By Babatunde Jose

“Such people (the pious) are truly racing towards good deeds, and they outstrip (others) therein.” (Surat al-Mu’minūn, Quran 23:61)

“kamil” in Arabic means perfect, genuine, and complete. The “perfected faith” (kamil Iman) represents the highest level of maturity and depth of faith an individual can ever attain. But how does a believer’s faith grow mature and become perfect?

“Having faith in Allah” is to grasp that Allah is the sole Creator and Owner of everything and that He is the only Judge. It is one’s submission to Allah at every moment of his life; it is being aware that one is in need of Him, that Allah is rich beyond need and that He creates all things in compliance with a specified destiny.

“Submission to Allah” becomes possible only through having a profound fear of Allah, being deeply attached to Him, and loving Him more than anything or anybody else. One who submits himself to Allah, in the real sense, takes Allah alone as his intimate friend. Throughout his life, he knows that each event he encounters occurs by Allah’s will and that behind every one of them there are particular divine purposes. For this reason, he never strays from his submissive attitude and always remains obedient and grateful to Allah.

To attain perfected faith, one needs to comply strictly with the commands of the Qur’an, the revelation of Allah through which He introduces Himself and conveys His commands to His servants. For this reason, a believer pays the utmost attention to observing Allah’s limits till the day he dies. Throughout his life, he displays the qualities of the true believer without departing from patience.

The determination a person of perfected faith shows in living by the values of the Qur’an is a very important and distinctive quality. Because it is with this very quality that a man of perfected faith excels others in his efforts to do good. The Qur’an also refers to those “who become foremost in good deeds” (Surah Fatir, Quran 35:32) in their efforts to earn the approval of Allah.

The Qur’an however, refers also to those who do not fully live by religion: “Among the people there are those who profess to worship Allah, but who stand on the very fringe of true religion…” (Surat al-Hajj, Quran 22:11)

Here appears the distinctive feature of perfected faith. Those who do not embrace faith wholeheartedly worship Allah right on the “very fringe” while the people of perfected faith adopt the Qur’an as an essential guide for themselves at every moment of their lives. While insincere people stipulate certain conditions for keeping their faith, people of perfected faith are truly unconditional in their observances. The former group remain devoted to the religion and pretend to display the values praised by the Qur’an as long as they enjoy the blessings given to them and everything goes their way. Yet, whenever they are deprived of blessings or adversity befalls them, they simply turn away from religion or show disloyalty to it.

The people of perfected faith, however, show an unshakable commitment to their faith and loyalty. The basic impetus behind this commitment is their “assured faith.” “Assured faith” is true acknowledgement of Allah’s existence and the hereafter with one’s wisdom, heart and conscience. Believers who possess this character trait are described in the Qur’an as “those who have faith in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you, and are certain about the hereafter.” (Surat al-Baqara, Quran 2:4)

Perfected faith manifests itself through unceasing attention to one’s conscience. Conscience is a spiritual quality that engenders a good attitude and worthy thoughts, and helps man think straight and tell right from wrong. A person of perfected faith listens to the voice of his conscience under all circumstances. Such inclination ensures the morality and attitudes that comply with the Qur’an.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) pointed out the importance of conscience in this way: A person asked Allah’s Messenger (SAW): What is faith? He said: When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust for you, then you are a believer. He again said Allah’s Messenger (SAW): What is a sin? Whereupon he said: When something pricks your conscience, give it up. (Ahmad)

Of the alternatives he encounters, the believer chooses the attitude with which, he hopes, Allah will be pleased. He never stoops to baseness. The difficulties he encounters while displaying the ideal attitude never make him feel frustrated. He does not compromise the most appropriate attitude by being overtaken by the whims and desires of his lower self.

An example from daily life will make this issue clear. Let’s assume that a big factory is on fire. Beset with such adversity, the owner of the factory is faced with many alternatives. He may, for instance, remain inside and, mobilizing the workers, struggle to put out the fire. Another course would be to leave the building and save his own life without notifying the workers. Or he can do everything to save all his workers and meanwhile call the fire department.

All these alternatives may seem reasonable from different points of view. The conscience, however, guides man to the choice that would please Allah most. Perfected faith is the faith of one who unconditionally assumes the most noble attitude to which his conscience guides him, without feeling any trivial regret or disappointment.

