Nigeria Presidential Election: Nigeria on path to recovery whichever way it goes
Three opportunities—political, social and economic opportunities—are facing Nigeria. Each of the three main contenders to the seat of Nigeria’s presidency come with unique opportunities. Three days to the Presidential election, pundits cannot conveniently predict the way the election will go. But glaring indices point to the fact that whoever emerges the President and commander-in-chief of the most populous African country will do better than the current Muhammadu Buhari led government.
The nearly 8-year administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been roundly criticised for cluelessness in handling security and economy issues. Buhari’s regime saw regional interests snowball into insecurity especially in the South-East part of the country who felt to have been alienated by the national government. The administration’s tactless approach to security fanned the establishment of regional security networks like the Amotekun in South-West and Eastern Security Network in the South-East. Activities of Boko Haram and bandits also grew in the Northern parts of the country. Although his handlers claimed Buhari’s administration did well in provision of Infrastructure and agriculture, Buhar’s critiques said those efforts were poor and they did not reflect on the economy or wellbeing of the people of Nigeria.
The 2023 election presents three unique individuals: Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Tibunu is a south-west politician whose large political foresight has seen him build a political empire from Lagos State where he served as Senator and Governor, then spread to almost every part of the region. Although widely accused of corruption and high-handedness, Tinubu is easily a man of political vision. Over the years, he brought his leadership and management acumen to bear in the development and growth of his political base from an obscure regional party to now a national and ruling party in Nigeria. However, Tibunu has no known source of wealth before he became a political lord in the south-west. Although Tinubu is seen to be battling with health issues, he will surely do better than Buhari if he is voted to be president on Saturday.
Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of the country is a politician from the North-West whose made his fortune between 1999 and 2007 when he served as the Vice President to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku swiftly invested his wealth in education and communication sectors within and outside Nigeria. Atiku is a savvy politician with a huge network of allies across Nigeria. Atiku prides himself as a unifier because of his charismatic style of leadership. Although Atiku is accused of corruption and extravagant life-style, he is likely to perform better than Buhari in terms of handling the economy and security situations of Nigeria.
The third force, Peter Obi, is a wealthy businessman and politician from south-east whose promises of good governance has endeared him to the youth. Obi, who is a trader and producer of consumables promises to bring his experience to bear in turning Nigeria from a consumption nation to a producing nation, thereby pulling many out of poverty. Often described as a frugal politician, Obi built business empires. Obi’s transparent leadership style, good managerial acumen will help him work on the unity and security of the country and also on the economy.
Saturday’s election and perhaps, a run-off election within the next 21 days after Saturday will produce one of these three politicians as the President of Nigeria. Despite the shortcoming of the three leading contenders, any of them who succeeds Buhari will do better than Buhari in unifying the country, working on the economy and security of the country. It is easy to say that Nigeria is on the path to recovery.
Unlike women, it’s natural that men rarely weep or shed tears. Whatever makes a man weep must have overwhelmed him emotionally in such a manner that he cannot hold back tears. Therefore, when a man weeps in public, it’s possible that he may have wept several times over in his closet. Whatever makes a general to weep on camera before the whole world must be on something that touches on his nerves beyond emotional control.
Against the foregoing background, when the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), wept before the cameras sometime in 2012 after losing the 2011 presidential election which was his third attempt at the presidential seat, the world was taken aback seeing a retired general shedding tears publicly ostensibly over the state of the nation.
Some Nigerians, including this writer, thought Buhari wept having ruminated over his antecedents, especially the military coup of December 31, 1983, which truncated the Second Republic’s democratic rule. Some of us thought that Buhari wept because he realised that he could never be rewarded with election as a civilian president, having participated in truncating the same civilian rule in Nigeria.
Ordinarily, no country rewards a coup plotter with election as a civilian president, especially if the coup truncated a civilian dispensation. In Africa, a coup plotter could become a civilian president if it toppled another military regime, but not when it toppled a civilian rule. You do not approbate and reprobate at the same time by demanding to be elected in a form of government you hated and truncated.
However, Buhari’s supporters came to his defence by alleging that he wept because of the parlous state of affairs in the country. Before he succeeded in 2015, he had made three failed attempts to become the president. The very day that Buhari was declared the winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2015 was a very mournful day for most Nigerians, primarily due to the fact that a man who truncated democracy ought not to have been rewarded with the major crown of democracy.
Some of us didn’t vote for the president not because we hate him; we simply did not believe and still do not believe that he was the best for Nigeria. A country with thousands of professors and millions of degree holders of various levels shouldn’t have entrusted its affairs in the hands of such a man, thereby making a mockery of our so-called higher educational attainment.
The holy books of all faiths say nothing happens without the knowledge of God. Therefore, God allowed Buhari to become Nigeria’s president in 2015 by using then President Goodluck Jonathan to make it possible. Perhaps, if another person, apart from Jonathan, was the president at the time, millions of lives could have been lost in a monumental crisis that could have ensued. It took a man of peace like Jonathan to have made that possible. Some of these other Nigerian past leaders wouldn’t have done that. And that’s why most of us believe and still maintain that Jonathan deserves a Nobel Peace Prize Award.
Having grudgingly accepted our fate with Buhari as our president, we thought that he would turn the country around for the better as severally purported by his followers and supporters. Buhari would have become the best president in the history of the country if he was able to change the fortunes of Nigeria in these past eight years. Sincerely speaking, is there any sector of the Nigerian economy that has improved for the better since 2015?
Buhari promised to tackle the three-pronged issues of the economy, security, and corruption. Is the Nigerian economy better or worse than it was in 2015? Is there any single commodity that has experienced an improved quality, quantity and reduction in price since 2015? A bag of rice was less than N10,000 in 2015; today it’s hovering above N50,000. All staple food items that sustain the poor have skyrocketed in prices beyond the reach of the masses. He promised to make $1 equivalent to N1 but what’s the ugly story today?
In 2015 when a litre of petrol was N87 he promised to make it N40 a litre. Today it’s sold for N500 in the black market. What about kerosene that was N95 a litre in 2015 but today N900? What about diesel, cooking gas, etc? Insecurity is worse today than it was in 2015.
The issue of corruption is where Buhari has failed virtually all Nigerians. As a military head of state, he jailed suspected corrupt politicians for a long sentence of 50 years and above. Some of them got over 100 years of jail term and even life imprisonment. What do we have today? No notable politician has been commensurately jailed for corruption since Buhari assumed office as president. Even those who were given reasonably longer jail terms after a lengthy and rigorous trial by the courts of the land have been set free by Buhari through the doctrine of the presidential pardon. Corruption is worse today than it was during the late General Sani Abacha regime.
