Governor Amaechi of Rivers State and the Politics of Self-Destruction.

The link to an abridged version that appeared on Punch website - http://www.punchng.com/news/ill-stick-to-my-ngf-mandate-amaechi/ :

Preamble!

My advice to Governor Amaechi of Rivers State: Do not assist others to destroy one of your own. No one is in doubt of your requisite knowledge or intellectual wherewithal to lead this country at the highest level. Also, no one is in doubt of your constitutional qualification to run for the highest office in the land. Yes, you have every right to make yourself available as a candidate for the office of Vice President in the fast-approaching 2015 Presidential election, but in doing so, you must take cognizance of the fact that the man you are scheming to destroy and humiliate out of office will not stand aloof and watch your macabre dance in silence. 

Through your actions and utterances since your election as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF), you have succeeded in positioning yourself and rebranding the office as a counterweight against the Presidency to the extent that those who did not accept and will never accept President Jonathan as a legitimate occupant of Aso Rock, now see you as the strongest link to undermining his legitimacy. 

Your Special or Political Adviser, if you have one, should be man enough to advise you that, politically, you are now more vulnerable than the incumbent you want to destroy.  In addition, your own people, the people of the Niger Delta and the entire South-Southerners will never forgive you for stealthily conniving with powerful interest groups to undermine the status and legitimacy of one of your own. Besides, you cannot fight the President of your own political party and expect to win a Presidential election.  You are waging a futile battle against a huge and all-encompassing office - Aso Rock, the Armed Forces, EFCC, SSS, ICPC, and Petrodollar, just to name a few - they will destroy you politically, emotionally, and psychologically. 

As of today, it is all about you and the interests of those who want to undermine the legitimacy of Goodluck Jonathan as the elected President of Nigeria and render him irrelevant in the process. What you are doing to this man under the cloak of NGF is analogous to what Republican members of Congress are doing here in the US to President Barack Obama - opposition, without reservation. It is disgusting, it is offensive, and it is counterproductive. I am truly incensed and personally touched by your thoughtlessness. It must stop for reason and common sense to prevail. 

Learning From History!

This piece is not a judgment on your performance, or lack of it, as the Governor of Rivers State. It is about you as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum and the use you made of the position - marketing yourself as a potent antagonist under the command and influence of President Jonathan's adversaries, even though the two of you are members of the same political party, as well as being indigenes of the same restless and almost forgotten Niger Delta.  

Ask Abubakar Atiku, the Obasanjo ‘Crown Prince in waiting’ who thought he was more powerful and more influential than The Crown and wasted a golden opportunity in the process. As brilliant and strategic as he is, he was humbled and humiliated, and in the end, he limped into political oblivion that he is yet to recover from. You are a witness. 

There is only one Aso Rock and there is only one occupant at a time; you cannot call yourself the King in waiting, no matter how smart or rich you are. You must learn to earn the respect and confidence of the King, especially when you are from the same political party. In his glory and in the face of warranted or unwarranted persecution, you are expected to stand by him. It is about trust and common sense. It is about loyalty, without being subservient. Above all, it is the same corrupt system that brought you in as the Governor of River State that foisted President Jonathan on us. 

Ask Al Gore, who, in an attempt to be 'I Am  My Own Man', turned his back on President Bill Clinton and refused to campaign based on the successful programs that made the Clinton Presidency one of a kind in modern American history. He picked a Vice Presidential candidate who did not bring anything to the ticket, except for the fact that the guy he picked as his running mate was the first and only Senator to stand up on the floor of the US Senate to condemn President Clinton for a sex scandal that was not supposed to be. Also, Al Gore refused to acknowledge his master's political sagacity or seek his public or private support throughout the campaign, even when the master's wife (Hillary Clinton) was coasting easily to a landslide electoral (senatorial) victory in an adopted state (New York). In the end, not only did Al Gore fail to win his own state (Tennessee), but he did not also win in President Clinton's own state (Arkansas). In the process, the President-In-Waiting(Al Gore) gave the Presidency to 'the regular guy' (George Bush), who the majority of the American voters never actually voted for to occupy the Oval Office. 

