“I thought Tinubu has done very well. Nigeria is so complex. Really, there isn’t much anybody can do.” That’s the verdict of the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, when he received the Comptroller-General and members of the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service in his Daura country home, Katsina State. “I thank you very much for coming. I very much appreciate it,” Buhari said, stressing the point that governing Nigeria is a tough job for anyone. He asked Nigerians to endure the economic hardship and support the policies and programmes of the Tinubu’s administration.
A former Senator, representing Nasarawa West senatorial district, Abubakar Danso Sodangi, is dead. According to reports, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain died yesterday, March 10, at the age of 70. Sodangi served as the Chairman of the Campaign Council for the re-election of Governor Abdullahi Sule in 2023. Abubakar Danso Sodangi (born January 31, 1954) was elected Senator in the Nasarawa West Constituency of Nasarawa State. He took office in May 1999 and was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He attended primary School in between Keffi 1977 and 1979, the University of Sokoto between 1979 and1983, obtaining LLB (Hons). He attended the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, where he became a Barrister at Law in May 1984. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Commonwealth Bar Association, the African Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Defense Institute. The circumstances surrounding his death were sketchy as as at the time of this report. Source: Daily Post.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Jam’atu Nasrul-Islam of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad III, has announced the sighting of the Ramadan moon crescent, signalling the beginning of the 30-day Muslims’ Fasting tomorrow, March 11. Early today, March 10, Saudi Arabia had also announced the sighting of the moon, though countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and others have not sighted the moon and therefore, begin their Fasting on Tuesday, March 12. In Islam, Fasting begin from dawn to sunset and is obligatory for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill; who are not travelling, not elderly, not breastfeeding, not diabetic, not pregnant and not menstruating. The predawn meal is referred to as suhur and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called iftar. Although rulings have been issued declaring that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or polar night should follow the timetable of Mecca, it is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day. The spiritual rewards of Fasting are believed to be multiplied during Ramadan.
Accordingly, during the hours of Fasting, Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also from tobacco products, sexual relations and sinful behavior, including lying, insulting, backbiting, etc. Muslims devote themselves to prayer and study of the Quran, offering sacrifices, praising Allah continuously and performing other good deeds. We, at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper and hardcopy magazine, wish our invaluable readers healthy, productive and rewarding Ramadan.
Chairman Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Bello Shehu has lamented that the high cost of governance in Nigeria is draining the nation’s resources, asking the Federal Government to check it before it is too late. According to him, the high cost of governance is also hindering economic development. The RMAFC chairman, in a statement in Abuja today, March 10, identified the havoc caused by the high cost of governance through expensive presidential system, a bloated bureaucracy with overlapping ministries, and widespread corruption. Shehu said that the excessive spending on administration far outpaced investments in crucial areas like infrastructure and industrial expansion. According to him, the imbalance hurts the real sectors of the economy, ultimately impacting the lives of everyday Nigerians. Shehu highlighted several other contributors to the high cost of governance to include inefficient public service delivery due to poor infrastructure; high security costs arising from insurgencies, kidnappings and other security threats; excessive payouts in salaries, severance packages and allowances; Extravagant spending by government officials; crippling burden of domestic and foreign debt and weak institutions that struggle to enforce regulations.
The RMAFC boss however, commended President Tinubu’s administration for embracing the Oronsanye Report as a blueprint for streamlining government agencies. He said that the full implementation of the report could significantly reduce administrative costs, freeing up funds for vital infrastructure projects that benefit Nigerians directly.
Shehu also applauded the government’s current economic and monetary reforms and praised the focus on maintaining stable prices and exchange rates. He said that these policies would help to curb inflation’s damaging effects. Shehu said that price stability would allow Nigerians to plan their finances more effectively and protect the purchasing power of the Naira. He said that a stable exchange rate would foster investor confidence and minimises uncertainties in the foreign exchange market. “This, in turn, attracts foreign investment, improves financial inclusion, and creates a more predictable environment for businesses.” The RMAFC boss also commended the ongoing reforms in the Bureau De Change (BDC) market.
“These reforms aim to establish transparent operations in line with international best practices. “This will increase trust among businesses, regulators, and the public. A well-organized BDC market with clear procedures plays a crucial role in maintaining a credible foreign exchange system.” He called on the Federal Government and states to use the increased allocations from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) wisely. “These additional funds should be used to provide adequate support to the Nigerian people, particularly those struggling with the effects of subsidy removal.”