At 75, Muyinudeen Aderemi Makanjuola, Chairman Caverton Support Group, has walked with God and lived a life of submission to his maker. He has been well rewarded by Allah who blessed him with well-trained children who have been able to walk in his shoes in his lifetime, retiring him to the back seat ‘not as a participant or spectator but as a well-wisher and happy influencer’.

This is epitomized by the various groundbreaking strides his businesses are making during his sabbatical, these are the sweet rewards of unflinching faith.

Allah recently  tested his faith. But he surmounted it. Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. Upon them will be the blessings and mercy of their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided. (Quran 2:155-157)

Our man of faith accepted and like Job he remained faithful. And Allah fulfilled his promise in Surah Ash-Sharh (The Relief) “Inna Ma’al ‘Usri Yusra’, ‘Verily, with hardship comes ease’” (Quran 94:6)

The narrative about this man of faith will not be complete without a mention of his darling wife of over four decades who has stood by his side and helped to nurture the children making waves today but whom to her are still children. She has always been his pillar and a woman of unbound joy. She is none other than my great sister, Yoyinsola Awero and a co-celebrant in all matters particular.

Like your father before you, also a man of faith for whom his friend late Abibu Oluwa waxed a track in which he prayed for him because he was a beneficiary of his benevolence (your late father bankrolled the waxing of his records): You too have been benevolent to many individuals and institutions. No doubt they will all lift up their hands in saying: Makanjuola, Oju e koni ri’bi. Aameen!

Happy birthday and many happy returns of today to a quintessential paragon of faith and modesty! May the grace of God, His peace and blessings be with you today and forever more.

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend.

By Babatunde Jose

Despite the abundant God-given land that literally flows with milk and honey, we have decided to go hungry and beg for bread. It is a conscious act borne out of the Dutch disease we contacted as a result of the oil boom (doom) that led us to walk away from our farmlands to seek food from the city as a result of the rapid urbanization the new prosperity brought.

The underlying cause can be traced to the tinkering with our federal structure by the military and the imposition of a unitary political system to suit the military command structure, which was eventually bequeathed to the civil administrations of the 4^th Republic, and which has elicited the loud outcry for restructuring.

The derailment of our federal system turned the successors states into parasitic political entities. States are no longer dependent on internally generated revenue, hence, no need to boost the production of cocoa, groundnuts, palm oil and rubber (which were the mainstay of our economy). Neither was the need to promote agriculture for food security.

For a country richly blessed by nature, we are endowed with a variety of food crops and produce. We have rice, beans, yam, cassava, potatoes, and a myriad of other food crops. Unfortunately, we walked away from it all and today hunger, malnutrition, and poverty is the lot of our people.

Nigeria is the largest cassava producer globally, accounting for about one-fifth (21%) of total production worldwide. The demand for cassava and its constituents is high in the domestic economy. However, the supply has been unable to meet the huge demand.

It is estimated that Nigeria would need about 28.3 million metric tons of fresh cassava root planted annually on about 1.2 million hectares of land to meet the country’s demand for cassava, by-products, and derivatives.

Since the dawn of civilization, human societies and governments have made frantic efforts to harness available resources to improve the well-being and security of her citizens.

Food is a fundamental requirement for a healthy population, which is required for the survival of a country. The strategic and fundamental importance of food to human existence makes it an essential component of national planning that nations seek to attain and preserve.

In this regard, the government’s desire to meet the food needs of her citizens through food production is initiated through policies and processes that would enhance national development particularly in the real sectors of the economy (agriculture and manufacturing). Food security enhances national productivity that contributes to national development of a country.

Emphasis on increased food production as an essential ingredient for national development has assisted most developing economies to grow.

For instance, in the 1950s, food production played a vital role in the economy of Indonesia contributing about 35% of gross domestic product (GDP) and employing over 65% of the labor force (FAO, 2011). However, it was relegated when Indonesia experienced two oil booms from 1974 to 1981 which dominated the economy. By 1998, the economy had a −13.1% contraction leading to endemic poverty. Accordingly, the country experienced a decline in food production, and this led to a reliance on food importation.

