Sun pg 9 16b

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 1, 2017, PAGE 9

Beyond the despair, there is hope

By Jide Ajani

Y

OU can neither legislate nor decree happiness into existence. It does not work that way; and it can never work that way.

Perhaps, that is one of the lessons President Muhammadu Buhari is coming to terms with as President and Commander-in-Chief. Apart from his frontal attack on corruption, virtually every other campaign promise has either been repudiated or has, unfortunately, not matured; and patience is running thin. But the question persists, even after 57years of independence: How do you make Nigerians happy?

For a people whose desires are so basic and modest, it should not take so much to make Nigerians happy. But they are not.

Buffeted by a cocktail of afflictions ranging from failed infrastructure, to illiteracy, communal clashes and tribalism, corruption, nepotism, indiscipline and ritual killings, just to mention a few, Nigerians have become more impoverished than they were at independence, for, as you look deep into the eyes of the average Nigerian, what you see is bewilderment.

In October 1986, more than 31 years ago, the late Dele Giwa, writing in Newswatch, had made the point that most Nigerians were bewildered at their state of being. That was then.

Today, apart from democracy, things are worse than they were in 1986 and have simply engaged a reverse gear.

To many Nigerians, their song of lamentation has generated a chorus that is so easy to chant but which does not sound friendly to the ears. Yet, Nigeria is seen as a thriving economy based on numbers.

These numbers, however, do not reflect or find resonance in the day-to-day living of a greater percentage of Nigerians. For instance, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, released its 2017 second quarter figures regarding the Nigerian economy and claimed that the country was already exiting recession after about one year. However, talk to the average Nigerian on the street and he will tell you the figures coming out of his pocket do not justify any such claim.

Therefore, we need to ask: What went wrong?

The answer to that would elicit a plethora of charges ranging from military incursion into politics, to the absence of good leadership, a populace lacking in patriotic ethos, and so on. In fact, the fashionable annual ritual almost always during every independence anniversary is to lament about how Nigeria, with all its potentials for greatness, missed the target. At independence in 1960, Nigeria fared better than all the countries of South-East Asia. The late American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy had expected Nigeria to become a first world economy before or by 1975. We did not.

In what is a clear departure from the usual lamentation song, Vanguard’s Board of Editors decided to look for answers on how best this potentially great country can unlock the potentials.

To do this, Nigerians, who have made their mark in the academia, politics, business, governance, as well as institutions with a commanding relevance in the polity, were sought. A request for either an

When you have leaders whose thinking unashamedly reflects such statements, you need not look too far to have answers on why Nigeria is underdeveloped after 57years of independence....

There is hope.

However, as one writer puts it, hope is better served as breakfast, not expected for dinner

interview or a simple write-up on how Nigeria can rise to more glory was presented to them. The list the editors came up with was by no means exhaustive but attempted to cover a wide spectrum.

Some responded, others, because of the vicissitudes and challenges of day-to-day survival, could not meet the deadline.

Mind you, this request had gone out in August, before the malady of Nnamdi Kanu’s serial hate speeches against his fellow Igbo and other Nigerians, the reckless muscle-flexing of some misguided northern youths who were sent on a mission, the unhealthy invasion of the South-East geo-political zone by the military and its spat with members of IPoB and the return of President Buhari from his medical vacation abroad, among others. The request went out at the height of the push and shove debate about restructuring and the unthinking and some times thoughtless comments coming from otherwise respected leaders in the country.

Whereas former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan could have engaged a restructuring of the country using the report of the confab he organised, he did not; only to advance a solution to the growing discontent in the country by saying the National Council of State should meet, as if such a meeting would solve all the problems he could not solve in six years as President. John Odigie Oyegun, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and one of the leaders of then National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, whose major plank of engagement was the restructuring of Nigeria, shocked many when he said he did not understand what restructuring meant. And, just last week, he added another embarrassment by saying if Igbo wanted to stop being marginalised, they should join his party - a cheap and reckless blackmail. This, after one Vincent Ogbulafor, a former counterpart of Oyegun for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had long said that his party would rule Nigeria for the next 60years - it could not even rule beyond 16years.

When you have leaders whose thinking unashamedly reflects such statements, you need not look too far to have answers on why Nigeria is underdeveloped after 57years of independence.

But there is hope. There is hope because the type of ideas on the following pages - ideas by Nigerians who still believe that things can get better and that Nigeria can rise to more glory, if followed through can change the paradigm. Usman Bugaje opens our eyes to the new face of wealth, Joy Emodi insists we must move away from luggage economy while billionaire Folorunso Alakija explains that collectively we can build a thriving economy. We did not leave out the religious bodies - the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA. The two main political parties, APC and PDP, made their voices heard. Professor Auwalu Yadudu and Chief E. K. Clark provide uncommon insights into how best Nigeria can rise to more glory.

There is hope. However, as one writer put it, hope is better served as breakfast, not expected for dinner.

PAGE 10— SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 1, 2017

WHAT NIGERIA NEEDS? Knowledge is the new face of wealth — Usman Bugaje Dr Usman Bugaje, an intellectual, served as Political Adviser in the Presidency under the Obasanjo administration. In this piece, Bugaje, also a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), diagnoses Nigeria at 57 and points the way forward.

