Pendulum

Pendulum: The Logic and Illogicality of the Nigerian Nation

Published

4 years ago

May 8, 2021

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, let me say very proudly that I attended an institution I believe to be one of the best Universities in the world from 1978-82. It is certainly the best University in Nigeria, whatever anybody else may say. The University was then known as the University of Ife, or by its moniker Great Ife. It has since metamorphosed into the Obafemi Awolowo University, in honour of the late sage and political colossus, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who got apotheosised on 9 May 1987, which is 34 years ago tomorrow. One of the things that made Ife great for us as pioneer JAMBITES was the fact that Philosophy was made compulsory of which the study of Logic was an integral part. Awolowo, or Papa Awo, as he was called with great reverence, is certainly one of the great philosophers of the ages. He was also a highly esteemed legal luminary. It is fitting and a well-deserved tribute that I am penning this column today dealing with logic, philosophy and the law all of which Papa Awo was most renowned and reputed for particularly as it also concerns our beloved country, Nigeria, a country that he served most passionately and devoutly as the great patriot that he was.

Why am I writing about logic and illogicality today? I see the absence of logic in the manner our leaders are governing our dear beloved country. Please, feel free to educate me about the logic in threatening critics of government who bear no arms or weapons, not to mention weapons of mass destruction. This more so when the location of terrorists, bandits, insurgents are well known, with a few sacred cows sauntering in and out of the forests of a thousand daemons in full glare of journalists, camera crew and klieg lights, and nothing is done about them. Indeed, Government does not even as much as criticise them and the government’s usual attack dogs on social media have been unusually quiet and docile. Terrorism has become a veritable showbiz content being spewed forth by all media organisations like a James Bond film with all the special effects.

Please, tell me, where’s the logic in an omnipotent and omniscient Federal Government announcing that some unscrupulous elements are planning a coup and government will deal ruthlessly with them. This is the same government that has failed to deal in any way, shape or form with the terrorists, insurgents and bandits that are now running riot in our polity and holding the entire nation to ransom. Moreover, no one should know more about coup plotting and coup busting than Major General Muhammadu Buhari who is a veteran of the dangerous game. His aides should know that by the time it leaks out that a coup is in the offing, some of the plotters would have soaked themselves in some pots of pepper soup. That is why the latest tales by moonlight emanating from government was greeted with incredulity by most Nigerians who cleverly discerned and dismissed it as a cock and bull story circulated to engender total distraction, but which failed abysmally in achieving its objective.

I beg, I’m not done. Kindly avail me the logic in knowing the major source and cause of a calamity and yet studiously and obstinately refusing to put an end to it. Who does not know that the biggest threat of insecurity Nigeria faces comes primarily from the Fulani wanderers from abroad who have been given unfettered access to the porous borders in most parts of Northern Nigeria and have been made to feel they have a godfather or an avuncular benefactor and protector inside the Aso Rock Presidential villa? That is the simple and incontrovertible fact. The itinerant herdsmen who have traversed our countryside in search of grazing for their cattle are different from these terrorists that assail, rape, pillage, maim and murder our citizens. Those herdsmen have always travelled in no more than multitudes of 4 or 5. They are not organised like the insurgents and bandits that we now talk about in hushed tones. They certainly have not carried or had access to the sophisticated weapons that we are now terrorised with by these terrorists. If and when President Buhari is willing and ready to end the campaign and reign of terror that these irascible characters have subjected us to, he knows what to do. DISOWN and DISCARD them like the pesky irritants they have become. We all know the problems afflicting Nigeria and we all know the solutions, but our leaders have been too spectacularly selfish to act. It is all the more annoying and unacceptable because we have a retired army General not just in government but supposedly firmly in power.

Nigeria’s problems are huge but not insurmountable. All it takes is for the President to cure himself of nepotism, parochialism and tribalism which are the cast holding together the foundation of all our challenges. The summary of Nigeria’s problems are as follows, not in any particular order:

1. Archaic mindset: A country that parades some of the most educated, brilliant, intelligent, smart, energetic, resilient people on earth should have no space for the mediocre, and worse, who are the opposite of these attributes at the very top. In exceptional cases such that threw up a Buhari, the President would have done extremely well by allowing Professor Yemi Osinbajo to help cover his monumental deficiencies. All the glory would still have come to him as the man at the helm of affairs.

