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Dapchi 110: The tragedy of a nation – Reuben Abati

Published

7 years ago

March 3, 2018

Karma is a bitch. Poetic justice is a bastard. Both have combined to wrong-foot the incumbent Buhari administration to make it look like a big mistake and an act of misjudgment by the Nigerian electorate. If Buhari had been disallowed from taking power in 2015, and those who advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to give a damn had their way, and Jonathan had remained in power and all the current problems had surfaced, it would have been said by Nigerians that Goodluck Jonathan truncated Nigeria’s destiny.

In 2015, the refrain, which was reaffirmed recently by those who authored it, was that Nigeria could only move forward with anybody but Jonathan. If Buhari was prevented from taking over power, Nigerians would have been very aggressive towards the Jonathan administration. It would have been said that the messiah was robbed of victory. It would have been argued that the man who would have saved Nigeria was prevented from doing so. It might have even been argued that under General Buhari, Nigeria could have become the greatest country on the surface of the earth.

Such was the impact of the propaganda. Such was the nature of the politics of the time. The Buharideens would never have allowed a post-2015 Jonathan government to work. Even if it did, the opposition would have imagined a greater possibility. But here we are, three years down the line: the messianic propaganda has failed. Their Saviour is not the Jesus Christ they imagined him to be. The country remains unsaved. Their promise of change has been no more than scaremongering. When the question is asked: are you better today than you were three years ago?, no ordinary Nigerian can answer that question positively: change has brought him or her nothing but agony and anguish.

Should they offer an answer, it would be a response marked by regret. The biggest tragedy that has occurred therefore is the demystification, the unmasking, the unveiling of a man who was thought to be a god but who has since danced naked and is dancing naked in the market-place. Strikingly, the Emperor is without clothes. Some of the most vociferous critics of old have also been exposed. Nasir el-Rufai deployed all the heights of his intelligence to demonise the Jonathan government on social media. No one else has been able to match the quality of his vitriol. Today, the same Nasir is busy demolishing the houses of anyone who dares to make a negative comment about him, or he takes them to court and threatens them with Armageddon. The same rights that he demanded for the Nigerian people, he now tramples upon.

There was also our beloved kinsman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He was the scourge of the Jonathan administration. He could issue five anti-establishment press statements in a day. There has been no one like him in Nigerian history doing the job of opposition spokesman. He was ruthlessly efficient. Nobody in the current opposition parties has demonstrated his capacity as an opposition figure, in part because all the opposition spokesmen have been harassed, blackmailed, dehumanized, and intimidated, but called to do the job, on the other side of the fence as Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed remains a study in self-contradiction. His five minutes of fame in the Nigerian political sphere has since ended.

He used to be creative and dynamic, but now faced with the challenges of the real thing, the only thing that comes out of his mouth is the dumb argument that Goodluck Jonathan is the source of all the problems of Nigeria or similar inanities. When the matter is not so phrased, we are told that the Jonathan administration stole the country blind. And yet whereas the government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) borrowed the sum of N6 trillion over a period of 16 years, the APC government has borrowed more than N11 trillion in 3 years! Is it possible all the oil wells have dried up and Nigeria no longer makes money? What has happened to the country’s revenue stream? The absurdity of the situation is further explained by the fact that when a gas cylinder malfunctions in the house of an APC member or there is a crisis in their other room, the man that is blamed is Goodluck Jonathan or the previous administration. They defend the impossible and the unintelligible. But that trick is no longer working. The other tragedy of the Buhari administration is how it has allowed itself to get involved in a Nigerian version of the popular “one-corner-dance”, a downward, self-denigrating choreographic exertion. The result is that right now, people have now moved from the anything but Jonathan corner to the anything but Buhari corner in Nigerian politics. Karma is a bitch. Poetic justice is a bastard.