Senators loyal to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, have risen to fault the allegation of budget padding leveled against the Senate President by some Senators from the North. The Senators are Steve Sunday Karimi from Kogi State; Titus Tartenger Zam from Benue State and Kaka Sheu from Borno State. In a joint statement today, March 10, the Senate President’s loyalists said that the allegation of budget padding against Senate President Akpabio by some senators was unfounded, baseless and a figment of imagination. They warned against what they described as “the antics of blackmailers” that are bent on creating an atmosphere of crisis in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. The three Senators, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the Northern Senators’ Forum, said that no room should be allowed for division and acrimony between senators from the North and South by those who may not want to accord priority to national unity and harmony. They said that the Northern Senators’ Forum cannot be used to blackmail the budget process, which was done in good faith. Recall that last week, some northern senators had accused the Senate President of inserting projects worth N4 trillion in the 2024 budget. They alleged that the projects, which had no locations, were inserted into the budget, which they also claimed was lopsided against the North and some parts of the South. The northern senators also accused Akpabio of railroading the senators to hurriedly pass the budget, adding that it favoured Akpabio and his cronies. However, sheding light on what transpired at the meeting, Karimi, Zam and Sheu said that it was resolved that the report of the consultant engaged by the Northern Senators Forum be subjected to further scrutiny, as the entire appropriation process was a combination of work, from the executive, actively represented by the minister of budget and national planning and other ministers as well as the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation and the Senate Committees on Appropriation. Dismisssing the allegation of padding as a ruse, they said that while the executive brought a budget proposal of 27.5 trillion, the Senate passed a budget of 28.77 trillion. “The difference was N1.27 trillion, coming from all three arms of government. Where is the additional so-called padding of three trillion coming from? It was resolved that the Northern Senators’ consultant report be looked into by essential committees of the Senate and House of Representatives before jumping to a conclusion.” The Senate President’s loyalists advised the Northern Senators Caucus Leader, Abdul Ningi, to “rein in those who think a crisis-ridden Senate would better profit them.” They said that the North has provided leadership in Nigeria and enjoyed the support of other regions seamlessly, adding that the representatives of the North should not appear to act as instruments of destabilisation now that power has shifted to the South. In their view, the North can agitate for a fair share of the national cake, but within the ambits of decency, decorum and diginity. “Senator Ningi has not given a correct information. He is yet to even give the Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives a copy of what he claims to have discovered in the 2024 Appropriation Act before levelling allegations of budget padding against the President, the Senate President and the Senate. “President Tinubu presented a budget estimates of over N27 trillion on 28th November to the National Assembly, which passed a budget of over N28 trlllion which became an Act of Parliament on 1st January 2024. “Where did Senator Ningi get his Appropriation Act of N25 trillion from? What about the extra requests that chairmen of appropriation committees of both chambers claimed came from the Executive after submission of the initial over N27 trillion proposals by Mr. President? “So, how did Senator Ningi’ s budget analyst get the N3 trillion budget padding allegations? “Must we attempt to give a dog a bad name to hang it? Are APC members of Northern Senators Forum that PDP Senator Ningi claims to lead oblivious of the anti-Tinubu/Akpabio undertones? The National Assembly should not be denigrated.”
No fewer than 74 Directors have bowed out of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). According to information reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper and hardcopy magazine, those who retired have either clocked the mandatory retirement age of 60 or have been in service for 35 years. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 74 retirees bowed out of service in the third and fourth quarter of 2023. In an event organised in honour of the retirees, the minister of the FCT, Nyeson Wike said that the Administration would continue to tap from their experience and expertise to accelerate growth and development in the capital city. Represented by the acting Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Udom Atang, the minister expressed optimism that the wealth of experience of the retirees would be of great value to the administration. He said that the batch of the retirees were among the earliest staff of the FCTA and FCDA and therefore, played crucial roles in building Abuja from the scratch to its current state. He said that because of their institutional knowledge and experience, the FCTA would be reaching out to them for in-house training to coach and mentor the younger ones. According to him, nobody can do it better than those “who have been here before.” The minister restated the FCTA’s commitment to improve welfare of staff under the “Renewed Hope” agenda of the current administration. This was even as the acting Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, commended the retirees for dedicating a significant portion of their lives to public service. “These directors have exhibited exemplary leadership, dedication, and professionalism throughout their tenure, serving as beacons of integrity and commitment to the welfare and progress of the FCTA. “Their unwavering dedication has contributed to the advancement of our administrative processes, the implementation of crucial policies, and the successful execution of numerous projects that have transformed the landscape of the FCT.” Ahmadu said. Some of the retirees who spoke to journalists on the sideline of the event, encouraged those still in service to build on their achievements for accelerated growth and development of the territory. One of them, Dr. Matthew Ashikeni, urged those in service to focus more on adding value to the system, rather than what they can gain from it. Ashikeni, who retired as Director, Special Duties at the FCT Health and Environment Secretariat, also tasked the government to invest more in primary health care to attain universal health coverage.
