(Address delivered at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos on 4th October, 2020 in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Day Anniversary)
I thank you most sincerely for inviting me to join you in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the granting of Independence to our beloved nation by the British on 1st October 1960. It rained heavily on that day in Lagos (and most other parts of Nigeria) and it was interpreted as a good omen. I was a believer then and I remain “endlessly” optimistic provided we older generation know when to quit the stage and hand over power, authority and responsibility of the next generation – in an environment and circumstances that would ensure the enduring prosperity of our nation in peace, harmony and stability. That is the crux of the matter. It is no small task – especially while the COVID-19 pandemic has gone on a rampage while our economy as well as the social tapestry of our great country are in tatters.
From my assessment of the audience gathered here this evening, it is safe to conclude without double-checking with the Bureau of Statistics or the Lagos Business School that none of you witnessed the lowering of the British flag (“The Union Jack”) and the hoisting of the Nigerian flag (Green-White and Green) at the stroke of midnight on that epochal occasion. Thankfully, films, television, radio, books and archival records have preserved the infectious joy and boundless optimism that unleashed the spontaneous exchange of hugs, kisses and handshakes (before the COVID-19 virus!!) as confirmation of our commitment to a common destiny anchored on mutual trust, profound respect and genuine tolerance without rancorous reference to tribe, creed or gender.
You have requested me to share with you my experience between then and now. That would have to wait. What is far more pressing is to address a most critical issue namely; we have been referring to you as future leaders but when will the future mesh with the present in the pre-determined course of nature as the young replace or are forced to supplant the old and expired?
Rather than dump my own prejudices and pre-conceptions on you, I prefer to listen to what you have to say. The trenchant complaint by your generation is that we have taken you for granted and that nobody listens to you. On the contrary, your legitimate aspirations and indeed your anxieties regarding the current state of affairs are being waved off with levity bordering on contempt.
For this and other transgressions, I offer profound apologies. Of course, you are entitled to what you demand are concrete action and irrevocable commitment.
The avalanche of evidence in support of your petition/indictment is not limited to the parlous state of our economy and the invasion by marauders whose real intent and ultimate goal are anarchy and chaos. Their evil mission is being fuelled by bandits; terrorists (especially Boko Haram); kidnappers; ritual murderers; extortionists; coup-plotters, “419” fraudsters; treasury looters; human traffickers; election riggers and dictators. All these in addition to hunger, famine, rape and hordes of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons).
You have attached as Appendix 1 what is currently going on in Mali where a military mutiny plunged the country into political uncertainty as the military forced Ibrahim Boubacar Keita out of the presidency. The Malian President announced around midnight on Tuesday 18th August 2020 that he was resigning from his post saying that he did not wish blood to be shed following a military mutiny that plunged the country into a political crisis.
The development came hours after soldiers took up arms and staged a mutiny at a key base in Kati, a town close to Bamako, detaining President Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse.The events came amid a week-long political crisis that has seen opposition protesters taking to the streets to demand the departure of Keita, accusing him of allowing the country’s economy to collapse and mishandling a worsening security situation.
As Appendix II, you have attached the current state of affairs in Cote D’Ivoire
Appendix III is all about what is going on in the Sudan
As Appendix IV, you have beamed your searchlight on Rwanda
The summary of the other Appendixes revolves around those African countries where the rulers have been in power for ever plus one day!!
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea; 40years
Paul Biya, Cameroon; 37years
Denis Sassou Nguesso; Republic of Congo; 36years
Yoweri Museveni, Uganda; 34 years
Idriss Deby, Chad; 29 years
Isaias Afwerki, Eritrea; 29 years
I cannot thank you enough for taking me into confidence by sharing with me your strategy for taking over power through perfectly legitimate means within the extant laws and the Constitution of our beloved country. Please correct me If I am wrong but you appear to be determined to register your own political party. Fortunately, you are endowed with sufficient vigour and adequate zeal to launch your campaign in all the nooks and corners of Nigeria – in all the 774 Local Government Areas, including those parts of the country that had hitherto been entirely neglected or have remained defiantly inaccessible.
I am particularly enamoured with your taxation policy – namely, the only commodity to be taxed heavily and punitively is IGNORANCE.
The dynamic emphasis and central thrust of your fiscal policy is the commitment of fifty per cent of the budget – at every level (Federal; State; and Local Government) to Education and Health.
Without divulging too much, permit me to commend your vision and the crystallisation of your radical intervention in the pursuit of well-articulated programmes to rescue our nation and salvage our divinely ordained destiny.
I very much hope that your ideas on the restructuring of our nation’s political landscape gain traction.
I cannot fault the logic of power sharing arrangement whereby you seek to build concensus rather than resort to ruthless opportunism and self-serving exploitation of the masses. To my mind, the novelty of installing a President from one part of the country regardless of his or her religion/ethnicity; and Vice-President from another region/ethnic group for a single term of four years after which they would swap positions is not a matter to be dismissed with a wave of the hand only to be consigned to the dustbin of youthful exuberance. Such an arrangement carries with it the attraction of a former President serving his erstwhile Vice-President in a reversal of roles. I hope you would concede some measure of flexibility regarding the selection/restriction of candidates to only those between the age of forty and sixty in addition to being of impeccable character. What cannot be controverted is your insistence that they must have sound education and should have held leadership position in academics, professions (engineering; law; architecture; medicine; banking; journalism etc) and/or business/industry. Farmers are especially welcome; American President Jimmy Carter was a farmer. So also, is the new Prime Minister of Japan, Mr.YoshihideSuga. Neither can we exclude trade union leaders.
The most fascinating section of your putative manifesto relate to the total abolishment of slavery in all shapes and forms. It is most gratifying that you have diligently catalogued extracts from our nation’s history to wit:
Extracts from “NIGERIA REPORT” by Sir Frederick J.D. Lugard (On the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria, And Administration 1912 – 1919)
“When the Administration [of Northern Nigeria] was assumed by the Imperial Government [British] in 1900 the Fulani emirates formed a series of separate despotisms marked by the worst forms of wholesale slave trading, spoliation of the peasantry, inhuman cruel and debased justice.”
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“The South was, for the most part, held in thrall by fetish worship and the hideous ordeals of witchcraft, human sacrifice and twin murder.”
“Systematic penetration of the almost wholly unexplored country East of the Niger began in 1900, and in 1902 the Aro Fetish, whose ramifications extended throughout the eastern portion of the country – a cult of human sacrifice and slavery – was crushed by force of arms.”
“The West African Frontier Force was raised in 1898-99, and on its return from its successful campaign in Ashanti, the task of dealing with Moslem Emirates was undertaken, in 1902-3. Kontagora, the noted slave-raider, who had boasted that, like a cat with a mouse, he would “die with a slave in his mouth” was the first to be coerced.”
“Amalgamation (in 1914) in my view was “not a mere political, geographical, or more especially a financial expression.” I regard it rather “as a means whereby each part of Nigeria should be raised to the level of the highest plane attained by any particular part.”
The problem that comes with tackling the issue of slavery is that we cannot dodge the consequences and penalties that would propel us into the cauldron of reparation – how much and who is to pay whom?
Alongside pops up the corollary matter of: Should sons (and daughters) pay for the sins of their fathers (and mothers)?
Regardless of all temptations to digress into dangerous territory, we must remain focused while we endeavour to deal with injustice masquerading as sectionalism – or the domination of one group (or several groups) by another group that is fiercely and ruthlessly determined to hold on to power at all costs even if it means perpetuating deep-seated animosities and resentment.
I must confess that I am as fascinated as I am intrigued by your proposal that whoever becomes President of our nation would serve for only one term of four years. Thereafter, he would serve as Vice-President for the next four years while his previous vice-president gets his or her turn in the seat of power having served diligently and loyally. This arrangement is reinforced by the clear understanding that both the Presidential Candidate and his or her Vice-President campaigned (and won the election) on a joint ticket.
Consequently, it becomes compelling to wind the tape back to 1999 when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo won the presidential election. Hence, in 2003 his successor would have been Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; and the former President would have been obliged to serve as Vice-President for the next four years !!
By the same token, Alhaji Umar Musa YarA’dua would have been obliged to serve for only one term of four years followed by the tenure of his Vice-President, Dr.GoodluckEbele Jonathan. Unfortunately, President YarA’dua died before the completion of his tenure. In principle, after his first term of four years, President Jonathan should have handed over to his Vice-President Architect Namadi Sambo as the flag-bearer of the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party).
Once the principle is firmly established, it would be a forgone conclusion that following the success of General Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 under the flag of APC (All Progressives Congress) it is his Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who would have carried the APC flag in 2019 with former President Muhammadu Buhari as his running mate !!
Would it have worked; could it have worked??
It is a monumental quadratic equation in the realms of quantum physics especially when you log in the First Lady versus Second Lady factor. Matters become very explosive.
You have no choice but to go back to the drawing board and galvanize your strategic options before proceeding further.
I salute the intellectual vigour you have committed to finding a lasting solution to one of our nation’s most intractable problems which has created the monster of the “Godfatherism Syndrome” whereby those who have ruled as President or Governor resort to either tenure elongation or insist (when compelled to leave) on micro-managing /manipulating their successors with very serious and invariably violent consequences.
Even if you do not succeed at the first attempt, you must not relent. Instead, you should draw inspiration from Zig Ziglar (1926 –2012):
“There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.”
I am somewhat hesitant to comment in great detail on the comparison you have made between Nigeria and other countries, principally
whose citizens enjoy a very high income per capita and the quality of life that goes with it in a very stable economic and political environment. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to benchmark ourselves against countries with about the same population as Nigeria, e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia
However, you are right to emphasise that in Finland it is teachers who are the highest paid professionals on account of the fact that education at every level is accorded the utmost priority with health as a close second. It is not by accident that the entire nation is reaping the bountiful harvest being delivered by visionary and exceptional leadership regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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As for Sweden, I can confirm from personal experience that when I visited that country for the first time about fifty years ago, my host was a professor at the University of Upsalla. What struck me as most remarkable was that even though his tax was about sixty per cent of his income, he was not complaining at all. On the contrary, he was very comfortable in the flat occupied by him and his family; his job was secure; even after retirement his salary would not diminish; nobody could eject him or his wife from their flat and the children were guaranteed good quality education. In addition, the crime rate was very low. So also were infant mortality / maternal deaths. All these were in addition to politicians who were scrupulously transparent and accountable for their deeds or misdeeds.
I did not notice much difference during my more recent visits. Both their elderly and the youth are in competition for the title: “The Strong Breed.”
I suggest we pause in order to reflect on two documents which I have attached as Appendixes.
The first one is the 26th NESG (Nigerian Economic Summit Group) dated 26th – 27th October, 2020 of particular interest is “Building Partnerships for Resilience”
The second one is the swift reaction (hold no prisoners) by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
““The Central Bank of Nigeria fired back at the NESG following a Businessday report that accused the bank of seeking immunity for CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele in the proposed Banking and Other Financial Institution (BOFIA) Bill.
In a press release published on the website of the central bank, it addressed wide-ranging claims made against it by the National Economic Summit Group (NESG) which purportedly leaked to Business Day, a newspaper in Nigeria. In the article published on Tuesday, the newspaper alleged “business leaders opposed bill to give CBN Governor immunity” according to section 51 of the proposed bill.
“Section 51 of the Bill which grants immunity from judicial intervention to the Federal Government, the CBN, or any officer of the Federal Government or the CBN from any action, claim or liability to any person in respect of anything done in the exercise of their duties under the Bill.”