Governor Amaechi, please tread softly, if you must wear the crown.  Nigerian power game, especially at the Presidential level, is as unpredictable as the tornado season. As a note of caution, do not surround yourself with advisers who are willing and ready to tell you just what you want to hear. "Obasanjo is a nobody without you", that's what they told Mr. Atiku over and over again until he unwittingly ostracized himself from Obasanjo's inner circle. "GEJ is weak"  or "GEJ cannot win the Second Term", that's what they are drumming into your ears right now. Leave that to the voters! That's the number one mistake that most budding politicians (neophytes) in Nigeria do not know how to overcome, especially at the national level. They surround themselves with glorified advisers who dare not counsel the master against treading dangerous paths. Ask James Carville, Paul Begala, Karl Rove, David Axelrod, or David Plouffe how to do it. 

The Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF) as a Shadow Government!

This essay is not about your victory as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF) at the just concluded election. It is beyond that. From day one, you consider the forum as a form of government in exile - a shadow government. NGF is not another opposition party. NGF is not a constitutional or corporate body in Nigeria - it is supposedly a synergy forum, an idea lab for all the participating Governors to tap into and reinvent themselves towards maximizing performance when they get back home. As it has always been, your NGF is about how to make GEJ irrelevant. The people celebrating your victory on social media are the same people who do not want President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa in the first case. 

President Jonathan's presidency is symbolic for so many reasons - reasons I do not want to catalogue here. Chief among them is the fact that for the first time, Nigerians voted a minority candidate in a popular election to be their President. Not just a minority, but a minority from the forgotten region that is the source of Nigerian wealth. I am not by any means making a case that President Jonathan must be the President, come 2015, or in any shape or form endorse his leadership style. My position has always been: let the best candidate win - I am progressive. In the meantime, it is reasonably expected that people privileged to be in the position that you occupy presently should use that position to strategize and work with the President for a better Nigeria. 

You have every right to aspire to become the President of Nigeria, but not by openly and deliberately working to undermine the power, prestige, and position of the incumbent. Nigerian voters voted for him to be their President. Deal with it. Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF) is not an opposition party, and it is not a shadow government or a government in waiting.

That brings us to the main Issue: The Thesis of this Article.

Why is a victory in an NGF Chairmanship election, a defeat of President Jonathan as most people are celebrating on social media? The answer is obvious. It explains the degree of your resentment for the office of the President and the extent you have politicized the position of Chairmanship of NGF to undermine Jonathan's legitimacy as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Indeed, you are the formidable opponent that the President's detractors never had. Truth is NGF Chairmanship does not provide you any platform, constitutional or moral, to mount an unnecessary and unproductive campaign of hatred and calumny against the President and his programs. You may want to know that, if President Jonathan is an outcast (not wanted at Aso Rock) based on the circumstances of his birth (place of origin), invariably, you are susceptible to the same rejection (demeaning ethnic labelling). How long will you continue to play second fiddle? Are you not good enough to be a Presidential candidate? Must you always be content with crumbs falling down from the high table? 

Conclusion!

Granted, President Jonathan is performing below expectations, but given your proximity to power (office of the President), reasonable Nigerians expect you to exploit that proximity for a good cause: integrated governance strategy with the President. Not you. It is about wishing him to fail or calling for a revolution that may not even spare many Nigerians in your position if it does happen. My friend, find ways to work with the President; NGF is not a shadow government or a platform to undermine the Presidency. You frustrate this man, you frustrate every Nigerian in the process. Nigerians are watching. 

Alex Aidaghese
May 26, 2013.

Nigeria is at War: We Must Stand Up and Support Our President.

Introduction!