Nothing illustrates this better than the title of this essay, the entry into which has been deliberately delayed, to prepare a setting and a mood for the crisis that Nigeria faces. One of the reasons the Nigerian electorate voted out the previous administration was because of its perceived inability to rescue the abducted Chibok girls. There was an international outcry about this. Bring Back the Chibok girls even became the most popular hashtag on international social media, and Jonathan, who had also signed the anti-same-sex bill into law became a villain in the eyes of the international community. The various interested forces, local and global joined hands together to pull down his government.

During the 2015 political campaigns, General Muhammadu Buhari was packaged as a morally upright statesman who would put an end to the impunity of the insurgents and terrorists. Jonathan was considered weak. Buhari was regarded as strong. And so on and so forth- let me just put it like that in order not to be accused of comparison given my own antecedents. But here is where the rub lies: President Buhari has failed the people in their expectations. He has frittered away their goodwill.

He promised Nigerians that Boko Haram will be defeated, and somewhere down the line, we were told the Boko Haram had in fact been “technically defeated.” The President even received a captured flag of the insurgents, together with the personal Quoran of Ibrahim Shekau, the leader of the group. Today, the Boko Haram gang continues to show that they have not been defeated. The Federal Government negotiated with these same insurgents and gave them money to secure the release of over 100 girls, some Boko Haram leaders were released, but the other Monday, Boko Haram abducted over 100 girls in Dapchi in Yobe state. This is sad and tragic. Whatever the government may have gained has been lost. The girls that have been released have been replaced. The fight against Boko Haram is back to square one.

The clay feet of those who thought they knew better than everyone else has thus been exposed. For President Buhari, this must be a personal tragedy. His strongest promoters indeed believed that under his watch, the problem of insecurity will be solved. But under him, more money has been spent on national security, with poor results, and the security situation has only worsened. The previous government had the Boko Haram to deal with, this government has its cup full: the herdsmen-farmers conflict, the low level insurgency in the Niger Delta, the crisis of self-determination in the Eastern region, the nationwide proliferation of small arms and ammunition, the notorious Boko Haram and the angst of a disappointed public. On all fronts, the government is found wanting.

Yes, it has been found wanting and in a suspicious manner too. It is in fact curious that security forces were withdrawn in volatile areas of Benue state, just a week before the criminal herdsmen struck. Who ordered that withdrawal? The Inspector-General of Police has also reportedly withdrawn the Special Forces sent to secure the same areas. The Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom is so incensed he is now saying he is willing and ready to pay the supreme sacrifice for his people. In Yobe state, soldiers were also withdrawn from high-risk areas just before the Dapchi 110 were abducted. The military has since defended itself. It has no capacity its spokesman says, to protect all schools in the Northern part of the country. And we can’t blame the military, can we? It is a sign of the calamity that the country faces that soldiers are the ones now protecting virtually every inch of the Nigerian space, internally and externally. Our soldiers are tired and overstretched, over-used and over-abused. The police are also similarly overwhelmed. It has never been this bad. Fact: the government of the day has been humbled. I once argued that Nigeria is a very difficult country to govern but when you claim to know it all, you are bound to face the contradictions. Every problem solved generates other problems.

People choose their governments and leaders because they believe they can lead and protect them. When that trust is betrayed, the legitimacy of the government is in question. In more than 20 states, salaries have not been paid for months. And it is a stupid point to say that the previous government stole all the money. How about all the money that has been earned and borrowed since then? Missing? What is responsible really for this drift, this cluelessness, this self-abuse, from a know-it-all team that took over Nigeria in 2015? My other concern is that beyond all the propaganda and the hypocrisy and blackmail, President Buhari’s team may not really love him at all; they may in fact have truly, set him up for his downfall. Buhari’s biggest stake is the legacy he leaves behind. The little I see of that legacy is not good at all. I once published a piece in which I alleged that Nigerians had hopped into a one-chance bus; I want to modify that and add that it is actually President Buhari who boarded a one-chance bus, and for that he has my heartfelt sympathy. Whatever bus brought him to power is a one-chance bus.