“neither the Federal Government nor the Bank nor any officer of the Federal Government or the Bank, shall be subject to any action, claim or demand by or liability to any person in respect of anything done or omitted to be done in good faith in pursuance or in execution of, or in connection with the execution or intended execution of any power conferred upon that Government, the Bank or such officer, by or under this Bill or the CBN Act or any rules, regulations, guidelines or directives issued thereunder or pursuant to any other relevant laws,”
The CBN retorted that the section claimed to be granting immunity to the Governor of the Central Bank already exists as Section 53 in the old Act long before Emefiele became Governor.
“On the revisions to the BOFIA Act, there are many reasons why we see a total ignorance or malicious intent on the part of the NESG. First, the provision they refer to as being currently conceived as part of the new BOFIA already exists as Section 53 in the old Act, which is now Section 51 in the amended Act passed by the National Assembly. The current bill has not proposed any changes to that section at all.”
The CBN also explained that the provisions in section 51 do not provide any immunity to the CBN Governor as it would for elected Governors of States of the Federation but rather it protects the apex bank and their officials against litigations brought forward against it for actions it may have taken in good faith.
“Second, contrary to their misleading anxiety and associated reportage, the provision of Section 51 does not purport to confer immunity on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria like that which obtains for State Governors. Rather, this provision protects the Federal Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria and their respective officials against adverse claims for actions or omission in good faith exercise of powers under BOFIA and other specified statutes including the Central Bank of Nigeria Act and regulations made thereunder.”
In the Businessday report, it cited a quote from an unnamed CBN Governor who wondered why the bill would include such a provision alleging it was to provide immunity for the Governor.
“What would a governor of the central bank need this immunity for?”, asked a former governor of the apex bank who spoke to our reporter….you already have in BOFIA a section that requires anyone to first write the governor before he or she can sue the governor. The governor does not need the kind of immunity we are talking about and I do not think there is any sensible country in the world with a provision like this. What do we do if it happens that a governor contravenes the very law establishing the bank”?
It also quoted the NESG reporting that it “also kicked against granting immunity to the CBN and its officers from judicial review of acts undertaken in the exercise of their administrative duties.”
Who is on the right track
Reading between the lines, one does not need a lawyer to explain that the provision in the passed bill is not new and surely was not introduced by the current governor to protect himself from immunity. The provision has been in BOFIA (the existing law) and is also included in other laws setting up regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), AMCON, NDIC, and even the CBN.
The provision basically protects regulatory bodies from being sued indiscriminately by parties to whom they may have carried out action against. For example, in the case of sacking the board of a failed bank, the directors may sue to get an injunction against the central bank curtailing its powers to take swift action where necessary.
It appears critics are now throwing the kitchen sink at the CBN Governor for actions they deem “unpopular” even if it means raising false alarms. Since 2015 when Nigeria’s economic crisis begun, Godwin Emefiele has come under severe criticisms in his handling of monetary policy and management of the exchange rate.
Thus, no matter his intent, critics view his actions with skepticism and caution suggesting a lack of trust between them and his leadership of the CBN. Despite a deluge of criticisms, he remains in favour of the current government after his second term was renewed. He is the first CBN Governor to serve two terms since Abdulkadir Ahmed whose term ended after 10 years in September 1993.”
I have also added what has been dubbed as “Breaking News” byhuhuonline.com.ng.
Headline: “EXCLUSIVE: SENATOR PETER NWAOBOSHI SECURE 58 NO-BID CONTRACTS [FROM NIGER-DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION] IN 2018.
As yet another Appendix, I have added the following report:
“Despite repeated denials of culpability in the corruption and financial recklessness and mismanagement in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a new trove of documentary evidence obtained exclusively by Huhuonline.com paints a disgusting picture of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta-North), being neck-deep in the unfolding scandal in the wake of public hearings by the National Assembly wherein it emerged that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) illegally spent N81.5 billion over five months without awarding a single new project.
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The cache of documents showed that during the six months period from January to June 2018, Senator Nwaoboshi secured 58 no-bid contracts from the NDDC to the tune of billions of naira, which were awarded to contractors proposed by him. According to the documents, 44 of the 58 contracts in Delta and Abia States were awarded on the same day – May 28, 2018 – to contractors linked to Nwaoboshi through proxies, friends and family relations. It is worth recalling that the NDDC had in a statement by its spokesperson, Charles Odili, alleged that Nwaoboshi used eleven different companies as fronts to secure contracts estimated at N3.6bn in September 2016. But Nwaoboshi denied the claims arguing that none of the eleven companies in question belonged to him as far as records at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) were concerned. He challenged the NDDC officials to substantiate their allegations with documentary evidence implicating him.
But Nwaoboshi in a statement said the allegations were geared towards tarnishing his reputation and to embarrass him. “The smear campaign and character assassination of people perceived to be stumbling blocks against the rot in NDDC over the years must stop in the national interest,” he said. The statement signed by his Special Assistant on Legislative and Media Affairs, Luka Igbonoba, said the charade in the past weeks by the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission to blackmail a routine task of the National Assembly to perform its oversight function as stated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had become a national disgrace.
The statement said: “They listed eleven companies and ascribed ownership to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi. These are companies that he does not know nor had anything to do with. A simple search at the Corporate Affairs Commission will at least show both former and present directors. How do you libelously claim a man owns companies that perhaps belong to other people? In any case, if the contracts were actually awarded in 2016 as alleged, the forensic audit which covers the period is expected to expose every detail surrounding these contracts and save the public from this shameless falsehood. We strongly challenge NNDC to avail the public of the names of the directors and shareholders of all the companies. For the umpteenth time, Senator Nwaoboshi once again declares that he is neither a director nor shareholder in any of the companies listed by NDDC. Nigerians are aware that the misleading press release is just another desperate attempt to rescue the already shredded and tattered image of Godswill Akpabio.”
Obviously Sen Nwaoboshi is trying to be clever by half, and he thinks Nigerians are fools. No one expects the senator to be listed as a director or shareholder in any of the companies which were awarded NDDC contracts that he secured because the self-dealing and conflict of interest will be too apparent even for the blind not to see. While it is standard operating procedure for elected federal and state officials, elite and other prominent citizens to introduce projects to the agency; what Nwaoboshi in his self-righteous indignation failed to disclose in his repeated denials is the fact that such “emergency projects” are introduced to the NDDC with the name and contact details of the “proposed contractor” who is usually connected to the “project source.” Nwaoboshi cannot therefore distance himself from the contractors who were awarded his pet projects since these projects never followed due process of open competitive bidding by the NDDC tenders board; in violation of the provisions of Sections 24 and 27 of the 2007 Public Procurement Act.
According to documents obtained from the NDDC detailing no-bid emergency projects awarded in 2018, over 50% of the projects Nwaoboshi secured were awarded and paid to his proposed contractors more than once. For example, Emergency Repairs of AhiamaOkwu to ObuohiaOkwu [road] in Umuahia South LGA in Abia State was awarded to Jennifer Adighije of Earth Crust Geosciences Nigeria Ltd with address listed as: No 58, Usuma Street, Maitama, Abuja; the same address is shared by the Women Leadership Institute (WLI), chaired by Dr.Kema Chikwe.
Huhuonline.com could neither establish any relationship between WLI and the contractor; nor ascertain whether the said Jennifer Adighije is the fashion designer also called Jennifer Adighije; renowned for her fashion line, House of Silk; who married Dr.ObioraOkola in a fairy-tale wedding in March 2013. It is however note-worthy that the same project was awarded to the same company twice on the same day – May 28, 2018. Worse even, because the projects violated due process, the cost was negotiated directly between the NDDC leadership and the contractor. Find below the list of the 58 no-bid NDDC contracts secured by Senator Nwaoboshi from January to June 2018.”
We should also revisit the issue of slavery as brutal and barbaric as it is. We have an obligation to demand from CNN copies of its scoop (on video) of Nigerians being auctioned as slaves in Libya. This is a matter as regards which you are right to demand a full investigation. We must also give kudos to Nima Elgabir, the CNN journalist for her bravery and resourcefulness which enabled her to expose the dastardly exploitation of fellow human beings. While still on the subject of slavery, we cannot ignore the complicity of our fellow Nigerians in both the old slave trade and the new model.
I hope that as a critical component of the preparation of “The Strong Breed” to take over power, you would pay special attention to the large number of our fellow citizens who out of despair and desperation embark on the perilous journey across the Sahara Desert to Libya with Europe as their ultimate destination. Apart from the large number of those whose bones and carcasses litter the merciless desert, many more drown while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with Italy as their favourite destination. Yesterday, the BBC showed an hour long documentary on the gruesome illicit traffic in organ transplant and involuntary organ (kidney) harvesting in the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Cairo. Some of the victims were Nigerians. What made it even more grotesque and depressing was that as many as forty per cent of those that had volunteered their vital organs were duped by fraudsters in connivance with Egyptian hospitals/doctors and civil servants. Many others were abandoned to suffer the agony of a slow and painful death once their organs had been harvested.
What followed were horrific scenes of vultures hovering overhead while waiting to feast on abandoned corpses in the unforgiving desert.
I presume that you have all taken judicial notice regarding the defiance of fifty-eight young Nigerian doctors who rather than wait for “The Strong Breed” to take over power, chose to vote with their fleet. Right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they fled to Britain on a special flight where instant visas awaited their arrival.
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On their six-hour trip to London, they sang joyously: “It Shall Be Permanent” – with reference to the visa at the other end and their exit from Nigeria.
Even before their ascension to power, “The Strong Breed” must beam the searchlight on human trafficking, especially of females from Edo State with Italy as their number one destination. The First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari has a foundation that has been playing a significant role in the rescue of the victims.
Also, Ewuare II Eheneden Erediauwa the Oba of Benin placed a curse on the traffickers. It worked instantly (for a while).
The indefatigable Professor Yinka Omorogbe, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Edo State has been valiantly combining her legal duties with being the Chairperson of Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking in a tireless endeavour to stem the tide of trafficking of females from Edo State to Europe where they end up as sex slaves / social workers under the ruthless spell of madams who confiscate their Nigerian passports and then proceed to thoroughly exploit the naivety of their victims after luring them into an ambush from which there is no escape. The few lucky ones somehow manage to buy their freedom and thereafter remit substantial sums of money back home to their impoverished relatives. Some are able to renovate their family houses or build new ones and thereby trigger a vicious circle which would lure others to follow suit in the false belief that the streets of Rome and Milan are paved with gold.
Professor Omorogbe has painstakingly sought to invest time, energy and other resources on public enlightenment particularly the conflict of attitude between Edo North where the trafficking of females is virtually a taboo versus Edo South where is it regarded as a survival strategy which carries neither shame nor remorse. In practice, some parents actually encourage their teenage daughters to embark on the dangerous mission and gleefully refer them to neighbours whose houses have been renovated or rebuilt from the proceeds of remittances from Italy and other parts of the world – Lebanon; Saudi Arabia; France etc without caring a hoot about the source or the nature of the so-called “work”. The most nauseating aspect of the heinous trade is that even hard-up ruthless husbands have no qualms about sending off their wives on these dangerous missions after swearing oaths of “chastity, faithfulness and loyalty”!! They claim that the alternative is for the entire family to languish in abject poverty and despair.
It is inconceivable that our government officials are unaware that the sex slaves end up in brothels (or on the streets) where they are required to sleep with between ten and twenty men per day/night in addition to the humiliation of being filmed while engaged in sexual activity with dogs, horses and other animals. Most disgusting utterly shameful.
