By Edo Ukpong (From The Nigerian Guardian, June 4 2006)

(I have posted this article from the Guardian because it supports one of my main argument. The last election is not about Yar’Adua being a good man or not. It is about telling those who are thoughtless that there was actually no election in Nigeria in 2007).

‘He that will make his liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.’—–Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was a radical intellectual writer mainly on ethics and politics. Although English by birth he emigrated to what is now the United States of America and his writings helped inspire the American Revolution.’ He is the author of the phrase ‘These are the times that try men’s souls’. “Common Sense” is the title of his most popular writing. Nothing best describes the way he simplifies complex societal issues like that title. That kind of simplicity is what we need to understand what is happening to this country.

It has happened before, it may happen again. Yet again as a nation we find ourselves in a dilemma, like others, of our collective creation. We have just witnessed a process of national degradation and gang rape wrongly termed ‘elections’. The process of choosing a person for a position by voting is termed an ‘election’. The process inflicted on us this past April is known as spoliation – conferring or obtaining power by conquest. Not new, not even strange. So why am I flogging a dead horse? The problem is that the horse is not dead. I have a problem with the school of thought that advocates ‘moving forward’. By this they mean that we should forget or perhaps forgive what has happened, not ‘rock the boat’ and hope for the best from the beneficiaries of the spoliation. So much has been spent, how can that all go down the drain? So who is the saint that will now conduct a new election? Will the Police Force change or are we going to import electoral officers? Will it not result in tenure elongation for Obasanjo? Good questions or are they really?

Let us look at it this way, the simple way, if you are driving from Lagos to Uyo and the car engine starts making a strange noise at Sagamu, do you make a U Turn to Lagos to get the car checked out before continuing the journey or do you keep going hoping that the car will hold out? There are those for sure who will plead the blood of Jesus over the car and keep going, if they get there it is God’s will, if they don’t it is God’s will, of course everything is God’s will. Will it not also be God’s will if you stop or drive back to Lagos to repair the car and proceeded on the journey when the car was good and ready? Nothing is perfect but which option gives you the best opportunity to reach your destination at all or with the least damage? Where I stand will be made obvious.

Our country is not a car, it is far more important than that, but democracy is a journey. Our country’s ‘democratic journey’ is experiencing ‘technical problems’ and we are at crossroads what to do. Never mind those who are carrying on as if all is well, faced with the faulty car scenario this group would have carried on merrily in the foolish belief that the problem ‘will correct itself’.

Rather unfortunately, we are missing the point by personalizing this matter. Getting our country on the right track is not about Obasanjo, Atiku, Buhari, YarAdua or Tom Ikimi for that matter. It is about us. About our Country and our future. Perchance those people drop dead, will the country drop dead? No chance, perhaps we will be better off, but God forbid! They will not die; I cover them with…….I am convinced that had Obasanjo and Atiku remained partners in crime, the same spoliation would have handed Atiku the Presidency and he would have urged those crying foul to ‘move on’ and that his ‘victory’ is ‘an act of God’.

Why should I care if Maurice Iwu is Atiku’s running mate in 2011, loses the ‘election’ and cries fouulll! As General Gowon famously quoted Shakespeare when he was overthrown ‘the world is a stage and all men and women are actors and actresses…’what we need to do is set out the script, by building structures, not give the actors and actresses a free hand. With structures we will achieve consistency, with consistency we will build standards, with standards we will make progress. We cannot expect human beings to be fair, selfless and generally do what is right voluntarily, it will not happen, that is why they are human. Human Beings need to be constrained to do what is agreed by society to be right.

The way to establish the constraints is to set standards. These standards which come in the form of laws, traditions and customs are necessary to make societies function as such. Standards are a prerequisite for the creation of an orderly society. An orderly society is a must for harmonious co-existence, which in turn is necessary for a society to develop. We must be constrained to adhere to these standards otherwise we will slide into anarchy or lawlessness.

