The person with the crossbow thinks that the monkey is not clever; the monkey is clever, but it is following its strategy. (It matters nothing if one is derided, as long as one knows what one is doing and why.)

Over the years certain key issues have confronted the Nigerian state, its government, the governed, and the structures itself, from a seeming lack of system to a lack of will and direction from those saddled with the responsibility to steer the ship of governance.

Such is the fundamental nature of the problems that they have become part of us. However, on many occasions, we have been provided with the opportunity to get it right but many times we let go of such moments.

"The Noah Effect" refers to the concept that can be applied to a new administration in Nigeria, or any country. This effect is inspired by the biblical character Noah and his journey to build the Ark.

I say in all my writings and public fora where I speak these days that I am a cautious optimist, an impatient one at that. We cannot keep running this nation by chance. I would love for Mr. Tinubu to leave a mark and move this nation one slow step forward. The real threat to that happening may sadly well be the inability of his government to define itself.

Because of the Noah Effect, it is almost certainly impossible because we have started another journey from a different spot on the same circle.

Renewed Hope needs to start to take shape, and as it is today, that is not happening, the best of speeches will make no difference, because the ordinary man is choking and is daily finding it hard to breathe.

I know that a sizeable number of Nigerians do not believe in Mr. Tinubu but the truth is that they have reasons and the right ones too, not to believe in the man.

Nigerians are tired of roadmaps; they want to be on the road and not on the map. Mr. Tinubu as a president needs to start defining his place in history; he needs to start walking all the talk. He needs to kick-start the process.

I am part of the school of thought that believes that he is not the reason why we are where we are today; I do not lay on his footpath the rot that Nigeria has become in terms of the kwashiorkor of the last 60 years.

However in my admonishment to, Mr. President and the agbadorians, I say with a clear conscience and venom that they will be blamed for the failed opportunities of the present, not only will they be accused, but they may make Mr. Buhari a star if their stewardship does not produce profound results

The argument and emoticons flying that one zone or religion has become overwhelmingly strong will not put food on the tables of Nigerians. If Mr. Tinubu likes or so desires, as a Yoruba, he should make the entire cabinet Yorubas or Awori men and women as long as there is a visibly significant improvement in livelihood for the ordinary Nigerians.

To the Tinubu crowd, tomorrow is the only language that appeals to the lazy man. While we watch, advice, and critic positively, although they may not listen, Mr. Tinubu needs to come of age, he needs to come into himself. They can help him, or as well destroy him.

There are issues everywhere that require attention; he cannot do all I argue consistently that some matters in Nigeria will sort themselves out. It will wean out of the system. Mr. Tinubu will not do so many things not for want of support, but for lack of guts; he needs to show it, act it, and be it!

The president can reduce the cost of our noise-making style of governance; all these gatherings and conglomerations of political non-entities and failed persons have to be slowly and steadily terminated. Appointments left, right, and center need to be reduced…governance must and should start.

Mr. Tinubu needs to realize that as a nation, there are several interests and no-interests. It is instructive to know that there is an erosion of confidence, we have got to a stage where rational has been thrown to the wind.

Much like Noah, a new administration faces the daunting task of navigating through turbulent and uncertain waters. When a new government comes into power, it often inherits a myriad of challenges and crises. These challenges can be likened to the floodwaters that Noah had to overcome. In the face of adversity, Noah displayed determination, foresight, and an unwavering commitment to a greater purpose. What strikes me differently in this episode is that in a way Mr. Tinubu is taking over from Mr. Tinubu!

Similarly, a new administration must exhibit qualities such as vision, leadership, and resilience. They must work tirelessly to steer the nation away from the storms of corruption, economic instability, social unrest, and other issues that threaten the well-being of the citizens.

The "Noah Effect" symbolizes the need for leaders to prepare, plan, and construct their proverbial Ark—a blueprint for a better, more stable future. Just as Noah's Ark was a vessel of salvation, a new administration must catalyze positive change and progress.

Nigeria's new administration must emulate the determination of Noah, who built the Ark against all odds. In the face of political, economic, and social challenges, Nigeria's leaders must steer the ship of state with wisdom, accountability, and a relentless commitment to safeguarding the interests and well-being of the Nigerian people.

Once upon a recent time, we had a section of the country hold sway, but it did not bring succor, what remains to be seen today is how Mr. Tinubu will conjure up an efficient management team that will be accountable and ready to serve the people.

How he will bring about a sense of belonging to everyone in the Nigerian project is what matters, how he attains that no one cares but without a firm resolve to get it right, it may just be a four-year jamboree.

The Yorubas say, bí o máa ra ilá ra ilá, bí o máa gba ènì gba ènì; m dé kì í wá so´ja Agbó-mé?kùn kó wá mú eku. Meaning that, if you wish to buy okro, buy okro; if you wish to receive a gratuity do so; a child does not come to a tiger hunt and catch rats.

One's deeds should be appropriate to the location, all the talk of not being a magician, settling down and related cock and bull story is just distractions.

Mr. Tinubu needs to be told by his retinue of advisers peradventure he does not know already that he is still presiding over a nation that has low expectations, some BRT buses in Abuja, peace in Jos, Borno, a new parastatal, or commission, some reform here and there is all and prompt, youths can earnestly start seeking for another term for him.

In the end, the "Noah Effect" serves as a powerful reminder that, no matter how turbulent the waters may be, visionary and resilient leadership can guide a nation to calmer shores. For Nigeria, this means that the new administration should embark on a journey of change, reform, and transformation that ensures a better future for all—May Nigeria win.

Let’s continue to enjoy the ‘inside stuff’ of the leadership manual the iconic UAE leader at this time published in 2012, which I think dealers who pose as leaders need at this time. We need this inspiration from one of the world’s centres excellence at this time, UAE. We desperately need these lessons now in Nigeria where we need dynamic capabilities for development – to lead the black people of the world. Let’s continue with the relevant study on how to serve the God of Big Things in today’s world.
The Lion and the Gazelle:
UAE leader, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shares this classic illustration in the opening chapter of the his book on leadership to restate a fact that as a leader or manager at this time, you need to destroy this blight called procrastination because the business of management and leadership for change now should be done at the speed of thought, (not light anymore):

‘With each new day in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing he must outrun the fastest lion or perish. At the same time, a lion stirs and stretches, knowing he must outrun the fastest gazelle or starve. It is no different for the human race. Whether you consider yourself a gazelle or a lion, you simply have to run faster than others to survive’.

He shares this insight from the benefit of history as a pathfinder as he notes that since its inception in 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has flourished at an unprecedented rate – one that has astounded the world and still seems to be accelerating. His words:
This young and dynamic country has achieved a great deal since 1971. It competes at all levels in a diverse range of sectors and leads the world in a number of trail-blazing projects. Nevertheless, there is still much to do. We are not content to rest on our laurels, basking in the glory of what we have achieved; we are constantly striving to move forward, to grasp the moment with both hands and capitalize on the opportunities presented to us in a rapidly globalizing world.
To date, our achievements have helped us catch up with the rest of the world in its drive to globalize. This process began slowly during the last two decades of the twentieth century, before accelerating exponentially in the new millennium, and can now be seen as a prelude to what is set to become the most important economic race that the world has ever witnessed. The prize is one of epic proportions and failure is not an option. To ensure success, we have to join the race and win. After all, no one ever remembers who came second – not even the second man to climb Everest or walk on the moon!’

Al Maktoum

The UAE leader says a nation’s development, however, does not happen overnight or by accident. Nor does the development of a nation ever stop once the process has begun. In the manual on strategy for leading change, he notes that ‘Nation Building’ is the result of intense efforts at building a community and homeland; a phenomenal task not undertaken lightly, but shouldered by a nation’s government, its public and private sectors, and its people. He wants those who want to talk about rapid transformation of their nations to realise that they must all be willing to respond to the rapidly changing conditions that ricochet around the world at breakneck speed. Hear him again:

‘In order to achieve this, a modern infrastructure is not enough; we must have the vision and flexibility to embrace change, to continuously adapt, and to improve our personal performance and our commitment to service. This will enable us to expand our markets and promote our competitiveness on the international stage. Doing so requires time, dedication and hard work.
It goes without saying that the government is deeply committed to the UAE. We believe it is our duty to serve our community and embrace its aspirations, both now and in the future, by assuring our people economic growth, education, health, security, stability, comfort, leisure opportunities and freedom of movement. This will allow for the most conducive atmosphere to achieve the targets that will guarantee our welfare and a bright future. All those who work for the government must appreciate the task ahead of them and rise up to the challenge.

In order to lay solid foundations for the country’s future, the UAE leader reveals in the leadership manual that successors can build on the solid foundations of the founding fathers and that is what they have done in UAE the world’s foreign direct investors are rushing to now. His reflection:
‘… we must build upon the achievements forged by our founding fathers – achievements that must not stop with our generation, but must continue and be perpetuated by future generations. History shows no mercy for weaklings. Sheikh Zayed and my father, Sheikh Rashid, our beloved late leaders, never waited for history to record their feats; they were proactive in making history themselves and in doing so, set the benchmark for us to follow.

