Today in history (2015), former President Goodluck Jonathan called Mohammed Buhari to concede defeat and congratulate him on wining the presidential election, thanking all Nigerians for the opportunity to lead them.
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others — playing people against one another, making them pursue you. ~ #20 in Robert Greene’s 48 Laws Of Power I am always entertained by the social media rants of my fellow country people. Ours is a country that is never in lack of news stories and trust us to milk, twist and turn every topic to suit our subjective narratives. And in an executive system of government, the buck always stops at the commander in chief’s desk. That’s why Nigerians demand solutions from the president even in matters that should otherwise be handled by a ward councillor. A common portrayal of President Buhari on social media and sometimes in the mainstream is that of an apathetic leader immutably aloof from our constant bickerings. That he is a stooge oblivious of the happenings around him let alone in the country. It has even been suggested somewhat preposterously that the ‘cabal’ led by Kyari has him caged and controlled at their whim. And these speculations have oftentimes been fortified by the periodic outbursts of an outspoken First Lady who doesn’t shy away from the mic whenever her interests are seemingly encumbered. But I am not fooled and you shouldn’t be too. How can I possibly believe that a man whose lifelong ambition was to become the president is unaware of the happenings around him? The President knows exactly what he is doing but perhaps like my village people will say he doesn’t know what is ‘doing’ him. Doubt me? Let me explain my position with this brief historical account of the life and times of Queen Elizabeth I. The 16th Century Queen of England popularly known as the “Virgin Queen” is reputed to have stringently utilised Robert Greene’s 20th law up till her death as a single virgin. For many years after her ascension to the throne, she was continuously pressurised to get married to the extent that it became a topic for debate in the British Parliament. But she remained calm in the midst of all the speculations and never argued against the Parliament while she manipulated two French Dukes with hopes of marriage in order to get a peace treaty endorsed by France and England. Her non-committal strategy was used to the Empire’s advantage which eventually underlined her reign as a period of incomparable peace and cultural fertility. Perhaps no current leader exemplifies this law better than Donald Trump. He is committed to none but himself and has fired more officials than any other American President. Through his campaign, he held the GOP by the jugular and even threatened to go it all alone with the people if the party refuses to back him. Now as the POTUS, when he does not get what he wants from the Republicans, he threatens to work with the Democrats just like he praises America’s adversaries when he wants to get more from her allies. It is this same tactic that President Buhari has ‘hybridized’ and continuously deployed to his advantage. In his running battle with the Saraki led Senate, in taking the anti-corruption war to the judiciary and against his political opponents in the run-up to the last general election. In order not to bore you with past stories we shall explore a few recent examples. Not long ago we were shocked with the news that the National Security Adviser accused the president’s chief of staff Abba Kyari of undue and dangerous interference on national security matters. In a leaked memo the Monguno disclosed that the insubordination and uncooperative attitude of the security chiefs precipitated a lack of central coordination of other security agencies in the country with the resultant deterioration of an already precarious security situation. Nigerians bayed for action, demanding Kyari’s sack while reiterating the call for an overhaul of the national security apparatus. Our lawmakers joined the chorus too and asked the president to consider replacing his service chiefs. Buhari did not budge. What came of that? Thereafter the squabble in the ruling APC which hitherto was limited to Oshiomhole’s brickbats with his political godson in Edo state burgeoned into a full-scale war for the party’s leadership. Clandestine meetings were held, alliances were forged and battle lines were drawn. The pro and anti-Oshiomhole groups filled the political space with noise and chest-thumping. Many called for Buhari’s intervention to quell a rising inferno with potentially cataclysmic consequences for his party and by extension the country. The man didn’t utter a word. Even when the matter became the subject of litigation in different courts he maintained his silence. How did that end? Currently, many Nigerians have suddenly turned into doctors and medical experts since the #COVID19 outbreak, dishing out ‘information’ via posts, essays and even videos on how to beat the virus with garlic, bitter kola and brine. The more politically charged citizens have been infuriated by Buhari’s stubborn unwillingness to address the nation notwithstanding that the NCDC ably led by Dr Chikwe and other health agency have been on top of the matter updating Nigerians almost on an hourly basis. Whatsmore the President has mandated the SGF Boss Mustapha to coordinate these efforts. But we are implacable, many want to see the president himself talking directly to the nation in a press conference. Ironically most of those demanding this are only interested in hearing the president goof rather than the measures taken by the government to combat the crisis. Nevertheless, you have to understand their collective peeve. I mean what could possibly be more exasperating than seeing the pictures of Lagos state governor Sanwo-Olu presenting the president with the visuals of last Sunday’s tragic explosion in Abule Ado? What manner of insensitivity is that? And coming just days after the same President was pictured live in Argungu beaming all 32 as he was welcomed by dignitaries for the fishing festival.