2. Religious bigotry: Religion should ordinarily and naturally be a matter of personal relationship between man and God but not in Nigeria. Any government that can sanely and safely return Nigeria to the secular state that the Constitution, which governs the country, says it shall be would have done us a world of good.

3. Ethnic jingoism: President Buhari’s biggest weakness is readily noticeable in his absolute lack of respect for Federal Character which is enshrined in the Constitution and which a fledgling, nascent democracy like ours requires for the time being. I must confess that I believe in merit over Federal Character, but if merit is sacrificed at all, then the concept of Federal Character demands that those who lack the necessary attributes should not be imposed wholesale on those who are truly deserving. In essence Federal Character must be a two-way street and not a one way close that leads nowhere but a cul-de-sac. If by some miracle, President Buhari wakes up and ejects himself from the gilded cage and cocoon of ethnic bigotry, the world will definitely give him a standing ovation and the current temperature of 100+ degrees will subside and tension and hypertension in the land will calm down.

4. Rigid, uninformed, visionless, selfish, incompetent and dictatorial leadership: My illiterate but naturally intelligent mother used to tell me repeatedly that “a man who asks for the directions to his destination will never go missing!” I concur. If Buhari had acted on merit by promoting excellence, he would have avoided the present roadblocks and he would have joined the pantheons of world statesmen but rather, he’s been too aloof, incredibly taciturn, abominably rigid and unbelievably reticent. These are character flaws that he must find ways to exorcise if he seriously expects history to be kind to him.

5. Docile, acquiescent and slavish citizenry: While we can conveniently apportion the largest chunk of the blame to our leaders, the citizens must also be held responsible for ever being so docile, and culpable in all the vices attributed to the leadership. No government can continue to misbehave without the active participation and collaboration of the citizenry. This is sadly the case in a democracy where the citizens have the power to jettison the political class holding them at bay.

6. Lack of true Federalism: I firmly believe this is at the heart, liver and kidney of our intractable backwardness. An ill-conceived and poorly executed Constitution that is so patently steeped in deceit and favouritism can never bring peace and unity to any country. To those who may not understand and appreciate the clarion call for Restructuring, this is actually the crux of the matter. I do also believe that it is the lack of veritable structures and strong institutions that has led us to where we are. When the entire country stops relying on government, but on enterprise in all forms, then we will make the progress that we clamour for, and our unity will be assured. I shall endeavour to spend some time and space on this very important part of my epistle today. I have made effort to consult one of Nigeria’s greatest Constitutional lawyers, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on this matter by sending him a questionnaire that was also forwarded to me just yesterday by a London-based British-Nigerian IT Guru, Ms Oriyomi Balogun, and I’m grateful for both of their contributions and the prompt response and action of the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria and highly respected constitutional lawyer. Ms Balogun forwarded the following posers:

“The 1999 Constitution:

1. Promulgated by military decree 24 of 1999.

2. Not signed into law by NASS or President.

3. Not subjected to referendum.

4. Was written by a select few Nigerians.

5. Does not provide for State constitutions to create true federation.

6. Kept a secret till after all inaugurations, State and National in 1999.

7. Not printed by government printer in 1999.

8. Takes care of one religion in sections 275 – 279 & neglects all others.

9. Over centralised governance.

10. Centralised the whole judiciary.

11. Gave NASS power over concurrent items.

12. Created a unitary government, not federal government.

13. Falsely claims Nigerians willingly handed over their land & resources to the FG, thus pauperising States & Nigerians.

14. Sections 275 – 279 negate section 10 regarding non-state religion.

15. Calls State governor’s chief security officers but does not give them security outfits or power over Nigeria Police.

16. A civilian government can never meet section 8 requirements for the creation of new States & local government.

17. Says married girls less than 18 years old are adults who can sue, be sued, vote & be voted for, for no clear reason.

18. The military Land Use Decree (later, Act) and NYSC decree (later, Act) were embedded in the Constitution, so not easy to amend, for no stated reason.

