Thursday, May 11, 2023

INVICTUS TINUBU

 The past few weeks has been electioneering period in Nigeria, and what stood out for me was how the Jagaban, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu pursued his presidential ambition. He made it known to all that he has been nursing the ambition a long time, and it dictated every move he made since he made the goal his ambition. His ambition drove him to insist that it was his turn to take the presidency, after he'd purportedly helped others to achieve their political dreams. His grandstanding even against the run of play can now be described as something worth emulating, even though at the time it felt arrogant, the sort of arrogance only those willing to go against the gods would exercise before their ultimate fall.



But he didn't fail, and was declared the winner of the elections by the chairman of the body saddled with the responsibility of organising elections in Nigeria, the process that has since been declared as a step back from the progress achieved over the years, and conduct of which is now the subject of litigation at the elections tribunal, with other contestants challenging the outcome of the elections. Barring other unforseen circumstances, Tinubu will be sworn in on the 29th of May, 2023, making his deposition seem near impossible, and an unfavourable ruling from the Supreme Court highly unlikely, as has yet such a precedence does not exist in Nigeria.

The tribunal Justices have already warned against frivolous applications, and attempts to make the court decide the case based on technicalities over the merits, an exercise in futility. This is already pointing to the side of striking out pre-election matters, and the possibility of the justices basing their decision on what they think will foster and engender peace in the country, which makes one wonder what might be sidestepped so that peace may be maintained, as determined by the justices, especially after Tinubu must've been sworn in as president.

Another ominous sign for me is the declaration by the Supreme Court of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the gubernatorial elections held in Osun State last year. Many PDP members are celebrating this judgement as landmark pointing to its ruling on the BVAS, and by extension, the IREV as a shadow of things to come, as the presidential election tribunal gets under way. Those with discerning eyes are however seeing this in another light, and that is in how it is that each time Tinubu loses in little things that are directly related to him, or big things that are indirectly associated with him, he tends to get compensation in winning big things associated directly with him thereafter. You'd see him showing magnanimity when he endures such losses, so that his reaction can be pointed at when he wins big, and the loser encouraged to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship, just like he had done.

If you still don't get what I'm saying, remember that Governor Oyetola who lost to Adeleke at the Supreme Court is thought to be related to Tinubu, besides been a member of his political party, such that when he lost the guber elections reference was especially made to Tinubu, with pointers to the effect that he might have begun to lose grip over the southwestern States. It is testament to Adeleke's political sagacity that after coming very close to defeating Oyetola in 2018, and controversially losing in the rerun in a few battle grounds after the main elections, he resoundingly won last year, and went on to deliver his state for his party in the presidential elections, a loss for Tinubu in a state his traducers say he originally hailed from. An example of what I talked about is how when Tinubu lost in Osun and Lagos States in the presidential elections in February, he appeared unperturbed while focusing on the bigger prize, purportedly winning from other states, some of which were outside his immediate control, which made those losses in the states he seemingly controlled inconsequential.

The possibility of viewing the proceedings live is another sore area for me in all these, because this way the events preceding and during the elections, will remain ingrained in the consciousness of Nigerians as they go through their daily routines, and the tense atmosphere which pervaded the country, prior and during the elections, that has gradually begun to fizzle out will return, and may likely conflagrate, depending on the decision of the court, either at the first instance or at the final, at the Supreme Court. The court of public opinion will run pari passu the actual court hearing, in the event of the court granting leave to those seeking the live airing of the proceedings, and much like those days of the TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, at the advent of the Fourth Republic, post the 1999 elections that ushered in civilian rule, after many years of military, where sometimes the irrelevants were elevated over the significants, even by the press may become the order of the day.

Regarding the outcome of the presidential election tribunal, I do not foresee the final judgement upturning Tinubu's declaration as president-elect, this is because he'd be president by the time the case would be determined, and there's as yet no precedence of such in Nigeria, as I've earlier mentioned. The next best in that direction would probably be the ordering of a new election, but under whose supervision as Head of State? Okay maybe, the President of the Senate, a member of Tinubu's party? This is where that statement about a ruling that will engender peace will come to make sense. Whether the aggrieved parties will maintain peace afterwards is left to be seen, and that side by side with how President Tinubu will react to dissent or demonstrations if that were to be the immediate reaction to the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement in his favour.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- wikipedia

Thursday, December 29, 2022

AS NIGERIA HEADS TO THE POLLS IN 2023

It's elections season once again, and every other pressing matter in Nigeria has been relegated to the background, not just by the government which must be heaving a sigh of relief owing to the lull from the barrage of verbal attacks it suffers not only from ordinary Nigerians for making their lives difficult, but also by the press which has since seized to be the mouthpiece through which these complaints, including expletives reach the government, leaving social media, as the only means and voice of the voiceless, many times to an empty "Hall", in the case of a government that couldn't care less, or that goes further to ban outlets such as twitter in a bid to stifle avenues the people engage to ventilate their frustration with the government (before political considerations led to its unbanning). It is for this reason that we are all pretending as if there's no more banditry, kidnappings, killings, insurgency, high cost of living, fuel scarcity etc going on, all because electioneering has taken centre stage.

