Category: Opinion

  • SIGNATURE OF A GRANDMASTER OF LEADERSHIP RECRUITMENT- BTO AS A COMPELLING NARRATIVE  by Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    SIGNATURE OF A GRANDMASTER OF LEADERSHIP RECRUITMENT- BTO AS A COMPELLING NARRATIVE by Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    Under President Olusegun Obasanjo we had Mr. Frank Nweke Jr. as Minister of Information and Orientation. There was
    Dr. Dora Akunyuli at NAFDAC and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the Finance Ministry. Under the Jonathan Dr. Akinwunmi excelled as Minister of Agriculture. In contrast, the Buhari regime did not showcase similar exceptional performances.

    However, under the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, we have David Umahi, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Nyesom Wike, Dele Alake, Wale Edun, Yemi Cardoso, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and our very own Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Despite numerous challenges, these ministers have demonstrated capacity, capability, courage, resilience, and innovation.

    In this crop of high performers is our BTO who has done an extraordinary job tackling intractable challenges at the Ministry of Interior, a ministry previously known for underperformance.

    We recognize that BTO’s success is, wholly due to the opportunity provided by Mr President. The President’s recruitment process is top notch, commendable, and his ability to identify talent is evident in BTO’s appointment.

    As we celebrate BTO’s humble achievements as a Minister of the Federal Republic, we acknowledge the President’s role in recognizing his potential.

    As the grandmaster in talent hunt that owns the dice and not afraid to throw it what further affirmation do we need than the acclamation in the President’s address on independence day. This is a multibillion naira endorsement that cannot be purchased but earned. It came from the President of the most populous concentration of the black race in the world.

    Those of us who share in BTO’s success are encouraged and we look forward to celebrating more successes under Asiwaju’s leadership and appreciate the opportunity to work with exceptional leaders like BTO in the future.

    *Sola Ajisafe, Esq
    Lawyer, Journalist and Farmer writes from Akure, Ondo State.*

  • No Governor Is Above The Law by  Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    No Governor Is Above The Law by Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    The role of the Nigerian Constitution in the formation and existence of a political party is enshrined on the principle of Constitutional Supremacy. The Nigerian Supreme Court on many occasions has considered and decided on this in many cases. Examples abound in cases like A.G Ondo State v A.G Federation (the importance of complying with constitutional provisions), A.G. Lagos State v A.G Federation ( the nullification of the power of the President to withold local government funds), A.G.Federation v Atiku Abubakar ( on the interpretation of the Constitution and and constitutional supremacy in governance). The

    It is this realisation that made the All Progressives Congress (APC) in it’s Article two states as follows ” Subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ( as amended) and any other laws for the time being in force in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the provisions of this constitution shall be supreme PROVIDED that where any Rule, Regulation or other enactment of the Party is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, such a Rule, Regulation and Enactment shall be null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

    This means every law or rule or activity of any political party, it’s government, officials acting for itself or for the people must take a bow and align with the Constitution. Further more, the Nigerian Supreme Court on many occasions has restated this fact that all it’s activities must align and obey not only with the constitution but must obey it’s own rules and other regulations and rules validly in force in the country.

    Therefore, the APC Constitution is the most important document for its internal activities and administration being a product of the Nigerian Constitution and the loud and emphatic statement of the courts. In giving itself this constitution, it must not only obey it as a point of obedience alone it must do it to strengthen democracy and the rule of law for the ultimate preservation of the society. This is the foundation of good governance, peace and solidarity. Any erosion of this time tested rule is an invitation to strife and anarchy.

    In the Constitution of the APC starting with Article 10 on Party Organisation, Article 11,12, 13, 14,15, and 16, it provides a copious mode of how the party would be administered and the functions of it’s officials.

    Specifically, the APC Constitution under Section 14.1 provided for the office of the National Chairman to ” Be the Chief Executive, Accounting Officer and shall preside over the meetings of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the Party;Provide good and effective leadership to the Party;Uphold the Constitution and defend the name, policies and programmes of the Party;Be a signatory to the accounts of the Party;Direct the due execution of the programmes of the Party;Give lawful directives to all officers, organs, and members of the Party at all levels;Have a casting vote in the event of a tie in the meetings of the Party over which he presides;Ensure the implementation of the directives of all superior organs of the Party, namely the National Convention, the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee and the National Caucus;Perform such other functions as may be assigned to him from time to time by the National Convention, Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee and/or the National Working Committee”.

    This position is restated under Article 15, as Officer at Other Levels whereas the powers are devolved to the States and local governments.

    The power invested in the National Chairman under Article 14.1 is equally vested in the State Chairman and other officers under article 15. This powers are exercisable statutorily. Whether in the composition or activities everyone would have to abide by the constitutional provisions.

    To maintain amity, respect and party discipline, it is not by chance that the composition in the State Caucus was so arranged. A careful look will show the intendment of the drafters of the constitution.

    Going forward, it is my view that for our party to continue to maintain it’s peace and growth for the development of our State as the party in power, all concerned must keep to their assigned roles. As far as the constitution has provided, the Chairman is the Chief Executive of the Party while the Governor is the Chief Executive of the governance arm. They are not in contention or power supremacy, but their roles are distinct. He is not only the primus inter pares of the party he is the head of all the organs of the party structure. He must be allowed to do his job while the party structure must function effectively for the growth and development of our society.

    In essence, the party cannot function without the government and the head of the government as reserved in the Governor of the State deserves every respect, and consultation on party administration. There must be synergy and respect, consultation and agreement on all actions and activities. Where there seems to be a clash of interest, both must shift ground and the role of the government must lalways be recognised on all issues without any overeaching influence from the government.
    Both cannot exist without the other but their must be mutual respect to one another’s positions.

    In the same vain, the government and the party must also recognise other stakeholders whose activities and participations make the party what it is. Party elders, appointees, other elected officials and party members should not be outsiders to be treated like trash or dispensables. They must be carried along and given their own due at all times. This will foster cohesion and party growth.

    As we move towards the 2027 election as stakeholders and interested parties, our focus should be how to win the coming election resoundingly.

    Our modest request and irreducible demand from both Mr. Governor and the Chairman of the party is to work in synergy to achieve a 90 percent success for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Anything or act by anyone to the contrary would be a disservice to our collective happiness and they would have us to contend with.

    All we need is peace in our party and our State and those charged with that onerous responsibility must pull everyone together to achieve the purpose of victory in the coming election.

    Sola Ajisafe, lawyer, journalist, farmer writes from Akure, Ondo State.

  • PBAT Ignites The Passion Of Electoral Success In 2027 by Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    PBAT Ignites The Passion Of Electoral Success In 2027 by Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    “When the Elders meet, the ear of the people would hear good news” – An African Wise Saying

    In the African socio-political milieu, the concept of being an elder is achieved through two means. One is based on the template of age and longevity, and the other is based on status and responsibility. Each of these carries tones of expected expectations. The African way provides a mirad of power relation helmed on the canvass of a broader person to community model.

    While an elder is granted the liberty invested on the person by age or status, the community sets a performance template upon the activity is interrogated. Being an elder confers on you the task of providing leadership, direction and taking responsibility for others.

    At a time in Nigeria when politics is becoming unhelpful in solving social problems, it demands that men of courage and ability must take the gauntlet to redirect the social discourse. More specifically as we approach the next election, and the consuming rhetoric is laced with divisiveness and lies, ethnic and religious bigotry, especially towards a governement that is doing so much but not been appreciated, the need for a new movement to redirect the narrative is imperative. Such moves must come from those who appreciate the importance of the job been done by the government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Hence, with the inauguration earlier this week of the PBAT Continuity Project (PCP), a group set up to lead the charge for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the flame of political activities in Ondo State under the All Progressives Congress has just been ignited. While it is an established truth that Ondo State is historically the bastion of progressive politics in Nigeria, particularly in the South West, the array of established and top-notch politicians who were present at the unveiling of the group suggests the convergence of the established pillars of progressive politics in our State.

