigeria – leaders of the prestigious Ohanaeze Ndigbo of the Igbo people of the South-east, and leaders of PANDEF of the Delta peoples of the South-south – came to grace this great summit of the Yoruba people. Naturally, their arrival added much to the mounting excitement preceding the opening of the summit. No known national assemblage of any Nigerian nationality has ever been so honoured by other Nigerian nationalities. This was a first in Nigeria.

    Very many who attended the summit had travelled from distant parts of Yorubaland, including the Yoruba parts of Kwara, Kogi and Delta states. A torrential rain suddenly broke out as the summit was about to open, and threatened for some minutes to cause serious disruption. But it ended quickly (or, as we Yoruba would say, and are now saying, it was made to end quickly) – and it was not able to do any harm at all to the summit arrangements.

    All the wonderful success of the summit arrangements was the outcome of very detailed and careful planning over months, handled for the Yoruba nation by a competent Summit Planning Committee. The committee in its ultimate form comprised tens of members from different Yoruba organizations, with no one organization having more than one or two members on it. Every governor of the Yoruba South-west also sent a representative to serve on it.  Its over-all chairman and the chairmen of its various sub-committees were, deliberately, chosen from different Yoruba organizations. The Summit Planning Committee and its Contacts Sub-committee did all the heavy work of mobilizing the Yoruba people, leaders of all organizations, Yoruba leaders of political parties, Yoruba elected public officials, Yoruba traditional rulers, etc., to come to the summit. To maximize this mobilization effort, they used, not only personal contacts and letters, but also radio and television messages and jingles. Knowing that they had succeeded in rousing large numbers of people, they chose a stadium as venue. In this summit, the Yoruba put up the most emphatic show of Yoruba national unity in recent times.

    At the summit, a high-tech Summit Administrative Centre (with computers, printers and other communication gadgets) was set up, under highly qualified persons. This centre helped speakers who brought speeches and wanted their speeches reproduced for circulation. More importantly, it monitored all the speeches and ultimately digested them to produce the two important documents resulting from the summit – namely, the ‘Summit Communique’ and the ‘Ibadan Declaration’.

    The Summit Planning Committee handled the speaking on the raised platform with impressive discipline, allowing each speaker only a few minutes, and thereby making it possible for very many people to speak. Nobody who wanted to speak was denied, although particular recognition was given to representatives of organizations, youth organizations and women organizations, to persons who brought messages from the governors, to traditional rulers, religious leaders, etc. The opening speech by the chairman of the day – the legal luminary Aare Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University – set the tone for most other speeches of the day. The speech was powerfully reinforced by the speech of the chairman of the Summit Planning Committee, the eminent medical practitioner Chief Kunle Olajide.

    The core message from all the speeches was essentially the same, although each speaker rendered it in his or her own way and supplied his or her own details. That core message was a resounding call by the Yoruba nation for an urgent restructuring of the Nigerian federation. It was a serious warning that the over-concentration of power and resource control at the federal centre, an over-centralization which had been forced upon Nigeria by successive military dictatorships from 1966 to 1999, was grossly unsuitable for a country like Nigeria with hundreds of nationalities, that it had hurt Nigeria disastrously, that it is still hurting Nigeria, and that it now threatens the outright break-up of Nigeria. Every speaker pointed out some of the painfully destructive effects of this over-centralization on the Yoruba nation.

    The message sent by Governor Aregbesola of Osun State offered the most details of the proposed restructuring process. The speeches by Governor Ayo Fayose and Lawyer Femi Fani-Kayode (former Federal Minister of Aviation), excited the youths most and therefore generated enormous applause. Very loud applause also went to speakers who urged that the Yoruba nation should continue to give its well-known support to the existence and progress of Nigeria, but that if the restructuring of the Nigerian federation continues to be delayed, the Yoruba nation must begin expeditiously and peacefully to seek to have its own Oduduwa Republic separate from Nigeria. The august guests from the South-east and South-south were allowed time to speak, and they expressed their admiration for the summit, and the strong support of their nations for the same thing that the Yoruba nation desired – namely, a restructuring of the Nigerian federation without delay. The speeches ended with the greetings, thanks and blessings by the Ooni of Ife, voice of Oduduwa, the father of the Yoruba nation.

