The #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria were scheduled to take place between August 1 -10, 2024, tagged “10 Days of Rage”, a seemingly apocalyptic projection of the immediate future of Nigeria constructed in the fashion of The People vs. The State but as it has turned out, it may be correct on August 6, today, to say that we are now more or less at the end of the protests. For now, that is what it looks like.  And what has made the difference is the fact that on Day 4 of the protests the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu decided to address the nation and speak to the people directly. Since the beginning of the imbroglio, concerned Nigerians had been calling on the President to talk to them. Instead, he sent spokespersons, and outrightly condescending Ministers to talk to the people. 

Nigerians voted for Tinubu, not the variously privileged persons who now have access to the microphone because of Tinubu. Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution grants the President the right to delegate authority, but funnily enough, the same Constitution is studiously silent about what the same all-powerful President can do about his other room affairs! His job is strictly to rule Nigeria under the Constitution and the oath of office he took. Whatever happens, he is the man that will be held responsible.  From August 1, Nigerians took to the streets, as they had promised that they would, against bad governance. Within two days, over seventeen persons had been killed across the country, the police admits that there were only seven casualties.  They also insist that their men did not kill anyone. So, who did? Should anyone die at all.? In Kano, Niger, Nasarawa, Borno and Yobe, there was so much violence the state governments had to declare a curfew. Properties were destroyed. Nobody could go to work. Foreign missions in Nigeria have advised their citizens to get ready for evacuation in case the Nigerian situation got out of hand. 

The entire country has been at a standstill. It took the President a whole three days for him to be persuaded to speak to Nigerians and tell Nigerians that their President had finally heard them. Tinubu had to speak for 21 minutes in 38 paragraphs, a pre-recorded, teleprompter-assisted speech before Nigerians felt that their President had finally heard them. My take is that the President could and should have spoken earlier. He offered the Nigerian people too little too late. Presidential communication should be driven by empathy, but that empathy should come at the right time. Take the United Kingdom, where there is at the moment, race-based riots, religion-based protests in about 19 cities, triggered by misinformation and disinformation over the knife-killing of three innocent persons, Bebe King, 6. Elsie Stancombe, 7, Alice Aguilar, 9,  in Southport, Merseyside, North West England. It was initially claimed via social media that the killer was a Muslim immigrant. This triggered far-right, nationalistic sentiments: “Britain for the British” and a prompt attack on immigrants. The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer did not wait for matters to get out of hand before speaking. Two days ago, as the riots spread from Southport, to Liverpool and Rotherdam, the British PM quickly addressed the nation, threatening to deal with “far-right thugs”. Yesterday, he summoned an emergency meeting of the Cobra Committee.  He was seen to be taking charge. 

President Tinubu also reportedly met with traditional rulers and other important people of Nigeria, and through surrogates appealed to the youths of Nigeria to be calm, but he was technically talking to the wrong people. The youths refused to listen. On August 1, they went on to the streets to protest. What we must note here is that the Nigerian President is too much of a monarch. He holds court -one of the things we have to correct in the 1999 Constitution. When the people who elected him in a constitutional democracy demand accountability, he sends emissaries to address the people. If he must meet anybody, he holds court with traditional rulers and religious leaders who end up collecting sitting allowances and flight tickets that could have been better used to serve the people. The ordinary people, the main focus of the democratic process are the last group to be noticed. And this is precisely the pattern that has played out this time around. On Sunday, at 7 am, the monarch of Nigeria’s Presidential Villa, finally deemed it necessary to address the people directly.   It turned out to be a big favour! On Sunday morning, the protesters at Ojota Freedom Park in Lagos, who had been toing and froing around the Ikeja axis since August 1, had a tete-a-tete with the police and they resolved that since the President had spoken, they would suspend their protest till October. They agreed to hold a meeting yesterday at 11 am, to deliberate on the President’s speech. Thus, in Lagos, the President’s speech had taken the sting, perhaps temporarily, out of the protests. In Kano and a few other places, protesters continued their agitation on Sunday, but the momentum had become generally subdued. On Monday, banks and business places that had remained shut the previous Thursday and Friday, sputtered to life. Nigeria gradually regained normalcy. To that extent, the President’s national broadcast made a difference. The very symbolism of it, doused tension in the country. Should the President have spoken about two days earlier? Yes. Did he leave his personal intervention a bit late? Yes. 

What exactly did he say? Not much, and yet it made small difference. The big lesson is that the Nigerian President and his handlers must never assume that it is beneath him to talk to the same people who elected him into office. He is not a Supreme Leader. He represents the people. Power belongs to the people, not the President. Tinubu is just so, so lucky to have escaped the humiliation that President William Ruto has suffered in Kenya, and the fate that has just befallen Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, following weeks of deadly protests in that South Asian country. Ms. Hasina has fled Dhaka. The people ignored a national curfew and stormed her palace from where she ruled for about two decades. She is now practically on the run. President Tinubu must indeed learn from the luck that he enjoys. Across the world, there is currently a wave of people’s anger, be it in Venezuela, Kenya, or Bangladesh, with the people taking ownership of the democratic process, and seeking every possible means to punish their leaders. With all their angst, Nigerians are still very manageable people, and we must do everything to keep their resentment of authority figures in check.

I may have submitted that the President’s speech has had the effect of dousing tensions, but I do not think that the speech was fit for purpose. The protesters just wanted the President to say something. He said something. It didn’t matter what he said, and many were satisfied. But when you look at the speech itself, what did the President say? One, he regretted the killings that took place, expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased, and invited the protesters for dialogue while insisting on peace. Two, he made it clear that promoters of violence and ethnic bigotry igniting the crisis, will not be spared for violating the laws of the land. Three, he outlined his administration’s programmes in the last one year as proof-positive of his commitment to Nigerian youths: the Skill Up Artisans Programme (SUPA); the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA), Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP), students’ loans and support for Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs). Four, the President talked about his government’s economic reforms, and insisted that there would be no going back on the removal of fuel subsidy and the abolition of multiple foreign exchange rates, the gains of which he said have resulted in increased government revenues, debt service reduction, CNG initiatives to reduce transportation costs, support for the manufacturing sector and other benefits for the Nigerian people. Five, the President stressed his commitment to public order and the rule of law, stating that he will not tolerate actions that threaten national unity and stability.