The presidency would always beat its chest about the so-called Second Niger Bridge as if that’s the topmost priority of the people of the South-East region. The security of life and property is the major responsibility of the government because only the living can make use of the Second Niger Bridge. The dredging of the River Niger would have served a better economic purpose for the South-East region. If the River Niger was dredged, Lagos Apapa Wharf would have been decongested because some ships from overseas would be coming straight to Onitsha and the economy of Anambra State and the South-East would have experienced a boom.
Can Buhari sincerely say that he has improved the fortunes of Nigeria? Can he say that the country as of today is what he envisaged while contesting the presidency? What actually made him weep profusely? Did he weep because he wanted to satisfy his ambition to be an elected president just for its sake or he wanted to turn the fortunes of Nigeria around just like Lee Kuan Yew who turned the fortunes of Singapore?
Dr. Pierre M’Pele, MEDx talk on “The Need and the Action: Baseline Assessment & Dakar Declaration”.
In August, WHO’s Monitoring Report on Universal Health Coverage in Africa revealed a 10-year rise in life expectancy between 2000 and 2019. This drastic increase is a consequence of the 37% drop in mortality between 2000 and 2015 following the implementation of the 2000-2015 Millennium Development Goals.
Indeed, over the past two decades, Africa has made enormous progress in healthcare and these two essential indicators, markers of the health of a population, attest to this. While it is certainly legitimate to rejoice in this increase for a continent plagued by so many ills, we must be cautious and avoid complacency because this positive news is a tree that hides the forest. It is therefore wise to remain vigilant and to pursue tirelessly the efforts to improve the level of health of African populations.
The Tree…The baobab that hides the forest
Numerous reports, studies, and evaluations, including those published by the WHO, show that this progress stems from advances in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases (HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria), reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, particularly with the improvement in the coverage of essential health services, which reached 46% in 2019, compared to 24% in 2000.
While this progress is notable, it is unevenly distributed across Africa, between regions, between countries, and even within countries, and the slow reduction in infectious diseases indicates an epidemiological transition that deserves special attention because noncommunicable diseases are a silent and deadly epidemic now and in the future.
This progress is also the result of the commitments made successively in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals 2000-2015 followed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015-2030. They have led national leadership to serve the greatest number of people to ensure lasting change. At the national and international levels, these commitments have enabled a people-centered vision and planning for greater investment in health as part of national development programs. Good democratic governance, stability, and economic growth in African countries over the past two decades, as well as support for numerous initiatives, have also positively influenced health indicators.
To achieve Universal Health Coverage in line with the SDGs by the year 2030, it is essential to build effective, inclusive partnerships between governments, the private sector, civil society and communities. They must be built on common principles and values of solidarity and brotherhood that place all people at the heart of the process. In this context, Mercy Ships has been working with the people of Africa since 1990 to, in the words of French medical professor Marc Gentilini, “temper the pain of the world” through free access to high quality, very complex surgical care to those who would not otherwise be able to access it.
The Forest…Disorganized, fragile, and unbalanced health systems
Home to 17% of the world’s population, Africa has only 2% of the world’s total number of physicians and less than 1 surgical specialists per 100,000 inhabitants. The continent alone accounts for 25% of global morbidity and one-third of clinical conditions requiring surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic care.
Today, the African health systems bring to light significant weaknesses, such as:
Insufficient funding and public health budget, and far too high “remaining costs” for the patients
Limited access of the population to quality, affordable healthcare and services, available at all times and in all places
Inadequate data collection and statistical systems that prevent the monitoring and evaluation of interventions, which is so useful for guiding public health action
An oversized centralization of the systems affecting the peripheral levels
Poor health infrastructures
Persistent inequalities in access to proven health interventions, especially in the coverage of key and vulnerable populations such as children, adolescents, women, and the elderly
Insufficient and inadequate health human resources
Inadequate surveillance and response systems for epidemics and pandemics
Poor access to essential medicines, vaccines, and technologies
Lack of transparency and leadership in governance, which does not always consider health as a fundamental human right.
At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic has recently revealed the fragility of health systems in many African countries. Public health management must therefore be rigorous and efficient, transparent, and supportive, based on scientific evidence and respect for human rights. At the center of the action, women and men of excellence, competent, of integrity, and responsible will make it possible to achieve the SDG: “To live in good health and promote the well-being of all people at all ages, which are essential conditions for sustainable development”.
Left-behind outskirts…Surgery, a neglected component of health systems in Africa
Over the past two decades, public health efforts in Africa have not been accompanied by similar progress in health systems, service integration, or hospital care, nor have they been equitably distributed among individuals of all socioeconomic statuses. Surgical and anesthesia care has been largely neglected in most African countries.
According to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, 93% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to safe surgery and more than 25 million additional surgeries are needed each year to save lives and prevent disability. The challenge of equity and the integration of surgical and anesthesia care into national health systems are prerequisites for achieving Universal Health Coverage in Africa.
In Africa, receiving appropriate care for hemorrhage from childbirth or burns, for example, is a challenge for the individual, his or her family, healthcare personnel, and the community. A dystocia (birth injury) leads to the death of the mother and the newborn, a cleft lip and palate becomes an obstacle to the normal growth and development of a child, a broken bone leads to permanent disability for a young man who works to support his family. Access to quality, safe and affordable surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care is a luxury in most African countries and especially for the poorest populations.
Africa, Mercy Ships and partners take up the challenge…
In commemoration of its 30 years of service on the African continent and to strengthen its advocacy for safe, quality surgery in Africa, Mercy Ships has engaged African governments, national and international partners, and health experts in a continent-wide, strategic and political action: from action research to political commitment. It aims to increase investment in upgrading surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care systems by 2030 to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
The Research
The research consisted of an assessment of the inadequacies of surgical care systems in Africa. It led to the development of a priority action plan for scaling up and investing in strengthening healthcare in Africa, and a strategy for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. This unique study was conducted in 602 district hospitals in 32 sub-Saharan African countries. Preliminary results show an alarming situation that requires urgent action in all countries. For example, one in four district hospitals has no water or electricity, and only one in twenty-five has an Internet connection in this century of computerization.
