This morning, I watched a little bit of the IGR (internally generated revenue) roundtable shown by AIT. Key speakers included Governors Fashola (Lagos), Oshiomhole (Edo) and Imoke (Cross River). As usual, Gov. Oshiomhole was on the mark, arguing why it is important to “annoy” the wealthy with tax: to enable the majority enjoy the dividends of democracy; to give governors an independent voice in Nigeria; and to move Nigeria away from the mono-crop nonsense whose dangers our leaders don’t appear to see.
Watching the array of personalities invited to speak at the event, I was tempted to ask: where is the Governor of Sokoto State? According to the 2008 CBN Annual Report, Sokoto is running second to Lagos in terms of internal revenue harvest as a percentage of total revenue: While Lagos’ IGR is 63.5%, Sokoto State is 46.6%. Ogun State (again, the governor is only a discussant at the roundtable, not a key speaker), ran a distant third with 27.5%.
This statistic also makes one wonder at the oil producing states (Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, etc). With all the money that passes into the hands of corporate and private individuals in their states, why are they not in the forefront of the war to garner internal revenue.
Answer: Their governors are more interested in having their eyes firmly fixed on Abuja, where the national cake is shared each month.
Pity.
Musings of a suitably mystified Nigerian, mystified at the way that the continent of Africa and its peoples manage to often snatch defeats from the jaws of victory.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I won N1m and a free ticket to South Africa 2010!
MTN NG told me a while ago that they will call my mobile number in the next 24 hours to tell me how I won one million naira and a free ticket to South Africa 2010 football fiesta. Folks, here is how it happened:
At exactly 04.09 this morning, I woke up when my phone buzzed, only to receive the following message from “MTN NG”
You are a winner of (NI,000,000.00 & a free ticket to the 2010 W/CUP). Visit (www.yellofifa.com) immediately for verification: code: 462070.
I chuckled and went back to sleep. Our 419ers never rest; always awake (even at 4.00am) looking for who to dupe. Before I dozed off again, my mind went to the story I heard of some IT guys who ply their trade by designing websites for these 419ers.
This fired my curiousity about yellofifa.com - I wanted to see how perfect a419 site could be. I got to the office, and this was the first thing I checked out. Bang on! Yellofifa was a near-perfect reproduction of the MTN website, with a prominent instruction in red that read:
If you have received a message from our sms Gateway as one of the FIFA GAME SHOW winners you are requested to verify your Code here.
Phone Number
Winning Code
Click here to verify
I chuckled again and decided to play their game. First, I entered a wrong phone number and a wrong code, and I got the following result:
“The mobile number and the winning code cannot be found in our database. Please ensure that your mobile number and code is correct.”
Okay; I put my phone number and the wrong code and I got the same result
“The mobile number and the winning code cannot be found in our database. Please ensure that your mobile number and code is correct.”
I did not give up: I put the wrong phone number (09034528765) and the correct code supplied, and what do you know, I hit the bulls eye:
Congratulations!! Your winning has been verified, you are requested to carefully follow the instructions below!!
And the instructions?
you are requested to follow the necessary steps to complete you verification, You are strictly requested not to disclose your winning code to anyone else, As some one else could claim your price. Follow the steps and carefully fill the boxes below.
Below is the information that I filled in the boxes supplied:
Full Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Date of Birth: 21/12/2009
Home Address: State House, Abuja
Phone Number: 09023417654 (a different number from the above, but still a non-existent number)
Occupation: Mendicant
Nationality: Non Nigerian
State: Las Vegas
City: Oklahoma
Religion : Communist(Options: Christian, Muslim, Communist, None)
“Verify Again” I did and found that they were satisfied with the information given above, as I was moved on to the next stage:
Instructions: Provide your banking details; you will be required to verify your account to ensure that it really belongs to you
Very good point, I noted, since I may be foolish enough to want to go and give another person the N1m that I won, or my free ticket to SA for that matter.
So I proceeded to give them my account details, as follows:
Account Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Account Number: 234560000000212
Select Bank: Xchange Card
Click to verify
I did, again, and for 30 seconds, all I saw was the message:
Processing … Do not interrupt…..
Finally, I got what looked like an impatient response
Your account has not been verified, you are requested to confirm that this account really belongs to you by filling the boxes and click proceed to continue verification. For assistance or difficulties click live support to chat with an MTN operator.
I looked up and saw the Live Support panel, only it had this legend:
“Need Assistance? Live Support is Unavailable.”
So that left me with filling the form again, and I proceeded as before, although this time, the boxes contained more options, as follows:
Account Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Account Number: 234560000000212
Phone Number: 09023487654 (changed the number a third time)
Bank Name: Xchange Card
ATM Card Number: 234560000000212
ATM Exp Date: 08/10/2004
PIN Number - Click numbers to enter pin. 4321
The ATM expiry date had two options (MM/YY) but I found that I could supply DD as well, so I wrote that my card would expire in 08/10/2004. I attempted to continue the prank with PIN number but when I got to 43215 the site warned that “the pin is supposed to be four numbers!” and so I desisted and stopped at 4321
Click to verify:
I did, and this time around, I received a cryptic and very impatient message:
Your details are incorrect. Crosscheck and re-enter details.
And I did that – exactly as before.. and what do you know? I finally hit the jackpot of an answer?
“Thank you! Your winning has been verified. We shall call your mobile number in the next 24 hours.”
Do I hear congratulations for my winning entry? I love Nigeria -- an amazing country where one can win N1m and a free ticket to the World Cup without playing any lottery or entering any competition!
At exactly 04.09 this morning, I woke up when my phone buzzed, only to receive the following message from “MTN NG”
You are a winner of (NI,000,000.00 & a free ticket to the 2010 W/CUP). Visit (www.yellofifa.com) immediately for verification: code: 462070.
I chuckled and went back to sleep. Our 419ers never rest; always awake (even at 4.00am) looking for who to dupe. Before I dozed off again, my mind went to the story I heard of some IT guys who ply their trade by designing websites for these 419ers.
This fired my curiousity about yellofifa.com - I wanted to see how perfect a419 site could be. I got to the office, and this was the first thing I checked out. Bang on! Yellofifa was a near-perfect reproduction of the MTN website, with a prominent instruction in red that read:
If you have received a message from our sms Gateway as one of the FIFA GAME SHOW winners you are requested to verify your Code here.
Phone Number
Winning Code
Click here to verify
I chuckled again and decided to play their game. First, I entered a wrong phone number and a wrong code, and I got the following result:
“The mobile number and the winning code cannot be found in our database. Please ensure that your mobile number and code is correct.”
Okay; I put my phone number and the wrong code and I got the same result
“The mobile number and the winning code cannot be found in our database. Please ensure that your mobile number and code is correct.”
I did not give up: I put the wrong phone number (09034528765) and the correct code supplied, and what do you know, I hit the bulls eye:
Congratulations!! Your winning has been verified, you are requested to carefully follow the instructions below!!
And the instructions?
you are requested to follow the necessary steps to complete you verification, You are strictly requested not to disclose your winning code to anyone else, As some one else could claim your price. Follow the steps and carefully fill the boxes below.
Below is the information that I filled in the boxes supplied:
Full Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Date of Birth: 21/12/2009
Home Address: State House, Abuja
Phone Number: 09023417654 (a different number from the above, but still a non-existent number)
Occupation: Mendicant
Nationality: Non Nigerian
State: Las Vegas
City: Oklahoma
Religion : Communist(Options: Christian, Muslim, Communist, None)
“Verify Again” I did and found that they were satisfied with the information given above, as I was moved on to the next stage:
Instructions: Provide your banking details; you will be required to verify your account to ensure that it really belongs to you
Very good point, I noted, since I may be foolish enough to want to go and give another person the N1m that I won, or my free ticket to SA for that matter.
So I proceeded to give them my account details, as follows:
Account Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Account Number: 234560000000212
Select Bank: Xchange Card
Click to verify
I did, again, and for 30 seconds, all I saw was the message:
Processing … Do not interrupt…..
Finally, I got what looked like an impatient response
Your account has not been verified, you are requested to confirm that this account really belongs to you by filling the boxes and click proceed to continue verification. For assistance or difficulties click live support to chat with an MTN operator.
I looked up and saw the Live Support panel, only it had this legend:
“Need Assistance? Live Support is Unavailable.”
So that left me with filling the form again, and I proceeded as before, although this time, the boxes contained more options, as follows:
Account Name: Shokoloko Bangoshay
Account Number: 234560000000212
Phone Number: 09023487654 (changed the number a third time)
Bank Name: Xchange Card
ATM Card Number: 234560000000212
ATM Exp Date: 08/10/2004
PIN Number - Click numbers to enter pin. 4321
The ATM expiry date had two options (MM/YY) but I found that I could supply DD as well, so I wrote that my card would expire in 08/10/2004. I attempted to continue the prank with PIN number but when I got to 43215 the site warned that “the pin is supposed to be four numbers!” and so I desisted and stopped at 4321
Click to verify:
I did, and this time around, I received a cryptic and very impatient message:
Your details are incorrect. Crosscheck and re-enter details.
And I did that – exactly as before.. and what do you know? I finally hit the jackpot of an answer?
“Thank you! Your winning has been verified. We shall call your mobile number in the next 24 hours.”
Do I hear congratulations for my winning entry? I love Nigeria -- an amazing country where one can win N1m and a free ticket to the World Cup without playing any lottery or entering any competition!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Secret Photo of My Sin
My favorite preacher waxed eloquent today, with a story that had a sting in the tail. He was explaining the First Book of Kings (Ch.19 Vs.4-8) – the story of Prophet Elijah who gave up the struggle, and asked God to take his life. His thesis was that most people, when confronted with overwhelming problems, run from pillar to post, looking for shortcuts to their problem rather than work hard, hope in God, and pray for a solution.
The preacher told the story of a barren woman who, in her desperation to have a child, visited all sorts of seedy places, looking for who could assist her to overcome her burden.