The need to reverse the decline in food production forced the Government in 2012, to focus on production in key crops such as rice and cassava by providing special interests on loans for agricultural inputs. This resulted in Indonesia increasing processing from an average of 24.3 million tons of cassava in 2010 to 25.23 million tons in 2015. This led to increased food production by about 3.8%. Furthermore, GDP increased from US$755.1 to US$861.9 billion over the period and represented about 14.14% GDP growth. It further reduced the unemployment rate from 6.88% to 5.81% as well as reduced the poverty index from 13.3% to 11.15% over the same period (ILO, 2016). Consequently, food production through cassava processing in Indonesia led to job creation, poverty reduction, and economic development, which positively contributed to national development.

It is against the need for an enhanced national development as witnessed in Indonesia that the Federal government of Nigeria had in recent years been emphasizing diversification of the nation’s economy and reduction on her reliance on oil as Nigeria’s major source of revenue. The fluctuation in oil prices and its attendant consequences of revenue shortfall has thus reinforces the need for diversification of the nation’s economy from the oil sector to the agricultural sector.

Cassava is regarded as the most widely cultivated root crop in the tropical region and the sixth most important crop (after wheat, rice, maize, potato, and barley) in the world.

Thailand is the leading exporter of cassava followed by Vietnam and Cambodia though her production level was not as high as that of Nigeria. Moreover, China, Japan, and Indonesia are among the world leading importer of cassava products.

Apart from Cassava, Nigeria is also the world’s largest producer of yam, cowpea, and sorghum. It is estimated that more than 90% of cassava production is processed into food. But a large industrial demand exists for cassava, primarily as substitution for imported raw materials and semi-finished products. There is high demand for High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF), primarily from 10% replacement in bread flour and for use in bouillon, noodles, and the adhesive industry. Similarly, it is useful in the production of native and modified starches. It is also useful in the paint, pharmaceutical and sweetener industries.

Over 70 percent of Nigerians engage in the agriculture sector mainly at a subsistence level. Despite the contribution to the economy, Nigeria’s agricultural sector faces many challenges which impact on its productivity. These include poor land tenure system, low level of irrigation farming, climate change and land degradation. Others are low technology, high production cost and poor distribution of inputs, limited financing, high post-harvest losses and poor access to markets due to infrastructural deficits.

These challenges have stifled agricultural productivity, affecting the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP as well as increased food imports due to population rise hence declining levels of food sufficiency. In July 2023, the Q2 report of the National Bureau of Statistics stated that agriculture contributed 21.07 per cent to the nominal GDP, a decline from the same period in 2022. Nigeria’s agricultural sector is said to comprise four sub-activities: crop production, livestock, forestry, and fishing.

The Government has implemented several initiatives and programs to address the situation including the Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP), Nigeria–Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Program, Presidential Economic Diversification Initiative, Economic and Export Promotion Incentives and the Zero Reject Initiative, Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+); Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP); Action Against Desertification (AAD) Program, Economic Growth Recovery Plan (EGRP) and Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and Anchor Borrowers Scheme are among several policy reforms measures put in place to achieve Nigeria’s diversification objective.

All these efforts aim to increase agricultural productivity in order to provide sufficient quantities of food to meet domestic demand as well as an abundance of commodity crops for export.

Nigeria is the largest fish consumer in Africa and among the largest fish consumers in the world with about 3.2 million metric tons of fish consumed annually. Its fisheries and aquaculture are among the fastest growing sub-sectors in the country. But much still needs to be done.

With a coastline of 853km and over 14 million hectares of inland waters, total fish production per year is close to 1 million metric tons (313,231 metric tons from aquaculture and 759,828 metric tons from fisheries). Fishing is a vital livelihood for the poor as well as an important protein source at the household level in Nigeria.

With the increasing population, estimated to reach 400 million by 2050, enhanced agriculture productivity through adaptation of new technologies and innovations is necessary to ensure food security and nutrition. Support from all partners to the efforts by the federal and state governments is central for achieving this goal.

With Nigeria sitting as the world’s largest producer of cassava, having a world share of 20.4% it is yet to harness the enormous possibilities and wealth embedded in the cassava sub-sector. In order to achieve a remarkable growth in the cassava sub-sector, the following points are recommended.

Incentives must be given to farmers and processors and other stakeholders along the value chain in order to boost cassava production and total export value.

Reliable and consistent trade policies that favour the growth of cassava production, consumption and utilization must be implemented and properly monitored.

Issues relating to cassava glut should be tackled by the government in order to encourage cassava farmers with an assurance that there is a ready market for their production with guaranteed minimum price.

