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Happy people happy nation

The
wife of the outgoing Greek ambassador, Mrs. Eva Dafaranos, was quoted
as having said the following about her experience in this country:
“When I came to Nigeria…I said to myself: the Nigerian people are so
happy. There is something different about Nigeria; no matter the
diversity, the people are happy. They are kind to each other and they
believe in God. I feel Africans and Nigerians are the best of the human
race.” This characterisation brings to mind a similar one made by the
former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros
Ghali,who is said to have called Nigerians the happiest people in the
world and would wish to be born a Nigerian, were he to have a second
life. The BBC also reported in October 2003 that a study of more than
65 countries suggested,“the happiest people live in Nigeria”.

When those
statements were made years ago I felt rather good about them, believing
that they paid tribute to our resilience as a people, able to keep
their spirits up even in rather trying circumstances.

We’re obviously a
fun-loving people, drumming and dancing, seeking every opportunity to
throw a party, and apparently quick to shrug off whatever problems
assail us as God’s will. Life must go on.

This time around,
however, reading Mrs. Dafaranos’ declaration, I felt very bad indeed,
almost insulted. Six good years have gone by since 2003, and I wonder
if that characterisation still holds – or indeed, whether it is proper
for it to still hold. Those of you reading these lines, are you happy –
truly happy – about our current situation as a country?

Actually, I hold no
grudge against Mrs. Dafaranos; I am sure she is paying us a sincere
compliment. The problem is, I wonder whether this might not actually be
an indictment on us? That is, with all the difficulties facing us now
as a nation, we still come across as a happy people! Is something wrong
somewhere?

To my mind, there
are at least two ways to explain this phenomenon. The first is that
such characterisations might be based more on observations made on the
minority, party-throwing Nigerian population. After all, which category
of Nigerians do ambassadors hobnob with? Certainly not the ordinary
people on the streets! I am not sure that happiness is so easily
discernible on the face of the labourer struggling hard to eke out a
living, going home to his family of five at the end of the day with
less than the equivalent of one dollar in his pocket.

When the minister
of education feels comfortable enough to throw a lavish party at a time
when all the public universities in the nation are closed, then he must
be an incorrigibly happy person. When leaders celebrate their
children’s weddings with sums of money that far exceed the budgets of
federal institutions (hospitals, universities, etc), then they must be
truly happy, for they obviously see themselves as having been so well
favoured by their circumstances (that is, the public positions they
occupy), and they just have to let it be known.

The second possible
explanation might be even more worrisome, for it suggests that we are a
bunch of unthinking people, unable to recognise or feel the gravity of
our situation and act accordingly – and this is not limited to the
leaders or the society’s crème de la crème, sadly. It’s like we’re
morons living in an unreal world, a world of make-believe. We close our
eyes to the reality and continue on our happy-go-lucky way.

Many of us fall
under this category. We readily overshoot our financial abilities when
there’s an occasion to celebrate, mortgaging children’s school fees and
other important considerations in favour of a talk-of-the-neighbourhood
party.

We decide on an aso
ebi that is beyond the reach even of some members of the immediate
family – but they just have to find a way to pay for it, and they do!
People travel five hundred kilometres in ramshackle buses on terrible
roads for the burial ceremony of their boss’ friend’s husband’s
grandfather, telling themselves that they absolute have to be there.
Some of us cannot survive a party-less weekend; we are addicted to
pleasure – and the country might fall apart if it pleases! I wonder,
how did Ghana manage to turn things around for itself – by pursuing the
happiness road? I remember that when I was an undergraduate in the
seventies some Ghanaian students once came for the West African Games
and their situation was so pitiful, we had to contribute money to buy
soap, toothpaste and other basic needs for them to take back home.

Now, thirty years on, Nigerian children are applying to study in
Ghanaian schools because we have chosen to leave our own educational
institutions to rot. And I’m being told we’re a happy people! A version
of this article was first published on July 23, 2009

Opinion

Time to reform the PDP

Time to reform the PDP

For most of the past eleven years, the Peoples Democratic Party has held sway over politics in Nigeria. The party, which has controlled the federal government since 1999, also produced a majority of the state executives – thus cementing its hold on the nation.

Buoyed by the attendant access to national resources that this engenders, young and wizened politicians thought it best to join the ruling party and hide under its sturdy umbrella to nurture their ambition. Its leaders, unmindful of the dangers of hubris, have also taken to boasting that the party – the largest party in Africa, according to its promoters – will continue to provide the leadership for the country in the next 60 years.

On current assessment, though, that might actually sound wildly optimistic. The party is currently locked into an internal struggle that might either remake it or mar its continued existence. Of course this is not the first crisis the party has undergone.

The party has always, over the past couple of years – especially when elections were around the corner – revealed a predilection for eruptions as its gaggle of big men and women struggle with the need to subsume their ego for party discipline.

Of late, some of those who left the party in a huff over their defeat in the run-up to the last election have started retracing their steps back. The most nationally significant of these being former vice president,

Atiku Abubakar who is leading his band of supporters back into the party.

