By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | April 5, 2014 - Troubling times are here in Nigeria. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina announced on Wednesday, March 25, 2014 a decision of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo: Due to incessant clashes between nomadic Fulani cattle herders and farmers, the Federal Government of Nigeria has decided to set up a committee to work out modalities for establishing grazing reserves “across Nigeria.” Let me state here what the Minister cited as advantages of the grazing reserves; I would add my commentary to each “advantage” cited:

1. He said that grazing reserves would help to check the smuggling of arms and ammunition across Nigerian borders by foreigners who come into the country disguised as cattle grazers.
COMMENTARY: It makes no sense to think that a purely immigration problem can be solved by an internal creation of grazing reserves. In comparative narrative, I see no rational nexus between stopping smuggling in of cocaine and creation of internal cocaine colonies across the country. Don’t you think establishment of such cocaine colonies would rather instigate more smuggling of the substance?

This comparison pointedly illustrates what the government is trying to do. Setting up of grazing reserves “across the country” is certainly not the solution for arms and ammunition smuggling across our borders; it is securing of our borders that will do. If the leadership of immigration and other relevant security agencies has failed to stop smuggling and illegal entrance across our borders then the President should consider a change of leadership. It is outright stupidity to consider removing a rash on the hand by cutting off the hand. The establishment of grazing reserves, which would require taking away of land from indigenous communities, would create more bloody baths across Nigeria. Any government that has failed to secure the borders of a sovereign nation it is mandated to defend is irresponsible.

President Jonathan’s government has established a familiar pattern of handling problems—running away from the obvious solution. For example, it considers complete removal of fuel subsidy as the solution to the abuse of fuel subsidy funds. The government lacks the courage to punish offenders that it refers to as a “cabal”, and has instead decided to punish hapless Nigerians because, in its estimation, they cannot bite. I must warn though, that we the Tiv people will bite. We will not allow grazing reserves for Fulani cattle herders on any inch of Tiv land. Our forebears got us this land as far back as the 18th century AD when there was no Nigeria. And no Nigerian government will take it from us.

Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution provides that a Nigerian by birth must belong to a community indigenous to Nigeria, even though timelines for such inclusivity of communities “indigenous” to Nigeria have not been given (1900, 1914, or 1960?). Accordingly, every Fulani cattle herder who claims to be a Nigerian by birth (and not Chadian, Nigerien, Cameroonian, Senegalese, etc.) must find land in their state of origin (as all Nigerians by birth have them) and establish a grazing reserve there. In fact, their state governments can help them to so do. When some governors in Nigeria established “Sharia law” in their states, they claimed that was what their people wanted, and that it would be restricted to those states. In the same way, if their Fulani herdsmen need grazing reserves they should establish for them within their states and not “across Nigeria.”

The federal government cannot afford throwing up crises by this foolish policy. It is historically evident that nomadic Fulanis are not indigenous to Tivalnd. A Kongo proverbs says: “Your area of influence should only affect the things that concern you, for they say, ‘The community solves community problems.’ “A word is enough for the living!
One of their Emirs, the Lamido of Adamawa, said on Thursday, March 26, 2014, on the floor of the on-going National Conference that his kingdom “extends to Cameroon”, and that he could be easily “assimilated” if he decided to go and reside there. What is the point? The Fulani people in Nigeria see nothing wrong in bringing in cattle herders from other African countries such as Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Senegal, etc., to graze in Nigeria. Establishing grazing reserves across Nigeria for Fulani cattle herders will mean the gradual take-over of land from indigenous communities in Nigeria!

2. Dr. Adesina is reported to have said that “issues such as increasing population of cattle, coupled with influx of foreign cattle from Nigeria’s neighboring countries as well as urbanization, resource degradation, were behind the need for the new government policy.” He said, “We have a rising population of livestock, not only in Nigeria but also from our neighboring countries. A lot of animals are coming in from Chad and several other places leading to a large population that our current capacity cannot cope with.”

COMMENTARY: This statement is one of the most unimaginable statements by a government official on the issue so far. So, Nigeria has decided to make herself the grazing reserves for cattle from other African countries because we are the “Big brother”? This statement is a clear evidence that government is not interested in controlling our borders, at least the northern borders, which have been left porous without security. Tiv people are opposed to their land being used as grazing reserves for Fulani cattle.

We are traditionally farmers. We used to move from place-to-place to farm. But the realities of population increase and competition for land have forced us to adopt modern ways of farming. Should Tiv people also insist that the federal government provide “farming reserves” for Tiv farmers “across Nigeria” in order to stop Tiv people slaughtering and butchering the natives who resist us? Should the Ijaw nomadic fisherman also be provided, through government executive or administrative action, “fishing ground reserves” “across Nigeria” so that they can practice their traditional business of fishing? Should the Igbo trader be provided by the Nigerian government “shopping reserves” “across Nigeria” so that they will do their business? There is always a bigger problem that is created by a “solution” that is not though through.

The Inspector General of Police, himself a Fulani man, spoke in a highly provocative manner few days ago about the slaughter of the Tiv people on their ancestral land by his Fulani brethren. He also said there must be grazing reserves and revival of “grazing routes” for his brethren’s cattle before the attacks on Tiv people and other Nigerian natives would end. In fact, he is so proud of “providing security” for the Tiv people in “their huts and bush houses” that he is relaxed about my people being butchered in spite in those “huts and bush houses” that he “has provided security” for since when the attacks started “ten days ago.” I ask President Jonathan to call this man to order. Tiv people have lost confidence in his ability to help secure Tivland even as the Nigerian Constitution does not allow us to establish our state or community police even though we have the ability and resources to.

We the Tiv people are concerned that the Inspector General of Police, Minister of Defense and National Security Adviser are all traditionally linked to the Fulani herdsmen who attack Tiv people and other Nigerians at will while they stand by with pretentious efforts that have not calmed down the situation. The Benue Commissioner of Police is also a Fulani man; and the murder of Tiv people on their land is going on unabated. I demand, for a start, that the Benue State Commissioner of police should be replaced with a Benue State citizen. We need to be realistic about issues of policing such as community policing, and at least the Commissioner of Police in every state should be an indigene of such states.

Here is the emerging scenario: Fulani herdsmen attack host communities in Nigeria on their ancestral home, dislodging whole communities, and then the Inspector General of Police lends his voice in support of establishing grazing reserves across Nigeria. Not long after, the National Economic Council under the leadership of the Vice President, also of the same cultural affinity with the aggressors, sets up a committee to work out modalities for establishing grazing reserves “across Nigeria” through an executive action that would be unconstitutional.

Section 42 (1) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution states that: “A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person—

Be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.”

If Nigeria is a country of laws; if there is any reason in the corridors of power; and if the Nigerian government does not want to be an accomplish in the pogrom of inestimable proportion that will certainly result from its irrational knee-jerk approach to solving the Fulani aggression and assault on innocent Nigerians, then, the committee that has been set up by government to consider “modalities for establishing grazing reserves across Nigeria” should be quietly stepped down. Such a contemplation is contrary to the constitutional provision cited above. Any executive or administrative action that gives any privilege or advantage to the Fulani cattle herders that is not given to the Tiv farmer, Ijaw fisherman, Igbo trader, etc., is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect, and shall be resisted and opposed by the Tiv people and other Nigerian who feel the same about it. There would be no peace and it cannot be enforced.

It seems to me that the only way to get attention and some form of “compensation” from Nigeria is to show some capacity for violence. The Fulani herdsmen and their government officials such as the Inspector General of Police do not have the monopoly of violence. I must also warn the governor of Nasarawa state, Almakura that he must not work against but rather work toward the return of Tiv people to their ancestral lands in Awe, Doma, and Keana local governments. It is his responsibility to facilitate the peace and security of citizens of his state whom Tiv people of Nasarawa state are part of. We request adequate compensation from the federal government to re-build their destroyed settlements and other destroyed settlements in towns and villages of Benue State that have been destroyed by the Fulani invaders.

I should think that the federal government should be considering re-building the destroyed homes of Tiv people, returning and securing them on their farmlands and homes, and adequate financial compensation for their losses on their ancestral homes, and not to be considering establishing grazing reserves “across Nigeria.” The aggression of the Fulanis has left thousands of Tiv people as refugees in their country. What is the federal government doing? Even a serving Tiv federal minister is technically a refugee since his ancestral home in Guma local government area has been destroyed, including the headquarters of his local government area, Gbajimba; and the federal government is only talking of seizing lands in Nigeria, including Tivland, to establish grazing reserves for the aggressors? Are we being taught now that violence pays? Can the federal government cope with the emergence of another militia group that senses injustice?

We the Tiv people will fight injustice with all we have got, especially, the type that threatens the extinction of our race. We have no other choice. The only thing that gives me an academic claim to the Nigerian nationality is my ethnic group (according to section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution).

All Tiv congress- men and -women at both state and federal levels and delegates at the National Conference must understand that their claim to Nigeria will end with the demise of their Tiv nation. This is a call to duty!
Leonard Karshima Shilgba is a Sad Nationalist (SaN)
TEL: 08055024356; Email: shilgba@yahoo.com

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | June 19, 2014 - Politicians in Nigeria never learn, at least they never learn in time. Nigeria is now divided, not into two parts, but more. Safety of life has become very doubtful. The heart of many Nigerians is becoming calloused with deep-seated anger and hatred in increasing degrees. Disappointment and fear are common emotions on our streets. The man of lawlessness is now in charge of our spiritual engagements, which always precede physical endeavors. The four scattering horns push dangerously north-wards, south-wards, east-wards and west-wards, pushing against stability, national confidence, and general safety. But we shall soon have four divinely sent carpenters to smash these horns. These are not ordinary times. It is not time to look for scapegoats; politicians are to blame, just like they were between October 1, 1960 and January 15, 1966. Nigerian politicians are like flies that refuse the charming caution and eventually follow the corpse into the grave.

Regional and religious sentiments are being encouraged by politicians. There is a dark prospect of a dissolved union or a second civil war. In the midst of all these, Nigerian politicians carry on as though they could govern in crisis. Less than a year before the 2015 general elections, a whole region of more than 10 million voters is being threatened with an election blacklisting due to growing violence. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is being exhumed just in time before the 2015 elections, probably, as a counterinsurgency against Boko Haram.

The president has cried out that there are plans to overthrow his government. I should think that this is highly speculative. In any case, the bungling of national issues by the Jonathan government is highly encouraging of this scenario. Most lately, a member of the national conference suggested a delay of national elections for 18 months, that is, until 2018.

I do not believe that ambitions of a few people should be encouraged at the expense of millions of Nigerians. In 1966, after the first military coup was staged, the Igbos became scapegoats even though there was initial national jubilation at the intervention that ended the crude excesses of politicians. Intervening events thereafter, including a counter coup by northern army officers, drove the young nation into a devastating civil war that claimed millions of souls, and that has yet to heal emotional hurts that are being sustained by even Nigerians who were not yet born at the time.

Then, the anger of Nigerians in 1993 forced General Ibrahim Babangida, a military dictator, to “step aside,” but not before he had installed the first interim government in the history of independent Nigeria. However, that government, which was led by a weak leader, was displaced by General Sani Abacha (whom General Babangida knowingly left behind for the purpose), who held viciously unto power until death snatched him away from the scene. General Abdusalami Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha, being so eager to leave power, hurriedly initiated a civil rule that threw up many rotten apples into the political market, who moved in so swiftly to entrench a kind of politics that has encouraged lawlessness and heart-wrenching corruption that scares not a few from stepping into the arena.

I am yet to come across any insightful Nigerian who sees peace during and after the 2015 general elections. Nigerians and the international community have to make a choice between the politics of now and the salvation of the nation; the 2015 general elections and the rescue of the nation. It is time for real statesmen and –women both in Nigeria and abroad to swing intelligently and quickly into strategic actions to save Nigeria.

What if during the campaigns for the presidential and national elections in 2015 scores of people are killed and bomb blasts erupt here and there? What if the Nigerian military has become too corrupted and divided at the top to rescue a failing nation? The Americans cannot even trust them or the Jonathan government with intelligence reports. What if victory, real or forced, by President Jonathan in 2015 brings the nation to its knees through violent protests? What if victory by another presidential candidate, particularly from the north, unleashes mayhem from a rejuvenated MEND as payback? What if people of the north-east refuse to recognize the authority of a post-2015 elections president should they be blacklisted from the elections? Nigerians must not hope for a reality that is unrealistic by real evidence on the ground.

I love Nigeria more than I would ordinarily wish a friend to win an election. Whether President Jonathan has kept faith with Nigerians or not, depending on individual perspective, regional or religious perception, one fact stands tall: he has not been able to keep Nigeria together in peace and general welfare. And this is a huge national concern. What if an ex-general of the Nigerian army, an ex-president of Nigeria, who has proved in the past a capacity to hold the nation together, is appointed by an internationally-instigated or coordinated arrangement to head an interim government before May, 2015 in order to cool off tension and organize a sovereign national conference that is enabled by a piece of legislation that is forged by some Transition and Reconciliation Council (TRC), headed by the ex-president?

The ongoing national conference is like an intermediary meeting of neighbors to save a marriage in the neighborhood, without any legal authority; the couple could ignore their counsel as meddlesomeness if either party perceives some disfavor. ECOWAS, the AU and the world has a stake in this largest economy on the African continent and largest black nation on earth. They could either watch it sink and self-destruct or step in to save the Next Big Thing. What Americans did during the Yar’Adua drama is most needed at this hour. If the “Doctrine of Necessity” was required then, it is most required now; and the national assembly most do the right thing to save Nigeria. There are yet smart and patriotic fellows there, no matter how few.

I see no meaningful elections holding in 2015? I see a danger for the people that are at ease now. At eventide there shall be trouble. They have spoiled and robbed the people; they have made a fire that shall consume them; and they shall meet their comeuppance. What if…?

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | October 31, 2014 - A new wave of terrorism is blowing away many Nigerians. State-supported raids on Nigerian roads are happening. Drivers and other road users are passing through harrowing experiences on Nigerian roads and there is no evidence that persons that have the constitutional authority to stop their oppression on the roads are doing anything to come to their rescue. Nigerian soldiers and police now mount road blocks anywhere and anytime on the roads only to extort money from drivers at gunpoint. And they make little or no effort to hide their mission, which is to extort as much money as possible. The brutality and disdain with which they treat common Nigerians require either urgent intervention by the relevant authorities or vengeful self-help by Nigerians not long from now. And the second option is not pleasant, which is why the authorities must take stern action against the armed robbers that call themselves Nigerian security officers.

Let me narrate a disgusting experience I was a witness of lately, which is only typical of the experiences of most Nigerians. I was returning from a university I had visited to examine some graduate students. I had decided to travel by road but use a public vehicle. I lost count of road blocks (not checkpoints, as the clear intention was not to check for any forbidden things and terrorists, as no attempt was made to check the vehicles we met at those places). If I should say the police and soldiers were very inconsiderate, mean, and wicked, that would be an understatement. Our driver became frustrated as he continued parting with hard-earned money. We got to a roadblock, where he complained to a heartless policeman that he did not have lower naira denominations than five hundred naira note. The policeman collected a five hundred naira note from him, asked the driver to drive and park ahead and walk back to “collect the change.” We waited in the bus as our driver went back to complete the transaction, which took quite some minutes; and it was past 6 pm! Some passengers in our bus, who knew about the escapades of that policeman on the road (Lafia-Makurdi road), rained on him curses. “One day a vehicle will break his leg,” said a passenger. “This is how they retire and become paralyzed,” said another. “If someone dey give you money not from his mind, e no go settle for your belle,” a passenger observed in pidgin language. I was quiet, taking this all in, infuriated within me as many thoughts ran through my mind about my country.

We continued with our journey and passed through many roadblocks even as our driver kept saying to the state-sponsored “armed robbers”, “I dey leak.” Some understood the slang. But at a roadblock, one of the state armed robbers responded, ” Are you a container that you dey leak?” Those Nigerian state-supported “terrorists” that are called soldiers or police, could detain you on the road if you refuse to part with your hard-earned money. And do we not have a government? Are we not a country of laws? Do the Inspector- General of police (IG) and state commissioners of police not know about these abuses on our roads? If they truly don’t, then it should be clear that Nigerians have no intelligence cover or security. But I am certain that these police chiefs know about the terrorism that their officers inflict on Nigerian road-users. And could it be that because they get their share of the road loot they have conveniently looked away?

When we were growing up in my generation in the 80′s, we believed that soldiers were more decent than the police, and you dared not offer them a bribe. But today, soldiers and the police work hand-in-gloves in the national robbery on our roads. Do their commanding officers not know that their soldiers have also joined in this dishonorable act?

Sometimes when a new IG of police is appointed, he would publicly announce “a ban on roadblocks in the country.” Please, enough of this insult on the intelligence of Nigerians. They should rein in their men and put in place deterrent measures, some if which I propose in this essay. The police and soldiers in Nigeria are fast making many enemies in Nigerians. As we continued with our journey to Makurdi that night, I thought, “If I had the authority, I would disband the whole Nigerian police, fix the police training colleges in the country and involve the help of some relevant international organizations to help in recruitment of officers of the Nigeria Federal Police (NFP) that would complement State Police departments. Many people we call police officers in Nigeria are simply thugs, who are bereft of civilized and respectful manners of speech and communication, who rely more on brawn than on brains, and who do not know how to handle a gun for public safety.

In order to stop the extortions that have reached epidemic proportions on our roads, I propose that police area commanders in whose area commands they happen should be dismissed from the police when such reports are received. And how can those reports be obtained? The Criminal Investigation Department should appoint undercover intelligence officers to monitor conduct of police officers and soldiers at checkpoints and presently arrest those that engage in extortion. If such arrests are made within a police area command twice, the third time, the area commander and relevant Divisional Police Officers also should be summarily dismissed from the police department (I hate to use the word “Force”) without benefits.

