Corruption, EFCC and validation of NACS

By Casmir Igbokwe

My intervention on this page last week drew some flak from unexpected quarters. Titled, ‘EFCC’s searchlight on Bello, Obiano and naira abusers’, the article mentioned the prosecution of two former governors – Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State – by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Their cases came up penultimate week in two different courts in Abuja. The piece also discussed the jailing of a cross-dresser, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju also known as Bobrisky, and the prosecution of Pascal Okechukwu also known as Cubana Chief Priest, in two different courts in Lagos for allegedly abusing the naira.

Hardly had the newspaper hit the news stand when one of Obiano’s aides (name withheld) queried why I added his principal in the write-up. “Let’s remove our personal biases from issues,” he fired. Obiano’s case, he added, was sub judice and my article was a continuation of what he called the media trial.    

He then concluded, “I was only reminding you an aspect of the press law that you know but might have failed to apply. Stay your comment on a matter that is sub judice. You would have your day when judgment would have been delivered. Comment on Obiano there is misapplication and completely inappropriate. It is simply a media trial. Seek legal opinion. After judgment, you can then run your comment. It is permitted under the law. I do not want to exploit the situation. We are friends and from the same state and as well as colleagues…”

Well, I’m not a lawyer. But, my simple response to him was that matters in court could be reported so long as it’s contemporaneous with what transpired in court. Besides, fair comment or reference to a case in court is not sub judice. What makes it sub judice is when one writes to influence the outcome. Let’s leave this here for now.    

The EFCC has also been accused of media trial many times. It is pertinent to note that the way and manner the Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede, spoke about the case with former Governor Bello further lent his critics the weapon to attempt to shoot him down. The EFCC boss had recently gathered some media executives in Abuja and made more damaging allegations against Bello. He accused him of taking the sum of $720,000 out of his state government’s account to settle the school fees of his children in advance shortly before leaving office. The school, American International School, Abuja, reportedly wrote the anti-graft agency to provide account number where a refund of the money could be made. It reportedly followed up by fully refunding $760,000 to the recovery account of the EFCC. Bello was accused of allegedly misappropriating about N80.2 billion belonging to Kogi State Government while he was governor.

Perhaps, Olukoyede’s passion for the job pushed him to threaten to resign as the EFCC Chairman if he failed to personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Bello. While lamenting the damage advance fee fraudsters have inflicted on the country, Olukoyede said Nigerian banks lost over N8 billion in the first nine months of 2022 to these internet fraudsters otherwise known as Yahoo-Yahoo boys. Within the same period, the Nigerian economy reportedly lost $706 million through cybercrime. According to him, over 71 per cent of companies operating in Nigeria were victims of cybercrime in 2022 alone. He is still waiting for the report of 2023.  

What riled Olukoyede more was the 419 training schools allegedly recruiting primary school pupils across the country. According to him, the parents of these pupils usually consent to this practice by signing an undertaking. The minors reportedly close from school about 2pm and then end up in the so-called 419 training schools where they are indoctrinated into cybercrime. It is strange to know that this practice has been in existence for over a decade. Before these pupils enter the university, they have become experts in hacking.  

With this type of scenario, is it possible for the country to win the war against corruption? Well, as a member of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (M&E) of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), I was part of the stakeholders’ round-table meeting in Abuja last week for the validation of the second phase of NACS 2022 – 2026. The meeting was part of the numerous efforts to eradicate corruption in Nigeria. The first phase of NACS, approved by the Federal Executive Council, ran from July 2017 to July 2021. The programme was established in compliance with Nigeria’s national and international obligations on fighting corruption. Nigeria had signed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2003. It was ratified in 2004.

Organized by the Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ) in Abuja in conjunction with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and funded by the European Union, the round-table meeting had a general overview of NACS 2022 – 2026 and the Action Plan. Mrs. Victoria Ojogbane, who is the Director Planning, Research and Statistics of the FMOJ implored the participants to give the document a good shot for the betterment of Nigeria. Mrs. Ojogbane represented the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba.  

Mr. Dala Pwanakei, who represented the Project Manager of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC 2), Dr Emmanuel Uche, spoke about the efforts to push NACS beyond federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) of government. According to him, the project is now implemented across six states: Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Kano, Lagos and Plateau States. He wished that what couldn’t be accomplished in the first phase could be done in the second phase.

In the first phase, structures were put in place, some sensitization and monitoring were done. Nevertheless, as FMOJ’s facilitator of the programme, Dr Ada Chidi-Igbokwe, noted, critical bodies were omitted in the first phase. The Head of Service of the Federation, for instance, was not a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) charged with the implementation of NACS. This, Dr Igbokwe noted, seriously affected the implementation of the first phase, as MDAs, which are under the Head of Service, were not committed.

Some other hindrances included the lack of a proper and functioning IMC whose responsibility it is to facilitate the Anti-Corruption Funding Framework (AFF) and development of sector-specific strategies in line with NACS. There are also budgetary challenges, especially with regard to the activities of the M&E Committee.  

The second phase comes with little changes. The IMC has now been expanded to include a number of high officials of government earlier omitted in the first phase.

It is imperative to note that NACS is anchored on five main pillars. They are prevention of corruption, public engagement, ethical re-orientation, enforcement and sanctions, and recovery and management of proceeds of crime. Implementation of the programme is phased into three levels. Level one revolves around strengthening the legal and institutional framework designed to prevent and combat corruption. Level two is about mainstreaming anti-corruption principles into governance and service delivery. Level three involves mainstreaming anti-corruption principles into sub-national public administration. All these are aimed at removing corruption related factors inhibiting government institutions’ accessibility and capacity to deliver quality service to Nigerians.    

With regard to the five technical objectives of NACS, stakeholders examined, among others, the strategies, key activities, implementing agencies, timeline and resources required to effectively achieve the desires objectives. In the area of prevention of corruption at the sub-national levels, for instance, key activities revolve around establishment of Anti-Corruption Bureau at all levels of government, passage or operationalization of anti-corruption laws modelled after the federal laws, establishment of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Units (ACTUs) in state MDAs and local government areas (LGAs). Another key activity is designation of special courts for trial of corruption cases, including economic and financial crimes, in all the states of the federation. Some of the bodies or agencies expected to implement these activities are state governments, state Houses of Assembly, state ministries of justice, local government chairmen, EFCC, State MDAs, Office of the Heads of Civil Service of the States and the FMOJ.

The level three of the second technical objective which has to do with public engagement will aim at partly addressing what the EFCC boss lamented about primary school pupils being recruited for cybercrimes. Among other activities, implementing agencies will seek to review the school curricular at all levels of education to accommodate corruption related issues. They will also implement training programmes on ethics and corruption issues for teachers and lecturers of public and private-owned schools at sub-national levels as well as conduct extensive anti-corruption education for staff of all state MDAs and the private sector. Expected to implement these tasks are such agencies as the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), Nigeria Union of Teachers, EFCC, among others.

It is not my intention to bore you with technical details of the NACS Action Plan. The most important thing is for Nigerians to be aware of the efforts being made to combat corruption in Nigeria especially at the MDAs where corruption has festered. With the level of rot in the system, it is not certain how this will pan out. Nevertheless, we cannot avoid war because of deaths. We will continue to do our best to push out the narratives. The rest will hang on the shoulders of those whose duty it is to eradicate corruption in our system.

Re: EFCC’s searchlight on Bello, Obiano and naira abusers

While it is true that the focus on Bobrisky and Cubana Chief Priest and to an extension all presumed Naira abusers are unwanted distractions, the cases of former Governors Willie Obiano of Anambra State and Yahaya Bello of Kogi State are good indices in the fight against corruption. The two former governors are like dogs who chewed the bones hung on their necks for safe keeping and as a result deserve to account for their deeds or misdeeds, if you like, in office. Whatever becomes the outcome of their cases, their arraignments serve to remind those currently on seat and the ones that will come after that definitely a day of reckoning awaits all.

–Aloy Uzoekwe, Awka, Anambra, 08038503174

Those saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption in Nigeria are too timid to call a spade a spade or call out former corrupt presidents – either directly or indirectly – to render account, and if need be, made to kiss the prison bars after due prosecution as observed in serious countries. Like Obasanjo, Tinubu when stung hardly forgives! He harbours a mind that fights back with tenacity, and when an occasion demands. Yahaya Bello is a dangerous snake who has only been scorched, not killed: he’ll certainly revive his Presidential ambition, come 2027. And this is bad music to Tinubu who feels Yahaya must be caged at all costs, and timely too. The so-called over N80 billion theft allegation is a mere facade or smokescreen to hide the political reason. Granted, though not conceding that it’s true, what has Yahaya Bello done that is any different from other corrupt former governors? But there are moral questions for all Nigerians. Had Yahaya successfully emerged president, would he not have been dusted, ‘cleaned up’ and decked in a Presidential attire? Would he be hunted by the EFCC today? Would he not be the hunter of the likes of Tinubu, Akpabio, and Dino Melaye? Would he not have the listed men as ‘guests’ of his appointed Head of the EFCC? There’s no true fight against graft in Nigeria. That’s why the more the EFCC sweats out and dramatises the catch of some new thieves of our billions of Naira, the more many thieves emerge with reckless abandon.

–Edet Essien Esq. Cal.South, +234 701 987 2815

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, April 29, 2024

EFCC’s searchlight on Bello, Obiano and Naira abusers

By Casmir Igbokwe

Erudite scholar, Professor PLO Lumumba, was quoted to have said that “in Japan, a corrupt person kills himself. In China, they will kill him. In Europe, they jail him. In Africa, he will present himself for election.” The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) appears bent on stopping this negative perception about corruption in Africa, nay Nigeria. The Commission’s latest guests happen to be two former governors. One is the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. The other is the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano. Some small fry called Bobrisky and Cubana Chief Priest, said to have abused the naira, are also in its trap.   