The strategic discussion
From May 4 to 6, 2022 in Dakar, experts from 28 African countries in the fields of surgery, obstetrics and anesthesia were brought together. The Ministers of Health, who pledged to improve the situation over the next ten years, proposed a commitment called
Access to Equitable, Affordable and Quality Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthetic Care in Africa, as well as a Regional Action Plan 2022-2030. They submitted them to African Heads of State, including HE President Macky Sall, of the Republic of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union.
Political commitment
On May 30 in Dakar, six African states (Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal) adopted the Dakar Declaration. This Declaration announces nine strong commitments, and a Regional Action Plan 2022-2030 which includes 12 urgent and necessary actions, 6 strategic priorities, 16 key indicators and an annual monitoring scorecard.
This Declaration is ambitious and brings hope for filling the healthcare gap for most Africa’s populations. This hope is that all African leaders, governments, and partners, will commit to the financial investment necessary to develop concrete actions for better health for the populations, especially the poorest.
But a political declaration is only the starting point for action. To make it a reality, there must be real political will and strong leadership for health. In Africa, so many declarations have remained in the starting blocks… The 2001 Abuja Declaration (allocation of 15% of the annual national budget to health), for example, is still being implemented, resulting in inconsistent health systems and the fact that surgery remains a neglected component.
The forest ranger… The solution
Just as a person drives the car, pilots the plane or the drone, designs and guides the artificial intelligence, people must be at the heart of the change. It is more useful today to have qualified, specialized, and dedicated doctors and nurses even without sophisticated equipment, than hospitals with expensive equipment without high-level health human resources to operate them.
Therefore, training programs are essential; one of the great challenges for health professionals on the African continent is to access advanced training, continuous capacity building programs and research to avoid costly medical evacuations to developed countries. We need health professionals in Africa who can heal and restore dignity to patients.
In the march towards Universal Health Coverage, African governments must take a rigorous strategic and scientific approach: plan a program adapted to the local situation supported by sufficient political commitment to be sustainable, make better use of available resources, remove financial barriers for access to care while reducing the financial risks associated with disease, implement, and respect the Abuja 2001 commitment, and finally invest in building resilient health systems.
The relative wealth of a country is not the only factor at play. Although the priority given to health in national budgets generally increases with national income, it is important to note that some governments choose to devote a high proportion of their budgets to health spending despite a relatively low level of national income. Others, on the other hand, who are relatively wealthier, allocate a smaller proportion.
The Dakar Declaration on Access to Equitable, Affordable and Quality Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthetic Care and its 2022-2030 Action Plan submitted to African Heads of State in May 2022 is a powerful policy lever. This roadmap will accelerate Universal Health Coverage by the year 2030 in Africa.
This is a real universal challenge to be met because we have less than 10 years left to succeed. African governments and their populations therefore have a key role to play in these efforts, especially those aimed at improving access to quality surgical care which leaves no one behind. It is clear that “political action will make the difference because it must be like the surgeon’s scalpel: leave no room for uncertainty.”
It is not easy to understand why a desert storm can arise suddenly in an oasis. Sokoto State is a parched land hugging the Sahara Desert in a precarious embrace. It does not have much rainfall most part of the year, and when it rains, it may even have a flash flood with occasional devastating consequences.
In this almost arid land, the Shehu Shagari College of Education is regarded as an oasis of knowledge in a vast land of aridity. Its products are to become teachers, bearing the torch of knowledge like Shehu Shagari, the teacher who became the President of Nigeria. The students were the symbol of enlightenment and civility. Last Thursday, the students became the bearer of the storm.
On that day, one of the students, Deborah Samuel, a 200-level student, came to school in an upbeat spirit. She did well in her last examination. On the WhatsApp group she shared with her colleagues and classmates, she attributed her success to hard work and the blessing of God. “I thank Jesus for my success,” she enthused on the group page. Some of her colleagues, mostly males, objected to her praising Jesus on the WhatsApp page and asked her to apologise. She refused. She argued that praising Jesus cannot be an offence.
Her traducers insisted that what she just did was tantamount to blasphemy. She would not agree with them. Death stalked her, but she was oblivious. She did not smell the gathering storm.
Therefore, when she stepped into her class last Thursday, she was full of exuberance. Her traducers, who had upbraided her on the WhatsApp platform, descended on her. They wanted her to apologise. She refused, claiming that praising Jesus cannot be an offence. All her accusers were familiar to her. They were all her classmates and she believed that it was only their arguments against her and her few friends. She was wrong.
Soon, as their temper rose, her traducers seized her, dragged her outside and started beating her. She cried for help. The teachers fled. The security men were summoned by Deborah’s friends, but they preferred to stay away. The lynching party was now cycling like a desert storm, howling like a pack of hyenas. Killing Deborah was short work. They broke some heads around the school compound and emboldened by the lack of resistance from the authorities, they marched around the campus, looking for suspected Christians to attack.
Soon, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, ordered that the school be closed immediately. Deborah’s remains were recovered from the rubbles and were eventually dispatched to her parents in Niger State. Then the government made a plaintive statement, condemning the riot and asking the people of the state to maintain peace. The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, who is the head of Nigerian Muslims, condemned the killing of Deborah and called for justice. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Sokoto State, condemned the killing.
Note that Sokoto is the See of Matthew Hassan Kukah, the fiery critic of the government, humanist and Catholic bishop. Earlier report that his residence was attacked by rioters was later debunked as false.
Some misguided youths then mobilised when they leant that indeed the Sokoto State police command has arrested some suspects for the murder. The mob marched to the palace of the Sultan, asking him to recant his condemnation of the murder. They argued that the penalty for blasphemy is death. The Sultan refused. The police came and dispersed the crowd. The crowd moved into different parts of the old city, targeting some shops. They also attacked some churches. They want no punishment for those who killed Deborah for blasphemy. They believe that it was right and proper to defend God against the loose tongues of mankind.
Almost all known religions frown at blasphemy. This is the offence of badmouthing God and denigrating His omnipotence. During the Dark Ages in Europe, those accused of blaspheming were routinely executed or at least excommunicated from the Church. Among the practitioners of traditional religion in Yoruba land, no one would raise his hand to defend God. They believe Olodumare is strong and capable enough of defending himself.
Among Muslims of Nigeria, blasphemy is worse than even being an infidel. An infidel can be converted to the True Faith. A blaspheming apostate has already sinned against God. Some Muslims even believe that killing the apostate is an act of faith. Such was the torrent that Deborah’s murder elicited.