So, the party appears to be gaining further strengths. But in this also lies its weakness. The fabled large tent of the party is now struggling with coping with the large crowd huddling under it. The party is in turmoil and unsure how to accommodate the mostly conflicting needs of its many factions.

The leadership appears to be smack in the middle of the road that these new interest groups need to pass – and it thus being stream-rolled. The national chairman of the PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor is fighting a personal battle to hold on to both his post and his liberty. On Monday, he lost a legal challenge to his arrest and trial by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged misappropriation of millions of naira. A conviction could send him to jail for years.

One of the most coherent forces against the PDP national leadership is led by a disparate group of individuals united mostly by their disdain for the leadership of Mr. Ogbulafor and his team. These include people such as former Senate president, Ken Nnamani and a former Speaker of the House,

Bello Masari, former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili and his former campaign director, Aleigho Dokpesi.

These politicians, who have recently been suspended by the party, say their goal is to reform the party and make it more responsive to the needs of Nigerians. There are, however, dark mutterings that this might mutate into the breakaway of the group to form another political party. This appears far-fetched; but the PDP could benefit from a well-structured reform pushed by its members if this is well intentioned.

Which is exactly where the worry lies. More hard headed analysis would show that all this commotion is little better than posturing and scheming for relevance ahead of next year’s national election. This would mean that rather than a belief in the high minded speeches they have been delivering, members of the reform group want nothing better than a smoother access to the feeding trough for themselves and their followers. Incidentally, this appears to be the assessment of the Ogbulafor-led executive of the party.

No matter. The fact that there is a very visible division in the perception of leaders of the PDP on which direction the party should follow presents immense opportunities for positive-minded members of the party (no sniggering here) to come together and inject a more civic orientation into the activities of an organisation that is tagged with the slightly demeaning title of People Deceiving People party.

Because of its size and reach, the goings-on within the PDP matter to Nigeria. The acting president, who is also the party’s number one member, should step into the party’s fray to forge a more responsive body out of this behemoth. It makes little sense to talk grandly of ensuring electoral reform at the national level when the nation’s biggest party is in thrall to the politics of gangsterism and opacity.

Nigeria’s political system is no doubt in need of reform. One place to start is within the PDP.

Opinion

Letter to my unborn child

Letter to my unborn child

Author’s note: If there was a competition on my personal blog for which of the articles out there is my magnus opus, this particular one
would in my not so humble opinion would be very high on the list. It was
written at a point in my life when I was going through what I now know to have
been the only heart break I have ever suffered. All the previous ‘heart breaks’
were nothing more than puppy love issues as compared to that one. Whereas when
I suffered heart break back in UNIBEN, the only effect really was to go a
little mental, but recover as soon as the next pretty face strolled along, and
they were not in short supply, in this case, I lost almost 10 kilos in weight,
lost a whole lot of sleep, was made redundant at work (was it because of the
recession or because of her?), and was for a brief period of time engulfed in a
level of hatred that I frankly did not know I was capable of. Thankfully as
things pan out, I have managed to move on from all of that.

What reminded me of
all that was a conversation I had with a friend this morning. He is in exactly
the same situation, and seeing it eating him up was pathetic to say the least.
Uwa my guy, there are only two reactions in such a situation, either you bend
or you break. It would be most unfair for you to let this break you, so bend a
little, then shape up, wax lyrical, and life has to go on. We dey your back…

My son, you do not know me yet. But there is time for that to
change after you are born. My name is Chxta, I am your father. I am writing
this down as my testament to you, a few words of advice to dispense, just in
case I forget to do it whenever the time comes. That I may forget to do it
serves as my first lesson to you. Yes son, I am fallible. Just like any other
human out there. I will make mistakes over time, you will be disappointed in me
once in a while. But like you are going to be, I am only human, and making
mistakes is the most fundamental human right there is out there. What really
matters is the person’s acceptance of his mistake, and more importantly, his
determination not to repeat that mistake. So, whenever I make those mistakes or
do things that are not in line with what I have to say now, bear in mind that I
want you to do as I say, not as I do.

Over the
years I have quietly observed a lot about people, and the world we live in. And
I have come to the conclusion that life is indeed worth living. The only
problem with it however is that you only have one, one that will be full of
mistakes and thus regrets, but one that will also be full of achievement and
thus joy. Try to live so you have more of the latter.

Make every
effort to enjoy your youth, so that you won’t grow up with regrets. The best
time in your father’s life so far were his undergraduate years. Those should be
yours as well, so you have some time to wait yet. However be careful to avoid
excesses, and above all take your studies seriously. A good education is the
only safety net you will ever have. Be mindful to have a complete education
though, a complete education encompasses everything you learn, not just the
school curriculum. Always remember that whatever certificate you might receive
in life would read that you were found worthy in ‘character and learning’. Note
that the character always comes before the learning…

Always plan
ahead. But whenever you plan keep two things in mind, firstly always try and
make alternative plans. As religious people say, ‘man proposes and God
disposes’. Again always keep in mind lessons learned from previous successes
and failures. There are bound to be failures in life as there are bound to be
successes. But remember that you can never know where you are headed if you
don’t know where you are coming from. And then again, there is no point living
life if you don’t have a solid idea of where you are headed. In making plans
never underestimate the value of intelligence. There aren’t many truer sayings than
‘to be forewarned is to be forearmed’. The real value of knowing all there is
to know about a potential foe or situation is that when things go wrong as some
surely will, you will not so much as not be shocked, but you would be in a
better position to absorb the shock.