As is to be expected, there have been reactions for and against the President’s nationwide address. He has received knocks and kudos. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo hails the speech as great, inspiring, compassionate, firm, and conciliatory. Please, what else should Keyamo say? Other commentators have a different opinion. Professor Wole Soyinka in a piece titled “The Hunger March as Universal Mandate” faulted the President for failing to condemn “the state’s seizure of protest management, and the use of live bullets as state response to civil protest”. The people asked for bread, the state gave them bullets in return! Mr. Femi Falana, SAN; activist Deji Adeyanju, Omoyele Sowore, leader of the Take It Back Movement Nigeria have also condemned the President’s speech. Sowore, who was a Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections describes the speech as “Beautiful Nonsense”. There seems nonetheless to be a general consensus that the speech fell short of the people’s expectations. My view is that the speech-writers spent too much time on the achievements of the administration. Nobody wants to listen to propaganda at this time. It is standard practice in the corridors of government in Nigeria to think that any time the President speaks, he should remind the people of his accomplishments. But there must be a time and place to that tradition. The speech this time around should have been shorter and better focused. If I were the person to sign off on the copy, I would have advised against all the navel-gazing, chest beating details in the speech. Certainly not the right time to do that. The protesters had 15 demands and more, not even one of their demands was referred to by the President. There is only one name for that: contempt. It is not enough for the President to say that he is listening, and that he has heard the people loud and clear. What exactly did he hear? What specific information is he processing? Did he for example hear that the people say they are hungry? Did he hear or was he told, that the people say they want the cost of governance to be reduced? They don’t want leaders living in $21m mansions, jolloffing inside expensive yachts, junketing like a yoyo inside imported SUVs while the people are wallowing in penury? Did he hear that the people want electoral reforms and a new Constitution? Or that the general menace of insecurity in the land should be addressed?  It was not evident that the President was aware of what the people are saying except the acknowledgement, in parenthesis, in paragraph 31 of his speech. 

Mr Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC, Dr Muda Yusuf of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE) and Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN have all appealed to the protesters: that their point has been made, and as Bob Marley advised, they should sheathe their swords to fight another day. A prolonged shut down of Nigeria can only damage the economy and hurt all parties concerned whereas there is no guarantee on the desired outcomes. The way forward clearly is for government to listen truly to the people, not audio promises or any of those cliches: Renewed Hope, Renewed Housing Estate, Renewed Agriculture which the people have heard so often in the last one year, every repeat of the same phrases annoys the majority. The very least that the President could have done would have been the announcement of a committee to look into the people’s demands. We all know that a government committee does not always solve any problems in Nigeria. But the gesture would have taken the pressure off the President. It would give the people the impression that something is being done and that they have been heard. If nothing happens positively for them thereafter, by October, they will hold the committee members responsible. Every President must always appoint fall guys in tough situations who will take the bullets when things go wrong. President Tinubu should learn to dodge the bullets because more will come.  There are enough willing fall guys out there, looking for what to eat!

All things said, I think the President was spot on when he deplored ethnic bigotry. In the course of the protests, one imbecile with an X-twitter handle was said to have tweeted, under the handle @Lagospedia on Twitter/X that Igbos must leave Lagos within the next month effective August 20 – 30, and relocate their businesses out of Lagos and other South West states. The animal that sent out this tweet must be identified and made to face the full wrath of the law. Igbos do not pose any problem to the people of Lagos or Yorubas in general. The beauty of this country lies in the strength it draws from its diversity. We live in an interdependent country where we all rely on each other to survive, drawing strength from one another. It is strange how today’s people forget that once upon a time Mbonu Ojike, an Igbo man, from Arondizuogu in today’s Imo State was the Deputy Mayor of Lagos (1951).  In 1959, the Federal Minister of Lands and Lagos Affairs, was Muhammadu Ribadu, a Fulani man. If Igbos were to leave Lagos and the South West today, the region may suffer temporary economic setback. Who will sell vehicle spare parts? Who will sell electronics? Landlords will suffer. The banking system in the South West will crash. Many husbands will become emergency bachelors – but that may be a joke- the madness that Nigerians exhibit for ethnic reasons stops at the door of the bedroom. Igbos like Yoruba women. Yoruba men can’t take their eyes off Igbo women, and all the beautiful girls from the East and South East. Those who are beating the drums of ethnic hate should remember the civil war. “Though tongue and tribe may differ, in brotherhood we stand.” Those who violate this principle must be sanctioned. They should be told to remember Rwanda and how ethnic hate and rivalry tore apart a country. They should be reminded of the story of Hitler, whose name lives in infamy forever.  

Similarly, as part of matters arising from the protests, another set of imbeciles were said to have been going about carrying Russian flags and calling also for military intervention. That is high treason. Nigerians like to imitate even things they do not understand. Whoever is calling for military rule, or promoting Russia on this soil must be identified and guillotined, after due process. It is good that the Russian Embassy in Nigeria has disowned the protesters and that the Department of State Services has arrested the unpatriotic tailor in Kano, along with 31 others, who were mass producing Russian flags and promoting this dangerous signal. The sad story, really, is that this country is in the grips of mass psychosis at all levels. President Tinubu’s primary job, since he says it is his turn, and he is now where he wants to be is to walk the talk, and rescue Nigeria if he can.  

“Ol’Boy.”

“Bros. Bro-oo!”

“How are you preparing for Thursday?”

“What is happening on Thursday?” 

