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Friday Sermon: Leadership Conundrum Revisited 3

Published

7 years ago

September 7, 2018

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“A democratic society, an open society places an extraordinary responsibility on ordinary men and women because we are governed by what we think. We are governed by our opinions; so the content of our opinions, the quality of our opinions, and the quality of the formation of our opinions basically determines the character of our society. And that means that in a democracy and an open society, a thoughtless citizen of democracy is a delinquent citizen of democracy.” Leon Wieseltier.

It follows therefore that “People get the leaders they deserve”; the man who sells his vote for a pittance, the voter who sells his PVC and the supporter who accepts stomach-infrastructure to subvert the democratic process, the Okada riders who ride themselves to death in heralding the arrival of a corrupt politician to a rally, the women who receive 1000Naira Ankara fabric from politicians and those who accept customized packs of pop-corn from political office seekers are all in the same category with the corrupt and bad leadership. To all intents and purposes both the leaders and the followers are birds of the same feathers. They can never bring about a virile democracy. This unfortunately is the bane of our society.

Followers provide valuable supports to leaders. They are supposed to listen, replicate, conform, query and legitimize the leader. Leadership and followership are closely intertwined. Effective followers can shape productive leadership behaviour just as effective leaders develop subordinates into good followers. Without followers there are no leaders: It is a dyadic relationship. The fundamental idea is that leaders influence followers and vice versa, and that the whole sense of leadership do not only rely on power definition per se but the degree of which people would want to follow. This includes followers’ reactions in each decision of the leader. Dyadic relationship views leader-follower relations as very essential factors for national development. Leadership and followership is a major universal challenge to all nation states; while some countries have overcome the primitive or dictatorial stage to propel their economy and the social welfare of their people to a comfortable level; other emerging developing economies are still reeling to grow above the challenges of ‘impotent leadership and followership syndrome’.

Leadership and followership relationship should always be harmonized to enable the society achieve her vision and set goals. In this clime there is a need for leadership and followership to adopt a new paradigm. Consensus selection of leaders should be avoided; Leaders should be elected through democratic and transparent processes. Tribal sentiments should be set aside in electing and criticizing our leaders. Our target and criteria for assessment should be our vision and goal as a people.

Followership in Nigeria has not generated much debate. But there have been cases of resistance movements that have been spearheaded by followers; such as the Aba women tax riot of 1929, the Agbekoya farmers revolt 1968/69, Ali Must Go 1978, Babangida Must Go Protest 1989, June 12 Protests and recently the Occupy Nigeria Protest: A socio-political protest movement that began on Monday, 2 January 2012 in response to the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday, 1 January 2012. Total number of deaths: 16 (Lagos, Maiduguri, Ilorin and Gusau; All shot by the Nigeria Police Force). They involved civil disobedience, civil resistance, strike action, demonstration and Internet activism. These resistance cases are protest against poor governance and ineptitude of Nigerian Leaders.

Nigerian followers could be very loyal and supportive to leadership and have participated actively in the achievement of the nation’s goals. However, when a people are ravaged by poverty, they become docile and it weakens their ability to rise up to the challenges of checkmating the excesses of their leaders. This docility has a negative impact on Leader- follower relationship. Leaders that are checkmated by their followers will limit their excesses and realign themselves to public opinion. But in the midst of docility and sycophancy, leaders will be getting away with their dishonesties, corruptions, venalities and ineptitude. This exactly is what is happening today. The balance of power between leader and follower however, must be maintained in order to provide a culture of openness that promotes self-engagement.

Ever since the social contract between man and government, in which man surrendered some of his right to the centre called government, there was a social contract that as a result of the surrender of these rights, government should be able to use law to regulate the society and ensure the security and welfare of the people. Ever since independence, Nigeria has been facing leadership crises; wobbling from one regime to another. Leadership has not been able to deliver the needed dividend of our God given resources to her people nor provide satisfactory social welfare services nor social amenities; yet her followers have been very resilient. If followership is to be cultivated the morale of the people must be activated. There is need for leaders to be sensitive to the needs and opinion of followers. A docile followership contributes to the detriment of its welfare. People should stop seating on the fence believing that change to a new paradigm will be actualized through miracle; change is created through human effort hence Nigerians should live up to their civic responsibilities in other to create a good and sustainable leadership and followership relationship.