In this elections, there's no gainsaying that there are mainly three frontrunners, namely and in no particular order, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party, LP's Peter Obi. Some people will like to add New Nigeria People's Party, NNPP's Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, but even those that do so, know that he's no top three candidate, even though I stand to be corrected by the outcome of the elections. There are many others who are there to make up the numbers, including Omoyele Sowore, being the most vociferous of this group. This, his second outing as a presidential candidate, after he, amongst many others worked tirelessly to install this same government he's now eager to replace. It must've occurred to him, soon after this government was installed in 2015, that the devil you know, is better than the angel you don't know, because of the amount of suffering he endured personally, and collectively as a Nigerian, under it compared to the one he actively participated in toppling democratically.
Many people who think Tinubu shouldn't be president because of his frailties, forget so easily that even worse was thought of President Muhammadu Buhari, who then turned out to outlive some of those who didn't see him going beyond a first term in office. Tinubu on the other hand has produced gaffes, and continue to be the engine feeding skit makers and comedians with content at any of his outings, such that they glide in for the giveaway once he tremulously grabs the microphone. In the midst of all the snicker is the apprehension that he might just win the elections. No one gave him a chance before the primaries, indeed some of his opponents thought themselves to be Buhari's anointed, and all Tinubu asked for was a level playing field, which once it was granted, he exploited to become the presidential candidate of his party by a very convincing, incontestable margin. He's the sort of politician that knows what to do to sway votes his way, especially in the dying minutes, that is why he hasn't bothered with debates on TV, where he knows he'd get nothing but more embarrassment from an audience waiting for him to goof.

A peculiarity with Tinubu's campaign is the sense of entitlement. One of the posters of Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, had the inscription, "THE HEROES OF OUR TIME", and before now the catch phrase upon which the campaign is based is "Emilokan", Yoruba for "It Is My Turn", based on Tinubu's supposition that having brought many into positions of power, including the incumbent, President Buhari into power, he also deserves to have a taste of the presidency, which he claims to be at the top of his desires for a long time. This is without considering the clamour from the southeast for the position, seeing as the Yoruba have enjoyed many top political positions at the national level, including the presidency for eight years, and vice presidency for another eight, since the return of civil rule in 1999. The boldness behind the movement is reminiscent of the beginnings of similar adventures with disastrous endings because of its unnatural leanings and lack of respect and recognition of divine will.

Atiku Abubakar is currently nursing the wound that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State continues to inflict on him, with his almost daily tirade, that the media are always on standby to air, hot and sizzling to the reading, listening and viewing public. Wike is so angry with Atiku that he stripped all the privileges from a former Governor Celestine Omehia (that he favoured so much in the past, just to spite the immediate past governor, and former minister for transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi), because he aligned with Atiku, anchoring his decision on a court ruling that declared the latter's tenure unconstitutional. Atiku's response to the avalanche of demarketing that he's suffering is doubling his campaign efforts, nationwide, attending debates and other fora where he thinks he will be able to reach Nigerians, as if the Wike thing is non existent. His decision to go ahead vigorously with his campaign while backdoor efforts are being made to bring dissident "INTEGRITY GROUP/G5" members, consisting of five PDP governors with their supporters, back into the fold, seems to be the best he could've done in his position.

The best case scenario for him will be a situation where Wike, the main protagonist and the other four governors return and support his campaign, or at best stop acting as stumbling blocks to his ambition if they won't support him, and then northern Christians rejecting APC and Tinubu's Muslim - Muslim ticket, as well as hoping the northerners throw their support naturally behind one of theirs, who he directly wooed at the meeting he had with a section of organizations from the region when he told them to support him as only someone from their region could fulfil their aspirations. But when Nigerians from the North Central regions, South West and Southeast remember that Atiku is fulani, just like President Buhari under whose reign fulani herdsmen continue to hold Nigerians hostage security wise, they wonder if it is trite to maintain the status quo, assuming that Atiku may look away from the atrocities of his kinsmen without actively encouraging efforts to bring them to justice. It is for this reason that Benue's Governor Ortom has a different axe to grind with Atiku, apart from the other issue the G5 governors (of which he's a part) have with him.

Peter Obi was Atiku's running mate in the last presidential election in 2019. He actually was in the hall the day Atiku declared for presidency under the banner of PDP, before decamping to the Labour Party, LP to actualize his presidential ambition, once it became clear that the PDP wasn't going to zone the position to the South, even though the chairman of the party is from the North, against PDP constitutional provisions, the core of Wike's angst against PDP and Atiku in particular. It was in the knowledge of this that Wike backed the ascension of the party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu from the North, until not only was the zoning not done in favour of the south, but that Atiku went on to win the presidential primaries despite his efforts.

Obi seems to be the candidate that has mass appeal, especially amongst youths that have become disillusioned with the status quo. It was initially thought that his supporters were mainly noise makers on social media with at best, a scant structure on ground, but as these trooped out to get registered and encouraged others to so do, they began to be noticed as threats by opposing parties. Sadly, the party seems to be only about Obi, and at the national level only, that makes the discerning wonder what will happen should he win the presidency. Some commentators reckon that it will be easier for him to decamp to either of the major two, most likely PDP, than for most members of the national assembly to decamp to his party, LP.

Peter Obi hasn't been helped by his past though, because a lot of what the media recorded during his time as governor of Anambra State wasn't palatable, besides leaving a healthy sum in the states till. Even the present governor of Anambra State appear not to give a hoot about him, and rather than just keep quiet about it, has gone to town to demarket his "brother". As if that wasn't bad enough, one of Anambra's notable billionaires, Prince Arthur Eze, recently advised Obi to shelve his presidential ambition. Another hindrance on Obi's path is the activities of groups perpetrating acts of violence and brigandage in the southeast, including targeting INEC offices and creating an atmosphere of fear that may cause many voters from the region he hails from, who hopefully could vote in his favour to be disenfranchised, unlike his opponents who may/can boast of the majority of the votes in their regions going in their favour, including in the North where in spite of the insecurity there, that Boko Haram and the bandits amongst others know better than to destroy INEC offices or disrupt the political processes, because in Nigeria, politics is local.