Furthermore, at checkpoints, notices should be placed informing drivers what specific documentation is required. I don’t know what the business of a soldier with “papers” is. Our driver was asked by a soldier at a roadblock to present his “papers.” It is not the responsibility of soldiers to ask for a driver’s license, vehicle insurance, certificate of road worthiness, vehicle license, customs documents, and the like! What kind of country are we running that government officials would push their noses into other people’s businesses? The “papers” those pretentious soldiers and police officers are really interested in are those multi-colored naira notes!

Nigerians deserve to be respected. They must travel in peace and enjoy the respect of Nigerian security officers on the roads. I usually wonder the wisdom in creating long queues at “checkpoints” in Nigeria. What technology do the soldiers and police officers use to screen the vehicles that are held up at those checkpoints, where, in truth, nothing is being checked? Why is it that governments in Nigeria take delight in the suffering of Nigerians? Here are Nigerian drivers held up by soldiers at a “security checkpoint”, where their vehicles are forced to move slowly on stretches of roads that are constricted with dangerously oriented logs of wood or sacks of sand or loaded barrels. You wonder how the eyes of those soldiers can see through those vehicles, hundreds of them, as they slowly pass bye. Do the soldiers have some superhuman pairs of eyes with which they could detect a bomb, assault weapons, for instance, that could be stashed away in the trunks of those vehicles? Well, they are surely satisfied with themselves that they have at least created an impression of enforcing “tight security.” Don’t be fooled. The only thing that is tight is the way they force vehicular movement into a single lane from two or three. They keep on with this method that has not yielded any security gains. And what if a suicide terrorist comes upon such a long queue engineered by the soldiers and police, and decides, “This is a good opportunity to make a great statement,” and then blows himself up and those Nigerians that have been forced into this situation by this “tight security” make-belief? When someone stubbornly continues with a course of action that consistently yields no result, they become potential clients of a psychiatric consultant.

If you have stories about the harassment of Nigerians on the roads, do post them to me at shilgba@yahoo.com under the title, “End Road Terrorism in Nigeria.” Your identity shall be protected.

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | Feb. 2, 2015 – I am deeply concerned that at this time of political campaign, as it usually happens, the word “Christian” is loosely used in reference to certain candidates for elective offices in Nigeria. The church stands the risk of being used for very indecent purposes, and I would like to counsel the church leadership not to mislead Nigerians. In the book of Acts chapter eleven and verse twenty-six it is written: “And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened to them also that they met together for a whole year with the church and taught a large number of people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”  

It is clear that the disciples of Jesus Christ did not give themselves the name “Christians.” Rather, it was the observing world that looked at their conduct, examined their priorities and values in life, and then came to the conclusion that those were similar to Jesus Christ’s, the man they had certainly heard about. Jesus Christ said that his food was to do the will of God and finish his work. I have seen, by their conduct, a different set of priorities in the conversation or lifestyle of many of Nigerian politicians who call themselves “Christians.” And I am afraid for innocent Nigerians who fall for the entrapment of religious identification and decide who to vote for on that basis. As a pastor, let me restrict this essay to “Christian” misidentification rather than the misidentification of adherents of other religions that are practiced in Nigeria.

In response to an allegation by a Christian missionary E. Stanley that he had rejected becoming a Christ’s follower (i.e. Christian) and yet he loved to quote the words of Christ, Mr. Gandhi responded, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ, I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Gandhi fell in love with Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount by which his whole life was guided—a life of unconditional love, self-sacrifice for the good of others, forgiveness, meekness, peace-making, etc. He was disappointed that “Christians” among whom he had lived on three different continents of Europe, Africa and Asia (England, South Africa and India) did not live up the sermon.

My friends, we do not know Christians by their name or attendance at church meetings. We know them by their deeds. I remember, one day a disciple of Jesus’, Simon Peter wielded a sword in defense of his Master. His master asked him to sheath his sword with this firm declaration: ”Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword.” Let me quickly add that those who rule by the sword shall certainly perish by it. Christians do not encourage violence, and neither do they keep quiet when it is being loudly pondered.

It was reported that the governor of Bayelsa State hosted some Niger Delta ex-militants at the Bayelsa government house, where in his presence Mr. Dokubo Asari reportedly said, “We are going to war. Everyone of you should go and fortify yourself.” Another ex-militant said, “Keep sentiments apart. We are ready to match them bumper to bumper.” They reportedly warned Nigerians that “any attempt to dethrone the president [Dr. Goodluck Jonathan] would be seen as a direct attack on the Ijaw nation,” and “threatened to unleash violence on the country and take back Niger Delta oil should Mr. Jonathan lose re-election.” [Arodiegwu Eziukwu, Jan., 24, 2015]. I should expect the governor to quickly caution them against such disposition to violence. I was disappointed that the governor simply, as reported, thanked the ex-militants, urging them to “resist the temptation of being recruited by the opposition to destabilize the state.”

He then promised to take their support to President Jonathan! I call on the Bayelsa governor and President Jonathan to disassociate themselves from the violent support of the ex-militants. Any Nigerian can support any politician of their choice; but I would not want anyone to threaten me and other Nigerians to vote for the candidate of their choice. Persuasion of ideas is what we need in a democracy, not violent language of threat. And President Jonathan or Governor Dickson should not encourage violence or keep quiet in the face of violent threat because it favors them now. President Jonathan is usually referred to as a “Christian.” Let him prove it. If his ambition is increasing tension and violence in the land, he must ask himself if truly he is righteous. The Holy Bible, which he may believe in says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.” Are Nigerians rejoicing or mourning?

Christians do not engage in falsehood. I have heard a lot of lies or half-truths lately. Truth has nothing to do with falsehood, and the scriptures say that there is no lie in God, who is the Truth:

• Electricity: There is worsening electricity in Nigeria since the so-called privatization more than a year ago. Many Nigerians are being billed for electricity they do not consume right in Bayelsa State, the president’s home state, as in many other states. The same excuses we used to hear when PHCN (aka NEPA) held (electricity) power away from Nigerians are being made today. Can a Christian lie and claim Nigerians have never had it so good in terms of supply of electricity?
• Security and Welfare of the people: Section 14 of the Nigerian constitution says that the primary responsibility of government is security and welfare of the people. Are Nigerians more secure today than they were four years ago? Are they living more prosperous lives today than they did four years ago? If facts are what they are the answer is No! Shouldn’t President Jonathan, the “Christian”, not apologize for failure in this regard? Is that not what Christians do when under their watch things go awry? But what I hear are excuses. I have heard some Nigerians say that “Muslim Northerners are sabotaging the president’s efforts at making Nigeria safe.” This is an indictment against the “Christian” president. Why do I say so? First, a president and commander-in-chief is supposed to put down sabotage and secure his country. If he rather hides under the excuse of “sabotage” to watch helplessly and promise endlessly without result as huge swatches of his territory fall in the hands of rag-tag insurgents, then he has lost relevance in his nation; and it would be a disservice to his God and compatriots to seek re-election. Secondly, where is his God that the “Christian” president has been left without any divine help?

In 2 Chronicles chapter fifteen it is written: “Now Israel has been without the true God (i.e. there was no divine intervention) for a long season, and without a teaching priest (i.e. there was ignorance of true religion in the land), and without law (i.e. there was lawlessness in the land)…And in those times there was no peace for the one going out and the one coming in, for great tumults were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.” Is this not similar to Nigeria’s situation today under a “Christian” president?

• Corruption: Corruption has become a way of life under our “Christian” president. I don’t need to say much on this. Nigerians live the experience daily.

Nigerian church leaders must stop deceiving their congregations. We do not need a “Christian” to lead Nigeria at this moment of national collapse, common insecurity, discouraging hopelessness, and growing poverty. We need a leader that is firm in conviction, who will fight for and defend the downtrodden. Nigerians need a fighter at this time. Nigerians need a friend of the poor, not a once poor who has now become the defender of the oppressors and obscene rich, whose conscience apparently has been seared. If a pastor prays something like this: “God, give us a Christian president; an Islamist should not be our president in Jesus name,” then he is revealing some blindness that should be pitied. Nigerians must without restraint break in smithereens the bludgeoning pestle of religion and ethnicity.

I call on my Niger Delta and Northern brethren not to make a mockery of themselves by instigating violence against either of the two foremost presidential candidates or on their behalf. They do not own them. These two men are Nigerians. Our decision on who to vote should be based entirely on who we trust is able to secure our country, stop the corruption-induced bleeding in our economy and build infrastructure that will stimulate entrepreneurship. In making that decision, we must look not only on what their manifestos say they will do, but also on who has caused the least damage to our nation in their moment of opportunity to lead this great African wonder, Nigeria.  

I conclude on this quote that describes pure religion:

“Pure religion and undefiled is to visit the widows and orphans in their affliction and to keep unspotted by the [lust of] world.” Nigerians deserve such political leaders and not “Christians” who don’t know anything about sacrifice, sanctification, service and saving grace. I urge Nigerians to read three of my past articles and form their judgment: On Yar’Adua’s Incapacitation, the Constitution and a Dream (2009); Nigeria: Interpreting Times and Events (2010); and The Prince on Foot (2013).     There will be joy because now Nigerians have learned their lesson. “But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” [2 Chronicles 15: 4] Never again must we be blinded by puerile sentiments nor allow merchandising “men of God” to influence our choice of candidate; you know where the shoe pinches, if you have any. And no man must tell you. Your vote is a verdict against you or for your safety and welfare. Making the same mistake twice and hoping for a miracle is called foolishness. A man because of foolishness wastes his opportunity and then starts blaming God [Proverbs 19:3].

Leonard Shilgba is a mathematics professor, pastor and author.

Email: shilgba@yahoo.com.

TEL: 08055024356.

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | Feb. 13, 2015 – The temptation to give up on Nigeria is common among Nigerians that have spoken and written a lot about the good that is a possible experience for Nigeria. But there is a greater passion, a nobler one, to expect and envision a nation where citizens consciously refuse to examine one another through the colored glasses of ethnicity and religion.
There is a strong temptation to compare life in Nigeria and life outside of Nigeria. This temptation is noble if it would motivate citizens to work towards a more decent life at home. But it is depriving if it lures away Nigeria’s best and brightest from the motherland.
Between 2012 and 2015 I have seen two significant events that have fetched hope about a more prosperous and livable union. Those two events provided incontrovertible evidence that the two dams in the way of a harmonious flow of the river of citizenship—ethnic and religious biases—are systematically being pulled down. Early in 2012, Nigerians, irrespective of language or religious differences, united against the insensitive manner and time of removal of fuel subsidy. In the North, Christians watched over their Muslim brethren who took time off the protests to say their prayers, and Muslims watched over Christians as they attended their religious meetings. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Nigerians had found a common passion that had taken them away from the decades-long distraction of religious and ethnic grandstanding usually stoked by some of their selfish political and religious leaders. I have written and affirmed that a nation is only born out of a country when the elements have found a common passion that drives them without a visible driver.
Sadly, between 2013 and 2014, the conflict between the Fulani herdsmen and some nationalities, particularly in the North-Central part of Nigeria, threatened the melody of the sweet music composed by citizens. A discriminatory law, contrary to section 42 of the Nigerian constitution, was mooted by the federal government, which could have made some Nigerians to lose their ancestral land to the Fulani herdsmen. Writers like me were vehement in our opposition to any discriminatory piece of legislation that would undermine the interest of some Nigerians to the benefit of other Nigerians. The contemplation of such legislation was another example of the devious cunningness with which some Nigerian politicians play Nigerians against one another to serve their personal interest.
I have worked with Nigerians from different parts of the country on the Nigerian project. Over the years, I have come to understand better that most Nigerian elite enlist in a cause first to serve a private agenda which is often kept out of view of collaborators. Secondly, I have learned that I have no enemies on the basis of religion or ethnicity in Nigeria. Nigerian citizens, who can hardly afford residence abroad, are the losers and victims in times of politically contrived conflagrations.
The second significant event during the period that has threatened to bury ethnic and religious differences is the 2015 presidential election. Many believe that the election will be bloody. We have only few days before it happens. And the event will come to pass and Nigeria shall emerge stronger and better. Yes, anxious enthusiasm may spark a few outbursts here and there, but these would be quench the beautiful flood of national re-birth and discovery. I see a people united in large part against deprivation. Majority of Nigerians have come together across all forms of divide to use their power of choice this time. The traditional apathy in election time seems to wear off. Nigerians have matured in the last 16 years. Politicians who have in the past relied on manipulation of the emotions of the electorate with appeals to religion and ethnic affiliation will be disappointed this time. The power of money has been greatly downgraded at this time, although not completely extinguished. All of these give me hope of a better Nigeria.
A bloodless revolution is possible now.

Nigerians are gradually being sanctified from the blemish of ethnic and religious discriminations. A new generation, many of whom have parentage across the traditional divides, is speaking out so loud that only performance and verifiable ideas and vision by politicians displaying their wares in the political market could make them part with their precious votes. Big ideas projected could only be bought in if this generation of Nigerians believes in the purveyor. What I see is the end of the active political career of many politicians after the presidential election in 2015. Nigerian politicians, from now going forward, will be tasked on intelligent solutions to societal problems. Making bland promises now amount to little in today’s Nigeria. Fact-checking is gradually becoming part of our political tradition even as political debates are.
Money usually pursues after great ideas and integrity. Trust is the most important asset of a leader. It is the most important treasure that any government has to offer in the political capital market. When a leader loses integrity because he has not kept promises of the past, the citizens will turn against him. That is the unfortunate burden of President Jonathan. It has nothing to do with religion or ethnic affiliation. When a leader has a thousand different views on a single issue, he is termed confused or clueless. Such terms are not necessarily abusive; rather, they are the product of evidence. And when such leader also demonstrates inability to correctly understand problems and proffer intelligent solutions, he has lost all hope to perpetuate himself in office by the grace of the people. If the religious pray to God to keep the leader in office, by interpretation, they are asking God to punish society.
I see a Nigeria where ineptitude in government cannot go unpunished by the people. I see a nation that should be prepared to welcome home many of her children in the Diaspora that will soon return with relevant skills and capital to invest.  I see a Nigeria where government’s lies can easily be exposed. I see a Nigeria that will work for the majority and not only for a few. I see a Nigeria where more competent and honest people will go into government. I see a Nigeria that will sincerely seek out decent people with ideas to drive the process. More importantly, I see a Nigeria where corruption will be punished and hard work rewarded.
Let me conclude with a confession to illustrate how the fortunes of a man can change suddenly with more knowledge. I had made up my mind never to cast my vote for General Buhari. I had only one reason for this. Between 1979 and 1983, my state, Benue had a great governor, Mr. Aper Aku, who was my uncle.  In fact, he launched his campaign in our local government in my father’s compound in Ikyobo when I was only about 11 years old (yet, I still remember).
Mr. Aku remains the reference point for governance in Benue until today. I learned that some wealthy people in the state provided the collateral for the loan that Governor Aku obtained (about 200 million US dollars!) for the industrialization of the state. Shortly after, the coup that brought General Buhari to power happened. Until now, there is no account provided on what the military governors did with the money. Understandably, I was determined to punish Buhari for this. I had even contemplated a law, if I could, that would make a state refuse to subject itself to any military rule in the event of a coup.
I would like General Buhari to assure me that if voted into the office of President of Nigeria he would look into how the loan taken to industrialize Benue state got missing under the military governors he had posted to my state, and how Benue state would be adequately compensated even as he has promised to compensate Lagos State when he becomes president. To me, it matters. And I am cautiously moving towards, not only the most popular but more intelligent alternative, BUHARI.

 When we compare the two foremost candidates for the office of President of Nigeria, offering themselves to us to examine, don’t we find Mr. Promise more attractive than the performance of the incumbent?  Don’t we find potential more alluring than the present reality? We live in a free country where every citizen has the right to speak up their mind. Yes, I know that there are hidden consequences. But I have never seen the oppressor win in life. The oppressed, who has spoken truth to power, lives on. His words burn on, his light ever shining. I appeal against the use of distractions in examining General Buhari and President Jonathan. Let Nigerians look at how each of them has used their opportunity to serve Nigeria. One had only 20 months to be examined, while the other has had almost 6 years. Although such comparison may be considered unfair due to the difference in duration of service, let us do same anyway. Alternatively, let us consider how each of the two Nigerian leaders served during the first twenty months after they emerged as Head of State.

In the case of Buhari that would be between December 1983 and August 1985, while for President Jonathan it would be the period between May 2010 and January 2012. We must seek for their signature projects or policies during their respective period of service. Professor Soludo raised serious issues in his essay on Buhari and Jonathan and followed up with a more damning sequel. Both candidates responded to his first through their respective representatives. Nigerians read the two responses. I also read the essay by Professor Utomi, which was also a response to Professor Soludo’s article.  Now, Professor Soludo has thrown a challenge for a debate. Interesting! This election is a referendum on President Jonathan. General Buhari presents an alternative if Nigerians are not satisfied with the state of Nigeria in the last four years under Jonathan’s watch. But will Nigerians accept that the alternative is better? Well, do you need a witness to testify about your need to use the toilet when you feel the unease in your stomach? Let the Soludos speak on. Are you better off today? May your answer be the opposite soon.

Leonard Karshima Shilgba

shilgba@yahoo.com

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | April 4, 2015 -Nigeria is presently standing naked before her peers. The love of money in the country is growing too disproportionately against our love of country. As it is widely known, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Prophet Jeremiah said in his lamentation for his nation in the sixth century BC, “All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.” In the madness to satisfy the belly, truth and honor are being sacrificed. Many Nigerians are yielding to the temptation of giving away their “pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul.” Some Nigerian rulers can give, and are indeed giving anything to retain political power, even at the peril of the nation. They inflict great damage on the nation thereby. I look at the place where there should be righteousness, the religious circle, and what do I see? I see filthiness in their skirts. The love of money has corrupted their words and blinded their eyes. The traditional institution, the pantheon of custodians of culture, has become the hunting ground for thieving politicians whose only reliable weapon is the people’s commonwealth, wrongly and audaciously acquired. Many of the royal fathers have lost their golden voices at the sight of the fat wads. I trained my eyes at my constituency; the so-called intellectuals have forgotten the principle of philosophical piety. Men and women of letters, who should be the guide of society, have rather yielded themselves as mercenaries in the art of sophistry.  

