Ayo Sogunro ― On Ineffectual Buffoons

(AyoSogunro.com)

Nigeria’s social media is not necessarily the brightest platform for intellectual engagement. This may sound like an insult, but it is not. This realisation is why I have, for some time now, been quietly sipping my tea and reserving my opinions on public issues for my barber. Yet, in the last few hours, the latest twitter “debate” has filtered to me in the form of friends and acquaintances pressuring me to share my thoughts on a no-holds-barred article by The Economist which, in a very amusing—if tragic—statement referred to former President Jonathan as an “ineffectual buffoon”.

My instinctive reaction is that the person whose unplanned shops are being demolished in Lagos markets doesn’t care what anyone calls President Jonathan. There are more pressing issues that affect Nigerians on a daily basis—under the current administration—and anyone who has time to seriously debate Jonathan’s character these days has either eaten yams to satisfaction or knows where the next plate of jollof rice is coming from.

Read the full article HERE.

Ajibola Adigun — Religious Fundamentalism Taking Hold in Nigeria?

The Nigerian reformer, free-market activist and writer, reflects on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria:

He writes: "In a state in northern Nigeria where Mallam  Ibrahim Shekarau, its former governor, publicly burned secular books eight years ago, nine people have been sentenced to death for blasphemy.  Abdul Inyas, Hajia Mairo Ibrahim and seven others were convicted of disrespecting the Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be unto Him) and sentenced to death in a closed sharia court in Kano during the fasting month of Ramadan.

This is not unusual in Nigeria’s most populous state and second largest city. A religious riot killed over 100 people in 2001. Amina Lawal was sentenced to death by stoning in 2002 for adultery, resulting in the boycott and relocation of the Miss World beauty contest that was scheduled to have been held in Nigeria. Her conviction was later overturned after an appeal buoyed by a global outcry. Earlier this year in April, churches were burnt and a pastor’s daughter was killed in the process. The present governor, Mallam Abdullahi Ganduje, presided over the destruction of truckloads of alcoholic drinks.

In a state where they have burned books, it is no surprise they are killing people for dissent and punishing people who have chosen a different lifestyle, a right the constitution of the country allows in all parts of the federation."

Read the full article HERE.

Japheth J. Omojuwa ― Why Government Fails In Nigeria

The Nigerian libertarian explains why Government is failing Africa's largest economy: "In January 2013, a few Nigerian citizens got emails about the danger of abandoning Bagega, a lead poisoned village in Zamafara unremediated. There was the danger of losing at least 1500 children to lead poisoning, not to mention the attendant danger to adults. There was meant to be a reason to fear for the lives of residents of Bagega as they had been  promised a quick remediation process when the president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said money would be released for the purpose. Nothing happened for about 10 months. Bagega residents had been living through lead poison for at least 2 years. Then these citizens bought into the idea of saving Bagega, launched a Twitter hashtag #SaveBagega, got the phone numbers of certain Senators and Lawmakers, got the buy-in of a major Senator. The Twitter campaign was intense, the phone calls never stopped. In just less than 3 days, the FG released the money for the remediation of Bagega. The remediation happened. Children got saved. Change happened. All of this under the same government that never really cared. What really changed? Ordinary citizens became active citizens. They activated change by using the government to do what it was meant to do but left undone for years.

He continues his commentary: The formation of Enough Is Enough Nigeria happened through the same process. A President was ill and was dying, a Vice President needed to be made acting President to keep the state running. In a sane democracy, that would have happened automatically. Nigeria’s situations often come with a few drops of insanity and this had loads of it. A power cabal refused to let the VP become acting president citing technicalities in the departure of the president. The president never handed over to the acting president when he made the journey abroad to Saudi Arabia for treatment. Again, ordinary citizens got together. They were young, they were mostly meeting one another for the first time. They agonized, then organized, then marched. In Lagos and Abuja. That accident birth EIE Nigeria. It was a birth necessitated by the needs of the Nigerian society. The doctrine of necessity happened at the Nigerian National Assembly,Goodluck Jonathan, then powerless and redundant Vice President soon became Acting President. When he eventually became the President following the eventual death of President Yar’Adua in May of 2010, it was a smooth transition but only because the battle had been won weeks before. Won mostly by ordinary citizens taking the role of the citizen, playing to the responsibility of the active citizen, acting in the office of the modern day active citizen."

Read more: http://www.africanliberty.org/the-office-of-the-citizen-and-why-government-fails-in-nigeria-japheth-j-omojuwa/

Japheth J. Omojuwa — Issues In The Nigerian Presidential Elections

Omojuwa focuses on the real issues in the Nigerian elections

National insecurity, the economy and Nigeria’s challenge with corruption should dominate the conversation surrounding the nation’s 2015 elections but they have been sideshows to the trivialities that have risen to the fore over the last few weeks. The presidential election holds on March 28, just over three weeks today. None of the major candidates, incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has committed to any debate, but they have in their different ways attempted to dominate the issue space.

While arguing for essence of a debate between the two has been briefly debated here on AfricanLiberty.org and with none of the political parties keen on debating, it would help to look at the issues beyond a debate space. The absence should not deprive the nation, the opportunity to finally have critical issues of development get tabled without much of the puerility that has accompanied the campaigns, especially with characters like Governor Ayo Fayose dominating the media space.

Nigeria’s latest democratic experiment started in 1999 and the ongoing 16 years journey has been the nation‘s longest democratic run. There is a semblance of stability at the centre but only just. The 2015 elections are likely to offer the biggest test yet as the prospects of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party losing to the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, are the highest the ruling party has faced since it began its leadership of Nigeria in 1999.

Read complete article here

Japheth J. Omojuwa — State Control of Production and Why Most Nigerian Leaders Fail

Japheth Omojuwa is a Nigerian blogger, socio-economic and political commentator, environmental consultant, social media expert and mentor.

There is so much to do to fix this country and, naturally, anyone who becomes president believes s/he has to do everything. That is the very reason they mostly fail. It often starts with the election promises: they promise almost everything and the people genuinely believe such promises. Against the promises alone, most of them who eventually get into office end up failing. There certainly has to be a way out.

 There is so much wrong with this country and this has accumulated over many years. What a leader who really wants to make change happen must understand is that s/he cannot do it all. If you cannot do it all, what then do you do not to be seen as a failure? There are critical areas of government that drive other parts-- these are the parts that must be focused on. Once these critical areas start moving forward, the rest are naturally in line to experience the same forward movement.

 Despite their best efforts, virtually every Nigerian leader has failed to ensure the people have access to power. For the most part, they failed because they wanted government to be the source, owner and distributor of power. In a country of about 160 million people, with several years of failure to produce power and incessant corruption, it is almost impossible for the often inefficient government to produce power.

- See more at: http://africanliberty.org/content/state-control-production-and-why-most-nigerian-leaders-fail-japheth-j-omojuwa#sthash.vy93jUqV.gD8L2sUS.dpuf