KANU AND UMAR: A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

Management is doing things right,Leadership is doing the right things-Peter Drucker

Decisiveness is a trait all great leaders possess.President Buhari must create time to ponder and move fast on two issues that may appear light on the face but have the tendency to spiral out of control.First is Nnamdi Kanu's continued detention after being granted bail and second, the weighty allegations against Justice Danladi Umar; the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Few people remember today that Boko Haram floated into our consciousness only after an altercation with the police on the way to bury a dead member of theirs.I don't think anyone would need any expert analysis before conveniently citing about 3 stages where the threat could have been effectively exterminated.Having watched how the Yar'adua Government underestimated Boko Haram and President Jonathan admitting he did as well, the importance of caution in the Nnamdi Kanu saga cannot be overemphasized.
What started as some jester broadcasting from a shack in God-knows-where could very well end up in a war we could easily have avoided.While I would say I don't agree with the Magistrate Court's decision to grant bail, I fault the decision of the authorities to still keep him in custody.My disagreement with the court's ruling is premised on decisions like the one in DOKUBO-ASARI V FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA(2007) ALL FWLR (Pt.375) 588 where Justice Mohammed of the Supreme court held thus:

'Where National Security is threatened or there is the real likelihood of its being threatened, human rights or the individual rights of those responsible take second place...The corporate existence of Nigeria as a united, harmonious, indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation is certainly greater than any citizen's liberty or right. Once the security of this nation is in jeopardy and it survives in pieces rather than in peace, the individual's liberty or right may not even exist'.

Part of my reason for quoting from the Court's ruling in that case is to help highlight the magnitude of this situation.Our National Security was already being threatened when Kanu was preaching divisiveness and disharmony in his container and the President wasn't appointing Ibos prior to the release of his Ministerial list.We must thread with caution.
Continuing to detain a man who has been granted bail and refusing to produce him in court when required to do so appears to me to be deliberately inciting his followers and winning him more sympathizers.Last I checked there were 'Biafrans' from as far as Sweden soiling the image of the Federal Government in the name of Protests.In all honesty, the government cannot absolve itself of any blame.The protests staged in eastern states that have already resulted in casualties could escalate to killing non-ibos and trigger reprisal killings across the nation.
The President having witnessed the Civil war first hand,should know how precarious a situation this is and must atone for looking the other way as Commander-In-Chief by ordering his release or at least ensuring his attendance at the next court date.The consequences of Kanu's continued detention are a clear indicator of what could be lying ahead for us.We are still fighting Boko Haram 8 years later.A word is enough for the wise.
The Justice Danladi Umar situation, though of lesser magnitude in the scheme of things is also one that calls for concern.As Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal which has been in the news lately (thanks to the Saraki trial), it is no suprise that his past is under close scrutiny at this point in time.
The allegations have been pouring in from left, right and centre which I must say makes it understandable for the President to thread softly but it is also the more reason he should move fast.Who knows when somebody would hit another bull's eye?
Shots don't come cleaner than a letter by his fellow benchers at the CCT urging the Former President to investigate him as they find sitting with him on the same tribunal embarrassing following an alleged N10 Million bribe.The evidence against him can at best be described as circumstantial but it is enough to convict him in the Court of Public Opinion where judgment is based on facts only and there are no legal technicalities or burden of proof.
Allowing a man like that continue as Chairman of the CCT demeans President Buhari's anti-corruption stance.It contradicts all PMB stands for.
The President can be cut some slack on the ground that the petitions and allegations could have been orchestrated by corrupt Politicians to destabilize the War against Corruption but the evidence of dirty dealings are overwhelming.Perhaps the EFCC threw his PA under the bus because Jonathan later felt he needed people like Umar to safeguard the interests of his dirty cronies.Who knows what anyone else could dig up and when?
A lot of politicians are reportedly been lined up for prosecution in his tribunal and my fears are two if he is still in charge.Firstly, we don't know what a dirty politician or his allies could find out if they continue from where the digging stopped and Secondly,you know what they say about a thief-Beat him today and he would still dip his hand in the cookie jar tomorrow if its still there.
Umar is innocent until proven guilty but the merits of removing him from that seat far outweigh the demerits of doing so.
Fortunately, the Senate has beaten President Buhari to ordering a probe and if the verdict is damning, then he shouldn't hesitate to ease him out as it is his call to make subject to their ratification.And it would be most appropriate for the 'new' EFCC to conduct proper investigations that won't end where the line Umar used to communicate with the bribe-giver and claimed to have lost is to be subjected to a forensic test.
The Senators are doing what he should have ordered done a long time ago and whether or not, the probe is a revenge mission, it serves the best interests of the President and Nigerians at large even more than it does theirs.
The process of kicking Danladi Umar out should have been kick started by the President himself earlier and I hope to God he won't spurn the chance to do away with him if the Senators present him a chance in the name of fighting back.
A stitch in time saves nine.The time to act is now.

