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Opinion

The Oracle: Nigeria’s Dire Need for Restructuring (Pt. 3)

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By Chief Mike Ozekhome

INTRODUCTION

Last week, we continued our discourse on the urgent need for Nigeria to restructure now before it is too late. This week, we explore our thematic analysis.

The eventual compromise of constitutional exactitude was located in the 1954 Littleton Constitution, which made Nigeria a federation of three regions, corresponding to the three major ethnic nations. It remarkedly differed from the 1947 Richard’s Constitution, in that powers were more evenly split between the regional governments and the central government. The Constitution accorded the regions the right to seek self-government, which the Western and Eastern regions achieved in 1956. The Northern Region, however, fearing that self-government (and thus British withdrawal), would leave it at the mercy of southerners, delayed self-rule until 1959.

In December 1959, elections were held for a federal parliament. None of the three main parties won a clear majority, but the NPC, thanks to the size of the Northern Region, won the largest plurality of votes.

Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960. In 1961, the Cameroons Trust Territories were split in two. The mostly Muslim northern Cameroons voted to become part of the Northern Region of Nigeria, while the Southern Cameroons joined the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

ECHOES OF DISINTEGRATION

Immediately after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, regional and ethnic tensions quickly escalated. The censuses of 1962 and 1963 fueled bitter disputes, as did the trial and imprisonment of leading opposition politicians, led by Awolowo, whom Prime Minister Balewa unfortunately accused of treason. In 1963, an eastern section of the Western Region that was ethnically non-Yoruba was, on 9th of August, split off into a new region, the Midwestern Region. Matters deteriorated during the violence-marred elections of 1964, from which the NPC emerged victorious. On January 15, 1966, junior army officers led by fire-eating ideologue, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu Chukwuma, revolted and killed Balewa and several other politicians, including the premier of Northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto. Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, the commander of the army and an Igbo, emerged as the country’s new helmsman, being the most senior military officer of the time.

Ironsi immediately suspended the 1963 Constitution, which did little to ease northern fears of possible southern domination. In late May, 1966, Ironsi further angered the north with the announcement that many public services then controlled by the regions would thenceforth be controlled by the federal government. This was an unfortunate declaration of full blown unitary system of government. On July 29, 1966, northern-backed army officers staged a violent countercoup, assassinating Ironsi in the process and replacing him with Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon. The coup was followed by the massacre of thousands of Igbos resident in northern cities. Most of the surviving Igbos sought refuge in their crowded eastern homelands. Yakubu Gowon, a bachelor Christian minority officer became the Head of State at 32. Never mind that till date, people of his own generation are still ruling us at all tiers of governance, 50 years later! Does the “future” still belong to the youth?

In May 1967, Gowon announced the creation of a new 12-state structure. The Eastern Region, populated mostly by Igbos, would be divided into three states, two of them dominated by non-Igbo groups. The division would also sever the vast majority of Igbo from profitable coastal ports and rich oil fields that had only then been discovered in the Niger Delta (which until then was a part of the Eastern Region). The leaders of the Eastern Region, pushed to the brink of secession by the new anti-Igbo xenophobic attacks and the influx of Igbo refugees, saw this action as an official attempt to push the Igbos to the margins of Nigerian society and politics. On May 27, 1967, the region’s Igbo-dominated Assembly authorized Lieutenant Colonel Odemegwu Ojukwu to declare independence as the “Republic of Biafra”. Ojukwu obliged three days later. The civil war soon broke out, consequently. The rest is now history that Nigerians are still writhing from. The three years bloody civil war ended in January, 1970, with the “no victor, no vanquished” declaration. Gowon enthroned the three “RS” of reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation.

WHY THIS HISTORICAL VOYAGE?

The purport of reproducing this brief panoramic history of Nigeria is so that we can appreciate where we are coming from, where we are and where we are heading to as a nation. Former American President, Warren G. Harding, once said, “it is everlastingly true that on the whole, the best guide to the future is to be found in the proper understanding of the past.” Thus, for us to divine the future of Nigeria, we must study and have a good grasp of our past, because today is the tomorrow we talked about yesterday.

