UNHOLY ANCESTORS

Alh. Ibrahim Ahmed Babankawo 

 Ancestors? Yes, one day someone will refer to you as an ancestor. Ancestors are those who lived before us. What kind of ancestors do you wish to be remembered as? Nigeria as formed by the colonialists was founded on a rocky and faulty foundation. This is the reason why there were cries of dissatisfaction from many different quarters. This dissatisfaction led to riots, uprisings, military interventions and eventually the civil war between Biafra and Nigeria. It continued in the form of coups and counter coups until the people eventually settled into a form of democracy which displays all the features of civil rule.

Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Babankawo, an accomplished policeman of northern stock who among his many accomplishments was the discovery of the decomposing corpses of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Chief Festus Okotie Eboh and others who were killed in the coup of 1966.  This is not intended to be a tribute to Alh. Babankawo who died this morning; rather, it is a reminder that our ancestors did not do well in this matter.  Our national leaders were executed and their corpses abandoned to rot in the forest save for the vigilant policeman? Sorry the history lessons I took did not cover that part of our national history. This is the more reason why our children must study history in schools especially the origins of Nigeria and the war and coups that followed. Did we ever expect that everybody will simply forget about that aspect of our history? If we choose to be silent on it, it will not make the memory go away.  No it does not work like this; we must go back to address these issues of our past in order for us to make progress.

Nigeria has been battling corruption forever and the end is still not in sight after so much bloodshed.  While not condoning corruption, the corrupt ways of the modern leaders of Nigeria has made our past leaders appear like novices.  In what ways were they corrupt? They were said to be partisan and reckless in spending and also they were accuses of having mismanaged national resources; all of these combined cannot be compared to what a local government chairman pilfers with gross impunity in today’s Nigeria.

Not downplaying the relevance of the Oputa panel in terms of reconciliation, there are still too many ghosts hidden in the closet. A genuine Sovereign National Conference and review of the Constitution that is being used now are very necessary steps that must be taken.  If we fail to go back to these issues, then it makes sense to heed the calls from various quarters that we go our separate ways.

All have sinned and not one is free of guilt.

GOD bless Nigeria.

BUHARI’S ONE TERM AGENDA: ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS IN NIGERIA.

I wonder why many Nigerians are surprised at the promise of the president not to run a second term.  What did they really expect of him? If the APC ever planned to field him again, it is a certain loss at the polls.

The VP, Prof. Osinbajo will also do well not to make any attempt at a second shot at the post because he will not get it. His occupying the seat today sadly is not by his own merit in that former governors, Fashola and Amaechi were better experienced and qualified and could be given a second consideration in future but definitely not Osinbajo. Unpleasant as it may seem, it’s just the way it is.

Sen. Bola Tinubu is on a collision course with former VP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar and the differences between them will cost the coalition dearly if they are not pulled out at the earliest.  This will in the end give the PDP the upper hand and make heroes of people like Sen. Ike Ekweremadu.

Saddest of it all is that APC may never have the opportunity to rule Nigeria again after this time out.

It is true that the coalition comprises of strange bedfellows but in Nigerian local markets, they have ways of defining and demarcating their allocated spaces with minimum rancor.

The above picture is the work of the old brigade who has refused to let go of the jugular of this sleeping giant named Nigeria. Like serpents, they have ways of crawling into the system while the bonafide operators sleep and cause the system to fail.

This is the perfect time for young Nigerians to once again put aside the sad reality that it is ‘not yet Uhuru’ and begin to arrange a formidable political party of young Nigerian politicians.

GOD bless Nigeria.

FOLLOWING THE INAUGURATION AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The inauguration of Senator Bukola Saraki as the president of the Senate on the 9^th of June, 2015 was shocking to Nigerians. People patiently awaited a decent explanation of what transpired that saw the election of Saraki in the manner that he was elected. It did not seat well with many Nigerians but with an open mind, we waited in the hope that an enlightened analyst would be able to put to words the reason why it happened the way it did.

In the typical arrogance of the average West African, several senators ‘grabbed the mic’ and threw words at Nigerians and as far as they were concerned they had provided enough reason to the electorate and that was that. The glee with which they flung words at Nigerians again showed that they had gotten what they wanted from the electorate and whatever did not tally with their personal aspirations was considered to ‘not worth their time.’

