Headline

Pendulum: Setting New Agenda For The Next Federal Government Of Nigeria

Published

6 years ago

May 4, 2019

Editor

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, by the 29^th of May, two thousand and nineteen years after the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari would have fully completed and exhausted four incredible years in power. It would have been four years of however you wish and want to describe if, good or bad, fantastic or useless, depending on which side of the political divide you belong. As for me and my house, it no longer matters. Truth is constant, no matter how much pretentious we may be. Is Nigeria now much better than Buhari and his team met it? The answer is yours to decide. Will Buhari perform better in the next four years, the answer again is nebulous. All I know is that Nigeria has already dashed four years of excuses and blames to President Buhari. Assuming he truly had to build a foundation for a stronger, healthier and more prosperous Nigeria, I believe he has had sufficient time to do so. But if he continues to wallow in self-pity, then God bless NIGERIA.

Anyone who says Nigeria is making good progress in the most important areas of life that affects and impacts the people, as it looks at the moment, certainly lives on another planet. On the issue of security, economy, social infrastructure, health, education and general well-being, problems abound, whether one scores the President low or high on the performance stakes. Is there a solution to the intractable problems? My answer is an unequivocal YES. Running a country, no matter how complex and complicated, is no rocket science. So, what is the problem right now. My answer is BUHARI. And what is the solution? My answer again is BUHARI. The Nigerian President wields such enormous powers that he can turn water into wine, and a man into woman, and this is no blasphemy. Even science is already doing these things, which tells us there is nothing under the sun that cannot now be achieved, except possibly the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Buhari makes up his mind to change his modus operandi, many things would change instantly.

The first solution has to do with the management. A good management team does wonders, no matter the inabilities and incompetence of the leader. Conversely, a bad management team will run the establishment aground, no matter how brilliant and diligent the leader is. Buhari must therefore agree and decide to assemble the brightest stars from every part of Nigeria for the common good of Nigerians. He can pick form any and every sphere of the society, politicians, professionals, academics or a blend of these. That is his choice. What is important is that his squad must be one of round pegs in round holes. His current line-up has been the weakest in the history of governance in Nigeria. I do not blame the President wholly for this, because some of the choices he had to make may have been foisted upon him, particularly, at the beginning of his administration, when he was in somewhat of a position of weakness as he had to accommodate several interests and pressure groups. However, as time went on, the excuses and justification afforded the President for picking the dregs and plumbing the depths in his manpower search became less and less tenable. Merit, diligence and competence appeared to have been sacrificed on the altar of the nebulous principles of federal character and ethnic balancing, as more and more lopsided appointments were made to benefit one section of the country on the false premise that they were under-represented in government. After a while, this pretence was abandoned wholesale and the Government simply proceeded on the basis of “I don’t care” and “bloody fool to you all”! Of course, this is not the way to get the best out of any government team and it is Nigeria that has suffered in the critical areas. When President Buhari decides to embrace merit and meritocracy, competence and capacity, diligence and assiduousness, performance will improve at all levels. The President must put an end to the parochialism and nepotism that is currently ravaging Nigeria. If he fails to see the debilitating effects of the way Nigeria is presently configured, then there is no hope of a greater Nigeria in sight, in the near future. Nigeria cannot continue to run on primordial sentiments and expect to catch up with the rest of the civilised world in the foreseeable future. That is the sad reality.

Next, Buhari must encourage Democracy to thrive. A system in which the President seeks to play God and control both heaven and earth is a total humbug that cannot augur well for anybody, not least the President himself. The attraction of Buhari for most of his supporters pre-2015 was his supposed simplicity, frugality and ascetic discipline, but there is nothing to suggest that he has reduced the prodigality of the past in so far as others are concerned. The Presidential jets are still crisscrossing the skies at the slightest opportunity. Buhari still can’t build or upgrade just one hospital to international standards. As I write this, he has flown to London in search of medical solution to his personal and undisclosed ailments. While it may be justified by his supporters and hangers-on that his absence has not grounded the wheels of governance, truth is Nigeria needs a more energetic, visionary, focused and hands-on leadership at this point in time. While he is on what I will call his “working vacation” – that is, until he tells us otherwise because of the unabashed desire by his aides to cling on to unbridled and wholesale power at all costs through their abuse, misuse and disuse of the office of the President – the Nation is in a somnambulistic state, which is not helped by the fact that the first term is fast coming to an end and his team has become a lame-duck one.

