OLABODE IBIYINKA JUDGED

It works like this. A man (almost always, a man!) corruptly enriches himself. The law catches up with him and when he eventually manipulates his way through the system, his handlers organise a massive rally to welcome home their “illustrious son – in a show of “People Power”. But ex-Governor and retired top Naval Officer Olabode George took it one step further. After gorging on the resources of the Nigeria Ports Authority, on which board he served as chairman, and for years escaped justice, he finally had his day in court. He turned every hearing into a carnival, with aso-ebi clad supporters singing and dancing in the court premises. It was clearly a veiled attempt to use corrupted “People Power” to intimidate the judiciary.

The first day of August has come to acquire a certain significance in my life since that Monday, 26 years ago, when I became a father. We had had to wait more than two years, two years that seemed like eternity, two years during which questions were already being asked and accusing fingers being furtively pointed in the usual direction! Thank God, nobody needed to publicly recant of their opinions. The rapidity of the “follow-ups” took care of that.

This August 1, however, registered a different kind of significance. One of my favourite international figures died. The woman died. The woman you could say gave the world “People Power” died. Corazon Aquino, one time President of the Philippines died, felled by colon cancer at 76.

The woman Filipinos liked to call “Cory” and “People Power” came to my mind during the week as I reflected on the trial, conviction, march to jail and, refusal of bail (for now, at least) of Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, well-known chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a Lagos High Court. Wondering about the connection? Here goes.

Corazon was married to a certain journalist turned politician, Benigno. As leader of the opposition in their country, he had become a threat to the status quo. So, Ferdinand Marcos threw him into jail and assumed full dictatorial powers in 1972. Undaunted, Benigno, with the full backing of his wife, became the icon of democratic struggles in the Philippines. Some seven or so years later, he went on exile to the United States, where he continued the struggle. On August 22, 1983, he began the fateful journey home from exile to continue the campaign for democracy. He never made it. He was shot right on the gangway of the aircraft on landing at destination. Dream determined? No way. It was dream deferred. Deferred for about two years; the period it took the devout catholic wife of the murdered hero, to acquiesce to the will of the people that she stepped into the shoes of her husband.

She finally did, when Marcos, the over-confident dictator, called a snap election in November 1985. Cory became the opposition candidate, filling her nomination form as a housewife. The election which held three months later was called for Marcos. Cory’s supporters knew differently and would have none of it. They poured into the streets, a million strong, clad in their candidate’s favourite yellow colour. Led by rosary-wielding nuns, they stared down Marcos’ armoured tanks chanting “Cory! Cory!! Cory!!!” Four days of sustained, but peaceful street protests later, the military joined the masses and the dictator scampered out of Manila to exile in Hawaii. Cory assumed leadership of her country and “People Power” was born – with a lot of help from the Church, the dominant catholic wing of it.

“People Power” in several variants, has in the 23 years since Cory inspired it, been put to effective use against vote-rigging and dictatorships in many places – from Poland, former Czechoslovakia and Thailand to, Taiwan, Mongolia and Ukraine. But, although apartheid fell to it in the Republic of South Africa, it is yet to chalk up much success on the continent.

In Nigeria, in spite of several attempts, including the recent series of marches put together in several cities by the Nigeria Labour Congress and its civil society allies, in opposition to government’s planned downstream oil sector deregulation, canvassing increase in the minimum wage for workers and electoral reforms; “People Power” is yet to chalk up any major victory. The “whys” of that would have to wait another day. “People Power” of the manipulated kind, however, seemed to be catching on in this nation. The Abacha million-man march easily comes to mind here. But, there’s an even more nauseating manifestation of this variant and that is the reason for this musing of mine.

It works like this. A man (almost always, a man!) corruptly enriches himself. The law catches up with him and when he eventually manipulates his way through the system, his handlers organise a massive rally to welcome home their “illustrious son – in a show of “People Power”. But ex-Governor and retired top Naval Officer Olabode George took it one step further. After gorging on the resources of the Nigeria Ports Authority, on which board he served as chairman, and for years escaped justice, he finally had his day in court. He turned every hearing into a carnival, with aso-ebi clad supporters singing and dancing in the court premises. It was clearly a veiled attempt to use corrupted “People Power” to intimidate the judiciary. It failed, thanks to the courage of a judge who chose to align with the dictum of the progressive school of adjudication – “let justice be done, even if the heavens fall.” Would that there were more judges like him – particularly on the higher benches!

