Okey Ndibe And The Search For Visionary Nigerians

"I believe that too many Nigerians resort to ethnic baiting precisely because they are so thoroughly impoverished, so ground down, that they must find somebody else to blame. Part of the mutual suspicion between Muslims and Christians arises from the same toxicity of lived experience. The main instigators and profiteers from Nigeria’s malaise thrive when their victims are too engrossed in ethnic and religious hate to recognize their common foes."

"I say let’s go beyond this facile notion that we must choose only between the PDP and the APC. There are lots of other parties out there, some of them founded by progressive and visionary Nigerians. Rather than be detained by the real or ostensible odds and impediments, the enlightened political elements in Nigeria should adopt one of these marginal, fledging parties, and turn it into a vibrant and vital third force in the 2015 elections. It’s going to be arduous, demanding a re-orientation of the pauperized and desperate Nigerians. But it’s a challenge that the class of enlightened Nigerians should not easily ignore. A party that offers a strong critique of the current diseased politics symbolized by the PDP and APC, and puts forward a set of principles for transforming all aspects of Nigeria, is a winning formula. Nigeria needs to be rescued from the tyrannizing hands of the PDP and APC." - Professor Okey Ndibe: Sahara Reporters.

Blogger's Comment:

Standing For Something

When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was leaving for London, England, in furtherance of his educational goal (that was before our independence), he made a declaration before his people that no child of school-going age would have the need to walk for long distance to a tuition free school, when he is back to power. As he promised, the dream or the declaration was implemented to the letter successfully throughout his time in office. 

And at the dawn of partisan politics in the Second Republic, he came up again with the idea of Free Education at all Levels, and it was also a success story in the States governed by the Unity Party of Nigeria. 

Pa Awo, in the style of what Mr. Henry Ford of Ford Motors did with auto engineers, assembled the best and the brightest brains his political party could assemble or consult with in Economics and Strategic Management on how to finance the free education dream. He demanded of his egg-heads to structure a financial package that would make the implementation of his dream or concept a reality. His consultants did, and Free Education at all Level was a success story. 

The dream was his dream, not imposed on him by accident of time. It is on record that when Premier Balewa invited him for a coalition ticket; it was the issue of Free Educational at all Levels, which Balewa was not comfortable with, and which Pa Awo was not willing to jettison for power sharing ticket, that doomed the coalition talk. It was the same story with President Shehu Shagari of the then NPN. Awo wasn't cut out for "accord concord-ale" that won't stand the test of time. Leadership involves standing for something; pragmatism or not, but at least, stand for something.  

Today, can anyone name an authentic progressive candidate at the national level under the flagship of APC? 

Vice President Atiku was Obasanjo Vice President for eight years, a PDP administration. Today, he is a strong candidate gunning for the APC ticket. He is a shrewd businessman and a successful managers of men. He is, above all, a capitalist and a quintessential conservative. How does he fit into APC ideological framework?

Mr. Buhari, a fine retired military General was a Military DICTATOR, who criminalized rights of free speech before his government was toppled in a palace coup. He has no iota of progressive credential. He does not talk progressive and he does not live progressive. He surrounded himself with bootlickers who are known to be overtly antagonistic or resistant of alternative views. Today, Buhari is a leading candidate under the banner of APC.

The indefatigable Chief Tinubu, a stubborn maverick to the core, is having difficulties maneuvering the APC primaries to his advantage or for the good of the party. He has an electable candidate right in front of him, but he is busy chasing after shadow. 

First, he ran after PDP rebels at the expense of a nationwide familiarization tour. And recently, under the cover of darkness, he endorsed the lightweight Tambuwah for the APC presidential ticket. Only for the political prostitute Tambuwah to undeclared his presidential declaration bid in less than a week. Governor Fashola, the most electable candidate under the platform of APC, thanks to Tinubu, is rotting away under-utilized. So, show me the real progressive!

In the opinion of Mr. (Bombastic) Joe Igbokwe, any candidate is better than President Jonathan. Sir, I beg to disagree. APC was not formed as a progressive party just to cast a pictorial difference; progressive attributes must be inherent and non-negotiable. Okey is on target. And I see reason with him.

I had cause to disagree with Professor Ndibe, in his penultimate article few days ago, because the problem with Nigeria, in my view, is leadership intertwined with structural related problems. I beg to add that it is not exclusively the deformities associated with amalgamation. 

