SHAYATIN: SEASON OF THE EVIL MEN

They are here again. We have entered another season of evil men jostling for elective offices, throwing stolen money all over the place, making the same promises they serially broke in the past and presenting themselves as the best thing that ever happened since the discovery of strawberry ice cream. Unfortunately , they hoodwink the people and that is why we are today in this state of underdevelopment. Shayāṭīn are evil spirits in Islamic belief, inciting humans (and jinn) to sin by “whispering” to their heart. Mentioned 88 times, the Shayatin together with the angels, are the most frequently mentioned spirits in the Quran. They are a class of invisible creatures besides the angels, often thought of as ugly and grotesque creatures created from hell-fire. This aptly describe the political class except that they are not invisible, they reside and operate among us; live. Related to the devils is Iblis (Satan), who is generally considered to be their leader. Hadith-literature makes them responsible for various calamities which may affect personal life. Both hadith and folklore usually speak about devils in abstract terms, describing their evil influence. During Ramadan, the devils are chained in hell. Now that Ramadan is over, they have been let lose to roam. According to Muslim philosophical writings, devils struggle against the noble angels in the realm of the imaginal (alam al mithal) over the human mind, consisting of both angelic and devilish qualities. Some writers describe the devils as expressions of God's fierce attributes and actions. It is possible that our political class are a punishment from God for our iniquities. For too long we have suffered the punishment from these lot: Stunted socio-economic growth, retarded political development, pauperization and impoverishment and escalating poverty. Yet we see other climes rising in all aspects of life while we regress. The City of Dubai is one of such clime, with a myriad of development which our leaders have failed to provide despite our long years of political independence from colonial rule. Starting with beauty and aesthetics, Dubai’s towering skyscrapers are among the leading tourist attractions in the world. Yet, all our thieving leaders can do is to erect concrete jungles which they call cities dotted with abandoned structures such as the old Independence Building at the Racecourse, old Federal Secretariat, School of Nursing all in Lagos: Standing as monuments of waste and abandonment. These are not our only monuments of waste which successive administrations have declined to address. Prominent among them is Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) located in Kogi State. Built on a 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) site starting in 1979, it is the largest steel mill in Nigeria, and the coke oven and byproducts plant are larger than all the refineries in Nigeria combined. However, the project was mismanaged and remains incomplete 40 years later. Three-quarters of the complex have been abandoned, and only the light mills have been put into operation for small-scale fabrication and the production of iron rods. Adjunct to the Steel Complex is the Warri–Itakpe Railway which fell into disrepair, and part of the track was vandalized. In 2016, the government awarded contracts to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Julius Berger to repair and complete the railway. Test runs began in November 2018, and the railway was officially inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on 29 September 2020. Ope oooo! There is also the Mambila hydroelectric project originally conceived in 1972, and 50 years on, not a single watt of electricity has been produced: A period that spanned five military regimes and three civilian republics. What a country! The Three Gorges Dam, in China has been the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). Construction started on December 14, 1994. The dam was expected to be fully operational in 2009, but additional projects, such as the underground power plant with six additional generators, delayed full operation until May 2012. The dam nearly 10 times the size of our Mambila did not take China a lifetime to complete. Who cursed our country? Dubai Has the Most Extended Automated Metro System in the world. Yet, 15 years ago there was no metro. Dubai Metro – is the longest driverless urban light railway in the world. The Red Line was opened in September 2009, 3 years after construction began in 2006. The metro line in Dubai now accounts for 75 kilometers of area coverage. Daily ridership 353,244 (2017) and Annual ridership of 200,075,000. It has taken us nearly 20 years constructing the Lagos metro rail lines, and we are still at it; a paltry 35 kilometers of construction. What a pity! In Dubai, you will find the largest airport terminal in the world. The Dubai international airport has been transformed gradually from a rough runway in the sand to the world’s most extensive and busy Airport. Emirates operated its first commercial flight on October 25th, 1985. Today, Emirate has a fleet of 255 aircrafts and the largest fleet of wide-bodies planes in the world. Yet, times were when our accursed nation had the largest national airline in Africa with the largest fleet of aircrafts. There were also private airlines such as Okada and others competing for ascendancy in the air. Today, we have nothing remotely comparable to Emirate. Where are we? Despite being among the driest cities in the world, ‘The Dubai Miracle Garden’ is the most substantial natural flower garden on the globe. The Garden has more than 50 million flowers and 250 million plants. We do not have anything in comparison. It makes our Conservatory in