So much has been said about Magnus Kpokol and the agency he runs at the beginning of this year that one expected he should have been rusting in the Kirikiri or Gashua jail by now. However, like other corruption cases, raised by the National Assembly, since the era of probes began; the NAPEP probe has been buried and forgotten in the nation’s corruption cases archives. On February 2, 2009, several national dailies carried a news report, which stated that the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has presided over a plenary, where the Senate approved the motion to probe the activities of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP). NAPEP, according to the Senate Committee on National Planning Commission, lacks direction and suffers from administrative perfidy. The Committee also accused it for failure to register a formidable impact on the lives of the Nigerian populace, in spite of the alleged huge budgetary allocations made available to it by the Federal Government. The NAPEP probe provided a rare opportunity to unearth the whereabouts of billions of naira allocated to the agency since its formation ten years ago, to alleviate the scourge of poverty. But the probe like others was abandoned.
The Committee was to probe into the purchase of the N2.4 billion 5,000 units of tricycle, popularly called "Keke NAPEP." The Committee’s Chairman Hajiya Zainab Kure told the Senate during the hearing that 70% of Nigerians leave below the poverty line, eight years after the introduction of NAPEP and despite the huge funding through appropriation and Millennium Development Goal (MDG) funding, the agency could not effectively impact on the lives of the less privileged Nigerians. Most of what has been heard of the agency was just on the pages of national dailies as each of its numerous mouth watering schemes ends with the grandeur of its official launching ceremony. However, eight months after the submission, nothing was heard of the probe.
NAPEP as it is today, constitute a waste and a huge financial burden with very inconsequential results. The total cost of the budget of NAPEP as provided in 2007, 2008 and 2009 is N3 billion and the level of poverty today from available statistics is estimated to be over 54.4% in 2004. Though different measurement techniques provide somewhat different data about the level and incidence of poverty, the general picture of poverty in Nigeria is indeed critical. We have to remember that the World Bank has earlier in 2001 estimated that 70.2% of Nigerians live on less than a $1 a day. And the National Bureau of Statistics noted that poverty incidence in 2004 may have been 57% not 54.4% as estimated. The fact that 50% of the population is poor is supposed to be a major concern for political leaders and policy makers. The rate of poverty in the nation is largely caused by unemployment and misplaced priorities from our political leaders. Studies show that an estimated 2.8 million graduates enter the labour market annually with little over 10% securing a job.
In its editorial of September 22, 2009 the Nigerian Vanguard reported that in 2005, an estimated 80 to 90 million Nigerians live in poverty; only India and China have more poor people. India and China each has a population over 1 billion to Nigeria’s 140 million. What is very clear from the foregoing is that in spite of claims by the NAPEP leadership that over 200,000 jobs were created in the last decade, the incidence of poverty is still high and unemployment remains a major problem. NAPEP, and to a large extent, other poverty alleviation programmes, designed to tackle poverty and unemployment are well articulated on paper, but in practice these programmes benefit ‘the boys’, selected by politicians, who were not in the category of the poor or unemployed. Therefore, hardly any poverty alleviation programme will have an impact because the real poor are left out in favour of party loyalists or relatives. The reality is that corruption, favouritism, nepotism and lack of political will from our policy makers in recent years have hampered the institution building efforts geared to address poverty and unemployment in the country.
In order to genuinely address the problem of poverty and employment in this country, government at all levels need to redirect their attention to addressing the problems associated with agriculture. For long we have abandoned agriculture, which is supposed to be the main stay of our economy. They should invest more on dry season farming as is done in some states like Kano, Sokoto and Kaduna. Governments should also try to invest more on social sectors, such as health, education, etc. leading to enhanced human capabilities and improved living standard of living. There is also need to review all our anti-poverty and empowerment programmes and initiatives in the country. However, all these can work if the Federal Government on one hand and the National Assembly on the other hand are guided by the desire to serve the people that voted {?} them to power.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Nigeria @ 49: X-raying PDPs burden of leadership
When Sir Abubakar Balewa, Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, delivered his first speech to the nation on October 1, 1960, he had no fore-knowledge of the situation in today’s Nigeria. However, the last statement quoted from the speech, 49 years old today, captured our situation today as if the former Prime Minister was referring to today’s Nigeria. Sir Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe and their ilk, were men of honour and integrity who sacrificed their entire life to make Nigeria a great country. A country that can stand in the comity of nations, where the right of its citizens is well respected, their lives valued and where access to education, health and basic necessities of life is ensured. But alas, contemporary political leaders deviated from the Nigerian dream; they changed and alter the foundation which these men of integrity laid for the country and its citizens. What we see today is a political leadership guided by greed, selfishness and highest sense of irresponsibility.
Balewa’s speech was a kind that one would love to listen and listen again because it was a speech coming from a leader with a vision and responsibility. A leader who knew the problem of his nation and who with honesty and sincerity was ready to confront it. Unlike today’s leaders, whose take in leadership is to amass wealth through fraudulent means, the founding fathers of modern Nigeria were people who died leaving behind them virtually nothing in terms of material things. They were political leaders with humility, dedication and service, unlike the boastful & arrogant political leaders of today, they were leaders with vision, unlike the corrupt and greed infested looters, short-sighted political nonentities we see today parading themselves as leaders.
As we are now, even if we pretend to join the band wagon by saying things are walking well, one knows that he was lying to himself. Nigeria is not working and by extension the country has collapsed. As am talking to you all state owned universities, with the exception of Ahmadu Bello University, which was suspended by ASUU leadership, are closed down due to strike by SSANU, ASUU and NASU, no town in the whole of Nigeria can burst of steady one hour power supply. Our hospitals are not only mere consulting centres, but according to a national daily in its editorial recently, are mortuaries. Public schools, whether primary schools or secondary schools are overcrowded with students, with dilapidated structures, in some instances the structures are not even there. Our roads remained death traps, where thousands lose their lives daily. The only institution that remains functional in the country, as of now, is the inner core of the People’s Democratic Party machinery, an institution that has direct access to the nation’s resources.
With over 90% of the nation political leadership under their control, PDP is to blame for our present woes. They sold our nation and our freedom; they turned us into slaves and paupers in our own country. In the last ten years the nation under the PDP, has witnessed an unprecedented income from the oil windfall that would have moved the country to the fore-front of leading economic viable nations of the world. However, gross indiscipline, inefficiency, ineffectiveness and wide scale corruption which was characterized by massive looting in virtually all sectors of our lives has totally destroyed everything, including the little hope that came with our return to democracy 10 years ago.
Today as Nigeria celebrates its 49th birthday, the inborn patriotic zeal we have seen when in primary school from our teachers, the selfless service we heard and see from them, the concern for unity and equitable development foresight of our leaders has been eroded. No thanks to the destructive leadership spearheaded by the PDP in the last decade. Our political leaders, majority of them from the ruling PDP, are people that pay little or no attention at all to our plights. Dilapidated infrastructure, collapsed educational system has been the characteristics of the nation. They deliberately allowed things to crumble, for instance lack of power supply has killed our industries thereby creating a huge number of unemployed persons. As we celebrate our independence, we are left to fight many wars; poverty, homelessness and above all insecurity.
Nigeria should not be allowed to continue like this; our leaders need to make a u-turn; they should realize that they have a responsibility. We need to realize that the existence of this country as a nation can only be possible when our leaders change from the non-challant attitude they show to the plight of the Nigerian people to real commitment. We have all what it takes to develop this country, but the country is held ransom by greedy and selfish leaders.
Nigerians have no problem; they have been obedient citizens for the past 49 years, withstanding the civil war, military dictatorship and abuse of power by political leaders. Our problem lies, as Achebe clearly put it, in the unwillingness of our leaders to rise to their responsibilities. We have lamented for so long; we have cried in frustration; we have complained virtually of everything but it seems our political leaders are not listening. The hope that tomorrow will be better than today is dashed by insensitive and greedy elites. May God rescue us and the country from these crop of leaders.
Balewa’s speech was a kind that one would love to listen and listen again because it was a speech coming from a leader with a vision and responsibility. A leader who knew the problem of his nation and who with honesty and sincerity was ready to confront it. Unlike today’s leaders, whose take in leadership is to amass wealth through fraudulent means, the founding fathers of modern Nigeria were people who died leaving behind them virtually nothing in terms of material things. They were political leaders with humility, dedication and service, unlike the boastful & arrogant political leaders of today, they were leaders with vision, unlike the corrupt and greed infested looters, short-sighted political nonentities we see today parading themselves as leaders.
As we are now, even if we pretend to join the band wagon by saying things are walking well, one knows that he was lying to himself. Nigeria is not working and by extension the country has collapsed. As am talking to you all state owned universities, with the exception of Ahmadu Bello University, which was suspended by ASUU leadership, are closed down due to strike by SSANU, ASUU and NASU, no town in the whole of Nigeria can burst of steady one hour power supply. Our hospitals are not only mere consulting centres, but according to a national daily in its editorial recently, are mortuaries. Public schools, whether primary schools or secondary schools are overcrowded with students, with dilapidated structures, in some instances the structures are not even there. Our roads remained death traps, where thousands lose their lives daily. The only institution that remains functional in the country, as of now, is the inner core of the People’s Democratic Party machinery, an institution that has direct access to the nation’s resources.
With over 90% of the nation political leadership under their control, PDP is to blame for our present woes. They sold our nation and our freedom; they turned us into slaves and paupers in our own country. In the last ten years the nation under the PDP, has witnessed an unprecedented income from the oil windfall that would have moved the country to the fore-front of leading economic viable nations of the world. However, gross indiscipline, inefficiency, ineffectiveness and wide scale corruption which was characterized by massive looting in virtually all sectors of our lives has totally destroyed everything, including the little hope that came with our return to democracy 10 years ago.
Today as Nigeria celebrates its 49th birthday, the inborn patriotic zeal we have seen when in primary school from our teachers, the selfless service we heard and see from them, the concern for unity and equitable development foresight of our leaders has been eroded. No thanks to the destructive leadership spearheaded by the PDP in the last decade. Our political leaders, majority of them from the ruling PDP, are people that pay little or no attention at all to our plights. Dilapidated infrastructure, collapsed educational system has been the characteristics of the nation. They deliberately allowed things to crumble, for instance lack of power supply has killed our industries thereby creating a huge number of unemployed persons. As we celebrate our independence, we are left to fight many wars; poverty, homelessness and above all insecurity.
Nigeria should not be allowed to continue like this; our leaders need to make a u-turn; they should realize that they have a responsibility. We need to realize that the existence of this country as a nation can only be possible when our leaders change from the non-challant attitude they show to the plight of the Nigerian people to real commitment. We have all what it takes to develop this country, but the country is held ransom by greedy and selfish leaders.
Nigerians have no problem; they have been obedient citizens for the past 49 years, withstanding the civil war, military dictatorship and abuse of power by political leaders. Our problem lies, as Achebe clearly put it, in the unwillingness of our leaders to rise to their responsibilities. We have lamented for so long; we have cried in frustration; we have complained virtually of everything but it seems our political leaders are not listening. The hope that tomorrow will be better than today is dashed by insensitive and greedy elites. May God rescue us and the country from these crop of leaders.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Niger and the burden of democracy in Africa
That President Mamadou Tandja of Niger has succeeded in destroying all democratic institutions in his country for his selfish ambition to rule the West African nation till eternity is no longer news. What is news however was the effort of AU and ECOWAS in trying to stop him. ECOWAS or AU could have stopped him long ago in order to avoid plunging the country into chaos and political crises. However, due to what analysts see as the moral burden of legitimacy hanging on almost all the leaders in the West African sub-region and the continent in general, most of them kept quite. To me the only leader that has the moral authority to talk to him or challenge this illegal move in ECOWAS is the Ghanaian President, Professor John Atta Mills, who the whole world acknowledged came to power through free and fair election.
Tandja felt that since majority of his counterparts came to power through either fraudulent elections or imposed themselves on their people through military coup, nobody can lecture them on democracy. Tandja, who came to power ten years ago was to vacate office in four months time as his legal tenure expires in December, but decided to extend his tenure first by dissolving the parliament and later dismissing the country’s constitutional court. He went further to ridicule democratic tenets by organising a referendum described by civil society groups in the country as a sham, to seek the opinions of Nigeriens to allow him stay in office beyond the stipulated time of two tenures of five years each.
In Africa, a continent that is used to the power longevity of its leaders in office and where acts of political bullies are always non-events and political attitudes are more compliant and dictators come at a dime a dozen, Tandja’s story is one of many. From Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda, to the almighty Robert Mugabe to Ghaddafi, the present AU President – we have leaders who spent more than twenty years ruling their own countries, and who have no intention to vacate office. So Tandja is no fool, he knows that no leader in the continent can challenge his tenure elongation since majority of them are guilty of the same offence. Who do you think in the AU or ECOWAS has the moral authority to do so? Even those leaders that can speak out for instance, like the Ghanaian president, in ECOWAS or South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, who has a Mugabe in his neighbourhood, on whose support are they going to rely upon? Is it from Umar Hassan Albashir, Mubarak, or Mugabe? Or is it from Museveni?
Africa’s democratic experience is one characterised by leaders whose major take in the process is subversion of people’s will. A continent ravaged by AIDS, overpopulation, poverty, starvation, illiteracy, corruption, social breakdown, vanishing resources, overcrowded cities, drought, war, and war refugees, the continent’s problems were compounded over the years by greedy, selfish and visionless leaders whose main preoccupation is to amass stupendous wealth which even their 6th generation of lineage cannot spend . These are leaders who have turned their nations into their handbags and believe that their nations can not and should not do without them. In the process they turned their citizens into slaves, beggars and paupers denying them their basic rights of decent living as human beings. In some countries even the rights to choose leaders in election is not allowed, for instance Ethiopia, while in others elections are won before they are even conducted like the charade we have seen in Nigeria in 2003 and 2007! Constitutions are tampered with at will. Some have even groomed their sons to take over if there is an emergency or if they die. We have them in Egypt, Cameroun, Togo, Libya, Guinea, etc, not to mention absolute monarchies like Swaziland and Lesotho.
Tandja’s decision to manipulate necessary provisions of the country’s constitution to suit his purpose and actualise his vaulting ambition is not a new phenomenon in African politics; the only difference is the fact that nobody expected that from him. He has disappointed many of his admirers and draws the political progress of his country backward. The relative stability enjoyed by the country in the last decade has been fractured by Tandja’s actions and this constitutes a negative signal for democracy and the stability of this poverty ravaged country. With a history of military take-overs, nobody can rule out this possibility, as the military can use the present disturbances in the polity; arrest of opposition politicians, journalists and civil society groups, as a convenient excuse to take over.
But what is clear from the political crises in Niger is the fact that Africa is yet to come to terms with the advances achieved in other continents in the new millennium. While leaders in Europe, America and even Asia are guided in their leadership by service to their countries, developing new ideas, intelligent vision that can enable them to connect to their people, in Africa the opposite is the case. Everywhere the story is the same – of poor leadership, corruption, election rigging and intolerance of the opposition. Tandja and his sit-tight colleagues in other part of the continent are a disappointment. The challenge here is for civil society groups, democrats and journalist in African to stand up against these leaders who did not see their destinies as tied up with that of their fellow Africans.
Democracy, as it is now has become a burden to Africa and Africans. Our democratic development and our hopes of joining the league of free societies, where citizens elect their leaders who can rule according to rule of law is being impeded by sit-tight rulers like Tandja Mammadou and his friends. This will continue for a long time to come in Africa, because of hypocrisy from the Western countries in addressing Africa’s problems. Their sole interest in the continent is to have leaders that they can continue to use to milk the continent’s resources dry. They will continue to support them as long as they can get cheap energy for their industries and in return arm rebel groups to destabilise the continent.
Tandja felt that since majority of his counterparts came to power through either fraudulent elections or imposed themselves on their people through military coup, nobody can lecture them on democracy. Tandja, who came to power ten years ago was to vacate office in four months time as his legal tenure expires in December, but decided to extend his tenure first by dissolving the parliament and later dismissing the country’s constitutional court. He went further to ridicule democratic tenets by organising a referendum described by civil society groups in the country as a sham, to seek the opinions of Nigeriens to allow him stay in office beyond the stipulated time of two tenures of five years each.
In Africa, a continent that is used to the power longevity of its leaders in office and where acts of political bullies are always non-events and political attitudes are more compliant and dictators come at a dime a dozen, Tandja’s story is one of many. From Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda, to the almighty Robert Mugabe to Ghaddafi, the present AU President – we have leaders who spent more than twenty years ruling their own countries, and who have no intention to vacate office. So Tandja is no fool, he knows that no leader in the continent can challenge his tenure elongation since majority of them are guilty of the same offence. Who do you think in the AU or ECOWAS has the moral authority to do so? Even those leaders that can speak out for instance, like the Ghanaian president, in ECOWAS or South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, who has a Mugabe in his neighbourhood, on whose support are they going to rely upon? Is it from Umar Hassan Albashir, Mubarak, or Mugabe? Or is it from Museveni?