A

DMITTEDLY, at a popular level, where the media operates, the trend is to oversimplify, gloss over and sometimes sweep uncomfortable truth under the carpet; all in the vain hope of changing the weather by simply changing the forecast. And our governments have been in the business of this racket of making false forecast, raising hopes that keep crushing at the end of every budget circle.

I would have, therefore, preferred to reframe the issue and approach it from the perspective of ‘how Nigeria can survive and thrive in the 21st century’! This approach underscores the significance and primacy of knowledge, not only science and technology but also, and some would say, even more importantly, advancement in social thinking. For, while science and technology can tell you what you can do and what you can’t do, it is social thinking (philosophy, ethics and strategy), which tells you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do.

Furthermore, this approach has the advantage of recognising an inescapable reality, which is that, in the 21st century, knowledge is the greatest capital.

Just some 40 years ago, oil was the symbol of wealth, and the oil sheikh was the face of global wealth. Today, the richest man, Bill Gates, has nothing to do with oil, his source of wealth is knowledge driven by creativity.

Knowledge, today, is the face of wealth and the only thing that gives a country, or indeed any corporate entity an edge over others in an increasingly competitive environment, is knowledge. From Greek antiquity to our contemporary times, knowledge has always been inextricably linked to human development. The competitive environment of the 20th century has accentuated this reality and made it an absolute imperative. Once you fail to prioritise knowledge you are out, no two ways about it.

Baseline Having clarified my point of departure let us start with some kind of baseline. In the last two decades or so, our country has been defined by weak and failing institutions, pervasive and abject poverty, stinking corruption, deplorable social services, everdeepening and widening social conflicts, erosion of social and moral values, stagnating economy and absence of jobs, poor appreciation of the future, lack of the prioritisation of knowledge and the consequent pursuit of parochial and ethnic agendas, all fuelled by a mercantile (cash and carry) politics. Citizens’ lack of trust in some of the most critical institutions like the police, the judiciary and the National Assembly summarises the state of our nation. Recent reports have consistently perceived some of these institutions to be overwhelmingly corrupt and failing to deliver to the expectations of citizens. The

C M Y K

word Nigeria is becoming synonymous with corruption and it is not too far off the mark when one recalls the fact that within eight years (1999-2007), the nation spent over $16billion on the power sector without a single increase in megawatt of electricity and no one has gone to jail. That within the same period and in spite of unprecedented revenue from oil poverty doubled from 35% - 70% says so much about the etiology of our poverty and fiasco that has come to be our governance. That we are still obsessed with oil, a dwindling resource of receding value, shows our poor appreciation of the future. That our religiosity has not helped us much during this period exposes our hypocrisy and the level of the decomposition of our society.

That our political leadership doesn’t find anything wrong with

Governance in the 21stcentury is a team-work and needs leaders with the ability to prioritise competence and to fish out competent people and the confidence to work with them without this childish idea of loyalty which makes leaders to fill the corridors of power with people from their household and villages all these, much less make any visible efforts to change, speaks volumes about the quality or lack of it as it were of this leadership.

Post –oil economy So, given where we are, how do we survive and thrive in the 21st century? The first step is to decide where we want to be in the next 25 or 50 years. As the old line goes, “no winds are favorable until one knows to which port they are sailing.” At our current rate of population growth of over 3% per annum, we are expected to be well over 250million by 2030, just a dozen years away. The children out of school may come to about 20 million; jobless graduates may come to about 25 million, etc. So how do we find schools for this teeming population? How do we create jobs for the youth bulge?

Where do we find the resources to do all this, given a post-oil economy? What kind of

•Usman Bugaje institutions do we need to ensure our competitiveness? How do we plan for this future in a century where knowledge is the greatest capital? Where do we find the leadership to conceive all these and drive the implementation of the plan?

Governance in the 21st century, as we can see, is a corporate scientific business.

It is neither the business of the poorly educated, frivolous, prodigal politicians that cannot think beyond the next election, nor of crooks whose greatest incentive is the looting of the treasury.

Governance in the 21st century requires a leadership that is soundly educated, with the ability to think of and plan for the next generation, rather than just the next election. Governance today needs a good understanding of global economics, international relations and strategic thinking, precisely the ability to see the various options and the courage to make hard choices. Governance in the 21stcentury is a team-work and needs leaders with the ability to prioritise competence and to fish out competent people and the confidence to work with them without this childish idea of loyalty which makes leaders to fill the corridors of power with people from their household and villages. The key to our survival and thriving, back to glory, if you wish, is nothing but leadership!

Whatever ideas you may have can only work when there is the leadership to understand the ideas and the capacity and staying power to implement them to fruition.

Right calibration The tragedy is that our current political institutions are not calibrated to produce this kind of leaders. The kind of leaders we are producing is demonstrated by a recent APC primary election, a mercantile political culture that is clearly cash and carry. It clearly sends the signal that politics is the only vocation that requires neither qualification nor preparation, nor character. With this kind of political parties, only crooks can emerge and all they do is steal the public treasury blind, leaving the wider society high and dry.

So, the first step in making Nigeria survive and thrive in the 21st century is to install a political party whose leadership recruitment mechanism is calibrated to xxx, the kind of leadership which understands the 21st century and its challenges and has the courage to make the hard choices to take this country out of the abyss to the path of growth. Can this be done? Yes it can be done. It has been done by others and we certainly can. Those who think we can’t should take a back seat and allow those who can to do it. How do we do it?: A

The kind of leaders we are producing is demonstrated by a recent APC primary election, a mercantile political culture that is clearly cash and carry. It clearly sends the signal that politics is the only vocation that requires neither qualification nor preparation, nor character. With this kind of political parties, only crooks can emerge and all they do is steal the public treasury blind good question for another article.