Bello was said to have defrauded his state to the tune of N80.2 billion. The EFCC arraigned him on April 18, 2024. But he was absent. Pronto, the anti-graft body declared him wanted. The police withdrew his security details and the Immigration placed him on watchlist. These are just the icing on Bello’s cakes of trouble.

The main menu is not yet ready. But nemesis appears to be in a hurry to exert revenge. Recall that in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bello’s Kogi State, one abomination occurred. Apart from about six people who lost their lives, a woman, Salome Abuh, was gruesomely murdered in her house for purportedly not supporting Bello and the APC. Abuh happened to be the women leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Wada Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward in the state. After the election, some thugs chanting, “GYB 4+4”, reportedly invaded Ms Abuh’s house, shooting sporadically. They bolted every exit and escape from outside, poured petrol on the building and set it on fire. Ms Abuh could not escape as bullets rained in her direction while the house burned. She cried from inside the inferno until her voice petered out. I was particularly pained by this callous act and my prayer then and even now is that the spirit of that woman should continue to haunt whoever had a hand in her death. 

In the February 25, 2023 general election in Kogi, more wonders happened. In a bizarre act, the Kogi state government excavated and cut off some roads in Kogi Central. The suspicion was that this was done to prevent access to some polling units by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agents. This was apparently to facilitate rigging of the senatorial election in favour of the former governor’s candidate. The roads in question lead to the senatorial district of the senatorial candidate of the PDP in the election, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Funnily enough, the state government explained that it excavated the roads as a deliberate security measure to cut off traffic on those roads in order to restrict criminals who had been breaching the peace of the area from using the roads.  

More bizarre was the plight of civil servants in Kogi State. In 2017, a director in the state civil service, Mr. Edward Soje, committed suicide because of his inability to provide for his family due to 11-month salary arrears the government owed him. His wife had given birth to a set of male triplets barely 10 days before the man took his life. Ironically, the babies came after 17 years of childlessness. Also, in September 2019, teachers in Kogi urged Bello to pay them 39 months’ salary arrears.

Bello survived his shenanigans in Kogi because of his immunity as governor and because he was a strong supporter of the then President Muhammadu Buhari. You know, once you are a loyal member of the APC, your sins, no matter how grievous, will be forgiven.

Now, Buhari is out of power and Bello is no more the governor. So, the chickens have come home to roost. So far, President Bola Tinubu has kept aloof. Remember that prior to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election held in June 2022, Bello did not hide the fact that he was opposed to the emergence of a southerner as President of Nigeria. He said there was nothing like zoning arrangement in the APC. This was even when northern governors had declared support for a president of southern extraction. He had picked up a form to contest for the presidency and had warned the National Working Committee of the APC and the northern governors that excluding him from the presidential primary election would create crisis for the party. Politicians don’t forget such disloyalty easily and, possibly, Tinubu has not forgotten.

The case of former governor Obiano of Anambra State is a bit dicey. The man his acolytes and admirers call Akpokuedike Global, is not a member of the APC. He is also not close to Tinubu. Hence, though his alleged sins are not more grievous than those of some of his colleagues who are enjoying their loot with peace of mind, he will have to bear his cross like an orphan who has nobody to defend him.

The current government in Anambra tried to defend him. It said it never complained that the state money was missing. This rescue attempt failed. Obiano also wanted the EFCC to leave him alone; that he should not be tried in Abuja for what happened in Anambra. This also failed. On April 18, 2024, he finally lost every bid to stop his trial as the anti-graft agency maintained that he had a case to answer.

It had charged him with nine-count money laundering offences involving stealing over N4 billion from Anambra state government security vote account. The EFCC claimed the funds were diverted through companies that had no business relationship with the state government. Such funds were allegedly converted to dollars and handed over to Obiano in dollar cash. The former governor denied the charges during his arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja in January this year. His full-blown trial will take place June 24, 25, 26 and 27. It will be an interesting legal battle.

Outside politicians, the EFCC has also beamed its searchlight on naira abusers. The cross-dresser, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, also known as Bobrisky, has become a major culprit. Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on April 12, 2024 sentenced him to six months imprisonment without an option of fine for mutilating naira notes to the tune of N490,000. This is contrary to and punishable under section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007.

On his part, businessman, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to decline jurisdiction on the naira abuse charges the EFCC instituted against him. Like Bobrisky, Cubana Chief Priest was accused of tampering with N500 notes at a social event, contrary to the CBN Act. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail to the tune of N10 million.

The truth is that Bobrisky and Cubana Chief Priest are scapegoats in an offence that is widespread in Nigeria. In almost all events in the country, be it wedding reception or burial ceremony, people spray money like water. I attended a number of events in my community in Anambra State during the last Easter period and I shuddered at the amount of money guests sprayed at some of these events. I understand that in some social clubs, it is mandatory for all members to spray certain amount of money to their colleague, the celebrant. For some of the clubs, the minimum to spray is N1 million or even more.

At the rate people commit this naira abuse, you begin to wonder if, truly, there is hardship in Nigeria as generally believed. Many Nigerians are good in unnecessary showmanship. It has become our tradition and I wonder if the EFCC can ever stop this trend.

It is all about our value system. Most of the people throwing money in this fashion hardly engage in any charitable work in their various communities. Their relatives may be dying of hunger and some other deprivations. That is not their business. All they want is to show to the crowd of onlookers that they have money; that they have arrived.

Nevertheless, the EFCC may have to look for more cells and prisons to contain the large number of Nigerians who may be convicted for spraying money during occasions. My point is that the anti-graft agency should focus more on bigger financial criminals than chasing naira abusers. Many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) make some expenditure without presenting payment vouchers, contrary to the provisions of the Financial Regulation 601. Besides the former governors, the Commission should also investigate some former presidents to show that we are serious about fighting corruption.

Let’s emulate a country like Guatemala, which in 2022, jailed former President Otto Perez and his Vice-President, Roxana Baldetti, 16 years each for corruption. The country’s court also fined them $1.10 million and $1.06 million respectively. Perez, who was in office between 2012 and 2015, was even forced out of office due to the corruption allegations.

The EFCC has done its best. But, I look forward to the day when a president or governor will be forced out of office in Nigeria for corruption. I look forward to the day when all former governors, now serving as ministers or senators but still collecting humongous life pensions, are forced to return the money to the treasury and tried for economic sabotage against their states. I look forward to the day when the EFCC will not just arraign one or two ex-governors but all of them who embezzled their states’ security votes while in office. Until then, Yahaya Bello and Willie Obiano appear to be fall guys.

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, April 22, 2024

Air Peace, Wike and Nigeria’s ethnic turbulence

By Casmir Igbokwe

Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace, experienced turbulence recently. But it was not in the air. It was on Nigeria’s social media space where ethnic jingoists decided to deploy a major tool in their arsenal – hate speech. It was soon after the inaugural flight of the airline to London on March 30, 2024. The occasion was supposed to be a moment of joy for every Nigerian because for the first time in a long while, Nigeria has an airline that flies its flag internationally at an affordable fare. Rather than hail the management of that airline for this great feat, some citizens decided to devote their time to mundane issues about the dress code of the cabin crew.

These Nigerians were not happy that the crew wore what they termed Igbo attire (jackets sewn with Igbo traditional ‘Isi-Agu’ fabrics) for the flight. Some individuals even threatened not to have anything to do with Air Peace again. They went as far as canvassing for the boycott of the airline. The questions are: what do these ethnic jingoists expect the crew to wear? And what has the crew’s uniform got to do with safety, low fares and seamless flight which every passenger expects from an international airline?

Meanwhile, none of the people vomiting this tribal bile is more patriotic or more Nigerian than the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema. In the heat of the xenophobia in South Africa a few years ago, Onyema volunteered his aircraft to evacuate stranded Nigerians of different ethnic and religious hue. He did the same thing during the recent crisis in Sudan. Many Nigerians who were beneficiaries of this gesture are eternally grateful to Air Peace.

True, ‘Isi-Agu’ fabric is associated with the Igbo. The owner of the airline is Igbo. I’m still wondering what crime he committed by showcasing the dress associated with the Igbo. Do we complain when we enter other international airlines and behold their crew dressed up to showcase their culture? If the crew members had worn ‘babanriga’, perhaps, nobody would have raised an eyebrow. Why are we like this?

It is this same mindset that informed the recent comment attributed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike. It was during the demolition of a property belonging to Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu in Asokoro district of Abuja. Wike allegedly said he would deal with the Igbo in Abuja just as he dealt with them in Port Harcourt. He was quoted to have said, “Why should an Igbo man be given such massive land?”

Wike himself is Igbo of Ikwerre extraction. Even if he is one of those who believe they are not Igbo, must he go to the extent of denigrating an entire ethnic group just to achieve a motive or prove a point? Already, a group known as the Igbo Community Assembly has decried his alleged statement, saying it amounted to intimidation and disrespect. It called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and call Wike to order. The group also called on Wike to publicly apologise to the Igbo within seven days or face the collective wrath of the Igbo and the gods of Igbo land.

In defending himself, Wike called Ukachukwu an ethnic jingoist and noted that the land in question did not have the approval of any minister, as it was allocated when there was no minister. He denied seeing any court order restraining him and the FCT administration from tampering with the property.

I am not interested in the legality or otherwise of the demolition. My concern is in the derogatory statement Wike allegedly made against the Igbo during the exercise. Did he actually make such a statement? I’m not sure he has denied it. All he reportedly said was, “Why do we behave like this in this country? We keep doing the same thing and expect different results. If you transfer a director, he would say, ‘Oh! It’s because I am Hausa.’ If you transfer another one, he would say, ‘it’s because I am a Muslim.’ But why?” To me, this is evasive. He needs to make a categorical statement on the alleged hate speech against the Igbo.

It is unfortunate that many individuals and groups in Nigeria view the Igbo with suspicion. Yes, they fought a bitter war with the rest of the country between 1967 and 1970. They lost millions of souls in that war. Since then, they have been crying of marginalization to no avail. The Yakubu Gowon regime had declared no victor, no vanquished after the war. His administration instituted what it called the three Rs: Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. Today, there is no true reconciliation. Reconstruction and rehabilitation appear to be in the figment of the imagination of those who coined the phrase.  