He speaks on the dynamics of ‘progress and regression’ in nation building. He wants fumbling leaders who specialise in lamenting the failure of predecessors to note that in today’s fast-paced world, if you are not leading, you will be left behind. If you fall behind, it is likely that someone less capable, less creative and less prepared than you will take your place. Although this can happen very quickly, Al Maktoum teaches us that the race is also one of endurance. His words again:
‘Should you stumble once or twice, do not worry, you can learn valuable lessons from falling occasionally and will be unlikely to repeat the same mistakes. Failure is not falling to the ground; it is remaining there once you have fallen and the greatest failure is when you decide not to stand up again. The UAE’s leadership fully understands that if our country lags behind others economically, it will be left behind. It also knows large-scale development will not only improve the country’s physical infrastructure, but eliminate unemployment, ignorance, poverty and illness’.

Nigerian leaders at this time need to imbibe this next construct, straight from the heart of the UAE’s very successful leader as Nigeria grapples with insecurity, economic challenges and crisis of stability in its complex federation. Hear the man who says he and his people decided from scratch to serve the God of Big Things of this world:
‘When nations fail to develop, they become vulnerable to a collapse in security and stability, and lose the foundations on which their prosperity was built. They also risk being subjugated to tyranny and prejudice, and after a few years of recession, lose most of the benefits, status and respect they had acquired over several decades of development. Before I assumed my position as the country’s Vice-President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, I also served as the UAE Minister of Defence and am well acquainted with the ravages of war. War does not provide solutions or put an end to problems, but rather the opposite. Our world is far from ideal and wherever we look, we will find countless examples of suffering, even in our own region…The secrets behind a nation’s greatness do not lie in its military clout. Contemporary history is littered with examples of nations made powerful by their military forces but which, in reality, are powerless because of their fledgling economies. Conversely, there are nations with small military forces that are economic superpowers. Nations can only overtake other nations through economic and not military power, as testified by history.
We Arabs have a rich military past. Our faith in God and our determination to overcome other nations of the time led us to expand our influence. We managed to accomplish some of the greatest military victories the world has ever known and in the process, became the greatest power on earth.

The UAE strongman would like leaders who waste their time on propaganda of reputation management to realise too that the credibility the UAE now enjoys internationally has resulted in a number of other nations studying their solutions and adopting them. He avers that although they are a small nation, they have enjoyed international exposure, and are managing and developing major projects in large and important countries such as India, South Korea and Hong Kong in addition to investing in several Arab countries. Hear him:
The large number of creative, highly qualified and motivated people who head and staff our team is ample proof that our empowerment policy is working. We will always strive to make this policy our top priority, based on our belief that our young UAE citizens are our most precious asset and the key to our future success. When I hear company managers complaining about a lack of qualified staff, I have to wonder how they have come to this conclusion when hundreds of well-trained, qualified UAE nationals, many of whom I have met both on official and non-official occasions, are available. I believe the task of managers needs to include the selection of an appropriate number of suitably qualified UAE national staff, with an eye to succession. This does not apply only to companies, but in other areas as well, because it is a leader’s duty to develop the leadership skills of those he believes are suitable. And when the time comes, these people can transfer their knowledge to the next generation.
While this happens most of the time, there are unfortunate exceptions. Some managers are not interested in – or will not tolerate – the existence of another person as qualified and skilled as they are, out of fear of competition or of losing their jobs. Although this is understandable to a degree, I disagree with such managers, because a true leader should realize he cannot be everywhere all the time and implement all his tasks at once. He must learn to delegate. When a leader fails to delegate, he will find himself embroiled in so much detail that it will eventually overwhelm him and distract him from his primary task (developing the business of the company and finding innovative solutions to its problems) to such an extent that he will eventually lose sight of the bigger picture.

But what exactly is the bigger picture?
The bigger picture is one of survival – life’s driving force and the reason why all creatures spend each day trying to catch their prey or escape their hunters. Survival cannot be achieved by wishful thinking. Continued growth requires huge effort, complete attention and being consistently alert to potential dangers.
All told, he says the transformation occurred when Arab nations embraced the one word that summarizes the essence of their entire civilization: ‘pioneer’. This concept filtered into every aspect of life – in peace, war, administration, science, architecture, trade, medicine, history, industry and diplomacy – becoming a philosophy that led the way. The revolutionary spirit continued unabated, not for two decades or five centuries, but for more than 1,000 years, and created a historic view of the Islamic Arab civilization as pioneers of excellence. Will our leaders learn from the UAE revolution where they too serve the ‘God of Big Things?

There is a negative pattern that has been established by some personages under the canopy of religion with the ultimate aim of spreading falsehood and engendering hate between tribes, tongues and faiths in Nigeria. We are all supposed to bow and tremble before their sanctimonious thrones because theirs is the voice from Above. 

Many analysts still argue about the best nomenclature for the political clerics. Are they politicians hiding under religion or clerics in politics? Whatever be the case, governments have habitually avoided any confrontation with them. And the clerics in question seem to interpret this to mean that they are untouchable and above the law.

Gumi’s Antics

During the Buhari days, Sheik Abubakar Gumi announced himself as the authentic go-between regarding any negotiation with bandits and terrorists in Nigeria. Government played down the issue, although many people thought the sheik was overreaching in posturing as an alternative power centre.

One thing that is clear is that Gumi has his acolytes who jump on his train whenever he makes an intervention in public, no matter how controversial. I am the first person to acknowledge the man’s right to freely express his opinion. However, I do not think he or anyone else hiding under religion has a right to incite adherents of one religion against another as he routinely does.

Anyone who has closely followed political developments in Nigeria knows that ethno-religious baiting is big business, especially in the run-up to elections. Usually, the hot air dissipates as soon as a new government is formed. Not this time!

The other day, Sheik Gumi voiced his displeasure over, among other things, the appointment of a Christian as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and another Christian as the Chief of Defence Staff. He thought the positions should have gone to Muslims because, according to him, Muslims can be trusted to be just and fair in such positions when compared to Christians. Gumi, a medical doctor and soldier before becoming a full time cleric, ought to know the meaning and implication of a fallacy of hasty generalisation (secundum quid et simpliciter). But does he?

To add more fuel to the fire, he exhumes the ghost of the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the premier of the Northern Region in the first republic and that of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who met the same fate, as proof that political and military power should never be ceded by the Northern Muslim to the Southern Christian, except with some extraordinary reassurances and cession of identified important portfolios to the North. His definition of north is, of course, Muslim.

Religion is a very feisty issue in Nigeria and there are people who make a living from either starting a political fire or quenching it. Both ways, there is money or political mileage to be made. Unfortunately for the country, this trend has dealt a serious blow to social cohesion over the years. 

Gumi and his soulmates do not believe in a secular Nigeria. They only stopped short of calling for a coup. They state quite clearly that the duo of President Tinubu and VP Shettima have not properly used their Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket to favour muslims; rather they’ve been appeasing Christians. So, they don’t deserve the backing of muslims. The political clerics flaunt ill-concocted conspiracy theories about a secret alliance with Israeli security forces, tapping into the ongoing Israel/Gaza conflict with the hope of setting Nigerian Muslims against everybody else.

As instigations go, it will take some doing to beat Gumi in his game: The taste of his waspish sermon is in the reading:

On Wike

“The FCT minister (Nyesom Wike) is a EXPLETIVE (edited out). I’ve said so ever since he was appointed. I cannot independently verify, but someone said he was quoted as saying he had already engaged Israeli security, but I can confirm that he said he would invite the Israeli Ambassador to help redesign the security architecture of Abuja to pattern after that of Tel Aviv so that bearded people like us would be hounded and killed on sight because we’ve been stereotyped as Bin Laden.

“Now where are the proponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket? You guys are hypocrites! Abuja has become a Tel Aviv because the security of a country is the people. Why are you silent? It is because you know what you’re up to.

Security

“Granted, heads of security services are fellow Muslims, but the reality is that those wielding actual commanding power are different. They’re fooling us because they have an agenda, yes there’s an agenda. They’re fooling us, I assure you.

“Look how they took over all the juicy and lucrative positions in the country. And they believe they’ll continue to govern us in the next four years and beyond. They think through their tricks they’ll get re-elected for another four-year term to make eight years in power. But that will not happen while we’re here by the will of God.

“During the (Muhammadu) Buhari presidency, a certain Christian cleric complained that Muslim officers were appointed heads of security organisations. My response was that Muslims would not use that as an advantage to maltreat anyone whether they’re Muslims or non-Muslims. In contrast, if they (Christians) are occupying those positions, they’ll destroy us.