Saudi Arabia has announced the sighting of the crescent of the Ramadan Moon this evening, March 10. The Muslim annual Fasting, for 29 or 30 days therefore, begins tomorrow, March 11. However, report from Malaysia said that it was impossible to see the crescent of Ramadan today and therefore, Tuesday, March 12 has been declared the first day of the holy month. Also Brunei announced that Tuesday, March 12 is the first day of Ramadan, due to the inability to see the crescent moon from several locations in the Sultanate the same as Indonesia, where the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Indonesia announced that Tuesday is the first day of Ramadan, and tomorrow, Monday, is 30 Shaaban. The crescent moon has not been successfully observed at all observation points in Indonesia. The Mufti of Singapore, Dr. Nazirudin Mohammed Nasir announced that according to astronomical calculations, the crescent for the month of Ramadan is “unlikely to be seen above Singapore’s horizon” when the sun sets today evening.
I do not want to believe that in a country of close to 250 million people, I am the only one who think that there is a gathering of ominous dark clouds over our dear country, beginning from the North. I cannot afford that foolish and lazy thought even if I wanted to dream so, because it is that type of thinking that brought us to this sorry pass. Yes. Not long ago, we had a leader who believed he knew more than everybody and was better than everybody. And surprisingly, many northerners believed he was the only upright person in this populous country, better than even their fathers. The shout all over the nation about hunger is something that can confuse any government or leader, because it is a fact that hungry people will become angry, and an angry nation is a step away from anarchy. But one may be forgiven to conclude that the citizens, especially in the North, are being remotely pushed to behave that way. A respectable journalist from Bauchi sent me a report he wanted us to publish. The report was that “labourers in Bauchi were digging up anthills to collect stashed grains there.” I asked him for pictures and he sent me about four pictures of a well-dressed, healthy-looking man wearing a fez cap and jackboots, shovelling an anthill. According to the report, despite the ongoing construction of roads and houses in Bauchi and surrounding states, this labourer had to go steal food from ants! When you critically look at Nigeria, or the North, and its situation, what is happening is not excusable. Take instances where warehouses or trailer loads of food were attacked and stripped of everything: Is it hunger where you see a purportedly hungry man hurrying away with two or three bags of rice on his shoulders and returning for more? Or able-bodied youths, both male and female, fighting their way through the madness to grab as much of the loot as they can, taking them somewhere for safekeeping and returning for more? If the looting of foodstuff from government warehouses and trailers in the name of hunger continues unabated, unchecked, we should brace up for the next phase. The next phase would be breaking into houses of “big people” to loot foodstuffs. And because the looting is not motivated by hunger, we will see some looters carrying televisions, furniture, cookers, refrigerators, gas cylinders, etc. Do not forget that during one of such “hunger” protests and looting, even a signboard was uprooted and stolen. Some people just love to steal – hungry or not – and opportunities are now being offered to them. Alhaji Aminu Dantata told a story of how his father’s wealth, then transported on the backs of donkeys, got missing when the donkeys ran off while his aides accompanying the wealth were asleep. A public announcement was made, and six weeks later they were found without a single coin lost. And the lack then was greater than what it is now. And when you look at the looters, hardly do you see signs of responsibility in them; they most likely will take the loot to the markets to sell. They are the types you see springing up from nowhere selling fuel by the roadsides whenever there is a scarcity. The problem with instigating such people either to cause discomfort to the government or even to derail it is that they are Frankenstein Monsters that would end up as no good to anyone. But these monsters may not attack the houses of the “big men” first because of many factors, among which are the elitist and urban nature of their environments, and thus enhanced security. But most importantly, because the middle class, which has largely thinned out, is a buffer between them and the monsters. For decades now, some people have been denying Nigeria a middle class. It is as if they are saying from zero to 100, nothing in-between. Is that possible? Even at the speed of light, one has to go through those steps. In between the have-nots and the bourgeoisie, there are those hanging there either through hauling themselves by their bootstraps or because of some connections. They are not quite down there and yet not up there. If you can afford a house, rent a flat for your family, pay your children’s school fees, and take care of your basic needs and those of your dependents, then you are not at the bottom of the rung, though you are not with them at the top. You are, therefore, somewhere in the middle. In that category, you could be