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Blog, Opinion Articles, Writers

Nigeria’s Turbulent Journey: Who is to Blame? by Chukwuemeka Oluka

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This journey traces a trajectory from ‘Yesterday,’ through ‘Today,’ with a sneak peek into a destination, ‘Tomorrow.’ It is a journey of the most populous black nation on earth with over 200 million people comprising ethnically diverse nationalities trying to define their existence. This work presents an inflective introspection, appraisal and interrogation of Nigeria’s journey from 1960 since it gained independence. What have been the milestones, the failures, and the lessons learnt? Is there any hope for a better tomorrow? These remain the burning questions the writer seeks to answer. Going down memory lane, Nigeria was formed in 1914 when Lord Frederick Lugard amalgamated the Northern and Southern protectorates. This merger brought together over 250 ethnic divides and tribes into a British colony, and the name, ‘Nigeria’ was birthed. In 1960, Nigeria gained independence from British colonization and in 1966, the country experienced military coups that inadvertently overthrew a democratic government. This led to a civil war between the years 1967 to 1970. The death of over a million people during the Biafran — Nigerian civil war would remain a scar on the country’s history. As we capture this event dotting our memory lane, Nigeria is still battling to maintain its unity, with various ethnic groups. While some seek secession, others call for the restructuring of the country. Another dark side of our history was the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential elections and the takeover of power by General Sanni Abacha’s military junta. Afterwards, advocacies and the national feeling and empathy at the time was for the Yoruba tribe to produce the next president in order to assuage them or smoothen already ruffled feathers for the woes that befell their kinsman, M.K.O Abiola. So, the herald of democracy in 1999 brought on board President Olusegun Obasanjo. Deservedly, the return to civilian rule during Obasanjo’s second tenure brought a noticeable transformation to the economy of Nigeria. There were debt cancellations, the massive transformation of the telecommunications industry and also the banking sector. As a result, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country stood head and shoulders above the rest in Africa and some analysts attributed the economic successes to the favourable international (crude) oil market at the time. The same economic mileages were recorded during the late President Umar Yar’adua and his successor, Goodluck Jonathan. However, a myriad of problems which include, bad leadership, dwindling oil revenues, extreme poverty, pervasive corruption, insecurity, divisive politics, ethnic strife and feuds continue to threaten our collective journey as a country. Political observers believe there remain North-South tensions foisted from the British colonial era and backed by the allegations of colonial favouritism towards Northern Nigeria. To these observers, the North’s numerical strength and massive landmass advantage mean other regions would continue to cry and wail about marginalization. There is no denying that at no time has the nation been so divided along ethnic and religious lines than today. Economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which were the precursor of the three-year bloodshed during the civil war still stare us in the face. Yet, it appears we are in a hurry not to pick lessons from the war. President Muhammadu Buhari during his inauguration speech following the 2015 presidential election had said, ‘I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.’ This statement suggested a disposition to foster an inclusive government. The expectation was for Buhari to further unite the country, but to the chagrin of many, the reverse became the case. It’s alleged that since independence, no president has mismanaged Nigeria’s rich ethnic and religious diversity like Buhari. From visible lopsided appointments, which seemingly favoured a particular section of the country, to the treatment of the Fulani herdsmen crisis with kid’s gloves, one cannot but conclude that President Buhari’s government smacked of strong parochial sentiments. Tellingly, there has never been any time the call for a break-up and self-determination has been this rife. While the Yoruba separatist leader, Sunday Igboho champions the course for a Yoruba nation, Nnamdi Kanu the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has refused to back down on the demand for a Biafra state. Similar agitations can also be identified within the Ijaw Nation down South. Under Buhari’s regime and having risen to power on the campaign to fight endemic corruption and insecurity in Nigeria, this double-edged sword of a problem kept defying the odds and threatening our journey. From the Boko-Haram insurgency in the North-East, to rural banditry in the North-West; from unknown gun-men attacks in the South-East to militancy in the Niger-Delta to herdsmen attacks in the North-Central and South-West regions, the story remains unabated. Security sector corruption has inadvertently led to the rising insecurity facing the country; brought about by the secrecy, bribery and corruption shrouding most Arms deals. How about elections in Nigeria? They are rarely free, fair and credible. This is why there are a lot of post-election litigations to challenge electoral rascalities or to retrieve stolen mandates. One may ask; Are the courts rising to the occasion in this direction? The Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal that just delivered a ruling on Wednesday 6th September, 2023 readily comes to mind. Our democracy is seemingly threatened if the Judiciary wittingly or unwillingly allows themselves to be used by desperate politicians to legitimise their positions. The processes from which our leaders emerge have therefore become fundamentally flawed. Voters complain of intimidation and suppression, and these are stoked by ethnic tensions. These were the hallmarks of what characterized the 2023 general elections. Against the odds, however, sixty-two (62) years of this turbulent journey means Nigeria can still lay claim to over two (2) decades of uninterrupted democracy from 1999 till date. An opportunity presents itself for the country to go back to the drawing board with a view to forge the future our founding fathers envisaged. The greater responsibility lies with the present government to work towards an inclusive government and participation. The task before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (if he conquers finally in the

