Occupy Nigeria: Sustaining the momentum

The fuel subsidy protests have come and gone. The dead have probably been buried, with only the pain, deeply etched on the heart of mothers, siblings and others connected to the deceased, left to mark their passing. Whatever the circumstance of their passing, the sacrifice of those martyrs that fell to the bullets of their own police force is great; greater even, than many may care to know. For upon the blood of these ones, Nigerians laid a foundation for a future that may well be bright.

While death, injury and perhaps permanent handicap to some victims can be said to be prominent among the things that the Occupy Nigeria Movement would be remembered for, they are by no means the only ones.
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What Mr President should do

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I have always felt Goodluck Ebele Jonathan might be the wrong sort of president for Nigeria.

The peculiarities of the Nigerian experience, I felt, are too diverse and complex to be left in the care of a man whose past experiences show that he lacks the kind of strong will leadership of a country like Nigeria so clearly needs.

My misgiving about the man and his antecedents was shared by many, but our numbers were not enough to keep him from winning a largely free and fair election.

Those misgivings of mine have proven to be justified, as he seems not to realise the enormous power he wields as president of a regional super power. He has tried to act, but only succeeds in appearing more helpless to stop Nigeria’s gradual slide to anarchy.

Truth be told, President Jonathan did not cause much of the problem he is saddled with now. It has been said that the man means well for the country and has himself said it is his desire to leave the country better than he met it. He has even, a first for Nigeria, declared that he will not run for a second term.

Perhaps the man may go on to become successful as a president all the same; perhaps his self-professed good intentions will become clear to Nigerians. While all that reside in the realm of speculation, what is clear is that Nigerians are largely unhappy with their president.

Even those who still hang on to the notion of him being a messiah with a divine mandate to rescue Nigeria feel Goodluck Jonathan is missing in action, though they believe his failure for effective leadership stems from the fact that he had surrounded himself with the wrong sort of people.

On Friday, January 20, 2012, Boko Haram fighters overran Kano and held the ancient city to ransom for hours on end. They killed hundreds, destroyed properties, threw the populace into a heightened state of panic and disappeared.

The attack was a new angle to the ever-shifting Boko Haram mode of operation, a new vista of the reach and bloodlust of a sect whose insurgency have been said to have started as a localised conflict between them and allegedly heavy-handed police officers.

While it would not be right to blame the president for the acts of a sect that has defied coherent definition and who have rebuffed every call for dialogue, it is right to blame him for not doing enough to safeguard Nigerians within the borders of a country that is the regional power broker.

Why him? Some may ask.

Well, because he is the president and the buck stops smack on his extra-large desk.

So far, Jonathan’s media managers have made a very big mess of the simple job of reading the mood of the nation and making sure the president understands it and articulates the right kind of response. Perhaps they misunderstand the issues themselves or are still caught up in that stale system of governance that underestimates the intelligence quotient of the average Nigerian.

Examples of these gaffes abound, whether we look at the erstwhile-celebrated presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati’s insult in the face of the Kano carnage (“seven people dead” he said, when the body count is in hundreds) or the attempt by Information Minister Labaran Maku and co to sell the fuel subsidy bullshit to Nigerians.

I understand what Goodluck Jonathan is facing, maybe just a little but that should suffice here. I know how difficult it is for one to function effectively as a leader when people who feel they are your superior intellectually and those who may have played big roles in ensuring your electoral victory surround you. It is worse when the wishes of those “powers” differ from yours and when hurting them may spell more trouble than you can handle.

The president needs to understand that no matter the route he took to get to where he is now, no matter the role played by any individual, he is there and that is the status quo. The nature of that position places him above everyone else, as he is the lord of the land until the next election. He wields enormous powers; he is in charge and should be seen to be thus. The only people he needs to answer to are the Nigerian people.

Going forward, the president needs to take more proactive measures, seek advice beyond the traditional channels.

He needs to, as a matter of urgency, suspend the Minister for Petroleum and ensure investigations into that rotten-through sector, which remains the mainstay of the Nigerian economy and the centre of corruption.

He needs to start a process that will overhaul the nation’s security apparatus, moving them from job creation agencies to the professional bodies they should rightfully be. Besides there are too many uniforms in Nigeria, all doing the very same thing.

Bottom-line, Nigeria is in dire need of a comprehensive overhaul, and Goodluck Jonathan should be man enough to begin the process. Let us for the first time in its history see Nigeria work right.

This is a version of my article on Jonathan's failings as a leader published by Daily Times Nigeria here
For the raw, uncut and lengthier version, go here

Related articles

• Is Boko Haram Enjoying Goodluck? (olaoluwabimibola.wordpress.com)
• why jonathan will struggle to combat boko haram (africaforinvestormouth.wordpress.com)
• North Nigeria police station overrun in sect attack (ctv.ca)

Mr Goodluck; please be the President!

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I strongly believe that Jonathan's political foes and friends have a hand in what is currently happening across the country. I also believe that the president is making the job of those fighting against his government very easy. Checkout the fuel subsidy debate, where he lost the chance to get Nigerians fully behind him and battle graft to a standstill. Something that had he done, even if only that, would have made him one of the best presidents Nigeria ever had. 