Lekki look like the backyard garden of a poor man. While our myopic leaders with limited vision are busy converting our Bar Beach into a haven for themselves called Eko Atlantic ( the only city beach in the world to be converted into a housing estate), Dubai with one of the most creative minds in the world have succeeded in creating the largest man-made Islands in the world, of which the Palm Jumeirah is the largest. The construction of these islands consumed Ninety-four million cubic meters of sand moved from the desert and deep sea beds. In addition, there were 5.5 million cubic meters of rock that had to also be moved from different areas. And they also come with man-made beaches too. The Burj-al-Arab hotel stands in water on its own artificial island, with the highest tennis playing ground in the world, standing at 1000 feet above the ground. In 2005 it hosted a friendly match between talented tennis players, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. The Dubai Tennis Classic has become an annual ATP event, yet we once had our own tennis circuits with Ogbe Hard Court, Lord Rumens Classic and co. Today our premier tennis club is a drinking club with patrons inviting Saint Janet to serenade members. What a people! This might sound incredulous, but, yes there are ATMs that dispense gold in Dubai while here, ATMs often fail to dispense cash even when located in the premises of major banks. The gold ATMs have been placed all over the city for easy access. These gold ATMs spit out pure gold nuggets and coins. Emirates Palace Hotel in Dubai was the first to install a permanent gold vending machine in the world. The Dubai mall is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world. It is the largest shopping mall on the globe, covering over 5.4 million square feet. Despite our oil wealth we have been unable to provide anything comparable. Rather the oil wealth has been stolen and now reside in the private vaults of our Shayatin: Did I hear someone say in private ‘bullion vans’? The mall is incredible. There is an aquarium inside of it with so many exotic fish and over 300 ocean species in a zoo. The Dubai mall also has two amazing parks on the premises. Here, our own park, was obliterated and turned into a housing estate. The metropolis of Lagos is the largest in Africa, It cannot boast of a zoo or a ‘sea world’. What a people! As an epitome to a caring leadership, bus stops in Dubai are now being airconditioned. In Dubai, the crime rates are almost insignificant. In 2018, Dubai was ranked the 8th safest city in the world. The same cannot be said of our cities where kidnappings and robberies are a daily occurrence, not to talk of the ubiquitous armed herdsmen. It is not for nothing that we are the crime and terrorist capital of the world. In this clime a man can never sleep with his two eyes closed. Unlike here where the issue of fuel subsidy has become a national scam, the authorities in the United Arab Emirates have created a conducive environment and offered subsidies to the oil companies making the price of fuel relatively very low. Dubai has the lowest petrol prices in the world: the price of 1.5 liters of petrol is equivalent to 0.5 liters of water. What then are the new promises our Shayatin are making? Nothing new. Eight years ago, ‘change’ was the clarion call and restructuring was the mantra of the day. As soon as they got voted in, they abandoned these slogans and manifestos. It has been a change for the worse and the people are experiencing untold hardship and insecurity. Who knows what the current political challenge would bring? Maybe the total disintegration and dismemberment of the country. Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend. Babatunde Jose Babatunde Jose +2348033110822

Nigeria’s tomorrow comes!

This piece was in part inspired by My Egbon, Sanmori Bayo Ogunmupe of the Guardian newspapers. The veteran journalist has for some time now been flirting with the idea of joining that group of teeming Nigerians who do not glimpse any speck of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, notwithstanding sustained endeavours by successive administrations to make Nigeria achieve her all too evident potentials. In the prolific mind of this illustrious son of Osun state, Nigeria’s ultimate fate would approximate those of failed Latin American states. He simply does not see that Nigeria could come up with the caliber of leaders that can make the country great, at least not in the foreseeable future. As a consequence my expressed faith in a glorious Nigeria, sooner than later, never fails to work him into a passion. “Afam, l really admire your unbridled faith; but from where do you find the courage?” My Egbon had blurted out in one of our many exchanges not so long ago. The word “courage” in his question instantly had put me in mind of that all time best-selling book, The courage to be, by the great German-American theologian, Paul Tillich. I humbly commended the book to my esteemed interrogator – though l have no evidence he took the lead. Tillich, like a long list of other great thinkers before him, posits that courage is that which remains when all hope is lost. The doctrine is hinged on the proven premise that God is inseparably linked with all His creations, more so with human beings. Therefore, “courage”, in Tillich’s immortal words, “is rooted in the God who appears when God has disappeared in the anxiety of doubt”. Plainly stated: the unfailing power of God is ultimately available to all noble causes, but the courage of unwavering faith is requisite to call forth that power. Such is the type of faith patriotic Nigerians need to cultivate as Nigeria’s tomorrow comes. “Oh boy! what a tall order; this Afam must be a fanciful dreamer!” l