It has been public knowledge that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is backing Obi, not even because the latter's campaign Director General was Dr. Doyin Okupe, an Obasanjo loyalist, but for other reasons, however the replacement of Okupe following his resignation with Mr. Akin Osuntokun leaves no one in any form of doubt that Obi's project is OBJ's project, and usually this may just mean also the support of some retired military generals that the latter rolls with, from different parts of Nigeria. Maybe this will form one of the basis of discussion in the meeting the G5 are currently holding to decide who among the aspirants to throw their weight behind.

I don't think this piece will be complete without saying a thing or two about NNPP's candidate, even though I haven't counted him as one of the major contenders. It will be one of the greatest upsets in political history should he win the next election though. It may not be out of place to say that the major candidates are regional leaders, and if they are, Kwankwaso can be described as having a stronghold within one of the regions, and therefore capable to act as spoiler to Atiku's chances in the Northwest, and to some extent Tinubu's as well, and not so much to Obi who hardly stands any chance in that region. Amongst his staunch supporters though, there'll be no yielding of the grounds, but doing very well in just two states can only take a presidential candidate so far in a presidential election. In Nigeria, one of the reasons politicians persist in campaigning for elective positions even when they are in an unwinnable position is for the sake of relevance, which may come in handy for the next elections. This in my view, is the game Kwankwasiya movement is playing.

Whether this is, or will be a two-, three- or even a four - horse race, only time will tell. I have heard some commentators say that what is most likely is a situation where none of the candidates get a majority (due to how a lot of regionalism is tied to the candidates), leading to a runoff, but again impossible Is nothing, and between now and February 2023, a lot can happen, either to make the race even more predictable, or turn predictions and pollings on their head. For now pollings seem to favour candidates that have supporters with social media presence which may be a different thing at the polls when the majority from the nooks and cranny of Nigeria, without or limited access to information and communication technology will come out in their numbers to exercise their franchise. Hopefully, all sides concerned will accept the outcome of the elections with equanimity, so that the air of foreboding regarding post election violence (which is not unusual in Nigeria), will not come to pass. 

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- https://leadership.ng

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

BAMISE AND LAGOS' SECURITY WOES

 It was painful to follow the story of AYANWOLE BAMISE on twitter by @Mercy_McQuin these past few days when she was missing, and then hours following the discovery of her body, with some reports stating that some of her body parts were missing. The discovery of her body was quickly filled with that of the arrest of the driver, whose account sounds very ridiculous to me, even though there's always a place for the benefit of doubt. What is core is that in Lagos presently, security is at its lowest ebb, and the fact that the most frequent mode has been the transport system is the most distressing, as the perpetrators of crime by this means will always find cannon fodder. 


Gone are the days when one read about such issues, or heard of it in news bulletins, but we are now starting to know people that have been affected directly. One of our admin staff at work replaces his phone annually, sometimes twice a year, because its either stolen, lost or mugged in the bus, tricycle or while walking. The last time was atop a motorbike taxi, where he got ridden to an uncompleted building and dispossessed of all he had on him. We allowed a female staff to come in an hour later than every other person in the morning because she was also mugged in a bus, and dispossessed as well. Most recently, a female colleague was relieved of her iPhone and told to alight from the minibus popularly called kórópe in Lagos, as the driver said he wasn't going in her direction anymore. A well known trick between criminally minded bus drivers and their conductors, these days. I'm very sure you will have your own experiences, personal, or of people close to you, but I hope not, the kind in this Bamise's sad situation.

Some people commenting online were wondering how the BRT Buses hitherto considered to be safe turned out to have such a horrific story come to be about it, but I remember that some time ago, it was reported that some passengers inside a BRT bus were robbed at gunpoint. So the potential, apart from the actuality has always been there. Sadly, these crimes now happen at any time of the day, unlike when it was thought to be at the extreme times of day, for which I stopped leaving home every morning until I see the first glimmer of light, and limited my late night outings to only when necessary. Like my colleague who was recently at the receiving end of their activities, many Lagosians have opted to getting their own cars, despite the heavy traffic occasioned by the number of vehicles on very few motorable roads in Lagos, owing to the security situation, over and above any other reason one may site.

Bamise 

boarded the BRT bus outside of the park, from Chevron Bus Stop in Ajah, for her destination in Oshodi, at just around 7pm in the evening. How late was that? She did suspect that something was amiss when the driver had the light of the bus off the whole time she was there, and called her friend on WhatsApp, exchanging voice notes and videos with her, to apprise her of developments till she couldn't anymore. It doesn't appear that the driver remembered that when he was giving the interview that's online now,


 



where he mentioned nothing of the likes, even though like Bamise had revealed in her voice note, that three men and a woman later joined them, and that he, at gunpoint followed their instructions to divert from the course of the journey, to Carter Bridge, where he said he thought they didn't go with her because he saw her struggling with the men while holding on to a pole in the bus, and they alighted before he zoomed off . He conveniently forgot to say anything about turning off the light in the bus, even before he picked the so called passengers that he alleged were the killers of Bamise.

He witnessed all these, according to him but failed to go to any police station to report, so that even the so called ordinarily unempathic and unsympathetic Nigerian police can do the little they can, or in the least, even raise awareness about the situation, but rather he drove the bus to the terminal and parked it there as he would on a good day, then disappeared, until he was apprehended yesterday. I can point to no action of his that suggests that he's innocent of the the crime, but what do I know. I can only hope that the arm of the law catches up with the perpetrators of this crime, which I hate to think may be futile considering the levity with which the case had been treated, and would have remained so, had the late Bamise not had people who consistently and relentlessly pursued her matter, to the best of their ability online, and on ground, enough to get the attention of the authorities and to keep them in their toes.