lower-middle-class, middle-middle-class or upper-middle-class. They have to pass you before they can reach the “big man.” The rampagers will easily and quickly get the middle-class man because the distance between them is very small. Therefore, people like us will be the first casualties. While we are just a little above them by the grace of God, they see us as their enemies, not knowing our daily struggles for survival. To them, we are part of the enemy because we do not live in a “face-me-I-face-you” type of compound; we own cars, but they do not know we are auto mechanics’ best friends, and our children perhaps go to private schools where we practically bleed from every vein to pay their extortionate fees. But after us, surely, they will come for the “big men”. And they will get a lot of them because not all can escape abroad with their families. And even if they flee with their immediate families, they must leave behind more family members than those taken. We must not continue to let the ominous dark clouds gather. Something urgent has to be done. I have lost hope in the Nigeria Labour Congress to come to the rescue. I do not know what has happened, but since their top man was beaten blue and black sometime back in Owerri, their thinking has been somehow. I do not know if he had seen the right doctor, but imagine them asking for a basic salary of ₦794,000 a month! The issue is the money for that is simply not there, but even if it is, paying such an amount to less than two per cent of the population is untenable because inflation would spiral out of control, afflicting the entire population. In Nigeria, unlike other countries, when there is a ten per cent salary increase, the prices of goods and services rise by at least twenty per cent, rubbishing the increase. Moreover, in a country where the private sector that employs the bulk of the people is gasping for breath, where do they get the extra cash to pay such an amount as salary? The private sector will simply go under, and the people roaming the streets without jobs to even “manage” their lives will exponentially increase. Have we ever thought of the security implications even as we are currently being overwhelmed by security challenges? Anyone genuinely interested in the welfare of workers, and indeed Nigerians, should do well to proffer solutions that would boost our economy and strengthen our currency and not suggestions that would bastardise our economy and drive the naira’s value further down. And that is what salary increase portends now. Methinks Labour would join the federal and state governments in making our youths self-dependent and employable by teaching them trade skills. As a trade union with many affiliates, when last did Labour speak about the moribund textile industries, for instance? Resuscitating them would provide hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. And cotton production would be revamped where another huge number of nationals would be gainfully employed. The government must reduce the cost of governance and the unimaginable take-home pay of political leaders and redirect the excess towards production. We must become a productive nation that eats, drives and wears what it produces. This is the only way to think if we want the dark clouds to clear. But, is it a problem of the North only? No, if left unchecked, the looming dark clouds will cover the entire nation.
Hassan Gimba is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime.
“In my Saturday Tribune column, I show how Tinubu’s Jan. 11, 2012 article on the effects of subsidy removal describes with almost mathematical precision what Nigeria is going through now.”–Prof.kperogi
Tinubu’s Accurate 12-Year-Old Prediction on Subsidy Removal Effects, By Farooq A. Farooq Kperogi Twitter:@farooqkperogi
On January 11, 2012, Bola Ahmed Tinubu published a sober, thoughtful, deeply insightful, and penetratingly foresightful article titled “Removal of Oil Subsidy: President Jonathan Breaks Social Contract With the People” that uncannily prefigured the untoward consequences of petrol subsidy removal that Nigerians are currently grappling with.
The article has trended on social media in the last couple of weeks, but I had never taken the trouble to read it until multiple people who I regard highly sent it to me in what seemed like a coordinated torrent of forwards.
But after reading the 4,000-plus-word article and finding out that it predicted the current petrol-subsidy-removal mass excruciation Nigeria is suffering with almost mathematical exactitude, I became suspicious of its authenticity. It was too good to be true.
My incredulity compelled me to make inquiries, which led me to realize that the Nigerian Tribune had actually fact-checked the genuineness of the article on May 31, 2023. It not only found that it wasn’t fake but also scanned and uploaded a printed copy of the article published in The Nation, Tinubu’s paper.
I encourage everyone to read it. In the article, Tinubu derided the 2012 removal of petrol subsidies as the “Jonathan tax,” and the following paragraphs are particularly noteworthy for the mysterious precision of their prescience:
“Government claims the subsidy removal will create jobs…. The stronger truth is that it will destroy more jobs than it creates. For every job it creates in the capital intensive petroleum sector, it will terminate several jobs in the rest of the labor intensive economy.
