Nigeria At 58: Matters Arising, By Joseph Orjime

October 6, 2018

The largest African country the United kingdom colonized is Nigeria. At the same time, the largest country the United Kingdom colonized in Asia is India (Pakistan and Bangladesh inclusive).

I have deliberately chosen to juxtapose Nigeria with India rather than China, South Korea, Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore because of the similarities the two countries have.

Like all other former British colonies, when the United Kingdom came into Nigeria and India, they introduced technology, education and religion (Christianity to be precise). They also introduced their culture, using such elements as language, food, dressing, names and so on.

The cultural imposition, hard as the British could try, were rejected by India. The Indians refused to embrace religion, dressing, language, food,names etc, transported to them by the British; but they did not reject their technology.

Today, available statistics reveal that about 80.5% of Indians are Hindus, 13.4% Muslims; 2.3% Christians; 1.9% Sikhs; 0.8% Buddhists, and so on.

Hindi is the official language of the government of India, although English retains the subsidiary official status of the language of business and administration.

It is rare to find an Indian with an English name or even dressing. Nigeria on the other hand,has embraced to a large extent, the British religion – names , dressing, foods, and language- but rejected the British technology.

The difference between the Nigerian and Indian experiences is that while India is proud of her heritage, Nigeria takes little pride in her heritage, a situation that has affected the nationalism of Nigerians and our development as a nation. Today, our schools manage to teach any of our indigenous languages, and the students also manage to study them just because they are only but a criteria.

Before the advent of Christianity, the Arabs had introduced Islam in Nigeria through the North.
Islam also played a prominent role in eroding the culture of Northern Nigeria, replacing for instance, the customary courts with Sharia courts.

So from the North to the South of Nigeria, both the Western world and the Eastern world have shaped our lives to be like theirs by way of cultural assimilation, and we have gradually lost our core identity.

Several years after the British and Arabs left our shores,Nigeria has waxed strong in religion to the extent that Nigerians now set up religious branches of their homegrown churches in Europe, America, Asia and other African countries.

Just like the whites brought the gospel to us, Nigerians now take the gospel back to the whites.

In Islam, Nigerians are also so vibrant to the very extent that if there is an alleged blasphemous comment against Islam in Denmark, or the United States, even if there is no violent reaction in Saudi Arabia, the Islamic headquarters of the world, violence will erupt in Nigeria, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.

If the United Arab Emirates, a country with about 75% Muslims , is erecting the tallest building in the world and encouraging the world, providing a friendly environment and inviting the whole world to come over and invest, Boko Haram ensures that the economy of the North (and by extension that of Nigeria) is crippled with bombs and bullets ,unless every Nigerian converts to Boko Haram “s brand of Islam as well as imbibe their own ideology.

In the South East, we have the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) demanding for independence as a result of marginalization, and even basking in the age-long narrative of exclusive victimhood.

In the South- South region, MEND and Niger-Delta Avengers have continued to fight over resource control, and against environmental pollution, while in the South-West, the OPC has continued to unleash mayhem.

Within the Middle Belt region, marauding Fulani herdsmen alongside other armed bandits have taken the centre stage, killing and displacing the inhabitants, destroying farmlands, and thereby destroying the heart of our nation’s economy, peace and integration.

Nigerians are indeed very religious people. Incidentally, while we are building the biggest cathedrals and mosques, the Indians, Chinese, Americans, Europeans and South Africans have taken over our key markets with telecommunications, satellite televisions, aviation, automobiles, electronics, textiles and so on.
Ironically, despite our religious exploits, we are a people bereft of godliness.

It is rare to engage in any business transaction with a pastor, Rev Father, Elder, Deacon, Imam, Mullah, Alhaji or Alhaja without the person laying landmines of bribes and deception on your path.
We call it PR, facilitation fee, processing fee, transport money, financial engineering, deal or whatever.