In the political arena, the Igbo are nowhere near the corridors of power. They are not found worthy to be President of Nigeria. And this is not even the point. The main issue is that some politicians deploy hate speech and ethnic sentiment to shove them out of contest and out of relevance. The 2019 and 2023 general elections are typical examples. Those who felt threatened by the population of Igbo in Lagos started warning that they should stay clear of voting anywhere in Lagos. They engineered crisis in some parts of the city and attributed it to the Igbo. Anywhere there is crisis in the country, people target their shops and properties for looting and destruction.

As we continue our march to true nationhood, Rwanda offers us a good example of what hate speech does to a people. On April 6, 1994, serious crisis erupted in that East African country between the majority Hutu ethnic group and the minority Tutsi. There had been ethnic tension between these two groups. But what triggered the genocide against the Tutsi was the downing of the aircraft carrying the then Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana, and his Burundian counterpart, Cyprien Ntaryamira. Everyone on board, including the two Presidents, who were Hutu, died in that incident.

Hutu extremists believed it was the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebels led by the incumbent President, Paul Kagame, that shot down the plane. They set up radio stations and newspapers to attack the Tutsi people. Their chant of “weed out the cockroaches” (kill the Tutsi) eventually resulted in the killing of about 800,000 people (mainly Tutsi) in about 100 days. It took the invasion of Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, by the RPF, backed by the Ugandan army, to restore normality to that country. The RPF took over power and Kagame, who has been President since 2000, frowned seriously upon ethnic sentiment in his country. His government outlawed anyone identifying himself by his ethnic origin. Today, Rwanda towers above many African countries in terms of socio-economic transformation and human development index. The country’s flag carrier, RwandAir, is doing well without any such distraction as whether the crew members wear Hutu or Tutsi traditional dress.    

While it may not be feasible to outlaw identification by ethnic origin in Nigeria, we can take certain steps to engender a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. And the major thing we can do is to devolve power to the regions as it was done during the First Republic. Concentration of power at the centre is the root of our political problems. Every region struggles to grab power and run with it because having that power guarantees unlimited access to the resources of the country. It guarantees that the man at the helm appoints whoever comes to his fancy, mainly people of his ethnic stock, to what we consider juicy portfolios. We have the federal character principle, as enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It stipulates fairness and equity in the distribution of appointments and other entitlements in the country. But most leaders do not reckon with that constitutional provision. Nepotism, ethnicity, favouritism and such similar lexicons have become the cardinal principle of state policies. Merit is often relegated to the background.

The onus is on our leaders, both at the executive and legislative levels, to save Nigeria from perdition. Let there be an executive bill for the restructuring of the country. Let our lawmakers expedite action on the bill so that our federalism will truly be what it ought to be. Some small nations around us are getting it right. Liberia and Senegal are typical examples. They had seamless, free and credible presidential elections recently to the admiration of the whole world. Why can’t we do the same thing in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu should save this country because time is running out.          

Re: Former governors and life pension

Casmir, the scriptures, without mincing words, was spot on in its unequivocal and categorical statement that; “the heart of men (ex and serving ministers, ex and serving presidents etc still receiving life pensions as ex-governors of their states) is desperately wicked”. There is truism in the statement that; monkey (tax payers) dey work, baboon (exploiters of docile followership) dey chop. But ‘one day’ baboon go go market, e no go return when ‘monkey vex’, because, baboon don ‘over do am’ as we say in local parlance. Out of office, these career politicians don’t want to be weaned from the purse or treasuries of their states. Herein lies the idea behind the life pensions laws. While in office, they become addicted to a life of opulence & extravagance to oil the political structures that are kept for their life–long future ambitions. Some of these present governors remain unperturbed by these notorious life pension laws, because they are potential beneficiaries. Thumbs up to the governors who have repealed this self–centred law. But thumbs down to those who are yet to!

–Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

Casmir, most people that found themselves in different places as governors and top public servants often are carried away by the enormous goodies emanating from such portfolio that they forgot that there’s a time limit. Their failures to deliver the dividends of democracy stare them on their faces. They abhor anything that will make them come back to their original position before they got to office. The fear of the unknown forces them to bribe the house of assembly to enact such laws. Unfortunately, their greed and inefficient distribution of dividends of democracy creates a wide gully in the financial status of the governors and the governed. This has continued to bring tension among the governed. Governors and other public servants who excelled in the provisions of essential services to their people have no need for pensions after vacating their position because the progress of their subjects will always be a source of comfort and unquantifiable pensions to them.

–Pharm Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, April 15, 2024

Former governors and life pension

By Casmir Igbokwe

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is a former governor of Akwa Ibom State. As a governor, he had the resources of the state at his beck and call. This is not to talk about security votes which most governors appropriate and use as it suits them. Today, Akpabio is out of office as governor, but he is in a higher office currently. As Senate President, he collects humongous salary and sundry allowances. He also collects constituency projects and superintends over the sharing of some largesse to the members of the National Assembly. The recent disbursement of ‘prayer-cum-holiday token’ to senators as well as the delivery of brand new sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to our federal lawmakers is still fresh in the memories of Nigerians.

Despite all these, Akpabio is among the ex-governors who are entitled to life pensions in Nigeria. It sounds ridiculous, but that is Nigeria for you. Most people contest for power not to serve but to milk the resources of the country and further impoverish the masses. While the principal officials of this government are swimming in money, costly mansions and expensive SUVs, the majority of Nigerians are dying in penury. Most families can hardly afford a good meal a day. But our former governors, some of whom are ministers and senators, relish collecting double pay in the name of life pension.

It was then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President, who signed the life pension law in Lagos in 2007. In the original law, Tinubu and other former governors were entitled to 100 per cent of the basic annual salary of the incumbent governor per annum. They were also entitled to a house each in Abuja and Lagos (for those who had completed two terms in office.) Some other goodies included six brand new cars every three years, car maintenance allowance, furniture allowance and other sundry allowances.

In 2020, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hinted that the state would repeal the law because of dwindling revenue and to cut cost of governance. It was not until August 2021 that the state House of Assembly slashed the pension benefits by 50 per cent.

Please note that it was not Lagos that first attempted to repeal the law. The first state to abrogate it in 2019 is Zamfara State.  Imo State followed suit in 2020. Governor Hope Uzodimma, to the surprise of many critics, quickly signed the law repealing it when it came to his table. He described the law as a bad omen. Though Kwara State repealed the law in 2021, the state House of Assembly had passed a bill in 2018 suspending payment of pensions to ex-governors and their deputies still in public service.  

Late last month, Abia State joined the noble states that have repealed this law. In signing the bill into law, Governor Alex Otti said he “strongly believes that any leader who believes that leadership is a business has lost his way.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed the feelings of many Nigerians when he described the pensions law as daylight robbery. He advised other governors to emulate Otti.

I wonder what the about 18 states that have not abrogated that law are still waiting for? The states are Ebonyi, Edo, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Gombe, Kogi, Niger, and Yobe. Many of these states are neck-deep in debt and owe arrears of salaries and pensions. They should emulate Zamfara, Abia, Imo and Kwara States in abrogating this pension law.

A civil society organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) deserves commendation for being in the forefront of the fight to abolish this law in all the states. On November 16, 2019, SERAP obtained a judgement from Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court in Lagos asking the federal government to stop pensions to ex-governors and recover pensions already collected by them. Former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to abide by this ruling. Last week, SERAP wrote President Tinubu asking him to obey the court judgement by stopping the life pensions.

Come to think of it, why will someone who served his state for just eight years collect humongous pensions while civil servants who put in up to 35 years in service are largely denied their pensions? In Abia State which just repealed the law, pensioners were reportedly owed pensions since 2014, but some former governors who put them in that state of affairs continued to enjoy unmerited pensions. These ex-governors and their deputies were entitled to 100 per cent of the annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy. Like the Lagos pension law, they were also entitled to houses in Abia and Abuja. There were many other allowances and entitlements. This is despite the fact that some of these ex-governors are either serving ministers or senators and receive salaries in such capacities.    

This is being insensitive to the plight of ordinary Nigerians. Hunger and poverty have delt with millions of Nigerians. The incumbent government worsened the situation with the sudden removal of fuel subsidy. This led to galloping inflation and the skyrocketing prices of essential food items.

The tragedy of our existence as a people is that Nigerians have mastered the art of suffering and smiling. We watch skits making fun of our existential problems and laugh. And it ends there. In a country where the rule of law prevails and people are alive to their responsibilities, there would have been serious protests against the undue grabbing of our common resources by the ruling class. A High Court had ruled that the federal government should stop the life pensions and recover whatever had been collected. But that judgement was ignored and nothing has happened. To the best of my knowledge, there was no appeal against the judgement. And we pretend to be practising a democracy! Until the government heeds the calls by Nigerians for restructuring of the country, we will continue to go round and round our problems without any visible solution.    

Happy Easter!

Re: Shameful condition of Nigerian universities

There is no need belabouring yourself on how to adequately fund the federal institutions of higher education. Until the right thing is done which is to go back to the realistic principles of federal system of government as practised in the First Republic, the education along with other sectors of governance will continue to deteriorate beyond redemption. Nigerian political leaders especially the cabal in the north have stridently kicked against restoration of the principles of federal system of government through the restructuring of the lopsided Federation.

They deliberately foisted the Unitary-Federal contraption backed up with the 1999 Constitution deceptively described as “as amended” to give it a semblance of federal constitution which is in line with the preferences and venality of the Fulani Feudal Oligarchy that believe that they alone can dictate how the country would be structured and governed. Take for instance the pervasive and intractable insecurity throughout the country which stemmed from the centralized security architecture contrary to what is obtained in the heterogeneous society the world over.

