Opinion

Tinubu, beware the gathering dark clouds (1), by Hassan Gimba

Published

3 months ago

August 4, 2024

This was published on 10/05/2024, precisely five months ago. Was I clairvoyant? No, the signs were there for all to see. Did anybody give a hoot? Hmmmmn! Well, here is a repeat.

I do not want to believe that in a country of nearly 250 million people, I am the only one who thinks there is a gathering of ominous dark clouds over our dear country beginning in the North. I cannot afford that foolish and lazy thought even if I wanted to dream so, because it is that type of thinking that brought us to this sorry pass. Yes. Not long ago, we had a leader who believed he knew more than everybody and was better than everybody. And surprisingly, many northerners believed he was the only upright person in this populous country, better than even their fathers.

The shout all over the nation about hunger is something that can confuse any government or leader, because it is a fact that hungry people will become angry, and an angry nation is a step away from anarchy.

But one may be forgiven to conclude that the citizens, especially in the North, are being remotely pushed to behave that way. A respectable journalist from Bauchi sent me a report he wanted us to publish. The report was that “labourers in Bauchi were digging up anthills to collect stashed grains there.”

I asked him for pictures and he sent me about four photos of a well-dressed, healthy-looking man wearing a fez cap and jackboots, shovelling an anthill. According to the report, despite the ongoing construction of roads and houses in Bauchi and surrounding states, this labourer had to go steal food from ants!

When you critically look at Nigeria, or the North, and its situation, what is happening is not excusable. Take instances where warehouses or trailer loads of food were attacked and stripped of everything: Is it hunger where you see a purportedly hungry man hurrying away with two or three bags of rice on his shoulders and returning for more? Or able-bodied youths, both male and female, fighting their way through the madness to grab as much of the loot as they can, taking them somewhere for safekeeping and returning for more?

If the looting of foodstuff from government warehouses and trailers in the name of hunger continues unabated, unchecked, we should brace up for the next phase. The next phase would be breaking into houses of “big people” to loot foodstuffs. And because the looting is not motivated by hunger, we will see some looters carrying televisions, furniture, cookers, refrigerators, gas cylinders, etc. Do not forget that during one of such “hunger” protests and looting, even a signboard was uprooted and stolen. Some people just love to steal–hungry or not–and opportunities are now being offered to them.

Alhaji Aminu Dantata told a story of how his father’s wealth, then transported on the backs of donkeys, got missing when the donkeys ran off while his aides accompanying the wealth were asleep. A public announcement was made, and six weeks later they were found without a single coin lost. And the lack then was greater than what it is now.

And when you look at the looters, hardly do you see signs of responsibility in them; they most likely will take the loot to the markets to sell. They are the types you see springing up from nowhere selling fuel by the roadsides whenever there is a scarcity.

The problem with instigating such people either to cause discomfort to the government or even to derail it is that they are Frankenstein Monsters that would end up as no good to anyone.

But these monsters may not attack the houses of the “big men” first because of many factors, among which are the elitist and urban nature of their environments, and thus enhanced security. But most importantly, because the middle class, which has largely thinned out, is a buffer between them and the monsters.

For decades now, some people have been saying Nigeria has no middle class. Is it possible? It is as if they are saying from zero to 100, nothing in-between. Is that possible? Even at the speed of light, one has to go through those steps. In between the have-nots and the bourgeoisie, there are those hanging there either through hauling themselves by their bootstraps or because of some connections. They are not quite down there and yet not up there.

If you can afford a house, rent a flat for your family, pay your children’s school fees, and take care of your basic needs and those of your dependents, then you are not at the bottom of the rung, though you are not with them at the top. You are, therefore, somewhere in the middle. In that category, you could be lower-middle-class, middle-middle-class or upper-middle-class. They have to pass you before they can reach the “big man.” The rampagers will easily and quickly get the middle-class man because the distance between them is very small.

Therefore, people like us will be the first casualties. While we are just a little above them by the grace of God, they see us as their enemies, not knowing our daily struggles for survival. To them, we are part of the enemy because we do not live in a “face-me-I-face-you” type of compound; we own cars, but they do not know we are auto mechanics’ best friends, and our children perhaps go to private schools where we practically bleed from every vein to pay their extortionate fees.

But after us, surely, they will come for the “big men”. And they will get many of them because not all can escape abroad with their families. And even if they flee with their immediate families, they must leave behind more family members and property than those taken.

We must not continue to let the ominous dark clouds gather. Something urgent has to be done.