Two issues are of public interest in this tragedy. First is whether anyone in the Republic has the right to take the law into his hands and carry out a sentence he deems fit. Even if Deborah has committed an offence of blasphemy, according to Sharia, her accusers ought to drag her before the authorities that will eventually arraign her before a competent Islamic Court. It is the court that has the duty and the right to pronounce judgment. It is good that both the Sultan and the governor stood up for the Rule of Law by condemning this mob attack.
On Monday, the Sokoto Police Command charged two of the suspects before a Magistrate Court in Sokoto for the offence of participating in lynching Deborah. The suspects are to be defended by a team of 34 lawyers led by Professor Mansur Ibrahim who wanted the suspects given bail on liberal terms. The judge declined and remanded them in a correctional centre.
This case is going to expose the cultural dilemma in some parts of the North that has led to the growth of radical Islam and the rise of Boko Haram and other extremist groups. Ebun Olu Adegboruwa, a Lagos lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the suspects should have been charged with murder.
“The criminal charge of Criminal Conspiracy and Inciting Public Disturbance as framed by the Sokoto State government against hardened murderers is an insult to the sensibilities of the parents of the deceased,” said Adegboruwa. “The crime took place in an enlightened environment in a higher institution, under the watch of security men, who were said to have been overpowered.”
There is a regular and corrosive tendency of the Northern political elite to indulge in criminality as long as it is done in the name of the Islamic religion. That the suspects have been able to attract so many defence lawyers is a point of interest. Meanwhile, no public officer, including the governors of Sokoto and Niger states where Deborah was buried last week, has sent any condolences to Deborah’s family. Even the poor don’t deserve words of comfort from the big men and women ruling Nigeria. We now know why there are so many sad and angry ghosts roaming Nigeria, demanding justice.
Nigerian Bank’s Easter Message: Government’s silence not golden
Nigerian Bank’s Easter Message: Government’s silence not golden
A Nigerian Bank, Sterling Bank, during the just concluded Easter period, through its official communications channels, released a message, purported to be Easter message. The message compares the resurrection of Christ with the rising of Agege Bread, a colloquial name for locally made unbuttered bread. The message said: He is risen like Agege Bread. It accompanied this writing with a visual expression of bread.
To even a layperson, that particular message from the Sterling Bank is uncreative, insensitive, drab and distasteful. Expectedly, Nigerians, especially those of the Christian faith took to their media handles to criticise the bank for the creation and dissemination of this message. As usual, this issue has divided Nigerians along religious lines.
It is worrisome that since this unfortunate incident on April 17, 2022, the Nigerian Government has not made any comment on it, thereby leaving citizens alone to abuse one another on the social media space as they tried to accentuate the rightness or otherwise of the message. The Government has not deemed it necessary to make a comment condemning this insensitive message from a banking institution.
It is unfortunate that the Nigerian Government does not take decisive actions to stem the root causes of religious hatred in Nigeria which dates back to the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 and manifested first in Kano in May 1953 in what became popular as the Kano riot of 1953. What happened in May 1953? The riot was a clash between Northerners, predominantly Muslims who were opposed to Nigeria’s Independence as first suggested in 1953 by a Southern politician, Anthony Enahoro and Southerners made up of Christians mainly the Yoruba and the Igbo who supported immediate independence for Nigeria. The riot that lasted for four days claimed many lives of the Southerners and Northerners and many others were wounded.
Since the 1953 incident, Nigeria has gone through bloody times: through the civil war, military coups and counter coups, electoral or political violence to its current unenviable Boko Haram and era of banditry. The underlying issue that runs through all social unrest in Nigeria is largely faith-based. Religious intolerance. Governments should not therefore condone anything that has the capacity of sparking-off social restiveness, such as the message by the Sterling Bank. One would have expected the Federal Government or any of its actors to speak out sternly against such callous undermining message against the Christian faith by a Bank being patronised by both Christians and Muslims. Although the Bank, which is headed by a Northerner, Suleiman Abubakar, has tendered an apology to the public, it behoves on the state actors to send a strong signal against religious intolerance in Nigeria. It is commendable that the Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Suleiman, in a statement apologised. He said, “On behalf of the management and staff of Sterling Bank Plc, I write to tender our unreserved apology to you and members of our nation’s Christian community for our Easter message of 17 April 2022.
“The content of infographics and the message it contained was insensitive and failed to consider the very sober nature of the event being commemorated, being the death of Jesus Christ.
“While the message had no malicious intent, there is no place for content that fails to fully account for the feelings of billions of people all over the world.
“Our honest intent was to join our millions of customers in Nigeria and worldwide to celebrate this solemn event., but our execution fell short on this occasion.
“Our policies are clear on what constitutes acceptable customer communication, and this message should not have been released to our customers. On this occasion, our editorial processes fell short of our policy standards.
“As a responsible institution, we immediately withdraw the offensive material and initiate a review of the circumstances that led to this failure. We will further sensitise our workforce to ensure this unfortunate lapse in judgement never repeats itself.”
We note that the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) through its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, condemned Sterling Bank’s action, saying said the bank will face sanction for the “provocative Easter celebration advertisement”. APCON’s reaction is also commendable. However, it is not enough. APCON is not a government body, it is a registered association gazetted by the government, struggling to find its feet.
For a country which has seen the bitterness of religious conflicts, the government should be proactive in nipping such issues in the buds by sending strong signals that it cannot condone utterances capable to inciting religious crises.
Ukraine: Cheta Nwanze is a partner at SBM Intelligence
What is our interest in Ukraine?
I’d like to begin this by saying something important: the attack on Ukraine is immoral and wicked, and deserves all the uproar that has accompanied it from wherever. Sadly, that is about where it will get. The world of geopolitics is not a moral place, and to quote the Athenians when they sent an ultimatum to the Melians during the Siege of Melios, “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
Herein lies the meat of the matter from my point of view: in the end, the world of international geopolitics is about might being right, not about anything else. It is the reason why, without any irony, a former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, could sit at a Fox News desk two nights ago, and pontificate about Russia’s illegal action, secure in the knowledge that she was a US National Security Advisor when her country lied to the world and then illegally invaded the sovereign country of Iraq, less than two decades ago. In the end, this whole conflict is about self-interest, and powerful countries will do what they can to either protect, or advance their interests.
As far back as a decade ago, notable Western geopolitical scholars and strategists had warned about the Western push to co-opt Ukraine into the Western sphere of influence, warning that it would backfire. George Kennan, a former US ambassador to the Soviet Union, and a major architect of the Truman Doctrine for containing Russia, was critical of US efforts to expand NATO until he died in 2005 aged 101. Henry Kissinger, a former US Secretary of State, and the architect of the rapprochement between the US and Mao Zedung’s China, warned about the NATO expansion many times, and including in a seminal piece in the Washington Post in 2014. John Mearsheimer, one of America’s leading geopolitical scholars, said in a University of Chicago lecture in 2015 that, “The West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path and the end result is that Ukraine is going to get wrecked. What we’re doing is in fact encouraging that outcome.”