    It is true that sometimes political statements, especially by politicians, need to be properly interrogated. Not every politician is without fidelity, and not all words by politicians fall flat without actions. Some have established a history of backing up their words with positive action. Hence, the array of political presence and the goodwill messages delivered via telephone and the number of persons who sent in their apologies reveal clearly that the process of setting the building blocks for the re-election of Mr. President in 2027 is on course.

    In Ondo State, it’s difficult to underate the calibre of men and women who had subscribed to the membership of PCP. Aside from the Director General, Pastor Femi Agagu, the interest and commitment of Hon. D.I. Kekemeke, Dr. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, Hon. Wale Akinterinwa, Princess Oladuni Odu, Hon..Lola Awoh, Dr. Mrs Osadaun, Yeye-Oba Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, HE. Mrs Kemi Iyantan, High Chief Ojo Alalabiaye, Prince Diran Iyantan, Hon. Sunday Araoyinbo, Hon. Yemi Olowolabi, Hon. Tobi Ogunleye, Hon. Goke Jatuase, Hon. Mekuleyi, Hon. Ayeni, Ambassador Sola Iji, Dr.Jibayo Adeyeye and many notable politicians, show clearly that a new vista has emerged in Ondo State to carry the gospel of an Asiwaju political success in 2027.

    One does not need to have the power of clairvoyance when the Director General of the group, Pastor Femi Agagu, in his opening statement, states, “Our task is to ignite support of all Ondo State indigenes for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” This is the article of faith of the group, and the destination is another four more years in Aso Rock. It is a direct charge to all and sundry.

    No doubt, the convergence of minds behind this group is a pointer to what it could achieve. Setting the goal, Dr. Bunmi-Tunji Ojo, Minister of Interior, said Ondo State will surpass its 2023 percentage votes contributed for the President. He maintained, “…Asiwaju for a second term is our project, PCP is our project. In the last election, we had 67%, but our target this time is to do far better than that. With the caliber of people in PBAT Continuity Project, we will deliver more than expected once we agree to work together.”

    In working together, no one knows the art more than Hon. Isaac Kekemeke. A man who has traversed vast political activities and coupled ragtag political organs to success by being the first Chairman of a political party in opposition to lead his party to presidential victory in Ondo State. Kekemeke rests on his vast political experience in many capacities and is the current APC Vice Chairman for the South West. He knows what he meant when he said, “Mr. President deserves a second term going by his leadership style and commitment to national development.”

    In an emphatic statement, he said, “This is a President from the South West…more so, this President is doing extremely well. For the good of our country, for the good of our region, and for the good of ourselves, it is good that President Bola Tinubu continues to be President…I’m happy that some leaders of APC decided to start.”

    The above enlightened and informed statements are not just mere words. They are statements made from years of organizing, mobilizing, and participation in the political process and democratic engagement in Ondo State in particular and Nigeria in general. The impact these leaders have made to the development of democracy places them in a vantage position to understand what is required for the benefit of our State and our nation under an Asiwaju Presidency.

    Establishing his own reason on the plank of performance, Hon. Wale Akinterinwa extolled the excellent performance of Mr. President and said this is the time he needed the support of all Nigerians to consolidate his various policies beyond 2027. In restating his support for the group, he said, “…I’m happy to be part of this group, and I can assure you that we will play our part and deliver on the mandate of the group.”

    Going forward, he opined, “This is a group of very committed and respectable leaders who have come together for the purpose of ensuring that our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not only returns in 2027 but we will give him the maximum vote in 2027.”

    These deep and colossal statements were made by people who have a history of political performances and electoral value in Ondo State and the days ahead will prove that they are not mere statements but words that are indelible and carved on to the open plates of history.

    Sola Ajisafe, Lawyer, Journalist, Farmer is a member of the APC. He lives in Akure, Ondo State.

  • THE ESSENTIAL WA  – Sola Ajisafe

    THE ESSENTIAL WA – Sola Ajisafe

    One of the reasons why I struggled to be a good student (not a brilliant one) in school is that I do not advert my mind to simple things. That reduces my capacity to appreciate details around me. How could I possibly tell anyone that I never knew I share the same month of December with Hon. Wale Akinterinwa until Hon Yemi Olowolabi told me? That made me an Olodo rabata…

    More than the above, if I could turn the hands of the clock, I would have wished I met you earlier in my political or professional journey in life. I am sure my story which has been of pains and anguish, of use and dump (despite my best efforts), would have been truly different.

    Since, I met you, you seemed a complex phenomenon but a simple puzzle to decode. Your definition of life and relationship is of mutuality and not servitude.

    During the last political process I tried to process you and navigate your persona using various variables essentially based on previous personal experiences. Despite working very closely with you, I maintained a dose of sustained distance from you to reduce the incidence of another heart break or of ” stories that touch the heart”.

    In our clime, leadership is seen from the prism of generational servitude by followers and of maniacal demand for loyalty by leaders. To many it is an offence to disagree or have contrary views, but to you, it is the virtue of strength in any group. On many occasions, you are fond of asking ” what’s the opposite view”. If we say none, you will tell us, we do not have a finished product yet. Let’s think further”. Your search for an alternative view strengthens group solidarity and comradeire.

    Unlike you, many leaders see followership only from the myth of what they benefit from me as a leader. You are not like that.
    For you, leadership and followership stems from a commonality of purpose, a duality of efforts and a joint synergy of each others pains and triumphs.

    You are a leader with emparthy, you are a common man with so much uncommon virtues. You seem distanced yet you are closer to events than could be imagined. You are in a constant search for opportunities for people and you live a life of essence to those you know. You live a life of simple actions moulded in great monuments. Not many are that blessed to know the “Essential WA”.

    Our leader, friend and brother, as you clock a year older this Thursday, I am happy to be part of your journey of life and will be for years to come.

    Happy born day in advance our own Ajanga.

    **Sola Ajisafe, lawyer, journalist and Political Strategist, is the Programme Director of the WA Political Group.**

  • WALE AKINTERINWA:  OF  PROPER CONVERSATION AND THE JEDIJEDI CONVERSATIONISTS by Sola Ajisafe, Esq.

    WALE AKINTERINWA: OF PROPER CONVERSATION AND THE JEDIJEDI CONVERSATIONISTS by Sola Ajisafe, Esq.

    In the last few days certain conversations are been introduced into the political space by some janjaweed and jankariwo thinkers in respect of Mr. Wale Akinterinwa (WA) with respect to his political decisions or likely moves towards the November election.

    Aside from what has been said or imagined after the primaries by those who are afraid of his political status and standing in Ondo State politics, his absence at the Southern Senatorial rally at Ore was interpreted to mean the road to a loss of the November 16, Governorship election by our party, the APC.
    When that narration did not fly, a new and ” improved lie” was introduced suggesting that he has instructed his supporters to vote for the New Nigeria People’s Party at the election.

    Contrary to these false information baked in some hidden covens, released into the airwaves and circulating on social media, it is pertinent to state that Wale Akinterinwa did not direct and would never direct his supporters to vote for the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party or any other party in the coming election.

    This baseless claim is a deliberate attempt to discredit WA and to cause confusion among his supporters in particular and the APC family in general.

