Speaking in Enugu at the funeral service of late Nneoma Chime, mother of Governor Chime of Enugu state, President Jonathan was said to have stated that it was high time a change was made to correct the ills of successive past regimes.

According to the Nigerian Tribune of May 19, 2012, President Jonathan was quoted as having said :

  “Something must have gone wrong along the line from 1914 when the Southern and Northern Protectorates were amalgamated till date. When you look at the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates, and between the period Nigeria got independence in 1960 and the time I was sworn in as President, you will agree with me that I am not the problem of Nigeria….What we must do is to make a change for the development of Nigeria. We cannot check out like that of the television man ….”

One must thank Mr. President for acknowledging that Nigeria has been sick and wobbly since its amalgamation/creation in 1914. Something was definitely wrong and ill-conceived with that process that only benefited its creator and amalgamating power, Britain, which even at that time, acknowledged that the process was only for its administrative convenience! 

Britain supposedly left in 1960. Why have ‘Nigerians’ not taken the necessary step and action to REPAIR the damage done to them by Britain ?

Why the hypocrisy that all is well, when we all know that everything is wrong and deadly ? Since the so-called political independence in 1960, Nigeria has lost over 6.5 million of its peoples to internal strife, including a genocidal civil war, a recurring cycle of religious and ethnic massacres, more than 30 years of ethnically-induced military dictatorship which has impoverished the regions that lay the golden eggs for the country, massive corruption at the highest levels, lowest levels of economic development and growth inspite of being richly endowed with huge natural resources, insecurity of lives and property, and now Boko Haram. The ills of Nigeria go on and on !!

Every leader of Nigeria before the military incursion in 1966 agreed that Nigeria was a big fraud. Its founding fathers were agreed on that fact. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the then leader of the Yoruba nation and first Premier of Western Nigeria called Nigeria, ” a mere geographical expression “. Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sarduana of Sokoto, and first Premier of Northern Nigeria, saw Nigeria “as an estate from our great grandfather, Othman Dan Fodio ” in which “we must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We must use the minorities in the North as willing tools, and the South as conquered territories and never allow them to have control of their future…” Characteristically, this thinking of Ahmadu Bello has been the philosophy of the Hausa-Fulani oligarchy since 1960, and the cause of all the frustrations at nation-building in Nigeria.

But these were the sincere views of the founding fathers of Nigeria. However, under intense pressure, and in their eagerness to impress their British colonial masters, these founding fathers agreed to live together in a political structure that would allow for separate development of the different regions at their respective rates. This was the essence of the federal structure adopted at independence…..for the tolerance of one another. The bubble, however, burst in January 1966.

General Ironsi’s attempt to forge a united Nigeria with his Unification Decree No.34, ended in complete disaster, and triggered the chain reactions that led to the genocide of  1966-1970. Since August, 1966, when Lt. Colonel Gowon came on board, till now, its been hypocrisy in leadership. Convinced that the basis for unity did not exist in Nigeria, Gowon, the leader of the ARABA Northern military group which overthrew Ironsi on July 29, 1966, announced to Nigerians on August 1, 1966 : “….Suffice it to say that putting all considerations to test–political, economic, as well as social–the basis for unity is not there.” This matter-of-fact statement was to be a prelude to the North declaring its independence from the rest of Nigeria in August, 1966. Britain again intervened. Gowon was reminded that power was again in the hands of another Northerner, and that there was no need to take a piece of the pie, when the entire pie was in the control of the North. Gowon told his fellow mutineers this much, and in his second broadcast convinced them to go for ONE NIGERIA. So, their putsch turned from ‘Araba’ to ‘One Nigeria’ when power returned to Ahmadu Bello’s North. This has been the story of Nigeria since 1960. It is the story of the nature of co-existence that featured among the various nationalities that make up Nigeria…the ‘born-to-rule’ and ‘the ruled’ syndrome. The born-to-rule must be in power for there to be peace in the country !General Azazi is nobody’s fool !!

