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Friday Sermon: Leadership Conundrum Revisited 1
By Babatunde Jose
“That Nigeria has for years been a state in retreat is not in doubt given the way government is becoming removed from our lives. It started with public utilities in which people began to buy generator to provide their own electricity and then we moved to digging boreholes to provide our water. Then we subverted the public schools and health institutions. Of course, everybody also started providing his own security by erecting iron gates and employing security guards with communities relying on Vigilantes. . . . . . If there is anything that points to state failure, I cannot see any better evidence than that.” Segun Adeniyi
Evidence of bad leadership abi ! A leadership bereft of vision and mission; a leadership without road-map or plan for its route march. A leadership solely rooted in consumption of state resources; resources which it has failed to exploit judiciously or grow. A leadership that is content on living for the day, like our proverbial man who says Allah will provide for tomorrow. A leadership that watches its people degenerates into abject poverty and extreme deprivation.
With our myriad of challenges, we urgently need purposeful and focused leadership at the various critical levels which unfortunately we have not seen being demonstrated in recent times.
And We made them leaders, guiding (men) by Our Command, and We sent them inspiration to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers, and to practice regular charity; and they constantly served Us (and Us only). (Quran 21: 73)
A good example is the oil sector of the economy which has taken us 22 years of corruption and lackadaisical attitude to bring into ruin. Nigeria is the only major oil producer importing refined petroleum. We thought it was a joke when the refineries started breaking down because some smart Alek’s discovered that repair of refineries was a quick route to riches. Hence, the breakdown of the refineries begat importation, and we have not slept ever since. Everybody has been on the gravy train, from those who should have been in the Sahel cultivating cotton and groundnuts, to riverside buccaneers and their children, and their women too who ought to have been in the oil palm and rubber plantations, not to talk of the western cocoa farmers who have abandoned the farms for the juicy lucre of oil. The ‘oil Mafioso’ now graces the list of Forbes richest men and women. Allah says in Sura Al-Mutaffifin (The Defaulters in Duty):
Woe to those that deal in fraud. Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, But when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due. Due they not think that they will be called to account? On a Mighty Day, A Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds? Nay! Surely the Record of the Wicked is (preserved) in Sijjin. And what will explain to thee what Sijjin is? (There is) a Register (fully) inscribed. Woe, that Day, to those that deny. Those that deny the Day of Judgment. And none can deny it but the Transgressor beyond bounds, the Sinner! When Our Signs are rehearsed to him, he says, “Tales of the Ancients!” By no means! But on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do! Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled. Further, they will enter the Fire of Hell. Further, it will be said to them: “This is the (reality) which ye rejected as false! (Quran 83: 1-17)
Let them not forget Quran 101 Sura Al-Qari’ah where Allah promises a reckoning:
The (Day) of Noise and Clamor: What is the (Day) of Noise and Clamor? And what will explain to thee what the (Day) of Noise and Clamor is? (It is) a Day whereon men will be like moths scattered about, and the mountains will be like carded wool. Then, he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) heavy, Will be in a Life of good pleasure and satisfaction. But he whose balance (of good deed) will be (found) light, Will have his home in a (bottomless) Pit. And what will explain to thee what this is? (It is) a Fire blazing fiercely! (Quran 101:1-11)
Only in this clime will a former student of a secretarial school in London, with RSA Stage ll, who returned to work as a secretary to a power broker, had a stint as a fashion designer and got lucky with a patronage in the proverbial oil and gas Eldorado, is today on the Forbes list. We could go on and on. This is how our country is being run; where social climbers and parasites are rewarded with the ‘juicy morsel’: A great epitome to the failure of leadership.
There are incontrovertible facts to show that there is no government which has permanent structures or set permanent structures in this country than General Gowon’s government. Failure to build on those structures has been blamed on lack of quality based leadership. In 1967 there was less than 7,000 miles of Federal roads in the country but by 1975 we had about 21,000 miles of road.
According to Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Federal Commissioner for Works in the Gowon Administration, “It’s unfortunate that succeeding governments since 1974 failed to maintain most of those roads let alone to reconstruct them. You see, these roads were not built to last forever. You ought to maintain them, repair them when they become worn out and the heavily used roads within seven years will need not just rehabilitation but reconstruction. Unfortunately since 1975 the new roads we reconstructed or we built at that time, nothing satisfactorily has been done on them.”
Okunnu concluded: “In short, many of our leaders, Heads of State, are shortsighted. All these years, there are areas where they should have made some positive contributions to the well-being of Nigerians and to the greatness of economic prosperity of this country of which they have woefully failed! Woefully failed! Mention one area they have not failed! Is it infrastructure like roads we’ve been talking about?”