As confirmation that “The Strong Breed” is not exclusive to men, we should give due recognition to Adunni Oluwole: The Fearless Yoruba Woman who warned Nigeria against Independence:
“Adunni Oluwole was a Unitarist, and anti-independence activist. Adunni, a small, almost fragile woman, was one of Nigeria’s most colourful female leaders in the decade prior to Independence. Adunni did not think Nigeria was ready to attain independence in 1956 when a date in that year was proposed, and she worked to prolong the British stay.
Adunni was born in 1905 into the family of an Ibadan warrior to whom her fearlessness is usually credited. Her early years were spent with Bishop Howells, the vicar of St. John’s Church Aroloya, Lagos, and she grew up in Mushin, a difficult child. As a youth, she wrote a very successful play for the Girl’s Guild of St. John’s Church in Lagos, that was directed by the Nigerian nationalist, Herbert Macaulay. She later became the only female founder of a professional theatre company in the Western Region of Nigeria.
During the workers’ general strike of 1945, when the colonial government stopped their salaries, Adunni mobilized women in support of the workers and gave money to the Workers’ Union in order to enable them to cope. In the same year, she founded a party that had men as its great majority and won a seat in Ikirun, Osun North of the Western Region in the 1954 House of Representatives regional election, defeating bigger parties such as the NCNC and the Action Group of Dr.NnamdiAzikwe and Chief ObafemiAwolowo respectively.
The Nigerian Commoner’s Party that she formed opposed the rapid transfer of power to Nigerians at the price of ‘dictatorship’ of some over the others. With this shocking view she gained instant fame, and her message resonated well among the rural people who were already complaining about heavy taxation. They came to be known among Yoruba-speaking groups as “EgbeKoyinboMailo” which translates to “The White Man Must Not Go”. The group did not stay around for long due to inadequate funding afte her death. On 25th August, 1955, Adunni carried her campaign to the palace of the Olubadan who invited chiefs and men of affairs to witness her submission. There, she was accosted by Ibadan politician, AdelabuAdegoke, who called her a harlot and threatened to hit her with broom sticks.
After her banishment from Ibadan, Adunni took her message to Akure where she tied ropes round her waist and had two strong men who she had hired to pull her through the streets. She would then make speeches denouncing the Nigerian political class who she claimed, will become cheaters of common people that she symbolized. She died of whitlow in 1957. Her stance looked reactionary at the time but events in our country sixty years after the so-called Independence show clearly that Adunni saw what this country would become in the hands of internal colonialists after the departure of the British. She was our own Nostradamus. She probably died before 1960 so that her eyes would not behold evil.”
In these testing times, “Silence Is Not An Option” – to quote CNN’s anchor man Don Lemon.
“America is in crisis right now. A lot of people want to help, but have no idea where to start. In our new podcast, we’re going to dig deep into the reality of being Black and Brown in America, and explore what you can do to help find a path forward. We’ll have tough conversations with activists, artists, and thinkers about our nation’s deep racial divide. As we look for meaningful and lasting solutions, there is a lot to learn and unlearn. These conversation are going to be challenging – even uncomfortable – but they’re important. Because this time, we get to rebuild America together.”
This is precisely the task before “The Strong Breed” with regard to Nigeria.
You should draw inspiration from Sir Winston Churchill (1874 to 1965) the late Prime Minister of Britain who has exhorted us:
“If you are going through hell, keep going.”
However, you must ensure that you are not merely scratching the surface and relying mostly on platitudes. If you are truly determined to change our nation’s political landscape and its economic fortune, you have to grasp the nettle.
The recently launched: “Our Journey: 2050 Vision” provides you with an excellent opportunity to be assertive. You should demand seats at the top table (not merely at the Technical Level) as it is your generation that are more likely to be around in 2050 to bear witness to the conception and delivery of the promised land if and when we get there, COVID-19 pandemic permitting. In any case, those at the top table would be the first to concede that they themselves got their big break in industry, civil service, chartered accountancy, banking and other professions in their early thirties.
Besides, General Yakubu “Jack” Gowon was only thirty-two years old when he became Nigeria’s Head of State in 1966. Chief ObafemiAwolowo was thirty-nine years old when he became the Premier of the Western Region in 1954.
Other remarkable examples are Chief Mathew T. Mbu who was appointed as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Britain at the age of twenty-nine in 1955.
Others that come to mind are:
General Murtala Mohammed aged 38 (Head of State 1975-1976).
We would add the following to the super achievers (or prodigies):
Justice Mohammed Uwais was only forty-seven years old when he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1995.
Mr.Gbolabo Ogunsanwo became the editor of the “Sunday Times”, the largest selling newspaper (1-3 million copies per day) before he attained the age of thirty.
What is now required is positive and constructive action not righteous indignation. I have listened to some of your lamentations regarding corruption. One of the most glaring was captioned: “THE SUBSIDY HAD TO GO”
“Do you know Nigeria imported DPK-Kerosene and allocated it to marketers at one-quarter of the landing cost in the name of helping the poor. At some point Nigeria imported DPK to land in Lagos at 150-160 Naira per litre and sold it at 41 naira per litre.
Many marketers paid one million dollars to grease palms and get allocations; it was routine stuff at some point. It was one million dollars for 10 million litre. If such a marketer sold 10 million litre in Apapa at N150 per litre then he would make; 100 x 10,000,000 = One billion Naira.
One billion then was over 5 million dollars……so without breaking any sweat, beyond staying in a 5 star hotel in Abuja for four days, an average tank farm owner in 2013 would make at least 4 million dollars on a small allocation of kerosene.
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You must know that some marketers got these allocations for fun (sic), then they would take a few trucks of kerosene and go to some stadia to share alms to the poor.
The big marketers took the kerosene outside the country, moved it offshore to Lome or Cotonou; converted the Kerosene to Jet A1 and sold it to other West African countries.
These guys took government kerosene at one quarter of the price turned it to JET A1 and switched it into another vessel and brought it back into Nigeria to sell in dollars to airlines.
The subsidy was madness; it was insane. The country was throwing away money, and all those guys in DPR and PPMC knew it.
The money was too much for them to remain saints.
And of course, the government used these things to raise funds for elections.
Everybody was faking that it was all being done in the interest of the poor.
Things have happened in this country and things are still happening. This is why total deregulation is what the poor man needs now.
People are shouting, bring back our subsidy. The Bible says my people perish for lack of knowledge.
We were subsidizing the entire West Africa with cheap petrol through our porous borders. Sometimes the queue of trucks at our northern borders heading to Burkina Faso and Mali would stretch for kilometres and boats were everywhere around Badagry shipping petrol westward.
Please let’s tighten our belts once and for all, and move forward.”
What is most instructive are the despair and lamentation of Chief Fred Ajudua who was remanded in Kirikiri Prison for several years following allegations that he was involved in “419” fraud/scam:
“All the exotic homes I built in Ibusa, Eleme and Lagos with about 30 rooms at the time of ignorance are dilapidating today. Over 40 other commercial buildings are unkept or uncompleted.
The son I was busy acquiring all that for, is not interested and he has started building his own empire.
So, am I the one that will start renovating and completing all those projects at over 60 years?
How many more years do I have to live? Maybe 25 to 30 at the most, depending on God’s wish, it could be less or more.
So, we must begin to realize the emptiness and folly of our ephemeral struggles, unhealthy competition and primitive accumulation of wealth. We must begin to change our psychology and perception of living.”
“The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and former Emir of Kano, HRH SanusiLamidoSanusi has on several public occasions spilled the beans on how easy it is to collect “rent” by deftly manipulating the distortions in the foreign exchange market:
Former Emir of Kano and one-time Managing Director of First Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has lamented that the nation’s economy has not been diversified, over 60 years after the discovery of oil in Nigeria. Malam Sanusi spoke on the second day of the Kaduna Economic and Investment summit (KADINVEST) 5.0 on Tuesday.
While comparing Nigeria and Malaysia, Sanusi said that the latter has transformed from an exporter of primary products, to manufacturing over a 30-year period, from 1970 to 2000, adding that its ‘’ GDP/capita increased from $310 to $4,045 within that period.’’ The renowned Economist said that Nigeria has generated an increase in wealth from $345 in 1985 to $2,655 in 2015 GDP/capita but ‘’without any structural transformation in what the country actually produced.’’
The former Governor of CBN pointed out that the export of crude petroleum and oils obtained from bituminous materials contributed almost the same increase in wealth in Nigeria within 30 years. Sanusi, who quoted the 2016 edition of Atlas of Economic Complexity, said that crude oil and allied products generated 89.67% in 1985 and 77.05% in 2015, over a 30-year period in Nigeria. According to him, the economy is growing but it has not been diversified and this explains the high rate of poverty and high level of inequality in the country. He said that the difference between African countries and those in Asia is that they have diversified from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors of the global economy.
He said that the difference between African countries and those in Asia is that they have diversified from primary to secondary and tertiary sectors of the global economy. ‘’The major difference is that they have moved on but we have not,’’ he lamented.
Sanusi pointed out that Malaysia has the same factors that Nigeria has been using an excuse for having not developing, adding that both countries are multi-ethnic and have fought wars. He lamented that Nigeria is still a consumer nation instead of being a producer, by seizing on the investments that the government has done in technology. ‘’Africa’s failure has been in not leveraging on the underlying infrastructure—towers and undersea cables—to catalyse the development of other and new industries,’’ he said. ‘’If you use your smart phone which is made in China and order shoes from France and they are delivered to you at home, what have you actually gained? You are just a consumer,’’ he added. The ex CBN Governor argued that the same phone can be put to productive use, when it is used to shoot a Nollywood movie and the film clip is distributed.
He advised governments to invest on Human Capital and should aim to create enabling environment for investments, instead of borrowing to finance development. The former Governor of the Apex Bank also said that ‘’while everyone looks to the federal government for solutions, the truth is that its role in the economy is small—both in absolute and relative terms.’’ Sanusi praised Kaduna state government for not just increasing its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) but providing infrastructure and creating the enabling environment for both domestic and foreign investments to thrive.
The former Emir recalled that the success of Nigeria’s pre-oil economy was based on the dynamism of its trading sector and the diversity of its export base. He said that the diversity of the nation’s export in the pre-oil economy in Nigeria, ‘’meant that it was less vulnerable to a terms of trade shock driven by any one export in particular.’’
On another occasion, he revealed how during the bank consolidation exercise when Nigerian banks were required to raise their paid up Share Capital to minimum of N25 billion, some of the banks chose to game the system. They set up SPV’s (Special Purpose Vehicles) and the banks proceeded to lend vast sums to the SPV’s which then bought huge chunks of the banks’ shares. In a particular case, the bank ended up owing (through the SPV) 22 per cent of its own shares. However, when the share price crashed the bank was on the verge of collapse until the Central Bank of Nigeria and AMCON (Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria) came to its rescue.
I believe that we can safely assume that the United Nations, which is a major sponsor of this evening’s event has been keenly monitoring the events in our country especially the audit report delivered on the front page of “The Guardian” newspaper on September 12, 2020.
Headline: “NIGERIA IS NOT WORKING, BISHOP WARNS”
The Anglican Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Revd.NdubuisiObi, has said that Nigeria, as presently constituted, is not working.
The bishop, who pointed this out in his maiden presidential charge during the 2020 Synod of the Nnewi Diocese of the Anglican Communion, yesterday, noted: “The common people are suffering; there is abject poverty in the land, despite our touted oil revenue. This is most unacceptable.
Nigeria is only working for those who are benefitting from it; it is working for the elite.”