President Jonathan must recognize and appreciate this terrible condition for peace in Nigeria if appropriate steps must be taken to correct the anomaly. Past Nigerian leaders and regimes have not been sincere in acknowledging this terrible truth in dealing with the Nigerian dilemma. All other problems of Nigeria have everything to do with it. Political spaces must,therefore, be created where different peoples of the entity called Nigeria can exist, and maybe, co-exist, in peace and harmony, without fear of persecution and molestation by some over-zealous groups and nationalities wanting to impose their antagonistic agendas. The problems of Nigeria, therefore, have everything to do with the basic structure of the country and the rules of co-habitation.

Why do we all pretend all is well. Nigeria needs to be re-structured,and rules of co-existence streamlined, for people to develop to their full potentials. There is so much acrimony, envy, jealousy, bigotry, and selfishness among the various nationalities, particularly along the north/south divide, that the various peoples live in fear of one another.For example, parents and guardians of young university graduates from the south now resist the posting of their children and wards to the North for national service, for fear of losing them in the hands of “fellow Nigerians”. No country makes progress under such conditions ! This is the reality President Jonathan and the entire Nigerian leadership must come to terms with, and do what is necessary.

The President must get away from the hypocrisy and pretensions of past leaders and chart a new course, so that peoples that inhabit Nigeria can develop into the pride of the black race. ‘Nigerians’ and their children in America and Europe are performing wonders, and contributing immensely to the growth and development of technologies and advancements in their new homes. Most of this people are willing to come home to contribute their expertise and knowledge. But the enabling environment must be created, the political space conducive and un-inhabiting, and their nationalistic fervor challenged ! Ojukwu provided such leadership, and Biafra, the political space some 45 years ago ! The miracles of Biafra in a peaceful and non-war environment can be re-created all over the present Nigerian space for the benefit of all the peoples. Nigerians must be given the opportunity to create and sustain their well-being and welfare in accordance with their wishes in their fatherland. This is the beauty of democracy and the freedom of choice. President Jonathan and the National Assembly should have the patriotic guts to move the nation forward! They must provide the political environment for people to flourish. This is the function of any responsible government anywhere in the world.Otherwise, the Andrews will continue to check out to greener pastures where their talents are appreciated !

Responsible Nigerians have been shouting themselves hoarse over the call for a Peoples’ National Conference where Nigerians would seat down, look one another hard in the eyes, and speak the truth on the way forward. Why is it taking forever to resonate with the Presidency and members of the National Assembly that this is the only way forward for Nigeria ? Maybe, it is true what they say that people in government at those two levels are more concerned with their present fleecing of the resources of ailing Nigeria than bringing the sick amorphous giant back to life. I wonder what patriotism means to them.

To our President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, I humbly wish to say : “Sir, at your level now…..if I were in your position, I would be more concerned with the judgment of History than with my personal assets and possessions. You have a golden opportunity to write and etch your name and administration in gold in the hearts and memories of all well-meaning Nigerians, now and for generations to come, if you right the wrongs ignored by past regimes in Nigeria. You can transform yourself into a statesman, the Mandela of Nigeria by taking the bull by the horn! Nigerians are clamoring for leadership, and a positive change in their lives. They want to talk at a Peoples’ Convention or Conference. That wrong of 1914 must be corrected now…..in your time !”

Provide Nigerians that opportunity to discuss their future well-being.

I hope President Jonathan is listening !!

Nnamdi J.O.Ijeaku

By Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
A fight between the dog and the baboon must be one of those very rare encounters in the Animal Kingdom. Animals fight over territory, food, mates, and in defence of their lives, or of the young. It is very hard to foresee the two animals fighting over any of the above because on most of items, the paths of the two animals hardly cross.

In Africa and particularly in Hausaland where this near impossible idea was contrived as a proverb, such a fight can only happen under the influence of man when in hunting he sets the dog to catch the baboon or its baby. In that case, that fight would surely be one to witness.