“What do you mean what is happening on Thursday? The #EndBad Governance protest”

“I see. Me, I am not protesting oh. When I wake up on Thursday, if I see that some people are already on the streets, me I go stay for house oh. I don’t want trouble.”

“That is cowardice. The protesters want to do it for all of us. They have specific points. There is hunger in the land. There is no fuel. Life is hard. Tomatoes have become expensive. Common garri, people no fit chop again.”

“Good and do you know the protesters? They are saying there are no leaders, you are supporting a faceless protest?”

“It is not as faceless as you think. Peter Obi, Femi Falana, Deji Adeyanju, the Take It Back Movement have all said that the people’s right to protest is a constitutional right. They have asked to be allowed to use the Eagle Square in Abuja.”  

“Yes, they have also asked Nyesom Wike to allow them access to facilities at the Eagle Square, including the toilets. I think they should just insist that Wike should come physically and help them with the toilets, by cleaning for them, because it is their constitutional right to use the Eagle Square. Nobody is questioning the people’s right to protest. Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution provide the necessary cover for that. As a citizen you have the right to speak and the right to the freedoms of association and assembly. What you cannot do is to insist that you will impose anarchy or rage or chaos on the country. The DSS says what we are dealing with is actually a regime change protest. You cannot do that.”

“Who told government that the people will cause violence or that they are planning chaos? Even Mr. Peter Obi that they say is supporting the protests, has come out publicly to advise the would-be protesters to stay within the ambit of the law. So, who is talking about violence, and why is the government afraid? 

“Every protest leads to one problem or the other”

“That is not true”

“The 1789 riots in France because of hunger ended up with the French Revolution. In the United States, the people who were protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza disrupted activities on the university campuses. Recently when the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the US, to address Congress, pro-Palestine, anti-Israel persons protested at the Union Station and Pennsylvanian Avenue. My major take-away from that was that the police in Washington DC arrested over 200 people. The police chief said people can protest, but they have no right to go beyond the First Amendment. You remember the Arab Spring in 2011, from Tunisia to the whole of the Middle East. Remember the Kenya riots recently. Violence, anarchy will not bring anybody any good.”

“My brother. People are tired. They are hungry.”

“When Buhari was there, why did they not fight?”

“There was #EndSARS in 2020. Have you forgotten so soon?”

“Yes. Yes. EndSARS. And what good did it bring to Nigeria? All the people that died at Lekki Toll Gate, it is only their families that will forever feel the pains.”

“It is the primary duty of government to protect the people.”

“It is also the duty of the people to act within the ambit of the law. Citizenship comes with rights and responsibilities. Governors, traditional rulers, civil society groups, Christian and Islamic clerics have all appealed for calm. They have advised the angry youths to give government a chance. I don’t agree that the people should wait for three years before they speak up. You cannot legislate the people’s anger. But then, make your point, do not destroy. Do you recall the number of vehicles, houses and businesses that were destroyed during EndSARS?” 

“I hope you know that it is not everybody calling for calm and dialogue that is an apostle of peace, some of them are doing it for their own interests. All the traditional rulers that went to visit Tinubu over this planned protest, tell me: did they or did they not collect sitting allowance? Hen Hen. Some of those characters that have been showing up in the media calling for peace. Do you think they are doing it for free? Even the security agencies, is this not their time to submit budgets for crowd control? One Bishop in Niger state even quoted Romans 13 1-3 saying the people must respect those in constituted authority.” 

“Leave the Pastor alone. The Bible is the Book of Life. Everything is in it. But as for the security agencies, they have a constitutional duty to protect the state. No responsible government will fold its arms and allow chaos.” 

“Is that why the Defence Headquarters is now saying they have identified unscrupulous elements and the military will come out and defend the country?” 

“Yes, why not? Section 217 (2) (c) of the 1999 Constitution.” 

“Section this, Section that. You think by quoting Sections of the Constitution, you are making sense? Who cares? We are talking about the reality of the people’s frustration. A protest is not necessarily an evil thing. In 2012, there was no violence. People met in Ojota and they rejected the plan to remove fuel subsidy.  They were peaceful.” 

“No. No. The protests actually turned bloody at some point.  Go and check the Vanguard newspaper of Jan. 10, 2012. The protests turned bloody in Kano, Lagos and Benin and about 12 people were killed. Two in Lagos, seven in Kano and another three in Benin. You never know what will happen. The government is saying that the protests could be hijacked by mischief makers.”

“In 2012, the protest was led by responsible people. Pastor Tunde Bakare. Femi Kuti, Dr Tunji Braithwaite, Fela Durotoye, Mohammed Fawehinmi, Ortis Wiliki… for seven hours, they spoke. People were even asked to bring their mats to come and sleep on the streets. The Jonathan government did not threaten people. The people had their say. What I don’t understand is the energy the Tinubu government is putting into telling people to shut up. After all, the President himself has reminded everyone that he is a veteran of street protests. Why doesn’t he too come out on Thursday and lead the protest in the spirit of democracy?”

“He should protest against himself? What are you saying? Where are the Wole Soyinkas, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Femi Falana, Fela Durotoye, Olisa Agbakoba, Omoyele Sowore?”

“You cannot dictate to anybody what to do.”

“Ok. Ok. So, if the security agencies break bones, shoot, and maim let nobody complain. Those who say they are courageous can dare the state. My only concern is that the gestation period for the protest is too long. They have given the security agencies more than enough time for them to get their arsenal together. My fear is even that the protest may not take place. People, especially in Lagos are more likely to sit at home, and monitor the protests on television.” 

“I think the protests have started oh. Some angry youths were on the streets yesterday in Minna and Abuja.”

“As long as they are peaceful, fine.”

“Even here in Lagos, some youths protested in FESTAC yesterday.” 

“No, those ones were not part of the Ebilokan protests. I understand they showed their anger because MTN had suspended their phone lines because of National Identification Number (NIN). Government gave enough long notice, but you know the way this country is. It is not MTN alone. Even 9 Mobile has suspended people’s lines. I know people who had submitted their NIN more than a year ago, and they still got their lines suspended.” 

