“I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians”.

The quotation above has always been extracted, for use, from the words of Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (1890–1970), well-known as Charles de Gaulle, who was a French army officer, statesman and former President of France. The more some of us gloss over the fact in this extract (because we want to avoid politics and accusations of being political), the more its stark reality – and the frankness in it – continue daily to increasingly confront us, all of us, with the way politicians (the current ‘Nigerian breed’) do what they seemingly consider as solely ‘their thing’. For them, they (the ‘Nigerian breed’ of politicians), particularly those that find themselves in government, are the only ones that should talk about politics and governance! No one else! They arrogate to themselves all the knowledge (that they do not have) for developing a geographical entity. They only pretend to be meek when soliciting votes!

Inebriated through, and by, vain arrogance, they deceive themselves so much that patriotic sincere alternative views are seen as confrontations that must be crushed. Instead of looking at the facts on the table, this breed of, mostly, shallow-minded politicians with unbelievable Mephistophelian disdain for academics and other intellectuals/intelligentsia community, always go very low, at times, into the gutter, to adopt unworkable antiquated strategies like blackmailing those with alternative views. This characteristic is not unique to those in power but characteristically displayed, today, by this group, in all the Nigerian political parties! Unfortunately, we have passed through this familiarly familiar road in the past. Nothing tangible was obtained, on this road, by majority of the people, and we all know this fact!

Why we are still on this road, today, baffle many of us. Most politicians refuse to learn from history. To them, negative occurrence(s) must be re-enacted. They think all of us are shallow-minded like them! Of course, regarding this, we agree with a Latin maxim, said as, “nemo dat quod non habet” which literally mean that “no one can give what they do not have”. Really, can they give what they do not have? We sincerely require social analysis in this country! We have always been wondering why Nigeria, coming this far, should be held down like this by a crop of people. This people, although very few in number, with feudalistic mindset reminiscent of the medieval era, from all parts of Nigeria (north, south, east and west), have been successfully successful in cornering Nigeria’s wealth, irrespective of the clans, tribes, religions and regions they belong to. They have been very united in cornering the country’s resources!

Together, they have hijacked the country’s wealth to the detriment and disempowerment of vast majority of hardworking Nigerians, some of whom had been, and can still be, so gullible to the extent of fighting, wounding, maiming and even killing themselves, in defence of their oppressors – the same political elite – that have solidly weaponised poverty against them! Many ‘activists’ have gone, and have remained, loudly silent for reason(s) not unlikely to be linked to waiting for crumbs from their masters’ table! Slavish mentality! These are among the reasons why some of us, collectively, feel ambushed, captured, imprisoned, oppressed, suppressed, with dreams and visions made unrealisable and vast potentials systematically stunted by the currently senselessly sustained unproductively selfish but unsustainable (in the long run) lopsided system that discourage ingenuity, innovativeness, creativity and meritocracy.

Certainly, much is unexpected, by forward-looking people, from such a backward system. No wonder capable human resources critically needed, but not appreciated, in Nigeria, are migrating, in droves, out of the country to seek greener pasture. Many of those migrating from this country may be perceived as unpatriotic people with the way they talk about Nigeria before leaving for, and when in, the Diaspora, but with objective analysis of situations in today’s Nigeria, it will be seen that the country has failed them, and us. Although, we are not oblivious of the fact that there are some with intention(s) to commit crime here, and in those places they migrate to, in spite of today’s obvious messy situation in Nigeria.

Nevertheless, we must continue to talk about the age-long systemic conspiracy orchestrated by these ‘feudal lords’ to disincentivise legitimate aspirations for growth and development by many law-abiding Nigerians – old and young. That the very few but powerful ‘feudal lords’ have perennially ‘knelt on the necks’ of majority of Nigerians has been proven with the way our (compatriots?) excel in other places where they have found enablement and encouragement for their positive ingenious abilities to express and assert themselves for individual and collective benefits, and for those places and the world at large.

Laughably, governments (federal and sub-national) in Nigeria are, shamelessly, quick to congratulate and celebrate these worthy successful (Nigerians?) in the Diaspora while they sustain conditions that asphyxiate positive ideas here, instead of sincerely working towards creating enabling environments for talented Nigerians to replicate similar feat(s) at home. This has been the way Nigeria, including its human and other resources, have been mismanaged for long. Hence, those further running the country aground, today, are symptoms of a deeper and more general malaise in our society. Therefore, expecting improvement from them is, to them, like being expected to support one’s banishment into perdition!

This currently failing warped system – deliberately designed to fail from the beginning – is what they are built for! It is what they know! They believe in it! It makes them relevant! They do not want it changed even if they pay lip service to the contrary! The implication of all these is that if we do not quickly start to reorder the country’s priorities, now, by bringing good heads together on a round table to sincerely do this, we will soon, irretrievably, sink further into the current mess that already clearly possess the potential of serving as viable precursor to other worse catastrophic scenarios in the future.