As the call of the time, it is urgent and reasonably imperative that we put our political, regional, or tribal differences aside, and put our patriotic fervor on full display in support of our President and our men and women in uniform. With that, we are sure of the full realization of the purpose and intent of the state of emergency now in full force in some parts of the country. We must stand in unison, and support, without reservation, the interim emergency regime and the ongoing military engagements focused on liberating the people of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States from the stranglehold of Boko Haram – a religious sect and their sympathizers that neither value human life nor appreciate the virtues of religious tolerance.

In spite of everything, I wholeheartedly empathize with the sect for the death of their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, while he was in Police custody. Unresolved as the circumstances surrounding his death may be, what is not in doubt is the fact that two wrongs don’t make a right. And as things stand today, there is no justification, legal or ethical, moral, conventional or customary, to explain the wanton brutality and gruesome deaths visited on institutions, places of worship, innocent villagers and city dwellers by the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of Nigeria in the past three years.

As at today, the magnitude of Boko Haram's barbaric exploit - the bestiality and depravity inherent in their executions - surpassed the constitutional standard of ‘clear and present danger’ required to elicit declaration of a state of emergency by a sitting President. Therefore,  President Jonathan acted within the limits of his constitutional power as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by declaring a state of emergency in the affected region. 

As I write, more than half of the territory of the state - a state that is part of Nigerian territorial sovereignty - is under the occupation of Boko Haram. Sadly, our citizens in the occupied enclaves are not only exposed to religious genocide but are being subjected to laws that are grossly incongruous with democratic values, and at the same time, patently inconsistent with rights inherent in the sovereign status that we achieved on October 1, 1960. 

Those inalienable rights and democratic values - traditionally and constitutionally inviolate - are currently under siege with the illegal occupation of substantial part of the northern region of Nigeria by the Boko Haram sect. The overwhelming desire to reclaim that stolen joy, that pride of the Borno people, the democratic values and sovereign rights presently held hostage throughout the Middle Belt and beyond, prompted President Jonathan and his administration to declare a state of emergency in the affected states. Sending armed forces to the troubled spots is collateral to the emergency regime.

Reclaiming Our Democratic Values and Rights Inherent in Sovereignty!

A few years ago, Nigerians at home and abroad were regarded by the international news media as the happiest people on earth. Not anymore. In recent times, peace has eluded us on a scale unprecedented in the history of our creation as a nation-state. Kidnapping for ransom is now one of the most lucrative professions in the East and in the South-South regions of Nigeria. In the Middle Belt and in the southern part of Kaduna, counting cadavers has become a daily routine. And Nigerians watch helplessly. In and around Borno State, it is a different, but harrowing a story. The once metropolitan Maiduguri is now in total ruin. 

I am tired of seeing pictures of dead Police officers, lying lifeless, with little or no concern from Nigerians as if they were animals or intruders from a different planet. They were once our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, or cousins.  They were once human. Out of the Police uniforms, they were just like you and me.  

I am tired of seeing pictures of innocent women and children, murdered in their sleep, for a senseless struggle they knew nothing about. I am tired of seeing villages, once reputed for husbandry or thriving fishing trade now completely overwhelmed and dismantled under the pursuit and influence of a belief system that cares less about economic emancipation or enhanced standard of living. 

I am tired of seeing a once vibrant and welcoming city, reputed as the epic center of the famous Kanem-Bornu Empire, now in a state of anomie - in ruin and deserted. That Empire, that vast geographical landscape is now at war with itself - at war with civilization, at war with tolerance, at war with peaceful co-existence and at war with everything that their worthy son, Idris Alooma, labored relentlessly, through war, commerce and diplomacy, to build to international standard. This is not the time to cast blame; it is time to reclaim the lost territory and restore peace in the land.

Analysis!

As a reasonable, objective and well-informed observer/Nigerian, I do not know what else President Jonathan would have done in the circumstance. First, he yielded to the demands of the northern elders and made one of their own, Sambo Dasuki, an excellent and distinguished retired Military Officer, his Security Adviser. Then he agreed to dialogue with the leadership of the sect; and contrary to all expectations, he dangled the offer of amnesty before the cult and their sponsors. Yet, nothing could avail them to disarm. Must we then fold our arms, keep silent in the face of stolen joy and senseless killings as if the resurrection of the dead is happening tomorrow? Life has no duplicate. The dead are gone forever. You may resent President Jonathan if you want, but you cannot afford to trade places with the bereaved.