Speaking on the way out of the woods for the country, the Bishop called for restructuring as the way to go, noting that it would stem the tide of persistent wanton killing of Christians in parts of Nigeria and also stop other atrocities that have befallen the country.
He stated: “The hydra-headed federal government must be dismantled and power should be ceded to the regions, while we have a loose, coordinating government at the federal level.
If we are a federal republic, then the regions must become federating regions and be allowed to run their affairs, manage their resources, and develop at their own place. This is the simplest unambiguous way to put Nigeria on the path of recovery.”
Coming near to tears, Obi passionately appealed to President MuhammaduBuhari to make every effort to secure the release of Leah Sharibu and all other abducted citizens still with their abductors.
On COVID-19, he said Nigerians should do everything possible to protect themselves, maintain good hygiene at all times, avoid crowded places, reduce traveling, and pray always.
The Joint Auditors promptly filed their own reports on the same day.
“Saturday Telegraph” newspaper front page headline:
“NIGERIA BECOMING A FAILED STATE UNDER BUHARI” – OBASANJO.
……..Calls for national dialogue (to save Nigeria) from disintegration.
“Today, Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided State economically, our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world. Socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country. All these manifestations are the products of recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country.”
“Saturday Sun” newspaper also carried on its front page as headline:
“NIGERIA IN DANGER WITHOUT SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE” – Aare Afe Babalola S.A.N.
Elder statesman and founder of AfeBabalola University, Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD) Aare Afe Babalola has warned that Nigeria may be heading towards a dangerous end if a sovereign national conference is not urgently convoked to produce a people’s constitution before the 2023 general elections. According to the legal luminary, “People are hungry for a sovereign national conference and they will vote certainly for a constitution that will change the current constitution, not amending it. We need a new and total change in the constitution, representing the people’s constitution, with true federalism, or alternatively, let us return to the 1966 constitution with just a few amendments. Without that, we may never have a Nigeria nation. We are getting farther, farther away from being a Nigerian nation now.
The only way out is not an amendment to the flawed constitution but a new people’s constitution through a sovereign national conference, the politicians who are in government, in the National Assembly and so who are benefiting from the flawed constitution can never make any good and proper constitution for this country and no amendment can ever do so. In 1965, we had House of Assembly and the Senate, nobody earned salaries then, what they earned was sitting allowances. Look at the House of Assembly, Senate and House of Representatives now). Hardly will you find 50 people there in a day and they earn salaries. They even talked about pension. So there is no way you can amend the constitution, they will make sure that they remain earning these billions of naira. We are the only country where people earn billions. So, in respect of the constitution, my position is, we should call a sovereign national conference, the meaning of that is that whatever they decide will not be subject to amendments by these people. I have participated in many conferences and at the end of the day what comes out of it, they want to spend another N2 billion for amendment, what are you amending? Look, if you have a house, a bungalow made of mud and you want to amend it and make a three-storey building, what happens? Calamity.
This is an analogy of what is happening in the country. There is no way you can amend a constitution and make it a people’s constitution, they will never pass a law which will allow them to take only allowances anymore, to even jettison the number of Houses we have they will never pass that law. People are hungry for a sovereign national conference and they will vote certainly for a constitution that will change the constitution, not amending it. We need a new and total change in the constitution, representing the people’s constitution, with true federalism, or alternatively, let us return to the 1966 constitution with just few amendments. Without that, we may never have a Nigeria nation. We are getting farther, farther away from being a Nigeria nation now.
I have said it severally in my articles and I am saying it again, we should not have the 2023 election until we have changed the constitution to people’s constitution, until we have sovereign national conference, because the way they are going the same people repeat themselves, they will be there again. We are going to change the voting pattern; these people can’t change the voting pattern. It is a matter for the new constitution, so, my appeal is in the interest of the suffering masses, and we should change the constitution through sovereign national conference, which represents the constitution of the people. If today, the government is interested in what most people and I are saying, they can set up a committee for this and we can complete this before 2023 if we are serious.
What is happening in the country is awful. The wretchedness and poverty affects lawyers and judges also. Do you know there are judges who are not paid their allowances for months?
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How independent can a man be when he is hungry, when he wants to pay for the school fees of his child? But above all, Nigerian judges are the most poorly paid in the whole world. I remember that I was invited to the bench by the chief judge of western region then and I told him it is my wish to become a judge, because a good lawyer will love to end up being a judge, he would have acquired all the wealth he needed, he doesn’t want to steal anybody’s money, but when a judge cannot pay the school fees of his child, what happens? How many judges can send their child to AfeBabalola University? They are poorly paid, so, the judiciary is not independent as far as I am concerned.”
More audit reports were delivered from military quarters. On its front page “The Saturday Tribune” newspaper of September 12, 2020 carried the following headline: “TODAY’S NIGERIA IS FRIGHTENING, DISAPPOINTING”
“I don’t understand what is happening to this nation.
If we admit that this is our country, then we should be interested in its security. We will continue to pray for the nation and its citizens. But we have to take care of our country as nobody will come and defend it for us.”
This is the address the then Brigadier Joshua NimyelDongoyaro delivered on August 28, 1985 when the regime of Major-General MuhammaduBuhari was toppled.
“I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, of the Nigerian Army, hereby make the following declaration on behalf of my colleagues and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Fellow country men, the intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm. Nigerians were unified in accepting the intervention and looked forward hopefully to progressive changes for the better. Almost two years later, it has become clear that the fulfilment of expectations is not forthcoming.
Because this generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country but Nigeria, we could not stay passive and watch a small group of individuals misuse power to the detriment of our national aspirations and interest.
No nation can ever achieve meaningful strides in its development where there is an absence of cohesion in the hierarchy of government; where it has become clear that positive action by the policy makers is hindered because as a body it lacks a unity of purpose.
It is evident that the nation would be endangered with the risk of continuous misdirection. We are presently confronted with that danger. In such a situation, if action can be taken to arrest further damage, it should and must be taken. This is precisely what we have done.
The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the Federal Government headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration.
Although it is true that a lot of problems were left behind by the last civilian government, the real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action is due to lack of unanimity of purpose among the ruling body; subsequently, the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power play considerations. The ruling body, the Supreme Military Council, has, therefore, progressively been made redundant by the actions of a select few members charged with the day-to-day implementation of the SMC’s policies and decisions.
The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and illadvised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principles upon which the government came to power. Any effort made to advise the leadership, met with stubborn resistance and was viewed as a challenge to authority or disloyalty.
Thus, the scene was being set for systematic elimination of what, was termed opposition. All the energies of the rulership were directed at this imaginary opposition rather than to effective leadership.
The result of this misdirected effort is now very evident in the country as a whole. The government has started to drift. The economy does not seem to be getting any better as we witness daily increased inflation.
The nation’s meagre resources are once again being wasted on unproductive ventures. Government has distanced itself from the people and the yearnings and aspirations of the people as constantly reflected in the media have been ignored.
This is because a few people have arrogated to themselves the right to make the decisions for the larger part of the ruling body. All these events have shown that the present composition of our country’s leadership cannot, therefore, justify its continued occupation of that position.
Furthermore, the initial objectives and programmes of action which were meant to have been implemented since the ascension to power of the Buhari Administration in January 1984 have been betrayed and discarded. The present state of uncertainty and stagnation cannot be permitted to degenerate into suppression and retrogression.
We feel duty bound to use the resources and means at our disposal to restore hope in the minds of Nigerians and renew aspirations for a better future. We are no prophets of doom for our beloved country, Nigeria. We, therefore, count on everyone’s cooperation and assistance.
I appeal to you, fellow countrymen, particularly my colleagues in arms to refrain from any act that will lead to unnecessary violence and bloodshed among us. Rest assured that our action is in the interest of the nation and the armed forces.
In order to enable a new order to be introduced, the following bodies are dissolved forthwith pending further announcements: (a) The Supreme Military Council (b) The Federal Executive Council (c) The National Council of States. All seaports and airports are closed, all borders remain closed.
Finally, a dusk to dawn curfew is hereby imposed in Lagos and all state capitals until further notice. All military commanders will ensure effective maintenance of law and order. Further announcements will be made in due course. God bless Nigeria.”
The “Vanguard” newspaper of September 12, 2020 carried on its front page as headline:
“POLITICIANS HAVE RUINED NIGERIA BY THEIR GREED”
“The system has guaranteed that Nigeria is not governed. It is just a field for plunder; personal and legal plunder, sometimes illegal plunder with public power. Some people insist that they don’t want that kind of system that is decentralised. They feel that they can continue to manipulate the system; game it, and they can only push Nigerians to where we have come to; where the people feel so out of it, that there is nothing else except self-help. That self-help is what we are witnessing everywhere whether it is banditry, Boko Haram, kidnapping in the northern divide and South-South.
These are pieces of evidence of ineffective governance. The political class is lazy. They see politics as a means of amassing wealth and they want to bully people for the purpose of personal abuse. What they don’t seem to realise is that they have ruined the country. The country is a joke in the eyes of most people because of their (politicians) greed. If they continue this way, there are people who want a better life who will say, enough of this nonsense; if we die, we die. So, it’s in their best interest for this nonsense to stop. But there are people who are understandably afraid that if Nigeria disintegrates they will be at a disadvantage.”
“The Nation” newspaper opted to deliver the Executive Summary (of the auditors’ report) with the headline:
“OBASANJO: NIGERIA BECOMING FAILED STATE, WORLD’S POVERTY CAPITAL”
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo reviewed the state of the country afresh yesterday and declared that Nigeria “is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world.
And socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country,” he said at a consultative dialogue held at the ShehuYar’AduaCenter, Abuja.
At the dialogue organised by some socio-cultural political organisations to harmonise their thoughts on Nigeria, Obasanjo said the country “is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state.”
He attributed the situation to what he called “recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country.”
He particularly decried the level of mistrust among the various sections of the country, saying: “Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.
“It would appear that anybody not dancing to the drumbeat nor joining in chorus singing would be earmarked as ethnically unpatriotic or enemy of its tribe or geographical area. In short, the country is fast moving to the precipice.
But happily, I observed that the five socio-cultural political groups gathered here have been getting together to find common ground, areas of agreement or accord for moving Nigeria away from tipping over,” he said.
But he urged caution on the part of those beating the drums of disintegration and singing choruses of bitterness, anger, and separation, because according to him, “if even Nigeria is broken up, the separated parts will still be neighbours. And they will have to find accommodation as neighbours or they will be forever at war.”
He added: “And those who prevent justice to be done invite violence to reign.”
However, he said Nigeria still stood a good chance of weathering the storm.
His words: “I see a ray of hope that Nigeria can be saved from disintegration. If we are ready to live together in understanding, mutual respect, and love with equity, justice, inclusiveness while engendering a sense of belonging and unity of purpose and all hands are on deck, we can deal with internal issues of terrorism, organised crimes, banditry, kidnapping, human trafficking, drug, money laundering, and corruption.
We will then be able to deal successfully with any incoming attack of terrorism, organised crimes, etc, from outside.
Today, that is a sure threat dangling over the heads of all of us, no matter our tribe, religion, geographical location, social standing, age, or gender.
That ray of hope was somewhat manifested in the last ten days or so when the Northern Elders Forum and Yoruba Summit Group complemented each other in their separate press releases on the Senate’s idea which invited submissions from the Nigerian public for the amendment of the Constitution which had been regular money-gulping activity by every National Assembly Session since 1999, a veritable source of waste without end.
I believe one of our major problems in the past was that we did not dialogue enough. We talk at ourselves and selfishly keep old prejudices and biases. If we show understanding, give-and-take, love of one another, and commitment and love of the country, we will do what is right and stand firmly together for the good of all.