This is what Thomas Paine must have had in mind when he wrote ‘the domestic tranquility of a nation, depends greatly on the chastity of what might properly be called ‘national manners’ Our collective problem is that we focus on individuals rather than standards. That is why people are ignorantly making the point that YarAdua is a man of integrity, so what? Our Constitution does not provide that if a man has integrity he should be President. It says that an election should be held for the post and the winner based on the given criteria, should assume office as President. By all reasonable accounts what transpired in April does not equate to an election as envisaged by our Constitution or even as defined in any Dictionary. It cannot be said to be an election when the person or organization responsible for counting the votes already knows what outcome is fathomable to the usurpers to whom he is answerable. So it is not about YarAdua, it is about adhering to the Constitution by which we have agreed to structure the administration of our society..

Many people take the view, that elections and all these talk of standards are an esoteric luxury. Their view is that so long as there is peace and those in authority govern well, there is no big deal about the process that brought them in. They posit that Yar’Adua is not like…….that he is genuinely honest and God-fearing (they hear) that he will do well bla bla bla .They are wrong because they are answering questions that are not being asked. To put it simply and in a nutshell, societies function on the basis that decisions affecting the society should be decided based on the wishes of the majority. It is impracticable for a vote to be taken every time something is to be done. So society is organized on the basis that it will choose those who will act on its behalf and do its will. The Constitution is there as the ‘script’ which all of us must follow for orderly co-existence. Anything outside the script is invitation to anarchy.

The disappointing aspect of it all is that it becomes obvious that this country is not taken seriously by many of us. In a recruitment exercise for a Chief Executive, most company directors or entrepreneurs would cancel the process if it was discovered that those in charge corrupted the process. They will not ‘accept’ it, in spite of how much was spent or the time or the sheer inconvenience of repeating the exercise. Their rationale would be that’ management makes the company’, so a process has been worked out to get the right calibre. To compromise the process would therefore be tantamount to compromising the well-being of the company. Simple logic, but why it should apply to a mere Company or Business but not apply to our country creates the impression that we don’t take this Country seriously.

The only way to prevent the institutionalisation of grabbing power by spoliation is to ensure that nobody benefits from it. If we reject it now and insist on it being done acceptably (not perfectly) the pull to try it next time will be less because there will be no gain. That is why no criminal justice system in the world will allow a thief to keep his loot, no matter the gravity of any other punishment. As a country, we have collectively decided that democracy is the form of government that will best keep us together in peace and prosperity. There can be no democracy without elections. No price should be too high to pay to hold elections in order to have democracy. Those shouting about the cost should rather worry about the cost of not having democracy. Perhaps a peep into Zimbabwe will be a good guide.

Section 14(1) of our Constitution states ‘The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.” Section 14(2) (a): “It is hereby, accordingly, declared that- sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;…”

Given the above, who are we to advocate the acceptance of a situation clearly at variance with the Constitution. The orderly functioning of our society is based on a mix, the ingredients of which are provided by the Constitution, elections constitute a key ingredient without which power will not be derived from the agreed source- the people. What to do? Maybe it is time for a Peoples Sovereign Conference. Power belongs to the People as affirmed in the Constitution, so anything they decide is Constitutional. Better to stop and get the car fixed now, not wait till we get to Agbor, if we get there – then it will cost more, we would have wasted more time, it would be more complicated and it will still be an ‘Act of God’

Ukpong, a legal practitioner, lives in Lagos

BY DELE FANIMO AND ADEWALE SANYAOLU (The Guardian June 2nd 2007) 

In the interest of industrial harmony, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has given the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to revert to old price of N65 per litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol.

After an emergency National Executive Council (NEC), meeting, in Lagos yesterday, the senior workers said the fuel price hike was totally unacceptable and uncalled for.

In a statement issued by the group and signed by the TUC President General, Mr. Peter Esele, and the Secretary-General Mr. John Kolawole, the union said the ultimatum begins from Monday.

The union leaders added that the recent increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) rate from five per cent to 10 per cent, the sale of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries as well as the non-implementation of 15 per cent salary increase by the Government were part of the issues deliberated upon by the NEC.

The NEC-in session demanded a return to status quo of all the issues raised.