Essays, Writers

An Overview Of Edo State Gubernatorial Election: Lessons And Regrets by Bolaji Alade. 

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  When American author, Robert Greene, propounded the second principle in his classic, The 48 laws of Power, about two decades ago he must have had no inkling how important the principle would be to the Nigeria democratic trajectory. The second principle which States that, Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies came to bear throughout the Edo State gubernatorial election right from party nominations to party primaries and down to the D-Day.  In the wake of the fallout between Godwin Obaseki and his erstwhile cheerleader, Adams Oshiomole, which cost the former his second term ambition under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Robert Greene’s principle came to the rescue. Obaseki hired a former enemy—the People’s Democratic Party who had throughout his first term in office relentlessly ridiculed his style of governance and administration—now more loyal than a friend to contest at the polls. And the outcome of this cross carpeting as we have all come to see presents avalanche of lessons to all students of politics.  These lessons range from underscoring importance of efficient internal party politics, to an affirmation that political power is vested in the people, possibility of conducting credible elections in Nigeria and Influence of international community on local politics.   First, effective conflict management is pivotal to the smooth sailing of any political party’s ship. Any party that cannot manage internal crises borne out of a conflict of interests, marginalization, factionalism will have its ship run aground. In Edo State, APC paid the supreme price of losing their rein of power to the opposition due to its inability to resolve internal wrangling chiefly between the incumbent governor and his predecessor. Although once bitten, twice shy but perhaps, APC do not just learn from mistakes. The same turn of event was the case at the last general polls in Benue State where the governor, Samuel Ortom, grievances on the failings of federal government led by his party then, to manage the heightened insecurity in the middle- belt region ill-addressed approach saw him leave for the opposition party where he emerged victorious against APC’s candidate. It is now clear as crystal that inefficient party structure in Nigeria would amount ultimately lead to defeat at the polls.  Another lesson worthy of note from the Edo election is that power belongs to the people who vest it in any candidate of their choice. In what turned out to be a re-echoing of Section 14(2) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which  Provides that; sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;… the people defied all odds, namely;  delayed delivery of election materials; heightened fear of electoral violence; long queues etc. to  exercise their franchise and vote in Obaseki for a second term notwithstanding the character in assassinations, allegations of certificate forgery and counter allegations that permeate the political air. In figures, there was a valid vote difference of 84,336 and a 13–5 local government area victory. This pass across a simple message, when the chips are down, the people make their choice.  In addition, although Edo election has come and gone, the modicum of confidence Nigerians now repose on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an aftermath of the election signals hope for our electoral system and democracy. Prior to the Edo election, Nigerians doubted INEC to conduct a credible, free and fair election. In fact, many online users predicted an inconclusive election, the conclusion of which will not reflect the will of the people. However, contrary to widespread cynicism, the election was by all reasonable standards credible and fair. Most commendable is the innovation of INEC, which boosted transparency by the use of technology to upload early results on its website. This allayed the fear of electorates and observers that they could doctor original results during collation.  