The Nigerian government must enforce the policies on 10% inclusion (replacement of wheat flour) of HQCF in bread making and blending gasoline with 10% ethanol (E-10) while providing an enabling environment for its effective implementation.

Our governments have been paying lip service to the need for diversification of the economy. Rather policy somersaults and prevarication. We banned and unbanned rice importation, we failed to follow policy guidelines on revitalization of agriculture. Yet we borrow money to spend on frivolities. Our farms are in tatters and our people are starving. It took Indonesia only three years to turn around its economy. We have been at it for over 30 years. All we do is talk, but talk will not fill the belly of our people.

According to Bismark Rewane, the country’s domestic environment is “caught in a web of economic contradictions” and there was a “disconnection between policy direction and economic destination.” But we are still caught up, Bismark himself was in Buhari’s economic Think-Tank. The ‘contradictions continue!

No fewer than 26.5 million Nigerians are projected to grapple with high level of food insecurity in 2024, according to a joint statement last week by the World Food Program (FAO), UNICEF, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

People are hungry and angry. There are grumblings in the city. Hmmmmm! The revolution beckons!

May Allah guide us aright.

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend.

By Babatunde Jose

“Democracy must fall because it will try to tailor to everyone. The poor will want the wealth of the rich, and democracy will give it to them. Young people will want to be respected as elderly and democracy will give it to them. Women will want to be like men and democracy will give it to them. Foreigners will want the rights of the natives and democracy will give it to them. Thieves and fraudsters will want important government functions, and democracy will give it to them. And at that time, when thieves and fraudsters finally democratically take authority because criminals and evil doers want power, there will be worse dictatorship than in the time of any monarchy or oligarchy.” Socrates (470-399 B.C.)

Since antiquity and through the modern era, democracy has been associated with “rule by the people”, “rule by the majority”, and free selection or election, either through direct participation or elected representation, respectively. However, it has not been without its flaws.

Some critics of democracy would agree with Winston Churchill’s famous remark, “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Other critics, however, may be more prepared to describe existing democratic regimes as anything but “rule by the people”.

The challenges to democracy are many, especially in neo-colonial states like ours where the principles and practices of democracy have been polluted by military dictatorship and ethos.

There are roadblocks to a strong democracy in Nigeria at all levels of government. Conflict—triggered by political competition and communal, ethnic, religious or resource allocation rivalries—poses a major threat to democracy. Corruption pervades the daily lives of Nigerians. Many government institutions do not adequately engage with citizens or the private sector and lack the capacity to carry out their mandates. Further, civil society lacks both the capacity and the resources to effectively engage with the government and advocate for change.

There is a tendency for people in government to live in the Rose Garden and dismiss the people as ignorant. This would be a wrong approach as it was in the past, as it is now, as it would always be. The people have both the need and the right to know. At the risk of over-simplification, it is the duty of government to continuously explain to the people and re-build their trust and confidence, even when the matter appears mundane, self-evident, and self-explanatory. One of the major risks of democracy is that those who govern may be dealing with a patently dumb population, but the people must never be treated as dumb, because they may be quick to learn and ask the right questions and their dumbness could become historical wisdom. True sovereignty in that regard belongs to the people. Power belongs to the people as the lesson has been learnt in such places as France in 1789, 1830, and 1848 and in Brazil in 1835, 1964 and 1972. –  Reuben Abati

The fundamental hindrance to the survival of democracy in Nigeria lies in the obvious division of the ruling class elite along ethnic, religious, regional and class lines. Such factionalism, coupled with the historical mistrust and hostility during colonial and post-colonial period deals a deadly blow to our democracy experimentation.

In the same vein, there is pervasive insecurity about the state given the insatiable appetite for power by our elites that they tend to narrow the social base of power in terms of those who are obliged to share in its exercise.

These exclusionary tendencies reach beyond the elite to the rest of society leading to clash of identities, especially ethnic identities. This tendency has always reared its ugly head in Nigeria’s polity following the demand by the various ethnic groups that it is their turn to produce the next president for the country thus dividing the nation along ethnic lines which is not healthy for the country’s democracy. As such, when political struggles are constituted around such ideas and social formations, they tend to be very intense and violent leading to ethnic conflicts.