It was a clear demonstration of these wise words of the Bible: “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them” (Proverbs 28:4). A section of the people, obviously suborned, forsook the law and celebrated the wicked. But mercifully, a judge chose justice and contended with the wicked. “George Cross” is a decoration that the English used to award to civilians who exhibit bravery. Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, who judged George, deserves such a medal. So, by the way, does the as yet not-widely-accepted Mrs Farida Waziri, current chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who in spite of “threat, blackmail and pressure” treaded where predecessor Nuhu Ribadu dared not. And Nuhu, legend has it, was a brave man!

TELECOMS: A NIGERIAN STORY WITHOUT NIGERIANS? (3)

We emphasised, however, “that the issue of integrity is critical…because…if there is a grave national drought in Nigeria; it is in the integrity department. And I am sure you and I know it. I know also that Dr Omolayole knows it; otherwise, he would not have raised it...So, whilst we debate the glass ceilings and the consumer statistics, I wish to state that we need to take a closer look at the subject of integrity in the work place, at ALL levels. This is because, I believe in the injunction of the Bible that says, ‘…if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged’ (1 Corinthians 11:31).”

The paradox of a burgeoning telecommunication sector in Nigeria with no Nigerian in the cockpit of the top corporate players was recently highlighted by IT& Telecoms Digest. We have said that the situation brought to the fore by the recent replacement of ‘the last Nigerian standing’, Zain’s Bayo Ligali, with a foreigner, is a powerful reminder of the situation among the multinationals, about which Dr Michael Omolayole raised issues early last year.

In drawing attention to the development, Omolayole, a one-time CEO of Lever Brothers Plc, a multinational now known as Unilever, had raised a number of questions similar to those being raised or implied by the IT journal as it affects the telecoms sector. We had encapsulated the questions into two main ones, namely: “Is a glorious chapter of Nigerian history being written without Nigerians and if so, should we be worried?”

Given that even companies in the sector owned by Nigerians have not proven nationalistic in their choice of helmsmen, however, we thought to beginning by asking why? The ‘why’ question became even more important with the magazine’s expose of the fact that many of the companies that have closed shop, unable to benefit from the boom in the sector were Nigerian-run. This was why we found ourselves asking these questions: Could it therefore be that a fear of losing their investments or of failing to maximise their returns is the reason Nigerians are not being considered as CEOs? Is such fear founded on empirical evidence? If it is, is it the result of paucity of technical expertise, or competence, or experience or integrity, or a combination of some or all of these? Or are there other factors?

It is incontrovertible that no rational group of investors will put someone at the head of their management team without consideration of his/her ability to ensure healthy returns on their investment. It is therefore certain that in choosing CEO, protection of investment and maximization of profit, rather than any primordial consideration have pride of place. So, it stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if a preponderance of Nigerians who have executive-managed telecoms outfits have ran them aground, business barons would avoid them, plague-like?

Now, if it is implied that more Nigerian helmsmen have failed in this booming sector; what factors are responsible? I make bold to say that it cannot be technical expertise because, as the telecoms digest explained, most of the foreigners in charge do not have engineering knowledge being mainly of either management and accounting pedigree. Also, competence, as in capability and effectiveness can hardly be a problem. Competent Nigerians abound in virtually every aspect of life. Many have and continue to make their marks internationally. Ligali, for instance, was head-hunted by Celtel, which became Zain Nigeria, from Unilever where he had headed its operations in a number of countries. There may well seem to be a bit of challenge with industry experience, which cannot be of great moment, since corporate management expertise is supposed to be industry-blind. That leaves our ‘why’ checklist with only one item, integrity. And that is one issue about which, I truly wish I could be as dismissive as I have been with other factors.