    It is a fact that in every political season there are always many conversations. Among the dominant conversation in Ondo State this season is WA and the WA Team . A careful look at the WA team will reveal that it has the largest concentration of the organic members of the progressives in the APC which makes them the landlords or the authentic Aborigines of the party. What this means is that we have no where to go and no condition or situation can make us work against our party. It is not even in our character.

    We may be hurt or angry about a situation, but we are always in control of our emotions. We are molded and schooled to always look at the bigger picture. That’s why we are proud of the phrase ” My Party is My Party”. That is, no matter what, our party’s interest is above and larger than every other interest.

    Let it be known also that within the WA team, we consider electoral contests and party affairs as family matters which could be contentious but which must be resolved one way or the other in brotherly love for the benefit of the super structure, the party’s interest. While we feel embittered, unhappy and disappointed at the way the primary turned out, it never took us a long time to accept the verdicts of the party while we reconciled within ourselves that on no account should we raise any negative step against our party. There is always another day and another opportunity in politics. Why should we break the pot that holds the water? It’s not our ways.

    It must also be noted that we recognize the fact that, while there is a beneficiary of the whole exercise being the candidate of our party and the flag bearer, he is just the symbol of our collective struggle towards the election. The ultimate test and focus of all party members is that his party succeeds in an election. Many of us have stayed too much in opposition that we cannot afford to become opposition politician in Ondo State in February 2025. It is not only politically undesirable but affliction shall not arise a second time and thunder does not strike a point twice.

    So, for anyone to imagine that WA will give instructions that his group within APC to work against the party is to show the hollowness of some people and to think that even if such instruction is given, some of us will obey it, is a crude thought.

    Let it be known that across the various Committees that were set up, our members have been involved and participating actively and ready to do more for the success of our party in the election. For instance, immediately, I got to know I was a member of the Protocol Committee on the eve of the visit to Akure South, I reached out to Hon Alex Kalejaiye and Hon. Olajide. I was physically present at the campaign at the Deji’s Palace, NEPA Roundabout and at Oda. I have made some inputs into the working of the Committee through Hon. Olajide and ready to make more. By Tuesday, we would be on the road again. Our own Yemi Olowolabi is totally involved in the work of the media and the candidate of our party is aware of his efforts already. The same thing goes for other members of the WA Team at various levels. So who are those that will be behind or vote for NNPP?

    If WA has not been physically present, it is the height of excessive malady for anyone to conjure this type of insidious thought. The fact that many of his supporters have been making contributions should kill the wrongful narrative of antagonism towards the party during the election.

    WA is the head of our group within the larger APC. He is the aggregation of our political interest. He is totally committed to our party in the election through the mandate given to our flag bearer His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa whose election on November 16, 2024 is a history waiting to happen.

    I must say that we are not unaware of the source of this snide side talks are coming from. We are also not unaware of it’s intended threats and implications. Let it be known that we have the courage to say those threats and challenges pales into insignificance with the victory that would be achieved in November. We have the tenacity and the courage to see through all these threats to our collective political interest in the WA Team sooner than expected.

    In conclusion we urge all supporters of WA and our party to remain vigilant and disregard misinformation spread by mischief makers. Let’s focus on promoting factual information and maintaining a united front in our political endeavors.

    As we march towards the election, we would walk hand in hand and side by side to an assured victory.

    In the interim, let the right and proper conversation ennure while the “jedijedi” and ” penkelemesi” conversationists continue in their forlorn narratives.

    Please note that For This Election Let Us Stay Informed, Stay Vigilant.

    Sola Ajisafe, Esq
    Director of Programmes WA Team (Member Protocol Committee of the Campaign Council).

  • Olatunji Ariyomo: 90-cannon salute to Soyinka

    Olatunji Ariyomo: 90-cannon salute to Soyinka

    When Oluwole Akinwande Babatunde SOYINKA, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature, clocked 80 in 2014, this essay raised an 80-cannon salute in his honour as one of Africa’s most enigmatic pathfinder.

    At 90, the bard remains a torch-bearer for continental excellence and an inspirational global export from Africa to the world.

    The ‘90’ volley count is an intentional multiple of the traditional 21-gun salute in recognition of his exceptional humanity and an acknowledgment of Ogun, his companion deity.

    In the African literary precinct, where minds form thoughts and thoughts mold minds, Wole Soyinka, until perhaps another revelation in his class, will remain the definitive Africa’s confounding literary enigma and the actual definition of literature itself for eons to come.

    Granted that Kongi himself is not given to wanton adulation or competitive overgeneralization, especially the typically African tendency to rank, I am not Kongi and neither is this bias without basis – or reckless without a just cause.

    There were great African writers before Soyinka happened to Africa. Some wrote in their indigenous languages and as a result, had a restricted audience.

    There were and there are still great African writers who were contemporaries of Soyinka. Many although contemporaries of Soyinka, wrote in the language of yore leaving the reader with the literary taste that the writer was attempting to re-create the African past. Not Soyinka.

    He communicated in the contemporary language of his time and with such suaveness that both awe and appeal. There will continue to be great African writers after Soyinka. Soyinka is however not just a great African writer. Neither is Kongi just another literary icon. He is literature. His life sealed and cemented his place in African history. Soyinka’s being has come to represent a theatre in 3D as his very life embodies the very substance great dramas are made of. At a relatively young age, when many feared to dare, Kongi , a one-man battalion stormed the broadcasting house in the then Western region of Nigeria, and successfully replaced the recorded lies of one of the thieving politicians at the time, with his. That was Soyinka, literature in motion.

    By the time the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria were locked in a titanic survival battle with the side claiming to represent a united Nigeria, Soyinka saw through the charade of the kind of unity on offer and dared to embrace a destiny in opposition to the leading tendencies back then – he backed the right of the Igbo people to self-determination if that was what they desired as a people. The core of his stance was very simple, the Igbos had the inalienable right as humans to determine how they would want to exist as a people.

