Nigerian Newspapers
The second coming of Western Nigeria
As the old West heaving and inching its way forward once again leaving the rest of the country roiling in the quagmire of potential state failure? This is a very dangerous question to ask, given the potential of the Nigerian post-colonial state to equalise underdevelopment and backwardness. While it is on record that the post-colonial state in Nigeria hardly produces growth and development, it is also on record that it can reduce growth and development as a result of malignant, ethnically motivated vendetta.
Yet just as it happened at the dawn of the Nigerian Republic when Obafemi Awolowo’s visionary governance drove the region to the very frontline of modernization, it does appear that something is stirring in the old west all over again. It is a development worthy of closer scrutiny. For as they say, there may be quite some architecture remaining in old ruins.
But it is morning yet on this new day of creation. Before the question of development can be broached, there are theoretical hurdles to be scaled. There are templates and rubrics to be established and some fundamental developmental posers to be raised. In the interest of both nation and region, there are troubling posers to be addressed. For development to be holistic, integrative and redemptive, the evolving paradigm of governance must itself be subjected to merciless and astringent scrutiny.
From the rump of the old Benin empire where Adams Aliu Oshiomhole is turning the old municipal village of Benin to a modern metropolis, to the sprawling chaotic mess of the old Yoruba war camps of Ibadan that Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi has laid a fierce siege to and on to Lagos which has regained its lost glory as the pre-eminent megalopolis of Tropical Africa, something new is gradually emerging from the old West.
Two weeks ago, a fortuitous trailer accident on the Lagos Bye pass forced snooper to traverse the entire length and breadth of old Ibadan and one was shocked by the transformational typhoon that has swept off the urban debris. From Agodi it took exactly five minutes to get to old /Dugbe through the gleaming Queen Elizabeth Avenue and the new miracle of the former Mokola metropolitan mayhem. From what used to be the ultimate town planners’ nightmare of Dugbe, it took three minutes to get to Molete through Oke Bola. Formerly, this was a whole day’s journey.
And this is not discounting the emerging miracle of Osun state and the transformational fury of Hurricane Rauf. Snooper has not visited either Abeokuta or old rustic Ado Ekiti, but if the reports from the joyous residents of these ancient Yoruba cities are to be believed, they are being frogmarched to the very frontiers of modernity. Even the worst critics of the ACN governments in these states are privately puzzled by the pace and frenzy of the unfolding radical reengineering and the mobilization of the populace for visionary self-actualization.
For a people long accustomed to evil and inept governance, it is easy for cynics to pooh-pooh these developments as token trifles. But we must start from somewhere even if it is at the level of the profoundly symbolic .The critical posers that need to be raised are these. When is real development? Is modernization the same thing as westernization? Can modernization become a driving ideology in itself for a political elite? If this is so, can the vision of urgent modernization blur, obscure or even replace the old binary division between the capitalist and socialist visions of societal transformation and their third way mutants and variants?
We ask these questions not out of intellectual indolence or mere political grandstanding but from genuine puzzlement and as a mental tool for understanding the fundamental human impulse for capacity building and societal transformation in all its clashing disparities and sheer differentiation of vision often based in culture and history. Just as there is no single route to human salvation, there is also no single route to national development. All happy nations are ultimately the same, while every unhappy nation is unhappy in its own unique way.
What unites successful nations is the huge transformational leap they have taken for their people and not the preferred method and methodology of rapid development. All transformational political elites have a firm vision of where they want to take their countries and how they are going to get there. Human tragedy is an orphan but societal triumphs have many foster parents.
For example, while India with its chaotic and sometimes infuriating democracy is ruled by liberal democrats with a passion for transformation, China is governed by humane authoritarians with a passion for the uplift of their people from the abyss of poverty and immiseration. In Singapore, we have seen how an ageing autocrat with stellar vision drove the backwater peat bog and colonial slum from the Third World to the First World in one single generation.