“In this sort of situation, women are usually the special advisers,” he said. They will heckle and urge: “Have you seen this big pastor? Have you visited this man of God? Have you seen that herbalist?.”
One fateful day, the woman was given the name of Best Pastor, and told to go to him because a trial will conceive (sorry, convince) her. So she went.
“Strip” the pastor ordered, and the woman meekly obeyed. The pastor’s photographer, lurking behind, promptly stepped forward and took a picture of the naked woman. He (the pastor) proceeded to do his work, "as if he has the power to give a baby," the preacher said.
Three months later, the man of the house noticed that his wife had been raiding their joint account. He investigated further, to discover that she had also emptied her personal account – and the couple of millions she had was all gone.
Knowing how desperate his wife was to have a baby, the husband suspected what must have happened and quietly put a tail on his wife. His private investigator eventually trailed her to the big pastor’s house. On getting the report, he promptly went to the police to report how his wife was being duped.
The police set their trap. One day, the unsuspecting woman went to the bank and withdrew the remaining N100,000 from their joint account and took off on one more rendezvous with the dupe.
… Without knowing that police were on her tail.
When the pastor was caught red-handed, the husband appeared and began hurling abuses at him.
The pastor burst into uproarious laughter. To the perplexed onlookers, he offered an explanation:
“See this woman?” he said, pointing to the barren lady, “she was once a mad woman, going about the streets naked! They brought her to me to be cured. And I did. See how respectable and responsible she now looks! Yet I am being accused!
“This is an ungrateful world” he told the police officers who were getting set to arrest him.
And with that, he excused himself, went into the house and soon came out with the picture of the very naked poor lady. He showed the picture to the police and asked the lady to deny that she was the one.
She could not.
The Police, according to the preacher, warned the man and left the pastor in peace.
Our Church broke into an indulgent chuckle. Tall story, we told ourselves; but funny one at that.
“You may think the story is far-fetched, but the woman I am referring to is in this church today!” the preacher said, with a deadpan expression on his face.
The Church went quiet.
He allowed a deep pause, and then repeated his claim.
“I say she is here; I would say that all of you know who she is!”
Nobody moved. The silence and sense of expectation were palpable.
“I say she is in church; or didn’t she come to church today?” he asked.
Apprehension set in. People turned and looked at each other, then back to greet the preacher with the same dumbfounded stare.
It was the preacher’s turn to chuckle.
“Okay, let me put it this way: If God behaves like this pastor, and His angels take photographs of all the secret things we have been doing all our lives, including the ones that each of us did this past week, what do you think?
“Think about it. We are all very clever at hiding the horrible things we do, but the pictures of our secret lives are being taken and stored. If the angels brought our own secret photographs to Church this morning and posted them on the bulletin board, how many of us will be better than the naked barren woman?
“Indeed, how many of us will be able to return to this church after today, if the world knows our little secrets?”
The journalist in me took over, as I took a quick scan of adult faces in the church.
They were a study.
It was like an eternity: nobody moved.
But mercifully, the preacher gave us a soft landing, telling us, as usual, that God loves us and wants us to repent of our sins and return to Him.
My people began breathing again.Phew!
The preacher told the story of a barren woman who, in her desperation to have a child, visited all sorts of seedy places, looking for who could assist her to overcome her burden.
“In this sort of situation, women are usually the special advisers,” he said. They will heckle and urge: “Have you seen this big pastor? Have you visited this man of God? Have you seen that herbalist?.”
One fateful day, the woman was given the name of Best Pastor, and told to go to him because a trial will conceive (sorry, convince) her. So she went.
“Strip” the pastor ordered, and the woman meekly obeyed. The pastor’s photographer, lurking behind, promptly stepped forward and took a picture of the naked woman. He (the pastor) proceeded to do his work, "as if he has the power to give a baby," the preacher said.
Three months later, the man of the house noticed that his wife had been raiding their joint account. He investigated further, to discover that she had also emptied her personal account – and the couple of millions she had was all gone.
Knowing how desperate his wife was to have a baby, the husband suspected what must have happened and quietly put a tail on his wife. His private investigator eventually trailed her to the big pastor’s house. On getting the report, he promptly went to the police to report how his wife was being duped.
The police set their trap. One day, the unsuspecting woman went to the bank and withdrew the remaining N100,000 from their joint account and took off on one more rendezvous with the dupe.
… Without knowing that police were on her tail.
When the pastor was caught red-handed, the husband appeared and began hurling abuses at him.
The pastor burst into uproarious laughter. To the perplexed onlookers, he offered an explanation:
“See this woman?” he said, pointing to the barren lady, “she was once a mad woman, going about the streets naked! They brought her to me to be cured. And I did. See how respectable and responsible she now looks! Yet I am being accused!
“This is an ungrateful world” he told the police officers who were getting set to arrest him.
And with that, he excused himself, went into the house and soon came out with the picture of the very naked poor lady. He showed the picture to the police and asked the lady to deny that she was the one.
She could not.
The Police, according to the preacher, warned the man and left the pastor in peace.
Our Church broke into an indulgent chuckle. Tall story, we told ourselves; but funny one at that.
“You may think the story is far-fetched, but the woman I am referring to is in this church today!” the preacher said, with a deadpan expression on his face.
The Church went quiet.
He allowed a deep pause, and then repeated his claim.
“I say she is here; I would say that all of you know who she is!”
Nobody moved. The silence and sense of expectation were palpable.
“I say she is in church; or didn’t she come to church today?” he asked.
Apprehension set in. People turned and looked at each other, then back to greet the preacher with the same dumbfounded stare.
It was the preacher’s turn to chuckle.
“Okay, let me put it this way: If God behaves like this pastor, and His angels take photographs of all the secret things we have been doing all our lives, including the ones that each of us did this past week, what do you think?
“Think about it. We are all very clever at hiding the horrible things we do, but the pictures of our secret lives are being taken and stored. If the angels brought our own secret photographs to Church this morning and posted them on the bulletin board, how many of us will be better than the naked barren woman?
“Indeed, how many of us will be able to return to this church after today, if the world knows our little secrets?”
The journalist in me took over, as I took a quick scan of adult faces in the church.
They were a study.
It was like an eternity: nobody moved.
But mercifully, the preacher gave us a soft landing, telling us, as usual, that God loves us and wants us to repent of our sins and return to Him.
My people began breathing again.Phew!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Not So Well Done, Prof Soludo
My friend and brother, Ejike Okpa II brings a new, and I daresay irreverent perspective on the subject of Prof. Soludo's legacy.
From this message, am I to assume that Mr. Soludo is no longer Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria? If that is the case, who is?
Mr. Soludo, was never a seasoned banker nor someone with in-depth understanding of the roles and functions, and the effective tools a Central Bank can deploy to make an economy come alive. Not that most before him did any better. But considering how his fan club members trumpeted the fact that he made 'first class', and as a result, he is a superstar banker, beats me. Making a 'first class' is not a measure of intelligence. I say 'all that glitter is not gold' as the educational standards in Nigeria has fallen and the content of the 'first class', may not really measure up.
That someone was able to regurgitate materials, pass exams, and often 'copy and past' ideas, does not mean when in a position such as CBN Governor, they will excel. While a 'first class' pass is great, it is not at all a measure of how one can do later in life. If Nigeria only pay attention to only educational diplomas not minding that such only contribute about 20% of what is needed to be successful, the country will always fall short. Take a look at Kenya. President Kibaki, made 'first class' at London School of Economics, but look how his politics and economic prescriptions for Kenya have always fallen short. So apart from impressing mostly ignorant countrymen, how have all these Africans that have towering and impressive academic diplomas done well for their country? The answer is a resounding dismal outcome.
Nigeria does not really have a functioning economy outside of the oil/gas and banking sectors. The CBN is mainly a bank for the government and is not an independent institution that use/deploy aggressive and effective monetary and fiscal policies to lobby the government for programs and reforms necessary to enhance the economy. Outside of the controversial equalization scheme and recapitalization of banks that Mr. Soludo engineered, the latter with some success, the naira versus dollar/pound exchange rate has continued to devalue any gains made in the economy. Throughout Mr. Soludo's tenure, the naira never managed long periods of stability against any of the two currencies. Under Mr. Soludo's watch, the naira went from a potential convertible currency to a worthless currency whose value is secured on the amount of foreign exchange reserve Nigeria has. The volatile nature of the naira has made trading in the currency very difficult, with the attendant result that most Nigerian business persons prefer to be paid in 'hard' currencies. There is no backing of the naira by any program that when critically examined is considered an effective tool to shore the currency. When the value of any currency is measured based on the amount of foreign reserves, such a currency is not worth much and fluctuates depending on the price of a single or a combination of commodities, in the case of Nigeria: Oil. The naira weakness, is an indication that local production is non-existent.
The borrowing rate in Nigeria is one of the highest and continue to be. How can a business person borrowing at 35%, with pay back period that is no more than 1 year survive? Mr. Soludo, should have fought to see that borrowing rate is no more than 8%. That would have eliminated the scrambling by Nigerian banks to be correspondent institutions for foreign lenders. Any economy will receive a boost when money is lent at single digit or at least 8%, in case of developing nations, as opposed to 35%. Such would have stabilized the naira, and local production and consumption will be increased and reasonable.
Mr. Soludo appeared to be more interested in a 'copy and past' policy without fully explaining why some programs should be encouraged. If he is such a bright mind, how much lobbying did CBN do with the National Assembly to promote some of the ideas he wanted to introduce? I believe that duly educating the National Assembly and seeking their political support to improve the economy and the naira, would have enhanced his tenure. Instead, Mr. Soludo spun programs that were not understood and in turn exposed himself to unfriendly reaction by his bosses.
Until the interest rate in Nigeria is brought down to a single digit, no amount of monetary policy will work. That is first order of business in reforming the economy and must take precedent and priority over any equalization/stabilization of the naira. Between Heaven and Earth is Government and between Government and the People, is Money. And until developing nations learn the tools of monetary policies with manipulations needed to shore their currency, stretching their arms for alms to developed nations will never pull them out of perennial dependency and cycle of poor programs. If sovereign rules entitle nations to reasonable monetary and fiscal policies, why must they be poor? It is more a beggar attitude than anything.