THE PRESENT: A MERE REPLICATION OF HISTORY

The major source of Nigeria’s unending woes, tribalism, sectionalism, nepotism, cronyism, corruption, religious bigotry and stagnation, are remotely linked to the fundamentally flawed structure bequeathed to us by our colonial masters.

The truth is that as long as the present frail structure of Nigeria remains, some sections of the country would continue to lord themselves politically over other parts of the country, to the detriment of peace and unity of Nigeria. Unless something drastic is done to rearrange the present system of inequality, with the urgency of now, nay yesterday, history will continue to repeat itself. Separatist groups clamouring for self-determination will continue to flourish.

The issue for determination, by way of legalese, is, whether Nigerians should continue under an arrangement that allows only the overbearing interests, wishes and aspirations of a particular section of the country to be reflected in the entire polity, at the expense of genuine unity and nationhood. Put another way, are we not living our lives in appeasement and self-denial?

Economically, Nigerians are vanquished. Politically, Nigerians are backward. Socially, Nigerians are cynical about one another. Religiously, Nigerians are polarized. Ethnically, Nigerians are segregated. The present structure of the country has not helped us in any minutest particular. It is sheer absurdity and cowardice to continue to invest in a venture that is unrewarding and fruitless. We may pretend. We may sloganeer about the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria. History has not always vindicated vainglorious sloganeers who did nothing to change the system. It was Albert Einstein who once said it is only a fool that seeks to do same thing over and over again using the same method and expect different results.

Foreigners held $5.4 billion of Nigerian bonds in September 2013, but dumped them after the country was ejected last year from the most widely used GBI-EM index. Nigeria’s stock has since fallen 6.5 percent this year, despite a near-doubling in oil prices relative to recent months. Foreign share dealings was #34.4 billion in March, down from 66 percent a year ago, says the stock exchange. More than half of those transactions involved share sales. The value of capital imported into Nigeria plunged to $710.97 million in the first quarter of 2016, a 73.8 percent decline a year ago, says the National Bureau of Statistic. With the naira in black market plunging past 367 per dollar, a major chunk of our transactions happening at the unofficial rate, inflation is at a 6 year high and the economy contracted 0.4 percent in the first quarter, the first of such drop since the 1990s.

The then Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were alleged to have futuristically “forged” the standing rules of the Senate, to facilitate their present positions in the Senate. The Niger Delta Avengers are, on a daily basis, bombing oil installations. Oil production is falling from 2.2 million barrels per day to below 1.5 million barrels per day, with huge cost on our revenue. Fulani herdsmen brouhaha, serial kidnap cases, Boko Haram, abject penury and general insecurity, have risen astronomically, with many Nigerians living in palpable fear. The government had been prosecuting corruption cases selectively and partisanly, reminding us of Thomas Hobbes ascription of a state of lawlessness, where life was short nasty and brutish. The anti-corruption fight, if unassisted by rational judgment, was heading for collapse on it’s ponderous weight of inherent contradictions. Because like in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”.

In fact, the apprehension by the public of a northern domination of the political space has been inflamed by PMB’s nepotic appointments. With the North obviously enjoying plurality of political appointments. This clearly shows favoritism, nepotism and cronyism. This makes nonsense of the hackneyed federal character principle and the part of the President’s own inaugural speech, “… I belong to none and belong to all…”. This is not happening.

The then Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Burutai, a northerner, was revealed to have bought two in Dubai worth 1.5 million dollars. The PMB administration had the opportunity to show Nigerians that the anti-corruption war was not targeted at profiled opponents, or against a section of the country, as many have come to believe. The Government, Army and Code of Conduct Bureau, have shockingly, justified this primitive acquisition. Good gracious!

(To be continued next week).