could well imagine millions of long-suffering compatriots moaning. And they would be entirely justified, what with decades of needless tribulations, and a litany of dashed hopes that have been visited upon the citizenry, even in the midst of abundance. My Egbon’s fast vanishing patriotic faith feeds on little else other than this scenario. But Nigeria’s tomorrow comes, notwithstanding, much in the manner many a similarly circumstanced nation’s tomorrow has come against all odds. Latest examples of these countries abound on the Asian continent. Rather tellingly, the histories of these countries follow the life of one Tracy Whitney, a lead character in If tomorrow comes, another gripping novel by Sydney Sheldon. Tracy was a raw diamond waiting to be cut into premium configurations. Outstandingly beautiful with a great talent for computer operations; pregnant and about to be married into one of the wealthiest families in Philadelphia, USA, the Stanhopes. Then the Fates inexplicable conspired against her. In New Orleans, her middle-aged widow mother was led by business associates to commit suicide. In seeking to avenge her demise, Tracy’s innocence makes her a priceless asset to a hardened criminal gang. She sleepwalked into a snare; was arrested; charged and sentenced for attempted murder and theft, even when the presumed victim was barely wounded and nothing stolen. To Tracy’s utter heartbreak, the Stanhopes acted with an eye on their centuries-old name and coldly distanced themselves. Expectedly, prison and Tracy’s fellow inmates would dramatically impact her life; her pregnancy miscarried in the process. Helplessly following a lead from one of her former inmates on exiting prison, the erstwhile raw diamond would by slow degrees transform into one of the most resourceful diamond thieves in the western world. With time she crossed paths with one Jeff Stevens, a creative con-artist and a fellow jewelry thief. Jeff, not unlike Tracy had been another raw diamond whom the vicissitudes of life drew into the underworld. That primordial greatness in each of them would trigger attraction between the two, despite their cut-throat competitive dispositions. They eventually fell in love; and soon after decided to execute a big valedictory project together; retire; return to a legitimate life in Brazil; and marry. Against all odds, Tracy’s tomorrow eventually came! I am persuaded that Nigeria’s history is also tracing the life of Tracy Whitney in every material particular. As early as the 1940s Nigeria had been declared a rough diamond - a potential agrarian giant; and a couple of years prior to Independence she struck “black gold”, petroleum. Nigeria was consequently universally adjudged a global economy waiting to happen. Then, the Fates, shall we say, inexplicably conspired against her: the January and July 1966 coups; the mindless pogrom and 3-year civil war on their heels; the 1975 coup and destruction of her civil service structure, etc. These events dramatically impacted Nigeria; the former would-be global economy and envy of the world as a net giant exporter, consequently transformed into a net importer of even basic agricultural, petroleum and industrial products. Worse still, all manner of criminal activities, principal of which is mindless corruption by government officials, soon after became a culture of sorts across the country. The scale and depth of those activities have led to the most damning predictions on the fate of Nigeria, much to the alarm of the citizenry. But somehow the old country, like old soldiers, refuses to disintegrate. (It is pertinent to observe that those prophets of disintegration were shamelessly hypocritical to have conveniently forgotten the “…life is poor, nasty, brutish and short” aspects of the respective histories of their own countries). Still, Nigeria matches on! Puzzled? We ought not to be, not after reading Tillich and Sheldon. I believe Nigeria’s primordial greatness has a lot to do with her resilience – a great future still gestures at Nigeria. Therefore, if the citizenry thereof could at once focus on that primordial greatness while looking beyond the obfuscating horizon of old hurts, tribe, and religion, it would doubtless behold the God who appears when all hopes have disappeared; that collective vision would eventually call forth those mysterious forces which give birth to great nations. So, with a confident heart, I say to My Egbon and other fellow compatriots alike, Behold, Nigeria’s tomorrow comes! Afam Nkemdiche; consulting engineer. Abuja; April, 2021

Those holding Nigeria’s wealth…

Nigerian television enthusiasts would readily relate to this caption. A popular TV station in Lagos, a couple of weeks previously, featured an equally popular, if charismatic Pentecostal pastor, bronze-complexioned Ituah Ighodalo, during which the Man-of-God admonished “those holding Nigeria’s resources to let go”. Typically, l missed the programme; but a mutual friend (Rev’d Charles Ojei) of the pastor and l called my attention to it. Of course, l didn’t need to watch the programme to know His Exzellenz’s mindset on the vexed topic. He and l had extensively discussed it back in early 2019. Our mutual take on the issue, we have respectively since noticed, is quite in sync with apparent consensus. A number of persons who have held highly privilege position are sitting on a significant part of Nigeria’s wealth in foreign vaults. Most of these persons bear household names which are too big to make them wanting by local laws, at least on matters financial. At the same time Nigeria cannot look askance in perpetuity at this all-important matter, having regard to the impact of that heist on the value of the local currency, the naira. (See my earlier intervention: Naira cannot appreciate under market forces) Indeed the perplexing question of how to pluck the geese without much hissing will remain a huge challenge for the present and future administrations in Nigeria. How do you get those big household names to return Nigeria’s illegally acquired wealth without impugning them? The matter is as much delicate as it is weighty, because implicit in it are the crucial factors of citizen’s unalloyed patriotism and love of country. His Exzelenz is deserving of our commendation for plucking the courage of attempting to bell the dreaded cat, particularly in the unfurling season wherein holding Nigeria’s wealth in foreign vaults has become trendy. The point needs to be made time and again: Those holding Nigeria’s wealth in foreign vaults are effectively under-developing her, socio-economically. Such monies at once deny Nigeria standard infrastructure while fuelling currency speculations, nay, inflation and unemployment. Is it still a wonder that novel economic-related crimes are springing up within our shores at a breathtaking pace? It’s impossible to imagine of more mindless enemies for Nigeria than these “holders”. It’s time to we looked in the mirror. The present state of insecurity in the country has an economic root. Economic pressure is what drives those crimes, be they kidnapping, banditry, herders/farmers clashes, vandalism, official corruption, robbery, gun-running, etc. Therefore, economic solution it is. In my 2019 discussion with His Exzellenz, l recall suggesting to him that were l the Nigerian president, l would hold private conference individually with all identified “holders”, offering them the option of voluntarily returning a better part of those stashed away monies within a specific time; or risk, on administrative fiat, a precipitate fall in the relative value of those convertible currencies to the naira. This is still my considered opinion on the matter for rather obvious reasons. Various reliable accounts have conservatively estimated that tens of billions of dollars are been illegally held outside of Nigeria’s financial system. Nigeria’s foreign reserve, which correlates with naira’s value, has hovered around $25bn in the last 30 years. It therefore requires little imagination to see how quickly those would-be returned monies would revert the naira to nigh-parity levels with convertible currencies. It would require even less imagination to see how quickly the Golden Days would return to Nigeria, if those returned monies are judiciously expended on infrastructural projects, as they ought to have been in the first place. Economic solution it really is. With an eye on President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent zero-tolerance for corruption, few former top leaders back in 2016, had made pretentious gestures of returning our illegally appropriated wealth. From available intelligence those ex-leaders subsequently refunded paltry millions of naira to the treasury. For want of a better expression, those gestures were nothing short of “adding salt to injury”. I consider those gestures as extremely insulting to our collective intelligence. After illegally appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars from our national coffers when the naira enjoyed nigh-parity with the dollar, self-same persons could bring themselves to consider few millions of massively devalued naira as a restitution for their years of looting(?!). I dey laugh; ha, ha, ha… I still dey laugh. Why? you may ask. Because, as the legendary Fela Anikulapu-Kuti made us reflect, man no fit cry. I liken His Exzellenz’s poignantly pregnant words on the referred TV programme to those of another prophet of yore, John the Baptist. Repent, for the Lord’s wrath looms! the voice in the wilderness had cried to the ruthlessly self-centered rulers of that day. But they didn’t listen then; they were consequently fiercely consumed. Without a doubt, similar plight awaits all latter day ruthless abusers of entrusted power, unless they heed the voices of those calling from the wilderness, and repent. Sadly though, the odds are against repentance because if men didn’t listen in the days of yore, they are as likely not to listen now. Nightingale-voiced British song-star, Don Mclean, just as sadly reminds the world of this reality in his hit-track, Starry, starry night: “Starry, starry night. Portraits hung in empty halls, Frameless head on nameless wall, With eyes that watch the world and can’t forget, Like the strangers that you’ve met, The ragged men in the ragged clothes, The silver thorn of bloody rose, Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow. Now l think l know what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free, They would not listen then, They’re not listening still, Perhaps they never will…” Generic man is indeed a stiff-necked sinner, sayth the Lord; but there is yet a window of repentance still open for our erring past leaders. It is said that repentance comes easily in the sunset of life; and thankfully enough, those holders of Nigeria’s wealth, are invariably well into the western horizon of life. Therefore, it ought to be easy for them to let go those needless encumbrances; relief Nigeria of her perpetual cycle of debt-burden; and finally exit the planet with easy conscience. There hardly can be a more glorious legacy for this tribe of ex-leaders to bequeath than the aforesaid; for as it is also said, posterity celebrates those who enabled it, and curses those who denied it. Nigeria is closely watching. Good job, Your Exzellenz! Afam Nkemdiche; engineering consultant. Abuja; May, 2021

How Private Sector Bigwigs Can Fight Insecurity