    The summit then ended by reading and loudly adopting the two documents – the ‘Summit Communique’ and the ‘Ibadan Declaration’. The motion to adopt this document was moved by the eminent Yoruba lawyer, Chief Niyi Akintola and seconded by another eminent lawyer, Chief Kehinde Sofola. The Yoruba nation thus created the documentary materials for the continued collective Yoruba contribution to the struggle of an increasing majority of Nigerians, for the restructuring of Nigeria – for the continued existence of Nigeria on the basis of an appropriate federal structure, thereby on the basis of equity and justice, and thereby towards progress and prosperity for Nigeria and expanded and expanding opportunities for all Nigerians.

    The summit at Ibadan was a possession of all Yoruba people of all religious and political persuasions and socio-economic pursuits and statuses. We Yoruba organized it to demonstrate our strong desire to see the Nigerian federation restructured without delay, so that Nigeria may survive the current serious threats to its existence, and so that Nigeria may become an orderly, harmonious, productive and prosperous country, a place of bouncing opportunities for us Yoruba and for all other peoples of Nigeria. We offer the Yoruba Summit as a powerful and patriotic step, hopefully worthy of emulation by other Nigerian peoples. In the swirling controversy over the restructuring of Nigeria, it is our potent answer to the call of duty as we know it.

  • Gambia: Triumph of diplomacy

    SIR: The departure of Gambia’s leader of 22 years, former President Yahya Jammeh on January 21 into exile in Guinea is a good ending to a drama that while it lasted created fear, foreboding and uncertainty, not only in Gambia where the unfortunate drama began but also in West Africa and indeed the rest of Africa.

    For West Africa, whose sub-regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) resolved not to condone impunity; it was a case of never again. In the late 1980’s and the 1990’s, West Africa was the centre of wasting civil wars that led to the devastation of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those struggling nations with limited but untapped resources are still battling to find their feet and get the gory experiences of the civil war that devastated their countries behind them.

    Unlike what obtained in the former cases we had in Liberia and Sierra Leone, one has to commend the singular determination of the leadership and member-states of ECOWAS who from the word go, frowned at the unfolding illegality and unconstitutionality brewing in the Gambia, and which left unattended would have presented the sub-regional body with a dilemma as well as a bad example in the attempt to enthrone democracy and orderly transfer of power in the sub-region after the commendable example of Nigeria in 2015, which brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power. It was therefore natural that in reaching the consensus to say no to sit-tightism and impunity, and ensure that the culture of democracy which has been lit in Ghana, Nigeria and to some considerable degree in other ECOWAS states was not extinguished, the sub-regional body took the unambiguous and courageous step of saddling Nigeria with the responsibility of ensuring that normalcy and the Constitution was restored in the Gambia.

    It needs be noted that while Guinean President, Alpha Conde and the Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz held the final meeting that convinced former Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh that he has no other choice than to revert to his earlier acceptance of the result of the December 2016 presidential election, the foundation had already been laid by the ECOWAS mediation team led by Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari.

    Thus as Jammeh begins his exile in Guinea, it behoves on the new Gambian leader, Adama Barrow to work hard and justify the hope, confidence and expectations of the people of the Gambia in his leadership. It is re-assuring to note that in his swearing-in speech in Dakar, President Barrow promised reforms to give the people of Gambia, a new lease of life. We urge him to go on and carry out these reforms as long as the Gambia would be better for it to correct the unpleasant aspects of the legacy of the former leader, Yahya Jammeh. That way, President Barrow would have justified the efforts and risks taken by the ECOWAS mediation team and indeed the international community, in calling the bluff of former President Jammeh.

     

    • Louis Okoroma,

     Abuja.

  • Triumph of the mind

    Triumph of the mind

    •Nine more join the long list of Nobel Prize winners

    In the season of the distinguished and esteemed Nobel Prizes, the world gets to know more about the work of some bright minds in the pursuit of human development and progress. It is usually a time to appreciate the potential of the human intellect, and to reflect on mankind’s evolution and advancement.