While it is true that the Covid-19 pandemic alongside the growing insecurities in different parts of Nigeria is seemingly rolling back the progress meant to be achieved in the education sector funding, the President must never relent.
Whether we see it is as a possibility, a ray of hope, or deceit, one thing is certain — nothing comes easy. Every good thing comes with a price. Maybe, in this case, the price is our belief in this dear country and the undiluted support we can offer in achieving the promise together.
It is highly ridiculous that Nigeria: with a plethora of education crises, will place education on such a low budget with little or no priority; no wonder why the country is ending in the path of destruction. Never late than never, the nation is coming to its senses and getting to realize the benefits of properly funding its education system for socio-economic development and growth.
As earlier explained, the benefits of quality education, not like what is obtainable in the country, are enormous and cut across all areas of society. We must remember that the duty of reviving our education does not rest on the shoulders of the government alone.
Lawan and Gbajabiamila owe Nigerians a duty. They should tell us how they plan to curb the flagrant and unbridled nepotism by our leaders. Having modeled our system of governance after the Americans we need to emulate them. Donald Trump was impeached by the US House Of Representatives but our reps can’t even extract the fulfillment of a promised address from our president on the worsening insecurity across the nation.
If you are starving and young and in search of answers as to why your life is so difficult, fundamentalism can be alluring. We know this for a fact because former members of Boko Haram have admitted it: They offer impressionable young people money and the promise of food, while the group’s mentors twist their minds with fanaticism.~ Muhammadu Buhari Achebe wrote that “The trouble with Nigeria has become the subject of our small talk in much the same way as the weather is for the English”. Nigerians love arguing because there is never a drought of issues for a rapacious audience to discuss in this country. We are often cajoled by flowery catchphrases and hashtags such as change, Biafra or nothing, restructuring, our-mumu-don-do, red card, #RevolutionNow etc. It is one week one new story, ranging from the ingenious to the utterly absurd. The current debate sparked by Senator Abaribe’s call for President Buhari’s resignation over the worsening insecurity bears the same hallmarks. We will immerse ourselves in the velitation by taking sides. Dissipate humongous energy on expletives and end up in ground zero after the whole rigmarole. Unsurprisingly the senators and indeed the citizens from the northern states ravaged by the crisis are the ones who have joined the presidency in taking umbrage at the senator’s remarks. While the vocal minority comprising mostly of southerners on various media platforms have stoutly risen to his defence. Senator Abaribe is not a stranger to controversy. He is a courageous and experienced lawmaker who presented himself as a surety for the fugitive IPOB leader when his colleagues from the South East baulked. Moreover, he is the leader of the opposition and is well within his rights to make such a demand after all President Buhari himself once asked former President Jonathan to resign on the same account and nobody threw the kitchen sink at him. However, I believe that we are not having the right debate. How will Buhari’s resignation impact on the orgy of violence we are currently witnessing? In a nation where everything including the security of lives has been politicised the answer pretty much depends on one’s prism of perception. The president’s fanatic fans will argue that the reverse could be the case while critics who absurdly claim that he is behind the insecurity will claim that his resignation will put end to it. Yet some have stated that he should resign first. But here is the thing. You and I know the president will do no such thing, more so when the call is from a senator whose region contributed little to his emergence and eventual reelection. Even Abaribe himself knows this too, so why are we chasing rabbits? One would have thought the realistic discourse would be around the solutions to stymie the worsening insecurity, especially in the northern region. And this brings me to the meat of my thesis. The north is a region that negates its enormous natural endowments. Despite the existence of huge human and material resources, the region is plagued by abject poverty, illiteracy and terrorism. If you have lived in the northern part of the country you will better appreciate why it currently serves as the crucible of the turbulence across the nation. Out of the six geopolitical zones, the three in the north have the worst indices of poverty with 77% for the North-West, 76% and 67% for the North-East and North-Central respectively. The region is a vast land, so vast that you can drive over 30km without any sign of human habitation. I can’t think of any road in the South East where you will drive for 5km without coming across a storey building. That gives you an idea of the disparity in development between both regions and why the insurgency easily thrives in the north. A former Governor of Borno state aptly captured the region’s debilitating poverty and developmental imbalance between the north and the south when he remarked that: “Unemployment in the north is extremely high. Nigeria