National healing and the place of Tinubu

By Fredrick Nwabufo

Welding the sundered parts of Nigeria into an organic whole has remained a willo-the-wisp. Since 1960, Nigeria has struggled with the possibilities and importunities of unity. The founding fathers of the country longed for a time when a variegated people will become an unbroken, congealed composite. They did not live to see this happen; yet, many years after Nigeria is still far from what the good progenitors envisioned.

Over the years, threats of secession, insurgency, and naked intolerance have become more prominent. The falcon can no longer hear the falconer. There seems to be a general lack of consensus on any matter. But to what do we owe this jeopardous state of things? I believe, there is the place of leadership; there is the place of our predatory politics, and there is the place of atavistic proclivities – in the Nigeria quandary.

Nigerian president in 2023 – not Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba,” the country needs a doctor to heal the country, and it needs a carpenter. It also needs a builder and an architect to build the country back better. It needs an all-in-one president. Yes, Nigeria needs healing from seven years of hate-slinging, recriminations, and animosity. I believe Nigeria needs Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tinubu is Nigeria’s best shot at evolving into an organic whole. He is well-versed in politics and understands the intricacies of dealing with a house of bedlam. His political trajectory makes him the finest breed of statesmen to manage Nigeria. Lagos where he was governor for eight years is a facsimile of Nigeria with its complexities and diversity. So, naturally, he has the requisite experience to manage Nigeria’s diversity. He has lived the experience.

“The significance of the Obiozor victory goes beyond that narrow Igbo unity. It lies in what President Muhammadu Buhari said in his congratulatory message to Obiozor. The message sent by presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, urged the ex diplomat to ‘deploy his immense experience within and outside to forge greater unity in the country.’” Our editorial continued: “The import of Buhari’s exhortation to Obiozor is in the background to his emergence as leader of Nd’Igbo. Under his predecessor, John Nwodo, Ohanaeze ceded its place to an ultra nationalist Igbo platform that stands to reenact the disastrous misadventure of Igbo secession that led to a civil war in 1967-70. Millions lost their

Our Mission

Our next editorial ( March 25, 2022) on Obiozor condemning the attack on his property, said he must not underestimate the enemy. That job he had taken on came with a huge risk to his personal life and family. The attack on his house in his absence, we said in the editorial, was “a foretaste of the worst to come. Kanu, the leader of IPOB, made a show of condemning the attack but he was only shedding the proverbial crocodile’s tears. We know he had a hand in the burning of Obiozor’s home.”

However, we advised the Nd’Igbo President to not abandon the noble cause he had chosen to fight. “We implore the Nd’Igbo leader to stay the course, no matter what the enemy brings his way. His role is cast in that of the biblical voice in the wilderness, crying to prepare the “way of the Lord”. Obiozor, never you waver in your duty to your mother land.”

Yes, Obiozor did stay the course and paid with his life. But he hasn’t died in vain. His effort has put an Ibo man in the presidential race coming up in February. The greatest tribute Nd’Igbo will pay Obiozor is to complete the national reconciliation project he started.

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Our Vision

The chequered experience of the past seven years has shown that politics is the material provenance of strife in Nigeria. Our politics is besmirched with vile, sinister undercuts, machinations, and devilry. Not long after President Muhammadu Buhari came to power did conspiracy theories springing from his ethnicity and religion pervade and dominate public discourse.

One notorious conspiracy theory was that banditry was the surreptitious agenda of a powerful clique in government who were working at conquering territories and forcibly converting Nigerian locals to Islam. Another was that the government was contriving how to take over lands of citizens and hand them over to the Fulani by stoking the crisis.

Doctored videos and phony photos rippled on social media purportedly showing the military dropping arms and supplies from helicopters to bandits. Bandits were alleged to be enjoying protection as ancillaries of the government. Lies! Fallacies! But all for what? Politics. It was all politics.

The reality is that those who lost the 2015 elections, retreated into covens, and deployed propaganda as a way of getting back at the government, bewitching the nation.

Today, no Nigerian has been Islamised. And no part of the country has been Fulanised or annexed by any so-called ethnic militia. Conspiracy theories are the palm oil of Nigeria’s politics. They give taste to falsehood, tension, fear, and unrest. And often, they are ignorantly eaten, regurgitated and spewed by the unwary.

Nigeria needs to heal; it needs to heal from the corollaries of grimy politics; and it needs to heal from ethnic and religious antagonism. 2023 is for national healing, for closing the chasm and forging new bonds.