19. Provided for only one police force unlike other federations.

20. Section 6 frees government from liability regarding citizen rights provided in Chapter 2, thus, these rights are not justiciable.”

The response I got from Ozekhome are as follows:

1. Nos 1-7 correct.

2. No 8 is correct only to some extent. Although section 10 of the 1999 Constitution provides for secularity, sections 275-279 provide for Sharia Court of Appeal of a State. But this is counter-balanced by the equal provision for the Customary Court of Appeal of a State in sections 280-284. There’s however no provision stricto sensu for English or Christian or Canon Law which governs Christians. To that extent, it can be argued that this discriminates against Christians. (However, in further exposition and clarification of Ozekhome’s views, I believe that Canon Law has never been a direct source of law in Nigeria, but Sharia/Islamic law has been. Furthermore, these provisions relate essentially to personal law and are not binding on non-Moslems).

3. Nos 9-13 correct.

4. No 14 follows no 8 mutatis mutandis.

5. No 15 is correct. Section 214(4) of the Constitution.

6. Nos 16-20 correct.

Further, on no 20, section 6(6)(c) of the Constitution specifically ousts the jurisdiction of Courts from inquiring into whether chapter 2, sections 13-24 of the Constitution, which deals with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy embedded in the said chapter 2, have been complied with by government. This ousts the jurisdiction of Courts from interrogating those critical provisions dealing with obligations of the government to the governed, and the political, economic, social, educational, foreign policy, environmental, cultural responsibilities of the government to the governed. So, they are mere platitudes meant to be obeyed. However, they are more honoured in the breach than in the observance by governments throughout the country.

No 17 is not quite correct. Indeed, section 42(1) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, ethnic group, place of origin or political opinion.

No 18 is correct. Indeed, it is not only the Land Use Act that is affected by this restriction, the NYSC, National Security Agencies, and the Public Complaints Commission are also affected.

No 19 is correct – section 214(1) of the Constitution…”

7. Bloated political system: President Buhari was expected to cut down the size of political jobbers and drastically reduce and discourage the profligacy associated with political office in Nigeria but alas, the APC apparatchiks have refused to share in Buhari’s frugality, if any such thing ever existed.

8. Corruption: Security and Corruption were supposed to supply Buhari’s highest marks but unfortunately this has not happened… We are now a totally unsafe and indescribably corrupt country.

When a towering giant is brought to its knees by a pebble, as we are now experiencing with the twin evils of insecurity and graft, the giant falls mightily accompanied by the loud thud of an elephant felled by a high velocity rifle. That is almost the point that we have now reached. It is only God that can save us now. Will God???

Pendulum

Pendulum: Why I Have Faith in the Supreme Court

Published

1 year ago

October 13, 2023

Eric

By Dele Momodu

“WE MUST DO WHAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

What is the argument on the other side? Only this, that no case has been found in which it has been done before. That argument does not appeal to me in the least. If we never do anything which has not been done before, we shall never get anywhere. The law will stand still while the rest of the world goes on, and that will be bad for both.” Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls (1899- 1999) PARKER v PARKER.”

Fellow Nigerians,

I’m not a Lawyer. But I’m surrounded by friends who are Lawyers. I enjoyed seeing Lawyers in their wigs and gowns and was tempted to read Law after my first degree at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you view my trajectory today, my application was bounced by the egg heads at the Faculty of Law, despite my first degree which, in some universities, would have been a prerequisite for my entry into a Law degree program. That is a story for another day. I simply accepted my destiny, with equanimity.