    This year’s prize winners have been added to a long list that represents distinction in a range of spheres, and their recognition has an immense motivational value in a world where there is still a lot of ground to cover in the continuing effort to make the earth a better place.

    The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 was awarded to David J. Thouless, F.Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.” The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 went to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa “for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.” Yoshinori Ohsumi was named winner of The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016 “for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy.”

    Interestingly, the Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 caused quite a stir as American singer and song writer Bob Dylan won it “”for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”  This was an unconventional choice that expanded the boundaries of consideration for the literary honour, and it demonstrated a fluidity of thought that is instructive in a world challenged by undesirable philosophies that promote fixity. In this sense, the category-defying choice speaks to all manner of extremist viewpoints that threaten the social fabric. It is a testimony to the enduring value of the humanities that this year’s literary award carried the possibility of this interpretation.

    The theme of counter-extremism was also reflected in the choice of the President of Columbia, Juan Manuel Santos, as winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2016 “for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end.” Last but not least, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2016 went to Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom “for their contributions to contract theory.”

    It is worth mentioning that the place of origin of the prize winners shows diversity that underscores the global significance of the awards. Apart from Dylan and Santos, the others are from the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Japan and Finland.

    The noble example of Alfred Nobel who conceived the idea of the prizes deserves to be commended and recommended. The Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman and philanthropist, known for inventing dynamite, was prompted to will his riches to institute the Nobel Prizes after reading a “premature obituary” that demonised him for prospering from arms dealing. His last will and testament, signed on November 27, 1895, said: “The whole of my remaining realisable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.”

    In addition to the prizes stated by Nobel – Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace – the Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) in 1968  established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences have been awarded 597 times between 1901 and 2016, and the prize money for this year is Swedish kronor (SEK) 8.0 million per full Nobel Prize.

    When the 2016 Nobel Laureates receive their prizes, which also include a Nobel Medal and a Nobel Diploma, during the Award Ceremonies on December 10, it will be another brilliant moment marking the triumph of the mind.

  • Rotimi Amaechi: The triumph of reward and justice

    Rotimi Amaechi: The triumph of reward and justice

    Moses Akinola Makinde, a Professor of Philosophy and Director-General/CEO, Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo, Osun State, in this piece extols the virtues of former Rivers State Governor and Minister-designate Rotimi Amaechi

    I congratulate the distinguished members of the Nigerian Senate, especially the APC senators, on the screening as a prelude to confirmation of Hon. Rotimi Amaechi as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Judging from the intrigues, evil machinations, hatred and gigantic stumbling blocks put on his way by his detractors whom he had fought to a standstill since he defected from the PDP to APC, we cannot expect the PDP to support his screening and confirmation under any disguise.

    The vociferous hues and cries and hate campaigns by Governor Wike and his PDP collaborators in Rivers State might just as well have been a fall out of his running battle with Goodluck and Patience Jonathan on their running battle with them over the years. That Rotimi Amaechi withstood all the battles from several fronts- Jonathan, Patience, Wike and Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbuh- is something that goes beyond human comprehension and says something about the character of the man as a dogged fighter and a man of destiny.

    If the Senate had rejected Amaechi’s nomination by Buhari and later refused to screen him because of spurious and orchestrated charges of unproven corruption against him, it would have been a monstrous injustice. On the purported corruption charge against him by his antagonist’s  (Wike’s) panel of inquiry upon which the PDP in the senate hinged their hope of thwarting his screening, Amaechi said, “i came here with a copy of the so-called panel report. There was nowhere that the judicial panel report indicted me”. Yet, out of mischief, the Wike white paper report fraudulently smuggled in an indictment into the original report, not minding the fact that the indictment was not a terminating judgement in a competent court of law which is the only thing that could be used against him. The APC was aware of the intrigues of the Rivers state Government to unjustly thwart Amaechi’s screening, in spite of his intimidating pedigree, in order to satisfy the desperate wish of Governor Wike and his likes in the conspicuous game of vendetta and not in the interest of the people of Rivers state and the nation.