An alliance of Private Sector Players in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised N100 billion to support Nigerian security agencies to fight insecurity in Nigeria. This was disclosed recently by the chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Tony Elumelu at a UBA board meeting. We recall that at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, a similar coalition raised funds to fight the pandemic in partnership with the CBN, raising over N60 billion to provide interventions, food and vaccine support to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the Nigerian economy. These private sector bigwigs have now resolved to fight insecurity by providing security hardware to the security agencies. With the intervention, the coalition hopes to open up the Nigerian economy once more. According to its spokesman, the bigwigs have just put together N100 billion to empower the security agencies. Sadly, the problem of insecurity isn’t solely lack of funds. Insecurity in Nigeria is dogged with connivance, lack of will to enforce law and religiously motivated chicanery. Given that many states are too poor to maintain state police forces, creating regional police forces goes a long way in combating insecurity. Of the various intelligence agencies we have like National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Security, Directorate of Military Intelligence and Defence Intelligence Agency, none has reported an accurate impending breach of intelligence concerning kidnapping, banditry or Boko haram. This is because each of them had been infiltrated by insurgents. Moreover, There isn’t any consensus among our leaders as to the eradication of insecurity in the land. For instance, a feature was recently sponsored on a tabloid concerning jailbreaks. It says Nigerian are sharply divided on the shoot to kill order by the Minister of Interior. The minister gave the order to security agencies on persons who break into prisons to free inmates. It is inconceivable to us that some Nigerians are standing to protect criminals who shoot their ways into prisons to free convicts. But that’s what it is. Some Nigerians want insecurity to continue for best reasons only known to them. Another reason why money and arms alone cannot curb insecurity is the recent revelation that Brigadier General Aminu Kano Maude, the former Director of Finance, Army headquarters who stole all the money former President Goodluck Jonathan allocated to buy munitions to the Army to fight Boko Haram. General Maude used the money to buy #0 Petrol Filling Stations; buildings and shopping malls all over Nigeria. It took the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) more than five years to trace the loot. The money was over N20 billion. The EFCC has been able to recover 29 properties worth N10 billion. They are still discovering more properties. When caught while alive, EFCC could neither detain nor prosecute him because he belonged to the Fulani Ruling caliphate of Kano Emirate. It was after he died of cancer that the embezzlement was made public. Such issues of corruption and impunity show moneys collected by bigwigs will go the way of embezzlement with impunity. Therefore, the solution for ending insecurity is the enthronement of a new leader with the mindset of ending insecurity and who has the willpower to call the Armed Forces to order. The current crop of leaders even among the business bigwigs and the 22 Committee are not interested in stopping insecurity, they’re just jostling for what they can gain from insecurity. The money being amassed is to be used to scuttle the emergence of a visionary leader in order to propagate embezzlement with impunity.

Why exclude state police from Constitution?

Earlier this month, the national Assembly had voted on 68 bills that sought to alter the Nigerian Constitution 1999. Some of the bills which sought to promote more opportunities for women in political parties, create state police, and good governance were rejected. Ignorant of the provision that seats in the House of Representatives and state assemblies are allocated according to population a bill sought to allocate a number of seats to women and 35 percent of appointive political positions such as ministers, commissioners and board members to women. For the moment, the decision to exclude state police is most regrettable. This is because of the gravity of the insecurity pervading the country. Only recently, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor said 80 percent of the Nigerian Armed Forces personnel were deployed across the 36 states of the federation performing police duties. General Irabor spoke in Abuja at the Twenty First Century Chronicle Roundtable themed ‘Going for Broke: Fighting Insecurity in Nigeria.’ Irabor, who spoke on the topic: ‘Armed Forces and the War Against Insecurity In Nigeria,’ called for more resources for defence and security to meet our needs. In the same vein, the new national resolve to tame insecurity is best approached through the creation of another police force other than one federally controlled. Community policing was introduced to Camden, New Jersey, United States in 2014. But that was done by New Jersey State Police Command; not the federally controlled Federal Bureau of Investigation. Actually, what Nigerians want is another tier of security force not controlled by the Federal Government. The issues involved in state police include federalism, domination and democracy. Nations are among other things, a collective agreement, partly coerced to affirm a common history as the basis for a shared future. Those opposing state police are hiding under the fact that the states of Nigeria are too weak, small and poor to be recognized as federating units. Which was why a regional police force like the Amotekun was tolerated and accepted. Since our governors are despotic in governance, we cannot increase their despotism by handing over the control of police to the states. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete,” Buckminster Fuller. The Nigerian nation state arose from empires like Oyo, the Sokoto Caliphate, Borno-Kanem and kingdoms like Kano, Kworafa, Benin, they explained themselves by telling stories of their origins, stories are meant to unite us as autonomous entities with a common ancestry in a federation. These entities abhor domination from any one or group. Since the Local Government police force in the West and the Alkali native authority police in Northern Nigeria failed, we should build a new model, neither controlled by the state governor nor by the President. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results,” Albert Einstein. Therefore, let us adopt regional police forces like the Amotekun: Western Nigeria Security Network. Let us amend the Constitution along that line, giving each of the six geopolitical zones its police service commissions whose members shall be indigenous to the zones. Incidentally, it is inconceivable that the National Assembly rejected the amendment allowing state or regional police. This is because we already have the Amotekun in the Southwest; the Ebube Agu in the Southeast; the Hisbah in the Northwest and the Civilian Joint Task Force in the war torn Northeast. All of these outfits are armed, they arrest and prosecute people. Besides, the Federal Government has the Civil Defence Corps; it empowered other agencies such as prisons, the EFCC, the ICPC, Customs to carry arms. In the case of Alhaji Abubakar versus the Attorney General of the Federation; the Supreme Court pointed out that the Nigeria Police Force shall be neutral because it a federal agency, not an agent of the Federal Government. Similarly with Segun Agagu versus Segun Mimiko, the court agreed that the Independent National Electoral Commission and the State Security Service are federal agencies not agents of any government. Thus, they are to protect interests of Nigerians, not the Federal Government. So, the SSS should desist from calling itself the Department of State Security in the Presidency. The law setting it up called it SSS. These issues have been settled in law; but Parliament pretends ignorance of it in order to retain impunity, executive lawlessness and legislative rascality; which is what our democratic culture is teaching. In 2014, government went to court to stop amendments after Parliament had spent huge sums of money on Constitutional review. The courts are already providing virtual hearing without Constitutional provisions. Many things don’t require enactments into the Constitution, so the establishment of regional police is already recognized by the law, It is the timidity and lack of political will of the zones to establish their own police forces that is at play. It is up to the zones to establish police forces with police service commissions comprising indigenes of member states of the zones or be swamped by banditry. Therefore, Nigerian law already recognizes regional policing only the states are too ignorant to implement it.

Duty Call As Anambra governor

A review by Bayo Ogunmupe It is a biographical tribute to the outgoing fourth elected governor of Anambra State Willie Obiano. To be launched soon, the book has 15 chapters, a concluding essay, 192 pages, and a bibliography of eight pages. Written by Ike Chioke, a close confidant of Obiano, who wrote the manifesto of the governor as an aspirant. Chioke’s appointment as the chairman of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) gave him the insight into the workings of the Obiano Administration. His close observation of Obiano’s leadership style and his accomplishments inspired him to write this panegyric. This book covers Obiano’s two terms as governor of Anambra, the remarkable public service legacy of the visionary leader. During the author’s research of the biography, it became clear he had to delve into the personal history of the man. This enables me to break the book to four sections. The first four chapters encompasses Willie’s pedigree, Biafra, From CKC to Unilag and from First Bank to Fidelity Bank. The author met Akpokuedike during Chukwuma Soludo’s recapitalization drive as central bank Governor. Soludo had announced the Nigerian banking sector’s recapitalization policy requiring all banks to raise their capital to a minimum of N25 billion by December 2005. Obiano who was an Executive Director at Fidelity, was responsible for managing due diligence exercise Fidelity conducted on FSB bank. Their relationship began from that transaction, maturing into true friendship, loyalty and mutual respect. After Peter Obi adopted Obiano as his gubernatorial candidate in 2013, Chioke was tapped to develop the first of many economic blueprints for Anambra State. Obiano is from Aguleri, a rural community in the Anambra river valley. It is the largest town in the area and the headquarters of the Anambra East Local Government Council Area. Both his mother, Christiana, his father, Philip are Catholics and are from the same town. Philip, a catechist, was a teacher, and he taught school all over Igboland. His loyal wife, Christie went with him wherever he went selling fish. Of the six Philip children, two died with Willie becoming the eldest of the Obiano dynasty. Anambra state is 98 percent Igbo and two percent Igala. Following Nigeria’s military coup in 1966, many Igbo families lost their loved ones in pogrom in Northern Nigeria. Amidst the uncertainties, the July countercoup occurred and 11-year old Willie and his siblings returned to their classroom, with ill omen muffling family conversations in homes. In May 