Since I had a fascination for Law, I privately engaged in picking and reading legal textbooks, especially anything to do with Jurisprudence and a bit of Company Law. I was particularly fascinated by the landmark cases of the iconic Jurist, Lord Denning, and how he broke rank with the traditional rules and previously held presumptions in English Law, by taking the road less travelled. I enjoyed, and relished, his radical views and witticisms. The above quote of Lord Denning is very relevant to my current topic about the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The main reason for my epistle to you today is simple and straightforward. Many Nigerians seem to have given up on our Judiciary. There are at least two monumental cases ongoing at the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the Presidential election appeals that were separately filed by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi against Bola Tinubu and INEC. Many people have called to ask why my principal, Atiku Abubakar, is wasting his time and resources on pursuing a fruitless case. None of them ever said he never had a good case. They merely gave the usual conspiracy theories as to how corrupt the Judiciary is in Nigeria, as well as the war chest of Bola Tinubu, which he’d never been known to shy away from deploying to maximum advantage. While it may be true that bribery and corruption is of a pandemic status in Nigeria, I still believe there are good people, and Judges, in Nigeria. We should therefore resist this campaign of calumny against our Judges. I have personally thrown this question at Atiku Abubakar a couple of times and he told me very firmly that he believes in the rule of Law. He mentioned how he’s been saved several times by taking his matter to the Judiciary.

The doubting Thomases in Nigeria often predicate their skepticism on the fact that no Presidential election appeal has ever succeeded in removing an incumbent President. While this may true, I believe there is always the possibility of a first time in every situation, and this is the origin of statistics.

At least, we have the reinvigorating example of Sidi Dauda Bage, a Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria who said in the case of SALEH v. ABAH & ORS (2017) LPELR-41914(SC)

“This Court must take the lead, in righting the wrongs in our society, if and when the opportunity presents itself as in this appeal. Allowing criminality and certificate forgery to continue to percolate into the streams, waters and oceans of our national polity would only mean our waters are and will remain dangerously contaminated. The purification efforts must start now, and be sustained as we seek, as a nation, to now ‘change’ from our old culture of reckless impunity. The Nigerian Constitution is supreme. It desires that no one who had ever presented forged certificate to INEC should contest election into Nigeria’s National Assembly. This is clear and sacrosanct. More compelling as a judicial determination had been taken by no less a technical panel sitting in, at least, a panel of three judges as Election Tribunal with constitutional mandate to determine such issues as they relate to elections and its outcomes, including eligibility. This has also been affirmed by the trial Court in this appeal. On these issues, our duty is to apply the Constitution and the law in its start, original form undiluted by ‘colourated’ interpretations.” (Pp 26 – 31 Paras E – B)

There is yet another superlative example: “THE POWER OF THE SUPREME COURT TO RECEIVE FRESH EVIDENCE:

Section 22 of The Supreme Court Act provides, inter alia, that *“The Supreme Court may, from time to time, make any order necessary for determining the real question in controversy in the appeal, and may amend any defect or error in the record of appeal, … and generally shall have full jurisdiction over the whole proceedings as if the proceedings had been instituted and prosecuted in the Supreme Court as a court of first instance and may rehear the case in whole or in part or may remit it to the court below for the purpose of such rehearing or may give such other directions as to the manner in which the court below shall deal with the case in accordance with the powers of that court.”*

In SENATOR HOSEA EHINLANWO V. CHIEF OLUSOLA OKE & ORS
(2008) JELR 48885 (SC), Onnoghen JSC (as he then was) held:

“Order 2 Rule 12 (1) of the Supreme Court Rules which guides the court in the applications of this nature provides, thus: “A party who wishes the court to receive the evidence of witnesses (where they were not called at the trial) or to order the production of any document, exhibit or other thing connected with the proceedings in accordance with the provisions of section 33 of the Act shall apply for leave on notice of motion prior to the date set down for the hearing of the appeal.” It is settled law that it is within the discretion of the court to decide whether or not to admit further/additional evidence on appeal. It is also settled that for the court to exercise that discretion one way or the other, it must act not only judicially but also judiciously. It is in an effort at attaining the standard of exercising its discretion judicially and judiciously that the courts have set down certain principles/conditions as guides. *The principles are: 1) the evidence sought to be adduced must be such that could not have been with reasonable diligence obtained for use at the trial; 2) the evidence should be such that if admitted would have an important, not necessarily crucial effect on the whole case, and, 3) the evidence must be such that it is apparently credible in the sense that it is capable of being believed and it need not be incontrovertible — see UBA Plc v. BTL Ind. Ltd. (2005) 10 NWLR (Pt. 933) 356 at 370–371. The above conditions must co-exist for the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicant.”
-SNC-U.

