{"Opinion":[{"id":1687,"post_id":"90ca3ce4-9f2c-4eae-bdab-e05e7d71c156","title":"Ngelale and the Occasional Obstacles of Occupation ","category":"4f4806a0-5ffa-45d4-bf15-6e8a545b439a","category_name":"Opinion","subCategory":"","subCategory_name":null,"description":"

By Bala Ibrahim<\/strong><\/p>


<\/p>

In every profession, there is the permanent probability of work incident. It is a dangerous event that can occur in the course of an employee's activity, or time of service. It carries different names, depending on the nature of the work and the conditions in which the work activity is carried out. <\/p>


<\/p>

Some call it a professional risk, while others refer to it as a job threat. However, the generally adopted title for such professional problems or obstacles that occur in the course of duty is, occupational hazard. These hazards are classified into categories that vary according to the nature of the job. It can be biological. It can be chemical. <\/p>

And sometimes, it is a physical hazard. No matter the nature or type, it always comes with a consequence, the consequence of a setback.<\/p>


<\/p>

Up until yesterday, Saturday, 07\/09\/2024, Ajuri Ngelale was the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Media and Publicity. But, effective from that yesterday, he announced that he was proceeding on \u201can indefinite leave of absence from office\u201d. I put the indefinite leave of absence from office in inverted commas on purpose, because I believe, not too far from now, the story would expatiate further. <\/p>


<\/p>

Something sensitive may follow. And the incident may dovetail with the platform of occupational hazard, encountered by the person that has resigned.<\/p>


<\/p>

Although Ajuri had solicited the cooperation of everyone, to accord him the respect of privacy, in order to permit him pay attention to pressing family health challenge, by virtue of the position he held, and the volume or magnitude of attention it carries, such privacy may not necessarily come, particularly from his colleagues in the media, one of whom is, yours truly. <\/p>


<\/p>

Being a journalist, and having served at the Presidency, the peak of political interest, it would be extremely naive of him, to forget the action of paparazzi, whose assignment, mostly freelance, is to aggressively pursue celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs. <\/p>


<\/p>

And regardless of the situation, or the delicate nature of Ajuri\u2019s problems, a paparazzi is primarily obligated to the calling of his assignment, which is sensationalization. Yes, theirs is to present information in a way that tries to make it as shocking, or exciting as possible. And they often do it with photographs.<\/p>


<\/p>

Indeed, no sooner than Ajuri\u2019s appeal came out, and despite the time he spent explaining how he sent the memo of his resignation to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, alongside his plea for privacy, some of his colleagues, commenced communicating with conflicting contents. Some said they have carried out some checks, and the checks have revealed the reverse of what Ajuri wants the public to swallow, as his reasons for exiting the Presidency.<\/p>


<\/p>

They said, right from the day he took up the appointment on 31st July 2023, his reign was faced by turbulent attacks from some members of the cabal that are very close to the President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This means, that contrary to his submission, Ngelale did not resign. He was fired. By definition, he was dismissed.<\/p>

<\/p>

He said he resigned, to earn the sympathy of the public, but some of his colleagues have put out a hostile story to rubbish him. That is a jeopardy, and it falls in line with the meaning of occupational hazard. <\/p>


<\/p>

When you resign from an appointment, you have time to plan for your employment transition. This can take time. But when your employer terminates your appointment, depending on the circumstances, you may not have as much time to prepare for your next steps. The situation becomes disastrous for you, and falls in line with the definition of occupational hazard.<\/p>


<\/p>

Indeed every profession has its job hazards, but I think, probably because I am more familiar with it, public relations advisers, pollsters, or media consultants, particularly those working with high profile politicians, suffer the hazard of humiliation most. <\/p>


<\/p>

This is because, while on the job, they are made to sometimes develop, deceptive, or misleading messages as damage control, which are referred to as, spin doctoring. Yes, there is always the need for expert professional advisers at the heart of government, because government functionaries need to hear an alternative opinion to that of the civil service, especially from highly experienced media handlers. But on a number of cases, such spin doctors end up with terribly bad names. <\/p>