A few weeks back I called up family in the North to ask how they were doing, and how concerned I was about their safety, and one of them actually laughed telling me that they always have me in their prayers because of the kind of things they hear happening in Lagos leaving them scared for me. I couldn't even counter the thought because after thinking about it, I observed the truism in their concern. Sadly, this is the reality of our time, that people in the North, with all the Boko Haram, ISWAP, kidnappers, marauding herdsmen, bandits, and the likes, think Lagos more unsafe than their locations.

The role twitter has been playing in Nigeria, in solving crime must be emphasised at this point, unfortunately until recently the government felt it trite to have that platform suspended, leaving me wondering how many other crimes occurred within that period of suspension that got swept under the carpet because there was no where to make the subject or topic of missing persons trend. It is often said that crime thrives when the punishment is less than the incentive, which is unfortunately where Nigeria is presently. The Nigerian Police, and other government agencies, especially those tasked with overseeing the environment simply evacuate dead bodies lying on the street without asking salient and germaine questions, like they are the disposal arm (cleaners) of killers and murderers, including ritualists, after harvesting the organs they need from the dead.

The rise of ritual killings in recent times is testament to the decadence in our society. A society that lays emphasis only on riches and wealth, where the wealthy have a say, and the poor foolish, to the detriment of morality and justice. Even children don't want to grow anymore before having and talking about money. Money, and wealth for which no question is asked, just get it. All of the motivational speaking geared towards one aim, money. Sadly, the wealthy can't tell you how they made it, and you can't see or follow their rise in life or business, the way you can track the wealth of the likes of Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the likes. People just wake up one morning, and they are rich, and when you ask they say "Na God", while flaunting the wealth at any given opportunity. So, when boys are told they have to bring this or that part of a human, or even a whole human being for sacrifice to be wealthy, they don't think twice or take a day to think about it before jumping on the so called opportunity.

But our society is what it is, and we must still go around in search of daily bread, attend functions and the likes, visit family, so what to do? Safety precautions have become more than a necessity for now, as that person you haven't seen before (or the one you know even), around you could just be planning to harm you, hence it has become pertinent that we make that a subject of discussion daily, as those whom the government has saddled with the responsibility to protect us seem to be shirking that responsibility. It is sad to note that Bamise took most of the measures she could possibly have, in fact had it not been that she did all that she, maybe she'd have become a mere statistic in the growing number of missing persons, and unclaimed bodies in morgues allover Lagos today. We shouldn't be discouraged though, teaching not just girls, but everyone safety tips, including videos, music and movies about it (rather than more of the ritual and gangster movies) should be paramount, and will go a long way in helping us reduce these sad incidences, while the police should for once be more proactive in combating crime and criminality, with a justice system that must be seen and perceived to be doing, and not perverting the cause of justice.

'kovich

PICTURE CREDIT:
- https://guardian.ng

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

AS 2023 DRAWS NIGH

2023 is around the corner, and it isn't unusual and unexpected that permutations as to who would emerge as presidential candidates of the major political parties in Nigeria is gearing up. In fact, preparations for who would succeed President Muhammadu Buhari started ín 2019, after he was sworn in for a second term. There are some people who think it started a few months after he won elections in his first term, and it became apparent that not much would be achieved in terms of building up Nigeria as a nation under him. 

After the 2015 Presidential Elections, where the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), an amalgam of four opposition parties, managed an upset, the first of its kind in Nigeria, in an alliance majorly between the core Northern region that Buhari always aced, or garnered assuring numbers from, and the Southwest where former Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu held sway; it looked almost certain that the North will return the favour by backing Tinubu for the presidency in 2023. 

Events thereafter has shown that that assertion may not entirely be true, as no sooner had Buhari gained power, than Tinubu was relegated to the background by what was later to be known as the "cabal", comprising of Buhari's kitchen cabinet, made up of close relatives and allies, all either from his immediate locality of birth, or from the north. He didn't seem to have cast his net that so wide, either during his military career, that propelled him to the position of Head Of State, or his political career during the many times he vied for the presidency, in the way he made his choice of those who would be close to him on the basis of trust, especially gained from working with such persons for years, in the past. 

Before his reelection however, he appeared to favour the mending of fences with Tinubu and once again the tape as with the first term was replayed after he regained power, as most of Tinubu's men in government and in the party were either shoved out or rendered redundant or quiet. When the Vice President 'Yemi Osinbajo (a Tinubu ally), instilled hope and shone as a bright light in the many absences of Buhari while the latter travelled abroad to cater to his health, he soon became relegated (from the first term, till date), such that subsequently power was henceforth not transmitted to him whenever his principal was away. Recently though, there's been some noise around the candidacy of Osinbajo with certain groups making it seem like he has the blessing of Buhari to succeed him. President Buhari in a recent and rare interview with the press did allude to the fact that he has a preferred candidate, but would rather not say for now, for the safety of the person. It would appear that Tinubu must've decided it most timely to appear at this stage with his visit to the Presidential villa yesterday. 

He emerged from that meeting with the president to intimate the press that he just informed the latter of his intention to run for the presidency next year, as part of his consultations before making his official declaration. This will be seen in many quarters as him getting ahead of the news, and ending conjectures surrounding his intentions that have gained ground over the years. It can also be viewed as a form of soft reminder to the incumbent of a gentleman agreement that may have existed in the past before Tinubu threw in his political capital to support and propel the former to power, in case he was beginning to forget, or finding it convenient not to remember that such a thing ever existed, even though there might not be evidence whatsoever to substantiate the claim. 