In an article published in ‘This Day’ of 13^th June 2015, Dele Momodu tried to explain in simple terms and in clear language that the people could comprehend, I did not under that the PDP group that joined forces with APC had not been duly considered or compensated for the risk they took in confronting the leaders of PDP. Until then, I was looking at Saraki as one of those who defected to  APC late in the day, I did not look at it from the angle of Saraki uniting with the other 5 PDP governors who delivered their states to APC .  Until then, I believed that it was the people who made their choice and not their governors that made them vote out Dr. Jonathan. Until then, I did not see things from the perspective of people claiming that Senator Bola Tinubu was imposing candidates of his choice to be appointed, selected or elected into various offices. I did not and I still do not see the possibility of Tinubu being able to laud his will over that of the APC as a corporate entity or the President Muhammadu Buhari.

I am firmly convinced that the earliest politicians in Nigeria who failed to approach equity with clean hands in that under their huge agbadas and babarigas, they were armed with:

·       1. Dubious intentions towards one another

·       2. Tribalism

with which they erected a faulty foundation for democracy in Nigeria and on the bad foundation, we continue to hope that our style of politics will work in favour of Nigeria.

The coalition formed by CPC, ACN, PDP, APGA, ANPP, etc which birthed APC was another chance presented to Nigeria on a platter of gold under the aegis of Tinubu to work with frameworks in building structures but again, the old brigade with their stale mentality crept in once again and have thrown a spanner in the works. Like the proverbial sower who sowed his good seeds and went home only for the enemy to come in at night to sow tares among the good seeds; Nigerians must wait until the thorns can be clearly identified before weeding them out of the system.

In the course of achieving his personal ambition, Saraki has succeeded in providing the platform for PDP to have a much stronger foothold in the Senate and sadly, this has greatly exposed ACN. And to a large extent this will have its impact on the administratio of Buhari. Now Saraki is no longer a member of the PDP but he will no longer be trusted in the ruling party so where does he truly belong? Strangely, the deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu while speaking at his constituency in Enugu jubilantly informed his people that he is willing to work with the ruling party if the members so desire but that he is also fully ready for a fight if that is what they prefer.  Furthermore, he told his people that PDP will come back to the centre stage in 2019. While the ruling party see nothing wrong with the present arrangements, other politicians are warming up to capitalize on the rancor among them.

Tinubu’s immense contribution to the success of the coalition does not make him free of corruption; for every case he has anywhere, he will have to answer for his actions in due season so people should stop using his name as an excuse to work against the interest of the coalition. The issue at hand is the need for Nigerians to begin to work with frameworks and not shift the post to suit anybody’s whims.

GOD bless Nigeria.

NIGERIAN YOUTH IN POLITICS

Many Nigerian youth like to act as if they have attained emancipation from traditional norm and dogma. It is quite a sight to behold when one comes across some youth who talk about how things are done in civilized societies and how government has failed to put structures in place for the effective working of the social systems. It is the norm in Nigeria to blame it all on the government. In too many ways, they blame government for not giving young people opportunity, employment, loans, etc., as a result many Nigerian youth resort to crime and violence and make themselves available tools in the hands of politicians with dishonourable intentions towards Nigeria and Nigerians.

Many young Nigerians contested in the recently concluded elections; a few of them came out successful and many of them lost. How many of them ran without the influence of politicians operating with expired and unprogressive mentality? How many of  those who have gained seats in the house of assembly and house of representatives can truly function without the overbearing weight of old politicians? Nigerians are watching.

In the light of the above, it must be highlighted that many young Nigerians were actively involved in cases of violence during the last elections. Some were arrested by the police while others escaped the law. They were paid some amounts of money to cause havoc which they  did to the satisfaction of the patrons. For those who were caught and those who escaped, one wonders how long such money will remain in their hands and when it is exhausted, what next?

This discourse is necessitated by the British/Scottish elections conducted on the 7^th of May. Among the contestants was a 20year old student, MHAIRI BLACK of the Scottish National Party who ran for MP in Paisley and Renfrewshire south where she defeated Douglas Alexander. She has by so doing become the youngest MP in Britain.

A 20year old female contesting for a party ticket in the primaries in Nigeria? No way, maybe in 20 years time. 

This is to urge all misguided young Nigerians to ponder on this while feasting on the bread of sorrow gleamed from the table of corrupt politicians.  There is a better chance for young Nigerians to attain political recognition and excellence in leadership if they resolve to come together in one political party that is free of the manipulations of the old brigade.