Buhari cannot, in all honesty, deliver on much of the myriad of problems bedevilling our beloved country, in his present state, no matter how much he and his handlers pretend and suggest that all is well. I said it in the past that I saw no reason Buhari can’t make the ultimate sacrifice by handing over to one of the younger folks in his ruling party. That ship has since sailed with his re-election. However, it is distressing that a man who was so willing to do so, now seems incapable of handing over to his able and veritable deputy, even on a temporary basis. I wonder aloud what really goes on with men, especially when they grow older. They appear to be more stubborn and recalcitrant. In as much as it pleases God, it has been possible for President Buhari to fulfil his life ambition not just once but now twice. God has been too kind and generous to him. He brought him back from the jaws of death, like the Biblical Lazarus. What more can a man ask from God? Anyone can be sick. It is not a crime to be under the weather, but it becomes offensive when a man’s personal problems lock down the combined potentials of fellow citizens. No man is an island. Buhari is not perfectly fit, so be it. We’ve witnessed the same scenario before when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was very ill. This same Buhari suggested at the time that Yar’Adua ought to pity Nigeria, by resigning. Why is it now so hard for Buhari to heed his own advice as freely given to his kinsman? In addition, anyone who loves Nigeria would readily admit that our challenges are too grave to be abandoned in the hands of someone whose medical records are far from being perfect. Nigeria needs a healthy virile man at the helm of affairs to complement an intelligent, talented and hardworking executive. Patriotism demands that everyone should put nation above selfish interests. I have no doubt that Buhari is a Patriot. He has served this country well in the past as a soldier and even as a politician. That patriotic zeal and fervour that endeared him to the nation is now being put to the ultimate test. It is up to him to decide what his final legacy will be on this matter.

Buhari has been a great servant of his nation and has served commendably in many capacities. The country has been grateful for his services. Like all mortals, he has his faults, but he should know that he lacks the capacity to take Nigeria to the much-vaunted next level. I really don’t see how a man can give what he doesn’t possess. Without mincing words, the generation of Buhari is not just dying, it is long gone, and totally out of vogue. I should say that the same goes for most of his traducers of the same or similar age. They simply have lost touch with the times and are living on past glory. That is not what the present generation of Nigerian technology driven youths want or need. Most of those goading the President on are only doing so for their own personal interests. Using a sporting analogy, the best sportsmen must retire when the laws of diminishing returns begin to slow down and affect performance. My appeal to Buhari is a sincere one borne out of my genuine concern for the direction Nigeria is headed.

The biggest appeal of Buhari in 2015 was the expectation that he would improve security, help save Nigerians from incessant and reckless killings wreaked by hoodlums and demonic souls and stamp out terrorism. But this has not been the case. If relative progress has thankfully been made in tackling the menace of Boko Haram, although we are not yet singing Uhuru, the qualified victory has been wiped out by other insurgencies, lawless militancy and wild extremism. And it is clear that Buhari has become so obviously incapable of dealing with them and the scourge they represent. Sadly, in some instances, like the herdsmen imbroglio, the administration seems complicit, especially in the manner it seems to condone their excesses. So, is Nigeria going to watch, helplessly, with arms akimbo, while the country continues to haemorrhage to death? The conspiracy of silence is so apparent in the critics that used to harass and terrorise previous governments. Now, suddenly, everywhere is quiet, those strident voices and cacophony of noises have decided to go on holiday, even though not much has changed. I keep asking myself, why? Whilst it is true that the President has been re-elected and handed another four-year mandate, it is not every right that must be enjoyed without other considerations. There must be dissent, as there must be assent! When the vocal critic silences itself and cultivates self-censorship as its philosophy, the immolation of both the critic and the leader is nigh. History will always be kind to any leader who can resist the allure of power and act in a way that many others won’t.

Assuming that my plea would not be heeded, and that the next four years would again be a game of seat-warming, one should set some agenda for this government. I have touched on a few critical areas. But there are several more, where issues need to be addressed if indeed, we are going to the Next Level of progress, and not regress!

The priority areas should be how to tackle the spate of senseless killings, improve the economy, upgrade our educational systems, break the jinx of power outages and work urgently on healthcare. The poverty level in Nigeria makes it easy for young ones to become desperately disillusioned and take up arms against their fatherland. This has been compounded by the ritualistic four-year election cycle of abandoning youths employed as thugs once elections are over. The devil finds very bad work for idle, fitful hands!

Lastly, unless we reduce the excesses of government and its operatives and make funds readily available for those with talents, we will find out that we are sitting on a tinderbox. The devastating consequences for our country can only best be imagined. Let it not be the case of the Emperor who fiddled while his country burnt.