    Of all the nominees for screening, Rotimi Amaechi stood out by virtue of his impressive and impeccable pedigree. From tradition, the Senate had always favoured nominees who had been Governors, Senators, members of the House of Representatives and State Assemblies. Many of the nominees who fell into this category were accorded this privilege. This is where the Senate President did very well when he reminded the minority leader, Senator Akpabio, of this long and existing tradition. Rotimi Amaechi had been a two term Speaker in the Rivers State House of Assembly, two term Speaker, Secretary conference of speakers, two term Governor of the same state, two term Chairman of the Governor’s Forum and Director-General of the APC campaign organisation. This was not lost to Senators in both parties. When he was asked to speak, he introduced himself and then addressed the Senators, confidently and brilliantly answered all questions put to him. With these answers, he seemed to have silenced all oppositions, regardless of the PDP’s refusal to ask him questions. Everybody was dazed and spellbound by his clarification and answers. Consequently, he was asked by the senate President to bow and go without the much expected opposition from the floor of the Senate. And so the waiting game was over for a nominee who had attracted more publicity and anxiety than all others put together. In fact, the unnecessary controversy surrounding Amaechi’s nomination and the interest it generated in Nigeria and the outside world had made him the star and hero of the Buhari’s ministerial nominees, being the most talked about everywhere you go.

    While I congratulate Amaechi for weathering the storm created for him by his traducers, especially the Governor of Rivers State who had hurriedly put up a judicial panel of inquiry aimed at stalling his impending screening and confirmation by the Senate, I think bigger congratulations go to APC members of the Senate who stood firmly behind their own. In this respect it is important to note what the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, said: “PDP can’t stop Amaechi”, because “the Senate belongs to APC, not PDP” Vanguard October 22, 2015 (front page) and The Nation, “PDP can’t stop Amaechi’s screening”, page 4.

    Surely, it would have been a tragedy of monumental proportion if APC which has majority members in the Senate (58:48) should bow in defeat to the minority PDP over the screening and confirmation of Amaechi under the circumstances stated above. Such could not happen under the PDP controlled Senate, and I have no record of that happening anywhere in the world where a minority would have their way against that of a majority. Apart from this, APC Senators have demonstrated their respect for President Buhari who nominated Amaechi, and the President would not have expected his Senators to disgrace him on the floor of the Senate on this crucial matter. The situation might just as well have been a battle between President Buhari and the former President through the PDP senators. So, if Amaechi had lost out, Jonathan and his associates would have won and celebrated the feat, and President Buhari utterly disgraced. This is why the APC Senators have to be congratulated.

    I think they will learn from this exercise and close ranks to always speak with one voice especially as they are in total control of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Presidency. As for Amaechi, the man of the moment, I congratulate him for his patience, amazing resilience, doggedness, consistency as a fighter, and his outstanding qualities and performance at the screening exercise which is a sure preclude to his confirmation as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The APC’s gain from this exercise is the sudden realization that it is the party in government this time around. They should not mess themselves up lest the PDP take advantage of their disunity. They should realise that when they were in power, the PDP was so united that APC could not penetrate their ranks, which was why they ruled, albeit ingloriously, for 16 years!

    The APC has the majority in the Senate and House of Representatives like the PDP before them. If the APC are united, they can use their majority of ten to their advantage from now till the kingdom come.  But the PDP, in spite of being in the minority, has threatened “to oppose Amaechi’s confirmation when the time comes”, which seems to me a tall order. Would the APC allow this to happen? I hear somebody say, “not in this universe”.

  • Triumph of reason

    Triumph of reason

    It is apposite in view of the eventual formation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet to revisit some contentious issues in our body politic with specific reference to the interrogation of political tolerance and its utility in the development of our democracy.

    Arguably, political intolerance is a vice in the polity. It manifests itself when political leaders refuse to give space to opposition politics through a rejection of different views. However, political tolerance is a necessity by accepting and respecting the basic rights and civil liberties of persons and groups whose viewpoints differ from one’s own. All citizens, especially political leaders, therefore, have a responsibility to practice political tolerance in their words and actions as a key principle of democracy.