The leaders of the fabled Asian Tigers have managed to deploy the traditional strengths and residual values of their respective societies to force their respective countries into global reckoning. Often, they have managed to turn the table on western nations in an economic battle of wits and will. The runaway success of Japan and China has led to a potentially momentous restructuring of the World Economic Order.
In Brazil, particularly after the advent of the iconic Lula, Brazilian leaders have concentrated on a radically humane transformation through the policy of lifting millions of people from millennial peonage and the poverty trap. The current unrests in that country are a profoundly ironic tribute to the success of that scheme.
It is not a twenty cents revolution as a leading western newspaper puts it—cynically referring to the raising of gasoline price by that amount. It is rather the return of the long repressed, of unfinished business and of a twenty per cent revolution which has come to demand its full wage. In Chile and Argentina with their better educated workforce and more durable middle classes, the leaders opted for western-style market reforms to drive the transformation of their respective societies.
What then is the lesson to be learnt from all this? The first is that all human societies, when led by the correct elite, are naturally forward looking. Any human society that chooses to look backward, like Lot’s children, will be frozen forever in the oceanic and salty sand of time.
As we have seen with the examples of the countries mentioned and with the Industrial Revolution in England, the intellectual and spiritual Revolution in Germany, the political Revolutions in France and the USA, all human societies are driven by a fundamental impulse towards modernization. Modernization needs not be accompanied by violent revolutions, but if it is, so be it.
This is why it is unfortunate that while many Nigerian patriots are burning the midnight oil about how to redeem and transform the nation, some members of the Arewa Consultative Forum are insisting that the current misbegotten structure and lopsided federation should be left as it is. These political dinosaurs should be told that they represent a human tragedy for the nation.
Having ravaged and ruined Nigeria for the better part of fifty years, they are no longer in a position to dictate terms to the nation. If their claim that all is well with the current structure of Nigeria were to be believed, then the sorry and sordid state of the nation and the north in particular is a stinging rebuttal.
Modernization is not the same thing as westernization. Every human society must find its own preferred route to modernization. As the Chinese famously put it, it doesn’t matter what name you call a cat as long as it catches mice. In a recent article comparing China with India, Amartya Kuma Sen, the great economist and Nobel laureate, noted that as far back as the mid-nineteenth century, Japanese leaders concluded that there was no fundamental qualitative difference between the average Japanese and the average westerner.
The only difference was in human capacity building. They thereafter set to work, building a template for human transformation which survived the rabid militarism of the Japanese feudal ruling class. When the warlike ethos was leveraged into massive production after the tragic war, the Japanese work force gave western economies a good run for their money.
It seems then that for all human societies, the golden key for unlocking rapid transformation and accelerated modernization lies in human capacity building and the relentless accumulation of human capital. As they set about transforming the old west, the modernising trailblazers will need to look more closely at the issue of human capacity building.
Human happiness is the measure of all things. This is where Chief Obafemi Awolowo excelled and the gains have survived disastrous military incursion into the polity. In whatever transformational schemes embarked upon, they must also set much premium, like Awo, by accountability and transparency. There is a hysterical and traumatised electorate out there.
Often, successful human societies rely on tropes from the past to energise the present. This is because you cannot step into the same river twice. The old monolithic and near homogeneous west has been shattered, fractured and balkanised by military incursion, leading to uneven economic development and the development of uneven political consciousness. Much of what goes on in the region today is driven by healthy peer rivalry rather than a solid holistic vision of regional development. It is left to the new leaders of the region to come up with an integrative, unified and harmonised framework which can drive even faster development.
Finally, it is important to remind the emergent modernizers that paradise cannot exist surrounded by hell. Nigeria is currently a hellhole bristling with delirious denizens. Two options are available. It is either the new leaders of the old west insist on the immediate convocation of a sovereign gathering of Nigerians which will restructure the country and free the creative genius of its diverse people or they must be at the vanguard of a pan-Nigerian electoral revolution which must inaugurate a new nation. The current status quo has completely exhausted its political and historic possibilities.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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