I hope Mr. Soludo continue to seek other ways to be relevant. But as usual, he maybe like Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who after serving as Finance Minister is overseas working for the World Bank. Mr. Soludo should now go get a real job as a banker or go back and really become a 'professor' of substance teaching in some Nigeria university. But I doubt this. When I saw Mr. Chu Okongwu in 2004, a man that was once both Central Bank Governor and Finance Minister of Nigeria, I was perplexed by his appearance. And I wondered after these individuals leave office, how come their life always look miserable?
There should be life after service, assuming the so called 'bright' minds in Nigeria/Africa know how to make things happen.
ejike okpa ii
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
OA's Note:
Soludo was replaced by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Central Bank Governor. Before his appointment, Sanusi served for five months (from January 1 2009)as managing director of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).He was the bank's executive director in charge of Risk and Management Control. According to the ThisDay newspaper, "Before joining FBN, he was previously general manager at United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), where he anchored the transformation of the bank's Credit Risk Management Division into an Enterprise-Risk Management sector and spearheaded UBA's Basel 2 focus by establishing the framework, policies, processes and systems necessary for compliance with the guidelines of the new capital accord. Sanusi is the son of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi who ruled from 1954 to 1963, and holds a degree in economics from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and an M.Sc in economics from the same university. He also has another degree in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the University of Khartoum, Sudan."
From this message, am I to assume that Mr. Soludo is no longer Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria? If that is the case, who is?
Mr. Soludo, was never a seasoned banker nor someone with in-depth understanding of the roles and functions, and the effective tools a Central Bank can deploy to make an economy come alive. Not that most before him did any better. But considering how his fan club members trumpeted the fact that he made 'first class', and as a result, he is a superstar banker, beats me. Making a 'first class' is not a measure of intelligence. I say 'all that glitter is not gold' as the educational standards in Nigeria has fallen and the content of the 'first class', may not really measure up.
That someone was able to regurgitate materials, pass exams, and often 'copy and past' ideas, does not mean when in a position such as CBN Governor, they will excel. While a 'first class' pass is great, it is not at all a measure of how one can do later in life. If Nigeria only pay attention to only educational diplomas not minding that such only contribute about 20% of what is needed to be successful, the country will always fall short. Take a look at Kenya. President Kibaki, made 'first class' at London School of Economics, but look how his politics and economic prescriptions for Kenya have always fallen short. So apart from impressing mostly ignorant countrymen, how have all these Africans that have towering and impressive academic diplomas done well for their country? The answer is a resounding dismal outcome.
Nigeria does not really have a functioning economy outside of the oil/gas and banking sectors. The CBN is mainly a bank for the government and is not an independent institution that use/deploy aggressive and effective monetary and fiscal policies to lobby the government for programs and reforms necessary to enhance the economy. Outside of the controversial equalization scheme and recapitalization of banks that Mr. Soludo engineered, the latter with some success, the naira versus dollar/pound exchange rate has continued to devalue any gains made in the economy. Throughout Mr. Soludo's tenure, the naira never managed long periods of stability against any of the two currencies. Under Mr. Soludo's watch, the naira went from a potential convertible currency to a worthless currency whose value is secured on the amount of foreign exchange reserve Nigeria has. The volatile nature of the naira has made trading in the currency very difficult, with the attendant result that most Nigerian business persons prefer to be paid in 'hard' currencies. There is no backing of the naira by any program that when critically examined is considered an effective tool to shore the currency. When the value of any currency is measured based on the amount of foreign reserves, such a currency is not worth much and fluctuates depending on the price of a single or a combination of commodities, in the case of Nigeria: Oil. The naira weakness, is an indication that local production is non-existent.
The borrowing rate in Nigeria is one of the highest and continue to be. How can a business person borrowing at 35%, with pay back period that is no more than 1 year survive? Mr. Soludo, should have fought to see that borrowing rate is no more than 8%. That would have eliminated the scrambling by Nigerian banks to be correspondent institutions for foreign lenders. Any economy will receive a boost when money is lent at single digit or at least 8%, in case of developing nations, as opposed to 35%. Such would have stabilized the naira, and local production and consumption will be increased and reasonable.
Mr. Soludo appeared to be more interested in a 'copy and past' policy without fully explaining why some programs should be encouraged. If he is such a bright mind, how much lobbying did CBN do with the National Assembly to promote some of the ideas he wanted to introduce? I believe that duly educating the National Assembly and seeking their political support to improve the economy and the naira, would have enhanced his tenure. Instead, Mr. Soludo spun programs that were not understood and in turn exposed himself to unfriendly reaction by his bosses.
Until the interest rate in Nigeria is brought down to a single digit, no amount of monetary policy will work. That is first order of business in reforming the economy and must take precedent and priority over any equalization/stabilization of the naira. Between Heaven and Earth is Government and between Government and the People, is Money. And until developing nations learn the tools of monetary policies with manipulations needed to shore their currency, stretching their arms for alms to developed nations will never pull them out of perennial dependency and cycle of poor programs. If sovereign rules entitle nations to reasonable monetary and fiscal policies, why must they be poor? It is more a beggar attitude than anything.
I hope Mr. Soludo continue to seek other ways to be relevant. But as usual, he maybe like Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who after serving as Finance Minister is overseas working for the World Bank. Mr. Soludo should now go get a real job as a banker or go back and really become a 'professor' of substance teaching in some Nigeria university. But I doubt this. When I saw Mr. Chu Okongwu in 2004, a man that was once both Central Bank Governor and Finance Minister of Nigeria, I was perplexed by his appearance. And I wondered after these individuals leave office, how come their life always look miserable?
There should be life after service, assuming the so called 'bright' minds in Nigeria/Africa know how to make things happen.
ejike okpa ii
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
OA's Note:
Soludo was replaced by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Central Bank Governor. Before his appointment, Sanusi served for five months (from January 1 2009)as managing director of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).He was the bank's executive director in charge of Risk and Management Control. According to the ThisDay newspaper, "Before joining FBN, he was previously general manager at United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), where he anchored the transformation of the bank's Credit Risk Management Division into an Enterprise-Risk Management sector and spearheaded UBA's Basel 2 focus by establishing the framework, policies, processes and systems necessary for compliance with the guidelines of the new capital accord. Sanusi is the son of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi who ruled from 1954 to 1963, and holds a degree in economics from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and an M.Sc in economics from the same university. He also has another degree in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the University of Khartoum, Sudan."
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Well Done, Prof. Soludo
I take this opportunity to wish the esteemed Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo well in his future endeavours, after serving meritoriously as Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank.
I appreciate him not for being a good economist, not for anything he did while he was governor of our Central Bank, but for being human.
A few months ago, I entered the following in my blog:
“Every first class brain in the Obasanjo regime was not like this. We can point to the example of the one person who, in my view, has been exceptional (and very, very effective) in his approach: Charles Chukwuma Soludo.”
I was referring, of course, to a certain brash tendency exhibited by most first-class degree holders appointed to public office by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The era of the good professor at the Central Bank has ended and, as predicted, he left public office with his head held high.
One of the things that endeared me to Prof. Soludo was that he never forgot the friends he made before he was appointed to public office – not by “settling” them the Nigerian way. He kept up with his friends at the personal friendship level, rejoicing with them on their fortunes and commiserating with them on their misfortunes, as do good friends.
This is the testimony of three friends of Soludo that I know. One of them, Chief Ikechi Emenike, once told me the story of how Soludo was “queried” by PDP warlords for attending a social (not political) event organized when he (Emenike) was running for governorship of Abia State on a different party platform. Soludo patiently explained that the organizer of the event was and still remained his friend, and the event was not of a political nature.
I only met Prof. Soludo once in my life – when he came to address us in the State House Office of Public Communication on what NEEDS was all about (he was then National Economic Adviser). Apart from this chance meeting, I have not had any other personal or official dealing with him. As a matter of fact, the only first-class appointee of Obasanjo that I related with as a consultant was Ifueko Omoigui at the FIRS.
Yet, everything these first-class graduates did in public office greatly impacted on the Nigerian nation and ultimately influenced us citizens to harden our views (positive or negative) on their performance.
Each of them had an opportunity to influence their image positively before they left public office. The way to do it is quite simple: be firm but fair to all. No selective applications, no discriminations, no nepotism, everything done for the good of all.
You can influence a positive image of yourself as long as you have time and you are still in public office. Once you leave office, it will be too late to change history, regardless of the thousands of friends, cronies, or PR gurus you may wish to deploy to the task.
Once you leave public office, your public image becomes a matter of history. As we know, and to paraphrase Zik, history inevitably and surely vindicates the just, even as it exposes the Machiavellian who once served the public.
I appreciate him not for being a good economist, not for anything he did while he was governor of our Central Bank, but for being human.
A few months ago, I entered the following in my blog:
“Every first class brain in the Obasanjo regime was not like this. We can point to the example of the one person who, in my view, has been exceptional (and very, very effective) in his approach: Charles Chukwuma Soludo.”
I was referring, of course, to a certain brash tendency exhibited by most first-class degree holders appointed to public office by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The era of the good professor at the Central Bank has ended and, as predicted, he left public office with his head held high.
One of the things that endeared me to Prof. Soludo was that he never forgot the friends he made before he was appointed to public office – not by “settling” them the Nigerian way. He kept up with his friends at the personal friendship level, rejoicing with them on their fortunes and commiserating with them on their misfortunes, as do good friends.
This is the testimony of three friends of Soludo that I know. One of them, Chief Ikechi Emenike, once told me the story of how Soludo was “queried” by PDP warlords for attending a social (not political) event organized when he (Emenike) was running for governorship of Abia State on a different party platform. Soludo patiently explained that the organizer of the event was and still remained his friend, and the event was not of a political nature.