If we can correct the abuse associated with the deformities and the structural related problems - the north south divide, the born-to-rule mindset, the monstrosity of the central government, and the secularism factor (separation of religion and state) - I am optimistic that Nigeria will experience greatness again, with the component units exercising certain degree of autonomy. 

That Okey has not taken the pain to explain to Nigerians his ideas of a Nigerian nation-state, or how to define Professor Ndibe's contrived "contraption" is what I find problematic. 

Pa Awo called it "geographical expression", and demanded for a true federalism. When he realized one wasn't in the horizon, he concentrated on developing his western region. 

Balewa on his part, described it as "marriage of convenience", and decided he wasn't ready for independence, because it will lead to second colonization of his own people by southerners who were as at then considerably superior academically. Even when freedom came, he decided to remain in Kaduna. 

Presently, we have a President of Southern extraction who is laboring in vain to detach Nigerian power and politics from the stranglehold of Obasanjo and all the Tukurs of Nigeria. 

So, reading Okey's instant piece on the need for a third force and visionary Nigerians was a welcome relief. Main reason I pulled or deleted my review of his penultimate piece, which, in fact, I wrote in anger.

The Disappearance or Absence of Progressive Narrative!

About a year ago, I wrote about the possibility and the necessity of a third force on this very Blog, when APC leadership team blindly and naively ran after runaway PDP Governors. See "In Search of a Real Political Party", published September 8, 2013. Also, see "The Cluelessness of the Progressives", published April 23, 2014.  They dispensed with the idea of grass-root support system rooted in social mobilization campaign tour as selflessly counseled by progressive commentators in the social media. They rejected the call, arguing that it is strategically more beneficial to align with rebel Governors than embark on a recruitment drive for new followers. And they got burnt in the process. 

Their biggest catch then, today, is their number one nemesis. The same progressive commentators, who rallied round them before and immediately after the formation of APC, are now on their enemy list. APC and their Press Boys were openly and blatantly hostile to the views and opinions of the often maligned diaspora-based-know-it-all-commentators. In any case, the time is now to move forward. 

Indeed it takes the deep to know the deep, just as it takes enlightenment to know the enlightened; nevertheless, until the deep and the enlightened are recognized, identified and supported for noble causes and challenges, that deepness and that enlightenment become nothing, but bunch of uncut imaginations. And that is a task Professor Ndibe has to champion. Given the urgency of the moment, it is expected that progressives who cherish the need for a third force and of its reality should coalesce efforts, with a view to diligently identifying and co-opting the "enlightened political elements" into the new start. The ongoing trend is not sustainable. That is the first start.

Find below some excepts from "In Search of A Real Political party", written and posted on Sept 8, 2013 on this Blog.

Why the Search?

About a month ago, some non-partisan (progressive learning) opinion writers, called on Buhari and APC to embark on a familiarization tour to impress it upon Nigerians why they are better than PDP and President Jonathan. Surprisingly, the response from Buhari supporters was brutally disparaging. By the way, claiming progressives label when you starkly lacked progressive credentials is a hard sell. Thus, making the need for lecture circuit a major priority. Unfortunately, the call was misconstrued, and the timely articles went unappreciated. Consequently, progressive narrative that would have heralded the emergence of APC, suffered stillbirth. 

What Do We Do Now?

Nigeria is not a one-party state. There is the newly registered APC, and from all indications, the leadership of the party will not field a candidate that progressives at home and abroad will rally around with enthusiasm. That is the main concern of real progressives, me in particular. If APC cannot grow out of the shadow of Lai, Buhari, Tinubu and Ikimi, they will continue to encounter problems garnering nationwide acceptance. 

There must be a total, vehement, and unequivocal detachment from what's been. I do believe in my heart that General Buhari has the tenacity and toughness to deal with those stealing our wealth, but whether he has the intellectual wherewithal to carry Nigeria as a country - its people and resources - to a new and enviable level in this modern time, is my doubt. We are not under a Military rule. Nigerians do not want another abusive and intolerant President Obasanjo again at Aso Rock. That's make a nation-wide or campus tour very relevant. He has to talk.

That the core members of the new APC are not, historically speaking, progressives is not the main concern. That they are not strategizing at the moment towards developing a new brand - real progressive with populist narrative, will doom the party. So, one can say without equivocation that it's deja vu all over again. These folks do not know when and how to capitalize on troubling occurrences within their major rival parties to strengthen their messages. 

The Search for the Unknown Force and a New Nigerian.