In short we can’t fix this country until we fix its politics. We can’t fix its politics until we reinvent our political parties and recalibrate its leadership recruitment mechanism. We can’t fix the political parties until those who understand the leadership required to face the challenges of the 21st century get into the party administration and redesign the way parties are run. We have to stop the money-bags, the crooks and diffident politicians from sending their cronies to run or ruin, as it were, the parties on their behalf. A tall order some would say. Perhaps. All we need is a critical mass of good and conscientious men and women to move into the party that matters and work it out. As Edmund Burke would say, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing”.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 1, 2017, PAGE 11

We are restructuring for economic growth — Udoma Udo Udoma

Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, outlines the plan of the Buhari administration to create a sustainable national econmy

I

remember the independence celebrations in 1960. Even as a six-year old, I felt the significance of that momentous event. We were living in Aba at the time but my parents travelled to Lagos to witness the hoisting of the new Nigerian flag at the Race Course. I, together with other primary school pupils, did our own march past and celebrations in Aba where we were given plastic cups, flags and memorabilia marking the joyous day of independence. I still remember the state of excitement. As one of our teachers said to us, this was not like the usual celebration of ‘Empire Day’, which we were used to. This was our independence as a proud people able to govern ourselves! As children, we were treated to large platefuls of jollof rice, a rare delicacy at the time. (In those days, you were considered very lucky if you were able to eat rice once a week, usually on Sundays.) In short, there was a general sense of euphoria and accomplishment. The future seemed bright and promising.

Disappointing trajectory But what has happened since that day?

Our political and economic trajectory has been quite disappointing. At independence, we were virtually at a par economically with countries like Thailand and Malaysia, and not too far behind even South Korea. But these countries have since left us far behind. Just by way of illustration, in the past 30 years, Malaysia has reduced its poverty rates and current World Bank statistics indicate that less than 1% of Malaysians currently live in extreme poverty. Whereas, up to 46% of Nigerians still live in poverty. Life expectancy in Malaysia, by World Bank statistics, is about 74 years, whereas in Nigeria it is about 53 years. Only about 60% of Nigerians have access to electricity, whereas virtually all Malaysians are linked up to public electricity. And a combination of rising population, high unemployment and mono commodity dependent economy has resulted in a per capita gross national income of less than 30% of that of Malaysia! In recent years, rather than getting better, Nigerian economic performance started getting worse, particularly from 2014 when the crude oil price began its steep collapse.

Notwithstanding our disappointing history, I believe we can change, in a fundamental way, the Nigerian trajectory.

Indeed, that is the commitment that President Muhammadu Buhari made during his campaign. He promised to bring change to Nigeria. And we are totally committed, and we are working, tirelessly, to bring about that change.

Workable, credible plan To achieve change, the first step is to have a workable, credible plan. The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in April, represents such a plan. This plan was developed after extensive consultations with various segments of the Nigerian society, as well as our development partners. It is a plan that Nigerians can mobilise and organise around. Nigerians simply need to study and understand this plan. As we proceed in the implementation of this plan, Nigeria will change in a dramatic and sustainable way.

The ERGP focuses on three strategic objectives: Restoring growth, investing in our people and building a competitive economy by leveraging on science, C M Y K

The Budget is being aligned with the ERGP to ensure the priorities of the plan are properly funded.

There is commitment throughout government, led by the President and the whole cabinet, to ensure the success of the ERGP •Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma technology and innovation, as well as the ingenuity of the Nigerian people. As the ERGP explains to restore growth, and exit recession, we need firstly, to stabilize the economy, and secondly, to restructure the economy for growth. The plan targets a 7% growth rate by 2020 driven by strong nonoil sector growth in agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing, information technology and services. The growth in the non-oil sector is to be supported by increased revenues from maximising income from a restructured oil sector. In short, the aim of the ERGP is to change Nigeria from an import dependent, consumption driven and un-diversified economy into a producing nation where ‘ we grow what we eat and consume what we make’.

Central to the success of the ERGP is the involvement of the private sector. As the ERGP states ‘In implementing the plan, the government will collaborate closely with businesses to deepen their investments in agriculture, power, manufacturing, solid minerals and service sectors, and support the private sector to become the engine of national growth and development’. The ERGP is based on partnership with the private sector. In that way, we can tap into the improved efficiency that competition amongst private sector participants brings to the delivery of goods and services. Under the ERGP, government welcomes private investments in all sectors of the economy, without exception.

Innovation There are 60 specific initiatives identified in the ERGP and there is much on-going activity in government inspired by the ERGP. The Presidential Committee on the Ease of Doing Business has been focusing on removing bureaucratic constraints and making it easier to do business in Nigeria.