In the process of consultation and informing people about this initiative, in spite of general disenchantment with what is going on as far as the performance of the present administration is concerned, most people still give Nigeria a chance of pulling through to a united and wholesome, fast-developing and progress-making country provided we take care of what some term as restructuring and others term as devolution of power, responsibilities, and resources.
And even those that may be called hardliners maintain that self-determination, disintegration, separation is a last resort when other measures have been prevented or other measures have failed to materialise.
Frustration leads to desperation and nobody can be sure of what desperation can lead to. We are here to start the process of putting those other measures together and to continue to enlarge the circle from this mini-dialogue group bit by bit until a national dialogue that can save Nigeria from disintegration is reached and when that is done, this initiative will come to an end.
I believe Nigeria is worth saving on the basis of mutuality and reciprocity and I also believe it can be done through the process of dialogues rather than talking at each other or resorting to violence. It will amount to dangerous and destructive self-delusion for anybody to claim that all is well in Nigeria today.”
As regards the 2023 elections, Obasanjo said that year should be a watershed for Nigeria.
“2023 should be the beginning of a true and genuine new Nigeria. After over sixty years of independence, we should be able to settle for a united country where nobody would feel oppressed nor have a sense of alienation and where our youth are truth to know, in love and honesty grow, and living just and true, great lofty heights attained, to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.
It is long overdue and we should leave no stone unturned to achieve this. During the present democratic dispensation which is the longest in the history of independent Nigeria, we have gained some experiences and learned some lessons which should stand us in good stead as we move along the process of establishing the fundamental ways of Nigerians living together in peace, security and harmony to satisfy the yearnings of all its population and particularly the youth and to make the necessary impact sub-regionally, continentally and globally.
The time is right and the experience has been acquired over sixty years of independence and almost twenty years of the present democratic dispensation to get it right. Let me say again that the dialogue will continue to be expanded with consultation and information sharing with every sector of our society. No sector will be left out.”
In attendance at the dialogue were Chief Ayo Adebanjo who represented Afenifere, Chief John Nwodo, President of Onanaeze Ndigbo, and a representative of Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark.”
The damning auditors’ report which former President Olusegun Obasanjo delivered to Shareholders of the “Nigeria Project” was the stuff that would certainly provoke the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer to sack the auditors “with immediate effect”.
The response from Aso Rock, (The Presidential Villa/State House) was swift and massive. It was a no-holds barred shelling, bordering on nuclear weapons.
In his most recent statement former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempts to divide the nation while President Muhammadu Buhari continues to promote nation building and the unity of Nigeria.
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The difference is clear. From the lofty heights of Commander-in-Chief, General Obasanjo has descended to the lowly level of Divider-in-Chief (to adapt the coinage of Time).
Before responding further to the unfair attacks on President Buhari and his administration by the former President, it is important that we categorically state that contrary to the assertions by a few analysts, the recent speech in which President Buhari advised West African Presidents against tenure elongation beyond constitutional limits has been consistent with his long held views on the need to adhere to the rule of law.
Even though he tried it and failed (sic), the recent uptick in the number of such leaders proposing to do, or actually carrying on in office beyond term limits is sufficient to cause concern among democrats in the sub-region given its prospects of destabilising the states and the region.
President Buhari’s advocacy is consistent with his principles and in line with the current policies of his administration and indeed that of the ECOWAS Charter which is that term limits must be respected and that the change of government is only permissible through the ballot box.
Having cleared this misperception, we hope that Chief Obasanjo would once again sheath the sword and rest the pretentiousness about the Messiah that has (mis)led him to pronounce often wrongly, as he disastrously did in the 2019 elections, about the life and death of Nigerian governments.
As some commentators are already suggesting, Chief Obasanjo should, in accordance with his mantra as a statesman, get involved with problems solving, when and where they exist instead of helping the mushrooming of a poisonous atmosphere of ethnic and religious nationalism.
Surely, he must have disappointed many of his local and foreign admirers by showering commendations on a few extremist groups who have vowed to shun the invitation to the National Assembly to participate in the process of constitutional amendment.
No doubt, he must have left those admirers confused in announcing the support for the boycott of a democratic process of changing the constitution, at the same time calling for dialogue and engagement.
The fact that the process he ushered in under his administration with the dubious intention of amendments that sought tenure elongation failed-as did two other attempts by the successor administrations of the same political party- does not in any way justify his dismissal of the exercise by the 9th Assembly as a another waste of time and resources.
To the credit of the All Progressives Congress-led 8th Assembly, the process of constitutional amendment was kickstarted and carried through, paving the way for, among other benefits, the financial independence of local government councils, States Houses of Assembly and the country’s Judiciary. These changes have already been signed into law by the President as mandated by the constitution.
The recent decisions by the administration as they relate to subsidy withdrawal, helping to plug some of the most horrendous notorious holes and release of scarce resources for the more pressing needs of the people has also not escaped the ire of the former president.
It’s a known fact that the withdrawal of subsidies had been on the wish list of the Obasanjo-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. They failed in achieving these measures because, one there was a shared greed. They plundered the treasury as much as anyone could in the name of either subsidy or waiver with reckless impunity.
Two, is to say it takes courage and rare statesmanship on the part of a leader to do as President Buhari to shun populism and seek the best interest of the people and the state, providing the kind of reform and development that Nigeria urgently needs.
This President has run an administration focused on infrastructure and development. He has repaired our damaged relations with neighbours and our traditional allies such as the UK, US, China, Russia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the others with lots of benefits to the country.
It is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock bilateral trade and investment.
He leads a government that has liberalized the investment climate and market access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the list of the world’s top reforming economies.
Nigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many things that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its size and potential.
With so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that President Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges by politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of delighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn.”
Apart from the heavy artillery from The Presidency, General Olusegun Obasanjo had to contend with missiles (and ambush) from different quarters.
Reacting to the comments (by General Obasanjo), the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative (ACF).
“A top official at the Presidency took a swipe at a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, over his recent comments on the state of affairs under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a “yesterday man”.
Though the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, GarbaShehu, did not respond to a message sent to him on the subject, the top official who did not want to be named said: “Obasanjo is yesterday’s man. After he had come against President Buhari and lost the election, you don’t expect anything positive from him.”
Chief Obasanjo had said on Thursday that Nigeria was fast drifting into a failed and badly divided state under President Muhammadu Buhari.
This, he said, were the products of recent mismanagement of the diversity and socio-economic development of the country.
“Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere,” Obasanjo said.
He was delivering a paper titled; “Moving Nigeria Away From Tipping Over’ at a consultative dialogue in Abuja.
The dialogue was held behind closed doors between September 9 and 10.
He, however, called for concerted efforts of all stakeholders towards “moving Nigeria from tipping over.”
The former president also called for a national dialogue, saying it would save Nigeria from disintegration.
He expressed concern that some Nigerians had been obsessed with the 2023 general elections, despite the challenges of debt, death, destruction and disease across the country.
On 13th September 2020, the front page of “Daily Trust” newspaper carried as its headline:
“FAILED STATE: PRESIDENCY, ACF [AREWA CONSULTATIVE FORUM] KNOCK OBASANJO”
Reacting to the comment, the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust on Sunday that “Advertising us as a failed state is not mature. Let me in all fairness say something to Obasanjo: There is a tendency for him to always think that if he were there, there would be perfection. He had his own challenges. What about ZakiBiam and Odi? Were those democratic expeditions? You are not a prefect appointed by anybody to supervise the conduct of other heads of state.”
Reminding Obasanjo that he (Ogbeh) was chairman of the then ruling party (PDP) when he was president, he said: “I think if Gowon, Abdulsalami and Shagari (before he died) continued lashing out at incumbents the way Obasanjo does, people would have tagged them irresponsible.
I think he enjoys this policy of mischief, going around and looking for audience that would applaud him saying nasty things about those who came after him.”
Admitting that Nigeria has problems and has to deal with them, Ogbeh said: “I respect him (Obasanjo) as a former president, he is a very intelligent man, but he should also avoid mischief.”
“INDICES OF FAILED STATE APPARENT IN NIGERIA” – Afenifere
The spokesman of the pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Mr.Yinka Odumakin, agreed with Obasanjo that Nigeria is drifting towards a failed state, saying, “All the indices of a failed state are very apparent in Nigeria.”
He said this was made worse because of the leadership of the country which he noted is not “unifying” and “treats some sections of the country as if they don’t matter.
There is a clear and present danger in the country now which we must address,” he said.
He said the president had in the past five years failed to fulfil his promises anchored on three cardinal programmes to Nigerians, wondering how he would achieve the nine-point programme he recently unveiled in the about two years left for him in office.
He said the government must set its priorities right, adding that the president must bequeath to the country a “proper constitution that will make every part of the country productive.”
“Remember in 2015, he campaigned on three key areas which he has failed to deliver in five years. Now that he has two years to go, he said he wants to address nine. We must get clear priority areas,” he said.
“YOU’RE AS GUILTY AS BUHARI”
An associate professor of Political Sociology in the University of Abuja, Dr Abubakar Umar Kari, said Obasanjo was as much a cause as those he was accusing.
Reacting, the varsity don said Obasanjo was not the first person to make such a claim.
“It is common these days to hear and read about Nigeria being a failed state. It is a pretty weighty claim made often in frustration or outrage or by opposition elements and those with an axe to grind with the powers that be.”
According to him, a proper interrogation of the concept of a failed state would reveal that it is very controversial, subjective and even confusing.
He said based on some definitions and measurement criteria, countries like South Africa and Brazil also fit into the failed state bill.
“Serious scholars and analysts have abandoned the concept because it is problematic. What is not in doubt, however, is that all is not well with Nigeria, and that is putting it mildly.
It is also true that Nigerians are sharply and deeply divided along all sorts of cleavages, but in this, Obasanjo is as much a cause as those he was accusing.
I have a problem with Obasanjo playing the social critic and concerned statesman, because it does not add up. He can hardly mask his bitterness towards Buhari.
His utterances on the present administration had of recent lacked the requisite objectivity and constructiveness and sometimes border on the pathological. And remember, he was addressing a meeting of ethnic and regional leaders with a well-known antagonistic disposition towards Buhari and his government,” he said.
But a political scientist, Dr.Kayode Esuola, agreed with Obasanjo that Nigeria is drifting towards a failed state, saying the Buhari administration’s “lack of ideological and policy directions will fast track the failure of the Nigerian State.”
He said: “Nigeria started drifting towards a failed state immediately she was created in 1960, but the drift merely inconsistently galloped till 2015 due to a plethora of policy efforts – some appropriate but mal-applied, some inappropriate but appropriately applied- made by different administrations.
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Buhari’s emergence in 2015 has consistently shot upward the drift, and the country is much closer and clearer to a failed state than it ever was. The last one year had been particularly scary for anyone who understands what it means for a state to fail.
Division is a major symptom of state failure. It destroys social order and causes crisis of hegemony (we witness both at present).
So, Obasanjo’s observations are correct in the social context. However, the same Obasanjo cannot claim to be unconnected to all the crises,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr.Gbade Ojo, an Associate Professor of Political Science, said Obasanjo’s concerns were valid. However, he said Nigeria’s federal arrangement since 1960 had been convoluted.
According to him, Nigerians are more divided today than they were in 1967 before the civil war. He said if a referendum was to be conducted today, most Nigerians would prefer to go their separate ways.
“Today, it is the federal might that is still holding us together, not nationhood,” he said.