But if it does not change hands,nothing gets done.
And when it serves the intended purpose, we refer to it as. “God’s blessings”.

While it is the belief of some people that sleaze is a problem of public functionaries, the private sector seems to be worse.
One would have assumed that the number of churches and mosques springing up in every nook and cranny of Nigeria would amount to higher morals in our society. The reverse is rather the case.
The situation is the more religious we get, the more ungodly we become.

The Nigerian society has witnessed so much bloodshed experienced from religious extremists, political desperadoes, ritual killers, armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists and lynch mobs.
Life has become so cheap and brutish that killings no longer make news. It is the number of casualties and the death toll that really matters.

58 years down the line, and we still import the petroleum that we have in abundance, rice and beans that our land can produce in abundance, and even toothpicks that children in other climes can produce with little or no effort.

Yet we drive the most exotic cars, live in the most magnificent edifices, visit the most attractive places in the world for holidays and use the moat expensive electronic and telecommunication gadgets.

In a country where over 70% live below poverty line, private jets have become a common toy for many citizens who have no known business.

A nation that imports toothpicks and pins, flaunts wealth and wallows in ostentation at a time its children are trooping to Ghana, South Africa, United States, Canada and the UK for university education,while its sick people are running to Europe and India for medical treatment .

India has joined the nuclear powers. They have also launched a successful mission to the moon.
Yet bicycles and tricycles are common sights in India, while only the wretched of the earth ride bicycles in Nigeria.

Some would blame our national plight on multiplicity of ethnicity and religion; yet while Nigeria has about 250 ethnic groups, there are 2000 ethnic groups in India. There are two main religions in Nigeria – Christianity and Islam while in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are prominent.

In order to overcome our current predicaments, we need more godliness than religion; more action and less words. By so doing, Nigeria would be a formidable force to reckon with in the commity of nations.

Joseph Orjime, a journalist and Public Affairs analyst wrote in from Abuja

Saudi Arabia Plans Budget Of $267 Billion For 2019, To Wean Economy From Oil

Editorial staff

October 6, 2018

Saudi Arabia has planned a budget of over $267 Billion for 2019 even as it moves to wean the economy from oil.

The Kingdom’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman told Bloomberg in an interview that it will be the first time the country is hitting such a high budgetary target.

He said that the country is also building up a Sovereign Wealth Fund of $600 billion by 2020, adding that the kingdom’s main sovereign wealth fund (PIF) will surpass its target of increasing its financial clout to $600 billion.

“This is part of the efforts to wean economy off oil.

“We are now above $300 billion, we’re getting close to $400 billion. Our target in 2020 is around $600 billion. I believe we will surpass that target in 2020,” the prince said in a Bloomberg interview published on Friday.

He added that the fund, with more than 50 percent of its investments located in Saudi Arabia will be investing in more places next year.

The young prince said that the kingdom has met its promise to Washington to make up for Iranian crude oil supplies lost through U.S. sanctions.

“The request that America made to Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries is to be sure that if there is any loss of supply from Iran, that we will supply that. And that happened,” Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg on Friday.

“Iran reduced their exports by 700,000 barrels a day, if I’m not mistaken. And Saudi Arabia and OPEC and non-OPEC countries, they’ve produced 1.5 million barrels a day. So we export as much as 2 barrels for any barrel that disappeared from Iran recently. So we did our job and more.”

Russia and Saudi Arabia struck a private deal in September to raise oil output to cool rising prices and informed the United States before a meeting in Algiers with other producers, Reuters reported this week.

U.S. President, Donald Trump has blamed the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for high crude prices and called on it to boost output to bring down fuel costs before the U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 6.

Benchmark Brent oil LCOc1 rallied above $86 this week mainly stemming from a decline in oil exports from OPEC member Iran due to fresh U.S. sanctions. It settled at $84.16 a barrel on Friday.