There are many other areas they have failed too.
Fortunately the ‘gates of Hell’ are not yet closed. The Messenger of God said: “Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise.” Sahih Muslim.
Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend
Farotimi, on July 2, 2024, released a 116-page book titled Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, setting the stage for a clash of interest resulting in petitions, persecutions, prosecutions and gagging of privileges and rights.
Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 ele tions, and a political ally of Farotimi, had volunteered to assist in helping embattled lawyer meet his bail conditions.
“He was only arrested after all attempts to make him come and explain himself proved abortive. He has been investigated and the case is already in court,” the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, explained.
But Farotimi’s lawyer, Temitope Temokun, countered the Police statement, saying his client was never invited by the Command
“He was invited by Zone 2 on two occasions, and he went there.
“But why would you be inviting somebody to Ekiti from Lagos on something that happened in Lagos? However, he was never invited, and if he had been invited, as a lawyer, I would advise him not to go.”
The situation erupted a discourse on various fora, further questioning the the credibility of the already discredited judiciary before some Nigerians, and further popularizing the said contentious book written by Farotimi.
The lawyer reasoned that, “The book was published in Lagos. The defendant has an office in Lagos. And under the Nigerian Criminal Justice System, the law is not that you have to go to where the defendant is, to go and try the accused. You have to try the accused where the act was committed, except he had escaped justice in another state.
“So if he didn’t do that, you cannot abduct him to that state that he didn’t escape to.”
However, on appearance at The Chief Magistrates Court in the Ado Ekiti Division, days later, he was ordered to be remanded in the state’s correctional centre pending consideration of his bail application.
In the fresh charge dated and filed December 6, Farotimi was alleged to have violated the Cybercrimes laws, when he on August 28, 2024 knowingly and intentionally transmitted a false communication in an online interview on Mic On Podcast by Seun Okinbaloye on his YouTube Channel in respect of a book he authored and published with the titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.
According to the charge, Farotimi was alleged to have in the said broadcast interview claimed that, “Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the judiciary”, a claim which he knew to be false information and made for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) (b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended.
In count two, the defendant was said to have made the allegation “with the intention of bullying and harassing the named persons thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended.”
In another charge, Farotimi was alleged to have on December 2, 2024, acknowledged that there was a charge preferred before a court in Ekiti State against him at the instance of Chief Afe Babalola.
“This preferred, hidden from view and the court had purportedly demanded my presence multiple times and failed to appear before the court and this Court had then proceeded to issue bench warrant for my arrest. This is classic Afe Babalola, I detailed his corruptive influence in my book titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’ which you know to contain false information for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) (b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended,” the charge read in part.
In count four, Farotimi was said to have described the charge in his online broadcast as “fraudulently preferred, hidden from view and the court had purportedly demanded my presence multiple times and I failed to appear before the court and this court had then proceeded to issue bench warrant for my arrest.”
The police further accused the defendant of bullying and harassing Babalola and other named persons when through his online broadcast alleged that after he sued Babalola for libel, “the machines of corruption went into overdrive and a case that should never have been killed at the preliminary stage was killed”.
Count 10 reads: That you Dele Farotimi on December 2, 2024 intentionally sent a message in the course of a press conference held on Online on your YouTube Channel, where you stated that: “I told the truth of his corruption of the society” which you know to contain false information for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order thereby committed an offence Contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) (b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended.
On December 10, his case was further moved to December 20 when he was granted N30 million bail. The bail conditions were completed on December 24 when he was released.
Though Farotimi is released, his freedom, which came at a cost, is not completely guaranteed as he will remain a regular visitor to courts until the final determination, which is likely to drag to the Supreme Court.
(4.00 out of 5) from the site which was based on five critic reviews.
The release of the book was accompanied by a public dispute between Dele Farotimi and Afe Babalola, In a controversial development a court in Nigeria issued an injunction halting the further production, distribution, and sale of Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System. The decision came following a lawsuit filed by Babalola, who alleged that certain portions of the book contained defamatory statements and misrepresentations about individuals and institutions within the Nigerian criminal justice system.
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Maiden Media Chat: I’m Not Ready to Shrink My Cabinet, Tinubu Declares, Defends Subsidy Removal, Insists on Tax Reforms
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, on Monday firmly defended his administration’s decision to retain his cabinet members, dismissing criticisms that it is “bloated.”
“I am not ready to shrink the size of my cabinet,” Tinubu stated during his first Presidential Media Chat in Lagos.
“I am not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet,” he reiterated, emphasising that “efficiency” has guided his ministerial appointments.
