PMB: Need for Public Swagger

PMB Addressing the United Nation's 70th Assembly

 

PMB [President Muhammadu Buhari] has been described as no-nonsense, a man of integrity, and honesty. One description that may not fit the president is 'he got swagger'. Swagger; colloquially called 'swag' is a term denoting a person's carriage, confidence and articulation - essentially, how a person presents himself or herself to the world. Pardon my 'millennial generation' social speak. But for most of PMB's foreign trip, especially to the west, the President has not really put his stamp of authority on anything yet. Nigerians are not sure of any foreign policy thrust, assuming we have one. All that has transpired so far are series of beggarly interactions and strange gaffs; especially the American visits - both to the country itself and to the UN assembly.

During his tenure, as head of state, in the mid-eighties, PMB was shielded from his current exposures because the government was more focused on internal problems. The government treated western countries as equals. The Buhari/Idiagbon government actually stared down Britain in the famous reciprocal airplane grounding scandal. They attempted to package a bag of corruption in the person of late Umaru Dikko back to Nigeria without success and every Nigerian felt the impact of governance. You always knew where you stood with the government and traditional rulers were put in their place.

Today, PMB is more like fish out of water and he has done himself more harm by delaying federal appointments to handle the affairs of state. Most ministries are practically grounded because ministers have not been appointed and funds have not been released. Most federal institutions are waiting for policies and directives so they can take off, but nothing is forthcoming from the 'man of the people'. PMB has said he wants to 'get it right' the first time, but he needs not get it right - just throw out what is wrong.

The effects of delays in ministerial appointments before major contact with the outside world were one of the reasons why the US visit did not yield the immediate anticipated results. Foreign governments need institutions responsible for policy implementation to deal with directly. But the president and his entourage appear content with being first to stay at Blair House in Washington DC instead of achieving concrete agreements regarding the economy and security - then of course there was the gaffe about '5%/95% voters' and access to government favors. The recent UN general assembly meeting exposed several loopholes in the nation's ability to organize and present itself to the outside world. Protocol, presentation, planning and preparation were either lacking or deficient - probably because there was no foreign affairs minister in place to handle details. PMB found himself led to wrong entrance doors, being late for meetings, missing meetings, stranded at buffets and finally talking to a depleted hall. The man should have stayed at home wallahi tallahi. 

PMB needs to get his 'swag on' without arrogance. We want him to succeed and make Nigeria great again. He said Nigeria is a great country in chains more than thirty years ago. Obviously, the chain is still keeping us down; and now PMB has a good opportunity to remove the chains completely - not just loosen it. We want other nations to respect PMB for his grasp of issues, ability to articulate them and establishing Nigeria as a true nation. His public swagger is sure to help.

  

"Its not what you do - its how you do it"

One more thing: 

It appears Nigerians will need to wait for longer before ministers are announced see: http://saharareporters.com/2015/09/30/nigerians-express-disappointment-september-ends-no-ministers-announced

jrotimibgood@gmail.com

Pastors and Jets: A Predictable Evolution 

Prominent Nigerian Pastors

The purchase of private jets, and in some cases; formation of private luxury airlines is nothing new, but in Nigeria, the peculiarity rests on the fact that some of the current jet-league members are renowned priests.  These men [only men do it for now] are sometimes called 'men of God' to differentiate them from other mortals who obviously are less favoured by the most high. According to observable, current, Pentecostal paradigm, earthly blessings seems to flow in one direction: towards the 'man of God'.

A couple of these ecclesiastic potentates were recently rumoured to have acquired expensive personal airplanes. And some members of the public appear incensed, claiming such opulence ran contrary to the teachings of Christ whose ministry was dedicated to the poor and their needs. Some people contend that because Jesus sacrificially lived and died poor; those in charge of propagating His teachings ought to do the same today. But a cursory examination of the history of the Church would upend any illusion that Christ-like philosophies are still extant or prevalent today. 

The Church, in the first century of its existence, probably tried to remain faithful to the true doctrines of Christ because some of the leaders personally knew and believed in Jesus firsthand. These initial acolytes of Jesus spread the gospel with fervour and they succeeded in giving hope to many of the poor and ostracized - normally the majority in most societies. Because these preachers of the gospel condemned idolatry, and encouraged the people to become disloyal to the established religious order of the day they became marked men - and persecution of Christians was rampant.  These intolerance of Christianity in its first years forced members to practice their religion in secret. In those days, you have to be sincere in order to be a Christian, because you could be killed or imprisoned for your beliefs. 