Iran, OPEC’s third-largest producer, has accused Trump of orchestrating the oil price rally by imposing sanctions on Tehran and accused its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia of bowing to U.S. pressure.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and OPEC’s de-facto leader.

The Saudi crown prince said the recent rise in oil prices was not due to Iran.

“We believe the higher price that we have in the last month, it’s not because of Iran. It’s mostly because of things happening in Canada, and Mexico, Libya, Venezuela and other countries that moved the price a little bit higher,” he told Bloomberg.

“But Iran, definitely no. Because they reduced 700,000 barrels and we’ve exported more than 1.5 million barrels a day.”

Saudi Arabia is now pumping about 10.7 million barrels per day and can add a further 1.3 million bpd of production “if the market needed that,” Prince Mohammed said.

“We have spare capacity of 1.3 million without any investment… And with other OPEC countries and non-OPEC countries we believe we have more than that, a little bit more than that,” he said. “Of course there is opportunity for investment in the next three to five years.”

Saudi Arabia is the only oil producer with significant spare capacity on hand to supply the market if needed. The kingdom has a maximum sustainable capacity of 12 million bpd.

Prince Mohammed also said he hoped to resume oil production from the Neutral Zone, which Saudi Arabia shares with Kuwait, after resolving pending issues between the two Gulf OPEC allies.

“We believe that we are almost close to having something with Kuwait. There are only small issues that have been stuck there for the last 50 years. The Kuwaiti side, they want to fix it today, before we continue to produce in that area,” he said.

“We’re trying to have an agreement with the Kuwaitis to continue to produce for the next five to 10 years and at the same time, we work on the sovereignty issues.”

The crown prince flew to Kuwait on Sunday to discuss the resumption of oil output from the Neutral Zone, a source familiar with the matter had told Reuters.

The resumption of the Neutral Zone’s oilfields could add up to 500,000 bpd of oil output capacity to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

PDP’s Presidency: I Can’t Withdraw For Anybody, Dankwambo Vows

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

One of the Presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has vowed not to withdraw for any of those contesting with him for any reason even as he expressed confidence that he will emerge the candidate of the party in tomorrow primary in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State.

Reacting to the news making in an online Medium, Sahara Reporters that he had stepped down for Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in the race to clinch our great party’s ticket for the upcoming 2019 presidential elections, Dankwambo described as spurious.

“Ordinarily, I would not have given response to such aimless, infantile, unscrupulous and poorly written article, but I have a duty to dispel rumors like this that is capable of demoralizing our teaming supporters who have worked really hard for our victory.

“I wish to state categorically that I am still very much in the race. I therefore call on our supporters and delegates to disregard the fictitious report by the News platform notorious in peddling falsehood.”

Dankwambo said that having worked hard and toured the entire country meeting Stakeholders, party leaders and delegates telling them of his aspirations to contest for the office of the President under the platform the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he had no reason to now step down for anybody.

“I cannot at this point in our journey throw in the towel when we are at the threshold of history. “We are determined to see through this to the very end. We are confident on winning tomorrow’s election and no amount of falsehood and mind game will derail us from achieving this mandate.

“As a loyal party member and one that has stayed with the party in its good and bad times, I am well prepared to win the ticket and lead our great party to victory in 2019.

“As a trained Economist and chattered Accountant, I understand the workings of government and as a trained accountant; I formulate policies that will take Nigeria from the current economic quagmire that the nation has been plunged into.”

Dankwambo said that he had an unflinching determination that is forged through a sheer force of will to build a prosperous Nigeria for all, regardless of our ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.

Saraki Describes Police Invitation To Him As Laughable, Crude

Greenbarge Reporters

October 5, 2018

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has described the invitation to him by the Nigeria Police to appear before it over the protest the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP chaieftains staged in Abuja against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as laughable, crude and and another low point in the posture of the police against the opposition in the country.

Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said that the police made “various forms of spurious, unfounded and false claims about the protest in which they singled out three senators, Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce, of the many leaders of the PDP, including three Governors, a former Governor, presidential aspirants and members of the national working committees, and accused them of involvement “in the disturbance of public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari Way.

“After carefully reading the Police statement, one cannot but describe the claims made in it as laughable, crude and and another low point in the posture of the police against the opposition in the country.

“In exercise of their constitutional rights of assembly, expression and movement, leaders of the PDP decided to stage a peaceful procession from the party’s campaign office on Ibrahim Babangida Way to INEC and Police Headquarters. The procession consisted of the Senate President, the party national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, presidential aspirants, members of the National Assembly, Governors of Ekiti and Sokoto States. Later, the Governors of Taraba and Gombe States joined the procession,

“The purpose was to express the opposition of the PDP to the manner in which the electoral body and the security agencies had been colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate election results and subvert the will of the people, as evidenced by the conduct of the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun State. We wanted to send a clear signal that such official subversion of the will of the people in favour of the APC should not be repeated in the 2019 elections.

“At the INEC secretariat, the procession spent over 40 minutes where the various leaders addressed the crowd in the presence of two national commissioners of INEC, including the one in charge of legal matters, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu. The two INEC commissioners equally responded to the complaints raised by the PDP leaders. It was a civilised, frank and enlightened exchange, devoid of any rancour.

“The procession then headed towards the Police Headquarters while being hailed on the streets by ordinary Nigerians who came out to cheer the leaders standing in an open van. From the Eagles Square end, the procession was on the other side of the road going to Police Headquarters. The procession did not even get to the point where it will turn to the side where the Police Force Headquarters is located when the police rained tear gas on the people. They deliberately targettted the open vans in which the Senate President and other VIPs were standing.

“The procession quickly diverted to the Area 11 Junction leading to FCDA. The diversion was done to avoid a repeat of the 2003 event in which a similar tear gassing event led to the death of a former Senate President, Senator Chuba Okadigbo.

“Let it be known that the hostile, brutal, needlesss, tactless and uncivil response of the Police under the present leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to the peaceful, lawful and justified procession was in contrast to how the same police responded to a similar protest by the opposition in 2014.

“In 2014, the protesters then led by the Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the candidate of the opposition party, were not attacked. They were tolerated and their grievances listened to by the police leadership. In 2014, it was the same Nigeria Police as we have today. The difference is the temperament and democratic credentials of the then administration, in general, and that of the Police leadership, in particular.

“The fabrications by the Police as contained in their press statement only show the new police leadership as mere jesters trying to hone their skills in comic script-writing. Every move of the PDP procession today was recorded by the media – Television, print, radio and online -, citizens, members of the civil society and the international community. These independent observers know that nothing is far from the truth than the claims made by the Police in their statement.

“It should be noted that the Police under Idris are simply setting the stage for another onslaught on members of the Nigerian Senate and that is why they singled out the Senate President and two other Senators as the people being invited and accused of all these false charges.

“It is clear that the Idris-led Police are intent on turning Nigeria into a police state and destroying members of the opposition at all cost and that that is why they specialize in framing up leaders of the opposition and other outspoken legislators on false charges.

“This fresh attempt will fail. The invited Senators and their party will exercise their right at all times and in all cases. We know that Nigeria has not turned to Banana Republic and we will not allow the Police under the present leadership to turn it to one, no matter the expertise for evil being displayed by its top personnel.”

Automatic Ticket Is Not An APC Policy, Gov El-Rufai Says

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai has made it clear that the issue of automatic ticket is never the policy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He therefore condemned what he called, ‘the rumour that some people have been granted automatic tickets in the party.

“We thought that this rumour of automatic ticket which has no place in our constitution and any enlighten democracy have been resolved .but up to the time I left Kaduna this morning and came to see the president, we did not receive the list of those that will contest the legislative elections.”

The governor, who was answering questions from news men in Abuja today, Friday, raised eyebrow over what he described as “exclusions.”