In recognition of this applaudable innovation, notably, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) adjudged that INEC had an almost 100% non- interference with election outcome. With impressive feedbacks and applauds, INEC should realize ensuring fair play in all elections is a potent way to warm its way into the hearts of Nigerians.  Without prejudice to an undermining of Nigeria’s sovereignty, we cannot downplay the role of international community in any fair assessment of the Edo gubernatorial election. For a long time, developed and developing countries have played the role of watchdogs in ensuring democracy thrives globally. Such roles may warrant imposing visa ban on corrupt leaders of other States among many other measures. In fact, this is the bedrock of African states’ ongoing effort to ensure democracy and normalcy returns in Mali.   However, UK and US took a rather unprecedented approach in the buildup to the election. While the US issued a ban on certain Nigerians they adjudged to have engaged in electoral irregularities in the Kogi and Bayelsa gubernatorial election, the UK similarly threatens to impose same punitive measure and possible prosecution under international law on whoever engage in this ugly undemocratic act in the Edo election. Although imposing visa ban on Nigeria isn’t new, doing so on the grounds of election irregularities is. In effect, this significantly made political gladiators who could have thrown all caution to the wind to ensure victory for their respective parties lie low and maintain decorum. As a global lesson hopefully, all states will embrace strict resistance and zero regard for whoever they find guilty of undermining democracy or democratic values.  Since regret is an appalling waste of energy, I might as well not belabour it. But APC has a lot to regret, especially as it has dawned on them they will have to wait till 2024 before they get another shot at power (that’s if Obaseki doesn’t decamp). Now, they will appreciate the need to have made up a fair reconciliatory panel to resolve the crises when it all began. Now that’s too late, sadly they will have to admit that politics is local—therefore, different strokes for different folks–and understand the mantra; Edo no be Lagos.  In conclusion, as Nigeria celebrates its 60 years of Independence its prime time we as a nation returned to the boardroom and chart a course for our progressive social, economic and political development. We should at this critical point in history learn lessons from our past mistakes and be ready to do better. Thus, religiously living out our motto: unity and faith; peace and progress. Enough of trading blames and regrets.    Bibliography  Greene, R., & Elffers, J. (2015). The 48 laws of power. London: Profile Books.  INEC declares Obaseki winner of Edo guber poll. (2020, September 20). Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.thecable.ng/breaking-obaseki-secures-highest-votes-in-edo-poll    Chioma, U. (2020, September 20). 2020 Edo Governorship Election Was Peaceful And INEC Did Not Interfere With Voters – NBA Interim Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://thenigerialawyer.com/2020-edo-governorship-election-was-peaceful-and-inec-did-not-interfere-with-voters-nba-interim-report/   FG tackles US, UK over visa ban on ‘election riggers’. (2020, September 18). Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.thecable.ng/fg-tackles-us-uk-over-visa-ban-on-election-riggers       Bolaji Alade is a 400 Level law student of the University of Ibadan with a keen interest in International Criminal Law, Journalism and Media & Entertainment Law.  He can be reached through mobolajijames23@gmail.com      