FUN TIMES
There are two sides to every coin. Life itself contains not only the good, but also the bad and the ugly. Let us now explore these.
“You are dating more than one person, and you say you are in a relationship? Point of correction my guy, you are in a public meeting not a relationship”.-Anonymous.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.” (Abraham Lincoln).

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Opinion

Masquerade of Excellence: Celebrating Prof Mike Ozekhome’s Remarkable Journey @ 67

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By CDS Omon-Irabor Esq

Chief Prof. Dr. Mike A.A. Ozekhome SAN,
the only masquerade that dances in the farm without cutting a single reed of the yam tendrils.

The Gadfly is climbing the 67th rung on the ladder. From the hills of Agenebode down to the plains of the Iviukwe, the celestials, the principalities and the gods of Weppa and Wano Kingdoms are celebrating this colossus, who came in disguise as a little rough village boy; but very comely and handsome, his divine intelligence surpasses those of his peers.

Taking a sudden flight through primary and secondary schools casaded him into the land of Oduduwa. He anchored his life voyage at the ancestral home of the Yorubas, Ile-ife. Here his projenitors believed to have a temporary abode before sending the last born of the Ogisos Ile-ife (I ran and I became rich, Benin translation). Omonoyan (wrongly called Oromiyan) was sent to go to the land of Igodomigodo where today Chief Mike Ozekhome holds the title of Enobakhare of Benin Kingdom.

This great man had all his trappings, equipped himself and became a lawyer, taking abode in the Delphic Oracle (that is what we called the Chambers of Chief Gani Fawehim). There he became the Aristostle, tampering with the Apologia left at the eye of euroba.

He journeyed on, for no destiny, no chance, no faith, nor circumstance could hinder, control or circumvent the firm resolve of a determined soul in Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome as epitomised or postulated.

The great learned Senior Advocate of the masses grudges on, defending the most vulnerable and giving voice to the voiceless and muscle to the powerless.

The Okporokpo of Oleh kingdom, Delta State; the Aimotekpe of Okpeland, the Agbamofin of Ijanikinland, Lagos; the Ohamadike1 of Obibi Ochasi, Imo State; the Ada Idaha of Efik land and the great Akpakpa Vighi Vighi of Edo Land, the land of my ancestors, I salute you for it is morning yet.

There is no space here,for my ink is running dry; but before I drop, I remember your words to me while I was in the dock of the Warri High Court on the 12th day of July, 2013, “Omon, you look worried; mind you, those who think that they can cover the shinning sun with their palms will soon find the heat unbearable”.

Those who stopped you from becoming our Governor in 2003 indirectly made you Governor of all Governors.

In all these odyssey you traversed, behind the dìm unknown standeth God, watching over you, His own.

Obokhian, amonghon, iyare iyare, mooooooh.

CDS Omon-Irabor Esq writes from the hill and the cave of Ebudinland

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Opinion

Mr. President: Affordable Fuel is Possible at Zero Subsidy

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By Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde

Yesterday evening, I listened attentively to a panel of experts and stakeholders on the BBC program Ra’ayi Riga, anchored by Umaima Sani Abdulmumin. The program ended with a big doubt in my mind regarding a matter purported to be a provision of OPEC and crucial to the price of petrol in Nigeria.

Tyranny

I could not fathom how particularly the representatives of NNPC and IPMAN stressed that Nigerians will be at the mercy of two variables: the international market and the price of the US Dollar in Nigeria. They said OPEC agreement compels member countries to sell allocated domestic crude at international rate even if refined locally. One of them even said the Iran-Israel conflict can cause domestic price of petrol in Nigeria to rise.

So we should expect higher fuel prices anytime the rate of the dollar appreciates in Nigeria and also when, for any reason, there is a rise in the cost of crude in the international market. It is the rule, according to them. Our fate, they claim, is sealed, regardless of our OPEC membership and Dangote refinery. Nigerians will no longer have a stable fuel price.