“Check the history, who murdered Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello)? It was Nzeogwu. Who murdered Murtala (Muhammed)? It was (Lt. Col. Buka) Dimka. As for (Ibrahim) Babangida, he narrowly escaped death; who was his aggressor? (Gideon) Orkar, a northern Christian. You see, once you give these people power, they’ll use it to destroy you.

Israel Coming?

“Therefore, make no mistake, once the Israelis are allowed into this country, they’ll carry out clandestine operations; the elimination of prominent Muslim clerics. Why do you think they eliminated Sheikh Jafar (Mahmood Adam)? Why was (Sheikh Muhamman Auwal) Albani murdered? The list of those to be eliminated is endless…

“You want to bring the Mossad into our country? Let Tinubu be told that we’re not oblivious of the plan; we’re aware. He must remove the FCT minister or else he will have us to contend with.

Sometime back during the Jonathan era, I was invited to the DSS headquarters for a meeting; I met an officer who afterwards called to inform me that a hit squad, driving a certain Mercedes Benz 4matic model, was detailed to attack me

“Yet they kept blabbing about Buhari’s so-called nepotism. There was an element of nepotism under Buhari, I reckon. But our (Muslim) nepotism is not evil (wicked) because it does no harm to anyone. If it cannot promote your interest, it won’t harm it either; here is the difference. That’s why I keep warning that power should not slip from our hands into theirs.”

Time To Draw The Line

When there is a fire, you call in the fire brigade. Political fires require a different solution. But rather than sweep matters under the carpet and allow the continued spread of hate, the relevant security agencies should draw the line and call Sheik Gumi and all other clerics, Muslim, Christian, or of any other faith, identified as perpetrating political arson, to cease fire. We are better as a conglomeration of different progressive peoples than as atavistic religious bigots baying for blood.

As we were saying, Abram, father of the Jewish faith of Judaism, the Christian faith of Christianity and the Muslim faith of Islam, came from Ur in Mesopotamia in present-day Iraq. Christianity’s Old Testament bible and the Jewish Tanakh bible, which are significantly the same, has this to say in Genesis 12: 1 -6: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee… So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him… And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten to go to the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came” From the going, it is clear that Abram’s “country” was Ur in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Abram was an Iraqi; that being so, his descendants, Jewish and Palestinians, must also trace their roots to present-day Iraq. The Old Testament Bible (Genesis 11: 27 – 31) also records that Abram’s father, Terah, had two other sons, Nahor and Haran. Haran begat Lot but died before his father Terah. So, “Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came into Haran, and dwelt there” Note that Terah did not go with his other son, Nahor, who was Abram’s brother. So, Terah and Abram left their blood lines in Ur of the Chaldees (in Mesopotamia), which is today’s Iraq.

Abram and his descendants were not autochthonous (or original/indigenous inhabitants) of present-day Palestine or the land of Israel. The Bible called it “the land of Canaan”. There were inhabitants there long before God told Abram to go there. The Old Testament Bible records the many battles and wars that Abram (later Abraham) and his descendants fought against Hittites, Canaanites, Jebusites, Philistines, etc. who were the original inhabitants of the land as we know it. These were uprooted, scattered, driven away or annihilated for their land to be possessed by others. This is similar to how the Red Indians of America were exterminated by white migrants from Europe and their land appropriated by those who today claim to be the “original’ owners of America. In the same fashion, the Aborigines were exterminated in Australia by excommunicated vandals from Europe; just as the Maori, who were the first inhabitants of New Zealand. So, neither Palestinians nor Jews were the original owners of the land they have fought over. Theirs is the case of someone who chanced upon a precious item lost by someone else but who insists he would die rather than part with it. Remember Ebenezer Obey’s song: Eni ri nkan he/To fe ku pelu e/Owo eni ti o ti sonu nko?

History records that the ownership of Palestine has changed hands many times over – and may still do if the Lord tarries! Many of those who appear as distinct peoples today, if you trace their roots, belonged to the same parentage. It has been said that the 10 lost tribes of Israel who were uprooted from Palestine were transported to today’s Afghanistan where they were converted to Islam and are, today, the ancestors of the Taliban, one of the most vicious Islamist groups anyone can think of. Old Testament Bible stories record so many of such uprooting of Israeli tribes to foreign lands by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians, among others. History records that in 721 BC, Assyria swept out of the north, captured the northern kingdom of Israel and took the 10 tribes into captivity. From there, they reportedly got lost to history! Jerusalem, the so-called eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state of Israel, has been captured and recaptured at least 20 times and has been claimed by about as many countries and empires, including the world’s three major religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism! In 1517, the Ottoman Empire conquered the region and ruled it until the British conquered it in 1917.  The British ruled it under the British Mandate until 1948 when the Jewish State of Israel was proclaimed.

Truth be told, the land of Palestine, and the controversies surrounding it, is a jig-saw puzzle, a labyrinth that does not yield to easy resolutions. The Jewish theory of God, and the explanation of creation, appears to have travelled farther than other competing and contending ideologies; that is not to say, however, that every other person accepts as the gospel truth the Jewish history as recorded in the Old Testament bible or the Jewish Tanakh. The concept of God, and of creation, remains the most contentious issue of all times. Neither science, fiction nor religion has been able to conclusively and comprehensively explain it to the satisfaction of all. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution also failed to carry everyone along with his “big bang” theory; so also does the biblical theory of creating something out of nothing and by someone or something existing nowhere and standing nowhere and making use of nothing to bring everything out of nothing remain explainable only in the realms of religion or faith.

Therefore, every person has their own theory of creation as well as the concept of God/Supreme Being. In that there is no generally acceptable explanation of the “Uncaused Cause” that brought about creation, it is safe to let everyone cling to their own respective concept. Xenophanes, philosopher and theologian, posits that “If cows and horses had hands and could draw, cows would draw gods that look like cows and horses would draw gods that look like horses” Our advantage over those unfortunate creatures is what made us to posit that God created us in His own image! Another quote from Xenophanes and we move on: “The Gods did not reveal, from the beginning, all things to us, but in the course of time through seeking we may learn and know things better. But as for certain truth no man knows it, nor shall he know it, neither of the Gods nor yet of all things that I speak. For even if by chance he were to utter The Final Truth, he would himself not know it: for all is but a woven web of guesses”

Two events in modern history define Israel; the first is the Holocaust and the second is the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. When German leader, Adolf Hitler, leading the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan, started the 2nd World War (1939 – 1945) against the Allied Powers of France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and, to a lesser extent, China, one of his goals was the extermination of the Jews in what he called the “final solution” to the Jewish Question. At the end of the horrendous implementation of Hitler’s “Endlosung” from 1941 to 1945, six million Jews had reportedly been systematically murdered in horrific circumstances across 21 countries. The Allied Powers, who were victorious in that war and who became known as the Victorious Powers, created the United Nations Organization (UNO) on 24 October, 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations established at the end of the 1st World War (1914 – 1918) under the Treaty of Versailles ostensibly “to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security”  The new UNO was based on the Atlantic Charter earlier envisioned, on 14 August, 1941, by the then 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In 1947, the UK turned Palestine over to the UN. After looking at alternatives, the UN proposed the partitioning of the land into two independent States, one Palestinian Arab and the other Jewish, with Jerusalem internationalized. On November 29, 1947, the partition plan was passed by the UN General Assembly with 33 votes for, 13 against with 10 abstentions.  At midnight on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Provisional Government of Israel, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. The first country to recognize the State of Israel on the same day it was created was the United States, by its 33rd president, Harry Truman. The Jews accepted the UN plan but the Arabs rejected it. The Jews, who constituted a third of the population and owned about seven percent of the land as at the time, was to receive 56 percent of the partitioned land. War then broke out between the Jews and Palestinians, in which five Arab countries – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – attacked Israel. But after the war, which Israel won, the Jewish state expanded its territory to 77 percent, including the larger part of Jerusalem. War after war ever since, Israel has gained territory while the Palestinians have lost territory. In the 1967 Six-Day war, Israel defeated three Arab armies – Egypt, Jordan and Syria – and gained territories four times its original size, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Israel has seriously and perpetually encroached on the Palestinians own sections of the partitioned land since then, building Jewish settlements everywhere. Resolution after resolution by the UN condemning Israel and demanding that it return to its 1948 borders have been spurned by the Jewish State. Peace talks – if we may call them that! – sponsored principally by the US and other Western powers who are the chief backers of Israel have failed to bring comprehensive peace to the region, although Camp David Accords (17 September, 1978) and Oslo Accords 1 and 11 (1993 and 1995 respectively) achieved minimal success. Unable to militarily defeat Israel, some of its adversaries have resigned to fate and signed peace accords with it, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt. These 13 countries, however, do not recognize Israel: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq. Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.