A number of executive orders have been issued to facilitate and speed up bureaucratic processes. The Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council has been working on identifying and encouraging PPPs in infrastructure development and identifying and removing constraints to manufacturing, and other private investments. Agricultural production has expanded with special task forces, some

including state governors, working on improving the quantity and quality of some specific crops, such as rice. The Budget is being aligned with the ERGP to ensure the priorities of the plan are properly funded. There is commitment throughout government, led by the President and the whole cabinet, to ensure the success of the ERGP. An innovation, which is being introduced to stimulate private sector investments, is the Malaysian style labs. Let me explain what this means. Basically, labs are working sessions which are held for several weeks and attended by all key stakeholders to establish implementation programmes and detail out what needs to be done to deliver on the ERGP. During the course of the labs, key private sector investors are invited and encouraged to identify projects that they would be willing to invest in. Because all relevant stakeholders, from both the public and private sectors, gather together in one place, they are able to fast track processes.

Arrangements to hold labs on key execution priorities are underway and we should be rolling out the first one in the next few weeks.

All Nigerians are therefore encouraged to familiarise themselves with the ERGP as this is a plan whose implementation will ensure that our tomorrow is significantly better than our today.

Under the ERGP, our target is to be growing at 7% by 2020. Against this expectation we should all therefore look forward to a big celebration on the 1st of October, 2020, when we celebrate our 60th independence anniversary. And thereafter, given the trajectory we would be moving on by then, we should expect, if we stay focused, to move on to a growth rate of10%, or more, in the following years.

What an exciting prospect.

PAGE 12— SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 1, 2017

We must move from luggage economy to knowledge based economy — Sen. Joy Emodi

Senator Joy Emodi, the Chairman/ Founder, Brickhall School, Abuja, wants an end to fixation on oil at a time the world is phasing out petrol powered vehicles.

I

just finished watching, for the umpteenth time, the short documentary by the United States Information Service (USIS) highlighting the July 1961 state visit by the late Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, to the US at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy.

From the royal reception at the airport to the crowds that lined the streets of Washington DC, to the great warmth accorded Balewa and his entourage at the White House, and the standing ovation he received from the US Congress, it was not in doubt that the eagle and an emerging world power had landed.

Those were the golden years of our nationhood.

True and healthy, competitive federalism saw to the establishment of the first television station in Africa by the Western Region and the emergence of the Eastern Region economy as the fastest growing economy in the continent.

The royal family of Saudi Arabia embarked on medical tourism to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, while the inauguration of the University of Nigeria Nsukka by the Eastern Region on October 7, 1960 was quickly responded to with the founding of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1961 and the University of Northern Nigeria (Ahmadu Bello University), Zaria, in 1962.

Therefore, if Nigeria has continued on a downward slide into poor governance, battered consumer economy, and has become the butt of jokes in the comity of nations as a “fantastically corrupt” country; if we have lost our glory; if we have nosedived from a nation that sneezed and Africa shivered to one whose citizens are lynched on the streets of South Africa and deported, it is because we have steadily destroyed the foundations of federalism on which our founding fathers agreed to build, and were indeed building a prosperous and respected nation until the military struck in 1966.

To regain our respect and splendour, we must contritely return to the path of true federalism, doing away with all the disfiguring structures and excess loads imported into the building plan by successive military regimes.

Among other structural reorganizations, we need to return to regionalism based on the existing six geopolitical zones. Nigeria does not need a whopping 36-state structure.

Duplication of governance structures and unwieldy bureaucracy has progressively channelled the lion’s share of our resources into recurrent expenditures, perennially leaving very little for provision service and infrastructure needed for socio-economic development.

We need to restore the federating units from wealth guzzlers to wealth-creating units. I agree with the columnist, Simon Kolawole, who once likened Nigeria to a father who has 36 children, but who rather than encourage all his children to be creative and hardworking so that they can be self-reliant, insists on redistributing the wealth of the resourceful children to all.

The states cannot exploit the mineral resources in their territories due to constitutional limitations. At the same time, they are too indolent to direct their minds to tourism, agriculture and industrialization

•Sen. Joy Emordi

because there is always a fat monthly welfare package from Abuja. Even states, which outlaw the manufacture and sale of alcohol and publicly destroy them, enjoy the lion’s share of VAT derived from alcoholic products in other states.

By amassing enormous powers to itself, by making itself the owner of virtually all the resources and the Santa Claus with the sole right to redistribute them, there is no incentive for hard work among the states.

Restructuring for devolution of powers and fiscal federalism are, therefore, an inescapable and urgent imperative to save Nigeria from the weight of her own contradictions. We cannot continue to have critical items like power, railway, and mineral resources on the Exclusive List in a vast nation like Nigeria. We cannot continue the ridiculous fixation on oil, searching for oil around the Lake Chad Basin when the world’s leading economies and major importers of our crude are already phasing out petrol powered cars.

Of course, we need a restructure of the mind, though not as a precondition for returning to true federalism. In fact, enthronement of fiscal federalism where each component unit earn a living by their own creativity, hard work, and taxes of its people will naturally curb corruption because citizens whose sweats create the wealth will demand accountability. They will also vote into office competent and honest leaders.

Lastly, no nation can rise above the capacity of her human capital, especially in a knowledgebased economy where the importance and demand for oil is fast receding. Japan, an Asian Tiger without oil or any known mineral and agricultural resources, is a living testimony of how investment in human capital can grow a nation. We must, therefore, invest in human capital development.

Of course, we need a restructure of the mind, though not as a precondition for returning to true federalism. In fact, enthronement of fiscal federalism where each component unit earn a living by their own creativity, hard work, and taxes of its people will naturally curb corruption

FOLORUNSO ALAKIJA

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 1, 2017, PAGE 13

Collectively, we can build a thriving economy Oil magnate, Chief (Mrs) Folorunso Alakija, gives the recipe for a thriving economy.