On a last note, Nigeria will not disintegrate. A third credible force will emerge to battle PDP, given the fact that APC is seemingly lethargic at the moment. In similar vein, it won't be from within PDM or the New PDP - they are already polluted. It won't be the Military, either. Battling PDP in the 2015 may fall on either Independent Democrats or an unknown third force. 

Therefore, Independent Democrats, in their search for a flag bearer, must go beyond the present bunch of discredited leaders who wrecked and corrupted a supposedly great nation. They will have to do a real search for real intellectual/technocrat as Presidential candidate for 2015 to prevent the emergence of the third force.

If they don't, Nigeria will come to a standstill after a brutal and bloody upheaval. At the end of the day, language, tribe, culture, and religion will cease to be of any influence in defining Nigerian oneness as a nation-state. The oppressed will speak in one voice, whether from Kano, Umuohia, Sokoto, Abeokuta, Ewohimi, Asaba, Keffi, Eket, Warri, or Lagos. A true hero will emerge out of the debris to restore sanity, grace, and real leadership to Nigerians at home and abroad.

(President Jonathan can avert a bloody revolution from evolving: it is about true leadership. And that again, depends on whether or not he is willing to send thieving ex-Governors to jail, prevail on bogus Oil Marketers to forfeit their loot and belongings to the Federal Government, stop the large scale squandering of riches in high places, and restore stability in our educational sector).

The fact that the present opposition forces, as highlighted above, are indolent, politically and strategically speaking, is not enough ground for PDP to start celebrating a 2015 victory, because Nigerians are no fools.  Also, that the country is going out of existence as postulated by western organizations, is not happening. Nigeria will remain one country, but with independent component states emerging in the true sense of a true federalism. 

PDP, New PDP, APC, or PDM as presently composed, cannot lead that new beginning - restructuring and openness. They are responsible for the decadence of the past and the uncertainties of the present. The monstrosity of the federal government is not sustainable - there is the need for a great deal of dilution (reducing the power and control of national revenue/resources and institutions by a sitting President). 

It is now left for Independent Democrats to step into the scene, with vigorous populist/progressive agenda, anchored on the principle of one nation one destiny (egalitarianism) under the leadership of an all round intellectual warrior - one who truly espouses the principle of true federalism, sustainable development of our natural resources, and war against official corruption as well as embezzlement of our public funds.  That is the party I am ready and willing to align with. If Independent Democrats fail to live up to expectations, assuming also that President Jonathan did not transform himself, then emergence of a third force cannot be compromised. 

Thank you and God Bless.

Alex Aidaghese - September 8, 2013.

How Boko Haram can be defeated — Col. Umar - Vanguard News

"The Human rights allegations must be investigated and appropriate measures taken to avert hostility between our security forces and civilians. There is need for strong cooperation between our troops and the civilian population they are out to defend."

"To beef up the strength of the military, Umar called on the Federal Government to recall all armed forces personnel in the reserve. It may also consider reabsorbing all able bodied and willing discharged veterans of international peacekeeping operations. There is the need to order back to barracks all security personnel who are currently deployed on non-essential duties for retraining and redeployment to the war front in the North-East."

“We are aware that not less than 20 per cent of our security manpower is deployed for duties as guards and servants to non-entitled serving and retired officers and their spouses. These should be withdrawn and properly redeployed. Without giving away our strength to the enemy, I will recommend that we increase our recruitment and employ only those that are willing to defend the country. This will also make it possible to rotate our personnel to ensure that none stays in the front longer than 12 months per tour." - Col. Umar: Vanguard News Paper.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/boko-haram-can-defeated-col-umar/#sthash.66ukaEMm.dpuf

Olumhense: Misfit/Misfit Leadership, Not Muslim/Muslim, Is What Haunts Nigeria

"The challenge before Nigeria today is the same as it was yesterday: to find a leader who puts Nigeria first.  Nobody who has had no compunction imposing a Misfit/Misfit or a Military/Military menace on Nigeria is qualified to answer this question."

"Statesmen and real leaders look for the best and most qualified to appoint to an office or to encourage for public office.  They think in terms of unity, and never divide the people or suppress their best talents.  They do not use emotion, ethnicity, gender or religion to mystify or manipulate." Sonala Olumhense

BLOGGER'S COMMENT:

Owanlen (Egbon) Sonala, I share your view in good faith wholeheartedly. It is high time we jettison the culture of undue deference to ethnic considerations or religious quota in selecting our public office employees and political leaders. Just as I would willingly endorse a Muslim/Muslim ticket, if they meet leadership test in the eyes of, not just a reasonable man, but that of ordinary Nigerians, I wouldn't hesitate to endorse a Christian/Christian ticket, if they meet the same leadership test.