Sometimes I
will not follow you, your siblings and your mother to church. This is not
because I don’t believe in God, I believe He is there alright. Rather it is
because my Bible starts and stops at Matthew 7:12. The ethic of reciprocity.
You must always bear in mind that you are what you are because of all the other
people around you and nothing else. If they were any less, you would be less,
and if their circumstances improve, so would yours. Keep that in mind and
always be good to the people around you. Your father is no masochist, so he
would never go out of his way to cause pain to anyone around him lest the
person turn around and hurt your father as well. Those are lessons that I
learned quite a while ago. Be nice to people, always offer to help in any way
you can. Don’t offer to help when you can’t do what is needed, don’t offer to
help when it would spite you. Whenever you help, do not forget that you helped
such a person. If the person turns around someday and spurns you, know then that
you are a better person, but never entertain thoughts of vengeance. Nothing
wears down a man more. Always be grateful, and never hesitate to express your
gratitude. Remember, as simple as it sounds, the words ‘thank you’, go a very
long way in making someone repeat a feat of assistance to you. More importantly
though, your actions in expressing that gratitude go even longer. Never demand
assistance. If it comes, don’t spurn it. If it doesn’t shrug your shoulders and
life goes on.

Make new
friends, but keep the old ones. One is silver, and the other is gold. Never
forget that. Be loyal to your friends. True friendship is more important than
all the gold in Fort Knox, and let the friendship flow from you. You don’t have
to wait for the next person to always make the first move. Ensure that your
friends’ problems are your problems. That way when you have problems they would
be their problems. Try not to keep enemies, but sometimes that can’t be
avoided. Make sure that your enemies are also the enemies of your friends.
Always be truthful to your friends. However, try and have the wisdom to know
when to be economical with the truth. It may be better on some occasions to be
economical with the truth as that would help the situation a lot more than the
blatant truth. Never tell a barefaced lie. That only complicates matters more.
Hang on desperately to the friends who improve you as a person. Those who don’t
improve you, keep at arm’s length. Even though I asked you to strive as much as
you can to keep your friends, some would prove themselves not worth having as
your friends. Give such people as long a rope as you possibly can, and when the
rope has grown too long, cut it, but never look back in anger.

Make sure
you learn a language other than that which we will speak at home. Make sure you
learn as much as you can in that language. Also make sure that you learn the
basics of as many languages as you possibly can. There is no telling if the day
would come when a simple knowledge of the question, ‘quo vadis?’ would
be all that stands between you and a lynching. Learn Igbo. It is the language
of your father, his father before him, his father before him, his own father
before him, und so weiter…

Love
completely and like a fool. You will meet girls as you grow up, you will be
infatuated with some, but you will fall out of it. This thing called love is a
placebo, and when you are on the other side of it, it hurts terribly. Never
forget that. Always keep in mind however that the really tangible things in a
relationship are respect and care. Any other physical yearning will diminish
given time and lack of proper care. As a man however, when you are in love,
give your all completely. Don’t hold back, don’t expect anything in return. If
you fall victim of unrequited love, hang on for as long as you can, then like
in all other relationships, walk away without looking back. Nothing destroys a
person’s confidence more than unrequited love. If you are lucky to find someone
who loves you back, walk in the air and return her love completely. There is no
greater feeling than when you are with a girl and you know that she belongs to
you completely. I know that because your mother loves me completely. Do not
under any circumstances think that ‘complete’ love cannot die. Like a plant
that is denied of nourishment, it would die. If fed, it would flourish. This is
a topic I won’t dwell on however because it is full of contradictions. Two
things you must take away from it however are these, first true love between a
man and a woman comes only when you have learned about the baggage which she
carries, and are able to accept that she has that baggage, and put up with it.
The second thing you must understand is that there with one exception, there is
no such thing as unconditional love. The one exception is the love a mother
feels for her child at the moment of birth, the one she will feel for you on
that day in the not too distant future when you are born. Even the love of God
which the religious people will tell you about has strings attached; if you
mess it up, He will burn you in hell for eternity.

NEVER keep
secrets. There aren’t too many more correct statements than that of Tigran
Petrosian, ‘there is more deception in chess than in poker, but while in poker
you hide your hand, in chess everything is out in the open’. Live in such a way
that no one can use some dark secret against you in future. However even with
all that openness, learn what is most valuable, and keep that close to your
chest. Always speak your mind. That way you will have a clear conscience and
you will sleep better at night. People will ridicule you for it, some will make
statements such as ‘you talk carelessly’, but as your father can tell from his
own experiences in life, when the chips are down they will seek your counsel.
There is something in the human being that appreciates brutal honesty.

Keep at the
back of your mind that he who must have peace must be ready for war. With that
in mind, never back down in the face of provocation. However, always be mindful
that YOU, not your adversary should be the one to select the time and place for
the fight.