Africa’s democratic experience is one characterised by leaders whose major take in the process is subversion of people’s will. A continent ravaged by AIDS, overpopulation, poverty, starvation, illiteracy, corruption, social breakdown, vanishing resources, overcrowded cities, drought, war, and war refugees, the continent’s problems were compounded over the years by greedy, selfish and visionless leaders whose main preoccupation is to amass stupendous wealth which even their 6th generation of lineage cannot spend . These are leaders who have turned their nations into their handbags and believe that their nations can not and should not do without them. In the process they turned their citizens into slaves, beggars and paupers denying them their basic rights of decent living as human beings. In some countries even the rights to choose leaders in election is not allowed, for instance Ethiopia, while in others elections are won before they are even conducted like the charade we have seen in Nigeria in 2003 and 2007! Constitutions are tampered with at will. Some have even groomed their sons to take over if there is an emergency or if they die. We have them in Egypt, Cameroun, Togo, Libya, Guinea, etc, not to mention absolute monarchies like Swaziland and Lesotho.
Tandja’s decision to manipulate necessary provisions of the country’s constitution to suit his purpose and actualise his vaulting ambition is not a new phenomenon in African politics; the only difference is the fact that nobody expected that from him. He has disappointed many of his admirers and draws the political progress of his country backward. The relative stability enjoyed by the country in the last decade has been fractured by Tandja’s actions and this constitutes a negative signal for democracy and the stability of this poverty ravaged country. With a history of military take-overs, nobody can rule out this possibility, as the military can use the present disturbances in the polity; arrest of opposition politicians, journalists and civil society groups, as a convenient excuse to take over.
But what is clear from the political crises in Niger is the fact that Africa is yet to come to terms with the advances achieved in other continents in the new millennium. While leaders in Europe, America and even Asia are guided in their leadership by service to their countries, developing new ideas, intelligent vision that can enable them to connect to their people, in Africa the opposite is the case. Everywhere the story is the same – of poor leadership, corruption, election rigging and intolerance of the opposition. Tandja and his sit-tight colleagues in other part of the continent are a disappointment. The challenge here is for civil society groups, democrats and journalist in African to stand up against these leaders who did not see their destinies as tied up with that of their fellow Africans.
Democracy, as it is now has become a burden to Africa and Africans. Our democratic development and our hopes of joining the league of free societies, where citizens elect their leaders who can rule according to rule of law is being impeded by sit-tight rulers like Tandja Mammadou and his friends. This will continue for a long time to come in Africa, because of hypocrisy from the Western countries in addressing Africa’s problems. Their sole interest in the continent is to have leaders that they can continue to use to milk the continent’s resources dry. They will continue to support them as long as they can get cheap energy for their industries and in return arm rebel groups to destabilise the continent.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Addressing the unemployment menace
In a survey conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education sometimes in 2006, a very alarming rate of youth unemployment emerged in the country of over 60%, in which, although the figures might be higher now after three years, it is an indicator to the crisis in which this country finds itself. With a population of over 140 million and a youth population of 80 million, with 64 million unemployed, also with an estimated graduate turnover of over 600,000 graduates yearly, the Nigerian labour market is in crisis. We have every reason to sound an alarm bell especially in a situation where over 70% of working people are either unemployed or underemployed. For instance, in the same report by the Ministry of Education, it is estimated that only 4 million people were on paid employment, while over 60% of youth ages 15-29 are unemployed.
For the nation to get out of the current unemployment crisis according to Dr. Magnus Kpakol, the National Coordinator, Poverty Eradication Programme, 3 million jobs are needed annually. Dr. Kpakol said the nation has suffered a prolonged unemployment problem due to the disequilibrium in the demand and supply at the labour market. Unemployment in Nigeria has persisted for too long or even more than that. Since the economic crisis of the early 80s and late 80s, when the nation's economy took a turn for the worse as world petroleum prices tumbled, the Nigerian currency became devalued, corruption became rampant, and the population of Nigeria ballooned at a breathtaking pace which was compounded by the Structural Adjustment Programme. Large number of graduates from our educational institutions, most of who are without any adequate skill joined the labour market annually. This led to what we are seeing today of large number of people roaming the streets of major cities in search of jobs.
Our country is lucky to be endowed with diverse and scores of resources - both human and material. However, due to gross mismanagement, profligate spending, graft and adverse policies - sometimes misplaced priorities of various governments in Nigeria, these resources have not been optimally utilized on one hand and on the other they have not been adequately channelled to profitable investments to bring about maximum economic benefits. As a result of these, accumulated problems compounded the already existing problem. Today our country is faced with the problem of unemployment, poverty and energy crisis, which experts believe are the major causes of the ethnic and religious crises we see in the North on one hand and Niger-Delta unrest.
Unemployment is a societal problem in any nation. That is why in advanced countries of the world, employment is made part of the government agenda, which candidates for political office have to make an issue for them to be taken serious by the electorate. Short-term or frictional unemployment can be tolerated but prolonged unemployment promotes and aggravates societal income and expenditure inequality, poverty, hunger, disease, anarchy, hooliganism, armed robbery and other vices. Yours sincerely believes that even the boko haram crises that ravaged the Northern part of the country was caused by unemployment and lost of hope from our youth.
Economic growth, which is supposed to be a solution to the problems of unemployment and poverty, appears not to be so in Nigeria. Nigeria’s official statistics show that economic growth has not always been accompanied by decline in unemployment and poverty. In fact, economic growth has even contributed to what we are seeing today of massive unemployment and poverty which led some people to take arms and risk loosing their lives as we have witnessed recently.
We have to point out that the situation we found ourselves today is as a result of I-don’t-care-attitude and recklessness exhibited by our political leaders in the last ten years. This is evident in the way and manner they handle issues of national importance especially the non-implementation of budgets or diverting state resources for personal use. Since the inception of our democracy ten years ago, no single budget was implemented; in fact, it is even right to say that the country in the last few years was running a disorganised economy, where money was spent arbitrarily by an individual or group of individuals.
This attitude has to stop. We need to have a budget that can be fully implemented and at the same time address our social and economic problems. Our vision of 20: 2020 is only feasible when our politicians show real commitment to addressing our collapsed infrastructures, revive polytechnics and vocational centres, and encourage small scale industries. There is need also for governments at various levels to initiate a labour policy that can link education with the demand of the market. The government have to reinvent system that can empower our youth to meet the changing needs of the economy, market and the expectation of the society.
It is the opinion of this writer that if government is serious about addressing unemployment problem then serious measures needs to be taken. We keep emphasizing anytime that unemployment and poverty can never be solved by distributing motorcycles to party loyalists or dashing them money, which are all short term strategies. The government has to strengthen agencies like the National Directorate of Employment, which has the capacity to offer millions of Nigerians the skills and knowledge to be self employed and self-reliant. The NDE offer people vocational and skills acquisition courses after which they will be offered soft loans to go and start their own businesses. Only God knows how many people these set of people will train in turn. If carefully supervised and monitored it will go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment in the country and also address the issue of boko haram and other crises that are trying to consume the nation. But to do that, our leaders have to focus on substance, not spin.
For the nation to get out of the current unemployment crisis according to Dr. Magnus Kpakol, the National Coordinator, Poverty Eradication Programme, 3 million jobs are needed annually. Dr. Kpakol said the nation has suffered a prolonged unemployment problem due to the disequilibrium in the demand and supply at the labour market. Unemployment in Nigeria has persisted for too long or even more than that. Since the economic crisis of the early 80s and late 80s, when the nation's economy took a turn for the worse as world petroleum prices tumbled, the Nigerian currency became devalued, corruption became rampant, and the population of Nigeria ballooned at a breathtaking pace which was compounded by the Structural Adjustment Programme. Large number of graduates from our educational institutions, most of who are without any adequate skill joined the labour market annually. This led to what we are seeing today of large number of people roaming the streets of major cities in search of jobs.
Our country is lucky to be endowed with diverse and scores of resources - both human and material. However, due to gross mismanagement, profligate spending, graft and adverse policies - sometimes misplaced priorities of various governments in Nigeria, these resources have not been optimally utilized on one hand and on the other they have not been adequately channelled to profitable investments to bring about maximum economic benefits. As a result of these, accumulated problems compounded the already existing problem. Today our country is faced with the problem of unemployment, poverty and energy crisis, which experts believe are the major causes of the ethnic and religious crises we see in the North on one hand and Niger-Delta unrest.
Unemployment is a societal problem in any nation. That is why in advanced countries of the world, employment is made part of the government agenda, which candidates for political office have to make an issue for them to be taken serious by the electorate. Short-term or frictional unemployment can be tolerated but prolonged unemployment promotes and aggravates societal income and expenditure inequality, poverty, hunger, disease, anarchy, hooliganism, armed robbery and other vices. Yours sincerely believes that even the boko haram crises that ravaged the Northern part of the country was caused by unemployment and lost of hope from our youth.
Economic growth, which is supposed to be a solution to the problems of unemployment and poverty, appears not to be so in Nigeria. Nigeria’s official statistics show that economic growth has not always been accompanied by decline in unemployment and poverty. In fact, economic growth has even contributed to what we are seeing today of massive unemployment and poverty which led some people to take arms and risk loosing their lives as we have witnessed recently.
We have to point out that the situation we found ourselves today is as a result of I-don’t-care-attitude and recklessness exhibited by our political leaders in the last ten years. This is evident in the way and manner they handle issues of national importance especially the non-implementation of budgets or diverting state resources for personal use. Since the inception of our democracy ten years ago, no single budget was implemented; in fact, it is even right to say that the country in the last few years was running a disorganised economy, where money was spent arbitrarily by an individual or group of individuals.
This attitude has to stop. We need to have a budget that can be fully implemented and at the same time address our social and economic problems. Our vision of 20: 2020 is only feasible when our politicians show real commitment to addressing our collapsed infrastructures, revive polytechnics and vocational centres, and encourage small scale industries. There is need also for governments at various levels to initiate a labour policy that can link education with the demand of the market. The government have to reinvent system that can empower our youth to meet the changing needs of the economy, market and the expectation of the society.
It is the opinion of this writer that if government is serious about addressing unemployment problem then serious measures needs to be taken. We keep emphasizing anytime that unemployment and poverty can never be solved by distributing motorcycles to party loyalists or dashing them money, which are all short term strategies. The government has to strengthen agencies like the National Directorate of Employment, which has the capacity to offer millions of Nigerians the skills and knowledge to be self employed and self-reliant. The NDE offer people vocational and skills acquisition courses after which they will be offered soft loans to go and start their own businesses. Only God knows how many people these set of people will train in turn. If carefully supervised and monitored it will go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment in the country and also address the issue of boko haram and other crises that are trying to consume the nation. But to do that, our leaders have to focus on substance, not spin.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Boko haram and the culpability of Northern elite
To say the generation of Northern elite, from 1970s through to 1980s to the present, have failed the region in virtually sphere, is an understatement. We have, in the North today elite, that takes pride in seeing fellow citizens live in abject poverty and squalor; elite that is happy to be the only educated and enlightened ones in their villages and neighbourhoods; elite that prides itself of being the richest in their communities, while majority can’t afford to feed their families. Northern elites have failed the North; I say this, times without number and with all sense of responsibility. We deserve better in the North.
The North has all that is needed to solve its economic and social problems. But look at the North today; go round the states, the local governments; check the indices of education, check the state of our public schools, hospitals, look at our industries, check out how we are fairing in agriculture, etc. But what are the elites doing? To secure a position in either the civil service or ensure winning the next election by hook or crook and afterwards abuse the public office by stealing public funds meant for education, for healthcare, for water.
When the events surrounding ‘boko haram’ started in some parts of the North, this time with violence in Bauchi, Maiduguri, Yobe and other parts, which claimed hundreds, I blamed no-one but the insensitive and greedy Northern elites. For the greater number of its independence, Nigeria has been ruled by Northerners, the only interlude was John Thomas U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, Earnest Shonekan and General Olusegun Obasanjo. But in all these years, the North remained a backward region in terms of education, and accounted for the highest level of poverty in the country. The region remained a leading region in producing the highest number of Almajirai, local manicurists, shoe shiners, manual labourers and all other menial jobs you can think of. One might argue that a typical Northerner is very difficult in accepting change, but the fact remains that if we removed the Sardauna and his friends of the First Republic, a generation that did their best in transforming the region, the generation of leaders that came after them have been a big disappointment. They failed to build from where the Sardauna and his associates stopped. Today what we have in the North is a social crisis, which, if not tackled, and tackled urgently, is going to consume the whole nation.
The nation’s problems of erratic power supply, poor drinking water, inefficient civil service, inadequate crime control, inadequate primary healthcare, and less than average educational system, compound already existing problems of the North - almajirci, street begging (a purely Northern affair), ‘maula’ and many other social and economic problems. And let truth be told, the ‘boko haram’ crisis was caused by nothing but the combination of poverty and bad governance. The trillions of naira that accrued from the federation account made available by the office of Accountant General of the Federation to the region through state and local governments is enough to pull the region out of these problems. But why are people in this region living in abject poverty? Take for instance the small Mikang local government in Plateau state, which received N762, 644.76 in 1999, today receives close to N100 million every month, but nothing would tell the difference between what accrue to the local council and the living conditions of the people of that area. One would be shocked if he checked the level of poverty indices in that local government area today.
Boko haram sect members, in their myopic thinking, were not fighting book, or Western education per se; it was the only way they felt they could fight the people that they saw as having hijacked a system and turned it, or misused it and turned the citizens into slaves in their own country.
We, as guides, have betrayed our people and failed to give them hope, a sense of belonging. Our governors have turned their states into fiefdoms. They steal with impunity. They arrogantly convert state resources to their own. They have deliberately destroyed the public school system, which most of these young people that found themselves in the boko haram sect are supposed to attend. They denied them access to education; they deprived them living a decent life.
Our elites need to have a re-think. Nigerian political leaders should learn to respect the wishes of their people. They should address basic issues that affect the people. They should go beyond promises by showing a serious commitment to efforts to address the problems of development. They should show real commitment to education, reviving our power sector, addressing the issue of unemployment by reviving our collapsed industries. The government has to show real commitment to fighting corruption and outright stealing of public funds. If not the crises we see in Niger Delta and the boko haram is just a sign of what is to come.
The North has all that is needed to solve its economic and social problems. But look at the North today; go round the states, the local governments; check the indices of education, check the state of our public schools, hospitals, look at our industries, check out how we are fairing in agriculture, etc. But what are the elites doing? To secure a position in either the civil service or ensure winning the next election by hook or crook and afterwards abuse the public office by stealing public funds meant for education, for healthcare, for water.
When the events surrounding ‘boko haram’ started in some parts of the North, this time with violence in Bauchi, Maiduguri, Yobe and other parts, which claimed hundreds, I blamed no-one but the insensitive and greedy Northern elites. For the greater number of its independence, Nigeria has been ruled by Northerners, the only interlude was John Thomas U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, Earnest Shonekan and General Olusegun Obasanjo. But in all these years, the North remained a backward region in terms of education, and accounted for the highest level of poverty in the country. The region remained a leading region in producing the highest number of Almajirai, local manicurists, shoe shiners, manual labourers and all other menial jobs you can think of. One might argue that a typical Northerner is very difficult in accepting change, but the fact remains that if we removed the Sardauna and his friends of the First Republic, a generation that did their best in transforming the region, the generation of leaders that came after them have been a big disappointment. They failed to build from where the Sardauna and his associates stopped. Today what we have in the North is a social crisis, which, if not tackled, and tackled urgently, is going to consume the whole nation.
The nation’s problems of erratic power supply, poor drinking water, inefficient civil service, inadequate crime control, inadequate primary healthcare, and less than average educational system, compound already existing problems of the North - almajirci, street begging (a purely Northern affair), ‘maula’ and many other social and economic problems. And let truth be told, the ‘boko haram’ crisis was caused by nothing but the combination of poverty and bad governance. The trillions of naira that accrued from the federation account made available by the office of Accountant General of the Federation to the region through state and local governments is enough to pull the region out of these problems. But why are people in this region living in abject poverty? Take for instance the small Mikang local government in Plateau state, which received N762, 644.76 in 1999, today receives close to N100 million every month, but nothing would tell the difference between what accrue to the local council and the living conditions of the people of that area. One would be shocked if he checked the level of poverty indices in that local government area today.
Boko haram sect members, in their myopic thinking, were not fighting book, or Western education per se; it was the only way they felt they could fight the people that they saw as having hijacked a system and turned it, or misused it and turned the citizens into slaves in their own country.
We, as guides, have betrayed our people and failed to give them hope, a sense of belonging. Our governors have turned their states into fiefdoms. They steal with impunity. They arrogantly convert state resources to their own. They have deliberately destroyed the public school system, which most of these young people that found themselves in the boko haram sect are supposed to attend. They denied them access to education; they deprived them living a decent life.
Our elites need to have a re-think. Nigerian political leaders should learn to respect the wishes of their people. They should address basic issues that affect the people. They should go beyond promises by showing a serious commitment to efforts to address the problems of development. They should show real commitment to education, reviving our power sector, addressing the issue of unemployment by reviving our collapsed industries. The government has to show real commitment to fighting corruption and outright stealing of public funds. If not the crises we see in Niger Delta and the boko haram is just a sign of what is to come.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
How many political parties do we need in Nigeria?