The people, the masses of Nigeria, have a choice to make. If I am trapped in a deep well, and someone comes and lets down a rope to pull me out, but rather than gladly seize upon the kind gesture, I ask, “Can you tell me your religion and ethnic group?” I should be called a fool. Nigerians who are living in the country do not need to be told what condition they are living in. They know about the quality of life they are enduring. If, in spite of all these, they sell out, it is a choice they have made; and they will live with it. An adult should know what is in their best interest. Is Nigeria not sick? And is there no cure? If there is a cure, why is it not administered? Four or five years is a long enough time to reduce the pains of daily living for the people. Must I beg Nigerians to make the right choice of who should lead them?

If you are an importer of goods, would you choose to have a very weak naira? As a consumer, can you afford a fifty-per cent increase in the cost of all goods and services that you need monthly? Can your fixed income accommodate that as a civil servant or company worker? As a business man, if customers can no more patronize your business because of hike in prices due to a very weak naira, how can you pay for your needs? Must I beg you to punish poor economic management and corruption? Your permanent voter’s card (PVC) is a weapon; use it wisely. Listen to your conscience, observe the evidence, and then, when you are alone in the voting cubicle, cast the ballot for the health of Nigeria.

Nigeria is slowly dying:

• I have spoken about a weak naira, which is presently, officially, exchanging at about 200 naira to a US dollar. And if we do not change the driver, it may reach 300 naira to a dollar. The implication is that Nigerian workers will have their fixed income cut in half. Private schools will have to raise tuition fees very highly next academic session. This will further deplete disposable income for many families. And if the news going around is true, and I believe it is since governments in Nigeria are finding difficult to pay salaries, tens of thousands of Nigerians will lose their jobs in both public and private sectors after the 2015 elections if the driver is returned. Many Nigerian professors will have to re-locate out of the country, thus worsening the dearth of professors in academic programs within Nigerian universities. Just like the Nigerian government had built electricity generating plants without first putting in place a reliable gas supply arrangement, we are now building many public and private universities without adequate professors. If the free fall of the naira is not reversed, and urgently so, many Nigerian professors will leave.
• The salaries and allowances of Nigerian public officials are unsustainable. I have written a lot about this. The only body that is constitutionally empowered to fix salaries and allowances is the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The present government has ignored the amounts fixed by the RMAFC and approved outrageous hidden allowances for public officials. This is a drain on the economy that must be fixed. A strong Nigerian leader is needed to do this and free up resources to be invested in education, health, and infrastructure that will create jobs and improve the quality of life of the Nigerian citizen.
• Insecurity in Nigeria is an open sore that has refused to heal. Nigeria needs a leader that understands how insecurity develops and how the cancer can be cured. We need a leader that can be trusted to lead the fight against terrorism in the West African region.
• The corruption in the oil industry cannot be stopped under this regime of subterfuge: In 2012, no government official could disclose to the House of Representatives Fuel Subsidy Committee who had approved the un-appropriated expenditure on “fuel subsidy” between June 2011 and January 2012. No one in government gives a damn about questions on why annual fuel subsidy expenditures have risen to trillions of naira since June 2011. We need transparency in the oil industry and revival of our refineries, both of which are impossibilities under the current regime.
• The electricity market in Nigeria has cost the Nigerian consumers too much with little service. We need to re-examine the privatization policy and free the Nigerian electricity consumer from the oppression of the DISCOS in spite of the existence of the NERC.

The Nigerian president seems to forget how he rose to his current position. I find a biblical character that is comparable to him, whom he must learn from and avoid the sorrowful mistakes NOW. I wish to conclude this epistle with a very frank address to Dr. Jonathan as my dear president. I will talk to him as a Christian brother. I will bring to him a message from the Holy Bible as a pastor. I only hope he will read, think and act. Sometimes I wonder what comrade Reuben Abati would be writing now about President Jonathan’s government if he were not serving under him. I know bro. Abati will read this epistle and I pray he pass on this urgent message to my president.

I will not compare President Jonathan to King Nebuchadnezzar, as Professor Soyinka did. I think King Jeroboam Nebat is a more suitable comparison:

“Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back. Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung till it be all gone.” [1 Kings 14: 7-10]

The message above was sent by Prophet Ahijah to King Jeroboam through the king’s wife. In first Kings chapter eleven, it was the same prophet (Ahijah) who met Mr. Jeroboam on a road and gave him God’s word, “I will make you king over ten tribes of Israel.” Jeroboam was an orphan, a servant of King Solomon’s. That prophecy came to pass in chapter twelve. Soon after, an evil fear got into King Jeroboam, “And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.” [1 Kings 12: 26-27].

This fear of losing the throne drove King Jeroboam to introducing official idolatry in Israel, a sort of religious syncretism, a very poor imitation of the Jewish religion. In chapter thirteen, a young prophet was sent to warn the king in Bethel. God warned the prophet against as much as eating or drinking there. He delivered the message in the presence of an angry King Jeroboam, who ordered the arrest of the prophet. Instead, his hand dried up, and he had to plead for the restoration of the hand and not of his heart. He made an offer to the young prophet, who rejected it and left the town. An old backslidden prophet, who lived in Bethel at the time, brought back the young prophet to a sumptuous meal at Bethel with the aid of a lie. On his way back, the old prophet provided an ass to the young prophet for a more convenient travel. As judgment from God for disobeying his commandment not to eat or drink in Bethel, a lion attacked and killed the young prophet on the way, and remained there watching over his dead body. The lion did not harm the ass; and the ass also remained there without running away or being afraid of the lion until the old prophet came and took away the corpse (the lion did not attack the old prophet either). That lion was an instrument of judgment ONLY for the disobedient young prophet!

Someone close to President Jonathan told me that when a former president of an East African country (a devout Christian) told then Deputy-Governor Jonathan that he was going to become Nigeria’s president, he responded with incredulity. Dr. Jonathan became Nigeria’s president without breaking a sweat. Now, he is in a frenzy to hold down the office. And what is he doing to achieve this? Mr. President knows the secret plots and evils and compromises he has indulged in. Some have come to the fore. Remember Jeroboam. The lion is coming. I warned in 2013 about this lion that swallowed up the leopard. Everyone that requires a comeuppance shall get his. Mr. President should ask now for the restoration of his heart and not of his presidency; it is too late to ask for that. He must suspend all egregious efforts to remain in office. The gate of the palace has been firmly shut against him now. The kingdom was taken from Yar’Adua and given to him on a platter of gold. His fear has turned him into another. The kingdom is departed from him! It is time to nurse Nigeria back to health again.

Email: shilgba@yahoo.com ; TEL: 08055024356

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | April 21, 2015 – First, let me congratulate all Nigerians for making the right choice and voting for General Buhari for the office of President of Nigeria. The choice is right because it is the most appropriate response by the electors to impunity, incompetence and corruption that have defined the government of President Jonathan. No nation can guarantee security and welfare of her citizens when those three evils are allowed free space in national life and conduct. Impunity destroys the judiciary and denies citizens of basic rights and freedoms. Incompetence renders ineffective and useless the most brilliant of development propositions, while corruption is the silent killer of society.

I must congratulate General Buhari for earning the trust of majority of Nigerians at this time; I pray he sustains it. One issue on which the General is perceived to be very strong, is the needed capacity to fight corruption that has hobbled Nigeria for decades. He has already assured that our money will be safe with him. Furthermore, he recognizes the important place of education in national development. While receiving a delegation from his home state that came to pay him a congratulatory visit, the President-elect said, “If you give education to a man or woman, you have empowered them to be productive. There is no better way to empowerment.” I cannot agree more with this.

The Federal Ministry of Education (FME) remains the agency for vision articulation, policy formulation, standard-setting, and monitoring of the education sector in Nigeria. Education entities such as the National University Commission (NUC) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) are only parastatals under FME. It is indisputable therefore that the quality of education in Nigeria, at least at the federal level, will be compromised without qualitative leadership of FME and efficient and prudent management of the parastatals under it and universities and colleges under those parastatals. Corrupt practices by those parastatals and the institutions they are supposed to monitor have crippled the education sector. Is it a secret that some universities “hire” mercenaries to pose as lecturers during accreditation visitations by the NUC, and then dispose of them soon afterwards? Can we argue with the fact that some universities even go as far as renting facilities for those accreditation visitations? The management of those universities should be held responsible, and appropriate sanctions should be applied. This is one of the reasons why establishing the office of the Whistle-blower is very important. Scrupulous and conscientious staff of universities and colleges (federal, state and private) can leak out information on such corrupt activities and yet be protected on their jobs.

Federal universities and other tertiary institutions are owned and funded by the federal government through the FME through the respective agencies. For instance, a federal university A is owned and funded by FME, and then accredited by the NUC, which is a parastatal under the FME. How reliable is such accreditation? Besides, allegations abound of how NUC visitation teams are “facilitated” by universities for “accreditations.” Within federal universities and colleges, the phenomenon of “personal returns” deprive academic programs and projects of the needed funds. “Personal returns” are proceeds of corruption that go to some senior management staff of the university through inflation of contracts and orders. For instance, if actual cost of a project is N 5 million (five million naira), the management would state N 25 million (twenty-five million naira); the balance goes to management as “personal returns.”

Another problem with funding and management of federal universities and colleges is what I should call micro-management. Funds are allocated to university A by the federal government, and then domiciled in Abuja. The university leadership cannot access those funds. Contracts are awarded from Abuja for projects in the university. The Vice-chancellor is permitted to spend only a limited amount of money. He has no control over the execution of those big-capital projects. If a Vice-chancellor wants speedy release of funds from Abuja, he must grease the palms of certain federal officials who have custody of the funds. On the issue of employment, tremendous pressure is placed on university management to employ staff that are not needed, thus worsening the financial situation of the universities. Should a university have almost as many staff as its student population, while not having the requisite quality and number of faculty for its programs? There is another problem of stupendous expenditure on unproductive and dispensable University Councils, whose membership is generally based on patronage.

General Buhari must begin to address university education by looking into the process of recruiting Vice-chancellors and accreditation of university programs. He knows that poor leadership of any enterprise would yield poor outcomes. The Vice-chancellor should be the real CEO of his university in all practical ways, and search for vice-chancellors of federal universities should attain international prestige and outlook. Reputable international hiring agencies must be engaged to recruit vice-chancellors of repute, taking into consideration experience and influence in the corporate world, ability to attract funds, and ability to manage human resources.   Appointment of vice-chancellors (university presidents) must not be part of rewarding political associates. The status quo is corrupt, and must be stopped.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has a policy of “free education”, beginning from first to ninth grade, and then later up to university level. Well, while I do not disapprove of this, I think there is not much clarity on it. Education can never be “free” because ignorance is expensive. Someone must pick up the bill: the government, the consumers, or some other organizations interested in promoting education. Therefore, if it costs, for instance, N 300,000 (three hundred thousand naira) per annum to train a science major in a federal university, and the government says that students should pay only N 50,000 (fifty thousand naira), then, government must provide a grant of N250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand naira) to the university. Failing to do this would mean that government is offering “fraud education” and not “free education.” Genuine free education means a subsidy is paid on education per head to the universities that are service providers. Declaration of “free education” does not make the costs to just vanish away.

The Buhari administration must request each of the federal universities and colleges to furnish the following information: Number of students per program; costs per head per annum of training each of the students; deficiencies in learning and teaching resources and infrastructure; required number and quality of faculty for each program; and any relevant information. Based on the information, the federal government can determine how much of the cost it should bear and how much should go to the direct consumers (students). As a first step towards upgrading federal universities to international standard, six federal universities should be selected and designated as Group One Federal Universities, one each from the six geo-political zones. I propose as follows: North-West: Ahmadu Bello University; North-East: University of Maiduguri; North-Central: University of Jos; South-West: University of Ibadan; South-south: University of Benin; and South-East: University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Those six universities will be primary beneficiaries of the Diaspora Professorial Exchange (DPE) that should be established (I have written on this before). The Vice-chancellors will lead the process of international accreditation of those universities, using one of the international accreditation agencies that would be recommended by the FME. Recruitment of faculty for those universities will be done through credible faculty search committees that could use hiring consultants. Salaries of the faculty should be international rate and competitive. Facilities at the Group One universities will be expanded to take 50,000 students. Admission into programs of the universities would be highly prioritized on the basis of high performance on all qualifying examinations to be determined. Faculty evaluation by students, semester-by-semester, would be part of the determinants of job-security for faculty. Other federal universities should be included in the Group One universities upon attainment of international accreditation, which would attract more federal grants. Consequently there shall be reward for excellence, and therefore motivation to excel. This will definitely enhance quality. Eventually, many Nigerian students and their parents who spend billions of dollars abroad on university education shall keep the money at home as they are assured of the same or better quality of education in Nigeria. Those universities will also earn foreign exchange from foreign students that they will attract because of improved quality and international accreditation. There would be reduced pressure on the naira, forcing it to appreciate significantly against the US dollar just as Buhari has envisioned.

In 2006, the federal government attempted a reform in the management of the 102 federal secondary schools called “Unity schools”. There was resistance to the Public-Private Partnership proposal that included placing the management of those schools under School Management Organizations (SMOs). Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a chieftain of the APC today, also led the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) to oppose this reform. Nine years later, I think the Buhari administration should re-consider the proposal. Indeed, the FME should not be involved in managing secondary education. If the Ezekwesili-led proposal is still too bitter to swallow, then the schools should be handed over to host state governments to manage, while the federal government offers grants in cash and kind. Let the debate go on, but there must be a quick closure on this matter. The constitutional role of the FME does not include managing secondary schools; that should be the call of state governments, while the FME concentrates on formulating a National Policy on Education; collecting and collating data for purposes of education planning and financing; maintaining a uniform standard of education throughout the country; controlling the quality of education in the country through the supervisory role of the Inspectorate Services Department of the Ministry; harmonizing education policies and procedures of all the states of   the federation through the instrumentality of the National Council on Education; effecting co-operation in educational matters on an international scale; and developing curricula and syllabuses at the national level in conjunction with other bodies (Fafunwa, 2002).

shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | May 11, 2015 - Public response to and interest in my recent article titled “On President Buhari and Corruption in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” (and other similar titles) compelled me to engage in this essay on the education sector in Nigeria, which I have decided to serialize. I hope that Nigerians would pick up an intellectual and political debate on education, for the first always requires the second arm for fruitfulness. It is not a secret that Nigeria’s education is presently dysfunctional, by which I mean it does not equip well the population for engagement with our environment, the world, and ourselves in the required manner that qualifies a people as “civilized”, “developed”, or “intelligent.” The way society understands and solves its problems says so much about its intelligence, which is measured by the solution proffered and applied to its problems.

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria’s education sector is hobbled by corruption, and no amount of funding can significantly reverse the rot until this huge drain is satisfactorily blocked. This means the main problem with our education is not insufficient funding. Only the mentally disturbed would sow among thorns, and those that sow without first preparing the land could be termed lazy. The most dedicated worker cannot fill a basket with water.

Another problem with our education is poor or inefficient quality assurance (both in theory and practice). From elementary to college levels, quality assurance processes are unreliable, unprofessional and even corrupted. To put it most mildly, we have no nationally or internationally credible quality assurance agency in Nigeria’s education sector.

Management of our public institutions of learning in Nigeria is colored with poor non-competitive selection procedures, which are most often influenced by indigenous, religious and even political factors. This does two things to our education—the required innovativeness is lost and misdirected loyalty breeds corruption.

Undue focus on “maintaining a uniform standard of education throughout the country” rather than setting minimum standards and allowing state, local, and municipal authorities to determine curricula according to their development priority needs, has robbed Nigeria of creativity and initiative which are two qualities of functional education. Even nature thrives on diversity, and the civilized world has since moved on in the direction of multiplicity and diversity rather than being inured to the monotonous. Let us allow latitude regarding matters of curriculum development while clearly defining minimum standards. The functions of the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) need to be re-defined.

Duplication of departmental or agency functions in the education sector compounds the problem of burgeoning overheads. There is need to prune or merge some agencies or departments within the sector. For example, it is prudent to merge the department of Academic Standards with the department of Quality Assurance within the National Universities Commission (NUC). The structure and functions of the NUC should be reviewed. In fact, the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on rationalization of Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies (Oronsaye Committee, 2012) concerning the education sector should be implemented without delay. The in-coming government may wish to look at areas of the recommendations that require new legislation and approach the National Assembly accordingly, while variations could be made where new vision demands. But time is of the essence. Labor should be engaged with openness as some workers must be relieved of their appointment. In this regard, the promise of President-elect Buhari to only relieve public workers of their jobs when all their entitlements are made ready for them, should excite Labor and fetch some comfort. Furthermore, the skills acquisition program of the in-coming government should provide opportunity for Nigerian workers that must quit the public sector upon the implementation of the Oronsaye Committee recommendations. I think national productivity will be enhanced when the government hires only people it truly needs, while giving the rest opportunities to acquire the needed skills and competences that would make them truly competitive in today’s world, and productive in society.

I shall address the issues of accreditation, management of federal tertiary institutions, funding of tertiary education and education subsidy, stimulation of competition for excellence among federal universities and colleges, management of unity schools, skills acquisition and enhancement policy, and collaboration among governments for promoting primary and secondary education in Nigeria.

ACCREDITATION

In 1991, the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) was established. There are today more than 255 members of this accreditation network (both full and associate members). These include top regional accreditation agencies in US such as Middle States Associations of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Schools and Colleges; accreditors in all highly developed countries such as UK, Japan, France, Germany; and accreditation agencies in some African countries such as Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius. Nigeria is not represented either in the full membership category or the associate membership category, which includes some universities! The chief higher education accreditation agency in Nigeria, the National Universities Commission (NUC) is not a member in any of the two categories.