Eat healthy.
My body has felt a lot better since I began to cut down on the junk, so would
yours.

The next one
is one that I’m only beginning to come to terms with, image is everything. Be
mindful of your appearance. The way you are dressed will be the way that you
are addressed. Always be neat and well manicured. It will open doors.

Never be
afraid to show off your knowledge. If people around you do not like the fact
that you are more knowledgeable than they are, direct them to the nearest
toilet with the appropriate instructions on how to insert their heads inside
the bowl.

The last I
can think of now my son, and extremely important: don’t watch football. That
game has an evil spirit, and your father is possessed. I don’t wish that on you
my son, my IfeChukwude. I love you son.

P.S: Another letter to the boy for reference.

Opinion

A true highlife veteran

A true highlife veteran

There is a saying
that old soldiers never die. Rather, they simply fade away. Old
musicians also never die. The best of them mellow like very good wine
and, their music; as they grow older, can be quite intoxicating to
genuine fans. They pack so much experience, loaded with a storehouse of
emotions that span many decades, to overwhelm listeners and solicit
their heart-felt appreciation. One such musician who perfectly
demonstrates this reality of musical longevity and acumen is trumpeter
Afro John Odigwe.

Born of a Benin
mother and an Agbor father, his musical career started in 1957, after
his primary school education; at St. Paul’s Seminary in Benin City
where he was taught music by Irishman Father P. J. Kelly (later
Bishop), the then Head of the Seminary Diocese. The young John Odigwe
became a member of the church band. His initial ambition was to become
a Catholic priest but “diverted to become a teacher.” He also
literarily abandoned church music “because it was not paying and I
wanted to earn money as a professional musician.”

Now 71, Afro John
Odigwe, a seasoned Highlife-music trumpeter, leads his band in live
performance every Thursday night at the Hexagon Entertainment Centre
along Golf Course Road in Benin City. He has been at the Hexagon for
just over two years in a long musical career that has now clocked 41
years. You name them and trumpeter Afro has played with them – the best
Nigerian Highlife bandleaders across the country – and he enjoys the
pride of having been a member of their bands when they recorded the
mega-hits usually associated with them.

Fela and Rex Lawson

He started off with
Fela Ransome Kuti in Ibadan in 1967 during the Civil War; and moved to
Lagos with Fela’s band that included Henry Koffi on three-membrane
congas, Tony Allen on drums, Igo Chico on tenor saxophone, Lekan
Animashaun on baritone saxophone, amongst others. He recalls that Fela
who then was still playing the trumpet as well as the keyboards, taught
him “some keys on trumpet.” Strangely, they were not paid salaries, but
were given accommodation and fed. He left Fela in 1968 and joined
Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson as the second trumpeter and stayed until 1971,
again learning more about the trumpet from Lawson.

Not surprisingly,
he still holds these trumpeters and bandleaders in high esteem. “Of the
many trumpeters in Nigeria then, both were top trumpeters and
outstanding,” he recalls, adding that, “Jim Lawson was a raw highlife
specialist while Fela was an Afrojazz-Highlife specialist.” His musical
legacy with these bandleaders is that he recorded mega-hits like ‘Water
No Get Enemy’ with Fela and, ‘Love Adure’, ‘Mama Dey For Kumba’,
‘Udaja’ with Lawson and his Rivers Men Band.

Celestine Ukwu and Victor Uwaifo

Another unique
Highlife musician and bandleader Afro is proud to have played with is
xylophonist Celestine Ukwu and his Philosophers Band, based in Enugu.
“Celestine Ukwu was the lead singer and I learnt how to play and sing
his numbers. Celestine, Lawson and Fela were great and gifted original
composers, that is why they had so many hits that are still evergreen
today. I recorded the hits ‘Ijenu’ and ‘No Condition is Permanent’ with
Celestine Ukwu. They were simply the best composers because they were
very original. There used to be a lot of competition amongst Highlife
musicians and Rex Lawson came out first. Lawson’s ‘Love Adure’ was a
gold disc while Ukwu’s ‘Ijenu’ was a silver disc.”

Afro John Odigwe
can also be classified as a musical journeyman. He has played with
Victor Uwaifo, played on the same bill with the great Ramblers and
Black Beat bands from Ghana; and his last gig was with Eno Louis.

Highlife survivor

That Afro John
Odigwe plays the trumpet and sings sitting is as a result of a horrific
accident when Eno Louis’ band was travelling to fulfil a booking.
Invariably we get around talking about the occupational hazards of
Nigerian musicians as they zigzag across the country. “Celestine Ukwu
died in an accident at nine-mile in Enugu, Rex Lawson died in an
accident at Uronigbe near Agbor and Erasmus Jenewari died in an
accident in his new car at Obigbo. God knows why and I thank him that I
survived,” he observes philosophically.

What is his take on
the state of music today? “Most musicians who know the quality of music
have died,” he laments. “The present bands are involved in obituary
music. They play for obituaries and not in clubs anymore. That is why
the profession has collapsed.” He is not happy about the welfare of
musicians today. “Music is getting worse because most people that are
able to form their bands are not able to take care of their musicians
like hotel and club proprietors do – Bobby Benson in those days and
Omoregbe Erediauwa of Hexagon now.”