In an ideal democracy, in which political parties are built based on ideology and the desire to provide public service, one could say our political landscape is widened, given Nigerians more alternatives during elections, with the registration of new political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission. Last week, four additional political parties were registered by the electoral body, bringing the number of political parties in Nigeria to 54. These newly registered parties are United National Party for Development (UNDP); National Movement of Progressives Party (NMPP), Kowa Party (KP) and People for Democratic Change (PDC).
A cursory look at all the registered parties one find it difficult to identify where they differ, in terms of ideology or programmes, they are only associations that revolve around individuals, who were aggrieved, because they were denied tickets to contest elections, or are paid by the People’s Democratic Party to cause further division in the opposition. Others are group of people – members of the same Mosque or Church, or group of old boys association – people who are in no way representing the will of the people. In other cases you will find the party as just an association of people who joined the party simply because their colleagues or village members are in the party. Or they joined the party because they are married to the daughter of the chairman of the party.
To many observers and commentators, the democratisation process in Nigeria is a one characterised by our inability to evolve a workable political system due largely from lack of vision of most of the political elite. Nobody can dispute the fact that political party pluralism or multi-partisan is very important for the progress and development of democratic system. Political parties are necessary and desirable institutions for democracy, however, we have to note that, no progress will come out of most of these political associations, basically, because in the first place they were formed with a sole intention of having a platform to do business with the ruling party during elections. We have seen in the last ten years, in almost all the political parties an alliances of influential individuals and small groups who are able to control and, often enough, manipulate party structures, candidacies, deciding who becomes a councillor, chairman and or members of house. To a large extent, these individuals decide who becomes a governor of a state and or the president. The parties are turned into a business venture where “political entrepreneurs” who invest huge amounts of money expect rewards on such investment, through large contracts.
From 1999 to date, the parties that emerged, from the ruling party, to the smallest parties, are characterized by undemocratic practices, intra-party strive, and corruption. Besides fuelling corruption, the political parties or association’s state of affairs is decidedly non-transparent and undemocratic. Take for instance the ruling PDP – a party characterised by strange bed fellows, whose idea of democracy is imposition of candidates from the party level up to general election and where money is the bedrock of loyalty and support and mobilisation and conscientisation of the people took the back seat. However, we have to acknowledge that the PDP, despite all these, is one party in Nigeria that can be said that has a defined focus – to remain in power for the next sixty years. With the kind of opposition we have today, yours sincerely believes PDP will rule till eternity.
The tragedy of the Nigerian society today is the fact that we can seem always to know that we have a problem, we can even discover the cause of the problem, but unfortunately display a tragic lack of will to take the necessary appropriate action. If not why should we be talking about INEC registering political parties now? Of the over 50 political parties that participated in the last general elections, only five made any meaningful impact. The remaining 45 or 95% have not secured even a councillorship seat in any of the 754 local governments in Nigeria. Whereas the Electoral Act was very specific that any political party that fails to score 10 per cent of the seats during the local government elections as envisaged by paragraph, 10(2) of these guidelines, the political party shall continue to operate only at local government level in all subsequent elections as envisaged by paragraph 10(1) until such a time it complies with the provisions of paragraph 10(2) of these guidelines. We wait and see how many political parties will be allowed to fill in candidates for national elections in 2011.
It is sad to say, but what we have in Nigeria as political parties are anything but parties. It is what political commentators described as mushroom ‘outfits’. No political party in all the registered parties by INEC represent the interest of poor Nigerians. This alienates the electorate, led to emergence of poor representation at all level of government and prevents the evolution of an accountable governance in the country.
Political parties are important vehicles for candidates’ recruitment and the organization of parliament and government and serve as key institutions of representative democracy and intermediary between individual citizens and the state. For our democracy to survive we need strong and ideological parties that reflect the interest of everybody – the poor, the rich, the educated, the uneducated, the farmer and business entrepreneur. They have to provide alternatives, clearly spelt out on how to move this country forward. Anything short of that will just strengthen the PDP, which for the last ten has virtually done nothing in terms of improving the standard of living of ordinary Nigerians, thereby ruining the hopes they had for democracy.
A cursory look at all the registered parties one find it difficult to identify where they differ, in terms of ideology or programmes, they are only associations that revolve around individuals, who were aggrieved, because they were denied tickets to contest elections, or are paid by the People’s Democratic Party to cause further division in the opposition. Others are group of people – members of the same Mosque or Church, or group of old boys association – people who are in no way representing the will of the people. In other cases you will find the party as just an association of people who joined the party simply because their colleagues or village members are in the party. Or they joined the party because they are married to the daughter of the chairman of the party.
To many observers and commentators, the democratisation process in Nigeria is a one characterised by our inability to evolve a workable political system due largely from lack of vision of most of the political elite. Nobody can dispute the fact that political party pluralism or multi-partisan is very important for the progress and development of democratic system. Political parties are necessary and desirable institutions for democracy, however, we have to note that, no progress will come out of most of these political associations, basically, because in the first place they were formed with a sole intention of having a platform to do business with the ruling party during elections. We have seen in the last ten years, in almost all the political parties an alliances of influential individuals and small groups who are able to control and, often enough, manipulate party structures, candidacies, deciding who becomes a councillor, chairman and or members of house. To a large extent, these individuals decide who becomes a governor of a state and or the president. The parties are turned into a business venture where “political entrepreneurs” who invest huge amounts of money expect rewards on such investment, through large contracts.
From 1999 to date, the parties that emerged, from the ruling party, to the smallest parties, are characterized by undemocratic practices, intra-party strive, and corruption. Besides fuelling corruption, the political parties or association’s state of affairs is decidedly non-transparent and undemocratic. Take for instance the ruling PDP – a party characterised by strange bed fellows, whose idea of democracy is imposition of candidates from the party level up to general election and where money is the bedrock of loyalty and support and mobilisation and conscientisation of the people took the back seat. However, we have to acknowledge that the PDP, despite all these, is one party in Nigeria that can be said that has a defined focus – to remain in power for the next sixty years. With the kind of opposition we have today, yours sincerely believes PDP will rule till eternity.
The tragedy of the Nigerian society today is the fact that we can seem always to know that we have a problem, we can even discover the cause of the problem, but unfortunately display a tragic lack of will to take the necessary appropriate action. If not why should we be talking about INEC registering political parties now? Of the over 50 political parties that participated in the last general elections, only five made any meaningful impact. The remaining 45 or 95% have not secured even a councillorship seat in any of the 754 local governments in Nigeria. Whereas the Electoral Act was very specific that any political party that fails to score 10 per cent of the seats during the local government elections as envisaged by paragraph, 10(2) of these guidelines, the political party shall continue to operate only at local government level in all subsequent elections as envisaged by paragraph 10(1) until such a time it complies with the provisions of paragraph 10(2) of these guidelines. We wait and see how many political parties will be allowed to fill in candidates for national elections in 2011.
It is sad to say, but what we have in Nigeria as political parties are anything but parties. It is what political commentators described as mushroom ‘outfits’. No political party in all the registered parties by INEC represent the interest of poor Nigerians. This alienates the electorate, led to emergence of poor representation at all level of government and prevents the evolution of an accountable governance in the country.
Political parties are important vehicles for candidates’ recruitment and the organization of parliament and government and serve as key institutions of representative democracy and intermediary between individual citizens and the state. For our democracy to survive we need strong and ideological parties that reflect the interest of everybody – the poor, the rich, the educated, the uneducated, the farmer and business entrepreneur. They have to provide alternatives, clearly spelt out on how to move this country forward. Anything short of that will just strengthen the PDP, which for the last ten has virtually done nothing in terms of improving the standard of living of ordinary Nigerians, thereby ruining the hopes they had for democracy.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Re:quacks,fraudster s, and 419ers
Dear Sir, Iread your column today (The Nation, Tuesday, July 21,2009)
Our country today is filled with funny characters. I think we (in the media) share in the rascality, in one way or the other. David Mark himself is a 419er, because he was in the senate through a controvercial election, which even the verdict of the tribunals is still debatable. But that not withstanding we should not take his comments for granted, or brush them aside, because we feel 'His Excellency', Right Honourable David Mark said them. There are quacks, fraudsters and 419ers in the media. In fact, Sir, you know better. The rot in the media is so pervasive that comment like this keep on coming.
And I mentioned it in an article I wrote sometimes last year, where I specifically mentioned your name, and other prominent journalists in the country, that you are the only people that can resque the profession. You know how it started and what led to the present state of things, especially of poor pay,the hirelings, quacks and crooks who invaded the profession and turned it to what it is now.
Agreed, what is happening in the NASS is a shame but, in a situation where what we do best in the media is to blackmail them into sharing the loot is unacceptable. Sir, it happens in the media and you know it. We should not pretend that we don't know all these. Today what we hear in the NUJ, is how the ex-president embezzled the Union finances or having the president to come from one part of the country or particular ethnic group. Not this alone, we criticise politicians on the basis of where they come from, we defend them because at one time in our lives we worked under them as press secretaries.
Does this speak well of a profession regarded as fourth estate of the realm in a democratic society? Sir, we have to stop pretending, this country is in crises. As I am talking to you, almost 80% of Nigerians are living below the poverty level, ASUU, NASU, SSANU are on strike. Nobody knows where Nigeria is heading to as a nation, our schools, hospitals, roads and every thing are in shambles. We have to 'export' our children to Ghana, Malaysia for secondary education. Do you think these children can have a sense of national culture? Do you think a child, trained overseas can be patriotic?
Our country today is filled with funny characters. I think we (in the media) share in the rascality, in one way or the other. David Mark himself is a 419er, because he was in the senate through a controvercial election, which even the verdict of the tribunals is still debatable. But that not withstanding we should not take his comments for granted, or brush them aside, because we feel 'His Excellency', Right Honourable David Mark said them. There are quacks, fraudsters and 419ers in the media. In fact, Sir, you know better. The rot in the media is so pervasive that comment like this keep on coming.
And I mentioned it in an article I wrote sometimes last year, where I specifically mentioned your name, and other prominent journalists in the country, that you are the only people that can resque the profession. You know how it started and what led to the present state of things, especially of poor pay,the hirelings, quacks and crooks who invaded the profession and turned it to what it is now.
Agreed, what is happening in the NASS is a shame but, in a situation where what we do best in the media is to blackmail them into sharing the loot is unacceptable. Sir, it happens in the media and you know it. We should not pretend that we don't know all these. Today what we hear in the NUJ, is how the ex-president embezzled the Union finances or having the president to come from one part of the country or particular ethnic group. Not this alone, we criticise politicians on the basis of where they come from, we defend them because at one time in our lives we worked under them as press secretaries.
Does this speak well of a profession regarded as fourth estate of the realm in a democratic society? Sir, we have to stop pretending, this country is in crises. As I am talking to you, almost 80% of Nigerians are living below the poverty level, ASUU, NASU, SSANU are on strike. Nobody knows where Nigeria is heading to as a nation, our schools, hospitals, roads and every thing are in shambles. We have to 'export' our children to Ghana, Malaysia for secondary education. Do you think these children can have a sense of national culture? Do you think a child, trained overseas can be patriotic?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Of Police and Subversion of People’s will
Over the years, the Police in Nigeria have earned themselves a very negative perception from the citizens. The institution has earned itself negative perception basically, through what people saw as its biased and partisan approach to issues of politics and its blind support to any government in power regardless of whether this government is right or wrong. This singular act made the force to be seen as an enemy by many a citizen in Nigeria instead of a friend, as the force preaches everyday.
A careful study of the Nigeria Police Force, apart from the general negative perception most people have about the institution, the institution itself has contributed a lot in building a negative attitude it earned from Nigerians. First, there is widespread ignorance and misperception about the role and powers of the police, even within the ranks and file of the Nigeria Police Force on one hand and the general public on the other. This derives generally from the historical legacy of using police to suppress the citizens by colonial and post-colonial governments. Thus, citizens resent police, even when they are exercising their legitimate powers in the course of legally permissible law enforcement activities.
That aside, the personality of the force itself does not speak well of an institution, instituted to safeguard and protect the lives and property of citizens. The hostile police-public relations contributed a lot to the present state of the police force. In many cases the police allowed themselves to be used by politicians, which in most cases put their top officers on their pay-roll, so as to look the other way, when they are doing their dirty job. In their bid to satisfy their pay masters, these corrupt officers sometimes forget their primary duty of protection of the rights of the citizens, sometimes even used obnoxious laws, to violate fundamental rights of citizens provided for in the constitution, on a simple pretext of maintaining peace and order.
One is forced to make above assertion based on the event of July 11, 2009, in Kafanchan town in Kaduna state. On Saturday, July 11, 2009, the Movement for a Better Future, a civil society organisation with the objective of intervening in the social, economic and political life of the Nigerian society, organised a Public Lecture Kafanchan, Kaduna state. The Movement invited prominent Nigerians, politicians, scholars, professionals, civil society groups, religious and community leaders for a seminar to discuss on a burning issue ‘Corruption and the Crisis of Development’. Those billed to present papers include Vicar General of the Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Mathew Hassan Kukah, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Professor Sam Egwu. Unknown to the organisers, there are people, top officials of government, who don’t like issues of corruption to be discussed.
The organisers started receiving calls on their mobile phones and invitation from the SSS, and strong warnings on the pages of newspapers, particularly the New Nigerian, Friday, 10th July 2009, page 1-2, and New Nigerian on Sunday, July 12, 2009, page 36, where the Kaduna state police commissioner, Mallam Tambari Yabo Muhammad, issued a warning that they have reliably gathered that there are groups that hold, according to him, ‘clandestine meetings’. This, he said, violated the provisions of the Public Order Act Cap 382 and the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria.
The Saturday event left no one in doubt about the outcome of 2011 elections. It is also a pointer to the fact that still the Police have failed to learn from our ten years democratic experience. It is surprising that the institution regarde as one of the pillars of democracy could allow itself to be used by desperate politicians, who want to perpetuate themselves on power even if their people think otherwise. It is wrong and indeed very wrong for the police to allow themselves to be used in subverting people’s will to organise themselves to chart a new course for the society which majority of Nigerians feel ia suffering from moral bankruptcy.
No doubt there is popular frustration in Nigeria, emanating from what Nigerians are experiencing under the present dispensation for the past ten years, of misrule, total disregard for their basic rights as human beings, corruption, open stealing of public funds, election rigging, manipulation and abuse of democratic principles. Our politicians, it seems, are ready to go to any length, including ordering the police to shoot at sight, anybody who they feel can stand in their way to perpetuate themselves on power. If not, how can one answer the question of what the Area Commandant of Kafanchan Command alleged to have told the organisers when served with the notification of the Public Lecture that his men are going to shoot anyone who dare go to the Public Lecture. Is that what the law says? That law abiding citizens who organise themselves within the ambit of the constitution to discuss about how they want to be governed, to be threatened with shoot at sight order?
The Movement for a Better Future is not a secret society. It is an interest group registered under the Ministry of Youth and Social Development with registration number KDS/YC/06/4773. It conducts its activities openly and does not hold ‘clandestine meetings’ as stated by the police authorities as the basis for stopping the public lecture. The constitutional provisions quoted by the police authorities to stop the public lecture have already been nullified by the Court of Appeal since December 2007 in the case of IGP vs ANPP (2007) 18 NWLR (PT. 1066). The provisions of the Public Order Act and the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria are also inconsistent with the provisions of the 1999 constitution, especially section 40. So it is clear Nigerians have constitutional rights to organize without any unlawful permit from anybody. Article 2 of the code of conduct for law enforcement officials adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, resolution34/169 of 17, December 1979, which is binding on Nigeria, stated that ‘in the performance of their duty, law enforcement officials shall respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons’.
Today, forty years after the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force, we can rightly say, nothing much has change in the way the police work, from the way they were during the colonial period. Allegation and counter allegation in the way they perform their duty, especially during elections, their relationship with government in power has been a disappointment. As one of the pillars of democracy, the police in the last ten years have displayed highest sense of partiality, when what is needed from them was neutrality. The police in several occasions were accused of looking the other way when politicians rig election or clamp on opposition. In fact, there are instances where the police are accused of fully participating in the subjugation, suppression of the opposition or participating in rigging and manipulation of election results.
For our democracy to survive, there is need for total re-orientation of the force to understand the role which the police are expected to play in a democracy. There is also a need for structural and institutional reforms, legislative initiatives as well as monitoring, research, and training and advocacy and mobilisation activities by civil society, in order to introduce and implement necessary changes within the police institution and in the relationship and partnership between the citizens and the police. These are necessary for the sustenance and survival of our democracy.
A careful study of the Nigeria Police Force, apart from the general negative perception most people have about the institution, the institution itself has contributed a lot in building a negative attitude it earned from Nigerians. First, there is widespread ignorance and misperception about the role and powers of the police, even within the ranks and file of the Nigeria Police Force on one hand and the general public on the other. This derives generally from the historical legacy of using police to suppress the citizens by colonial and post-colonial governments. Thus, citizens resent police, even when they are exercising their legitimate powers in the course of legally permissible law enforcement activities.