Thank God for social media, we are all learning Law on the go. The world is watching us and our Judiciary in particular. It is sad that our Executive arm of government is already on trial. Our Legislature is considered reckless, unpatriotic and irresponsible by many citizens and non-citizens alike. I do not know why and how they have fallen so low in the eyes of the same electorates who supposedly voted them into the hallowed Chambers. To make matters worse, the Nigerian media, which ordinarily should be the fourth estate of the realm, is also under severe attack of being compromised and divided across ethnic considerations and pecuniary gains by the government of Nigeria. This is the tragedy of our nation. So, to who then do we turn in this season of anomie? Atiku Abubakar had to approach the American Judiciary before he could unravel what should not take up to one hour to confirm at home, if the government agencies agreed to do their jobs according to international best practices.

Even foreign analysts are now painting lurid pictures of Armageddon, the final battle between the good and evil elements in our country. This should worry all of us. The Judiciary today can restore instant global prestige and adulation to our country. The Judges can automatically improve our economy by not kowtowing to the overbearing appurtenances of power, by not delivering technical judgments but being seen to ensure real justice. They can bring back the sinking influence and relevance of their profession.

A CBS newsreport that went viral yesterday should tell us that outsiders, apparently, understand the issues at stake more than us, and they appear even more concerned about the impending catastrophe, if adequate care is not taken. The explosive interview was granted by Gregory Copley, an expert in Defense and Foreign Affairs, an Editor and Publisher, to John Batchelor.This brutal analysis of our predicaments is worth listening to, reading, and digesting, if you can find it online…

Please, join me, in saying the Lord’s prayer, if you wish…

Pendulum

Pendulum: The Truth Tinubu Must Be Told

Published

1 year ago

October 7, 2023

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, once again, this is not the best of times in our dear beloved country, Nigeria. After we had thought, gladly and gleefully, that no government could be worse than the recent Buhari administration, we are now confronted by yet another monstrosity. In less than two months in power, Tinubu’s government started collapsing whatever positive legacy Buhari left behind. Yet, we would have assumed and expected a President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be far better prepared and more visionary than Buhari and his lacklustre team was. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case. While I’m not about to give an overview of Tinubu’s wobbly stewardship so far, and so soon, I’m constrained to put my thoughts and unequivocal opinion on the ongoing Tinubugate on paper. I’m doing this in my personal capacity as a Nigerian citizen and as a true and truthful friend of Tinubu. I believe only a true friend can look you straight, eyeballs to eyeballs, in the face, and tell one of the world’s most powerful men, the Gospel truth.

I have no doubts in my mind that the majority of Tinubu’s so-called friends and ubiquitous hangers-on are pretentious hypocrites. Tinubu has also not helped himself by encouraging both royals and puppets alike to worship at his feet and turning him into a demi-god. I’m convinced that they serve him no useful purpose. I will establish this fact in a minute.

The Tinubugate did not begin yesterday. It started after Tinubu returned from exile and metamorphosed into the Governor of Lagos State in 1999 and instantly became the biggest beneficiary of our epic battles in exile during the NADECO days. In all honesty, we were all happy that he was amply compensated for his salutary efforts.