Highlife lives

Is Highlife dead?
“Highlife is not dead. If you go to civilised places like Ghana,
Highlife is still recognised and respected because Nkrumah had a School
of Music and, he gave prominence to Highlife. People in Nigeria are not
able to cope with the standard of the old seasoned musicians. People
now play Kokoma music which is a watered-down version of Highlife. Some
have diverted. I bring back memories of music on which older people
were brought up. Young people are not interested in Highlife. Even if
they can play instruments they cannot compose; and because of their
inexperience they only go for the music that is in vogue to earn money!”

Sadness and joy

Afro John Odigwe’s
band at the Hexagon has another old timer; 68-year old drummer Joe Uba,
a fantastic energetic drummer with vast experience including a stint
with Eddie Okonta. His ace guitarist, Splendour, has grown in the mould
of great Highlife guitarists like O.K.Jazz Otaru and was formerly with
Lagbaja. He attributes the fact that his band is tight and very
knowledgeable about the Highlife genre to the fact that “they have been
coached.”

Odigwe believes
that it is no accident that most of the Highlife greats “sang and
played in their personal language and rhythms. Rex in Ijaw, Uwaifo –
Edo, Celestine – Ibo, Olaiya – Yoruba and Fela started in Yoruba.
Everybody is playing in their dialects; Ghanaians too, although a few
Nigerians and Ghanaians sing in English.” Although he has composed at
least half-a-dozen songs he is yet to record them. At the Hexagon he
takes his listeners down the memory lane of Highlife’s golden age.
“They want us to play the old Highlife exactly as it was played
especially on the hit records. Some people might cal us copycats but
they still appreciate how well we play the old Highlife because we were
part of the bands that recorded these hit Highlife songs.”

Any regrets? “I regret I have no band because I cannot afford
instruments. I regret because I should have been better known.” However
when Afro John Odigwe raises his trumpet to his lips or sings into the
microphone, he continues to produce sounds of joy!

entertainment

ASSEMBLY WATCH: Gbajabiamila and the House leadership

ASSEMBLY WATCH: Gbajabiamila and the House leadership

Something
rather strange happened on the floor of the House of Representatives
last Wednesday. Olufemi Gbajabiamila, the Action Congress leader
stirred the hornet’s nest when he accused the leadership of leading the
lower chamber to act against the opinion of Nigerians.

“One of the
problems of the leadership of this House today is that many members are
saying while Nigerians are going this way, the House is going the other
way,” the lawmaker said, as the debate on the constitution review
re-opened at the plenary session presided over by the deputy speaker,
Usman Nafada.

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
comment was sequel to his discovery that a clause, which had to do with
the appointment and removal of the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in the report of the ad-hoc committee on
the review of the constitution, had been tampered with.

Although a member
of the ad-hoc committee, the lawmaker was not aware of the change made
because he was absent at the Kaduna and Makurdi retreats of the
committee where final touches were put on the report.

Expectedly, the comment generated anxiety in the House.

Some of his
colleagues, led by Halims Agoda and Bala Na’Allah, demanded an apology
from Mr Gbajabiamila as, according to them, he had ridiculed the
leadership. Some members shared Mr Gbajabiamila’s views, but others
merely booed; almost throwing the session into rowdiness. Mohammed Ali
Ndume, his ANPP counterpart, came to his rescue by apologizing on his
behalf; but members refused to accept it, threatening the Lagos
lawmaker with punishment.

Mr Gbajabiamila,
eventually withdrew the statement; but he insisted that he stood by it,
thereby causing more confusion and anger.

The legislator
seemed to have spoken the minds of many of his colleagues, however. A
trained lawyer, who represents Surulere federal constituency of Lagos
State, Mr Gbajabiamila ranks among the few lawmakers who speak
fearlessly and frankly on national issues as well as those concerning
the House. His contributions to debates on the floor of the House are
not only sound but convincing. He has demonstrated this in the last
three out of the seven years he has been a member of the lower chamber.

On some occasions,
the almost 48-year-old Mr Gbajabiamila is perceptibly belligerent and
combative – thereby lending to the suspicion that he is an activist of
sorts.

Interestingly, Mr
Gbajabiamila made his latest comment against the leadership at a time
the 360-member House was polarized over threats to sack the Speaker. A
day earlier, there was allegedly a plan by some members to remove the
Speaker from office over poor leadership style. Others also alleged
financial impropriety on the part of the young speaker. Although, there
was clearly anxiety over the plot, allegedly hatched by the Nigeria
First Forum (NFF), a pressure group in the House, no finger was raised
for a motion of no confidence on Mr Bankole and the leadership when the
House reconvened its plenary session on Tuesday after the Easter break.

Crack in leadership

The Forum, an
umbrella of lawmakers sympathetic to Goodluck Jonathan, had debunked
media reports that it was moving against Mr Bankole, largely perceived
as Umaru Yar’Adua’s acolyte. Even after three executive sessions in a
row where the development was reportedly discussed, members of the
group still claimed they never broached the subject of removal at its
meeting. They, however, confirmed that they were averse to the
Speaker’s leadership style, a view akin to that made by Mr Gbajabiamila.