<\/p>

They are called experts in wheeler-dealing, shoot-from-the-hip political spin doctors, that earn a living from the taxpayers money.<\/p>


<\/p>

And when the bubble bursts, they are clandestinely fired, while another one gets hired. That\u2019s an occupational hazard, to which many have suffered such fate at the Nigeria\u2019s seat of power, the Aso rock villa.<\/p>


<\/p>

I don\u2019t envy whoever is coming next, because the job does not have a bed of rosses. It always carries the keg of political problems, that have adverse consequences on the title holder. <\/p>


<\/p>

One of such consequences is being silently dismissed, but asked to openly say, you have resigned. Which is the occasional obstacle of occupation.<\/p>","slug":"ngelale-and-the-occasional-obstacles-of-occupation","picture":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/duclel6gj\/image\/upload\/v1725806751\/eho1i5fe3uibvqfdnlof.jpg","added_by":"Editor","tag":"","date":"1725806766"},{"id":1669,"post_id":"cdc20f31-3270-4d39-8e54-0c457124b231","title":"On Commodore Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe: 5 Lessons for President Bola Tinubu","category":"4f4806a0-5ffa-45d4-bf15-6e8a545b439a","category_name":"Opinion","subCategory":"","subCategory_name":null,"description":"

By Ahmed Yahaya-Joe<\/strong><\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cWe know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution to establish the dictatorship. The object of power is power.\u201d \u2013 George Orwell (1903-1950).<\/p>


<\/p>

For discerning Nigerians old enough to recollect, 1986 was a very tumultuous year partly over the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) controversy which culminated in the resignation of the Number Two in the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida-led junta.<\/p>

Was the rumpus that sharply divided Nigerians over OIC religious?<\/p>


<\/p>

With the benefit of longstanding insight, the final analysis in the Newswatch magazine edition dated October 20, 1986, properly summarizes the fundamental issue devoid of any primordial sentiments with the headline;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cPower Games Ukiwe Loses\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

How did what actually started out as an internal power struggle among those who conspired, planned, and executed the removal of the previous Buhari-Idiagbon regime in August 1985 reverberate outside Dodan Barracks as a disturbingly intense religious embroilment in the polity?<\/p>


<\/p>

Recall the IBB regime was on public relations life support after the Vatsa Coup attempt and the economically punishing fallout of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) afflicting Nigerians.<\/p>


<\/p>

As such desperately needing political endorsement from an \u201calienated\u201d Northern Muslim establishment concurrently accusing IBB of being \u201ctoo Middle Belt and Southern oriented\u201d the regime acted surreptitiously in a bid to deliver a fait accompli to turn the tide calming Arewa nerves.<\/p>


<\/p>

Ukiwe\u2019s naivety in not properly reading the dynamics and even his lack of basic understanding that \u201cthe object of power is power\u201d by any means necessary including IBB\u2019s gradual implementation of \u201cone makes the revolution to establish the dictatorship\u201d did not help matters.<\/p>


<\/p>

General Sani Abacha (1943-1998) therefore decisively seized the moment as Brigadier General (later Senator) David Mark recounts;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cThose who were in Babangida\u2019s caucus would remember vividly that it was Abacha who single-handedly removed Ukiwe because there was an argument on who should be second-in-command.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

(See details in Newswatch magazine edition of April 11, 1994).<\/p>


<\/p>

What type of demand is President Tinubu currently making on himself to navigate through the conflicting narratives afflicting him in office?<\/p>


<\/p>

The question is pertinent because no two political titans have ever victoriously emerged after assiduously plotting to ascend the highest office in Nigeria like IBB and Asiwaju nearly 40 years apart. Political greatness did not just land on their laps. Both painstakingly sought it separately to \u201cgrab it, snatch it, and run with it.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

A common denominator between them Bashorun MKO Abiola (1937-1998) had this to say about the military strongman;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cAnybody who knows my friend as closely as I have known him since 1966, will realize something is propelling him. The type of friends he had, the type of things he was reading, the type of things he got interested in, the type of life he led, the type of demand he made on himself over the years.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