The political scientist said if care is not taken, Buhari might be the last president of the country and Nigeria could break into five, stressing that Nigeria is running “a bastardized federal arrangement and the federal character principles are being observed in breach.”
He said Obasanjo being a civil war hero is pained that the unity he fought for is severely threatened.
He advised the president to implement the recommendations of previous national confabs.”
Perhaps it was inevitable that the Buhari versus Obasanjo “Roforofo” fight should galvanize and magnetise others into the fray as major combatants and unrepentant gladiators.
The first salvo came from the indefatigable Professor Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laurette. It has gone viral.
“I am notoriously no fan of Olusegun Obasanjo, General, twice former president and co-architect with other past leaders of the crumbling edifice that is still generously called Nigeria. I have no reasons to change my stance on his record. Nonetheless, I embrace the responsibility of calling attention to any accurate reading of this nation from whatever source, as a contraption teetering on the very edge of total collapse. We are close to extinction as a viable comity of peoples, supposedly bound together under an equitable set of protocols of co-habitation, capable of producing its own means of existence, and devoid of a culture of sectarian privilege and will to dominate.
Nigeria is a suppurating slaughter slab, and it boggles the mind that supposedly wise and lettered men, sheltering under any religious mandate, would go into a solemn huddle to ‘legitimately’ augment the toll of mindless killings that now plague the land.
Presumably, the ongoing ‘national security’ persecution of Obadiah Mailafia is a sign of national unity? I invite our marionettes to read deeply into history. Oh, excuse me, history has been banned from learning structures, so look not for history books! However, straightforward, first-hand testimonies abound, exposing structural flaws, deceits and conspiracies against this presumptive national edifice. They are perpetrated by highly placed servants of the state, some of whom have since risen to even higher national positions. I draw attention, for instance, to detailed revelations of plots against the nation, plots that resonate in the present. Such is the two-year old interview of a former ambassador to the Sudan, Bola Dada – “The Punch” newspapers archives remain ever obliging. They avail us vivid material to decide whether or not a sinister script is being acted out today with copious libations from Nigerian blood.
I think, in the public interest, “The Punch” should re-run that interview, most especially in view of recent claims by a columnist in “The Nation” newspaper – Femi Abbas Sept. 4, 2020 regarding how and by whom Nigeria was corralled into the OIC. When you abolish History in institutions, you open the gates wide for rampaging revisionism while the same gates are shut against a grasp, however tenuous, of why, for instance, a Mailafia becomes a target of serial interrogations and harassment, rather than those boldly named in his revelations. Is it he who constitutes a danger to the nation, or the indicted fanatics of unlimited impunity and callous disregard for humanity? Why the ostentatious pretence of investigative zeal? The man has told you where to look. Well, look in that direction and report back to us! In the meantime however, ensure that he meets with no accident!”
As confirmation that it was ready to take on all comers, The Presidency took centre stage (or bull ring) courtesy of the front page of “Nigerian Tribune” newspaper of September 17, 2020.
Headline: “NIGERIA TERRIBLY DIVIDED BEFORE BUHARI GOVERNMENT IN 2015”
“Special Adviser to President MuhammaduBuhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has faulted claims by former President OlusegunObasanjo and Professor Wole Soyinka, among other cirtics, that Nigeria is more divided now under the present administration than it ever was.
Speaking on a Channels television programme on Wednesday evening, Adesina said Buhari met a terribly divided nation in 2015 and was progressively working at narrowing the gulf of disunity.
He cautioned against comments in the realm of politicking. Stressing that Nigerians should coalesce efforts at uniting and ensuring harmonious coexistence rather than promoting divisions.
Though he noted that Nigeria had dwelt with an inconvenient amalgamation dating back to 1914, he averred that the desired unity of the nation would be achieved when all Nigerians decide to accommodate one another irrespective of ethnicity or religion.
He said: “Nigeria has always been divided, right from amalgamation in 1914. Nigeria is an inconvenient amalgamation but we have worked at it and there is no time in the history of the country that the country was not divided. But then, we have kept at it and trying to make it work.
In 2015, when President Buhari came, Nigeria was terribly divided; divided along ethnic lines, religious lines, language, political lines, divided hopelessly and that is the division that President Buhari has been working at. But you see that a lot of people, instead of letting harmony return to this country, thrive and luxuriate in widening the gulf within Nigeria. So, if they say Nigeria is divided today, it is because it has always been dividedand all efforts to unite Nigeria and Nigerians are thwarted.
When Nigerians come to a decision point that we must live together without wishing anyone, any ethnicity, religion away, then we will work towards being a nation.
Professor Wole Soyinka delivered a lecture in 2010 or 2011 when he said Nigeria was not a nation, and that Nigeria was, at best, a conglomeration of different ethnic nationalities.
The question is, was President Buhari in power then? So, Nigeria has always been divided. The onus is on us all to make our country work and those who continue to harp on division are part of the problem.”
Though he noted that the Buhari government was not averse to criticisms, he said government was wary to discard those discovered to emanate from the realm of politics and preconceived notions.
He said government sifted criticisms from Obasanjo and Soyinka to discover those that are germane and well-founded and knows how to deal with theose ones that come from predispositions as permanent critics of government.
Adesina added: “Woe betide a country that does not have critics. They could be doing everything wrong and there will be nobody to point out that they are going in the wrong direction. Critics have their uses; criticisms have their positive sides but then, it is not every criticism that should give you sleepless nights. When such criticisms come, you need to look at them, isolate what you think is germane, actionable and what you think is in the realm of politics and in the realm of preconceived notions you have to discard. There are some criticisms that you find what you think you can adjust and you adjust.
If you look at the trajectory of President Olusegun Obasanjo, you will see that there is no government he hasn’t criticised. The only government he has not criticised is the Olusegun Obasanjo government.
So, that kind of person has a right to air his opinion and you have a right to take it or not to take it. Obasanjo has criticised every government, including the Shehu Shagari government that succeeded him in 1979.
In 2018, he said the horse rider must now dismount from the horse, alluding that President Buhari should not run in 2019. But Buhari ran and won. Do you think that someone who was asked not to run and ran will be kindly disposed to (his traducers). He would not. It is in that light that we must situate and see whatever former President OlusegunObasanjo says.
Before Soyinka agreed with Obasanjo, he first issued a disclaimer. That says a lot about the former president. Professor Soyinka is somebody we respect. You don’t have then too many (like him) in a country, even on the continent. Professor Soyinka is an icon; we respect him; we listen to him but we don’t take everything he says hook, line and sinker. There is nobody that says something and everything he says, you take hook, line and sinker. He is an individual; he can make mistakes. He may reason from preconceived notions.
Professor Wole Soyinka has never been a pro-Buhari person, right from when Buhari was military head of state. I recall that before the 2015 elections when he softened a bit, he still came out to say that of the two main candidates, one was just slightly a shade better than the other. It was not as if he endorsed the president totally.
Sometimes, he came visiting at the Villa and was still very frank with the president and the president was very frank with him. He has always been like that and will always be like that.
We will take whatever he says, we will look at it, the ones that need to be assimilated and ingested, it will be done; and the ones we see as typical Professor Wole Soyinka, a critic, who is always on the other side of government when he speaks, look at what he has said, assess it, the ones that you think are germane and well-founded, you take and the ones that comes from his predispositions as a permanent critic of government, you know what to do with it.”
On September 15, 2020, The Chairman and Publisher of “Nigerian Tribune” newspaper Dr. (Mrs.) Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu graciously shared the front page with The Presidency.
“Former Nigerian Ambassador to The Netherlands, Dr Olatokunbo AwolowoDosumu, on Sunday, said that Nigerians are united in anxiety about the future of the country.
Awolowo Dosumu was one of the panelists who spoke on the theme: “Understanding Contemporary Nigeria- What Unites Us,” organised by the Political Leadership Academy (POLA) of former governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel, as part of the POLA’s National Dialogue Series.
She noted that building a stable community of people in a democratic setting is fast receding in the country due to lack of patriotism and honesty on the part of the leaders for a greater and virile nation.
“We are united in our anxiety about the future, about good governance. We are anxious about our economy. We are anxious of where our economy will lead us, when we do not have any clear way,” she added.
Awolowo Dosumu noted that Nigeria can still return to the golden age where Meritocracy, Pragmatism and Honesty (MPH) were the core values of the nation’s founding fathers.
She advocated meritocracy in place of federal character, insisting that good governance is one of the way (sic) forward for the country.
The former diplomat lamented that corruption, ethnicity, nepotism are the cog in the wheel of the nation’s progress,hence the need for Nigerians to elect leaders who have the interest of the country at heart.
She said, “Any nation requires a consensus about where they want to go. Without a consensus, then we can’t even begin. In the First Republic, our founding fathers did have a consensus of sort. They were united on their zeal to serve the people and when occasions arose they forged a common front in order to serve their people better.
The most important is that, they hard a consensus on the kind of structure of governance that was suitable for a multiethnic, multicultural country like Nigeria. It was a consensus that federalism was the best.
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But somehow along the road we have lost our way and that is what I believe we should be interrogating now. What do we need to do?
We need to have a consensus about what kind of leaders do we need in this country? What kind of governance do we need?
The best kind of governance is the one that stresses the responsibilities of the ruler to the subject. The aim of a good government is the welfare of the entire people under its jurisdiction.
The duty of a good government is clear. It is not opened to government to prefer the members of its own hierarchy in provision of amenities. We need to agree on the kind of government we want.”
The guest speaker, Dr. Abdul Jhali Tafawa Balewa, speaking on the topic: “What Unites Us,” said the country’s leaders must examine the areas where Nigeria is not doing well and correct the anomalies.
The former presidential aspirant noted that the country is blessed with intellectuals who are ready to play a vital role in the development of Nigeria.
Daniel, who is the Chancellor of POLA, in his remarks submitted that the issue of unity of Nigeria, remained the collective responsibility of all.
The former governor explained that the whole focus of the Academy was to encourage the younger elements on why they should be actively involved in the nation’s political process.
He said, “The youths seem to be contented with entertainment and all sorts of mundane things. When you look at the demography of Nigeria, you will find out that the young elements have the population and if you have the population, what is wrong with you?
I think the focus now should be on the young elements. Youths need to be very active, proactive and get involved in the political process.”
Other panelists were the former governor of Anambra State, Dr.Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former Political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr.Akilu Sank Indabawa; former Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Muktar Shagari; renowned Professor of Land Policy, Professor Soji Adelaja and Sir Chris Chikwelu (Jnr).”
Headline: “BUHARI FOCUSED ON NATION BUILDING” – Presidency
“To state that we live in challenging times is perhaps an understatement and does very little justice in accurately capturing our current realities. Those realities include a world faced with a pandemic the scale of which hasn’t been seen in 100 years. The crisis has crippled economies, destroyed global supply chains and obliterated once productive and viable sectors of the economy.
Our dear nation has not been spared in this difficult period and, indeed, has felt the impact of the global crisis. But as a responsive government, the Buhari administration has within limited resources designed responses that are targeted at mitigating the full impact of this scourge.
The Economic Sustainability Plan has earmarked N2.7 trillion in spending to create and sustain jobs and livelihoods for those who have been impacted the most by this crisis.
Despite battling with low public revenues, and the hydra- headed monster of low oil price and a reduced production quota from OPEC, this administration remains committed to honouring the promises made to the Nigerian people across the key areas of Security, Economy and fighting Corruption.
At the just concluded Inter Ministerial Retreat, where the entire Government apparatus was gathered under one roof to review performance over the last year; with a singular objective of identifying how to improve in those areas where successes fell short of target, and how to replicate those key elements that led to success in others.