Continuous discussions and brainstorming are necessary, among the stakeholders constituting the union called Nigeria, for smooth running of civilian governments that are claiming, now, not to be autocratic. However, on behalf of those that are weary of always reinventing the wheels in this country, we want to ask: Where are the reports from the (i) National Conference of 2014 and (ii) All Progressives Congress Committee on restructuring of 2018? Can we, objectively, look at the contents of these documents perhaps we may gain time through this? We are daily running out of time in getting ourselves out of the current mess particularly the widespread insecurity, we have found ourselves confronted with. Yes, the country has been pulled back, severally, in the past, from the brink of total collapse. However, Nigeria will be pushing its luck too far this time around if the insecurity challenge is left insurmountable, as it is.

How can there be any meaningful investment and forward developmental strides in a place where peace, security and tranquillity are not assured? Can there really be peace, security and tranquillity without equal rights, equity and justice? These are questions requiring sincere answers. Insecurity, like other societal maladies in Nigeria of today, is getting progressively institutionalised against expectations. Governments, seemingly confused, have lost steam in tackling this behemoth that is increasingly violating both the integrity of the boundaries delineating the territory the Nigerian State superintends over and sovereignty of the State itself. For instance, all the highways have been left for mere mortals like us to ply, as some state governors and other ‘big men’, with their retinues of security escort, have been attacked by daredevil criminals on those highways. Nobody is insulated from being kidnapped!

Pervasive fear exists everywhere in Nigeria, a country with governments invested with powers to protect citizens. Hardly do people now sleep with their two eyes closed. Criminalities are perpetrated, smoothly, by ‘unknown gunmen’ irrespective of availability of the intelligence arm of the country’s security apparatus. As pointed out earlier, those in government believe they have monopoly of knowledge concerning government and governance. Whenever contrary opinions are espoused, instead of looking at the message and not the messenger, they resort to propaganda, blackmail, smear campaign and mud-slinging. This is not unexpected as they see their offices and themselves as the same! Political mud-slinging, as a government policy, is a surreptitious way of informing the unsuspecting populace that they – politicians in power and many of those aspiring to take over from them – are bereft of cogent ideas necessary for spurring development and galvanising the citizens toward being patriotic to the country.

It is said, and we believe, that ideas rule the world but as a people we have not been able to interrogate and vehemently resist those negative ideas, restraining this potentially great country from moving towards developmental ideals. These negative ideas are domiciled in the heads of those currently referring to themselves as Nigerian leaders. We will be telling an unfairly incomplete story if the complicity of the followers, especially “the wretched of the earth”, as Frantz Omar Fanon (1925–1961) refers to them, in contributing to, and sustaining, the putrid rot we find ourselves in, is unacknowledged.

We cannot be doing the same thing(s) always and be expecting different result(s). The same strategy will always give the same outcome. Thus, we have to change our ways of doing things even right from the family level. If those that are referred to as ‘leaders’ cannot give effective leadership because they refuse to change their ways for the benefit of the greater majority then they do not deserve to hold the positions being ascribed to themselves. If they continuously want to enslave the citizens, then a shift from the rotten old-order to carefully distilled new-order, as we have always advocated, will be inevitable.

We know, undoubtedly, that the old-order and those associated with them are not ready to change their ways so they must be flushed out, not through any “forceful and undemocratic change of leadership” but, through well coordinated, transparent, free and fair elections. We always hear that there are more people outside government waiting to steal in government than those currently stealing there! This is shameful and pitiful! It is largely linked to lack of strong institutions. The time has long arrived for those with good intentions for Nigeria to come forward and join hands in rescuing it from the claws of the ‘hawks’ holding it to perpetual ransom. We are not seeking another kettle of ‘hawks’ to replace the ones being condemned now. Not at all! We are clamouring for a new-order that is being eagerly awaited to form the desired critical mass for positive transformation. We are convinced that this is not unrealisable.

Andrew A. Erakhrumen, PhD writes from University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria

Dear Leaders of South-East, just yesterday, May 30, in remembering the fallen heroes of the Nigerian-Biafran war, we were all in different locations, writing, musing and chanting “OZOEMENA” (meaning: It should not happen again); yet we sit and standby as our region has started burning, bleeding, crumbling.

We should all cover our faces in shame! But how can you claim to be leaders of a region you choose not to be responsible for? A region that was built with the sweat and blood of many; tell me, what do you plan to do with this new rivers of blood being shed on the streets of every state in the South-East? Will these crimson tides serve any use as the region crumbles on you; on us all?

Ozoemena, we say, mana ozo ka n’eme (it should not happen again, yet it is happening again). From Abia to Anambra; from Ebonyi to Enugu, down to Imo, the blood of innocent citizens flows like rivers; residents leave their homes with so much uncertainty each day; parents are not sure of returning home to their children, and neither are children sure of returning home to their parents.