1967, Lt. Col. Emeka Ojukwu as Military Governor of Eastern Region declared the region the independent state of Biafra. The declaration changed the history of the region and the Nigeria nation. The federal troops attacked Onitsha in October 1967; with the Obiano family deciding it was time to move to safer territory. They left their rented apartment on Ajassa Street, Onitsha; journeying to Amanze, Aguleri their homestead. During the war years 1967-1969, Willie and siblings were out of school. Graciously, the war ended in January 1970 and Willie returned to school at the Christ the King’s College, Onitsha. At CKC, Willie stood out confident and self assured. His devotion to his studies was unmatched. His intellectual hunger and inquisitiveness are his defining characteristics. As the President of CKC’s debating society, Willie won many laurels including the coveted John F. Kennedy Essay Prize dedicated to the late US President by the American Embassy. He easily made Grade 1in his West African School Certificate examinations and his Higher School Certificate course two years later. That carried him to a direct entry admission to read Accounting at the University of Lagos. At Unilag, Willie learned to be responsible, making minimum demands on his parents and never travelling home to Onitsha very often. At the start of his final year in the university, tragedy struck, his father died at the age of 57. Widowhood was an agonizing plight for his mother the fish merchant. Happily, Willie stepped up to takeover as head of the Obiano dynasty. For a 23 year old undergraduate, it was no easy position. “Without their breadwinner’s regular income, life grew tougher for the Obiano family. But Christie was not daunted. She worked hard, traded merrily and was able to complete the training of all the children. Rosary in hand, she prayed as she worked. Her cheerfulness, good humour and joie de vivre earned her many customers.” For Obiano’s 1979/1980 Youth Service, he worked as an accountant at the Benue State Hotel, Makurdi. Consequent upon his outstanding performance in his national service, he was made a Fellow, now a Patron, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); the President of the Advanced Management Program of Lagos Business School since 2008; and a 2006 Building New Ventures class member of Harvard Business School. Willie’s impressive academic records and leadership skills landed him a job at the oldest bank in Nigeria, older than Nigeria itself as an auditor at First Bank of Nigeria. Eighteen months later, he made a strategic move into the oil industry by joining Texaco Nigeria Plc. He was adjudged one of Texaco’s best dressed gentlemen. In 1991, Willie left Texaco to become the Deputy Manager and Head of Audit at Fidelity Bank. Within months, he was promoted Manager at the Bank. Willie’s meteoric rise to stardom at Fidelity never actually surprised anyone who knew Willie well. The pleasure of working with him readily attests to his uncommon drive, principled objectivity and supreme confidence. “Alhaji Abdulrahman Esene was an Executive Director at Fidelity Bank until 2012 when he retired. Esene remembers Willie’s tenure as Executive Director (Business Banking). Wille led core banking business, deploying his entrepreneurial mind to attract quality risk assets to the bank. He brokered paradigm- changing equity arrangements that firmly placed Fidelity on the global financial map.” In 2012, after 31 years of meritorious service in the banking industry, Willie aged 57, retired from Fidelity Bank and moved to the United States. Section two covers Willie and Ebele, From Candidate to governor, Philanthropy, Mentoring and Governance, and Securing Anambra Lives and Property. Here, we’re engaged with Willie’s marriage and public life. Like her husband, Ebele is a fashionista. She dresses excellently and admires those who dress well. The two lovers met on their way to work. Willie was at Texaco then while Ebele was working at Ikeja Hotels at a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) facility at Falomo, Lagos. While commuting to office in their Texaco branded bus Willie was waiting to catch the bus while Ebele was at the same bus stop on the way to her office. Willie chatted her up: in a platonic affair for two years before making up their minds to get married. His gentility and her Catholicism glued them together. On October 29, 1988 Ebele wedded Willie at St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Gbaja, Surulere, Lagos. They were blessed with three sons and two daughters. Their eldest child a girl, graduated a medical doctor in May 2017. From candidate to governor is a most interesting chapter. Willie’s CKC confraternity worked for his gubernatorial election campaign causing the current commissioner for Local Government Dubem Obaze to lead his campaign. Willie won and was sworn in as Anambra governor the following year, March 17, 2014. Solo, his CKC classmate was his Secretary to the State Government. His accomplishments are to be consolidated by his successor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

Sacking of defecting governor