A frank conversation took place between the participants and independent assessors. Amongst the critical themes that emerged from the two-day session was the need to improve focus, coordination and collaboration amongst Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and the importance of rigorous execution, monitoring and evaluation of projects and activities against set targets.
Regarding domestic policy actions, the last week has seen critical decisions around the economy being taken. These are decisions that for many years previous governments have shied away from, and as a result cost our country several billions of dollars.
This was funding that could easily have been deployed elsewhere in support of millions of our citizens, as opposed to subsidizing a small percentage of our population. If we continued along this path it would portend a very dark and uncertain future for our country.
As most crisis managers state, “Never allow a crisis go to waste.” Such periods present an opportunity to take stock and make difficult decisions. These domestic policy decisions were by no means easy, but are in the best interest of our nation.
The impact of this decision is to have an improved allocation of very scarce resources, create an opportunity for private sector investment to return to sectors where government intervention had created distortions in various ways. The return of the private sector promotes job creation and provides for the entrepreneurial genius that is embedded in Nigerians.
Leadership is about making tough and difficult decisions and not a popularity contest. President Buhari’s commitment to doing the right things in the best interest of our country should never be in doubt.
In the regional sphere, Mr. President has not shirked from his responsibilities of promoting alongside other subregional leaders the principle of non-acceptability of change of government other than by constitutional means, and the values of democracy in places like Mali and ensuring that peace and security are maintained in neighbouring countries as they have a direct impact on our own security and territorial integrity.
Mr. President is also fully aware that there are historic fissures that exist in various locations across the country, and has advocated for dialogue between key parties who are direct stakeholders in ensuring peace. An example is the recent peace dialogue that took place in Kaduna between warring groups that have been at each other’s neck for quite some time. Their efforts to sit across the table and dialogue on how best they can resolve their differences, is the pathway that needs to be charted in addressing our internal issues. Such peace moves, which would be deepened and extended to other parts of the country, are critical to our continued existence as a people and as a nation.
However, what is sad, and most reprehensible is the conduct of those who should know better and should be seen to be playing a leading role in bridging and or mediating these fissures that we have lived with, who now invest their time in trying to deepen those fault lines and stoking ethnic embers in very subtle and manipulative ways that eventually find their way to the public sphere.
Given the plethora of challenges that confront our nation, Mr. President’s attention is on how our growing youthful population can compete in a world that has no boundaries and barriers, given our very fertile land. Focus is on how we can best improve agricultural practices and increase yields per hectare, so our farmers benefit from their sweat and honest labor.
Also under attention is how connectivity between markets and people can be improved so that commerce and movement of persons can thrive and flourish.
These are a few amongst the things that occupy the thoughts of the President. All statesmen will be judged by their records long after they exit the scene, and President Buhari is focused on deepening Nigeria’s unity and laying a solid foundation for the transformation of our country so that future leadership can build on them. Therefore, he will not be deterred by those whose singular objective, carried out through a veil of deception, is a cocktail of hate-inspired messaging and vitriol intended to distract and undermine our march towards prosperous nation building (sic).”
There was just enough room left to squeeze in the headline:
“PRESIDENCY’S REACTION TO OUR INTERVENTION DISAPPOINTING, SAY AFENIFERE, NEF, OHANEZE, PANDEF, MBF”
“NIGERIAN leaders and elders under the aegis of pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; Northern Elders Forum (NEF); Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Middle-Belt Forum (MBF), on Monday described as “deeply disappointing and worrying” the way the presidency chose to react to the pieces of advice offered by the groups and former President OlusegunObasanjo on better ways to move the country forward.
This was made known in a statement jointly signed by Mr Yinka Odumakin for Afenifere; Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed (NEF); Chief Guy Ikokwu (Ohanaeze); Senator Bassey Henshaw (PANDEF) and Dr IsuwaDogo (MBF), a copy of which was made available to Tribune Online.
The Presidency had, in its reaction, condemned the parley which held last week in Abuja which featured the groups and Obasanjo, describing the former president as “Divider-In-Chief” for saying that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership was approaching a failed state status, among others.
Leaders of the five groups, while distancing themselves from being the mouthpieces of Obasanjo, said it was left for the former president “to choose how he responds to the lamentable response of President Buhari to his initiative.”
They declared that they had no regret or apology to offer for making themselves available to dialogue with each other, exchange ideas and re-commit themselves to pulling the country from the brink of precipice of “no return.”
According to the groups, the communique released at the end of the Abuja meeting, being “the first of many,” is a loud testimony to levels of responsibility and maturity on their part, for which countless commendations had poured in “from many responsible Nigerians,” expressing more worries why such initiative “will attract the type of childish vitriol from the Presidency, including labelling us as terrorists.”
The leaders and elders said: “Leaders of five groups who held a two-day meeting under facilitation and chairmanship of former President Obasanjo in Abuja, last week, have taken note of the reaction of the Presidency to the meeting.
To say that the Presidency chose to react in the manner it did to a responsible and credible initiative by our groups and a former president is, to put it politely, deeply disappointing and worrying.
Our groups are not mouthpieces for Obasanjo and we will leave it to him to choose how he responds to the lamentable response of President Buhari to his initiative.
For us, it is sufficient to say that we have no regrets or apologies to offer for making ourselves available to dialogue with each other, exchange ideas and re-commit ourselves to pulling our nation from the brink of precipice of no return.
The communique released at the end of our meeting, which we are confident is only the first of many, is a loud testimony to our levels of responsibility and maturity.
We have received countless commendations from many responsible Nigerians for supporting and participating in this initiative to make our country a democratic and united entity.
We are even more worried at this stage that a responsible and constructive effort to douse tensions, build bridges and restore hope in the potentials for the survival of our country as democratic and united entity will attract the type of childish vitriol from the Presidency, including labelling us as terrorists.”
The groups argued that it was quite certain that the country’s current leaders at the helm of affairs were living in very deep denial if they do not recognise that the current situation represented an existential danger to the nation.
This was just as they applauded the commendable support of other leaders for the initiative as well as what they described as the statesmanship of chairmen
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Governors‘ Fora, who attended the second day of the meeting and expressed genuine support for it.
Afenifere and others said the position of the governors’ fora was in contrast, which made them to be “alarmed at the insensitivity of the Presidency which will rather demolish patriotic and responsible action thantake steps to address gaping holes in the manner it handles our national destiny, our security and our economy.”
The group of leaders and elders, while saying that their forum was encouraged to pursue the time-tested strategy of engagement, dialogue and steadfast commitment to the future of the country as secure, united and just, vowed that they would continue to exercise their rights to meet and seek solution, and discharge their obligations to younger generations of Nigerians who deserve to live in a nation without its current frightening limitations.
They expressed the belief that the Presidency, the National Assembly and all Nigerian lawmakers and every well-meaning citizen should be part of the initiative, saying Nigerians have the right to ask what the Presidency is doing to address the country’s deeply-embedded problems, “if the Presidency chooses to stay out.”
They, however, pointedly said President Buhari should know that Nigerians can distinguish between the citizens who care enough to do something and those with responsibility, but choose to do nothing.
“Clearly, our current leaders are living in very deep denial if they do not recognise that our current situation represents an existential danger to the nation.
We noted the commendable support of other leaders for the initiative and the statesmanship of chairmen of APC and PDP governors’ forum, who attended the second day of the meeting and expressed genuine support for it.
In contrast, we are alarmed at the insensitivity of the Presidency which will rather demolish patriotic and responsible action than take steps to address gaping holes in the manner it handles our national destiny, our security and our economy.
Our forum is encouraged to pursue the time-tested strategy of engagement, dialogue and steadfast commitment to the future of our country as secure, united and just.
We will continue to exercise our rights to meet and seek for solutions and discharge our obligations to younger generations of Nigerians, who deserve to live in a nation without its current frightening limitations.
We believe that the Presidency, our legislators and all well-meaning Nigerians should be part of our initiative. If the Presidency chooses to stay out, Nigerians have the right to ask what it is doing to address our deeply-embedded problems itself,” they said.
You now have an excellent opportunity to vigorously challenge and deliver a robust refutal to the verdict declared by Pastor Emeka John Chigozie Emekesiri (founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB]
And lawyer) on the front page of “Saturday Vanguard” newspaper of September 12, 2020:
“Today, the youths of the present generation have lost their bearing. They have decided to wander in the wilderness like sheep without a shepherd even though the old shepherds from the old generation are still alive and willing to guide the youths to the Promised Land. Unfortunately, most of the youths of today have become unteachable and incorrigible. The major problem in the Igbo Nation now is the spirit of rebellion among the youths. In fact, almost all Igbo organisations have split into many factions because of insubordination and rebellion. I have a bitter experience on this issue.”
As for the North, “The Nation” newspaper of September 12, 2020 carried on its front page the following headline:
“HOW BANDITS MURDERED OUR RELATIVES IN OUR PRESENCE.”
In security the northern parts of the country appear to be taking a turn for the worse as banditry assumes a more worrisome dimension. Besides their penchant for killing for no justifiable reasons, bandits have added kidnapping for ransom to their ungodly trade. Worse still, they are killing their victims after collecting ransom for them.”
The elders cannot claim to be unaware of the monumental damage being done to the psyche of the nation, especially the youths when on its front page on September 12, 2020 a chilling report which has not been refuted carried as headline:
“HOW I HANDED U.S.$9 MILLION CASH TO ADOKE’S CO-ACCUSED” – Witness.
“A prosecution witness, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, on Friday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja how be handed over about $9m in four tranches to a businessman, Mr.Aliyu Abubakar.
Abubakar is being jointly prosecuted along with a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), on 14 amended counts of money laundering.
But Adoke’s name did not feature in the $9m transaction which the prosecuting agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, had alleged involved tranches of the fund in amounts exceeding the statutory threshold outside a financial institution, violating the Money Laundering Law.
The Managing Director of Farsman Holdings Limited and Farsman BDC, Alhaji Farouk Suleiman, had, while testifying as the fourth prosecution witness, said he was engaged in 2013 by Abubakar to help him convert the sum of N2bn to dollars.
Suleiman said Abubakar gave him seven cheques worth N2bn drawn in the name of Equal Access Limited and instructed that the dollar equivalent be handed over to Mustapha, which he said he did. He said he handed over the sum of $9.084,700 to Mustapha in five tranches between September and October 2013.
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Led in evidence by EFCC’s lawyer, Bala Sanga, on Friday Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said he was Abubakar’s lawyer for seven years.
The witness told the court that he had acted as Abubakar’s lawyer in the transaction involving his sale of a certain property of the businessman to the Central Bank of Nigeria by Abubakar.
He said, “At all material times, I have been a solicitor to the second defendant. He is into selling and buying property. He instructed Equal Access to sell certain property to the Central Bank of Nigeria. He instructed Equal Access to pay the money paid to it to Farsman. He asked me to collect the money from Farsman.”
Mustapha told the court that he handed over the total sum of $9,084,700 to Abubakar in four tranches; $2m, $4m, $3m and $24,000. He added that he was issued receipts by Abubakar.
The witness said receipts were tendered by the prosecution and admitted as exhibits by the court. Adoke’s legal team, led by Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Paul Erokoro (SAN), opted not to cross-examine the witness.
Meanwhile, under cross-examination by Abubakar’s lawyer, Mr.OlalekanOjo (SAN), the witness conceded that no one was present when he handed over the money to the businessman. He also admitted that he had no document to support his claim that he was instructed to receive the money from Farsman on his behalf.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjouned the trial till November 23, 2020.”