Problem of Followership in Nigeria include poverty which prevents the people from playing their rightful roles in checkmating the excesses of the leaders. Ethnicity is another problem. Nigerians protects corrupt leaders without integrity and shield them from criticism and prosecution as a result of misplaced tribal loyalty.

Nigeria is a country that parades corruption as a value system; this can be attributed to lack of integrity on the part of her leadership. Corruption has ruined the economy of Nigeria and has led to lack trust for her leaders. If Nigeria is to develop and grow according to her potentials, her leadership must act with integrity at all times.

The Amalgamation of 1914 engendered various perceptions; some saw it as a mistake, while others saw it as a necessity for the administrative convenience of the colonial masters. However, Nigerians including her leaders pay more allegiance to their tribe than to the country. Even in time of elections people vote according to their tribal interest and when leaders emerge too, they reciprocate these tribal gestures. Though National interest should prevail over tribal or ethnic interest, unfortunately, Nigeria remains in fact, a ‘mere geographical expression’.

Nigerian followers are fund of not telling their leaders the truth, they praise them, tell them lies; sycophancy is the order of the day. Negativized tranquillity is a situation where followers remain adamant and aloof of the excesses of leadership activities. Nigerians are susceptible to use by some leaders to fan trouble: Hence, followers’ sometime ally with leaders to create trouble in the society. Powerlessness in influencing government decisions is a major problem of followers in Nigeria. Elections in Nigeria are highly manipulated and leaders do not come to power through the peoples vote, they manipulate election and election results to the extent that vote casted do not count. Since peoples votes do not count, their opinion too is undermined.

Sitting on the fence and watching the reckless abuse of office by leaders such as massive corruption and abuse of office would have reduced tremendously in Nigeria if followers have been bold enough to come out to criticize or challenge the excesses of their leaders.

The problem of leadership in this country does not lie in the hands of Alfas, Imams, pastors and General Overseers, mosques or the Church-camps where prayers and night vigils are conducted for the supposed wellbeing of this country. No! It lies in the hands of me and you, we the followers who stand aloof from the political fray and watch our country stolen from us by a band of kamikaze leaders who we inadvertently elected and to whom we stupidly surrendered our rights. Heaven, they say, helps only those who help themselves.

“Subhana rabbika rabbil ‘izzati amma yasifun wa salamun alal mursalin wal hamdulillahi rabbil ‘alamin” :”Glory to thy Lord the Lord, of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they ascribe (to Him)! And Peace on the Messengers! And praise to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds.” (Quran 37:180-182)

Barka Juma’at and happy weekend

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Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

16 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

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AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews

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Unlawful Invasion: El-Rufai Drags ICPC, IGP, Others to Court, Demands N1bn Damages

Published

4 days ago

February 23, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what he claimed was an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

According to the suit filed through his lawyers, led by Oluwole Iyamu, El-Rufai prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence as invalid, null and void.

Security operatives had stormed and searched the former Governor’s residence in the ongoing investigations against him.

However, he argued in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, that the search was in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution, and urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search.”

In the suit dated and filed February 20 by Iyamu, ex-governor, who is currently under detention, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

“An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

The breakdown of the ₦1 billion in damages includes “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;

“A ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights.

“A ₦300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”

He equally sought ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.

Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.

He added that the warrant violated Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions and several other constitutional provisions.

“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;

“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.

“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.

Iyamu stated that the execution of the invalid warrant on Feb. 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.

He further argued that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress.

“Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.

In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on Feb. 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about Feb. 4.

According to him, the said warrant is invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.

He said the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for.”

Shaba stated that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.

“That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.

“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.

“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.

“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.

Source: Naijanews.com