You, our leaders, must rise up to your duties and begin to work to keep the South-East together and stable again. There will be no accolades for you in doing your jobs; the people voted you with the confidence that you will keep them and their property safe, that you will maintain law and order. No, you will not be awarded “Governor of the Century” nor “Man of the Millenium” for being late to save this occasion.

To leaders of other regions: This is not merely a South-East fight. Do we all remember how it started in the North-East? Now, we are still at the stage of the starting fires. This is a fight for us all, a fight for Nigerians, for Nigeria, to quench these fires before they become huge and untameable conflagration that will consume everyone.

We MUST come together and get this country safe again. If leaders before you did not do the ‘hard work’, you would not have had a nation to lead in the first place. So, you need to RISE UP to the task at hand!

Dear Muslims, Christians, traditionalists and the faithful of unorthodox worship, this is not a contest to determine whose religion will reign supreme over the others; that is only a ruse our common enemies use in disarming us. Interestingly, most of us know this but have chosen to ignore the voices of reasoning and of common sense.

We now have a common enemy who is keen on not even sparing the debris that will be left after this nation has been burnt down.

Dear over 300 nationalities in Nigeria, this is no ethnic war; it is simpy most of us against a common enemy. And we need to WAKE UP to the hard facts of the matter!

Dear leaders of Nigeria, if you are yet to awake to the brutal realities of what is going on in the country, please get in front of your television sets, get on the internet, get your radio sets and tune in; it is beyond heart breaking.

Signed

A Livid Citizen yearning for government action and responsibility.

The other day, a young brother of mine posted an aerial picture on his Facebook page of the NECOM (or NET) Building, with the caption, ‘the tallest building in Nigeria’. As I admired the aerial view, I was taken aback. What?!! NET Building is STILL the tallest in Nigeria? This could be the perfect metaphor confirming that Nigeria is not improving, has become ambitionless, has stopped growing, literally, since NET building was completed in 1979.

Now, the Nigeria External Telecommunications (NET) Building, as it was first known, before the rechristening to whatever name it bears today, was then an iconic building and a symbol of our progress, ambition, independence, creativity, modernity, and quest for achievement back in the late 1970s. I recall as a 12-year old kid in 1983, when we learnt that the building was torched, allegedly by people who had embezzled money and needed to obliterate their tracks, I felt personally angry and defrauded as I read the story on the front page of the newspaper I had just bought for my dad at the junction of our street. This was because as a child, I remember being driven past NET Building by my dad several times, as we made for the Bar Beach. I recall vividly even the ships that used to berth at the Marina then. There were so vivid, so close, and I used to imagine what went on in their lighted cabins and how far they had sailed. Those were great days of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).

Anyhow, standing at 520 feet (160 metres) with 32 floors, the NET Building (as I prefer to still call it with fond nostalgia), remains the tallest in Nigeria, followed by a building newly installed in Eko Atlantic City, called the Champagne Pearl Tower (perhaps an ode to Nigeria’s eternal love for champagne, whereby we have become the world’s largest consumers of the liquid). In third position comes Union Bank building on Marina.

However, the NET Building is only the eight tallest in Africa. It trails behind juggernauts such as The Leonardo (234 metres or 768 feet), and the Carlton Centre (232 metres or 732 feet), both located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Whereas the Carlton Centre was completed in 1973, the South Africans bested themselves with Leonardo in 2019. That is how nations show life and progress. Let me not even talk of the non-achievement of West Africa in general (this NET Building is the tallest in West Africa and has been since 1979. West Africa is not growing in ambition and achievements). In third position for the tallest building in Africa is Kenya’s Britam Tower (200.1 metres or 656 feet), completed in 2017. The Kenyans have interestingly kept rolling out skyscrapers in recent times and these include the Nairobi Global Trade Centre (at number 5 in Africa and 604 feet tall; completed in 2020), and UAP Towers (at number 7, completed in 2016 and 535 feet tall). I recall noticing when I visited Nairobi in 2013 that the city had many more skyscrapers than all of Nigeria combined. The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Head Quarters in Addis Ababa is the fourth tallest building in Africa, standing at 198 metres or 650 feet). The 30 tallest buildings are located in South Africa, Tanzania, and Egypt. The Egyptians are not very fond of skyscrapers it would seem, but Egyptian buildings occupy the 21^st to 32^nd positions, back-to-back, in the ranking.

Why Is This Significant?

Well, we could say these rankings – which is perhaps just my personal obsession – are not important at all. The solidity of a building is more important than its height, right? We could also say we have bigger issues to deal with than competing for the height of our buildings. Another fact could be that not every topography needs or can withstand very tall buildings. Fans of tall buildings understand that they are mostly required for space management, especially in densely populated areas. All good. I am an enthusiast in a way because I am in awe of the achievements of humanity. I sometimes wonder what pushes man to embark on modern day Towers of Babel, and whether God may get angry someday, with some of these guys who are trying to poke him in the eyes. Lol. How else can I explain this? Anyway, our problem in sub-Saharan Africa has become compounded. There is an article in the current edition of The Economist with the title “Why Are There So Many Unfinished Buildings in Africa?” Not only are we not attempting to best our own past achievements, we are now a repository of uncompleted projects. Shame.