The dog uses its power of speed and strong canine teeth, the baboon his powerful shoulders, limbs, claws, hands, and under extreme conditions, his teeth. And this condition is extreme – a fight for his life or that of his baby. So we better assume that the baboon will deploy his entire arsenal.

The camera of kare jini biri jini Hausa proverb often pictures a very fierce and inconclusive fight between two contenders. We can picture the dog first barking incessantly, with its jaws wide open hoping to scare the baboon into submission. The well-built baboon, on the other hand, is not a coward. He would not jump up the trees to escape the attacking dog; he would not fly. He turns wild too, flexing his muscles, beating his wide chest and destroying the surrounding shrubs to intimidate the dog. He jumps at a branch, breaks it and hurls it at the dog, but the carnivore remains recalcitrantunder the command of his master, barking, barking … and now ready to charge.

And the fight ensues and continues for several minutes and, perhaps, hours…

As the proverb depicts, the fierce fight ends inconclusively with both parties sustaining deeps cuts and innumerable browses. Each contender was lucky to survive it and returns to its shelter licking its wounds. The dog gives up hunting for that day, returns home and is granted a sick leave by its master. The baboon keeps his life and his baby and remains in his territory or migrates to a safer one. The only conclusion reached was that the dog learned to avoid the baboon henceforth, while the baboon learned to include the dog among its dangerous enemies in the Kingdom.

In the above, I have tried to capture the proper context and scenario of the proverb. It simply connotes a situation where the fight for something is fierce, where you give your challenger a good run for his money, but where despite the ferocity of the contest, its outcome was not conclusive. In short, when you tell your contender that za a yi kare jini biri jinni, it simply means the battle will be fierce. In the case of Buhari, he was promising his supporters from Niger State that 2015 elections will be fierce; or put in another way, the PDP wIll not have it easy. Simple.

How this simple statement translated into a political missile that says Buhari is promising a bloodbath come 2015 remains one of those sad stories in our practice of journalism.

Let us have a re-read of the mistranslation:

“If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.”

Does this reflect the proper context and meaning of the Hausa proverb kare jini biri jinni that we explained above? No. That is because, among other things, if by the time both the dog and the baboon are soaked in blood, both would have been dead, a picture which the proverb never envisaged. It would have been better for the reporter to say, “Come 2015, I promise you, the fight will be fierce.”

Here, I must say that the words of Buhari were misinterpreted, perhaps deliberately, to entertain the Nigerian public with a sensational story that will keep the presently near-static mill of public opinion running once more, or to invent a weapon to knock him down again in the ring of 2015 presidential contest.

But, to be fair to the reporter also, it was a mistranslation that I think was informed by the history of the General’s consistent call for mass action since 2003, of CPC’s unguarded campaign utterances in 2011 and how they were widely believed to have inspired the post election violence that year, and of the strategy of the General’s supporters of the ANPP especially in Bauchi state in 2007, a la his doctrine of protect your votes, a kasa, a tsare, a raka.

These were the elements in the background that also informed the supporting and opposing comments which trailed the publication of that mistranslated proverb. Nigerians became divided overnight into three camps.

The first group – Buhari’s opponents – jumped at it saying, “Aha. There we go again. This notorious and bloodthirsty coup plotter is still dreaming of a bloodbath.” If Buhari, by his statement, was serving such opponents with a notice of an impending doom, they did not heed to it. They did not show any sign of repentance from the sin he is accusing them of. Instead, they continue to direct their accusing fingers at him.

On the other hand, his supporters, the second group, to me, showed the most disheartening response. They did not take the pain to verify and analyse his statement. Not a single one of them came over to say that he was misrepresented. Have they done so, it would have cooled the atmosphere and reassured us. They adopted the mistranslation, in situ, as if it were right, and presented an alibi, saying, “Only election riggers are be afraid of Buhari’s statement. Would there be a bloodbath in 2015 as a result of rigging, it is the PDP that should be held responsible.”

