Opinion
But This Peter Obi, Can He Win?
Published
3 years agoon
By
Nats Odaudu
By Idang Alibi
Some will say: ‘’But why is the man so stingy? Our country is bad and if you don’t give Nigerians money and Atiku and Tinubu give them, they will vote for either of the two candidates’’. Why does he not want to give money to poor, hungry Nigerians? Does he not feel pity for them?’’
As an ‘Obidient’, loyal, faithful and committed follower of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, I try to market my man at the slightest opportunity and in 4 out of 5 cases, the question they ask you is: ‘’Yes, I acknowledge that of the four main candidates, he is just the best. But this Peter Obi, man can he win?
“Is that your main problem?’’ I ask. ‘’Yes’’, some say say in response.
I quickly return to my marketing pitch as I realise that my question was too confrontational. A good marketer should not be unnecessarily argumentative especially when he encounters anyone who sounds like a potential patroniser of his ware. So I say to my potential client: ‘’The man can win if doubters like you who believe in his ability and suitability vote for him even if you believe that his geography, his tribe, his religion or anything else and any other factor can hinder him’’.
‘’Are you sure his Ibo brothers and sisters will vote for him to win?’’ some will fire back at you and continue with their tirade: ‘’I don’t trust the Ibos when it comes to politics. Have you heard what some Ibo leading lights have said about Obi’s candidacy and his chances of winning? some will add.
‘’Bros, is that your problem?’’ you ask in frustration, falling back to your bad salesmanship mode again before you quickly regain yourself and launch back into good salesmanship by adding: ’’Are you not a Nigerian and old enough to remember our recent history? We have a good example behind us. In 1998 President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Yoruba people did not vote for him. The rest of us Nigerians voted for him and he won and became our president. If we do the same for Obi, and the Ibos reject him, the man will win and become our president. And since we all agree that he is the best of the four main contenders, let us ignore what the Ibos or anyone else will do, cast our votes dutifully for him and it will be our joy to have him as president to the disappointment of his critics and haters’’.
Seeing the conviction in your pitch and person, some of them will soften up, look for a much more comfortable place to sit down
and engage you in further discussion of the Nigerian situation whereby a people who are desperately in need of a good man to lead them will see an obvious good man and begin to bring all sorts of arguments that will lead their country to ignore that good man every body sees before them.
Some will say: ‘’But why is the man so stingy? Our country is bad and if you don’t give Nigerians money and Atiku and Tinubu give them, they will vote for either of the two candidates’’. Why does he not want to give money to poor, hungry Nigerians? Does he not feel pity for them?’’
‘’But can’t you see that Peter Obi is the most compassionate of the serious candidates?’’ You fire back to retain the attention of your potential customer. ‘’I wish you can see that it is just that he does not believe that that is the way to show compassion. He believes you do not want to bribe people to vote for you. It also means that he is not desperate at all to win. His attitude shows him as the most honest and truthful among the candidates. You can’t promise to do a good thing later by doing a bad one now to please some people’’.
‘’But speaking realistically, can this our Peter Obi win? Tinubu will rely on Yoruba ‘parapo’ and party solidarity to clean the South West and the votes of committed party men from across the country, including some die-hard party men in Ibo land, Obi’s supposed strong hold. And Atiku is likely to rely on tribal, regional and zonal sentiments to harvest votes in largely the northern hemisphere of Nigeria. And for our Obi, the momentum in his favour is largely fired by the youth of Nigeria, sorry, the youth of Southern Nigeria ,which comes and stops somewhere in Kogi state and the support from the East, his strong base. But even the hoped for support based on the invocation of ‘’Igbo Kwenu’’ cannot be solidly relied upon, knowing the Igbos and their political behavior. Where is that magic wand that will deliver victory for Obi?’’ a persistent inquirer will argue.