The purposes of the IQAAHE are:

1. to create, collate and disseminate information on current and developing theory and practice in the assessment, improvement and maintenance of quality in higher education;
2. to undertake or commission research in areas relevant to quality in higher education;
3. to express the collective views of its members on matters relevant to quality in higher education through contacts with international bodies and by other means;
4. to promote the theory and practice of the improvement of quality in higher education;
5. to provide advice and expertise to assist existing and emerging quality assurance agencies;
6. to facilitate links between quality assurance agencies and support networks of quality assurance agencies;
7. to assist members to determine the standards of institutions operating across national borders and facilitate better-informed international recognition of qualifications;
8. to assist in the development and use of credit transfer and credit accumulation schemes to enhance the mobility of students between institutions (within and across national borders);
9. to enable members to be alert to improper quality assurance practices and organizations;
10. to organize, on request, reviews of the operation of members.

[Source: INQAAHE Constitution]

The National Universities Commission (NUC), like any agency, body or individuals within the higher education community, needs peer review in order to gain validation and legitimacy, which would naturally rob off positively on the institutions it accredits. By isolating itself from such peer-review mechanisms like the INGAAHE the NUC is missing out on several advantages that are implied by the purposes of the INQAAHE, and this has projected on the Nigerian universities it oversees an unfortunate cloud of poor reputation.

The NUC should not be both an accreditation agency and a higher education management organization. The incoming government of Mohammadu Buhari must determine a new role for the NUC, whether that of a regulator of private not-for-profit professional accreditation bodies or an operator involved in accreditation of higher education in Nigeria, requiring validation by both the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and an independent agency (not under the FME) in the class of Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in the United States. In US, higher education accreditation is primarily done by private membership organizations that are not-for-profit. But those organizations must gain the recognition and validation of both the US Department of Education (USDE) and CHEA. And any institution that seeks federal Student Aid funds, for instance, must have their programs accredited by an agency that has obtained the validation of both the USDE and CHEA.  Furthermore, only accredited institutions in US (accredited by USDE- and CHEA-approved and validated accreditation bodies) qualify for federal grants. Besides, CHEA keeps an international directory on education ministries and bodies involved in quality assurance in higher education, which directory contains more than 450 such recognized bodies in more than 170 countries.

In its 2012 Issue 240 edition, the University World News stated the following: “The US-based Council for Higher Education and Accreditation, CHEA, has launched an international division, arguing that as internationalization spreads there is a pressing need for institutions around the world to work together to establish a shared global system of quality assurance.”

I think CHEA should be an example of NUC’s peer. Higher education has evolved, and there is a growing agreement that universities should move from competition to cooperation. If Nigerian universities will improve on the perception the world has of them and thereby their ranking among global universities and the academic community, their chief accreditor, the NUC must gain the legitimacy, validation and recognition among its global peers. I propose the following:

1. The National Universities Commission (NUC) must be accredited or undergo peer review by a team of international accreditation experts drawn from accreditation bodies and networks such as CHEA and INQAAHE to ensure its improvement in the theory and practice of quality assurance. Accordingly, steps must be taken to get NUC into INQAAHE.
2. The NUC should be completely re-organized and restructured in order to reduce cost and enhance efficiency:

• Reduce the number of NUC departments from twelve to not more than five: Quality Assurance and Academic Standards (which is the heart of the NUC and also handles all national and international collaborations and research and planning matters); Inspectorate and Visitations; Information Technology; Finance and Administration; and Office of the Executive Secretary.
• Take away students’ services functions from the NUC. Why should we have the department of students’ services in NUC when all operations of the NUC constitute service to students?
• International assistance to public universities in Nigeria does not have to come through the NUC. In fact, NUC should not be directly involved in any financial grant to federal universities or degree-awarding institutions so that it will concentrate on the primary function of quality assurance. The current situation where NUC holds onto needed funds meant for federal universities and then turns around to query why certain facilities have not been provided for degree programs by the same universities makes a classic case of comedy. More seriously, this is corruption!

  3. In order to eliminate the academic mercenary syndrome in the Nigerian university system, scholars intending to teach in Nigerian universities should be required to register with the NUC as “Affiliate Members”, providing detailed personal information, including their institutions of affiliation. Thus, during accreditation visitations any faculty that is not affiliated to the university would not be considered by the NUC for the purpose. Besides, in considering faculty within an academic program, a minimum of two semesters within the program should be required for the purpose of program accreditation.

  4. Superseding (1)-(3),Other Academic Standard and Quality Assurance Bodies (OASQAB) should be required to accredit degree programs while the NUC regulates them for legitimacy and validation. Thus, while the NUC does both institution and program accreditations,  the OASQABs will  be required to do germane program accreditation just like COREN presently does for engineering programs. Alternatively, NUC should be renamed NUHEC (National Universities and Higher Education Commission) and moved from under the wings of FME, to perform functions similar to the American CHEA. Not-for-profit accreditation organizations would be required to seek regular accreditation from NUHEC for both institutional and program accreditation of institutions of higher education in Nigeria. Therefore, agencies like National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and private non-for-profit accreditation agencies would require the validation and recognition of both NUHEC and FME to perform institutional and program accreditations for higher education in Nigeria. NUHEC would be independent of the FME.

MANAGEMENT OF TERTIARY EDUCATION

President Buhari must begin to address higher education in Nigeria by looking into the accreditation of higher education programs and the process of recruiting vice-chancellors and leaders of other tertiary institutions. He knows that poor leadership of any enterprise would yield poor outcomes. The vice-chancellor should be the real CEO of his university in all practical ways, and search for vice-chancellors of federal universities should attain international prestige and outlook. Reputable international hiring agencies must be engaged to recruit vice-chancellors of repute, taking into consideration vision in higher education, experience and influence in the corporate world, ability to attract funds, and ability to manage human resources.   Appointment of vice-chancellors (university presidents) must not be part of rewarding political associates. The status quo is corrupt, and must be stopped.

In order to reduce the number of non-teaching staff that shall be needed, students shall be hired in a Work-Study program every semester to do certain jobs on campus. Each campus shall have such autonomy that will allow it to design and run its programs with regular quality assurance and enforcement of standards by NUHEC-recognized rating agencies and relevant international professional accreditation bodies.

Nigerian professors in the Diaspora who are not willing to return home, but are ready to be visiting professors should be tapped to teach at least for a semester, or summer schools, supervise graduate work and engage in committee assignments at modest remuneration under a Diaspora Professorial Exchange (DPE) program; and free furnished housing should be provided to participants in the DPE.

Graduate programs in the universities should be sufficiently funded to produce scholars with higher degrees to support faculty needs in the country, with priority given to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which is in agreement with the vision of the Buhari administration. The university must sell itself to industries and organizations for supplementary funding. In fact, I should recommend that industries and organizations should be represented in the higher education accreditation community at least through membership of advisory board of the NUHEC.

TO BE CONTINUED

shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

Read Part One

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | May 26, 2015 – In the first of this series, I addressed issues such as accreditation and management of tertiary education in Nigeria. I now turn my attention to funding of education and federal support to states for sub-tertiary education.

FUNDING HIGHER EDUCATION

The Oronsaye Committee report (2012) observed that the cost per session of training an “Arts student” was N450, 000 (four hundred and fifty thousand naira only), while it cost N525, 000 (five hundred and twenty-five thousand naira only) a session to train a “Science student” in a Nigerian university. The implication is that:

i. For every 1000 “Science students” in a federal university, N525 million should come to it in tuition fees and related charges, federal grants or subsidies, while N450 million should be the amount for every 1000 “Arts students.” If our universities get less than this, then we are offering low-quality education.

ii. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has a policy of “free education,” beginning from first to ninth grade, and then later up to university level. Well, while I do not disapprove of this, I think there is not much clarity on it. Education can never be “free” because ignorance is expensive. Someone must pick up the bills: the government, the consumers, or some other organizations interested in promoting education in the country. Therefore, if it is verified that, for instance, it costs N 525,000 (five hundred and twenty-five thousand naira) per annum to train a science major in a federal university, and the government says that students should pay only N 50,000 (fifty thousand naira), for instance, then, government must provide a grant of N475, 000 (four hundred and seventy-five thousand naira) to the university as education grant or subsidy.

Failing to do this would mean that government is offering “fraud education” and not “free education.” Genuine free education means a subsidy is paid on education per head to the universities that are service providers. Declaration of “free education” does not make the costs to just vanish away. When the Nigerian government fixes pump price of PMS at N 87 a liter, it pays “fuel subsidy” to fuel marketers for the difference in real costs. Why would the federal government not pay federal universities, polytechnics and other federal tertiary education institutions “education subsidies” for the difference between real costs and the decreed “charges” that are so ridiculously small? Does the federal government find it proper to give away hundreds of billions of naira to fuel marketers every year in the name of “fuel subsidies” while starving its federal tertiary education institutions of necessary funds and yet forbidding charging of requisite tuition fees? Here is the conundrum:

The federal government instructs its institutions of tertiary education, “Thou must not charge fees.” But what does it offer in exchange? It offers amounts that are not enough to subscribe to necessary online resources, provide adequate library resources, support necessary technology in teaching, learning and research, provide adequate electricity for learning and research activities, guarantee reliable internet services and timely conference attendance (What happens now is a classic in micro-management, where a faculty member applies for grants for conference attendance through TETFUND, and it takes ages to process; by the time the application succeeds, the conference has come and gone).

By my estimation, based on the Oronsaye committee report of 2012 (not even considering inflationary impact over the three-year differential), more than N 250 million should be attracted to a university physical science department with a student population of 500. This amount should defray an enhanced annual remuneration of ten full professors (at professor-student ratio of 1:50) at N10 million, with over N 100 million left for other necessary student-related, faculty-related and other expenditures! This would definitely attract high-quality professors to Nigerian universities, and consequently, good and resourceful students, and then improved grants both local and foreign.

The Buhari administration must request each of the federal universities and other institutions of higher education to furnish the following information: Number of students per program; costs per head per annum of training each of the students; deficiencies in learning and teaching resources and infrastructure; required number and quality of faculty for each program; and any relevant information. Based on the information, the federal government can determine how much of the cost it should bear and how much should go to the direct consumers (students).

As a first step towards upgrading federal universities to international standards, six federal universities should be selected and designated as Group One Federal Universities, one each from the six geo-political zones. The Oronsaye Committee recommended “first generation” universities for a similar exercise. I observe that this would exclude some geo-political regions, and considering our socio-political sensitivities, we must start with six universities, one each from the geo-political zones, upgrade any that fails to meet the standard benchmarks to be pre-determined for Group One Universities if none of the universities in a particular zone meets those benchmarks (In addition, benchmarks would be set for Group Two and Group Three Universities). The amount of federal grants and any student financial aid (that should be channeled through universities) should depend on the category a university falls in.

Recruitment of faculty for those universities should be done through credible faculty search committees that could use hiring consultants. Salaries of the faculty should be international rate and competitive. Furthermore, Group One Universities would be primary beneficiaries of the Diaspora Professorial Exchange (DPE).

Facilities at the Group One universities should be expanded to take 50,000 students. Admission into programs of the universities would be highly prioritized on the basis of high performance on all qualifying examinations to be determined. Good performance on faculty evaluation by students, semester-by-semester, would be part of the determinants of job-security for faculty. Other federal universities should be included in the Group One universities category upon attainment of international accreditation and those pre-determined benchmarks, which would attract more federal grants. Consequently, there shall be reward for excellence, and therefore motivation to excel.

This will definitely enhance quality. Eventually, many Nigerian students and their parents, who spend billions of dollars annually abroad on university education, shall keep the money at home as they are assured of the same or better quality of education in Nigeria. Those universities will also earn foreign exchange from foreign students that they will attract because of improved quality and international accreditation. There would be reduced pressure on the naira, forcing it to appreciate significantly against the US dollar just as Buhari has envisioned.

Recently, there have been calls for the discontinuance of the N100 billion-a-year federal foreign scholarships. Some argue that if each of the federal universities is given N2.5 billion from the amounts spent on foreign scholarships, there would still be some left-overs. I agree, but much more. In the twenty-first century, with more than 100 universities (federal, state and private), the federal government must not throw away money to foreign universities in the form of foreign scholarships. By choosing to spend such huge amounts on foreign scholarships, the federal government confesses that it has failed to provide the appropriate facilities, resources (human and material), and environment to guarantee quality education.

I think that if those facilities, resources and environment are provided in Nigeria, we shall achieve the same objectives and attract the best faculty available on earth. Rather than send our students to the “top 25 universities of the world” we should strive to get some of our universities up such ranking. What did those top-ranked universities do right? What is the accreditation process in those universities like? How much is annual funding per student in those universities? What is faculty remuneration like in those universities? These and similar questions need to be answered by the federal and state governments that spend outlandish amounts on foreign scholarships.

Scholarship:
I recommend a transparent scholarship scheme that is more responsive and adaptive to current realities. For instance, the scholarships should be categorized into:
C1: Merit-based offer, which depends on academic performance in the priority programs of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and shall be sustained by academic excellence. Minimum standards shall be determined by FME and reviewed periodically. Education subsidies (scholarships) shall be remitted directly to the program-host departments by FME upon verification.
C2: Work-based offer, which requires minimal student work-service during vacations in specific government departments, agencies, and ministries, and community services.

Student Loans

Student loans should be provided through the vehicle of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), under a new Nigerian Education Act, which I propose to formalize some of the ideas being proposed in this epistle, that will be worked on in order to provide a legislative cover for all the reforms in the education sector that will be introduced. Direct payment should be made to their duly accredited universities and other higher education institutions (only for accredited programs) upon completion of necessary paper work by the students. This shall assist indigent students to pay tuition fees that universities and other higher institutions in Nigeria may charge. Re-payment timelines and guidelines after graduation, and the application documents required (including biometric national identification card) shall be provided in the Education Act.

NOTE: The Federal Government should abolish foreign scholarships, which are reported to amount to about N 100 billion annually. Rather, this money should be used to improve facilities in federal tertiary education institutions, improve faculty remunerations and thereby attract high-quality scholars to our tertiary education institutions, and support students studying in them.

The vision of the Buhari government to build Skills Acquisition/Technical schools in all states of the federation could be leveraged upon to institutionalize first world standards in our society. With those Technical/Professional schools in place and well equipped with the right human resources and equipment, all technicians and artisans (Electricians, mechanics, plumbers, tile- layers, painters, carpenters, welders, air conditioning technicians, etc.,) that will ply their trade in Nigeria MUST attend an intensive “re-tooling” course to be certified, and thereafter attend regular refresher courses. No uncertified technician and artisan shall be allowed to practice in Nigeria. Informal apprenticeship without proper certification shall no longer be allowed. The Business Clusters that the incoming government wishes to establish across the country could be integrated into this concept.

Remarks:

R1: All public and private construction or building projects involving technicians and artisans in Nigeria shall require keeping of a project roster which must contain the names and certification numbers of those professionals that worked on them.

R2: A well prepared Nigerian technical and art skills base shall lead to more shared prosperity as contractors and construction companies in Nigeria and beyond shall make the skills pool a recruiting ground. This would attract more foreign direct investment and reduce capital flight which takes the form of remunerations to expat staff.

R3: Certification of all technicians in Nigeria shall facilitate maintenance of data for easy and verifiable tax collection, which shall boost federal, state and local revenues.

MANAGEMENT OF UNITY SCHOOLS

In 2006, the federal government attempted a reform in the management of the 102 federal secondary schools called “Unity schools”. There was resistance to the Public-Private Partnership proposal that included placing the management of those schools under School Management Organizations (SMOs). Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a chieftain of the APC today, also led the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) to oppose this reform. Nine years later, I think the Buhari administration should re-consider the proposal. Indeed, the FME should not be involved in managing secondary education. If the Ezekwesili-instigated proposal is still too bitter to swallow, then the schools should be handed over to host state governments to manage, while the federal government offers grants in cash and kind.

The constitutional role of the FME does not include managing secondary schools; that should be the call of state governments, while the FME concentrates on formulating a National Policy on Education; collecting and collating data for purposes of education planning and financing; maintaining a uniform standard of education throughout the country; controlling the quality of education in the country through the supervisory role of the Inspectorate Services Department of the Ministry; harmonizing education policies and procedures of all the states of the federation through the instrumentality of the National Council on Education; effecting co-operation in educational matters on an international scale; and developing curricula and syllabuses at the national level in conjunction with other bodies (Fafunwa, 2002).

When it comes to pre-primary, primary and secondary education in Nigeria, the FME must concentrate only on playing a supporting role to states and local governments. In fact, with regard to primary, adult and vocational education both federal and state governments must focus on playing only a supporting role to the local governments that must receive and manage their allocations from the federation account, and be made by the state governments to perform their responsibilities as contained in the Fourth Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution:

Paragraph (2) (a): The functions of a local government council shall include participation of such council in the Government of a State as respects the following matters—the provision and maintenance of primary, adult and vocational education;

The key word in managing education at any level is planning. The FME must support the relevant state ministries with human and material resources to carry out: Teacher quality and quantity audit (through state ministries of education); (subject) curriculum audit (through state ministries of education); school infrastructure audit (through state ministries of works with the engagement of quantity surveyors, architects, and building and environmental experts); learning and teaching resources (books, teaching aids and technologies, laboratory equipment, etc.,) audit (through state ministries of education and relevant technical and science education service providers); and finances (avenues for generating funds and attracting external support) audit (through state and federal inland revenue services, state ministries of finance and volunteer financial experts).
Furthermore, the federal government should work to remove bureaucratic bottle necks that frustrate receiving ready education assistance from abroad, and port-clearing hurdles, which hinder timely clearance of education materials at Nigeria’s ports.