Bashorun Dele Momodu OVATION International +234 805 506 9220 www.ovationinternational.com www.delemomodu2011.com

Related Topics:Buhari Dele momodu Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria Pendulum

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How FG Spent N19bn on Presidential Planes in 15 Months – Report

Published

5 days ago

November 12, 2024

Eric

At least N19.43 billion has reportedly been spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024.

According to GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the Federal government’s spending, showed that for 2024, the payouts amounted to N13.55billion, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the fleet in the 2024 fiscal year.

Most disbursements were labeled ‘Forex Transit Funds,’ typically funds allocated for foreign exchange requirements to facilitate international transactions and engagements.

In the context of the Presidential Air Fleet, such funds are used to cover expenses related to operations outside the country, including fuel purchases, maintenance or services in foreign currencies.

“When aircraft on the fleet are abroad, payments are often made in U.S. dollars or another foreign currency to ensure uninterrupted operations,” a government official explained.

In July 2023, N1.52bn was disbursed in two tranches of N846m and N675m for ‘Presidential air fleet forex transit funds.’

The following month, N3.1bn was disbursed in three tranches of N388m, N2bn, and N713m for the same item.

In November of that year, N1.26bn was released to the Presidential Air Fleet Naira transit account.

The first overhead for 2024 came in March, where N1.27bn were disbursed twice, amounting to N2.54bn. The transit account received N6.35bn in April, N4.97bn in May and N210m in July.

August saw the highest frequency of transactions, with N5.60bn released in six separate disbursements.

Although these transactions were not clearly labeled, the monies were paid into the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account, including the N35m transfer made in September.

In late April, the transit account received N5.08bn; this came around the same time the President was on a two-nation tour to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.

Although Tinubu arrived in the Netherlands in a state-owned Gulfstream AeroSpace 550 Jet, the aircraft could not proceed to Saudi Arabia due to unspecified technical problems. He reportedly continued his journey on a chartered private plane.

At the time, the President’s Boeing 737 business jet was undergoing maintenance. It was later replaced with an Airbus A330 purchased for $100m in August through service-wide votes.

The nearly 15-year-old plane, an ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (MSN 1053), is “spacious and furnished with state-of-the-art avionics, customised interior and communications system,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga said, adding that it “will save Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly.”

The new Airbus A330 is just one of several aircraft currently on the Presidential Air Fleet, arguably one of Africa’s largest, with around 11 aircraft of various makes and models. Until August, it comprised the 19-year-old B737-700 and a 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550.

The BBJ was acquired during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at $43m but became a money guzzler as it aged.

Onanuga, defending the purchase of Airbus A330, argued that the new Airbus 330 aircraft and the costs of maintaining the air fleet were not for the president but in the interest of Nigerians.

“It’s not President Tinubu’s plane; it belongs to the people of Nigeria, it is our property…the President did not buy a new jet; what he has is a refurbished jet – it has been used by somebody else before he got it, but it is a much newer model than the one President Buhari used.

“The one President Buhari used was bought by President Obasanjo some 20 years ago. There was a time when the President went to Saudi Arabia, and the plane developed some problems. The President had to leave the Netherlands with a chartered jet.

“Nigerians should try to prioritise the safety of the President. I’m not sure anybody wishes our president to go and crash in the air. We want his safety so that he can hand it over to whoever wants to take over from him,” Onanuga said.

The presidential aide said he discussed with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on the faulty plane [Boeing 737 jet] and he said the maintenance costs were excessive because of the age of the aircraft, hence the need for another plane.

The presidential fixed-wing fleet includes a Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605.

Three of the seven fixed-wings are reportedly unserviceable. Meanwhile, the rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Former President Buhari promised to reduce the number of aircraft in the PAF to the absolute necessary.

In April 2023, three jets were put up for sale, but there were no specifics on which.

However, efforts to sell one of the Dassault Falcon 7x and the Hawker 4000 in October 2016 stalled when a potential buyer reduced their initial offer from $24m to $11m.

Since 2017, budgetary allocations for the fleet have shown a growing trend, with one exception in 2020.

The allocation for the fleet increased from N4.37bn in 2017 to N20.52bn in 2024, showing a 370 per cent rise in running costs.

In 2018, the fleet’s budget rose significantly by 66.13 per cent to N7.26bn, driven by a substantial increase in capital project allocations while maintaining similar levels for recurrent costs. This upward trajectory continued into 2019, slightly increasing the total allocation to N7.30bn.

The exception came in 2020, when the budget dropped by nearly seven per cent to N6.79bn, primarily due to decreased overhead costs, a reflection of the global economic impacts of lockdowns and disruptions in operations.

By 2021, however, the budget surged dramatically to N12.55bn—a record increase of 84.83 per cent from the previous year.