The president also addressed concerns about the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, reaffirming his stance that the decision was unavoidable.
“I don’t have any regrets whatsoever in removing petrol subsidy. We are spending our future; we were just deceiving ourselves. That reform was necessary,” he said.
According to Tinubu, the removal of the subsidy has fostered competition in the sector, leading to a gradual reduction in petrol prices.
“The market is being saturated. No monopoly, no oligopoly, a free market economy flowing,” he explained.
Tinubu rejected the idea of price control, asserting his belief in the principles of a free market.
“I don’t believe in price control. We will work hard to supply the market,” he said.
On managing electricity bills, which has tripled since the tariff hike for Band A customers, the president advised Nigerians to adopt better energy management practices.
“It’s not negative to learn to manage. You learn to control your electricity bill, switch off the light. Let’s learn to manage,” Tinubu urged.
On controversial tax reform bills, which have divided the northern and southern parts of the country, the president said “no going back”.
“Tax reform is here to stay; we cannot just continue to do what we were doing years to years in today’s economy. We cannot retool this economy with the old broken books, and I believe I have that capacity that is why I went into the race,” Tinubu said.
“I am focused on what Nigeria needs and what I must do for Nigeria, it is not just going to be eldorado for everybody, but the new dawn is here, I am convinced, and you should be convinced.”
The former governor of Lagos State expressed confidence in his security chiefs, arguing the country is more secure than he met it.
He said, “Today, I have confidence in my security architecture. It is very, very unfortunate that, you know, two decades of wanton killing. I remember when I jumped into the campaign, I had to stop the campaign to pay condolence visits to Madiburi, Katsina, Kajuna, Kola. Today, you can still travel the roads. Before now, it was impossible. It took one incident to mess up an organized environment.”
”I am not probing anybody or service chiefs, you cannot disrespect the institution because of the threat of probe. Give them credit for what they are doing, I am proud of what they are doing today.’’
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, presented the proposed 2025 federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The N47.9 trillion budget saw a whopping N3.5 trillion allocated to the education sector.
Other sectors that got higher allocations include defence and security – N4.91tn, infrastructure – N4.06tn and health – N2.4tn.
“It is with great pleasure that I lay before this distinguished joint session of the National Assembly, the 2025 Budget of the National Assembly of Nigeria titled, ‘The Restoration Budget’ security peace, building prosperity,” Tinubu said as he concluded his 30-minute presentation at 1:10pm.
This budget highlights the government’s focus on improving education, healthcare, and infrastructure, in line with its ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ aimed at boosting the economy and addressing key national priorities.
The live broadcast of the budget presentation today revealed the government’s plans for the next fiscal year. With a strong emphasis on human capital development, the president highlighted the budget’s commitment to improving the nation’s economic foundation.
Education sector receives major funding
A significant portion of the 2025 budget is dedicated to education, with N3.5 trillion allocated to the sector. President Tinubu stated that part of this funding would be directed toward infrastructure development, including support for Universal Basic Education (UBEC) and the establishment of nine new higher educational institutions.
“We have made provision for N826.90 billion for infrastructural development in the education sector,” Tinubu said.
This allocation aims to improve educational facilities and support ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s educational system.
Focus on human capital development
During the presentation, the president emphasized the importance of investing in Nigeria’s human capital. “Human capital development, our people are our greatest resource. That is why we are breaking record investment in education, healthcare, our social services,” he remarked.
Tinubu also pointed to the N34 billion already disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to assist over 300,000 students.
The budget includes continued investments in healthcare and social services as part of the broader goal of enhancing the quality of life for Nigerians.
Strengthening the economy and national security
Tinubu highlighted that the 2025 budget is designed to build a robust economy while addressing critical sectors necessary for growth and security.
“This budget reflects the huge commitment to strengthening the foundation of a robust economy, while addressing the critical sectors essential for the growth and development we envision; and secure our nation,” he said.
The budget aims to tackle key challenges and foster long-term economic stability by prioritizing infrastructure and development in key sectors.
Healthcare and social services allocations
In addition to education, Tinubu focused on the allocation for healthcare and social services. The government plans to increase investments in healthcare infrastructure and services to ensure broader access to essential healthcare for Nigerians.
These investments are part of the administration’s strategy to improve overall living conditions and enhance public health across the country.
President Tinubu’s proposed 2025 budget is said to reflect the administration’s commitment to achieving its development objectives, with a focus on economic growth, human capital development, and infrastructure improvement.
As the National Assembly reviews the budget, the president reiterated his administration’s resolve to address the nation’s most pressing needs.
Source: Nairametrics
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