T

he journey since independence has been with much difficulty and we have had our fair share of travails. The first decade was particularly disturbing; starting with the crisis in the Western Region and culminating in a civil war.

However, when compared to the likes of China, India, United Kingdom or the United States of America, six decades is a brief period in the life of a nation, to make a conclusion on the future.

While some are quick to state that the structure handed down by our colonial masters was fraught with much instability, and that the seeds of future disharmony was deliberately sown to keep the country from achieving nationhood, others believe that the country has been cursed with bad leadership since independence.

Corruption, the hydra headed monster, has also been a major bane in our country. No institution can move forward when the stakeholders are only bothered about how to take advantage of the system.

Indeed, no true transformation can take place without a collective determination from both the leaders and the led to achieve this objective. We all have a responsibility to rediscover ourselves and to strongly commit to making the necessary changes to move beyond the shackles of retrogression and launch out for the greatness we all desire and profess we have a potential for.

Nigeria is one of the most blessed countries in the world. We are endowed with natural resources most countries would die for. In fact, there is no state in Nigeria that does not have at least two natural resources which, if properly harnessed, can sustain their people.

Nigeria has no reason being categorized among the poor nations of the world.

Despite all the shocking discoveries we have been assailed with in the last 2 years, I still nurse a dream of a bigger and glorious Nigeria in my lifetime. This is not in any way to discountenance the greatness we have already attained and achieved. But I see a more wonderful and harmonious people doing C M Y K

valiantly if only we can all see it and do something about it.

Let me use the telecommunication industry to buttress my optimism. We came from an era when we had less than half a million phone lines as installed capacity. In fact, one of the officials saddled with the administration of this sector then said “telephone is not for the common man”. Today, that opinion has changed, as every single telecommunication company is striving that the common man has as many lines as he desires.

It is on this footing of a vision of service that I advocate we build our hopes of a better Nigeria. The Bible states in John 10:10 that the thief has no other business than “to steal, to kill, and to destroy”. There can be no right way to do a wrong thing. The fellow who did not deliver the job he was contracted to do is as guilty as the one who abused the process and inflated the figures. Yet, the Holy Book appeals to the thief not to steal any longer; rather he is admonished to create something of value, service or product, to be a blessing to others. The adoption of this culture of service will bring about the death of corruption in our society, and I believe an increasing compliance with the recently issued Ease of Doing Business Executive Order E01 will bring this turnaround faster than most of us can imagine. SO LET US TURN OUR BACK ON CORRUPTION. WHAT WE NEED TO DO Our work is cut out for us, the true measure of civilisation remains unchanged, everyone deserves to be accorded dignity no matter his status in life; this includes the poor, the infirmed, the elderly, the physically challenged, the prisoner and, if you may, the unborn. When we do that, we will be able to beat our chests and say we have finally achieved volitional independence as a people.

Furthermore, Nigeria suffers from a deficit of civic pride and collective responsibility. The masses do not purchase the goods manufactured in Nigeria because they believe they are inferior. Instead, they

•Chief (Mrs) Folorunso Alakija

spend money on imported goods, a situation which doesn’t benefit businesses or ordinary workers in Nigeria. We must encourage the growth of our local industries by cherishing and purchasing goods manufactured in Nigeria.

Moreover, we must not condemn what is good and reasonably priced and opt for bad quality at a higher price just because we have the power to decide who to patronize. Let’s get rid of the “what’s in it for me?” syndrome.

Nigerians are also advised to invest their money in the local industries to encourage development. With these, more jobs will be created and the nation will attain economic freedom.

The Nigerian government must find ways of encouraging local cottage industries by implementing policies that are favourable to them in providing local alternatives to imported items. This would help local industries to grow. Isn’t it ironic that even as an exporter of crude oil, Nigeria still imports its refined oil?

Finally, we all have a duty to make this nation great for our generations yet unborn. We can no longer delay in setting the ball in motion for a more glorious Nigeria. All hands must be on deck to move this country forward. The time to start is now.

That time has come.

Nigeria suffers from a deficit of civic pride and collective responsibility….

There can be no right way to do a wrong thing. The fellow who did not deliver the job he was contracted to do is as guilty as the one who abused the process

PAGE 14— SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 1, 2017

It is unjust to favour one religion

—Rev. Ayokunle, CAN President The President of Christian Association of Nigeria, His Eminence, Rev. Dr Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle, lists the points that can make Nigeria great again, saying the people must be allowed to practise their religions without fear and restrictions.

R

evelations 21:24-26 says, 24:”The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor (glory) into it.

25: “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

26: “The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.”

From the above Bible verses, it is clear that every nation in the world has her glory. Nigeria is not left out. Our glory is our pride as a nation. When we got independence from Britain in 1960, it was a turning point in our history and a breakthrough for the nation’s glory to burst forth. Our glory shone brighter and brighter after independence as we became the foremost nation in Africa and indeed among the black race. However, at a point, the glory began to fade and is yet to shine as expected again due to lack of task oriented leadership, corruption, nepotism, ethnic chauvinism and religious division among others. If we must rise to more glory as a nation, the following areas of our national life must be looked into critically: 1. Religion: Everyone has an inner craving for God, thus, Nigerians must be allowed to practice their religions without fear and restrictions. There must be freedom of religion in every part of the country. We cannot rule out God in the •Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle development of a nation. No state must prevent people from building their places of worship or get valid papers for such as it is presently in some parts of our nation. need to under study Israel’s (Boxing, Athletics, Football, Likewise, government must stop Wrestling etc).We must Agricultural revolution and patronizing one religion more than the reinvent the wheel of all replicate same in our nation. others in terms of policies and sports not just football.