What has happened so far merely vindicates the Olusegun Obasanjo and Oby Ezekwesili groups. The former is asking for a Third Force, a Coalition of powers and forces. The other is wielding a Red Card. Both are united in this regard: they consider the two political parties that have ruled Nigeria since 1999, useless and ineffectual. They want a new dawn for Nigeria. They want a discontinuity of hypocrisy and opportunism. They acknowledge one significant point: that Nigeria has remained at one spot. Nothing has changed, the change agenda has failed, everything remains the same. Whether these groups are able to achieve, or motivate the real change the people desire is another matter, but the honesty with which they have reversed themselves is telling, and good for our democracy. You need not raise the point that both Obasanjo and Ezekwesili belong to the same elite that they now repudiate.

I sympathise with the parents of the Dapchi 110. It is sad that their only hope is in God, and the possibility of a miracle. Students get killed in the United States, due to gun possession issues in a psychotic society, but to send a child to school and have him or her abducted by terrorists is the grievous pain ever possible in Nigeria. What is clear is that the Nigerian leadership elite has failed the people. This is not a political party matter; it is about capacity, political will, leadership and commitment. This is probably why a body of opinion has developed to the effect that the two major political parties in the country – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have both failed the country. But can extant or any political parties, in their present shape, save Nigeria? I doubt, and that is my thoroughly non-partisan opinion.

The political party system in Nigeria has to be rebuilt, reformed and reconstructed. Beyond that, we need a new crop of leaders. The solution may not lie with Obasanjo or Ezekwesili or the Nigeria Intervention Movement but they have thrown up ideas about the national dilemma that cannot be ignored. Such ideas cannot be ignored because the biggest victims are not the ten per-centers or the men and women in high places who succeed not through talent or excellence, but mere opportunistic “faith”; the victims are young Nigerians, the same people we call the leaders of tomorrow – that tomorrow is already postponed, because that generation of the future is led by analogue leaders whose glory is trapped in the past. Nigeria needs to rescue tomorrow from the past and the present. Nigeria needs fresh energy, new ideas and a leadership revolution. Wherever they may be, may God protect the Dapchi 110, who have been failed by the Nigerian state. If Buhari rescues them, he may well succeed in rescuing his government a little from the devastating and ruthless onslaught of poetic justice.

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Celebrating Sir Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje At 60 By Jimmy Enyeh

Published

3 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Celebrating Sir Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje At 60 By Jimmy Enyeh

Majority of Deltans are unanimous in their submissions that the name of
Sir Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje, a celebrated top civil servant and retired permanent secretary in Delta State Government House has been recorded in the good side of history.

As he clocked 60 today, family members, friends, associates and well wishers have been falling over themselves to pay tribute to a kind hearted and jolly good fellow.

Edwin, a scion of the famous Gbegbaje family in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, a family noted for producing top bureaucrats and influential public servants.

For 35 years until he retired in January 2024, he added values to Delta State civil service, deepening its positive nuances and was one of the people that nurtured the civil service of the young state upon creation in 1991 to its now enviable heights, setting it along with others on a trajectory that has made it one of the best in the country.

Gbegbaje’s story is far from the proverbial rags-to-riches . He was born into comfort and high society, but suddenly lost his affluent parents in his first and third years at the University of Jos, but with good counsel and guidance of relatives who were bureaucrats, Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje made a career choice that saw him becoming a permanent secretary at 46, a very rare feat in those days.

In an interview conducted three years ago to celebrate his 57 years, he offered a glimpse into his life, challenges and triumph. “I come from the larger Gbegbaje family in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State. We have quite several branches of the genealogical tree. We have the Abesan. The patriarch of the family is Chief Gbegbaje Dasone.

“We have Oloyo Gbegbaje and Ogidi Gbegbaje. My parents were civil servants like myself. My mum was a social welfare officer who rose through the ranks.During the late Ambrose Ali administration in Bendel State, she was appointed permanent secretary. My father was a medical doctor.