(See details in p.68 Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida 1983-1993 by Max Siollun).<\/p>


<\/p>

Interestingly, ahead of the June 12, 1993, polls David Mark later, Senate President 2007-2015 would threaten at a Villa meeting;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019d shoot Chief Abiola the day NEC (now INEC) pronounces him as elected president.\u201d<\/p>

(See details in p.166 The Tale of June 12: Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians by Prof. Omo Omoruyi).<\/p>


<\/p>

In conclusion, what are the political lessons for President Tinubu 38 years after the controversial resignation of Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe?<\/p>


<\/p>

1. According to Walter Benjamin (1892-1940);<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cEvery epoch not only dreams the next; it bears its end within itself and reveals it by ruse.\u201d<\/p>

Simply put, by spearheading the removal of Ukiwe, Abacha positioned himself as the de facto \u201cKhalifa\u201d (Successor) to IBB even adopting the epithet irrespective of the \u201cordained\u201d political dream of Abiola. That Abacha led the military faction that forced IBB to eventually \u201cstep aside\u201d was a classic fulfillment of Benjamin\u2019s dictum.<\/p>


<\/p>

 Similarly, Asiwaju\u2019s greatest threats and worst political enemies are currently within his government and not in the opposition camp or civil society.<\/p>


<\/p>

2. Nobody in power can always please and satisfy every section in such a complex and diverse nation like Nigeria concurrently. Accused by the so-called core North for being \u201ctoo Middle Belt and Southern\u201d in his governance as earlier mentioned, the South was, in turn, deeply concerned the Babangida regime was \u201ctoo Hausa dominated.\u201d<\/p>

The truth, however, is that;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cIn much of southern Nigerian discourse, the terms \u201cHausa\u201d and \u201cnortherner\u201d are indistinguishable and interchangeable. Most Southerners did not realize that Babangida himself was not Hausa.<\/p>


<\/p>

A regime dominated by northern minority officers pleased none of the major ethnic and religious groups.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

(See details in p. 114-115 Siollun).<\/p>


<\/p>

The moral here is that Nigerians will always loudly have their say, but the government will always contrive ways to have their way.<\/p>


<\/p>

3. Never take contrary opinions in Nigeria for granted. Despite relishing being nicknamed by the irritant \u201cLagos-Ibadan axis of the Nigerian press\u201d as \u201cMaradona\u201d later dubbing him as an \u201cevil genius,\u201d Babangida skillfully dodged one political bullet after the other by a combination of subterfuge, camouflage, and practiced chicanery.<\/p>


<\/p>

As such, he was totally blindsided by the rising quantum of discontent against his regime. He grossly underestimated the buildup of events that later precipitated many unintended consequences.<\/p>


<\/p>

For instance, General Babangida never saw coming to the level and extent of reputational damage the \u201cAngo Must Go\u201d of May 1986 at ABU, Zaria would resound nationwide with unfortunate deaths and injuries would have on his government.<\/p>


<\/p>

After a 5-month closure of affected campuses upon reopening with a series of conditionalities imposed on returning students the Federal Military Government also set up a panel of inquiry headed by a distinguished jurist, Justice Mustapha Akanbi to which Police PRO, Superintendent Alozie Ogugbuaja representing the Lagos Command described the key driver of the crisis;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cThe Army is the unregistered political party of Nigeria. Since the military had come into politics in Nigeria, it will not be in its interest to have an effective, and efficient police force capable of foiling a coup. On a weekday, you see military officers drinking pepper soup and beer at midday. No wonder they have time to plan coups.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

Mr. Ogugbuaja\u2019s effrontery shook the psyche military ruling class to its core, which reacted with a series of panic measures. The furore that played out arguably laid the foundation for the SAP Riots and the ferocity of the Niger Delta (Orkar) coup attempt, which followed down the line.<\/p>


<\/p>

4. Since politics is the continuation of war by other means, the conscientious use of Bonaparte\u2019s concept of \u201cmanoeuvre sur les derrieres,\u201d cannot be overemphasized and interpreted in 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene;<\/p>