In the midst of these is what the opposition People's Democratic Party is doing. The discordant tune from there though not as loud as in the APC now where everyone is suspiciously eyeing each other, is just as much significant. Southeast politicians who feel they've always kept faith with the party are unhappy with their northern counterparts who feel that fielding a northerner as their presidential candidate in 2023 is the only way the PDP can regain power at the centre, as they seem to be saying that there's no way northerners would overlook (and pass on the chance of producing a president of Northern extraction yet again) a northern candidate, even if from the PDP for a southerner (if the APC opts to go south), and have power removed from the north for another eight years. Elements in the APC who do not want a Tinubu pocketing Nigeria the way he's done with Lagos will be the ones he will have to battle not just for his political future, but for that of any one he might decide to support should odds become stacked against his ambition, and he decides to yield, especially as those opposed to his candidacy are beginning to chance on his age, and possibly health status as their reasons. 

The day is still young though and only time can reveal what lies in stock for everyone one of us. The undeniable fact is that whoever takes over Nigeria in 2023 will have his work cut out for him. A significant event that made many yearn for 2023 was Buhari's seeming helplessness to the activities of Fulani herdsmen, his kinsmen, whom it appears seized on the opportunity that the president was of their tribe, and that most of those at the helm of affairs of the security and intelligence agencies were also of their tribe (at the time), and might be sympathetic to their cause, carried out acts of killings and brigandage with impunity, focusing initially on the North-Central region, Benue State particularly before spreading their nets further afield to other adjoining states in the South, in what was later to be officially termed farmer-herder clashes, even though most of those termed farmers (including women and children) were butchered while they slept at night. 

With the spate of killings and the increasing level of insecurity across the country, many States have adopted something akin to state police by setting up security agencies officially to assist the security agencies with the work of policing their states, and unofficially to nip the activities of marauding herdsmen and criminal gangs operating in their name, in the bud. These groups are especially active in the southwest, as Amotekun, while they are less visible in the Southeast as Ebubeagu, and in places like Benue State they are called Forest Guards. There's no gsinsaying the fact that under the Buhari administration, the security situation has worsened, but unlike many bad situations that have good aftermath, it has also led to the equipping of nigeria's military with hardware that in the future, under proper leadership could be put to the good use of defending the nation's sovereignty and integrity. 

The economy of Nigeria has never been this badly hit in recent times, with the currency battered and hardly competing with its foreign counterparts, alongside mounting debt portfolio that may have been suretied with Nigeria's abundant oil and gas deposits, which is also been threatened with the world gradually and steadily opting for greener alternatives, meaning that those hydrocarbon deposits may not be able to bail us out later. Sadly, the government that promised to diversify, seemed to focus majorly on one thing, and one thing alone, since coming to power, seeking for oil, and it's exploration thereof in the North, to give it bragging rights over the Niger Delta, to stop the latter from holding the country, and northern rulers to the jugular. In the recent interview President Buhari granted, he responded to the issue of the dwindling economic fortunes of Nigeria by saying he'd always asked Nigerians to return to the farm, and one commentator retorted that if agriculture was so important to the president how is it that it is to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and not that of Agriculture and Water Resources that he thought to expend his energy as Minister, which he runs alongside his job as president. The paradox of it all is that the farms are also the places that have become one of the most insecure places to be in today's Nigeria. 

Diehard supporters of President Buhari point to the infrastructural strides he's made, but close their eyes to the cost, not in Naira and Kobo, or Dollars and Yuan, but in what was mortgaged to secure the loans thereof. One time the legislature sought to know the terms and conditions associated with the loans obtained from the Chinese to upgrade Nigeria's rail network, Transport minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi responded by saying that digging into the matter will discourage the Chinese lenders from further and future financial and technical support, and after a few more wrangling they (legislators) let the matter rest. Is this how a country is, and should be run? Another issue related to this is how political, sectional and primordial considerations determine the siting of infrastructure over need, and commercial viability. 

These are just a few of the strings Nigeria is trying to balance on, that those in power have set us on, away from terra firma, that anyone wishing to takeover must career us from. Sadly, by the nature alone, of those putting themselves forward, or those suspected to be nursing the ambition, especially in the big parties, there's no sign of change (for the better) in the horizon. There are better and younger people available, even in the so called big parties, they will, and some have already indicated interest to run, but unfortunately Nigeria is structured in such a way as to not allow its best to be put out for elective positions, and in the few occasions, those taught to be idealists make it into power, they are soon corrupted by the perks of their position, and end up turning up worse than the politicians we hoped they'd outperform. Our only consolation is that life must go on regardless, and because no matter how wicked, heartless, and anti-people a government's policy(-ies) might turn out to be, there will always be that one or two things that regime will do to move the country forward. It is those little things that I look forward to, while hoping that the number of such increases with time along with the changes that time enables, because as for individuals in power, in Nigeria, they are usually more, of the same. 

'kovich

 

Thursday, June 17, 2021

SOUTHEAST NIGERIA'S UNKNOWN GUNMEN

The #EndSARS protest last year and it's aftermath was a message to the people and government in Southeastern Nigeria that things cannot remain the same anymore. Sadly, while the Governor in Lagos moved beyond just paying lip service to working on recommendations from the panel set up to probe the activities of SARS as well as paying compensation to victims and families of victims, those set up in the Southeast and the South-South regions where no more than spectacles and theatres of the absurd, where impediments upon impediments were placed in the way of petitioners, all in the name of requirements and processes, which led to no end. Eventually the whole process, like the charade it was fashioned out to become, fizzled out. The lot of them unceremoniously, without the submission of any paper to the governors to act upon, even if it was just for the show of it.