That aside, the personality of the force itself does not speak well of an institution, instituted to safeguard and protect the lives and property of citizens. The hostile police-public relations contributed a lot to the present state of the police force. In many cases the police allowed themselves to be used by politicians, which in most cases put their top officers on their pay-roll, so as to look the other way, when they are doing their dirty job. In their bid to satisfy their pay masters, these corrupt officers sometimes forget their primary duty of protection of the rights of the citizens, sometimes even used obnoxious laws, to violate fundamental rights of citizens provided for in the constitution, on a simple pretext of maintaining peace and order.
One is forced to make above assertion based on the event of July 11, 2009, in Kafanchan town in Kaduna state. On Saturday, July 11, 2009, the Movement for a Better Future, a civil society organisation with the objective of intervening in the social, economic and political life of the Nigerian society, organised a Public Lecture Kafanchan, Kaduna state. The Movement invited prominent Nigerians, politicians, scholars, professionals, civil society groups, religious and community leaders for a seminar to discuss on a burning issue ‘Corruption and the Crisis of Development’. Those billed to present papers include Vicar General of the Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Mathew Hassan Kukah, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Professor Sam Egwu. Unknown to the organisers, there are people, top officials of government, who don’t like issues of corruption to be discussed.
The organisers started receiving calls on their mobile phones and invitation from the SSS, and strong warnings on the pages of newspapers, particularly the New Nigerian, Friday, 10th July 2009, page 1-2, and New Nigerian on Sunday, July 12, 2009, page 36, where the Kaduna state police commissioner, Mallam Tambari Yabo Muhammad, issued a warning that they have reliably gathered that there are groups that hold, according to him, ‘clandestine meetings’. This, he said, violated the provisions of the Public Order Act Cap 382 and the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria.
The Saturday event left no one in doubt about the outcome of 2011 elections. It is also a pointer to the fact that still the Police have failed to learn from our ten years democratic experience. It is surprising that the institution regarde as one of the pillars of democracy could allow itself to be used by desperate politicians, who want to perpetuate themselves on power even if their people think otherwise. It is wrong and indeed very wrong for the police to allow themselves to be used in subverting people’s will to organise themselves to chart a new course for the society which majority of Nigerians feel ia suffering from moral bankruptcy.
No doubt there is popular frustration in Nigeria, emanating from what Nigerians are experiencing under the present dispensation for the past ten years, of misrule, total disregard for their basic rights as human beings, corruption, open stealing of public funds, election rigging, manipulation and abuse of democratic principles. Our politicians, it seems, are ready to go to any length, including ordering the police to shoot at sight, anybody who they feel can stand in their way to perpetuate themselves on power. If not, how can one answer the question of what the Area Commandant of Kafanchan Command alleged to have told the organisers when served with the notification of the Public Lecture that his men are going to shoot anyone who dare go to the Public Lecture. Is that what the law says? That law abiding citizens who organise themselves within the ambit of the constitution to discuss about how they want to be governed, to be threatened with shoot at sight order?
The Movement for a Better Future is not a secret society. It is an interest group registered under the Ministry of Youth and Social Development with registration number KDS/YC/06/4773. It conducts its activities openly and does not hold ‘clandestine meetings’ as stated by the police authorities as the basis for stopping the public lecture. The constitutional provisions quoted by the police authorities to stop the public lecture have already been nullified by the Court of Appeal since December 2007 in the case of IGP vs ANPP (2007) 18 NWLR (PT. 1066). The provisions of the Public Order Act and the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria are also inconsistent with the provisions of the 1999 constitution, especially section 40. So it is clear Nigerians have constitutional rights to organize without any unlawful permit from anybody. Article 2 of the code of conduct for law enforcement officials adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, resolution34/169 of 17, December 1979, which is binding on Nigeria, stated that ‘in the performance of their duty, law enforcement officials shall respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons’.
Today, forty years after the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force, we can rightly say, nothing much has change in the way the police work, from the way they were during the colonial period. Allegation and counter allegation in the way they perform their duty, especially during elections, their relationship with government in power has been a disappointment. As one of the pillars of democracy, the police in the last ten years have displayed highest sense of partiality, when what is needed from them was neutrality. The police in several occasions were accused of looking the other way when politicians rig election or clamp on opposition. In fact, there are instances where the police are accused of fully participating in the subjugation, suppression of the opposition or participating in rigging and manipulation of election results.
For our democracy to survive, there is need for total re-orientation of the force to understand the role which the police are expected to play in a democracy. There is also a need for structural and institutional reforms, legislative initiatives as well as monitoring, research, and training and advocacy and mobilisation activities by civil society, in order to introduce and implement necessary changes within the police institution and in the relationship and partnership between the citizens and the police. These are necessary for the sustenance and survival of our democracy.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Religious leaders and leadership failure in Nigeria
I want to discuss a rare and delicate subject, which most shy from discussing.This has to do with an experience I had last week with somebody, who I respect so much as a scholar. The attitude of this man and other so-called scholars has contributed a lot in the leadership crisis we are witnessing today.
Leadership, according to scholars, is seen as involvement of a wide range of institutions and actors in production of policy outcomes, including non- governmental organisations, private companies, pressure groups and social movements apart from the traditional and formal state institutions. However, one institution that receives little or no attention in Nigeria, when it comes to failure of leadership is the religious institution. Religion provides the ultimate source of a group's identity and reason for being. To be religious is to effect in some way and in some measure a vital adjustment (however tentative and incomplete) to whatever is reacted implicitly or explicitly as worthy of serious and ulterior concern. All our life – our aspect of behaviour, interaction etc. can be given religious significance. That is why religious leaders play a vital role in the moral and spiritual aspect of our lives. They are respected everywhere. Their contributions towards ensuring peace and social harmony cannot be overemphasized. However, since the inception of democracy in Nigeria 10 years ago, the attitudes and behaviour of some religious leaders is becoming pathetic and to some extent shameful. It is a common knowledge to all, how some clergy men in this country degrade themselves to sycophancy level, boot leaking and twisting the teachings of their religion just to gain favour from politicians.
When we list how indices of failure stare us in the face – a weak political foundation, an irresponsible, unaccountable political elite, passive citizens, the crippling effects of corruption, lack of social order, spiritual and moral bankruptcy, a rise in the spiral of violence, poverty, hunger and misery, lack of social services, collapse of infrastructure, we tend to forget one important factor – the role which religious leaders play or failed to play, which led to where we found ourselves today. Although it is absolutely difficult to believe that the supernatural sanctions of religion can be bought off by proper observance of purely religious rules, it is not surprising that they carry little weight as motive. Nor is it easy, in a period in which all moral authority is dominated by secular ideology, to determine precisely that extent of the influence of religion or religious leaders on the contents of our moral beliefs. However, we cannot dispute the fact that religious leaders still play a very prominent role in the way and manner we go about interacting with our fellow human beings.
Nigeria is a religious country, even though we pretend to be running a secular constitution. The number of churches and mosques scattered in every corner in our major cities, towns and villages is an indication of the role religion play in our personal life. However, to be sincere our Ulemas and Pastors contributed a lot to the present state of the country. They have failed, as guides, to provide, either in their preaching or in a forum, the needed leadership or call the attention of our leaders on their excesses. Never in the mosques or churches do they come clear to tell their followers the repercussion of public stealing, for instance, or tell them that God is never happy with any leader that is unjust to his people. They have failed to imbibe the attitude of honesty and God fearing and have contributed sometimes in the stealing and looting of public treasury, by encouraging corrupt leaders.
Religion provides a meaning for life which reinforces the morals and social norms held collectively by all within a society. Religion provides social control, cohesion, and purpose for people, as well as another means of communication and gathering for individuals to interact and reaffirm social norms. But for us, reverse is the case, religious and political forces join hands in the exploitation and oppression of their followers.
Think of it, how much is spent every year by politicians, top government officials on Ulemas to go and perform the lesser hajj? The money runs into billions. Then the same amount is also expended on Hajj using tax payers’ money. Or imagine billions spent on Christians visitors to the Holy Land every year with tax payer’s money. Where as millions of Nigerians are living in abject poverty and lack of basic amenities. To these Ulemas and Pastors, a politician that sponsors them to these trips is a good politician, even if their neighbours are walloping in poverty. The most pathetic aspect of it is that the followers failed to understand these people and their treachery against them and the religion.
The same Ulemas and Pastors are ready to preach enmity and division and instigate their followers to start killing each other because a Christian has parked his car in a Mosque premises or a Muslim has done so in a Church premises. What a country? As Nigerians we need to realise that our major problem is not our Muslim neighbour or a Christian neighbour, who daily struggle to make ends meet, but that politician you ‘voted’ for and failed to keep his campaign promises. The sooner we realise this better.
Leadership, according to scholars, is seen as involvement of a wide range of institutions and actors in production of policy outcomes, including non- governmental organisations, private companies, pressure groups and social movements apart from the traditional and formal state institutions. However, one institution that receives little or no attention in Nigeria, when it comes to failure of leadership is the religious institution. Religion provides the ultimate source of a group's identity and reason for being. To be religious is to effect in some way and in some measure a vital adjustment (however tentative and incomplete) to whatever is reacted implicitly or explicitly as worthy of serious and ulterior concern. All our life – our aspect of behaviour, interaction etc. can be given religious significance. That is why religious leaders play a vital role in the moral and spiritual aspect of our lives. They are respected everywhere. Their contributions towards ensuring peace and social harmony cannot be overemphasized. However, since the inception of democracy in Nigeria 10 years ago, the attitudes and behaviour of some religious leaders is becoming pathetic and to some extent shameful. It is a common knowledge to all, how some clergy men in this country degrade themselves to sycophancy level, boot leaking and twisting the teachings of their religion just to gain favour from politicians.
When we list how indices of failure stare us in the face – a weak political foundation, an irresponsible, unaccountable political elite, passive citizens, the crippling effects of corruption, lack of social order, spiritual and moral bankruptcy, a rise in the spiral of violence, poverty, hunger and misery, lack of social services, collapse of infrastructure, we tend to forget one important factor – the role which religious leaders play or failed to play, which led to where we found ourselves today. Although it is absolutely difficult to believe that the supernatural sanctions of religion can be bought off by proper observance of purely religious rules, it is not surprising that they carry little weight as motive. Nor is it easy, in a period in which all moral authority is dominated by secular ideology, to determine precisely that extent of the influence of religion or religious leaders on the contents of our moral beliefs. However, we cannot dispute the fact that religious leaders still play a very prominent role in the way and manner we go about interacting with our fellow human beings.
Nigeria is a religious country, even though we pretend to be running a secular constitution. The number of churches and mosques scattered in every corner in our major cities, towns and villages is an indication of the role religion play in our personal life. However, to be sincere our Ulemas and Pastors contributed a lot to the present state of the country. They have failed, as guides, to provide, either in their preaching or in a forum, the needed leadership or call the attention of our leaders on their excesses. Never in the mosques or churches do they come clear to tell their followers the repercussion of public stealing, for instance, or tell them that God is never happy with any leader that is unjust to his people. They have failed to imbibe the attitude of honesty and God fearing and have contributed sometimes in the stealing and looting of public treasury, by encouraging corrupt leaders.
Religion provides a meaning for life which reinforces the morals and social norms held collectively by all within a society. Religion provides social control, cohesion, and purpose for people, as well as another means of communication and gathering for individuals to interact and reaffirm social norms. But for us, reverse is the case, religious and political forces join hands in the exploitation and oppression of their followers.
Think of it, how much is spent every year by politicians, top government officials on Ulemas to go and perform the lesser hajj? The money runs into billions. Then the same amount is also expended on Hajj using tax payers’ money. Or imagine billions spent on Christians visitors to the Holy Land every year with tax payer’s money. Where as millions of Nigerians are living in abject poverty and lack of basic amenities. To these Ulemas and Pastors, a politician that sponsors them to these trips is a good politician, even if their neighbours are walloping in poverty. The most pathetic aspect of it is that the followers failed to understand these people and their treachery against them and the religion.
The same Ulemas and Pastors are ready to preach enmity and division and instigate their followers to start killing each other because a Christian has parked his car in a Mosque premises or a Muslim has done so in a Church premises. What a country? As Nigerians we need to realise that our major problem is not our Muslim neighbour or a Christian neighbour, who daily struggle to make ends meet, but that politician you ‘voted’ for and failed to keep his campaign promises. The sooner we realise this better.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Still on the Assassination of Sheikh Ja'afar
I read the stories linking Governor Shekarau and other top officials of Kano state government with the assasination of Sheikh Ja'afar and comments made by people in different foras. I don't know, but as a journalist, I feel the death of Sheikh Ja'afar is much more than what people are speculating. Ja'afar was killed by powerful and mighty in the land and with active collaboration of some people, that know the scholar personnally.
Ja'afar, unlike other Islamic preachers, was different, because he was more than a preacher,he was a guide, who made his disciples see reasons behind everything he preached. He made people scholars by bringing out different opinions of Ulemas on an issue and allow you to take decision.
He was somebody, that tried to make Muslims realised that their problems lie in them. They should solve their political and social problems with the application of the teachings of the Prophet of Islam and those that came after him. He was a threat not only to his contemporaries, but also to the powers that be. They were afraid, if allowed, Jaafar would have mobilised people to challenge the authorities, whom we know for the past thirty years or so hold the country to ransom.
Jafar was a member of Mumtada Al- Islami, a group branded by US intelligence as terrorist. It will be difficult to rule that out. He posed a threat to Shekarau and Obasanjo at that time, they can also not be ruled out. There are also religious groups within the Islamic circle that are not comfortable with his style of teaching. Then come the other likely suspect, his students. Those students who felt Jaafar was soft in the way he tackled the issue of Jihad and obedience to dagut or the government that is driven by man-made constitution.
Let us not allow politicians to just use us in order to score a point. They are good at that. They are in one way or the other responsible for his death. If they are not directly involved, they are indirectly, due to their actions or inactions. Nobody is safe in this country. It is either the assassin's bullet, armed robbers or the police. Which ever way is death.
Ja'afar has gone and one indisputable fact about his life is that, even his enemies come to accept that Mallam was an honest, dedicated, intelligent and God fearing individual who devoted all his life to serve his creator.
I think that is the most important issue. He is dead and nothing can change that. Although he was the first Islamic preacher to be assassinated, he was not the only one brutally killed in the most gruesome manner. The only difference I think was the fact that, the others were politicians. Harry Marshal, Bola Ige, Rimis wife and a host of others, that up to this date, no trace of the culprits.
I think what Ja'afar need from us is not speculation about his killers, but prayers. May Allah forgive his excesses and make Janna firdaus his abode. Ameen.
Ja'afar, unlike other Islamic preachers, was different, because he was more than a preacher,he was a guide, who made his disciples see reasons behind everything he preached. He made people scholars by bringing out different opinions of Ulemas on an issue and allow you to take decision.
He was somebody, that tried to make Muslims realised that their problems lie in them. They should solve their political and social problems with the application of the teachings of the Prophet of Islam and those that came after him. He was a threat not only to his contemporaries, but also to the powers that be. They were afraid, if allowed, Jaafar would have mobilised people to challenge the authorities, whom we know for the past thirty years or so hold the country to ransom.
Jafar was a member of Mumtada Al- Islami, a group branded by US intelligence as terrorist. It will be difficult to rule that out. He posed a threat to Shekarau and Obasanjo at that time, they can also not be ruled out. There are also religious groups within the Islamic circle that are not comfortable with his style of teaching. Then come the other likely suspect, his students. Those students who felt Jaafar was soft in the way he tackled the issue of Jihad and obedience to dagut or the government that is driven by man-made constitution.
Let us not allow politicians to just use us in order to score a point. They are good at that. They are in one way or the other responsible for his death. If they are not directly involved, they are indirectly, due to their actions or inactions. Nobody is safe in this country. It is either the assassin's bullet, armed robbers or the police. Which ever way is death.
Ja'afar has gone and one indisputable fact about his life is that, even his enemies come to accept that Mallam was an honest, dedicated, intelligent and God fearing individual who devoted all his life to serve his creator.
I think that is the most important issue. He is dead and nothing can change that. Although he was the first Islamic preacher to be assassinated, he was not the only one brutally killed in the most gruesome manner. The only difference I think was the fact that, the others were politicians. Harry Marshal, Bola Ige, Rimis wife and a host of others, that up to this date, no trace of the culprits.
I think what Ja'afar need from us is not speculation about his killers, but prayers. May Allah forgive his excesses and make Janna firdaus his abode. Ameen.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Education as catalyst for electoral reforms
It can rightly be said that in the last 51 years, when in 1958, the British created the first electoral commission – the Elections Commission of Nigeria, nothing has improved in the administration and management of elections in Nigeria. The only change or improvement in our elections may be is the sophistication with which election rigging has reached. The quality of elections in Nigeria, as other parts of our lives, has always been affected by the character of politics in the country. What became clear is the fact that we have a very long way to go, before we can have a free and fair election.
This is why majority of Nigerians are sceptical about President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s promise to reform our electoral process. Himself, a beneficiary of fraudulent election, many including this writer doubt if Mallam Musa Yar’adua will ever accept the reformation of the nation’s electoral process. According to political commentators and analysts, the Justice Uwais committee report on electoral reform has provided all control measures to stop electoral rigging and manipulation; however, these were removed by the government. And the way it is now, there are many indications that the 2011 elections will be worst than that of 2007.