But unknown to us, trouble was brewing. We didn’t know how or what led the legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, to exhume all manner of “false declarations” contained in the forms submitted for Tinubu’s gubernatorial bid. On October 11, 1999, just months after Tinubu contested and won his election, Chief Fawehinmi’s powerful interview was published on the cover of Newswatch magazine, with the screaming headline: WHY TINUBU MUST GO – Gani Fawehinmi. The fearless Lawyer also granted another interview on the cover of The Source magazine, with an even more acerbic headline: “TINUBU IS A CRIMINAL – Gani, and a rider below: Deserves 10 years in jail! On top of the same magazine was published a worrisome story: The Tinubu Story: THE SOURCE UNDER THREAT. This was the first tell-tale sign of the new and toxic Lagos State to come, a Lagos of one man, one permanent ruler, reminiscent of the Sicilian Mafia, which we privately rechristened the “Cosa Nostra” of Nigeria.
Some members of our “exile confraternity” were naturally alarmed. But we were somehow timid and, thus, carelessly dismissed Gani’s case as, at the very best, alarmist and unnecessarily meddlesome. A few of us who were very close to Gani Fawehinmi knew it would be difficult and of no effect, to approach him and try to persuade him to drop the case. The other sad revelation was when some of Tinubu’s commissioners started fretting and sweating profusely. God is my witness. Many of them, out of panic, about the imminent impeachment of Tinubu, were, stylishly, dissociating themselves from their boss. We heard all kinds of gibberish, from some of them, who are even in government today: “we brought our integrity into this government, we can’t allow anyone to tarnish it…”

Let us digress a little. One of them, extremely close to Tinubu, was the first to tell us about “the falsification of Tinubu’s age, the identity of his original parents from Iragbiji, his forged academic records”, and so on. This chain-smoker claimed absolute knowledge of Tinubu’s life. He told us in my Accra home that anyone who tells Tinubu the truth is instantly marked down as an enemy, so he has stopped telling him the truth. With this kind of mindset, you can imagine what quality of advice Tinubu gets regularly.

Then, out of the blues, my very daring and loyal friend, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, decided to bite the bullet on behalf of Tinubu. What he did was reminiscent of the “lamb of God who took away the sins of the earth…” He, like a kamikaze soldier, took absolute responsibility for the errors contained in Tinubu’s files. Miraculously, Tinubu was saved, and we were all relieved. Everyone is asking me how has Tinubu compensated Afikuyomi, and my answer is I don’t know.

It is noteworthy that Festus Keyamo had jumped on the bandwagon of those seeking to impeach Tinubu at that time. This is another story for another day. I cannot wait for my memoirs to be ready in order to put names and faces to the main dramatis personae.

Let’s now fast forward to the year 2002. There was a popular magazine known as The Week. It planned a cover story on Tinubu. Somehow, the story leaked out to then Governor of Lagos State. Tinubu immediately, and with automatic alacrity, reached out to the Publisher of the magazine, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and pleaded that the scandalous story should be dropped. Out of love and respect for his friend, Atiku reached out to The Week magazine Management and got the story to be stepped down. The Editors were miffed by this development, and in the aftermath, led to the resignation and exit of the Editor, Mr Simon Kolawole.

The meat of my epistle today is that there are many didactic lessons to pick from this Tinubugate. Tinubu eventually left office in 2007. But he never really left Lagos alone. He became Nigeria’s ultimate godfather, who determined, almost to the pin, who gets what. Many of his acolytes knew he was capable of turning them into emergency Billionaires and were ready to stand ramrod on his mandate. This, I believe, is the crux of the matter.

Now, why do I blame Tinubu and his die-hard fans? Two major reasons are carelessness (or is it negligence?) and recklessness. Why would a man who left office since 2007, 16 long years ago, fail to clean up the records that nearly got him impeached in the first instance? And given the fact that he couldn’t have personally handled those documents himself, why did the hordes of minions claiming to love him till eternity fail to deliver a world-class file for his documents?

The Laws of Nigeria never insisted that a Presidential candidate must attend a university. In the last 16 years, Tinubu should have ensured his personal documents were thoroughly checked to be squeaky clean before submitting them to INEC. If necessary, he could have easily gone back to school (Atiku still went to school recently to update and upgrade himself) and try to erase all the previous controversial details. As for his conflicting dates of birth, he should have settled for a preferred birthday date, like President Olusegun Obasanjo did. It can never be a crime that a child’s parent did not record or obtain his birth certificate. As for claiming to have worked for Deloitte and others, he should have limited himself to “I have worked for big multinationals globally and they truly enjoyed my services and valued my contributions” without mentioning specific companies and dates.