Essays, Writers

The 2020 Edo Gubernatorial Polls: Intrigues And Lessons Learnt by Chukwuemeka Oluka.

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Call it a democratic soap opera or a premium box office, the fact remains that the just concluded 2020 gubernatorial elections in Edo state had everything expected from the yearnings for political power and relevance in Nigeria. From the intrigues of defections, to the makings and unmaking of political godfathers; from the creation of strong brotherhoods, to the battle cry of strong men from the geopolitical compasses of the country. You cannot but agree that the Edo polls lived up to its billings.  As it turned out, incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki emerged victorious. He garnered 307, 955 votes and won with a margin of 84, 336. His main challenger, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 223, 619 votes. Governor Obaseki had defected from the ruling party, APC to the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to enable him seek a second term in office after he was rejected by powerful forces in the APC. The campaign against him was spearheaded by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the same man he served as economic strategist and who in 2016 sold him to the people of Edo State as the best thing that ever happened to them. It was even speculated that voters would stay away from the polling stations, out of fear and anxiety. This was so because, before the election proper, campaign rhetoric was full of nervous energy and hate speech dominated political discussions. The people had every reason to be afraid. But in all, the Edo state governorship election have come and gone, leaving in its trail, a blend of bitter and sweet experiences and lessons that has been learnt already.    What Goes Around Comes Around…  Top on the lessons learnt is that the consequences of one’s actions will have to be dealt with eventually. This gives credence to the saying, ‘what goes around comes around’.  In other words, one should not mistreat others. Borrowing a leaf from this expression, it becomes expedient to caution that the political class, particularly the gladiators, should be cautious of how the image of their political opponent is being tarnished all in the name of de-marketing him or her before the electorates ahead of any election. They must learn to imbibe maturity, decorum and self-restrain in the pursuit of their political interests. The practice where most Nigerian politicians indulge in character assassination and campaigns of defamation against one another should be discouraged. This is because; they tend to forget that when their interests change direction, the same bad utterances and damaging condemnations will turn around to haunt them. The then national working committee of the APC mistreated Governor Obaseki when he needed them most; now the party has eventually been punished by the electorate with their votes for the ill-treatment meted on Obaseki. It is against this backdrop that one can say that a salient lesson has been learnt.    A Two-Party System Looms  Another lesson is that Nigeria is gradually heading to a two-party system. There were 14 political parties in the September 19th election, but it was basically a two-way horse race between the PDP and the APC. It was as if all the other 12 political parties never existed. Their votes taken together did not quite amount to 10, 000. More so, the multi-party political system we claim to practice appears to be a mirage that makes mockery of our constitution. Worse still, the two-party systems are totally bereft of ideology, internal democratic values or integrity. This is because, the events leading up to the election in Edo State has been the case in most other polls in Nigeria over the last 21 years of our democratic experimentation. This indeed should be of serious concern to Nigerians.    Disrespect for the Nigerian Electorate  Meanwhile, the Edo 2020 elections have clearly exposed our political parties as groups that are lacking clear cut ideologies and direction. The way and manner the same political parties that were daggers drawn against each other in the previous 2016 Edo elections, suddenly exchanged candidates as if there were mere articles of trade,  shows the level of disrespect the political class have for the Nigerian electorate. Politicians on their part no longer attempt or even pretend to demonstrate a sense of integrity or an ability to stand by their own words.    A Lesson on the Part of the Ruling Party  It is shocking to learn that a political party which is leading the country, and has the president in its ranks, was unable to settle an interpersonal dispute between two individuals – a governor and the chairman of the party. This resulted in the eventual loss of its grip in a pivotal state in the country. Meanwhile, this party is supposed to and does actually choose the ministers, ambassadors and security officials that engage in negotiations on behalf of the country and as well, saddled with addressing the intricate socio-cultural, political and economic challenges of a country like Nigeria. Yet, the hierarchy of the ruling party was unable to see the bigger picture. This should call for a serious cause for concern because the red flag it raises doesn’t speak well of how well the ruling APC have managed both the economic and internal security challenges in the country.    An End to ‘Godfatherism’  In the run-up to the election, Governor Obaseki had stated severally that his victory will mark the end to political god fathers in the state and ultimately, the country. True to it, his victory was able to serve as a loud lesson that power belongs only to God; and that He confers such powers through the people, meaning that no matter how an individual strives to lord it over others, the will of God through the people, will always prevail. Yes, ‘God-win’ prevailed.    Lessons for Other Post Covid-19 Elections  The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had in the build up to the election, insisted that voters should observe COVID-19 protocols. Though many voters wore face masks, quite alright, INEC was totally incapable of enforcing physical and social distancing. This is because there were widespread reports of lack of compliance with voting guidelines and covid-19 protocols in the just concluded Edo polls. That becomes a major setback and nobody should be surprised if there is a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in Edo state after the election. Therefore, it becomes instructive that officials of the Commission in charge of communications and voter education should learn to do enough work in subsequent elections to ensure physical distancing, wearing of face masks and total compliance with other Covid-19 protocols.    In conclusion, there is no gainsaying that, the September 19th Edo gubernatorial election came and passed with relative peace. This says much about Nigerian politics and democratic advancement, given the tension that preceded the polls. Indeed, the big take

Blog, Essays, Monishots

The rising national distraction index.