This would reduce appointments. For example, why should unemployment in the nation. America is influencing the Nigerian government get Sukuk loan 5. Science, Information and culture and language of the which is an Islamic loan and is Sharia whole world through Technology: America, China compliant. It is asset based; this means Hollywood. The entertainment and Japan are the three that by getting it, part of our land is jointly industry in America is second largest economies in the owned by the loan giver. This is an to her Science and Technology world.

The strength of encroachment on our sovereignty. in terms of revenue America is in the export of 2. Politics: This is the system of generation. We have Science and Technology to governing ourselves as a nation. There is countries of the world. China Nollywood reputed to be the the need to update how we govern second largest entertainment and Japan caught this ourselves, thus, restructuring the nation industry in the world but with revelation and they followed after 56 years is a welcome development. minimum impact. We only suit. They grew rapidly in It must be done without bias or prejudice need to set our priorities science and information, to religion, ethnicity, class or group right and make it a moneylittle wonder they rose affiliation. We must develop our home quickly and today the glories spinner for the nation. It will grown democracy. The present system is a hybrid of the American and British system. of China and Japan are seen also be an avenue to project the image of the country. all over the world. There is It is not working well for us. There is 7. Business and Corporate hardly any product you buy nothing wrong in making the position of World: The Jews secretly today that is not “made in President rotate round the three major control the economy of the China” or “made in Japan”. regions in the country, that is, the North, world today. This they do The Asian tigers like South the West and the East so as to douse through the business and Korea and Malaysia are also ethnic tension and give a sense of corporate world in America, following suit. We need a belonging to all regions.

Germany, Russia, and Britain 3. Education: Development and growth is revolution in this area too. If our education system is okay, to mention a few. We must driven by education. Our educational empower the Business and system is in shambles and needs complete then this area will be easy to Corporate world in Nigeria. explore. In this respect, overhauling. We should study in depth If this is done, we can foreign investment is and adapt Japan’s educational revolution compete with any nation on desirable in power that brought them out of the World War 2 the global scene. generation which is crucial rubbles to become the third largest Our economy must be for development. economy in the world. diversified and this must be 6. Youths, Sports and 4. Agriculture: God’s covenant with man reflected in budgeting for the Entertainment: The strength is to till the land for food and fruitfulness. tapping of different aspects of every nation is her young A nation that cannot feed herself is not of our economic resources. people. We have neglected glorious. We still import food in billions of Solid minerals for example the youths in our nation and naira. As small as Israel is in population are virtually untapped. that is why a glorious future and landmass, Europe and America Diversification off the for Nigeria is becoming a depend on her fruits and vegetables on a economy will not only mirrage. We need to take daily basis. It will interest us to know that increase our revenue and some cues from developed Israel is in the desert yet she grows fruits nations that invest heavily in export earnings, it would and vegetables for other countries to provide employment for purchase. The nation even exports banana young people. Sport is an many unemployed young area where Nigeria has which is supposed to be forest plant. We Nigerians and reduce received glory in the past C M Y K

No state must prevent people from building their places of worship or get valid papers for such as it is presently in some parts of our nation. Likewise, government must stop patronizing one religion more than the others in terms of policies and appointments

insecurity in the nation.

Finally, government must address insecurity in the nation. If the factors listed above are addressed, to a large extent, insecurity would be reduced. The size of the police taking care of the internal security of our nation is too abysmal. They equally must be equipped well and the level of training they receive must be improved upon.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 1, 2017, PAGE 15

Arresting the systemic decay — Prof. Shehu, Dep. Sec. Gen., NSCIA Professor Salisu Shehu is the Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). In this interview, Shehu speaks on Nigeria at 57 and other issues.

By Bashir Adefaka

A

T 57 years, why do you think Nigeria continues to have issues?

There are still agitations essentially because the country has not achieved the desired level of development and prosperity that will support institutions in spite of abundant resources, both natural and human, that we have. So, with this problem of underdevelopment, people are generally poor and there is lack of contentment. If people are contented and you have basic services, these agitations would not have been. Even if one says the champions of the agitations are the elites for their selfish interests, the bottom line is that the elites have found a fertile ground at the grassroots. They have found the teeming masses as useful tools for the agitations because the masses are angry in view of the fact that the system is not working. And the nation is not working because there is systemic decay.

You just said there is a systemic decay, which makes Nigerian system not functioning well. We have always blamed the problems of this country on leadership.

With the ‘change regime’ in place since 2015, can we still blame the problems of the country on leadership? And, on the systemic decay, is it still that the sitting government is not doing anything about it?