Could the Lagos
lawmaker have spoken the mind of the group? Or was it a mere a
coincidence that he made his statement at the time the group members
were agitating?

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
direct attack may go beyond the issue of constitution review. He
attends meetings of the leaders and interact with them. Perhaps, he
could no longer stomach them. He is obviously in pains, but perhaps
because of the principle of collective responsibility, he cannot say
all he knows. But one thing is certain: this allegation is the
beginning of discomfort in the House and nobody can tell how it will
end until the tenure of this crop of lawmakers ends in June next year.

Lawmakers seek new foreign policy

Lawmakers seek new foreign policy

Nigeria’s foreign policy, which has
anchored on African relations for 50 years, should be reviewed and
replaced with a more citizen-friendly framework, the House of
Representatives told new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia,
on Monday.

Umar Bature, the House Foreign Affairs
committee chairman, said half a century after independence, the nation
should reconsider the thrust of its policy which has in revolved about
African issues, with very little consideration provided for Nigerians,
mostly those abroad.

“Aware of the challenges, we should
refocus and sit as a country and ask ourselves what policy we have had
after 50 years. What has it benefitted us?” he said at the committee’s
first meeting with the Minister yesterday.

The call comes weeks after the Acting
President, Goodluck Jonathan, announced during his visit to the United
States that his administration is considering establishing a Diaspora
Commission to coordinate government responses to needs of Nigerians
abroad.

The commission already considered by
the lawmakers under a separate Diaspora committee headed by Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, has advanced through the public hearing stage. Ms.
Dabiri-Erewa, also on Monday at a separate meeting with the Minister,
said Mr. Jonathan’s declaration was “heart-warming, although
unexpected.” The committee chairman, Mr. Bature, and other members of
the committee, blamed the failure in the nation’s foreign policy over
the years on those implementing them. “We think there is a disconnect
between the policy and its implementation,” Mr. Bature said.

Mr. Ajumogobia, and the Minister of
state in the ministry, Aliyu Hong, met separately with the two
committees yesterday on a courtesy visit, weeks after they assumed
leadership of the ministry formerly headed by Ojo Madueke.

The committee members praised the team
for the visit, which they said distinguished the new Ministers from the
immediate past and assured them of support.

Running battle

The lawmakers said they had a season of
disagreement with Mr. Madueke whom according to them, rebuffed many
inquiries from the legislator into his stewardship.

“We have always thought of this
ministry as the most important because it carries the image of Nigeria
abroad,” said Davis Sekonte, a member from Rivers state.

“But for the past three years, this
important ministry has been run without adhering to its policy or
regarding the contribution of the legislature.” Mr. Madueke, the
committee disclosed, consistently refused to cooperate with the
committee in its investigation into the controversial sales of
Nigeria’s properties in Washington and the embassy’s tax failings in
New York, United States.

The Bi-National Commission, recently
adopted by Nigeria and the United States, was signed without the
approval of the National Assembly as required by the constitution,
although the US Congress was part of the deal, lawmakers further said.

“When we took it up with the former Minister, he expressed surprise and tried to defend it,” Mr. Davis explained.

Mr. Ajumogobia admitted the suggestions
for a policy review and spoke of his ministry’s plan to prioritize the
areas of focus, as Mr. Jonathan’s administration pulls through the
remaining less than one year left for it.

He pleaded for better funding for the
ministry to enable it first complete its headquarters building which
has received no allocation in the 2010 budget.

“The National Assembly graciously approved N3.6 billion for the
project last year, but finally it was not to be. The fund was returned
at the end of the year and has no allocation for this year. If nothing
else would be added, let that be re-allocated to the ministry,” he
appealed.

Population Commission launches national education survey

Population Commission launches national education survey

The 2010 Nigeria
Education Data Survey (NEDS) kicked off nationwide on Monday with a
mission to provide information on our nation’s education sector. The
chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Samuila Danko
Makama, who spoke at the launch of the survey in Abuja, said that as
Nigeria strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
policy-makers need reliable data not only about the nation’s social,
economic and health challenges, but also its educational challenges.

“Thus, a survey
which could provide hard numbers about the schooling status of Nigerian
children, for instance, would go a long way in achieving the MDGs,” he
said.

Mr. Makama added
that the commission had signed an agreement with the Research Training
Institute of the United States of America on September 28, 2009, for
the implementation of the survey. Signing the agreement, according to
him, has since thrown the commission into a series of activities to
prepare itself for the main survey field work.

Help the kids

The commission is
also partnering with the Universal Basic Education Commission and the
Federal Ministry of Education on the household-based survey, which is a
follow up to the 2004 NEDS and 2008 NEDS.

The survey hopes to determine factors influencing the enrolment of
children in school, reasons why pupils and students drop out of school,
and find out how much households are spending on children’s schooling.