    For so daring, Soyinka was hunted, hounded, arrested, and imprisoned. That was Soyinka, literature in motion.
    Then came the Nobel prize. Prizes, especially super-prestigious types of the calibre of the Nobel have a way of changing their beneficiaries. Most would begin to hang out only with the rulers while then doing their bidding. Not Soyinka. Rather, Soyinka became more Soyinka. From the battle to erase apartheid in South Africa, to the precarious and dangerous challenge he mounted against vicious military rulers, Soyinka was at the forefront of civil action for the protection of the ordinary people from arbitrary rule of the juntas. How the Ibrahim Babangida government loved to dismiss Soyinka as a dramatist! But the dramatist was one of the forces who ensured Babangida was forced into submission and had to abdicate in a hurry when the hearth became too hot. That was Soyinka, literature in motion.
    Soyinka in the public service. Before the ultimate showdown with Babangida, Kongi, following a call akin to an ‘if you know how to do it, then come do it’ dare from Babangida, accepted to establish and serve as the foundation Chairman of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC). Many had expected the crusader to fail at this assignment. Not Soyinka. As Nigerians would still admit today, Soyinka’s era in the road safety corps remains a watershed in the nation’s history. That was the era when no officer of the Corp would collect bribes from anybody even though their sister organization, the Nigeria Police, was notorious at the time for only two things – bribery and corruption. As Dele Momodu recently revealed, when an attempt was made to soil Soyinka’s reputation with a smear campaign, news hounds from the African Concord were dispatched to get the juicy details of the ’embezzlement charge’, Kongi, though 28 years behind the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, personally wrote to the bankers of the FRSC with the instruction to make all their accounts public! That was Soyinka, literature in motion.
    While Wole Soyinka’s predilection as signposted by these experiences is about integrity, what is right, and what is just, irrespective of tribe, race, religion, or social status – his later life would cement his place as an avowed advocate of universal justice – no matter who the victim is. This is where he stands shoulder higher than any of his contemporaries. While some of them were perennially locked in the defense of their kin, Soyinka’s mind transcended Ake or his Oduduwa clan and captured the universal spirit that defined and separated truly great beings from the rest.
    Soyinka the philosopher could be glimpsed from The Interpreters, where the bard sought to know whether it was appropriate to insist on a spot in the water whereas the water as an entity was definitely constantly mowing. In the trial of Brother Jero, it would be difficult to resist a good laugh as the prophet successfully predicted the promotion of Chume to Chief Messenger with an additional prophecy still that he would become Chief Clerk. Soyinka in that work clearly saw tomorrow as every antic of the main character has now become the trademark and a powerful tool through which self-professed spokesmen for God swindle unsuspecting folks in 2014 Nigeria. Soyinka inspires. Any student activist in the past 30 years, would either have used or have heard the famous words “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny” taken from The Man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka. It remains the number one rallying cry to free the souls of the undecided for battle against forces of repression in Nigeria’s unending Armageddon of civil unrest against abusive use of power and positions against the interests of the masses. Of Soyinka, John Updike in Hugging the Shore (New York: Knopf, 1983) says ‘he is remembered in Nigeria with awe, both for a political boldness that landed him in prison and for a commanding intellect that is manifest in every genre he tackles’. And what do you make of the poem, Telephone Conversation? Read the last verse, again;
    “THAT’S DARK, ISN’T IT?” “Not altogether.
    Facially, I am brunette, but madam, you should see
    The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
    Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused—
    Foolishly, madam—by sitting down, has turned
    My bottom raven black—One moment madam!”—sensing
    Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
    About my ears—“Madam,” I pleaded, “wouldn’t you rather
    See for yourself?”
    – Wole Soyinka in Telephone Conversation

    90-cannon salute to Soyinka! The African god of literature is 90. Iba!

    By Olatunji Ariyomo (@olatunjiariyomo)

  • AMOTEKUN AND THE REST OF US  By Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    AMOTEKUN AND THE REST OF US By Sola Ajisafe, Esq

    Aketi is dead and left behind many legacies ( both good and bad). However, Amotekun is reputed by haters and admirers as one of his greatest legacies.

    At its inception, I had the opportunity to be the unofficial publicist to assist my friend and Commander, Chief Adeleye. He repaid me by picking my calls and sending his boys to distressed persons or areas anytime I called.

    In 2019, he sent his officers to Osi Community and commanded them on phone when a horde of Fulani herdsmen were leading over 2000 cows with more than 30 men. I alerted him, he sent his men. Those people said they were on their way to Edo State. On another occasion some herdsmen from the Shasha market invaded my friends farm in Osi again and ate his farm. I called the attention of the Commander and he said we should demand compensation. The head of the Hausa/Fulani community from Shaha came and paid the compensation. Around same period, a childhood friend of mine who retires from Elephant cement and invested his life savings on palm tree plantation at Uso had the problems of these herders..I informed the Commander and moved his.mwn to the area. It had abated

    Last year, some bands were noticed around my father’s farm in Ose local government. I called the Commander and he gave instructions that the heads of their operations in the Northern Senatorial Sector based in Ikare should mobilise his people across Akoko and Ose and storm the place. They went along with drones. Unfortunately, the information did not reach them in good time. They would have met them there and arrest them. By what was met on ground, it gives signs of kidnappers who used the place as a base for some days.

    I have other examples of the exploits, the efficiency and effectiveness of the security outfit. More importantly , they do not take bribes no matter how small or big.

    Sometimes ago, I learnt that herders invaded the farm of a Celestial clergyman and ate everything. They met the herders who were trying to show power. The man reported and the cows were arrested. I intervened but my intervention was needless as the man got compensated before the cows were released. This is a testimony to Chief Adeleye and his team. I guess that was in the Aketi years.

    Early in the year, I got an information that some ” kidnappers” were arrested with many dogs and detained at Okitipupa. They were arrested in Akoko. I did my findings and confirmed it was true. But pronto, I was informed when those people were.released based on a ” padi-padi ” arrangement by some powerful northern governors and our Oga here It was painful but I could not do anything so that I won’t be accused of playing politics. But it was a fact that those people snd their dogs were released based on give and take mode.

    About two weeks ago, I was in a car with some friends along Osi road through the Express. The road was blocked with over a thousand cows. We came down to ask them to direct their cows from the road they said ” no English”. None of us understand Hausa. We demonstrated what we wanted them to do, yet, they pretended not to understand. I now said we would all Amotekun, it was at this point one of them spoke English and said, ” go and call them”. They were incensed and care less. If it were before, they would take to flight.

    As if this was not enough, I was in my farm in Idoani yesterday, right there in my farm, I met over two hundred cows eating away. I was surprised. I could not do anything for two reasons. One, the herders was nowhere to be found. Two, there was no network to call anyone, whether Chief Adeleye who I always call or he would direct his men in Ose. Even the men in Ose are already overstretched. My crops was invaded and I could not do anything. I returned back to Akure dejected, disappointed, surprised and angry. I was helpless.

    I have not been able to hold myself to confront this menace and loss. Unbeknown to me, a dày before my trip to the farm, I heard what happened at Igoba and how those fellows caused a standoff yet the army was unable to do anything.

    Chief Adeleye had been doing a great job before. What is happening? What about the law concerning cows roaming the street, what of underaged children leading them? What are we afraid of or what is the benefit and who is the beneficiary of this laxity. If Fulani herders could block road in broad daylight to challenge Police and the army, what will they not do in the bushes?

    More than money, Amotekun must be allowed to do their job and they must be protected. They should not be under any watchlist or instruction. The reason Amotekun under Chief Adeleye and Doyin Odebowale succeeded in his own area was because, Aketi gave them the needed support and gave them the wing to fly.

    I have been hearing stories of the rot creeping into AMOTEKUN. The motivation for the job is receding. We must support the government to succeed on this Amotekun for the good of all. Amotekun must not die like Aketi died. We must support Amotekun to protect our people. I have seen the source of the hunger in the land. Our bushes are crawling with herders and their cows.

    We need help.

  • NIGERIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE, GROWTH AND THE CHAOS MODEL by Tunji Ariyomo

    NIGERIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE, GROWTH AND THE CHAOS MODEL by Tunji Ariyomo

    BEING A LECTURE DELIVERED BY ENGR. OLATUNJI ARIYOMO, FNSE, AS GUEST SPEAKER AT THE 2024 ALUMNI HOMECOMING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AKURE (FUTA) TAKING PLACE AT THE UNIVERSITY MULTIPURPOSE HALL AT OBANLA, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AKURE, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA ON THE 24TH OF APRIL 2024.

    {Protocol…}

    First, kindly permit me to show my immense appreciation to the leadership of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of this great institution for organizing this homecoming event and for tapping me as a Guest Speaker. Allow me to equally extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Department, the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, other Schools, and the past and present management of the university starting with the team led by Prof. Peter Adeniyi when he was Vice Chancellor and those led by his successors such as Prof. Bisi Balogun, late Prof. Biyi Daramola and the incumbent first female Vice Chancellor of this institution, Prof. Adenike Oladiji. These wonderful people have worked relentlessly to turn FUTA from just one of the many to the best university of technology in Nigeria steadily in the past 15 years and to an outstanding citadel of learning that now consistently ranks among the top 3 best universities nationwide in a global ranking. From the Federal University of Tension and Agony, our alma mater has morphed into the Federal University of Tenacity and Accolades. We are simply very proud of you.