The problem of leadership will always be seen as one of the problems of this country. When we talk of leadership, we are not talking of a single person but we are talking of a collection of people at the helm of affairs. A government even in a small country of less than one million people cannot be run by one person, talk less of a government of a country of close to 200 million people. So, when you talk of leadership, especially in a democratic and a presidential system like this, it is made up of three arms and three tiers of government. Talking of three arms of government, there is the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. And then you have the Federal Government, the state government and the local government as the three tiers. Even though you have one single person up there that is upright morally and he is a man of integrity, he can only do certain things within his own ability and capability. But then, if the other arms of government that are supposed to complement the efforts of the executive are working at cross purposes, then there is leadership crisis. So, by leadership, all people that have certain forms of authority, whether executive, legislative or judicial, must be ready for the ‘change’ and must be in tune with the drive for ‘change’.

If this condition is not there, you will definitely have leadership crisis. Leadership also boils down to people that have authority within the civil service like permanent secretaries and directors in ministries and parastatals. When these people are corrupt and they don’t support the fight against corruption and they don’t support the drive for change, you are bound to have leadership crisis. So, leadership is not about one person. I recognise the fact that one man at the helm of affairs can make a difference. But he can only make a difference to a certain extent like, for example, with this fight against corruption, all the major leakages in the resources of the country have been blocked.

But, as you all know, there is still corruption in the ministries and

C M Y K

parastatals. The only thing is that the major leakages through which Nigerian money is stolen in monumental quantities have been blocked. But there is still a lot of corruption going on. And as long as you have corruption in the system, people would continue to agitate.

Do you therefore agree with people who see the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) agitation from the standpoint of bad leadership? And what would be your reaction to the South East governors’ proscription of IPOB, the army’s classification and the court’s verdict on IPOB as a terrorist organization?

Let me begin with the second question. The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has already expressed its support for the proscription and the labelling of IPOB as a terrorist organization because that is what it is. The governors and the army have done the right thing and we support and commend their efforts. We also support the efforts of the northern governors who visited the southEast and had a meeting with their counterparts in the zone over the issue. We say these are commendable efforts from the side of the South East governors and other governors that proactively acted against the activities of IPOB. However, the fact that the emergence of IPOB is a symptom or consequence of systemic decay is not in doubt. Then, it is consequence of decay in the Nigerian security system. This (systemic) decay is manifested in a number of ways. The first way is the fact that the security system is porous because it is influenced and pervaded by fraud and corruption at all levels. So, any security threat can emerge and thrive because of the porous nature of the security system. Each and every security agency has its nature and magnitude of corruption and fraud. Except that the one by the police is the only one that is so manifest, and it is so manifest because the police are the most exposed of the security organisation; the police are the closest security organisation to the people.

But how has corruption in the security system played a role in the problem at hand?

It is so because corruption in the security system is one aspect of systemic decay. Another aspect of the systemic decay is the security system which gives room for the emergence of criminal organizations like IPOB, Boko Haram and these militants. Then you have the lack of cooperation and synergy and lack of networking among the different security organizations. Our security organizations are supposed to operate through information, intelligence sharing, networking and all that. Now as a result of the systemic decay, which is due to corruption and vested interests, the security organizations in Nigeria usually work at cross-purposes.

That is one way. The other way, they hoard information that they are supposed to share with their fellow or sister agencies. As a result, the information that may be required by the police to act may be hoarded by the DSS. And the military intelligence may have information that it will not share with other organizations. So, you find that there is lack of synergy, lack of networking and therefore that the agencies may be operating either at cross-purposes or at different frequencies.

But don’t you think this could be as a result of lack of trust?

Yes, lack of trust is one of it and

•Prof. Salisu Shehu then there is problem of vested interests.

Vested interests?

Vested interests because, maybe some persons out there in one organisation is favourably disposed, because of certain ulterior motive, to the agitation of one particular group, either because of nepotism or because he or she must have been given some money, and for that reason, he would not necessarily release the information that is required even when it comes to the level of investigation so that the real truth behind certain things cannot be unearthed. The third aspect of the systemic decay in the security system is the shielding of criminals because money has changed hands or because the criminals belong to one’s own faith or because they belong to one’s own ethnic group. These are manifestations and aspects of the systemic decay in our security system which can make all the agitations and criminality that have posed a threat to our national security to be happening. Then there is the proliferation of weapons and armoury in the hands of criminals and different people in the country and these things are being moved around in different. And who knows how many and what quantities have been able to pass through because of the porous nature of the security system? Can’t you see the arms that have been seized by the Customs for which some officers have been indicted? And you find this kind of people in the police, the military, the SSS who are ready to mortgage the security of the country because they have received money or because they sympathise with the criminals one way or the other.

When the Buhari administration deployed troops in the North-East against Boko Haram, nobody in the North raised any dust. But when Operation Python Dance II troops were deployed in the South-East to curb the secessionist threats, there were cries of injustice, which shows that we are all not on the page on the efforts to rid Nigeria of threats to the nation. As a northerner, what comes to your mind when you see this happening?

Honestly I think it is not completely true that some people are saying they don’t like the deployment of the military in the South-East. In actual fact, there was a forum of Borno people which cried out against the state of emergency imposed on the state during former President Jonathan’s time and that was because the state of emergence was not yielding any fruit. Yes, there was state of emergency but soldiers were running away and dropping their weapons for Boko Haram to pick.

Perhaps one would say the south easterners acted the way they did because they have more experience

about the effects of the militarization of the area, especially from the experience they had during the civil war. And therefore they must be jittery when the military deployed and, which, especially, was why they came out and collectively proscribed IPOB. But then, in my own view, the Federal Government should not handle the matter with levity and that is why it should not rush into evacuating the military from the region until they are very sure that everything is fully under control. In essence, government should not rush into withdrawing the military from the region.