Now, whereas the Burj Khalifa stands as the tallest completed building in the world today (at a crazy 828 metres or 2,717 feet), followed by the Shanghai Tower (632 metres or 2073 feet), Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Mecca (601 metres or 1,971 feet), the Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, China (599 metres or 1,965 feet), South Korea’s Lotte World Tower (554.5 metres or 1,819 feet), and the One World Trade Centre in New York (541.3 metres or 1,776 feet), the world is presently trying to outdo itself. The Chinese occupy the seventh to 12^th position, and Russia, U.S.A, Malaysia, the U.A.E, South Korea and China intersperse the rest up to the 50^th position. New record breakers are being built as we read this, notably the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which is to stand at a princely 1,000 metres or 3,281 feet. The Emiratis are also trying to reply the Saudis through The Tower at Dubai Creek which will be 1,345 metres and is expected to be completed in 2022. These Arabs have gone mad!

I have casually studied skyscrapers, how they originated in Chicago, their raison d’etre, the challenges they had, their prime movers, how materials used in building them have evolved to where they are today, including when the heights of such buildings once stalled until Fazlur Rahman Khan (1922-1982), a Bangladeshi-American, invented what is called the ‘tubular system’, on the basis of which the Burj Khalifa stands today. I am in awe of the achievements of humanity through science. I don’t really have a head for heights but don’t mind going into these towers. I am also challenged by the truth spoken by Pastor James Manning, that African-American preacher who accused our African ancestors of building nothing beyond what sticks and straws could hold together. Love him or hate him, he spoke the unblemished truth in the main (our structures did not evolve that much in terms of complexity). However, we live in a modern age where we need not reinvent the wheel. We have gone to schools and learnt science. So, beyond getting foreigners to come and build things for us, it is important we try our hands on a few things ourselves. Recently, the NCDMB (Nigerian Content office) commissioned its 17 floor new headquarters, which is the tallest building south of Nigeria and indeed I saw the pride shared by the executives for achieving that feat. It is remarkable that the building was erected by a Nigerian contractor. This means there is value in these things and that we can challenge ourselves and begin to set new records in scientific achievements.

The Benefits of Besting Ourselves

1. It is a sense of national progress;

2. It is a sense of improvement, innovation, science and technology;

3. Even if we have land today, nations should plan for population increases and start building up;

4. It is a test of the prowess of a country’s engineers and architects;

5. It is a sign of modernity;

6. It is a sign of economic growth, and in fact mental development (the non-ambition of black Africa is stark in this regard. What is the essence of our vaunted education?);

7. It is a sign of ability to compete with other nations and hold our own;

8. Practice makes perfect. The more you build, the better you get. Not building or improving at all means you are not practicing as a people;

9. It is a sign of freedom, especially for upcoming generation who must do better than their predecessors. Many people who could achieve in black Africa, have refused to try because they don’t want to rock the boat. They do not want governments to come after them ,either politically or for excessive taxes. This is a symptom of fear.

10. It is a symbol of national, continental or even racial pride and gives some bragging rights in the comity of nations.

You could add more. But I am making a case for someone to bell the cat and tell the world that we are still in competition, or if not in competition, that we are still thinking and making progress. What is not acceptable is to say this is not our problem, or this is not our forte or priority and so let us continue to plough the depths of underachievement and mediocrity, even as the world surges ahead. When history is written, what mentions will we have in this department? Our young architects have been everywhere and back. They have seen the world. Someone told me that our Institute of Architects is full of conservative old men who are unwilling to allow the young Turks take over and express themselves. Let them know that they are not doing our race and nation any favours by holding us all down. We need to prove our brother, Reverend Manning, wrong here. The black man should wake up! There is much work to do.

Lastly, non-achievement in this department is an eloquent proof that the economy is not growing. These things are connected, spiritually and otherwise. The buzz is just not in our economy and our ambitions are too low. We have a few local champions but can do a lot better. Yes, it is a question of leadership too. Political leadership can inspire a lot, or kill initiatives in general. As I rounded up on this article, I happened to fulfil one curiosity; I went into the Eko Atlantic Island. It wasn’t easy getting in. I recall when the idea started and we were told it will be an island for billionaires only. I recall some real estate company wanted to sell one square metre to me at about N12 million or something that ridiculous. Eko Atlantic is meant to be our own Dubai Marina, with the plethora of high-risers. But today, only four buildings stand in Eko Atlantic – The Pearl Tower, Amni Petroleum building, another called The Azuri (not completed) and one residential development (not completed). The project is a great idea that could help dis-link Nigeria from the perennial doom and gloom, underachievement, backwardness that has defined our economy for way too long. But two completed buildings and another two not completed, on a vast expanse of solid seaside reclaimed land? That is woeful.