The government last Sunday increased the pump price of PMS from N65 to N75 per litre.

Speaking with journalists, Esele said the TUC had decided to go for a total reversal to N65 per litre for PMS and would not negotiate for anything less.

He said fuel price increase did not follow due process because the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) was not aware of the action.

Also, the increase in VAT, he said, was not approved by the National Assembly which has the constitutional power to do so.

Adeola Aderounmu

Over the years, the concept of writing from abroad has increased tremendously. One major aspect of these writings is the act of criticising the government.  There are many internet sites that are dedicated to news and stories about Nigeria and there are several others that accept contributory articles from Nigerians abroad. Substantial numbers of these sites are operated by Nigerians living in the Diaspora.  The emergence and spread of blog writing has availed much. Blogs are provided by many ISPs and your location is not a factor. You can write from anywhere in the world, even from your bedroom. 

There are many Nigerian scholars among these foreign based writers who are inspired by the contrast of the new world that they found themselves in comparison to the life that they had known until the time that they sought greener pastures far away from home.   

(Deviation)

I will exclude myself from this category because I wrote my first (but short article around 1990 in the Guardian). The title of the article was FESTAC, FHA and LAND SELLING. I don’t remember the exact date on the article and I don’t even have a copy of it. But I remembered that I complained bitterly about the spate of land selling in Festac Town. As kids, we were losing all our playgrounds to some funny millionaires. They had stolen money from the treasury and they all wanted a piece of land/houses in Festac at all cost. It was the vogue then to have a house along Cocaine Avenue as it was called. Some called it naira burial ground.  But Houses were also built on almost anything including electric cables. To this day, one major reason that power fails in Festac is because of this acrimonous negligence.

Today as I sit down in my humble apartment on a Scandinavian Island, I recollect my recent sights of Nigeria in 2006 and the ruin of a village called Festac Town. It is a dull shadow of the Virgin Island and peaceful serenity that I saw as a 5 year old in 1977. Our dreams of Festac, just like our dreams of a great Nigeria have all been shattered. It is a typical scenario in Nigeria: make something and NEVER maintain it! Just destroy it to the lowest level possible. The discussion about Festac can be taken later but I wept on this issue really.

(Deviation stop)

After settling to life abroad, the distinctions between the general low standard of living in Nigeria and life as it should be becomes so clear and an adept mind cannot help but seek ways to impact knowledge and hope into a sick country like Nigeria. This to me is the starting block of all the inspirational writings that emanate from abroad.  

Nigerians abroad are very visible on the web, no doubts, but that does not make them wiser than their compatriots back home. Certainly, it makes them more exposed and it creates in them a better awareness of the other physical “worlds”. Their experiences go beyond academic or literature inclinations. It is also a function of participatory experiences. 

In the last decade, we have seen an aggregate of a pool of knowledge and ideas. Indeed, these knowledge and ideas are expressed daily in Nigeria as well. A quick browse of the Nigerian newspapers online reveal the inundate functions of our media houses. A few of them are very outstanding. Those of them that were not founded by presidential candidates or godfathers are doing magnificent jobs of writing the whole truths.    

So, what is driving this new found love of writing and criticizing from abroad? The answers may be many folds but one major factor is the standard of living as earlier mentioned. Again, those who have settled to life abroad have seen how human life is valued and treated as it should be. They have suddenly experience life changing experiences that they cannot imagine was possible. They now live in a world where power failure is historic or archaic, for example. In some countries power failures occur only as a result of disasters like storm or earthquake. Even then, the problem is fixed within hours or a few days. It does not linger.  

This write up should not continue without mentioning and very quickly too that living abroad does come with challenges, shortcomings and sometimes failure. Surely, such things happen. It is also good to mention that there are evil things around us in Europe and of course very prominent in the United States. We have seen and read very bad tales about Nigerians abroad and Westerners alike. These negative things can be discussed in another article. 

