Gloom, pageantry mark 2012 at international scene

By Paul Arhewe

The outgoing year, like previous ones, witnessed its share of awful and gloomy moments and some instances for jubilation, merriment and pageantry.

Syrian war

The Arab spring crisis which began in December 2010 in Tunisia continued in Syria war as a full blown war that has claimed more than 44,000 lives. The conflict began in this Arab country in March 2011 with peaceful protests, before degenerating into a large-scale deadly conflict.

The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad tenaciously held on to power, even when some of his generals had fled to the rebel side. Many efforts to bring peace to the country has failed, as world powers divided over what has become an majorly sectarian strife between mostly Sunni Muslim rebels and Assad's security forces, drawn primarily from his Shi'ite-rooted Alawite minority.

By December 12, United States and other western countries like United Kingdom, France, Turkey and some Gulf states recognised the opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

US Presidential election

The United States’ 2012 general election, no doubt was one remarkable event at the international for the outgoing year.

President, Barack Obama, beats his Republican presidential opponent, Mitt Romney, to clench his second term for another four years as leader of the world’s leading economy in the November 6 general polls. Obama won 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206.

The 2012 election was adjudged to be the most expensive in US electoral history.

Obama and Biden and their families celebrating

Candidates flooded the airwaves with relentless attacks on each other, with accusations of lying, deceit, fabrications and other chicanery — even renewed charges over the long discredited claims over whether Obama had been born in this country — which flew for almost a year.

Obama questioned Romney’s lack of a specific plan for reviving the economy while branding the challenger a candidate who changed his positions to suit the shifting political winds.

Egyptians’ angst over Morsi’s power grab

By Paul Arhewe

Morsi

Six month after his election, Egypt’s democratic leader, President Mohammed Morsi has attracted the denouncement of his people, with the sudden attempt to conduct a referendum on the country’s constitution; in his latest moves to grab more power and clip the wings of the opposition.
If Morsi succeed in this manoeuvring, he may be on the path to acquiring more power and consolidating on his Islamist party’s dominance in Egypt. This is likely to split opposition and make them weak.
The autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, spanning three decades, was brought to an abrupt end in 11 February 2011, with the vigorous and unrelenting protests of millions of people in Tahrir Square in Cairo, and across other major Egyptian cities. The emergency law operated by Mubarak’s administration where a supposedly heir successor was groomed, no doubt is one epoch the Egyptians would never want to replay.
The victorious feat spurred by the revolution, making Egypt the second country after Tunisia to have a change of government, fallout from the Arab Spring, provided room for a democratic process which brought Morsi to power.

How Nigerian foreign missions frustrate investors, tourists





L-R: Hillary Clinton, Olugbega Ashiru and President Goodluck Jonathan



Nigerian Embassies abroad are not driving the Federal Government’s economic development policies as PAUL ARHEWE reports that the Missions are still operating archaic information system that makes them inaccessible and traumatise Nigerians in the Diaspora.

Nigeria’s quest to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and boost tourism revenue will remain mere sloganeering until Nigerian Embassies abroad upgrade their information system and make their Missions accessible.

National Mirror investigations have exposed the rot in Nigerian Missions abroad, especially the trauma Nigerians in the Diaspora and others willing to do businesses in the country face while trying to access the embassies.
The President Goodluck Jonathan administration has adopted economic diplomacy as part of its foreign policy thrust. To this end, the country’s embassies are seen as gateways for attracting investors and tourists to Nigeria.
But stakeholders have expressed concern that the objectives of the economic development diplomacy would not be realised because of the archaic information systems Nigerian missions abroad still operate, which make them not able to meet the yearnings and aspiration of Nigerians resident in such countries and also frustrate genuine investors and tourists from coming to Nigeria.

Expectations from Obama’s second term

By Paul Arhewe

Obama

There was global jubilation when United States President Barack Obama emerged victorious on Wednesday and was re-elected for a second term. However, there are high expectations as the American leader takes control of the world’s leading economy for another four year.

The unemployment rate in US is still very high with 7.9 percent, which nearly marred his chances of retaining the seat in White House. His second term administration is expected to provide millions of decent paying jobs for Americans.