RE-BRANDING THE PDP:WHAT IT TRULY MEANS

A lot certainly has to change about the Peoples Democratic Party for it to pose a formidable opposition to the ruling APC and more importantly, seize back power from them.This much they appreciate and as such, convened a 're-branding' Conference to that effect on Thursday 12th November 2015.The party suffered from its worst leadership during the Goodluck Jonathan era that saw 7 of its Governors forming a faction along with some stalwarts with 5 of the Governors crossing over to the other side.
Blaming the Party Chairman before forcing him to resign and publicly accusing its NEC of sharing what was left of their Presidential campaign funds was how the PDP responded to its drubbing at the General Elections.It had a leader who seemed to be learning on the job.He had made his mistakes and they proved fatal.
There had been little to suggest the Party was actually serious about patching up its umbrella even merely hours to the re-branding conference with the committee Chairman,Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi apologizing to Nigerians for fielding Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28th polls in a very reckless move and that drew a quick counter from Mr Olisa Metuh emphasizing that Dokpesi was speaking for himself and nobody else.

The conference itself held with absentees as notable as Goodluck Jonathan, Namadi Sambo and David Mark.This may not be a problem but there would be one if the prominent members left Abuja without making some crucial decisions in any 'after-conference' meeting.Decisions that would ultimately portray it as truly re-branded.
Some of those decisions should include how to regulate the utterances of members especially key ones.
The Party is not loved by a majority of Nigerians and sounding petty and overzealous in criticism of the APC all in the name of playing the active opposition would do more harm than good.Ben Murray Bruce saying Fashola shouldn't use generators and recommending that Amaechi use public transport is most ridiculous.If only Olisa Metuh would concentrate more on the many constructive criticisms available and not trivialise a moment as glorious as an U-17 World Cup triumph by talking 'APC and de-marketing'.The PDP has done a lot of damage in the last 6 years that would take a lot of time to fix so i don't think finding things to criticize the barely 6 month old government for without coming across as being petty should be too difficult.
Portraying the party as serious-minded and business-like starts with regulating public utterances.Who knows?.A lot of people might just start to forget the bad governance meted out to us in the past and make recourse to the absence of the notable absentees at the conference as having purged its helm of bad elements. 
Secondly, the Party must draw up a list of all the states, political climates and capabilities of their present leaders.They stand a good chance of winning quite a number of states that aren't theirs if they put in the right type of work ahead of time.Not a few governors are now hated for their inability to pay salaries before the bailout by the new government.Whether or not it is to be blamed on the mentality of the average Nigerian is a topic for another day.Take for instance, Kwara State.The Senate President was stoned at an Eid Prayer Ground not only because he is alleged to have looted them dry but also because Civil Servants were being owed about 7 months Salaries.The governor is seen as Saraki's 'Yes Man' and whoever they present next would be a hard sell.
With the withered influence of 'Jagaban', any of the APC South West states can be captured.Even Lagos I dare say.
If after 4years, Ambode isn't spectacular, then a formidable PDP candidate like Jimi Agbaje may just clinch it.It would take another Rochas to win again in Imo and there are quite a number of northern states that have governors who look like they will sleep for most their tenure.
An overdose of early preparation doesn't kill.The ideal new look PDP would look to empower the media/publicity teams of its State chapters to ensure grievances against the incumbent governments are heard as loud as possible so as to whip up the right sentiments.This aspect is key to resurrecting the party.Staging legitimate and peaceful protests could also prove useful.
The Party seriously needs to consider a new approach as regards membership.With a leaner purse to work with,targeting a lot of money bags and convincing them to stand for elections might turn out to be very productive.Many Ayo Fayose style 'Rice Campaigns' could just do the magic.It is most (Un)fortunate that this wasn't deployed during the last General Elections.
The PDP needs the north badly and much won't change if a lot of work isn't put into changing the status quo.Preying on the APC's weaknesses,exposing them and capitalizing on the 'bandwagon' mentality of the northern electorate is what it takes.The right buzz in the weak spots would have a lot of people jumping ship.Like I always tell people; no one reason can be adduced for the sudden volte face for Sen.Kwankwaso before the 2011 Kano guber elections other than a hausa song urging him to return.
These are probably the worst times the PDP has had to face since inception.Only time will tell if re-branding meant gathering its people in one room or actually changing how things are done.