But generally, living abroad reveals a more acceptable way of life than what millions of Nigerians go through daily in Nigeria. Around us here in the Diaspora, we see how people live decently. Water runs in homes and the electric heaters are always functioning in the winter months. We travel on good roads and the accidents and dangers on the roads are minimal. It is not accepted to drive without going to a driving school, unless you do it illegally and you are in danger of the law. A prospective driver takes theory courses, practical lessons and practical assessments conducted by the road transport ministry officers. It is a strenuous process especially in Sweden! Without exaggeration, it is possible to spend equivalent of 500, 000 naira without succeeding in getting a driver’s license. If you fail, you fail, there are no short cuts. The concept of driving in Sweden is a pursuit towards what they have called ZERO accidents. Imagine how easy it is to drive in Nigeria without a license. We can see the result with the number of accidents daily. In advanced countries, you will lose your license if you drive under the influence. In Nigeria, you need ogogoro in your blood to be a public bus driver. They have other funny names for the concoctions and “smokes”.  

Still on road and transportation, we see how the public transportations are organized. There are bus time tables! If you go to the bus stop near your home at the wrong time, you will soon learn your lessons. Basically, the bus and trains run on a schedule that will almost not fail save for snow storm or other circumstances based on local situations. There are adequate buses and additional preparations are made for rush hours in the morning and after work time. In some countries, there are underground trains to take away pressure and congestion from the roads. The Swedish underground (tunnelbana) has been described as the longest work of art. In Nigeria, the train system is a relic of the outgoing wasted generation. The road transportation is extremely disorganized. It is dangerous and operated haphazardly. It is difficult to know who runs what in the Nigeria transport industry. It is unregulated and chaotic. You can describe what I know of Lagos transport as being a menace to the society. It was not that bad in 1977 when LSTC buses plied festac. It seems that anything that is good is historic in Nigeria. 

There are several other reasons why we write as Nigerians in the Diaspora. Many of the reasons are associated with our pains and frustrations with the way things are going on in Nigeria. Based on our new (or old) experiences and encounters out here, we are quick to draw comparisons with what we see. We make jokes of most of these things but in reality, we are disappointed and hurt by the system in Nigeria. Sometimes though, we wished we were back in Nigeria but the decision to return is one of the hardest to make. Despite some shortcomings here abroad and some humiliating moments, one is not quick to make a U-turn to MMA. Imagine returning home and NEPA “taking light” as we use to say. Is it their light? Are people not paying for the light? Imagine the pain of looking for job if you make a polite return! 

It is quite disgusting that many Nigerian politicians and policy makers have spent some parts of their lives abroad at one time or the other. Some of them studied abroad while some of them have been travelling abroad since they got into influential positions. Many of them have children abroad studying or squandering away stolen wealth! But their experiences have not been impacted into positivity in Nigeria. But of course, the impact is obvious in their own personal selfish lives. We can see that.

I have not stopped wondering what happened to NITEL. All of a sudden, all the telephone lines in Festac (and in other places of course) especially the analogue lines stopped working since around 2002. If they will be replaced by digital lines, maybe the project will commence tomorrow. After 5 years, no one has given us any explanation why our telephone suddenly became dead boxes. All the ills of NITEL were swept under the carpet as soon as General Street Madness (GSM) crept in. It was a BIG shame for NITEL! There are 4th generations of mobile phones in the world now and the use of analogue telephone lines has not diminished. Why is Nigeria so different and special?

Writing from the Diaspora will continue to indicate that in Nigeria:

• The people are not properly housed as government has become negligent of this function since Festac 1977.

• A lot of infrastructures are missing. Infrastructure with a broad meaning!

• There is no social security for the unemployed and there are no provisions for old people or pensioners. In some parts of the world, pensioners drive the best cars and lived in the best houses. Show me 10 railway pensioners in Nigeria or their counterparts from the Nigerian army or NIPOST and tell me how they live if they have not been involved in looting by government!  What if they didn’t have children who are grown up?

• Our health delivery system is very faulty; Nigeria has one of the highest infant mortality rates worldwide. The incidences of killers like malaria and respiratory diseases have not become a source of concern to the Ministry of Health yet or those who are concerned with the task are embezzling the funds. Who knows? Yet Nigerian doctors ranked among the best in the world and they are found in the best hospitals worldwide.