GOD bless Nigeria.

ADDITIONAL DRAIN IN NIGERIAN HUMAN CAPITAL

Folklore has it that there was once a chicken that was struck on the head by a piece of some solid material.  The chicken developed the impression that it was the sky that landed on its head and went about town announcing that the sky was coming down.  On and on it went until a more enlightened animal showed it the item that had landed on its head. I can imagine how that chicken felt when confronted with the truth; that is exactly how I felt a few days ago.  In the cause of my daily activities, as early at 9.00am, my colleagues and I came upon some very young boys by the railway line on Agege Motor Road at the junction of Fatai Atere Way, opposite Coca Cola depot in Lagos.  There was a police post just at the median of the road and this did not seem to make any difference to anyone. What was odd about the gathering is that they were all busy wrapping and smoking weed.  The boys ranged from eight to fourteen years and it was not like they were stunted in growth or overweight; their physical appearance portrayed their true age.

I quickly went for my camera and took two shots before I realized that one of them had come up from behind our car and was shouting and raving about me taking photographs of them. I tried to pacify the boy and I called him to come closer to me but he was adamant and I guess he too was afraid of what could happen because of my appearance. Thankfully, the traffic light cleared us to move and we sped away from the spot. In my flight, I lost the photographs taken.

I was disturbed as I took to discussing my experience with different people; the outcome of my report was that many people in Lagos are aware of this situation. Many people are aware that this area is related to Mushin area of Lagos which is known for its high population of hoodlums.  It was new to me but it was nothing to many other people.  It was particularly disturbing that law enforcement agents were nearby and the boys went about what they were doing without fear or concern. I was informed of a similar colony in Maryland, Lagos where Nigerian youth idle and waste away. 

Who will take responsibility for this sad development? Children who should be in school or training  in view of their future are found smoking weed and idling their lives away as early as eight years of age. What will happen when they become adults and family men? How do they sustain their living now and how will they sustain their lives then? Why do people not see the danger in what is happening under our nostrils. What this amounts to is a waste of the lives of these children and children who have been nurtured and prepared for the future; nobody is safe having people like this around them. People should not look at them and look away because what they are doing today will come round and hunt all of us some day in the future.

The next administration that claims to have the interest of the people at heart must make this a matter of priority of government. Evangelists who go about preaching the good news should make effort to work with social workers and any NGOs that are interested in ridding our society of people wasting their lives.

GOD bless Nigeria.

WHAT ABOUT US? 3

Issues arise and while we react and respond, we must be guided by the fact that to every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction.  Accounts must balance as there is no room for vacuum; we take from somewhere and the gap must be occupied.  When we receive pittance from politicians who no longer make it a secret that they are making attempts to purchase the votes of the people, someone must be at the receiving end.  The politician will not expose himself to the inconvenience of having to accept responsibility for squandering the resources of the land; he would have taken adequate precaution to protect himself from disappointment.

Much as knowledgeable people tried to convince the people to desist from what is now popularly tagged “stomach infrastructure” in Nigeria, the politicians simply raised the game and squandered much more. In the cause of campaigning for the upcoming elections, politicians have used the joint resources of the nation to campaign for their personal ambitions. The lives of a few Nigerians have been turned around because of the largesse extended to them by politicians.

The Nigerian youth ordinarily would have been in the position to further drive home the message of discouraging politicians from insulting the sensibility of the polity; they have also been adequately provided for.  The next group would have been our religious leaders; without any shame they have also been catered for. When Gov. Rotimi Amaechi raised alarm over the settlement of pastors by the ruling party, there were heated denials from different quarters within the Christian group. To our greatest embarrassment, many more church leaders or owners who may not have received their own share of the loot have been making frightful predictions in the media and calling for special prayers for the presidency, PDP and the incumbent.  Then the witch showed up claiming to be a white witch and generally promoting his business while at the same time claiming to be in possession of information that will see to the conclusive end of insurgency in Nigeria.

Sadly, on a daily basis, we read of fresh endorsements for the incumbent leader and knowing Nigerians, the endorsements would have cost Nigeria a fortune. All manner of groups have arisen to pledge their support for the administration of Dr. Jonathan. The age or profession is not necessarily prerequisite for qualifying to endorse the incumbent.