36 MINISTERS AND THE FAILED THEORY OF CUTTING COSTS

A lot of Nigerians wouldn't have believed anyone who told them President Buhari would end up appointing 36 Ministers after he was sworn-in on May 28th 2015.Nigeria was being run at an outrageously high cost and his man message on every pulpit he stood to preach was 'Change'.His then Vice-President Elect gave astonishing figures of how neck deep in debt we were and PMB himself not only promised to cut costs but appeared to be fully acquainted with the need to do so when he said the 2015 budget was 90% recurrent expenditure and 10% Capital expenditure.
To state it analogically, a man who spends almost all his money on day to day living expenses isn't on the right path because he has little left to better his life.
In an article I wrote before we ushered in Mr President titled CUTTING THE COST OF GOVERNANCE which can be read here-http://umarfarukhassan.blogspot.com/2015/04/cutting-cost-of-governance.html, I advised against appointing Minister of States if indeed we are worried about costs.To say i am disappointed is only stating the obvious as there wouldn't be 36 appointees if we didn't still leave room for 'deputy Ministers'.Quite frankly, even before things got this bad, I never saw any need for them.
The same Constitution which provides for an indigene from each state to be appointed Minister also empowers the President in Section 147 (1) to establish such offices of Ministers he deems fit.If you apply the right rule of legal interpretation, that supercedes the 'Every State' proviso to Section 147 (3).
Contrary to a widely held belief, Mr President isn't obligated to have 36 Ministers in one fell swoop.There is no better 'deputy Minister' than the Permanent Secretary.He, in conjunction with his Directors are enough to provide all the assistance a Minister could posssibly need.Believe it or not, the monies alloted to Ministers of State as part of our 'recurrent expenditure' over a 4 year period is enough to fund a tangible project worth remembering any government for.
There has been a lot of talk about diversifying our economy as the President himself has said the 2016 budget will be geared towards that.But only few realize you need money to open other doors.To have a second means of livelihood means to invest towards that.We just can't get into agriculture or any other source of income and expect to be major players overnight.We need to develop and have enough to survive on till it becomes a viable second means.And we can't do this if we are struggling to pay salaries and ward off petroleum marketers.Please note that these salaries are not that of the Senators, Governors or the President but that of Civil Servants.The recommendations of the committee set up by the Senate to review its entitlements looks set to die the 'nigerian death'; gradually being ushered out of our consciousness and you wouldn't argue much if the President said he was helpless over that but he definitely isn't when it comes to the Ministers.
I had already started to dream of a Nigeria that would cut its coat according to its cloth before the lists of Ministers were submitted to the Senate and I envisioned us without a Women Affairs Ministry as all it does can be delegated to others.A Nigeria without a Niger-Delta Ministry that has clearly outlived its usefulness.I thought we would no longer laugh at the joke called the Special Duties Ministry and its sister in 'Beautiful Nonsensicality'; the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.We might as well create a Ministry of Civil Defence affairs if anyone thinks its wise to still maintain the Police Affairs Ministry.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying they aren't in anyway useful, all I am saying is that their functions can be properly carried out without them being in place.For someone who has always had that belief, retaining them in times like these appears very ridiculous.Well, they are likely going to still be around for a long time from the look of things and without any alteration to their structure if we are going to have ministers and deputies.
With both sets of lawmakers still commanding way more than N10 million a month, the President has shot down all hopes of a drastic reduction in the cost of governance by appointing this many Ministers as all other measures would only amount to emptying a river with a cup.