is a country of two nations, the South is much more stable and prosperous, the north, on the other hand, is in a poverty trap. In Nigeria, poverty wears a northern cap; if you are looking for a poor man, get somebody wearing a northern cap.” Of course, Shettima is not alone in his position. The outspoken Emir of Kano Alhaji Sanusi Lamido has often come under fire from his tribesmen for saying the truth. Mirroring President Buhari’s quote at the beginning of this piece, Sanusi once suggested that Islam faces extinction in the region because, “if poverty continues in the north, Islam will disappear from the north. Poverty can lead to disbelief”. Light as they may appear these words become more worrisome in context when you consider that despite the varying opinions about the Boko Haram insurgency, the sect actually emerged as an opposition element to the political system dominated by corrupt elites. Mohammed Yusuf recruited from the streets, preying on the downtrodden with a twisted version of the doctrine that promised a better future. Yet we are discussing a region whose elites have ruled the country for over 40 in our 60 years of independence with Buhari actively involved in this period. A region with so many billionaires including the world’s richest black man. Shouldn’t every northern politician be ashamed? Where is the Sultan? Where are the religious and cultural leaders? Where is the loquacious Junaid Mohammed? The Sule Lamidos and Kwankwansos who led the opposition against Jonathan in the guise of fighting for northern interest? They have all gone mute even as the citizens they pretend to lead are slaughtered in thousands. The truth is that we cannot continue pretending. Someone had to press that button and if takes Abaribe to ring the bell then the northern senators should have given him a standing ovation and proceed to offer solutions. And just like Festus Keyamo said the ruling APC, the northern leaders and indeed Nigerians as a
Yesterday saw two interesting events. First was the shameful outing by Vanguard. The Vice President had signalled that he will not allow rent-seekers toy with his immaculate reputation and the within hours, Vanguard issued a retraction and an apology. I, like many, do not buy their mischievous apology but that’s up to Prof Osinbajo. Embarrassed and crestfallen, the disgruntled Mischief Makers of the Federation sped off to New York where they sought to rejig their bad day with President Buhari, as usual. At least, they know he will not respond to their mischief. That led us to what became the second interesting event of the day. Over there in New York, the president had attended the United Nations Climate Action Summit the previous day, in which he was billed to speak. Seated with other participants, which included the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, the presenter introduced President Buhari and invited him to highlight Nigeria’s Climate Action pathway for a resilient future, given our huge young population. The president did just that and perfectly too – highlighted what Nigeria has done, what we’re doing and what we intend to achieve. He set out the goals, targets and timelines. He started off with observing protocols, then aligned himself to the sentiments of the UN Secretary-General that the world is on the verge of a climate catastrophe and posited categorically that Climate Change is a human-induced phenomenon. He reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and stated that we intend to expand the scope of our Sovereign Green Bond (recall that Nigeria was the first country to issue the Green Bond). He promised the inclusion of more youths in the decision-making process as part of the climate governance architecture. He pointed out the drive to recharge the Lake Chad to save the livelihoods of over 40 million residents around the basin, plant more trees to enhance our carbon sink and diversify electricity generation by sourcing more sustainable and climate-friendly alternatives, away from gas-powered outputs. He reeled out our plan to realise a 30% renewable energy mix by 2030, with a view to cut down about 179 million tons of carbon dioxide annually by the same year. All these were about Nigeria’s efforts towards saving the planet and pushing back the devastating effects of climate change. Those were what he was asked to highlight and those were what he promptly highlighted. It was not a question and answer session. So, I ask, where is the disconnect? I have a feeling that many of those sharing the video and obfuscating on the issue have not bothered to watch it or paid due attention to actual details of the president’s speech. I had asked a few and none could identify any disconnect from the speech but they still thought he didn’t answer a question. Even his first two sentences had climate change in them but some educate Nigerian illiterates have perfected the art of being arrogant in their ignorance. A few are irked that he read from a paper and I responded to one that it was an obvious indication that he delivered a speech, as opposed to an assumed interview session. These are very simple observations if any had perused the schedule of events posted online at www.un.org but the reality is that you risk exposing your backside when in a hurry to abuse or ridicule someone. Finally, I do not share the views of those who think the video was doctored. The video I saw is in order and Mr President’s speech is equally in order, but we have too many pseudo-intellectuals in Nigeria who rush to mould opinions and unnecessarily distort reason. Nevertheless, if you identify the disconnect, I’ll be very obliged to learn. Bishop Izuu Nwokolo