Militarily, Israel is vastly superior to its adversaries; it also has the support of the Western powers but will this continue in perpetuity? Empires, kingdoms and nations rise and fall. This is the lesson that history teaches. Our world has been in existence for how long, we do not know. Civilizations have disappeared. The superpower nations of yesterday are the minnows of today. Who knows what lies in stock for the superpower nations of today! Hence this saying by my people: “Igba o ki n lo bi orere/Aiye o ki n lo bi opa ibon/Bi oni ti ri, ola o ri be/L’o mu Babalawo d’Ifa ojoojumo” French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau, interpreted it thus: “The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master unless he transforms strength into right and obedience into duty” A word for the wise!

The Nigerian Senate is set to amend the 2022 Electoral Act.

The new amendment will make electronic transmission of results mandatory, allow uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation and allow for diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections.

This was contained in a communiqué issued by the upper legislative chamber at the end of its retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom State.

The Senate noted that it was necessary for the Independent National Electoral Commission to be unbundled to improve its efficiency and effectiveness in the preparation and conduct of elections.

The communiqué stated, “Relating to the use of technology in elections, remove the ambiguity evident in Section 64 of the EA22.

“Also, make electronic transmission of results mandatory from the next general elections in 2027, including the uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation.

“Introduce diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections, to enable citizens to vote, especially those on essential service abroad, such as military, paramilitary, and other security personnel abroad, Embassy staff, and other citizens.

“Relating to political parties; stipulate sanctions for failure to submit the register of party members not later than 30 days before the date of party primaries, congresses, or conventions in relation to Section 77(3) EA22, which the political parties have observed in the breach in the 2023 elections without penalty.”

The 10th Senate further noted that it was time to develop and enact a comprehensive national security strategy that outlines the nation’s security objectives, threats, and policy priorities.

The Red Chamber added that such a strategy could serve as a guiding framework for legislative action in the security sector.

[DailyPost]

Olukoyede lists focus, says commission must deliver on mandate
•Go after looters not only yahoo boys, senior lawyers tell anti-graft chief

The new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, will inherit no fewer than 25 high-profile corruption cases involving former governors, ministers and senators, Sunday PUNCH can report.

Some of the cases, especially those against some ex-governors, have lasted several years. While some are still under investigation, some have spent years in court with no conclusive end to the trials.

Olukoyede was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday barely four months after the former chairman of the commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was suspended.

Based on Sunday PUNCH findings, the amount at stake in the high-profile cases is not less than N772.2bn and another $2.2bn, alleged to have gone missing through money laundering, fund diversion and misappropriation.

Some of the former governors who have been invited by the commission for probe include the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his predecessor, Ayo Fayose; former governor of Zamfara State and incumbent Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; and a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, among others.

Other lingering cases involving the commission include the former National Security Adviser under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd.), former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, among others.

On June, Fayemi was invited by the commission over allegations of N4bn misappropriation during his tenure as governor. Fayemi’s media aide, Ahmad Sajoh, had said in a statement the following day that the former governor was invited “regarding a money laundering petition against him”, adding that the petition was filed by a faceless group.

In May, the EFCC said the former Zamfara State governor was being investigated for the alleged diversion of N70bn from the state treasury. While the former governor accused Bawa of demanding $2m bribe, the EFCC in turn said Matawalle was under probe for N70bn fraud. As of the time of filing this report, the status of the bribery allegation and fraud claims could not be ascertained.

Also, Nnamani was charged to court by the EFCC over an alleged N5.3bn fraud but the case was struck out in 2018. The agency however said in February of the same year that it had the intention of filing fresh charges against Nnamani and his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu. As of the time of filing this report, it could not be ascertained if the EFCC filed the fresh charges as it promised, and the status of the case.

Similarly, a former governor of Nasarawa State and immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was in 2010 accused by the agency of N15bn fraud when he served as the governor between 1999 and 2007. The commission filed a 149-count charge against Adamu and 18 others.

Even though Adamu argued the case against him had been struck out by the court, a claim the EFCC (the plaintiff) has yet to affirm or deny, the commission in 2018 arraigned Adamu’s son for N92m fraud. The status of the two separate cases had remained unknown.

Similarly, in 2021, the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in the 2023 election, was interrogated by the EFCC over alleged non-remittance of N10bn pension fund. The outcome of the investigation was however not known why the EFCC had yet to state if the fund had been found.

The probe launched by the EFCC into the finances of Rivers State under former Governor Peter Odili has yet to see the light of day. The EFCC had said it was investigating Odili, the husband of a retired justice of the Supreme Court, for N100bn fraud in 2012. Although there was a perpetual court injunction restraining the Federal Government and its agencies, including the EFCC, from probing, arresting or prosecuting him, the former acting chairman of the agency, Ibrahim Magu, in 2020 said the case would be reopened.

It could not be ascertained if the commission had eventually reopened the case. Odili left office since 2007.

A former governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, and his sons, Chinedu and Ogbonna, were also under the EFCC’s probe in 2021 for alleged misappropriation of public funds and money laundering to the tune of N551bn. In 2018, the former governor was also accused by the commission of mismanaging N27bn disbursed to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria for Small and Medium Enterprise during his tenure as governor.

Also, former Governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje, was arraigned in 2011 shortly after the end of his eight-year tenure over fraud to the tune of N5bn. The agency however withdrew from the case and handed it over to the office of the Attorney-General for continuation of prosecution. The AGF thereafter entered Nolle prosequi in the matter shortly after the former governor stepped down for Ahmad Lawan, the candidate of the party, to emerge as the Senate President of the ninth National Assembly.

The governor of Sokoto State between 2007 and 2015, Aliyu Wammako, was accused by the EFCC of allegedly diverting N15bn. While the EFCC said the former governor would be invited for interaction, he had yet to be charged to court till date. The former governor had dared the commission that he was ready for legitimate trial.

Also, the anti-graft agency alleged that a former Bayelsa State Governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, alongside some other persons conspired and used three companies; Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Halloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited  to launder about N19.2bn.

A court case was instituted on the matter in 2012 when the EFCC through a motion sought for an interim order for the forfeiture of 48 houses allegedly belonging to Sylva, which was granted by Justice Mohammed. It also pursued a separate N6bn fraud case against Sylva before Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court.

The case was also struck out over the inability of the EFCC to serve Sylva’s co-defendants had caused a setback in upturning the 2015 judgment. The case has been pending before the appellate court since December 22, 2015, and about 48 houses allegedly seized from the former governor have since been returned to him.

A former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, was also accused by the EFCC of mismanaging the resources of the state and receiving part of the N23bn allegedly shared by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke for Jonathan’s re-election campaign in 2015.

It was reported that although many persons involved in the N23bn Diezani fund have been charged, there has been no update on Chime’s case. The EFCC said in 2017 that Chime was still under investigation.

A former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, was arrested in June 2015 for alleged embezzlement of public funds during his eight years as governor of. He was however granted bail.  The EFCC said in February 2016 that the former governor was still under probe. His administration was said to have received over N300bn from the federation account between 2003 and 2011, an amount the EFCC alleged was mismanaged. As of press time, there was no update on the investigations.

A former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who was governor of the state from 2007 to 2015 is currently standing trial with two of his sons – Aminu and Mustapha – before a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged N1.35bn fraud.

While Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu adjourned the matter till February 18, 19 and 20, 2020, for continuation of trial, not much has been heard about the case in recent times.

Also, a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, who served from 2007 until his impeachment in 2014, was accused alongside eight others by the agency of money laundering to the tune of N29bn. The Court of Appeal in January 2022 ordered that the case be returned to the Federal High Court for trial, after Nyako entered a no-case submission.

Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, was also accused by the EFCC of N6.9bn fraud. The case is ongoing in court, a matter the current leadership is expected to follow to its logical conclusion.

Also, a former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, is facing trial for alleged fraud to the tune of N6.3bn. The EFCC slammed 12 counts bordering on misappropriation of funds. The court acquitted him of the charges, but the commission planned to appeal the case. To public knowledge, the appeal has yet to be filed.

In the same vein, a former Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, and two others were accused of diverting N2bn ecological fund. The EFCC has closed its case in the matter, but not much has been of the case since then.

A former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, was also under investigation for alleged N3.1bn money laundering charges. The trial court, the Federal High Court Abuja has until May 2023 adjourned the case. Hence, the new leadership is expected to follow-up on the case.

The former governor was first arraigned in 2015 before Justice Ahmed Mohammed in the same Abuja division of the court but Justice Mohammed withdrew from the case in July 2019 following a Sahara Reporter’s story accusing him of unethical practices in respect of the case.

Suswam and his ex-commissioner were subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Okon Abang on September 30, 2019.

Also, a former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, had been accused and was being prosecuted by the agency for $2.2m fraud. The matter had been in court but has yet to be concluded based on our correspondents’ findings.

On November 12, 2021, a former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion, was charged for N1.6bn fraud. He was taken into custody by the operatives of the EFCC. The matter has yet to be concluded as of press time.

