Democracy Without Democrats, Leadership Without Honour

 By Owei Lakemfa

In Geneva, Switzerland, an acquaintance once apologised that he was some minutes late for our appointment because he went to vote that morning. Everywhere and everything appeared normal. There was no indication of voting going on. I reflected that back home, elections even at state level are emergencies in which curfew is imposed, movement restricted and the army, police, intelligence and other security services turned out on the streets.

In November, 2021, I was an observer at the elections in Venezuela. It was a Sunday because the Venezuelans would not allow a disruption of their normal activities, including on Saturdays when a lot of trading goes on. Sundays are their rest days, so they can afford an hour or two.

Election 2023: Toward A New And Better Nigeria

 By Pieray Awele Odor

Every Nigerian who has been in Nigeria since the first democratic government, 1960 to 1966, would have quest for a better governance. Every Nigerian who has been in Nigeria since the second democratic government, 1979 to 1983, would have quest for a better governance. Every Nigerian who has been in Nigeria since the third democratic government, 1999 to this day, will have quest for a better governance. Every Nigerian who has been in Nigeria since the beginning of the second term of the present government in 2019 would have quest for a better governance.

I note some of the situations that we have borne so incredibly stoically and have been credited by foreign people for our “resilience” and given the title of “the happiest people”. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called these “suffering and smiling”. All the situations have been progressively worse from one democratic government to another and every year of a new democratic government. As my defence of these assertions, I note the following: Poverty, suffering and agony have got worse progressively since the first democratic government.

Fuel Scarcity Again! Have We Not Suffered Enough?

 By Ayo Oyoze Baje

The newspaper headlines are haunting, heart-jerking, painting a horrifying spectacle of the preventable pains of the long-suffering Nigerians, still stewing in the paradox of want -of refined premium motor spirit (pms)- in the midst of plenty natural deposit of crude oil resource.

If in doubt, consider some of them: ‘Petrol scarcity bites harder in Abuja, Oyo, Yobe’(-2nd March, 2021). ‘Commuters groan as fuel scarcity bites harder’ (24th Nov., 2022). ‘Fuel scarcity bites harder, cripples socio-economic activities in Kebbi (18th December, 2022). ‘Commuters trek, motorists sleep at filling stations as petrol scarcity bites harder’ (23rd January, 2023).

2023 Vote: It’s Now The Turn Of A Prince

 By Banji Ojewale

Because Nigeria has a near naughty knack for nibbling at the past, history is also going the full circle to dish us troubling traditional tricks and torments. One such is the dithering act we’re taking straight from English playwright William Shakespeare’s historical classic, Hamlet, as the ballot day approaches. 

The tragic hero, Prince Hamlet, isn’t sure which path to pick at a crossroads, the same way Nigeria and her citizens seem to be uncertain about the coming poll in February and March, 2023. Will the ballot hold? Or it won’t? Should it hold? Shouldn’t it? 

Can Biden Compete With China’s Growing Influence In Africa?

 By Amanda Platts

The race is on for the US to regain its status quo as the world leader and push out China with the showdown for this conflict that appears to be in Africa. During the US-Africa Leaders Summit last week, US President Joe Biden expressed his newfound interest in African countries. He asserted that “The United States is all in on Africa’s influence” which has been perceived as an attempt by Biden to re-assert US influence in Africa in order to counter growing Chinese involvement. However, given the entrenchment of Chinese influence in Africa including their techniques of debt-trap diplomacy, the US may struggle to rival Chinese influence.

*Biden with African leaders at the US-Africa Summit (Dec 2022)

According to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, China has lent over $143 billion to African countries since 2000. While this has helped finance infrastructure projects and stimulate economic growth, it has also left some African countries with significant debt burdens. For example, Zambia’s debt to China currently exceeds its annual economic output, and the country is at risk of defaulting on its loans. This has raised concerns about the ability of African countries to repay their loans and the potential for them to fall into a cycle of debt and dependency on China.

In The Dark Alleys Of Human Trafficking

 By Owei Lakemfa

Over the course of 400 years, 15 million men, women, and children were transported across the Atlantic as slaves, but the statistics for human trafficking, particularly the sex trade, are far worse.

Conservatively, 800,000 people are trafficked annually, with 80 per cent being women and half of these being minors. The global sex trade itself is worth $32 billion annually. The issue of what can be done to end human trafficking, in which 25 million people are trapped, was the theme of an international meeting on January 17, 2023 in Abuja.

Fuel Scarcity And Failed Energy Policy

 By Cheta Nwanze

On January 18, 2015, Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, announced a fuel price reduction that took the retail cost from N97 to N87 and explained that the price drop was occasioned by the drop in crude oil prices in the international market. An incensed Nigerian public that had set high standards for itself insisted that N87 was high regardless, refused to be placated by the price reduction and made sure the Goodluck Jonathan government was voted out, which ushered in the regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari(retd.).

Once sworn in, Buhari looked at the country’s vast array of accomplished energy industry professionals, somehow saw himself in their midst and named himself as petroleum minister with the excuse that he needed to personally be involved for things to get done properly. Well, he has been as great a petroleum minister as he has been president.

The Water Project Deepens Its Commitment To Clean Water In Vihiga County, Kenya

Press Release

Nairobi, Kenya 26 January 2023 - On January 20th, the County of Vihiga in Western Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Water Project, a U.S.-based NGO building sustainable water projects to bring clean, safe, and reliable water to the communities of Vihiga County.

“The signing of the MOU represents a continuation of the strong working relationship between Vihiga County Government and The Water Project, acknowledging our joint mission to provide water access to the communities of Vihiga, to ensure the long-term sustainability of WASH infrastructure, and to build and share knowledge among sector actors,” explained Emma Kelly, Program Manager at The Water Project.

Nigeria: Pandemic Of Empty Pockets!

 By Seun Awogbenle

Make no mistake about it there is another pandemic in town, unlike the one before it. This pandemic does not affect the lung or liver, rather the pocket of Nigerians, leaving more families poor while for many, surviving each day has become an achievement.

Growing up, one of the prayers I heard people say frequently in Yoruba, loosely translated in English was “may your pockets never run dry.” The prayer was a metaphor for abundance, plenty and replenishment, following an act of kindness. Today, I am reminded that it is perhaps the single most important prayer in today’s Nigeria as we all meander through the current economic hardship and financial strain.

Buhari’s Legacy Of Morally Decadent Politics In Nigeria

 By Olu Fasan

No politician ever became Nigeria’s president on pure deception except Muhammadu Buhari. Everything Buhari claimed to represent—and was perceived to represent—before 2015 has turned out to be a sham.

*Buhari and Tinubu 

“Sai Baba”, that saintly and incorruptible Buhari, the one who, as military ruler, jailed politicians for hundreds of years for corrupt practices, now fraternises with corrupt politicians.

The Buhari who so hated drug trafficking that he executed eight young Nigerians in the early 1980s now wants someone with a record of drug-related criminal forfeiture to be Nigeria’s next president. Politics in Nigeria was not as morally corrupt and decadent, as it is now, until Buhari created the climate for it.

Nigeria: Drug Abuse And 2023 Polls

 By Nkup Nanzem

As the 2023 general elections approach, there is the need to draw attention to the nexus between drug abuse and electoral violence. Looking at the statistics of 2011, post-election violence led to the death of at least 800 people after over three days of rioting in 12 states across Northern Nigeria —  the worst case so far in the country’s political history.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian youths who are the supposed leaders of tomorrow are used as a medium by greedy politicians to visit mayhem on their opponents and innocent citizens and this singular act affects the credibility of democracy, which elections are supposed to project.

Peter Obi And The 2023 Poll

 By Chuks Collins

When Pastor Paul Osaromen dropped a usual prophetic message to the nation about four years ago in 2019 -that the Igbo of Nigeria should prepare to take over the rein of leadership of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari, not many were too surprised. Yes, because any discerning mind knows that it was about time to give the people of the East the opportunity to contribute their quota to the growth of the nation.

*Peter Obi 

It is about time to get those who have practically and truly demonstrated their implicit belief in this nation by turning every hamlet of Nigeria into home, to lead the way. To lead the way, nurture our economy back to life again and encourage the rest of Nigeria do same.

The Challenges Of Solving Terrorism In Africa

 By Tope Shola Akinyetun

Terrorism is a plague from which no continent or country is immune… Coninsx.

The above statement exemplifies how widespread the menace of terrorism is around the world. Terrorism refers to the illegal use of violence to coerce a people or government to achieve a political end. The occurrence of terrorism could be domestic or international. Terrorism is domestic when it seeks to coerce or undermine the authority of a government within its territorial jurisdiction.

However, when it is aimed at weakening a government outside its jurisdiction or if its operations are transboundary, it is referred to as international terrorism. Terrorism is therefore an epidemic that if not reined, will transmogrify into a pandemic. To be sure, the menace of terrorism has permeated several continents and has left the citizens of many countries wallowing in poverty, displacement, deprivation, and unwarranted deaths.

When Politicians Buy PVCs

 By Nick Dazang 

Whereas politicians in other climes and jurisdictions obsess themselves with how to add value to their societies and bequeath ennobling legacies, ours, especially those of the Fourth Republic, are simply geniuses of travesty.

They excel at undoing their people or visiting untold destitution on them. Consider an abridged catalogue of their many failings and chicanery: The Nigerian politician is bereft of self-enlightened interest. He does not understand that to sustain the democracy project, and, by extension, his exalted position, he needs to justify the appurtenances of his office by delivering good governance and improving the welfare of his people.

2023: Last Chance To Save Nigeria

By Luke Onyekakeyah

Looking at the way things are going on in the run up to the 2023 general elections, it is abundantly clear that the 2023 general elections presents Nigeria with what could be the last chance, the last opportunity to save the country. It is now or never, going by the precarious situation the country is facing. This consciousness should pervade the whole nation.

Unfortunately, the professional politicians who have contributed in making the country a laughing stock, obviously, don’t seem to have learnt any lesson from the failures of the past or the abhorable state of affairs in Nigeria. All the fears and apprehension about a possible collapse of a ruined country do not resonate among the rich ruling class. Can 2023 bring remedy?

Nigeria: The Rich Walk Away With Stolen billions, The Poor Die For Stealing

 By Lillian Okenwa

When President Muhammadu Buhari granted a state pardon in April 2022 to Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, former governors of Plateau and Taraba states who had been convicted for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively from their state treasuries while they were in office between 1999 and 2007, rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to free all prisoners who have been jailed for stealing. Falana contended that by Section 17 of the 1999 Constitution, citizens were entitled to equal rights and opportunities in which case state pardon should be extended to all prisoners who are serving jail terms for stealing.

On January 28, 2013, an Abuja High Court aroused a battery of tasteless jokes when it sentenced John Yakubu Yusufu, standing trial on charges of stealing N32.8 billion in the Police Pension scam to two years imprisonment on each of three charges, and then offered him an option of N250, 000 fine on each count. The former Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office simply paid the N750, 000 fine and walked away. But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) went on appeal.

2023 Polls: Time To Take Back Our Country

 By Jude Obuseh

Come February 25, 2023, Nigerians will troop en masse to the polls to choose their next crop of leaders – President, Governors and Legislators – at the two levels of government – federal and state. 

For a country currently experiencing excruciating existential challenges that have pushed her to the precipice of implosion, the need for the election of credible, patriotic and altruistic leaders with the sagacity to arrest the country’s dwindling fortunes, cannot be overemphasized. The decisions Nigerians take at the polls on D-Day would be indicative of the direction they want their ship of state to sail in the foreseeable future. History beckons!

Agenda For The Next Nigerian President

By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

This is the season of high-wire politicking, and some contenders and wannabes are talking tough on rescuing Nigeria from ruin once they are elected as the country’s President.

Anybody elected as the President of Nigeria in this woebegone time must have as the first item on his agenda the organization a proper national conference on how the diverse peoples of Nigeria can get to live together.

It is very imperative now that Nigerians need to talk on how to co-exist before any progress whatsoever can be made.

Nigeria: How Obi Changed 2023 Presidential Election

 By Dominic A. Okoliko (PhD)

By February 25, 2023, Nigeria’s next president will be decided, and the choice is between Peter Obi (Labour Party), Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress), and Atiku Abubakar (People’s Democratic Party) with Rabiu Kwankwaso (New Nigeria Peoples Party) as a possible fourth. My argument is that Obi’s emergence as a candidate in the election strikingly distinguishes the 2023 election from previous ones. It is therefore, important to know the conditions that made this turn of history possible.

*Obi

A symbol of political revolution, rebellion

Observers of this election can agree that whether Obi wins the election or not, he will be remembered for giving the establishment parties a run for their monies and extreme influence. Until his emergence, a third force unsettling the status quo was a mere wish. Nigeria’s electoral history post-1999 shows that presidential elections used to be a two-horse race between an incumbent party and an often-weak main opposition party.

Book Review: One Day At A Time With Kumuyi

 Book: Daily Manna 2023 (A daily devotional guide)

Author: William Folorunso Kumuyi

Reviewer: Banji Ojewale

Page Run: 379

Publishers: Life Press Ltd, Lagos

The philosophy of the sages of old was that the day’s destiny depended on what you made of the morning. If, as you were roused back to consciousness from sleep, you plotted a trajectory of triumph over possible trials or troubles the day usually had in store, you would have won some good part of its 24 hours to your side. So, these ancient men and women put forth this axiom: the morning shows the day, meaning, what you do or permit in the morning is what the day hurls back at you every hour of the period.