Everything changed with the emergence of Emperor Constantine, who helped in passing the Edict of Milan in 313AD after his somewhat inexplicable embrace of Christianity. The edict encouraged tolerance for the new religion. With this masterstroke, Constantine assumed Christian leadership, galvanized his army for war and the emergence of Christianity as a privileged religion in Roman society. With the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion came the establishment of ecclesiastic hierarchy and smoothing of the finer points of belief. This led to the council of Nicaea meeting in 325AD where Christian leaders established the basic doctrines of Christianity. The intervention of Constantine on behalf of Christianity changed its face forever. It is however ironic that during the so-called dark ages, the formerly oppressed Christians, presided over the oppression of members of the society by instituting murderous inquisitions in the European Christian world.  

Having tasted money and power over the centuries it was easy for the priesthood to equate the riches acquired along the way with Christian success. With subsequent evolution and adoption of a material acquisition subtheme for Christianity, it was easier to manage the flock. A story was told of a monk, walking in on the Pope one day, and met him counting money. The Pope looked up from what he was doing and declared "The Church cannot afford to say, silver and gold have I none". The monk thought for a moment and replied, "Neither can it say rise up and walk". One of the lone voices that tried to bring the Church back to its roots was St Francis of Assisi, but his admonitions were barely acknowledged. 

The current wave of so-called "prosperity preaching" started in the United States, or at least was perfected there. Obviously, if the Priest is unable or unwilling to demonstrate the power of Christianity in spiritual terms, material possessions become a tangible and relatable substitute for the teeming masses. 

In Nigeria, there appears to be some competition as to which congregation can show off its riches best - just like the rest of society. The acquisition of airplanes by our priests should therefore be examined in the proper light. It is an attempt at redefining the humble message of Christ to suit the present greed of a global capitalist system that has no place for the poor. And the rather close relationship between rulers [in Nigeria and elsewhere] and the priesthood sets the poor up for spiritual and temporal deceit. 

“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression...will vanish.” - Thomas Jefferson

jrotimibgood@gmail.com

Boko Haram: An Inside Job with outside help

The army, under PMB, is once again openly admitting that Boko Haram is not a rag-tag group of insurgents without any real aim or objectives, but a useful shock troop unleashed by obscure northern elements to achieve nefarious ends. An army spokesman has just revealed what any right-thinking Nigerian would have concluded long ago. The Boko Haram insurgency was, and continues to be, an inside job with a lot of outside help. 

Former President Jonathan told Nigerians that supporters of Boko Haram included highly placed government officials, but appeared powerless to expose them. Today, the army spokesman; Colonel Usman, claimed that there were some 'highly placed' individuals in the north east, particularly in Borno state, who are interested in prolonging the Boko Haram insurgency for 'selfish interests' by sabotaging military plans to end it. But if they are interested in prolonging it, they must have had a hand in starting it, abi? Indeed.  But like all 'official' pronouncements by those in charge of interfacing with the public in Nigeria, the spokesman hid far more than he revealed. 

Neither the identity nor reasons why these 'elites' were sabotaging the army were revealed - although the army knew enough about them working in concert with some 'non-governmental' agencies. But if these unpatriotic pieces of garbage were doing everything in their power to make sure Nigerians are killed, maimed and entire villages razed to the ground, is it not proper to expose them and destroy them also? Why the secrecy or protection for those who have rendered most of northeastern Nigeria a war zone for six years? If these people are known, or even suspected, why not round the bastards up and apologize later if found innocent? Another issue that is unclear was that, nothing of the benefits accruing to the so-called elites was revealed.  What are these 'elites' currently gaining and what do they hope to gain in prolonging the insurgency?

The army appears to have so much information on these elites; including their consultation with marabouts, clandestine meetings and deliberate false campaigns to discredit the military. But curiously, the spokesman appeared unsure of their identity by a deft generalization thus; “…therefore, such individuals and groups should be warned in unmistakable terms that anyone found would be dealt with accordingly" - I thought they had been found or are known already! The mischief and unseriousness of government and its officials when something of national emergency is happening knows no bounds - there is always room for sacred cows. Before making official statements of identifying 'highly placed individuals' as responsible for trying to prolong something as serious as the Boko Haram insurgency it is only proper to have your facts ready. In more advanced climes, the spokesman would have called a press conference so that pertinent questions can be asked, instead of issuing sensational statements that gets us no closer to the truth.

It is obvious that the real powers behind Boko Haram are known. But have been officially pampered [for some reason] for more than six years while innocent Nigerians wait in vain for true leadership. It can also be concluded that what we have as democracy is a feudal-fascist oligarchy that decides whether we live as men or die like animals. Their preference is obvious.

Fulani Cattlemen: Tradition Versus Reality in An Unjust Country

                                             Fulani herdsman with cattle

 

Probably not a week passes in Nigeria, without news of Fulani herdsmen's wanton disregard for lives and property. Fulani herdsmen, who appear to have grown sophisticated, by acquiring modern weapons, kill without mercy and sometimes burn down whole villages in well-coordinated revenge missions. If your picture of the Fulani is that of a harmless, simple, strangely attired youth with radio to the ear, and rod across the shoulder, you are wrong. These guys travel with Kalashnikovs these days and are not afraid to use it. They have caused untold havoc in the mainly Christian areas of the north [southern Kaduna, Plateau, Benue and Taraba states]. Southern states such as Enugu, Oyo and Ogun have also been affected as well. The common trend is that, cows are deliberately allowed to graze on cultivated lands, and when challenged, cattlemen respond with ruthless brutality. In Nigeria, in this century, given how much research and knowledge abounds about grazing reserves or creation of cattle ranches, it is strange that the barbarism of cattle herders still exists.

A few of days ago, Chief Olu Falae, a respected former state official and his workers were crudely beaten and Falae abducted from his farm with a reported 100 million Naira demanded for his release. Now, Ondo state lies far away, from where you would commonly expect a Fulani man to graze his cattle and pretend to own the land. But obviously, the ubiquity of this itinerant menace is total. Successive governments in Nigeria have been reticent or permissive of marauding Fulani cattlemen and their murderous antics on settled populations. They have been implicated as readily available stormtroopers in the jihadist subjugation of indigenous populations, particularly in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue states. As at today, there are still frequent clashes and whole-scale killings perpetrated by Fulani cattlemen on weak, isolated, indigenous populations in these states. Naturally, one would expect government officials from these states to champion the cause of their people at the national level, but because they eat at the same table with Hausa-Fulani oligarchs in government, they pretend all is well and are afraid of speaking out - or at best, ask their people to forgive their enemies! Though it is speculated that the Fulani cattlemen who attacked Falae and his workers were merely acting as hatchet men for some other sinister forces, the message of the attack was clear - the Fulani man owns the land and Chief Falae was in the way. Who knows where the money being asked for would end up? With Boko Haram?

At the inception of the present government, a group of northern governors convened a rescue mission for stolen cattle and later boasted of recovering thousands of cattle from thieves in Kaduna state. This showed the extent of power and influence of the cattle rearing population in the affairs of the country [Miyetti Allah anyone?]. Considering the seriousness the effort received; at both state and federal level, so early in the administration, you will think cattle rustling was a more serious problem facing the country than health, education and provision of basic infrastructure for Nigerians. For good measure, nothing was said about the concerns of long-suffering farmers who provide the bulk of the food consumed by Nigerians using methods that were obsolete more than three hundred years ago. 

Historically, there are known cattle routes known locally as labi, but probably because of the sparser population in the past, there was no significant contact with settled farmers. But with increase in population and the need to grow more food, it was inevitable that cattle routes and farmlands are bound to cross each other. However, the potential conflicts that could result between farmers and cattlemen should have been foreseen and laws put in place to limit them. As far as the Fulani cattle-herders are concerned, the cattle routes are non-negotiable, at least not for something as trifling as farmlands, because their ancestors used the same routes and the animals are Naira on hooves. A Fulani man once suggested that his people own the right to all 'grazing lands' [forget the people] from Sudan to Cameroun and beyond. 

It is obvious, that these men do not understand the limitations of state borders - or what respect for the rights of others entails. The Fulani also have the 'good fortune' of being pampered because their kinsmen dominate the socio-political paradigm of the countries some of them call home.  It is therefore difficult to change their perception without a vigorous pursuit of a more equitable and forceful implementation of land use laws that protects the rights of everyone - irrespective of what ancestral scars blights their present sense of justice.

Other news: 

 The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has been dragged to the code of conduct bureau on charges of falsifying asset declaration forms as governor of Kwara state, see [here] But like all so-called investigations; for every Saraki there are probably twenty more guilty parties left untouched because they have not or are unable to upset the apple cart. Saraki himself said it was vendetta against him by those uncomfortable with his emergence as senate president. He plead not guilty to all charges while investigations continue.

                                            Dr Bukola Saraki: Nigeria's Senate President