I could go on and on, but I guess my point has been made about warnings from leading Western diplomats and scholars about where we are today, but unfortunately, the people in charge of Western diplomacy remained adamant, and just this morning, I heard a UK Member of Parliament say something along the lines of ensuring that Vladimir Putin would end up in the dock at the International Criminal Court. This kind of hubris is the kind of hubris that ensures that the conflict will only get worse. Russia is not some weak African country, they have the means to enforce their will, and at the risk of sounding like an apologist, I’ll say that they will win the shooting war in Ukraine. Whether they will win the war after the shooting has stopped is another matter, but then again, recent history has shown us that what comes after the shooting has stopped is a whole different story. We saw that in Iraq, and more recently in Afghanistan.
Here is how I think this will end: Ukraine will be a wreck, Russia will be pushed deeper into China’s economic orbit, and the Chinese will create an alternative system to the one that the West is using to punish Russia. Get ready for a parallel internet, an alternative to SWIFT, and the use of the Yuan for more and more international trade. Germany will rearm and eventually be a bully in Europe because after this excitement, the Americans will still withdraw from Europe as their local politics becomes more and more bitter. The UK, searching for a place in the post-Brexit world will become more of America’s bitch, while France will be faced with the choice of either accepting to be Germany’s subaltern, or do more malpractice in Africa in order to compete with Germany. I suspect they will try to compete, so sorry for West Africa. Meanwhile, in Asia, as America focuses more inwards, Japan will rearm in order to avoid becoming China’s bitch. Yes, we are now in a far more dangerous geopolitical world, and again it’s kinda OK (not really) as that is the natural order of things. We are getting to the end of Pax Americana, and serious countries are going to jostle to fill the gap that will be created by America’s increasing disinterest in the international system.
Now speaking of weak African countries, I was disappointed to read of Nigeria condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. There are a lot of questions to be asked of our foreign policy elite in that action, starting with, what are Nigeria’s interests? Are they served by joining a bandwagon to pile in, or are they served by being circumspect like India has been?
India, a country with a keen sense of self and of its history, has taken its own interests into account first and has sat solidly on the fence in this matter. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi simply appealed for a ceasefire, but did not take a stand on the issue. He is right. India has a huge agricultural economy, and a significant portion of its input, especially fertiliser, comes from Russia. As a matter of fact, the Indians are working on a mechanism to trade with Russia using their own currency in order to avoid the impact of Western sanctions. This is what serious countries do.
Germany, the leading country in the EU, dithered on sanctioning Russia for years in the face of pressure from the Americans. Eventually, they suspended the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but crucially, the first Nord Stream pipeline is still pumping Russian gas to German homes. The UK has put sanctions on the Russians and made a lot of noise about it, but to quote the British commentator, Nick Ferrari, we have done the opposite of using soft words and a big stick. The Italians openly lobbied to remove luxury goods from the list of sanctions the EU was preparing, because that would have hurt their economy.
Ultimately, everyone is out for his interest, regardless of what cloak they attempt to dress it up in, and in the final analysis, only pay lip service to the values of human rights and sovereignty they profess. The Eastern European countries that are screaming about human rights and sovereignty are only doing so because it is in their interest to get the Americans in and protect them from Russia, their historical oppressor. I would point out that their very attitude towards Nigerian (and other African) students, shows very clearly that when it comes to others, their talk about human rights et al will dissipate, and this is where we come right back to our interests.
In the last three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, in a unipolar world, the West has not shown much interest in a better Africa. Following the Lekki Massacre a year and half ago, asides from token noises made, what have the Western powers done to advance their so-called commitment to democracy and the rights of Nigerians? They have continued to advice our murderous military and sell them weapons. It is almost unarguable that a lot of the new economic packages that the West is sending to our neck of the woods is in response to the rise of China. Heck, they never say anything when France misbehaves in our part of the world (and the French have been misbehaving for decades here). It is alright to be honest, because the bitter truth is that we do not rank high on their ladder of interests, and this is the game we need to learn to play.
What are Nigeria’s national interests? How do we pursue those interests? Who do we have to play against to advance those interests?
I suspect that sheepishly following Western interests would actually be acting against our own interests.
Kelechi Okoronkwo is a Nigerian, writer, journalist and Public Relations Executive
Piteous Reality of the ‘Second Scramble’ for Partition of Africa
By Kelechi Okoronkwo
One of the most disheartening parts of the Africa history is the story of the Berlin Conference of 1884 where we are always reminded that we were commodities in the hands of seven Western European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. With the discovery of Africa earlier, those countries flexed muscles on who to reap the lion’s share from where they did not sow. The struggle, referred to as scramble for Africa got so messy that the white decided on their own to have a roundtable to amicably apportion Africa among themselves. That was the period of New Imperialism that lasted up to 1914.
On July 26th 1847, Liberia became independent from the American Colonization Society, becoming one of the foremost African countries to be independent from any form of foreign rule. A number of African countries like Ethiopia in the East and Morocco in the North have no known history of foreign rule. Then from Liberia, other African countries achieved self-rule, such as Egypt, on February 28, 1922 (from Britain); Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast), on March 6th, 1957 (Britain); Ivory Coast, on August 7, 1958 (from France); Nigeria, on October 1st, 1960 (from Britain) etcetera.
However, about 173 years down the line, Africa is still in a bad shape, with appalling stories on all facets of development indices. As at 2019, last year, African governments celebrated their ability to secure international loans as monumental achievements; thereby sticking out their heads again for re-colonization.
Second Scramble for Partition of Africa
There is currently a great deal of interest in Africa by China, the US and Russia. The reason is largely because Africa has not been able to organize itself and harness its resources. Despite being home to largest mineral deposits in the world, Africa still depends on foreign aid for survival.
The US has accused China of having undue interest in Africa. China on the other hand accused the US of wanting the whole world for itself, describing its plans for Africa as “fairly simple and transparent,”; Russia is also making inroad in Africa.
The world powers are using different forms of ‘aid’ to woo and dominate Africa. To fight COVID-19, China has offered 1 billion does to Africa ‘free of charge to assist Africa close vaccination gap”. Out of the one billion, 600 million doses will come from China directly while 400 million will come from other sources like funded production sites.