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The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by political and economic elites, through the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information ~ Noam Chomsky Why are we fighting over trivial issues? Dissipating enormous amount of energy on the fringe stuff and often failing to resist the frequent lure of the red herrings that should be left in the obscure trail. Why do we love grappling with these distractions and outright diversions? On a week when one had expected the discourse to be dominated by the 10 billion naira fraud scandal exposed by Premium Times it wasn’t surprising that Nigerians found it more auspicious to rant about the silly but strategic media misrepresentation of the President’s comments about some illiterate youths who are unwilling to work. Notwithstanding the President’s mention of a planned investment of $15 billion by Shell in the same commentary, the chorus all through that week was #LazyYoots. We followed that up with the frenzy over #DinoGate and #AgegeInvasion even as the 2018 budget had been lying with our lawmakers for over six months. Few people including the media houses queried why our Senators preferred to compete with Nollywood rather than acting on a budget that affects the entire country. And all through last week we gleefully gyrated over a video clip of the IGP struggling to read a speech in Kano even as a meticulous viewing will reveal that it was doctored to exaggerate the man’s dyslexic miscue. It was #Transmission time. Not even the fact that little Leah Shabiru just spent her 15th birthday in Boko Haram captivity could douse our euphoria. The transmission gaffe was transmitted across the cyberspace like wildfire and received more coverage in the media than the various arrests and confiscation of weapons across the troubled middle belt by our security forces. Is it a coincidence that while we are debating many of these mundane and peripheral things, we lose focus on the core issues in governance? Perhaps the strategy of both the APC and PDP, aided and abetted by their media cohorts? If you don’t know that every government has a vested interest in keeping us misinformed and by extrapolation control how we think then you must be a learner. The legendary George Orwell put it thus: “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind”.  While we erroneously believe that our politicians are lethargic a lot of them understand these age-long strategies they know that in this era of digital communication characterised by animated social media platforms our interned-addled minds are soft targets for any distraction campaign. This is why many of them are unwilling to engage you on any social media debate. It is also important to note that in Nigeria, it does not have to be coordinated by some nefarious non-state actors like in Russia or organized by government agents like in China. Here, it only requires a little effort and sometimes unintended. Say perhaps churning out the usual sound bites from the likes of Lai Mohammed or a goof from another government appointee like the IGP and you have our cursory media running to press with the largely fickle citizens cheering, savouring and sharing. And just like green plants are sure to wither away during the cold frosty winter these stories rarely last the week before they are overwhelmed by another. They fade into that infamous dustbin of history leaving behind only funny memes and catchy euphemisms like ‘oga at the top’, ‘lazy yoots’, ‘assurance’, ‘accolade’ and ‘transmission’ as mementos. It’s a shame that most of our political reporters are attracted to the ‘‘shiny stories’’, it is like a spell. But can you really blame them? Why shouldn’t the blame go round? While media bosses demand an endless flow of material, the consumers equally want it delivered quickly else they will scroll away to some other news site. What do you get? A cacophony of mostly fake and glib stories, a perfect combination for the photosynthesis of distraction. I remember when I started my blog and asked a Facebook friend why he hadn’t liked the page weeks after I invited him to do so. His response was somewhat apish, something you would expect from a facile mind. He said that I should leave politics and do celeb gossip if I want truly wanted to blog and attract traffic, he advised that I should emulate Linda Ikeji and co who copy and paste about anything from the grapevine without verification. Yet another friend who is much more cerebral had told me something similar in a discussion over ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ and the value it adds to the society. He said that a majority of us would rather not be bothered with issues that could involve critical thinking and possibly lead to stress. “Humanity”, he said, “is just wired like that”. He asked me to compare the number of tabloid media outfits with the broadsheet ones, the number of Kim Kardashian’s followers with that of Margaret Atwood. “Its just the way of the world”, he concluded. And guess what? they are both right. I often get more response when I do snippets on entertainment or lifestyle than when I post a concise and research-based essay on political issues. That truth doesn’t make the matter less problematic though. I always believed that if you really want to separate the chaff from the wheat then you have to understand why there are eight pawns and only two officers each in a game of chess. Whatsmore, the analytical mind must learn to appropriate more time to the more important things In any case, we can as well enjoy the fun but try as much as possible not to dwell on it. What harm could there possibly be in that? I mean it is just like eating your cake

Blog, Essays

Kenya’s Supreme Court exposed the hypocrisy of election observers.

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The election observer industry in Africa is largely a scam, we have known this all the while. If there is an issue that should ring alarm bells as they head to their next missionary journey, it is the hilarious but disparaging slogan deployed by Odinga, “Vifaranga vya computer”. That was how he described Uhuru and his co-travelers. Meaning “Computer generated leaders”, the slogan symbolizes the nucleus of modern rigging in African elections.

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