Also, China that is jubilant at the defeat of Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, may have enjoyed a less or non-confrontational foreign policy from Obama’s regime, resulting in the Asian country’s rising global profile.

Obama’s second term will need to formulate policy that will address Chinese ‘cut-corners’ trades, in order to win over the large supporters of Romney’s intended confrontational policy on China’s trade.

For Africa, Obama , who only visited the continent just once; seven months after his inauguration in January 2009, flew to Ghana and delivered a ‘non-commitment’ policy; urging Africans to fend for themselves. He said Africa didn’t need interference and that the continent’s future should be built by Africans.

Dead: Repulsive replay of violent South Africa

By Paul Arhewe

The killings of 34 protesting South African miners penultimate Thursday quite unfortunately amplified the global perception of Africans still ruminating in the Stone Age, in spite of the privilege of co-existing among people of civilised parts of the world where the value for human lives is inestimably cherished and protected. The apartheid era in South Africa was a blight in world civilisation because of the callous indifference of the minority white rulers to the rights of black Africans and the regime’s dehumanising and discriminatory practices against them, especially treating them as second class citizens and subjecting them to all kinds of cruelties.

The massacre of the 34 miners by South African police at the Marikana platinum mine, Rustenburg, Johannesburg brings back memories of the ugly affairs of the apartheid state.

Poverty reduction, not dollops, for our pregnant women

By Paul Arhewe

A Nigerian health personnel attending to pregnant women


Access to antenatal services is one sure way of uncomplicated labour and childbirth for pregnant Nigerian women. With a reputation of the second highest rate of maternal death in the world, Nigerian governments would need radical reforms in their healthcare delivery system. It is within this context I situate the recent moves by the federal government to introduce monthly stipends for our pregnant women to enable them access available antenatal services and thus bolster our healthcare service delivery system. The latest United Nations estimate puts annual global deaths during pregnancy and childbirth at 287,000 out of which India accounts for 56,000 (19 percent) and Nigeria 40,000 (14 percent). Nigeria is still miles away from plugging the loopholes and obvious gaps inherent in its ill-equipped public healthcare centres. Accessing full antenatal services at our various health centres, no doubt, would bring down drastically the problem of deaths during and after pregnancy.

Oshiomhole and the social contract with Edolites

By Paul Arhewe


Governor Oshiomhole standing in queue to cast his vote in Edo state



The Edo State governorship elec-tions held on July 14, 2012, has since left in its trail a victor and a vanquished. Incumbent Governor Adam Oshiomhole triumphed over his closest rival, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (retd) of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in what observers dubbed the ‘most one-sided electoral contest’ in Edo political history. The clear victory of ACN received enthusiastic responses even from people outside the state. Social media were awashed with commentaries from thousands of applauders and cen-surers.

My congratulations to Comrade Governor Oshiomhole for a well deserved victory.
The Oba of Benin, His Royal Highness Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Solomon Igbinoghodua Aisiokuoba Akenzua Erediauwa I, had captured the endorsement of the incumbent governor for a second term thus: “You have cleaned up the roads not only in Benin Kingdom but in several other towns. The last time you came I prayed through our ancestors for you to come back and complete the work and also do more for Edo people”.

How relevant is NYSC now for national integration?

BY PAUL ARHEWE

NYSC members

There are strident clamours for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in some quarters, in the face of the prevalent near intractable insecurity situation in Nigeria. Ironically, the national unity raison d’être for the establishment of the scheme in 1973, has come under severe assaults as the country slides into pervasive insecurity. By the NYSC Act, partici-pating graduates could be sent to any of the 36 states and FCT, Abuja. More importantly, no participant is allowed to serve in his/her state of origin. There are few exceptions to this rule. However, the implementation of the NYSC statute in the face of the worrisome security challenge posed by the exacerbating insurgency in the North has exposed the programme to attacks bordering on insensitivity.