China is courageously expanding its business strongholds in parts of Africa, often or challenging or displacing the United States who are in Africa for similar interest.
Shortly before embarking on his first official visit to Africa, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2019 said the U.S. was committed to building on a “strong foundation of U.S.-Africa relations” and accused China of “encouraging dependency” in its approach to Africa.
The current US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken has visited a number of African countries, including Nigeria, making partnership promises and proposals
The VoA quoted Blinken to have said that the U.S. was “eager” to lower barriers to trade and investment in Africa, whose largest trading partner by far is China. In the same vein, Tillerson had said that the U.S. approach of “incentivizing good governance” contrasts sharply to China’s, “which encourages dependency, using opaque contracts, predatory loan practices and corrupt deals that mire nations in debt and undercut their sovereignty.”
According to a researcher, Ejeviome Eloho Otobo, the trio of US, China and Russia are deploying the traditional tools of statecraft and diplomacy. These include economic cooperation; military assistance; and technological support.
The share of each of the big powers’ arms export to Africa during the period 2013-2017, Otobo said, was China 21%; Russia 13%; and US 2.2%. Conversely, he stated, the share of arms imports by African countries from the big powers during the same period were Russia 39%; China 17%; and US 11%.
“In terms of military foot print, during 2017-2018, the United States has military bases or Lily Pads in 17 African countries; offered training assistance for 22 countries; military exercises in 12 countries; combat operations in nine countries; and air drone strikes in two countries.
By contrast, China has a military base in one country; and offered anti-piracy drilling exercises in four countries; and medical team visits to four countries. Russia also has a military facility in one country and offered in-country training to two African countries”, he noted.
What is the problem with Africa?
Several authors on the problem with Africa have pointed at leadership challenge. Everything revolves around politics and power. Like Sam Adeyemi noted, the cultivation of leaders with exceptional character and skills is critical to Africa’s development.
In addition to their inordinate ambition to remain in office forever, there is this prevailing incompetence in leadership in most African countries. This is also a reflection of the leadership culture. In the same vein, Adeyemi noted: “We’ve had different leaders with the same results for decades. The power distance that exists between leaders in government and citizens is also reflected in organizations and families. In such a structure, leaders don’t serve; they are served, because occupying leadership positions make leaders superior and unaccountable to the people they lead. Africa needs leadership development systems, and it is incumbent on development partners and global leaders to understand how cultural differences affect these”
True Democracy is the solution
Africa must emphasize democracy as the form of government that could quicken development. At several fora, Africans have yelped for a change. When they travel to Europe and America, Africans desire a change. This is expressed during elections. But in most cases, the will of the people is not midwifed in the electoral process. The biggest virtue of Democracy is that it is government by the people for the people. The government represents the views of the people who elect them and can throw them out if the government does things that the people do not like. Unlike other forms of government democracy is about the little man, everyone rather than the elite that are often disconnected from how everyone else lives their lives.
Kelechi Okoronkwo is a Nigerian, writer, journalist and Public Relations Executive
OPINION: Why No Country Operates VAT Through Sub-National Units, Experts Explain
By Tunde Alade
Tax experts have continued to share their thoughts and experiences on global best practices on the administration of Value Added Tax (VAT). One fact that runs through the conversations so far is that no country across the world administers VAT through states or sub-national units; and the reason is that VAT is operated on input-output mechanism which shields taxpayers from incidences of double taxation. Another reason is around capacity and convenience to administer VAT.
Currently, given the fact that VAT is administered centrally by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the VAT system in Nigeria has an in-built refund or credit mechanism which eliminates the cascading effect that is a feature of the retail sales tax. This means that the final consumer is protected from bearing the brunt of the cascading effect of retail sales tax. Tax experts advise that this shield will be removed if sub-national units take the responsibility of VAT administration.
Further to above, a finance analyst, Ashabi Vincent noted that the input-output tax mechanism in VAT also makes it self-policing. “In essence, it is the Output tax less Input Tax that constitutes the VAT payable and it is the equivalent of the VAT paid by the final consumer of the product that will be collected by the government. Although VAT is a multiple stage tax, it has a single effect and does not add more than the specified rate to the consumer price no matter the number of stages at which the tax is paid”, he said.
In a recent meeting with journalists in Abuja, the FIRS corroborated the above. According to the Group Lead, Special Tax Operations Group, Matthew Gbojunbola, the current VAT Act in Nigeria is in line with global best practices as it allows taxpayers to offset their input VAT (Allowable Input VAT) against their output VAT, to the extent that such input VAT only relates to such goods that are purchased or imported for resale or form the taxpayers’ stock-in-trade used for the production of new products on which output VAT will be charged.
He said where the output VAT exceeds the recoverable input VAT, the taxpayer is expected to remit the excess to the FIRS.
Mr. Gbojunbola explained that in the case where the input VAT exceeds the output VAT, taxpayer will be entitled to a refund of the excess after following the due process as contained in the FIRS Establishment Act. He said that such refund may not be possible if VAT is administered by states because the administration of VAT will be done by different states tax authorities.
He said: “As to the incidence of VAT, VAT is practiced on an input and output mechanism. What it means is that for a business either importing or buying products, that business will pay VAT either at the port if it importing or with the manufacturer if it buying from a local manufacturer.
“And when that business pays VAT, it is accounted for that business as an input tax, such that if it begins to sell in any part of Nigeria, and charges VAT from its own customers, it is able to rescue the importers pay either by port if it is an imported item or to the manufacturer if it was obtained from local producers.
“And this works only at the national level, VAT can’t work at the sub-national level and there is no country in the world where VAT works at a sub national level. This is because the VAT depends on the input-output mechanism.
“For instance, if a business person buys an item in Osun State and paid VAT, takes the goods to Sokoto state to sell, remember this business person had paid VAT when purchasing the product in Osun state.
“So, when selling in Sokoto state, he will be charged VAT and by the operation of the input-output mechanism, this business person will deduct the input VAT payment in Osun state, from the output charged in Sokoto state, and remit any difference to the relevant tax authorities, in this case because there is a single tax authority handling VAT, it is the same Authority that will receive the VAT in Osun and Sokoto states.
“And so, it is easy to work out the input-output mechanism, businesses won’t be short-changed; there is no issue of consumers having to pay VAT more than once. “However, if this operating at a sub national level it will mean that when businesses are paying VAT at the state level, the business would have to pay VAT twice in two different states.”