‘’Well, the way I see things, nothing can be so clear cut as the division in the country for and against Obi. Our nation is yearning for a change and there are some who say that we should continue with the existing dysfunctional order. That is the division. To appreciate this division the more, let me clear one misconception about the support base of Obi. Right now, Obi’s appeal is not limited to the young and the young at heart. No. it cuts across all ages, regions and class. For example, I the writer of this piece, I am not young or young at heart. I will be 62 in the next one and a half months. And there are millions of persons like me in the country who support Obi either openly or in secret’’, you say in reply.
And continue: ‘’What I think of other Nigerians and me who support Obi is that we are aggrieved Nigerians. Sorry, we are very angry Nigerians. We think that our country has been misgoverned for too long and we want an end put to that right away. We think that our country can be better governed. We also think that right now, it is Peter Obi of all the serious candidates, who sound like one who has the ideas and passion about what we need to do to change our country’s circumstances. That is why we are supporting him’’.
‘’The division I am talking about in our country is between those who say there should be change and those who are already milking and hemorrhaging the country who believe we should go with Tinubu, Atiku or Kwankwaso. The trouble we have is that we are in a majority but those of them in the minority seem to be more powerful than us. They have the money which we don’t seem to have. But the contest in 2023 is not going to be decided by money but by principle and a determined stand on it; it is about our fidelity or the lack of it to that principle’’.
‘’The idea we should keep harping on is this: ‘’if millions of us already believe that Peter Obi is a good candidate but the small problem is that with the platform he has adopted and our entrenched negative political behaviour, we have doubts whether or not he can win. But what if we decide that with these doubts, we will nevertheless go ahead to vote for Obi, is it not possible that we might win?
In 1988, the charismatic USA Black leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, mounted a bid for the USA presidency. There was a particular enthusiastic chants that followed him everywhere urging him to run. It said: ‘’Run! Jesse, Run!, Run! Jesse, Run! Run! Jesse, Run! If you run, you may win. But if you don’t, you are guaranteed to lose’’!
What do we and our hero and hope bearer, Obi, stand to lose? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Let Obi go ahead to run with confidence and enthusiasm. And let us get ready with our PVC to vote him in. if each party plays its role, it is possible that Obi might win. And all of us shall be happy thereafter’’ you end your breathless lecture/ argument.
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Opinion
SHAMBOLIC LOCAL ELECTIONS: ARE GOVERNORS SETTING ‘STANDARDS’ FOR TINUBU’S 2027 RE-ELECTION STRATEGY?
Published
4 months agoon
October 31, 2024By
Sunrise
By YAShuaib
It’s shocking and laughable that ruling parties, which barely secured victories in gubernatorial elections, are now winning local government council elections by landslides.
In some states, even parties that had never won elections are sweeping council seats, often at the behest of influential governors seeking to undermine their political rivals. For instance, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State exemplifies how to win elections despite lacking support from traditional power brokers.
The abuse of local government councils by state governors in Nigeria is a pressing concern that threatens the very foundation of our democratic structure. While the Federal Government ensures timely disbursement of funds to all tiers of government through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the reality is that many governors exert undue control over local government resources. This is particularly evident in the misuse of the State Local Government Joint Accounts (SLGJA), which, though intended to streamline funding, often become instruments of financial manipulation at the state level.
Recognising that the Federal Government guarantees each tier of government its statutory allocations, state governors have no legitimate reason to deny local councils their rightful share. This was underscored by the landmark Supreme Court ruling on July 11, 2024, which mandated direct federal allocation for elected councils to curb gubernatorial interference in local government finances.
However, with limited access to local government revenue after the ruling, many governors swiftly orchestrated elections to consolidate control over council positions and finances. The predictable results have seen ruling parties dominate the polls in nearly every state. These so-called “victories” do little to inspire confidence, as the elected officials often act as mere extensions of gubernatorial power.
The lack of genuine competition is hardly surprising, given that the governor’s appointees manage each State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). The recent wave of local elections follows a clear pattern: handpicked candidates of the preferred parties consistently win and easily claim the titles of LG chairpersons and councillors through questionable processes, often coordinated behind the scenes by the governors.