Major changes in petroleum department and NNPC

Major changes in petroleum department and NNPC

The Director, Department of Petroleum
Resources (DPR), Billy Agha, has been redeployed with immediate effect
and is being replaced immediately by Andrew Obaje, a deputy director in
the regulatory agency.

Mr. Agha’s redeployment is part of a
major deployment exercise cutting across the DPR, the oil and gas
industry regulator, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) and some of its subsidiary companies undertaken by Diezani
Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, which she
announced at the State House Abuja on Monday.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke said the changes
and personnel movements are with a view to “greater efficiency in line
with the aspiration of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, for the
oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”

Mostly affected in the redeployments
are high ranking personnel in the two organisations, particularly in
the NNPC where some group executive directors (GEDs) and subsidiary
managing directors and group general managers were given new portfolios.

Under the new arrangement, Mr. Agha
moves from the DPR to the NNPC as GED, Engineering & Technical
Services, while Aminu Baba-Kusa, former GED, Commercial and Investment,
becomes the new GED, Special Services.

Also, Attahiru Yusuf, former GED
Corporate Services, moves to GED Commercial and Investment, while
Faithful Abbiyesuku, former GED Engineering and Technology emerges the
new GED Corporate Services. In other categories, Sam Okeke former Group
General Manager, New Business Division of the NNPC swaps positions with
Reginald Stanley the former Managing Director of the Pipelines and
Product Marketing Company (PPMC).

Also, Abiye Membere former Executive
Director Operations, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),
becomes the Managing Director of the company, while Olakunle
Olaosebikan, the erstwhile chief executive of the company moves to the
NNPC New Frontiers on Exploration Services (NFES) under the GED
Exploration, as its new managing director.

Similarly, Morrison Fiddi, former
General Manager, Production Sharing Contracts of the National Petroleum
Investment Management Services, (NAPIMS), the investment arm of the
NNPC is now the new group general manager of the company, while Ayo
Balogun, who earlier occupied that now heads the newly created
International Trading Company (ITCO), as Managing Director. The ITCO
will merge all the activities of HYSON, NAPOIL, and Duke Oil.

Christopher Osarumnwese was appointed
the new group general manager, Human Resources while Godwin Jedy-Agba,
former General Manager, Commercial, Crude Oil Marketing Division, and
COMD. Anthony Ogbuigwe was made the new Managing Director of the Port
Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC). Also Mr. Vodka Mukoro was confirmed
as GED in charge of Gas and Power.

The minister also announced the confirmation of all the GEDs who have been functioning in acting capacity.

Industry operators describe the changes as “very bold”, and
expressed the hope that “the changes will have the desired impact given
the short tenure of this administration.”

Civil society offers help on Ibori’s arrest

Civil society offers help on Ibori’s arrest

As Nigerian security agencies struggle to effect the
arrest of former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, some civil
society groups yesterday pledged to assist the agencies to effect the
arrest.

The groups, under the auspices of the Transition
Monitoring Group (TMG) condemned the refusal of Mr. Ibori to hand over
himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and
pledged to mobilise their members across Nigeria to provide information
on Mr. Ibori’s whereabouts.

“The fact that James Ibori was declared wanted by
security operatives on the alleged scam does not mean that he has been
found guilty of the offence. Hence, it is shameful that he is refusing
to show up for interrogation, despite his consistent claims that he is
innocent,” the TMG said in a statement signed by its chairman, Mashood
Erubami, and secretary, Auwal Rafsanjani.

“Definitely, he must have some skeletons in his
cupboard. TMG and Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria are therefore,
poised to use their networks to join hands with EFCC and security
operatives to intensify their search for his arrest and prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the counsel to the Delta State Elders,
Leaders & Stakeholders Forum (DSELSF), Kayode Ajulo, and the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have called on security agencies to
leave no stone unturned in their drive to arrest the fugitive
politician. Mr. Ajulo specifically blamed the police for the fiasco at
Oghara last week.

The TMG also condemned the actions of the police while trying to arrest Mr. Ibori.

“We detest the uncoordinated gestapo style of the
police operatives in the arrest saga, deploying a detachment of
policemen, including the Assistant Inspector General of Police and the
Commissioner with tens of other policemen to arrest a single suspect.
One would have expected that plain security operatives would have been
on ground to carryout surveillance on the area and the suspect before
the arrival of the police detachment,” the group said.

Police to blame

While condemning the actions of militant youths of
Ogara, Mr. Ibori’s hometown, who prevented his arrest by men of the
Nigeria Police Force, the TMG asked the Federal Government to commence
steps to freeze the former governor’s account.

“As a matter of urgency, Government should consider
seeking courts injunction in freezing all his bank accounts and
confiscate all his alleged illegally acquired assets to cripple him
financially,” the group stated. “When arrested, James Ibori should be
charged for declaring war against the state in addition to the crimes
he is being sought for. It is only the arrest and prosecution of James
Ibori that can make Nigeria to retain its respect in the committee of
nations.”

According to Mr. Ajulo, the Deputy Inspector General
of Police that led the team that had visited Mr. Ibori’s home should be
blamed and questioned for having not carried out the exercise
professionally.