<\/p>

 \u201cWhen you attack people directly, you stiffen their resistance and make your task that much harder. There is a better way; Distract your opponent\u2019s attention to the front, then attack them from the side, where they least expect it.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

The boiling controversy accompanying Nigeria\u2019s full membership of OIC soon fizzled out. The rage was quelled by Nigeria\u2019s gradual restoration of full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel and the introduction of government-sponsored Jerusalem pilgrimage.<\/p>


<\/p>

It, therefore, must have been a watershed moment for many Nigerians combative 38 years ago when former President Goodluck Jonathan led the Nigerian delegation to the OIC Conference of Heads of State at Cairo in 2013.<\/p>


<\/p>

5. Commodore Ukiwe eventually discovered the hard way that \u201cthere was a government within a government and he was an outsider,\u201d after he was summoned to a crucial meeting of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) presided by Babangida who lavishly celebrated the personal virtues and dedication to service of his Number Two leaving the rest to Abacha and other political snipers.<\/p>


<\/p>

Ukiwe\u2019s abysmal lack of support base from his Navy constituency was the final blow as highlighted in p.147 of then Defence chief\u2019s 1993 memoirs entitled Domkat: A Biography of General Domkat Bali by Femi Ahmed.<\/p>


<\/p>

The rest is still living history with the naval chief, Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Augustus Akhabue Aikhomu (1939-2011) succeeding the Abriba Sailor;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cA man who did not rock the boat, which suited all parties as Aikhomu, did not cause problems for his coup-hardened colleagues.\u201d \u2013 p.110 Siollun.<\/p>


<\/p>

The concluding lesson for President Tinubu from Ukiwe\u2019s fall is what is known as \u201cZizek Trilemma\u201d which explains the impossibility of any political appointee demonstrating true loyalty under any ruler while having high integrity and being very bright;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cOf the three features \u2013 personal honesty, sincere support for the regime, and high intelligence \u2013 it is only possible to combine only two, never three. If one were honest and supportive, one was not very bright; if one were bright and supportive, one was not honest; if one were honest and bright, one was not supportive.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

\u2013 Slavoj Zizek (b. 1949) Philosopher, Cultural theorist, and Public intellectual<\/p>","slug":"on-commodore-okoh-ebitu-ukiwe-5-lessons-for-president-bola-tinubu","picture":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/duclel6gj\/image\/upload\/v1725694645\/mxeeed3iolr39hs4dkka.jpg","added_by":"Editor","tag":"Lessons, Tinubu, Ukiwe","date":"1725694678"},{"id":1668,"post_id":"b684999b-9976-4280-bf89-cf9157a4347f","title":"Modifying the Forces of the Market by Moderating with the Forces of Mercy","category":"4f4806a0-5ffa-45d4-bf15-6e8a545b439a","category_name":"Opinion","subCategory":"","subCategory_name":null,"description":"

By Bala Ibrahim<\/strong><\/p>


<\/p>

  \u201cNothing can make injustice just but mercy\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

In school, and in Economics, we were told about the economic factors affecting the price of, demand for, and availability of a commodity, any commodity.<\/p>


<\/p>

These factors or forces are majorly divided into four, and are called, the four major market forces, namely: Government, International transactions, Speculation and expectation, and Supply and demand.<\/p>


<\/p>

In simple terms, as laymen, we were told, that the price of any commodity is determined by the forces of demand and supply. If the demand is high, and supply is low, the price would go up. So said our teachers.<\/p>


<\/p>

The commodity in contention here is oil, petrol in particular, and the theatre of transaction is Nigeria. The supply of crude is high. The price of the crude is also relatively high. But the supply of the product, petrol, is defiantly low, forcing a defiantly high price for petrol. Why?<\/p>


<\/p>

A simple research would reveal that Nigeria's oil production amounted to about 1.5 million barrels per day in 2023, an increase when compared to the previous year. Between 1998 and 2022, the figures decreased by approximately 480 thousand barrels per day, and the reasons are numerous.<\/p>