I only met Prof. Soludo once in my life – when he came to address us in the State House Office of Public Communication on what NEEDS was all about (he was then National Economic Adviser). Apart from this chance meeting, I have not had any other personal or official dealing with him. As a matter of fact, the only first-class appointee of Obasanjo that I related with as a consultant was Ifueko Omoigui at the FIRS.
Yet, everything these first-class graduates did in public office greatly impacted on the Nigerian nation and ultimately influenced us citizens to harden our views (positive or negative) on their performance.
Each of them had an opportunity to influence their image positively before they left public office. The way to do it is quite simple: be firm but fair to all. No selective applications, no discriminations, no nepotism, everything done for the good of all.
You can influence a positive image of yourself as long as you have time and you are still in public office. Once you leave office, it will be too late to change history, regardless of the thousands of friends, cronies, or PR gurus you may wish to deploy to the task.
Once you leave public office, your public image becomes a matter of history. As we know, and to paraphrase Zik, history inevitably and surely vindicates the just, even as it exposes the Machiavellian who once served the public.
Reflections on Fathers' Day
I wish to congratulate Good Fathers on this day, Fathers' Day 2009, and to offer the following reflections on poor fatherhood.
I am a father because I have a child. My child came into the world because, once upon a time, my sperm captured a female egg and life was formed.
Thus, my true worth as a father must begin to count from this moment of conception.
My worth as a father is reflected in why I allowed this union of sperm and egg to take place, and what I did after shooting my “successful” sperm.
There are many ways we can judge our failings as fathers:
We fail in our responsibility as fathers when we decide to remove – or blackmail a poor girl into removing – a developing child that this shooting occasioned.
We fail in this responsibility when we shoot our load only because we want to ensure our family’s survival, and not because we are interested in making the world a better place through the quality of human beings we nurture and introduce into it.
We fail in this responsibility when we do “hit and run,” leaving a poor hapless girl alone and afraid in the world, and sometimes abandoning the product of this union at roadsides or the garbage dumps.
We fail in this responsibility when the product of this union of sperms and egg are brought up badly and they end up as armed robbers, prostitutes, or child labourers.
We fail in this responsibility when our girl-children are, by design or default, made to play second fiddle and denied of equal treatment in care, affection, or education.
We fail in this responsibility when we do not take up the command to raise our children in the way of the Lord. It is important to note that, although man and woman share equal responsibility for the care and nurture of a child, it is fathers that have been given special responsibility to raise children in the way of the Lord. God commands fathers to instruct the child on the Commandments and to raise it up as a member of God’s chosen people (Deut. 6: 7). Is this not a role that the women have assumed in most Nigerian homes?
We fail in this responsibility when we take the money meant for the family’s upkeep and head for the nearest bar or motel to entertain women of easy virtue – be they call girls, girlfriends or concubines.
Do not despair if, as a father, you fail to measure up to the scale because there is Good News for us all. Despite our many human failings, God still loves us. He has given us many anniversaries of Fathers' Day, like today, in the hope that, one day, we would pause a little from the frenzy of celebration to deeply reflect on what it actually means to be a Good Father.
Happy Fathers' Day
I am a father because I have a child. My child came into the world because, once upon a time, my sperm captured a female egg and life was formed.
Thus, my true worth as a father must begin to count from this moment of conception.
My worth as a father is reflected in why I allowed this union of sperm and egg to take place, and what I did after shooting my “successful” sperm.
There are many ways we can judge our failings as fathers:
We fail in our responsibility as fathers when we decide to remove – or blackmail a poor girl into removing – a developing child that this shooting occasioned.
We fail in this responsibility when we shoot our load only because we want to ensure our family’s survival, and not because we are interested in making the world a better place through the quality of human beings we nurture and introduce into it.
We fail in this responsibility when we do “hit and run,” leaving a poor hapless girl alone and afraid in the world, and sometimes abandoning the product of this union at roadsides or the garbage dumps.
We fail in this responsibility when the product of this union of sperms and egg are brought up badly and they end up as armed robbers, prostitutes, or child labourers.
We fail in this responsibility when our girl-children are, by design or default, made to play second fiddle and denied of equal treatment in care, affection, or education.
We fail in this responsibility when we do not take up the command to raise our children in the way of the Lord. It is important to note that, although man and woman share equal responsibility for the care and nurture of a child, it is fathers that have been given special responsibility to raise children in the way of the Lord. God commands fathers to instruct the child on the Commandments and to raise it up as a member of God’s chosen people (Deut. 6: 7). Is this not a role that the women have assumed in most Nigerian homes?
We fail in this responsibility when we take the money meant for the family’s upkeep and head for the nearest bar or motel to entertain women of easy virtue – be they call girls, girlfriends or concubines.
Do not despair if, as a father, you fail to measure up to the scale because there is Good News for us all. Despite our many human failings, God still loves us. He has given us many anniversaries of Fathers' Day, like today, in the hope that, one day, we would pause a little from the frenzy of celebration to deeply reflect on what it actually means to be a Good Father.
Happy Fathers' Day
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine, Poor St. Valentine!
THE WISDOM OF FATHER LAZARUS (2)
Fortunately, I was in church this morning, and this was what my favorite preacher said:
“All too often, we tend to forget that Valentine is a Saint. We know very little about this saint. The much we know is that he was a Roman Soldier who did a lot of work for the Church in her days of tribulation. The most famous work he did was helping a lot of prisoners of conscience escape from captivity. Those he could not assist, he went out of his way to provide for their comfort – food, medicine, clothes.
“I shudder today when I look at the way we honour the memory of this man, and the sacrificial love he gave to mankind. Rather than honour his memory, we make elaborate preparations, aided by a mindless media, to dishonour him.
“The love that St. Valentine exemplified represents one of the highest forms of sacrificial love – not the selfish or the self-serving love that today celebrates sex and concupiscence.
“So ask yourself these three questions today: What is Valentine to me? Where am I going to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day? How am I going to celebrate it?
"Here are some of the things you might wish to consider.
“What is Valentine? For most men, when they think of their Valentine, they think of their girlfriends. Most women think of their boyfriends. I’m sure you know that there are married men and women who think like this. But ask yourself: Who was this Saint’s valentine? They were prisoners, the poor and the oppressed – his neighbours. They were not his wife, children, or girlfriend!
“For married people who want to make allowance for their immediate family members, I would recommend that they follow the simple rule that ‘charity begins at home … but does not end there. So yes, show some love to them today, especially because the pressures of earning a living have made so many ignore their spouses and children for very long spells.
“For the unmarried, send text messages to your father, your mother, and your siblings – the people who love you the most and have made the most sacrifices in the process of your formation. They are the people who have made you worthy of attention by the people I like to refer to as today's valentine hunters!
“But listen! All must move further afield after discharging this home charity, and this is where you might want to be a bit careful. Consider first your neighbours – including your enemies and those you have deliberately ignored for some time now. Is this not a good opportunity to reconcile with them – using this occasion of love?
“Where should we celebrate St. Valentine Day? Recall what St. Valentine did, and you will not be in doubt about where you ought to be today – if you are serious about having a meaningful celebration.
“I give you the following suggestions: the prisons, the hospitals, the orphanages, the poor, the widows, and the orphans – all those that are in a physical, social, political, or economic prison and are silently crying out for help to escape from their oppressions, from their injustice, from corruption, from want!
“If you are looking for someone to have “a good time” with today, you miss it, and you dishonor the memory of this saint!
“I think I know at what point we began to dishonor the memory of this saint. Most people you meet today would tell you: “Happy Valentine.” Very, very, few would give the most appropriate greeting: “Happy Saint Valentine’s Day”. The first greeting conjures a picture of mindless irresponsibility; the second sobriety and responsibility.
“I think that today is a sad day for St. Valentine in Heaven. He peers down at us and what some will do today, and recoils in revulsion. Mark you, some day, some of us will make heaven, and then encounter St. Valentine. I imagine him peering again, rubbing his eyes to make sure he is not seeing double, and then reacting with anger: ‘You, how did you make it here – after following them to dishnonour my name and desecrate all that I stood for? I must surely complain to My Father about this. I think that injustice has been committed in Heaven by the decision to admit you here!’ ”
LAST LINE: If you really want to be responsible and honour the memory of this Saint today, ensure that you greet everyone you meet with the sobering words: “Happy St. Valentine’s Day.”
Fortunately, I was in church this morning, and this was what my favorite preacher said:
“All too often, we tend to forget that Valentine is a Saint. We know very little about this saint. The much we know is that he was a Roman Soldier who did a lot of work for the Church in her days of tribulation. The most famous work he did was helping a lot of prisoners of conscience escape from captivity. Those he could not assist, he went out of his way to provide for their comfort – food, medicine, clothes.
“I shudder today when I look at the way we honour the memory of this man, and the sacrificial love he gave to mankind. Rather than honour his memory, we make elaborate preparations, aided by a mindless media, to dishonour him.
“The love that St. Valentine exemplified represents one of the highest forms of sacrificial love – not the selfish or the self-serving love that today celebrates sex and concupiscence.
“So ask yourself these three questions today: What is Valentine to me? Where am I going to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day? How am I going to celebrate it?
"Here are some of the things you might wish to consider.
“What is Valentine? For most men, when they think of their Valentine, they think of their girlfriends. Most women think of their boyfriends. I’m sure you know that there are married men and women who think like this. But ask yourself: Who was this Saint’s valentine? They were prisoners, the poor and the oppressed – his neighbours. They were not his wife, children, or girlfriend!
“For married people who want to make allowance for their immediate family members, I would recommend that they follow the simple rule that ‘charity begins at home … but does not end there. So yes, show some love to them today, especially because the pressures of earning a living have made so many ignore their spouses and children for very long spells.
“For the unmarried, send text messages to your father, your mother, and your siblings – the people who love you the most and have made the most sacrifices in the process of your formation. They are the people who have made you worthy of attention by the people I like to refer to as today's valentine hunters!