“He was the first radiologist in the defunct Bendel State and second in the country. My father was the chief consultant radiologist in Bendel State. I also have an uncle, Mr. K Gbegbaje who was a permanent secretary. When he retired, he became the Chairman of Bendel State Civil Service Commission. I have an uncle who was the first Accountant-General of Kwara State. He was in the northern civil service in the 60s.He later became Chairman of National Oil. I am from a family of bureaucrats. I attended Emotan Primary School in Benin.

“I proceeded to Edo College. When I left Edo College, I had the desire to leave Benin. Even when I was admitted into UNIBEN to study Economics and Statistics, I wasn’t enthusiastic. So, I got admission to study Political Science in Jos in 1981. Prof Emovon from UNIBEN was the Vice-Chancellor in Jos at the time. As I was entering, Jos ceased being a campus of the University of Ibadan. I was there from 1981 -1985. I graduated before my 21st birthday.

“Unfortunately, I lost my dad as I was entering the university in 1981. When I was just getting into my third year, I lost my mum.

It wasn’t easy being the eldest among my siblings. In fact, I was encouraged to come for Christmas holiday in Benin without knowing that the evening of my arrival in Benin was the period of my mum’s service of songs.

“I didn’t have an inkling that such a thing had happened. I didn’t even hear that she was ill. I was shocked when I saw canopies in my compound at Ovie Whiskey Avenue close to Ekhewan Campus. A prominent Jos-based businessman from Ughelli encouraged me to visit home for Christmas.

“I graduated in 1985 and taught at a secondary school in Iko-Eket, Cross River State. Just as I was finishing, there were some advertisements for jobs. I didn’t see the one for NNPC early enough.Towards the end of 1988, my uncle who was the Chairman of Bendel State Civil Service Commission, said since I couldn’t get a private sector job, I should participate in extended interviews, especially since I had sat for ASCON examination.

“He advised me to start a career in the civil service. By the end of 1988, letters of appointment were out. I wasn’t conscious of the fact that the person who resumes first becomes the senior in service. I didn’t resume early. My uncle said I was supposed to have resumed instead of waiting to resume in the New Year. A few of my friends who were conscious of it had resumed and they became my seniors in service. I resumed on January 3, 1989.

“That was how my career started. We were supposed to come in as administrative officers Grade 7, but at that time there was a decree. So, by the time we came in, we were designated as personnel officers. We were regarded as the special class.

“Upon the creation of Delta State on August 27, 1991, we all had to move to Asaba. In fact, the movement was swift.
We were all not fully prepared for the swift movement. There was a surge of human beings into Asaba with the state creation. A lot of us couldn’t get accommodation in Asaba when we came. In fact, I stayed in Ibusa for nine years. It was when I met my wife that we moved to Asaba. A lot of my colleagues were sleeping in the offices then.

On his retirement, the Delta State governor praised Gbegbaje’s contribution to the growth of the state.

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, at the retirement thanks-giving service of Gbegbaje, urged civil servants in the state to emulate his virtues.

Speaking at a grand reception in honour of the celebrant at the Events Centre, Asaba, Governor Oborevwori described Ogidi-Gbegbaje as an intelligent, humble, diligent, transparent, process driven, selfless, accountable and compassionate bureaucrat.

While congratulating the retired Permanent Secretary for his diligent and patriotic service to the state, Oborevwori said Ogidi-Gbegbaje was very helpful in the last seven months of his administration.

According to him, “a lot has been said about Sir Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje and I also have a personal experience about him while I was Speaker and in the last seven months as Governor of Delta State, we have worked very closely and he helped me to settle down quickly.

“Sir Ogidi-Gbegbaje played his role very well, he is diligent in his duties and was always giving good and useful advise wherever he worked.

“Your service to humanity is something worth emulating and I must say that I enjoyed working with you. I congratulate you for 35 years of unblemished and meritorious service to the government and people of Delta State.

“We are going to miss you, the civil service will miss you, the machinery of government will miss you, you are retired but you are not tired, and your service is still needed.

“I want other civil servants to emulate your commitment to duty. So my message to other civil servants is that they should emulate Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje.