As for parentage, I would have told the world about my humble background and poor parentage. It is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is not a crime to be adopted and acquire the name of one’s foster-parents. Everyone knew how Chief MKO Abiola played the role of a father figure in my life, including travelling all the way to Ijebu-Igbo and Ijebu-Ode for my wedding in 1992, but that never stopped me from celebrating my poor parents. And if there were peculiar reasons for obliterating ones original family history, that can still be easily explained. A public figure cannot afford to keep too many secrets. For far too long, Tinubu has blatantly refused to open up his private life to the members of the public. The repercussions of this stifness have been hugely calamitous to him and his immediate family. With more openness, this could have been avoided.

Let me now go to the specific handling of the Chicago scandals. For me, Tinubu and his noisy supporters have made matters far worse than it should have been. Only his blind and shameless supporters will continue to argue over a saga that started over five decades ago. All of us who knew the truth and looked the other way brought this calamity upon our country. And it is grossly unfair.

Instead of Tinubu standing up as a man to offer sincere and unreserved apologies to Nigerians, his “brood of vipers” are busy insulting the long-suffering people of Nigeria, and studiously rubbing salt and pepper on our festering wounds. This is most unfair. This can only aggravate the anger of our citizens, especially the youths.

The first thing Tinubu should do is to climb down his high horse and experience reality for once. No man, no matter how powerful, can achieve everything by force, all the time. The popular story of EFUNSETAN ANIWURA, IYALODE IBADAN is very instructive. Power is transient.

I’m certain there is a hand of God in this latest eruption about Tinubu’s record, which has refused to go away.it is no longer about Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso, Sowore and others. This is about Nigeria. Atiku has played his part honorably at home and abroad. What he achieved in Chicago was a monumental victory for our democracy. Because of Atiku, many Nigerians will have their pride restored. The burden has already been transferred to all of us. Whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court case, it is obvious to me that a new era beckons for us all except for those who choose to be voluntary slaves.

Pendulum

Pendulum: Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr: Refreshing Lessons for Generations

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2023

Eric

By Japheth J. Omojuwa

This is neither a tribute to nor a piece in praise of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. Presidents have defied protocol to offer praises, even across the ocean. Kings have broken tradition in offering tributes and titles, captains of industry have queued behind themselves sharing memorable and inspiring accolades to a timeless icon who did his best to moderate the celebrations. Even if one defied these and decided to try against reason, King Sunny Ade’s Fayeyemi tribute is matchless and inimitable, and I could never reach Chief Ebenezer Obey’s depth and artistry in celebration of the man. Thus, there is nothing left to be said in form of praise or tributes that could surpass those already offered by these great men and women.

I have not come to praise the man; I have only come to address the spectators who were held spellbound by the spectacle and were left wondering what could be so great about a man whom most of them have never seen and only ever get to hear of. Often, when one gets sucked into the attraction of the show, the lessons get lost.

This once, we cannot afford to miss the lessons. The stories that contributed to the making of the man provide vital context for his greatness and offer a rich source of learning and inspiration for generations to come. When these stories are left untold, myths and falsehoods can fill the vacuum, perpetuating disempowering beliefs that hinder progress and growth. For instance, some may believe that wealth can only be acquired through unscrupulous means or cronyism.

When President Emmanuel Macron of France wrote in his tribute, ‘you are humble enough to often publicly declare that the confidence of several French companies at the beginning of your entrepreneurial adventure was instrumental in building the success that is yours today’, among other French alliances, he was making reference to the man who explored for more capital through the banks. A much harder way than through the disempowering stories that people tell to explain wealth they do not understand and in the same breath excuse their own misfortune.

The moniker, ‘The Bull,’ is not merely a name with a golden insignia; it reflects some of Adenuga’s most essential characteristics. The Bull is traditionally seen as a symbol of wealth and subterranean powers. It does not just make an entry; it makes an unforgettable one. It does not recognize defeat; any appearance of defeat is a retreat that often proves costly for those who stand in its path. These traits find expression in the success story of Globacom, which is a testament to Adenuga’s tenacity and determination.