As I said in: “Nigeria needs a

Tinubu had a diverse cabinet as governor; in fact, he is reputed to be one of the few governors who appointed non-natives into state cabinets at the time – when it was unsexy to do so. This expansive quality should not in any way be taken for granted. It is worth restating over and over -- knowing Nigeria for what it is where ethnic prejudices trounce reason.

In the course of the campaigns, the APC presidential candidate has shown that he is attuned to the complexities of Nigeria, and he has invested himself in addressing the specific needs of Nigerians across the zones.

Speaking to the need of the southeast zone, for example, Tinubu said: “We will build an ecosystem where traders will have access to credit facilities and create more and better jobs for our youths, as well as support more high-quality home-grown goods. My government will build new industrial hubs in Aba and Owerri. We will establish policies that would widen horizons and expand business reach, while ensuring Owerri-Port Harcourt and Aba-Port Harcourt corridors becoming more active and lucrative trade and manufacturing corridors.”

I believe ‘’a change is gonna come” for inter-ethnic behaviour and relationship in Nigeria. It will happen. If change could come to Rwanda after that hellish episode in its history, it will come to Nigeria. It takes a bold leadership to remove the contours which accent ethnic differences.

We must imbibe and live by the truths of One-Nigeria. We are all connected in the same loop of challenges -- whether political, economic or security. We are one nation with a common destiny. Nigeria will heal – with Tinubu.

By Fredrick Nwabufo; Nwabufo aka Mr One-Nigeria is a writer and journalist.

Expediency of extending deadline for return of old N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes to banks

By Isaac Asabor

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to urge the leadership of the CBN to reconsider its position and extend the date of return of old banknotes to banks as a way of avoiding chaos, particularly across consumer markets.

It is sad to note that barely a few days before the deadline issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the return of the old N200, N500, and N1, 000 banknotes to the banks, following the currency redesign program, only a few bank customers were able to make withdrawals from various Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of various commercial banks that are operational all over the nooks and crannies of the country going by reportages availed to the reading public by various newspapers across the country.

The situation, no doubt, has triggered mounting pressure on the leadership of the CBN to extend the January 31 deadline for the withdrawal of old naira notes.

However, Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor, at the postMonetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting briefing held on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, said that he did not see any need for a change in the deadline as there were no indications that customers had issues returning the old naira notes.

He said that the 100-day window for the return of old naira notes is more than enough to deposit all old naira notes in circulation to the banks, and claimed that he did not see any rush to deposit any money at the bank and as such there was no need to extend the deadline.

“I don’t have good news for those who want the deadline of the old naira to be changed because we will not move it.

“People are holding and vaulting the naira in their houses and they don’t have the license to do that, because they use it to speculate on the naira.

“We have pleaded with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC) not to harass anybody, and on my honor, they will not do that.”

He also mentioned that about N1.5 trillion currency outside circulation has found its way back into the banking system and that he expected more deposits as the deadline approaches.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is didactic to recall in this context that in my effort to withdraw money from UBA’s POS located at one of its branches on Joel Ogunaike Street at GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, in order to facilitate my transport back to the office after gathering stories from the flag off of the celebration of the 50th anniversary Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), and the unveiling of its logo. The effort made to withdraw money from the ATM was frustrating as it was not loaded with money. Hence, I proceeded to Access Bank located on the same street where I had the same challenge, and then to GTB on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, beside Sheraton Hotel.

Still, in the same nexus, I went to the “Ikeja under bridge” axis and encountered the same challenge together with other bank customers.

As gathered, the banks deliberately decided not to load their ATMs with old banknotes as they have been warned by the CBN that they would be sanctioned for doing that. It will be recalled that the CBN had directed banks to load their ATMs with the redesigned naira notes, and that failure to comply with the directive will lead to N1m fine per day.

In fact, given the situation, not a few bank customers, particularly traders across the country have continued to lament the impact of the unavailability of new naira notes as well as the challenges they are facing in getting their old naira notes into the banking system even as the collection of old naira notes draws nearer.

As of yesterday, Tuesday, January 24, 2023, not a few Nigerians that interacted with this writer said they have not even sighted the new naira notes since its release.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to urge the leadership of the CBN to reconsider its position and extend the date of return of old banknotes to banks as a way of avoiding chaos, particularly across consumer markets.

Isaac Asabor is a Public Policy Analyst.