• We have not fully utilized the strength of our work force (more than 140million) to a positive end. Hence some idle minds have taken to robbery and assassination as occupations. They are not justified but the system has created heartless citizens.

• In a similar vein, we have not used our natural resources to the fullest. All eyes are on the Niger Delta to get the oil to lubricate Nigeria. This is not fair to the Niger Deltans at all! We are destroying their environment and giving them little or nothing back. Anyway, the madness of the leaders in this area in the time past robbed the indigenes a lot of their progress. OMPADEC and co…what happened? I have expressed an opinion (which needs review by now) on Niger Delta here:
•  https://aderinola.wordpress.com/2006/10/29/niger-delta-the-militants-and-the-rest-of-us/

• There are myriads of problems in our country but our leaders build mansions abroad and cart away billions of dollars for themselves, their friends and family.

On a different note, it is possible and quite easy to highlight the thousands of problems that face us as Nigerians. But how can we begin to make a difference and change things for the better so that we can pull back all the brains that have been drained and encourage progress and success under the conditions in Nigeria?  

The first step towards progress in Nigeria is a change of the prevailing conditions; we need a purposeful leadership. Leadership that can show good examples and positive actions and not empty words only. We need complete abolition of the dreadful combination of greed and corruption in both public and private places. Until we take this first step, we may not be able to move Nigeria forward.  

A sovereign national conference may not be the issue but there is a need to sit down and draft a purpose for the entity called Nigeria. What I have learned about Nigeria is that nothing has worked. Babangida openly admitted that all what he tried to make Nigeria work defiled all known logic. SAP just like Shagari’s Austerity Measures made Nigerians poorer. It diminished the purchasing power of the naira and made a mess of our lives. But I would say maybe if Babangida hadn’t been corrupt, perhaps things would have worked. If he hadn’t stolen the money that Nigeria made during the gulf war, maybe he would have succeeded. I am still looking forward to Babangida returning that money so that we can build Malaria Research Institute at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, for a start at least.  

The need to sit down and talk is again amplified by the failure of Obasanjo administration. We were told that we have foreign reserve and less debt. Thank Heaven for that! Yet, the level of suffering in Nigeria today is worse than in 1999. The implication is that we still need the brains that will discuss and move the country forward. It is an exigency! It is not optional because we need to discuss about our lives without relying on the opportunists and thieves in power.  

Finally and again, I will never fail to emphasise my gospel at this opportunity. I am an advocate of “common good”. If we seek the common good of ourselves and our fellow Nigerians, this great country will move forward. The good old GLORY days will come back and the better days that are ahead will seek us. Nigerian writers at home and abroad and the real civil society will continue to emphasise the need for proper governance, adherence to the rule of law and the promotion of the welfare of the states for the benefits of all and sundry. 

Adeola Aderounmu

It may perhaps be true that Nigeria now has a new president. Who knows how long the legality tussle for the new government will last? In the end, if Yar’Adua continues as I thought he would, the issue will be left to the conscience of all. In conscience, we have the greatest judge on earth. From it, there is no hiding place.

 

 Yar’Adua is a kind man as I have read. Much of the things I’ve heard about him are great especially in terms of his simplicity. Many Nigerians belong to the school of thoughts that if the criminalized elections are re-conducted, Yar’Adua will probably win in the absence of rigging and cheating. 

That is a good point and there is nothing wrong when people expressed their opinions. It is fundamental that we can all state our views and argue about issues. This is the beauty of democracy if allowed to thrive as it should be. 

Personally, I will never pick up any issue with Yar’Adua especially because he has the right to be Nigeria’s president. However, without any hatred for the person of the so called New President, I shall write a few lines to justify the topic of this write-up. 

What happened in Nigeria on April 21 2007 symbolically represents the absolute return of slavery to Nigeria. The difference here is that this time, one of our own (using his insignificant fair-weather accomplices) has succeeded to impose his will and wishes on the rest of us.