The incoming government’s plan to engage Nigerian education experts in the Diaspora to assist in primary and secondary schools in a One month-a-year education assistance program is commendable, and should be adapted to the audit exercises I have proposed. Besides, the program should be leveraged upon to train the trainers in education industry in Nigeria to improve the quality of our teachers in primary and secondary schools, who will be exposed to up-to-date teaching methodologies and technology in teaching and learning, planning and preparation of lessons and assessment, and classroom management techniques, etc. The home-based (trained) trainers will in turn train other teachers in our schools on a regular basis.

The Federal government should offer support grants to states that meet certain benchmarks such as investment in primary and secondary education as a percentage of annual budget, with special emphasis on special needs and technical/science education; student performance on standardized national examinations; improvement in teachers’ welfare (including regular payment of teachers’ salaries) and work environment; proper student learning environment, etc. Adequate performance monitoring mechanisms must be devised by the FME to determine the type and amount of intervention from the federal government that a state deserves.

TO BE CONTINUED
shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | August 31, 2015 – There is no more potent common denominator for all sections of the Nigerian state than corruption, which is using public office or opportunity for private gains in complete disregard of relevant restraining laws. And there is wide agreement across borders that corruption has crippled Nigeria, and shall eventually kill this country if not quickly destroyed from our culture and economy. From outright stealing of public funds through various hideous schemes such as inflation or padding of public contract funds, manipulated claims on government, and stealing or withholding of returns from the sale of crude oil, to bribery in public and private transactions, all parts and regions of Nigeria are guilty, and no part should blame the other for being responsible for Nigeria’s current reproach, which the present government of Buhari appears set to wipe off.

There is another form of corruption that is hardly detected in Nigeria—the misuse or wrong exertion of pressure under claims of Section 14 (3): “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

Does the above section encourage sacrifice of merit and statutory considerations? Does it encourage sectional loyalty as against national loyalty? The Nigerian constitution affirms national loyalty thus in Section 15 (4): “The State shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the Federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.” There are constitutional claims or imputations that are being made by Nigerians with respect to “federal character”, which I find disturbing as they are distracting from the serious business of governance and nation-building.

What is Federal Character, which Section 14 (3) requires to be “reflected” in the “composition” of Government of the Federation or of any of its agencies and in the conduct of its affairs? The Nigerian constitution recognizes only States as federating units, not regions (geo-political, religious, etc.) The constitution, as highlighted in Section 14 (3), also gives consideration to “ethnic or sectional groups” representation in the Federal Government or its agencies. And as if to safe-guard against abuse of Section 14 (3) to deny personal competencies and statutory rights of ranking within federal agencies in matters of appointment, it is enshrined in Section 15 (2) that, “Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited.” It is unconstitutional to violate Section 15 (2) under the pretense of fulfilling Section 14 (3).

Nigeria’s major political parties are all guilty of foisting on the consciousness of Nigerians their un-oneness in the name of “zoning according to the six geo-political zones.” Those six geopolitical zones are aliens to the Nigerian Constitution. This is one example of extra-constitutional contrivances that have been forced on Nigerians by their politicians and political elite, who have failed to educate, inform, and lift Nigerians from the cesspool of dividing ignorance. How, for instance, is a Nigerian from Niger State of more sectional proximity to a Nigerian from Benue State than his Nigerian brother from neighboring Enugu State? The Abacha-day contraption of those six geo-political zones or the North-South divide cannot be used in applying Section 14(3). Only federating States and ethnic groups are recognized in the Nigerian Constitution for such considerations as specified in Section 14 (3). And that is exemplified by the constitutional requirement to appoint a minister from each State of the Federation.

Nigerians and foreigners who assault our senses with North, South or the “six geo-political zones” in describing origins of federal appointees should spare us the torment. Nigeria is made up of more than 250 ethnic groups. It is not the intendment of framers of the Nigerian Constitution that all of the ethnic groups should be represented in a federal agency. What is required is that there should be no predominance of persons from a few States or ethnic groups in any federal agency. And we have the Federal Character Commission to seek redress from if there is evidence that section 14 (3) has been violated on the basis of composition of the Federal Government or any of its agencies in accordance with States of the federation or ethnic groups, and not some weird “geo-political zone.”

Fostering a feeling of belonging in Nigerians is not dependent on appointing people from their states or ethnic group into public offices as it is on providing very basic amenities like reliable electricity, quality education, efficient and quality public transport infrastructure, well-managed waste system and clean environment, dependable and affordable public healthcare, employment with decent wages, and security. With this the constitution is agreed [See Sections 15 (3) (a), 16, and 17]. Specifically, Section 15 (3) (a) states as follows: “For the purpose of promoting national integration, it shall be the duty of the State to: provide adequate facilities for and encourage free mobility of people, goods and services throughout the Federation.” Failure of good governance is what endangers national unity. Nigerians must not waste energy buying into the selfish outcry of politicians seeking appointment into public offices, when they mouth banal allegations that “the government is appointing people from only few geo-political zones.” What did they accomplish with their previous public appointments for their people?

Bayelsans are not better off than other Nigerians simply because a Bayelsan was president for more than 5 years. Poverty is taking a toll on many Bayelsans. In fact, environmental pollution is a big problem in the state, and good water is scarce. The people of Otuoke have been without public power supply for a long time; they are used to it now. The Yoruba States did not fare better than the rest of Nigerians simply because a Yoruba man was president for 8 years. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway reminds us all of the futility of fighting to have our “son of the soil” presiding over the affairs of the nation. Benue State produced a Senate President for 8 years, yet it is not better than other states in the quality of public infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, etc.

Otukpo is such a dirty un-kept town with pot hole-filled and dusty roads; yet it is the hometown of the former senate president. I can talk of more states. Adamawa State produced the most famous Vice-president yet in the history of Nigeria. But poverty in that state, and the level of begging there, would make you wonder if that state has produced public officials like vice-president, party chief, super permanent secretary, ambassadors, EFCC chairman, police IG, etc. I have given those few examples to say this. Appointing someone from your village into public office is not a guarantee that your hometown (not to talk of your state) would get the very basic amenities needed for comfortable living. Let us change our perceptions about good governance and national-building.

In anger, some Nigerians may claim they are not Nigerians, and may even seek others to blame. I will defend Nigeria because I do not have another country to call mine. I will speak for the health of Nigeria. I am not pleased with what some of Nigeria’s public officials use their public offices to do. But I cannot because of that do things that are injurious to Nigeria. Through reading of comments by Nigerian readers, I have come to understand that our words are generally too corrupting rather than edifying, and we are too easily distracted. We are not patient enough to listen, understand, and appreciate other people’s views before we launch our verbal missiles of invectives. Before you know it, we descend into the gutter of ethnic bigotry and feel we are doing service to ourselves.

I love my Tiv nation and have affirmed before that I am first a Tiv man before I am a Nigerian, because that is how the constitution defines my Nigerian-ness by birth. However, I would not wage war against Nigeria or the Tiv nation; they define each other. Now that we have this rare opportunity to have a president that even the opposition says “is not corrupt yet”, let us not assess his public office appointees by the geo-political zones they come from; rather, let us judge by their competences and character, just like we do our Super Eagles players. The president spoke about the tragedy of having many knowledgeable but compromised Nigerians in government. Let us allow him time to choose his team.

We must not allow columnists mislead us to think that just because there are no ministers yet, governance has been grounded. If you are following news about Nigeria, you sure have heard about some of Nigeria’s refineries resuming production, improvement in the generating capacities of our electricity power plants, the highest in years, and the consequential improvement in power supply, revved up EFCC, recovery of looted funds, and some strategic steps of government to curb crude oil theft, Boko haram activities, and economic bleeding.

Let us defend Nigeria by supporting actions of government that build up our foreign reserves, stabilize the naira, curtail crude oil theft, and encourage Nigeria’s unity.

TEL: 08097061460; Email: shilgba@yahoo.com

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | Oct. 4, 2015 - In 2009, Bishop Desmond Tutu was on the campus of the American University of Nigeria as a guest speaker. In his speech, he apologized to Nigerians for the xenophobic attacks on black Africans the previous year. More than five years later today, South Africans are shamelessly slaughtering their fellow African brothers and sisters, claiming they had gone to their country to take their jobs. Is this what Mandela fought for? Is this what Steve Biko died for? Is this what Bishop Tutu, who coined the phrase “Rainbow nation”, stands for? And is this what Nigeria led the rest of Africa to fight for? Today, the murderous actions of black South Africans have diminished that nation and their heroes in the eyes of the rest of Africa. How Botha and his white gang will be sniggering at the black race behind their thick doors!

While white minority rule prevailed in South Africa, black migrants were not slaughtered on the streets of that country for “taking away jobs meant for black South Africans.” But now that blacks control government and whites control their economy, South Africans now blame the failure of hope and promise of a “free” South Africa on their fellow black Africans. How blind they are! Their misplaced aggression is an example of extra-punitive aggression. What really did the black freedom fighters of South Africa accomplish? Yes, South Africa now has a black president. But let us recall what General Sani Abacha said while Mandela was South Africa’s president: He said South Africa was a white country with a black head. How true this is today! When you control the imagination of a man, you can push him against even his brethren or self-interest. Of what use is political power without economic power? He that controls the economy determines who gets the jobs. Black South Africans must know what the real problem is. Slaughtering black Africans on their streets can’t make them cleaner, nor could that bring them the jobs they lack.

I was only about 11 years old when my father made me understand the plight of black South Africans. When Steve Biko was killed and I read about and saw the plight of my black South African brothers and sisters, it triggered anger in an eleven-year old boy. Like me, many young and older Nigerians saw the oppression of black South Africans as their oppression. Their tears were those of Nigerians and other black Africans on the continent. We attended the same universities with South Africans who came to live and study in Nigeria. Our governments took risks against white world powers for the sake of black South Africans. Now, those ungrateful South Africans slaughter fellow black people from other African countries while sparing whites living in their country. I am not saying they should sink their stained paws into the flesh of white people. Rather, I am trying to expose the virus that lodges in their soul.

In the book of Judges in the Holy Bible, chapters nineteen and twenty, there is the account of a Jewish man whose wife was raped all night to death by a gang of Jews in the town of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin. He cut up his wife’s corpse into twelve pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel. All who saw this said, “Nothing like this has ever been since the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt until this day. Take note of it, consider it, and speak up.” Then the whole nation sent to the tribe of Benjamin saying, “What is this wickedness that happened among you? So then, hand over the men, the perverse lot, who are in Gibeah, so that we may kill them and purge this wickedness from Israel.” Surprisingly, the Benjamites refused this request. Rather, they gathered to battle against their brethren, the rest of Israel. And on enquiry whether they should go to war against their brethren the Benjamites, the LORD answered the rest of the children of Israel thus: “Go up tomorrow; I will give them into your hand.” The tribe of Benjamin was roundly defeated.

This new wave of xenophobic attacks on black Africans resident in South Africa by their fellow black hosts is one that will not leave Africa the same. There must be severe consequences. The stench of black South Africans has gone upwards, and now shall that nation begin to fall behind so terribly before Africa and the world. I am so convinced, and I speak boldly this way. He that pays back good with evil, evil shall never depart from his household. South Africa is sick.      I call on the African Union (AU) to consider a set of appropriate sanctions that will affect not only South African businesses and government, but also directly affect adversely the people of South Africa. And Nigeria must lead the way. We must send a strong message that Africa will never tolerate such un-African conduct from any people on the continent. Apologies and empty promises by the South African government will certainly not suffice. If the Jonathan government cannot lead in this move, I call on President Buhari to make clear in no uncertain terms that there will be severe consequences. It does not matter whether Nigerians lost their lives in the attacks or not; what is important is that our African brothers and sisters are being maimed in an ungrateful nation, having their hard-earned wealth destroyed or taken away from them.

First, there must be a recall of all African diplomats from South Africa and expulsion of South African diplomats from the rest of Africa. Secondly, there must be demand for full reparations to be paid by the South African government to the victims and their families for loss of lives and property (This will eat into the commonwealth of South Africa that should have gone to the mad gangs). Thirdly, until those reparations are accurately calculated and fully paid, all South African companies doing business in African countries should be sanctioned (There are many ways of doing this). Here in Nigeria, the South African cable television company DSTV has increased rates even against the ruling of a court of law. DSTV’s days in Nigeria should be numbered. We have a rising competitor in the Nigerian Startimes cable television company. DSTV’s monopoly in Africa must be focused on now and stopped one way and another. The South-African MTN makes huge profits in Nigeria and other African countries. Appropriate sanctions must be applied, and let black South Africans keep those jobs they claim their African brethren are taking from them, and let the rest of the continent keep their markets. More South African companies (including their airline) should be targeted. Never again must the rest of Africa be content with mere apologies from South African emissaries like Bishop Tutu.

President-elect Buhari said that the world would soon feel Nigeria’s leadership once more as she leads in solving world’s problems such as terrorism, economic deprivation and climate change. His voice will certainly be heard on this xenophobia menace. Never again shall the black leader watch idly as such madness runs wild on our continent. We are one people, and must apply the rod where there is any misbehavior on the continent. If South Africa hopes to join Nigeria in solving African problems, she must put her house in order as Nigeria is doing. Zuma must not give Africans cause to believe he is incapable of providing leadership to his people. We have had enough of the insults. Africa must wield the big stick. I have taken note, considered it, and spoken.

shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | March 20, 2016 - To you, my fellow compatriots, I say, “Do not turn away your attention from this epistle of mine; I address you plainly.” Do you know that we, the people determine what manner of nation we want built? Let us reason together. Every time you cast a vote, you launch into the unknown like the fisherman casts his net in hope; you don’t know what you will bring up—a monster or a good manager; a skillful guide or a blind one. You cannot tell what the elected public official will turn into (they change so often). And those Nigerians that do not vote, or refuse to vote, have sacrificed their right to complain about the design of the craft; those that could not vote for no fault of theirs, must offer support through good deeds and wise counsel how the design should be made or made better.

Citizens deserve their leaders (rulers), who are only representatives of our unique “coset”. The best of leaders cannot succeed at the task of development if the morally ugly elements of society preponderate; if the warriors against the best interest of society dominate. I am knowingly amazed at how many of you my compatriots speak gleefully about the misfortunes of your country as though they were those of your leader (ruler) alone. I am sadly amused that some of you assume immunity only because you live outside the shores of Nigeria. I must remind you, who fall in this category, that you are only refugees wherever you presently reside. The glories of your palace fade into miniature insignificance in the global awareness of the broken walls of your home city.
Government, like politics, is always local. Many Nigerians I come across betray ignorance about the roles of governments in Nigeria; and some of these have high academic degrees, but are so ignorant about this matter. The Nigerian constitution shares functions to the three levels (tiers) of government—federal, state, and local. Do you know who your local government chairman is? I guess you don’t know, and this also illustrates our defective performance in our distinguished office of Citizen. I propose you read the Fourth Schedule of the Nigerian constitution (it contains only 47 lines, some of which are very short). This Schedule states unambiguously the functions of a local government council, which include: provision and maintenance of homes for the destitute and infirm; establishment, maintenance and regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, markets, motor parks and public conveniences; construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lightings, drains and other public highways, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as may be prescribed from time to time by the State House of Assembly; collection of certain levies and taxes; provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal (i.e. waste management); provision and maintenance of primary, adult and vocational education; development of agriculture and natural resources, other than the exploitation of minerals; provision and maintenance of health services; and provision of such services that may be conferred upon it by the State House of Assembly.
Pause and consider those functions of your local government council (which are not exhaustive) stated above. Does your local government council provide those services? I guess your honest answer will be No. Do you now understand why our towns and villages have become the capitals of garbage, indiscipline and disorder? Let us do some math. Many of our 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have populations of sub-one hundred thousand (<100,000). Some of them receive from the Federation Account more than one billion naira (>N1, 000, 000, 000) a year. The 2016 federal budget proposal contains a capital expenditure of about two trillion naira (N 2, 000, 000, 000, 000), which is the highest ever in the history of our country. If you divide this by 774, you get N2.584 billion per LGA. The question we must ask ourselves is how much of the monthly allocations from the Federation Account and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) (at both local and state levels) is invested by our local government councils in the provision of those constitutional services? And do we, citizens care to enquire and apply pressure at this all important tier of government? The average population of LGAs in Nigeria is 219, 000. If the population of your LGA is not less than 219, 000, and the federal government intervention in the 2016-2017 fiscal year in your LGA is less than N 2.5 billion in value, then you must ask some questions. Furthermore, you can do the same math with respect to the capital expenditure component of your state budget to see if your local government is being short-changed. The federal and state governments must consider this math in the interest of fairness in the distribution of our commonwealth.
At the local government level, it is all common to see “thugs” harassing citizens and extorting all kinds of sums from the people in the name of levies and sundry taxes, which are not applied to the provision of the services listed above. Such monies end up in private pockets, including the hellishly insatiable ones of the local government chairmen, certain traditional rulers and thug leaders. But you see, we the famous “national” opinion leaders and critics are too timorous to get involved with “local politics”! We are fixated on the central government, which seems so far away from the people, and pontificate on good governance at that level. Don’t misunderstand me, compatriots. We must, but we must lower our eyes also. The moment we put our local government chairmen under our microscopic review, good governance shall begin to sprout up across Nigeria. We are often too federally-minded to instigate development in our backyard.
Compatriots, permit me to bring up a very sensitive matter at this point. For years, we have complained about “restructuring of our federation”, “rights of indigenous peoples for self-determination”, “The Biafra agitation”, “the Middle Belt peoples interests, as distinct from the Muslim North’s”, “the Hausa-Fulani domination”, “the neglect of the Niger Delta people”, “Born-to-rule syndrome”, ‘the mistake of 1914”, etc. I have written copiously about all of these and more (For instance, read my series “Nigeria and her seven secrets”). But this is what I have observed through the years as I have matured in perception and depth of thought (The writer grows every moment of meditation). These remonstrations, contrary, perhaps, to our pure intentions, are being used as excuses for poor performance in public offices by our governors and local government chairmen. Let me illustrate to you, my friends, how even under this extant “fraudulent” constitution of Nigeria, our elected (or selected) governors and local government chairmen can provide us with all the basic infrastructure and opportunities to create wealth and fulfil our cherished dreams. I quickly remark, if a man is not faithful with little, he cannot be faithful with much.
We have had some states build “federal roads” within their territory, and then claim compensation from the federal government thereafter. This can be replicated in just any other area of development. In the concurrent legislative list (Second Schedule of the Nigerian constitution), there are 30 items. For instance, a State House of Assembly can legislate on generation, transmission and distribution of electricity within the state. While some states have taken advantage of this to provide electricity to their people, others have done nothing to improve electricity supply. Generation and distribution of electricity are now in private hands; and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is now being managed by a private firm. The role of the Federal Government is mainly that of regulation and facilitation of investment in this all important sector (It is the same scenario we have in the telecommunications sector). I wonder how many Nigerians know this. And if our brethren vandalize electricity infrastructure that are now privately owned, don’t we deserve to suffer the consequences together if we fail to condemn such and educate our less than knowledgeable folks against this cannibalizing act? When citizens have taken up arms (economic or otherwise) against their country, shall there not be consequences for us all? For instance, if Nigerians decide to destroy everything within reach and “bring disorder to the house” (courtesy of President Buhari), how many security personnel shall we require to contain this situation? If Nigerians should vandalize telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria, would that be the fault of our government? Security personnel in any country can never be greater than the people; they only complement the resolve of the people to be safe and free. A people builds its nation. Nigeria needs us more than we need her. We are the ones to build this place!
I know of a federal university where staff in the Works department went and deliberately blocked a water pipeline, and then asked for almost one hundred thousand naira for “repairs” in order to allow supply to a block! I know of a federal institution where electricity supply was disrupted so that some staff members will receive plenty of federal money for “repairs and maintenance.” I know of a federal establishment where the “Oga at the top” received “returns” from inflated “lawful” expenditure. What kind of country is ours? Are there not federal and state universities, polytechnics and colleges in Nigeria, where students are helpless, not knowing who to report to when they are literally forced to part with large sums of money for “hand-outs”, “sorting”, and the like by their lecturers, and their professors, heads of departments, deans and other principal university leaders do nothing to protect them? Does not the National Universities Commission (NUC) know that universities hire mercenaries to pose as resident faculty during accreditation visitations, and yet no punitive measures are taken (even expatriates working in those universities know the formula for getting easy accreditation for academic programs from NUC, and are playing along)? Some of you compatriots, who were in the Diaspora, returned to Nigeria to work, and are now more professional than your home-nurtured brethren in the art of graft.
Two boys went to a wise man in their community who was famed for having the right answers to all problems (a kind of a polymath). They had caught a live bird and hidden behind them as they got to the wise man. They asked, “Wise man, what do we have in our hands?” The wise man starred at them for a moment and then replied, “A bird.” The boys asked, “Dead or alive?” Their conspiracy was that, if the wise man should say, “Alive,” they would squeeze the bird’s head and show the wise man a “dead” bird. And if he said, “Dead,” they would show him a live bird. Therefore, whatever answer the wise man gave would be “wrong.” The wise man thoughtfully answered, “As you would have it, my sons.” Nigerians, we will always have the Nigeria we deserve. We are free to do with Nigeria as we wish; but we cannot choose the consequences, they will come naturally. Nigeria is a “failed state” (as some of us are quick to assert joyfully) to the extent that we are a failed people; we have failed in moral values, choosing present gratification over enduring and sustaining development. We give out to strangers the family portion in exchange for crumbs. We invite foreigners to destroy our people if only we shall fulfil our contrived prophecy against the nation. We steal what is ours and share with outsiders.
Although legislation on railways is in the exclusive legislative list (item 55), this has not stopped some state governments to embark on railway projects. Similarly, I should expect state governments that are interested, to discuss with the central government on exploitation of solid minerals within their states, even though legislation on mines and minerals is in the exclusive legislative list (item 39). Governments in Nigeria are not supposed to be antithetical in development efforts, but complementary. The current constitution is not a hindrance to development as some would have us believe. We must change the narrative. Nigeria does not need physical restructuring; rather, Nigerians require social re-awakening to know how we can solve our problems without allowing sentiments to blind us.
My state (Benue) is presently governed by a Benue citizen, not someone from Enugu, Taraba, or any other state. If he does not provide to Benue people security and welfare (the primary responsibility of government), I must not call for “restructuring of the federation”, “regionalism”, or the creation of Tiv State. The Fulani herdsmen have been raiding my state and other states in Nigeria (North, Middle belt, and south) for years, government-after-government (whether headed by a “Christian” or a “Muslim”) at the federal level, destroying our farmlands, homes, and raping our mothers and daughters in the process. It is very simplistic to say that this is a Muslim agenda to take over Nigeria. This is a problem of resource scarcity. I have personally opposed taking over of lands from our people as “grazing reserves”, since this would contradict Section 42 of Nigeria’s constitution. How do we solve this problem? I think those who kill human beings for cattle rustling, who rustle cattle, and who invade and destroy farmlands and homes should all be prosecuted. The constitutional freedom of movement does not include trespassing people’s farmlands or occupying people’s homes. That is anarchy. And if herdsmen are allowed to carry arms, then farmers and community vigilantes must also carry firearms to defend their communities. I think this will deter the belligerents. But we have elected our local government chairmen, governors and president to protect us. That is the least we expect of President Buhari. If he fights against Boko haram, he must also stop these lawless cattle herders otherwise a bigger conflagration will be kindled. He has met this problem, and he must lead in solving it.
I have heard about and spoken against the practice of “quota system” which is skewed to favor a particular part of the country (i.e. Muslim North). But let me say this. If local and state governments provide world-standard education to their citizens, opportunities for jobs and productivity, many Nigerians shall not care about the discriminations that are fraught with quota system. It is failure at the lower tiers of government that fuels anger, sanctified in self-delusive assumption of marginalization. It is a classic in hypocrisy to see local public officials loudly asking from the central government for “my people” what they don’t offer at home.
Compatriots, I have tried to convey to you four things: First, we must focus on every tier of government, and understand the responsibilities of each, and hold the key players to account. If, for instance, a governor complains that he is being hindered by the constitution, and cannot provide good governance, I would liken such to a man who licks his fingers while muttering that the broth is sour. Secondly, we must not think that our problems are caused by other Nigerians, and our “sons of the soil” are not complicit. In other words, the solution to our problems cannot be found either in “restructuring of the federation” or in secession. There is no group war between ethnic groups or religions in Nigeria; our imaginations don’t always confer reality. But what I know is that social growth always projects areas of conflict because of paucity of resources; and how a people resolves them sets them apart or in the midst of fools. Thirdly, if we destroy the little we have, we will suffer the consequences together. Vandalism does not hurt the “government” but us, the people. Finally, our governments (local, state and federal) must provide us prompt and adequate security. This is the least we expect from government. We should not expect perfection of our governments; and our governments must not expect unconditional acquiescence in spite of unsavory evidence.
Compatriots, no nation becomes civilized where the people hand over their lives to government, and become spectators, blaming government for every form of personal idleness and indulgence, abdication of neighborly responsibility, and for their personal choices, wondering why government did not stop them. Government is not God. And even God does not impose himself on us. He allows us to make our choices; but never indulges us to choose the consequences.

shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | May 12, 2016 - Nations are not labeled “Developed” just because they have world-class infrastructure, which are after all only by-products of development, but because of the amount and quality of knowledge that they have created through exercised developed minds, by which I mean minds that are able to diagnose society’s true problems (without being distracted by symptoms or consequences thereof), trends and requirements, project society’s fate, and figure out appropriate therapy for society’s ills. The shape, topology, and organization of society are veritable indicators of the maturity and development state of the mind of her citizens.
An incontrovertible evidence that the mind of a people is undeveloped, or at best developing, is that they believe foreign ideas more than the home-grown. They surrender the task of thinking and imagination to foreigners, whom they hold in deifying reverence. They lose pride in their own heritage, and fail to understand their generational role in the natural expectation of improvements. To improve the quality of thought is an important societal duty, and the process is called “Education”. This process instigates knowledge creation, whose aim is to fulfill man’s divine task of dominating his environment. In so far as society fails in this task, it has betrayed the purpose of living.

As a citizen of the biggest black nation on earth, and reading my readers’ comments, which is my adopted ritual, I can report with sadness that the contemporary black man, to a considerable extent, believes he is lost without the guidance, patronage and protection of the white man or the “developed world”. He is so afraid of the potential imagined reprisals from the white man on his actions in self-interest that he literally waits for permission from him to take them. I am getting really frustrated by this stubbornness of the mind, which has remained inured to this self- deprecating disposition.

Let me provide some exhibits of this chronic black diffidence:

For Black scholars to ape out western proposition that “developing” countries (a category in which all black nations fall) must devalue their currencies, as a solution to their economic problems, to me, is indicative of lack of imagination and sense of history. To such scholars, whatever the World Bank or IMF says is an unimpeachable doctrine. Since the 1980s when many black nations, out of lack of imagination, started devaluing their currencies, only because the white man said so, and those currencies have since been devalued by thousands of percentage points (For instance, the Nigerian naira, officially, is now worth only about one-two hundredth of its 1980 value!) their economies have reaped no benefits from this devaluation doctrine. And without learning from history, some black scholars (even economists) are still calling for further devaluation of their countries’ currencies as an economic “solution”, because the IMF says so.

The “privatization” of our commonwealth is un-African (e.g. the take-over of black lands, communal heritage, by whites in some African countries has provoked violent reprisals or the signs are there that they will occur). Whenever social ownership re-engineering conflicts with the inherent culture of a people, resistance and failure are bound to happen. In African communities, it is an abomination for an individual to take over ownership of property that belongs to all community members. In some African communities, such individual may lose their life in strange circumstances not long after. In others, only the king can claim ownership of lands (the most important possession of an African after children) in his domain. Even at that, the king would dare forcefully take someone’s property and give another only in exchange for violence, talk less of taking the community’s commonwealth and handing over to an individual or group of individuals in the name of “privatization”, an individualistic economic coupling that is, to the African, a chimera.

Many black scholars see “privatization” as the silver bullet for economic woes, and claim that “Government has no business in business.” African culture encourages private enterprise without sacrificing common ownership enterprise; and so government (elders and kings) has business in business. In African communities, members help each other in activities such as farming, building of houses, preparation for marriage rituals, even as they collectively own schools and other enterprises. They would vehemently resist handing over of those ventures to individuals in the name of “privatization”.
Nigeria has “privatized” her electricity infrastructure: six generation companies (GENCOS) and eleven distribution companies (DISCOS) have been sold (“privatized”), while the only transmission company, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is being managed by a private firm. About three years after (since November 2013), what is the result? We now have more darkness than before, more outrageous bills for prolonged darkness than before, and poor billing standards or, may I say, more “estimated billing” that is not based on any imaginative or scientific basis? What more? Those new owners have been given “bail out” of billions of naira, supposedly belonging to “taxpayers”; and they have responded by hitting the taxpayer with poor services and unjustified bills! Here is the excuse: The electricity business is a capital-intensive venture, and investors need to recoup their investment. Unfortunately, even the present government has bought into this narrative. Does it make sense to call extortion recouping of investment? Do you call estimated billing recouping of investment? In most towns and villages in States in Nigeria (Bayelsa State being a classic example, where Otuoke community of uncle GEJ has not enjoyed public electricity since January 2016, and has received no electricity supply since their governor claimed at a campaign debate last year that he had paid some money for gas to power the Imiringi turbine that was built by former Governor of the old Rivers State, Melford Okilo more than 30 years ago, the only source of electricity to the community until 2013, when it was shut down and failed to release even a flash until during governorship campaigns of late last year when it coughed out some electricity for only few days while the campaigns lasted), it is a policy of DISCOS to not deploy electricity meters! The reason is obvious—arbitrary billing fills their purse with ill-gotten wealth. While in other towns and villages where analogue or post-payment meters are still being used in Nigeria, DISCOS would bring in outrageous bills without considering the supply and consumption sides of the billing equation. In an economy such as ours, and in agreement with our culture of pre-payment economy, why does government allow those DISCOS to continue with this robbery?

Unless President Buhari has come to accept this enslaving treatment of Nigerians by the GENCOS and DISCOS, who have lately treated us to a comedy of trading blames, as just, it is time to reverse this “privatization”. The cost of reversal cannot outweigh this oppression and the cost of failure. I wish to alert the president that public unrest or violence will be provoked if the federal government does not rein in those taunting wolves. Nigerians will have every right to resist this exploitation. We are fed up with this nonsense!

Some years ago, the telecommunications sector was “liberalized”. The federal government did not “privatize” landlines. Even then, the beautiful phone boots that dotted our campuses, street corners and public buildings, where a caller could walk in with their pre-loaded call cards, swipe and make calls, have vanished only because Nigeria “liberalized” her telecommunications sector. Again, evidence of a mind that has refused to be exercised with imagination. Who now owns the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL)? It is now moribund because we must allow the private sector to thrive. What thinking is this? Must the private sector thrive at the expense of public enterprise? President Buhari must make revival of NITEL (with its mobile subsidiary MTEL) one of his signature accomplishments before 2019.

Strengthened in their conviction that the contemporary black man does not exercise his mind, but waits for others to do the thinking for him, the exploiters are now asking for “privatization” of government’s medical centers! It seems, for now, President Buhari is not buying this. To prevent another heist of our commonwealth, the president should reverse the “privatization” of our electricity infrastructure, while allowing liberalization. This will send a strong message. We must keep our electricity distribution infrastructure to remain as public property, to be placed on lease to companies that will not exploit consumers (a similar management agreement the Federal Government has signed for the management of the TCN is contemplated here). GENCOS that have not generated more electricity than the installed capacities of the companies they bought, should lose ownership of those companies, but should be given licenses to build electricity plants of their choosing.

Do we need DISCOS that have not added new and adequate transformers in neighborhoods since they took over in 2013, and now engage in perennial load-shedding because “the transformer cannot take the load in your neighborhood”? I was amazed when a Jos DISCO manager in Gboko, Benue State, said to me, “The transformers in Gboko were installed in the 1970s. They cannot sustain the load required of them now. Rich men in Gboko should consider buying transformers.” What baloney! Here is another incident: For some days we got no electricity supply in our neighborhood in Gboko. I drove to a Jos DISCO office and asked the manager what the reason was. He told me, “My brother, I have sat here all day drinking my beer and wondering what to do. Your transformer has a fault that requires a spare part that we don’t have in the store; we have nothing in the store. We do not have even an operating vehicle either, and I have to use my personal truck over there (he pointed to it). This company is now a private one, and customers don’t have to pay for such repairs.” I asked him how much it would cost, and he told me. I drove to an ATM, made some withdrawals and gave him the money to fix the problem. Yet another unfortunate experience after this one. For weeks we got no electricity supply, only to be told that our transformer (the same one in Gboko) was “vandalized”. We were taxed to raise more than two hundred thousand naira to fix it and build a fence around the transformer! Later, I learned that some other neighborhoods in Gboko had the same experience. I further learned that some staff of the Jos DISCO “vandalized” the transformers.  For more than two years now, the Jos DISCO has kept us on “load-shedding” menu (They are only OBLIGATED to consider us every other day), and yet brings in outrageous bills every month, which have suddenly gone up by more than 100 per cent since the beginning of this year! This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

The Federal Government should not allow monopoly by the six GENCOS and eleven DISCOS in Nigeria, who have demonstrated undeniable incompetence, duplicity, and inability to tell the truth. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is dead on its mission, I think. It does not protect Nigerians. Electricity is too important to our national development to be left in the hands of unserious people or companies. It is time to wield the big stick. I hope our mind will be enlarged to see this. I am, naturally, an optimist. But let me say here and now that I am not interested in more baloney, whether from government officials or GENCOS and DISCOS about what they are doing to improve electricity. I want nothing less than predictability, equity, and value for money, to start with. On predictability, it does not require high mathematical and engineering ingenuity to work out a dependable timetable for electricity supply to neighborhoods (now that we don’t have enough to go round), and communicate same through text messaging to customers to know hours of the day that public electricity would be supplied EVERYDAY. Equity requires that I must not be denied public electricity only because my neighbors are not willing to pay for electricity, which does not make sense. Value for money, because I must not pay for what I do not consume. Until government intervenes to address these, nothing has changed, or rather things have turned out worse. Tell me, what positive difference has “privatization” of our electricity sector made?

Black nations inherited “Western Education” and failed to improve on the traditional or hereditary education received from the forebears; neither have they productively sought after innovation for the education they received from the white man, who has since moved beyond what they left us with at political independence. Our imagination has simply refused to stretch beyond principal endowment; thus no interest has accrued on it. For example, the National Universities Commission (NUC), a body that superintendents university education in Nigeria, has resisted liberal innovation in degree programs and curricula (to meet global job requirements) that conflict with their Basic Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS); unfortunately, this obduracy inhibits universities’ efforts to impart in-demand skills that could have made their graduates employable. But the NUC is “just doing its job”, so why the “preachments “?

Africans must create development models that accord with their cultural values of private enterprise lubricated by communal ownership. It is not either or. A child born in African communities belongs to the whole community; but he still bears his father’s name. Although the land belongs to the individual within the community, the whole community must be involved at the time of sale or transfer of ownership. These examples suffice. “Privatization” simply means selfish ownership, a trait that is deplored in the African community or lexicon.

Local “Contributions Banking” within African economies is fast threatening modern banking today. Loans from them come at minimal costs, shorn of sundry charges that obtain in modern banking. Few days ago, I warned a banker who came to my office that with outrageous lending interests charged by Nigerian banks, they were increasingly losing relevance among Nigerians in Nigeria’s development efforts. For instance, in the 2016 budget proposal, the Federal Government plans to push N500 billion (five hundred billion naira) to Cooperatives for lending to members at small interest rates in order to encourage entrepreneurship. This means a large number of small-scale businesses would be grown without inputs of commercial banks in Nigeria! Bank lending has dropped, and shall drop yet further.

We have some exciting examples of good exercise of the African mind. In the global community of sartorial fashion and design, Nigerians rank among the very best. No wonder, among the top three richest black women on earth is Nigeria’s fashion icon, Folurunsho Alakija. Their creativity in textile designs within their rich cultural heritage has won global acclaim. In this area, we can confidently say Nigeria is developed. It is about the mind, its creativity, flexibility and appetite to absorb knowledge. In the music industry, Nigerian artists have won global and continental awards and attention. Their fusion of lyrics and instrumentals is quite appealing. Here too, we can confidently say Nigeria is developed.

We have areas of human endeavor where Nigerians are not developed. But it is all about the mind. We have not been able to create a governing system that suits us. For instance, among some nationalities that make up Nigeria, there were kings ruling in kingdoms without deputy kings. Have you got my point? A king only chose among the council of elders those that would represent him when unavoidably absent from the business of governing for a season. In others such as the Tivs and Igbos, that practiced gerontocracy, elders governed. We have suddenly adopted an expensive American system of government, which we don’t practice well nor is it in agreement with our culture; and it has become a burden threatening our union because, for us, traditionally, “zoning” is a way of life, which ensures equity when the elders or kings share benefits in our communities. But does the American democratic system recognize “zoning”? But we pretend to a constitutional democracy, while our constitution does not recognize “zoning”, which we have come to introduce informally but controversially into “democracy”, whose definition is in conflict. And do not our culture and experience prove that the four-year tenure we have, without cultural or social basis, copied from the US, besides being cost-additive, causes more attention to be focused on the next election soon after than on the next development accomplishment? As long as we remain stubbornly attached to western democracy bereft of cultural modification or adaptation, so long will allegations of marginalization last and our journey toward Country Development be delayed. Our kings are today simply called “traditional rulers”, with no constitutionally defined roles. But do we call, for instance, the queen of England a “traditional ruler”? We don’t.

The resources and infrastructure in the domains of our “traditional rulers” are usually not in their care, so how do we expect them and their subjects to care about them while the same resources are being exploited by those they consider outsiders, with their environment being destroyed in the process? Normal people don’t destroy or steal what they know or feel belongs to them; and collective ownership usually instigates collective protection. How proud can we be as a people when we cannot even fashion a governing system that is harmonious with our culture? Do we realize that in Nigeria, the people listen more to their kings (whom we derisively call “traditional rulers”) than they do to even the country’s president?  But under the present arrangement, even the governor of a state can remove a “traditional ruler”
in his State from the throne, and there will be no adverse consequences? We have lost touch with our history, so how can we make progress?

TEL: 08055024356; Email: shilgba@yahoo.com

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | May 23, 2016 - There has been a rash of proposals to resolve the menace of cattle herders’ invasion of Nigerian farmlands, who are killing unarmed Nigerians (children, women and men) and burning down or destroying houses and property, where understandably, no feeds or grasses exist for their cattle. All of these are happening on the victims’ ancestral lands, which the Nigerian constitution recognizes, even as according to Section 25(1) of the Constitution, a Nigerian by birth is so recognized only if either of his parents or grandparents “belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria.” In all the proposals available to me, I see none that provides for the farmers, who need even more parcels of land for their crop-farming activities than the cattle herders do. Whether they are proposals for “grazing reserves across Nigeria” or “Ranching”, for which the Federal Government seems prepared to invest public money for private business (I am yet to be provided evidence that the cattle herders are  herding government animals), I see no provision of a compensatory nature for Nigerian farmers and people, who have fallen victim to the recurring impunities of cattle herders that seem to be ever strengthened by some conviction of protection from certain quarters. I wish to remind here that whatever proposals that the federal government may eventually adopt should be in agreement with the Constitution, otherwise they will fuel more crises and provoke anarchy in the land. Even the weak, when they face injustice, or perceive injustice that threatens their existence, will fight back in a deadly manner; for, after all, they believe they only have all to lose if they do nothing. But fighting back, they may have some to save.

Let me cite a germane section of Nigeria’s Constitution: Section 42 (1) [Right to freedom from discrimination]:

A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person-

(a)    be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or

(b)   be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.

A close examination of the above Section shows that the constitution frowns at both discriminatory restrictions (and imposed disabilities) and discriminatory privileges or advantages. In view of this, I frame three questions for public determination:

1. If the federal government chooses as a solution, to expend public money and expropriate lands from the natives across Nigeria, and hand over those to cattle herders for grazing, would that not amount to discriminatory restriction (of the natives, who will lose ownership of their ancestral lands) and discriminatory offer of privilege and advantage (to the cattle herders), who would then, like the Biblical Levites, live in government-protected “cities of refuge” across Nigeria?

2. What would be the compensation of government to the perennial victims and farmers, whose farmlands would be taken away? If, at all, there would be compensation, who determines the type and amount? If the natives are to determine the amount, what happens if they, like the Biblical Naboth, say to the Federal Government, “The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.”? Would the Federal Government, like wicked King Ahab and his wicked queen Jezebel, destroy the natives and take away the lands by force, pleading the Land Use Act, that does not prevail over Section 42, and whose spirit does not endorse discrimination? And would there not be costly consequences? On the other hand, if the natives ask for economic rates, can the Federal Government pay, and from which public funds? For instance, in Benue State, it would be very hard for the people to surrender an inch for “eternal” cattle grazing; my people, like many others in Nigeria, value their land above almost everything, except children. And if, assuming it is possible, my people are willing to sell their farmlands (their economic means of livelihood), and we ask for nothing less than six trillion naira, can the Federal Government pay? And if it can pay, under what lending terms will the Federal Government handover the lands to the cattle herders. What guarantee is there that another government will not reverse this injustice in the future, and thus create a bigger conflagration?

3. If cattle ranching is the Federal Government’s solution, will it spend Nigeria’s money for the private business of ranching? If so, is the Federal Government prepared to give similar amounts to farmers, fishermen, and other farmers engaged in animal husbandry? If the Federal Government is not prepared to extend similar favors, then why not, even if the argument is that cattle herders will only be advanced loans to set up ranches?

Let us face facts, please.  Nigerian farmers and natives have been losing lives and property at the hands of belligerent cattle herders, to whom, so lamely and flippantly, government officials refer as “foreigners”; and in discussing solutions, I hear nothing about local defense mechanisms for the natives and adequate re-building and re-habilitation of the shattered welfare of the victims. I only hear of proposals that cater for the cattle herders, who are bold enough to say why they have the license to take lives: “The natives stole our cattle.” And the Federal Government doesn’t go after those confessed murderers! What country do we profess to have? Such egregious official approvals of silence and inaction are among events in my lifetime that make me agree with Chinua Achebe that “There was a country.” I wasn’t born then when Achebe and his Igbo brethren started going through the harrowing   experiences that changed his views about Nigeria. But having read his priceless parting gift to humanity and similar accounts, I see that we are repeating the same mistakes today that could destroy faith in Nigeria by many a Nigerian optimist.  Yes, Wole Soyinka affirms that Chinua Achebe sought to “dichotomize Nigeria” with his book, There was a Country. I disagree. Achebe only reported about Nigeria as an active observer. The reporter should not be blamed. If society doesn’t like what it reads about itself, it only has presented to it an opportunity for truthful change. Unfortunately, I see that in my day, more than forty years after the unfortunate civil war, Nigeria is now officially dichotomized!

Have you seen the report titled, “Ebonyi State becomes the first to ban cattle rearing in Igbo land”? Do you blame them? My governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom of Benue State, recently cried out, “I didn’t become Governor to preside over dead bodies…Our people are being pushed too far by herdsmen! The old and young have been slaughtered, children separated from their parents and many people chased out of their homes to sleep in the bush without food to eat.  This is genocide…”  When I hear my governor cry out like this, and see my people slaughtered almost weekly by cattle herders, would you not expect me to ask, “Do we have a country”? To make matters more infuriating, the federal troops sent to the areas of siege, besides not containing the marauding cattle herders, have become a burden to both state and local governments, who must feed them, provide fuel for their vehicles, etc., even though they are producing no expected results. In the South-South region, there are reports that, the youth, out of frustration at the belligerent cattle herders, have threatened to “kidnap” them if they would not leave their land.

I love what President Buhari is doing to fight off Boko Haram, a fight in which both hunters and vigilante groups have got involved, resulting in the latest recue of one of the abducted Chibok girls. But he has not yet started succeeding with the fight against the invasion of our lands by those “foreign” cattle herders. Should we be intolerant of our Nigerian Boko Haramers, but indulgent of the “foreign” cattle herders? Will Buhari government’s armies actively stop our native hunters and vigilantes in warding off those “foreign” cattle herders in defense of our homelands? Now that we are pushed to the wall in Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Plateau, in fact, across the breath and length of Nigeria, it will send a suspicious message to the international community if Buhari’s soldiers and security agencies stop our hunters and vigilante groups from warding cattle herder-invaders off our farmlands, towns and villages, while they can’t stop cattle herders from killing the natives on their ancestral lands. Cattle herders should not be allowed to carry guns while we are not allowed to carry even our bows and arrows in the open. We must not continue to lose precious lives because we must eat beef in Nigeria.

Any people reserves the natural right of self-defense, much more now that agricultural activities are being disrupted by those “foreign” cattle herders, and the Federal Government wants to create jobs through investment in agriculture and other sectors. To deny us, the victims, that, is to advertise official endorsement of genocide. Is there meaningful agriculture without guaranteed safety on the farmlands, which are now being occupied by armed cattle herders? Is government not pushing the natives to take self-help measures to protect their farmers in the field? The Benue Movement Against Fulani Occupation (MAFO) are now at the ECOWAS Court in search of justice and protection, which they don’t believe President Buhari can offer them. This is not good publicity for our president. I suspect more of this will come up if the president does not offer leadership in the war against cattle herders’ aggression. A stitch in time saves nine.

shilgba@yahoo.com; 08055024356.

By Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | Feb. 23, 2018 – DEmocracy , as a human contrivance, is dependent on human choice among an array of options. The choice of majority of qualified electors is considered “free and fair” no matter the intrinsic quality of the choice that often manifests later in the form of ability to turn promise into performance, which is called competence. In many democracies such as Nigeria, the choice of the minority is a complete waste of votes. Accordingly, the minority must either share in the benefits of the wisdom of the choice of the majority without paying dues or suffer from the tragedy of the foolish choice of the majority without compensation. In the light of this, I wish to interrogate the probable basis of the electoral choices of the Nigerian voter. You the Nigerian voter, can I trust your choice?

The electoral choices of voters are usually based on emotions, information (or misinformation), and inducement. Certain expectations from a candidate, even if wrongly framed in complete conflict with constitutional provisions (which may not even be known by the electorate), may play a part in voters’ decision concerning them.

In 2015, after President Buhari’s electoral victory in the presidential election that year, I listened in to an interactive listeners’ program on a radio station in Bayelsa State. The discussion was on expectations from Buhari government. A caller said, “I would like Buhari to construct Yenagoa-Ogbia road.” The host correctly told him that the road construction was the business of the Bayelsa State government. Similar wrong expectations are entertained by many Nigerian voters who may sincerely not know enough, while some may just be plain mischievous.

First, let me make an attempt at education on constitutional functions between the three tiers of government in Nigeria. Functions of a Local Government Council (LGC) are provided in the Fourth Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution. Do you know that LGCs are constitutionally responsible for “construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lightings, drains and other public highways, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as may be prescribed from time to time by the House of Assembly of a State; provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal; the provision and maintenance of primary, adult, and vocational education; the provision and maintenance of health services; the development of agriculture and natural resources, other than the exploitation of minerals; establishment and maintenance of homes for the destitute and infirm”?

I have only extracted from the many functions of LGCs these few to make a point that poverty of Nigerian families would be reduced if the LGCs were allowed by the State governors to perform their constitutional functions. LGCs are also empowered by the Constitution with “collection of rates, radio and television licenses, assessment of privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of a State; establishment, maintenance, and regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, markets, motor parks and public conveniences; licensing of bicycles, trucks ( other than mechanically propelled trucks), canoes, wheel barrows and carts; control and regulation of out-door advertising and hoarding, movement and keeping of pets of all description, shops and kiosks, restaurants, bakeries and other places for sale of food to the public, laundries, and licensing, regulation and control of the sale of liquor.”

Please, can you slowly read through AGAIN some of the functions of LGCs, which I have listed above? Now, think about the physical, economic, and social state of your Local Government Area (LGA). I am sure that many Nigerians are discontented with such state of their LGAs. Do you know who to blame? It is not your president; the guilty suspect is your State Governor, who is destroying (or has already destroyed) your LGA. Can I trust your electoral choice?

The average population of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs is about 250, 000, while average monthly allocation to a LGA from the Federation account is more than N100, 000, 000 (i.e. more than N77.4 billion)!

In the first quarter of 2017, LGAs shared a total of N269.42 billion as follows: In January 2017, LGAs shared N85.4 billion; in February 2017, LGAs shared N96.52 billion; and in March 2017, LGAs shared N87.5 billion. The revenue formula of Federal Government: 52.68%, State Governments: 26.72%, and Local Governments: 20.60% was used [Source: Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Report 2017]. Besides this revenue source (Federation Account), consider the internally generated revenue (IGR) that should accrue to your LGA from the sources listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Now I ask you, don’t you think your LGA deserves better? Revenue meant for your LGA is seized by your governor, and not spent to provide those conveniences of life listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. This is partly responsible for the burning poverty in your LGA, and state of insecurity in the land! Your governor appoints his lackey as LGC Chairman of your LGA ( don’t mind the charade called “Local Government elections”), gives him handouts from your LGA’s share from the Federation Account, and takes over the collection of revenue that the constitution empowers your LGC to collect, and shares with his godfathers and political collaborators. Workers are being owed salaries for many months (in some States up to 9 or 12 months!) in many of those States and LGAs, not because there is no money, but because the governors and their political godfathers and collaborators are stealing at gunpoint. Yes, you read right, at GUNPOINT. If you complain too loudly, killers may be sent after you. Your governor has turned into your tormentor, tormenting you with scorpions. But you blame the central government that is “far away”, which is not sending hired thugs after critics. Can I trust your electoral choice?

In September last year, I took up the issue of owed staff salaries with a State governor. Later, he asked a senior official in his government to call me. The official confessed to me that salaries of all staff in that State could be paid from IGR alone! But why would the government not do it then? He said there was some opposition to the governor. I think we need governors who can be bold enough to defend both the treasury and life/ property of their people. Can I trust your electoral choice? That very month, the State received N4.2 billion from the Federation Account. I have heard stories of some Nigerians committing suicide because of the constitutional breach by some State governors. Those governors are responsible for the collapse of the local government system, which has resulted in excruciating poverty in the land.

“If President Buhari cared, why can’t he deduct at source the salaries of LG and State staff from the allocations for their LGAs and States from the Federation Account and pay them?” some Nigerians ask. Well, no Nigerian president has such powers. You made your choices of governors, live with them.

The collapse of primary and secondary healthcare systems (at both local and state levels) has put unexpected pressure on the tertiary healthcare system (which is better funded and managed), thus defeating an intended referral healthcare system. Decrepit local healthcare centres and State hospitals in many of the States testify to failure of governance at those levels. But many people put all the blame on the Federal Government. Can I trust your electoral choice?

1. Security structure of a nation cannot be changed by the president, but by the legislature. For instance, the establishment of State and Community police departments can only be accomplished through constitutional amendment, not by presidential fiat. National security funding is impossible without legislative appropriation. Nigerians should hold their legislators accountable for our current poor security structure. No president can fix our security situation without appropriate legislative input or amendment. Can I trust you the Nigerian voter to interrogate the legislative agendas of candidates for legislative offices? Do you care to find out the legislative agenda of candidates for our State and National Assemblies? It is not legislative work for your (State and National) legislators to once in a good while give out handouts such as sewing machines, tricycles, motorbikes, and wheel barrows, and to sink some boreholes. These are not “dividends of democracy”. Simple but nifty legislation on universal healthcare for Nigerians, STEM education reform, workers security and welfare (which may include provisions such as 30 per cent compounded interest on owed staff salaries up to the third month, requiring that thereafter, the LGC Chairman, State Governor, President, or CEO of the company, as the case may be, must compulsorily resign from office; and in the case of a private company, consistent failure to pay after the fourth month would result in deregistration of the company, liquidation of assets, and payment of owed salaries, with the interest, from the proceeds), tax reform that considers marital status and family size, infrastructure, and on other benefits of citizenship provided in the second chapter of the constitution ( which are currently rendered non-justiciable), would improve the quality of life of Nigerians. Who would you send to your State House of Assembly and National Assembly next time? Can I trust your electoral choice?

2. The president of Nigeria does not have powers to interfere with investigation and prosecution of the accused or indicted, and neither does the legislature. Accordingly, when the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, NIA, the Nigerian Police, or any security agency arrests or prosecutes any Nigerian, it would be display of ignorance or mischief or both for anyone to call for the intervention of the president or attribute it to “the president fighting his political enemies.” Can I trust you to know this and vote according to this knowledge? On one hand, we claim we don’t want our president to be a dictator, while on the other hand, we ask him to do things that only a dictator would do, such as interfering with judicial processes.

3. Evidence abounds that many Nigerians imagine a course of action, become inflamed with fear, and then begin to spread such imaginary fears about government as fact. For instance, someone says, “The Federal Government would establish cattle colonies across Nigeria for Fulani herdsmen.” The president or FG has no such powers under our constitution (and President Buhari has affirmed that he has no constitutional powers to establish cattle colonies). We (especially some that call themselves “Christians”) also claim that certain Nigerians would “Islamize” Nigerians. When was the country “Christianized” that now it would be “Islamized”? Islam is not the antonym of Christianity; not being a Muslim doesn’t make one a “Christian”. Furthermore, as a pastor, I should say that rather than worrying about what other religionists may do to our society, we genuine Christians should be engaged in evangelizing our neighbourhoods or communities, being mindful of this truth: “Upon this rock I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Quite often, alarmists are not Christians at all. And you see this in their insults, curses, untamed anger and tongue, impatience, and threats of revenge. Jesus says, “By their fruits, you shall know them.” Christians don’t live in fear, but by faith; they are not driven by fear, but by love. If you are driven by fear, should I trust you to vote the right candidates? If you are driven by the fraternity of religion, tribe or tongue, can I trust your wisdom of choice? If you are driven by anger, how can I trust your good judgment? Christians are peacemakers, not warmongers. We are the light of the world, not its dark side. We are the salt of the earth, our flavour remains.

4. Primary and secondary education, respectively is the responsibility of Local and State Governments. The Federal Government may intervene under certain conditions, but it must not be held responsible. Do you know this? If your State Government fails to pay the salaries of its teachers and provide the appropriate environment and infrastructure for learning and teaching at those levels of education, hold your governor responsible, not even your LGC Chairman, except your governor has not confiscated the treasury of your LGC.

5. If you ask for and receive money and material inducement from candidates for elective public offices, you have forfeited your right for good governance. You have sold your “birth right”. If the electorate receive material benefits from candidates during campaigns, they must not expect “dividends of democracy” after electoral “victories”. Where do you think the money and material gifts came from? Those cost money, and you “forced” candidates to part with them (You are guilty of extortion). Does equity not demand that the candidates recoup their “investment” with “profit” after they have entered upon their office? With this attitude by majority of Nigerian electors toward candidates for elective public offices, can free and fair elections alone guarantee credible and good governance? Often, candidates for elective public offices in Nigeria are victims of the intractable greed of the electorate, who would scoff at credible, visionary, brainy, and cerebral candidates, who don’t have deep pockets. They go for the deep pockets, who often don’t have the required endowment for good governance. The people always get what they deserve. Can I truly trust your electoral choice?

Professor Leonard Karshima Shilgba

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria  | March 10, 2018 – Last Saturday, a friend forwarded to me this headline: “Nigerians are receiving expired education, says US Varsity VC.” The story was published in a mainstream national newspaper. He and I have studied and worked in countries that supposedly do not offer “expired education” to their citizens and foreigners that study in them. Without wasting precious time, I sent him this reply: “Education does not ‘expire’. Besides, let the ‘US varsity VC’ provide the curricula for the programs the US universities offer, and compare with Nigerian universities’. We Nigerian scholars must not fall for cheap propaganda obviously aimed at sucking money off gullible Nigerians that would then be running to America for ‘unexpired education’.” He then called me, and opined that in Nigeria, academic curricula are not regularly reviewed. I disagreed with him over such unverified generalization, and reminded him that at our university, where we both teach, we have regularly reviewed our curricula. He surrendered.

Also, this week, a Nigerian patriot posted on our WhatsApp group an inspiring story about Nigeria being “the greatest country in the world”. Among other reasons, he mentioned the achievements of some foreign-based Nigerians. Quite expectedly, being in the character of many Nigerians, a Nigerian in the Diaspora responded thus: “I am always amazed as to how Nigerians define themselves in terms of the achievements of those Nigerians that ran away from that country. As one of these individuals, I am shocked as to how much I had to unlearn Nigeria to stay out of jail and achieve the little I have done! The Jilani Aliyu mentioned here initially was protected by the USA Secret Service any time he was in Nigeria. It is now that the Federal Government has taken over his protection as a Fulani man! Can he now design and build a car in Nigeria as the Head of the Automotive Agency? There is a big difference between feeling good and the facts of existence! I forced my friend to return to Nigeria with his fantastic reengineering societal skills, and was assassinated in Makurdi just because he had better ideas of how to pay salaries owed workers! Romanticizing our situation will not help matters!” I guess you have not missed his suggestive drift. You can infer from the number of exclamation marks in his just 158-character response that my friend is angry with Nigeria. There is a profound error in taking a sad experience, and making it into a big mountain of fact, which you climb upon to proclaim a message of hopelessness.

When I got a job offer in Nigeria (I had before then received another job offer from a different country than the one in which I was based—Japan, and was considering leaving my family in Japan, at least for a while and traveling out to that second country) and decided to return to Nigeria because of this, a friend of mine, who was based in Germany at the time, severely rebuked me for this decision. We spent more than one hour on skype discussing the subject. “Why do you want to go back to Nigeria?” he asked. “I give you six months; you will regret your decision.” I am sad to report that since then we have not been close; we drifted apart. The good news is that I have not regretted returning to Nigeria. About three years after returning to Nigeria, I had a misunderstanding with the president of my university (an American), and decided to leave Nigeria. Again, I got two job offers from two different countries. I had returned to Japan for a postdoctoral fellowship. After consideration, I was convinced to remain in Nigeria and help build my nation. I returned to Nigeria, and I have found out that in life, you cannot keep running away from problems, because there is nowhere that you will not find problems. You must learn to stay back and figure out ways of dealing with your problems.  Foreign is not always better. Nigerians, in fact, all blacks, must learn to love their natural habitations.

When someone, just like my Diaspora friend I have quoted above, speaks as though accomplished people always have opportunities thrust at them to succeed, rather than creating or seizing those opportunities, I am also “amazed”.

Some years ago, I sat down in my house in Japan, looked at the colour of my skin, pondered the sorry state of my black race, and with tears in my eyes, I penned down my article, “The Black race: Myths, Realities, and Complexes”, which has been turned into a more than 500-page book. A white South African posted a response to my essay. I reproduce excerpts of it below in order to make you think:

“This piece was written by a black African – a Nigerian. This is a long piece. Parts of it are especially good and hit the nail on the head and reflect truths which I have observed and commented on myself…. I have a small book called ‘The Biology of the Race Problem’, written decades ago by an American professor. It is obviously the sort of thing everyone wants to forget. In it, he made comments very similar to what Jefferson said. He said that blacks are unable to come up with creative new ideas. There is something about them; when it comes to imagination (and I’m not talking art here; I’m talking about imagination as applied in solving physical real-world problems), that, they lack…. I could easily argue, and show you the history of Africa to prove it, that Africa progressed under white rule because we have more imagination than them. They look and see nothing. We look and see a Garden of Eden just waiting to be tapped. They only see what we see, once we have created it; and then they become jealous and covet it and want to kill us to get it. The minute blacks take control of a nation, it loses its vision/imagination and goes NOWHERE. You only have to look, all over Africa, even South Africa itself, once the black man arrives at the helm all the forward thinking dies…. Why do blacks flee to white countries in the West? Because they don’t have the imagination, will, determination, vision, honesty, etc., to develop their countries; so they flee to where the White man rules so they can live under his guidance once more. This is a truth about black people, but NONE of them are prepared to face the truth; even though every one of them does it they won’t acknowledge this truth.”

Of what value is our education when we don’t value our own, take pleasure in foreign and despise “local”? We boast about “living abroad for many years”; “studying abroad”; “being married to white spouses or to ‘abroad’ spouses,”etc. Some Nigerians even would boast of “attending schools where all our teachers are white.” And so what? This inferiority complex is legendry! Let us strive to unlearn this complex rather than “unlearn” Nigeria. Some of our folks, sadly, have lost their families to “abroad”. Their children don’t desire Nigeria or anything Nigeria. We are living in an age of voluntary slavery when we easily sell ourselves to foreigners so cheaply.

And in spite of our “expired education” those smart foreigners come to Nigeria to advertise their universities and colleges that live off our gullibility, taking away our “expired education”-filled graduates away with their hard-earned naira, which they convert to their “God-endowed” dollars, pounds, and euro. We cannot see that they discredit everything that is dear to us so that they will sell to us their own at exorbitant prices. And how we bask in our stupidity and foolery! Our craving for everything foreign has for long been a metaphor for our stunted growth as a nation, and a burden on leadership. This partly accounts for our failure in our unending search for “good leaders”, whom we will never find until we have found our lost self.

Dr. Leonard K. Shilgba | Yola, Nigeria | May 20, 2018 –

“Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression…Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: They ask of me ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. ‘Why have we fasted’, they ask God, ‘and you don’t take notice?’”

Quite often “fasting and prayers” are “declared” in Nigeria when the overly religious “feel” that they are endangered by something or some things. I have observed that it is difficult to connect such exercises of “fasting” to verifiable positive results, whether spiritual or physical. Yet, the “church”, “mosque” and various levels of government indulge in such banalities. Why do I call those exercises banal? It is because there is nothing fresh or refreshing about them; they are wholly predictable, and achieve nothing good. Furthermore, those who indulge in those exercises understand “fasting” to mean simply abstinence from food and water for a period of time. The food they would not give to the hungry remains in their food stores while they “fast”. Then they continue to feed fat without kindness to the poor, or compassion on the needy. They wonder why their “fasting and prayers” don’t fetch the desired results.

“Fasting and prayers” are also taken by Nigeria’s ignorantly religious to be substitutes for obedience, patriotic deeds, or principled living.  It is simplistic to ignore your necessary duty to society, and then think that you can “pray” and “fast” your way out of the consequences. Negligence of government responsibilities is often shrouded by “prayer and fasting”. Besides, there have been reports of governments in Nigeria spending public funds on “prayer and fasting”. I believe that “prayer and fasting” have assumed the intolerable level of heresy; in fact, the irresponsibly religious do mock God with “prayer and fasting” while they refuse to change their ways. But scripturally correct fasting avails much for individuals and nations. What is true scriptural fasting, which can lead to even exorcism of otherwise stubborn demons that terrorise individuals and society?

More than 3,000 years ago, the nation of Israel would call for abstinence from food and water, which they called “fasting”, but without the desired results. Then they asked why God did not take notice:

Their “fasting” was fruitless because it was accompanied by strife, pleasurable living without consideration for the poor and needy, and wickedness. God told them, “You shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” God then mocked their kind of fasting: “Is this the fast that I have chosen? A day for man to afflict his soul? (or, To afflict his soul for a day?) Is it to bow your head like a bulrush (reed), and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?  Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?”

Godly fasting is not what the religious in Nigeria often do. Some poor folks abstain from food and water to the risk of their health, and yet they get no fruits. What then is godly fasting? Here is God’s Word on the subject:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to give your food to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you give him clothing; and that you don’t hide from your relatives in the time of their need?”

Simply put, godly fasting is self-deprivation for the good of others, justice, mercy, and faithfulness—It is taking the cross daily on behalf of others within your divine endowment.

The result of godly fasting is simply phenomenal: The LORD says that when you engage in godly fasting, “Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you; and the glory of the LORD shall gather you up. Then shall you call (pray), and the LORD shall answer; and you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am…Then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. And the LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones, and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of you (your children) shall build the old waste places: You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in…Then shall you delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.” [Read Isaiah 58: 1-14; Zechariah 7: 5-14]

About two years ago, my State government announced that it was organizing “prayer and fasting”. I wrote and warned against this, and advised on what I have said in this essay. I warned that should they go ahead with the “prayer and fasting” (which I considered a mockery of God) the security condition in the State would worsen. Some people misunderstood me. They went ahead with the “fast”, and “handed the State over to God”. If a State that has been “handed over to God” would experience the throes in which Benue State is now, then it is not advisable to “hand over a State to God”. When wickedness against neighbours is not repented of, and the wicked embark on “prayer and fasting”, the most certain outcome would be shame and a worsening of the status quo.

Common sense instructs us that a “church” where the leaders impose 10% tax on the poor (which they call “tithing”), extort money from people through the sale of “anointing” stuff, and place burdens on the people, which they would not touch with a finger, cannot get positive results through “fasting”. The State governor who fails to pay even the miserable salaries of his workers for many months, neglects his responsibility to prudently manage public funds on behalf of the people, and demonstrates lack of will to bring to justice killers of the innocent, should not resort to “prayer and fasting.”

I challenge Nigeria’s mega churches, which are also “mega” in terms of extortion and merchandizing of their congregations, to start off on this journey of repentance by repudiating both “tithing” and sale of their “anointing” nonsense, and relieving the poor.  There is judgment against such “church” leaders, who turn their congregations into targets of merchandizing. And the smaller “churches” must learn and repent too. Something is definitely wrong when a deeply religious nation like Nigeria is deeply troubled by tragedies that usually are associated with the irreligious. Should we then choose ethics over religion? We must focus on the fruits and not only on the acts of religion; for, if we see not the fruits, then the acts are vain.

I ask you who “fast and pray” to examine yourselves if you have fulfilled the demands of true fasting.

By Dr. Leonard Karshima Shilgba | NNP | July 23, 2020 – More than five years ago, President Buhari’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won a historic presidential election to replace a ruling political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). President Buhari predicated his vision on the tripod of the Economy, Security, and Anticorruption—to build back a tottering economy, which was hobbled by fast-paced erosion of the value of the national currency, dwindling foreign reserves, unacceptable unemployment rate, and weak transport, electricity, health, education, water, and manufacturing infrastructure; to provide security to Nigerians who were being harassed by terrorists and criminals; and to stymie corruption (especially in the public sector) which deprived Nigerians of optimal public services. Five years after, how far has the president accomplished his vision of a Nigeria with a strong economy, dependable security infrastructure, and clean government?

In May 2019, the federal government announced that unemployment rate in Nigeria would reach 33.5 per cent in 2020! The minister of Labour, Dr Ngige broke this sad news at a workshop on “Breaking the Resilience of High Unemployment.” He based the projection on the 2019 data by the National Bureau of Statistics, which indicated 23.1 per cent unemployment rate and an underemployment rate of 16.6 per cent. We are now in the second half of 2020.

What practical steps has government taken to reduce this alarming unemployment rate in the country, in spite of the ravaging COVID-19 epidemic? I understand that the Federal Government plans on “employing”1,000 Nigerians from each of the 774 local government areas, who would work for three months only, earning N 20,000 a month. The question is, after the third month, having “earned” a cumulative “salary” of N 60,000 each, what becomes of the 774,000 Nigerians? The obvious answer is that, they would go back to swell the army of the unemployed. Did Buhari’s planners or policymakers truly think this through? It is understandable that the federal government is eager to solve this alarming unemployment and underemployment problem, but I believe that there is a better way of investing the N 46.44 billion that would be spent on this short-lived scheme.

It is difficult to doubt that the Buhari government has scored above average in its support in the agricultural sector (a sector with the largest number of Nigeria’s employed), which has cut down on food imports and saved the country billions of naira annually, and given credence to his government’s promotion—“Grow What We Eat and Eat What We Grow.”  Whereas Nigeria’s foreign reserves were below 30 billion US dollars in 2015, they presently stand at about 36 billion US dollars in spite of dwindling oil prices and a recession that happened between 2015 and 2019; non-oil exports have grown.

Buhari government has continued to build on and expand the transport infrastructure it inherited across the country.  There are other initiatives that this government has taken to improve the ease of doing business, improve electricity supply, etc. A lot more can be accomplished with a reset of Buhari’s government. Bold initiatives and reforms, which would continue to place legal and unavoidable demands on future governments, are needed at this point. President Buhari has less than 35 months to ensure these happen.

Whichever political party wins the Aso Rock, Nigerians must be the ones in charge of their government. No political party should control government; we the people must. What is my point? We need less government in Nigeria interfering in our business. This is the time for big ideas, not rocking chair motions such as hiring 774,000 Nigerians for three months and throwing away more than 46 billion naira (much of which would be recycled into the pockets of professional politicians). I would request my president to suspend this unprofitable scheme. The federal government should rather invest the 46 billion naira in a deal with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), for instance, involving local governments (not state governments), to design, fabricate, build, and install various food processors in each of the 774 local government areas to process the various dominant food crops that are grown in those areas. Nigerians would be selected in those areas and trained by NASENI experts and other relevant experts to manage the processing plants. This would create enduring jobs, impart sustainable skills, add value to the farm produce in all our local government areas, bolster farmers’ income through enhanced demand, and boost the local economy.

The federal government should take steps to cut costs and reduce its financial burden. For instance, as I have advocated for years, let me state that all federal universities, except six (6), one in each of the six geo-political zones, should be partially sold to investors in education, both national and international (My education reform series—Reengineering Nigeria’s Education Sector—contains the implementation details).  This COVID-19 lockdown period provides a convenient time for instigating this reform, which the federal executive and legislative branches of government should work through and capture in a landmark education bill to be passed to the president’s desk for signing. This is the kind of education reset that we need in Buhari’s era before time winds it down.

I would like to see a Buhari reset in transport infrastructure before the end of this year. Buhari policymakers and the national legislators should work on a major infrastructure bill, which would contain a clear roadmap for fixing Nigeria’s failed roads, building new railroads, bridges, and developing our water transport system. Capital votes for these infrastructure and implementation period (example, from 2020-2030) should be captured in the bill. Once signed into an Act, future governments shall be bound by it, and annual budgets shall make mandatory financial provisions as contained in the Infrastructure Act.  This Act would eliminate the culture of abandonment of infrastructure projects and rocking chair motion, while facilitating continuity and completion of federal projects in a relay race fashion.

Buhari should spend his remaining 35 months as president on big ideas, resetting his strategies around providing enduring solutions instead of palliatives; giving Nigerians the opportunities to express themselves, not hand-outs; and fashioning out bold reforms without retreating in the face of opposition by labour unions. We need a Buhari reset; Buhari must work towards certain signature reforms that would wean Nigeria from foreign reliance, provide foreign trade deals for our products, bring about quality education and health care delivery, and make skilled Nigerians to stay back and build their country.