Last week the Senate President sensationally sacked a media aide less than 48 hours after his appointment was announced. Lawan came under immense pressure by APC loyalists including the newly baptised ‘First Lady’. I ‘ve been reading his column in the Tribune for some years now and there is no doubt that Festus Adedayo is good with the pen. I initially sympathised with him, not just for that but also from an ‘esprit de corps’ perspective since we share a common academic background in Political Communication. Now having said that there is a need to differentiate between criticism and insults. I must admit that I mostly skimmed through his scathing attacks on President Buhari primarily because I usually get an adequate dosage of that from the social media and other columnists like Femi Aribisala. Politics is a game and just like in games emotions are rarely contained, but if indiscipline by players and even spectators are punished then it should also apply in politics. Media practitioners represent the fourth estate of the realm whose primary objective is to present the citizens with factual information that will guide them in making decisions. We are not mere spectators, we are like the linesmen who interpret not just for the referee but also for the spectators. I recollect a recent chat with an editor who cautioned me about an offensive phrase in an article I submitted for publication. I had been caustic in my description of a group and he promptly told me that such words cannot pass his gate. Indeed the paragraph looked better when my piece was published. APC has millions of loyalists and their media machinery is ruthless. No political party comes a close second in utilising the power of social media as much as the party has done since the beginning of our current democratic experiment. This didn’t start with Adedayo. In June last year, renowned columnist and the chairman of Vanguard editorial board was forced to issue a humiliating apology after he described the Yorubas as “sophisticated morons”, an ethnic aspersion that was made viral by the South West wing of the APC youths. In the same month, a lady who worked with the Presidency was hounded by APC media soldiers for using uncharitable words to describe Vice President Osinbajo on twitter. She was queried and dismissed afterwards. In the heat of the moment, she boasted that she needn’t lift a finger to work to continue living in affluence for the rest of her life. However shortly after, she ‘nicodemusly’ got another job but somehow her traducers managed to reach her new hirer whose company thrived on government patronage and probably dropped the usual ‘if you want to retain our patronage’ line. Again she was sacked. The young lady who must have learnt her lesson can even be overlooked for her naivety and youthful exuberance but Festus is neither young nor naive. He is a professional who should know better. It is laughable that he claimed he was still considering the job when we know that he had already popped champagne with friends to celebrate his appointment. He also said that Obasanjo received the worst lashing from his acidic pen. Well, having now read some of his toxic writings against Buhari I can say that he may have criticised Obasanjo’s government but he INSULTED Buhari’s personae. Moreover, the Yoruba culture and training couldn’t have allowed him to label Obasanjo a fido dido, demented or having a body double. These words definitely go beyond criticism. They are acerbic phrases that shouldn’t be read from a copy and paste blogger let alone a career journalist. To put it plainly Adedayo sounded like a hateful bigot! Some would argue that journalists are humans and are susceptible to emotional outbursts like every other person. I agree. People are entitled to their opinion regardless of how far fetched or stupid it may sound to you. And frankly, I have read all sorts from respected journalists, especially on social media. One recently wished Abacha’s fate on Buhari for removing the CJN and another suggested that Obasanjo was a mole who should be tied to the stake and shot for calling Buhari a failure. All these are tolerable since we are in a democracy which of course guarantees freedom of speech even though that freedom actually ends where the other’s rights begin. The bigger issue, however, has to do with honour, morality and integrity. It is a poor reflection of our journalism that the prospect of owning a property in Abuja is often too enticing — as Reuben Abati will tell you — that the ultimate ambition of many is to be appointed the media aide of a politician or some corporate executive. So Mr Adedayo didn’t mind being interviewed for a job by a man he recently described as a myrmidon of the Fuhrer. How can you possibly join a cause you don’t believe in? A man who hates the vulture shouldn’t covet the soup claiming to enjoy the spices. If the Senate President appointed him out of ignorance or the need to placate his PDP backers, Festus obviously accepted out of greed and hypocritical opportunism. His likes are dangerous, despicable and totally bereft of the requisite values to move the nation forward. It was the Apostle Paul who said that “the tongue has the power of life and death”. Mr Adedayo will surely not die for being sacked but the dent of this experience will remain for a long time, and hopefully a teachable moment for us to always guard our emotions in political discourse.