Political Science has underlining principles and consequently if any of them is violated, there will be disastrous developments. In the first republic security was run by the Regional Governments and things were moving forward in addition to what was described as “Competitive Federalism” when the respective Regional Governments under the ethnic nationalities were developing at their own pace. In Federations the world over, the Central government does not run secondary schools and university cum polytechnic.  Education should be for the Federating Units which has to tailor the needs of their peoples’ values and world view. 

It is plain inanity to fashion education policy and programmes to suit Northeast geopolitical zone and Southeast Geopolitical zone. It is an optical illusion to expect that the federal government can adequately fund the federal institutions of higher learning. If the country is Restructured, the Federating Units which should be the six Geopolitical zones should take over the federal government institutions of learning within their jurisdiction. 

The revenue allocation should be reviewed so that the Federating Units will have over 70 percent to make them design the security architecture that suit their environment and tackle the dilapidated infrastructures within their jurisdiction. The federal government will therefore run only foreign affairs, defence and immigration. The incessant ASUU, SSANU, NASU strikes cannot stop until the country is restructured for true fiscal federalism. As said earlier, Federal governments the world over run not more than three ministries. There is no need deceiving ourselves that the federal government has the capacity to fund tertiary education. It is absolutely impossible. The level of infrastructure dilapidation in the universities according to your investigation citing University of Nigeria, Nsukka is mind-blowing and exasperating.

Restructuring the lopsided Federation has become a categorical imperative, it does not matter the vaulting and vaunting ambition of the Fulani Feudal Oligarchy to foist their ultra conservative values on the country. 

–Polycarp Onwubiko, Awka, Anambra state, polymbiko@gmail.com

Dear Casy, why waste precious newspaper space and time writing about the unpalatable state of Nigerian universities when everything, beginning from the entire education sector, from which our university education is a subsector, to the economy, to security, name it, has gone shambolic? Do we talk of our political leaders, especially at the top level of our political firmament, whose only mission is the annihilation of the hoi polloi through starvation-driven policies that swell their bank accounts and those of their cronies? Please Casy, when choosing your write-ups, do take time to make rightful choices that rattle the Establishment towards taking steps that seek to change the narrative for better, especially, the downtrodden. 

-Steve Okoye, Awka, 08036630731.

Casmir, when strike is deployed during conflicts in labour issues, it is because consultation and consolidation procedures failed. Government (past & present) always create the impression that the only language they understand is ‘strike’! This is most unfortunate and most undesirable as this tends to cripple the academic community. Most often they pay lip service to education and end up frustrating all that are involved namely: parents, students, ASUU, NASU, SSANU etc. No responsible govt allows its academic institutions to be under lock & key. Why the selective justice of treating ASUU differently? What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Aluta continua, victoria ascerta. Solidarity forever.

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

Casmir, over the years, the government of different administrations have failed to demonstrate the importance of universities in the manpower development of this Nation. This is always noticed through the frequency of strikes in the citadel of education. To stop this ugly trend, time has come for government to quit in its entirety its involvement in universities administration. Individual universities are doing well and devoid of endless strikes. Government should grant these universities unhindered autonomy which will make them engage in various activities to generate funds in line with the discipline. These universities can partner with financial institutions to provide enough funds for different ventures in the universities. A case in point is Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences producing drugs for commercial purposes. Engineering faculty can also involve in different engineering works to generate funds. Government should create an active student interest-free loan scheme to help students who may have financial burdens to contend with. 

–Pharm. Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, April 1, 2024

Shameful condition of Nigerian universities

By Casmir Igbokwe

Immediately the leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) declared a seven-day nationwide warning strike last Monday, March 18, 2024, my mind went to my two daughters in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). One is in her final year and has just a few days to bid goodbye to the school she has spent about six years for a five-year programme. The other one is still in her second year and is looking forward to going into her third year next month. The strike affected this one as she still has three computer-based tests to write. So, she has to wait for extra seven days to continue with her exams.

In a way, I felt happy that the disruption this time was short. I have been praying that, at least, the one in her final year should be allowed to graduate and face other aspects of life. Many parents are in my shoes. Any time we hear that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) or SSANU and NASU are on strike, we feel uncomfortable.

The reason is not far-fetched. Strike means shutting down the school system for as long as it pleases the strikers. Students are forced to go home. Many of them get frustrated while at home because there is little or nothing to keep them engaged. Vulnerable females among them become susceptible to rape and other forms of abuse. Some of the males join criminal gangs. Most parents usually find it difficult trying to control these students at this period. During the eight-months long strike in 2022, my daughter contemplated relocating abroad to continue her studies. She actually applied to some schools in the United States. I had a tough time persuading her to exercise patience; telling her that the strike would soon be over.

There are other consequences of these incessant strikes and closures of our higher institutions. One, our universities are not well rated anymore, especially in some foreign countries. Due to the strikes, students are rushed through their academic work whenever schools resume. Some of the students come out half-baked. This is why most parents who have the financial power send their children to private or foreign universities.

Two, some frustrated lecturers have left the Nigerian university system for greener pastures abroad. This has led to shortage of lecturers in these universities. Do you blame them? The monthly salary of a professor is nothing to write home about. This professor cannot afford the luxury of buying a clean second-hand car, not to talk of a brand new one. While he manages his life with his meagre salary, many political office-holders flaunt their ill-gotten wealth in his face. Nigerian federal lawmakers, for instance, took home brand new sport utility vehicles (SUVs) soon after they were inaugurated as lawmakers last year. On a regular basis, they assault our sensibilities with allegations of budget padding, constituency project fraud and sundry fund-guzzling endeavours.

The executive and legislative arms of government are not left out. Oftentimes, the President and some of his aides and family members embark on money-guzzling foreign tours that yield little or no benefit to the country. They map out billions of naira to renovate official residences of some public office-holders when library and laboratory facilities in our tertiary institutions need such funds more.

In 2018, I had cause to visit and write about the rot in UNN, my alma mater. Titled ‘UNN and rot in Nigerian universities’, and published in the Daily Sun edition of August 20, 2018, I expressed shock that most of the infrastructures in the school had become an eyesore. Almost all the hostels that existed in our days over 30 years ago were either no more or greatly dilapidated. For instance, windstorm had blown off part of the roof of Eni Njoku hostel. The great Zik’s Flats, Mbanefo hostel and many others were a shadow of themselves. Giant weeds and reptiles had taken over these abandoned halls of residence. Kwame Nkrumah hall had a heap of refuse behind it.

Part of the problem was that the population of students greatly outnumbered the available infrastructure. I gathered then that in almost all the departments, over 200 students struggled for space in a classroom meant for about 60 people. I guess the situation is still the same today. Simply put, these public universities are grossly underfunded.

Essentially, this is partly what the varsity unions are fighting against. ASUU wants a renegotiation of its members’ conditions of service and payment of arrears of allowances. It wants better infrastructure, modern libraries and functional, well equipped laboratories. It wants the government to adequately fund the universities and replace Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) with University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). On their part, NASU and SSANU are not happy that the government failed to implement a Memorandum of Understanding and a Memorandum of Action reportedly signed in October 2020 and in February 2021 respectively. They went on strike in 2022 together with ASUU. The government of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari invoked ‘no work, no pay’ policy then against them.

Last October, President Bola Tinubu approved payment of four out of eight months withheld salaries for the workers. But while ASUU members recently got their own, members of SSANU and NASU were not paid. This prompted the seven-day warning strike they embarked upon last Monday. The strike, which grounded activities in many public universities, ended midnight of Sunday, March 24. SSANU and NASU have threatened further action if their demand for payment of their withheld salaries is not met.

It is unfortunate that successive governments have continued to play hide-and-seek with these unions. Since 2009 when ASUU, for instance, entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Government, it has been a story of promise-and-fail. Government promised to renegotiate the conditions of service of academic staff, including a separate salary structure to be called ‘Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure’. It has not done so. It promised to inject N1.3 trillion for the revitalization of public universities in six tranches starting from 2013. It paid N200 billion in 2013 and was supposed to pay N220 billion each year for the five subsequent years. But it has failed to do so. In the heat of the strike in 2022, the Federal Government claimed it had also paid N92 billion to cover earned allowances and revitalization funds to federal universities.

Almost on a yearly basis, ASUU will have one reason or the other to go on strike. In 2020, it embarked on a long strike that halted activities in the universities for one full academic year. In 2022, it embarked on a similar long debilitating strike that crippled activities in our universities for eight months.

A responsible government should not have allowed this to happen. Education and health are the two most important sectors in any sane country. These sectors are supposed to get the largest chunk of the national budget, at least 15 per cent. But Nigeria does not pretend to be a sane country. Hence, each of these two sectors gets an average of five to seven per cent of the annual budget. We prefer to waste money on things that will benefit a tiny clique of the ruling cum political class. Where then will our help come from?

Our help appears to be in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth! Since human government has failed us, most Nigerians have placed all their hopes in God. You often hear them say, “Only God will save this country!” For me, this is a defeatist attitude. God has given us the power to conquer our environment. We cannot just be docile and expect God to come down and fight our human battles. Nigerians should demand accountability from their leaders. They should demand that certain anomalies be put right if we must grow as a nation. They should never be tired of standing up for their rights and putting government on their toes. If every individual puts in as little as five per cent in the struggle for a better nation, Nigeria will not be where it is today. Obviously, it will be tough. But as unionists will say, Aluta Continua!

Re: ‘Distinguished’ senators

Nigerians are like the proverbial Grasshopper, who finding itself roasting in the fireplace and rather than looking for a way to save itself, gloats that it is fattening simply because its body drips oil. We remain grateful to Senator Abdul Ningi, despite the fact he is part of the rot, for having the courage to go against the tides and expose the expertly concealed institutionalised theft as contained in the 2024 Budget of the Federation. Whether his actions were borne out of altruism or influenced by primordial interests is a non-issue. After all, sinners do repent. What is certain is that there is an organised collective looting of the commonwealth of the people. But it is unfortunate that Nigerians whose patrimony is being plundered by a select few have left the message to introduce mundane meanings to the revelation and attack the messenger. And therein lies the major impediment to the fight against corruption in the country; wrong is not wrong in so far the perpetrator is a kinsman/tribesman. We appraise wrongs from the prism of tribalism. Until Nigerians understand that they are in deep furnace and make concerted efforts to remove the logs lighting them up, the situations will continue to deteriorate and “Nigeria will remain unsalvageable” – MNK.