From all indications, our President did the right thing; not doing anything would have given the sect added impetus to expand their territorial reaches. Not taking action would have given other groups new energy to further their sectarian objectives, believing of course, that amnesty and money are awaiting those who kill and maim in the name of religion. Not taking action would have given the opposition parties and the incoherent online commentators credible talking points to push his ouster or impeachment campaign. Above all, not taking action would have succeeded in placing the people in the affected states in more perilous a situation than they have ever experienced since the inception of the insurgency.

At this juncture, I would like to add that there is nothing President Jonathan did that is inconsistent with the current trends in the global war against terrorism.  (What you are about to read is an emerging Obama philosophy on the fight against terrorism - he is recreating American new approach to the war against terrorism. As always, you  read it here first). Here is how I see it: Presently, the war against terrorism is becoming more about taking the fight to the terrorist haven relentlessly and with devastating impacts by any means possible, and at the same time, placing the terrorists on the defensive, and disorganizing them in the process, accompanied, unavoidably with unquantifiable collateral damage.  The Western Powers, under the leadership of President Obama, have long discarded the preemption doctrine of old. They have gone beyond that. The moment you start propagating terrorism philosophy in your bedroom or on YouTube or inciting hatred and violence towards America and its allies, recruiting people to consummate your diabolical intent,  you have already crossed the threshold. That is a declaration of war on America, its partners, and its interests. You are now an enemy combatant, and as long as you live, you are a target - you cannot sleep, you cannot hide, and you cannot run from the war you've started. Peace will continue to elude you all the days of your life until you are either "droned", captured, or rendered incapacitated. In other words (putting it in Nigerian parlance), "the pikin wey say 'im Mama no go sleep, 'im too, no go sleep." You can run, but you cannot hide. So, taking the fight to Boko Haram's enclaves as directed by President Jonathan, places the sect on the defensive, thus making it more difficult for them to organize or reorganize to continue their killing campaign and their extorted indoctrination of the unwilling unperturbedly as in the past. Therefore, deployment of the armed forces, though coming too late, is the right course of action to take. 

Moving Forward!

As Professor Wole Soyinka would say, “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” If the Borno occupation by the sect is not a tyranny, I wonder what it is. Therefore, all of us must stand with the President and support our Military in their collective commitment to liberate the supposedly free people of southern Kaduna, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, and of Adamawa State from the siege and grip of the Boko Haram sect. The President cannot afford to do less, and as a free people of a sovereign nation-state, we cannot afford to do less, either. We should not give room to partisan political expediency or allow the open hatred of President Jonathan to cloud our sense of judgment, pretending that all is well. All is not well. Members of the opposition parties have every right to argue for alternatives measures, but not one short of objectivity and common sense.  

Finally, the merchants want to go back to their stalls and market their wares. The peasants want to go back to their land and do what they do best - till the soil and grow crops. Students want to go back to their classrooms feeling protected. Nightcrawlers want to hang out at their favorite rendezvous under the moonlight to revel on hindered on their pepper soup, their beer, watching European Soccer and forgetting all the troubles in the world. Also, those who congregate at places of worship - taking their concerns before God and Allah - must be able to do so, with little or no apprehension that a Bike rider is on his way or lurking in the corner to lob IED on them. This is a perilous time, Nigerians – a time we cannot allow to continue. We must stand with our President and support our men and women in uniform in their ongoing sacrifice to restore peace throughout the troubled land. It is a worthy and patriotic endeavor deserving of our unlimited support.

May God Bless Nigeria and may God Bless the good people of Nigeria.