We did not support Abubakar because he was a member of the PDP – we endorsed him because he wanted to restructure the country. We have no regrets not supporting Buhari. We are not making any demands from him. A leopard cannot change its spots except there is a miracle. What he cannot do during his first term, you cannot expect him to do that in the second term. His actions, statements, and body language show that he does not mean well for Ndigbo. So, we are not expecting anything from him~ Ohanaeze Ndigbo With the above excerpt from an interview with the PUNCH Newspapers. National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Uche Achi-Okpaga affirmed the position of the group that it does not regret supporting Atiku who lost to incumbent President Buhari in the last presidential election. As an Igbo man gifted with intellect and the ability to write I will never be deterred from critically interrogating these kinds of statements from the apex Igbo socio-cultural group. Having spent over 40 years of my life living in Nigeria I am conscious of the Igbo struggle but I am equally aware that the South East region is not lagging in any UN developmental index in comparison to the other regions. Much of this progress in development is attributable to self-help by a group naturally endowed with the gift of entrepreneurship. However, just like any other Igbo person, I am confounded by the seeming political decline that has pervaded my region lately. There is an age long position held by many that the dearth of visionary leadership among the Igbo elite as typified by Ohaneze’s statement above is responsible for the current quandary. But then leaders are part of the people, they did not just drop from Mars, so followership is also part and parcel of the problem. Take for example the unfortunate events that transpired in Vice President Osinbajo’s polling unit in VGC. The gentle pastor — who was once the toast of our people during Buhari’s long absence — was said to have been jeered by a small crowd comprising mainly of Igbo residents as he arrived to cast his vote. Some even popped champagne while passing snide remarks that the Vice President shouldn’t have bothered coming to perform his civic duty since Atiku’s victory was already assured. It is not that we do not have the right to a choice. No, far from it. Neither is it that we do not have the prerogative of casting block votes for our choice. The problem is that fatal flaw which the legendary Chinua Achebe described in his book “There Was A Country” as “the dangers of hubris, overweening pride, and thoughtlessness, which invite envy and hatred or even worse, that can obsess the mind with material success and dispose it to all kinds of crude showiness”. We can agree that Nigerians have different SI units for measuring societal ills. Depending on the tribe, religion or party what may be deplorable to Emeka could be acceptable to Ayo and perhaps even commendable to Shehu and vice versa. But surely there cannot be a worse evocation of the Achebe’s lamentation as depicted by the few Igbo delinquents at that VGC polling unit. The Vice President deserves our respect even if we dislike him, his principal or his party. Undoubtedly a combination of factors such as ethnicity and elite mentality determined the outcome of the election in the VGC and indeed Eti Osa Local Government Area as a whole. However, that conspicuously offensive display by those charlatans succeeded in giving an ethnic colouration to the predicted defeat of the APC in a neighbourhood that is perhaps more cosmopolitan than any other part of Lagos. My friend, a wealthy businessman who lives in the area was shaking his head in exasperation as he narrated this. Considering the usual cries of victimization from many Igbos in Lagos he wondered how supposedly wise folks from the east could have been oblivious of the high tech security surveillance around the nation’s number two citizen at any given time. The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service could be sending demand letters to their various addresses the following week. O yes, it may sound far-fetched but in Nigeria where tribal sentiments run so deep, it is not impossible. On various online platforms, on the MSM and even on the ground, it is not uncommon to see South Easterners taking panadol for other people’s headache and displaying what I call ‘political bipolarism’. The same people who swore to vote for Atiku even if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar cried more than Kano voters that Ganduje is a thief who deserves to be in jail. The ‘No man’s land’ where Femi Gbajabiamila hails from is now Yoruba land because the APC zoned the position of HOR Speaker to the South West. These are the kind of followers we are, and we will eventually emerge to be the leaders of tomorrow. Now let me come back to leadership. In a previous article, I had stated that the choice of Peter Obi as Atiku’s running mate should serve the more important task of stimulating the process of piloting Igbos back to their rightful place in national politics. And despite their defeat, notable Igbos across parties have rightly called on the ruling party to zone one major NASS leadership position to the South East. It will be unthinkable that for the first time there will be no Igbo person in Nigeria’s first 6. For one, the Igbos are a majority tribe who are resident in every nook and cranny of the country. We have contributed as much as any other in the development of the country. And then politically speaking more Igbos voted for Buhari this time than in 2015, as a matter of fact, the region more than doubled their previous vote tally for the president whereas they gave Atiku less than half of what Jonathan got. Honestly,