“If you look at his journey in the civil service from Bendel to Delta, you see his commitment to duty. Today, he has finished strong and we rejoice with him and his family”.

Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Information, Professor Sam Oyovbaire, congratulated the celebrant for a successful retirement from service and urged other civil servants to emulate his kind virtues and commitment to duty.

From all indications, Edwin Ogidi-Gbagbaje is worth celebrating, he has touched numerous lives in the last six decades.

At the cusp of his 60th anniversary, the social and the civil service landscapes pulse with milestones he has achieved thus reasserting his worth as a rare force of nature. As family and friends join him in celebrating his 60th birthday, the image that pops into head is that of his genius and the passionate intensity he possesses, literally squizing water from stone as far as the public service is concerned. His brilliant performance as a permanent secretary, Delta State Government House, has earned him another appointment. He is currently the Chairman, Delta State Bureau for Pension and has been giving a splendid account of himself.

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“In All Life’s Hardships, Keep Your Smile” By Prudent Ludidi

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Sahara Weekly

“In All Life’s Hardships, Keep Your Smile” By Prudent Ludidi

Let’s talk about a powerful tool that can help you navigate life’s challenges with confidence, resilience, and hope. That tool is your smile.

Life can be tough. It can throw us curveballs, test our resolve, and push us to our limits. But in the midst of hardship, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters. We forget to smile, forget to laugh, and forget to live.

Your smile is more than just a facial expression. It’s a symbol of strength, courage, and determination. It’s a beacon of hope that shines brightly, even in the darkest moments.

When life gets tough, it’s tempting to frown, to cry, or to give up. But I urge you to do the opposite. Smile. Smile through the tears, smile through the pain, and smile through the struggles.

Smiling doesn’t mean you’re ignoring your problems or pretending everything is okay. It means you’re choosing to rise above, to find the silver lining, and to focus on the good.

Your smile has the power to transform your mindset, inspire others, diffuse tension, and heal emotional wounds. It’s a powerful antidote to stress, anxiety, and fear.

Think about it. When was the last time you smiled? Really smiled? Not just a polite smile or a forced grin, but a genuine, heartwarming smile?

Smiling can:

Reduce stress and anxiety
Boost your mood and energy
Improve your relationships
Increase your resilience

So, how can you keep your smile shining bright, even in the face of adversity?

Find the humor in difficult situations. Laughter is a powerful way to shift your perspective and lighten the load.

Practice gratitude daily. Focus on the good things in your life, no matter how small they may seem.

Surround yourself with positivity. Spend time with people who uplift and support you.

Take care of your physical and mental well-being. Get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and prioritize self-care.

Remember, your smile is contagious. It can light up a room, brighten someone’s day, and change the atmosphere.

In all life’s hardships, keep your smile. It’s a reminder that better days are ahead, that you’re stronger than you think, and that you’re not alone.

Your smile is your superpower. Use it to overcome obstacles, to uplift others, and to create a ripple effect of joy and positivity.

Don’t let life’s challenges steal your smile. Keep shining, keep smiling, and keep pushing forward.

You are stronger than you think.

You are braver than you feel.

And you are capable of overcoming anything that comes your way.

So, smile. Smile with confidence. Smile with courage. Smile with hope!

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Lagos State’s Stability is a Barometer for Nigeria’s Stability – Amb. Tukur Buratai

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Lagos State’s Stability is a Barometer for Nigeria’s Stability – Amb. Tukur Buratai

The Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS, Nigerian Army) and Former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Ambassador (Lt General rtd) Tukur Yusufu Buratai, CFR has said that Lagos State has all the qualifications of a modern city and is one of the most populated cities in Sub – Saharan Africa. He went further to affirm that Lagos is also indicative of the degree to which Nigeria’s economic, political, social, and cultural landscape is deeply embedded within the global system.