“Subsidy removal will increase costs across the board. However, salaries will not increase. This means demand for goods will lessen as will sales volumes and overall economic activity. The removal will have a recessionary impact on the economy as a whole. While some will benefit from the removal, most will experience setback.
“What is doubtless is that the Jonathan tax will increase the price of petrol, transportation and most consumer items. With fuel prices increasing twofold or more, transportation costs will roughly double. Prices of food staples will increase between 25-50 percent….
“Most people’s incomes are low and stagnant. They have no way to augment revenue and little room to lower expenses for they know no luxuries; they are already tapped out. The only alternative they have is to fend as best they can, knowing they must somehow again subtract something from their already bare existence.
“There will be less food, less medicine, and less school across the land. More children will cry in hunger and more parents will cry at their children’s despair…. Poor and middle class consumers will spend the same amount to buy much less. The volume of economic activity will drop like a stone tossed from a high building. This means real levels of demand will sink.
“The middle class to which our small businessmen belong will find their profit margins squeezed because they will face higher costs and reduced sales volumes. These small firms employ vast numbers of Nigerians. They will be hard pressed to maintain current employment levels given the higher costs and lower revenues they will face.
“Because the middle class businessman will be pinched, those who depend on the businessmen for employment will be heavily pressed. States that earn significant revenue from internally generated funds will find their positions damaged. Internally generated revenue will decline because of the pressure on general economic activity. The Jonathan tax will push Nigeria toward an inflation-recession combination punch worse than the one that has Europe reeling.
“This tax has doomed Nigeria to extra hardship for years to come while the promised benefits of deregulation will never be substantially realized. People will starve and families crumble while federal officials praise themselves for ‘saving money.’ The purported savings amount to nothing more than an accounting entry on the government ledger board. They bear no indication of the real state of the economy or of the great harm done the people by this miserly step.”
Like I have done for years, Tinubu also fulminated against “European conservatives” whose economic prescriptions are at variance “with the needs of the Nigerian populace.” He even said something that is eerily close to what I wrote in a previous column. “There has been no nation on the face of the planet that has developed or achieved long-term prosperity by devotion to conservative, ultra-free market economic ideas that dominate this government,” he wrote.
“If no nation has grown using these conservative ideas,” he asked, why are we stuck with them? I have an answer, and it’s three-fold: sadly familiar Nigerian elite self-love, xenophilic obeisance to meanspirited racist wretches at the IMF/World Bank, and a visceral disdain and blithe unconcern for ordinary Nigerians.
Like Tinubu pointed out in 2012, the removal of petrol subsidies in 2023 merely took money from the so-called oil subsidy cabal and put it directly into the pockets of politicians without hurting the bottom line of the subsidy cabal. The cabal simply pushed the extra cost of importing petrol to consumers.
In the aftermath of the removal of subsidies, allocations to the three tiers of government rose by 29.05% in just six months. By the end of 2023, governments shared N15.1 trillion, which represented an increase of N3.4 trillion from 2022.
Note that, according to the Punch of September 22, 2023, N3 trillion was budgeted for petrol subsidies from June 2022 to June 2023 (although it was N1.57 trillion in 2021 and N1.27 trillion from January to May 2022, indicating obvious fraud). In other words, the money that would have been used to keep the pump price of petrol at less than N200 per liter was simply shared between the presidency, governors, ministers, and the rest.
State governors now receive several folds more money than their normal monthly allocations without a corresponding increase in their expenditures. Because they have way more naira than they have use for (of course, they don’t care about the masses), they convert the extra naira into dollars, which contributes to the relentless depreciation of the naira, according to the BusinessDay of February 13.
In other words, to put it even more crudely, the masses and the economy benefited more from the corruption of the subsidy cabal than from what has replaced it since May 2023. But, as I pointed out earlier, the subsidy cabal isn’t hurt in the least by this change. Apart from pushing the cost of importation to consumers, they are now receiving subsidies through the backdoor to keep the price of petrol from climbing to over N1,000 a liter, which the IMF is now instructing Tinubu to stop.
The only losers are ordinary Nigerians, small businesses, the informal economy, and the manufacturing sector. After Tinubu said subsidies were gone in May 2023, the GDP of the transportation sector contracted by 50.64% in the second quarter of 2023 and by 35% in the third quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The road transport sector is the most reliable barometer to measure the health of commerce and of the informal economy in Nigeria. Petrol subsidy removal is killing it. A November 28, 2023, BusinessDay headline succinctly captures this: “Subsidy removal pushes transport industry into recession.”