<\/p>

Crude oil sales accounted for the larger chunk of the oil revenue of Nigeria, as N188.15bn was generated from crude oil sales, while gas sales generated N29.69bn. The oil sector provides for 95% of Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings and 80% of its budgetary revenues.<\/p>


<\/p>

In short, everything about Nigeria is largely dependent on oil, which the country has in abundance. Yet, the same oil is fast becoming a curse, that is inflicting harm on the comfort of the country. God!, what have we done wrong?<\/p>


<\/p>

On Tuesday, the National oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, announced a change in the pump price of petrol in Nigeria, increasing it from \u20a6568 to \u20a6855, \u20a6897 per liter, depending on location. Already, black marketers were selling at higher prices.<\/p>


<\/p>

Some as high as N1,200 per liter. The company admitted, to the embarrassment of many, that it was struggling to maintain fuel supplies because of financial difficulties. Financial difficulties at a time when the country said it had removed fuel subsidy to overcome the same financial difficulties? God!, what have we done wrong?<\/p>


<\/p>

According to this price increase, everything in the country has been positioned for a price review, including the cost of breathing, I think. According to the NNPCL, foreign exchange illiquidity has been a significant factor influencing the fluctuation in prices of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.<\/p>


<\/p>

These factors are governed by unrestricted free market forces, as provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. In essence, the company is saying, the fate of the people, as far as the purchase of petrol is concerned, is dependent on the forces of the market.<\/p>


<\/p>

Well, that is pure economics, which is legal. But beyond economics, there is the issue of governance, which has the duty of comparing the performance of different sectors under different conditions, and moderating where necessary, to bring sanity to the system. And that is moral.<\/p>


<\/p>

Governments maintain the legal and social framework, provide public goods and services, redistribute income, mitigate externalities, and stabilize the economy. These are the statutory responsibilities of any government, including our government of Nigeria, which has pledged to do justice to all. Lawyers say justice is rendered when people receive their due, according to the law, be it God's law or man's law.<\/p>


<\/p>

An act of justice is typically an act of the law and might be an act of vengeance and force. Mercy, on the other hand, means exercising forbearance. An act of mercy is an act of grace and COMPASSION. The emphasis on compassion is mine, with the hope that it would draw the attention of the government.<\/p>


<\/p>

The same lawyers say justice can be tampered with mercy. Justice, which by nature involves retribution, can be softened by mercy. This includes merciful interventions in the market.<\/p>


<\/p>

Perhaps, it is to effect this aspect of tampering justice with mercy, and also in readiness to activate the role of the first among the four major market forces, which is the Government, that, Vice President Kashim Shettima, summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Group Managing Director of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari to his office yesterday.<\/p>


<\/p>

Also summoned was the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. By the composition and the strategic importance of the people invited, the expectations would come in line with the move to modify the forces of the market by moderating with the forces of mercy.<\/p>


<\/p>

May Allah make it so, Ameen. Because nothing can make injustice just but mercy.<\/p>","slug":"modifying-the-forces-of-the-market-by-moderating-with-the-forces-of-mercy","picture":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/duclel6gj\/image\/upload\/v1725694377\/ujsysdorgeo5b47o4fdu.jpg","added_by":"Editor","tag":"Moderating, Modifying, Market Forces, Mercy","date":"1725694426"},{"id":1635,"post_id":"e86a9773-5663-49da-b035-bcb419bff1b3","title":"Nigeria: The Available and The Affordable","category":"4f4806a0-5ffa-45d4-bf15-6e8a545b439a","category_name":"Opinion","subCategory":"","subCategory_name":null,"description":"

By Bala Ibrahim<\/strong><\/p>

 \u201cA people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices\u201d-George Orwell.<\/p>


<\/p>

George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, and critic who made a name from his novel, The Animal Farm. Animal Farm tells the story of a group of animals living on a farm, and having characteristics like those of human beings. They rebelled against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals could be equal, free, and happy.<\/p>


<\/p>

 Undoubtedly, George Orwell had demonstrated an uncommon ingenuity in the book, but if the Nigerian situation today, was factored by the book, George Orwell would be accused of being extremely naive.<\/p>