A former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah, was also charged for alleged N5bn fraud. The matter has continued to drag in the court, a development the current leadership is expected to see to its logical end.

Meanwhile, the cases involving Dasuki and Alison-Madueke have yet to be concluded. For Dasuki, the EFCC accused him of diverting $2.1bn arms fund, while Alison-Madueke had said ir traced N47.2bn, $487.5m to the ex-minister.

Some lawyers who spoke to Sunday PUNCH charged the EFCC to reopen the pending and follow-up on the cases involving the former governors.

Olukoyede vows action

The new chairman, who assumed office on Thursday, has vowed to reposition and refocus the commission for optimal effectiveness.

A statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, quoted him as saying, “We are going to drive professionalism in discharging our duties in line with the rule of law. The rule of law is going to be our guiding light. We are going to drive EFCC to a place that when you see EFCC personnel, you will see a touch of professionalism. We are also going to be involved more in prevention, because it is better to save money for the government than to spend money in prosecution”.

Senior lawyers reacts

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Victor Okpara, said the country’s image had been dented, adding that just as the issue of yahoo yahoo had brought the country’s name into disrepute, there were some high-profiling individuals who were alleged to have committed economic and financial crimes. He charged the commission to be bold.

He added, “You can’t leave the real thieves that have run this country down and be pursuing pickpockets. I’m not saying those ones should be left alone but honestly you must deal with the real problem and not pursue shadow. Any person that has committed a financial crime or economic crime should be made to face the law no matter your status and that is what the law says.”

Supporting Okpara’s view, Mutalubi Adebayo (SAN) urged the EFCC to prosecute past governors including current ministers involved in alleged financial crimes.

He stated, “The people with immunity are not much, so those former governors who are ministers and the EFCC has a case against them, they should go after them because they have lost their immunity since May 29. If they are found guilty, the President will also know that he had made a wrong appointment.

“The new EFCC chairman should bring onboard his wealth of experience so that before you arrest, you have a case against the person.”

However, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olatunde, expressed concern that the agency needed to do better in prosecuting high-profile cases, saying some politicians failed to appear before it when invited and nothing was done about them.

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof Samson Erugo, said the lack of political will to prosecute the former governors and other politicians made the immediate past leadership of the commission to concentrate more on the ‘Yahoo-yahoo’ boys.

Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe, urged the anti-graft agency to discharge its duties regardless of who was involved.

“They should be able to discharge their duties without the fear of favour,” he added.

Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Ajibade, said the EFCC should go after every offender without discrimination. He added, “Whether Yahoo boys or ex-governors or others, they should go after all of them. I think they should go after everybody. Both the yahoo and ex-governors should be held responsible for their offences, they should not discriminate.”

[Punch]

Between the 29th and 30th of September 2023, Princeton University hosted a memorial symposium to mark the10th anniversary of the passing of Chinua Achebe. Simultaneously, the occasion coincided with the 30th anniversary of the publication of Achebe’s seminal and perennially topical pamphlet on Nigeria’s enduring leadership crisis, The Trouble With Nigeria.

Ten years after Achebe went to join his ancestors is a most fitting occasion first to reflect on what this great Nigerian left us as a legacy. Most importantly, our current crisis of national leadership compels a reflection of what message Achebe left us on the matter of leadership  in the life of the nation as a community. In most of his life and career, Achebe resisted the tendency to be cast in the pigeon hole of just a writer. Not for him the luxury of art as an isolated occult preoccupation. Not for him the concept of art as the private communication of the artistic genius to a select audience of initiates.

Instead, he saw himself first and foremost as an active communicator and participant in the life of his community. He therefore defined for himself a clear communal and social function for the writer as a social being. Therefore, throughout Achebe’s literary works, essays and political statements, there remains a consistent preoccupation with the health of society. His focus was insistently on the role of the hero as a leader whose actions have benefits or repercussions for his society. For Achebe, the burden of heroism is the plight of the community.

It is wrong to confine Achebe’s consciousness exclusively to the historical. True of course, Chinua Achebe was a writer with an unmistakably historical consciousness. His works span the entire gamut of African history, socio cultural and political evolution up to the dawn of the 21st century. His works and consciousness span from Africa’s first encounters with colonialism through the emergence of independent African nation states. He engages with the politics of modern Africa and the dire consequences of a new society and a new political dispensation.

A remarkable feature of the nationalistic essence of Achebe’s art and consciousness is the primacy that he accords the hero as a leader of his community. Throughout Achebe’s literary works, we are constantly coming to grips with the struggles of individual heroes challenged to defend and protect their communities from unwholesome influences and to make difficult choices for the sake of the common good.

It could be the towering figure of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart who personifies the identity of his assaulted people and would rather sacrifice himself than see his people and their values toppled by an alien dispensation and culture. It could be the high priest Ezeulu in Arrow of God who struggles to reconcile between the will of the community and his personal burden as the custodian of the spiritual sovereignty of his people.

Not to talk of the dilemma of Obi Okonkwo, the European educated civil servant in No Longer at Ease who has to struggle between the dictates of his personal morality and the expectations of a society in transition which expects him to abuse his office to please the expectations of the cargo mentality of a new materialistic society. Matters come to a head in the political world of A Man of the People where the politician Chief Nanga reminds us all of the present state of African politics where public office is a license to primitive accumulation, unchecked corruption, unbridled materialism and betrayal of the people by Africa’s “Big Men “ politicians. In all of these portrayals, Achebe’s preoccupation remains the health of the community and the need for the individual hero as a leadership figure to function as a measure of the fate of his community.

However, it is perhaps in his various polemical essays and speeches that the political Achebe comes across in digital clarity. Consistently, Achebe never tired of directly expressing his social commitment and desire for a better society in Nigeria in particular. He was relentless in calling out the worst examples of post -colonial African leadership. It did not matter whether the reference was to Nigeria’s pageant of military dictators or the interjecting civilian despots. He never tired of pointing out where leaders were going wrong and interrogating the serial betrayal of our hapless citizenry.

In terms of speaking truth to power at every opportunity, Achebe remained unsparing. For instance, during the Obasanjo civilian administration in Nigeria(1999-2007), he rejected a national honour because he was less than impressed with the conduct of state affairs under the administration. In rejecting national honours whether under President Obasanjo or President Jonathan after him, Achebe was unambiguous  and strident.

Towards the end of his life and career, Achebe came to terms with the reality that Nigeria’s initial national purpose and mission had fatally derailed from  the ideals at independence. He could no longer hide his sense of disappointment at Nigeria’s utter failure to realize the original ideals and hopes of nationhood raised at independence.

This note of crashed hope and amputated dreams is the entire purpose of his last autobiographical book as captured in its apt title: There Was a  Country. The obvious note of that valedictory work is one of despair, regret and even outright lamentation of the squandering of Nigeria’s initial potentials and promise of illustrious nationhood. By the time of Achebe’s demise a decade ago, Nigeria was hovering at the brinks of tragic unraveling, a course that has remained irreversible up to the present time.

However, what is more poignant about this year’s celebration of Achebe’s legacy is that it marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of his  explosive and powerful political pamphlet, The Trouble With Nigeria. Instructively, the booklet was released in the midst of Shehu Shagari’s Second Republic political bazaar.

The pamphlet was unabashed and unmistakable in identifying the crisis of leadership as Nigeria’s most enduring headache. That simple straightforward little handbook has remained a classic whether we were under a military or an ‘elected’ civil democratic dispensation. Nigeria’s leadership crisis has defied the costume of politicians. In The Trouble with Nigeria, Achebe brutally and bluntly narrowed the central problem of Nigeria to the crisis of leadership:

The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely leadership.

There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character.

  There is nothing wrong with the land or climate or water or     air or anything else. The problem is the unwillingness of its  leaders to rise to the responsibility, the challenges of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.

That crisis has lingered and endured. We must all be prepared to accept the sad, humiliating and inconvenient truth that all our present challenges as a nation are simply the consequences and costs of the protracted failure of leadership in our nation.

Thirty years after Achebe’s powerful definition of “the trouble with Nigeria”, the consequences of a succession of bad leaderships are now lodged with us. Whether they have been soldiers or civilians, the leadership culture of Nigeria has remained substantially the same. We have come to accept, as it were, a leadership culture whose tenure in power never alters the living circumstances of the people.  On nearly all the indices of national development, Nigeria has continued to lag behind its peers.

As the world prepares to say goodbye to the age of hydrocarbons and fossil fuels, Nigerians can hardly point at any sustainable gains from trillions of petro dollars earned from 1959 to the present moment. Our corruption culture has become so endemic that we have graduated in the tallying of our stolen wealth from millions, hundreds of millions, then billions and now trillions of Naira. Not content with the Naira which our leaders have reduced to mere waste paper (N1,140 to USD $1), our political leaders now count their loot in billions of US dollars which has become the currency of Nigeria’s underground economy.