Many exited at the point the government cancelled their mobile telecom licenses. Instead, The Bull charged on, refusing the small battle of a legal pursuit and instead focused on the big prize at the end of what was going to be a protracted bidding war for GSM licenses. Adenuga had to call on his grit again when the prize he won came without the trophy. The government had its cake and ate it. The Bull’s bouncebackability came into play again because well over a year later, he got the license that was fairly won in an open bidding process. When the stories get told, you cannot have a single blot on his shield. The Bull played by the rules, even when the rules were shifted against him, his staying power meant his team returned with victory. A hard-fought one but The Bull stayed invincible.

Other companies would have been happy to just start and do a continuous chase of those who had gone ahead of them, Mike Adenuga’s Globacom defied the norm by starting out with a paradigm shift that remains unmatched in Nigeria. Instead of chasing the competition and playing by their rules, by crashing the price of SIM cards and starting out with per second billing – others said this was not possible at the time – the competition had to bend to his game. The horses that started the race earlier were now doing the chase.

Adenuga’s Globacom dragged the industry on the path of perfect competition with his early moves, he then differentiated immediately by offering services the first and second movers had not even thought of. They were left competing with him at one end in a game whose rules he had redefined by his paradigm shifting bullish entry. He left himself alone without competition at other ends, advancing and flexing with technology above what was on offer. Translated to Yoruba, o ti ilekun mo won, o fi kokoro pa mo.

One reference the tributes intersect is his humility. Humility is an interesting phenomenon. You cannot be poor and be said to be humble. Poverty and humility appear to be parallel lines, yet they find intersection because poverty is already a humble position. Albeit a position that appears to be without the choice of the bearer. When it is said that a person is humble, one must pay attention. When you are so rich with means and power but appear to be unconscious of that elevated state of being especially in your dealings with people, that is humility. Some go out of their way to be seen to be humble. That defeats the purpose. Feigned humility is not humility. The Adenuga tributes refer to the sort of humility that the man himself would only come to see in the description of the people who experienced it. The humility of a man who just is.

Attention seeking appears to be humanity’s contemporary collective de rigueur. That could be explained by the ubiquity of the Internet and its appurtenances. Contemporary culture has now birthed a world where billionaires want to evolve into bloggers even as blogger aspire to be billionaires. We have built a universe and culture where staying relevant has become a daily endeavour, yet in all of that world, we all aspire to Mike Adenuga. The one who would rather not be seen, the one who finds comfort and apparent fulfilment in not being heard. Yet the one who has impacted people and institutions so much he brings life to another moniker of his, The Spirit of Africa. A reference that captures the essence of his values and the fact that one needs not be seen to make change happen, one needs not speak to be heard. And to make great impact, intentions and action are greater than fugazi moves, vain aesthetics and puerile drama.

The rich, in observing the tradition of noblesse oblige, have often committed to philanthropy. The Mike Adenuga principle goes above that sense of obligation because giving is entrenched in his persona. In a world where many keep records of those that they helped that never returned to say ‘thank you’, the millions opportune to be blessed by The Spirit of Africa do not get a chance to. Because his generosity leaves no room to collect appreciations. The giving and the changed lives are the essence of it all.

Conversely, you won’t find a person with a higher sense of appreciation, even for the little things.

Writing about personalities can be enjoyable, but there are times when addressing important issues should take precedence. This piece is not solely about an individual’s personality, but rather the enduring values necessary to navigate a constantly changing world. While exploring Dr. Mike Adenuga’s achievements could fill volumes, the focus here is on some of the values that propelled him to success and how we can apply them to our own daily challenges. As we confront new and complex problems, the lessons we learn from those who have gone before us can be invaluable. Dr. Adenuga’s life offers a powerful example of how these values can lead to great rewards, and this is a message that deserves to be heard by this generation and beyond.

He exemplifies E pluribus unum, and of him, there are lessons to be learned for generations to come. This is the legacy one must have a sense of appreciation for. Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. GCON, CSG, CdrLH at 70 has left lessons for us in these Platinum number of years, we cannot afford to lose sight of these precious gems.

Japheth J. Omojuwa is the author of Digital: The New Code of Wealth and founder of Alpha Reach