In our commentary on Dr Omolayole’s 2008 newspaper article lamenting the displacement of Nigerians from multinational companies executive suites, we noted that the most critical of the posers he raised was the one he couched in these words: “Are all Nigerian top managers non-performing or adjudged by expatriates to be bitten by the bug of lack of integrity?” (Emphasis added).

We aligned then with Omolayole’s other concerns articulated in these questions: “What future projections can we make? Has it occurred to multinational owners of large manufacturing outfits, that 99 per cent of the consumers of their products are Nigerians? Is economic nationalism dead, killed by globalisation? Is there now an artificial glass ceiling in the Corporate Boardroom for nationals? That is, a level beyond, which nationals cannot rise. What answers could we possibly give to such questions from our children and grandchildren with regards to this phenomenon?” We also found no fault with his conclusion that: ‘The future of our great country still lies in its ability to harness the potential of its abundant human resources (Human Capital) at the very top levels, be it in Management or Public Service”.

We emphasised, however, “that the issue of integrity is critical…because…if there is a grave national drought in Nigeria; it is in the integrity department. And I am sure you and I know it. I know also that Dr Omolayole knows it; otherwise, he would not have raised it...So, whilst we debate the glass ceilings and the consumer statistics, I wish to state that we need to take a closer look at the subject of integrity in the work place, at ALL levels. This is because, I believe in the injunction of the Bible that says, ‘…if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged’ (1 Corinthians 11:31).”

We align, in the same way, with IT & Telecoms Digest’s concerns about the implications of shutting Nigerians out the cockpit of one of the most successful sectors of the economy and do wish that it be roundly addressed. But we also emphasise today, as we did then, that there is a need to check the “integrity quotient” of the Nigerian executive class - across the board. The corporate governance issues thrown up by the current controversial banking sector “reform”, as yet unproven as they are, do make it imperative that we take a look at this critical area of our national life. And this is not a job for governments; at least not exclusively. A vast majority of our political class is yet to demonstrate immunity to the “bug of lack of integrity.” This is therefore a job for the Church – where the bug, thanks to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, cannot acquire viral proportions. Then would Nigerians be the heroes of their own glorious story.

TELECOMS: A NIGERIAN STORY WITHOUT NIGERIANS? (2)

He followed his observations with a number of posers: “What has gone wrong and still going wrong? What exactly is happening? Have the majority owners of multinationals lost confidence in Nigerians? A situation where the two biggest Confectionery Companies, two biggest Breweries and two largest detergent companies are being managed by expatriates is worrisome. Are all Nigerian top managers non-performing or adjudged by expatriates to be bitten by the bug of lack of integrity?” There were more: “What future projections can we make? Has it occurred to multinational owners of large manufacturing outfits, that 99 per cent of the consumers of their products are Nigerians? Is economic nationalism dead, killed by globalisation? Is there now an artificial glass ceiling in the Corporate Boardroom for nationals? That is, a level beyond, which nationals cannot rise.

As we were saying, the Nigerian telecommunications sector has been so successful in the last eight years that many of us have had to occasionally pinch ourselves to reassure us that we are not indulging our fantasies! When I see the things that we now routinely do on phone, including “flashing” your children within the home to summon them, I wonder how we ever lived without the mobile phone. Add to the hardly calculable utility value these humongous numbers – 70 million lines from a maximum of 500,000 in 2001; foreign direct investment (FDI) of up to $12billion or N180 trillion at today’s exchange rate; hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs etc and you’ll agree we have nothing short of a miracle.

Here comes the puzzle. Why is the fastest growing telecommunications sector in Africa, and one of the top 10 in the world, run largely by foreigners? IT & Telecoms Digest, the magazine which triggered this had raised the puzzle in these words: “ironically, in spite of this monumental leap forward that the country has achieved in so short a time, it remains a puzzle why there are no Nigerians occupying the chief executive officer position in any of the telecoms companies in the country…In all, the percentage of CEOs of Nigerian extraction is less than 30 percent of the country’s industry total.” It is against this background that we pose the questions: “Is a glorious chapter of Nigerian history being written without Nigerians? If so, should we be worried?”