In a democracy - the power to choose, change and remove political leaders rest with the electorates. Elections serve as an opportunity for citizens, who are the determinants of their own destiny, to exercise the power of choosing leaders, who they believe, can affect their lives positively through the provision of basic infrastructure. Failure to do this will result in the emergence of bad leadership and poor representation. The most basic and important principle of good governance is that a nation’s political institutions – elections, political parties and the police to have a semblance of democracy.
That is why many, argued that unless we have political parties with a clear ideology, an independent (a truly independent) electoral commission and a neutral police force, Nigeria will never taste a free and fair election. We are all living witnesses to what happened in recent years, in the 2003 and 2007 elections. Our politicians in these two elections displayed arrogantly their lack of faith in democratic process. From the primary elections within political parties, to the general elections, it was a do-or-die affair.
But the question is can Uwais report help in reforming our electoral process? I doubt much, because the issue rest with the citizens to say no to all forms of elections manipulations and rigging. Nigerians are not ready to do that because there is no trust between the citizens and political leaders. Why should Nigerians sacrifice their time, resources and to some extent their lives to defend their votes when they know fully well that the person they are voting for might dump them after winning the election? This might sound pedestrian but is the reality. The Bauchi case is a clear example.
Secondly, as a nation we lacked national culture. As everyone knows, Nigeria has a vast and varied cultural heritage considering the fact that it has more than 250 ethnic nationalities. Culture is an ever-evolving subject, however, little effort has been made by governments at various levels to ensure that all different kinds of cultures get support. This is where a good policy has a role to play. It was Frank Fannon who said ‘if the building of a bridge does not enrich the awareness of those who work on it, then that bridge ought not to be built and the citizens can go on swimming across the river or going by boat’. Do we as Nigerians have a national culture? The answer is NO! This is basically because our school system or curriculum does not have anything like that. Was it not because of that that nationalism, as a course was introduced in the first year of our university education.
National culture is what gives citizens a sense of direction and hope. The development of good citizens and the establishment of a nation’s identity, its outlook, its values and goals can be attained through the family, school and religious leaders. Indeed the task of instilling national culture was a sacred one, because of its far reaching consequences for the security and survival of the soul of a nation. However, the government, which has the sole responsibility of ensuring that, has through deliberate policies allowed our school system to crumble. Any society whose school system is non functional can have no solid identity, no impressive institutions and no core values, this is a hard truth that any educationist or sociologist will tell you. It is time we recognised at all levels the importance of revamping our educational institutions to allow the society to regain its traditional status and its power to effect positive change.
No change or reform can succeed when majority of the beneficiaries of the reforms are ignorant of it. Nigeria as a nation has suffered a lot that we can’t afford to continue like this. We cannot continue to ignore the current deterioration of our school system which is glaringly evident in the quality of graduates the nation’s universities produced and in our leadership at all levels of the Nigerian society. We need to inculcate clear programmes of civic education into the school curriculum, citizenship and leadership development, youth empowerment based on regenerative work ethics and motivational reward system.
Electoral reform as important as it is can not succeed when we ignore these basic realities staring at us. Change in our attitudes and value system is very important and can only be achieved through an educated an enlightened citizens. I am not in support of handling our education to private enterprise; it is very, very dangerous for an underdeveloped nation like ours to do so. Governments at all levels should take education serious.
Democracy as a system evolves when we demonstrate our capacity to enthrone good governance; this can easily be achieved through the school system. It is what other countries of the world did, like China, India and other countries to succeed. And even USA that we claimed to be copying attained its democratisation through deliberate policies of providing opportunities for the less privileged. As Dele Olojede put it the greatest danger we face as a nation today is not the noisy politician trying to buy his way into the presidency or governorship or the Senate with stolen money but the Nigerian citizen, who needs reminding what it means to be a citizen all over again.
This is what our policy makers need to look into. Virtually all institutions driving the nation are either dead or do not function properly. The civil service, the police, school system, the economy, democratic institutions, and the family and so on and so forth – the list is endless.
This is why majority of Nigerians are sceptical about President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s promise to reform our electoral process. Himself, a beneficiary of fraudulent election, many including this writer doubt if Mallam Musa Yar’adua will ever accept the reformation of the nation’s electoral process. According to political commentators and analysts, the Justice Uwais committee report on electoral reform has provided all control measures to stop electoral rigging and manipulation; however, these were removed by the government. And the way it is now, there are many indications that the 2011 elections will be worst than that of 2007.
In a democracy - the power to choose, change and remove political leaders rest with the electorates. Elections serve as an opportunity for citizens, who are the determinants of their own destiny, to exercise the power of choosing leaders, who they believe, can affect their lives positively through the provision of basic infrastructure. Failure to do this will result in the emergence of bad leadership and poor representation. The most basic and important principle of good governance is that a nation’s political institutions – elections, political parties and the police to have a semblance of democracy.
That is why many, argued that unless we have political parties with a clear ideology, an independent (a truly independent) electoral commission and a neutral police force, Nigeria will never taste a free and fair election. We are all living witnesses to what happened in recent years, in the 2003 and 2007 elections. Our politicians in these two elections displayed arrogantly their lack of faith in democratic process. From the primary elections within political parties, to the general elections, it was a do-or-die affair.
But the question is can Uwais report help in reforming our electoral process? I doubt much, because the issue rest with the citizens to say no to all forms of elections manipulations and rigging. Nigerians are not ready to do that because there is no trust between the citizens and political leaders. Why should Nigerians sacrifice their time, resources and to some extent their lives to defend their votes when they know fully well that the person they are voting for might dump them after winning the election? This might sound pedestrian but is the reality. The Bauchi case is a clear example.
Secondly, as a nation we lacked national culture. As everyone knows, Nigeria has a vast and varied cultural heritage considering the fact that it has more than 250 ethnic nationalities. Culture is an ever-evolving subject, however, little effort has been made by governments at various levels to ensure that all different kinds of cultures get support. This is where a good policy has a role to play. It was Frank Fannon who said ‘if the building of a bridge does not enrich the awareness of those who work on it, then that bridge ought not to be built and the citizens can go on swimming across the river or going by boat’. Do we as Nigerians have a national culture? The answer is NO! This is basically because our school system or curriculum does not have anything like that. Was it not because of that that nationalism, as a course was introduced in the first year of our university education.
National culture is what gives citizens a sense of direction and hope. The development of good citizens and the establishment of a nation’s identity, its outlook, its values and goals can be attained through the family, school and religious leaders. Indeed the task of instilling national culture was a sacred one, because of its far reaching consequences for the security and survival of the soul of a nation. However, the government, which has the sole responsibility of ensuring that, has through deliberate policies allowed our school system to crumble. Any society whose school system is non functional can have no solid identity, no impressive institutions and no core values, this is a hard truth that any educationist or sociologist will tell you. It is time we recognised at all levels the importance of revamping our educational institutions to allow the society to regain its traditional status and its power to effect positive change.
No change or reform can succeed when majority of the beneficiaries of the reforms are ignorant of it. Nigeria as a nation has suffered a lot that we can’t afford to continue like this. We cannot continue to ignore the current deterioration of our school system which is glaringly evident in the quality of graduates the nation’s universities produced and in our leadership at all levels of the Nigerian society. We need to inculcate clear programmes of civic education into the school curriculum, citizenship and leadership development, youth empowerment based on regenerative work ethics and motivational reward system.
Electoral reform as important as it is can not succeed when we ignore these basic realities staring at us. Change in our attitudes and value system is very important and can only be achieved through an educated an enlightened citizens. I am not in support of handling our education to private enterprise; it is very, very dangerous for an underdeveloped nation like ours to do so. Governments at all levels should take education serious.
Democracy as a system evolves when we demonstrate our capacity to enthrone good governance; this can easily be achieved through the school system. It is what other countries of the world did, like China, India and other countries to succeed. And even USA that we claimed to be copying attained its democratisation through deliberate policies of providing opportunities for the less privileged. As Dele Olojede put it the greatest danger we face as a nation today is not the noisy politician trying to buy his way into the presidency or governorship or the Senate with stolen money but the Nigerian citizen, who needs reminding what it means to be a citizen all over again.
This is what our policy makers need to look into. Virtually all institutions driving the nation are either dead or do not function properly. The civil service, the police, school system, the economy, democratic institutions, and the family and so on and so forth – the list is endless.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Nigeria: our children, our future
Nigeria: our children, our future
A popular adage, the statement above is the subject of our discussion. Our children are our future if we give them a solid foundation from which to build a better society. We owe our future to our children and as long as we want our society to be better, then, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make sure that they are given good care. All over the world and in every society in history, education is regarded as the basis upon which future generation is built. And for any society to develop there has to be a connection between its present and its future; children serve as a bridge or a transition through which this is accomplished.
However, in our country this fundamental issue is neglected and relegated to the background. Sometimes we are made to wonder as to what direction we are really heading to. Nigeria has a population of over 140million and 60% of this population are youth or children, however, there is no concrete policy or programme to my knowledge geared towards helping this set of people attain a quality of childhood today so as to prepare them for leadership responsibility in the future. It is pathetic and pitiable when one visits any of our primary schools in any of the local councils in Nigeria and sees how rotten these schools are and the state of their facilities. You will find children sitting on the floor or under a shade the teachers sitting under a tree chatting.
The situation is worst in the North, because of our attitudes towards western education generally and the lack of vision of our leaders in local governments. One of the greatest injustice one can do to his fellow being is to deny him access to quality education and today as we enter the 21st century majority of our children in Nigeria are either out of school or in this type of schools mentioned, which at the end may come out with no basic qualification to go further. Even in states where one would think the situation is better, since the states are considered to be educationally advantaged states, the situation is not different. Take for instance Kaduna state, which has the highest number of higher institutions of learning in the North, official statistics indicate that the situation is no better than other educationally disadvantaged states.
The state has over 1.6 million primary school going children with an enrolment of 900,000 children. Therefore over 700,000 children (43%) of these children that are supposed to be in schools are roaming the streets. What do you think will happen to these children in the next ten years? The situation of the schools is no different from any in other parts of the North. Teacher/pupil ratio in terms of qualified teachers in some local government is 1:231. The state has a total of 31,400 teachers in which 65% of them are under qualified. The state has 21,000 classrooms out of these 50% are unhabitable, which means there is a deficit of about 8,000 classrooms considering the school enrolment figure. Currently the number of qualified Physics teachers in the state is 37. With ABU at its door steps, Kaduna state does not have ten people reading Physics in the Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The College of Education in Gidan Waya, which is the state’s owned institution, for the past ten years, the College has not been able to produce more than 700 graduates in Physics. This is Kaduna state, which is considered one of the educationally advantaged states in the North. You wonder how the situation is in Yobe, Zamfara or Gombe states.
Our future as a nation can only be secured if we ensure the wellbeing of children and youth in this country. We can do this not by organising jamborees or appearing in network news everyday at 9 telling people how good you are to continue to be their leader for the next six years, but by provision of standard educational facilities in schools, social amenities, conducive learning environment with well equipped school libraries, health and recreational facilities and qualified and well motivated teachers.
We have, for a long time neglected sectors that are the backbone for our development in this country, education inclusive. If government cannot provide quality education to its citizens what else can a citizen expect from it? Education is essential for the healthy intellectual and physical development of young people. It is through education that national culture is instilled and the commitment shown by our leaders to our children and the youth is what will infuse patriotism in them. The older generation should encourage the younger generation to take more active part in rebuilding this country into a virile nation that can take its pride of place in an emerging globalised world.
We cannot as nation develop or attain any vision until we change our attitudes, we have, either as individual or collectively contributed in destroying what was handed to us by our founding fathers. Today as a nation we have lost direction, purpose and are wandering in wilderness. Our leaders continue to show non-challant attitude to our wellbeing. Our leaders create the impression that education was no longer an important strategic tool in directing the country’s growth and development. The most dangerous aspect of all this all is that, our leaders, either in the national, state assembly, federal, state executives and local government officials, appear unperturbed with what is happening. They continue their open stealing of public funds; they continue the neglect of the very foundation of our national development. They insulate themselves from the rest of us. Instead they choose to take their children to Ghana, South Africa, Malaysia and UK for primary, secondary and university education.
Can the nation survive this madness? Can we pride ourselves as Nigerians, when what Nigeria offers is hopelessness and despair? Somebody has to listen; no nation on earth can survive what Nigeria is going through today. We have to change our attitudes, we have to do away with our greed, and we have to work towards these fundamental issues to our national survival, if really we love this country.
A popular adage, the statement above is the subject of our discussion. Our children are our future if we give them a solid foundation from which to build a better society. We owe our future to our children and as long as we want our society to be better, then, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make sure that they are given good care. All over the world and in every society in history, education is regarded as the basis upon which future generation is built. And for any society to develop there has to be a connection between its present and its future; children serve as a bridge or a transition through which this is accomplished.
However, in our country this fundamental issue is neglected and relegated to the background. Sometimes we are made to wonder as to what direction we are really heading to. Nigeria has a population of over 140million and 60% of this population are youth or children, however, there is no concrete policy or programme to my knowledge geared towards helping this set of people attain a quality of childhood today so as to prepare them for leadership responsibility in the future. It is pathetic and pitiable when one visits any of our primary schools in any of the local councils in Nigeria and sees how rotten these schools are and the state of their facilities. You will find children sitting on the floor or under a shade the teachers sitting under a tree chatting.
The situation is worst in the North, because of our attitudes towards western education generally and the lack of vision of our leaders in local governments. One of the greatest injustice one can do to his fellow being is to deny him access to quality education and today as we enter the 21st century majority of our children in Nigeria are either out of school or in this type of schools mentioned, which at the end may come out with no basic qualification to go further. Even in states where one would think the situation is better, since the states are considered to be educationally advantaged states, the situation is not different. Take for instance Kaduna state, which has the highest number of higher institutions of learning in the North, official statistics indicate that the situation is no better than other educationally disadvantaged states.
The state has over 1.6 million primary school going children with an enrolment of 900,000 children. Therefore over 700,000 children (43%) of these children that are supposed to be in schools are roaming the streets. What do you think will happen to these children in the next ten years? The situation of the schools is no different from any in other parts of the North. Teacher/pupil ratio in terms of qualified teachers in some local government is 1:231. The state has a total of 31,400 teachers in which 65% of them are under qualified. The state has 21,000 classrooms out of these 50% are unhabitable, which means there is a deficit of about 8,000 classrooms considering the school enrolment figure. Currently the number of qualified Physics teachers in the state is 37. With ABU at its door steps, Kaduna state does not have ten people reading Physics in the Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The College of Education in Gidan Waya, which is the state’s owned institution, for the past ten years, the College has not been able to produce more than 700 graduates in Physics. This is Kaduna state, which is considered one of the educationally advantaged states in the North. You wonder how the situation is in Yobe, Zamfara or Gombe states.
Our future as a nation can only be secured if we ensure the wellbeing of children and youth in this country. We can do this not by organising jamborees or appearing in network news everyday at 9 telling people how good you are to continue to be their leader for the next six years, but by provision of standard educational facilities in schools, social amenities, conducive learning environment with well equipped school libraries, health and recreational facilities and qualified and well motivated teachers.
We have, for a long time neglected sectors that are the backbone for our development in this country, education inclusive. If government cannot provide quality education to its citizens what else can a citizen expect from it? Education is essential for the healthy intellectual and physical development of young people. It is through education that national culture is instilled and the commitment shown by our leaders to our children and the youth is what will infuse patriotism in them. The older generation should encourage the younger generation to take more active part in rebuilding this country into a virile nation that can take its pride of place in an emerging globalised world.
We cannot as nation develop or attain any vision until we change our attitudes, we have, either as individual or collectively contributed in destroying what was handed to us by our founding fathers. Today as a nation we have lost direction, purpose and are wandering in wilderness. Our leaders continue to show non-challant attitude to our wellbeing. Our leaders create the impression that education was no longer an important strategic tool in directing the country’s growth and development. The most dangerous aspect of all this all is that, our leaders, either in the national, state assembly, federal, state executives and local government officials, appear unperturbed with what is happening. They continue their open stealing of public funds; they continue the neglect of the very foundation of our national development. They insulate themselves from the rest of us. Instead they choose to take their children to Ghana, South Africa, Malaysia and UK for primary, secondary and university education.
Can the nation survive this madness? Can we pride ourselves as Nigerians, when what Nigeria offers is hopelessness and despair? Somebody has to listen; no nation on earth can survive what Nigeria is going through today. We have to change our attitudes, we have to do away with our greed, and we have to work towards these fundamental issues to our national survival, if really we love this country.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Media and the challenges national integration
Media and the challenges national integration
The media in Nigeria, even prior to the nation’s independence, constituted themselves into a potent opposition to bad governance, injustices and were very critical of the colonial administration. So it is very right if one describes the Nigerian press as an institution born out of struggle and the fight against colonial injustices. The press championed whatever is Nigerian from the pre-independence up to the independence years, though rivalries between politicians, who mostly founded these newspapers, has led to the use of newspaper pages to advance their political interests, especially after independence, which in most cases inflicted injuries to political opponents. The press found themselves used by these opposing groups to create enmity between various political groups, however that notwithstanding the press contributed a lot, one in fighting the colonial administration and second they helped in advancing democracy during the dark days of military era.