The fact that nothing was done by the Southeastern governors to address the issues relating to police brutality and Extrajudicial Killings of young men especially, after the protests, with the names of some policemen suspected to have indulged in human rights violations mentioned, with the hope that their activities will be investigated, and thereafter prosecuted, only to find the same people walking the streets free, which is akin to rubbing insults on the raw wounds of the victims, their relatives and others this affected. When some youths decided to take up arms against the state, it was no surprise that they started with the checkpoints dotting the landscape of Southeastern Nigeria at a time when there was relative peace, and the people and their representative 👉🏽 CHECKPOINTS IN NIGERIA'S SOUTHEAST had at one time or the other spoken up about the money-spinning machine that checkpoints on the roads in that region have become for policemen, soldiers, naval ratings, customs men and officers, civil defence, as well as other uniformed security and paramilitary personnel. From there, these men now referred to as Unknown Gunmen, (a media creation, following denials by IPOB, of responsibility for the rampant destruction of lives and property by the former), expanded their operations to include police stations, correctional facilities, and other security outposts.


The insecurity in Imo State, is of a different dimension in that it appears to have political undertone, so much so that while the governor raised alarm to highlight the peculiar nature of the insecurity in his state, especially the political dimension to it, he stopped short of placing responsibility solely at the feet of his political opponents belonging to the opposition party, seeing as he is battling opposition within the rank and file of his own party as well. It was in Imo State that the erstwhile I.G. of Police, pronounced the Eastern Security Network (the armed wing of IPOB), ESN responsible for the insecurity there, off the cuff, without as much as investigating the matter, only to find that he'd been relieved of his position, while the words were hardly out of his mouth, though that was hardly as a consequence of his misguided utterance (in this particular case) than it was that his removal was overdo, and therefore predetermined for that day, unbeknownst to him.


The ESN claim their mandate is to rid Igboland of murderous fulani herdsmen, and have continually denied involvement in other activities at variance with their stated objective, but it appears the security agencies couldn't be bothered with distinctions as they rained all of their coercive might on anything aimed and poised against them in the Southeast, amidst allegations of human rights abuses against innocent citizens from Southeastern Nigeria. It didn't help that a meeting held by the hierarchy of Nigeria's military to discuss the security situation in the South East and the tackling of same, to restore peace and normalcy in the region had no one from the region present, because of the lopsided appointments especially in the security sector of Nigeria, that's been the hallmark of this administration. The tone of the president in statements credited to him, as well as in his new found love for interviews, haven't allayed the fears of Igbos that the present intifada in the Southeast by the military does not have the blessings of their principal, and Commander-in-Chief.


The video that went viral, of some residents in some town in the Southeast, hailing armed men, appeared to me very disturbing. Even the non-discerning could tell that it wouldn't be long before these Unknown Gunmen will turn their arms on the people, after successfully dismantling checkpoints in the east. I wondered then, of their intentions didn't go beyond sacking those checkpoints to relieve the people of that region of a major burden only, or was it really intended to provide a safe haven for them to continue to carry out nefarious and criminal activities, without let or hindrance. Today the activities of UGM is now looking more like a guns for hire situation, with business people, politicians (latest of which was the decapitation of a security guard to a member of the national assembly from Imo State, after the UGM met his absence), and just the everyday person, bearing the brunt. It seems that many are using the opportunity this security crisis created to settle scores, while lives are also being lost as part of collateral damage, as UGM seem to be employed to right perceived injustices and/or to perpetrate one looks to be the norm, rather than the exception these days, such that threats from one person to annihilate another are no longer taken as jokes or mere threats anymore these days.


In the midst of all these madness, "Bakassi Boys", who held sway in the early days of the return to civil rule in 1999, notable for their extrajudicial killings of those suspected of armed robbery and the likes; staged a return with a parade somewhere in Awka a few days back, in the full glare of residence, firing gunshots at random, with loud music in the background, with no police or other government security apparati anywhere in sight. 





This time around, they claim they have come to continue in the same light, and also to battle cultists whose activities in Anambra State have 
grown worrisome in recent times. Only time will tell if they will cross paths with UGM, if they considered the latter's activities to be at cross purposes to theirs. I shudder to imagine what such a scenario will look like. 


Sadly, when the security agents descend, the arrests they carry out are arbitrary, with those who eventually managed to get released claiming they only did so, after parting with huge sums of money. Many others are said to not have been so lucky, especially in the period when judiciary workers were on strike, and none of those arrested were charged to court, and couldn't be bailed. When a truck fell into a ditch in Onitsha, with the contents (bullets) of it's container got spilt on the road, with residents moving beyond shock and bewilderment to picking them, the security agencies should have known that many more like that would've passed through successfully and without incidence, hence should've been more proactive, rather than the reactions we have now, that's resulted into the arrest of innocents, after the UGM have had a field day to themselves, and yet continue to wreak havoc in the region.


Another unfortunate angle to all these, is the attack and torching of offices of the electoral agency, INEC in the region, with elections in just a few months in Anambra, and in 2023 nationwide. It now appears like there's a plan to disenfranchise the people from exercising their franchise, and precluding them from determining who will lead them at several levels of government and governance, and through whom dividends of democracy can be passed down to the grassroots. Unfortunately, as regards dividends of democracy, the Southeast region has fared badly, with so much left to be desired, at all levels, and from all levels of government. If truth be told, it is the lack of government presence in the Southeast, that can be fingered as one of the reasons driving the agitation for secession, that personalities like Nnamdi Kanu are latching on to promote their agenda.