In 2022, maintenance expenses for each aircraft ranged from $1.5m to $4.5m annually.

The 2022, 2023 and 2024 appropriation acts earmarked N12.48bn, N13.07bn and N20.52bn respectively.

On his way to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa, a foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s GulfStream aircraft during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.

According to Lee Aerospace, manufacturers of the Gulfstream, jet windshields consist of thick multilayered structures of varying layers of glass and transparent acrylic built to withstand collision with a 2kg object.

However, damage to the windshield must have affected its inner layers. While specific prices for replacement can vary based on supplier, labour rates and regional costs, estimates suggest that a single windshield replacement for a G550 can range from $50,000 to $70,000 for part and labour costs.

In an interview with our correspondent, the General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo, blamed the meteoric rise in the allocations for the PAF on the age of some of the aircraft in the fleet and declining value of the naira as well as the “commercial use” of aircraft by the Nigerian Air Force.

Ohunayo said, “The cost will definitely increase over the years because for one, this issue of the naira against the dollar. As the naira keeps falling to the dollar, we will see a rise in cost because most of the costs of training crew and engineers and replacing aircraft parts are all in dollars.

“Also, some of these aircraft are not new. The older the aircraft, the higher the cost of maintenance and operation.

“Lastly, during these past years, terrorism and insecurity have increased in Nigeria, which has also affected the cost of insuring the aircraft.”

For his part, the Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, argued that the administration’s spending habits were opposite to Nigerians’ expectations of frugality.

“What we are getting from this administration is opposite to our expectation. We thought we would have an administration that would be frugal in spending and very meticulous at implementing its budget.

“But what we are getting is an administration that has fallen in love with profligacy; that doesn’t see anything wrong in living big amid a poverty-stricken nation.

“It is a reenactment of the Shagari administration, whereby they bought the biggest Mercedes Benz and made themselves as comfortable as possible without considering how much the masses are suffering.

“So when you look at a Vice President saying he’s not travelling [to Samoa] again because there was a splinter on the windscreen of his private aircraft. Why should that be the case?

“First and foremost, we need to be represented at such an international meeting, where we should be well represented by the first two citizens of this country.

“He abandoned that, which means we would have lost certain representation that we deserve at that forum. Two, money will have been spent on advance parties that went ahead of the Vice President. But he abandoned the journey altogether.”

Headline

Pastor Tunde Bakare: Celebrating a Visionary Preacher @70

Published

1 week ago

November 10, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

He is visionary, blunt, articulate, passionate, fiery, evangelical, fearless, controversial and the newest septugenarian. He is the Founder and Presidng Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), formally known as the Latter Rain Assembly. He is Pastor Tunde Bakare.

A thought provoking preacher, social commentator, legal expert and politician, Tunde Bakare has come of age in the business called Nigeria.

Born on November 11, 1954, Pastor Bakare is regarded as not only a prophetic-apostolic pastor, but a social and economic image maker, whose contributions to the originality, truth and oneness of the nation cannot be overemphasized.

Originally a Muslim, who embraced the Christian faith in 1974 at the age of 20, Bakare has contributed his quota as a nation builder, seeking both the Vice president and president positions of the nation on two different occasions.

Pastor Bakare started his educational life at All Saints Primary School, Kemta, Abeokuta, and subsequently Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, where he obtained both the School Leaving Certificate and the West Africa Examination Council certificate

After his secondary education, he was admitted into the University of Lagos where he studied Law between 1977 and 1980 before attending Law School in 1981, and was subsequently called to the Bar and following his time in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Bakare kickstarted his career when he started practicing law at the Gani Fawehinmi Chambers. His dexterity on the job propelled him to Rotimi Williams & Co., and later to Burke & Co., Solicitors.

In October 1984, he went solo, and established his own law firm, Tunde Bakare & Co. (El-Shaddai Chambers). Within the preceeding periods, he combined his legal duties with pastoral functions working as a legal adviser at the Deeper Life Bible Church, and later moving to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where he became pastor and founded the Model Parish.

Following his time at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Bakare left to start the Latter Rain Assembly Church in 1989, known today aa CGCC, where he presently serves as the General Overseer. In addition to his time in the church, he zeroed into part time politics, serving as the running-mate to presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 presidential election. Bakare has been critical of Nigeria’s leadership and has sparked controversy with comments considered inflammatory regarding Muslims and other spiritual leaders.

Also in 2019, Bakare announced his intention to run for president of Nigeria following the end of Buhari’s second term with a total conviction that he has a direct mandate to do and will surely become the next president of Nigeria. He joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) but, lost at the primaries conducted at Eagle Square, Abuja, in May 2022. He launched his then political trajectory under the New Nigeria Progressive Movement.