It is equally right to point out also that most of the political, ethnic, religious conflicts in the country and to a large extent the suspicion and resentment between the South and North was caused by the press. As Hydele observed, after Nigeria’s independence, the media, having chased their common enemy turned their weapons against each other. He said at times, harsh and biased press reporting led to increased partisan tension to the point where many leaders found it impossible to cooperate with each other after having accumulated scars from highly personal press attacks. While on one hand the press contributed in chasing colonialists and military dictators, they have, on the other hand, contributed a lot in causing divisions we are witnessing in various places in this country even today. Although we should not generalised and attribute this to the mainstream media, but in actual sense, especially the Lagos/Ibadan axis press contributed a lot in drawing a line and causing divisions among different ethnic groups in the country, due to actions of some armchair journalists from that axis.
Writing in his paper, ‘1914 and Nigeria’s existential crisis: A historical perspective’ a Nigerian born US academic Moses Ochonu said ‘At this time the Lagos press had acquired an unprecedented vibrancy through the addition of more publications and this new potency was deployed to prosecute the Southern campaign against political fusion with the North’. He went further to say that ‘the Chronicle in its editorial stated that the south was not Muslim and that the principle of Northern administration was anathema to Southerners’. On a similar note he also quoted the Times of Nigeria which in its editorial shortly after the amalgamation of South and North stated that the “unification was synonymous with a sell-out of the South. The subjugation of Southern Nigeria by Northern Nigerian laws, northern Nigerian land laws, Northern Nigerian Administration must be made to supersede every system in Southern Nigeria’. These and other statements coming from the Southern press even before the independence contributed a lot in creating a permanent division and resentment we are seeing today between the South and North.
Although the press in Nigeria are regarded as vanguards of democracy and good governance and they were at the fore front in exposing official corruption, however, as it is with any institution, the bad eggs among us continued to spread disharmony and became obstacle to national integration. These people were in the profession in the first place not to promote understanding among our hundreds ethnic nationalities and integrate them but, were out to promote ethnic and regional divisions. They are very dangerous and influential because they are seeing by their people as freedom fighters that are out to protect their people from the domination of an enemy. This led to general misrepresentation of history, distrust and social disharmony between the North and South on one hand and the various religious and ethnic groups in the other. Media analysts and commentators have in several occasions attributed our political, ethnic and religious crises to the reckless, sensational and sometimes irresponsibility of the media in the way they address issues of national importance. According to Sobowale, having gain political independence the press, went into petty jealousies, occasioned by political and ethnic differences. This beclouded the vision of media proprietors and media practitioners. He went further to say that ‘rather than promoting national integration and national consciousness, the media became sectional and a potent agent of disunity. They promoted inter-ethnic hatred as well as inter-ethnic distrust and acrimony that eventually led to the collapse of the first republic’.
And we can see even now the press or some individuals within the media circle find it very difficult to chart a new course for the profession so as to conform to democratic principles and address national integration rather they prefer to adopt distortions and attitudes repugnant to the unity of the country. No doubt democracy will and cannot function without education and enlightenment, and the media is a potent weapon to serve this purpose, however, if the media appear to be irresponsible and try instead to promote ethnicism, tribalism and championed sectional interest it can be a double edged sword, which can be use to destroy democracy, unity and national integration. Therefore, while we in the media try to ensure that the nation has good leaders and enlightened citizenry we have to also bear in mind that, any reckless or irresponsible act from our part may spell doom for the country. We have seen in the recent past how the media’s handling of crises in Kaduna, Jos, Aba, Kano and Lagos led to the destruction of lives and property in these places.
In a society like ours, with ten of hundreds of ethnic groups and where the institutions of societal control are weak, we need an objective, fair and fearless media so as to check the excesses of government on one hand and inform the citizens what is their rights and how to fight for it. Nigerians need to understand the governance process, role of security agents in a democracy, rule of law and the role of the legislative arm and the judiciary. They need to understand why their economy is not functioning, or why the government adopt certain policies and whether these policies are good for the country or are just out to serve the personal interest of the policy makers.
Journalists need to understand that looking at issues, policies of government rather than personalities is what will ensure our transition from a backward nation characterised by tribal and religious sentiments to a country where merit, qualification become the determinants of who is saddled with position of responsibility. Let us stop promoting sectionalism, tribalism and nepotism, let us try to address issues rather than personalities, let us stop looking at the governor of Central Bank as Igbo or Hausa or Yoruba but how far has he delivered. Let us try to increase understanding between Southerners and Northerners. I think changing the kind of mindset we have will go a long way in changing the course with which the country is placed on. It is very difficult, but we can start now. Can we take the challenge?
The media in Nigeria, even prior to the nation’s independence, constituted themselves into a potent opposition to bad governance, injustices and were very critical of the colonial administration. So it is very right if one describes the Nigerian press as an institution born out of struggle and the fight against colonial injustices. The press championed whatever is Nigerian from the pre-independence up to the independence years, though rivalries between politicians, who mostly founded these newspapers, has led to the use of newspaper pages to advance their political interests, especially after independence, which in most cases inflicted injuries to political opponents. The press found themselves used by these opposing groups to create enmity between various political groups, however that notwithstanding the press contributed a lot, one in fighting the colonial administration and second they helped in advancing democracy during the dark days of military era.
It is equally right to point out also that most of the political, ethnic, religious conflicts in the country and to a large extent the suspicion and resentment between the South and North was caused by the press. As Hydele observed, after Nigeria’s independence, the media, having chased their common enemy turned their weapons against each other. He said at times, harsh and biased press reporting led to increased partisan tension to the point where many leaders found it impossible to cooperate with each other after having accumulated scars from highly personal press attacks. While on one hand the press contributed in chasing colonialists and military dictators, they have, on the other hand, contributed a lot in causing divisions we are witnessing in various places in this country even today. Although we should not generalised and attribute this to the mainstream media, but in actual sense, especially the Lagos/Ibadan axis press contributed a lot in drawing a line and causing divisions among different ethnic groups in the country, due to actions of some armchair journalists from that axis.
Writing in his paper, ‘1914 and Nigeria’s existential crisis: A historical perspective’ a Nigerian born US academic Moses Ochonu said ‘At this time the Lagos press had acquired an unprecedented vibrancy through the addition of more publications and this new potency was deployed to prosecute the Southern campaign against political fusion with the North’. He went further to say that ‘the Chronicle in its editorial stated that the south was not Muslim and that the principle of Northern administration was anathema to Southerners’. On a similar note he also quoted the Times of Nigeria which in its editorial shortly after the amalgamation of South and North stated that the “unification was synonymous with a sell-out of the South. The subjugation of Southern Nigeria by Northern Nigerian laws, northern Nigerian land laws, Northern Nigerian Administration must be made to supersede every system in Southern Nigeria’. These and other statements coming from the Southern press even before the independence contributed a lot in creating a permanent division and resentment we are seeing today between the South and North.
Although the press in Nigeria are regarded as vanguards of democracy and good governance and they were at the fore front in exposing official corruption, however, as it is with any institution, the bad eggs among us continued to spread disharmony and became obstacle to national integration. These people were in the profession in the first place not to promote understanding among our hundreds ethnic nationalities and integrate them but, were out to promote ethnic and regional divisions. They are very dangerous and influential because they are seeing by their people as freedom fighters that are out to protect their people from the domination of an enemy. This led to general misrepresentation of history, distrust and social disharmony between the North and South on one hand and the various religious and ethnic groups in the other. Media analysts and commentators have in several occasions attributed our political, ethnic and religious crises to the reckless, sensational and sometimes irresponsibility of the media in the way they address issues of national importance. According to Sobowale, having gain political independence the press, went into petty jealousies, occasioned by political and ethnic differences. This beclouded the vision of media proprietors and media practitioners. He went further to say that ‘rather than promoting national integration and national consciousness, the media became sectional and a potent agent of disunity. They promoted inter-ethnic hatred as well as inter-ethnic distrust and acrimony that eventually led to the collapse of the first republic’.
And we can see even now the press or some individuals within the media circle find it very difficult to chart a new course for the profession so as to conform to democratic principles and address national integration rather they prefer to adopt distortions and attitudes repugnant to the unity of the country. No doubt democracy will and cannot function without education and enlightenment, and the media is a potent weapon to serve this purpose, however, if the media appear to be irresponsible and try instead to promote ethnicism, tribalism and championed sectional interest it can be a double edged sword, which can be use to destroy democracy, unity and national integration. Therefore, while we in the media try to ensure that the nation has good leaders and enlightened citizenry we have to also bear in mind that, any reckless or irresponsible act from our part may spell doom for the country. We have seen in the recent past how the media’s handling of crises in Kaduna, Jos, Aba, Kano and Lagos led to the destruction of lives and property in these places.
In a society like ours, with ten of hundreds of ethnic groups and where the institutions of societal control are weak, we need an objective, fair and fearless media so as to check the excesses of government on one hand and inform the citizens what is their rights and how to fight for it. Nigerians need to understand the governance process, role of security agents in a democracy, rule of law and the role of the legislative arm and the judiciary. They need to understand why their economy is not functioning, or why the government adopt certain policies and whether these policies are good for the country or are just out to serve the personal interest of the policy makers.
Journalists need to understand that looking at issues, policies of government rather than personalities is what will ensure our transition from a backward nation characterised by tribal and religious sentiments to a country where merit, qualification become the determinants of who is saddled with position of responsibility. Let us stop promoting sectionalism, tribalism and nepotism, let us try to address issues rather than personalities, let us stop looking at the governor of Central Bank as Igbo or Hausa or Yoruba but how far has he delivered. Let us try to increase understanding between Southerners and Northerners. I think changing the kind of mindset we have will go a long way in changing the course with which the country is placed on. It is very difficult, but we can start now. Can we take the challenge?
Friday, May 15, 2009
On Adamu Adamu and democratisation of corruption
On Adamu Adamu and democratisation of corruption
Today I am shocked, confused, demoralised and short of words to describe how devastated I was reading Adamu Adamu’s inside out, upside down (Daily Trust, May 19, 2009). Adamu is one of the ‘few good men’ (to use Rob Reiner’s 1992 movie title) today in Nigeria that can earn the title of tested and trusted Nigerians that one can confidently stand for no matter what. But his column today was rather a shocker. Let me ask Mallam Adamu; what will happen to army to army officers in battle field when their Commander surrender even before firing a bullet? You cannot just start sending a signal to us that we should, instead of hating corruption, start agitating for its democratisation. This is unacceptable and we that grow to love you because of your uprightness, honesty and trustworthineness will never forgive you, if at the end of your life you start advocating for democratisation of corruption.
The voice of our Commander today sounded defeatist and hopeless. We know the present political set-up is irredeemable, but we are still hopeful that something positive might come out of it. We are indeed bad, hardly can you trust a Nigerian even if he is your imam in your local mosque or a pastor in your neighbourhood church, and in fact some people are saying they are the worst but can we rule out any positive change? No! I know what we read today is not, and can never be your mind but you are forced to write them because, may be you think that is the only way we can address the issue.
The thieves calling themselves public servants are just unrepentant criminals. Do you see the faces of some of them in today’s dailies arriving courts? They were happy and smiling telling Nigerians that this is another stage drama orchestrated by people who were left out during the sharing.
Today I am shocked, confused, demoralised and short of words to describe how devastated I was reading Adamu Adamu’s inside out, upside down (Daily Trust, May 19, 2009). Adamu is one of the ‘few good men’ (to use Rob Reiner’s 1992 movie title) today in Nigeria that can earn the title of tested and trusted Nigerians that one can confidently stand for no matter what. But his column today was rather a shocker. Let me ask Mallam Adamu; what will happen to army to army officers in battle field when their Commander surrender even before firing a bullet? You cannot just start sending a signal to us that we should, instead of hating corruption, start agitating for its democratisation. This is unacceptable and we that grow to love you because of your uprightness, honesty and trustworthineness will never forgive you, if at the end of your life you start advocating for democratisation of corruption.
The voice of our Commander today sounded defeatist and hopeless. We know the present political set-up is irredeemable, but we are still hopeful that something positive might come out of it. We are indeed bad, hardly can you trust a Nigerian even if he is your imam in your local mosque or a pastor in your neighbourhood church, and in fact some people are saying they are the worst but can we rule out any positive change? No! I know what we read today is not, and can never be your mind but you are forced to write them because, may be you think that is the only way we can address the issue.
The thieves calling themselves public servants are just unrepentant criminals. Do you see the faces of some of them in today’s dailies arriving courts? They were happy and smiling telling Nigerians that this is another stage drama orchestrated by people who were left out during the sharing.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Celebrating ten years of civilian administration
Celebrating ten years of civilian administration
One of the main thrust of our democratic experience is living with the fact that we have never experience what is called good governance. In the period 1985-1999 which the military ruled, Nigeria lived under intense pressure from the international community to return to civilian rule. General Ibrahim Babangida as a military Head of state supervised a never ending transition programme from military to civilian rule until the events of June 12. The pressure mounted on him by Civil Society Groups and democrats on the way he handled the June 12 elections made him to resign unwillingly on August 26, 1993 handing over the affairs of government to an Interim National Government. The Transition Government under Chief Earnest Shonekan lasted for only three months, when in November 1993, he was forced out of office by the then Minister of Defence, General Sani Abacha, who according to analysts was left purposely by Babangida to take over.
General Abacha ruled for five years and tried to succeed himself in what is popularly known as ‘Tazarce’ after he was endorsed by all the five existing parties then, as their Presidential candidate. However, on June 8, 1998, General Abacha died from what doctors described as heart attack. That plunged the country into yet another political turmoil. General Abdussalam Alhaji Abubakar who came after him hurriedly started a transition to civilian rule, promising to handover power to a democratically elected government on October 1, 1998 as promised by his predecessor. However, that was to happen in May, 1999.
The transition to civilian rule saw the emergence of nine political parties, prominent among them were the People’s Democratic Party, which is the largest party, the All People’s Party, and the Alliance for Democracy. The parties came with no clear manifestos or ideological position, their only promise was to make life easy for Nigerians. In fact, none of the parties up to this day can be said to have a published manifesto, or showed any strong ideological position, except what majority of them have pledged - in mostly vague terms - to improve Nigerian living standards. Ten years after, it is very difficult to say whether our transition to democracy made any impact on our general well-being as citizens. It is very easy for us to throw an accusing finger at the PDP being the ruling party in the centre, but the fact remains that the political class that were entrusted with leadership at levels of governments from 1999-2009 whether in the PDP or the opposition have failed Nigerians.
What characterised our democratic governance for the last ten years was a total collapse of physical infrastructure, corruption in high places, bastardisation of the electoral process - Ekiti state as a case study, outright stealing of public funds, and violation of rule of law. Rule of law which is the foundation upon which democracy is laid has been seriously violated and the country now is witnessing a near collapse of the economy or what Professor Kwanashi described as ‘massive structural disarticulation of the economy.’
The way I see things, we are still nowhere near addressing the numerous problems listed above due to lack of political will and the attitude of our political class. They are consumed in self-deception, lies and highest sense of irresponsibility and are not ready to listen to any criticisms. The ruling party which is the major culprit here became what Reuben Abati described in his popular column as a party characterised by insincerity, inequities and injustice, a party remembered best for the injuries it inflicted on virtually all sectors of our lives. However, it is celebration time and they have to cook up a list of achievements recorded in the last ten years and deliver them as Democracy Day Speech on May 29, not minding how many people will believe them or believe what they are saying. To them democracy is rigging election after every four years to ensure that they perpetually remain in power for the next sixty years. That is why they were very proud telling Nigerians during the ten-year celebration of the PDP last year in Akwa Ibom that they ‘won’ the elections in 1999, 2003 and 2007, which was itself, according to them, an achievement.
It is very hard for anyone to understand the kind of system we are running in this country, as we are left with no alternative, coming out from a long military rule that did practically nothing to change our lives and entering a system which is supposedly considered an answer to bad governance, corruption, nepotism and injustices of the military era. But as soon as the politicians got into power, they continued from where the military stopped or even worst. The politicians that came have little or no concern for common good, they are not development oriented and are people characterised by excessive personal greed. They showed high level of irresponsibility, they lack commitment transparency and accountability, they engage in corruption and serious abuse of office.
The PDP, especially, and its new leaders gave democracy a different meaning altogether. It became a system where party internal democracy is not allowed, rigging and voter intimidation become a norm, elections a do-or-die affair, blackmail and assassinations become an order of the day, poverty, unemployment and general insecurity increased in the country. No doubt we have a reason to celebrate democracy at ten, since for the first time in the nation’s history we are able to break the jinx of having a peaceful transition from one civilian administration to another, but what we should bear in mind is that the government came through a fraudulent election universally discredited, so it is not a true reflection of people’s will.
Therefore, for all intent and purpose, unless if we are to use the practical definition of democracy given to us by PDP in the last ten years, what we are celebrating on May 29 is anything but democracy. As Rev. Father Matthew Kukah noted in a lecture he delivered at the 1st Abraham Adesanya Memorial Lecture, at the National Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, that democracy should incorporate ‘adequate provision of social services, adequate access to health, education, some measure of social welfare and security, guarantee rights to private property etc.’ to the citizenry. Which of these benefits are we benefitting from as Nigerians?