It is doubtful though that things will change should Biafra be handed the Igbo on a platter, because the leaders will either be today's slave masters, or new ones, who will be same as the old. Just look at the audacity with which Nnamdi Kanu issues orders to anyone listening to his rants (as most times that is what his words come through as), and you wonder how Biafra under that sort of person could be. The fact that people stayed back at home, after his so called "order", in honour of lost and dead loved ones during the civil war, doesn't necessary mean they support IPOB's ideals, many did in the spirit of "Ozoemena", while others could've just because of the atmosphere of insecurity in the east, and the fear that the government forces could be battling UGM and/or IPOB/ESN on the day, and innocents could be caught in the crossfire. Either way, Igbos could definitely do without the threats, from Nnamdi Kanu and his followers prior to May 30.


If Igbo people can be truthful about some things, even the much revered Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in some of his statements appeared not to leave much room for compromise or considerations for an alternative path to pursue things, and how that could have negatively affected the fortunes of Biafra, in those heady days, is not difficult to imagine. How are we sure that even if the referendum that's being sought by IPOB and other secessionist groups are granted, the results won't go against their wishes? Especially, when you consider that Igbo though insular in the way their locale is set, especially post civil war, but international in outlook, would want to be boxed in, for which President Muhammadu Buhari in an unscripted response in a recent interview described Igboland as a "dot in a circle" (which Igbo youths are currently running with, as you'd take up a name defiantly, just to spite those who thought to diminish you by it).


The truth is, if the utopia the Igbo dream of cannot be perceived today in the slightest, it will not be realised wholesale in Biafra tomorrow. Any change Igbos desire, must begin today and must be required and demanded of the leaders/rulers today by the people, against waiting until Biafra comes. For now, the Igbo must learn to negotiate to their advantage, within the present framework, beyond merely getting political power at the centre, but unto other items that will make life and the conduct of their business and enterprise flourish, and easier to manage. That the Igbo are disadvantaged today, doesn't mean they will remain so tomorrow, for only if the Igbo exist, will they live to see a government tomorrow that will be less discriminatory, either led by an Igbo son, or not.


'kovich

Sunday, October 4, 2020

#END_SARS_NOW

When white police officers shoot and kill armless black people, it's easy to label it institutionalised racism, which makes it difficult to explain what to term the same barbarity when it happens between policemen in Nigeria, killing Nigerian youths when both are black. What is most unfortunate about this, is that in America the government joins in the conversation, while in Nigeria the organs of government keep mum, almost as if the police is acting according to instructions from them. The frequency with which the anti - robbery squad have been going about mowing down the youth of this country in recent times with brazen impunity, compared to the recent past where activities by them tail off after another video of them extrajudicially murdering someone comes to fore, and are then reported to have been arrested and awaiting prosecution, suggests that either they've seen that no punishment was eventually meted out to the erring ones formerly arrested, or whatever leash or restrictions that existed (no matter how weak), has now been totally lifted.

There are certain peculiarities about the harassment and killing of Nigerians by mostly the Special Anti-Robberies Squad, SARS of the Nigerian Police, that leaves the discerning wondering if there's an agenda behind the unending tales of woe coming from Nigerian youths regarding they way they are being treated by the Nigerian police. The main peculiarity is the fact that most of these infringements on the rights of Nigerians occur in the South, leaving one to suspect a subjugation agenda against Southerners, especially the young people of the region. It used to be that they were profiled, and those with tattoos, dreadlocks, wearing jewellery, possessing expensive smart phones, driving state of the art automobiles, amongst others were targeted, however recent cases of harassment suggests that just about any other person is now a target for these men, and all of a sudden no one is safe, at the hands of those whose core responsibility is to protect Nigerians from the hands of armed robbers. Unfortunately, while these SARS men target those they've so profiled to be criminals or fraudsters, their ilks are the sort who provide security for the real gangsters, fraudsters and criminals in town, so what are we saying? 




The experiences of most Nigerians at the hands of these men have been horrifying to say the least. The least that can happen to those who are unfortunate to fall victims to them, is extortion. Victims could also get beaten up, sustaining life altering and/or threatening injuries sometimes, and in increasing cases, loss of lives. Though online personalities like the famous Segalink, have at various times come to the rescue of hapless Nigerians after coming in contact with these evil minded gun-toting wretches, sadly the experience once felt cannot be unfelt, and any compensation (usually refunds only) does little to nothing to erase the scars, physical as well as physiological, suffered by the victims. Also, the fact that Segalink and other activists like him cannot be allover Nigeria, even in the South where the activities of these criminals is rampant means that the unreported number of Nigerians who do not get redress is far more than those who do, and for the dead, they would have died, for nothing!

The saddest part of this is the silence. The silence from those who could truly cause all of this to stop. Those whose silence makes them appear complicit, include those in the executive arm of government, who by just issuing a statement could bring this to a halt, and also bringing to book errant members of the police force who perpetrate these heinous crimes, to members of the legislature who could raise the issue as a matter of urgent national importance, to people whose voices matter in the society, whose voices they speedily append to political talk, but have suddenly gone dumb, even deaf since the harassment and killing of armless Nigerians became a thing, amongst police officers, before you begin to mention so called influencers on social media, some of whom for some pittance turned their backs on the suffering of their fellow citizens by trying to justify the actions of the bloodletters in uniform.