Our people have watched helplessly as the privatization of public wealth has graduated into an art. Agencies established to check graft have themselves become assembly lines of monumental graft and systematic fraud. Our judiciary has made a fanfare of convicting small criminals while letting loose those whose greed has impoverished millions of Nigerians and crippled the national economy to its present sorry state.  Government itself has become a gigantic criminal enterprise with multiple centers located at the 36 state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory with repeater stations in the 774 local government headquarters across the nation.

The consequences of our serial bad leadership culture are everywhere in evidence. Observers of Nigeria since after independence will have made a disturbing discovery. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that grows and develops only in reverse. The quality of life of our people today is worse than it was in 1965. Our schools and hospitals today are more miserable than they were soon after independence. Our currency now buys less than it did only eight years ago. Inflation is currently at 28-29% and still galloping. Food inflation is currently at 30%. Our highways are today more dangerous than they were eight years ago. We now rank among the top 5 most dangerous countries in the world in the company of Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Libya. Our police force is ranked among the worst in the world. The chronicle of infamy is almost limitless.

Nigeria now has an estimated 130 million poor people, qualifying as the uncontested ‘poverty capital’ of the world ahead of India with over five times our population. Our unemployment figures are above 40% of the employable population mostly youth. The average time it takes for a university graduate to find employment in Nigeria is about 10 years. We have an estimated 20 -22 million out of school children, the highest in the world and still counting.

Our economic statistics are no less frightening and depressing.  Our external reserves are at an all time low of less than $20 billion, barely enough to pay for three months of imports. We are currently spending nearly 100% of our revenue in debt servicing as Nigeria has an external debt burden of nearly $100 billion not to talk of trillions of Naira in domestic debts.

On nearly a daily basis, droves of young qualified and talented Nigerians are trooping out to Canada, United Kingdom, the Gulf states, Australia, South Africa and now even Rwanda for opportunities that they cannot find at home. Among the many unemployed but unskilled youth, the dangerous Mediterranean crossing  or the hazardous Sahara desert crossing to get to Europe are considered risks less dreadful than life in a country they call theirs. These perilous journeys have claimed several lives in capsized migrant boats, dehydration in the Sahara desert or torture in holding cells in Libya and other dangerous destinations in the hope of crossing into Europe for menial jobs or degrading prostitution.

Our ancestors who were sold into slavery during the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade went mostly as unwilling conscripts and traded wares. Today, our youth are submitting themselves willingly to death by drowning or dehydration as they try to escape the inhospitable conditions at home to go into virtual willful slavery in Europe.

At home, new forms of criminality have emerged. Oil theft, bold illegal mining, banditry, transactional kidnapping, cattle rustling, ritual killing, trade in human body parts and cyber crimes have become rampant. Hitherto unknown crimes and deviations have taken hold of a society of many mentally distressed citizens.  Abuses like pedophilia, abuse of minors, rape, incest and racketeering in sex videos have become the new normal in a nation where prayer is the most widespread social ritual.

Terrorists and casual killers are on the prowl in many states of the federation forcing the nation to deploy combat troops into internal security duties in 34 of our 36 states. More dangerously, all manner of non- state armed groups ranging from Boko Haram in the North East and North West to ESN in the South East and many militant groups in the Niger Delta continue to engage the attention of our security forces. In some cases, they have outgunned the official security forces.

In spite of this cocktail of bad news, the vast majority of our people remain attached to the promise of Nigeria. Wherever in the world Nigerians find themselves, they bond in solidarity and remain hungry and nostalgic for home because they realize that ours is a beautiful country, a place like no other for our boisterous Nigerian spirit. They remain optimistic that Nigeria has the resources to give them a good life if only we could find good leadership to harness the resources for the common good. Our ordinary citizens believe in the nation, not in particular leaders. Our leaders do not believe in or love Nigeria. They are however attached to what they are stealing from Nigeria. 

Our ordinary citizens crave no alternative nationality than this. But our citizens have developed a strong skepticism about our leadership prospects. Because of repeated betrayals and disappointments, our people have gotten used to a permanent distrust of government and changing leaderships. Here lies the crisis of democracy in our land: how can citizens vote for leaders they do not trust? And how can leaders aspire to rule over people they do not feel for?

In spite of our current dismal national picture, I would be the first to admit that our leadership story has not been all an unbroken negative picture. There have indeed been brief episodes, rare flashes of courageous and patriotic leadership. But these episodes have been either too brief or unsustained to make any significant difference. Even Achebe in The Trouble with Nigeria conceded that Murtala Muhammed passed by here. In just 180 days, Murtala left a permanent imprint of patriotism, selflessness and personal discipline. Nor can anyone deny that both presidents Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo showed examples of nation building, respect for merit and made commendable investment in national infrastructure. Nor can we deny Umaru Yar’Adua the promise which he held out for selfless, courageous leadership and true patriotism before the cold hands of death snatched him away.

Like all writers, Chinua Achebe was a visionary and perhaps too much of an idealist. But the paradise we seek often lies hidden in the dreams and visions of our most talented citizens. Cursed is the nation that is not blessed with poets and prophets. On the matter of leadership as the core problem with Nigeria, therefore, Chinua Achebe was not only right. He was even prophetic. On the matter of the mission and necessity for good leadership, Achebe remains our greatest visionary writer to date. But perhaps he never imagined the full extent of how far down bad leadership could drag  Nigeria.

While preparing to write this article, I bounced the idea off the missus. She asked me to watch ‘Accused’, a Netflix thriller. (Warning: movie spoiler ahead, proceed with caution.) The lead character is Harri (Chaneil Kular), who suddenly finds himself as public enemy after a London train bombing. When police release the image of the suspect, someone posts that it looks like Harri. His pictures, phone number and other details are then shared on social media, and people are encouraged to lynch him. His phone rings non-stop as the internet mobsters hound him. By the time the drama is over, the person who first posted that Harri looks like the suspect has quietly deleted the post.

You see, social media has become the death of many people, metaphorically and literally. Many have been tried, condemned and executed on social media based on misinformation and disinformation. Conversely, many have also become brain-dead, willingly and wilfully spreading misinformation and disinformation for the sake of clout-chasing. Misinformation is mostly a mistake — usually borne out of ignorance, poor intellect or laziness to fact-check. Disinformation is deliberate, borne out of pure mischief or vendetta, and often useful for propaganda. The mobsters (I fondly call them “internet thugs”) are not governed by any rules. It is the survival of the loudest, the rudest and the vilest.

Unless you are a victim of mob malignment, you would never understand. It is always sweet when you are the one dishing out the dirt, making unfounded allegations, demonising people, distributing insults or rupturing reputations with vicious rumours. It is exciting to be the enabler and amplifier. But when the boot is on the other foot, reality dawns on you. I was told that a former Nigerian president used to issue queries to ministers and other appointees based on salacious reports published on them by a website. When the website fabricated falsehood against him and his family, he was so pained he stopped the practice. It always looks cool until you become the victim!

While I am very worried because people’s lives and livelihoods are daily endangered by the mindless mob, I am further concerned that supposedly intelligent and enlightened people are pandering to these thugs. The mainstreaming of mischief, misinformation and disinformation — primarily because the majority of decent people have, for their own sanity and safety, yielded the space to the boisterous charlatans — is a major threat to intelligent public discourse in Nigeria. Those who have something sensible to say either have to dare the mob or use a less visible alternative platform. Unfortunately, any society that does not place a premium on knowledge and rigour is doomed.

I’ve always loved this quote by Prof Wale Adebanwi, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania: “It is treasonable to be reasonable in an unreasonable society.” As I have often said, the biggest threat to free speech today is not from the government or its agents. It is from the internet mob. It is bad enough that the mob controls the narrative on social media, but it is even worse that you are not allowed to express an alternative opinion. The mob will come ferociously for you if you dare to be reasonable. This has forced many otherwise intelligent people to continue to pander to the mob because they do not want to be “dragged” on social media.

I sometimes ask: why do people pander to the mob by standing truth on its head, propagating falsehood and ignoring obvious facts and sound logic? One, the crave for social media validation, relevance and popularity is a major motive and motivation. Two, there is a motley crowd of wannabe influencers or activists who seek to be noticed by the loudness of their voices and the vileness of their posts. It is a race to the bottom: who can post the basest of things? Three, monetisation of contents is a perverse incentive to gain engagement through likes and shares. Four, social media is home to recklessness without commensurate consequences. The list is by no means exhaustive.

In focus group discussions on the menace of social media, people often ask me how I “cope” with attacks. Some of these attacks have little to do with me — they are usually because of stories published by TheCable, the online newspaper I founded in 2014. Some of these attackers are daft enough to think I write, edit and publish every article in TheCable, a media outfit that has approximately 50 employees, including eight editors. Some attacks are reactions to my THISDAY column. Certain characters want me to help them amplify their lies and biases, endorse their choices and toe their paths. They come for me because I refuse to be led by the nose. I can live with that.

