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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012
Comment & Analysis
Between political myopia and analytic bigotry O
RDINARILY one would not want to respond to the disjointed, shallow, often comical piece titled ‘Tinubu’s Political Megalomania’ credited to one Oladele Osunbote and published in The Guardian of Sunday, November 11, 2012. In his opening paragraphs, for instance, Osunbote pointlessly makes reference to some great African leaders – Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Sekou Toure, Nelson Mandela among others – and then makes this absolutely meaningless statement: “The history of Africa must parade the great names so that I can obtain my egoistic competence to counter the negrophobists”. This is sheer lunacy showcasing an unstable mind shrouded in darkness. Osunbote obviously lacked the intellect to effectively communicate his ideas (if he has any) or lucidly demonstrate his logic. Given the proven anarchical bent of his mind, one can, therefore, better understand some of the wild, unsubstantiated and absolutely reckless allegations this writer makes in a futile bid to denigrate the character and tarnish the political career of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). As the title of his diatribe suggests, Osunbote’s objective is to prove that Tinubu suffers from political megalomania and is greedy to acquire power and dominate others at all costs and by all means. He admits that Tinubu successfully withstood Obasanjo’s assault on the South West in 2003 and remained the only Alliance for Democracy (AD) Governor left standing after the PDP hurricane that swept the
By Benjamin Ighorojeh
traditionally progressive region on that occasion. Osunbote equally could not deny that Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State steered the ship of the state with dexterity and overcame the seizure of the state Local Government funds for over three years by General Olusegun Obasanjo. He even admits that Tinubu at the time was “morally and tactically higher than Obasanjo and his group”. Thereafter, Osunbote reasons, Tinubu “has become ensconced, so politically comfortable that he wants to control all political machineries of South West”. And how does Osunbote prove this? He makes the following unbelievably wild and sweeping assertion that can be nothing but the product of a diseased mind: “…all consultants to all ACN states in the South West must come from Lagos. He must appoint two thirds of the number of judges and commissioners to be appointed in all the South West states except Ondo State which is firmly under the control of the Labour Party. Street cleaners, consultants, contractors etc must come from Lagos. So much is now going to Lagos to the extent that some of the commissioners in the South West cannot approve or pay twenty thousand Naira only”. Now, is it not obvious that only a truly demented and deranged mind can make such ridiculous claims without the slightest effort at substantiation? It is quite convenient for Osunbote to forget that Asiwaju Tinubu had been playing key roles in Nigerian politics long before he became Governor of Lagos State. Tinubu was elected to the Senate from Lagos West
constituency with the highest votes in the country in the Third Republic. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Currency and Appropriations. In that capacity Tinubu initiated a far reaching probe of the finances of the National Assembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and the military regime at the helm of affairs at the time. It certainly does not occur to Osunbote that a megalomaniac simply wanting power for its own sake would have rather warmed up to the powers that be at that time rather than risk his position and possibly his life by challenging their financial misdeeds. Again, Tinubu was at the forefront of Chief MKO Abiola’s campaign for presidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the freest and fairest in the country’s history was annulled, Tinubu emerged as one of the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the struggle to actualise Abiola’s mandate, the military junta reached out to him severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered juicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his principled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election. Is that how megalomaniacs behave? Does Osunbote know the meaning of the word? Exasperated by Tinubu’s intransigence, the military viciously went after him. He was detained. His house was fire bombed. He eventually had to flee the country for his dear life. In exile he remained steadfast in his commitment to the prodemocracy struggle making great personal and financial sacrifices towards this effort. Is that how
megalomaniacs behave? Wouldn’t a megalomaniac rather enjoy the transient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his life fighting for truth and justice? After the 2003 election, Tinubu was the only AD governor remaining in office in the South West. His position was clearly vulnerable. PDP leaders were boasting that he would have no choice but to come over to their party. A megalomaniac intent on protecting his position at all costs would have opted for that easy way out. Power would have mattered to him more than principle or party loyalty. Tinubu demonstrated character. He exhibited integrity. He showed that there are values more important than wielding power for its own sake. Surely, that is not the trait of a megalomaniac. Beyond this, Tinubu did not try to diminish the influence and political authority of his fellow governors – Segun Osoba, Lam Adesina, Niyi Adebayo, Bisi Akande and Adebayo Adefarati – who were dislodged from power. He rallied them round, gave them moral and logistics support and ensured they continued to play their leadership roles in their states within the party. That is why they were all able to play their roles in the systematic return to political ascendancy of the progressive forces in the South West. Is that the trait of a megalomaniac intent on grabbing and dominating power? This Osunbote is clearly hallucinating. What of Osunbote’s claim that consultants, commissioners, judges and even street cleaners appointed in ACN states are from Lagos? Of course such childish drivel is quite laughable. One challenges him to name even one
of the functionaries in any of those states who is not an indigene of the state? He should cite any indigene of Lagos who is a political appointee in Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti or Osun states. If any indigene of these states has worked in Lagos or elsewhere acquiring valuable expertise in the process, is it a crime to put his knowledge and experience to the service of his state? If an indigene of any South West state has distinguished him or herself even outside the country – US, Britain, Canada, France etc – is it a crime to bring such a talent home to help develop his state? How myopic and bigoted can Osunbote be? He makes mischievous reference to the proposed appointment of Justice Oyewole of the Lagos High Court as Chief Judge of Osun State as if Oyewole is an indigene of Lagos. Justice Oyewole hails from Ila in Osun State. He has served with distinction as a most brilliant and fearless judge. He will be a great asset to any state where he serves. Indeed, Lagos would be making a big sacrifice to allow him go to Osun. Osunbote made some vague and illiterate reference to Tinubu and the finances of Lagos State. The facts are clear. Lagos was earning an Internally Generated Revenue of N600 million monthly when Tinubu assumed office in 1999. Through deft financial engineering, Tinubu turned around the finances of state and by the time he left office in 2007, the IGR of Lagos was over N8 billion monthly. Governor Fashola has built on this strong foundation and the IGR of Lagos is today over N15 billion monthly. Osunbote and his sponsors can continue their lamentations. Tinubu, Lagos and the South- West will continue to march forward.