According to him, exclusions are one of the many reasons elections are lost at the tribunal level. “We are being careful. In Kaduna state we do not practice imposition; forcing people to step down for anyone. We believe in elections and we like people to subject themselves to full democratic process.”

The governor expressed happiness that even President Muhammadu Buhari had kicked against automatic ticket and imposition, adding that as a product of elections, the President had never encouraged non election.

“He has never supported imposition and he has never asked anyone to grant anybody automatic tickets. The position was restated yesterday to the progressive governors’ forum and he told me this and said he will take necessary steps to communicate this very clearly to the party leadership.

Saraki, Others Who Took To Streets Over Osun Governorship Poll Are Mentally Ill – Aregbesola

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

Governor Rauf Aregbesola has described those who took to the streets today to protest the outcome of the recent State governorship election, including the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Senator Ben Bruce, Senator Dino Melaye and others, as mentally ill.

Aregbesola, who spoke to news men in Abuja today, Friday shortly after an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari said: “the only option left for responsible politician in democracy is to take electoral grievances to the court of law.”

He expressed surprise that even when other political parties have gone to court to challenge the result of the election which made the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyaga Oyetola the winner, “those anti-democracy blindly went wild, protesting on the streets.”

Meanwhile, police have invited the Senate President and his fellow protesters for interrogation on their role in what the police described as disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety and violent attack on Policemen posted to ensure security of the Force Headquarters, pushing and hitting the Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and Government properties.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood asked the protesters to report themselves to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters on Monday, 8^th October, 2018 for investigation.

The police said that the Senate President and his fellow protesters were captured on camera being involved in the disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety and violent attack on Policemen posted to ensure security of the Force Headquarters, pushing and hitting the Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and Government properties are hereby invited to report themselves to the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters on Monday, 8^th October, 2018 for investigation.

“Today at about 1330Hrs, unruly and violent protesters who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their hundreds with thugs and miscreants inside several trucks and vehicles blocked the Shehu Shagari way in front of the Nigeria Police Force, Headquarters creating a gridlock of traffic on the highway and preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on Shehu Shagari way thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety, suddenly the unruly/violent protesters surge and rushed violently on the Policemen posted to ensure safety of the Force Headquarters premises, pushing and hitting the Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and Government properties.

“The Police team headed by a very Senior Police Officer despite the provocation, after issuing words of proclamation, warning this unruly PDP protesters who were chanting war songs of ”we no go gree o, we no go gree, we no go gree”, charged the Police personnel who used minimum force and dispersed them.

Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce and others yet to be identified were recorded on Camera pushing Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to damage and destroy Police equipment and Government properties while Senator Bukola Saraki was at the scene of the attack in his car also captured on camera along with hundreds of miscreants and thugs in the acts of disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety.

“The Inspector General of Police has directed immediate investigation into this unprovoked and unwarranted attack on the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Force Headquarters premises which is against the law and condemnable. The Force will do everything within the law to bring all perpetrators of this crime to justice, no matter how highly placed.”

The statement appealed to residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to remain calm as the situation is under control, adding that development will be communicated to the public soon.

Shehu Sani Must Explain Why He Blocked N100 Billion World Bank Loan To Kaduna – El- Rufai

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

Governor Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufai has said that Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Area, would need to explain to the people of Kaduna State as to why he blocked the N100 Billion World Bank loan that would have been invested in building school and hospital infrastructure in the state.

“Shehu Sani has done things against the interest of the people of Kaduna state and it is time for him to explain why he did what he did and ask the delegates to vote for him.”

Governor el-Rufai, who spoke to news men today, Friday shortly after an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari said that the N100 Billion World Bank which the Senator blocked was to have attracted only one percent interest and payable over 50 years.

“Everyone in Kaduna knows this and many people are predictably angry. It’s an act of sabotage. “It’s time for him to go and explain why he did what he did.”

The governor,who quarreled with the manipulation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election processes by Senator Shehu Sani stressed that he could not avoid facing the consequences of his action.

According to him, try to cut corners by resorting to “what is called automatic ticket is a recipe to losing the election to other parties.”

I will Clear Workers’ Salary Arrears Within Months, Osun Gov Elect Promises

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

The Osun State Governor-elect, Gboyega Oyetola has promised to clear all the salary arrears of the civil servants in the state.

Answering questions from news men at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, Friday, shortly after an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari, Oyetola said that recently, four months salary arrears were paid to the workers, adding that when he assumes office, he will give priority to clearing the remaining arrears.

“We will work at improving the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) so that we will not continue to rely so much on the federation allocation to survive.”

Oyetola was in the Presidential Villa along with the Kano State governor, Dr. Abduallhi Umar Ganduje who head the committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Osun election as well as Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Judicial Council Moves To Appoint Some Judges Into Supreme Court

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has started the process of appointing some judges from some states of the federation into the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

They are Benue State Chief Judge, Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Abia State Chief Judge, Justice OnuohaArisaKalu Ogwe, Ogun State Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Arinola Dipeolu and three Judges from the same Ogun State: Oludayo Oluwa bamise Osunfisan, Olusola Stephen Oloyede and Olatunde Hassan Oyajinmi.

Others are Kadi of Kwara State Shariah Court, Zakariyah Abdulrasaq, President of Oyo State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Eni Esan.

A statement today, Friday, by the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye, said that the decision to elevate the senior judicial officers from those State was taken at 87^thmeeting of the Council between October 3 and 4.

According to the statement, the names of the elevated judicial officers have been forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the states they come from for confirmation.

Automatic Senate Tickets, Rage Of Governors And APC Chairman, By Johnson Momodu

Editorial staff

October 5, 2018

It is of course globally accepted that the legislature is an essential arm of the presidential system of government. In fact, to many scholars, of all the arms of government in a democracy, the legislature is considered the most critical for effective governance. The reasons for this assumption may not be unconnected with the fact that of the three arms of government, the legislature is the most democratic in its process of decision making.

Yes, unlike the executive for instance, a good legislature, not the Bukola Saraki – led type, always takes its stance after an exhaustive deliberative process by hearing the opinions of all interested members on the issue. Second, the legislature is also considered the most democratic of all the arms of government because each of its members represents one constituency in the country.

Agreed, as critical as the federal legislature or the National Assembly is to our democracy especially in the area of lawmaking and over sighting, for such an institution to be useful to the people in the day-to-day governance and long-term national development, it must develop the capacity for carrying out its constitutional assignments. Unfortunately because of our chequered experience with democracy – no thanks to the military – our country as much as we cherish democratic rule has not really developed its legislative institution.

If you recall, of all the arms of government, the legislature was always the first casualty of every military intervention in the nation’s political life. Whereas the executive subsisted and the judiciary was tolerated in military regimes, there was not even a disdainful consideration for the legislature. The consequence is that we have less and less of a political class imbued with the nuances of legislative behavior. While we have developed politicians who can bark out instructions, we have less of those with contemplative dispositions required for lawmaking!

To bring the facts home, from 1999 till date, David Mark, is the only senator who can boast of 19 years of cumulative legislative experience. This fact runs clearly against the intendments of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which did not impose term limitations on the legislature. The framers of the Constitution understood that the nature of lawmaking is so tedious and painstaking and requires experience, maturity, higher intelligence quotient, clarity of thought, fair-mindedness and of course trustworthiness.

While it is difficult for one individual to come completely imbued with this skill-set, it is, however, possible to acquire them over time, by experience, capacity building, showing passion for the job and of course by encouragement. Sadly, the primordial nature of our politics, the unfortunate influence of godfathers and godmothers, non-ideological nature of our politics and, of course, partisan miscalculations have combined to cause high turnover of our lawmakers every four years – after the general election.