AUTHOR'S COMMENT

A slightly different version of this essay, though rejected by most newspapers and Sahara Reporters, made it to the commentary section of a particular story published by the Punch Newspaper. And when it did, there was an uproar - a stampede sort of. It was the most read with unprecedented commentaries for two days. 100 thumb-ups and about 400 comments, all positive and complimentary. 
Also, exactly three days after the publication of this essay, President Obama had a news conference wherein he defined the evolving strategies and tactics of his administration in its war against international terrorism. And the highlights of his address turned out to be a regurgitation of the approaches that I articulated on this piece.  God is my witness. The President is surrounded by a plethora of advisers who are some of the best and the brightest in their respective professional fields, yet, I am able to say ahead of the time what the President new approaches are on a specific global problem. And that's what motivates me to write the more. 
I am not deterred by grammatical errors, I am encouraged that I have a platform to put my thought process in print and do it accurately for the benefit of the society at large. The fact that I do not have to put all my hope on an Editor of a newspaper to be able to express my ideas before the global audience makes this endeavor the most audacious task I have I pursued in my life. When I am gone to be with the Lord, the World will be able to read and learn the world  (life) I lived. And Nigerians, in particular, will be able to read the ideas put forward by an unheard, uncelebrated visionary who refused to depart this beautiful World with his thoughts. 
By the way, when this Jonathan Essay was published, the opened dereliction of him and his policies on the war against the Boko Haram sect, came to a sudden stop. Some said his administration has a mole in the press. Not at all; I was only standing up for my President at the time when no reasonable voice around him could come with a practical and aggressive defense of him and his policies. 

Inspirational Prayer of the Day

My God, help me surrender my past to you so I can receive the future you have planned for me. Amen

Soludo's Solution Of Anger And Innuendo By Nasir El Rufai | Sahara Reporters

Soludo's Solution Of Anger And Innuendo By Nasir El Rufai | Sahara Reporters  -   

The article attached above is Mr. El'Rufai's response to Professor Soludo's take on his (El'Rufai) Book - "The accidental Public Servant." We post both articles here for your convenience. 

I bought a copy of the book from Amazon, and it was an interesting read. The feud between these two gentlemen is unnecessary. Judging from my reading of the book, I must not hesitate to conclude that both of them served the country to the best of their ability while they were in government. I have no doubt in my mind that given an opportunity to serve in a Presidential capacity, they will do better than what we have seen so far in our leadership since independence.

Disclosure: 

I am an admirer of Mr. El Rufai  I have, on several instances on this Blog stated categorically that he is a Presidential Material. Though my opinion of him - based exclusively on the contents of his book - may have changed, my view of him as a gifted leader, remains the same.  He knows the essence of power and how to use it to achieve further goals. For instance, when Obasanjo and his administration set up the EFCC, they did not provide budget for funding the new agency. There was no provision for accommodation or personnel for the new crime fighting boss (Nuhu Ribadu) to start with. According to Mr. El Rufai,  he had to interpret certain Clauses in his own Bureau of Public Enterprise enabling law in order to be able to arrange for initial funding (loan) for Mr Nuhu Ribadu and the EFCC. He didn't say Ol Boy, "my hands are tied." No, he went ahead, and with the approval of the Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, he made a One Hundred Million Naira loan available to Mr. Ribadu as a take off capital. In addition, he provided him with an office space inside of Bureau of Public Enterprise and about two staffs from his personnel.  That, Nigerians, is my definition of true leadership - ability to make the system works, without regard to whose ox is being gored. So far, no one has disputed that part of the book. So, I take it to be true. That is the way "a man in charge" should behave - innately creative and goal oriented.

A disturbing observation: I cannot understand why Mr. El Rufai is finding it difficult to extricate himself from Buhari's shadow. If he cannot run for President now, there might not be another time.  I understand that he has stupendous wealth and a sprawling property at the choicest area of the Federal Capital Territory. That is not unexpected of a man who was BPE Boss for many years and Minister of FCT for about four years. I cut him some slack because he is a performer. If other Nigerians who acquired sprawling edifices at FCT were as productive as EL Rufai in the offices that held, Nigeria would have been a better place by now.   And as Jesus Christ would say let He who without sin cast the first stone. 