While expressing his intentions to run for the 2023 presidential election towards becoming the next president of Nigeria to church members in 2019 when he was quoted as saying, “I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria; nothing can change it. I am number 16, and Buhari is number 15. I never said it to you before. I am saying it now, and nothing can change it. In the name of Jesus, he (Buhari) is number 15. I am number 16. To this end, I was born, and for this purpose, I came into the world. I have prepared you for this for more than 30 years.”

Bakare also presides over the Global Apostolic Impact Network (GAIN), a network of churches, ministries, and kingdom businesses committed to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as well as the President of Latter Rain Ministries, Inc. (Church Development Center) in Atlanta, GA, USA, a ministry committed to restoring today’s church to the scriptural pattern. He was given a Doctor of Ministry degree by Indiana Christian University under the leadership of his mentor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, in 1996.

Bakare has been instrumental to some uprisings in the country that challenge unhealthy administrations. It would be recalled that his Occupied Nigeria Movement led the protest against the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in January 2012 after minor increase in fuel price. The protest was a total success, and led to reduction in fuel pump price.

Also a social critic, Bakare is critical of Miyetti Allah, labeling the Fulani herdsmen as a group of terrorists who rape, murder, and kidnap innocent civilians. Several Fulani Islamic scholars criticized Bakare’s comments about Fulani herdsmen as Islamophobic. Bakare had said that Fulani herdsmen were driving Nigeria towards a civil war.

He also holds a yearly state of the nation address to set the stage for the future and review national issues of the year past.

In his 2019 address, he stated, “We can therefore confidently state that, over the past thirty years, we have faithfully executed our God-given mandate to the nation from this platform. Over the past thirty years, we have deployed appropriate tools for appropriate occasions, from prophetic declarations to confrontational advocacy and from political activism to propositional policy advisory. Over the past thirty years, we have done this consistently, sometimes at the risk of being misunderstood by friends and foes alike.

“We have been motivated not by wavering
opinions of men but by our unshakeable faith in our national destiny and an unalloyed commitment to seeing that destiny fulfilled.”

Reports have it that he was arrested in March 2002 after preaching sermons critical of Nigeria’s then-president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

No matter how it is viewed, and the direction of his controversies, one thing is obvious, Bakare has stood on the side of truth, hope, and justice, and has remained consistent over the years.

The Serving Overseer has been very vocal, his trademark, over the recent hardship in the country, condemning the politicians for preaching what they cannot practice.

He said Nigerian politicians were not living lean or sacrificing like the rest of the citizens whom they asked to sacrifice for the country by enduring economic hardship.

Bakare said this while delivering the keynote address with the theme: “Cultivating a Culture of Dialogue: Nurturing Understanding in a Culturally and Socially Diverse Nation” at Wilson and Yinka Badejo Memorial Lecture 2024.

He is a strong believer in the theory that the pen is mightier than the sword. He write in an essay of same title that:

“The likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, armed with no other weapon, mobilised the Queen’s language in the struggle for independence from the Queen. They fought their battles through such media as West African Pilot, Accra Evening News and The Tribune. Decades after independence, when free, fair and credible elections were annulled, and a tyrannical dictatorship held sway, the Nigerian press took up the baton and contended against the sword of oppression by deploying the armoury of vocabulary. I am so glad that the labours of these pen warriors and all others who fought for the democracy we enjoy today have not been in vain after all.”

For seven decades, Pastor Bakare has remained a voice in Nigeria politics, religion and socio-economic circle, relating with with Nigerians according to where the matter lies.

On this occasion of your 70th Birthday, we celebrate your consistency, focus and leadership acumen that has affected the people positively.

Congratulations sir!

Headline

US Polls: Tinubu, UK PM Starmer Congratulate Trump

Published

2 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has extended his heartfelt congratulations to President Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th President of the United States of America.

A statement by Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday, said President Tinubu looks forward to strengthening the relations between Nigeria and the United States amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world.

Donald Trump claimed victory on Wednesday and pledged to “heal” the country as results put him on the verge of beating Kamala Harris in a stunning White House comeback.

President Tinubu said: “Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens.”

According to President Tinubu, Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership. He congratulates them on their commitment to democracy.

President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States.

Acknowledging the United States’ influence, power, and position in determining the trend and course of global events, the Nigerian leader trusts that President Trump will bring the world closer to peace and prosperity.

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic election victory”, adding that the UK-US special relationship would “continue to prosper”.

“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise. From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come,” he said.