Okada riders and the Lagos traffic law T
HE Lagos Traffic Law, signed into law on August 2, 2012 by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has generated lots of controversies. The aspect of the law that has particularly generated so much debate is the one that restricts the operations of commercial motorcycles operators, popularly called okada, in 495 designated strategic highways and routes out of a total number of 9,700 available routes within the metropolis. In defiance of the law okada riders simply continued their business as usual. As expected, the law caught up with some of them, who argued that their ban on the designated roads would effectively put them out of business. Consequently, many of them flouted the law and continued to operate on the restricted routes. The state government subsequently had to resort to impounding the motorcycles of erring okada riders. This resulted into several acts of vandalism by okada riders who attacked commuters and vandalised 10 BRT buses. Security men were deployed to control the situation while some of the rioting okada riders were arrested. The Lagos State Assembly, in addition to other respected voices in the state, condemned the destructive protest and threatened and outright ban on okada if the riders were not ready to abide by the law of the land. It is unfortunate that rather than obey the laws of the land or,
L
By Tayo Ogunbiyi
indeed, follow more civilised ways of expressing their grievances, okada riders decided to take the laws into their hands by destroying public properties and threatening the peace of the land. Prior to its implementation of the law, the state government held several stakeholders’ meetings with the leadership of the various associations representing okada riders to intimate them of plans to enforce the new laws in the restricted areas as well as seek for their partnership in ensuring the sanctity of the law. Instead of resorting to the same channel to convey their objection, or possibly seek further clarifications, okada riders simply chose to tow a rather primitive line . This, of course, confirms the widely held notion that hoodlums had seriously infiltrated into the ranks and file of okada riders. Indeed, the misery and grief that okada has brought into several homes in Lagos, and indeed across the country, is un-imaginable. Statistics from the Lagos State Management Authority (LASTMA) reveals that not less than 619 people were killed or seriously injured in okada accident in the last two years. The breakdown shows that 107 people died while 512 sustained serious injuries. Among the dead were 71 males and 36 females. In 2001 alone, 47 people were killed while 98 others sustained serious injuries from okada accidents. And, between January 2012 and October, the statistics shows that 63
people were killed while 59 sustained serious injuries. A recent police report equally shows that out of the 30 armed robbery incidents recorded in Lagos between July and September this year, 22 involved commercial motorcycles. According to the records, it was obvious that out of eight robberies that occurred in July, seven involved the use of okada while it was also used in 10 out of 14 robberies in September and five out of eight robberies in August. Looking at these available facts and figures, there should be no controversy about the fact that the operations of okada in the state need to be regulated. Besides the agony and grief it brings upon its victims, the lawlessness of Okada on the road is quite nauseating. Most of the riders are illiterates, mostly from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, Sudan, Republic of Benin and Togo, who are ignorant of traffic regulations and signs. This is in addition to constituting a nuisance to other road-users through reckless driving. Undoubtedly, Okada is being abused in various ways and government’s intervention couldn’t have come at a better time. Okada cannot be the best means of transportation in 21st century Lagos when other states such as Rivers, Abia, Delta, Eboyin and even the Federal Capital Territory are rejecting it. Unfortunately, it is a sad reflection of the state of our country that Okada riding has suddenly become
a vocation for young Nigerians. This is one area where the poor state of the power sector is now haunting us. After spending trillions of naira on a rather phony agenda to stabilise power in the country, constant supply of power remains a mirage to many Nigerians. No wonder, many informal sector’s operators such as hairdressers, barbers, welders, mechanics, panel beaters, painters, tailors, electricians, electronics repairers among others have abandoned their vocations for the deadly and temporary option of riding okada. In order to reverse this ugly trend, there is an urgent need for the federal government to expedite action on its power reform agenda. It is no longer news that some multi-national corporations have relocated from the country while some others are in the process of winding up. No thanks to the unstable power situation in the country. Indeed, the country’s manufacturing sector, which has the capacity to generate the much needed jobs, if all the variables work well, is perhaps, the most hit with respect to the power situation. Consequently, if we are to tackle unemployment head long, we must give serious attention to rejuvenating the power sector. It is only when this is done that our youth would be able to resist the allure of turning okada riding into a career. Nevertheless, the competence of traffic personnel to enforce the law need to be improved upon
continuously while appropriate use of technology should be incorporated into enforcing the law. It is cheering to note that LASTMA officials are currently tapping into technology while discharging their duties. An example is the use of Auto Inspector- hand-held devices which enable traffic officers to track information about any car registered in Lagos and its owner. Equally, there is an urgent need for the state government to expand the operational routes of BRT to accommodate more commuters across the state. Also, the private sector should take advantage of the diverse opportunities that abound in the sector to partner with the state government in providing the necessary interventions that would enhance the effectiveness of public transportation in the state. Perhaps, more importantly, the federal government should speed up efforts on its power sector reform not only to safe guard the jobs on ground, but to pave ways for the emergence of new one. Finally, since the primary goal of government’s massive investment in the sector is to ensure free flow of traffic, road safety and social - economic development, it is important that major stakeholders partner with the state government to give the new law a chance since it is mainly enacted to protect the people. - Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.