I have lost hope in the Nigeria Labour Congress to come to the rescue. I do not know what has happened, but since their top man was beaten blue and black sometime back in Owerri, their thinking has been somehow. I do not know if he had seen the right doctor, but imagine them asking for a basic salary of ₦794,000 a month!

The issue is the money for that is simply not there, but even if it is, paying such an amount to less than two percent of the population is untenable because inflation would spiral out of control, afflicting the entire population. In Nigeria, unlike other countries, when there is as little as a ten percent salary increase, the prices of goods and services rise by at least twenty per cent, rubbishing the increase.

Moreover, in a country where the private sector that employs the bulk of the people is gasping for breath, where do they get the extra cash to pay such an amount as salary? The private sector will simply go under, and the people roaming the streets without jobs to even “manage” their lives will exponentially increase. Have we ever thought of the security implications even as we are currently being overwhelmed by security challenges?

Anyone genuinely interested in the welfare of workers, and indeed Nigerians, should do well to proffer solutions that would boost our economy and strengthen our currency and not suggestions that would bastardise our economy and drive the naira’s value further down. And that is what salary increase portends now.

Methinks Labour would join the federal and state governments in making our youths self-dependent and employable by teaching them trade skills. As a trade union with many affiliates, where has Labour last spoken about the moribund textile industries, for instance, which would provide hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs if revived?

The government must reduce the cost of governance and the unimaginable take-home pay of political leaders and redirect the excess towards production. We must become a productive nation that eats, drives and wears what it produces. This is the only way to think if we want the dark clouds to clear.

But, is it a problem in the North only? No, if left unchecked, the looming dark clouds will cover the entire nation, as we shall eventually see in the next edition.

Hassan Gimba is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime.

Opinion

The Log in Your Eye, by Hassan Gimba

Published

5 days ago

October 13, 2024

august24admin

The Log in Your Eye, by Hassan Gimba

There is a phrase that has gained widespread currency across the world: “Physician, heal thyself.”

Not many know it is a biblical proverb and a direct quote from Jesus (AS). He said, “You will surely say to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself’: do here in your country what we have heard was done in Capernaum.”

This phrase is similar to another quote from Jesus in Matthew 7:3-5: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.”

Unfortunately, instead of adhering to these timeless exhortations by Jesus (AS), those who are supposedly his acclaimed adherents feel they are too important to heed such urgings and the laws of their lands because they are The Chosen, God’s Favourites!

They consider themselves “different”—people with specially created souls—while viewing the rest of us as “goyim”; people without souls, fabricated to serve them. While they make the law and its custodians bow and tremble before them, we are held spellbound in front of those custodians who trade justice to the powerful and the highest bidder while trampling over us, hewers of wood and drawers of water, the wretched of the earth.

This is why some individuals, who can at best be described as “accidental” leaders, forget that they are where they are courtesy of God, who grants such positions to whom He wishes—not because they are any better than the next person.

With their heads in the clouds, their brains supplanted with those of donkeys, and therefore insensate to citizens’ sufferings, some of these leaders keep braying their right to ride roughshod over the laws but cry foul when they find themselves on the receiving end.

About two weeks ago, I had cause to call out a governor – who, but for Atiku Abubakar, would have been defeated by a political Amazonian – for accusing some people in the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) of “bastardising” democracy. In contrast, he is shamelessly in cahoots with those blinded by the love of filthy lucre and inordinate ambition to destroy the party that made them what they are.

As if that drama was not enough, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) last week regaled us with tales that the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara was not obeying court orders and, therefore, peace would continue to elude the state.

He declared: “I was a governor; I have always obeyed the rule of law. You heard the governor say that our state is turning into a state of anarchy where people do not obey the rule of law.

“You must obey the judgement of the court. You must not take the law into your hands. The moment you don’t obey court judgement, you are inviting anarchy; you are inviting violence,” Wike said on national television. But has Wike always obeyed the lawful orders of the court—especially in a country where living above the law is the true mark of a big man?

For the record, Wike was one of the best governors at obeying court orders in the breach, and now, as minister, he is behaving true to type.

In 2018, Governor Wike disobeyed the court’s judgement to pay teachers their salaries immediately. In February 2016, he stopped the salaries of almost 300 primary and secondary school teachers working in the demonstration schools of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, and Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, leading to litigation and protests.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, on June 26, 2018, granted the reliefs sought by the teachers, holding that the teachers’ employment was valid. It ruled that the stoppage of the payment of their salaries by the state government was unlawful and awarded the cost of ₦2 million to the claimants, to be paid within 30 days.