My job as an inveterate opponent of subsidy withdrawal is made easier by the knowledge that Tinubu knows the truth. He knows for a fact that petrol subsidies are not a waste, especially if the corruption in the administration of subsidies is addressed. He knows that it’s an investment in the people and in the economy.
Petrol doesn’t just power the transportation sector, it’s also the main source of electricity generation for industries, small businesses, and the vast majority of our people. Given that Nigeria has the worst electricity generation record in West Africa (and possibly in Africa), it’s easy to see why a drastic rise in the cost of petrol activates an across-the-board cost-push inflation and deepens the misery index in the country.
Tinubu knows this but has chosen to care more for the validation of the sadistic bastards at the IMF and the World Bank than the comfort and wellbeing of his people.
There’s no doubt that it’s the IMF and its evil twin, the World Bank, that are ruling Nigeria. Tinubu’s government is just a proxy. For example, just two days after the IMF told Tinubu he must remove electricity subsidies (I had no clue such a thing existed given the unreliable electricity in Nigeria) Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu announced that the government would withdraw electricity subsidies.
The same IMF has also instructed that the surreptitious subsidies the Tinubu administration is paying to stop petrol prices from getting to—or even rising above— N1,000 a liter must be stopped. Get ready for another bumpy ride, Nigerians.
Until half the country drops dead from starvation, the IMF, which is the real government in Nigeria, won’t rest.
Show me a woman who does not believe in love and I will show you a liar. Every woman wants to be loved. We all long for that indescribable feeling that keeps our heads in the cloud. That feeling that makes you feel that you and your man are the only ones on the surface of the earth and when he touches you, you feel this tingling sensation running down your spine. His voice does things to your system, etcetera etcetera. It is a feeling that makes a woman see life through rose-tinted glasses. It is a delicious feeling. It leads you into temptation. It makes you do things that you may later in life wonder how you ever contemplated at all. Sometimes it puts a smile on your face in a crowd of serious people doing serious business when your mind wanders to those loving moments. They all look at you like you are losing it, but you are glorying in something you hold or once held so dear. Sometimes a love experience does not end in marriage and till death do you part. But it does not take away from the solid fact that for the rest of your life, you will never forget it. Remember that song: Everybody, think back To your very first time Oh, not when you lost your virginity this time. That could be memorable too but we will talk about that sometime soon. Love. It makes you defy reason, logic, sound advice. Anything that wants to come between you and your Romeo would simply have to step aside or go to blazes, whichever they prefer. Did you ever defy your parents for the lover boy? Did you steal your mother’s jewelry to sell so your Romeo could buy a ticket to Britain? The things we have all done for love… the things women are still doing for love, in the name of love…Ah. They scare me but what is life without love? It is a feeling every man, every woman must experience. And because the cupid’s arrow does not strike often, for some people it is a once in a lifetime thing, it must be savoured. But is love enough to make a marriage work? Is it all the ingredients that makes a relationship work and worth it? Which is more valuable in marriage, any serious relationship, love or respect? Tendency is everyone will scream love. Or am I mistaken? I’m not prescribing anything here. Let us just all look at the two emotions as dispassionately as possible. A man loves his wife. His wife loves him. In fact, they married for love. They have two kids, both girls, both delivered through caesarean section. The last almost cost the woman her life. The doctor advised that because of the peculiar complications that surface in the theatre (doctors always have a name for everything, even when we think an ailment is the handiwork of witches and wizards), Madam should stop at two. For a few years, the man lived with this harsh fact that he’d never have a son from his wife. Then he started dropping hints about alternative medicine and the wonders of local herbs. And how God is a miracle worker. All the sweet talks to get Madam to get pregnant again. She also wanted a boy and fell for it because she was also afraid of the alternatives open to her husband, a second wife for instance. By the time she was 10 weeks gone, it became obvious that she was on a suicide mission. She could no longer move about without sudden dizzying spells. The doctor recommended abortion. The man said he would fly her out of the country for better care. She wept, scared she would die trying to find a son. Who would be the mother to her pretty daughters? The doctors did their best but everything came loose at 11 weeks. She was distraught and relieved at the same time. Hubby was angry and accused her of conniving with the doctor to abort the baby. Crazy, isn’t it? Was that love? Would respect have made the situation easier to handle? He went on to get a second wife and he luckily got a son. If a woman respects a man, do you think she would let her own brothers disrespect him? If she treats him like a king, her siblings would do the same but if she rains abuses on him in their