The question now is why don’t we realize that funds that could have been expended on different community projects for the good of the whole have been mischannelled for the selfish motives of politicians; we shall be made to bear the brunt of this manner of mismanagement of government funds. We must not loose sight of the fact that after all said and down, there will remain the entity Nigeria and her people.

GOD bless Nigeria.

Shoplifting On Allen Avenue Ikeja Lagos part 2

WHAT ABOUT US 2

The amount of noise from Asari Dokubo’s quarters has continually been a cause for worry to decent people; sadly his kinsmen see nothing wrong in his inflammatory utterances. Asari Dokubo’s cause is not in the interest of Nigerians or his people. His utterances are expressions of his selfish interest in propagating the ambition of the incumbent.

This is not about us at all and people must understand his position as that of a man running on his own. The good people of the Niger Delta will do well to dissociate themselves from this campaign of violence and further needless bloodletting. All battles eventually end in dialogue and not in perpetual threats of war. It is utterly selfish for this man to continue to have a retinue of Nigerians running around the wheel of violence with him. If truly he has the interest of Nigerians at heart, he would not be beating drums of war where trained warriors are clamoring for calm and peace.

Asari Dokubo’s campaign will not in any way benefit the good people of the Niger Delta. His physical appearance alone goes a long way to confirm this line of thought. If the incumbent does not see that Asari Dokubo is embarrassing him, then the good people of the Niger Delta who know better should dissociate themselves from his cause at the earliest.

The proper thing to do is to call him to order but where that fails; he should be made to face the wrath of the laws of the land. Alas! His kinsman does not see the need to because he would want to give the lame excuse that Asari Dokubo is an adult Nigerian who is entitled to his own opinions and free to do as he pleases. There are laws in the land and this man is violating them under the watch of his kinsman.

I reiterate this is not about us; it is not in our interest for this man to continue to incite the polity.

GOD bless Nigeria.

Letter To President Jonathan By Niyi Osundare | Sahara Reporters

Letter To President Jonathan By Niyi Osundare | Sahara Reporters

WHAT ABOUT US?

NIGERIAN ELECTIONS

With the reality show moving from one episode to the next, we see many more cases of accusations, counter accusations; allegations, blackmail, threats, violence, etc in a bid to gain the upper hand.

I have seen many election seasons in Nigeria; all of them with the attendant election issues that arise but I have never seen one as charged as this one. There are about sixty candidates vying for the office of the president of Nigeria. The main titans however are the incumbent, president Goodluck Jonathan and the former military head of state, retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Issues concerning these two gentlemen are splattered all over any literary channel on a daily basis, making it look like the other contestant are simply waiting for the next president to be announced and inaugurated.

It is quite interesting to note that the team of the incumbent are displaying some level of fear and this has led them to take to the style of hostile attacks on the personality of the opposition leader. Nigerians who are at the fore of these attacks are Chief Femi Fani Kayode, a lawyer who is also the presidential campaign director of PDP and Mr. Ayo Fayose, the governor of Ekiti State. These are gentlemen who have cases to answer in Nigeria and with the promise by Buhari to send all corrupt Nigerians to jail looming over their heads, it is to be expected that they would use every possible tactic to scuttle the presidential ambition of Buhari.

Nigerians express their opinions through various forms of expression especially on social media and atmosphere appears to be very charged. Past rulers as well as religious bodies are not spared from it all. It is either they support Jonathan or they support Buhari and the opinions are inclined towards outright hostility and hate.

One and only one president will come out of it all despite threats of violence and lawlessness. Nigerians however must not forget about their own wellbeing. Nigerians must still live their life after the election no matter how long it takes for the dust to settle and they must have to continue to live with each other whether peacefully or otherwise. People are so engrossed in the election campaigns and all the antecedents that come along with such activities that one wonders how they can still maintain focus on the pressing issues that have been made to take the back burner.


Among these pressing issues are Boko Haram, reduction in price of PMS (petrol), pending cases of corruption that have not been effectively addressed, mismanagement of pension funds, the Chibok girls, mismanagement of oil revenue, mismanagement of oil reserves and a host of others.

These issues affect the masses directly as they feel the impact directly. We must not loose focus of these pending issues while we vigourously participate in the election campaigns, mudslinging and violence. Thinking of these issues should give reason for people to be calm and rational in their decisions of who the next leader should be.

GOD bless Nigeria.