I keep on saying and I think I spoke to so many people on that, the future of our country and the future of generation yet to come depends on the decision we take now, either as individuals or collectively to say enough of this madness. We have to ensure, as Nigerians, that the true voice of people determines leadership at all levels of governance. Nigerians need to take a decision that they will make the PDP and the political elites to behave responsibly. We are the ones to change our country not an angel or angels coming down from heaven.
Anyway congratulations Nigeria for witnessing, for the first time, ten years of civilian rule but not democracy.
One of the main thrust of our democratic experience is living with the fact that we have never experience what is called good governance. In the period 1985-1999 which the military ruled, Nigeria lived under intense pressure from the international community to return to civilian rule. General Ibrahim Babangida as a military Head of state supervised a never ending transition programme from military to civilian rule until the events of June 12. The pressure mounted on him by Civil Society Groups and democrats on the way he handled the June 12 elections made him to resign unwillingly on August 26, 1993 handing over the affairs of government to an Interim National Government. The Transition Government under Chief Earnest Shonekan lasted for only three months, when in November 1993, he was forced out of office by the then Minister of Defence, General Sani Abacha, who according to analysts was left purposely by Babangida to take over.
General Abacha ruled for five years and tried to succeed himself in what is popularly known as ‘Tazarce’ after he was endorsed by all the five existing parties then, as their Presidential candidate. However, on June 8, 1998, General Abacha died from what doctors described as heart attack. That plunged the country into yet another political turmoil. General Abdussalam Alhaji Abubakar who came after him hurriedly started a transition to civilian rule, promising to handover power to a democratically elected government on October 1, 1998 as promised by his predecessor. However, that was to happen in May, 1999.
The transition to civilian rule saw the emergence of nine political parties, prominent among them were the People’s Democratic Party, which is the largest party, the All People’s Party, and the Alliance for Democracy. The parties came with no clear manifestos or ideological position, their only promise was to make life easy for Nigerians. In fact, none of the parties up to this day can be said to have a published manifesto, or showed any strong ideological position, except what majority of them have pledged - in mostly vague terms - to improve Nigerian living standards. Ten years after, it is very difficult to say whether our transition to democracy made any impact on our general well-being as citizens. It is very easy for us to throw an accusing finger at the PDP being the ruling party in the centre, but the fact remains that the political class that were entrusted with leadership at levels of governments from 1999-2009 whether in the PDP or the opposition have failed Nigerians.
What characterised our democratic governance for the last ten years was a total collapse of physical infrastructure, corruption in high places, bastardisation of the electoral process - Ekiti state as a case study, outright stealing of public funds, and violation of rule of law. Rule of law which is the foundation upon which democracy is laid has been seriously violated and the country now is witnessing a near collapse of the economy or what Professor Kwanashi described as ‘massive structural disarticulation of the economy.’
The way I see things, we are still nowhere near addressing the numerous problems listed above due to lack of political will and the attitude of our political class. They are consumed in self-deception, lies and highest sense of irresponsibility and are not ready to listen to any criticisms. The ruling party which is the major culprit here became what Reuben Abati described in his popular column as a party characterised by insincerity, inequities and injustice, a party remembered best for the injuries it inflicted on virtually all sectors of our lives. However, it is celebration time and they have to cook up a list of achievements recorded in the last ten years and deliver them as Democracy Day Speech on May 29, not minding how many people will believe them or believe what they are saying. To them democracy is rigging election after every four years to ensure that they perpetually remain in power for the next sixty years. That is why they were very proud telling Nigerians during the ten-year celebration of the PDP last year in Akwa Ibom that they ‘won’ the elections in 1999, 2003 and 2007, which was itself, according to them, an achievement.
It is very hard for anyone to understand the kind of system we are running in this country, as we are left with no alternative, coming out from a long military rule that did practically nothing to change our lives and entering a system which is supposedly considered an answer to bad governance, corruption, nepotism and injustices of the military era. But as soon as the politicians got into power, they continued from where the military stopped or even worst. The politicians that came have little or no concern for common good, they are not development oriented and are people characterised by excessive personal greed. They showed high level of irresponsibility, they lack commitment transparency and accountability, they engage in corruption and serious abuse of office.
The PDP, especially, and its new leaders gave democracy a different meaning altogether. It became a system where party internal democracy is not allowed, rigging and voter intimidation become a norm, elections a do-or-die affair, blackmail and assassinations become an order of the day, poverty, unemployment and general insecurity increased in the country. No doubt we have a reason to celebrate democracy at ten, since for the first time in the nation’s history we are able to break the jinx of having a peaceful transition from one civilian administration to another, but what we should bear in mind is that the government came through a fraudulent election universally discredited, so it is not a true reflection of people’s will.
Therefore, for all intent and purpose, unless if we are to use the practical definition of democracy given to us by PDP in the last ten years, what we are celebrating on May 29 is anything but democracy. As Rev. Father Matthew Kukah noted in a lecture he delivered at the 1st Abraham Adesanya Memorial Lecture, at the National Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, that democracy should incorporate ‘adequate provision of social services, adequate access to health, education, some measure of social welfare and security, guarantee rights to private property etc.’ to the citizenry. Which of these benefits are we benefitting from as Nigerians?
I keep on saying and I think I spoke to so many people on that, the future of our country and the future of generation yet to come depends on the decision we take now, either as individuals or collectively to say enough of this madness. We have to ensure, as Nigerians, that the true voice of people determines leadership at all levels of governance. Nigerians need to take a decision that they will make the PDP and the political elites to behave responsibly. We are the ones to change our country not an angel or angels coming down from heaven.
Anyway congratulations Nigeria for witnessing, for the first time, ten years of civilian rule but not democracy.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Adamawa state: still fighting to achieve good governance?
Adamawa state: still fighting to achieve good governance?
The media has been awash lately with news and analyses of Admiral Murtala Nyako’s style of stewardship of Adamawa State. The first salvo was fired by a group of ‘concerned Adamawa citizens’ who in a paid advertorial accused Nyako of appointing a large number of members of his immediate family in different government positions – this was later confirmed through a rejoinder by the government with the excuse that the Nyako family is found all over Africa. Last year, being my role model, I was forced to write in the New Nigerian, (October 1, 2008, page 11), to advise him on his decision to actively involve his family members in governance.
Similarly in an interview with a weekly newspaper, Newspage, (April 13 – 19, 2009 P.33), Alhaji Adamu Modibbo, a one-time governorship candidate in Adamawa State and now Chief Executive Officer, Sigma Pension seems to share the same views. He said in part “He (Nyako) is never in the State. He left the running of the state to his senior son, Abdulaziz who is a serving military officer. Nothing moves without the boy’s knowledge. Abdulaziz is the biggest contractor and commission collector in Adamawa State today.” He went on to add “At the party level, Nyako who is the leader of the party has also failed; the structure in the state is amusing why? Because the party chairman and the governor are from the same ward. In fact they are related which is wrong. In a State where you have intellectuals this is unacceptable.” These are damning testimonies of how Nyako has disappointed many an Adamawa state citizen within and in the Diaspora.
Adamawa State has been blessed with past and latter day political leaders and technocrats. In fact, Adamawa state can be described as the political driving force of the North East. The tradition has been that the former group benefitted the state and its people far more than the latter group.
The former group brought development and empowerment to the people and the State as a whole at the slightest opportunity. The federal University, the airport, the NNPC depot etc were brought by these group, while technocrats within this group brought about empowerment for their people as exemplified by the late Salihijo Ahmad of blessed memory.
The latter day political class failed to emulate and build on the modest achievements of the former political class despite the fact that one of them occupied the number two citizen status in Nigeria. For the eight years of part one of this republic, Adamawa state, despite achieving this feat, was left to fallow.
Coming from the above scenario, the people of Adamawa could be forgiven for rallying behind the mango farmer to usher them in the second part of the political journey in this republic. Having been amongst the first set of political leaders and technocrats, it was unanimously concurred that Admiral Murtala Nyako will certainly behave in the same manner and ways as his co-travelers. The expectation was therefore for him to provide quality leadership in the provision of the much needed infrastructural development, people empowerment through selfless service.
But unfortunately, these expectations as hoped and prayed by the people of Adamawa could not be met by Nyako. He chooses instead to empower members of his family and in an effort to take greed to its highest level, brought his own son to partake in the governance of the state.
What could have pushed Nyako to, at his age and accomplishment, dwell on the path of nepotism rather than dwelling on the path of self righteousness, love of the people and selfless service? Does Nyako not know that this rare opportunity given to him by God Almighty is like bringing back a man from the dead for him to right all the wrongs he did before death after realizing same at death?
Adamawa state is one of the few states in Nigeria today that are yet to experience what good governance is all about, especially in this democratic dispensation, despite the fact that it habours brilliant people of high intellect, top class business men and women and also top level technocrats who labour day and night in building a greater Nigeria.
It is therefore pertinent for the good people of Adamawa state, especially the political elites, to come together and put their house in order by in the first instance calling Nyako to order and then if he fails to heed to the calls plan for an alternative that will meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people. Adamawa state cannot continue like this.
You cannot run a government as a business enterprise or family. Governance is trust, confidence which the electorates have for you. Was it not Admiral who declared after he was re-elected as governor that he won the re-run election basically because of the trust, which the people of Adamawa have on him? He told group of journalist in Yola immediately after the announcement of the election results that the previous administration that ruled the state for eight years did practically nothing. And it was true, the previous administration was a complete mess, but the question is; can Baba Mai Mangoro be different from his predecessor if his government is run as a family affair? Why all the political elites are silent about this?
As I said in my advice to him, nobody, even his critics can doubt his integrity, but he has to be very careful. He should run his family separate from governance, especially his children. On their part, the political elites in Adamawa have to speak out and tell Admiral the truth, if not, Adamawa people will be forced to take a decision come 2011.
The media has been awash lately with news and analyses of Admiral Murtala Nyako’s style of stewardship of Adamawa State. The first salvo was fired by a group of ‘concerned Adamawa citizens’ who in a paid advertorial accused Nyako of appointing a large number of members of his immediate family in different government positions – this was later confirmed through a rejoinder by the government with the excuse that the Nyako family is found all over Africa. Last year, being my role model, I was forced to write in the New Nigerian, (October 1, 2008, page 11), to advise him on his decision to actively involve his family members in governance.
Similarly in an interview with a weekly newspaper, Newspage, (April 13 – 19, 2009 P.33), Alhaji Adamu Modibbo, a one-time governorship candidate in Adamawa State and now Chief Executive Officer, Sigma Pension seems to share the same views. He said in part “He (Nyako) is never in the State. He left the running of the state to his senior son, Abdulaziz who is a serving military officer. Nothing moves without the boy’s knowledge. Abdulaziz is the biggest contractor and commission collector in Adamawa State today.” He went on to add “At the party level, Nyako who is the leader of the party has also failed; the structure in the state is amusing why? Because the party chairman and the governor are from the same ward. In fact they are related which is wrong. In a State where you have intellectuals this is unacceptable.” These are damning testimonies of how Nyako has disappointed many an Adamawa state citizen within and in the Diaspora.
Adamawa State has been blessed with past and latter day political leaders and technocrats. In fact, Adamawa state can be described as the political driving force of the North East. The tradition has been that the former group benefitted the state and its people far more than the latter group.
The former group brought development and empowerment to the people and the State as a whole at the slightest opportunity. The federal University, the airport, the NNPC depot etc were brought by these group, while technocrats within this group brought about empowerment for their people as exemplified by the late Salihijo Ahmad of blessed memory.
The latter day political class failed to emulate and build on the modest achievements of the former political class despite the fact that one of them occupied the number two citizen status in Nigeria. For the eight years of part one of this republic, Adamawa state, despite achieving this feat, was left to fallow.
Coming from the above scenario, the people of Adamawa could be forgiven for rallying behind the mango farmer to usher them in the second part of the political journey in this republic. Having been amongst the first set of political leaders and technocrats, it was unanimously concurred that Admiral Murtala Nyako will certainly behave in the same manner and ways as his co-travelers. The expectation was therefore for him to provide quality leadership in the provision of the much needed infrastructural development, people empowerment through selfless service.
But unfortunately, these expectations as hoped and prayed by the people of Adamawa could not be met by Nyako. He chooses instead to empower members of his family and in an effort to take greed to its highest level, brought his own son to partake in the governance of the state.
What could have pushed Nyako to, at his age and accomplishment, dwell on the path of nepotism rather than dwelling on the path of self righteousness, love of the people and selfless service? Does Nyako not know that this rare opportunity given to him by God Almighty is like bringing back a man from the dead for him to right all the wrongs he did before death after realizing same at death?
Adamawa state is one of the few states in Nigeria today that are yet to experience what good governance is all about, especially in this democratic dispensation, despite the fact that it habours brilliant people of high intellect, top class business men and women and also top level technocrats who labour day and night in building a greater Nigeria.
It is therefore pertinent for the good people of Adamawa state, especially the political elites, to come together and put their house in order by in the first instance calling Nyako to order and then if he fails to heed to the calls plan for an alternative that will meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people. Adamawa state cannot continue like this.
You cannot run a government as a business enterprise or family. Governance is trust, confidence which the electorates have for you. Was it not Admiral who declared after he was re-elected as governor that he won the re-run election basically because of the trust, which the people of Adamawa have on him? He told group of journalist in Yola immediately after the announcement of the election results that the previous administration that ruled the state for eight years did practically nothing. And it was true, the previous administration was a complete mess, but the question is; can Baba Mai Mangoro be different from his predecessor if his government is run as a family affair? Why all the political elites are silent about this?
As I said in my advice to him, nobody, even his critics can doubt his integrity, but he has to be very careful. He should run his family separate from governance, especially his children. On their part, the political elites in Adamawa have to speak out and tell Admiral the truth, if not, Adamawa people will be forced to take a decision come 2011.
GOMBE 2011: As the clock ticks down
GOMBE 2011: As the clock ticks down
As the 2011 general election approaches, so many people at various levels have started jostling for various political offices from the minute to the exalted. Although in some parties, like the PDP – the so-called biggest in Africa, this is a closed matter, however, in actual sense it is not, considering the fact that even within the PDP there are people who opposed the decision of the party leaders to give all their political office holders an automatic tickets.
Last year I did what I regarded as an honest and down to earth speculatory analysis of the likely contenders for the gubernatorial seat in Gombe state, (Sunday Trust, November 9, 2008. Pg 28). The responses I received through text messages, phone calls and email messages showed the fears of people of Gombe on who to succeed the present governor. This is obvious considering the fact that in its ten years of existence, the state was able to witness tremendous achievements under the leadership of the present Governor, Danjuma Goje, especially in his first four years. I also received bashing from people that felt I have unnecessarily tried to discredit their candidates. In fact, there were people who threatened to send Kalare boys to deal with me.
My intention in the said article was not to discredit, tarnish or undermine anyone who wants to be governor of Gombe state in 2011, but was to draw the attention of all those who have interest and show it and those who for fear are still hiding behind the shadows that, it is time politics take a new direction in the state, from non-ideological, loyalist and focus less politics to a more people and development oriented in which the to be candidates present their programmes to the people and on the basis of those well articulated programmes seek people’s mandate.
Gombe state is one of the few states where money and violence politics became the determinants of how powerful a candidate is. This is evident in the way and manner political campaigns were conducted prior to the elections in 2003 and 2007. All indications are pointing to the fact that the 2011 elections will not be different either. Last wek the media reported how a group of thugs alleged to be Kalare boys storm the shop of a cassette dealer in the state capital and tried to cut him into pieces. When they failed, they set the shop ablaze and took to their heels.
The most frightening aspect of the whole kalare saga in Gombe is that the police in the state appear to be impotent as these boys hold the state and its people to ransom. The police are the greatest culprit here despite the fact that we are aware of the fact that there are strong allegations that these kalare boys are supported by the Governor. Governor Goje himself is not helping the matter; in fact some people accused him of fully supporting these boys.
One other issue that will play a bigger role in the 2011 election is money. Prior to 1999 a first perquisite of determining a governorship candidate was to be a former minister of the federal republic. The first few gubernatorial candidates in Gombe state before 1999 with the exception of late Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed and Barrister Achana Gius Yaro were former ministers.
The likes of Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, and Alhaji Abubakar Hashidu were all former ministers. It followed that pattern with the entry of Alhaji Danjuma Goje, and Alhaji Murtala Aliyu to the race in 2003. This continued up to 2007, where the likes of Alhaji Musa Mohammed and Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo, all former ministers joined the gubernatorial candidates list. So no wonder then, anyone appointed a minister is seeing as a likely gubernatorial candidate in Gombe state. That is why people alleged that the removal of Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo and selecting Hajiya Aisha Dukku as a Minister from the state was to pave way for somebody who the Governor is preparing him to succeed him.