Before we attempt to find answers to these questions, however, it is pertinent at this juncture, to recall a piece, mentioned here last week, “Omolayole and Integrity in Corporate Governance”. It was a commentary on an article by Dr Michael Omolayole, a highly respected management expert and consultant titled, “Corporate Management: More Questions Than Answers.” In that piece the erudite management scholar had raised similar questions about the dominance of foreigners in the leadership cadre of major companies, particularly multinationals in Nigeria. He recalled how during “the last quarter of the 19th Century to the early 70s of the 20th Century” conglomerates and multinationals in Nigeria “were managed by expatriate personnel especially at the top” and how “the Indigenisation Act in Nigeria in the 70s helped in no small measure to change the status quo.” As a result of that law, he said that “where there was only one Nigerian CEO of a Multinational Company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange” in 1973, “by 1980, the picture had changed. The country had four or five Nigerians who were CEOs of multinational companies quoted on the Stock Exchange. By 1990, the country probably reached the highest number and quality in terms of progress made”.

Omolayole then noted, much like the writers of IT &Telecom Digest’s current cover story now do about the their sector: “However, between 1990 and 2000, some large multinationals somehow did not seem to find it easy to sustain an indigenous management succession or decided outright to turn back the hand of the clock. Some of these companies are Guinness Nigeria Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, and Nestle Nigeria Plc. We are now more than half way into the first decade of the 21st Century and the picture is more gloomy. Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, WAPCO and PZ Industries have joined the groups that are now managed at the very top by expatriates”.

He followed his observations with a number of posers: “What has gone wrong and still going wrong? What exactly is happening? Have the majority owners of multinationals lost confidence in Nigerians? A situation where the two biggest Confectionery Companies, two biggest Breweries and two largest detergent companies are being managed by expatriates is worrisome. Are all Nigerian top managers non-performing or adjudged by expatriates to be bitten by the bug of lack of integrity?” There were more: “What future projections can we make? Has it occurred to multinational owners of large manufacturing outfits, that 99 per cent of the consumers of their products are Nigerians? Is economic nationalism dead, killed by globalisation? Is there now an artificial glass ceiling in the Corporate Boardroom for nationals? That is, a level beyond, which nationals cannot rise. What answers could we possibly give to such questions from our children and grandchildren with regards to this phenomenon?”

More questions than answers, no doubt, but let’s at least attempt answers to our earlier posers on the telecoms industry and see if it illuminates our path through this valley of decision. Is a glorious chapter of Nigerian history being written without Nigerians? It is easy to respond to this in the affirmative, because for the moment, from ownership to management, the industry is dominated by foreigners.

Interestingly, even most Nigerian-owned companies in the sector are executive-managed by foreigners. But to answer the second question, we must contend with the question: why do the investors prefer to install expatriates in their executive suites? This is a particularly important question because even the IT& Telecoms Digest article contained this unflattering piece of information: “Many telecom companies started the communications journey but few have survived the telecom boom period. In the same market where some companies have been reaping their gains in bounties, others have faltered mid-way into the race. They have either gone extinct or are barely clutching on to floating straws on the water surface for survival. These companies have a common denominator – they were once run by Nigerians!”
Could it therefore be that a fear of losing their investments or of failing to maximise their returns is the reason Nigerians are not being considered as CEOs? Is such fear founded on empirical evidence? If it is, is it the result of paucity of technical expertise, or competence, or experience or integrity, or a combination of some or all of these? Or are there other factors? (CONTINUES)

TELECOMS: A NIGERIAN STORY WITHOUT NIGERIANS?

Now - back to the issue at hand. In the words of the IT & Telecoms Digest report, “ironically, in spite of this monumental leap forward that the country has achieved in so short a time, it remains a puzzle why there are no Nigerians occupying the chief executive officer position in any of the telecoms companies in the country…In all, the percentage of CEOs of Nigerian extraction is less than 30 percent of the country’s industry total.” Is a glorious chapter of Nigerian history being written without Nigerians? If so, should we be worried?