-Aloy Uzoekwe, 08038503174

Casmir, distinguished senators indeed! Members of the House of Representatives also call themselves ‘honourables’. They love the titles but can’t meet the demands of the titles. If only they have an idea of how lowly rated they are in the perception index of Nigerians, they should be embarrassed and uncomfortable with these undeserved titles they bear. They distinguish themselves only in terms of vices. Most have lost their conscience. Their hearts are cast in stones! Well- conceived budgets that are backed up with good intensions or purpose during planning and birth stages have a way of positively impacting lives. Countries like Nigeria, that are operating huge budget deficits and high on the ‘corruption index’, expose their budgets to a high degree of padding by members of the National Assembly. The president is easily goaded or blackmailed into signing padded budgets in exchange for the approved loans that he got and the ones still to come! The masses pay the price in terms of their welfare; which continues to deteriorate because of these mortal sins!

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, March 25, 2024

‘Distinguished’ senators

By Casmir Igbokwe

Catholic Church recognizes two categories of sin – mortal and venial sins. Mortal sins are those grave actions we commit in full knowledge of their gravity. Venial sins are minor infractions committed with less self-awareness of wrongdoing that can be easily forgiven when one goes to confession. In Nigeria, the political class has committed all manner of mortal sins against the citizens.

Let’s take a look at the National Assembly of Nigeria. Those in the upper chamber call themselves distinguished senators. But they are far from it. Recently, these senators disturbed Nigerians with budget padding allegations. The one representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, Abdul Ningi, alleged that the red chamber padded the 2024 budget to the tune of N3.7 trillion. The one representing Cross River North, Agom Jarigbe, claimed that all his ranking colleagues received N500 million each, but that he got none.

There is another nebulous concept. It is called ‘constituency projects’. But it has become a byword for fraud and an avenue to siphon public funds. Sometimes, it is difficult to track down the location or other details of these projects. A total of 7,447 projects amounting to N2.24 trillion were reportedly inserted in the 2024 budget by the National Assembly. Some of these projects include 1,150 street lights worth N212 billion, 427 boreholes worth N82.5 billion, 170 ICT projects with a value of N30.95 billion, and N7.61 billion for empowerment of traditional rulers. This means in effect that each street light costs about N184 million while each borehole costs about N193.2 million.

A civic non-profit organization, BudgIT, which highlighted some of these issues, noted that there was no detailed allocation for the N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget. Director and co-founder of BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde, explained that the allocations of the National Assembly, National Judicial Council (NJC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and other government-owned enterprises did not have a detailed breakdown. “What are you spending the money on? INEC is collecting a huge chunk of funds but there are no public details about what the funds are used for, the same thing with NJC, even the National Assembly,” Onigbinde said.

Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, had explained that the N3.7 trillion was not padded but that it was for the agencies of government on first line charge. In order to save themselves from national shame and embarrassment, perhaps, the senators quickly slammed a three-month suspension against the whistle blower, Abdul Ningi.

Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, tried very hard to hoodwink Nigerians with some fallacious statements. As far as Bamidele is concerned, Ningi’s allegation was tantamount to a civilian coup against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. As he put it, “I want Nigerians to know for history’s sake that the last time the people of South-South had a chance to be Senate President was over 40 years ago. The last time the South had a chance to be Senate President was during Obasanjo’s administration when it went to the South-East. Five people were elected because they were impeached in quick succession. But as soon as it left the South, we had peace because we (the South) will always cooperate. David Mark spent eight years. Ahmad Lawan spent four peaceful years. Even Saraki, with all he did, spent four peaceful years.”

This is hogwash! What the Senate should have done is to conduct a thorough and open investigation to clear its name rather than just suspending Ningi or engaging in fallacious arguments. Bamidele’s strategy is not different from that of some aides and loyalists of President Bola Tinubu during the campaign for the 2023 presidential election. Seeing that defeat was staring them in the face, these aides and loyalists deployed ethnic sentiment as a weapon of political conquest. In Lagos and some South-West states, they made it look like the electoral battle was between the Igbo and the Yoruba. Some of them warned the Igbo against interfering in Lagos politics and such other nonsense. Today, ordinary Nigerians, be they Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa, are suffering the pangs of bad leadership while those in power continue to revel in ostentatious living.

For instance, these same lawmakers took delivery of brand new sport utility vehicles (SUVs) reportedly worth N160 million each soon after they assumed office. The total cost is said to be about N57.6 billion. The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi, said the vehicles were tied to the oversight functions of the lawmakers.

Recently, Akpabio mistakenly revealed, while speaking at one of their plenary sessions last year, that each of the 109 ‘sinators’ had been given a token meant to enable them to enjoy their holiday. The token was not less than N2 million each amounting to a total of about N218 million. When his colleagues reminded him that he was speaking on live television, Akpabio rephrased his statement, saying, “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the Senate President has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.” Meanwhile, in June last year, President Bola Tinubu allocated N70 billion to the National Assembly in the amended supplementary budget to support the working conditions of new members.

This is amid penury that has enveloped the Nigerian masses. The rate of inflation has continued to skyrocket. To appreciate the level of this inflationary trend, let’s note that in 1999, the rate of inflation was about 6.62 per cent. Before Muhammadu Buhari took over as President in 2015, it was about 9.01 per cent. By August 2023, about three months after Bola Tinubu took over from Buhari, it had jumped to 25.08 per cent. Food inflation as of the same August 2023 was 29.34 per cent. In February 2024, the rate of inflation rose to 31.70 per cent while food inflation climbed to 37.92 per cent.

To break this down further, a bag of 50kg of rice in August 2015 was a little above N8, 000. Today, the same commodity is over N80, 000. The country’s currency, the naira, has received humiliation in the foreign exchange market. From as little as N200 to a dollar a few years ago, the exchange rate today is over N1,500 to a dollar. Many companies have shut down, leading to an increase in the rate of unemployment. Hunger is a present danger.

Terrorists and other criminal elements have intensified their onslaught against hapless Nigerians. Over 280 schoolchildren were kidnapped in Kaduna recently. The terrorists have demanded N1 billion as ransom to release the children. They also demanded ransom of N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles before they could release some 16 citizens kidnapped in the same Kaduna recently.

Leadership of any society or group usually reflects the image and character of that society. Akpabio, as President of the Senate, has seriously damaged the reputation of the current Senate. Since he assumed office, it has been from one perfidy to the other. Most times, he talks before he thinks. At the recent funeral of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, Akpabio lampooned the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara. The governor had examined the life and times of Wigwe and wondered what the struggle was all about. Akpabio responded: “Your Excellency, Governor Fubara, if there is nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle.” The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared him an enemy of Rivers State. Akpabio had also claimed that an unverified report indicated that the state governors received N30 billion each from the federation account to cushion the effect of inflation and high cost of food prices. He later apologized when he discovered that he was wrong.

We must begin to interrogate the structure of our current legislature. As far as I am concerned, having a bicameral legislature is a drainpipe on our resources. What we need is a unicameral legislature, which should be on a part-time basis.

The principal duty of a legislature is to make laws. That is what obtains in most advanced democracies in the world. In Nigeria, however, our lawmakers go beyond lawmaking to engage in other questionable activities. Execution of projects, for instance, should be the duty of the executive arm of government. But in Nigeria, lawmakers also execute projects.

Lawmakers are also elected to act as a check on the executive. But in Nigeria, they cozy up to the executive and join them in sharing the national cake. Oftentimes, Akpabio and some other principal officers of the National Assembly are in the Presidential Villa to do what only God knows. Soon after the suspension of Ningi over budget padding controversy, Akpabio and his deputy, Barau Jibrin, landed in the Villa and met behind closed doors with Tinubu.

Nigeria is blessed with human and natural resources, but it’s so unfortunate that it has been misruled by a tiny fraction of the society. Citizens are either docile or hampered by ethnic and other primordial sentiments to act. There is need for a return to true federalism or restructuring. We need to make the centre less attractive by devolving power to the regions. We can revisit the report of the 2014 National Conference as a guide. We cannot continue to do the same thing all the time and expect to see changes. Who will bail the cat? Who will rescue Nigeria? The answer is blowing in the wind.

Re: Dividends of ‘familiocracy’

Casmir, the hidden treasures of Nigerian economy demands a high degree of financial discipline, respect for the rule of law and mastery of due process. A President with the above qualities will ensure that every policy of his administration will allow little or no wastages. Such President will have a cabinet with high level of technocrats with little political affiliation. A President of such qualities will eschew nepotism, tribalism and ‘familiocracy’. Unfortunately, Tinubu’s government is short of all these qualities. No wonder, there’s a lot of indiscipline, financial misappropriation and total collapse in governance. Tinubu’s government needs to wake up to arrest nepotism and dividends of ‘familiocracy’ for the benefit of the entire citizenry.

-Pharm. Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, March 18, 2024

Dividends of ‘familiocracy’

By Casmir Igbokwe

Seyi, the son of President Bola Tinubu, is a privileged Nigerian. I guess very many people will wish to be like him. From all indications, the young man does not know what hardship means and currently enjoys life to the fullest. While many Nigerians cry and ask for dividends of democracy, Seyi and a few others like him enjoy dividends of ‘familiocracy’.

‘Familiocracy’, by the way, is a system where people are ruled by a family. It is antithetical to democracy and it thrives more in a monarchical environment. That is what Nigeria appears to be practising at the moment.