The third group, we the onlookers, are terrified that we will be disastrously caught in the crossfire, once more, as it happened to hundreds of Nigerians during the 2011 elections, when, especially in Southern Kaduna and Bauchi state, the lives of the innocent were lost and thousands of people displaced to date across Northern Nigeria.

Here was a corper medic, for example, riding an ambulance in Toro, stopped and hacked to death by the very people he came all the way from the East to serve after his long and tedious training as a doctor, at a place where he had nobody to protect him except the mores of civilization. His sin was simply that he did not belong to the ethnic group or religion of Buhari, the opposition presidential candidate. The mob on that fateful day was found wanting in those mores, defective in conscience. That is how many like him paid the ultimate price across the state.

And there was a primary school girl in southern Kaduna, witnessing her primary school teacher hacking her father to death in Zonkwa, Southern Kaduna, for no crime but that the father belonged to the religion other than that of the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan. She never thought that the savage gene of the teacher would overcome the etiquette of civility that her familiarity with him would engender. On that fateful day, humanity was lost, the feeling of civilization was gone, and no guarantees were kept. Months after that massacre, the girl would tell her story to the ears of a deaf and dumb nation that allows the assassin teacher to walk the streets freely, earning his salary. That is how hundreds of the like of her father died and thousands of her type continue to suffer as the politicians behind the crimes remain unscathed.

To date, nobody is man enough to directly or remotely claim even a vicarious responsibility for those atrocities. The PDP that is accused of rigging the election refused to admit that it rigged it in the first place. Instead, it shifted the blame to Buhari, citing what it called his “inciting statements” at his campaign rallies. Buhari and his supporters, on the other hand, returned the blame to PDP, with three reasons: he was a victim not a partaker in the violence; the dastardly acts were carried out not by his supporters but by hoodlums who did not spare him either; and that it was in fact the ruling party that instigated the violence in the first place by rigging the elections. So did the trading in blame continued until our father, Justice Ahmed Lemu, inconclusively closed the chapter.

His panel came up with an ingeniously ambivalent verdict, saying both Buhari and the PDP are right. It said it is true that Buhari inspired the violence but it is also true that PDP’s rigging machine provoked it. In effect, the report claimed, there is an egalitarian share of the blame. Case closed. Court!!!

With that we return to our churches and mosques to pray that may God have mercy on those departed souls! And may he protect us, the living, the onlookers, the ordinary citizens, from the evils of power – of its keepers and seekers alike.

I was caught by the same fever when I read the mistranslation in English. I wondered how Buhari could make such a statement after his widely condemned “lynch them” directive of 2011. But when I heard his actual words in Hausa two days ago, I quickly understood that he said nothing unusual, for it is proper for politicians to inject hope in their supporters. Telling a delegation of such supporters that his party will put up a fierce fight next time is just one of those confidence preserving measures.

With this, I hope our journalists will in future show a better sense of responsibility in their reportage. They should use their brains not their minds. We are tired of hearing Buhari mistranslated by a section of the media. More importantly, however, our politicians on both sides of the divide, should refrain from any contemplation of violence or cheating, or asking their followers to take the law into their own hands, whatever the situation would be. If they think that winning an election is a religious duty, then they must not forget that none of our two dominant religions call to violence as a means of winning power or as a reaction to defeat. In Islamic tradition, the injustice of forty years is preferred to the fitna (unrest) of a day.

The government and INEC must do their best to ensure free and fair elections in 2015. The electoral body has two years ahead to fully prepare for it and get rid of imperfections. Let there be a clean fight that ends in a clean winner and a clean loser. If the government is not ready for this, my dear friend, Professor Attahiru Jega, should throw in the towel. The defeated in this case – whether baboon or dog – must accept defeat and allow us live in peace.

If our advice is not accepted, we shall then pray that may our compassionate God deliver us from the evil of that day, when the dog and the baboon fiercely slug it out in the court of Nigerian election. We pray that He restricts their evil to them. And on that day, neither the dog nor the baboon should not return home clean. We are tired.

Oh Lord, answer our prayer.

Let all peace-loving Nigerians say Amen.

The information made available to the outside world is that Ogun state government has declared free education in primary and secondary schools. Yes, that’s true. But what they won’t tell people is that our universities are in shambles. What then is the point of laying a firm foundation of good education in primary and secondary schools and then spoil the foundation in the university.

My decision to use Olabisi Onabanjo University as case study is because it is my school, and as such, all information given are firsthand and reliable.

Olabisi Onabanjo University is an institution going through different forms of deterioration. Infrastructurally, OOU is poor. Financially, OOU has been looted into debt. Talk of lecturers, OOU has lost the best of them all. Leadership wise, OOU is governed by clueless people both on the part of the school management and the student union, talk of security, OOU is insecure, welfarism has been relegated to the background.

INFRASTRUCTURE

In a university seen as the main university in Ogun state, it is sad to see that OOU has fallen short of structural standards. It is a fact that OOU has equipmentless laboratories. The laboratories have been converted into emergency classrooms due to the insufficient lecture halls in the school. The libraries are stocked with outdated books. Laboratories can no longer boast of equipments. Someone really needs to start asking questions as to how some courses were accredited in OOU. The visitation panel that visited OOU should be summoned to a panel to ask them the criteria used to pass OOU. We have cases where some students write examinations on their feet, and yet we say we are in a university. Let the Amosun-led government come out and tell the world when last he invested in OOU and how much he gave OOU. Let him tell us how many buildings he has renovated.

FINANCE

Anyone conversant with the ongoings in OOU will know that NASU, SSANU and NAAT just came back from a strike action. They accused the Vice chancellor of mismanaging OOU financially. The truth is that OOU has faced many financial mismanagements in time past. The faulty cars and buses in OOU have been sold cheaply and no one is accounting for why it was sold and where the money has gone. Contributions of staff members in the cooperative society have been spent by the leadership of the school. Salaries are being owed and students are being made to pay for this.

STAFF

The politicizing of the educational sector is what caused the emergence of somebody like Alex O as Chancellor in OOU. His reign then was a reign of terror. He sacked lecturers without fear and turned the school to an institution short of lecturers. There are some departments that don’t have a professor, there are some that don’t even have a Dr. There are even some departments with just 3 or 4 lecturers and they are expected to teach 9, 10 courses.

LEADERSHIP CRISES

One of the major problems of OOU is that unqualified and undeserving leaders are put at the helm of affairs. At the management level, a man whose rise from Dr to Professor is controversial, and who was known to be a lazy man in his days as lecturer was chosen to be the vice-chancellor. At the student level, cowards and traitors who have no interest of the students at heart emerge as union leaders and later turn against the students they swore to protect so as to allign themselves with the anti-students school management.

SECURITY

Security in OOU is poor. Just entering the school and seeing aged men guarding the school gate is enough to discourage you. Little wonder, men of the underworld can penetrate and wreak havoc without resistance, and cult groups intimidate students even under their noses.

WELFARISM

The last time a graduation ceremony was conducted in OOU will be 7 or 8 years ago. There has been no promotion exercise for the lecturers for the past 6 or 7 years. Students going for Industrial training and teaching practice are being charged by the school to pay for lecturer’s transport.

WAY FORWARD

If OOU is to retake its place as an institution of great repute, the state government needs to be more involved in running the school. Money should be pumped into the school to renovate the lecture halls. Laboratories should be stocked with equipments and apparatus. Libraries should be stocked with up-to-date books. Politics should no longer influence the emergence of leaders in the governing council and school management role, but people who are passionate about education and who have good plans on how to reshapen our educational sector should be chosen to lead. Qualified lecturers should be employed to take the university forward. Those who are found guilty of having a hand in running OOU down should be dismissed.

God bless OOU!

God bless Ogun State!!

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

By Ogunjimi James Taiwo
08134319591
hullerj@yahoo.com