MINISTERIAL LIST:THE FALLACY OF A NEW SCHOOL

President Olusegun Obasanjo might not be the best leader we have ever had.Maybe not even among the top 3 but one thing I love about the 'OBJ Brand' is the intrigue surrounding it.He is among the elite few we can allow to get away with anything because of his immense Star Power.We listen whenever he speaks.From elaborate tales of how he bettered our economy with impressive figures without a commensurate improvement in the lives of Nigerians to ones of President Jonathan training snipers.He never ceases to amaze me.
When a man has entered old age, there are two sets of words he speaks-Ones you let go down the drain and Ones you should never forget.OBJ spoke words for the archives when he said years ago that the younger generation had failed us too.He went on to mention the names of some leaders under the age of 50 who served under him with nothing to show for it except EFCC Cases in Court.I was keen on reactions to President Buhari's Ministerial list and the most ridiculous of all were ones criticizing it for having too many recycled faces and less new blood.What is 'Change' with these same faces forming the Government?
While one may agree with those who feel that Femi Adesina, the Presidential Special Adviser on Media should have left his defense at competent faces and not proceed to give us 'Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense' lectures (Apologies to the Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti) about the difference between chronological age and mental age, I agree with the crux of his submission-Competence over Age.
The average nigerian in his quest for a better nation has been blinded to some harsh realities.Anyone who hasn't served in any previous government automatically appeals to him.Tell him the person is not even in his Mid-Fifties and he will cut you short with stories of the most recent young leaders in the world and how that person is best suited for any job.But that does not in anyway guarantee a new way of doing things.
It is imperative we look at the bottom.The many Youth bodies around these days are set up for one goal-Visiting and Collecting stipends from politicians to share among themselves in an era where every Nigerian Senator can afford to empower 10 youths every month with N500,000 to better their lives.That would be a better goal.The young politician is thinking of selling his support to the highest bidder or aligning with the Kingmaker no matter how corrupt during elections.Gone are the days  you would wake up to screams of 'Greatest Nigerian Students' and watch NANS demonstrate over a bad governmental policy.We seem to really think too highly of the Young Nigerian. 
The majority of the biggest thieves in recent times are young leaders whom we expected nothing short of astuteness,dynamism and a better understanding of how things should work from at the beginning. But the manner in which they looted and flaunted it makes you want to wish for the 'Seniors' who seem more honourable in the art of stealing.Lucky Igbinedion employed house helps from the Philippines and seemed to want to own every property he loved,Saminu Turaki robbed Jigawa State blind and Ibori owned a private jet and Bentley in Office.We have seen what Bukola Saraki can do and Our immediate past new blood and highly educated President oversaw what is arguably the most corrupt Nigerian Government ever.Those are some of the Young Leaders who have served us and though there are exceptions, I don't think anyone can categorically say the majority of those who have shone bright belong to the new school.
'Change' to me is a better life for Nigerians and not new faces in Government.A deep dig into the careers of some of the known faces in PMB's ministerial list would reveal some very impressive details.Govs Amaechi, Ngige and Fashola all served their people well and as far as petitions go, any bitter rival can file them.The man at the top is what really matters to me and he hasn't disappointed me so far.He will co-ordinate and oversee the affairs of the Ministers and drop who necessary.The focus should be on the credibility and integrity of those listed to be Ministers and not hating them outright for being old faces.Only in the Super Eagles do you need to replace tired legs with fresher and hungrier ones.
We must abide by the 3 Cs in selecting leaders-Competence,Credibility,Capability.Nothing more. 