The government of Wike appealed the industrial court judgement at the Court of Appeal, which struck it out in October 2020. One year later (making it five years), the Rivers State government had not obeyed the court judgement.

Or is it about choosing which court to obey? In August 2016, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, issued an interlocutory order postponing the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) convention until September 7. However, Wike did not like it and obtained another judgment from a Port Harcourt High Court, allowing the convention to proceed.

In May 2024, a claimant in an Abuja High Court case asked that the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the director of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Mukhtar Galadima, be imprisoned for disobeying court orders.

Still, in another legal notice, the defendants were put on alert that they must provide reasons why an order of attachment should not be issued for “an order for committal to prison of the 3rd and 4th defendants/contemnors, represented by Nyesom Wike and Mukhtar Galadima, for having disobeyed the order of this court made on the 18th day of October 2023 enjoining and restraining them from tampering with the rest of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

The matter was an offshoot of demolition activities in Abuja.

Yet, in October 2023, despite a court ruling, Wike ordered the demolition of a multi-billion-naira property next to Gbajabiamila’s residence. The property, owned by Shrodder Nigeria Limited, is located in the Cadastral Zone of Maitama District.

Just a month later, the National Industrial Court in Abuja began contempt proceedings against Minister Wike and others over the alleged disregard of a series of court orders. The court had affirmed Faruk Abubakar as managing director and chief executive officer of Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML), while the minister refused to accept him.

In Form 48 marked NICN/ABJ/62/2023 and filed on November 3, entitled: “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court,” the application read: “Take notice that unless you (the defendants) obey the orders and directions contained in the judgement of a court on July 20 and the order of this Honourable Court made on July 26, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

To be continued.

Hassan Gimba, anipr, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.

Opinion

The Arbiter: Re-readers’ comments (1)

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

august24admin

From time to time, we try to give way to our readers to make their voices heard through their input. Well, it has been quite a while since we did that. We will start serialising such inputs.

Nigeria and Presidential Democracy: Any Better Alternative?

I enjoyed reading this. I wish it didn’t end. Sannu da kokari, Sir. I hope and pray that everyone who reads this, including our lawmakers and other segments that make up the government, brood over this.

We are a people whose identity is being lost every day, while the new one we have borrowed is yet to be understood not to imagine working for us. As a result, as you rightly pointed out, we are neither here nor there. Sad.

Much as I believe in a united Nigeria, I fear aligning with others who see the marriage between the Northern and Southern parts of this country as one of inconvenience. Marriage, like any other relationship, works out well only where the parties involved sincerely understand, accommodate, honour and respect one another, and agree not to undermine the other. This is not the case with us.

I fear adding that, except for the Southwest, other regions have continued to be further divided by varying interests, most of which are ethnic and religious in nature. We must find a way out, and that way out should preferably be homegrown. More ink to your golden pen, sir.

Yahaya Abdulrahman

Wow! My brother Dr. Gimba, sir, we appreciate you very much for the superb and quality journalism. You are making impacts continuously. Thank you for your everlasting support for the citizens and for advocating for a great Nigeria.
Dr Umar Baba Blisco

Very interesting and well-written. We’re following with keen interest. More ink to your pen, sir.

Yusuf Lawan

Not simple research, wonderful and so interesting.

Keen Fahad

May Allah bless you with all the happiness this world has to offer. Keep tears away from your eyes and grant you the highest level of Jannatul Firdaus.

Highly educative piece. It means Nigeria has experimented with many forms of democracy in different fashions, including the “hybrid regime”. Perhaps trying the Switzerland type of direct democracy where citizens are at the pinnacle of power could offer the best of options for Nigeria. Alternatively, a system that could accommodate our peculiarities should be developed, not necessarily copying from the Western world that has no consideration for diversities. Just my opinion, sir. Allah ya kara maka basira.

Abubakar Habib Ndagi

This is deep, sir. All the questions you raised and probably more need to be answered. On my part, I believe that continuing this way will only aggravate our problems. So, we have to look deeply inward. While awaiting the continuation of this rich piece, and soonest, I pray Allah continues to bless your pen, so it continues to pen down informative, educative and problem-solving articles such as the one I just read.

Yahaya Abdulrahman

Your doggedness on contemporary issues in our land is unmatched. The articles are current no matter the duration. Bless you, Editor!