Jonathan’s new moves and the looming apocalypse

By Paul Arhewe

Scene of Kaduna terorrist attack

A recent cartoon created by National Mirror’s nimble-fingered chief cartoonist Leke Moses and used in the editorial page of last June 25 edition of the paper is both hilarious and sarcastic. It showed President Goodluck Jonathan in an airborne aircraft with fire extinguisher, destination Brazil to attend the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and assuring he would have it refilled there, come back with it to attack the smoldering insecurity inferno in the nation. Since the Nigerian leader returned from the trip, he had taken some very hard and significant decisions, top of which is the major shakeup in the nation’s defence and security set up. Both the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi and Defence Minister, Dr. Haliru Bello were relieved of their posts, an action Mr. President said was necessary to bring fresh ideas into the nation’s security strategic enforcement framework (SEF).

The subsidy probe shenanigan

By Paul Arhewe

L-R:  Farouk, Otedola

Barely two months after the chair-man of the Committee on Capital Markets, Herman Hembe and his members were floored by inappropriate dirty dealing, subsequently suspended and facing prosecution, another hot sleaze has sprouted in the House of Representatives. Its ripples are cascading like waves across the length and breadth of Nigeria. The full blown pay-$3m-and-get-re-prieve scandal that pitted the oil mogul, Femi Otedola against the chairman, House Ad Hoc Committee on oil subsidy payment, Farouk Lawan, is no doubt a precedent I would always want to recur. From the fallout, I know those who are in the habit of soliciting for bribes be-fore dispensing favours would now have cause to think twice. In another vein, could this be another flash in the pan, a decoy? Lawan, before this shameful revelation, was one of those few members of the National Assembly regarded as experienced, ‘honest’ and frank in his utterances and deeds. For this attribute, he is held in very high esteem. This current revelation has no doubt dampened my spirit, and I believe that of many Nigerians.

The votes of Edo electorate must count

Adam Oshiomhole, Edo State Governor

By Paul Arhewe

Edo State is attracting cover headline news once again, no thanks to the imminent gubernatorial election in the state fixed for next July 14. Already on display is the usual melodrama where the dramatist personae devise dirty schemes to outwit one another. Characteristically, the electorate are relegated to the background.

As politicians are busy heating up the system they usually see dirty antics and ploys as primal to winning elections. This recurring trait is undeniably fast becoming a stratagem for electioneering in Africa’s largest democracy. How politicking in Nigeria got so messy and pathetically undemocratic should be not only a concern of the authorities, the problem should be fixed. Politicians should allow the electorate to freely exercise their franchise to decide who should rule them. I cannot help but wonder why Nigerian electorate are not wooed with realistic manifestoes and campaigns promises?

Nigeria’s ill timed military foray in West Africa

Nigerian soldiers

By Paul Arhewe

It is rather perplexing that it is when there are knots to untie in the continent that the magnificence and might of Nigeria is overtly and absolutely embraced. Juxtaposing the gains the country has received from her big brother sacrificial roles in Africa with the accruable benefits, what one sees is a non-commensurate reward. Why this assessment one may ask? Nigeria’s past Afrocentric engagements, whether solidarity supports or foreign military pacification operations, are known to attract momentary applause, but quickly forgotten as soon as the problems are fixed. The problems associated with military usurpation of power the West African states of Mali and Guinea Bissau, are engaging the attention of the leaders of the sub region in particular and both the Africa Union and the UN in general.

Domestic oil supply disequilibrium and Niger’s offer

Port Harcourt refinery

By Paul Arhewe

How did our blessed Nigeria, with her abundance of crude oil deposit and a leading global exporter of crude could get reduced to the lowly status of relying on external supply for her domestic oil consumption? The lowest point of the national embarrassment is the gesture from Niger Republic. Our neighbor up North on the fringe of Sahara Desert has expressed her willingness to come to our rescue with her residual 13, 000 barrels (2.06 million litres) of premium motor spirit (PMS) of her daily refined oil output of 20, 000 barrels. This gesture was made by Nigerien minister of petroleum, Foumakoye Gado, last week during a visit to Nigeria.

Nigeria’s cheerless economic growth indicator

President Goodluck Jonathan

By Paul Arhewe

Economics is full of ambivalences; some would add it is a whole load of bullshit. Why? Economists talk from two sides of the mouth. A reality could be painted good and bad, all at the same time in the same way they could talk of growth without development. What sets me on the edge is the recent revelation that our dear Nigeria is the third fastest growing economy in the world. With annual growth rate of 7.68 percent, she trails behind Mongolia (14.9 percent) and China (8.4 percent). The above revelation, no doubt, should have been one that should have boosted the dampened spirit of the highly impoverished people of the country, especially from the ethereal level against a future expectation that things might turn better for them. I would rather such indexes came as in-dicators for the real economy situation on improved standard of living for Nigerians.