Trust me, in Nigeria, the equation will be simultaneous. At any given moment, a reason will be found to use either or both parameters to increase pump price. The target of government is to extract more revenue from citizens while the businessmen in Dangote, Major Marketers, NNPCL and IPMAN continue to feed their greed for endless profit with our blood.

One would wonder why OPEC would be so oppressive in inflicting such tyranny on the citizens of its members. Senator Ndume, who was in the panel, said if he cannot understand why, how would they expect a commoner sitting under the tree to do so?

The truth

The truth is that there is no provision like that in OPEC agreements. In fact, the very idea of domestic crude quota arose in realization that citizens of member countries may need to enjoy cheaper oil than the international market price. That is why those citizens have been enjoying cheaper fuel for the past five decades in different countries. Many still do. Why not Nigerians?

If you ask ChatGPT whether OPEC agreement compels member countries to sell crude for domestic consumption at international market price only, this is the answer you get:

“OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) does not directly compel member countries to sell crude oil for domestic consumption at international market prices. OPEC’s primary role is to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among member countries to stabilize oil markets and secure a steady supply of oil.

“However, OPEC’s production quotas, agreements on output levels, and policies can indirectly influence domestic oil pricing. In practice, many OPEC members choose to sell crude oil domestically at subsidized rates or prices lower than the international market. This decision is made at the discretion of individual member countries, often as part of national energy policies aimed at supporting domestic economies and industries. Nonetheless, these policies may vary from one member country to another depending on domestic priorities and economic strategies.

“There is no formal OPEC rule that requires domestic sales to match international prices, though it can be influenced by international agreements and market pressures.”

The Truth

The truth is that the President and Minister of Petroleum can sell our 445,000 barrels a day to Dangote at even N50,000/barrel after taking into consideration the cost of extraction and OPEC will not raise any eyebrow. Dangote can charge the cost of refining, add his profit and sell to NNPCL and IPMAN at, say, N300/litre. On their part the marketers will add their cost of transportation, storage, profit, etc., and sell it to Nigerians at N400/litre. And—boom—we all will be happy.

It is entirely the discretion of the President and his government. So whoever wants to sell our locally produced fuel by that simultaneous equation is on his own. There is no OPEC in the equation.

The Squeeze

Also, among those who would fight against Nigerians enjoying affordable fuel rates are the IMF, World Bank and the West generally. They want the government to squeeze us the more such that we can service our debts and collect more loans from the Shylock. The age long philosophy is: our poverty, their wealth; our pain, their joy.

Added to these are local liberal economists who believe in high taxation, claiming that the blood money will be used to develop our infrastructure, health, education, etc. It is just the same old bunkum selling since 1986 at the debut of Naira devaluation while our infrastructure, hospitals and schools continue to deteriorate in rebuttal of that thesis.

A Call

I call on the President to consider the low income status of our citizen. Only affordable fuel price will hold together our social fabric, ensure our prosperity and guarantee our security. It is zero subsidy because we are not buying it from anyone. It is our oil.

The President must keep in mind that the IMF and oil magnates are not his partners in 2027. He is on his own. They will be there to outlive him and work with the next President. Let this sink into his psyche. Tam!

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Opinion

Happy 64th Independence Day!

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By Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya

From July 2011 to May 2015, it was my honour to serve the government and people of Lagos State as General Counsel to His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN CON, the Governor of Lagos State. As one of my tasks, I had the honour of being the Governor’s speechwriter, and early this morning, as the clock chimed midnight, ushering in yet another October 1, I found myself reflecting on how far we have come as a nation. “Does our progress reflect our age?”, I asked myself. I really don’t know. My thoughts then turned to 10 years ago and I remembered the Governor’s 54th Independence Day speech, the 1st draft of which I was privileged to pen. The Governor’s words on October 1, 2014, ring as true today as they did then and I thought it was worth sharing excerpts from his speech. Happy reading!