While one might expect an outcry over the shambolic LG elections, only a few voices have raised concerns. The election observation group Yiaga Africa recently highlighted the troubling development and recommended civic education, genuine competition and a transparent electoral process. Unfortunately, the entrenched realities make these ideals’ recommendations almost unattainable.
These actions of some of the governors threaten to undermine the legitimacy of future elections, including gubernatorial and presidential contests. It would not be surprising if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu faced pressure to replicate this manipulative election strategy of governors in the 2027 general elections. The logic is simple: if governors can manipulate elections to their advantage with relative ease, why shouldn’t the president do the same at the national level?
Sadly, disobedience to court orders and manipulation of local judges are similarly rampant at the state level, rendering adjudications predictable. For instance, some state-controlled courts of justice, which handle local matters—including traditional issues and chieftaincy titles—function as extensions of their governors, lacking genuine impartiality and integrity.
The stronghold of governors on local governance is unmistakable, surpassing the President’s influence over state administrations as they wield significant control despite judicial efforts to safeguard local autonomy.”
Meanwhile, under Tinubu’s federal administration, the Supreme Court has acted as an independent arbiter, often favouring opposition parties. For instance, following the last general elections and rulings of tribunals, the apex court upheld the victories of opposition candidates, including Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau, and Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia among others.
While the Supreme Court’s mandate for direct funding is a positive step, governors’ continued dominance over local governments is still apparent. Yet, the Federal Government continues the transparent disbursements of statutory allocations to states without interference. Why can’t state governments reciprocate such by ensuring local governments receive their fair share of internally generated revenue (IGR) without also encroaching on their legitimate federal allocations
The conduct of governors may have set a worrying precedent and questioned their commitment to fiscal federalism and the principles of local governance.
I strongly urge the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Finance Minister, Mr. Wale Edun, to take decisive action to protect local governments’ administrative and financial rights. They must implement mechanisms to ensure local councils have political autonomy and receive their financial entitlements without the risk of misappropriation by state authorities.
Local governments must be granted full political and economic autonomy to function effectively as the grassroots arm of governance. The future of our democratic governance hinges on the equitable treatment of all tiers of government, ensuring that local councils can genuinely serve their communities with the resources they rightfully deserve.
For Nigeria’s democracy to thrive, we must hold local elections to a higher standard. Despite its flaws, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still performs better than SIECs, whose inefficiency and bias are becoming more apparent.
The debate over federalism versus centralisation will undoubtedly arise. However, a balance between federal and state powers is essential. If reforming SIECs proves unfeasible, INEC oversight may be necessary to safeguard democratic governance at the local level.
If citizens remain silent on recent flawed local elections conducted by some state governments, they should equally accept potentially compromised gubernatorial and presidential elections that the federal government could conduct in the future, possibly in 2027. After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Yushau A. Shuaib, publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential
yashuaib@yashuaib.com
Opinion
Soludo Solves Onitsha Water Problem with Last Mile Connection
Published
4 months agoon
October 21, 2024By
Nats Odaudu
by
Ebuka Nwankwo
Documents from the World Bank’s archive show that the Bank approved a $67.0 million (equivalent to N36.8 million in 1981) loan for Nigeria in 1981 for the rehabilitation of the 1960 water supply scheme in Onitsha, which suffered significant deterioration during the Nigerian Civil War and was not meeting the needs of residents of Onitsha. The total water scheme project was estimated at N66.3 million (which was equivalent to $120.6 million using 1981 exchange rate). The $67 million World Bank loan, at that time, was to cover the foreign currency component of the project which was 55% of total cost.