Of the US, North’s underdevelopment and Boko Haram

 By Paul Arhewe

A rural Nothern Nigerian houses



Can the United States of America afford to be indifferent to developments in Nigeria? The answer is a categorical no! Reason is that there is a strong trade relation between both coun-tries, mostly on oil. It is worth over $42 billion a year and growing. In 2010, the two countries entered into a Bi-national Commission Agreement, which is de-signed to deepen bilateral relations be-tween the two countries. The strategic interest of Nigeria to the US and indeed the West lies in the fact that she is Africa’s most populous nation, its largest contributor of peacekeepers, its largest producer of oil, and the largest recipient of direct investment by the American private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore, natural that the American government cannot ignore the problems facing our dear Nigeria. I reason within the context of the recent statement credited to the US Assistant Secretary of State, Johnnie Carson linking the pervasive poverty in the North with the deadly attacks of the Islamist militant sect, Boko Haram.

The travails of Nigerians abroad

Nigerian rounded up by Polish police

By Paul Arhewe

Many Nigerians believe that un-less they travel to a foreign land they cannot achieve their desires in life. But, in most cases, these Nigerians end up being worse off than their counterparts that choose to remain at home. Reports of racist attacks against foreigners, especially in the United States and Europe and, lately, South Af-rica, have continued unabated. A larger proportion of Nigerians, as with citizens of other developing nations, who travel abroad in search of a greener pasture have had sad tales to render. The recent deportation of 125 Nigeri-ans by the South African government, for allegedly carrying fake yellow fever vaccine certificates, is only one of the many abuses being suffered regularly by citizens who travel abroad, legally or otherwise.

Obama and Okonjo-Iweala’s World Bank bid

Ngozi-Iweala

By Paul Arhewe

The race for the presidency of the World Bank is reaching a crescendo with the billed appearance of Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala before a 26 member panel of assessors yesterday. Her rivals, Jose Antonio Ocampo of Colombia and Professor Jim Young Kim, nominated by President Barack Obama, will take their turn on Tuesday and Wednesday re-spectively. On a personal note, I am still at a loss over the rationale behind Obama’s nomination of the relatively low profiled American-Korean Kim for the exalted position. It is to say the least, perplexing.I have followed the international dis-course on the politics of appointing the presidency of both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Of the three potential candidates for the World Bank presidency, one thing analysts are agreed on is that Jim Young Kim, the public health professor, has the least appealing credentials. I find it rather baffling that the USA President throws his weight behind a candidate that is a hard sale when his candidacy is juxtaposed over the more qualified Nigerian Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Colombian Jose Antonio Ocampo.

Who will save us from PHCN’s extortion?

PHCN workers

By Paul Arhewe

It is one annoying and disingenuous engagement. Staffers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) are unrelenting in the extortion game. They subject the hapless consumers of the product that comes in trickles to pay outrageous bills. The merciless staffers of this government agency whose services are usually epileptic and scarcely available have taken it as their right to distribute falsified bills even when officials of the corporation have stopped reading electric meters. Let them tell Nigerians what it is if their management allocates targets to them without care whether their consumers get services or not?

In past I have paid many of these exorbitant bills even when there is no commensurate power supply, sometimes less than eight hours provision of power in a month. I have heard several complaints from Nigerians saddled with similar burden of exploitations.

Brazil’s miracle worker

Brazillian ex-president, Lula da Silva

By Paul Arhewe

In my last week’s piece titled, ‘Between Nigeria and Brazil’, I narrated the positive strides Brazil has attained in the last two decades to become the world’s sixth largest economy. It is interesting to note that while this tall achievement is laudable, it would not have come easily without the immense contributions of two outstanding leaders’ resounding legacies. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 34th President (1995-2003) laid the solid economic foundation that took Brazil into the BRICS status, and for this he was named the ‘miracle worker’. His successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, completed and consolidated the economic transformation of Brazil.