In truth, I’ve had my fair share of abuse — dating back to 2004 when I started listing my phone number in this column. I’m used to receiving all manner of text messages, so I knew how vile and unreasonable some people could be long before the explosion of social media. For instance, when I took up the cause of Peter Obi’s 2003 governorship election petition in Anambra state, I regularly received insults and death threats. Some threatened to kidnap my family. Over the years, I have been called “Fulani slave” and “Igbo hater”, among other compliments. I admit that I am fully vaccinated against the silliness, which probably gives me an undue advantage over newcomers to the game.

For me, coping with attacks is smooth and easy — I did not set out to be an internet sensation, so I have never assessed my progress in life by the number of likes, comments and reposts. That settles it for me. If I want to have a million followers, I know what to do. I know what to post to please the mob. I would play to the gallery, ignore glaring facts, cook up fiction or half-truth, garnish it with ethnic, religious or political prejudice (while pretending that is not the case), and position myself as the principled advocate of truth and justice. Grandstanding always works. But I would have to spit at the values I have cherished all my adult life just because I want to follow the crowd. God forbid.

Sadly, it is difficult to have a decent conversation because of these miscreants. The typical response of the mob to a well-reasoned argument is that “you have been bribed”. Many people have developed mental issues, such as anxiety, because of these attacks. I have friends who would want to engage in public debates but are scared. They think it is not worth the stress. For example, how do you debate the Nigerian economy with someone who thinks “foreign reserves” and “foreign savings” are the same thing and is not willing to learn? How do you argue with someone who does not know the difference between presidential and parliamentary systems and does not intend to find out?

The influencers I pity the most are those who have allowed themselves to be boxed into a corner by the mob. They are practically in jail. When they see what is red but their crowd is saying it is yellow, they have to say yellow, lest they be mobbed. They are not permitted to use their brains. They take their cues from the mob. The tail is now wagging the dog. They have become hostages to the same mob that lionised and propped them up with over-spiced comments, likes, shares and cluster follows. I once privately challenged one of them for posting clear misinformation and he retorted: “You want them to drag me?” Pandering to the mobsters must be a very awkward place to be.

I also think many people take themselves too seriously on social media. They talk so magisterially you would think they have invented something. In their echo chamber, their praise singers incestuously make them think they are saying something profound. Some demagogues thus think they are geniuses because of the tosh they tweet. Their praise singers massage their egos, giving them all the verve to continue sowing stupidity. The little rascal in me is always happy whenever their thugs turn against them for trying to post something sensible. They deserve each other. Some are also clearly mentally disturbed, frustrated or having issues at home. They vent, cowardly, on social media.

For emphasis, this is not an endorsement of legislative moves to gag social media. I am 100 percent for free speech. I am 100 percent for alternative opinions. I am 100 percent for holding people inside and outside of government accountable. I do not support any attempt to gag critics or criminalise dissent. What I oppose, and will continue to oppose, is people taking licence for liberty. Nobody has the right to propagate falsehood and mischief under the guise of free speech. Nobody has the right to bully and defame others for not being in their camp. Most of the people hiding under free speech to terrorise others have no respect for democracy. Yet, they masquerade as lovers of democracy.

Let me also be clear: if you think this is a sweeping negative verdict on the entire social media ecosystem, then you are not getting me. There are many educative handles and thousands of decent Nigerians on that street from whom I love to learn. I am very happy with that. There are great creative contents that make me laugh all the time. No matter the abuse and misuse of these apps, they still offer more joy than pain, in my opinion. As my friend, Shina Badaru, publisher of Technology Times, would say, you can choose the contents you want. It is like the TV and the remote: if you don’t like what you are watching, you can change channels. Just stay your lane. It always works for me.

My worry is “the armpit of the internet”, as a friend calls it, where anything goes, where only the rules of the jungle apply. We need robust and diverse conversation. We need to disagree without being disagreeable. We need to learn from each other, even if our viewpoints, beliefs and positions are not similar. We do not need to reason alike, but we can afford to reason together. Being reasonable should not be treasonable. Nobody has to be vilified, demonised or defamed without any evidence of wrongdoing just because they see things differently. Let us stick to the facts and argue on the basis of sound logic. We surely need an ethical hijack of the social media for the good of our society.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

SACRIFICE INDEED

According to reports, federal lawmakers will soon start cruising around town in brand-new SUVs — courtesy of our broke national treasury. Although the legislators get paid to buy cars as part of their monetised benefits, trust Nigerian public officers to always have their cake and eat it. They say the SUVs are for “committee work” — and, as you and I know, they will be disposed at zero value later, likely to the same committee members. In a country where our leaders keep asking us to “sacrifice” and Nigerians are groaning under high cost of living, the least we should expect from these overfed public officers is shameless personal aggrandisement in the name of national service. Insensitive.

SORDID AFFAIRS

When civil servants roll out the drums to celebrate the exit of the CEO, I can bet that he or she was doing something right. The resentment is usually because they did not allow business as usual. The jubilation over the sack of Alhaji Garba Abubakar as the registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) instantly brought this to mind. Anybody who does business with the CAC would testify that things changed for the better under Abubakar. Company registration is now online and fast. It used to take months. It also means extortion has been curtailed, if not totally eliminated. With Abubakar out of the way, the civil servants will now hope to return to business as usual. Shame.

PEACE, PLEASE!

Bassem Youssef, the Egyptian comedian and television host, was a guest on the talk show hosted by Piers Morgan, the British broadcaster, the other day and I found it to be very engaging. Aside his tragicomical comments on the Israel-Palestine crisis, Youssef’s take on Israel’s stated aim of eradicating Hamas is: will that finally end the conflict? I think not. There must be a deeper and wider solution somewhere that all the parties to the conflict must sincerely consider. Bombs, bullets, rockets and tanks are highly limited in resolving this age-old crisis, otherwise we would not be where we are now. Seeing the unending human suffering in Gaza tears my heart to pieces. Avoidable.

AND FINALLY…

At least if the Tinubu administration cannot address our economic and security challenges, it would not starve us of drama. At NIPOST, Adeyemi Adepoju, the sacked CEO, refused to give way to the new appointee, Tola Odeyemi, and even the staff of the snail mail service took part in opposing the new postmaster general’s assumption of office. Only in Nigeria. We were still laughing ourselves to stupor when Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, minister of women affairs, threatened to sue the United Nations for “mismanaging” funds meant for Nigeria. She gave the UN — a body that enjoys immunity from lawsuits — a November 15 deadline otherwise she would head to court. Only in Nigeria. Comedians.

Before now, Nigeria was a country noted for having some of the best goalkeepers in Africa. It is a long history that is littered with some of the biggest names in the game. Sam Henshaw Ibiam, popularly known as The Black Magnet during his active days, was Nigeria’s pioneer goalkeeper.

He kept for the national football team who were known as the “1949 UK Tourists”. He was followed by the likes of Inua Lawal Rigogo, The Cat, Peter Fregene, Joe Erico, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedegbe, Peter Rufai, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Ike Shorunmu, Alloy Agu and Vincent Enyeama. These goalkeepers occupy special places in Nigerian football folklore.

Writing on the extraordinary performances of Rigogo, a blogger, FantaXtik SMM submitted: “It was actually the former President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkurumah, that named Rigogo “The Flying Cat.” After he watched Rigogo display some incredible somersaults, flying from pole to pole to the extent that the Ghanaian national team couldn’t even score him a single goal in 1964… in his spellbound amazement, Nkurumah named Rigogo, The Flying Cat. That was in the 60s and early 70s.

After the exploits of Rigogo, Fregene and Erico, the 80s ushered in a fresh breath when Emmanuel Okala and Best Ogedegbe mounted the saddle. Okala was of Enugu Rangers, while Ogedegbe was of IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan. The rivalry between the two was akin to that between the two clubs they belonged to. While Okala reigned supreme for club and country in the late seventies, especially during the 1978 World Cup and the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Ogedegbe was prominent during the AFCON tournament proper, which Nigeria won eventually, for the first time in history.

Peter Rufai, regarded as one of the finest, crowned his sterling career with the 1994 AFCON trophy and two World Cup appearances with his country. Same goes for Vincent Enyeama, who remains as the last Nigerian goalkeeper whose presence between the sticks exuded stability and confidence in the defence line. The legendary Super Eagles stopper amassed 101 appearances for Nigeria between 2002 and 2015, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013. Since his departure in 2015, Nigeria’s goalkeeping department has been inconsistent and fits and starts.

There were flashes of hope during the brief period of Carl Ikeme, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper whose promising career was cut short after he was diagnosed with life-threatening Leukemia in 2017. The disease denied him a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Since Ikeme left, the situation with the goalkeeping department of the Super Eagles has remained coaches’ nightmare and a horrifying journey through the unknown for Nigerian football fans.