‘‘As a government, we issued a presidential mandate to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Rural Electrification Agency to energise the market. In June 2018, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission granted an electricity generation licence as well as a distribution licence for the market. This will enable the generation and distribution of 9.5 Megawatts of electricity within the market. The project is moving smoothly and I have been assured the market will be fully electrified soon. We are working closely with the State Government, Local Government, Traditional Rulers, Market Associations and the community on this project to ensure this goal is actualised by the end of the year,’’ ~ President Muhammadu Buhari President Buhari made the above statement while reassuring his good friend Eze Ikonne of his resolve to fulfil his 2015 campaign promise to Abia people during the royal father’s visit to the seat of power on September 2018. I grew up in Aba. I can tell you for certain that Enyimba is a great city populated by fearless men and women. You don’t need to delve too far into history to read about some of our exploits including the momentous Aba women riot of 1929. The people of Enyimba city make no pretences. They take life and business seriously and thus over time have come to symbolise both the Igbo entrepreneurial prowess and their cohesive spirit in resistance during times of oppression. Aba has one of the largest markets in West Africa. As a teenager growing in the city I was conversant with many other markets in the South East region. If I wanted a pair of Giorgio Brutini shoes I will go to Onitsha Main Market but if I needed a good made in Nigeria leather sandals then Ariaria was the perfect place to get that. So again I can tell you for free that in terms of trading Ariaria could match other markets in the country but none could rival it when it comes to production. And production is largely dependent on energy supply. So it wasn’t surprising that Aba suffered during the locust years when our infrastructure was left to rot away. The once bubbling manufacturing sector became torpid just like many other production hubs across the land. Years of neglect left a town which once boasted of major industries and multinationals like PZ, Lever Brothers, UAC and UTC on its knees. Aba became a shadow of its old self. Enyimba could no longer march on. Rather it became notorious for crime. Kidnappings happened by the hour and many relocated, leaving the economy of the city in tatters. President Buhari is in Aba as I write. The visit is part of his campaign trail for another election but he also commissioned that Independent Powe Plant in Ariaria. Eze Ikonne will be on hand to receive him. The royal father will be over the moon. Its a promise fulfiled. I can imagine his smirky look at the sight of those who labelled him a traitor when he conferred the title of ‘Ogbuagu’ on candidate Buhari back in 2015. I’m sure many of them will struggle to get a handshake today. Ikonne has laughed last. But that is by the way. Many of Eze Ikonne’s subjects would begin to understand why their King had been romancing this ‘Igbo hating leader’ as they had been taught to believe. They will realise that Buhari is a man who values loyalty. A man who keeps his own end of the bargain. We saw them troop out en masse to welcome him. They were excited. Elated at the prospect of an improved power supply, increased productivity and prosperity. IPOB had attempted to put their usual spanner in the works with a proclamation of ‘sit at home’. But that didn’t stop them. Shouts of ‘Sai Buhari’ rented the air. Many on social media held their breath. In Aba, they wondered? Aba of all places. Agents of the lousy opposition and enemies of progress also sought to diminish the feat by proffering various claims. Some said it was a state government initiative. Who granted the license? Others said its a private initiative. Who cares? So long as Ariaria people will benefit. Now, do you still believe Abia will give Buhari 13,000 votes like in 2015? You may now begin to understand why he repeatedly says that he is satisfied with the response of the real voters. They are the ones that understand that he is not the problem but rather the painful solution. They are the poor who have been and will always be among us just like Christ said in the Bible. They are the ones that wake up by 5 am. Attend the morning mass, get the family ready for the day and hop on a bus or keke to work. It is a daily grind, their grocery shopping is done at dusk and not weekly. If that family of four, five or six will feed on the day then there is no room for dulling whenever the cock crows. They couldn’t care less about a jurist with millions of dollars in his foreign accounts. All they want is the provision of basic amenities that will facilitate their daily hustle. It may also interest my people to note that on Eze Ikonne’s visit to the Villa, President Buhari had also intimated him that during his trip to China he had wooed the executives of one of the largest cotton and garment companies in the world to establish operations in Aba. This he said he was doing in conjunction with the state government. I have many Abia friends, some are aides to Governor Ikpeazu. Most are united and vocal in their opposition to the president. They just hate the man. Ask why and you are likely to get “I just don’t like him” as a response. No reason whatsoever to loathe a man who is bringing back the kind of infrastructure last seen during the days of the
A prince or general who knows exactly how to organise his war according to his object and means, who does neither too little nor too much, gives by that the greatest proof of his genius. But the effects of this talent are exhibited not so much by the invention of new modes of action, which might strike the eye immediately, as in the successful final result of the whole. It is the exact fulfilment of silent suppositions, it is the noiseless harmony of the whole action which we should admire, and which only makes itself known in the total result.