    This is so because as an ideal, democracy upholds the right to differ as well as the acceptance of such difference by all. Democracy lets people speak their minds and shape their own future. Indeed that so many in so many different parts of the world are prepared to risk so much for this idea is testimony to enduring appeal of democracy. Otherwise the crude desire to restrict the rights of a disliked person or group based on their differing views represents a threat to democracy.

    Like in many other parts of the country, this enlightened perspective is no less relevant than the situation in Rivers State where the divergent political positions before and after the last general election between the former Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his political traducers left in its wake some regrettable impressions.

    Although the Peoples Democratic Party was declared winner and a government was formed, Amaechi somehow became the issue of governance rather than the implementation of the manifesto of the PDP government. All manner of accusations rented the public space. The media smear campaign was so much that a psyche of distrust already embedded in the people could possibly lend credence to the campaign since the character deficit in many political leaders, including the traducers was rife.

    It became so vigorous a campaign that many concerned leaders from Rivers State and the South-south region in general took notice and raised alarm to the effect that beyond the shenanigans being dished out, there was an ulterior motive to embarrass Amaechi so thoroughly to make his further rise in political leadership and perhaps public service impossible, at least in the new dispensation. This is the reason for the daily orchestration about corruption, about such incredibly humongous figures in “secret bank accounts” in capitals across the world. But it was all lies, a calculated recourse to evil doing to tarnish a hard-earned reputation.

    Initially, Amaechi never bothered because he knew his has a clear conscience and as such replying to such pedestrian accusations which can easily be detected as false would amount to frivolity. But it later dawned on him that when a lie is repeated over time could register as truth in the estimation of the ordinary people. And he took the most appropriate step through a legal redress to protect his name and reputation. The case is subsisting in court.

    It is worth reiterating that Amaechi’s travail in the hands of his traducers was purely political. It resonates in his political differences with former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, leading to his exit from the PDP basically on matters of ideological differences.

    And to compound “Amaechi sins”, the former governor was regarded to have contributed in some strategic ways to defeat the former president and hell was let loose. So the situation in Rivers State is a proxy war!

    What we cannot and must not overlook in the saga, however, was the fact that Amaechi’s actions were not personal but a realistic appreciation of his politics, founded on convictions, rather than any ethnic or tribal leaning, to the effect that patriotism and the need for a virtuous and vibrant way to democratic and leadership renewal was inevitable. Of course, such is hard to fault in the context of the common good. Amaechi’s political pragmatism has defined him over the years.

    Thus his inclusion in the Buhari cabinet, in spite of the dirty tricks by his traducers, underscores his relevance not necessarily as a political gift but essentially as a measure of his leadership character and ability to add value towards the realization of the president’s agenda. It is also an endorsement of his stewardship as former governor of Rivers State both in terms of integrity and performance.

    Whether his political enemies like it or not, Amaechi’s legacy as a reformer will outlive him in Rivers State. His numerous landmark projects and development initiatives in education, health, agriculture, power and empowerment, remain imperishable especially in the hearts of the people who were beneficiaries.

    President Buhari who appointed him should also be commended for his clear sense of mission and objectivity by not pandering to sentiment and antics of talebearers. Understandably, he must have done his due diligence to realize that the wholesale smear campaign was political without any iota of truth. It is clearly a triumph of reason rather than the emotion-laden chorus of ‘betrayal” as every discerning observer could read along the line of hate politics in Rivers State.

    Amaechi’s new challenge, however, is a call to service on a national scale which should dwarf his feat in Rivers State. He must make his presence felt in the new agenda of national regeneration.  Importantly, we must recognise as a people that a clash of views in politics is a good thing in creating a viable democracy. Many fledgling democracies have slid towards autocracy, maintaining the outward appearance of democracy through elections, but without the rights and institutions that are equally important aspects of a functioning democratic system. And when we look closely we found out that the vice is a function of leadership character molded in intolerance and the quest for absolute power which invariably corrupts. We must learn to tolerate one another even when we hold opposing views.

     

    • Njoku, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Port-Harcourt.