The 1981 project financing scheme required that the counterpart costs would be met through contributions of $ 48.1 million (N26.5 million as at 1981) by the then Anambra State Government and $5.5 million (N3 million) by Anambra State Water Corporation (ASWC) which was supposed to charge for water usage. Interestingly, the World Bank’s 1991 project completion report for the Onitsha Water Scheme shows that its $67 million loan to Nigeria was closed in July 1991 and an unutilized balance of $2,655.22 was canceled in September 1991. Interested readers could visit the following link for details of this project: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/605701468290135155/pdf/multi-page.pdf and https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/906611468098982882/pdf/multi-page.pdf
Despite the anticipated impact of this water project to the long-term sustainability of Onitsha, many adults in Onitsha cannot remember when they enjoyed public water supply in Onitsha. The story of how Nigeria accrued external debts – which it got ‘debt relief’ from during the President Obasanjo’s administration – is better left for another day. And before the advent of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, some of the lands these projects sat on were not only encroached upon, most of the equipment installed in these projects had been stollen and vandalized.
In 1979, before the commencement of the rehabilitation of the Onitsha Water Scheme project, the World Bank had approved the sum of $415,000 for the feasibility and engineering studies of the Greater Onitsha Water Scheme. During the same period, a consortium of Nigerian – German consultants (ENPLAN -GKW) carried out engineering designs for the master plan for sewerage, storm water and solid waste disposal schemes for Onitsha.
Today, the abandoned World Bank water scheme in Onitsha has a new life and the contractors handling the 3 major water schemes in the city are currently carrying out ‘final test running’ of the facilities and reticulation works. The facilities now produce highly treated portable water. And because reticulated pipes to homes of the 80’s have been severely damaged, contractors are working round the clock to restore these pipes. It is a very difficult job. Many residents have even built on the right of way of these water reticulation pipes and some have been stolen. Luckily, through sheer hard work and ingenuity, water has been reticulated to many commercial fetching points in Onitsha markets, civic centers and townhalls.
The Governor Chukwuma Soludo led administration has successfully rehabilitated the GRA Onitsha Water Scheme, CLASH Program Water Scheme and Terminal Reservoir Water Scheme. These water facilities have the capacity to supply 45 million litres of well-treated water to residents of Onitsha per day.
There have been efforts to rehabilitate these water schemes in the past. In November 2013, the state government announced that a 1.8-billion-naira contract to rehabilitate the Onitsha Water Scheme would be completed in 2014 by Peterson Candy International of South Africa. But the scale of deterioration of this water scheme was a big impediment to the project taking off. The infrastructure at the original intake water source at the Nkisi River for the water schemes had been seriously deteriorated and many big developments – including investments from institutional investors – had built on the right of way of the large raw water pipes taking water from Nkisi River to these treatment plants.
Today, the rehabilitated 45 million liters installed water treatment facilities in Onitsha is now powered with solar energy and with electricity from the national grid. The solar energy component of this facility is part of its sustainability and running cost reduction plan. The superb engineering design provided for this rehabilitated facility was able to have large industrial pumps powered by solar energy.
Last week, the joy of some residents of Onitsha knew no bounds when they received the State Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engr. Julius Chukwuemeka, during his routine inspection tour to monitor the reticulation of water to different fetching points in Onitsha, particularly at the Ogbe Oye Market, Inland Town.
There are ample reasons to be excited with the scale of work that has been done by the Governor Soludo-led administration. During the test running of the installed reticulation works in Onitsha by the project contractors, water runs for some hours daily at fetching points. Here is the grand plan: after the current test running of this project is completed, people at dedicated fetching points would be sure of a 24-hour water supply. The next phase would be to get water into individual houses.
During Engr. Julius Chukwuemeka’s inspection tour on a fetching point at Ogbe Oye Market, one woman lamented how her children had suffered from waterborne diseases in the past because of the unavailability of constant pipe borne water and that she spent a large portion of her earnings buying water in jerrycans from water vendors that she was not sure of their source of water. But, today, this woman is overjoyed!
The future of Anambra is bright with Governor Soludo at the helm of affairs. The Onitsha Water Scheme which seemed like a hard nut to crack has now been fully resuscitated and the last mile connections to residents are ongoing.
* Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.
Note: Opinions expressed by contributors are strictly personal and do not necessarily represent the position of SunriseNigeria.
Lifestyle
Bishop George Biguzzi (1936 – 2024): Humility Beyond Reproach
Published
7 months agoon
July 22, 2024By
Nats Odaudu
By Sule Musa (WhatsApp: +23276613799)
Whether night or day, I can no longer remember. Thereabout March or April. It was the year 2000. And at Lamina Sankoh Street in the central business district of Freetown, capital city of Sierra Leone.
This was the address of my short lived newspaper, Daily Adviser 2000 – 2001.
The office phone rang and I dashed for the receiver. Mobile phones were rare then; at least in Sierra Leone. Pioneer operator Mobitel was as rare as it was erratic. You could lay two handsets side by side on a table and dial the other with reports that the second handset was out of coverage area. So, it was mostly land phones
“Yaah!” I answered in my usually busy note. “Hello!” came back from the other end.
I will never be able to explain how that voice sounded like Emmanuel Turay’s. Emmanuel was the maiden news editor of the newspaper. I had been looking for him for the better part of that day.
So, I heard myself yelling “ah go kick you ass when I see you!
The response from the other end cut me by the groin. That could certainly not be Emmanuel. The voice responded “miself go kick u ass!”
I calmed down. I knew instantly that something was wrong somewhere. “Who’s this please?” I heard myself pleading. The answer and the voice hit me at once. I sought the ground to swallow me but it didn’t even yield a crack. “This is George Biguzzi” he said and began laughing, asking “where’s Emmanuel?”
My response was in whispers. “Mi Lord, ah don die!” I cried. “I thought it was Emmanuel.”
And he said coolly “Sule, let’s talk about important things. Tell Emmanuel I want to see him.”
I remained in the chair immobile for a long time. What sort of humility is this? I kept asking myself. And have not stopped going over same question whenever Biguzzi came to my mind.
But I had to know the man better from a closer proximity when the then director of Caritas Makeni, Ibrahim Sesay hired me as a communication consultant for the Catholic aid and relief agency. As Bishop of the Makeni diocese, Biguzzi was the chairman of the Caritas Makeni board.
The Daily Adviser newspaper had extensively covered the operations of Caritas Makeni especially in the course of ending the eleven-year war through peace negotiation and consolidation championed by the Sierra Leone commission for disarmament, demobilization and resettlement (DDR).
The guns had barely gone quiet when Caritas Makeni wrestled the child combatants in their thousands from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) high command in Makeni. They were brought to Port Loko in about fourteen trucks owned and driven by the Pakistani contingent of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
In all the hectic and hair raising operations led by Ibrahim Sesay and the dedicated Caritas Makeni team, Bishop Biguzzi was there in the background soliciting for funds from far and wide.
On countless occasions, I would be in the company of Ibrahim Sesay in the Wilkinson Road office of Caritas Makeni late into the night and long after the staff had closed. In nearly all of these sessions, there would be back and forth consultation with the Bishop on issues relating to the peace and relief operations.
The national award conferred on Bishop George Biguzzi by the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma was consequently well deserved.
Developments in nearly every area of human needs brought to Makeni and parts of the north of Sierra Leone are attributed to the glowing accomplishments of George Biguzzi who was always mentioned in one breath with his predecessor Bishop Azzolinni.
Perhaps the most touching pronouncements attributed to Biguzzi was his response to alarmists who ran to him in Freetown during the thick of the war, wailing that all he laboured to build in Makeni was reduced to rubbles by the rebels.
His response was classical patriotic zealotry. He said, “Once the ground is still there we will rebuild.”
When his obituary was published on Monday first of July, accompanying news that his remains would be brought to Makeni for interment according to his will, only cemented the fact that he was always Sierra Leonean by body, soul and spirit.
The soil of Sierra Leone is enriched by the mortal remains of George Biguzzi, a Catholic priest of rare breed.
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