You may wish to ask: where is Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, SAN, that highly-gifted and intellectual lawmaker who marshaled his points on the floor of the Senate with such a passionate fervour to the admiration of friends and foes? Well, he has reportedly been cleared to contest for the senate seat again on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Where is Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, whose strict and meticulous oversight eyes the ministries and government agencies dreaded?

Besides, where is Senator Ayo Arise with all his knowledge and eloquence? Where is Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, the great teacher in the Senate? Where is Joy Emordi, “the joy of the Senate”, according to Senator David Mark? What of the penetrating voice of Chris Anyanwu and her concise presentations on national issues? Where is Senator Abdul Ningi today? What about the flamboyant Patrick Obiahagbon, who made a lot of sense in spite of his obsessions with grandiloquence? Again, he too has been reportedly cleared to contest the senate seat this time round on the APC platform.

On the contrary, in United States, Senator Robert C. Byrd served for 51 years, 5 months and 26 days from January 3, 1959 to June 28, 2010; Senator Daniel K. Inouye was in the American Senate for 49 years, 11 months and 15 days from January 3, 1963 to December 17, 2012; Senator Strom Thurmond was a senator for 47 years, 5 months and 8 days; while Senator Edward Kennedy was in the Senate for 46 years, 9 months and 19 days, from November 7, 1962, to August 25, 2009, just to mention a few. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah (January 3, 1977 to present) is the longest serving senator still in office.

So, when you are glued to your television sets with mouths open marveling at the competency exhibited by American lawmakers in their congressional hearings, remember that was not achieved overnight by one simple flight. It took years of learning and experience to hone those admirable capabilities. And that is what Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC wants to replicate in the National Assembly.

Oshiomhole is on a patriotic journey to bequeath to Nigerians a legislature that is worth its name both in competency and love for country. He dreams of a legislature that will truly represent the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian people by weeding out all manner of stragglers and mercenaries masquerading as lawmakers while building an institutional memory by retaining the lot who have demonstrated high capacity, competency, patriotism, a great passion for lawmaking and oversight functions and, also, importantly, loyalty to the party.

In the real sense of the word, Oshiomhole is not giving out automatic ticket to anybody. He is simply encouraging the APC and the National Assembly to retain their best for the greater good of the country. Therefore, when APC gives senatorial tickets to the like of Senators Robert Boroffice, Tayo Alasoadura and Yele Omogunwa from Ondo State, and Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central, the party is not waging any war against anybody at all. It is all in the national interest, which is even greater than but almost always consistent with the party interests.

If truth be told, Shehu Sani, for instance, represents an oasis of hope in this 8th Senate that is hated and derided, as it is, by the Nigerian people. He has at all times stood with the Nigerian people, no matter the issue of debate on the floor of the Parliament. He has, through his exposé, given a hint of the obscenities going on in the Senate in the name of “allowances for senators.” He, together with the other senators mentioned here, has remained loyal to their party APC in spite of the provocations of their state governments. And above all, they have stood firm in defending President Buhari’s interests in a very treacherous senate.

It is important that some state governors like Nasir el-Rufai and Rotimi Akeredolu understand that it is in the national interest to build a patriotic, strong and virile legislative institution for our democracy. And so they must put aside personal battles and vendetta for the good of all. Oshiomhole and his national working committee, NWC, are not out to undermine the authorities of the emperor-governors, after all, he was once in the saddle as Edo state governor for all of eight years.

In all of this development, the disposition should be that nobody has been deliberately victimised, let alone a governor. It should be understood that Oshiomhole is only looking out for the interest of the APC, the federal government and the country. His action will eventually be salutary to keeping the number of the Senate APC caucus that he seeks to accomplish his remove-Bukola Saraki-as-senate president campaign.

Momodu wrote from Kaduna via momodujohnson@gmail.com

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