The exploits of these two well focused leaders have again established the positive correlation between quality leadership and fortunes and health of a nation. Before the rise of Cardoso, Brazil was enmeshed in enervating debt burden, she was then the world’s third most indebted country. Amidst this sorry state of affairs Cardoso as a foreign minister in 1993, brought about transformational changes by slashing the country’s average import tariffs from 80 percent to 14 percent.

Between Nigeria and Brazil

Brasilia, Federal capital city of Brazil

By Paul Arhewe

Brazil, it has been reported, has overtaken United Kingdom (UK) to become the sixth-largest economy in the world! Brazil's economy is now worth $2.52 trillion compared to UK's $2.48 trillion. Also stunningly, the forecast is that Brazil's economy would overtake the fifth biggest economy by the end of this year. As Nigerian I feel depressed by the underperforming capability of my dear country. Brazil does not only share similar characteristics with Nigeria, in the 1980s they were ranked together as developing countries. Like China and India with large human populations, Brazil was able to fight poverty through programs of market-oriented economic reforms which its government adequately and sincerely implemented. Among these former developing countries, China was the first to embark oneconomic reforms in the late 1970s, after 25 years of operating a controlled economy.

FG’s unsure SURE-P policy

President Goodluck JOnathan

By Paul Arhewe

The imbroglio that greeted Federal Government's petrol subsidy removal in January coerced it to quickly embark on transformational campaigns. The Goodluck Jonathan administration used every available media and forums to propagate what Nigerians stand to benefit if the total subsidy on the produce is discarded. Palliatives to cushion the foretold suffering the common masses would experience when the full policy implementations began were hurriedly both announced and promise.

No sooner the representatives of Federal Government and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) met to broker partial removal of subsidy than the government put on a new garb and changed its transformational campaigns into a transitional paradigm. To me, that overt departure was the initial signs signifying that the surety in this Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) Programme (SURE-P) is really uncertain.

Lessons from Abdulmutallab’s strayed act

Abdulmutallab

By Paul Arhewe

Penultimate Thursday, US Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds convicted the Nigerian underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and sentenced him to multiple life jail. Rationalising the sentence, the judge had said: “This was an act of terrorism that cannot be quibbled with.” The 25 year-old Nigerian, from an affluent and well cultured family, was indoctrinated after persistent listening and watching of internet videos containing radical teachings from the late Arabian Peninsula based Al-Qaeda Islamist cleric, Anwar al Awlaki.

Umar Farouk, like some youths from wealthy homes residing outside the shores of the country, had lived an affluent lifestyle. He had money and the means to move from country to country; he also had ample liberty to choose the type of lifestyle to pursue. After being indoctrinated in Yemen and having found a new faith, the former engineering student at University College London and youngest out of 16 children of Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a former banker sent text messages to his parent urging them to “... just forget about me, I’m never coming back… Please forgive me. I will no longer be in touch with you… Forgive me for any wrongdoing, I am no longer your child.”

Unending wait for improved power supply

By Paul Arhewe

One wonders if the exclamation: " Up NEPA" whenever electric power is restored in any part of the country is still right, especially now that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has been taken over by 18 successive companies.

The Federal Government aims to bring about effective delivery of electric power; hence the monopoly the electricity giants (NEPA and PHCN) enjoyed over the years may give way for the much touted deregulation of the power sector. However, I don't think any other government agency or corporation has caused Nigerians the kind of nightmare they suffer in the hands of the PHCN or NEPA, while the latter existed. Till date, the corporation' s services are still growing from bad to worse, despite the huge fund the FG allocates to the power sector. When President Goodluck Jonathan took over the mantle of power, like the predecessors before him, he promised to declare a state of emergency in the sector. The nation has been waiting to see the Jon- athan miracle. For over ten years, stories of unbundling NEPA, or is it the PHCN now, have been running. But from lack luster manner the FG is handling the process indicates that the true deregulation of the poor is still neither here nor there. That the FG has set aside N100.7million in this year s budget, and from the country's dwindling resources, for powering generators in Aso Rock, is an indication that Nigerians have a long period to wait before the dawn of better power supply. It is like the journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land.