This article is therefore a wake-up call to all of us – especially our billionaires. Let us rise up and do something great for our country, our people, our continent, the world. The world is our canvass.

‘Tope Fasua, an economist, author, blogger, entrepreneur, and recent presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), can be reached through topsyfash@yahoo.com.

Criticism makes leaders wake up, and it puts them on their toes. It is a natural component of leadership. We all acknowledge that it is always easier to criticise than to appreciate; hence Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s founding fathers and a political philosopher, had this to say, “any fool can criticise, condemn and complain and most fools do.” However, when we see flashes of creative, courageous, and competent leadership, let us celebrate and encourage them. Amid challenges of acute insecurity, rising poverty levels, alongside the gloom and doom that have enveloped the country’s current climate, which threatens the current administration’s legacies, some ministries, departments, and agencies of government have defied the odds to show that there is indeed hope for Nigeria. These MDAs and dedicated Nigerians have demonstrated innovation, courage, and hard work to meet leadership challenges.

There are pockets of sweet tales here and there under this government, that the man on the street feels is insensitive to his yearnings and aspirations. These tales of sweetness from a handful of ministries, departments, and agencies prove that visionary and transformational leadership can deliver giant strides and dividends, even in chaotic and beleaguered environments. It is also an affirmation that within the context of public service with bureaucratic challenges, it is possible to achieve credible outcomes that significantly impact the socio-economic lives of the people. An X-ray of three of these MDAs, amongst others, show that honest, focused, and visionary leadership is all we need to change our growth trajectory as a nation.

The Federal Ministry of Transportation, through various rail projects, has been making immense strides in impacting the lives of Nigerians. Under the able leadership of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (a driver of change, who chose to do things differently), the Ministry identified rail transport as a catalyst for economic development. Since the inception of the present administration, it has built 3,505 kilometres of narrow gauge (NG) rails lines; a 186-kilometre network of standard gauge (SG) lines, linking Abuja to Rigasa in Kaduna State; a 302-kilometre network of standard gauge (SG) rail lines from Itakpe, Kogi State to Warri, Delta State; and an additional 185.5 kilometres of double standard guage Lagos to Ibadan rail lines, with its extension to the Apapa Sea Port nearing completion.

These rail lines connect different parts of the country to prosperity. New rail lines have had a small but significant impact on the lives of ordinary people who have come to see new possibilities in our country, instead of just gloom that pervades the land. Testimonials abound about how rail crisscrossing different parts of the country have affected many ordinary people’s economic fortunes.

The Ministry also plans to build other SG routes from Ibadan to Kano; Kano to Kazaure, Daura, Katsina, Jibiya, and to link Maradi in Niger Republic; Port Harcourt to Aba, to Enugu, Makurdi, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Maiduguri; and Lagos to Ijebu Ode, Benin, Yenagoa, Port Harcourt, Aba, Uyo, and Calabar (the coastal rail corridor). Even when some of these projects have not commenced, most citizens believe the Minister because he has demonstrated a track record of openness, dedication, and honesty in the discharge of his assignment.

The Ministry procured and received seven new SG coaches, commissioned in October 2019 for train service on the Itakpe-Warri line; it received six new standard gauge locomotives, nine freight locomotives, two diesel shunters, two DMUs, and 44 coaches to ensure that the rail lines function effectively.

The Ministry also embarked on the modification and upgrade of the microwave communication equipment, with 72 repeater sites to provide a backbone for the automated train warranty (ATW) signalling system; intercom communication within the railway network; passenger information, CCTV, and Internet services; deployed walkthrough scanners at Idu, Kubwa, Jere and Rigasa Stations, for improved security.

There is also the Lagos Mass Transit Train, in which there are 12 trains per day, moving about 13,000 passengers daily, and the Aba-Port Harcourt–Aba  mass transit service. There is a Lagos–Kano–Lagos train with the intercity passenger service that runs once a week, moving about 2,500 passengers per week. The Offa–Kano–Offa train, which plies the route once a week, carries about 2,000 passengers weekly. The combined effect of this rail revolution is the pursuit of the dream of a 21st century Nigeria that is logistically ready to compete in a continent-wide market.

Another agency that has been quietly making an impressive impact is the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) under the leadership of Engineer Simbi Kasiye Wabote. The creation of NCDMB, as a regulator and facilitator of deepening Nigeria content, in 2010, marked a critical turning point in the Nigerian oil and gas industry landscape.

Engr Wabote became the Executive Secretary in 2015, coming on board with clarity on the potential of Nigerian content to create jobs in a dimension never imagined by stakeholders. Since then, we have seen the Board embark on many ground-breaking transformative projects and interventions. These include constructing a 17-storey headquarters building in Yenagoa within an unprecedented record time of five years. The edifice, named the Nigerian Content Tower, is now in full use by staff of NCDMB.