According to him, the revenue from VAT is administered under an arrangement that allows the Federal Government to collect 15 per cent, States 50 per cent and Local Government 35 per cent.
The implication of this, according to him, is that the State and Local Government takes about 85 per cent of VAT proceeds
He said, “The VAT is not paid to the Federation Account but to VAT pool account for distribution to the three tiers of government. It is after the sharing that the portion of the Federal Government is paid to the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account.
“VAT works only at a national level but not at a sub-national level. There is no country in the world where VAT works at the sub-national level.”
He said the VAT Act differentiate between two kinds of VAT; Input VAT and Output VAT.
On the issue of capacity, analysts agree that it takes capacity to administer VAT. In line with this, the FIRS explained that it took the system about ten years to get to where it is now in terms of human capital capacity and deployment of technology for tax administration.
Mrs. Chiaka Ben Obi while shedding light on the capacity of FIRS to collect VAT said: “We are deploying technology. And what has that achieved for us? It has enables us to block leakages that were hitherto present in tax declarations and coming up with tax liabilities. And what bis the name of the technology we have deployed? It is TaxPro Max. TaxPro Max is our own in-house developed tax administration system. For the past ten years, we have been trying to achieve non-human intervention in tax administration, from end to end. We had deployed many third-party technologies for tax administration solution which left up with gaps and we were running like a mini-manual or semi-automated system.
“What we have now with TaxPro Max is that we are managing the life-cycle of taxpayer using technology. From the time a taxpayer registers up until the time ultimately the taxpayer getting their Tax Clearance Certificate. Recall that in the past, when a taxpayer is registering to get their Tax Identification Number, you typically will bring your CAC registered document, your C07, team of directors etc, we don’t do all that now.
“A taxpayer can actually go and register online and do that validation online and be integrated with the CAC. And they check the validity and the authenticity of the taxpayer. And thereafter, a taxpayer can then filing their tax returns and entering all that they need to enter. Another aspect of that has happened again as a result of deploying TaxPro Max that, what is important to a taxpayer is issued a contract and they are paid, the PAYE automatically deducts their Withholding Tax from the taxpayer and remits same to the FIRS”.
She said once the payee deducts that Withholding Tax and remits to FIRS, a receipt is automatically generated which goes to the email of profile of the taxpayer. “Now, once that receipt is generated, the system also recognises a Withholding Tax receipt has been generated and then converts that to a Withholding Tax Credit Notes which then becomes a credit on the ledger of the taxpayer.
“When the taxpayer therefore goes to file for tax, at the end of declaration of all the requirements in all the schedules, there is a request to the taxpayer if they want to use the credit in their ledger. If the taxpayer says yes, let’s assume that the tax liability of the taxpayer is N100 million, and they have a credit of N85 million in their ledgers, the system will deduct the amount and present N15 million for the taxpayer to pay. The system will also give them the option to pay at the bank or pay immediately.
“If they click to pay at the bank, a document reference number is generated which they can take to the bank. If they go to the bank, that is what they give to the bank teller to process their payment and issue them receipt. If you also choose to pay right away, you will be presented different payment gateways, you will whichever one you prefer and then you pay online.
“So, we have been able to achieve an end-to-end processing of the life cycle of that taxpayer, from the time that taxpayer registers to the time they pay their tax liability and receive their Tax Clearance Certificates. When they make their payments, the next thing a taxpayer wants is to receive their TCC which is a statutory requirement for most of the agencies that give contracts if not all of them. So, those days of going to the Tax Office and applying for TCC are gone. Most time the Tax Controllers who approve issuance of TCC are online. So, you can give a timeline from 10 minutes to at most two days and you will have your TCC sent to your email which you registered with the Tax Office and then you can print it and do whatever you want to do with it. So that is how FIRS has been able to block leakages and we are able to generate more taxes from taxpayers because we have been able to overcome the challenges of the issues of under-declaring and underpayment”, Mrs. Chiaka Obi said.
Governor David Umahi: There is Something Spiritual about Names
By Kelechi Okoronkwo
Recently, at a rights advocacy forum in Abuja, Nigeria, a participant made a wonderful contribution. He spoke about rights of citizens and responsibilities of government. He spoke confidently, convincingly and resoundingly. At the end of his contribution, he introduced himself and said that he was from Ebonyi State. The crowd cheered him as he handed over the microphone to the compère. Masters of Ceremonies (MCs) have their ways of telling you the truth with jokes. The compère jokingly accused the Ebonyi man of proudly ‘claiming’ to have come from Ebonyi State. The MC said that the Ebonyi man proudly claimed to have come from the State because the current Governor of Ebonyi State has transformed the State. The compere said: “You can see how confident he is; confidently claiming that he is from Ebonyi because the current Ebonyi State Governor has transformed the state. If it is before, I’m sure he would be hiding himself. He won’t mention that he is from Ebonyi State, Abakaliki”. The entire hall was filled-up with a good measure of laughter in response to the joke. After that, the MC called up another item and discussions continued.
However, somewhere at the middle of the hall where this writer was seated, discussion about Ebonyi State and the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi continued momentarily. Someone said that the MC was right; that the extent of transformation in Ebonyi State at the moment was unimaginable; that the last time he travelled to his village in the South-South, Nigeria, he had to go through Ebonyi State because transporters preferred going through Ebonyi road. The man from the South-South said he was ‘lost totally’ when he got to the Ebonyi State Capital, Abakalili recently. He said it was a long time ago that he passed through Abakaliki, pointing out that it was not a surprise to him that the Ebonyi man could speak so confidently and identified himself with Ebonyi State. Another person talked about the connection between leadership and development and finally said that the Ebonyi State Governor was truly a David. It was then that it struck this writer that there could be a connection between the name David and the testimonies of high performance and visionary leadership being led by Governor David Umahi.
A lot of well-meaning people always say that the names people bear play significant role in their lives; that parents should be mindful of the names they give to their children; that parents should avoid names that portend negativity because our names have ways of influencing our lives.
Parents, especially mothers who are godly and spiritual often know the seed they carry in their womb; and they are most discerning of the names they give to their children. For instance, in 1 Samuel Chapter 1, the Bible talks about Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Hannah was wrongly perceived by her contemporary to be barren. She was heart-broken and she sought the face of God, praying for a son and vowing to give him to the service of God at Shiloh if God were to answer her prayer. 1 Samuel 1:19-20 says: “Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the LORD’. When God remembered Hannah and blessed her with Samuel, she immediately knew that Samuel was a covenant child; and she named him, Samuel, meaning, “I have asked him from the Lord”.