WHEN THE CONSTITUTIONAL THING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT

The Nigerian Senate is statutorily obligated to confirm nominees intended to be appointed Ministers  by the President and for the first time in our history, a Senate has insisted on screening a President who has appointed himself Minister of Petroleum (President Obasanjo did as well).Sen. Bukola Saraki has played the 'victim' role perfectly well and has succeeded in making his colleagues believe they are standing up to witch hunt and intimidation as far as the Presidency is concerned.They'll win because I don't see anyway around the Provision of Section 147 (2) of the Constitution which encompasses every ministerial nomination or 'appointment' made by the President because the President appointed himself.You can't blame a man for doing the right thing but you can love him for foregoing it for a greater good.
It would be most degrading to the office of the President to have him stand before people who set out just to prove they could have him there.I hate to imagine what he could be subjected to on National TV just because someone sees it as a chance to throw back some punches and win a round.Well, maybe it is indeed a fight.
But even if one sees it from that perspective,it is a fight between good and evil.The President's first sin was not interfering in the Senate Presidency tussle like a true democrat should.Second would be promising to work with anybody as long as they weren't corrupt and third, convening a meeting to help mediate between winners of the Party's NASS leadership primaries and aggrieved factions.Lastly, punishing a corrupt Senate President who abstained from the settlement meeting with his cohorts to stage a 'coup' of an election.Evil in this case is subjective-The Constitutional thing or The right thing?.Pick a Side.
The Senate has come out to say everyone will be subjected to proper screening and that the days of 'Take a bow and Leave' Ministerial screenings are over.Well, it could mean they are starting to do their job well but it could also mean they are creating a perfect atmosphere to prey on their victims.You get a feeling this could be the most dramatic Senate Screening ever and even if all nominees are eventually cleared, they would leave there wondering if questions could get any more obnoxious.
That is what the President of the Federal Republic could go through in addition to perhaps singing the National Anthem and reciting the ABC.All because someone has their one shot and they have to make it count.
Ordinarily, PMB is of the 'Take a bow and leave' category not just because he is President but also because he served the country meritoriously well when he held the portfolio in question and also made huge strides in the Oil sector as Head of State.Strides that include building refineries, establishing about 20 depots and laying more than 3,000 pipelines to connect them.You couldn't wish for a better person to man the affairs of the Ministry.Least of all,now when it is at its worst.He has earned every iota of the respect he commands.The Senate President could very well end up in jail for a long time and it wouldn't be out of place for him to seize every opportunity to vent his frustration on the President.The Senate have every right to insist on screening the President as our Constitution says but is it right in these circumstances?.I don't think so.

DON'T STONE SARAKI, RECALL HIM!

'Vox Populi Vox Dei' (The Voice of the people is the Voice of God)-Archbishop of Canterbury,Walter Reynolds (1327)