“But listen! All must move further afield after discharging this home charity, and this is where you might want to be a bit careful. Consider first your neighbours – including your enemies and those you have deliberately ignored for some time now. Is this not a good opportunity to reconcile with them – using this occasion of love?
“Where should we celebrate St. Valentine Day? Recall what St. Valentine did, and you will not be in doubt about where you ought to be today – if you are serious about having a meaningful celebration.
“I give you the following suggestions: the prisons, the hospitals, the orphanages, the poor, the widows, and the orphans – all those that are in a physical, social, political, or economic prison and are silently crying out for help to escape from their oppressions, from their injustice, from corruption, from want!
“If you are looking for someone to have “a good time” with today, you miss it, and you dishonor the memory of this saint!
“I think I know at what point we began to dishonor the memory of this saint. Most people you meet today would tell you: “Happy Valentine.” Very, very, few would give the most appropriate greeting: “Happy Saint Valentine’s Day”. The first greeting conjures a picture of mindless irresponsibility; the second sobriety and responsibility.
“I think that today is a sad day for St. Valentine in Heaven. He peers down at us and what some will do today, and recoils in revulsion. Mark you, some day, some of us will make heaven, and then encounter St. Valentine. I imagine him peering again, rubbing his eyes to make sure he is not seeing double, and then reacting with anger: ‘You, how did you make it here – after following them to dishnonour my name and desecrate all that I stood for? I must surely complain to My Father about this. I think that injustice has been committed in Heaven by the decision to admit you here!’ ”
LAST LINE: If you really want to be responsible and honour the memory of this Saint today, ensure that you greet everyone you meet with the sobering words: “Happy St. Valentine’s Day.”
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
History as it should be known (2) A Commentary
By ejike e okpa ii
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
The history of Iraq that Ogbuagu posted earlier is an old tale but it may be new to some. I remember that back In high school (in Nigeria), these were taught in our world history classes and BK - Bible Knowledge.
Because the western world uses its media powerhouses to re-write history, some of us that came from background where oral tales and history still dominate story-times, know most of what is contained in this thread.
When we read American history, we often check it against some other sources and quite often, it contradicts.
There are many in USA that decry the Muslim world, and rightly so, but the most money invested in US by sovereign nations come from Muslim countries. Also, a Muslim country - specifically Morocco (in Africa) - was the first nation to accord USA full diplomatic recognition as the US fought for her independence from Great Britain. USA reciprocated and built its first Embassy in Tangier, Morocco.
Thus, while Europe today stakes claim as the closest and most loyal ally of US, it was an African country that accorded her recognition and helped legitimize her existence when she was fighting the same continent!
Sometimes, one needs to live outside the US to appreciate World History, and in turn broaden one's scope and widen the horizon. The attendant benefit leads to escaping the myopia that tends to govern the perception most Americans extend to the world. As the Igbos used to say to a child that wants to impress the parents about a new thing it has discovered: What we tend to see standing over others, some have seen sitting down.
President Nixon and his Secretary of State Kissinger came face-to-face with this axiom as they reached out to China with a kind of diplomacy that never left anyone in doubt about US supremacy and supreme tendencies. The Chinese, not given to display as we do in America, sat quietly as Kissinger railed on them about international relations/diplomacy, and what needs to be done; why and how.
The Chinese summed the meeting up by simply saying: We are a Dynasty and there is nothing a country less than 200 years old [then] can teach or tell us. This was the only answer that the diplomats got in return for their zillion hours of preparation. It shows that when one is confident of one’s history and is deeply rooted, one need not prove anything to anyone. The Chinese are GOOD at that.
Maybe, we can learn something from that demeanor. While China is a 'dynasty', their position is not all entirely true: A young nation can teach an old nation something.
But the Chinese commentary does highlight the resistance to leadership that the world extends to US when it comes to who, when and why of history. If one is not broadened in their knowledge of the world and the chronology of histoty, one is bound by default to think 'westerners' invented the world, sat next to God/Creator and obtained what should happen.
The western attitude is like BASF commercial that says, 'We don't make a lot of the stuff you buy but we make them better'. Lace that with JD Power and Associates; where no one is ever 'Second', and you may think we in America invented the world.
enJOY
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
The history of Iraq that Ogbuagu posted earlier is an old tale but it may be new to some. I remember that back In high school (in Nigeria), these were taught in our world history classes and BK - Bible Knowledge.
Because the western world uses its media powerhouses to re-write history, some of us that came from background where oral tales and history still dominate story-times, know most of what is contained in this thread.
When we read American history, we often check it against some other sources and quite often, it contradicts.
There are many in USA that decry the Muslim world, and rightly so, but the most money invested in US by sovereign nations come from Muslim countries. Also, a Muslim country - specifically Morocco (in Africa) - was the first nation to accord USA full diplomatic recognition as the US fought for her independence from Great Britain. USA reciprocated and built its first Embassy in Tangier, Morocco.
Thus, while Europe today stakes claim as the closest and most loyal ally of US, it was an African country that accorded her recognition and helped legitimize her existence when she was fighting the same continent!
Sometimes, one needs to live outside the US to appreciate World History, and in turn broaden one's scope and widen the horizon. The attendant benefit leads to escaping the myopia that tends to govern the perception most Americans extend to the world. As the Igbos used to say to a child that wants to impress the parents about a new thing it has discovered: What we tend to see standing over others, some have seen sitting down.
President Nixon and his Secretary of State Kissinger came face-to-face with this axiom as they reached out to China with a kind of diplomacy that never left anyone in doubt about US supremacy and supreme tendencies. The Chinese, not given to display as we do in America, sat quietly as Kissinger railed on them about international relations/diplomacy, and what needs to be done; why and how.
The Chinese summed the meeting up by simply saying: We are a Dynasty and there is nothing a country less than 200 years old [then] can teach or tell us. This was the only answer that the diplomats got in return for their zillion hours of preparation. It shows that when one is confident of one’s history and is deeply rooted, one need not prove anything to anyone. The Chinese are GOOD at that.
Maybe, we can learn something from that demeanor. While China is a 'dynasty', their position is not all entirely true: A young nation can teach an old nation something.
But the Chinese commentary does highlight the resistance to leadership that the world extends to US when it comes to who, when and why of history. If one is not broadened in their knowledge of the world and the chronology of histoty, one is bound by default to think 'westerners' invented the world, sat next to God/Creator and obtained what should happen.
The western attitude is like BASF commercial that says, 'We don't make a lot of the stuff you buy but we make them better'. Lace that with JD Power and Associates; where no one is ever 'Second', and you may think we in America invented the world.
enJOY
History As It Should be Known
Posted by
ejike e okpa ii
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11 Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery Furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the 'writing on the wall' in Iraq
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq ..
17. The wise men were from Iraq
18. Peter preached in Iraq
19. The 'Empire of Man' described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!
And you have probably seen this one: Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible.
But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotomia means between two rivers, more exactly Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The name Iraq means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.
This is something to think about: America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages. The following Koran verse should been read and understood by Saddam: Koran 9:11 - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; And there was peace.
ejike e okpa ii
Next Generation Fellow
The American Assembly
1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11 Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery Furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the 'writing on the wall' in Iraq
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq ..
17. The wise men were from Iraq
18. Peter preached in Iraq
19. The 'Empire of Man' described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!
And you have probably seen this one: Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible.
But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotomia means between two rivers, more exactly Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The name Iraq means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.
This is something to think about: America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages. The following Koran verse should been read and understood by Saddam: Koran 9:11 - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; And there was peace.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Wisdom of Father Lazarus (1)
Father Lazarus is my favourite preacher. This was what he told his congregation on New Year’s Day:
One day in Gboko, Benue State, a commercial cyclist (popularly known as Okadaman) picked up a male passenger, who wanted to go ”to the next street.” When they got to the first road junction, his passenger said, “turn left.” The Okadaman did and they proceeded to the next turn where he was directed: “turn right.”
The Okadaman then stopped his bike and told his passenger that if he was going to waste that much time trying to figure out where he wanted to go, he would be charged at an hourly rate (N500 per hour). The passenger agreed, and the cyclist happily followed his passenger’s unending commands: “turn right,” “go straight,” “turn left.”
After an hour and a half, the okadaman was calculating the thousands of Naira he had made from this “aimless” passenger. “He must be a tourist or something,” he said to himself.
Two hours later, the Okadaman stopped because he wanted to “piss.” He was on the side of the road doing his thing whereupon one of his relations appeared on foot, and was surprised to see the “passenger-tourist” perching on the okadaman’s bike.
“My broda, how you dey?” he asked his kinsman. “Fine,” the okadaman replied.
“How family? How children?” “Dem dey fine, replied the impatient okadaman
“A-beg make I ask you sometin”, the relation said, and drew the Okadaman to a safe corner.
“Dat man wey you dey carry, you no’am?”
“No, why you dey ask?”
“Because na mad man ee be!”
Then Father Lazarus gave us the punch line:
“How many passengers (read baggage) did you pick up last year (2008) who took you on a merry-go-round? How come some of the things that you did were aimless and unfocussed, following a path charted by others who may not even be as intelligent as you are? Will there be a change in your life this year, even if it is something as innocuous as changing the way your apartment looks? The things you read, listen to, hear? How creative and productive are you prepared to be this year, or are you going to graze the same useless and charted territory that made you wish for 2009 when, hopefully “tins go beta?”
One day in Gboko, Benue State, a commercial cyclist (popularly known as Okadaman) picked up a male passenger, who wanted to go ”to the next street.” When they got to the first road junction, his passenger said, “turn left.” The Okadaman did and they proceeded to the next turn where he was directed: “turn right.”
The Okadaman then stopped his bike and told his passenger that if he was going to waste that much time trying to figure out where he wanted to go, he would be charged at an hourly rate (N500 per hour). The passenger agreed, and the cyclist happily followed his passenger’s unending commands: “turn right,” “go straight,” “turn left.”
After an hour and a half, the okadaman was calculating the thousands of Naira he had made from this “aimless” passenger. “He must be a tourist or something,” he said to himself.
Two hours later, the Okadaman stopped because he wanted to “piss.” He was on the side of the road doing his thing whereupon one of his relations appeared on foot, and was surprised to see the “passenger-tourist” perching on the okadaman’s bike.
“My broda, how you dey?” he asked his kinsman. “Fine,” the okadaman replied.
“How family? How children?” “Dem dey fine, replied the impatient okadaman
“A-beg make I ask you sometin”, the relation said, and drew the Okadaman to a safe corner.
“Dat man wey you dey carry, you no’am?”
“No, why you dey ask?”
“Because na mad man ee be!”
Then Father Lazarus gave us the punch line:
“How many passengers (read baggage) did you pick up last year (2008) who took you on a merry-go-round? How come some of the things that you did were aimless and unfocussed, following a path charted by others who may not even be as intelligent as you are? Will there be a change in your life this year, even if it is something as innocuous as changing the way your apartment looks? The things you read, listen to, hear? How creative and productive are you prepared to be this year, or are you going to graze the same useless and charted territory that made you wish for 2009 when, hopefully “tins go beta?”
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Not About Ribadu
I have received many personal e-mails, for and against my Ribadu intervention. Please keep the comments coming.
I would like to say that my intervention is not really about Ribadu as such. It is rather about a certain brash tendency that many bright young people in Nigeria bring to the task when they are appointed to high public office. They end up making a mess of it all, and we turn all emotional when they get hit by their mistakes, or their misdeeds. After the emotions, we all forget, and another bright fellow comes to the stage and repeats the exact same mistakes.
If I must link it to the Ribadu case, we need to stress the point that the ex-EFCC boss failed to focus on the big political picture as he went about the little details of his job. I stressed this point in the article: “if the man who appoints you pays lip service to anti-corruption and you chose to go out on a limb, you end up in the cold as well.”
The second mistake he made was not accepting the position of Deputy Commissioner, which would have placed him above most of his course mates in the Police anyway. By rejecting it, he certainly would have played into the hands of the same people that everybody wants me to believe were instrumental to his sack. It was a tactical blunder.
My position has always been that our anti-corruption war is not likely to be prosecuted by our current politicians - even if they deploy 1000 Ribadu's to the battle. Why? Because it is basically a war against themselves and no one wants to fight a war of attrition!
Therefore, until better strategies and tactics are marshaled out and executed by the people who elect politicians, we would all be wasting our time, and weeping endlessly when someone who looks like a "messiah" comes to the stage and is rubbished. Think back to Kalu Idika Kalu. It was so with late Tai Solarin in Peoples Bank. It was so with Kongi in Road Safety. It will continue thus, as long as we have the present crop of politicians with their "C" mindset.
This intervention is actually for those who, tomorrow, may find themselves appointed to sensitive positions in government. They need to learn the politics of doing their jobs, and retaining those jobs. They need to learn how to watch their backs and not leave their flanks open. They need to understand their bosses and march in tandem with their political steps, as far as their jobs are concerned. We have witnessed many recent examples of people who marched out of step. More recently, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had her baptism of fire, but was saved because she had people like Paul Nwabuikwu, and a reputation management strategy behind her. Nasiru El Rufa’i will certainly get his, sooner or later; so would Oby Ezekwesili, if she ever decides to come home to “meddle”.
For emphasis, what this means is NOT that you sit on the job. What it means is that you do the job with common sense and decency, and maintain a certain dignity and affableness that the people need to shower you with good wishes and prayers. For instance, is it not common knowledge that religious congregations (Christian and Muslim alike) were praying against Nasiru el-Rufa’i? It was not because his objective was not noble; it was because his methods were unconscionable – shocking and sometimes morally unacceptable.
Every first class brain in the Obasanjo regime was not like this. We can point to the example of the one person who, in my view, has been exceptional (and very, very effective) in his approach: Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
Public office should not be turned into a rabblerousing exercise that plays to the emotions of the not very perceptive minds.
Last Line
So that I will not become a mere armchair critic, I shall focus next on how we can effectively wage the anti-corruption battle in Nigeria and win.
I would like to say that my intervention is not really about Ribadu as such. It is rather about a certain brash tendency that many bright young people in Nigeria bring to the task when they are appointed to high public office. They end up making a mess of it all, and we turn all emotional when they get hit by their mistakes, or their misdeeds. After the emotions, we all forget, and another bright fellow comes to the stage and repeats the exact same mistakes.
If I must link it to the Ribadu case, we need to stress the point that the ex-EFCC boss failed to focus on the big political picture as he went about the little details of his job. I stressed this point in the article: “if the man who appoints you pays lip service to anti-corruption and you chose to go out on a limb, you end up in the cold as well.”
The second mistake he made was not accepting the position of Deputy Commissioner, which would have placed him above most of his course mates in the Police anyway. By rejecting it, he certainly would have played into the hands of the same people that everybody wants me to believe were instrumental to his sack. It was a tactical blunder.
My position has always been that our anti-corruption war is not likely to be prosecuted by our current politicians - even if they deploy 1000 Ribadu's to the battle. Why? Because it is basically a war against themselves and no one wants to fight a war of attrition!
Therefore, until better strategies and tactics are marshaled out and executed by the people who elect politicians, we would all be wasting our time, and weeping endlessly when someone who looks like a "messiah" comes to the stage and is rubbished. Think back to Kalu Idika Kalu. It was so with late Tai Solarin in Peoples Bank. It was so with Kongi in Road Safety. It will continue thus, as long as we have the present crop of politicians with their "C" mindset.
This intervention is actually for those who, tomorrow, may find themselves appointed to sensitive positions in government. They need to learn the politics of doing their jobs, and retaining those jobs. They need to learn how to watch their backs and not leave their flanks open. They need to understand their bosses and march in tandem with their political steps, as far as their jobs are concerned. We have witnessed many recent examples of people who marched out of step. More recently, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had her baptism of fire, but was saved because she had people like Paul Nwabuikwu, and a reputation management strategy behind her. Nasiru El Rufa’i will certainly get his, sooner or later; so would Oby Ezekwesili, if she ever decides to come home to “meddle”.
For emphasis, what this means is NOT that you sit on the job. What it means is that you do the job with common sense and decency, and maintain a certain dignity and affableness that the people need to shower you with good wishes and prayers. For instance, is it not common knowledge that religious congregations (Christian and Muslim alike) were praying against Nasiru el-Rufa’i? It was not because his objective was not noble; it was because his methods were unconscionable – shocking and sometimes morally unacceptable.
Every first class brain in the Obasanjo regime was not like this. We can point to the example of the one person who, in my view, has been exceptional (and very, very effective) in his approach: Charles Chukwuma Soludo.
Public office should not be turned into a rabblerousing exercise that plays to the emotions of the not very perceptive minds.
Last Line
So that I will not become a mere armchair critic, I shall focus next on how we can effectively wage the anti-corruption battle in Nigeria and win.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Trouble With Nuhu Ribadu
However you consider the matter, one must feel for Nuhu Ribadu, erstwhile boss of the anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). But has anyone stopped to wonder that this committed, patriotic officer may have been the architect of his current misfortune?
Ribadu faced six major hurdles that he failed to clear, which, in my view, cost him his primary job with the Nigeria Police. He forgot that his was a political slot that lasts for between four and eight years - and no more. He did not appreciate the limits of enforcement powers given to the Commission. He did not do his homework with the Nigerian bench; he thrust himself onto the public stage as the man fighting corruption; he trusted in his ability as an effective spokesman, and; he may not have acted on well-meaning advice.
We proceed to examine each of these. But, please note that what you are about to read has nothing to do with how effective or ineffective Malam Nuhu Ribadu has been in the discharge of his anti-corruption mandate at the EFCC. It is also not an attempt to diminish the fight against corruption – a very worthy war that must be successfully waged and won. They rather concern Ribadu’s personal failings, which impacted negatively on his attempt to return to the Police at the rank awarded him on the eve of OBJ’s departure from power.
First, the Chairmanship of EFCC is reserved for serving or retired security officer not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. At the time he was appointed in 2003, Ribadu was below this rank, and had to be elevated to comply with the law. By 2007 when he was reappointed for his second and final tenure, some of Ribadu’s peers had reached the same rank of Assistant Commissioner, but he was, once again, leapfrogged three whopping steps to Asst. Inspector General. Born in 1960, Ribadu would have been 51 in 2011 when his second and final tenure was supposed to end. Which means that he would still have nine whole years to spend with the Police if he chose to return.
He probably planned to retire in 2011 and not return to the Police – and this would explain why he did not factor in how his rapid promotions would play if he returned to the Police, a conservative, disciplined body.
Second Point: The law setting up the EFCC worked against Ribadu, by giving the EFCC Chairman both executive and accounting authority. Anyone appointed Chairman could run the Agency as a personal property. Ribadu did not understand that doing so would work to the advantage of the wily Army General-turned politician who was his boss. Ex-President Obasanjo stayed in the background and passed dirty political jobs for Ribadu to execute and Ribadu trotted the stage, making a show of letting people believe that it was not the hand of Esau at work in a few political persecution cases.
Third Point: This has to do with legal processes that must begin with accusation and investigation, and end with prosecution. Ribadu did not want to accept that the process ended with prosecution, whether successful or not. Under Ribadu’s EFCC, corruption prosecutions became more of a political than a legal process. We witnessed the spectacle of boastful threats, gangster-like arrests, and verbal assaults on judges from a security boss who was trained on how to adopt a cool, calm, calculated, and less noisy approach to investigations and prosecutions.
Fourth Point: It was tragic watching his performance with the Nigerian Bench. In every situation where an agency of government takes the trouble to sensitize the Nigerian Bench, the results have always been heartwarming. Judges are appointed from the pool of Nigerian lawyers with at least 10 years of legal practice. They are not experts on anything other than law, and they require specialist training in any area where their input is required in our attempt to construct a Nigeria of our dreams. Nuhu Ribadu apparently did not properly do his homework with the Nigerian bench, and the result was evident. He made a habit of predetermining accused persons guilty and became frustrated with judges who thought otherwise. Many judges that approached the EFCC cases in ways that Ribadu did not like were placed under suspicion. More tragically, he went about selecting “EFCC” justices from Kaduna, Abuja, and Lagos, and added to his burden a spate of legal summersaults, as defence counsels easily slowed down prosecutions by contesting jurisdiction at every turn. The result was a disproportionate ratio between arrests and concluded prosecutions. It was an administrative disaster.
Fifth Point: Ribadu did not understand that the war against corruption is a war that should be fought by the highest levels of government. The anti-corruption policy is made by a head of state, whether he is elected or shot himself to power. The tempo of this war, as well as updates about the war is best left for the politicians, thus making it easy for the people to gauge when the political will has waned.
Nuhu Ribadu thrust himself onto the public arena as the man fighting corruption, rather than leave the job to the owner of this war – ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Even when he recognized that there was an element of hypocrisy surrounding the war, Ribadu could not bring himself to admit this to the public, because it was Ribadu’s war – although it was not. The best way to understand this is to look at the Buhari-Idigbon regime and what it did on the anti-corruption front. Buhari did not need to create a special agency to fight the war (although there was an enforcement decree). He used existing judicial, police and SSS structures, complemented by the army, and was as successful, if not more successful, that Ribadu’s EFCC. The person who was not doing the arrests but was recognized as the force behind the war was Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari’s chief of staff, who was political head of government at the time.
Ribadu could have made better progress if he discharged his responsibilities in investigations and prosecutions, and left Obasanjo’s spokesmen to let us know how the government’s war was faring. Today, the owner of the war is relaxed at Otta while Ribadu is on the hot seat, paying the price for not being circumspect.
Not to put too fine a point to it, if Ribadu wanted to effectively play the role that he assumed, he should have first contested and won a presidential election, from where, like Buhari, he would have been able to do what he wanted, and professionally lived to tell the tale. If the man who appoints you pays lip service to anti-corruption and you decide to go out on a limb, you end up in the cold as well.
Sixth Point: I watched a few public speeches of Ribadu, on television and live on stage. Each time I witnessed it, I got irritated and asked myself why the man does not articulate his thoughts very well. He passes by with a lot of bluster and what looks like Marxist rhetoric. He, however, manages to pass across his one and only message: people of Nigeria, you are all corrupt but watch out, for I am coming after you! You can count the number of public speeches that Ribadu did not make extempore. In other words, he did not trust that he could communicate better by disciplining himself to deep reflections of the written speech. It was almost as if his EFCC position got into his head, to the extent that he trusted himself as his own spokesman, and thought he could successfully manage his reputation by using his position as boss of an intimidating agency.
Late in the day when he faced his personal crisis, and needed to bring that personal touch which he thought he had to his defence, he realized what should have been apparent to him from the beginning: he needed people to sit down and work out a personal reputation management strategy that could have served him over time. But by that time, he had already done the harm to himself. I believe that if Ribadu had any idea that he would not return to the Police as the Inspector-General, he would have been more circumspect and less prone to react with contempt and arrogance to almost everyone but President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Seventh and Final Point: I find it hard to believe that Nuhu Ribadu may not have sought the advice and counsel of active and retired superior police and security officers when he was given the EFCC position. What is more likely is that he may have decided to ignore their advice. In his current travails, the public testimonies of a few retired police officers indicate that Ribadu may have paid deaf ears to early advice on how to handle his EFCC job, as well as to more recent advice on how to deal with the administrative problem bordering on what to do about the super rank that he was awarded by General Obasanjo, on the eve of his departure as President.
Unfortunately, it would appear that the former EFCC boss was more inclined to follow the advice of the opportunists – who are always close at hand to profit from the never-ending Nigerian political controversies.
Ribadu faced six major hurdles that he failed to clear, which, in my view, cost him his primary job with the Nigeria Police. He forgot that his was a political slot that lasts for between four and eight years - and no more. He did not appreciate the limits of enforcement powers given to the Commission. He did not do his homework with the Nigerian bench; he thrust himself onto the public stage as the man fighting corruption; he trusted in his ability as an effective spokesman, and; he may not have acted on well-meaning advice.
We proceed to examine each of these. But, please note that what you are about to read has nothing to do with how effective or ineffective Malam Nuhu Ribadu has been in the discharge of his anti-corruption mandate at the EFCC. It is also not an attempt to diminish the fight against corruption – a very worthy war that must be successfully waged and won. They rather concern Ribadu’s personal failings, which impacted negatively on his attempt to return to the Police at the rank awarded him on the eve of OBJ’s departure from power.
First, the Chairmanship of EFCC is reserved for serving or retired security officer not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. At the time he was appointed in 2003, Ribadu was below this rank, and had to be elevated to comply with the law. By 2007 when he was reappointed for his second and final tenure, some of Ribadu’s peers had reached the same rank of Assistant Commissioner, but he was, once again, leapfrogged three whopping steps to Asst. Inspector General. Born in 1960, Ribadu would have been 51 in 2011 when his second and final tenure was supposed to end. Which means that he would still have nine whole years to spend with the Police if he chose to return.
He probably planned to retire in 2011 and not return to the Police – and this would explain why he did not factor in how his rapid promotions would play if he returned to the Police, a conservative, disciplined body.
Second Point: The law setting up the EFCC worked against Ribadu, by giving the EFCC Chairman both executive and accounting authority. Anyone appointed Chairman could run the Agency as a personal property. Ribadu did not understand that doing so would work to the advantage of the wily Army General-turned politician who was his boss. Ex-President Obasanjo stayed in the background and passed dirty political jobs for Ribadu to execute and Ribadu trotted the stage, making a show of letting people believe that it was not the hand of Esau at work in a few political persecution cases.
Third Point: This has to do with legal processes that must begin with accusation and investigation, and end with prosecution. Ribadu did not want to accept that the process ended with prosecution, whether successful or not. Under Ribadu’s EFCC, corruption prosecutions became more of a political than a legal process. We witnessed the spectacle of boastful threats, gangster-like arrests, and verbal assaults on judges from a security boss who was trained on how to adopt a cool, calm, calculated, and less noisy approach to investigations and prosecutions.
Fourth Point: It was tragic watching his performance with the Nigerian Bench. In every situation where an agency of government takes the trouble to sensitize the Nigerian Bench, the results have always been heartwarming. Judges are appointed from the pool of Nigerian lawyers with at least 10 years of legal practice. They are not experts on anything other than law, and they require specialist training in any area where their input is required in our attempt to construct a Nigeria of our dreams. Nuhu Ribadu apparently did not properly do his homework with the Nigerian bench, and the result was evident. He made a habit of predetermining accused persons guilty and became frustrated with judges who thought otherwise. Many judges that approached the EFCC cases in ways that Ribadu did not like were placed under suspicion. More tragically, he went about selecting “EFCC” justices from Kaduna, Abuja, and Lagos, and added to his burden a spate of legal summersaults, as defence counsels easily slowed down prosecutions by contesting jurisdiction at every turn. The result was a disproportionate ratio between arrests and concluded prosecutions. It was an administrative disaster.
Fifth Point: Ribadu did not understand that the war against corruption is a war that should be fought by the highest levels of government. The anti-corruption policy is made by a head of state, whether he is elected or shot himself to power. The tempo of this war, as well as updates about the war is best left for the politicians, thus making it easy for the people to gauge when the political will has waned.
Nuhu Ribadu thrust himself onto the public arena as the man fighting corruption, rather than leave the job to the owner of this war – ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Even when he recognized that there was an element of hypocrisy surrounding the war, Ribadu could not bring himself to admit this to the public, because it was Ribadu’s war – although it was not. The best way to understand this is to look at the Buhari-Idigbon regime and what it did on the anti-corruption front. Buhari did not need to create a special agency to fight the war (although there was an enforcement decree). He used existing judicial, police and SSS structures, complemented by the army, and was as successful, if not more successful, that Ribadu’s EFCC. The person who was not doing the arrests but was recognized as the force behind the war was Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari’s chief of staff, who was political head of government at the time.
Ribadu could have made better progress if he discharged his responsibilities in investigations and prosecutions, and left Obasanjo’s spokesmen to let us know how the government’s war was faring. Today, the owner of the war is relaxed at Otta while Ribadu is on the hot seat, paying the price for not being circumspect.
Not to put too fine a point to it, if Ribadu wanted to effectively play the role that he assumed, he should have first contested and won a presidential election, from where, like Buhari, he would have been able to do what he wanted, and professionally lived to tell the tale. If the man who appoints you pays lip service to anti-corruption and you decide to go out on a limb, you end up in the cold as well.
Sixth Point: I watched a few public speeches of Ribadu, on television and live on stage. Each time I witnessed it, I got irritated and asked myself why the man does not articulate his thoughts very well. He passes by with a lot of bluster and what looks like Marxist rhetoric. He, however, manages to pass across his one and only message: people of Nigeria, you are all corrupt but watch out, for I am coming after you! You can count the number of public speeches that Ribadu did not make extempore. In other words, he did not trust that he could communicate better by disciplining himself to deep reflections of the written speech. It was almost as if his EFCC position got into his head, to the extent that he trusted himself as his own spokesman, and thought he could successfully manage his reputation by using his position as boss of an intimidating agency.
Late in the day when he faced his personal crisis, and needed to bring that personal touch which he thought he had to his defence, he realized what should have been apparent to him from the beginning: he needed people to sit down and work out a personal reputation management strategy that could have served him over time. But by that time, he had already done the harm to himself. I believe that if Ribadu had any idea that he would not return to the Police as the Inspector-General, he would have been more circumspect and less prone to react with contempt and arrogance to almost everyone but President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Seventh and Final Point: I find it hard to believe that Nuhu Ribadu may not have sought the advice and counsel of active and retired superior police and security officers when he was given the EFCC position. What is more likely is that he may have decided to ignore their advice. In his current travails, the public testimonies of a few retired police officers indicate that Ribadu may have paid deaf ears to early advice on how to handle his EFCC job, as well as to more recent advice on how to deal with the administrative problem bordering on what to do about the super rank that he was awarded by General Obasanjo, on the eve of his departure as President.
Unfortunately, it would appear that the former EFCC boss was more inclined to follow the advice of the opportunists – who are always close at hand to profit from the never-ending Nigerian political controversies.
Beyond Lukman’s Appointment
The uproar over the recent appointment of Rilwanu Lukman as petroleum minister is, in my view, diversionary.
Before I go into the substantive issues that I believe should engage us Nigerians at this moment, let me say, by the way, that I see nothing wrong with this appointment: We should allow President Umaru Yar’Adua choose whomsoever he believes will help him deliver on his campaign promises. We need to pull back a little from constantly second-guessing Mr. Yar’Adua, as if he is some kind of nincompoop.
Why do I see nothing wrong with Lukman’s appointment? Despite everything done to move Nigeria away from its sole dependence on oil, our country has unfortunately not developed alternative source of income for her development. Therefore we continue to watch closely not only the security of mining and selling crude, but also the politics of negotiating sufficient quantity to sell at the international market.
No petroleum minister is going to re-invent the wheel on how to produce and market crude oil. Where the challenges are, for Nigeria, are how to ensure that the Niger Delta is secure and peaceful, oil companies meet their full tax obligations, continue to deal honestly with Nigeria on joint ventures and production sharing contracts, and our country gets her due from OPEC quota negotiations. The first two – Niger Delta and Tax – are not primary responsibilities of a petroleum minister. On the last two, Nigeria needs a steady, old, experienced hand to keep an eagle eye on our JVs and PSCs, as well as continue to negotiate the vital quotas at OPEC conferences, a ritual that has become the cornerstone of our mono-crop economic development.
On the relevant issues, no other Nigerian comes close to the local and international experiences that Dr. Lukman brings forward – as former OPEC Secretary General (and president of OPEC Conference for eight consecutive terms), Federal Minister with experience spanning three portfolios (Mines, Power and Steel, Petroleum Resources, and Foreign Affairs), Presidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy, Chief Executive of Nigerian Mining Corporation, chairman Boards of old NNPC and old NEPA, and current chairman of a leading independent exploration and production company. He is also academically qualified, with degrees in mining engineering, mining economics, a doctoral degree in chemical engineering.
It is hard to find another Nigerian with this breath of professional experience in the industry! Therefore, if a Nigerian President does not appoint Rilwanu Lukman as a minister or special adviser, such a president would nevertheless seek his private counsel on critical issues in that sector. It is therefore up to incoming presidents to decide how Lukman can best serve the nation.
The controversy over the current appointment of Lukman as petroleum minister is, in my view, unnecessary. My position is that we should rather look beyond petroleum, and begin to ponder what will happen to Nigeria after the last drop of oil is lifted and sold.
I identify three issues that the country needs to urgently discuss and take action on within the two to six years that is left for President Yar’Adua at Aso Rock.
First, we need to reposition our domestic production priorities, taking a cue from what western world leaders are saying about their “addiction” to our oil. The world faces its current energy challenge from the development of other sources of energy, and from protection of the environment. From Downing Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, the new policy talk is about developing alternative energy sources through solar power, biofuel, wind energy, and clean coal.If these leaders jumpstart the development of alternative energy sources, the struggles of the Niger Delta and the desperation of Nigerian politicians to come to power would suddenly be in vain – because the value of the black gold would plummet.
We need to move towards renewable energy sources. I am therefore not concerned about the current portfolio of Rilwanu Lukman. I am intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on New Energy.
Is this the schedule that Diezani Allison-Madueke is also handling, or shall we wait for another?
Second, we need to seriously consider developing our industry and technology to boost local wealth. The world has moved towards the creation of new wealth through Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and we are not making much progress in this direction either. The richest nations and individuals in the world today come from countries that research, develop, produce and sell ICT.
Therefore I am not concerned about Rilwanu Lukman at the Petroleum Ministry. I am rather intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on ICT.
Is this the schedule that Dora Akunyili is also handling, or shall we wait for another?
Third, most countries depend the most on taxation of their citizens (individual and corporate) to fund infrastructure and socio-economic development. Thus far, we have failed to use tax as an alternative and sustainable source of public financing. Despite the frenzy of reforms at the federal level, Nigerian citizens and businesses are yet to experience relief from an oppressive tax regime empowered by law to tax business capital and impose arbitrary assessments. The reforms offer a vista through which Nigeria could join progressive nations to develop this important revenue source. But even these reforms and the laws they spun have not succeeded in extricating the tax authority from the Ministry of Finance.
I am not concerned about Rilwanu Lukman as such. I am intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on Taxation.
Does Dr. Mansur Mukhtar bring to the position, the relevant academic, professional, and political experience to make taxation serve the socio-economic development needs of the nation, even as it encourages citizens to vote for voluntary compliance?
These are vital issues of the moment which go beyond petroleum, and beyond who was appointed as minister of petroleum.
I would suggest that, if we must heckle the president, we push him to privatize the industry, abolish NNPC and the Ministry, pull out of OPEC, and put in their place a new Ministry that conceives and creates the required energy matrix that stimulates industrial and technological development, even as it renews our environment.
Before I go into the substantive issues that I believe should engage us Nigerians at this moment, let me say, by the way, that I see nothing wrong with this appointment: We should allow President Umaru Yar’Adua choose whomsoever he believes will help him deliver on his campaign promises. We need to pull back a little from constantly second-guessing Mr. Yar’Adua, as if he is some kind of nincompoop.
Why do I see nothing wrong with Lukman’s appointment? Despite everything done to move Nigeria away from its sole dependence on oil, our country has unfortunately not developed alternative source of income for her development. Therefore we continue to watch closely not only the security of mining and selling crude, but also the politics of negotiating sufficient quantity to sell at the international market.
No petroleum minister is going to re-invent the wheel on how to produce and market crude oil. Where the challenges are, for Nigeria, are how to ensure that the Niger Delta is secure and peaceful, oil companies meet their full tax obligations, continue to deal honestly with Nigeria on joint ventures and production sharing contracts, and our country gets her due from OPEC quota negotiations. The first two – Niger Delta and Tax – are not primary responsibilities of a petroleum minister. On the last two, Nigeria needs a steady, old, experienced hand to keep an eagle eye on our JVs and PSCs, as well as continue to negotiate the vital quotas at OPEC conferences, a ritual that has become the cornerstone of our mono-crop economic development.
On the relevant issues, no other Nigerian comes close to the local and international experiences that Dr. Lukman brings forward – as former OPEC Secretary General (and president of OPEC Conference for eight consecutive terms), Federal Minister with experience spanning three portfolios (Mines, Power and Steel, Petroleum Resources, and Foreign Affairs), Presidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy, Chief Executive of Nigerian Mining Corporation, chairman Boards of old NNPC and old NEPA, and current chairman of a leading independent exploration and production company. He is also academically qualified, with degrees in mining engineering, mining economics, a doctoral degree in chemical engineering.
It is hard to find another Nigerian with this breath of professional experience in the industry! Therefore, if a Nigerian President does not appoint Rilwanu Lukman as a minister or special adviser, such a president would nevertheless seek his private counsel on critical issues in that sector. It is therefore up to incoming presidents to decide how Lukman can best serve the nation.
The controversy over the current appointment of Lukman as petroleum minister is, in my view, unnecessary. My position is that we should rather look beyond petroleum, and begin to ponder what will happen to Nigeria after the last drop of oil is lifted and sold.
I identify three issues that the country needs to urgently discuss and take action on within the two to six years that is left for President Yar’Adua at Aso Rock.
First, we need to reposition our domestic production priorities, taking a cue from what western world leaders are saying about their “addiction” to our oil. The world faces its current energy challenge from the development of other sources of energy, and from protection of the environment. From Downing Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, the new policy talk is about developing alternative energy sources through solar power, biofuel, wind energy, and clean coal.If these leaders jumpstart the development of alternative energy sources, the struggles of the Niger Delta and the desperation of Nigerian politicians to come to power would suddenly be in vain – because the value of the black gold would plummet.
We need to move towards renewable energy sources. I am therefore not concerned about the current portfolio of Rilwanu Lukman. I am intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on New Energy.
Is this the schedule that Diezani Allison-Madueke is also handling, or shall we wait for another?
Second, we need to seriously consider developing our industry and technology to boost local wealth. The world has moved towards the creation of new wealth through Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and we are not making much progress in this direction either. The richest nations and individuals in the world today come from countries that research, develop, produce and sell ICT.
Therefore I am not concerned about Rilwanu Lukman at the Petroleum Ministry. I am rather intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on ICT.
Is this the schedule that Dora Akunyili is also handling, or shall we wait for another?
Third, most countries depend the most on taxation of their citizens (individual and corporate) to fund infrastructure and socio-economic development. Thus far, we have failed to use tax as an alternative and sustainable source of public financing. Despite the frenzy of reforms at the federal level, Nigerian citizens and businesses are yet to experience relief from an oppressive tax regime empowered by law to tax business capital and impose arbitrary assessments. The reforms offer a vista through which Nigeria could join progressive nations to develop this important revenue source. But even these reforms and the laws they spun have not succeeded in extricating the tax authority from the Ministry of Finance.
I am not concerned about Rilwanu Lukman as such. I am intrigued as to who the President is appointing to advisory or ministerial position on Taxation.
Does Dr. Mansur Mukhtar bring to the position, the relevant academic, professional, and political experience to make taxation serve the socio-economic development needs of the nation, even as it encourages citizens to vote for voluntary compliance?
These are vital issues of the moment which go beyond petroleum, and beyond who was appointed as minister of petroleum.
I would suggest that, if we must heckle the president, we push him to privatize the industry, abolish NNPC and the Ministry, pull out of OPEC, and put in their place a new Ministry that conceives and creates the required energy matrix that stimulates industrial and technological development, even as it renews our environment.
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