Slavery means many things to many people but in all, oppression is a common feature. Another prominent aspect of slavery is the silencing of the voice of the oppressed through a do-or-die approach of the slave master. 

If Yar’Adua is the best candidate as some people have claimed, why was it not possible to get him in through the votes? I will not repeat the shameful things that happened on that day. Those things were worse than daylight rape.  But I will repeat that accepting the false mandate speaks volume on the integrity of Yar’Adua. 

On the 21st of April 2007 (incidentally in the 21st century also), evil triumphed in Nigeria. Indeed, we have not succeeded until now to transfer power from one civilian government to another. This is one strong argument on the part of those who support Obasanjo and Yar’Adua. In my opinion, this is a sheer recklessness of thoughts.

 What is wrong if Obasanjo tells Iwu to conduct a credible election and transfer power in the proper way? Would it have been wrong to do things the right way? Obviously NO! So, why do we always have to do things the wrong way and pretend like everything is alright? What can’t corruption and greed beget? 

Evil is not on the rise in Nigeria, it is triumphing. Look around! From the illiterates and sycophants who are running the show in Oyo state to the funny millionaires that have seized control in Anambra state. Those who transport raw dollars in presidential jets are obviously friends of Ribadu, the EFCC boss. They are the anointed and the untouchables. Really, I pity Oyo state just like I pity the rest of Nigeria. Just imagine one man always holding the state to ransome. He has done that for ages and in all dispensations.  That Adedibu is walking and living a free man is one of the greatest threats to democracy in Nigeria. In Adedibu and people like Alao-Akala, evil has triumphed. You may begin to wonder also why some people are above the law in Nigeria. Where in Nigeria do the intelligent people live and what has become of the voice of the learned?

 

The burden of governance in Nigeria is huge. Notwithstanding, if one man can impose his will on us and there is nothing we can do about it or we did nothing about it, there is no greater slavery in human history. It reaches equivalence with whatever form of previous slavery you want to compare it to. Fela, the late afro beat King who remains more famous than all Nigerian slaves’ masters (did you think they were presidents?), dead or alive, was very prophetic. His music and voice lingers. Suffering and smiling; that’s how he described Nigerians. Suffering and smiling is a paraphrase for resiliency and this singular trait is the shade for the concealment of the slavery in Nigeria. 

So, what we have now basically is a new governor general (GG) in Aso rock who will be reporting to the Patriarch at the Otta base. The first report has been done by the queen already: the governor general’s family had set the ball rolling. I am convinced that many more reports and visits will follow.  

Nigerians may be lucky though, the GG may use his kindness to the good of all. We don’t know how things or events will play out. It will be unkind to crucify our new GG. If he persists in power under the illegitimacy that surrounds him, the people will continue to hope that better days will come. But if it doesn’t work out, the people will be quick to re-collect that he was forced down their throats. If the evil continues to persist, the people will remember how they have once again been sold into slavery, pretty much against their will. Afterall, they were up against a former general who told them to do his wish or die doing the contrary. Head or tail, the masses lose. 

This is how I see it!

Adeola Aderounmu

We are very unique in Nigeria. We have once been described as the happiest people on earth.

 Once again, regardless of all odds, we have moved on with our lives.

 Nigerians have always wished Nigeria well and indeed we as Nigerians deserve a reciprocative love from our self-proclaimed slave masters.

Did anyone else realised that slavery quietly crept back fully into the Nigeria system recently? 

 We have been slapped on every corner of our face with illegality and heinous crimes, but our resiliency persists.

 We are indeed hopeful.

 May Nigerians wake up one day to a glorious morning. The morning when all the dreams will start coming true.

May we wake up one day to begin to understand the fundamentals of human rights and the essence of life. May we wake up one day and never wait for the manna from heaven but for the fruits of our diligent labour.

May that day come when the good of all shall surpass the evil of the few.

May the day come when intelligence will arise above stupidity and when common sense will finally be common.

May the HOPE of the just and down-trodden prevail over the intents of the wicked and selfish. 

May the glory of Nigeria come, SOON!