President Tinubu’s recent travel to Qatar presented us with a typical example of ‘familiocracy’. Among those on the President’s entourage were his two sons, Seyi and Yinka. A number of Nigerians were outraged that the President’s two sons were not just in the entourage, they were introduced first before the ministers of the federal republic. In effect, what this meant was that the President’s sons were rated above these cabinet members.

The Presidency did not see anything wrong with this. The Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, said Canadian Prime Minister, Trudeau, was known to travel with his family on official trips abroad. He also noted that the Obamas, Clintons, Bushs, Trumps and some others also went on foreign trips with their families while in office. “From the public image and diplomacy, angle, bringing family members can soften a leader’s public image and aid in diplomatic relations by showcasing a relatable family-oriented side,” Ogra said. Well, Ogra missed the point here. The issue is not whether the President’s family can travel with him. They can. But why introduce them first before ministers and other state officials? Are they officials of the Nigerian government? Couldn’t they have stayed in the background to observe things?

It is this same Seyi that flew in a presidential jet to Kano to watch the 2023 Kano International Polo Tournament.  People talked and ranted. But it has not stopped him from enjoying his life as the President’s son.

He even had the guts to admonish Nigerians to bear with his father’s administration and endure the economic hardship in the country. According to him, what Nigerians are going through currently are necessary for better future of the country.

At some point, Seyi reportedly showed up in the chamber of the state house during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. His father was reportedly angry and warned that he should stop coming during such meetings. But did the warning emanate wholly from his heart?

It is doubtful. Recently, Tinubu appointed his son-in-law, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). This appointment came about a week after the presidential approval of the sum of N126 billion for the construction of housing estates across the country was made public. Mr Ojo is the husband of Tinubu’s daughter, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, who once declared herself as the First Daughter of the Federal Republic.

Nepotism has become the cardinal principle of state policies in Nigeria. Major beneficiaries are the President’s apostles, cronies and tribesmen. Recently, the President approved the appointment of Umar Abdullahi Umar, the son of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as Executive Director (Technical Services) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). Umar’s appointment followed the indefinite suspension of the agency’s team led by Ahmad Salihijo.

Following the footsteps of the President is the Head of the third arm of government, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kayode Ariwoola. In July 2023, the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended Justice Ariwoola’s son, Olukayode Ariwoola jnr, as a judge of the Federal High Court. He was recommended along with 22 others. He scaled through. Ariwoola’s younger brother, Adebayo Ariwoola, was also successfully elevated as the auditor of the NJC. Recently, the CJN’s daughter, Victoria Oluwakemi Ariwoola, was named Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court judge nominee. Also reportedly nominated is Maryam, the daughter of the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Husseini Baba-Yusuf. Maryam is said to be the third Kogi judge in the FCT High Court.

There is nothing wrong if a qualified candidate is appointed to a position of influence whether the person is the son or daughter of the President or the CJN. But something is wrong when certain things are done to clear the way for such people. Last year, the former Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itsay Sagay, lamented that sons and daughters of retired and serving judges and justices were being nominated for appointment into sensitive judicial positions at the expense of more qualified candidates who had no privileged backing or support. He said this was a pathway to future miscarriage of justice.

With regard to Ariwoola’s daughter’s nomination, an online medium, People’s Gazette, reported that judiciary workers were not comfortable with Ms Ariwoola’s nomination because she was a junior magistrate with only three years’ experience.

Besides, a lawyer from Ebonyi state, Azubuike Oko, instituted a suit at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court challenging the appointment of the daughters of the CJN and Baba-Yusuf as well as 10 others as FCT High Court judges. Oko alleged that Oyo and Kogi states where Ariwoola and Baba-Yusuf hail from respectively, “already had two serving judges in the FCT High Court, and the two states were given additional slots, to now have three judges, despite the fact that Ebonyi state has no single serving judge in the High Court of the FCT.”

The CJN and Baba-Yusuf prayed the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction. The argument of their counsel is that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria has the exclusive jurisdiction to determine matters relating to the employment of judicial officers. The suit has been adjourned to March 15 for judgement.

Whichever way the judgement goes, the fact remains that nepotism is alive and well in Nigeria. Some of us accused the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari of being nepotistic. We never knew that something worse was coming. From his major appointments so far, especially in economic and security circles, it appears that Tinubu does not care about ethnic harmony and balancing in Nigeria. The framers of our laws did not make a mistake by inserting the federal character principle in the constitution. It is meant to enshrine equity and harmony in the country. But our leaders have chosen to further widen our fault lines. It is rather unfortunate. This partly explains the clamour for restructuring or decentralization, which is really the best way to go if we still desire a peaceful and prosperous country.

Re: Shettima and sham election anniversary

Casmir, it’s regrettable that the leadership of Nigeria is entrusted to hypocrites, liars and people of dubious qualities. Their main interest is to be in the leadership position. These groups of people were never prepared to get the country better. Rather, they see Nigeria as gold mine where they can control the distribution of the wealth as they are pleased. Their so-called policies are formulated to frustrate the common man and enrich those they planted in every areas of the economy. Their cronies control every sector of the economy. Their economic wizardry begins and ends with white elephant projects, which had hitherto received stupendous budget approval. To earn enough money to spend, they impose irrational taxes and unjustifiable income duties which overburden the helpless masses to the point of surrender. Shettima anniversary is about the celebration of the subjugation of the suffering masses who are helpless. Unfortunately, Shettima and his principal have failed to realize that a hungry man is equally an angry man who if urgent positive policies are not put in place can become too harmful to their celebration.

-Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

Casmir, the one-year election anniversary that brought the M-M or Alhaji-Alhaji ticket of Tinubu-Shettima into power remains a watershed in the annals of elections in Nigeria! The date (Feb 25, 2023) is a sad reminder of how the good and progress seeking/thirsty Nigerians were denied the opportunity of choosing their leaders by a fraudulent electoral system contrary to INEC’s promises. The date evokes bad and sad memories of how good Nigerians were short-changed by INEC and prevented from changing the course of their destiny! Prior to the elections, Shettima canvassed for votes when he asked Nigerians to vote for the people that know the way. Post-election events have however proved that they don’t know the way and they are taking Nigerians to the Golgotha. This is because from Feb 25, 2023 the destiny of Nigerians has suffered more violence due to Tinubu’s incompetence! The antidote is not embarking on blame games. They should look back and correct their policies of wearing suit (ideal policies) on a monkey (Nigeria’s import dependent economy). This ‘ebi npa wa’ (we are hungry) government should roll up their sleeves and work their socks off to redeem the country from going under because of their weak foundation.

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

Casy, what is there to celebrate? Do you want Nigerians to celebrate hunger, deprivation, protests, insecurity and panicky measures? It is not possible for one to give what one does not have!

-Edet Essien Esq. Calabar South, +234 701 987 2815

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, March 11, 2024

Shettima and sham election anniversary

By Casmir Igbokwe

At the 62nd Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in August 2022, Mr Kashim Shettima dressed in a manner that got tongues wagging. He was then the vice-presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). His oversized suit and red tie with a pair of sneakers made him look odd in the midst of lawyers who invited him as a guest at the conference. That outfit has come to define the character of this administration – odd.

Or was it not odd that Shettima said at the NBA conference that he would be in charge of security while President Bola Tinubu would be in charge of the economy? “I have been in the theatre of conflicts for 18 years. I will lead the troops; my principal is an economy wizard who has transformed Lagos into the third largest economy in Africa. He will concentrate on the economy,” Shettima enthused. Today, none of them appears to be in charge of anything. Now, terrorists and bandits have taken over almost the entire country. The economy has wobbled to the dismay of even the “economy wizard” himself. Ironically, government officials blame everyone but themselves for the problems of the country.

Speaking penultimate week at a Public Wealth Management Conference in Abuja where he represented the President, Shettima blamed some forces for allegedly undermining the efforts of the Bola Tinubu administration to stabilize the economy. Cost of living has been so high with inflation rising to 29.90 per cent in January from 28.92 per cent it was in December 2023. Food inflation rose to 35.41 per cent in January from 33.93 per cent it was in December 2023. In January 2023, food inflation was 24.32 per cent.

According to Shettima, smugglers and politicians who could not get power through the ballot box caused the current food crisis being experienced in the country. These forces, he said, “are hell-bent on plunging this country into a state of anarchy, those that could not get into power through the ballot box. Instead of waiting for 2027, they are so desperate that this country can fall apart as far as they are concerned. But we are going to visit them.”

Shame! It is pertinent to note that the one-year anniversary of the 2023 sham presidential election took place on Sunday, February 25, 2024. It is annoying for Shettima to accuse politicians “who could not get power through the ballot box” of being the masterminds of the country’s current woes. In the first place, did the APC even win the presidential election? The election was anything but free, fair and credible.

On that very day, there were widespread reports of violence, voter intimidation and harassment as well as falsification of results. Some people were killed. Some were seriously wounded. In some places such as in Rivers State, outright rigging took place. The then Governor Nyesom Wike helped in no small measure to see to the ‘victory’ of the APC in Rivers State. He has been rewarded with a ministerial position.

The worst was that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) displayed incompetence and suspicious actions that day. The presidential election was held the same day with that of the National Assembly. But while the results of the National Assembly were seamlessly uploaded on the INEC result Viewing (IReV) portal, those of the presidential election could not be uploaded because of sudden ‘technical glitches’. This greatly compromised the credibility of the election. While Nigerians were still complaining and asking for remedies, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, hurriedly announced the result of the election and pronounced Tinubu winner in the wee hours of March 1, 2023, when people were still sleeping. The man had assured Nigerians that there was no going back on the deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation and the transmission of results to the IReV portal in real-time on the election day. Many Nigerians were not amused at the later turn of events. The aggrieved parties were asked to go to court. Well, they have gone to court and we have seen the jaundiced judgement of the so-called learned justices.