Delayed sacking of five governors

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Dahiru Musdapher

Many people hailed the recent ruling of the Supreme Court which sacked five governors who had overstayed their fixed tenure in office. The court held in its ruling that the tenures of Governors Timipre Sylva of Beyalsa, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto, Ibrahim Idris of Kogi and Liyel Imoke of Cross River states expired since last year.



This development has once again showcased the existing principle of checks and balances which every ideal democratic state should practice. Nevertheless, the decision of the country's apex court is laudable and impressive; but the timing, to me, is unnecessarily delayed, and should have come earlier. A Federal High Court had held earlier that their tenures began to run from the day of their last oaths of office and allegiance, which they took after their re-election, following the nullification of the first poll that brought them to office. It is not enough that the Supreme Court faulted the decisions of the Federal High Court and the Appeal Court in this case. It should not end there. There ought to be a synergy between the lower and upper Bench, possibly by way of some explicit guidelines to help lower courts not to misdirect themselves.

New police boss and Nigeria’s security challenges

Mohammed Abubakar, Nigeria Acting IG of police

The emergence of Mohammed Dikko Abubakar as Nigeria's new Inspector- General of Police (IGP) came at a time when the country is inundated with a plethora of security challenges that are threatening its sovereignty and the peaceful coexistence of its people. Apart from the ubiquitous and incessant terrorist attacks by the Boko Haram sect, Nigeria is currently besieged by rising crime, kidnapping, swindling cyber fraud, etc., among other nefarious acts that have continued to damage the image of the country.

These challenges have also exposed the inefficiency of Nigeria Police Force which lacks the training to combat contemporary security threats. In recent times, dare devil robbers and terrorists take their battles to the doorstep of the police and escape with ease after their deadly attacks. The Boko Haram attack on the Force Headquarters in Abuja last year and the recent mayhem members of the same sect unleashed on a Kano police station really testify to the calibre of police the country now has and the dire need to overhaul the entire police apparatus and equip the rank and file with training on modern policing.

The real fuel cabal and saboteurs

The word cabal, a coinage from cabalocracy, became more pronounced during the recent anti-fuel subsidy removal strike and protests. It was the recurring term Nigerians used to condemn in unequivocal terms, those short-changing them under the cover of fuel subsidy. While all attention focused on the invisible and faceless economic saboteurs, Nigerians must not forget that the economic felons could not, on their own, milk the country dry without readily available official collaborators and accomplices.

It won't be strange to say that the majority of Nigerians occupying various spheres of human endeavour in the country are enslaved under the burden of corruption. However, the intimidating aspect of this is when those who consider themselves clean are disappearing, or battling with their resolve to remain steadfast. Nevertheless, the murky enticement corruption offers is making many to compromise or lose faith as they see the situation as irredeemable.

Why government can’t subdue Nigerian protesters

Nigerians protesting fuel subsidy removal

In recent times the world has witnessed several protests and revolutions in countries where people are dissatisfied with their governments. The Arab Spring started with one man in Tunisia, when Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight and the fallout was the dethronements of the Tunisian President , Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

In Egypt and Libya, President Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi respectively lost out in the power game. While the latter paid with his life and those of some of his children, Mubarak who is bedridden, is currently undergoing trial for mass killings while his Tunisian counterpart is in exile in Saudi Arabia. In all these anti-government protests, despite the killings and maiming, running into thousands, the people usually emerge victorious. For instance in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad has killed over 6,000 people since last March to suppress the protest calling for his ouster. Despite this high death toll the protesters are still unrelenting.

Time to redefine our democracy

Paul Arhewe

(Published 10/1/2012)



Nigerians protesting over fuel price hike

The simplest and most popular definition of the term ‘democracy’ is that proffered by the former American president, Abraham Lincoln (1809 -1865). For him democracy is “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Nigeria may claim she is administering the American presidential system of government; however, it is funny how our leaders continue to taunt us that democracy is in place here.