The truth is Bukola Saraki's tenure as Senate President was always going to be an unpleasant one.The man and his cohorts abstained from a meeting convened by President Buhari, conducted an 'emergency' election and made their party look like clowns performing on a monday morning.The President ended up not attending while the lawmakers who did ended up watching the NASS elections on TV.It was a comedy that just wasn't funny.
The Modus, no one could say but we all knew Saraki had a bull's eye on him from that moment onwards.He is not a man with an exceptional pedigree as far as governance is concerned and most nigerians' first reaction when a bully cracks the whip via allegations of corruption against such elements is- "Na God Catch Them".
To make it easier to hate Saraki, the late patriarch of his family and the man to whom he owes his political career,infamously ran the family bank to the ground in an epic bid to oust an incumbent Governor and have him installed in his place.Naturally, the only people guaranteed to be in his corner are the political class and not the average nigerian on the streets still rejoicing over the effects of an improved power and fuel supply on his finances.One who can now afford slightly better clothes for his wife and kids.
One who when he wasn't certain of the same today tomorrow, is been told Saraki was busy declaring assets he was hoping to get and his wife mistook the Kwara State treasury for the defunct family bank where monies could be withdrawn and spent on anything.
While we were waiting to see how Saraki would be roped into his wife's investigation at the EFCC,things took a rather interesting turn when he was hit with a 13 Count Charge all bordering round shady declaration of assets and arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Like I love to say, every nigerian politician is guilty until proven innocent and if they choose to use our anti-graft bodies to wage war against one another, then we are the better for it.Our leaders loot us dry and neglect the little things capable of deflecting attention from their booty sharing.It doesn't really need an extraordinary effort to make Nigeria work.This much has been proven by President Buhari in just less than 6 months in office on a budget that isn't his and is almost entirely recurrent expenditure based.
The Senate just passed a vote of confidence on Saraki with 84 Senators in support and though the CCT seems likely to nail him on at least a few of the Charges, it is pertinent to note that we are now at the mercy of Saraki's colleagues (for the time being at least) and most,quite frankly are not in the sad position he is now because they didn't get a chance to be where he was or because the searchlight hasn't been beamed on their previous dealings with us.
Nigerians rarely seize the windows our laws provide to drive home our grievances.What is the essence of the countless twitter hash tags if the support garnered isn't put to the best use?.Do we start purposeless social media campaigns only to enjoy the 'activist' feel accruing from it and then wait for the next one to evolve so we can grab our 'high'?.If as much effort is put into mobilizing his constituency to initiate a 'Recall Bukola Saraki' campaign as is being put into talking all the talk, we just might kick him out of the Senate and not just its Presidency.This would pass a strong message to all lawmakers that we would no longer be at the mercy of their 'ayes' and 'nays'.
The Saraki family is no longer the darling of Kwarans and Kwara is no longer 'Saraki Plc' where anybody other than them was just a mere shareholder.This much we can tell by the disgrace meted out to the Senate President at the eid prayer ground on Sallah day where he was pelted with stones. A lot has changed since the late scion of the dynasty got pushed back by his heir in what can best be described as a modern day Shakespearian tragedy. The person who ended up demystifing the 'Oloye' of Kwara politics was none other than his son and you know what they say about crowning a new king in the lifetime of another. The traditionalists would have a field day talking about how the chickens have come home to roost. One thing is certain -Saraki isn't a loved man there.
The Nigerian Constitution clearly spells out the procedure for a recall of a member of the National Assembly in Section 110.A petition signed by more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member's constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member must be presented to INEC which then proceeds to verify the signatures and conduct a referendum within 90 days of the date of receipt of such petition and if it is approved by a simple majority of registered voters in the member's constituency, then the member ceases to be a member of the NASS.
Would a 'Recall Bukola Saraki' campaign succeed? It should if properly executed.
An individual getting pelted with stones and sachets of pure water on a festive day at a prayer ground speaks volumes of the rage and dislike people have for him.Giving them a legitimate medium of expressing such emotions should be an easy task.
Our destiny as a people should be ours to shape whenever it is in our hands.

HATE PRESIDENT BUHARI OR LOVE HIM, HE IS MAKING NIGERIA WORK AGAIN.