“…Today, October 1, 2014, we are once again celebrating the anniversary of our independence from British colonial rule. Today marks 54 years since Nigeria became an independent sovereign nation, following the germination of a seed that had been sown seven years earlier, when in 1953, Anthony Eromosele Enahoro introduced a private member’s bill demanding self-government. When the British “Union Jack” flag was lowered for the last time and the green-white-green Nigerian flag was hoisted in its stead, the crowd went wild with jubilation, filled with high expectations of a greater tomorrow.

We can only imagine the exultant joy felt by our first Prime Minister. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, when he mounted the podium on October 1, 1960. In his first Independence Day Speech he said:-

“This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience, compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us… when we had so nearly reached our goal.”

Indeed he mirrored the views of millions of Nigerians and echoed their thoughts. Independence Day soon became easily the most significant day in our national life, accorded a pride of place that was difficult to surpass. Independence day became synonymous with sights of the President and the State Governors in open-top vehicles inspecting Guards of Honour, of beautiful parades, exciting fireworks and National Day Award ceremonies. October 1 also became the day on which political batons changed, and elected officials handed over to their successors. A day for inspiring speeches and sober reflection on our growth as a nation.

As a school boy, I remember struggling hard to get selected to march for my school in the National Day Parade, the endless rehearsals, and the keen anticipation of waiting to see if I would be picked. There was no prize given and none was expected. It was enough that your school had participated.

“Left, Right, Left, Right, Eeeyes Right!” And on the sidelines, children cheering us on with their own rhymes – “dem dey look una, make yanga, dem dey look una, make yanga, Left Right, Left Right!

Filled with excitement, we would add more ‘yanga’, trying hard, but not quite suceeding, to match the synchronisation of the armed forces. After it all, bursting with pride, those of us fortunate enough to have been selected to march for our school would milk our success for weeks afterwards, wearing our school uniform with pride, basking in the recognition as we went to and from school in public transportation and displaying a sense of superiority over our “less fortunate” schoolmates. Such was the depth of our civic pride.

Today, sadly, the excitement has waned. October 1 appears to have now become a hollow ritual and regrettably, no more than just another work and school-free day. The flame of our national pride seems to flicker. This is not how it should be.

What is the importance of a day like this? What does it mean to you? What should it mean to you? All over the world, Independence Day anniversaries are celebrated with great fanfare, splendour, respect for the nation and a deep sense of patriotism.bln some countries, festivities leading up to Independence Day start up to three weeks earlier. Some hold Independence Day beauty pageants; some re-enact their independence, others play the National Anthem on the dot of midnight on all radio and TV stations. All put country before self, at least for that day. We should not be any different.

In that historic Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa also said:

“Words cannot adequately express my joy and pride at being the Nigerian citizen privileged to accept from Her Royal Highness, these Constitutional Instruments which are the symbols of Nigeria’s independence. It is a unique privilege, which I shall remember forever, and it gives me strength and courage as I dedicate my life to the service of our country.”

Noble words indeed, and the words upon which the foundation of our nation was built. It seems to me that there is no better time to rekindle the flame of Nigeria’s promise than now. We should reflect on Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s words and re-dedicate ourselves to the service of Nigeria. In other words, we ought to see October 1 as a day to rekindle our national pride.

Let us patriotically reaffirm in our hearts that, Christian or Muslim, we are one nation under God; that North or South, we are one indivisible people; that whatever our political affiliations, we are all Nigerians, and that what binds us together far outweighs what little divides us.

We will yet attain those great lofty heights we sing so gustily about in the second stanza of our National Anthem. And I pray it will happen in my lifetime.

So help us God.”

Happy 64th Indepencence Day anniversary, dear colleagues. Please spare a prayer for Nigeria on her 64th birthday post independence. May God help us to build a nation where no man is oppressed so that with peace and plenty, Nigeria may be blessed. Amen.

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, FCIArb,
was General Counsel to the Governor of
Lagos State from July 2011 to May 2015.

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