On a final note, His Eminence the Sultan, once said Nigeria had been well structured but that each region should work hard to develop itself with the resources it has. Do you really see any form of sincerity based on national interest in the current agitation for restructuring and, whatever your answer, is restructuring really the way to go?

Advise the sitting government and the people of Nigeria.

I think the fundamental problem of this country is lack of good governance. I see this issue of restructuring as purely an elites’ interest, just like the agitation for state creation. When you create a state, you are just providing an opportunity for the elites of that particular area to go and hold on to power and keep on operating and squandering the resources of that particular area and leaving the people in abject poverty. The usual cry from the authorities is that there is no money in this country and that there is lack of resources. If you take out two things, you will know that the lot of the common man will improve, whether we restructure or we don’t. These two things are, one, if people in government will reduce their extravagant lifestyle, things will improve. If you go to the Government House in any state, you will see the extravagant lifestyle of the governors and their families and their hangers-on at the expense of the children of the common man sitting on the floor to study in school. And if the funds devoted to the extravagant lifestyle are cut down by 70 per cent, the people in government can still be very comfortable. That 70 per cent be used to improve the lot of the common man.The second issue is looting; if it can be stopped, there will be a great deal of improvement in this country. But if there is no good governance, even if you restructure, the elites will keep on mismanaging the resources and the common man will continue to bear the brunt.

PAGE 16— SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 1, 2017

THE DANGER NIGERIA FACES, BY MAKARFI (PDP)

Per e culture of ervvasiv asive political oppor tunism, opportunism, nepotism and disregard ffor or la wful lawful institutions Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), points the way forward for Nigeria

N

igeria, with a population of over 140 million people, is one of the leading African countries with huge natural and human resources and a strategic position on the continent.

The country stands on the threshold of becoming one of the major actors with influence in both continental and global politics.

Since 1960 when Nigeria gained political independence from Britain, she has passed through many phases of governance; from parliamentary system to military dictatorship and to presidential system of government.

Within the past 57 years of independence, the pressure on the political systems has led to periods of tensions and conflicts including the Civil War of 1967-1970.

For decades, Nigeria was saddled with military dictatorship immediately after her Independence in 1960; and the protracted military rulership led to severe under development and economic deprivation until the current democratic dispensation since 1999.

Over the years, one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria and hampering her development is ‘transitional politics’, given her complex socio-cultural setting that centrifugal forces at the centre often tend to weaken and undermine the federal structure. Notwithstanding, it is noteworthy that the PDP has recorded great success in this regard especially, by midwifing a transition from civil to civil rule in 2015 to opposition party after four consecutive terms in office.

I believe the following elements and ethos could stir Nigeria towards attaining higher glory: 1. Restructuring It is no gainsaying that the vestiges of these tensions remain very much with us today; and as such, the demand for restructuring or rearrangement of the country should be taken seriously by our political leaders and other stakeholders across the nation. True ‘federalism and presidential system of government,’ no doubt, appear close to the heart of the people and, if well handled, ‘will address the issues and accommodate all interests, fears and apprehensions of various ethnic groups in Nigeria.

The question that needs to be addressed is how to achieve this goal and now!

2. Electoral Reform. (a).

This is a major issue that has remained in the public domain with pertinent question on how Nigeria can C M Y K

•Senator Ahmed Makarfi

come up with a stronger, more reliable and enduring ‘electoral system’ that will execute and sustain free, fair and acceptable elections in the country. However, it is instructive to note that successive PDP administrations took several steps to reform the electoral system, especially through the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Panel’s outcome which significantly brought sanity into our polity, of which the incumbent government of the APC is a prime beneficiary. (b). For emphasis, putting in place a quality electoral system is the crux of the matter for our political and democratic freedoms and development; and it must be handled with dispatch by relative stakeholders: National Assembly, political parties, Electoral Management Body (INEC) and other democratic institutions. It is expedient to do so, given that in the past electoral institutions were usually the first major casualties each time there was a change of government at the federal level.

Frequent military disruptions of democratic government in Nigeria attest to this fact; and as democrats practising multi-party system, we must get our electoral system right for our general good. (c). My party, the PDP, believes in plural (multi) party system of government;

and as a governing party then, it fully endorsed the position articulated by the Inter-Party Consultative Committee (PDP, ANPP, PPA and APGA but AC was absent) for an effective electoral system which they submitted to the Electoral Panel. We believed and still believe that, as major stakeholders, we had and will continue to have every reason and responsibility to collaborate with other stakeholders in coming up with functional, independent, enduring and acceptable electoral institutions, laws and value systems that would guide us in future elections; and meeting-up with emerging trends and developments in the political environment.

3. Let me note that no matter the amendments being sought to relevant sections of the Constitution, restructuring, quality electoral system, and other proposals that may change the direction of the country towards political freedom, economic vitality, environmental integrity and social inclusion, their success or failure will depend largely on the attitude/behaviour of the present APC-led administration.

4. To this end, all the actors in the Nigerian state have a responsibility to change the pervasive culture of political opportunism, nepotism and the hitherto hidden but now open disregard for lawful institutions which has become a culture of the leaders of the ruling party, the APC.

All the actors in the Nigerian state have a responsibility to change the pervasive culture of political opportunism, nepotism and the hitherto hidden but now open disregard for lawful institutions