When former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was asked what he had been able to achieve in his first 6 months as President during a Presidential Media Chat, he said those months were for 'Laying the Foundation'.There and then I knew we were in trouble.
Whatever skyscrapper he had plans of building would last a lifetime if Nigerians hadn't witnessed any huge stride in about 180 days.He ended up leaving the nation far worse than he met it.
In the first 100 days of a Nigerian Presidency, there are usually 2 sets of voices.Those singing the praises of the President with a 'Rome wasn't built in a Day' chorus and those reminding us just how much impact could be made in that time.Both have an almost equal chance of swaying anyone with their arguments.So when every genuine well-wisher of Nigeria; ones totally devoid of negative sentiments have cause to applaud the performance of a President in roughly 4 months,it sure is a champagne moment.
President Buhari has performed exceptionally well if you are viewing from the right lens and not one tainted with political,ethnic or religious bias.
I for one have vehemently criticized his lopsided appointments and regrettable utterances in the US promising to treat those who voted for him better than those who didn't so I can conveniently say,at the risk of sounding immodest,that my lens couldn't be more clearer.
He may have his flaws but they don't seem to have taken his eyes off the prize-delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
The most valid yardstick for assessing my assertion would be simply put-the state he met the nation and the state it is in today.He met the nation in what was unarguably its most terrible state in recent times.Power Stations were shutting down as a result of scarcity of petroleum products with banks and GSM companies at their heels and the average man on the streets was buying fuel for as much as N300 per litre.Today, there are no queues at filling stations and nigerians are celebrating a most remarkable improvement in power supply.I ask people who argue for the need to let some more time pass before reaching a conclusion based on reports doubting its sustainability and attributing it to raised water levels as a result of heavy rains if we lacked rains during the previous administrations that squandered trillions of our money in the name of improving power supply?.The fact that won't change is that we are witnessing perhaps the best power supply in recent times and this progression kicked off in just under 1 month of PMB's assumption of office as President.
We now have a President truly determined to fight corruption.One who understands focus shouldn't be on the EFCC alone but the judiciary as well to ensure the courts dispense justice speedily.
If you take into consideration the fact that the nation was as pathetic as the President saying before he was sworn-in, that he needed up to October to make any meaningful impact (just to be on the safe side perhaps),he deserves plaudits for what he has done in barely 4 months.I believe in the Buhari Government and what it is building unlike when the 'foundation' laid seemed to exist only in the sub-conscious of our former president after 6 months in office.
It is a good thing for the opposition to be restricted to the barest of constructive criticisms.This means that things are moving just as they should.They have come out to say the President hasn't laid down a viable plan for the economy forgetting that no positive economic transformation can take place without the basics-steady power and fuel supply which are been immaculately addressed and also insecurity which is a little more complicated but has been commendably contained to say the least considering our capabilities viz-a-viz what we are up against-bombers ready to die with their victims.If ever we lack weapons to fight the insurgents, I expect to hear from the defence chiefs themselves who are more or less actively involved in the war and not just dishing out orders from an air-conditioned office somewhere in Abuja as was the case.
While I may not say the President isn't late in appointing his Ministers,I ask-Can anyone effectively get around excuses that go thus: time needed to study the 800 page Ahmed Joda Committee report and streamlining it with plans to cut down the cost of governance by reducing ministries and agencies and time needed by the new SSS boss to purge the outfit of bad elements before embarking on proper screening of nominees?.While holding firm to our opinions,it is also important we keep our minds open and not argue blindly.As a lawyer and minister in the temple of justice,I watch people go scotfree for wrongs I strongly believe they committed because the law places a certain burden of proof on me and whoever I represent.What is sometimes isn't just what is.
A successful war against corrupt government officials is one in which they are not only prosecuted and jailed but also dispossessed of cash and assets they looted.Though one can't fully assess the war till the outcome of most probes are made public and we see how thorough prosecution is when the courts are back from vacation, preliminary steps taken have been quite convincing.This administration has gotten the US to commit itself to helping it retrieve stolen funds and one wouldn't doubt the potential of the union to yield fruits if US officials can categorically state that an unnamed former minister of ours stole as much as $6 billion even before the war has fully gathered momentum.
I respect the fact that PMB means different things to different people.Some parties have even refused to hang his portrait on their walls which reminds me of what President Obasanjo once said-"If I am doing what is best for Nigeria and you feel taking my portrait off the wall and smashing it would make you happy, then please do so".
You may call him an ethnic bigot or any of the sad things you deem him to be and have people nod to your reasons for doing so but in your heart of hearts and indeed every Nigerian's heart, he is making Nigeria work again.That we cannot deny.