Related to the political impediments toward the survival of democracy in Nigeria is the economic angle, wherein the practice of democracy since 1999 has been characterized by severe economic and social problems. Paradoxically, economic development does not inevitably produce liberal democracy, nor is democracy necessarily compatible with development since economic development promotes social inequality and is anti-democratic.

The basic paradox of democracy and democratic processes is that those who have power tendentiously have no interest or inclination to democratize, for democratization entails the redistribution of power against those in power and those who are privileged.

One of the key drivers of democratic decay is intense polarization, where political opponents begin to regard each other as existential enemies, something we recently witnessed following the last presidential elections.

Another issue is the threat economic inequality poses to the survival and viability of democracy. Pernicious and indirect ways in which unequal economic resources diminishes the quality of democracy, through voting, institutional design, campaign spending, and media.

Another set of debates regards whether institutional reforms can provide solutions to some of the problems afflicting our democracy. Thus, we bring together constitutional scholars and students of electoral and other institutions to examine institutional innovations aimed at improving the quality of established democracies. These include electoral reforms (e.g., debates over ranked preference voting systems), and tinkering with the political structure.

Frequent policy changes hinder economic growth. For this reason, many people have put forward the idea that democracy is undesirable for a developing country in which economic growth and the reduction of poverty are the top priority.

It is not inevitable in a democracy that elections will be free and fair. The giving and receiving of bribes, the threat or use of violence, treatment and impersonation are common ways that the electoral process can be corrupted.

Politicians and special interests have attempted to manipulate public opinion for as long as recorded history. Opinion polls before the election are under special criticism. Furthermore, the disclosure of reputation-damaging material shortly before elections may be used to significantly manipulate public opinion.

To legitimize this point, it is often mentioned that Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933 by a democratically elected government. One of the glaring by-products of democracy. In the same vein, Muhammadu Buhari was elected on the basis of the propaganda of the ‘Change’ mantra. We all know the outcome.

In modern democratic systems, it is possible to elect incompetent representatives into political office. So, all it takes is to win the primaries and one is sure to enter into office.

Electoral appeals in democracies can be delayed. Judgment can be declared after all those involved in the case become old or even die! This is because of the option of multiple appeals in different courts. This is again due to political interference or corruption.

For a democracy to work, the leaders and the people should have ethics, love for the nation, respect for hard work, honesty, integrity, and justice.

It’s important to note that these challenges are not inherent flaws of democratic systems, but rather problems that can arise in the practice of democracy. Many democratic systems also have checks and balances in place to mitigate these challenges and promote accountability, transparency, and fairness. Nevertheless, addressing these disadvantages and improving democratic governance is an ongoing process that requires vigilance, engagement, and continuous efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and practices.

Most elections in the fourth republic have been flawed, and with questionable credibility. Violence is a lingering feature of elections in Nigeria. Voter turnout has steadily decreased as voters have become disillusioned and apathetic by the recycling of political candidates, the lack of internal democracy in political parties, and the failure of government to deliver real progress.

To many Nigerians, democracy seems to have few benefits. Between 2015 and 2022, the democratically elected government of Buhari presided over worsening security, continuing corruption, and two recessions. Nigeria became the poverty capital of the world, consistently ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt nations.

But the ENDSARS movement showed the democratic dynamism of young Nigerians. And technology has helped demands for better government to transcend old ethnic, religious, and linguistic divides. Unfortunately, ENDSARS did not produce a political party and in many ways its separation from traditional politics was its power. But it showed a hunger for more democracy, not less, among Nigerians and a solidarity among Nigeria’s enormous population of young people.

Nigeria needs more young people to engage with politics, offer new ideas and run for office on issues which affect all Nigerians, from employment and security to climate and energy policy. Nigeria also needs its youth committed to the kind of long-term civic activism and community organizing which expands the narrow focus on electoral cycles, strengthens democratic institutions, and delivers long-term change.

Nigeria’s democracy can only be strengthened through a revolutionized political system, better quality political parties, more independent and diversified media, a stronger electoral management body and well-resourced judiciary.

Law enforcement and security forces must be devoted to constitutional democracy rather than regime security and protecting elites. And entrenched networks of patronage and privilege need to be weakened.

Sustaining democracy in Nigeria will require more than just free elections. It will also mean ending a system in which corruption is not just tolerated, but widely encouraged and hugely profitable. – Chinua Achebe.