However, people of Gombe have to be very careful this time around, because for now, all those who showed interest, and even those who are still operating behind the shadows, we have not seen any candidate that can be said, has programme that will be regarded as an agenda for the development of the young state. I am not sure but as I am talking to you now, there is no any candidate among those who want to lead the state that can give exact figure of primary school going children in the state and the number classroom blocks in the state, or number of malaria cases in the state for 2008. They cannot give you the exact number of unemployed in the state or how many bags of fertilizer the state needs in a farming year.
Furthermore, our desire to see the continuation of the good works we have seen in the first four years of Governor Goje is becoming bleak daily. It is only when we see well articulated programmes and development driven agenda from a person that we believe mean well for the state that we will regard a candidate as serious. It is not enough for any candidate to start going to the press, granting visionless interviews, to think that people will take him serious.
Therefore, the people of Gombe will be left at the mercy of opportunistic politicians whose idea of governance, is to be in power to steal public money. We have seen what they have done in the past and what they are doing now. In fact, we might say these people are not qualified in anyway to be our leaders. I may have love to call them by their names and expose them for what they are and what they stand for, but I feel is better to give them a chance to see before 2010 if they can come out with programmes on how they can continue or build on the foundation laid by the present Governor.
Governor Goje on his part should do the people of Gombe state good if he maintains the absolute neutrality he is known for and allow the people to choose their leaders. Gombe state is bigger than each and every one of us. We are not saying Goje is perfect, he has his own problems, but at least he has recorded tremendous achievements incomparable to any of his predecessors. But he has to be very careful, and he knows that, because all those shouting to succeed him today are people whose sole interest is to be in power in order to revert the state to pre-Goje era of money sharing government.
Anyone interested in contesting the governor’s seat should first of all do away with the idea of kalare politics, which in recent years turned the state into a lawless society of sort. He should present programmes on how to tackle the issue of unemployment, which as suggested by many analysts is the genesis of the upsurge of kalare activities in the state. He has to also present his policies on agriculture, education and health care. He should also try to ensure that apart from the existing projects, he should come with more. How is he going to address the issue of environmental degradation and energy etc?
These are some of the key issues any political candidate ought to have presented to the electorate, not the number of kalare groups he has on his pay roll or the support he gets from above or from the Governor. It is then that we can be able to address the core issues that become bane of development of our young state.
As the 2011 general election approaches, so many people at various levels have started jostling for various political offices from the minute to the exalted. Although in some parties, like the PDP – the so-called biggest in Africa, this is a closed matter, however, in actual sense it is not, considering the fact that even within the PDP there are people who opposed the decision of the party leaders to give all their political office holders an automatic tickets.
Last year I did what I regarded as an honest and down to earth speculatory analysis of the likely contenders for the gubernatorial seat in Gombe state, (Sunday Trust, November 9, 2008. Pg 28). The responses I received through text messages, phone calls and email messages showed the fears of people of Gombe on who to succeed the present governor. This is obvious considering the fact that in its ten years of existence, the state was able to witness tremendous achievements under the leadership of the present Governor, Danjuma Goje, especially in his first four years. I also received bashing from people that felt I have unnecessarily tried to discredit their candidates. In fact, there were people who threatened to send Kalare boys to deal with me.
My intention in the said article was not to discredit, tarnish or undermine anyone who wants to be governor of Gombe state in 2011, but was to draw the attention of all those who have interest and show it and those who for fear are still hiding behind the shadows that, it is time politics take a new direction in the state, from non-ideological, loyalist and focus less politics to a more people and development oriented in which the to be candidates present their programmes to the people and on the basis of those well articulated programmes seek people’s mandate.
Gombe state is one of the few states where money and violence politics became the determinants of how powerful a candidate is. This is evident in the way and manner political campaigns were conducted prior to the elections in 2003 and 2007. All indications are pointing to the fact that the 2011 elections will not be different either. Last wek the media reported how a group of thugs alleged to be Kalare boys storm the shop of a cassette dealer in the state capital and tried to cut him into pieces. When they failed, they set the shop ablaze and took to their heels.
The most frightening aspect of the whole kalare saga in Gombe is that the police in the state appear to be impotent as these boys hold the state and its people to ransom. The police are the greatest culprit here despite the fact that we are aware of the fact that there are strong allegations that these kalare boys are supported by the Governor. Governor Goje himself is not helping the matter; in fact some people accused him of fully supporting these boys.
One other issue that will play a bigger role in the 2011 election is money. Prior to 1999 a first perquisite of determining a governorship candidate was to be a former minister of the federal republic. The first few gubernatorial candidates in Gombe state before 1999 with the exception of late Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed and Barrister Achana Gius Yaro were former ministers.
The likes of Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, and Alhaji Abubakar Hashidu were all former ministers. It followed that pattern with the entry of Alhaji Danjuma Goje, and Alhaji Murtala Aliyu to the race in 2003. This continued up to 2007, where the likes of Alhaji Musa Mohammed and Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo, all former ministers joined the gubernatorial candidates list. So no wonder then, anyone appointed a minister is seeing as a likely gubernatorial candidate in Gombe state. That is why people alleged that the removal of Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo and selecting Hajiya Aisha Dukku as a Minister from the state was to pave way for somebody who the Governor is preparing him to succeed him.
However, people of Gombe have to be very careful this time around, because for now, all those who showed interest, and even those who are still operating behind the shadows, we have not seen any candidate that can be said, has programme that will be regarded as an agenda for the development of the young state. I am not sure but as I am talking to you now, there is no any candidate among those who want to lead the state that can give exact figure of primary school going children in the state and the number classroom blocks in the state, or number of malaria cases in the state for 2008. They cannot give you the exact number of unemployed in the state or how many bags of fertilizer the state needs in a farming year.
Furthermore, our desire to see the continuation of the good works we have seen in the first four years of Governor Goje is becoming bleak daily. It is only when we see well articulated programmes and development driven agenda from a person that we believe mean well for the state that we will regard a candidate as serious. It is not enough for any candidate to start going to the press, granting visionless interviews, to think that people will take him serious.
Therefore, the people of Gombe will be left at the mercy of opportunistic politicians whose idea of governance, is to be in power to steal public money. We have seen what they have done in the past and what they are doing now. In fact, we might say these people are not qualified in anyway to be our leaders. I may have love to call them by their names and expose them for what they are and what they stand for, but I feel is better to give them a chance to see before 2010 if they can come out with programmes on how they can continue or build on the foundation laid by the present Governor.
Governor Goje on his part should do the people of Gombe state good if he maintains the absolute neutrality he is known for and allow the people to choose their leaders. Gombe state is bigger than each and every one of us. We are not saying Goje is perfect, he has his own problems, but at least he has recorded tremendous achievements incomparable to any of his predecessors. But he has to be very careful, and he knows that, because all those shouting to succeed him today are people whose sole interest is to be in power in order to revert the state to pre-Goje era of money sharing government.
Anyone interested in contesting the governor’s seat should first of all do away with the idea of kalare politics, which in recent years turned the state into a lawless society of sort. He should present programmes on how to tackle the issue of unemployment, which as suggested by many analysts is the genesis of the upsurge of kalare activities in the state. He has to also present his policies on agriculture, education and health care. He should also try to ensure that apart from the existing projects, he should come with more. How is he going to address the issue of environmental degradation and energy etc?
These are some of the key issues any political candidate ought to have presented to the electorate, not the number of kalare groups he has on his pay roll or the support he gets from above or from the Governor. It is then that we can be able to address the core issues that become bane of development of our young state.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The North persistent poverty
The North persistent poverty
I have to admit that two things inspired me to write this piece. First, an issue raised by a friend in New Nigerian Weekly (April 11, 2009), on Zakat. Second; is the issue of social security which the National Assembly and the Federal Government want to introduce [?]. Also a friend posted a piece on trust writers’ forum blog commending Alhaji Adamu Kiyawa on an educative programme he presents on Freedom FM. Although I am not privileged to listen to Adamu Kiyawa, but I know Adamu has to be courageous enough to present a programme like that.
There is no time in the nation’s history that we need a working social security system like this time, especially in Northern Nigeria, where begging, almajirci, maula or what is popularly referred to as kafanka jarin ka in places like Gombe and some states in the North-East of Nigeria became part of our culture. Nothing disgraces one as a Northerner or a Muslim travelling with a Southern Christian friend, to be faced with a young boy that is supposed to be under the full care of his mother, but is sent away to a distant place in the name of acquiring Islamic education. What a pity. I was discussing with a friend last week who is leaving in Iran, an Islamic country, where he told me that what really fascinates him about life in that country was its social order. Despite being under several US and European sanctions, the leaders in Iran were able to maintain a social and political order in that country.
Several efforts were put forward by some NGOs and CLOs in the country to reform the almajiri system so that it will conform to modern challenges, however to no avail. In fact, it has even worsened the situation. This is partly due to two reasons; one is the failure of governments at all level to drive social welfare programmes that will accommodate poor and disadvantaged families and second is the attitude of our people who are always reluctant to accept changes. I quite disagree with people who suggest that the persistent poverty in the North is caused by ignorance or illiteracy, we have enough educated people and informed society that can be able to stand on its own in terms of economic independence, but our leaders are too selfish to utilise that.
We have a culture, a religion, social and political heritage that provides answer to all our social and economic problems; however we are not finding the solutions from there. Islam has an organised social security and solidarity incomparable to any, obtained in this modern world. Not all will accept that, but if the social security system we have in place failed to take care of our poor, destitute and the old in our society why can’t we go back to the Islamic system? Islam has an established social security system through zakat (which is an obligatory charity), donations, religious endowments, expiation, and vows etc. to enable man to lead a decent life.
However, today Muslims in Northern Nigeria found themseves in a dilemma of managing their society in a fast and changing world, not because their religion did not offer them solution but just because they left it to grab ideas built on the basis of greed and materialism. God says in the Holy Quran what means: “Behold, ye are those invited to spend (of your substance) in the Way of Allah: but among you are some that are niggardly. But any who are niggardly are so at the expense of their own souls. But Allah is free of all wants, and it is ye that are needy. If ye turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you”(38:47).
Islam obliges a Muslim to help the poor ; even if obligatory charity (Zakat) and (voluntary) charity are not adequate, subsistence available should be common to all the members of society, as God says in the Holy Quran what means: “… Thus, it will not remain monopolized by the rich among you” (59:7).
Leading a decent life is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by Islam 14 centuries ago which unlike the one introduced by the West, which started 2 centuries ago, is not a result of human experiences gained through development of the political and economic systems but on the basis that we are not created equal, so we must help each other. Islam stresses the importance of justice by leaders and ensuring a social security and solidarity. The Prophet (PBUH) warned leaders against injustice when he said in an authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (R) that “Whenever he whom God, exalted be He, made a president of some people dies, while he is unjust to his people, God would deprive him from going to Paradise.”
So our understanding of the religion makes us to know that in Islam the final goal of humanity is God. From Him we come, for Him we live and to Him we shall all return. In fact, the sole purpose of creation as described by the Qur’an is to worship God and serve His cause, the cause of truth and justice, of love and mercy, of brotherhood and morality. Until and unless we understand this well, we will continue seeing the deprivation, abject poverty and decay in our social structure. Nobody is advocating for the establishment of shari’ah in Nigeria, which is so politicised that it has lost its flavour and substance. To be frank, if an Islamic social security and solidarity can be established in for instance Kano, Zamfara, Bauchi etc. instead of the so-called shari’ah established in these states we will have a situation where even non-muslims will be migrating to these states to taste the justice which the system offers.
For me we can do a lot of good to ourselves if we revert to the Islamic way of social security and solidarity, which in reality is the foundation upon which the shari’ah system is built. In Islam the role of the individual is complementary to that of society. Between the two there are social solidarity and mutual responsibility. The system makes the individual responsible for the common welfare and prosperity of his society. This responsibility is not only to the society but to God, therefore he feels a sense of commitment to his creator which will make him work with a sound social-mindedness and genuine feelings of inescapable responsibility.
On the other hand the society does the same to the individual, thus the society provides security and care, should the individual becomes disabled or old. The concept of one dominating the other therefore does not arise. There is no state to dominate the individual and abrogate his personal entity. Likewise, there is no individual or class of individuals to exploit the society and corrupt the state. There is harmony with peace and mutual security. There is a constructive interaction between the individual and society. This is something that we should start thinking about and base our argument on that, although too idealistic but since it has happened in history I believe we can revive it and do it in order to address the social and economic problems we find ourselves in.
I have to admit that two things inspired me to write this piece. First, an issue raised by a friend in New Nigerian Weekly (April 11, 2009), on Zakat. Second; is the issue of social security which the National Assembly and the Federal Government want to introduce [?]. Also a friend posted a piece on trust writers’ forum blog commending Alhaji Adamu Kiyawa on an educative programme he presents on Freedom FM. Although I am not privileged to listen to Adamu Kiyawa, but I know Adamu has to be courageous enough to present a programme like that.
There is no time in the nation’s history that we need a working social security system like this time, especially in Northern Nigeria, where begging, almajirci, maula or what is popularly referred to as kafanka jarin ka in places like Gombe and some states in the North-East of Nigeria became part of our culture. Nothing disgraces one as a Northerner or a Muslim travelling with a Southern Christian friend, to be faced with a young boy that is supposed to be under the full care of his mother, but is sent away to a distant place in the name of acquiring Islamic education. What a pity. I was discussing with a friend last week who is leaving in Iran, an Islamic country, where he told me that what really fascinates him about life in that country was its social order. Despite being under several US and European sanctions, the leaders in Iran were able to maintain a social and political order in that country.
Several efforts were put forward by some NGOs and CLOs in the country to reform the almajiri system so that it will conform to modern challenges, however to no avail. In fact, it has even worsened the situation. This is partly due to two reasons; one is the failure of governments at all level to drive social welfare programmes that will accommodate poor and disadvantaged families and second is the attitude of our people who are always reluctant to accept changes. I quite disagree with people who suggest that the persistent poverty in the North is caused by ignorance or illiteracy, we have enough educated people and informed society that can be able to stand on its own in terms of economic independence, but our leaders are too selfish to utilise that.
We have a culture, a religion, social and political heritage that provides answer to all our social and economic problems; however we are not finding the solutions from there. Islam has an organised social security and solidarity incomparable to any, obtained in this modern world. Not all will accept that, but if the social security system we have in place failed to take care of our poor, destitute and the old in our society why can’t we go back to the Islamic system? Islam has an established social security system through zakat (which is an obligatory charity), donations, religious endowments, expiation, and vows etc. to enable man to lead a decent life.
However, today Muslims in Northern Nigeria found themseves in a dilemma of managing their society in a fast and changing world, not because their religion did not offer them solution but just because they left it to grab ideas built on the basis of greed and materialism. God says in the Holy Quran what means: “Behold, ye are those invited to spend (of your substance) in the Way of Allah: but among you are some that are niggardly. But any who are niggardly are so at the expense of their own souls. But Allah is free of all wants, and it is ye that are needy. If ye turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you”(38:47).
Islam obliges a Muslim to help the poor ; even if obligatory charity (Zakat) and (voluntary) charity are not adequate, subsistence available should be common to all the members of society, as God says in the Holy Quran what means: “… Thus, it will not remain monopolized by the rich among you” (59:7).
Leading a decent life is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by Islam 14 centuries ago which unlike the one introduced by the West, which started 2 centuries ago, is not a result of human experiences gained through development of the political and economic systems but on the basis that we are not created equal, so we must help each other. Islam stresses the importance of justice by leaders and ensuring a social security and solidarity. The Prophet (PBUH) warned leaders against injustice when he said in an authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (R) that “Whenever he whom God, exalted be He, made a president of some people dies, while he is unjust to his people, God would deprive him from going to Paradise.”
So our understanding of the religion makes us to know that in Islam the final goal of humanity is God. From Him we come, for Him we live and to Him we shall all return. In fact, the sole purpose of creation as described by the Qur’an is to worship God and serve His cause, the cause of truth and justice, of love and mercy, of brotherhood and morality. Until and unless we understand this well, we will continue seeing the deprivation, abject poverty and decay in our social structure. Nobody is advocating for the establishment of shari’ah in Nigeria, which is so politicised that it has lost its flavour and substance. To be frank, if an Islamic social security and solidarity can be established in for instance Kano, Zamfara, Bauchi etc. instead of the so-called shari’ah established in these states we will have a situation where even non-muslims will be migrating to these states to taste the justice which the system offers.
For me we can do a lot of good to ourselves if we revert to the Islamic way of social security and solidarity, which in reality is the foundation upon which the shari’ah system is built. In Islam the role of the individual is complementary to that of society. Between the two there are social solidarity and mutual responsibility. The system makes the individual responsible for the common welfare and prosperity of his society. This responsibility is not only to the society but to God, therefore he feels a sense of commitment to his creator which will make him work with a sound social-mindedness and genuine feelings of inescapable responsibility.
On the other hand the society does the same to the individual, thus the society provides security and care, should the individual becomes disabled or old. The concept of one dominating the other therefore does not arise. There is no state to dominate the individual and abrogate his personal entity. Likewise, there is no individual or class of individuals to exploit the society and corrupt the state. There is harmony with peace and mutual security. There is a constructive interaction between the individual and society. This is something that we should start thinking about and base our argument on that, although too idealistic but since it has happened in history I believe we can revive it and do it in order to address the social and economic problems we find ourselves in.
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