“I suspect government has a hand in it. They want to prevent protesters from talking. In fact, that will annoy the people more. It is provocative.”

“I don’t think it is government. The National Communications Commission (NCC), the telecom regulator came out yesterday telling MTN to restore the lines immediately.”    

“It is more than that. I think the top executives of MTN, 9Mobile and any other telco that are suspending people’s phone lines at this time should be arrested immediately for engaging in an act of sabotage that can heighten tension in the country. The people are saying they are hungry, and angry. They are planning to take to the streets on Thursday, then you switch off their phone lines. That sounds like adding petrol to fire.”

“So, you want them arrested?”

 “Yes, The DSS should call them in for questioning, let them explain why people’s lines have to be cut off, and what happened to the identification numbers they collected before now. Nonsense.” 

“That would amount to transferred aggression. MTN did not cause hunger in Nigeria. They may have their business reasons”. 

“Let them go and write statements, I beg. They did not even have the decency to explain to Nigerians why, and when their phone lines should be suspended. Nonsense upon ingredient. I don’t even know why government has to appeal to everybody. By now, the security agencies should have arrested some people, who are bent on making trouble. Let nobody come tomorrow and tell us that they had a challenge with intelligence gathering. Protest, yes. You want to cause problem or add fire to an already combustible situation, No.”

“This is still a democracy sha. The people have the right to be heard.” 

“We are saying the same thing.”

“No. You sound like a fascist. Not even Tinubu’s spokespersons are this dismissive.”

“I have not dismissed anybody. But just don’t let anybody in uniform use you to collect promotion. They will shoot you, claim they did a good job. While you are in the hospital, they will gain promotion at work. Have you not seen that some people have already printed T-shirts. I have seen No to Protest T-shirts. I have also seen End Bad Governance T-shirts? Some people are saying We are Hungry. Some people see an opportunity for quick business. Don’t be surprised if skit makers, musicians, Nollywood producers all join the bandwagon. At the end of it all, the economy will suffer more.” 

“But look at the positive side. You can’t blame those who want to give Tinubu a shock therapy.  In this country, if you keep quiet, people will ride roughshod over you. You see what happened when Aliko Dangote spoke up? He joined the Soro Soke group. He spoke his mind. Are you not aware that the Federal Government has met him half-way. Now he and other local owners of refineries can buy crude oil from the NNPC in Naira. If a billionaire can speak up, who are you a thousand-naire not to Soro Soke? Organized Labour spoke, Tinubu don go sign new national minimum wage. Even domestic workers who no complain, he put join.”

“I don’t think you have been listening to me. I am not against protest, just operate within the ambit of the law. Let the police know your chosen location. In Abuja, is it Unity Fountain? In Lagos, is it Ojota Park or Campos Square? Section 83 of the Police Establishment Act 2020 (as amended). The police must protect you, but they also need to know your location. In 2022, #EndSARS was peaceful for two weeks before things went the other way. Some youths went to the streets in Akoka, Lagos yesterday, destroying other people’s vehicles. How does that help anybody?” 

“It is alright. When you go out on Thursday and you run into the protesters, please go and tell them Section this, Section that. What is my own? By the way, have you been following the Olympics?” 

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Very colorful opening ceremony if you ignore the controversy over the mix up in the names of North Korea and South Korea as well as the protests over Christianity and the parody of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.  I loved the attire of Mongolia, Liberia, the US, Great Britain, the opening ceremony was a good mix of history, fashion, music, diversity and the beauty of Paris and France.” 

“Indeed, very good. But our team has not been pulling its weight. The Super Falcons have been beaten by Brazil and Spain. They will be very lucky to make it to the quarter finals. Our table tennis team: Offiong Edem, Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, Fatimo Bello are all out. The first time since 1988 that the Nigerian team will not win a game in table tennis. Cynthia Ogunsemilore, lightweight boxer failed the dope test. But I guess it is the Olympics. Attendance is enough glory in itself. After all, Nigeria has done better than the Canada female team, the defending champions in women football. Their analyst was sent home. The coach has been suspended by FIFA for one year. They have been asked to pay a fine of $226, 000. The Canada team was accused of spying on New Zealand with the aid of a drone, thus violating the principles of fair play and now they also have a six-points deduction imposed on them. At least so far, the Nigerian team has not brought us any scandal.” 

“I think our female basketball team D’Tigress is showing great promise. Yesterday, they beat the Australian team, rated the third best in the world, 75 -62. Historic. Their first win in an Olympic match since Athens in 2004.  They must keep it up. Even the male basketball team from South Sudan is about to make history. They beat Puerto Rico 90 to 79.”

“More history will be made. After all, Le Bron James is the first billionaire to compete at the Olympics. Simone Biles is back with a bang. She is dazzling. It is the Olympics showcasing the glory of human and individual talent. But I don’t understand why there are many errors. France spent $9 billion for God’s sake. The broadcasters cannot get the names of countries right, and even yesterday, the National Anthem of Sudan was played for South Sudan. I hear even the games village is too cramped. The food is not great either. Team Great Britain has had to arrange their own chef. Almost all the members of Team USA have left the Olympics Village to check into hotels. Can you imagine 10 girls scrambling to use two bathrooms? The beds are made of cardboards! No air conditioning in the Olympics Village in this sweltering heat.”

“They are there to win medals, not to indulge in luxury. I beg. I am sure there would be more than enough athletes who are just happy to be there.” 

“I have checked the medals table. China, Japan, Britain, United States, Australia, France, South Korea, Italy, and Canada are not doing badly at all. South Africa has three medals. Egypt one bronze medal, Tunisia one silver medal” 

“It is okay. No problem. Team Nigeria is wearing good jerseys. And trust our people, they will stay at the Village. Nigeria should pay them their allowances sha. We don’t want to hear stories.”  

What a difference a debate can make! It just made a big difference in the United States in the lead up to that country’s November 5, 2024 general elections. For months, the White House fended off insinuations that President Biden at 81, had become too old for the job, and that the Democrats should look in another direction. In the course of the primaries, Biden mispronounced names, committed so many gaffes, the miscues and slips were just too many, too obvious. On March 19, 2021, Biden stumbled three times as he tried to climb Air Force One to board a flight to Atlanta. In June 2023, Biden called British Prime Minister President Rishi Sunak and ended up joking; “I just promoted you”. In the same month, he said “Putin is clearly losing the war in Iraq”, whereas he meant Ukraine. In February 2024, he said Mitterrand was from Germany. He meant France. He was referring to Emmanuel Macron not Mitterrand who left office in 1995. This same year, President Biden mixed up Egypt and Mexico. He forgets names and events. He freezes in the middle of speeches. Between January and April 2024, alone, a total of 148 gaffes were recorded against him! And yet in spite of that, his medical doctors reported positively on his health claiming that he was strong enough. In the Democratic primaries over 4, 000 delegates voted for him to become the presumptive candidate of the Democratic Party. 

His campaign team was looking forward to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August where he was expected to be formally adopted by the Democrats as their Presidential candidate in the November 5 election. But everything came unstuck on June 27, at the first Biden debate with Donald Trump then the presumptive Republican candidate. Biden was confused, inaudible, he performed so poorly his party members were thoroughly embarrassed. His co-debater, Trump, is 78, only three years younger but he was much smarter even if he told many lies throughout the interview. Biden did not have enough presence of mind to check-mate him. Even his own supporters were so shocked that what they were dealing with was not ageism, but the fact that out of a choice between two old men, the Republican was the sprightly one, with the fire in his belly still burning. Democratic party members soon began to call for Biden to withdraw, and not bother to attend the second debate scheduled for September.  The President resisted all the entreaties to step aside, insisting only the Lord Almighty could tell him to get out of the race. “I’m not going anywhere”, he announced. But the debate had exposed the frailty that his handlers and doctors had always tried to hide. Americans and the whole world could tell that age had finally caught up with the oldest American President in history. 

In the midst of it all, on July 11, President Biden committed the additional gaffe of calling Vice President Harris, Vice President Trump. America, through that June 27 debate has shown the value of the electorate seeing their leading candidates in flesh and blood and having the opportunity to compare and contrast. In Nigeria here, Presidential candidates often refuse to attend Presidential debates and they get away with their snobbery. They even insist on who they would rather appear with. Nigerian political campaigns are not driven by ideas, robbing the electorate of the much-needed opportunity of getting to know what the candidate has in store with regard to key issues be it inflation, unemployment, manufacturing or national security.  In 2014/2015, General Muhammadu Buhari refused to participate in any Presidential debate.  Nobody knew exactly what he wanted to do or how other than the general three-pronged promise to fix insecurity, the economy and fight corruption. Within four years, he had failed on each of the promises. He ran for a second term in 2019 and won on the basis of the assumption that he had unfinished business to accomplish. By the time he left office in 2023, he had not finished any business. He left Nigeria worse than he met it. Nigerians were not even sure he knew what he promised the people. He once famously disowned some of the promises in his own manifesto! Perhaps if Buhari had taken to the podium to have a debate, Nigerians would have been able to assess him more dispassionately away from the blinkered propaganda and deception of hungry public relations experts, brand consultants and APC politicians. In 2023, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President, also dodged Presidential debates. We must reach a point in this country, when Presidential debates must become compulsory. If at the time, the minimum qualification is still a school certificate attempt or a miserable certificate of attendance at a seminar, the aspirants should be allowed to speak in any local language of their choice and have their thoughts translated. Leadership in Nigeria should be about competence and ability not geography and quota. 

The unexpected sometimes happens in politics as it did in the United States when on July 13, an assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, tried, in a crooked manner, to kill President Trump while he was campaigning at Butler County, in Pennsylvania. A rally attendee, fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed. Two persons were seriously injured. President Trump survived with the bullet grazing his ear, and he still had enough presence of mind to tell his supporters: “Fight. Fight. Fight” as blood trickled down his right cheek. Republicans have milked this to project Trump as a symbol of strength and defiance. “It was God that saved me”, he boasted. “I did it for democracy”, he said. His ratings shot up. His campaign immediately capitalized on the incident, including production of Trump materials: campaign mementoes, high sneakers for sale. President Biden had a televised broadcast condemning violence. He placed a call to Trump. Republicans blamed the Democrats for the rhetoric that made Biden a target. Democrats in general denounced the politics of violence and harped on unity.  But this X-factor only ended up propelling Trump to the top in the polls. Trump-mania, MAGA-mania were both afoot, cemented by the announcement of Senator J D. Vance, 39, (R-Ohio) as Trump’s Vice-Presidential candidate, further cemented with Trump’s formal acceptance of the Republican nomination on July 18, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I am not supposed to be here”, he told the crowd, many of them with bandaged ears. “Yes, you are!”, the crowd chorused in response.  The Trump trade machine was on a roll. It looked unstoppable.

The Biden machine was slowly grinding to a pause. Democratic Super PACs and donors began to stop their donations. Bundlers who mobilize funds for the campaign reported that donors were no longer picking their calls. Party members and supporters like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and film stars such as George Clooney and Robert de Niro also added their voices. Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries were also said to have met with President Biden to point out the damage that may be done to the party and other candidates in battleground and swing states if Biden insisted that he would remain in the race. President Barack Obama, Biden’s former boss, was also said to have intervened. More than 30 Democratic party representatives in parliament reportedly joined the clamour for Biden to step aside. Still, Biden dug in. But then again, something else happened when it was disclosed that the President had tested positive for COVID. On July 17, he retired to his home in Delaware to self-isolate. He left word that if his doctors report a worsening of his medical condition, he would have to withdraw. Age is a factor in American politics. Health is even more so. In Nigeria, politicians lie about their age. They hide their health status. In a country where records are poorly kept and superstition is at the heart of everything, disclosing one’s health status is a taboo. President Buhari spent about an entire year out of a four-year term between 2015 and 2019 on medical vacation. Targeting election into public office as an avenue for treating one’s personal health problems is part of the culture in Nigeria.

As of Saturday, July 20, President Biden was still insisting that he would remain in the race. But by 1.30 ET on Sunday, July 21, he had announced his withdrawal from the race, blindsiding in the process, his senior campaign aides. What happened? Did he jump? Or was he pushed? Was it for health reasons? About 41 Democrat-lawmakers had joined the pressure chorus asking Biden to stand aside. It was a seismic decision and a historic one as well. Biden, by that action, became the first sitting American President to withdraw from the Presidential race since 1968 when Lydon Baines Johnson did the same due to pressures inflicted by America’s role in the Vietnam War.  He joins also a long list of sitting Presidents who took similar step in American history including Harry S Truman (1952), John Tyler (1844), Millard Filmore (1852), Franklin Pierce (1856), Andrew Johnson (1868), Chester Arthur (1884) and George Washington (1796).   President Biden said while it has been the greatest honour of his life to serve as President, and while it has been his intention to seek re-election, he has chosen to stand down in “the best interest of my party and the country” and “to focus on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”. He has six more months in office as the 46^th President of the United States.  He would 30 minutes later, in a post on X endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the person to replace him as the Democratic Party nominee. Biden’s reference to his party and country shows leadership and patriotism. He has acted in a statesman-like manner placing his country and party above personal interest. He has done an even more honourable thing by endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his preferred Democratic candidate. 

This gesture does not make Harris automatically the candidate but it places her on a glide path to the Democratic nomination, and it is noteworthy that Jamie Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee has said that the party “will move forward governed by established rules and procedures of the party.” There are questions: will everybody that supported Biden support Harris? Not necessarily. Biden had the support of more than 4, 000 delegates. They will have to now make up their minds afresh. Harris needs 1, 986 Democratic delegates to secure the party’s nomination at its convention starting August 19 in Chicago. By yesterday she had received the support of delegates from Tennessee, Florida, New Hampshire, Louisiana, North Dakota and South Dakota (531 delegates). She will have to work hard to secure the support of more delegates especially now that the names of possible alternatives to her are being mentioned: the Governors of Pennsylvania – Josh Shapiro, Kentucky – Andy Beshear; North Carolina _ Roy Cooper; Illinois – J.B. Pritzker; Michigan – Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg; and Arizona Senator - Mark Kelly. But would any of these persons challenge her endorsement by Biden? Will she inherit Biden’s funding?  This is already happening. Her campaign has brought fresh energy to the Democratic campaign. Within seven hours yesterday, she had raked in about $52 million from grassroots donations. But is America ready for a black woman as President? Kamala Harris is a daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica - black and South Asian. This remains to be seen, but if she wins the nomination there is no doubt that she and her team will put up a big fight. She is young – 59, and now that she has been anointed by her boss, we are likely to see a different Harris emerging from the shadows. Trump has been characteristically arrogant. He thinks Harris is “crazy”. He is actually the crazy one in the eyes of many, especially President Biden who believes, and he does not hide his disdain, that “Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy.”  

The contempt is, however, mutual. Whereas world leaders have praised President Biden as a “great man” (Canada’s Justin Trudeau), “a man who believes in the interests of the United States” (Australia’s Anthony Albanese), who has “dedicated his life to public service” (New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon), “has shown unwavering support for Ukraine” (Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky); “a true ally of the Jewish people” (Israel’s Isaac Herzog), “a proud American with an Irish soul (Ireland’s Simon Harris) and so on and so forth in that tone, Trump dismisses Biden as the “worst President in American history” who should never have been there in the first place.. he should have been in the basement.”  

Trump’s assessment is outrightly partisan and biased, it is not what the world knows of Biden. He may have pulled out of the race 107 days to November 5, but he is recommended for the history pages by his record of distinguished public service in a career spanning over 50 years in Washington DC. Politician, lawyer and author, he started his political career in New Castle County Council in 1970, and arrived in Washington DC in January 1973, as a Senator representing Delaware. He would remain in that Senate till 2009. He would later serve for two terms as Vice President under President Barack Obama (2009 – 2017). He returned as President under the Democratic ticket in January 2021. He is the oldest man to have served as President of the United States. Washington Post writes that “triumph (and), tragedy define his 50-year political career, one of America’s longest serving politicians” but certainly when his public service record is properly assessed, he would end up on the more positive side of history and on a much higher ground than Trump has imagined. The 2024 American Presidential race is at this point, very much an uncharted territory especially for Kamala Harris. A more critical realization is the growing global anxiety about the seemingly inevitable, possibility of the return of Donald J. Trump as US President, accompanied by an even more extreme right-winger, and member of the Trump MAGA party, J.D. Vance.

I write about three icons born in the month of July - July People - not in the sense in which students of literature are wont to think of Nadine Gordimer’s novel of the same title – which correctly is actually July’s People (1981) -but in terms of the horoscopic significance of the month of July and the people born under the Zodiac sign of Cancer (June 21 – July 22). Cancer is the fourth sign of the Zodiac sign, and it does not simply mean that persons who are born under the sign would end up with Cancer as an ailment. Rather, the significant elements associated with this sign are Water and the planet, Moon, and the symbol is the Crab. Astrologists describe them as persons who are compassionate, creative, inquisitive, changeable, sensitive and protective. They work hard because they want to be the best at what they do. Prominent Cancerians we are told include Princess Diana, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Arianna Grande, Harrison Ford, Selena Gomez, Jaden Smith, Forest Whitaker – intensely creative persons, stand-out figures who just want to excel. Within the week, there have been Nigerians born under this Zodiac sign whose celebration on their birthdays has proven to be impressive moments on this year’s cultural calendar: Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka (July 13), Prince Nduka Obaigbena (July 14), Aremo Olusegun Osoba (July 15).They are on every count, persons worthy of celebration given their monumental achievements in their fields of engagement and the impact they have made on society and the enormous influence that they continue to wield. Soyinka, also known as W.S., Prof., Kongi, Eni Ogun, was 90. Obaigbena, known as the Duke or Prince, Chairman turned 65 on July 14. Osoba, also known as Akinrogun, Aremo, Oluwo Oba is 85: each in his own way, a major national figure, meaning different things to many people, but altogether distinguished by their individual differentness and originality.

Professor Wole Soyinka is a towering, dominant, distinguished figure in world literatures, academia, activism and one of Africa’s leading figures in the 21^st Century. Poet, dramatist, essayist, polemicist, musician, raconteur, novelist, fabulist, he was the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, with the Swedish Nobel Academy noting how Soyinka’s prodigious oeuvre fashions the drama of existence in “a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones”. The evidence is seen in over 20 published plays including The Lion and the Jewel, The Trials of Brother Jero, Kongi’s Harvest, Death and the King’s Horseman, and Opera Wonyosi, and in novels – The Interpreters, Season of Anomy, or memoirs – Ake - the Years of Childhood, Isara – A Voyage Around Essay, You Must Set Forth at Dawn, The Man Died, Chronicles From the Land of The Happiest People on Earth, or poetry – Idanre and Other Poems, A Shuttle in the Crypt, Ogun Abibiman, Samarkand and Other Markets I have Known, Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems, Interventions (a series in about 10 volumes)  and so on and so forth, a long Soyinka bibliography that is an industry in itself. Many Nobel Prize winners in Literature went on to experience a decline in their productivity afterwards, victims as it were of what is known not necessarily as the Nobel Prize Effect, but better still the Nobel Prize Disease, but not so with Wole Soyinka, who since 1986 has remained productive with a long list of publications urging students of the subject to find a worthy enterprise in comparing Soyinka, before and after the Nobel. This is a Nobel Prize winner who has in addition won the glory of canonization. 

The Nobel Prize as known is reserved for winners who have “conferred the greatest good upon mankind”. And so it is with Soyinka, who beyond literature is actively connected with the human space in many spheres. This is a man who is literally a genius. Traditionalists in his native home towns of Abeokuta and Isara know him as a hunter -a key chieftain of the Egbe Olode community, he is Captain Blood of Tortuga in the Pyrates, SeaDog Confraternity (No Fren No Foe, Sworn Enemy of Convention) which he co-founded, and in more than five decades he has been in the frontlines of the struggle to make Nigeria and Africa a better place for humanity: a scourge in the practical field of action, a thorn in the flesh of dictators, a fighter at the barricades in defence of justice and democracy, fearless, dogged, consistent, he has refused to keep silent in the face of tyranny.  At 90 and four days, Wole Soyinka now falls in the category of Nobel Laureates who lived beyond the age of 90 viz George Bernard Shaw, Sir Winston Churchill, Nadine Gordimer, Bertrand Russel, Knut Hamsun, and Naguib Mafouz. The grace of longevity that he has enjoyed is a natural aspiration of living men and women, but what distinguishes Soyinka remarkedly is the quality and impact that he brings to the fore at every moment in his journey. It is therefore most painful to find a coterie of badly brought up children writing on social media having the effrontery to disrespect the sage. Soyinka had once written that culture is not idyllic not is it fossilized as a romantic sign, ever so dynamic culture grows, mutates, but Soyinka probably never imagined the terrible manner in which basic African values and cultures have changed in the face of the forces of modernization, a prominent trope in his writings. One disrespectful young man once asked him to stand up for him in a domestic flight, claiming that he was the rightful owner of the seat, and the young man went ahead to boast about it on social media. Even at 90, Soyinka has shown many of his critics, including the social media antagonists that he still has enough fire in him to fight back, whether in the trenches or in the more dignified arena of intellection.  

Wole Soyinka has been honoured in virtually every continent of the world.  Cities have declared special Wole Soyinka days in appreciation of his impact. Among his Egba people in Ogun State, July 13 has been declared by the Alake of Egbaland, Kabiyesi Adedotun Gbadebo, Okukenu IV as Wole Soyinka Day. In New Orleans, United States, there is already a Wole Soyinka Day.  Oba Gbadebo also wants Soyinka to be conferred with the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). On the occasion of his 90^th birthday, Soyinka has been celebrated as far away as Morocco, and here in his home country, Nigeria, the drums have been rolled out. There is no honour that can be too much for him. It is most appropriate that the National Theatre of Nigeria at Iganmu, Lagos has now been renamed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts. It is most befitting. It is the only edifice of its type so named after a writer in Africa. Soyinka beyond the universal appeal of his literature is a nationalist, capturing through a repertoire of literary devices the story of our lives. Once upon a time, the National Theatre was going to be turned into banking halls, hotels and restaurants. The stamp of Soyinka’s brand and symbolism on that institution should rescue it and return it to the original purpose for which it was built. 