This goes with David. Governor David Umahi’s mother, Late Deaconess Margaret Umahi was largely acclaimed a godly and spiritual woman. She remained a committed Christian until her call to eternity with God few years ago at 84 years of age. Although most people of her era were not Christians, Mother Margaret was so spiritual that she could hear God speak to her about the seed she was carrying in her womb. When the child came, some 58 years ago, she named him David according to her encounter with God during the pregnancy and to herald the mission that the David would accomplish in his lifetime.
The name David rings bell in history. According to the Biblical story, David was a charismatic leader, the youngest King of Israel who was appointed a king and leader by God himself. God saw the heart of David: blessed with meekness yet fortified with strength and boldness; young in age but mature in character; a God-fearing and spiritual warrior; tender with his people yet ferocious with enemies. David was a purposeful and forgiving character. This was exemplified in his relationship with King Saul. When God rejected King Saul and sent Samuel the High Priest to ordain David from the house of Jesse, Saul became envious of David and plotted to kill him. David was aware of Saul’s plots. But instead of David to take his chances of killing Saul, he declined on the premises that he should not touch God’s anointed.
David is described in the Hebrew Bible as king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. David loves entertainment; hence he was a musician. You cannot help yourself but love David, the man after God’s own heart. Mother Margaret Umahi, as a devout Christian, knew those qualities of David. Convinced about the seed in her womb, she consented to naming him David.
True to his name, Governor David Nweze Umahi, a trained civil engineer, has been nicknamed the David of our time because he possesses all the great qualities of the Biblical King David. Multiple testimonials have it that Governor Umahi is exemplary in leadership; that he has transformed Ebonyi State in all ramifications: infrastructure, agriculture, human capital investment, peace and security and orderliness.
One of the persons in the rights forum said: “In his less than 15 years in active politics, David has achieved such garlands that contemporary politicians used up their entire life span to achieve. He has risen steadily in his career: from being an Acting Chairman of the PDP, he became the substantive Chairman of the party. He thereafter became a two-term Deputy Governor and currently serving his second term as the Governor of Ebonyi State. He is currently the Chairman of South-East Governors Forum”.
Another person said that Governor David has the mind of an eagle: purposeful and adventurous mind, bravely focusing on the big picture. “Recently, Governor David Umahi left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Some people did not understand his intentions. However, judging from his antecedents, it is not a worry whatever political decision David would take. It is rather awkward for anyone to think that David could make some wrong leadership moves. Nigerians, especially the people who benefit from DAVID’s thoughtfulness should rather pray for David because whatever decision he takes is in the best interest of the people”, he concluded.
There is surely something spiritual about Name. It may not be hasty to agree that the name David, which the current Governor of Ebonyi State bears has significantly impacted his lifestyle and his leadership style.
Kelechi Okoronkwo, a Public Affairs Analyst sent this piece from Abuja, Nigeria
A Non-Governmental Organisation and Igbo elite club in Nigeria’s Capital, Abuja, Ofu Obi, has condemned what they called selective justice by the Nigerian Government in its approach to solving anti-government campaigns across the country.
Apparently reacting to the recent attack on the house of a Yoruba youth leader, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, by the State Security and Sunday arrest and detention of the leader of Igbo separatist group, Nnamdi Kanu, Ofu Obi said the Nigerian government has been eager to subdue the south while allowing insurgency to fester in the North.
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is from the Northern part of the country, particularly from Katsina State, in the NorthWest Nigeria where banditry is most rampant. Boko Haram is more pronounced in the North-East part of Nigeria, particularly, Borno State.
In a statement sent to Discover Africa News on Friday, the Chairman of Ofu Obi, Mazi Okey Nwando said that the Government should be sincere about war against insurgency.
“It is absurd that the Government give deaf ears to some filthy comments by Sheik Gumi who is ostensibly the spokesman for the bandits. The Bandits are Boko Haram members are allowed to be state actors. No one calls them to order. On the other hand, the same Government has militarised the Southern part of the country. Agents of Government hound and kill unarmed southerners at no or slight provocation”.
“If Nigeria is one country, the Government should treat all citizens equally. Fighting to bring Southern exponents on their knees while allowing Boko Haram and banditry to fester in the North is simply playing the Ostrich ”, Nwando said.
The Ofu Obi helmsman also warned that “ethnic approach” to solving Nigeria’s security problem will further enmesh the country into worse security challenges.
After Igboho escaped arrest during a search on his house in Oyo state, the Department of State Services (DSS) has initiated a manhunt for Yoruba activist.
DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya said the security agency discovered illegal guns and ammunition from Igboho’s home, including seven AK-47 rifles. The state services displayed 13 of the activist’s supporters, who were accused of attacking DSS officers during the operation on Thursday morning.
He had planned to hold a rally in Lagos on Saturday to advance his separatist aims – he has been pushing for the formation of a “Yoruba Nation” – before his home was searched.
During a gunfight between the DSS and Igboho’s supporters, Afunanya said, two persons were killed by DSS agents at Igboho’s home.
According to him, the raid was prompted by intelligence that the youth leader “had stockpiled arms in the place.” As the crew approached the residence, nine men, believed to be Igboho’s guards, opened fire on them. Afunanya said six of them were equipped with AK-47 rifles and three more with pump-action rifles.
In the course of the exchange, two of Igboho’s armed men were gunned down while the rest were subdued and arrested. Only one operative who was shot by the assailants on his right hand sustained injury. He has, however, received medical attention and is very stable.
The DSS team then investigated the residence and discovered weapons, ammunition, charms, foreign currency notes, and computers, among other things.
Sunday Igboho and his group, in the guise of campaign for self-determination, have become well-armed and determined to undermine public order. The arrests and seizures are, no doubt, a confirmation of a grand plan by Igboho and his cohorts to wage a violent insurrection against the Nigerian state.
The gun duel, which lasted for an hour, offered Igboho the chance to escape. Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a., Sunday Igboho, is now on the run. Igboho may run as far as he can. He may hide as long as he wants.
He might have attacked security operatives as his strength carried him, but this will be the end of his shenanigans. Soon, he will not have a hiding place. His strength will sure fail him, and the law will catch up with him. The law may be slow. But it will be steady.
Consequently, Adeyemo or Igboho is advised to turn himself in to the nearest security agency. Those cheering and eulogising him may appeal to or advise him to do the needful. He should surrender himself to the appropriate authorities. He or anyone can never be above the law. Meanwhile, those arrested will be charged accordingly.
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