Let the truth be told, what the country is practicing as democracy is a far cry away from any resemblance of its tenets and principles. In an ideal democracy the people are supreme, because they are the ultimate sovereign since power resides in them. The masses’ wishes most always count; prior to, during and after elections and in all government policies. Can we attest that Nigerians wishes are been recognised and upheld during any of these phases of electioneering and the consummation of government policies and programmes? Since the intension of government to discard fuel subsidy was unveiled last year majority of Nigerians have openly kicked against it. However, in an obstinate demeanour, President Goodluck Jonathan and his government want their wish to supersede those of the masses. It is an aberration when our government chooses each time to dance to the drumbeats of Breton Woods Institutions in total disregard to the wish of the people. It is amazing, how each time cronies of World Bank and IMF are around the corridors of power some unpopular anti-Nigerian policies are introduced with non-appealable seal.

New year, new security challenges in Nigeria

PAUL ARHEWE
(Published 03/01/2012)

Christmas Day bombing in Niger state

Those of us who are alive to witness and partake in the celebrations that ushered in the New Year, especially against the backdrop of the enormous security challenges facing our country Nigeria, would definitely be grateful even when the country is still in a lugubrious disposition following the last Christmas Day bombings amid other senseless serial killings and maiming that characterised 2011.

While as a country we may be optimistic that the New Year comes with a miraculous salve that would immune it from the not too pleasant security malaise Nigeria experienced last year, the reality is that the New Year indeed comes with more new challenges for the country; especially in the area of securing the lives and properties of the people. It then behooves President Goodluck Jonathan to take charge and revamp the country's security apparatus by discarding ineffective and wane hands, or allow the situation to crumble his government in the New Year
The country's security network that should be a soothing factor and beacon of hope to the already traumatised and fear engrossed Nigerians, is even seeking for protection from the conscienceless Boko Haram sect. The National Security Adviser (NSA) General Owoye Azazi last week, to the bewilderment of the public, said it is difficult to effectively police a large country like Nigeria. It is absolutely difficult to man every point of the country when there are security problems. Like I have said before, there is need for security awareness.

Foreign policy to spur economic diplomacy

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan and his US counterpart, Barack Obama. Photo: USAfricaonline.com

Paul Arhewe

(Published January 6, 2012)

Foreign policies adopted by any countries have some reflections of internal happenings on homefronts. Nigeria’s foreign policy over the years has nosedived after the many decades of concentration on Africa. The interventions to restore peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the fight against apartheid in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola amid other missions of mediating in conflict prone countries like Gambia , Mali, Burkina Faso among others signify the height in foreign interventions in the 1990s. Since the last few years the country’s foreign relations have been tamed, mainly due to internally overwhelming problems associated with finding footings for our nascent democracy amid pressing economic malaise.

Last year, government charted a new path for the country’s foreign policy thrust, with the concentration to be on policy that promotes growth and national development. In this new policy both private partnership and foreign missions would be utilised as new vanguards and foot-soldiers in economic diplomacy.

Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, while throwing more light on the new paradigm shift emphasised that “We will redress existing imbalances and forge a strong partnership with organised private sector, OPS to assist economic growth. Consequently, members of OPS would frequently constitute part of any bilateral discussions between our governments and other foreign delegations, so that Nigeria can benefit from visits to and from other countries.”

Let subsidy removal start from the top



President Goodluck Jonathan



PAUL ARHEWE

 Published (27/12/2011)

The huge wave of discordant divisiveness that the intended removal of fuel subsidy has garnered is unprecedented in regards to issues invoking public opinion. The tempo at which proponents and antagonists are trying to outmanoeuvre each other to attract public sympathy to their stance on the issue is really startling. The raison d’être of federal government’s oil subsidy removal thrust is to accumulate more funds for capital projects and relax the ‘pampering’ of the oil sector. While, this writer takes a neutral stance on oil subsidy removal, it is believed that most Nigerians opposing the proposed policy have lost trust on government.

The intension of saving billions of naira for other capital intensive projects to them is another phantom venture that may end up worsening the plight of the people, as huge funds may end up again to fatten the private bank accounts of few at the expense of the masses. Government expects to recoup N1.2 trillion annually if the subsidy is eventually discarded. While this is admirable, Nigerians would no doubt want to enjoy expanded social infrastructure, good healthcare facilities and many public utilities that are available to advance countries, but the fear is what percentage of these will actually go into capital projects? The mistrust of the people on government boils down to the many years of thriving corruption and lip service paying in the war against it.