<\/p>

His naive attitude toward politics, particularly the politics of Nigeria today, can be called a preposterous imagination. Had the rebellious animals in The Animal Farm, had any inkling, or even a vague understanding of what life would be like in Nigeria today, about 75 years after the publication of the book, they would have written a caveat, to exempt Nigeria from the crime of that imaginary society, where the animals can claim to be equal, free, and happy. Animal Farm was written in 1945. George Orwell died in 1950.<\/p>


<\/p>

Ten years after his demise, Nigeria gained independence from George Orwell\u2019s Britain. And contrary to the simplistic, or naive social imagination and his opposition to all totalitarianism, independence has not totally liberated some Nigerians from the crime of absolute dictatorship practiced by their leaders.<\/p>


<\/p>

The country today has leaders who are happy to operate against the provision of the constitution, and they do so without remorse. The Nigerian constitution has made provision for a three-tier structure of Government- Federal, State, and Local Governments. The last or lowest on the ladder is the closest to the people and one that ought to be the most effective means of communicating or conveying democratic dividends to the people.<\/p>


<\/p>

Unfortunately, because of corruption and the self-centered interests of the governors, this arm of government has not been functioning in the best possible interest of the people. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to have come with a will to review and reverse the situation, to the benefit of the people, I think. His government went to court, wherein the Supreme Court ruled that the 774 local government councils in the country should independently manage their funds.<\/p>


<\/p>

Despite the ruling, some Governors, in cohort with some anti-people Local Government Chairmen, are still acting with intransigence. To them, all animals cannot be equal. Yes, some should be more equal than others.<\/p>


<\/p>

In an effort to hasten the process of nailing the coffin, the Federal Government instituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee recently, with the charge of enforcing the Supreme Court Judgement on Local government autonomy. The aim is to free resources from the hands of those Governors who have chronic Kleptomania.<\/p>


<\/p>

These Governors, who have long been diagnosed with an irresistible urge to steal, would continue to fight, because, their impulse of theft, has misinformed them about the meaning of equity and that the essence of democracy is the establishment of a society where the people can be equal, free, and happy to enjoy the good dividends of governance.<\/p>


<\/p>

Some have since commenced the process of surreptitiously circumventing the system, by arranging sham elections and declaring their lackeys as winners.<\/p>


<\/p>

This is because, the Federal Government is insisting that money meant for the Local Governments, would not be released to states that have no elected councils. Simple as they may look, by the provision and ambition of the Nigerian constitution, local government elections are as important as any other election.<\/p>


<\/p>

This is so because, these elections are held at the grassroots level, and they are supposed to be the fundamental part of shaping local governance, and by extension, impacting positively on the life of the community.<\/p>


<\/p>

Because of their significance and the various challenges they face, local government elections in Nigeria are easily the foundation of democracy. They bring governance closer to the people, determine the leadership of local councils, are responsible for providing basic services and amenities, bringing development, and addressing community-specific problems.<\/p>


<\/p>

The success or failure of local governance rests squarely on the success or failure of these elections. Hence, the a need to resist the corrupt and those to corrupt the system.<\/p>


<\/p>

As mentioned by George Orwell, people who elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims but accomplices. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are compounding the challenges faced by the local governments. Because of the selfish interests of the Governors, the best is not the one presented for the contest. Rather, the position is given to the highest bidder, who is the most affordable, and becomes imposed on the people as the available.<\/p>


<\/p>

Once they win the elections, which they always do, political interference commences or continues. Thievery commences or continues. Transparency reduces or nosedive. And at the next round of election, voter apathy is created, because the people would feel increasingly alienated. This is because the candidate put forward to the people was the one with the affordability and not the credibility.<\/p>