Former coach of the national team, Gernot Rohr, with all his assistants could not fix the problem before he left. Rohr stuck with Francis Uzoho who, from nowhere became Nigeria’s number one ahead of Maduka Okoye and Daniel Akpeyi.

What goalkeeping errors have cost Nigeria since 2019:
Most Nigerians still blame the Super Eagles failure in the 2019 AFCON on goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi. Rhiyad Marhez ‘free kick that earned Algeria a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the semi-final could not have beaten Enyeama, some Nigerians argued. Akpeyi’s positioning behind the wall he arranged made it easy for the clever Algerian star to poke in the decider without a sweat.

Nigeria’s defeat to Tunisia in the 2022 AFCON in Cameroon was blamed on Maduka Okoye’s loss of concentration. He was found wanting when it mattered most. And so, the Super Eagles that were declared the best team of the group stages and clear favourites to win the tournament got knocked out in the Round of 16, by a Covid19-ravaged Tunisia team that were second best in their group. But the goalkeeping error may not be over stretched going by the tactical blunders of the bench.

Again, on March 29, 2022, under a hot afternoon sun in Abuja, another goalkeeping error, this time, by Francis Uzoho cost Nigeria the ticket to Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. With the Super Eagles needing a win, of the slimmest margins to qualify for the World Cup, Thomas Partey’s early goal was conceded by a goalkeeper who was perhaps overwhelmed by the situation.

The Arsenal midfielder received a pass from the left side and from outside the 18 yard box, he unleashed a right-footed effort which Uzoho failed to stop, as it sneaked through his legs for the vital away goal. Despite the spirited efforts of his team mates, the Ghanaians who had a clear match plan, worked hard to earn a 1-1 draw to deny the Super Eagles the glamour and glitz of FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup. Again, the blunders of the Austin Eguavoen led bench were huge.

In the recent international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, Uzoho’s howlers gave Saudi Arabia the opening goal. Their equalizer in the last minute of added time was also stoppable, although the blame on this cannot be entirely his as he deserved a better coverage from his defenders. He was still flatfooted against Mozambique when they scored the opener.

Goalkeeping errors in the national team have become one too many and a major source of worry to many football fans and stakeholders. With the 2023 AFCON coming up in January in Ivory Coast, Nigerians remain worried over the prospects of taking Uzoho to the AFCON as Nigeria’s number one.

Peseiro in defence of Uzoho, Okoye
Surprisingly, coach Jose Peseiro has put up a very strong defence of his goalkeeper after his howlers in the friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique.

Coach Jose Peseiro attributed the poor performances of Super Eagles goalkeepers to the barrage of attacks from Nigerians each time they kept for the team.

He said the keepers were suffering from what he termed a crisis of confidence.

I like our players when they make mistakes, it is my responsibility. The goalkeeper is never free or calm because of the people. I don’t know why they attack the goalkeepers every time.

“Why don’t they attack the strikers when they lose the ball or miss to score when they get the chance to?”

“When I arrived here, I remember I was told to change the goalkeeper. I spoke with all of them, no one felt comfortable because everybody attacked them. They could make mistakes, it is my responsibility. Next time, I need to train him better.”

But former Nigeria youth international and Olympic gold medallist Dosu Joseph has blasted Peseiro. He expressed shock when he read the comments of Jose Peseiro, which suggested that there was no problem.

Dosu said Peseiro’s statement that strikers miss goals, and are not criticised, meant he did not want his goalkeepers to be called out even when they make mistakes.

“I am surprised that he is comfortable with what is happening, and his employers are not saying anything. Well, if NFF are comfortable with it, that’s fine,” Dosu remarked.

“I also read that Uzoho himself said those Nigerians who are criticising him should come for trials in Europe and show how good they are. Maybe he is not happy with those who want him to be a better goalkeeper.

“It is surprising how these present players respond to those who criticise them. If even former internationals are not qualified to correct them, then it is better to keep quiet.”

Former Flying Eagles goalkeeper of the Saudi ’89 Dammam Miracle fame, Emeka Amadi is sympathetic with the Super Eagles goalkeepers. He said the barrage of attacks on Uzoho was not helpful at all.

“It does not mean that if the goalkeeper makes a mistake we should crucify him. He will learn from his mistakes. He needs encouragement because he will be a better goalkeeper. He has all the traits of a good goalkeeper. Even De Gea, Manuel Neuer or Onana, they all make mistakes. We should not crucify what we have. No Matter how you look at it, even the person you want to put there cannot be above mistakes. If you emphasise too much on our goalkeepers mistakes, no matter who you bring, even if he is experienced and confident he will be afraid not to make mistakes and that is the worst thing to happen to a goalkeeper,” Amadi told Sports Vanguard.

Former Green Eagles goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala has attributed the recent fumbles of the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, to the negligence of the team’s goalkeeper trainers. “As a goalkeeper trainer, you have a responsibility to train your keepers how to deal with set pieces, including free kicks. How to position themselves and arrange their defence line.”

Ike Shorunmu, a former Nigeria great and former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer would not want to comment on the issue when we called. However, in a chat with journalists in Uyo early this year, he called on goalkeepers in the domestic league to believe in themselves. Shorunmu said that the effects of an improved league would rub off on all departments of the national team, including goalkeeping.

“The thing is, we cannot perform any magic at the moment. That is why we come down to the league to work more with the goalkeepers. We can have better goalkeepers in the national team.”

He admitted that the worry being expressed by Nigerians was genuine. “For sure we need to improve our league and we need to believe in ourselves and our players. Life changes, and I don’t want to compare this time with our own time. We need to work with what we have now and do better with it.

“I just want the home players to believe in themselves. We as coaches will do our part, but then the rest depends on the players. On the pitch, they are to deliver what they have been taught.”

Options

Tired after a 10-year wait to see the Super Eagles lift the AFCON title again, Nigerians want to see the technical crew perform their role of finding perfect hands to man the posts for the Super Eagles at the AFCON in January. Soccernet’s Ayomide Oguntimehin captured the mood, “pressure is starting to mount up for the head coach of the Super Eagles, as well as fears among the Nigerian football faithful on not losing their AFCON glory over the lapses that can be solved beforehand”.

The writer went on to explore possible options. Oma Akatugba, a Europe-based Nigerian journalist told Oguntimehin that he had identified one Noah Atobulu and discussed with the Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro about the young goalkeeper. He wrote, “After the Mozambique game, Akatugba suggested a possible solution to the goalkeeping conundrum.” But who is Noah Atobulu?

Noah Atobulu is a goalkeeper with Nigerian heritage. He has previously represented Germany at the youth level. Atobulu is a regular for Bundesliga side Freiburg. “He could provide competition for the Super Eagles’ goalkeeping role, especially when facing strong opponents like the Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the upcoming AFCON tournament.

“They believe it could be challenging to convince him to switch to Nigeria due to his talent and prospects with the German national team,” Akatugna said, adding, “I promised to work on convincing him to change his nationality.”

Another name that has come for mention is Arthur Okonkwo, an academy graduate of the famed Hale End of Arsenal. He is currently with EFL League Two club Wrexham. Okonkwo is on season-long loan from the Gunners to Wrexham, after Ben Foster announced his retirement from the game. The 21-year-old has been loaned out more than once, playing for both Sturm Graz in Austria and Crewe Alexandra in recent seasons.

Instead of chasing goalkeepers of Nigerian descent in the diaspora, some Nigerians have suggested Israel based Adebayo Adeleye, a home-bred who moved to Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Jerusalem recently.

Former U-20 goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye is Nigeria’s best shot stopper in Europe so far this season, according to statistics website Tranfermarkt. Adeleye marked his first cap for the Eagles in their 3-2 win against the Leone Stars which sealed qualification to next year’s AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.

Although he has been invited severally to the national team camp, Francis Uzoho has been preferred by the selectors.

While there is no doubt that he has been good in the colours of Hapoel Jerusalem, he has to replicate the same with the Super Eagles.

In Super Eagles camp are other goalkeepers like Maduka Okoye and Ojo Olorunleke of Enyimba International of Aba. Emmanuel Daniel, once expected to succeed Vincent Enyeama, and Chijioke Aniagboso, who has shown promise but is yet to make his Super Eagles debut, are among the potential alternatives.

Peseiro’s dilemma

Peseiro’s dilemma is the time factor. Analysts are of the view that the coach would stick with his goalkeepers who have been with the team since 2020 as it could be counterproductive should a new goalkeeper be invited to the team. A goalkeeper’s role is beyond one’s ability to keep clean sheets. The role demands a huge responsibility and requires special skills; some natural while some acquired through training.

One who has been with the team, integrated into the team and imbued the team’s chemistry and familiarise with his defence line is the one the coach would choose ahead of a new product who may find it tough to get used to the rest of the squad within one or two months.

[OpinionNigeria]