    When I was first approached about this lecture, the organizers wanted me to speak on the topic “Building Sustainable Future: Green Infrastructure and Economic Resilience in Civil Engineering”. I interrogated the topic and asked myself, won’t we build infrastructure first before we even go green? So I employed what we call the Speaker’s License to tweak the topic to – Nigeria’s Infrastructure, Growth, and the Chaos Model. The chaos part was deliberate – to get our attention. I must confess that I consider every occasion such as this as a very significant opportunity to trigger debates wherein our ultimate consensus can help reshape or lead to the re-evaluation of extant infrastructure ambitions and infrastructure delivery strategies and practices in Nigeria.
    The Engineering Practice
    I have been informed that this is going to be a multi-disciplinary gathering. It is therefore pertinent that I try to explain some of the core concepts and terms that would feature prominently in this lecture at least for the benefit of those who are not engineers. To begin with, the term engineering is derived from the Latin ingenium, meaning ‘cleverness’ and ingeniare, meaning ‘to contrive, devise’ (IAENG, 2016). Engineering is the professional practice in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind (Freyberg, 2006). Engineering therefore has an identity (as a professional practice), a distinctive process (knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences), and an objective (to build economically for the benefit of mankind) .

    Engineering subjects or sub-disciplines are diverse and include civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, metallurgical engineering, material engineering, agricultural engineering, petroleum engineering, computer engineering, financial engineering (IAENG, 2016), cost engineering, industrial engineering, biomedical engineering, systems engineering et cetera.

    Flowing from the foregoing, the engineering profession is responsible for the building of infrastructure for the benefit of mankind. Put differently, it is safe to assert that infrastructure, particularly physical infrastructure, is the product of engineering. But what is infrastructure?

    Infrastructure
    The concept of infrastructure effectively covers physical, social, and or virtual assets depending on context. This is because infrastructure is “both relational and ecological … being the balance of action, tools, and the built environment” (Star, 1999). We no doubt have also seen the word infrastructure nebulously stretched to include food or political hand-outs as instantiated by the notorious example of ‘stomach infrastructure” in Nigeria. Basically, infrastructure refers to “the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function” (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). The World Bank considers infrastructure sectors to include “energy, information and communications; mining, transportation, urban development, water supply and sanitation” (World Bank, 2001). The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language (AHDEL) focuses its contemporary definition of infrastructure on the following:
    i. An underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system.
    ii. The basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons (AHDEL, 2010).

    On July 15, 1996, President Bill Clinton’s Executive Order 13010 defined infrastructure as “the framework of interdependent networks and systems comprising identifiable industries, institutions (including people and procedures), and distribution capabilities that provide a reliable flow of products and services essential to the defense and economic security of the United States, the smooth functioning of government at all levels, and society as a whole” (Moteff & Parfomak, October 1, 2004).

    From the above, it is clear that infrastructure need not be physical alone. Of course, within the context of our discussion today, our focus is physical infrastructure. That said, the US presidential definition is nonetheless consistent with what could be described as a definition from a national security point of view even as Section 1016 (e) of the USA PATRIOT and Homeland Security Acts, in response to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks defined critical infrastructure as systems and assets – whether physical or virtual. In its explanatory notes on usage, AHDEL explains that the term “has been used since 1927 [this is supported by Oxford English Dictionary (2019)] to refer collectively to the roads, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works that are required for an industrial economy, or a portion of it, to function” and that “perhaps because of the word’s technical sound, people now use infrastructure to refer to any substructure or underlying system” including extended use to cover people e.g., “that terrorist organizations have an infrastructure of people sympathetic to their cause”. AHDEL added that it’s “Usage Panel finds this extended use referring to people to be problematic” (AHDEL, 2010).

    Having examined the now limitless application or usage of the word infrastructure, within the context of our discussion, we shall be restricting ourselves to physical assets required for a society to function as our acceptable definition of infrastructure.

    Notable Historical Public Infrastructure
    One of the earliest public infrastructures built by man was the Appian Way or “Via Appia” which was built in 312BC in Rome during a war with the Semnites, a central Italy tribe, Compared to Romans, the Semnites were twice as populous and had a land area twice the size of medieval Rome (Hyde, 2017). Yet the Romans defeated them principally because Rome had the Appian Way. That road conferred two strategic advantages upon Rome by allowing troops and supplies to easily reach the battlefields.

    Similarly, the first passenger-carrying public railway in the United Kingdom was opened by the Swansea and Mumbles Railway at Oystermouth in 1807, using horse-drawn carriages on an existing tramline (please see Figure 2). Advancement in steam technology later led to the commencement of the first locomotive-hauled public railway in the world over a 40km long route on 27 September 1825 in the UK. In 1869, Queen Victoria commissioned two railway coaches, which were built at Wolverton Works by the London and North Western Railway and designed by Richard Bore. The railway would later confer four strategic advantages upon the United Kingdom. It became a central solution to the nation’s transportation challenges sometimes representing more than 20% of all passenger journeys in Europe (NR Press Release, 2010). It evolved into a major employer of labour. The rail industry back then employed 115,000 people and supported another 250,000 through its supply chain (Oxford Economics, 2018). It emerged as a key source of revenue to the United Kingdom and construction technical know-how became a significant source of foreign exchange earnings for the United Kingdom. The British Government commenced the building of its first rail line in China in 1865 and started one in Nigeria (Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan) in March 1896. The first rail line in Nigeria took them just 2 years to complete. By 1905, China had started building its railways by itself. As of 2024, Nigeria relies heavily on China for the construction of its rail infrastructure.

    Diane K. Drummond (University of Leeds) examined British investments in overseas railways systems and found that British capital investment in railways globally by 1914 was 40.68% of Britain’s total capital investment overseas which equaled £3,763.3 million that year . The annual Interest paid on British Investment in Railways overseas from 1905 to 1906 (see table) was 83 million British Pounds (Paish, 1909).

    Comparatively, the discovery of oil in Dubai in 1966 triggered the development of the present Dubai. Regardless of the economic implication of the oil booms, Dubai’s ruler at the time, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1958 – 1990) commenced aggressive investment in functional infrastructure in the realization that oil as a resource was finite and that one day Dubai would run out of oil (Dubai Online, 2019). As a result, he began to build an economy that would outlast oil. In doing this, what was his focus? Functional infrastructure. By 2018, according to Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, a total of $30.82 billion was spent in 2018 by overnight international visitors in Dubai, a 3.8% increase over 2017 ($29.70 billion). This makes Dubai the city that brings in the most tourist dollars worldwide, with Mecca coming second at $20.09 billion (compare nurture versus nature aphorism). On average, a visitor spends $553 per day in Dubai (DDT, 2019). Yet, Dubai attracted more tourists than ever before in 2023 than at any other time in its history. It welcomed 17.15 million international overnight visitors that year based on data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) (Mediaoffice.ae, 2024).

    It is important to quickly state that oil was discovered in Nigeria in commercial quantity in 1956 by Shell-BP, ten years ahead of Dubai. As it is with the rest of the UAE, about 95% of Dubai as a federating unit’s Gross Domestic Product is not oil-based. As of 2018, Crude oil accounted for less than one percent of Dubai’s GDP (Edmond, 2019) whilst tourism accounts for as much as 20% (Dubai.com, 2018). “The relentless commitment to infrastructure development turned Dubai into the Mideast hub for finance, information technology, real estate, shipping, and even flowers” (Winkler, 2018). The guiding philosophy behind infrastructure development in Dubai is thus the deliberate application or use of a moderate amount of crude oil reserves to generate the infrastructure for education, healthcare, manufacturing, trade, and tourism, in order to build a world-class economy that can attract commerce, tourists and folks seeking better life!