He made this assertion on Wednesday 20th November, 2024 as the keynote Speaker at the Second Edition of the Lagos State University of Education Security Summit, with the theme: Insecurity, Cost of Living and Good Governance in the 21st Century.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai, while delivering the lecture in a paper titled: Lagos in Nigeria’s National Security and Defence Architecture: An Analysis.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai postulated in his paper that, “The presence of strategic military installations, the verse Atlantic Ocean and extensive coastline has placed Lagos State on the strategic defense map of the Armed Forces of Nigeria”, He said further that, ” While the sea provides a strategic economic status it could also be vulnerable to external attacks across the ocean”.

In his paper, Ambassador Tukur Buratai reiterated that the Lagos State government should begin to look at the options and implications of having its own security.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai also emphasized the urgent necessity to bolster our nation’s troop level to 800,000. He said a larger and more robust force will enhance operational readiness, improve our country’s capacity to respond to various contingencies, and strengthen our alliance on the international stage.

He also called for the establishment of a Marine Corps for the Nigerian Navy to be strategically stationed in key regions such as Lagos, Borno, Cross River, and Port Harcourt.

He also raised the pressing issue of the persistent lack of stable power supply in Lagos. He asserted that the Lagos State Government must urgently prioritize the development of independent power generation.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai also lauded the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s strategy regarding security in Lagos, which provides an example for governor’s throughout Nigeria. He said the governor recognizes that genuine security transcends mere physical presence or reactive measures. He commended the governor’s innovative approach, which has redefined the urban governance, and has also set a benchmark for other states to follow.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai also recalled that during his tenure as the Chief of Army Staff, he had the distinct privilege of witnessing the fruitful collaboration between the Nigerian Army and Lagos State under the leadership of Former Governor Ambode and now Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Ambassador Buratai, during the lecture, also appluaded the Lagos State Government on its infrastructural development in Lagos State, especially the Red and Blue Railway lines.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai also commended the Federal Government interventions in the development of Lagos State, while applauding the construction of the Lagos to Calabar Highway, he adviced the Lagos State and Federal Government on the security implications of opening up the high way, he suggested to the government to be proactive by early planning for its security when opened and becomes operational.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University of Education, Prof B. B Lafiaji-Okuneye welcomed Ambassador Tukur Buratai to the institution. In her words, she said, ” The great warlord and global peace ambassador is visiting our great institution for the first time. Sir, we appreciate you and what you stand for. Your desire for a Nigeria that is peaceful and safe, where the citizens and residents are free and are given every opportunity to prove their worth and contribute to the growth and development of the nation is evident “.

While making his contribution during the summit, the Commissioner of Tertiary Education, Lagos State, appreciated and commended Ambassador Buratai for adding value to the security summit and more importantly adding value to the Lagos State University of Education. The Commissioner also drew the attention of the participants of the summit to parts of Ambassador Buratai’s paper, where he elaborated on the strategy of social inclusiveness rather than the use of force to curb insecurity.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Barr Tolani Sule on behalf of the Lagos State University of Education, presented a Plague of Honour to Ambassador Buratai for his role in nation building.

Other discussant at the Summit included, HRM, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, (Arolugbade 11, the Oloja of Epe Land and the Vice Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs), HRM, Oba Momodu Afolabi Ashafa ( The Aladi of Ijanikin Kingdom), HRM, Oba (Dr) Aina Josiah Olanrewaju ( IKUYAMIKU 1, the Oloto of Oto Awori Kingdom) and HRH, Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja JP ( ALADESHOYIN, the Paramount Ruler of Odo – Noforija Kingdom), all of whom spoke on the theme :Insecurity, Cost of Living and Good Governance in the 21st Century.

The event which was attended by various Traditional Rulers, Members of the Governing Council and Senate of the Institution, the Commissioner of Tertiary Education in Lagos State, Barr Tolani Sule, Captain of Industries, Security and Para Military Chiefs in Lagos State, various invited guests and the students.

Ambassador Tukur Buratai’s delegation to the summit included, Lt General Lamidi Adeosun (rtd), Former Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Army, Colonel Emmanuel Adegbola (rtd), Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi, Alhaja Toyyibat Adeosun, Alhaji Isa Dogo amongst others.