Raymond Gukas

Scamming NGOs and the need for government intervention
Good observation about this NGO, but corruption in this country will not allow us to checkmate them properly. I pray the two NGOs you mentioned will be honest and brave to stand their ground in checking their activities properly and, secondly; I believe if Nigeria as a whole can address this corruption, all other things will fall in shape.
Sqd Ldr (retd) Hajara Kolo

Good evening, Mr. Gimba. I just read your article posted above. It is brutally honest. Thank you. However I will advise a different approach considering that the government is also given to bad behaviour. Donors should give conditions that grants should be distributed to sub-grantees using the same currency in which they receive the grant so that they don’t underpay the beneficiaries.
However, I salute your courage.
Mr Ajibola

Elite Brigandage and Tinubu’s Class Suicide
This is an interesting submission on the state of the nation. The issues discussed therein are the true situation of things in our dear country and if not for writers like (Dr.) Gimba, one hardly hears a discussion on vital aspects of our societal lives like these, especially those that require reflection and pondering. Time will tell if President Bola Tinubu will differ from his predecessors if the trial of some notable Nigerians is political or otherwise. May Allah reward you for the enlightenment. Thank you, sir.
Yusuf Nasidi

El-Rufai and the trek to posterity
This is a beautiful piece, worthy of a cable view. God bless you, sir, for this.
Begun Onibiyo

Honestly, El-Rufai is harvesting what he sowed, because of ego, he condemned the northern elders, and killed innocent Shiite members on several occasions, all in an attempt to twist Tinubu, after clinching power, thank God! Tinubu has taught him a lesson of betrayal and Gov Uba Sani, is doing the right thing by informing the masses of the state of the destroyed economy he inherited. You’ve said all in this commendable article, more grease to your elbow. Your assessment of El-Rufai and his son’s thoughts pointed out his true colour and the consequences of selfishness in choosing successors.
Malam Umar

One standard hospital per state
Very interesting. Sir, I don’t think our so-called leaders who are supposed to be addressed and called looters can do such in the country and the worst of it is the third ingredient (manpower) would not allow such investment to be for the public.
Bilyaminu Z Mamu

May Allah grant you complete healing, sir. I took my mum to Makkah Saudi German in December 2023. All you wrote about the hospital is exactly as it is. Just the way you are received alone will psychologically boost your healing mechanism and I feel they are affordable, too. We pray our government and wealthy Nigerians we have will invest in health care.

Hajiya Husseina Babaninna

This is a very common-sense suggestion that our leaders have ignored so far. Both Federal and state governments. I don’t know what they discuss at the Governors’ Forum meetings. Or at the Association of Local Government Chairmen’s meetings.
Ezekiel Oloriegbe

Yes, sir. We do. So unfortunate that the Governors have no time to care for the health of their citizens. They have nothing to lose. Their health issues have been taken care of. They can be taken to the best hospitals ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. They always forget their relatives who are also ordinary citizens. So sad. The self-certainedness (I hope there is a word like this) of these so-called leaders.
Hajiya Rakiya Idi

Our Parlous Health System and the Yobe Example
Lagos is moving out of this rot gradually. Not there yet, but Lagos now attracts the best medical personnel and also enjoys good patronage because of world-class health facilities in areas of the state. Not cheap though!
Ade Adebola

It gladdens my heart to know that Yobe State has gone this far in terms of good healthcare delivery, especially at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital. I pray this is sustained and expanded to other hospitals in the state. Governor Mai Mala Buni has indeed set the pace; other states have a less task in improving theirs as an example is already on the ground. Dr Hassan Gimba is an illustrious son of Yobe, who always derives pleasure from seeing the state moving forward. At every discussion one has with him, you will understand that he has the state at heart. This week’s column has further demonstrated that. In fairness to him, he is the only one I’ve read who cares to tell the world these facts about Yobe. May Allah continue to bless Yobe with people like you.
Yusuf Nasidi

Opinion

The Global Patriot Newspapers’ Dialogue on the theme: “The Media of the Future: Bridging the Gap Between the West and People of African Descent” was held on Friday, September 20, 2024, as a side event of the Black Futures Summit convened on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future.

Published

3 weeks ago

September 30, 2024

august24admin

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The international meeting, attended by personalities from the media, government, civil society, and academia, emphasized the importance of media representation for people of African descent worldwide.