One of the most important items on my monthly reading fare is IT & Telecoms Digest; an all-gloss monthly magazine published by Ikeja, Lagos-based, Belmang Limited. It is a world-class publication that covers the information technology and telecommunications sector globally from an unabashedly Nigerian perspective. Proactive on issues affecting the sector and reasonably relaxed in its presentation, it manages to educate and inform me about Nigeria’s most deservedly celebrated success story. Now and again, it also sets me thinking about the Nigerian condition, our vast potentials and possibilities and our tendency to self-immolation. Its current cover choice did just that.

Headlined, “Black Versus White; Indigenous Versus Foreign, Picking CEOs for Nigerian Telecom Operations”, it highlighted the current situation in that vibrant sector as it applies to headship of the major operators. Obviously triggered by the departure of the only Nigerian CEO among the top-six companies, Mr Bayo Ligali, until September 18, CEO of Zain Nigeria, the report should at least restart a debate on an issue we had raised in a piece, “Omolayole and Integrity In Corporate Governance” (March 26, 2008).

But first a few facts and figures as gleaned from the magazine. With about 70 million telephone users, Nigeria is the undisputed leader in subscriber numbers on the continent of Africa. This is a phenomenal rise from the paltry under-500,000 lines in use before the communication revolution of 2001, which began with the introduction of the global system of mobile telecommunication (GSM) that year. The growth is such that it has changed the face and turned the fortunes of the global industry. Admitting that much recently was no less a person than the incumbent Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, Dr Hamadoun Toure. On a visit to Abuja, Nigeria last month, Toure, a Malian and first African to hold that office, proudly declared: “For the past five years and the first time in 144 years, Africa was recognised as one of the best carriers of the ICT sector. Nigeria is currently the continent’s largest market. This did not just happen by chance. It required good leadership by government, good regulation that is independent and committed”.

Toure’s reference to good leadership and good regulation is incidentally one of the most important single achievements of democratic governance yet. Beginning with the issuance of licenses through an auction that was universally acknowledged as one of the most transparent ever, the National Communications Communication, NCC has continued to attract commendation internationally. This might explain why current Nigerian Information and Communications Minister, Professor Dora Akunyili, in spite of the widely known frosty relationship between her and Engr Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, had to join the praise choir.

Receiving Toure in her office in Abuja, she was reported as saying: “I don’t want to miss congratulating the EVC of the NCC for the good job NCC has done in this country since 2001 – during the GSM auction which is still being celebrated in this country and the way they have ensured that growth is steady…” Interestingly, she had a cultural and statistical explanation for the unprecedented growth of telephony numbers in the country. After explaining that her motivation for wanting to “continue to work to ensure that we improve services,” was “so that we have service that Nigerians can smile and be happy about”, she noted that “the average Nigerian is ready to skip lunch to buy airtime (because) we spend a lot of time on telephone. In fact some people culturally pick up the telephone and praise God first, which is wonderful, and then ask after your family before discussing the issue. That is why 10 subscribers in the US or Britain equals one subscriber in Nigeria.”

The success story in this sector, however, goes beyond the number of telephone users or any ministerial mathematics. Nigerian operators have begun to think beyond that. Globacom, a wholly owned Nigerian company is leading penetration into other countries in the West African sub-region with presence in Benin Republic, roll-out imminent in Ghana and, Cote d’Ivoire a near possibility. The same company recently landed Glo-1, its submarine cable system in Nigeria, a world first by a single company; existing such systems being consortia affairs. Another submarine project Main One by another full-blooded Nigerian company, Main One Technologies is on the way. These are massive heavy data capable systems that will connect Nigeria to virtually every part of the world. Within the country itself thousands of fibre optic cable lines are being laid including MTN Nigeria’s 3,400 kilometre Y’ello Bahn launched much earlier.

Nor is Nigeria’s newfound ICT leadership in Africa only region-deep. At international ICT forums, the country provides leadership. In a preview of the ITU WORLD 2009 in the magazine, Dennis Onwuegbu recalled how the Nigerian pavilion at the ITU Africa congress in Cairo, Egypt last year drew one of the highest numbers of visitors. He wrote in part: “the green and white colours of Nigeria which was conspicuously hoisted inside the expansive Cairo International Conference Centre became a major attraction throughout the four-day event. And the presence of Nigerian government officials, operators including the country’s two leading computer manufacturers – Zinox and Omatek; industry regulator, NCC; a financial institution, Access Bank; and an overwhelming number of ICT journalists were all that the country needed to make the difference at the event.”