presence, chances that they would look down on the ‘fool their sister married’ would be high. How many men can stand disrespect from their in-laws? How long does it take for love to take flight when a man feels like he’s less than a man in his own house? In the same vein, there are men who allow their sisters, brothers and mothers to ride roughshod over their wives. Have we not heard of women who have been beaten up by their sisters-in-law? A younger friend of mine who got married in 2006 was looking like a bad replica of herself when I saw her two weeks ago. She used to be very attractive with a beautiful spring in her steps. Today her skin looks dry, lips chapped and she generally looks 10 years older. I locked my office door and asked her to spill it, all of it. She started crying. “I have been through a lot, auntie. If I had known this is what marriage is like I would not have bothered. My in-laws are mean. Because I could not conceive within one year, they started persecuting me. They have called me everything from a male dog to a man. “Because my business is doing fine, my mother-in-law told my husband, in my presence, that I have done money rituals with my womb and that is why I can buy a new car when I’m supposed to be looking for a child. I have done all the tests the doctors prescribed but I’m still not pregnant. My sisters-in-law are even worse than their mother.” What did her dear husband have to say about this domestic violence against his wife? “He tells me to ignore them. I don’t think he is the problem…” If you ask me, Joy, that’s her name, is living in denial. Her problem is largely her man. I think the guy is actually less than a man if you take away what is in between his legs. How can you tell a woman being harassed by your mother and sisters to ignore her assailants? Do you treat headache by ignoring it? When a mosquito perches on your skin, does ignoring it reduce its bite or stop it from passing malaria parasites into your bloodstream? A man who respects his wife will protect her. That is why he is the crown, the head of his home. But a man who watches his mother torment his wife is a fake crown. His home is headless. How long will it take love to fly away from such a relationship? An old schoolmate of mine simply moved out of Lagos to the East when his mother came to his house every day to torment and taunt his wife. The poor woman’s sin was not even barrenness. They had kids. It was just that my friend made a few bad business decisions in his bid to leave paid employment and his fortunes took a nose dive. Trust Yoruba people. In such situations, the wife bears the brunt. She is the one with two left legs. She is the harbinger of failure. The poor girl was miserable and, being an old school introvert, she refused to report her mother-in-law who always chose the time her son was not around to unleash her special brand of terror. She would cry and cry. She was losing weight because it was getting too much for her. Until one day, mama was found out in her iniquity by her son. He simply asked for transfer to the East. They were there for five years before they made contact with the old woman. The rest is history. So, what do you think? Which is a bigger ingredient, love or respect? Is your man a protector or a liability? Is he a shield in times of attack? Is he a real crown or just a bling-bling accessory? *Egbemode (egbemode3@gmail.com)
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Accordingly, during the hours of Fasting, Muslims refrain not only from food and drink, but also from tobacco products, sexual relations and sinful behavior, including lying, insulting, backbiting, etc.
Tinubu, Beware Of The Gathering Dark Clouds, By Hassan Gimba
I do not want to believe that in a country of close to 250 million people, I am the only one who think that there is a gathering of ominous dark clouds over our dear country, beginning from the North. I cannot afford that foolish and lazy thought even if I wanted to dream so, because it is that type of thinking that brought us to this sorry pass. Yes. Not long ago, we had a leader who believed he knew more than everybody and was better than everybody. And surprisingly, many northerners believed he was the only upright person in this populous country, better than even their fathers.
The shout all over the nation about hunger is something that can confuse any government or leader, because it is a fact that hungry people will become angry, and an angry nation is a step away from anarchy.
But one may be forgiven to conclude that the citizens, especially in the North, are being remotely pushed to behave that way. A respectable journalist from Bauchi sent me a report he wanted us to publish. The report was that “labourers in Bauchi were digging up anthills to collect stashed grains there.”
I asked him for pictures and he sent me about four pictures of a well-dressed, healthy-looking man wearing a fez cap and jackboots, shovelling an anthill. According to the report, despite the ongoing construction of roads and houses in Bauchi and surrounding states, this labourer had to go steal food from ants!
When you critically look at Nigeria, or the North, and its situation, what is happening is not excusable. Take instances where warehouses or trailer loads of food were attacked and stripped of everything: Is it hunger where you see a purportedly hungry man hurrying away with two or three bags of rice on his shoulders and returning for more? Or able-bodied youths, both male and female, fighting their way through the madness to grab as much of the loot as they can, taking them somewhere for safekeeping and returning for more?