It also addressed the need for Africa and people of African descent generally to rebrand journalism for effective mass communication and to build influential international media platforms to close the wide gaps existing between the media of people of African descent and the media of the West. It focused on the future of people of African descent and the role of the media in shaping a new narrative about the potentials of African peoples worldwide. It emphasized the importance of people of African descent controlling their own stories, changing negative narratives about themselves, and having a clear vision for a better future.

The meeting criticized the tendency to repeat negative portrayals of people of African descent from Western media and called for media professionals to elevate their game to gain more respect and credibility. The speakers highlighted the issue of low trust in African media and the reliance on Western media sources by media platforms in the continent and elsewhere. The conversations ended with a call for African peoples to take control of their own destiny and to be proactive in shaping their future.

The panelists included Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Group; Simon Kolawole, Founder and Publisher of TheCable Newspaper; Yul Anderson, President of the African American Future Society (TAAFS), Laolu Akande, Editor-in-Chief of Empowered Newswire and host of ‘Inside Sources…’ on Channels TV; Nicky C. Spencer-Coker, Spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN; Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chair/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM); Toyin Umesiri, CEO of Nazaru, LLC, USA; and Professor Akil Khalfani, Director of Africana Institute, Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

The issues covered included:

1. Explore ways to develop and support African-owned media platforms

2. Focus on wealth creation and business education content for African and black audiences

3. Prioritize covering of African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and its potential for wealth creation

4. Invest in capacity building of and education for African journalists,

5. Develop strategies for incorporating artificial intelligence in journalism

6. Create a collaborative network for sharing positive African stories

7. Reduce reliance on Western news agencies for African content

8. Promote Diaspora investment opportunities in African media

9. Focus on telling African success stories and highlighting positive developments

10. Develop African-centered critiques of global issues and events

11. Improve working conditions and timely payment for journalists in media owned by people of African descent

12. Create global pan-Africa media platforms

13. Increase coverage of African diaspora communities worldwide

14. Educate African media professionals on African history and cultural views

15. Continue the dialogue on changing media narratives of people of African descent to combat disinformation and promote positive stories.

In a goodwill message delivered by Laolu Akande, the immediate-past Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, expressed support for the meeting and commended the efforts of Simon Ibe, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Global Patriot Newspapers and convener of the Dialogue, in promoting African courses and encouraged him to sustain the efforts.

Ably co-moderated by Tunde Akindele and Professor M.O. Ene, the meeting involved a diverse group of attendees, including senior journalists, scholars, clerics, activists, community leaders and family members, such as Pastor (Dr.) Toyin Laoye, Regional Pastor, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Americas 1, in charge of New Jersey and Vermont; Chief Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser, Media & Publicity to Nigeria’s ex-president Muhammadu Buhari; Dr. Remi Alapo, professor of Black Studies and Cultural Diversity, City University of New York (CUNY); and Mr. Eze Anaba, president, Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE).

Also present were Professor James Small, a scholar activist, pan Africanist, former bodyguard to Malcolm X, International Vice President, Organization of Afro-American Unity (O.A.A.U.) and Int’l Vice President of World African Diaspora Union (WADU); Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, Lagos-based lawyer and leader, Credibility Group; Isaac Umunna, publisher of News Express online and Business Express magazine; Sufuyan Ojeifo, publisher, The Conclave; Prince Onochie Jon-Igwesi, publisher of Pacesetter magazine; Dr. Adeola Popoola, president of NIDO, New Jersey chapter; Chief Uzoma Nwagwu; Mr. Shawn Yearwood; Mr. Garfield Simpson; Mrs. Olanike Awoleye, CEO, Lord & Nike’s LLC; Mr. Obi Emekekue, former United Nations, New York correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); Mrs. Grace Yusuf, former NAN Deputy Editor-in-Chief; Prof. Mondy Gold, president, Ijaw Diaspora Council and chairman, NADECO USA; Surveyor Jide Adeyemo; Engineer (Mrs.) Temi Boyo-Aboderin; Publishers Emmanuel Malagu, Yemisi Izuora, Remmy Nweke, and Emmanuel Enebeli; Pastor Olatunji Jegede; Deacon Sunday Ode; Ms. Lilly Anyanwu; and family members, including Mrs. Florence Ibe, Sir (Architect) Linus and Dr. Mrs. Stella Korieocha, Sir Lawrence Ibe, Princess Caroline Onyesonwu, and Chief Dike & Lolo Maureen Ogbuehi.

In his closing remarks, Simon Ibe thanked everyone for participating and expressed gratitude for the insightful discussions, assuring that there would be a follow-up soon.