Earlier this month, an Abuja High Court judge, Mr Justice Inyang Ekwo declared as illegal, the defection of Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and his deputy, Dr kelechi Igwe from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The court made the order on a judgment on a suit filed by the PDP seeking the removal of Umahi and Igwe from office. At a press conference in his state capital, Abakaliki, Umahi berated the judge, adding that the judgment was bought . he said he would not respect the court order. The governor said, “We are alarmed how misery and desperation could navigate some politicians to offer themselves as willing tools to enemies of Ndigbo, just to destabilize Ebonyi State and set the state on fire. This court judgment will not see the light of day.” Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is on this same page with Umahi. In a statement issued to the media, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, secretary- general of the organization, dismissed the ruling as a miscarriage of justice and “a black market judgment.” He believes that the ruling was aimed at creating havoc and chaos in Ebonyi State and an attempt to take over the reins of power in the state through the back door. Before then, Justice Ekwo had ruled that the crux of the suit was the defection of the governor and his deputy from the PDP to the APC. The judge said the declarations of the third and fourth defendants did not address the issue of defection rightly and frontally but rather general denial and affidavit evidence. Justice Ekwo said the depositions of the defendants in their counter—affidavits were evasive and insufficient to completely challenge the plaintiff’s originating process. He said that the immunity clause in section 308 of the Constitution is not absolute. Section 308 is a veritable Constitutional shield but not for political reasons. The court said umahi and Igwe did not controvert the deposition that the total votes scored in an election belonged to a political party. The judge said Umahi and his deputy cannot transfer PDP votes to APC because there was enough evidence that the APC contested the Ebonyi State governorship election held in March 2019 with its own candidates. Consequently, the court declared that under the democratic system operated in Nigeria, PDP won the majority of votes during the election and was entitled to enjoy same till end of tenure of office for which the election was made. The judge therefore restrained Umahi and Igwe from parading themselves as governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State. In another judgment, the judge sacked 15 members of the Ebonyi state assembly who defected from the PDP to the APC on the same grounds the governor and his deputy were removed. The Guardian agrees with the ruling. The judgment is a true reflection of the Constitution and the Electoral Act. It is perfidious for the defendants to abandon the PDP that sponsored them in 2015 and 2019 elections. We who believe honor should underpin the conduct of political office holders are horrified and embarrassed by the spate of defections by leaders we look upon for examples of decency. The Ekwo verdict will deepen democracy and curtail the excesses of politicians, especially lawmakers who jump from one party to another. Citing precedents from similar statutes from Common Law countries such as in the USA and the Commonwealth of Nations, the American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, the law is what a court says, not what is written in the books. Also, let the precedent that says, “Let the pronouncement of a judge stand where a lacunae in the law could have been left out of mischief.” Defection used to be called carpet crossing; it is now called defection. It was used in 1954 by the Action Group to deny Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe the chance to become Premier of Western Region. It has now become the defining characteristic of Nigerian politics. It is now a way of life of the Nigerian politicians who see it as a clever way of rewarding themselves without efforts. Hopefully, other judges will find courage in this judgment by upholding it up to the Supreme Court whose chief justice was removed via a non-judicial officer code of conduct tribunal chairman. Let the judiciary help rescue governance from the irresponsible actions of unscrupulous politicians who think moving from branch to branch like monkeys is pragmatic politics. Nigerian politics is in a mess because our big men refuse to play by the rules. Nigeria is in shambles because we are all complicit in the raping of the Constitution and the continued hacking at the pillars of democracy by men entrusted with both the moral and legal duty to protect them. Law should not be divorced from morality. The behaviors of these political harlots are deleterious to the growth of democracy and party politics in this country. Defection is a worm in the apple of our politics, it should be destroyed. Since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, defection became so rampart that it nearly ruined President Buhari’s re-election in 2019. No single political party registered by the departing military regime has remained the same. Politicians have crossed carpet back and forth to the extent that the majority of Nigerian politicians have changed parties more than twice. The reason for defection has been dubbed stomach infrastructure which translates to using politics to make money, not to serve the people. Defection is a malaise with the capacity to spread its poison to all things political and decent. It fosters impunity and corruption. Let the judiciary extinguish it now before it make another military takeover inevitable. Just like the weakening of the tribes through the creation of unviable states, it is yet another entity left to promote the domination of one ethnic group by another in the federation. It is because of defection that Nigeria cannot build political parties around a well defined ideology intended to promote economic and social development. In Nigeria today, we are just using politics for making a living. Even the blind knows that defection is dangerous to our unity, it promotes nepotism. By making the Ekwo judgment to stand, it will represent a milestone in our statute books and the means of rescuing Nigerian governance from scoundrels.