    A common factor From medieval Rome to Victorian-era Britain to modern Dubai, there is a common theme to each of the spectacular development successes that have been highlighted – a deliberate effort to grow specific infrastructure so as to gain a specific development advantage. Iconic legacy infrastructure projects and adequate physical assets were developed for education, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, trade, and tourism, in order to build each of those economies into a global destination of choice. Once effective, those countries’ infrastructures, in turn, became critical assets that were central to service delivery, employment generation, revenue generation, and in many instances as ‘exports’ yielding foreign exchange earnings through sales of expertise (as Britain did in the 1800s and as China is currently doing in many African countries) or ‘tourist dollars’.
    It is correct to assert that for the listed development role models; deliberately growing stock of infrastructure is a mandatory prerequisite to economic competitiveness or sustained and sustainable development.

    Chaotic Development
    Most of us here might have asked in the past or probably be asking right now “Why can’t Nigeria be like the United Kingdom”? Or “Why can’t we be like the UAE, like Dubai”? Why is it that though Britain built the first railways in both China and Nigeria, why is Nigeria wholly dependent upon China for its critical railway assets over a hundred years afterward?

    The answer stares us in the face although we may refuse to acknowledge it. Nigeria is the eponymous ‘egbinrin ote’ – complex plots of schism and divisiveness. Our country presents a unique case in convoluted conflict of identities that make cooperation towards a united altruistic goal difficult although not impossible. I have studied countries that transited from crisis to stunning success such as Japan, after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Germany after the ruins of World War II, or those that were crawling fledgling nations some 40 years ago such as Singapore, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates et cetera, They all have experienced linear growth based on their elite consensus to develop and a focus on infrastructure development as a primary or fundamental strategy towards economic competitiveness. None of them however harboured or accentuated their fatal differences as a definitive policy of state as Nigeria has done.

    In a conflicted scenario such as this, a good way to understand the stifling underdevelopment of Nigeria is through the concept of chaos in science and engineering. Whilst this may appear foreboding, it nonetheless offers hope.

    As part of the learning process, the average pupil engineer while in training must come across the concept of entropy. This is a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system’s thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work. Entropy is often interpreted as the degree of disorderliness or randomness in or of a given system. Chaos theory on the other hand simply states that a system where no randomness is involved in generating future states in the system can still be unpredictable. Essentially, the basic tenet of chaos theory that relates to entropy is the idea that the system inclines or leans towards ‘disorder’ (Truong-Son, 2016), that is, unpredictable. Overall, chaos theory deals with things that are impossible or very difficult to control and predict. Now our colleagues in computer engineering or science are familiar with the ‘chaos model’.

    In computing, the chaos model is a structure of software development. It was noted that project management models whilst sufficient at managing schedules and staff, do not provide methods to address ancillary issues like computer bugs or other technical concerns. At the same time, programming methodologies, while effective at fixing bugs and solving technical problems, do not help in managing deadlines or responding to customer requests. Sometimes I see some nexus between the dilemma presented by this situation and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle in quantum mechanics in relation to the precise simultaneous measurement of the position and velocity of an object. The objective of the chaos model is therefore to attempt to generate structures that will bridge this gap (ACM SIGSOFT, 1995). In effect, the chaos model’s relationship to chaos theory is the idea that big issues cannot be stabilized or fixed without also stabilizing or fixing the smaller issues.

    Gentlemen and ladies, can you see where I am going?

    There are very important small issues that have simply made forging an elite consensus around the growth and development of Nigeria difficult. They are also the root cause of the nation’s economic uncertainties in the past 6 decades. Issues of ethnicities, religion, and socio-political conflicts continue to undermine the potential of Nigeria for greatness. The stipulation from the Chaos Model, within the context of this lecture, is that we must address those fundamental and foundational issues in their relatively small or seemingly insignificant form for us to fix the wider or broader issues with Nigeria and thereafter become globally competitive. The seemingly smaller issues are fatal distractions easily leveraged by unpatriotic and unscrupulous elements as cover to perpetrate and perpetuate their selfish agenda in the guise of fronting for the collective.

    Furthermore, remember that I earlier implied that whilst the entire scenario of the Nigerian Underdevelopment Dilemma presented as a candidate for some form of chaos modeling and therefore foreboding, it nonetheless offered hope. This is because I have come to the conclusion that chaos is in fact natural. Order, on the other hand, though desirable, is unnatural – and has to be earned.

    Overall, in modeling Nigeria’s development dilemma, the biggest albatrosses to her focus are the underlying small problems of tribe, religion, and system or method of governance. What the chaos model suggests in the Nigeria scenario is that these issues must be stabilized, fixed, or addressed for the bigger issue of development to take place. The holy book pointedly asked – “can two walk together unless they agree?” (Amos 3:3).

    Our Potential
    Nigeria is the hypocenter of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy. With a population of over 228 million (UNPD, 2024) , Nigeria’s GDP was 472.62 billion US Dollars in 2022 and has averaged 125 billion US Dollars from 1960 until 2018 (Trading Economics, 2024). Nigeria has one of the largest crude oil and natural gas reserves in Africa with significant deposits of other largely untapped minerals. The nation has an 853 km long coastline, 344,000 square km of arable land, and a strong age mix that supports innovation and entrepreneurship.

    In spite of her great potential, Nigeria as a collective has failed to efficiently apply moderate resources to build a critical stock of infrastructure or generate the infrastructure for education, healthcare, manufacturing, trade, and tourism, in order to build up Nigeria or Nigeria’s economy. There is a common theme being violated by Nigeria – the disregard for a deliberate growth of infrastructure stock as a mandatory prerequisite to sustained and sustainable development. These common themes permeated the development examples I earlier listed in the course of this lecture. To the contrary, Nigeria appears to have forged an entrenched habit of recklessly applying her resources to service frivolous, bogus, and often superficial needs that constitute no asset either in the immediate or in the future. The paradox is astonishing when annual budget rituals reveal humongous expenditures on inanities as priority expenditures from limited resources while the nation goes cap in hand to beg for loans purportedly to service critical infrastructure. From her independence in 1960 till date, Nigeria has, at least, experienced 3 major oil booms which proceeds should have triggered the type of deliberate and structured development required to put order in her chaos.

    Healthcare facilities in many parts of Nigeria remain a nightmare. Transportation and traffic experiences remain frightening. Spatial planning is often absent with market vendors taking over sidewalks of limited roads to ply their wares. Many pupils learn on bare floors in several public schools. Our public facilities are often an eyesore – with the saddest examples being our international airports where the convenience and toilet facilities would often make you shake your head in disgust and wonder what is going on in the minds of our visitors! The walls and floors are often unattended for years. Facility maintenance does not simply exist in our thought ecosystem.

    Hope
    Remember that our definition of engineering concluded with the words “…for the benefit of mankind”. Remember too that we have established that infrastructure is essentially a product of engineering. Recall also that we have confirmed that Nigeria has found it difficult to convert her unique natural advantages and human resource endowments into economic and social benefits for the country and the majority of her citizens and that this has fatally denied her the evolution of such assets that can drive a competitive economy.

    Order is the antithesis of chaos. Addressing public infrastructure deficits is a methodical way of creating or simulating order or restoring order. Fixing infrastructure is in fact the quickest way for Nigeria to attain social equity. This is because the average public infrastructure represents the common platform of goods and services capable of equitably addressing the communal needs of the people regardless of status.

    You may have observed that I have not dwelled upon the need to craft development plans or visions. Do not get me wrong. Visions are necessary for the generation of such plans that can make infrastructure development a success. But visions are useless to a man perpetually in slumber. We crafted Vision 2020 several years ago. Before that, there was Vision 2000. At the time we unveiled Vision 2020, it seemed so far away. Then we crossed our legs, tilted our caps over our faces, folded our hands, and went to sleep. Similarly, the year 2020 came in indeed – and quietly passed. The words of John C. Maxwell hold true a “Vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it”.

    As earlier stated however, the biggest albatross to Nigeria’s ability to mirror the successes of the likes of the UK, Dubai et cetera are the underlying unattended small problems of tribe, religion, and system or method of governance that best serve the people. From the chaos model, it will be nearly impossible to fix the bigger challenges of infrastructural development and economic prosperity without stabilizing these other small issues. What the chaos model suggests in the Nigeria scenario is that these issues must be stabilized, fixed, or addressed for the bigger issue of development to take place.

    Recommendations and Conclusion
    Structurally fix the seemingly smaller issues and remove the oil that is firing discord and the growing activities of non-state actors across the geo-political zones to enable the formation of elite consensus across ethnic, religious, and socio-political divides. Evolve a model of leadership that creates room for the brightest and most capable among the people to rise into strategic leadership positions. In the UK for instance, from kindergarten to the university, there are systems in place that identify talents and create room for their being nurtured, covertly. This is why within a single classroom in the average British school, there are actually about six disparate classes. Only parents who pay attention would know.

    Concurrently, develop a master plan for all cities, towns, and villages in Nigeria and let everywhere in the country become a giant construction site for the provision of the needed infrastructure for education, health, food security, physical security, transportation, communication et cetera. We must however not build just for building sake. No. Rather, we must build to be competitive. We must build with the additional intent of having such assets rank among the best globally in terms of quality, durability, efficiency, safety, aesthetics, and cost-effectiveness. Each asset, whether national or local must then be supported with a maintenance plan. We can even decide to empower organizations like the EFCC and its equivalent at the state or local councils to go after not only thieves who stole money but officials who allow national and local assets to go to waste from lack of maintenance thereby causing losses as adjunct penalties with even greater negative impact than what is directly being stolen.

    What do we need to get all these done? We need the political will from leaders who appreciate the vision and are enamored of the future of our people. We need the technical know-how that must be deliberately acquired as part of strategic national and local development plans. We need a lot of money to be created by capable minds who know how to get that done.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the only limit to our development is our imagination. This is because development will evolve only in the direction of our imagination. Thus, beyond mere wishful thinking and rhetoric of good plans or intentions, Nigeria must in practical terms begin the serious job of economic delivery of 21st-century infrastructure across all sectors. This must be the sole focus of our budgets. This must be deliberate. This must be compulsory. THANK YOU.

    References
    ACM SIGSOFT. (1995, January). The chaos model and the chaos cycle. ACM Digital Library, 20 (1).
    DDT. (2019). Dubai Department of Tourism. Retrieved September 27, 2019, from https://www.visitdubai.com/en/department-of-tourism/about-dtcm/tourism-vision
    Dubai Online. (2019). Essential Tourist Information. Retrieved from https://www.dubai-online.com/essential/
    Dubai.com. (2018). Dubai Economy. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Dubai: https://www.dubai.com/v/economy/
    Edmond, C. (2019, November 1). From fishing village to futuristic metropolis: Dubai’s remarkable transformation. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Weforum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/dubai-uae-transformation/
    Freyberg, D. L. (2006). Stanford University School of Engineering. Retrieved November 26, 2019, from THE NATURE OF ENGINEERING: https://web.stanford.edu/class/engr1n/Day_1_Intro1.pdf
    Hyde. (2017). Via Appia and Roman Roads. Retrieved 2019, from Mrs Hyde’s Build Rome in a Day: https://sites.google.com/a/greececsd.org/romehyde/via-appia-and-roman-roads
    IAENG. (2016). International Association of Engineers. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from iaeng.org: http://www.iaeng.org/about_IAENG.html
    Mediaoffice.ae. (2024, February 7). Dubai achieves its best ever annual tourism performance with international tourists. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Media Office of the Government of Dubai: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2024/February/07-02/Dubai-achieves-its-best-ever-annual-tourism
    NR Press Release. (2010). Nine out of ten trains arrive on time during January. London: Network Rail (NR).
    Oxford Economics. (2018). The Economic Contribution of UK Rail 2018. London: Oxford Economics.
    Paish, G. (1909, Septeber 30). Great Britain’s Capital investment in other lands. Journal of Royal Statistical Society, LXXX(pt.111), 47.
    Trading Economics. (2024). Nigeria’s GDP. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Trading Economics: https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/gdp?poll=2019-12-31
    Trading Economics. (2024). Nigeria’s GDP. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Trading Economics: https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/gdp?poll=2019-12-31
    Truong-Son, N. (2016, March 2). How does entropy relate to chaos theory? Retrieved 2019, from Socratic: https://socratic.org/questions/how-does-entropy-relate-to-chaos-theory
    UNPD. (2024). Nigeria Population (LIVE). Retrieved from Worldometers.info: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/nigeria-population/
    Winkler, M. A. (2018, January 17). Dubai’s the very model of a modern mideast economy. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/insights/markets/dubais-model-modern-mideast-economy/.

  • Ndokwa East LGA – A case for Equity and Capacity

    Ndokwa East LGA – A case for Equity and Capacity

    Ndokwa East local government area is looking for a charismatic leader, an influential leader with a modest behavior, a man with a sound, analytical mind to continuously improve our living standards.We are also looking for a man with a vision, a man with an impeccable character, a man with a sense of time management, attention to details, and who can be trusted.
    Over the years stooges were imposed and they ended up mismanaging our resources through act of stealing, greed, flawed policies, poor decision making process, reckless abandonment, lawlessness, theft through manipulation and maltreatment of local government staffs.
    Now we want a paradigm shift where people’s welfare and development should be our major concern but not primitive accumulation of wealth to the detriment of our people, 99 per cent of the communities in Ndokwa East are suffering from one form of deprivation or another. No infrastructure period. I mean no roads, no electricity, no access to portable drinking water, no health centers or access to simple medical attention in any emergency and unprecedented number of school closures because lack of teachers willing to be posted to our deprived communities and towns.
    We simply cannot afford to continue like this if not our towns as we know them will cease to exist in a few years. We should not allow this maladministration to continue, Thus, this is a call for action, an invitation to well meaning Ndokwa Easterners ( Ndosimili persons) to prepare themselves for a rancour free election devoid of manipulation and widespread cheating against the will of the people. We are still beaming our search lights amongst those who have so far indicated interest and only one man is eminently qualified, capable and can be trusted to deliver for the people . A candidate that will rescue and revamp our local Government area for even development.
    This is the time to stand up and queue behind Barrister Harrison Ifeanyi Dike.
    Barrister Dike is from the illustrious DIKE FAMILY OF UMUGWOR QTRS., ONUABOH. He had his primary and secondary education in Kwale and thereafter proceeded to the prestigious University of Ibadan, where he studied law and then, the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Campus. He began his legal career with the notable law firm of T.J ONOMIGBO-OKPOKO (S.A.N) & CO. (Now THOMPSON OKPOKO & PARTNERS), where he honed his skills as a Legal Practitioner. He was later appointed as Special Assistant to the Honourable Attorney- General and Commissioner of Justice, Delta State between 2011-2015 and came back to Thompson OKPOKO & Partners briefly, before setting up his own law firm, H.I.DIKE & PARTNERS, where he is the Principal Partner, till date. Barrister Dike has been in politics since the early 90’s, where he supported and campaigned as a young school leaver for the actualisation of the Gubernatorial ambition of Prof Eric Opia, under the banner of the then National Republican (NRC.). He has also been a member of the PDP from 1999 till date and has mostly worked behind the scene, particularly in his Ward and Community for the success of the party in previous elections. Though he believes that good and effective leadership is not a function of party but of the nature, character and integrity of the occupant of a public office.

    Written by Barrister Harrison Ifeanyi Dike, a legal practitioner

  • Travails and a legacy of anti-corruption crusade

    Travails and a legacy of anti-corruption crusade

    He was calm and unruffled. He sat on the high table with the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mr Olanipekun Olukoyode. Hon. Justice Latifat Okunnu and Prof Adele Jinadu sat close to him. For many of his old friends, it was difficult to recognise Olanrewaju Suraju. He had grown beards. He wore an unusual dress that would make it difficult to identify him unless at close scrutiny.
    Looking different at every occasion might just be one technique Suraju, the Chairman of Nigeria’s most remarkable anti-corruption group has devised to delude corrupt actors who once made attempt to eliminate him.
    For instance, in 2022 at midnight, armed men stormed his house. They did not come to steal but took away valuables, perhaps as a decoy. The deal, it appeared, was to kill or at least warn him that corruption has the means and ways to fight back, anywhere, anyhow and anytime.
    The storming of his house was with precision: the time, the break-in, the stealth, the gadgets employed and the expertise of the invaders indicated they were professional. There have been several other threats to him, his soulmate, Sulaiman Arigbadu and the staff that are usually on edge at the close of work each day for constant fear of being trailed.
    This has not deterred the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) in the vigorous pursuit of Nigerian cruel but powerful sleaze network. The travails of the group, for 20 years now, clearly shows that the fight against corruption in Nigeria is like a fight with a lion right in its den. The consequences are life threatening. Fighting corruption in Nigeria is like walking barefoot on a rope adored with blade edges.
    This is why it is remarkable that for 20 years, a Nigerian organisation HEDA Resource Centre has been confronting the lion in its den. At the anniversary held in Lagos this week, which I attended, the EFCC Chairman lamented the vicious hearts of Nigerian cartel of powerful rogues.
    He said after he assumed office, he suddenly developed strands of grey hairs in months. He sometimes leaves his office 1am in the morning, yet would go home with unfinished files. He narrated one incidence recently, when on the last day of the previous year, billions of naira were being illicitly transferred by politically exposed persons. He watched the illegal transfers on his security screen forcing him to step aside from the New Year praise and worship night to take decisive action against the complicit bank accounts. They were cronies of Government ministries moving illegal cash not spent during the previous year.
    If there is a major problem hunting Nigeria, it is the audacity of corruption in high and low places. In the last half a century, experts think funds stolen from Nigeria are enough to build a new, prosperous country. Corruption has become the monster that rules public and private services. Many politicians in Nigeria see the theft of public funds as habitual. Budgets have become mere yearly rituals.
    Professor Jinadu at the event said in many instances, the motivating factor for public service seems to be access to public wealth. Fronts are created to launder public money through exaggerated contracts, over invoicing, outright stealing of funds to budget manipulation and kickbacks.
    There is institutionalised corruption. This comes in the form of bogus self awarded salaries, perks, privileges, constituency allowances, and legally protected sleaze. Apart from corrupt practices of highly placed people, artisans, professionals wear the dirty garb of graft making the cancerous plaque the addiction of the rich and poor.
    In his remarks, Olukoyode regretted that corruption is defended viciously by its practitioners, local and international capons, powerful people, rulers of darkness who do everything possible to sustain the rot. It is this hegemon that HEDA Resource Centre decided, for the past twenty years to confront with all its strength. The EFCC Chairman, described HEDA Resource Centre as one of the most ‘prolific’ anti-corruption civil society organisations in Nigeria.
    Led by a formidable team of men and women, with two icons, Olanrewaju Suraju and Sulaiman Arigbabu at the captain’s seat, the Centre has continued to strike the sky like a comet that awes politically exposed persons.
    One of the most remarkable corruption cases exposed by HEDA Resource Centre was the Malabu oil scam. It involved the transfer of about $1.1billion dollars by two Nigerian oil giants through Nigerian government officials to the account of a former Minister of Petroleum. About half of the fund went into the account of another Nigerian individual who owns an oil company.
    The crook fronted for many government officials under the Government of Mr Goodluck Jonathan who ruled Nigeria for six years. When HEDA Resource Centre launched this campaign in 2016, every effort including espionage, threat to life, sending armed agents to the office, phone bug, spying and trailing of its workers at the anti-corruption institution was made to hack down, blackmail or intimidate the group. The scam was linked to OPL-245. In the face of poisoned arrows fired at the organisation’s officials at the homefront, international anti-corruption groups, RE:Common, Corner House and Global Witness rose in defence of HEDA Resource Centre and its team as the case took the centre stage in Italy and Holland where for the first time, the governments of those countries saw the rare determination of a Nigerian anti-corruption group that risked everything including their lives for a transparent country where the Federal Government was found wanting and even complicit.
    The Malabu case saw at least some $190m paid to the account of the former Nigerian oil Minister frozen by a London Court. Local and international campaigns of the group are deafening. HEDA was at the United Kingdom Parliament to press against aiding of corruption by the international community.
    But the tormentors are not giving up. Suraju was wrongly but deliberately accused of forgery. Former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke petitioned the Inspector General of Police claiming the email linked to him with communication with JP Morgan, the bankers in June 2011 over the OPL 245 deal through the address of a company owned by one of the suspects, was forged. The International anti-corruption consortium in its letter to the IG said it was a ‘story of how false allegations about forgery contained in a complaint to the Nigeria police have been used to target a leading Nigerian anti-corruption group’. The case dragged on, but HEDA Resource Centre was eventually vindicated.
    The group is perhaps the only organisation in Nigeria that keeps the most up-to -date information about corruption. One of its comprehensive publications detailed unresolved corruption allegation scandals under various governments including that of President Mohammadu Buhari. The group has published seven editions of 100 high profile corruption cases in Nigeria which when put together would amount to the entire 20 year budgets of some major African countries. Anyone reading the publications is bound to shed tears for Nigeria. It puts together a string of unresolved sleaze amounting to trillions of naira of stolen public funds spanning decades under various governments since 1999 many of which many Nigerians have forgotten. How many would recall the theft of N1.1billion at the Nigerian Maritime Agency,(NIMASA), forfeiture of N754.8m of properties belonging to a NIMASA official or the son of a former Bauchi State Governor who was linked to the theft of N1.1b or a former Accountant General of the Federation linked with another N24b fraud or the case of a Professor who scammed an American knowledge-based company to the tune of $922m or a former Registrar of JAMB put in the dock by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, (ICPC) over N5b theft? The Registrar was docked along with his children.
    HEDA Resource Centre reminds all of us about the positive adventure of the EFCC and the ICPC and also their limitations. It brings into eternal memory that corrupt officials may twist the law to escape justice, but history has already taken note of their bitter footprints and that a black book has been opened for generations born and unborn to behold, so that when the story of Nigeria is told and retold, those hawks who worked tirelessly to see Nigeria become the carcass of a beautiful Zebra, so they can feast, will never be absolved by time and history.

    Adeoye is a CNN African Journalist of the Year Award Winner and Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER)