And now, the bomb cometh!

The political temperature of the country notched up several degrees when the bombs went off around  Eagle Square at the most epochal moment in Nigeria's chequered history. We were celebrating 50 years of independence inspite of our disastrous outing as an independent nation when some wicked persons hell bent on throwing this country into utter confusion struck with deadly effect. While it may be dangerous to speculate on the reasons behind the bomb blasts that shook Abuja to its roots on 1st October, it is cold comfort that the federal government has given us a clue as to those behind it.

The brickbats are flying between government spokespersons and 'highly' placed individuals as recriminations set in. The truth may well lie anywhere between the antagonists or outside them. However, one thing is clear and that is that unscrupulous politicians are trying hard to gain political capital out of the unfortunate incident. And this is callous to the extreme. Reports have it that about 14 persons or more lost their precious lives. Wasted. Their families are grieving, children left fatherless, wives made widows and relations mourning their hearts out. Yet, politicians opposed to the government of the day are 'strategising' on how to blame the government squarely for the incident. Decency requires that we respect the grieving families and the dead and not embark on wild speculations just to gain cheap popularity.

There are very obvious questions to ask security agencies and operatives why the attacks were not nipped in the bud even after intelligence reports had reached them from foreign security agencies. It calls to question the capacity and the ability of our security agencies to respond to security breaches. The entire security apparatuses are defective and inadequate. If we take the Nigeria Police for instance, this institution has all but outlived its usefulness. While I agree that an inefficient police force is better than none at all, Nigeria  is too large, too important a nation to tolerate a lax and inefficient police force. This is the only police force in the world still employing archaic and ineffective methods to fight crime. Detecting crime is beyond their competence. Their so-called 'stop and search' is a clear smokescreen for collecting tolls at checkpoints. The commercial gains to be made from these illegal activities is too huge to let go. This is the reason it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to get a policeman to concentrate on his duties if that place is not a checkpoint. There is a crying need to overhaul our security agencies. This will include providing them with modern day training on how to combat crimes including terrorism. It would entail equipping them with sophisticated communication systems and of course superior offensive and defensive weapons. Lastly, the remunerations for security agents must be improved upon. It is heart rending to hear the kind of salaries they receive. Is it any wonder then that they cash in on the slightest opportunity to extort money from citizens?

The challenge before the Goodluck administration is to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and give them a dose of justice. It is time for deterrent measures to be put in place to deal with Nigerians who commit crimes with impunity. This presupposes that nobody should be considered to be above the law. If highly placed persons are involved in this shameful act, they should be made to face the music fully. This is not the time to play politics with the precious lives of Nigerians.

Nigeria at 50: Where is the smile?

Aside the symbolic significance of our independence at the landmark age of 50, there is nothing golden about our circumstances or existence to warrant celebration. We honestly would not tolerate, much less celebrate a grown man of 50 behaving like a child of 10 or be seen mocking about confounded by life unable to perform the most perfunctory adult duties. It has been our lot to celebrate our independence every year with the backdrop of an under-performing nation perpetually in search of self discovery.

A lot of eminent citizens with better perspectives and intelligence have endeavoured to dissect our national malaise in incisive and well researched articles, speeches, addresses, etc. More often than not, these discourses do not resonate with the government of the day and so nothing concrete is done by way of sifting any constructive ideas into some national redemptive agenda. Government people are notoriously afflicted with a sensitive and suspicious bug when it comes to criticism. To them no criticism is constructive, there must be some hidden dark motive somewhere. These leaders habitually put the wrong foot forward in the mistaken belief that they possess all the answers. Sure enough, after 50 years we are yet to start on the path of civilisation or nationhood.

We have had leaders in this country with itchy, kleptomaniac fingers unable to resist primordial instincts of primitive accumulation. They are richer than some states of the federation and yet are not satisfied. We have had leaders in this country whose democratic credentials were so woefully deficient, yet plotted and suborned others to perfect plans to rule ad infinitum. Yes, we have had leaders in this country whose agenda for the country was so promising at first we jumped for joy only to be taken for an expensive ride - a rigmarole that was painfully unending that nobody could stand straight any more from giddiness. Eight years of nationhood was wasted on policy flip flops, experiments - political and economic, a culture of settlement and naked oppression, assassinations, a jaundiced structural adjustment programme that failed woefully and when that purposeless regime out-dribbled itself into irrelevance, it came to an abrupt and ignominious end. Thankfully.

And so, from that post civil war ruler with his long, interminable handover agenda down to the brief but illegitimate pseudo-government that prided itself in its 'interim-ness', precious time was lost. We missed the boat. The chance to create a forward looking, modern society and a truly federal nation-state sustained by a diversified product base was squandered on the altar of greed, ethno-religious bigotism, unmitigated corruption, instability and wastage of unimaginable proportions. The country was left floundering in the flush of petro-dollars begging to be utilised for sustainable development. In the absence of a sincere political will to appropriately utilise national resources, some smart Alecs specialised in siphoning our commonwealth to private pockets and coded accounts around the world. Mindless looting of public funds coupled with conspicuous consumption was the order of the day. Little wonder that these leaders, soon after leaving office, retired to unspeakable opulence right next to their impoverished citizens living in abject poverty and squalor. A well fortified palatial hilltop residence became the fashion. These architectural masterpieces were perhaps what was needed by our ex-leaders to truly "look down" on their downtrodden neighbours! Is it not a shame that even the man who ruled for just six months was able to splash out a magnificent hilltop residence?

However, there were bright and promising spots here and there but as we all know, those leaders were cut down and their well meaning administrations brought to a sad end. Significantly, there is a general consensus that our real problem as a nation is the failure of leadership, pure and simple. The most distinguished author, Prof Chinua Achebe in his seminal handbook, "The Trouble with Nigeria", reinforced this belief in no uncertain terms. But are the leaders listening? No. One leader after another, comes along to do worse than the one before him. Our search for the ultimate Nigerian leader has not met with success 50 years on. With elections around the corner, there is the hope that if Nigerians are truly allowed to elect their leaders, if every vote is made to count sans rigging, then a Nigerian leader may emerge who owes his ascension to the voters and not to some band of riggers and devilish oath-administering god-fathers who see government as an extension of their private businesses to be exploited to feed their bestial greed. That will be the day, that will certainly be the beginning of national redemption.

For now, even though we are not smiling, let us cling audaciously to hope as I wish every Nigerian Happy Golden Jubilee!

Of Politics and Babel

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
"If we do not believe in freedom of expression for those we despise we do not believe in it at all." - Noam Chomsky

A babel of political voices is threatening to drown us all. The biblical account of the tower of babel is apposite here. An attempt by the early inhabitants of the earth to build a tower up to heaven was foiled by the confusion of tongues through the agency of an angel. Since then and ever since, man has been forced to disperse to the four corners of the earth, each inhabiting a space where tongue do not differ. But since man is by nature gregarious, he is often seen crossing boundaries and making do with interpreters. You must be living in Mars if you fail to notice the din of political tongues wagging all over the place. When the politicians were dispersed is really unknown to me but I suspect INEC has a hand in it. 

It all started rather innocuously when our dear departed president Yar' Adua was seen to be incapable of continuing in office. From the benefit of hindsight, so many kitchen 'cabinetters', having read the hand writing on the wall began the macabre dance of hide and seek, a ploy to buy time and at the same time bide their time, hoping in the long run to manoeuvre power in such a way that  President Goodluck would sooner than you can say "Jack Robinson" find himself beating a hasty retreat down the road to Otueke. They were hoping to assemble at the broth so concocted to ingratiate themselves with the spoils of office. But what many have termed as 'divine intervention' frustrated their every move. Everything done in secret was revealed in the open even before the break of day. The rabid selfishness of not a few government officials and their politician cousins was laid bare for all to see and denigrate. We saw through their every move to deny Goodluck Jonathan the honour to continue from where Yar' Adua stopped. It was a babel of voices interpreting what they knew nothing about. It was a babel of voices opposing what they knew very little about. It was a babel of ethno-religious bigotism masquerading as 'Zoning Formula.' How can you be talking of a zoning formula when an event alien to your zoning permutation has taken place? Was there a time when those who framed and championed zoning factored in a situation where nature takes its course? Is there no such thing as an 'Act of God?' And in all cases where an act of God occurs, it alters all your calculations and brings to the fore the saying that man proposes, God disposes. And so it was with PDP Zoning formula. God has disposed of it and this must be respected by all. I am not one to use the name of the Lord lightly but in the sense of this discourse, the natural course of events since the death of Yar' Adua points to some divine manipulation if you will, albeit not in the strictest religious sense. 

Now that Jonathan has signified intent to vie for the presidency, there is the din of voices again, shouting themselves hoarse about some zoning formula that must be respected. The babel is somewhat confusing at times because they find it difficult to run away from the fact that Jonathan has a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution to vie for any office in the land, including the presidency. How this sits with those clamouring for north-south rotation is difficult to fathom. That this gratuitous arrangement is offensive in the extreme to every 'minority' tribe is lost on the so-called majority. The misnomer of 'rotation' among the big tribes of the north and south needs to be pointed out to the jingoists. It is more appropriately an oscillation between north and south. A rotation will inevitably involve and touch every area in its circular path. The time to silence the babel of voices is now. It is time we considered merit. It is time we considered credibility. It is time we considered justice to one and all. This is the time to consider the 'minorities.'

Furthermore, any attempt to make our constitution subservient to a party's constitution must be resisted. We are happy that President Goodluck himself has broken his long silence on the zoning controversy. He pointedly told Nigerians that zoning was never meant to affect the presidential slot. The logic behind this is that all other posts in PDP are shared or 'zoned' depending on which zone produced the presidential candidate. The presidential candidate by extension of the simple logic is therefore produced by the exigencies of the moment as has happened in this case. This explanation is clear enough for everyone to understand except those who have claimed the presidency as their birth right and will not see reason, either now or in the nearest future. Pity.

The Good in Goodluck Jonathan

There is something refreshing about the way President Goodluck Jonathan intends to run his campaign. It is obvious that he learnt a lot from the way President Barack Obama ran his campaign - and won.

For some months now the President has been on Facebook. As expected, he has loads of 'friends' and he has been making good use of the opportunity to interact on a personal level with Nigerians which is very novel in these parts. It is heart warming that the President recognises that we have gone past the digital age. We are in the Information age; it is here with us in living colours, in email, on websites, in blogs, on hand helds, on your mobile phone, on Facebook, in MySpace,  on Twitter, in Delicious, on Digg - you name it. These social media drives the information age. We are all witnesses to how President Obama leveraged technology and the web to his advantage. He was able to mobilize a critical mass of voters who hitherto were nonchalant  about electoral matters in the United States. He raised millions of dollars in campaign funds through micro donations from his campaign website. While his opponent was lazily collecting restricted federal funds, Obama opted to forgo such funding. He knew what he was doing. In the end he collected so much in donations that he could match and even out run John McCain in their media wars.

However, over and above everything else, Obama was able to communicate one-on-one with the voters through his facebook page and by email and twitter. And he continues to do so even as President which is unprecedented. Obama's Facebook page is very popular not only in the US but around the world. He is able to reach his people and get raw, unadulterated feedback from them. Like this, he can gauge the reaction and effects of government policies in the lives of ordinary citizens. So it is very refreshing that our very own Goodluck Jonathan is treading this pioneering path. Jonathan's Facebook page has tremendously helped ordinary folks like me to meet him one-on-one and communicate our deepest feelings. And he responds. On his page, he has been able to sell his ideas directly to me. He has been able to explain some the policy thrusts of his government. This makes for maximum impact because if I have any contrary view to some of his claims, I give it back to him right there unedited, unsifted. This is the essence of the information age - the democratization of media and ideas.

Some of those discredited politicians coming out of the woodwork know next to nothing about the age we are living in. It is very probable that they intend to rule with ancient ideas and methods. We know them. We have seen them before say the same things, promise the same things, cajole us, bribe us but no sooner are the gates of government house shut behind them do they also shut us out of their minds and programmes completely. From then on, the government is for them and their families, friends, cohorts, bootlickers, thugs and the like. They scant hear us no matter how hard we shout - they have bought over the media houses or firmly controlled the state media house - they scant pay attention to us as they whizz past in their long convoys cocooned in bullet-proof vehicles with tinted glasses, yes tinted glasses - they don't want to bother their conscience with the spectre of an impoverished population that voted them in. In this campaign season, they are stepping out of the tinted bullet-proof vehicles. They are climbing down from their Hill Top residences, they are coming to promise us this and that. Their information managers (read Special Assistant on Media or Commissioner for Information and Strategy) are flagellating all over the place trying their best to recast the stories of their principals in good light. But they fail. We are a more enlightened society even if not more educated. We shall not be deceived.

I have read President Goodluck's declaration to run on Facebook. He has started well by not promising eldorado once he is elected. This shows that he is leader who is firmly rooted in reality. Nigeria's developmental problems took all of 50 years to mature into some complex labyrinth that cannot be unknotted in four or even eight years. So those promising fours years "to lay a foundation" for development should go back to their luxury hilltop to lap up what is left of Nigeria's stolen billions in their custody. But it would have made more sense to bring what is left of the billions of dollars as restitution so that we can start the 'development' by ploughing the money into electricity transmission for instance. Nigerians would easily forgive such acts of repentance rather than the braggadocio in-your-face antics presently being paraded. Nigerians need a leader who is in touch with the people. Not a leader in touch with sycophants. Not a leader who is 'larger than life' because of stolen wealth.

In recounting some of his modest achievements in the short time he has been in office, we see President Jonathan not overly thumping his chest as haven met all the expectations of Nigerians. He did not magnify anything. He merely said those improvements are the things expected of a government that works for the people. He is making a sublime statement that government is about service. It is about providing infrastructure. It is about improving the living standards of the people. That was the reason he was voted in with Yar' Adua in the first place. So, if he is providing those things that he was elected to provide, why should we thank him for it as if the funds used belonged to him. I give kudos to Jonathan for thinking straight, it shows he has grasped the full import of governance. It has never ceased to amaze me when state governors, presidents or public officers holding high positions in government consciously go out of their way to get sycophants to take out full page adverts to congratulate them for building roads and bridges, schools and hospitals, or delivering the so-called dividends of democracy. Pray, whose money was used to build those facilities? So if a governor spends government money for the people, we have to thank him? Thank him for doing his job? Or are we thanking him for spending the money for our benefit instead of 'chopping' it? A monumental shift in thinking is what the average and high-minded politician needs in this country. They should stop paying lip-service to democracy. Democracy is for the people, not for brigands parading themselves as democrats.

The Terror in Aba

Nigerians living in the South East are daily inundated with terrible news of armed robbery, kidnapping and brigandage along the Port Harcourt-Aba Express road and within Aba township itself. It is very frightening the manner and frequency of these criminal activities. Not least the fact that these criminals almost certainly are in military or police uniforms. They set up road blocks to deceive the public into believing that they are security men on 'stop and search'. On the said Aba road, hardly a day passes without these criminals running berserk killing and maiming. The police and the army should be very concerned that criminals are impersonating them to commit heinous crimes.

The situation is so dire that no right thinking person should set foot in Aba if he really loves his or her life. I pity those who live there. Robbers routinely write letters to banks informing them of their intending visit and actually keep the appointment! We hear that the police in Abia state are generally reluctant  to respond to the impending invasion even when they are informed in advance. This leaves the citizens helpless and powerless against the rampaging thieves and robbers. The daily carnage as a result is better imagined. All manner of kidnappings are daily fare in Aba, so also are robberies and even rape. The sad part is that most times the robberies and kidnappings happen right under the noses of policemen busy collecting N20 'toll' from hapless motorists. The other day my niece and her husband were robbed along that road within a proximate distance from a police check point. They were fortunate to be alive to tell the story because they were nearly abducted if not for an argument that arose between the robbers.

What really is happening in Aba? Why is the government so insensitive to the situation? And why is the police also inept in arresting the murderous trend? Is Aba steadily sliding into anarchy? As an important commercial hub, does it not fall within the responsibilities of the state government to act proactively to confront the criminals strangulating the city?  How many more lives must be lost before appropriate actions are taken? What will it take for instance for the police to constantly patrol the entire highway from Port Harcourt to Aba to vet the numerous checkpoints along the route? How is it that the police does not have intelligence on criminals operating along the highway? Rumours are rife that the criminals holding Aba hostage are well known socialites and even traditional rulers.

It is very unfortunate that kidnapping has become big business in Aba. It is now an official item to be included in the traders ware or 'market' as they call it. How sad and bestial. Even students of higher institutions are not left out. They have been implicated in several cases of kidnappings and ransom takings. Now, everybody is at the risk of being kidnapped and there are no boudaries. They kidnap drivers as they kidnap pastors, they kidnap labourers as they kidnap children. Just about every and anybody can be kidnapped. The physical and mental torture to which kidnappers subject their victims is better imagined. We have heard tales of  the cruelty of these kidnappers and it beggars belief the utterly sadist methods employed by them to extract maximum ransom. We have heard tales about how victims are tied to trees in the open bush for days on end, under rain or shine, exposed to the elements, insects, snakes and other dangerous animals. To add to the misery of the hapless victim, there is the constant beatings and taunting. How wicked! How sad! A manifest case of man's inhumanity to man, an Orwellian conundrum depicting how low we have sunk as a nation in 50 years! And now, as if to commemorate our 50th independence, a Nigerian syndicate has managed to 'export' kidnapping to Malaysia. This will further dent our image in the comity of nations inspite of Dora Akunyili's tepid efforts at burnishing it.

That the menace of kidnapping is continuing unabated into the forth coming elections in 2011 presents a very frightful prospect. State governments nationwide (yes, it has become a national issue, witness the kidnappings in Abuja and Kaduna) should urgently consider enacting stiff laws to check this horrendous trend. I believe that this, among other measures such as creating job opportunities for our teeming idle youths, the provision of social infrastructure for the survival of  informal and small scale businesses will go a long way to stop this cankerworm from spreading any further.  May God help us!

On Your Marks, Get Set.....

It has started. Politics I mean. Not yet the jingles, not yet the campaigns, but the race has started. In earnest. You mean you have not noticed? I can't blame you because the way of the politician is deceptive and passeth all understanding. For those of us conversant with the mentality of the Nigerian politician, nothing is too sacred and nothing too base for them to do to achieve their goals. The house of God is patronised as much as the house of Satan. The politician can be found supporting one cause or the other in the church, attending church services in the full glare of the press and at night escape to the shanty, dark hut of the witch doctor throwing cowrie shells on the sand, trying to see tomorrow (apologies, Gabriel Okara).

The promises they made four years ago to provide pipe borne water, electricity, schools, health centres, you name it, could not be fulfilled because, "you know, there is economic downturn", The same politician who promised to turn water into wine during the campaigns. He also promised to provide air conditioners in all our streets! Now that elections are around the corner, these are being 'fulfilled' (how convenient!). So there is no more economic downturn? Can you not see the rush to complete roads? the rush to provide electricity? the rush to sink boreholes here and there? how about that bridge that one state governor and the man at the house of representative were struggling to take credit for? It was widely reported that there was a shouting match during the commissioning in a manner unbefitting for high government officials. Some witnesses swear that there was fisticuffs. Nigerian politicians! If I may digress, the 'affray' was needless. It would have made more sense if one party had gone to commission the bridge and left, and the other party goes to do their own commissioning with a fresh plaque beside the earlier plague. You see? The more the merrier! After all, if you listened to both parties, you will be led to believe that each party contributed to the successful (partial) completion of the project in equal measure; the only snag being that like cat and mouse, both big men cannot occupy the same space at the same time in their own state! Otherwise, it would have been a sweet joint commissioning. The battle for the soul of that state had begun in earnest.

Back from that digression, the year 2011 promises to be one hell of a year for Nigerians. For most states of the federation to abandon governance this early to pursue the politics of successions is very worrisome. It is more worrisome for those state governors who 2011 or not, are acquitting themselves creditably and credibly.Unlike other places where we see 'political' projects, these performing states started witnessing a sea change in the provision of amenities from the very onset of the government. Where there was no money, creative ways and means were sought and adopted to provide some level of acceptable social infrastructure. Internally generated revenue doubled and even tripled in those states. Citizens were educated as to their civic duties. They were made to understand that civic rights followed civic duties. And because they trusted their governments, the citizens cooperated and paid their taxes which the governments wisely deployed to VISIBLE and VERIFIABLE projects. Not white elephants. For such forward looking governments, the fear of electoral loss is not the drive to belatedly think about the welfare of their citizens. They saw their first term mandate as a contract that must be executed because they loved their citizens. They are truly committed to the welfare of their citizens. The privilege to serve was not lost on them. In other words, they did not seek power for the sake of flaunting power. They sought power because they MEANT to make a difference in the lives of their citizens. Even if such leaders are irreligious, they regard power as a sacred trust, a trust that must not be betrayed on the alter of primitive greed or unbridled corruption. We are proud of such governors. The sky can only be their limit.

As for the rest of the so-called leaders hell bent on capturing power whether they performed well or not, we sympathize with them. If the idea of One Man One Vote takes hold and is sustained throughout the elections of 2011, we shall have the political landscape littered with electoral casualties - their just reward for ineptitude, wickedness and crass opportunism.

Legislators and their jumbo pay

The Nigerian state is constantly under siege. It is hostage to everything negative. Nothing good appears to be come out of the country, nothing cheerful. It is sad. Even when there appear to be some minuscule of progress, it turns out to be a well-crafted fraud of gargantuan proportions. Please don't get me wrong. I am not one of those cynical Nigerians who see nothing good in Nigeria or Nigerians. I am certainly not one to run down his country at the slightest opportunity. No. However, it would amount to unpardonable dereliction to look the other way when things are going wrong. It is our duty as citizens of this country to resist any attempt to undermine the economic well being of the nation - no matter who is involved. The common patrimony should not be allowed to be frittered away to satisfy the lust and greed of a few people who call themselves representatives of the people. The question is: Why are these so-called representatives NOT representing the people they claim to represent? Why? Why is the 'messenger' feeding fat on the commonwealth to the detriment of the 'master'? Why?

Recently the ever controversial ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo voiced out what we all knew - and grumbled about, even if in muted tones - how federal legislators (add to that local government chairmen, state legislators in some states)  mindlessly appropriate for themselves jumbo pay packages and allowances. There is no rational explanation for legislators to earn more than any other Nigerian, including professors, doctors, lawyers, etc. None whatsoever. If truly they represent the people, they ought to show solidarity with the people by ensuring that their remuneration is commensurate with the times and if necessary, take a pay cut to demonstrate their empathy with the suffering masses. What kind of representative would consign their constituents to perpetual penury by indirectly looting the treasury?

Our Federal legislators should urgently retrace their steps in the interest of the nation. Recently a comprehensive research was conducted by ThisDay newspaper on the level of performance by individual legislators in the National Assembly. That edition has become for most people, a collectors item as it was a detailed account of the contribution of each legislator to debates at plenary and committee levels. It was not surprising that most of them performed woefully. They failed. The naked truth is that majority of our legislators should be recalled for offences ranging from truancy, disgraceful non-performance or both. It was a disastrous outing for most of them. Some of them have not as much as opened their mouths (except for 'chopping' jumbo pay) since they resumed at the National Assembly! The report showed clearly that many of them don't understand legislative business. And they couldn't care less. Included in this group are legislators whose only understanding of legislative activity is oversight functions which affords them the opportunity to interfere in the running of government agencies and parastatals. It is an opportunity for them to collect inducements and lap up some other perks to add to the jumbo pay. This shameful conduct is what makes us wonder: is this what we bargained for in the titanic battle for democracy? Do Nigerians truly deserve to be treated so shabbily? Does it not offend the senses of decent Nigerians that at a time of great economic hardship and difficulties; at a time when the average Nigerian is scavenging refuse dumps for food and clothing, a few 'elites' are going home with jumbo, mouth-watering pay with constituency funds to boot? Where is equity in this democracy? Where is justice? Where is decency?

So IBB wants to Discuss June 12 and Dele Giwa?

I have just read an article in The Guardian (Aug 20, 2010 back page) by an IBB acolyte saying that IBB is not shying away from discussing the annulment of June 12 elections or of the assassination of Dele Giwa after reportedly banning reporters from asking him questions bordering on those two thorny issues.

This man is something else. The nickname maradona (which conveys the image of a tricky and artful dribbler) fits him like a glove of his size. Here is a man, perfect in the art of ambivalence. A man perfect in the art of double-speak. I can swear that on TV you can often see him speaking from both sides of the mouth. The Dele Giwa issue is one of the very intriguing cases of a government clearly bent on hiding the truth. The IBB government refused to set up a judicial board of enquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to the killing of that fine investigative journalist. The much we know, which remains the truth until proven otherwise is that on October 19 1986, a "government" parcel bomb was delivered to Dele Giwa on his breakfast table. The man was blown to pieces and with him the reputation of the government when they killed the clamour for a probe. We all know that the valiant effort of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi to bring the government officials mentioned in the whole sordid affair was thwarted, frustrated by this same man seeking to rule this country again. It begs the question: does he have other targets to dispense with? Why would he run away from a judicial enquiry? While it is true that Gani Fawehinmi's suit went all the way to the Supreme court and failed, the judgement could not be otherwise at a time when every effort was made to hide the truth. The courts are not there to enquire into anything that was suspicious. Courts deal with the facts before them. Not so a judicial board of enquiry. That was the missing link.

The June 12 imbroglio was planned and executed by IBB and his cabal. He must be ruing that mistake but does not have the courage or the grace to admit it. In the heady days of military rule, a man given to power drunkenness can take decisions without thinking of the future, without thinking of a time he would cease to be president, or of a time when he would return to ask for votes from the very people he ruled with an iron fist. Who does he think he is? In civilised climes a person like him would have been committed to prison many years after his 'tenure' for actively participating in a coup. He executed his friend Mamman Vasta, on charges of coup plotting. What an irony! He too should be tried for plotting and executing a coup against the Nigerian people. He should be the last man on earth to seek the people's vote. But I hear whispers that he may not really have anything new to offer besides keeping his promise to "step back in" after "stepping aside" on August 27, 1993. Lie. He did not step aside. He was forced out, forced aside in a most humbling fashion. The odds were against him and he knew it. Every attempt to cling to power including foisting a lame duck Interim Government crumbled like a pack of ill-cooked cookies to his shame. This same man wants to rule this country - why? Did he just wake from slumber to remember "the many things he would have done properly"? Well, he had his chance, he had eight years and squandered it in his many dribbles and flip flops in the name of government policy. It is very unfortunate that Nigeria has always been ruled by people who soon lose touch with the people when they move into Dodan Barracks or embrace the palatial confines of Aso Rock. The people hardly matter which is a big shame. There is no word to describe the perfidy of rulers who only remember the people at election times. IBB for instance blatantly refused to attend the Human Rights Investigations Panel in Lagos, citing security reasons but has since been seen junketing around the South-West axis without any form of harassment. Who was he deceiving? We know him for who he is - an unrepentant opportunist. But unfortunately for him he does not know when an opportunity no longer exists for him. And he cannot find it no matter how hard he tries. And he will not have it. No, not in Nigeria.

Who is IBB?

One of the greatest ironies of life is that certain persons live in the past and talk of the present. How that gels with the thinking faculties of certain individuals is very hard to fathom. A certain man at a point in time seized power by the barrel of the gun and became a maximum dictator. He had no parliament to contend with (he took care of that through a decree), He was the ultimate power in the land. The maximum ruler. Yet, he could not exercise political judgement in a manner that would have made him a hero unlike Kemal Atatürk of Turkey. IBB squandered all the goodwill he had and became an excellent failure. The same man turns up in a civilian era to say he can do better than when he was a dictator! Who is he deceiving?

What Politics?

Nigerians are an unfortunate lot. Politicians occupying the political space in the country don't think much about the electorate (that is if they think at all). The people don't matter, no, I take that back they only matter when they are to be used as foot soldiers to rig elections, thugs to be used as cannon fodder in the many unholy battles of their master with political opponents and sundry other dubious endeavours.

The multi-million dollar question is this: When will Nigeria have good politicians to produce good leaders? If the signs we are witnessing are anything to go by, then we are in for a long wait, a very, very long wait.