It is gravelly disheartening that at this point in our political history, a former President of Obasanjo caliber, with all his globally acclaimed elder status and military credentials, is still very much embroiled in pandering to our religious divide. 

I know some readers would readily espouse President Obasanjo's view, arguing he is being realistic, in light of the sectarian insurgency in the past few years. In other words, he is excused, because Nigeria is religiously polarized. That is the narrative they are forcing down our throat. But who polarized it? Mr. Obasanjo and his chosen leaders did. 

It was under his watch that Sharia Law took the center stage in Northern Nigerian legal system for the first time in Nigerian history. In fact, the Sharia initiative was championed by Governors of his own political party, the People Democratic Party.  

His mouthpiece of eight years; the Rabble-rouser-In-Chief, Mr. Femi Fani Kayode, a guy I was beginning to admire of late, has polluted Nigerian social media scene with his antediluvian religious jabs to the extent that the irrepressible Islamic guru, Dr. Gumi, is now being considered a saint.  So far, he has succeeded in branding the major opposition political party, the APC, as the party for Islamic fundamentalists. Is Obasanjo concerned about that? Not at all. In the words of late Pa Awo, show me your friend, and I will tell you who you are.

President Obasanjo has been the main story, the dominant character within the Nigerian leadership landscape since the end of the civil war. 

Adherents of the various religious groups gravitate towards religion and religious divide for, sad to say, unreachable salvation and unreachable economic emancipation because political leaders are deficient in true leadership attributes. And Obasanjo is a quintessential component of that leadership class. 

That this man nurses resentment towards the bold, the smart, and the beautiful is no exaggeration. His paid advisers called him Baba. Those who were not overtly subservient were branded enemies of the State. Vice President Atiku, the best prepared Presidential aspirant since the death of Pa Awo, is still paying for his complicity in challenging or collaborating to impede Obasanjo's third term gamble. 

Nigerians want uninterrupted power supply, uninterrupted academic calendar, affordable and easily accessible healthcare services, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, good roads, security, and enabling a socio-economic environment for empowerment and self-growth. Those are the benchmarks and should be the test. Not religion.

Under the leadership he nurtured and bequeathed on us, a ragtag bunch of mercenaries - ill-equipped, ill-fed, ill-trained, and barely literate - turned an insurgent of global reckoning overnight; turning the tables on Nigerian Armed Forces, confiscating their weapons, taking control of Army and Police locations, and colonizing sizable Nigerian villages and towns in the process.

What was the problem with Governor Donald Duke and Dr. Ibrahim Ayagi? The first is Ivy League trained. An outstanding lawyer, a Governor with unblemished credentials, and above all, a performer is given a clean bill by Obasanjo's EFCC. The latter was a Banker of repute. He served Obasanjo in an advisory capacity. 

Imagine a Fashola/el'Rufai ticket or an Oby/Sam Nada-Isaiah ticket; the political scene would by now be abuzz with scintillating rhythms and unqualified razzmatazz. No, not in Obasanjo's own country, where the stale and the jejune loom large at the helm of affairs. 

Thanks to Obasanjo, with his years of unbridled dictatorship and arbitrary selection of political leaders, Nigeria is yet to grow out of Misfit/Misfit leadership phenomenon and culture of low expectations. 

Where are we today, economically speaking? We are fixing roads and airports and building sporting edifices. And those are now the marks of excellence.

The economy of the old Western Region that Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his fellow action groupers built before Nigerian independence was comparable to any Western or advanced economy of that era. 

In Nigeria, presidential aspiration is no longer defined by motivations in power - what you are bringing to the table or why Nigerians must trust you with their votes - but about the nature of God presidential aspirants worship. 

President Obasanjo's had a balanced ticket (a Christian President and a Muslim Vice President), but the romance lasted for only the first term of his eight years at Aso Rock. It was a divided house throughout his second term. Was religion responsible for his blacklisting of Vice President Atiku?  

A country that produced Awo, Zik, Balewa, Bello, Macaulay, Ikoli, Ibiam, and Kano, just to name a few, is now groping in the dark searching for credible leadership from a bunch of incoherent, unprepared neophytes, killing, maiming and looting to acquire more power and more wealth. Obasanjo, no matter how articulate or brutally forthcoming he appears, cannot talk his way out of the sorry state of our polity and the suffocating influence of religion that heralded his second coming. I beg to move.