His defining and intelligent leadership has also seen to the construction and commissioning of a 10MW gas-fired power plant at Elebele, near Yenagoa, in partnership with Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), which provides 24 hours/7 days a week uninterrupted power supply to the edifice. Most importantly, the current management team of NCDMB has created over 50,000 jobs in the last six years through various interventions and projects in different parts of Nigeria. In many ways, Wabote’s  leadership has challenged the old held belief that the oil and gas industry is too technical to absorb Nigerians in employment. He could do this because he dared to think outside the box and brought innovation to bear on a primarily regulatory assignment.

The NCDMB has also partnered with Waltersmith and effectively catalysed the construction of the 5,000 bpd modular refinery at Ibigwe, Imo State. This intervention has helped realise government policy on in-country hydrocarbon refining and utilisation, generating hundreds of jobs for teeming unemployed youths in the catchment area and other parts of the country. Indeed, the successful development of the NCDMB/Waltersmith modular refinery has triggered a flurry of applications from other private investors for partnership with NCDMB to develop other modular refineries.

Currently, the board is actively collaborating with three other investors in modular refineries under its Commercial Ventures Programme, to streamline them before 2023. When it is evident to citizens that a leader is a man of his/her words, and is effective and efficient, cooperation and collaboration will naturally follow. In different ways, the private sector and citizens have expressed explicit confidence in the quality of leadership that Wabote provides.

Engr. Wabote’s leadership of the NCDMB has also catalysed the Federal Government policy on gas development and utilisation under President Buhari’s Decade of Gas programme. For instance, in furtherance of the 2020-year-of-gas and decade of gas initiative of the government, NCDMB has formalised several partnerships with private investors to deepen gas penetration and utilisation in the country.

The NCDMB has also engineered the launching of the $350 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, managed by the Bank of Industry (BoI). The initial value of the Fund when NCDMB created it in 2017 was $200 million. The objective is to support vendor development through easy access to a single interest rate credit facility to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of Nigerian oil and gas service providers. Following the huge interest generated amongst service providers and in furtherance of the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan, NCDMB increased the size of the NCI Fund by adding $150 million to, which brought the total Fund value to $350 million in 2020. This is complemented by a $50 million Nigerian Content Research and Development Fund to drive development of home-grown solutions and innovation and foster collaboration between academia and the oil and gas industry.

Another shining light of the current administration is the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) under the leadership of the incumbent Director-General/Chief Executive, Mallam Farouk A. Salim. One area of impressive achievement of the organisation is in the enforcement of standards. In recent times, SON has confiscated over N600 million worth of substandard tyres in Ogun State and seized two containers of stuffed imported used tyres in Port Harcourt. They have also embarked on the prosecution of standards infractions relating to lubricants, electric cables, forged SON clearing documents, substandard LPG cylinders in Suleija that were then mopped up, and adulterated engine oils in Kano/Lagos, which were seized. This enforcement of standards has resulted in the confidence of citizens in the quality of products available in the market. Nigerians now know that standards-setting and enforcement is no longer business as usual.

Other achievements of SON under the Salim leadership include: the destruction of substandard products in Katsina State; the mop up of LPG cylinders from different parts of Anambra State, which were destroyed in Enugu in February; the interception of six containers of stuffed imported tyres and substandard LPG cylinders  from multiple sources, which got obliterated in Lagos in February; and the seizure of two containers of imported used, stuffed tyres, which were seized in Port Harcourt, and destroyed in Enugu in March. Currently, the SON Legal Department is prosecuting about six standards infractions in courts across the country.

For a more professional SON, the current leadership of SON set up an independent five-man committee to review and strengthen management practices in the organisation. They also convened a strategic leadership/management retreat where all the participants collectively resolved to strive towards making SON a high performing organisation capable of delivering high-quality services to citizens through renewed commitment and automation of their services, amongst other decisions reached.

In physical activities and structures to impact the Nigerian body polity, SON has embarked on re-equipping the National Metrology Institute, Enugu. Several state offices and laboratory are being upgraded or relocated. The agency has laid the foundation stone for constructing the SON permanent office/laboratory and storage complex in Sokoto.

These Nigerians in the three MDAs under review are making giant strides and lasting impact. They are employing dynamism and innovation to achieve measurable results. In a nation where we celebrate ineptitude, mediocrity and crass opportunism, any genuine ray of light making an impactful difference deserves to be noted and encouraged. It is a great motivator and a way of reinforcing our desire for excellence. These public servants are committed and resourceful leaders who care deeply about their impact on citizens’ lives, hopes, and dreams. These are success stories worth celebrating, from standard-setting and enforcement to Nigerian content enforcement and transportation services re-engineering. These leaders  and their likes are the reasons why we still have hope in our country.

Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert.   

Nigeria is a fascinating country and the memorable country someone can visit. It is has been described as an amazing, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, coming to stay in Nigeria.

Nigeria is known for its natural landmarks and wildlife reserves. It’s a great country with lots to offer. Ranging from wonderful wildlife, magnificent mountains, large forests and beautiful cities.