~ Carl von Clausewitz If we are to go with the saying that “politics is war by other means” then it would be fair to say that the Prussian General who theorised the above quote in his book On War III could have had a vision of President Muhammadu Buhari. The 19th-century military theorist renowned for his intellectual texts on the political and psychological aspects of war succinctly captured Buhari’s approach since he took charge. This strategy could ultimately determine the result of the war of attrition between him and the retired generals as we approach the 2019 presidential elections. A keen observer of Nigerian politics will agree that our politics is not yet organic, especially at the national level. Dating back to the second republic the leadership choices available to the hoi polloi have often been decided by political power blocs controlled by the military class. They determine most of the elected and appointed political office holders that gather in Abuja to superintend over the affairs of the nation. In their thinking and should I say justification, they have this mephistophelean dogma that having fought and shed blood for the country they have earned the epaulettes to maintain a perpetual stranglehold on our collective patrimony. They want to dictate who gets what, when and how much. Former presidents Obasanjo and Babangida have publicly echoed this severally. And to achieve this they had long cornered a huge chunk of the nation’s resources for themselves and their cronies especially in the sleazy and opaque oil sector of our mono-product economy. When TY Danjuma arrogantly informed an impoverished nation of his dilemma on how to spend the $500 million profit raked in from the sale of one oil block, I wondered if Bill Gates, then the world’s richest man had any single business entity he could sell at such an incredulous markup. Alongside Danjuma and the prominent ex-heads of state, there are others like General Aliyu Gusau, the unassuming but dangerous veteran of military intelligence who was indicted for corruption by the Rafindadi led NSO in 1985 before he was let off the hook after Buhari’s government was toppled. These men are stupendously rich, powerful and ruthless. They have a concentric modus operandi and there is almost always a fallback option. There is hardly a worthy boardroom in the corporate sector without their bagmen and they ensure that whoever sits on the throne will often do their bidding. They are responsible for many great and ignoble deeds. Look around you and almost every major infrastructure built across the country is traceable to them. From the airports to the refineries, the power stations, Abuja and the third mainland bridge in Lagos. They have killed friends, soldiers and civilians, truncated our democratic progress many times and looted the nation blind. A friend succinctly described them as the “Godless men who do not fear any God”, and together they form the nucleus of the ‘Nigerian Establishment’. However, Buhari who is also a member of the so-called ‘class of 66’ and equally a former Head Of State had been persistently knocking on the door of Aso Rock since 2003. Not as an outsider so to say but as an insider with a somewhat different ideology. He is not known for the wealth and affluence of the rest, and this made him a darling of the poor masses especially in the northern region that is riddled with ubiquitous poverty. He was rebuffed and his efforts thwarted thrice by this Obasanjo until he was forced to make some compromise in an effervescent alliance with Bola Tinubu. Then aided by former President Jonathan’s naivety, the North’s determination to take back power and the sheer momentum of the APC coalition the generals were lobbied into lending support, albeit reluctantly for their colleague to realise his long-standing ambition. Today, after almost four years in power Buhari is back in the trenches in a portentous battle to retain power against the wishes of the same mates who supported him in 2015. At face value, the outcome of the clash will appear to be a no-brainer. President Buhari will receive the Tyson treatment, knocked out before the end of round one by the group of disgruntled generals led by the indefatigable rabble-rouser himself former President Obasanjo. All they need do is to approve and a crisis that will bring Buhari to his knees will erupt. And make no mistake about it these men have the resources to destabilise Africa let alone Nigeria. However, this kind of battle is rarely fought in a linear manner. There are other asymmetries to be considered and of particular interest would be the loyalty of the security forces who wield enormous powers during elections. The partisan forces are also in the reckoning. They form a large section of the foot soldiers that disseminate truths, half-truths and fallacies to influence the masses who will troop to the polls. And lastly the leverage of western powers. Together this combination often determines the outcome of an election in my country. Nevertheless, these generals are not particularly concerned about national development, I mean they have contributed their bit and are mostly octogenarians now. They are more concerned about their vested interest and this perhaps explains why they threw their weight behind Atiku Abubakar who best represents an agglomeration of those interests. Having had direct and indirect dealings in the business of ripping off
“We are under attack in Rann. They are shooting everywhere please pray for me; please go and tell my parents that I am in trouble. Please, look for Fatima and tell her they are taking us away. They have entered here now…” Those were the last words of Hauwa Liman before she was abducted by Boko Haram terrorists alongside other health workers on the 1st of March 2018. She had recorded the words in Hausa language and the audio clip which went viral left the masses of the Nigerian cyberspace in shock, disbelief and utter consternation. Her trembling voice pierced through our innermost parts in a visceral manner that evoked vivid imaginations of the dangers faced by many of our compatriots in the conflict infested North East region. Last week she was reportedly executed by the terrorists at the expiration of the October 15th deadline given to the Nigerian government. She is the second aid worker to be killed by the terror group in two months after her colleague Saifura Hussaini was killed on the 16th of September. The media reported it alright, there was the usual outrage on social media and the Bring Back Our Girls campaign led by Oby Ezekwesili even marched in protest to the presidential villa where they reminded the president that they were once a campaign slogan and a pledge. Ironically, the news broke a few days after President Buhari was reported to have called Leah Sharibu’s parents to reassure them of his administration’s efforts towards the safe return of their daughter. But following Hauwa’s reported execution the Minister of information Lai Mohammed only had these ‘comforting’ words: “We did everything any responsible government should do to save the aid worker. As