Beyond ending SARS, a reorganisation of the Nigerian Police Force has become necessary, if not long overdue. This is because even before SARS became a menace, the regular police were not any better, and I have written about that in BAIL IS FREE, therefore any reform shouldn't be piecemeal, rather holistic, from those extorting motorists on the roads and highways, to those at the police station who make a lie of the fact that "bail is free", and the likes. This must be done if the shame that the Nigerian Police has constituted itself to be amongst Nigerians, and before the outside world is to be a thing of the past. Merely banning their activities on the road, as the Inspector General of Police has just done will not cut, as this latest action is the umpteenth time it's happening, only to subtly resume, and return to its menacing levels once again. We've been here before, hence much more than mere rhetorics is what is needed now, with the Police Reform Bill properly implemented to the latter, or if found wanting scrutinised to ensure that areas that provide leeway for the abuse of the rights of Nigerians are expunged.


'kovich 

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

UWA

So many issues shattered the peace of this weekend in Nigeria, but I doubt any other news (including the rape of a girl by several men, and a teenage girl shot by trigger happy policeman) had the traction that the rape and death of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa

 had on and over Nigerians. I feel like rewriting what I just wrote now, because there's no peace to be shattered in Nigeria, not over a weekend, and definitely not over a working week. Even Covid-19 didn't have the power to protect Nigerians from unfortunate events, that will make any ear that hears it tinge. We don't know how to cry again in Nigeria, the voice of the people have been stifled by a regime that considers protests illegal, so you won't see, or you will see only a few brave people on the streets, so we turn only to social media to vent, and hope not to be found and incarcerated, as has been the case with missing Dadiyata for months on end, while politicians and those in positions of authority hardly add their voices to these things, that bug us on the streets, like they were of no consequence to issues of governance, and therefore have nothing to do with them.


During my university days on campus, after libraries were closed (I was even locked up in one, after I slept off), and classes were too far to walk to, buildings of churches and mosques were the next available and popular spots to go read. Tutorials also happened there, organized by Catholic, Pentecostal fellowships and Muslim groups, when it seemed like there was a competition to see which of the groups produced the better students. Another reason why they were choice spots was because there was always "light" in those places for some reason or the other, and unlike other reading spots, they were the safest, especially as regards the possibility of rape for female students, and mugging for both male and female students. Going to read in religious places is a tradition that preceded my time in school, and I was sure will succeed me. It stands to reason also that students who are not within campuses may also want to continue the tradition outside campuses. On these streets, we celebrated children reading under streetlights of busy roads while selling wares with their mothers, or on their own. A bank recently decided to sponsor a girl's education, after she was found using the light from their ATM to read. 





If we begin to list the reasons why Uwa decided to go and read at the church that fateful night, we might not be able to exhaust them all fully. However, what happened to her later that night would've been the last thing she expected, and especially at that location. Sadly, our police and policing haven't developed to the point where forensics could have been able to tell us whether the motive was murder, or attempted murder following rape, or attempted rape, and until a culprit that's not coerced to tell the truth, is found what we have as information regarding Uwa's death, remains just speculations by those who saw her after the dastardly acts have been committed, leaving her in a coma, from which she eventually passed on.





Even though the police mentioned something about finger prints on the fire extinguisher cylinder, I doubt Edo State police command has the wherewithal to pursue that, and if they do, which database have they to tally their findings with. An autopsy will definitely reveal the horrors she passed through, and cause of her death, but will not reveal who her perpetrators are. Sadly, the record of the Nigerian police as regards rape is abysmally poor and nothing to write home about. Before human rights activists, and bodies committed to fighting sexual violence in all its forms came to be, victims of rape had no one to turn to, as the police was known to further compound their predicament, even in cases where the rapists were caught during the act. On several occasions, the police that should protect victims, and bring perpetrators to book, championed so called "peace moves" and "settlement proposals" from the rapists' people to the victim's family.


It is the lack of justice for victims over the years, that have continued to enable rapists, the results of which is evident in the metro section of our newspapers daily. Even religious leaders are not left out as perpetrators, and babies even as young as a few months are not left out as victims, talk more of teenagers, young adults like Uwa, and women. When everybody was looking at India as the rape capital of the world, the news about rape in Nigeria was there, a constant, just like in South Africa, only that the world didn't seem to have our time. The Nigerian society looks like a society that enables sexual violence against females, and the reports are there, have been there, and once a while there's the noise either in sex for marks scandal in universities, or the occasional story on twitter that will trend for a few days, and then disappear, without any recourse to legal aid, but someone's life would've been scarred and/or ruined, sometimes for life, even when the seem to be enjoying family life, in seemingly blissful marriages.


I hope that the death of Uwa will not go the way of others. This is not the first time that a Governor, a Commissioner of Police, even the Inspector General of Police will be on a matter, yet justice will remain a fleeting illusion. Nothing remains newsworthy in Nigeria beyond a week, and that's even when it's most dastardly, and usually it is overtaken by something worse making one wonder if the country isn't one big movie set for a horror movie. It is painful not to imagine how things can be done differently, seeing as the rhetoric is the same as has always been, when things like this happen. It is the helplessness Nigerians feel with the police and the criminal justice system, when crimes are committed, that leaves the Nigerian society with no option than to resort to self help, especially when the culprit is caught red handed. I want to be optimistic, but there's not even a straw to hold on to now. I pray the Almighty gives Uwa's family the fortitude to bear this great loss.


'kovich


PICTURE CREDIT:
- https://m.guardian.ng
- https://www.pulse.ng

INVICTUS TINUBU

  The past few weeks has been electioneering period in Nigeria, and what stood out for me was how the Jagaban, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu pur...