If the looting of foodstuff from government warehouses and trailers in the name of hunger continues unabated, unchecked, we should brace up for the next phase. The next phase would be breaking into houses of “big people” to loot foodstuffs. And because the looting is not motivated by hunger, we will see some looters carrying televisions, furniture, cookers, refrigerators, gas cylinders, etc. Do not forget that during one of such “hunger” protests and looting, even a signboard was uprooted and stolen. Some people just love to steal – hungry or not – and opportunities are now being offered to them.
Alhaji Aminu Dantata told a story of how his father’s wealth, then transported on the backs of donkeys, got missing when the donkeys ran off while his aides accompanying the wealth were asleep. A public announcement was made, and six weeks later they were found without a single coin lost. And the lack then was greater than what it is now.
And when you look at the looters, hardly do you see signs of responsibility in them; they most likely will take the loot to the markets to sell. They are the types you see springing up from nowhere selling fuel by the roadsides whenever there is a scarcity.
The problem with instigating such people either to cause discomfort to the government or even to derail it is that they are Frankenstein Monsters that would end up as no good to anyone.
But these monsters may not attack the houses of the “big men” first because of many factors, among which are the elitist and urban nature of their environments, and thus enhanced security. But most importantly, because the middle class, which has largely thinned out, is a buffer between them and the monsters.
For decades now, some people have been denying Nigeria a middle class. It is as if they are saying from zero to 100, nothing in-between. Is that possible? Even at the speed of light, one has to go through those steps. In between the have-nots and the bourgeoisie, there are those hanging there either through hauling themselves by their bootstraps or because of some connections. They are not quite down there and yet not up there.
If you can afford a house, rent a flat for your family, pay your children’s school fees, and take care of your basic needs and those of your dependents, then you are not at the bottom of the rung, though you are not with them at the top. You are, therefore, somewhere in the middle. In that category, you could be lower-middle-class, middle-middle-class or upper-middle-class. They have to pass you before they can reach the “big man.” The rampagers will easily and quickly get the middle-class man because the distance between them is very small.
Therefore, people like us will be the first casualties. While we are just a little above them by the grace of God, they see us as their enemies, not knowing our daily struggles for survival. To them, we are part of the enemy because we do not live in a “face-me-I-face-you” type of compound; we own cars, but they do not know we are auto mechanics’ best friends, and our children perhaps go to private schools where we practically bleed from every vein to pay their extortionate fees.
But after us, surely, they will come for the “big men”. And they will get a lot of them because not all can escape abroad with their families. And even if they flee with their immediate families, they must leave behind more family members than those taken.
We must not continue to let the ominous dark clouds gather. Something urgent has to be done.
I have lost hope in the Nigeria Labour Congress to come to the rescue. I do not know what has happened, but since their top man was beaten blue and black sometime back in Owerri, their thinking has been somehow. I do not know if he had seen the right doctor, but imagine them asking for a basic salary of ₦794,000 a month!
The issue is the money for that is simply not there, but even if it is, paying such an amount to less than two per cent of the population is untenable because inflation would spiral out of control, afflicting the entire population. In Nigeria, unlike other countries, when there is a ten per cent salary increase, the prices of goods and services rise by at least twenty per cent, rubbishing the increase.
Moreover, in a country where the private sector that employs the bulk of the people is gasping for breath, where do they get the extra cash to pay such an amount as salary? The private sector will simply go under, and the people roaming the streets without jobs to even “manage” their lives will exponentially increase. Have we ever thought of the security implications even as we are currently being overwhelmed by security challenges?
Anyone genuinely interested in the welfare of workers, and indeed Nigerians, should do well to proffer solutions that would boost our economy and strengthen our currency and not suggestions that would bastardise our economy and drive the naira’s value further down. And that is what salary increase portends now.
Methinks Labour would join the federal and state governments in making our youths self-dependent and employable by teaching them trade skills. As a trade union with many affiliates, when last did Labour speak about the moribund textile industries, for instance? Resuscitating them would provide hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. And cotton production would be revamped where another huge number of nationals would be gainfully employed.
The government must reduce the cost of governance and the unimaginable take-home pay of political leaders and redirect the excess towards production. We must become a productive nation that eats, drives and wears what it produces. This is the only way to think if we want the dark clouds to clear.
But, is it a problem of the North only? No, if left unchecked, the looming dark clouds will cover the entire nation.
Hassan Gimba is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime.