A deserved unlawful deed to Law Makers!

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

Well today 20^th of November 2014 will surely be marked in history of Nigeria as it rained stones and sprayed dust on the faces of Law Makers of the federation.

Two weeks ago the Nigerian speaker of the national house of representatives took the right turn in making a difference in what’s known to be the most corroded political structure in the entire history of democracy. Mr. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, a representative from Sokkoto state and the sitting Speaker of the National House of Representatives, officially declared his defection to the opposition party All Progressive Congress, APC on November 7^th this year. This defection happened during the most crucial time of the Nigerian politics as the 2015 general election has blown a whistle for the fields.

This momentous event obviously shook the ruling party off balance, throwing the PDP act unlawfully, which resulted to ordering the withdrawal of the security aids of the speaker by the Inspector General himself, this issue which grew to being a national discourse took a court case between the speaker and the Inspector General of the police for a verdict to be reached and the speakers’ aids be returned to his services. Sure, that act by the ruling party, precisely the presidency is very much familiar to Nigerians as it was done to several PDP defectors, some of them even faced impeachment threats, where a Governor of Adamawa state happened to fall a victim.

Speaker of the national House of Representatives Mr. Aminu Tambuwal took the pace to run for the office of Governor in Sokoto state on the APC party platform. On the 19^th of November the APC party held a national rally in Abuja, protesting over the state of the nation where they marched to the police headquarters to express their disagreements and grieves, the news had it that the just defected Speaker of the House also joined the march.

Today it’s shocking how the Honorables were dishonorably treated. The news came as if it was not meant to surface, the media had it that the police were sent to barricade the entrance to the House of Representatives, eye witnesses say they trooped in in a number of an army whose mission should be to fight a war. I mean around 1000 well-armed policemen could do as much as annihilate the entire Boko Haram terrorists bugging this country, if the will and want is called upon.

The media also had it that the Speaker of the House and his fellow law makers were forcefully denied entry to the building. Meanwhile as the police still maintained their grounds in ensuring they stopped the Members of the House, the fit and strong amongst the law makers were caught on camera climbing over the iron gates of the premises of the building into the premises. At first I rejected as well as despised what came next, the police deliberately aimed at the members and fired their tear gas guns at them all in attempts to intimidate the House Members and stopping them from accessing the Parliament.

It is yes utterly unfortunate as these events unfolded, but on the brighter perspective, I’d agree that karma has its own way in showing the wrong doers their misdeeds. In Nigeria is a government in seat which has not even the pettiest humble respect for neither, its peoples, its duties, its integrity nor even as much as its constitutions. These Law Makers are believed to have knowledge of the multiple corruption, injustice, impunities, illegalities, constitutional bypass, rights deprivations, money embezzlements, atrocities, theft, lies, amongst other evil deeds any treacherous tyrants may seem to exercise, but yet, as a result of their greed and lust for bribes that sets them up to buy and obtain all material things of life and ensures they forget their basic duties and their rightful place as to whom they are to serve and protect, they assumed failure in never investigating the wrong doings of the executives and the Presidency, and also failure in reacting to the complains of the masses of whom they are to serve.

I mean, yours sincerely couldn’t do but fathom as to where Law Makers should allow a President who left over 200 school girls under the custody of one of the worlds’ most dangerous terrorists for over 7 months in captivity stay in office this long? Nigeria’s President came to declare his automated run-again contest just a day after around 50 school students were blown to pieces and yet his declaration ceremony went to taking place without him giving no condolence nor a sympathetic press statement, neither to the deceased’s family nor to the mourning nation.

The question in view here is ‘did he President Goodluck Jonathan not promised the country that the girls were to be freed in matter of days and that a ceasefire was agreed upon with the terrorists?’ Or are the Law Makers all blinded and deafened about all this? O! Exactly, they were on holidays to rest off the stress of the piles and bulks of bribes they collected from the government to stay mute about the state of the nation.

In a press statement the Inspector General of the Police cleared the air for the Law Makers by saying that the reason for the around 1000 armed policemen sent to barricade the green chamber and stop the parliamentarians from accessing their congress room is because the police had an alert about hoodlums and thugs invading the House that very morning (I’d say those hoodlums were to be Shekau and his boys). The truth? Anyone who decamped from the Peoples’ Democratic Party under the Jonathan’s regime is considered a hoodlum or a thug and will actually be treated like one. In this case not only the defector was incriminated, his fellow members were also snagged.

“How small the vastest of human catastrophes may seem at a distance of a few million miles.”- Herbert George Wells, a British writer asserted. Now, the paradox of “good in bad” which happened today will forever remain in the history of this country that the parliamentarians will sure know absolutely what their duties are when the presidency goes on doing exactly what sooths its and only its interests.

Sa’idu Ahmed Enagi a friend and a colleague of mine, whom happens to be an ardent supporter of the ruling party told me in our conversation about what had transpired in the National Assembly this afternoon that “Members of parliament tear-gassed? This is a disgraced Democracy, this clearly demonstrates arrogance, despair and desperation by the ruling party… this is the fate of a shattered republic.” My brother Sa’idu didn’t stop there as his grief, hopelessness and anger couldn’t do him justice, he added that “The 2015 elections appears to come a rain of ‘blood, bullets and ballots.’”

Dr. Lame, A leader deserved

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

In a society where politics is flawed and leadership is rotted to a point of decay, the only path left for the people to follow to attain liberty is to give mandate to men whose visions has always been to liberate their people through educational and industrial monuments.

Introduction (a politician, a philanthropist and a career leader);

In brief, let me make out an originality of the man known to have served his country and people with honor, altruism and transparency. Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, a former minister of Police Affairs under the Yar’adua administration in 2008 was born in Bauchi state on 10^th February 1953, he obtained a B.Sc in Political Sciences from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and he later proceeded to earning a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration from the University of Ohio, America. In 1987, he was appointed Commissioner for Education in Bauchi state. In 1992 he was the senator representing Bauchi south in the national assembly. In 1999 he was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo the senior special assistant on Narcotics and Financial Crimes.

Dr. Lame’s political processions did not stop at the struggle to make a better Nigeria through earning and attaining political appointments in the political arena, he furthered the edifice of his people and state in investing businesses and his school in the state. The Fariah business enterprise is solely known to function in the state. The one of the best schools in Bauchi state (the best in my opinion) Fariah Comprehensive nursery, primary and secondary schools (which I also attended) and the Fariah natural water and beverages together with Fariah hotels and suites are altogether investments known to be productive amongst others by Dr. Lame in Bauchi state.

The wikipedia suggested that the man “was seen as a possible PDP candidate for governor of Bauchi state”, in the 2003 elections but I must outline that the man’s potentials to being gubernatorial material have been there since his enrollment in the Nigerian politics.

An honorable politician;

Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame rose to be known of his political triumphs as charismatic, principled and stern in motives and decisions. After the passing away of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua the then minister was offered by the successor of the demised leader to take control of his campaign coordination in the forthcoming general elections, but as they say “men of honor and integrity die before they fall,” he declared (2days after the offer as minister for police affairs) his membership as a member of the ACN party.

On 11^th May 2013 four independent parties (ANPP, ACN, APGA and CPC) came to merge to form the All Progressive Congress APC which in the 2015 election is anticipated to take over Nigeria. The most prominent opposition politician who manned up to mobilize these formidable parties which constitutes men of duly recognized political integrity and achievements, as the only solution to rescuing the country from running into total collapse, General Muhammadu Buhari in his speech welcomed and recognized the Dr. Yakubu Lame fourthly after Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and Musa Gwadabe. My belief is that General Muhammadu Buhari made mention of these men in their order of sacrifices and efforts to ensuring the formation of the party and to bringing an end to the endless breakage impounded by the ruling party on the nation.

In an interview on 24^th July 2014, Dr. Yakubu Lame told a media correspondent that his interest of gubernatorial contest will primarily focus on the “issue of governance” he told the interviewer “our institutions of governance must be made functional, and once they are functional we can address other issues.” He later went to outline other areas as to which his administration will focus on if God wills he emerges as Governor of Bauchi state, these areas are Education, Economy, Security and Health, all of which any Bauchi indigene may attest to the fact that the very incumbent Government is doing a maximum of nothing in procuring the dilapidation of these menaces.

In 2011, the senatorial contest of the former minister to again represent the Bauchi southerners in the national assembly was maneuvered by Governor Isa Yuguda by postponing the senatorial elections of the state which favored the candidature of the man anointed by the Governor (Sen. Adamu Gumba) in order to maintain the southern political status of the state to be in support of the PDP. To the utter surprise of the common man, the former minister took the outcome of the election in good faith and decided to go for a stronger party (APC merger) rather than press charges in courts (ran by the PDP themselves) on the illegalities done during his contest.

A deserved candidate;

In the 80s the former minister was known to be the Registrar of the Bauchi state college of education, and later he escalated to being the rector of the state polytechnic. A little while after Dr. Lame was made the commissioner for information where he achieved the project Bauchi state television (BATV). During the Mishelia regime in Bauchi state Dr. Lame was again a commissioner for youth and sports in the state, there the man again brought about the existence of the Multipurpose building which till date functions imminently in serving the government and the state during gatherings, conferences or summits.

In the aura of the 2015 general election, we can all see that the Nigerian political dimension has taken a delicate turn whereon the APC is presumed to awake a success whilst the ruling party appears a failure as its illegalities, impunities and unfairness continues to dilate in the numerous pictures of the vigorous politicking taking place in the country. The APC on the other hand, whose motive is believed to elect its leaders base on competence and credibility took a dashing approach to building a party of absolute counter for what the PDP is.

Dr. Yakubu Lame told scan news in an interview in June this year, in his normal rational idealistic nationalist character that “basically, APC will consider competence and ability to deliver… in 2015.” The APC gubernatorial candidate from Bauchi further clarified to his interviewer that the party has no interest in any such religious or ethno-tribal politics, where he explained that “we believe even if we decided to do zoning, we will still take the best from the regions, be it north, east west or south.” The former minister for police affairs, whose belief also lies in advocating the creation of state police in Nigeria, is in insistence that the police currently constituted are grossly inadequate for the country. I’d say that is absolute national experience if not expertise talking.

Conclusion (why Lame for Bauchi state?);

The famous Arabian political philosopher Ibn Khaldun gave us an excellent definition of politics which best adopts the ideologies and the motives of leaders like Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame. Ibn Khaldun believed that “politics is concerned with ethical and philosophical requirements, for the purpose of directing the masses toward a behavior that will result in the preservation and permanence of the human species.” I for one do agree with this comprehension.

“Former minister of police Affairs, Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, who is a gubernatorial aspirant under the All Progressive Congress (APC) party in Bauchi state, has charged the state government to explain the “rising debt profile”.”- Daily trust newspaper, 9^th September 2014. Dr. Lame whom is alleged of having a consensual agreement with the incumbent governor of the state about letting him go scot-free if the incumbent governor eases his struggle and ensures his emergence to being his successor in office. I would believe that those people spreading these baseless and unreasonable rumors have no idea as to who Dr. Lame is.

To further pressurize the incumbent government, Dr. Lame told the paper that “the states debt profile of N28 billion is worrisome.” My question too would be to what end did the government of Bauchi state served its people with such an amount? Dr. Lame’s charge toward this embezzlement by the state further asks and seeks the explanation as to why the state is again collecting an additional N15 billion bond.

The people of Bauchi state should quickly ask themselves the questions deserved to be asked by all patriotic citizens of the state, “who really is a leader and why does he/she deserve?” Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame took a stand to charge the incumbent of its impunities; my personal opinion goes as why aren’t any of the counterparts of this formidable politician making any efforts in questioning the illegalities and corruptions of the incumbent?

“With leadership come not just power and authority to do and to undo, but also responsibility and accountability to do and to undo rightly, well and justly.”- Former president Olusegun Obasanjo. I see a man in the struggle to accomplish not just excellence for his people, but also to sooth this honorable description and responsibilities of leadership.

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In Nigeria; A Failed Leadership and A Grieving Populace

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

Prologue (Misfortune);

In a country with vile history especially that ensuing power transitions wherein nothing plays’ more important role than tribalism, we would find that Nigeria, (with all due regards to Chinua Achebe’s authority “There was a country”) has never been a country. Given the residues left upon this nation by the past, and considering the shadows thrown upon it by the future, Nigerians can as much submit to God with faith, as for whether our country ‘might’ come to being a country someday.

To argue a little further, Nigeria would only come to being a country if its existence was fundamentally on certain principles which could be looked upon far beyond the priorities of both religious and socio-ethnic values. Taking project America as a case scenario, we’d see its foundation from 1775-1789 was on the roots of ‘rights’, whilst the re-foundation that started around 1861-1865 which referred to the first foundation with not only reasons but also traditions evoking to the first foundation. Now that’s how a country is made.

Nigeria on the ‘left hand’ would be evidenced that its neo-democratic status came to being a subliminal failure for the reasons that measures like that of project America were not taken, as such no principles were based upon.

A failed leadership:

John Campbell in his book, ‘Nigeria, Dances on the brinks’, argued that, “Nigeria’s experience of regime change has not been happy. From 1966-1999, Nigerian presidential regimes are usually from coups.” He said “The threats of coups or the extralegal arrangements, orchestrated by the military and not from elections.” Now, what history teaches us is, wounds heal, but scars remain, but these scars often triggers somewhat ailing memories when looked upon with unacceptable percept by their bearer.

The Nigerian ideology of power swap is globally recognized as the most catastrophic, this is due to the extreme sentiments that has indelibly settled as a value and objective in (s)electing a leader by the diverse socio-ethnic and religious subjects which converged to making up what is known to be ‘a fallen nation’ (or a fallen house, as Karl Maier suggested).

Looking back through to the pre-tribalism times, we’d see a time whence a northern fulani man, one Mallam Umar Altine, was elected the 1^st mayor of Enugu in the south eastern region of the country. He was again re-elected for a 2^nd term. Quiet regrettable, today no tribe sees any individual from another tribe as ‘its own’.

Captured severally on the media, warlord Dokubo Asari, the Ijaw Militant (or Ex-militant as they may say), declaring war on the nation, if his brethren (president Goodluck) is not re-elected in the year 2015. It’s Pretty unfortunate for a country with so great potentials but weakly imposed laws (if at all they are laws) to continue the rest on threats of war by its citizens.

Assumed office on the 6^th of May 2010, thus preceded to being Nigeria’s 14^th head of state, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan swore to serve Nigeria with his popularly known ‘Transformation Agenda’ (or deformation agenda, pending on the readers grasp). President Jonathan’s assumption of office was indeed in a time Nigeria was in dire need of salvation, not one capable by man, but that which could be offered by God Himself.

The long trending ordeal of the dilating Boko Haram sect which transcended from an issue of clerics to one of terrorism was said to be (still remains) the presidents’ number one challenge. To follow the regrettable and rather unbreakable cause of the seemingly endless deaths of plenty Nigerians is ‘corruption,’ but in the presidents’ opinion of course is third or fourth.

The Transparency International (T.I) rated Nigeria the 33^rd most corrupt nation in the world in the year 2013. The menace which could be traced right from a time whence the country attained independence, is known to have aided in enthroning most head of states as well as governors to power (President Goodluck’s 2011 victory as well). Now the Goodluck’s administration which automatically attained failure due to the excess corruptions taking place such as Stella Odua former minister of Aviation’s scam for the bullet proof cars that cost N 2,550,000 million of the public funds, and Diezani Alison the Petroleum minister whom was allegedly found to spend N10billion also of the public funds on her private jets. Looking also into the case of Sanusi Lamido the former Governor of the central Bank, now the Emir of Kano state (Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II) whom charged in his line of duty the absence of a staggering $20billion U.S. dollars which was supposedly to register with the Central Bank from the NNPC, a rather sad news, the man got an indefinite suspension from office instead of the case to be looked in to. One couldn’t do but stop to wonder as to why none of those whom were caught in corruption scams during the Jonathan’s administration never faced trial or even a parliamentary panel? Or a rather more puzzling question would be, why were those corrupt imprisoned criminals pardoned by the president whom swore to fight corruption? 

The 2015 general election has already flashed twilights of its aura. The President and his cabinets already exercising what they might consider a political schema wherein threats of impeachments are faced by Governors of the opposition parties, and the oppositions are restricted to not exercising their constitutional rights (see Ekiti and Osun states elections).

The Presidents’ raging power tussles against the newly merged opposition party, the All Progressives Congress APC, (which succeeded in claiming 5 governors of the ruling party, a handful of congress men and about twice that of the legislators) defines, in its outstanding glamour, the true meaning of ‘do or die’ struggle. These habitual actions by the President, leaves but the nations’ economy in utter dilapidation and further jeopardizes the state of the nation’s security to unimaginable detriments.

The question now left to be asked upon the masses, is one which surpasses that which the leaders may dwell upon, “whither 2015 elections?”  But rather, “whither lies our country’s future?”

A grieving populace:

It’s been a hundred and fifty days (still counting) since 276 school girls were abducted from Chibok, a locality in Borno state which is known to be under state of emergency. After a global despise of the incidence which took place the night of 14^th April 2014, featuring the famous hash tag campaigns on the social media “#BringBackOurGirls”. The aftermath which led to the President constituting a “Facts finding committee” to investigate the missing girls’ abduction which of course was denied by the first family, unfortunate to the victims (and Nigerians) these fact finders were not able to report their found facts until after the terrorists had released a video footage showing the girls, wherein their leader Shekau, threatened to trade the girls into slavery. I couldn’t do but wonder, how much more time the fact finders needed to assure the presidency about the abduction? Or were they waiting for the terrorists to make the claims of the captivity?

Little to be told, that it was aired when the American, Israeli and united nations sent individual groups of experts to locate the missing girls, albeit no reports were made by these teams of experts about the situation of the missing girls, neither was their departure with the country made public. Perhaps the girls couldn’t be located by these experts, perhaps they were not missing as the Nigerian President and his wife claim, or perhaps the situation was utterly dumbfounding for the experts to make known their discovery? Quiet ironic!

Devastating, as 276 daughters, future wives and mothers, future doctors, nurses, accountants, teachers... remain in the custody of one of the worlds’ deadliest terror groups, and yet nothing but their families grievances prosecuting their heart felt agonies, and not a single of this evil doers is anywhere near justice.

As the Madiba said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Unfortunately, Nigeria on this page has been blind for quite a long distance now. Just yesteryear, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) together with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) embarked on a six straight months and ten straight months strike, respectively, leaving the country’s educational sector under a total lock down. A country with so great potentials and capacity of becoming a world power but ruled by greed and rudeness, can only be rated out of 177 countries the 158^th least educated nation by the UNICEF. Yours sincerely one couldn’t get rid of their bewilderment, but how can a country dream of achieving a project “vision 2020” when it is but amongst the worlds’ most educationally crippled nations?

The Ebola epidemic has unfortunately arrived at Nigeria. One must wonder as to how a deadly disease with no cure would be contained in a country whose health sector is yet unable to eradicate the common ‘malaria’ disease? Or a rather denser question, when will the resident doctors call off their strike? With remorse one dwells on the wonders of where should the poor take their ill ones when the reach are busy flying theirs’ abroad?

Epilogue (Hopelessness);

For a country with a “green white green” flag, with green representing Agriculture and white representing peace, and a motto entailing “unity, peace and progress”, in my opinion, the Nigeria of today should bear a flag “black red black” as “Black” should represent hunger and treachery whilst “Red” representing death and conflict. For since the beginning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s rule, this nation has seen neither unity nor peace and progress is nowhere near visible.

“There is no one who governed Nigeria, who actually believed in project Nigeria, who actually believed that there is a future for a country called Nigeria”.- Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi. For countrymen to proclaim such and for Gods’ forbiddance it be true, then that country is lost in utter doom and only HE (God) can rescue it.