In journalism, politics and popular struggle, Chief Olusegun Osoba who turned 85 yesterday has also lived a life of extraordinary impact and distinction. Soyinka distinguished himself as a writer of verses, Osoba is the iconic reporter, and promoter of excellence in Journalism. He got his first job as a reporter at The Daily Times under the legendary Alhaji Ismail Babatunde Jose in 1964. He was 25 years old at the time. Today, at 85, Osoba is still active in the journalism community; it is not unusual to find him at important functions of all the major organs of the profession, as an inspirational figure to the generations behind him and a living library of the profession. Osoba’s example and brand project journalism and its practice most positively. Many journalists seek to excel. Osoba is a true model. He rose through the ranks as a reporter to become editor and head of three major newspaper establishments- Nigerian Herald, Daily Sketch and Daily Times. He had a hand in the design and delivery of another newspaper – The Guardian and he appointed its first editor! Osoba was a master of the scoop as a reporter, and he earned the sobriquet, Timesman on the front pages. He was well connected in society and had contacts in every sphere. He was so successful, long before his colleagues could buy a bicycle, he owned a scooter. He had a phone at home. He also got himself a beautiful wife. He would later go into politics, and in that process, he was Governor of Ogun State twice in his career (1992 – 1993, 1999 -2003). Osoba has shown a remarkable capacity for self-reinvention and consistent relevance. He is today a father figure in Ogun State politics and at the Federal level, he is one of the founding fathers of the ruling All Progressives Congress party (APC). He is highly regarded for the role he played during the June 12, 1993 debacle and his commitment to progressive politics. He has told his own story in a detailed memoir titled Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics (2019, 341 pp.), an immensely informative book which was publicly presented to mark his 80^th birthday five years ago. 

The story of his journalism career has also been told in a book by Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe titled Osoba: The Newspaper Years (2012, 396 pp.). Now to mark his 85^th birthday, he has presented to the public a new book titled Segun Osoba, My Life in the Public Eye (Lagos: Diamond Publications, 2024, xi + 212 pp).  The book was unveiled at Eko Hotel, Lagos on July 13, the same day that Soyinka turned 90. My Life in The Public Eye focusses largely on many of the tributes that were written to celebrate Osoba at 80 and reviews of his book, Battlelines, in addition to a number of commentaries by the author himself.  Divided into five parts - Institutional Assessments (editorials on Osoba by The Nation, Vanguard, and The Guardian); In the Eyes of Associates (tributes by other journalists), Unveiling Battlelines, Dissecting battlelines and Perspectives - in a total of 33 chapters and an index. It is a well compiled account of reflections on the essence of Chief Osoba which students and teachers of journalism will find useful. But this is in no way a substitute for the main memoir - Battlelines which tells Osoba’s story in a more comprehensive manner. The documentation of Osoba’s art and craft is an interesting addition to media biography in Nigeria. Stuck in the hectic pursuit of headlines and deadlines, journalists often forget to tell their own stories while busy telling other people’s stories. Osoba sets another good example by telling his own story in his own words and through the words of others.  The fact that he is a politician is also a noteworthy part of his career. At the Eko Hotel presentation of his book on July 13, there were more politicians than journalists, many of them falling over each other to be noticed by their party leader and close companion of the President of Nigeria. But in the long run, Osoba would always be remembered as much for his politics as he would be remembered for the craft that brought him to national reckoning. 

And now to Prince Nduka Obaigbena who is now 65, a towering figure also in Nigerian journalism, who has practically redefined the practice over the decades with his publications, ThisWeek magazine, and later ThisDay newspaper, cultural events such as the Arise Fashion and Arise Shows, and more recently, the influential television station, Arise News. Obaigbena is a media entrepreneur of the very first rank, who has used his various platforms to create jobs and opportunities for more than a generation of journalists. This past weekend, former ThisDay journalists under the auspices of a group known as ThisDay Alumni Association thought it fit to honour him. They said in a statement: “With an unparalleled ability to anticipate and shape the future of media, he has redefined journalistic standards and expanded the horizons for media practitioners globally.”  There were no formal invitations but the number, shape and size of people that converged at Obaigbena’s Ikoyi residence was truly impressive. A day like Sunday is when most people in Lagos try to rest at home to prepare for the beginning of a new week, besides, the group of persons that gathered are ordinarily very busy people, but they all turned up – captains of industry, businessmen, government officials, former Governors – to wish Obaigbena a happy 65^th birthday. I could not attend the Osoba book event. I was held up in Abuja but I was at the Obaigbena informal birthday celebration. I left with the strong impression that success is like honey: it attracts those who like the sweetness of things and that is why persons who make impact in their chosen lines of work are rewarded with recognition and celebration. It is a moral fact that young people need to understand: that hard work pays, commitment brings honour. Obaigbena proved to be a good host. It was a pleasant Sunday evening, with more than enough to drink and eat. On Monday, the Chairman of Arise Group responded appropriately to our usual calls for “implications”. He sent food packs to the studio at Arise News – small chops, chicken and jollof rice, and swallow with soup. 

Birthdays after all, are happy moments, not for mourning. Regardless of one’s circumstances of birth, it is possible to touch the sky literally speaking through self-discipline and tenacity of purpose. Soyinka, the son of “the Wild Christian” and Ess-Ay” was raised in Abeokuta but today, the same Soyinka, product of St. Peter’s primary School, Ake is a global icon; Osoba, also from Abeokuta, was born in Osogbo in Osun State, and he attended Methodist Boys High School in Lagos, only to end up as one of the most prominent and well-rounded journalists of his generation. Obaigbena, born in Ibadan, 1959, is from Owan Kingdom in Delta state. He began his journalism career as a cartoonist, graphic artist, and stringer and now, today, the history of journalism in Nigeria would be incomplete without an acknowledgement of his many innovations in the business, -his introduction of colourful mastheads, back-page columns, and a newspaper that reports business and politics in the language that the reader understands and now a television station that speaks the minds of the people. Soyinka’s creativity is the catalyst for many careers all over the world: students that he taught, many who became writers because they wanted to be like him, graduate students who earned masters and Ph.Ds as Soyinka scholars, researchers, academics, filmmakers – all for whom Soyinka is an industry. Osoba is a role model for many journalists who hope that they too can be just as successful. There are also many young journalists who aspire to be like Obaigbena. He is fondly called “The Duke” and I have seen quite a few persons carrying on like his alter egos. Three prominent members of the Nigerian cultural elite celebrating another year, offer rich perspectives on the linkages between them and how so different they also are. Many happy returns to this July troika.