Check out the BH rubbish; where he danced to the tunes of technocrats who kept lying to him that the Nigerian security agencies, already compromised by years of unchecked corruption, can effectively handle the insurgency their heavy-handed approach caused in the first place.


While I condole with the families of the hundreds of Nigerians sent to an early grave by Boko Haram and the Police, I say we do not forget where all these evil stem from: Bad leadership, corruption, poverty and a security force that is seen first as a job creation unit for jobless Nigerians, and where tribe and region plays an important role in ensuring one is recruited.


Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has to be a Nigerian president. He has to stand firm and exude confidence. He needs to wake up to his real responsibility. I don't believe an OBJ or a Buhari would be in this mess now. GEJ appears to respect people he thinks are better than him too much. One time he was differing to Adebayo, another time it was Obama, then Dangote, etc. He needs to realise that he is the PRESIDENT, THE NUMBER ONE. Every other Nigerian, no matter how rich or powerful, is under him and should be subject to his command. He needs to realise that he actually has the power and begin to use it sensibly.


These thoughts are from my facebook post

Related articles

• Boko Haram Leader Vows More Attacks On Christians | Jih@d (theromangate.wordpress.com)
• One Blast Too Many (yomzie.wordpress.com)

Fashola's speech, as the army invaded Lagos

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A full excerpt of the speech as delivered by Babatunde Raji Fashola on military occupation of Lagos state:




Dear Lagosians,


For the past few days, I have monitored the developments related to the public protest against the increase in the pump price of petrol. 


During that period, I have at the invitation of my colleagues in the Governor’s Forum responded to an invitation from the Presidency.


My role since last Monday till date has been to find a ground of compromise that stabilizes the polity, protects our democracy and prevent any loss of lives.


Inspite of these efforts, we were not wholly successful in preventing the loss of the life of a young Nigerian, AdemolaAderinto who was sadly shot. 


I am truly saddened by that ugly development. While I condole with his family, I pledge the commitment of our Government to bring the alleged perpetrator to justice.


I have decided to address you today in view of the very disquieting developments that occurred overnight especially the deployment of soldiers across Lagos.


I have the highest respect for members of our military, especially because they have made a contract with all of us that they will willingly lay down their lives whenever it becomes necessary to do so, in order to protect us.


This covenant is instructive, because soldiers did not sign up to stop us from expressing our grievance about things that we are displeased about.


It is not disputable that the citizens who have gathered in several parts of Lagos like Falomo, Ikorodu and Ojota to mention a few have largely conducted themselves peacefully, singing and dancing while they expressed their displeasure at the way that we have taken decisions that affect them.


That in my view should not offend those of us in Government. The majority of these people who represent diverse interests have not broken any law. If they have, it is my opinion that in a constitutional democracy, it is the police that hasthe responsibility for restoring law and order if civil protests threatens the breach of the peace.


This is not justification for sending out soldiers to a gathering of unarmed citizens. Every one of us, or at least majority of us who hold public office danced and sang before these same people when we were seeking their votes.


Why should we feel irritated when they sing and dance in protest against what we have done?


For me this is not a matter for the military. The sooner we rethink and rescind this decision the better and stronger our democracy will be.


If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and this inevitably may result in political debate.


I therefore urge the reconsideration of the decision to deploy soldiers and implore the President and Commander-in-Chief to direct their withdrawal from our streets, I must also emphasize that the rights of free speech and protest is not absolute. They impose the duty not to break the law, breach the peace, endanger human life or destroy property whether public or private.


They also impose the duty to respect the rights of others not to support our protest and indeed to support what we oppose. At the end of the day, it is a contest of ideas in which the most persuasive will get the endorsement of the majority of the people we serve.


I am convinced that our democracy is mature enough to accommodate this. We must do our best to ensure that it does.


God bless you all.




BabatundeRajiFashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State 


Monday, January 16, 2012

The Inheritors (#occupy Nigeria)

They walk in death's shadow

The evil they should've feared
live within their hearts
Bidding them heed darkness residing inside


The gun is their strength
Through it our is obeisance is obtained
As they rampage through this valley
Before them we stand


Trembling hearts caught
In-between chattering dental
Bladder loosened by fright
Body taut in heartless readiness
waiting for hot lead to strike


Do they not laugh?
Teeth sparkling ever thus
Behind tinted glasses they slyly cough
As hunger pushes us towards them
in servitude


They know not the gods' name
Therefore, beseech them in vain
They hearken only to their hate
That hunger that knows no sate
Their god is money


We know their oppression
Is only for this while
We hoped for death's call
Its call whispered song
For them, not us


Alas, we hoped in vain for
Fate holds back our saving rain
They knew death's name' thus
Planned all along to cheat him
did they


When their progeny return
from across the sea where they're groomed
Away from empty classrooms where
They hoped to keep us blind and doomed
While theirs seek the light


Alcoholics and addicts
Infused with ways foreign
Speaking white tongue whitely
Speaking ours strangely
If they speak at all


Our culture repulses them
Our dances bemuses them
Their roots cut off
Replanted in cities far away


To them it's said our future is given
To carry our flag, write our laws,
Fight our wars, and rule our land.
To them, for who we are
Another piece of inheritance


Our land is bequeathed