Now - back to the issue at hand. In the words of the IT & Telecoms Digest report, “ironically, in spite of this monumental leap forward that the country has achieved in so short a time, it remains a puzzle why there are no Nigerians occupying the chief executive officer position in any of the telecoms companies in the country…In all, the percentage of CEOs of Nigerian extraction is less than 30 percent of the country’s industry total.” Is a glorious chapter of Nigerian history being written without Nigerians? If so, should we be worried? (CONTINUES)

BETWEEN SURVIVING AND THRIVING

Now, there are many reasons why we are a surviving rather than a thriving nation. One of them is the dearth of people-loving leadership. The golden age of Nigeria was the era of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello and they succeeded because they loved their people enough to want the very best for them. It is that kind of leadership that we must seek to enthrone if we will have anything to celebrate next year.

FIFTY weeks from now, Nigeria will be 50, if the Lord tarries. You can be sure that the golden milestone would be celebrated with considerable fanfare, regardless of the achievements, or lack of it, of the nation over the period. If media debates about the state of the nation at 49 offer any guide, there are probably as many people who think we definitely have reasons to celebrate as think otherwise.

I personally agree with those who say we do not have any cause to celebrate the last anniversary, particularly because, it would have been insensitivity at its worst for us to roll out the drums with our universities shut to industrial dispute, among other socio-economic challenges. But, shall we have cause to celebrate our golden jubilee in October 2010? Frankly, I think it would depend on what we do or fail to do in the brief intervening period? For those with a statistical bent, that is to say, we have one week to redeem each year of our national life yet! And that’s almost ludicrous, isn’t it? But haven’t there been famous injury time redemptions as in football before? Besides, I am a Bible-believing Christian - I believe in miracles.

But I am not going to talk about miracles today. I want to talk about authority, my authority and yours as believers to change things around us. Many of us might recall the four-part series, “Open Letter to Kingdom Persons” published here recently. In it, I tried to draw our attention or remind us, as the case might be, of the unfortunate prevalence of sons of God living the lives of servants. We pointed out that God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of sons, not servants or slaves; that everyone who you are a son of God if you are led by the Holy Spirit. If you are born again, you are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit already, because without the Holy Spirit working on your heart, you wouldn’t have accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ, in the first place. Implicit in sonship is authority; the kind that servants do not have.

It is this theme that struck me as I reflected on the potentials of our nation as we approach 50. As I write this, ours is a surviving nation. A survivor, as Pastor George Pearson of Kenneth Copeland’s Eagles Mountain Church recently said, is only one step above the dead. In other words, any deterioration in a survivor’s case automatically leads to death. Yet, given the abundant resources it has pleased God to locate within our geopolitical boundary, we should be a thriving nation. We should be that land flowing with milk and honey, far, far, far above death.

Now, there are many reasons why we are a surviving rather than a thriving nation. One of them is the dearth of people-loving leadership. The golden age of Nigeria was the era of Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello and they succeeded because they loved their people enough to want the very best for them. It is that kind of leadership that we must seek to enthrone if we will have anything to celebrate next year. How to do it? Let’s enforce our spiritual authority as sons of God to speak what we want into manifestation. No other strategy can beat that.

RE: A NATION DOUBLY BEREAVED
When Nigeria’s Flying Eagles crashed out of the Under-21 World Cup last Wednesday night, my mind flashed to an article “A Nation Doubly Bereaved” (Kingdom Perspective, September 13, 2009), the conclusion of which was lost to gremlin, the printer’s devil. I think the last few paragraphs of the piece can bear repetition. So, here goes:

Interestingly, it is not often that they (football administrators) manifest ineptitude. Sometimes they even strive to get it right, throw money around, organise friendly matches etc, yet things don’t work. Take the (Super Eagles’) match against Tunisia. Do you think those boys didn’t know what was at stake? Do you think they do not want to go to the World Cup - with all that it would do for their career? Are they not experienced enough to know what to do to defend their one goal advantage five minutes to a crucial match? Think again.