Nasir el-Rufai’s Book as Intellectual Fraud?, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Nasir el-Rufai’s Book as Intellectual Fraud?, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Written by Professor Soludo, reacting to Mr. El'Rufia's Book - "The Accidental Public Servant." 

CommonsenseXpress: Leadership and Motivations in Power*: Straight Talk: Of Boko Haram, Amnesty, and Egalita...

CommonsenseXpress: Leadership and Motivations in Power*: Straight Talk: Of Boko Haram, Amnesty, and Egalita...: PART ONE: PREAMBLE "If Mr. Jonathan was in the past disinclined to negotiate with Boko Haram’s faceless hounds, why is he now heark...

Part Three: Nigeria Can Salvage 2.4m Out-of-school Children, Says UNESCO

Nigeria Can Salvage 2.4m Out-of-school Children, Says UNESCO

If You Are Willing to Invest, We Are Willing and Available to Manage the Investments and Manage the Process - Run the Affairs. Part Three

Please read this story in conjunction with the previous piece, "Why Foreign Investors Shun Nigeria’s Solid Minerals." In essence, if we  commit adequate resources to this sector, the investments would go a long way creating thousands of jobs for presently unemployed Nigerians. In addition, the investments, would to a considerable degree, generate substantial income that would help to eliminate the financial problems that hamstrung our educational advancement over the years.  Gainful employment, without any doubt, would lead to other positive social changes in the society and the overall economy. Is there anyone out there reading this, ready and willing to invest? Let's talk. 

Side Note:
At the time we wrote part one, we didn't know that The Guardian Newspaper was writing a story on the problems in our educational system. Indeed, there is a connection between purposeful exploration/exploitation of our natural resources, creating jobs and funding our education system adequately and making it available to every Nigerian. So, seeing this story and its relevance to the content of our story on "Let's Talk Investment", and the story on "Why Foreign Investors Shun Nigeria’s Solid Minerals", which we categorized as Part Two, we decided to make this the Part Three, as a continuation of the same objectives.

Part Two: Why Foreign Investors Shun Nigeria’s Solid Minerals

Why Foreign Investors Shun Nigeria’s Solid Minerals

If You Are Willing to Invest, We Are Willing and Available to Manage the Investments and Manage the Process - Run the Affairs.  Part Two

Please read this story in conjunction with the next story "Nigeria Can Salvage 2.4m Out-of-school Children, Says UNESCO." Reason being that, if we put our house in order and create the right incentives - security, financing, infrastructural facilities - for purposeful exploration/exploitation activities, we will not only curtail the spiraling unemployment rate, but will make life better for Nigerians via paid employment generated in the investment process.  We concentrate so much on oil and gas, leaving the Solid Minerals sector to poachers. We can do better. Let's invest. We are ready to come home, roll up our sleeves and hit the ground running for an aggressive investment drive in this sector. We have the resources that, if adequately explored, would alleviate considerably, the state of hopelessness in Nigeria, especially regions in the northern part of the country where we currently have varieties of these untapped natural resources. If anyone is reading this and willing to invest, we are willing to commit our brain power, time, and energy to make the investments worthwhile to all the stakeholders – the investors, governments, local communities, and management staffs. This is not a business solicitation; it is a plan of action – a commitment towards transforming Nigeria for good. 

Side Note:
At the time we wrote part one, asking that you partner with us to make the best out of our natural resources, we didn't know that The Guardian Newspaper was writing a story on the problems in the industry. That re-enforces our credibility as well as the importance of the sector in the national economy. It reinforces our motivations and what we set out to accomplish - making education available to every Nigerian and making life worth living through sustainable employment provision via purposeful investment in the natural mineral resources sector. So, seeing this story and its relevance to the content of our story on "Let's Talk Investment", we decided to make it the Part Two, as a continuation of the same process.