we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept the line of negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole”, The usual lines often regurgitated by official spokespersons to absolve the government of blame. They are just as pale as they are irritating. So much for assurance, so much for succor and hope to numerous grieving parents whose loved ones are held in captivity by these mindless killers. Sadly, that was just about it. We seem to have moved on to the next and little may be heard of Hauwa going forward. While the media is obsessed with serving us the daily sound bites from callous politicians, we are too engrossed to bother about the depraved activities of a murderous sect. Oh yes, we are approaching the elections, the campaign season is taking off, we are now in that period when every sensibility and even humanity is lost to politicking. They will regale us with tales of how the insurgents have been technically defeated. How they are now reduced to attacking soft targets but we have witnessed the deaths of Mohammed Yusuf, Momodu Baba and perhaps even Abubakar Shekau yet Boko Haram remains a threat, the scourge continues to ravage many communities in the North East albeit intermittently. As I write about 100 Chibok girls are unaccounted for, while thousands of other children including Leah Sharibu who was abducted in Dapchi are still missing. The enormity of the problem becomes even more profound considering that Hauwa wasn’t kidnapped in some nondescript region deep in the dreaded Sambisa forest. No, Hauwa was snatched in a supposedly secure military environment. The Jihadists had brazenly attacked the town of Rann which is host to a military base and the IDP camp where she worked, killing a number of soldiers and aid workers in a way that further exposed the frailty of our ill-equipped defence forces. But consider this; Kamene Okonjo, the mother of ex-finance minister Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was released after five days in captivity when the full weight of our security forces was unleashed in Delta state moments after she was abducted whereas Chibok parents and others who have kids in captivity continue to live in despair. Just put yourself in the shoes of the Liman family for a moment. You can imagine a situation where a devastated father is appealing for a ‘proof of death’ from terrorists in order to get a last look at her angel and to bury her according to Islamic rites. The thought of such pain is the reason we cannot afford to relent, focus on the issue must be allowed to wither away under the campaigns. This is even more so for those conversant with Northern Nigeria, for we are better apprised on the magnitude of the dilemma. We can attest the vast complexity of the region, especially the poverty-stricken North East. A land where the most vulnerable members of the society are susceptible to doctrinal malleability and often used by unscrupulous politicians to achieve selfish ends. Mohammed Yusuf the late founder of Boko Haram capitalised on this canker to gather huge followership. He was so powerful that he nominated cabinet members for the Borno state government. A pointer to the ugly truth that beneath the facade of religious ideology lies a brutal and opportunistic political agenda. That is why we have so-called political leaders from the region walking along the corridors of power. Men like Ali Modu Sheriff and serving Senator Ali Ndume have at one time or the other been directly accused of sponsoring Boko Haram activities. But they are free men, they wine and dine among the most powerful in the country today and their daughters attend Ivy League schools on the other side of the Atlantic. We also have politicians like Atiku aspiring to lead the nation even when his kinsmen in Adamawa are perennially haunted by the dark shadow of terrorism. How is it possible that his interests and investments in the region are intact in the midst of all these atrocities by Boko Haram? How long shall we endure the incessant invasion our schools, and IDPs to abduct hapless women and children? When will
At the onset of his administration, President Muhammadu Buhari undertook plenty tasks including frequent trips abroad to market Nigeria and attract foreign investments. Somewhere along the line, he took ill and a cabal allegedly took over his government. They were said to have connived with the nPDP elements to further alienate Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu who had already lost out in the NASS leadership. The feeling in Abuja then as I got to know was that Tinubu’s ambition to rule after Buhari had to be checked early in the day. That Asiwaju was the critical beacon of APC’s emergence as the ruling party is not debatable. What did he do? He retreated to do what he knows best, strategize! In the meantime, President Buhari spent weeks and even months abroad on treatment. While there the grapevine had it that some in the president’s inner circle were already positioning themselves in the succession hierarchy of a post-Buhari presidency. There were stories about how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was being isolated. At one time he was allegedly prevented from signing the budget. However, as God will have it our dear President recovered fully and just before he got back the First Lady Aisha Buhari alerted us in a tweet about #HyenasAndJackals who will soon be chased away from the villa when the Lion King returns. President Buhari being a wise and taciturn old soldier must have keenly observed and heard many stories. There is no doubt that by now he knows those who are for him and those against him. Even though there are neither permanent friends nor enemies in politics, in power play when you crush your foes you better crush them completely! I believe that was why Buhari declared his re-election bid early so that the events of the past few weeks will expose the wolves in sheep’s clothing on time. Thereby providing the President with ample time to crush them. However, as important as that may appear, it is even more important for the president to identify the moles within for they are the ones that should be completely annihilated. That is politics for you and we should expect more drama in the coming weeks.
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