<\/p>

If the people want to enjoy the dividends of democracy as is being planned for them by the Federal Government, they must be ready to resist imposition. They must be ready to resist the temptation to play the accomplices, by not electing the corrupt, the imposed, and by extension, the traitors. That way, they would not become the victims.<\/p>","slug":"nigeria-the-availabile-and-the-affordable","picture":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/duclel6gj\/image\/upload\/v1725347217\/vh8mlda9x4lbopwgk9nq.jpg","added_by":"Editor","tag":"Available, Affordable, Nigeria, Animal Farm","date":"1725347251"},{"id":1549,"post_id":"fe2ce0fd-d7d0-4f2b-b8dd-bc99f67a55b3","title":"Cry, Beloved North: \u201cWe Were Eight Years in Power\u201d","category":"4f4806a0-5ffa-45d4-bf15-6e8a545b439a","category_name":"Opinion","subCategory":"","subCategory_name":null,"description":"

By Ahmed Yahaya Joe<\/strong><\/p>


<\/p>

We can only speculate on what these two political titans in the attached picture were actually discussing back in 1956.<\/p>


<\/p>

Just a few years prior ahead of the Sawaba Declaration of 8 August 1950, which marked the formal promulgation of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), Mallam Bello Ijumu (left) from the Mopa Division of Kabba Province in present-day Kogi State had invited over 30 stalwarts.<\/p>


<\/p>

Only seven persons turned up due to the all-pervading fear of the Kano Native Authority's dreaded policemen under the sway of the mainstream Northern People\u2019s Congress (NPC) behemoth.<\/p>


<\/p>

Those who managed to evade marauding NPC thugs to appear at Mallam Ijumu's Sabongari residence in Kano were Messrs. Abba Maikwaru, Babaliya Manaja, Musa Kaula, Abdulkadir Danjaji, Garba Bida, Mudi Sipikin and Magaji Dambatta. <\/p>


<\/p>

Notably, absent was Malam Aminu Kano (right), later leader of NEPU who would declare to members;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cHe allows himself to be arrested for a crime he did not commit and will be expelled from the party, but if he resists and comes to us on a stretcher, he is a hero.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

Fast forward to the present-day North post-Buhari-era when whatever topic of political discussion or even the most constructive criticism of President Bola Tinubu by Northerners is carefully punctuated by more discerning discussants with the caveat \u201cWe were eight years in power,\u201d reminiscent of the same words Ta-Nehisi Coates entitled his 2017 book on the 44th US President, Barack Obama.<\/p>


<\/p>

Coates had actually borrowed the title of his collection of essays chronicling the two terms of Obama 2009-2017 from an elected African-American US Congressman, Thomas Ezekiel Miller (1849-1938) who after serving a prior stint as a South Carolina state legislator 1874-1882 resoundingly declared;<\/p>


<\/p>

\"We were eight years in power. We had built schoolhouses, established charitable institutions\u2026we had reconstructed the state, and placed it on the road to recovery.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

On March 25, 2024, Iliyasu Gadu posted an opening answer to his own question \u201c2027: Can the North stop Tinubu? (I)\u201d affirming that as Mr. President\u2019s first term plays out;<\/p>

 \u201cTinubu\u2019s game plan will be to systemically strip the North of its advantages thus weakening its competitive edge in national politics.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

On April 2, with \u201cThe road to 2027: Can the North stop President Tinubu? (II)\u201d Gadu continued;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cThe first order of things is for the north to take a look at itself. To be honest, the North is no longer the cohesive political factor it used to be.\u201d<\/p>

Gadu had the candour to conclude;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cThe North handed President Tinubu the mandate in 2023 on a platter of gold based largely on sentiments and without critical assessment. And now that the North has lost the plot lock, stock, and barrel, it must learn to live with the consequences of what it wrought by its own hands.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

Eventually, Mr. President would lend his voice on any perceived aggrievances in the North against him in an oblique manner while addressing the Sheikh Bala Lau-led delegation from the region to the Villa ahead of the August 1 protests;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cI have no cabal. I have no sponsors. The money I spent on the (2023) election was my personal fortune.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