Chief Dele Momodu chose the front page of “Sunday Punch” newspaper of September 13, 2020 not to relaunch his political ambitions but to advertise his disillusionment and disenchantment (with the youths).
Headline: “WHY I’LL NEVER RECONTEST PRESIDENCY”
“A former presidential candidate and Chief Executive Officer, Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu, has said he will never reconsider contesting the presidency because he does not have the capacity for many things people go through to win such elections.
Momodu, who was the presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party in the 2011 elections, argued that it is what candidates go through before they emerge that make it difficult for them to perform when they eventually get into office.
Asked in a recent interview with “Sunday Punch” if he would recontest presidency in the future, he said, “The answer is no. Never! I know what it entails and I don’t have it. I have the capacity to run any country effectively but I lack the capacity to go through what you would need to go through to get there, unless they come and offer me on a silver platter in my house and that would be practically impossible.
I have decided I’m not going to beg for or steal money just because I want to serve my country. The reason why a lot of leaders can’t perform in Nigeria is simple; what they go through to get there. No matter how saintly you are, you need the bad guys to win an election because you can’t do it alone.
So, when you get there, you would be an ingrate to start disturbing the bad guys, because without them, you won’t be there in the first place. For that reason, I don’t have what it takes to get the bad guys to my side, so I would rather stay (away).”
He also called on the President to unite all Nigerians.
Speaking on the debate regarding the region that should produce the next president in 2023, he stated that he never liked zoning but that it’s fair for the South to produce the next president in order to ensure balancing.”
In the same newspaper, Pastor Enoch Adeboye did not mince words.
Headline: “CORRUPTION, LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY PART OF NIGERIA’S PROBLEMS – Adeboye
“The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said the Nigerian government has enough money to provide palliatives for every citizen, but that corruption and lack of accountability are the country’s problems.
Adeboye added that his church, for example, spends between N250m and N400m monthly on corporate social responsibility, saying the government must attend to the demands of the people.
The cleric spoke at the monthly thanksgiving service at the RCCG Headquarters, Throne of Grace, Ebute-Metta, Lagos State.
Adeboye, who was represented by the Assistant General Overseer, Administration and Personnel, Pastor Johnson Odesola, said he was full of praises to God for intervening in the COVID-19 crisis in the country.
The Thanksgiving service was themed ‘Victory Over Lockdown.’
Adeboye said, “To say there is not enough money to give juicy palliatives to Nigerians is an understatement because Nigeria has the money. But the problem known to everyone is corruption and lack of accountability. For example, in RCCG, we spend a substantial amount of money on corporate social responsibility of between N250m and N400m every month.”
While commenting on the hike in the pump price of fuel and electricity, Adeboye noted that the government needed to be considerate with its people and reconsider introducing such policies at a time people were not getting relief from the scourge of COVID-19.”
In a direct message to “The Strong Breed”, “The Punch” newspaper of September 13, 2020 devoted the top half of its front page to a pungent editorial.
Headline: “14 MILLION NIGERIAN CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF EDUCATION.”
“The recent reminder by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that 14 million Nigerian children are deprived of educational opportunities is an indictment of the country’s political leadership. Put in context, this figure is more than the population of Guinea (13 million); Rwanda (12.9 million) and Tunisia (11.8 million). Reversing this trend should be a top priority for the federal and state governments.
Generally, gender discrimination, disasters and armed conflict, language challenges, household poverty, child labour, child marriage and factors related to disability are some of the main barriers that keep children out of school. In Nigeria, leadership failure, especially at the state level, is also largely to blame. That the country churns out such saddening statistics in human capital in the 21st century rankles and speaks to the need to re-evaluate and retool education policies in line with current realities.
A Chinese proverb says, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” In a knowledge-driven world, countries with low literacy rates have no future, as they will be left behind. The fact that the majority of out-of-school-children are in the northern states as studies show is evidence of poor choices. The problem has been compounded in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the Boko Haram insurgency has disrupted socio-economic and academic activities.
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Interestingly, Nigeria is not in short supply of policy measures and laws to ensure that no child is left behind in education. Officially, there is free and compulsory primary and junior secondary education to cater for children aged five to 14 years. The Universal Basic Education Act 2004 is the legal framework that provides for compulsory, free and universal basic education of all children of primary and junior secondary school age in the country. There is also the Child Rights Act, which reinforces this as a basic human right by prescribing schooling up to junior secondary school. Unfortunately, these policy instruments and laws have been largely obeyed in the breach; The 11 states that are yet to domesticate the CRA are all in the north, resulting in their large out-of-school children.
What is wrong? While other countries are working assiduously to reduce their out-of-school children population, the various tiers of government have allowed the number to spike dangerously over the years. A 2018 UNICEF survey showed that the population of out-of-school children in Nigeria had risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million, the highest in the world. Of the world’s 63 million out-of-school children of primary school age, 34 million, more than one-half, live in sub-Saharan Africa, while southern Asia has the second-highest number with 10 million, the USIF Fact Sheet No.48 2018, discloses. This is not all; there is still a huge number of those who are in school, but learning nothing. UNICEF says schooling does not always lead to learning. In Nigeria, there are more non-learners in school than out of school.
This has huge implications for Nigeria’s economic development and security and deserves greater attention. Experts identify a nexus between education, social deviance and development. As Obasanjo warned, “If we don’t take care of these 14 million out-of-school children in the next 10 years or so, they will be the terrorists, armed robbers, and kidnappers of the future.” This chilling prediction is already unfolding. The decade-old insurgency in the North-East, organised banditry and kidnapping across the North as well as criminality in other parts of the country in recent times draw recruits from the army of uneducated and deprived youth. Ironically, these ugly realities accentuate the phenomenon of out-of-school children. The United States military’s Africa Command said terrorist groups shut down over 9,000 schools in different African countries, including Nigeria in the past five years.
All this calls for concerted efforts to reverse the misfortune. The rising illiteracy rate in the country, especially in the North, should be addressed. In 2018, a report by EDUCELEB, a non-profit education advocacy group, indicated a national average of 59.3 percent female literacy rate for Nigerians between 15 and 24 years old; the North-West trailed with 38 percent, followed by the North-East (41 percent) and the North-Central (62 percent). On the other hand, the South-East led with 95.4 percent, followed by the South-South (94 percent) and the South-West (92.6 percent). When viewed against the fact that 11 Muslim Arab countries (Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Tunisia) have attained literacy rates well above the world average of 87.6 percent, with Jordan scoring the highest (99.4 percent), the wrong-headed neglect of education by the northern governors becomes indefensible.
Many countries are looking beyond religion to catch up on education. The Pew Research Centre reports that among the world’s major religious groups, Muslims have made some of the greatest gains in educational achievement in recent decades. But the story is different in sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of the Middle-East. The PRC says in sub-Saharan Africa, roughly two-thirds of Muslim adults (65 percent) have no formal schooling. The same is true for roughly four-in-10 Muslim adults in the Middle East-North Africa region (42 percent) and three-in-10 in Asia-Pacific region (32 percent). By comparison, nearly all Muslim adults living in North America and 95 percent of those in Europe have at least some formal education.
In addition, the gender gap in education among Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa has remained mostly unchanged across generations, and the share of all Muslims with no formal schooling in the region is higher than the share of Christians with no formal schooling, the research states. While Muslim women are fast catching up in other regions of the world, according to the Population Council, Muslim women’s educational attainment is lowest in sub-Saharan Africa; where even among the youngest cohort (women 25–34 years old) two‐thirds have no formal schooling. Regrettably, Nigeria’s North poses the most depressing numbers.
Nigeria should roll back the negative influence of religion in national development. While some Northern states have established a ministry of religious affairs, the United Arab Emirates made history as the first country in the world to establish a ministry of and appoint a minister for Artificial Intelligence. Uncontrolled family size naturally breeds illiteracy and poverty while discrimination against females hampers healthy family and economic growth.
The various levels of government, especially the Northern states, need to raise investment in education to address the phenomenon and other challenges in the sector. This will align the country closer with the international development community’s laudable goal of achieving universal primary and secondary education by 2030, a decade away.
Increasing budgetary allocation to primary education has become imperative. Though education is on the concurrent legislative list, persistent decline in budgetary allocation to the sector by all governments has hampered the provision of quality education in the country. However, getting children into school primarily rests with the states.
Unfortunately, this is one admonition successive governments have not taken to heart. For instance, in 2020, the Federal Government allocated N671.07 billion, constituting 6.7 percent of the N10 trillion budget, to education. In 2019, it was N620.5 billion out of N8.83 trillion, representing 7.05 percent; N605.8 billion in 2018 and N398 billion in 2017. The figures for the sub-national governments are similarly ludicrous. Sadly, amidst the rot in the sector, a report from the Universal Basic Education Commission said that as of 2018, 24 states out of 36 failed to access their own portion of the over N47 billion basic education grants between 2015 and 2017. States are required to provide an equal amount of the money as counterpart funds to qualify to access the funds, a statutory obligation many have failed to meet over the years due to poor accountability. As Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, once said, an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
As for Professor Adebayo Williams, he chose the front page of “The Nation” newspaper of September 13, 2020 to deliver a trenchant warning to the youths in order to alert them not to make the mistake of underestimating the task ahead:
“As we move to the centre stage, the resurgence of the politics of ethnic identify that we are currently witnessing is likely to be a child’s play. The politics of ethnic identity will mutate or metastasize into the politics of ethnic separatism and continuing violent clashes among colliding modes of production with several ethnic platforms openly braying to be let out of the Nigerian conflagration.
Read Also: Opinion: “I Don’t Think Women Can Have It All”- Indra K. Nooyi.
This is how state incompetence and sheer lack of visionary impetus to reconfigure a badly fractured multinational nation turns what should ordinarily be a struggle for the allocation of values and resources among countervailing elite forces into a nasty tribal melee. As it has been famously noted, those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”
In anticipation of the take over of our beloved country by “The Strong Breed”, Yinka Odumakin has availed you of our handing over notes courtesy of the front page of “Sunday Tribune” newspaper of September 13, 2020.
Headline: “THE CONSTITUTIONAL NEGOTIATION WE NEED”
“We continue to deceive ourselves that we want to reduce cost of governance and fight corruption while under an expensive and corrupt presidential system.
Seventy-one members of the House of Representatives at the twilight of the 8th National Assembly took a positive step in unanimously opting for a bill to enact a new law for a reversal to parliamentary system. The bill was introduced in December, 2019. Led by Honourable Kingsley Chinda representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, the lawmakers lamented the flaws in the current presidential system. They had this to say: “Studies have shown that countries run by presidential regimes consistently produce: lower output growth, higher and more volatile inflation, and greater income inequality relative to those under parliamentary ones.
Presidential regimes consistently produce less favourable macroeconomic outcomes which prevail in a wide range of circumstances for example in Nigeria.
Due to the excessive powers domiciled to one man under the presidential system, consensus building that is often required for economic decision is always lacking.
The level of liability and volatility of the presidential system makes it difficult to achieve economic objectives.”
Lending his voice also Chinda said: “If you ask some legislators about some government policies, it is difficult for them to clearly understand because the interface between the executive and the legislature is not as it should be.
The parliamentary system will ensure that the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are on the same page. The system will iron out all these things; that is why we have thrown it up for Nigerians to look at, discuss and see that it will help us in proffering solutions to some of the problems of our country.
What we have proposed in that bill is that the exclusive list should be pruned down so that issues of devolution of power are taken care of and I can assure you that you will see healthy competition and this country will grow for all of us.”
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