“The DIG must be blamed if Ibori truly disappeared.
Once a court signed a warrant of arrest, it is obligatory for everybody
to ensure its execution. The DIG acted unprofessionally. Why did the
police first ordered the withdrawal of police guiding Ibori? What
stopped them from just asking the same police to come with their
charge?” Mr. Ajulo said.

The APGA, speaking in Lagos, advised the EFCC not to
relent in its efforts to bring Mr. Ibori to book. Nkem Lemchi, the
secretary of the state chapter of the APGA, alleged that Mr. Ibori had
committed a crime against the nation and its people and needed to come
out to answer for it.

“The issue is that this man has committed a crime
against the nation and its people. He should at least come out to
answer for it,” he said. “Ibori should subject himself, instead of
creating barricade that will not solve the problem. If he has nothing
to hide as an individual, he should subject himself to any arrest.
After all, no man is above the law.” he said.

Leader in hiding

Mr. Ibori, one of the 15 national elders of the
ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was declared wanted by the EFCC
over his refusal to appear before the commission. He was summoned to
respond to several allegations, based on ongoing investigations by the
EFCC, including his use of Delta State’s shares in Oceanic Bank to pay
for a personal loan of 44 billion naira he collected from
Intercontinental Bank while he was governor.

The former governor, who has twice been convicted of theft and
possession of stolen materials in England in the early 1990’s, is also
wanted for money laundering by British authorities. His arrest by men
of the Nigerian Police last week Tuesday was repelled by armed youths
in his hometown of Ogara, Delta State. He is still believed to be
hiding there, although some media reports claim he has escaped to Dubai.

Appeal Court adjourns ruling on Joy Emordi’s suit

Appeal Court adjourns ruling on Joy Emordi’s suit

The Court of Appeal
sitting at Enugu, on Monday, adjourned ruling in an application filed
by Joy Emordi seeking a review of its March 25 judgment ordering her
removal as the senator representing Anambra North senatorial district
at the Senate.

The judgment
sacking her from the Senate and replacing her with the All Nigeria
Peoples Party candidate, Alphonsus Igbeke, was, however, yet to be
complied with by the Senate, as Mrs. Emordi was, last week, permitted
to return to her seat at the Senate by the leadership.

The court had, in
an unanimous judgment delivered by Olakayode Ariwola, declared that
Mrs. Emordi was not the rightful winner of the election held on April
29, 2007 and affirmed Mr. Igbeke as the winner. It also directed the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately
withdraw the certificate of return from her and hand it over to the
winner.

Mrs. Emordi, in her
application, sought for a review of the judgment at the Appeal Court,
claiming it ran counter to an earlier judgment on the same election
delivered by the same court in a suit involving her and Jessie Balonwu
of Labour Party on Febuary 10.

Mrs. Emordi’s
counsel, Festus Okoye, also filed another motion asking for the matter
to be referred to the Supreme Court for the purposes of hearing and
direction, saying that it was purely a constitutional issue. Mr. Okoye
argued that whenever a constitutional issue was raised, it ought to be
mandatory for the Court of Appeal to refer such matters to the Supreme
Court for resolution.

The issue to be
decided at the Supreme Court is whether the Court of Appeal had powers
to review or set aside its previous judgment if same were in conflict.

‘Section 295 (3)
makes it mandatory for this court to refer the issues to the Supreme
Court, if any of the parties so request,” he said, saying the issues
revolved around the powers of the Appeal Court rules under section 246
(3) of the Constitution.

However, the
counsel to Mr. Igbeke, M.A. Fagbemi, opposed the motion on the grounds
that the application did not raise any constitutional issues for
interpretation of the Supreme Court. The court subsequently adjourned
the matter after submissions by counsel and said it would communicate
dates for its ruling to the appellants at a later day.

Igbeke out in the cold

Last Tuesday, April
20th, the Clerk of the Senate, Ben Efeturu, prevented Mr. Igbeke, who
was to be sworn into the Senate in replacement of Mrs. Emordi that day,
from gaining entry into the Senate Chamber.

Mr. Igbeke
subsequently addressed a press conference during which he displayed a
certificate of return issued to him by INEC. He faulted the refusal of
the Senate leadership to allow him entrance into the chamber as
initially agreed.

The Senate
spokesman, Ayogu Eze, however, said the denial was on the grounds that
Mrs. Emordi was already seated in the Chamber and the Senate had
received a notice of a court process instituted at the Court of Appeal
by her.

Access to Justice, a Nigerian civil society group, also yesterday condemned the decision of the Senate.

“The decision of
the leadership of the Senate to continue allowing Emordi sit as Senator
of Anambra North Senatorial district is unfortunate and has no rational
legal basis or justification,” the group said. “We fully condemn the
decisions of the Senate leadership to prevent the declared winner of
the Anambra North Senatorial elections from being sworn-in and
undertaking representation of the district.

“The Senate’s decision is further proof that while the government
continues to orchestrate the rhetoric of the rule of law, the rule of
law will always be expendable and subordinated to the primacy of
personal and party interest. The Senate’s decision only serves to place
the nation’s rule of law rhetoric into deeper scorn and disrepute.”