Now, the political gladiators have started preparing for the 2027 general election. President Tinubu has planted his loyalists in strategic places. The three arms of government now appear to be serving the interest of the ruling cabal. Or how do you describe what the lawmakers did at the budget presentation of Tinubu at the National Assembly recently. They gleefully sang Tinubu’s campaign song, “On your mandate we stand.”

Many Nigerians have taken the outcome of the election in their strides. What baffles many citizens now is that the government is yet to mark one year in office and there are protests here and there over hardship in the country. Such protests have occurred in Niger, Oyo, Lagos and Kano States. Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also had a nationwide protest on February 27.

Tragically, this government has continued to take one faulty step after another. The President announced withdrawal of fuel subsidy on his inauguration day without thinking of the adverse effects of the sudden announcement. Now, the economy is bleeding. Naira has been on a free fall against the dollar and other major currencies.

Vice-President Shettima said the Federal Government set a goal to raise $10 billion in order to increase foreign exchange liquidity so as to stabilize the naira and grow the economy. Besides, the government has also resorted to strong-arm tactics. It sent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to raid Bureau de Change operators in places like Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Oyo states. Will all these strengthen the naira? Even if naira gains strength now, it may not last because the fundamental problems that pushed it down in the first place have not been resolved. We are yet to migrate from being a consuming nation to being a productive one.

We need economic and political reforms to engender growth in this country. We need a total overhaul of the INEC. A new INEC that will emerge should understudy how a country like Liberia managed to conduct a free and credible presidential election late last year. That election saw the candidate of the Unity Party, Joseph Boakai, defeating the then President and candidate of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), George Weah, who quickly congratulated the winner.

As former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, recently suggested, there should be a transparent process for the appointment of the Chairman and National Commissioners of the electoral commission. The President should not be the person solely nominating the persons for such positions. The National Assembly has a lot of work to do. It should ensure, first of all, that before another cycle of election, electronic voting should be made compulsory in Nigeria. Restructuring, which should come with a new constitution, is the best way to go.

Re: Tinubu should resign

Casmir, why the sudden change of mood? You moved from encouraging Tinubu to use the Super Eagles’ performance at the AFCON as tonic against renewed hardship to seeking his resignation from office all within a week interval! Only an irritating performance by an incompetent government could have led to a sudden change of stance. Fuel subsidy is gone and Nigerians can no longer receive more economic blows of Tinubu’s hasty, wicked and ill-thought policies. Nigeria now typifies the song: there is fire on the ‘mountain of Nigeria’ run, run, run! Pitiful & shameful! Nigeria is now a big spectacle! Tinubu missed the bearing from the outset! But, resignation is alien to African leaders, in particular Nigerian leaders!

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

Casmir, if I may use the popular Toyota advertisement slogan, “Good thinking good product”, it goes well to say that the beauty of any product starts from good thinking. Unfortunately, politics in Nigeria is still based on tribalism, religion and godfatherism. Politics in Nigeria can also be likened to the Biblical Jesus and preference of Barabbas even when the later was known to be a murderer and career criminal. In ‘my turn’ ideology, good thinking has no basis for production. So, the quality assurance to turn out a good product is already sabotaged. The end product turns out to be substandard and equally poisonous. This is the case of Tinubu. He was never prepared for leadership. His qualification was that he found himself as a kingmaker who believed that it is time also for him to be king. His pre-election campaign gave him out as unprepared. Regrettably, in a country where ‘political abracadabra’ was championed by evil minded electoral umpire, he became the President. The euphoria of being president catapulted him to making the ugly announcement that “fuel subsidy is gone.” The cancerous effect of that senseless pronouncement is what has reduced Nigeria to the current state of hopelessness. As it’s today, only a President with strong willpower can steer the ship of affairs in Nigeria to safety. The fear is that Tinubu may not have that willpower and the only option for him is to throw in the towel now that he has achieved life-long ambition of being ‘Mr President’.

-Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

One does not need to stress the fact that all bounds of decency were broken – both at the APC Presidential primary and the main election – for Tinubu to mount the Presidential seat. Do you now expect an ambitious Tinubu to resign after that successful debacle? The man has achieved his life-long ambition: the country can afford to burn to ashes while Tinubu’s vainglory endures. Tinubu’s disciples are not tired of impressing it on anyone who cares to listen to them that it was Tinubu who made Lagos that flows with milk and honey made possible by the unsung efforts of outsiders. I see things differently! Why don’t we say it’s Lagos that made Tinubu? Nigeria is not Lagos: it’s a much bigger and more complex business than Lagos. That is why Tinubu resorts to panicky measures that have almost buried Nigeria with Nigerians. The hardship occasioned by Tinubu’s misjudgement has affected the generality of Nigerians who include the embarrassed APC sympathisers. How can one deny Nigerians the grace of petroleum subsidy which is also their only ascertained gain from government and not expect pockets of uprising here and there?

-Edet Essien Esq. Cal South, +234 701 987 2815          

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, March 4, 2024

Tinubu should resign

By Casmir Igbokwe

Three videos which trended on the social media last week brought home the current reality of life in Nigeria. The first one happens to be a group of young women struggling to scoop rice from the pot of a rice vendor in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The big pot of rice was still on fire, steaming hot. But the women were not bothered with fire or any other thing. All they wanted was to quench the fire of hunger ravaging their stomachs.

In the second video, a group of people, mainly youths, were struggling to collect loaves of bread said to be N100 each. It was on February 14, 2024, being Valentine’s Day. As the youths were pushing and shoving one another, the organisers, who had a tough time controlling them, resorted to whipping them to be orderly. This particular incident reportedly happened on Lagos Island.

The third incident was also said to have occurred somewhere in Lagos. A truck carrying tubers of yam was reportedly hijacked and the content shared among a crowd of youths. Though I am not sure of the veracity of these videos, they are a reflection of the hardship and the high cost of living prevalent in Nigeria of today.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, did not mince words to tell the wife of President Bola Tinubu recently that Nigerians no longer find life palatable. He urged Mrs Remi Tinubu, who paid him homage at his palace, to tell her husband that Nigerians were suffering.

Bayero noted, “We get information daily that essential commodities and cost of living are high and people are suffering, although it didn’t start with this government. We know the government is making efforts but it should redouble efforts to ease the suffering faced by the people.”

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, delivered a similar message to the powers that be recently. According to the Sultan, Nigeria is sitting on powder keg as millions of Nigerian youths have been left without jobs and food. He said people were very agitated, hungry and angry and “so, we have this onerous task of reaching out to everybody, calm them down and assure them things will be okay.”

From the North to the South and from the West to the East, the hardship has become unbearable. The rising cost of food items is worse. The price of what you buy today may likely change when you go back to buy it again after two days. Despite the measures the government has adopted, the situation keeps getting worse. As of December 2023, the rate of inflation was 28.92 per cent. The rate of food inflation was 33.93 per cent. By January 2024, the consumer inflation rate had further increased to 29.90 per cent while food inflation rose to 35.41 per cent. Inflation in Nigeria has not climbed this high since mid-1996.

The situation has exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis and increased the rate of depression and insecurity in the country. Some of those who cannot bear it any longer commit suicide. There has been a wave of protests against the high cost of living in some parts of the country. Last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) gave notice for a two-day nationwide protest to be held on February 27 and 28 to press home their disgust over the hardship in the country.

In its panicky bid to control the bad situation, government continues to take measures that are not sustainable. President Tinubu earlier ordered the release of 102,000 metric tonnes of rice, maize, millet and others from the strategic national reserve to address the high cost of food in the country. This is okay, but how will this assuage the hunger of millions of Nigerians? Has it brought down the prices of essential food items in the market? And will it ensure constant supply of food to the populace?

Clearly, President Tinubu has lost it. He appears rudderless, confused, ineffective and incompetent. I doubt if he even understands what is going on. How will he when some of his key advisers believe there is no hunger in the land and that Nigeria has the lowest cost of living in Africa?

This is what a country gets when the major qualification of its President is that it is his turn to be President. During his campaigns for the job, Tinubu told the nation that it was his turn to become President. This gave rise to the now popular phrase, ‘emilokan’ (it’s my turn).

When he appeared at the Chatham House in London, he could not answer questions posed to him. He simply directed his aides and acolytes to answer those questions. Afterwards, he spoke about power not being given a la carte. “You snatch it, grab it and run with it.” That is the man ruling us today. I have not died of high blood pressure because I knew it would come to this. So, I had prepared my mind for a rough ride.

The worst tragedy of it all is that he has not even marked one year in office. If, in less than one year, the hardship is like this, how will it be in two years, not to talk of four years?

Let’s begin now to tighten our seat belts. The flight ahead will be more turbulent. They said we should tighten our belts; that the hard choices of today will eventually lead us to paradise.

But how do we get to this paradise when naira is getting weaker and weaker; when profligacy is the cardinal principle of state policy; and when there is no consistency in government’s policies? Tinubu said fuel subsidy was gone in his inaugural speech in May 2023. But, according to BusinessDay newspaper report last week, this government now spends more money on subsidy than the amount spent on it before it was purportedly stopped. On a monthly basis, the country now reportedly pays about N907.5 billion on petrol. Before the removal of petrol subsidy, the country was said to be spending about N400 billion monthly on petrol. The increase, BusinessDay reported, was because of the country’s foreign exchange crisis which pushed the actual cost of litre of fuel to N1,203. The newspaper also reported that the prevailing black-market rate of N1,500 per dollar has pushed the landing cost of petrol to N1,009 per litre as against the N720 per litre recorded in October 2023.

Many companies are finding it difficult to break even these days. Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and many other companies have left our shores. Nigerian Breweries Plc recorded a net loss of N106 billion in its audited results for the period ended 31^st December 2023 despite the large quantity of drinks Nigerians gulp down every day. The company recorded an operating profit of N44.5 billion in 2023, but it was lower by 15 per cent compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. The loss is principally because of the foreign exchange crisis. About 50 per cent of the company’s raw materials are imported and are paid in dollars. With the sorry state of the naira, it will be hard to make profit in the circumstance. As the Managing Director/CEO of the company, Mr Hans Essaadi, put is, “The business performance of 2023 reflects the challenging economic environment in Nigeria. These severe economic conditions include persistent cash scarcity, removal of fuel subsidies resulting in a notable surge in energy cost, naira devaluation, foreign exchange scarcity, and continued challenged consumer spending in the midst of high inflation.”