Nigeria offers a wide variety of tourist attractions such as extended and roomy river and ocean beaches ideal for swimming and other water sports, unique wildlife, vast tracts of unspoiled nature ranging from tropical forests, magnificent waterfalls, some new rapidly growing cities and climatic conditions in some parts of the country.

The importance of tourism to Nigeria cannot be overlooked. Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of Nigeria, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and Nigerian citizens. The number of jobs created by tourism in many different areas is significant. Tourism can help to diversify the Nigerian economy and provide a positive image of the country in the international arena.

Also, the most important economic feature of activities related to the tourism sector is that they contribute to three high-priority goals of developing countries. The generation of income, employment, and foreign-exchange earnings.

According to the World Bank, In 2017, Tourism in Nigeria generated approximately 6% of the annual internally generated revenue in Nigeria. Tourism in Nigeria is one of the major drivers of inter-cultural relations. Over the years, tourism has influenced the influx of people visiting the country.

But, Insurgency has consistently remained the bane of economic growth and development of a tourist destination. Nigeria is currently a very dangerous destination for potential tourists. Governments in several countries have even issued warnings against traveling to Nigeria, for reasons such as terrorism, kidnappings and other types of violent crime.

Until the Nigerian government is able to provide solutions to the insurgency that has been with the country, the failure of tourism in Nigeria is at the verge of getting to it’s peak. Active measures, should be put in place to tackle the insurgence, so that the rich advantages that comes with tourism will continue to thrive in Nigeria.

Grace Chinaza Ekeh writes from Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria

The assassination of a prominent northern politician and former presidential aide to Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak in Imo state was allegedly carried out by suspected Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) militant as confirmed by the police.

Alarming as it may be, the paradox of it all is almost poetic that on the day of Gulak’s assassination, pro-Biafra fans trended #Ozoemena meaning ‘May it never happen again’ for Biafra Remembrance Day, flaying the alleged ills of the Nigerian government against them.

Concurrently, it is the fervent attacks by unknown gunmen and pro-Biafra groups that has become more rampant in the southeast, and let’s not forget that IPOB is already establishing alliances with other foreign interest.

On Friday the 9th of April 2021, the leader of proscribed IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, alongside the leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council (AgovC) also known as Cameroon Separatist, in a joint press conference announced their coming together as allies.

Though Kanu maintains that the alliance is for both groups to exchange weaponry and personnel to defend themselves and pursue their common separatist goal, it does not take twenty-twenty vision to see that both parties could pose serious threats to either Nation’s security.

To understand their reprehensible motives, it is appropriate to go into a bit of a backstory.

In Nigeria, after two failed military coups, the Igbos came together to form the secessionist state of Biafra which sparked off a two-year civil war from 1967 to 1970 during which the Nigerian Military imposed a siege of the eastern region. This caused over 2 million civilians to perish of starvation.

These casualties led the state of Biafra to eventually surrender to the Federal Government, lodging a lump in the throats of pro-Biafran activists which continues to harden.

Likewise, in Cameroon, abhorrence dating back to 1961 based on claims of marginalization by francophone citizens that make up to 80% of the country, armed separatist groups are fighting tooth and nail to carve out the nation’s English speaking regions to form a free-standing state named Ambazonia.

The IPOB and the Anglophones in Cameroon have a common history of secessionist tendencies and are coincidentally geographically situated at both sides of the Nigeria/Cameroon border. Adding to that, their longing for autonomy has made both groups separately grow in violence.

While analyzing both groups I couldn’t help but notice a pattern in their attacks especially since 2021 begun. The assailing of law enforcement agencies is one that has been noted.

Citing examples with recent events, in early April 2021 armed men of the pro-Biafra group attacked a prison in Imo state which is in the southeastern region and abetted the escape of about 1800 inmates who allegedly attacked police stations and security personnel.

Correspondingly, in Cameroon, Anglophone separatists intensified attacks against the Nation’s security forces using improvised bombs to target military convoys in at least 30 different attacks in the past four months.

The two secessionist groups claim they are nothing like their ‘subjugators’ when they are in fact on the way of becoming worse. The widespread havoc these separatists could beget is alluding to other similar alliances.

Let’s take Boko Haram’s emulation of the foreign terrorist group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in excessive violence. This resulted in Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, to eventually state its allegiance to ISIS in 2015.

This two groups’ inception renovated Boko Haram’s ability to carry out daytime and nighttime attacks with promising success. Apart from that, there are also several comparable terrorists and criminal alliances from all over the West African region that can be referred to.

The escalation of insecurity in Nigeria that stems up from economic marginalization; ethnic/religious intolerance; corrupt practices; bad governance; unemployment and poverty has resulted in insurgency in the Northeast, militancy in the Niger delta area, and agitation in the Southeast, youth restiveness in the Southwest.

That is not to say that taking new counter-terrorism measures is hopeless.

The general concept of counter-terrorism in Nigeria is surrendered to the hands of the Nigerian Military who are presumed to have the best training as counter-terrorist. Meanwhile, they only apply physical reproof and lack other logical strategic approaches to reap positive solutions to insurgency.

It is sad to say that the Nigerian Military does not really conform to modern warfare and has been denounced as human rights violators by several organizations.

Nonetheless, there are a number of recommended policies that can be used in Nigeria for counter-terrorism.

The welfare of operatives is number one. Proper welfare package that includes fighting tools, vehicles, combat gadgets to lower casualty levels should be arranged for the workers to keep them dedicated.

Secondly, counter-terrorism factions can also be created where not only the military but other law enforcement agencies and selected occupants of terrorism-prone areas can synergize. This way vital information can be shared and basic approach can be exercised in dealing with terror attacks.

In addition, upgrading operatives’ knowledge in terrorism and modern counter-terrorism tactics. This would give them a better understanding that fruitful strategies can be more advantageous than combat and deadly force though it is also welcomed when protecting lives and properties.

When these are put in place, the government must put a stop to these asinine negotiations with terrorists and bandits that eventually lead to transfer of funds to them and their agents. This method of mediation only strengthens their criminal operations.

Presently in Nigeria, insecurity is slowly becoming the country’s insignia. Not a day goes by without reported cases of villages being ransacked and burnt, innocuous citizens being killed, students being abducted from schools and kidnappings of all sorts.

It is only appropriate for the government to earnestly tackle this alliance before it adds to the security nightmare in the country.

Zubaida Baba Ibrahim writes from Abuja. She can be reached through Zubaida71@live.com

In the last few days, the volume of Insecurity in Niger state is deteriorating and worrisome. There seem to be no good news coming out from Niger state. kidnapping is becoming the order of the day, no day will pass by without hearing of one catastrophe or the other befalling the state, we are gripped in fear and leaving our comfort zones for safety.

I have never imagined a responsible Government will stoop so low and Glaringly watches it subjects living in turmoils for their lackadaisical majors to tackle the security architecture of the state.It is pathetic spotting the state Governor on a viral video dancing and filling his eardrums with Musical sounds the same day our people were killed in Wushishi local government area, what a level of inhumane with zero regards to life from the number one citizen of the state.

It can be recalled that a group of unidentified gunmen reportedly stopped a Niger State Transit Authority (NSTA) bus in the Yakila district of the Rafi Local Government Area in the afternoon of February 15 and abducted at least 21 of the Passengers and two days after again on 17 February 2021, a school pupil was killed and 27 others were abducted by armed men at around 3 AM from their school in Kagara, Niger State.

It can also be recalled that on 21st May 2021 Bandits have killed the son of the Emir of Kontagora and Sardauna Kontagora Alhaji Bashar Saidu Namaska in the farm, and abducted 20 other at Kontagora-Rijau Road. And yesterday it was reported that over 200 islamiyya students were kidnapped at Tegina Rafi local government area.

We are convinced that the Governor has failed in discharging his obligations and he has not put in place measures to curtail this menacing, devastating and horrific situation despite the previous incidents. This I don’t care and nonchalant attitude displayed by the governor despite the security votes giving has paved way by giving the perpetrators helms to operate freely which led to the recent abduction of another 200 students in the state.

I will be hyperbolic to say it loud that Abu Lolo in Niger state, from 2015 to date was a terrible mistake and a lesson to Nigerlite in all the nooks and crannies of the state. His administration came in 2015 crying, crawling, begging, lying and pointing accusing fingers on the then administration of poor governance and yet failed to work with the aphorism “if a fire Engulfs your neighborhood don’t join the arsonists to stoke it, join the firefighters to extinguish it before it consumes your house”. Surprisingly today, his Government has failed to brace up with the challenges of their responsibilities, as they pictorially turn blind eyes to the crucial issues of insecurity in the state.

THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP I EXPECT FROM ABUBAKAR SANI LED GOVERNMENT IN NIGER STATE IN COMBATTING THE BAD LOOKING EDIFICE.

A good effective leadership to protect the lives and properties of the citizens, A leader who will appear in the forefront to encourage the security personnel to combat the insecurity ravaging us like Governor Zulum, above all he should be in pursuit of an objective political directions, good governance, positive developmental strides, peace and progress in Niger state. A role model whose conducts must be above board – in morals unblemished, in action uncompressed. A Governor who will be gold fish that has no hiding place because he is always in the eyes of public.

In the light of the escalating situations of insecurity around us, all hands must be on deck. It is no longer enough to wait for the moribund government or the security agents and officials of the state. Men and women of good will are to rise up to the challenges of ensuring adequate protection of life and property in our society. Rural vigilante groups, security and individual vigilances are today required, more than ever in order to assuage the rising tide of insecurity causalities and mayhem in our society today.

Tomorrow might be too late!

Abdulfatah Adamu can be reached through adamabdulfatha@gmail.com