As Gadu had prior affirmed;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cMoney power is the game changer. It is the instrument that penetrates and unlocks all probable resistance with the debilitating poverty stalking the land.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

https:\/\/www.thecable.ng\/2027-can-the-north-stop-president-tinubu-i\/amp\/<\/a> <\/p>

https:\/\/www.thecable.ng\/the-road-to-2027-can-the-north-stop-president-tinubu-ii\/amp\/<\/a> <\/p>


<\/p>

Then, there is the pervasive insecurity that has been afflicting the North. Why couldn\u2019t former President Buhari wrestle this monster to the ground?<\/p>


<\/p>

Hear him at Chatham House on 25 February 2015, ahead of the March 28 presidential election;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cWhat has been consistently lacking is the required leadership in our battle against insurgency\u2026Let me assure you that if I am elected president, I, Muhammadu Buhari, will always lead from the front.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

How would Bello Ijumu and Aminu Kano have discussed the way forward for the present-day North?<\/p>


<\/p>

They would have remained consistent with the NEPU ideals that is how. The Sawaba Declaration of 1950 stated in part;<\/p>


<\/p>

\"For a population of some 15 million people, there is only one Missionary trained medical doctor who is a Northerner while there is no single engineer, economist, lawyer or educationist,\" and recommended \"Mass and compulsory Free Education for all Northern youths of school age.\"<\/p>


<\/p>

NEPU also understood;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cThat the shocking state of social order existing in Northern Nigeria is due to nothing but the Family Compact Rule of the so-called Native Administration (NA) in their present autocratic form;<\/p>


<\/p>

Owning to this unscrupulous and vicious system of administration by the Family Compact Rulers which has been established and is fully supported by the British imperial government, there is today in our society an Antagonism of Interest, manifesting as a Class Struggle, between the members of this vicious circle of NA on one hand and the ordinary Talakawa on the other;<\/p>


<\/p>

This antagonism can only be abolished only by the Emancipation of the Talakawa from the domination of these privileged few.\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

Today, while the \u201cNA\u201d and \u201cthe British imperial government\u201d have since passed away albeit resurrected into other contemporary political forms of continued existence the same historical \u201cautocratic form\u201d and \u201cFamily Compact Rule\u201d including \u201cAntagonism of Interest manifesting as Class Struggle\u201d are all still very much alive to the continued detriment of the \u201cordinary Talakawa\u201d predominately across the North to date.<\/p>


<\/p>

It is against this enabling background three fundamental questions Malam Iliyasu asked sequentially in his March 25 intervention will continue to remain largely unanswered by Northerners themselves;<\/p>


<\/p>

\u201cHow come the North cannot solve the challenges of banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency in the region?<\/p>


<\/p>

Why is the North so content with poverty, underdevelopment, and vast inequalities?<\/p>

Why do some Northerners feel as if they are more Northern than others?\u201d<\/p>


<\/p>

No doubt the problems of the North are legion. So are its issues and contradictions.<\/p>

There are, however, still common denominators that act as binding factors irrespective of prevailing differences and historical disagreements.<\/p>


<\/p>

The recent percussion played by Ambassador Emeka Anyaoku-led \u201cPatriots\u201d during a recent presidential audience sounded like the drumbeats of re-structuring Nigeria.<\/p>


<\/p>

Why is relentless pressure on extra-constitutional change always prevalent whenever the North is not in the Villa since 1999?<\/p>


<\/p>

First, it culminated in the National Political Reform Conference in 2005. Second, manifesting in 2014 as the National Conference. Both with archived reports.<\/p>

If so, why summon another jamboree?<\/p>


<\/p>

President Tinubu might currently be like Mike Tyson in his prime with the North down. Being out, however, remains to be seen.<\/p>


<\/p>

Anybody who thinks Nigeria can be restructured without the North\u2019s acquiescence is probably living on the moon.<\/p>","slug":"cry-beloved-north-we-were-eight-years-in-power","picture":"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/duclel6gj\/image\/upload\/v1724758202\/djtbg2g7wv34t9budgat.jpg","added_by":"Editor","tag":"Cry, Beloved North, NEPU, NPC, National Political Reform Conference, President Tinubu, Sawaba Declaration","date":"1724758329"}]}