As it is now, the best thing for Tinubu to do is to throw in the towel and bow out honourably. He has no business remaining in power when he cannot solve the basic problems of Nigerians. He should emulate leaders who had done that in history. Last year, Jacinda Ardern stepped down as prime minister of New Zealand. She said her resignation was a personal decision hinged on the fact that she no longer had “enough in the tank” to fulfill the responsibilities of being prime minister. In November 2000, Alberto Fujimori resigned as President of Peru. Congress rejected his resignation and rather sacked him and banned him from holding public office for 10 years. He was later jailed 25 years for corruption and massacre of civilians. President Richard Nixon of the United States resigned in August 1974 following the Watergate scandal. There are many other examples.

Resigning will save Tinubu the trouble of having the country collapse on his head. It will save him from going down in history as the worst President Nigeria ever had. I know this will be hard nut to crack for him. But trusted aides like the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, or even the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who believes so much in him, can nudge him to do the needful. It will save him a lot of embarrassment in future.  Meanwhile, let’s continue to pray for Nigeria in distress.

Re: Super Eagles as tonic against renewed hardship

Casmir, Nigerians are soccer loving people especially when their Super Eagles are doing well. The euphoria knows no boundaries. Everyone is excited and united in the celebration. It’s the time religion, politics and tribal dichotomy scores low. This excitement provides the momentary cessation of tribalism, religious bigotry and political intolerance.

Unfortunately, due to greed, corruption and insincerity on the part of government, religious, tribal and political leaders, the unity gained during such soccer fiesta vanishes as soon as the fiesta is over. The government has the greatest role to play in ensuring that the unity gained from such football fiestas are sustained through policies that are benefitting to the masses. The rule of law must be held in high esteem.

Once this is done corruption, tribal dichotomy, religious intolerance, political upheavals, economic sabotage, banditry, kidnapping etc will be arrested and that is when renewed hardship can be toppled to usher in a new dawn of renewed hope.

-Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, February 19, 2024

Super Eagles as tonic against renewed hardship

By Casmir Igbokwe

Success has many friends and relatives. Failure is an orphan. Since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 started in Cote d’Ivoire on January 13, 2024, many Nigerians have been feeling on top of the world. They have danced and celebrated the exploits of the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Momentarily, they suspended their sorrow and united in singing the national anthem and in hailing the country’s successes in AFCON.

It was fun watching the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, singing and dancing in the stadium with Super Eagles fans the day we played Angola in the quarter-final. In the semi-final game with South Africa, the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, was in Cote d’Ivoire to cheer the Eagles. Not many people remembered the fight back home about the way and manner the incumbent government grabbed power. Not many people also remembered the cost of rice and beans in the market. Or the high rate of insecurity, especially kidnapping, that has enveloped our land.

I joined a crowd of football buffs to watch the match between the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a hotel in Lagos. It was tension-soaked. At least, five people reportedly died while watching the game. May their souls rest in peace!

At the end of that match, it was celebration galore. We sang and danced to a melodious music played by a stand-by DJ. We shared drinks. We shared hugs. We shared smiles and laughter. Sometimes, some men also hugged some strange women out of excitement. The only thing we didn’t share was our wives! In any case, how many wives go to such places to watch football? Some of them will even be calling you and asking when you will return home.

Super Eagles qualification for final, which took place yesterday, February 11, 2024, did not come easy. They battled many principalities and powers. Some South Africans even threatened our star goalie, Stanley Nwabali, not to return to their country after the AFCON. Nwabali plies his trade with Chippa United of South Africa. He caught two penalties in the semi-final, making it impossible for Bafana Bafana to qualify for final. Instantly, he became the toast of many Nigerians. Some fans trooped to his father’s house in Rivers State to celebrate.

The Federal Government was happy at the turn of events. It appropriated the triumph of Super Eagles against South Africa, attributing it to the visit of Shettima to motivate the team. Initial media reports informed us that President Bola Tinubu would be in Abidjan to grace the final between our team and Ivorian national team. It was at this point that I remembered Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda. During his campaigns for the presidency, he promised to better the lives of Nigerians, to fight insecurity and restore hope in many sectors of our national life.

Unfortunately, that ‘renewed hope’ has turned to ‘renewed hardship’. While Tinubu’s party men and supporters now sing, “On your mandate we shall stand” with croaky voice, the majority of Nigerians have continued to battle many existential problems of life.

Recently, food crisis and the high cost of living became the launching pad for protests across such states as Kano, Osun and Niger. Rather than try everything possible to pacify this crowd of disenchanted Nigerians, security agents arrested some of them. Superior reason later prevailed and they were eventually released. Quite annoying was the statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga. He claimed that Nigerians enjoyed the lowest cost of living in Africa. Even if it is true, should we be comparing the cost of living in Africa or cost of living between the administration of Tinubu and those of his predecessors in office?

Before Tinubu took over in May 2023, the rate of inflation was 22.41 per cent. By December 2023, it had climbed to 28.92 per cent, the highest in more than 27 years. In May 2015, the rate of inflation was just 9 per cent. Food inflation rose from 32.84 per cent in November 2023 to 33.93 per cent as of December 2023.

Sadly, a bag of 50kg of rice that was less than N10,000 in 2015 now goes for about N70,000 or more. A super pack carton of noodles that was less than N4,000 a few years ago is now over N10,000. A 12.5kg of cooking gas today is over N15,000. The price of fuel rose from about N158 a litre before Tinubu took over on May 29, 2023 to over N600 a litre currently. There is no commodity in the market that is not affected. Sometimes, the increase in prices occurs almost on a daily basis. Naira’s irredeemable plunge has worsened the price increases. Exchange rate now is about N1,500 to a dollar from less than N200 a few years ago.

The high cost of living in Nigeria today is not close to the high cost of bread which triggered the French Revolution of 1789. Nor is it equal to the joblessness, hardship and inequality that sparked the Arab Spring, which started in Tunisia in 2010.

Even then, the governments of these countries are not as corrupt and profligate as ours. We just read reports that Tinubu approved N1 billion for the inauguration of the 37-man tripartite committee on new national minimum wage. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, reportedly made a request for N1.8bn. But Tinubu approved N500m as first instalment of the N1bn. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described this as the height of profligacy, impudence and financial recklessness. Pray, what is this money for? The best explanation Mr. Onanuga could offer Nigerians was that the PDP moles in government were responsible for leaking classified information to the public. He called for a probe into the civil service structure to rid it of these so-called moles.

It has become obvious that this government is not prepared for governance. All it is after is to hoodwink Nigerians with cosmetic palliatives to give the impression that it is concerned about the plight of its people. It knows the dangers of allowing the hardship protests to continue. Hence, it put in place a Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention and embarked on some emergency palliative measures to calm the situation. Apart from ordering the immediate release of 42,000 metric tonnes of maize, millet, garri and other commodities from the national grain reserve, government said it had discussed with the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria and that its members had guaranteed about 60,000 metric tonnes of rice. There are some other measures it has embarked upon to ameliorate the plight of the people. But how far will these measures go? How sustainable are they?

We need to seriously have a rethink as a nation. Using the Super Eagles as a point of contact, as prayer warriors will say, we need to embrace competence, capacity, patriotism and equity to solve our myriads of problems. Super Eagles went this far because there was no room for nepotism or favouritism in the team. Whoever was on the last AFCON team had the competence and the capacity to be there.

They excelled because they played with purpose and determination. The coaches were fully in charge and no player was allowed to snatch and grab any position in the team without merit. Invariably, what this meant was that corruption was far away in the selection of members of the squad.

Besides, Nigerians were united in giving their full support to the team irrespective of tribe, region or religion. As our old national anthem put it, “Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.” Outside football, can we boast of still standing in brotherhood?

This is where leadership comes to play. Tinubu should not leave Nigeria worse than he met it. His leadership should inspire and galvanise the talents of every Nigerian to bring out his best. As of press time, it was not certain how the final match between Nigeria and Code d’Ivoire ended. But whichever way it went, we must say congratulations to the Super Eagles. Congratulations to all Nigerians. Together we can achieve more and make the country the giant it truly is.

Re: Nigeria in a free fall

Casmir, history will not forgive APC government for their recklessness in handling the affairs of this great country. The performance of APC government has shown that it’s not prepared for effective governance, rather self-centered individuals grabbing power for ‘ window dressing’ shows. A government that started with ‘It’s gone’ ideology without making adequate alternatives for the aftermath of ‘it’s gone’ cannot claim to be ignorant of a free fall. Immediately Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidies, every aspect of the economy was subsequently affected to the detriment of the common citizens. There’s no known sincerity on the part of government to address the unfortunate free fall. Due to oversized corruption in government, every little effort is bound to fail because those in authority are after their selfishness. Nigeria needs an urgent surgical procedure to steer it away from such free fall and that can only be possible when the country is restructured in order to maximize the overflowing potential from different parts of the country.

-Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike

Casmir, Nigeria is not only in a free fall, it is doing so at the fastest rate ever and will sooner than later hit ground zero if nothing concrete is done to avoid this raging consuming fire threatening to consume all! When followers don’t have what to eat, they will ‘eat’ their tormentors! During Buhari’s era, we had creeping/crawling inflation but under Tinubu’s watch we are experiencing galloping inflation. More shameful is when Nigeria is now being compared with ‘poverty mates’ instead of ‘prosperity mates’ by sycophants and apologists of APC. God spoke to Tinubu via NLC to put our refineries in order before removing subsidy; he never gave them audience! The dog that would get missing won’t hear the whistle of the hunter!

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

•Also published in the Daily Sun of Monday, February 12, 2024