Dr Adeleke Olaiya, President, Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), I believe, put his finger right on it, when he said during the week “that our football problem is intricately spiritual and we must apologise to Ibrahim Galadima, former Nigeria Football Association (NFA) boss for all Nigerians wronged him by disgracing him out of office with just no cause. If he was unable to take us to the World Cup, who will? This is the bitter truth and I stand to be challenged. Nigeria must not be careless with her spiritual life by taking things for granted, we must be sensitive in our public life and ask for forgiveness from God. Then our football will wake up with genuine developmental agenda. God will be with us and give strength to our leaders.”

Save for the fact that the injustice in our football predated the Galadima episode, and has not ceased since, I am absolutely in agreement with Olaiya. The point is this. It is an inviolable moral and spiritual law that you cannot build something on nothing. One of my dear readers, Mr Akintunde Makinde once put it very powerfully on this page in a similar context. Quoting Charles Spurgeon he said “You cannot steal a goose and offer God the gosling” and added “Amalekite oxen are unacceptable as burnt offering. Might is not right but right is right. This is the way forward for the country.”

Gani (Fawehinmi) died a day before our World Cup dreams died. Gani was a source of succour and hope for the common man. So is football. While we can keep Gani’s essence alive by picking up the gauntlet against greed, which is the father of virtually all other vices, we can resuscitate our sports by exorcising the spirit of greed that has held it bound. Are we going to even try?

THE SABOTEUR AS CITIZEN

A very critical element in the mix is the place of companies and individuals with vast investments in the sole substitute to public power source. These are principally generator manufacturers’ agents and importers, diesel importers and generator maintenance and servicing outfits. This alternative industry must be worth hundreds of billions of Naira; offering employment to thousands of Nigerians and expatriates, and contributing to the tax coffers. Yet, to my knowledge, no power policy has factored them into the equation, except perhaps as saboteurs to be dealt with by the military, Nigeria Police and other paramilitary outfits.

Chief Ajibola Ige, of blessed memory, it was, who once said, “Blessed are those who do not hope, for they shall not be disappointed.” An ironic statement, if ever there was one, particularly coming from one of Nigeria’s hope-inducing politicians of his era. Bola Ige, as you probably remember him, or Uncle B to many of his younger followers, died in the service of the nation as Attorney General and Minister of Justice. He was allegedly shot in his bedroom in Ibadan by unknown assailants as his security details “went out to eat.” The assailants remain unknown to date – at least to “we the people” whom he was supposed to be serving. But like all unsolved mysteries, it is a matter of time for as Holy Writ puts it: “… there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2).

As I sit here reflecting on Nigeria at 49, hope and the Cicero of Esa-Oke sprung into my consciousness. When in 1999, Bola Ige, who had wanted to run for the Presidency, but was denied the opportunity by his party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), was appointed Minister of Mines and Power in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s government of rival Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), two emotions were rife – shock and hope. Shock, because Bola Ige, deep-dyed in the old Awolowo school of party supremacy seemed to have acted out of character. But hope sprang in the hearts of pragmatists who felt that if anyone could fix the daunting electricity power problem the nation faced, Uncle B was the man. National service trumped political discipline and the man took office.

The former Oyo state governor did nothing to douse expectation; indeed with a Mr Fix-It attitude, he raised all hopes by announcing a time-table. But in the end, it was hopes dashed; expectations unfulfilled, chalking up, to my knowledge, his first and only failure in an illustrious career in public office spanning over forty years. That was why he subsequently moved to the Ministry of Justice, where the man died.

Several ministers and billions of Naira later, Mr Lanre Babalola, said to be an internationally reputed specialist in the field, is still grappling with the problem. Numbers have been churned out again and again, targets set and reset. The Nigerian understandably has settled for late Bola Ige’s other maxim “siddon look,” even if he cannot help hoping against hope that someday his nation would one day achieve the uninterrupted power feat of her less-endowed neighbour, Ghana.

The power problem is however beyond the bolt and nut approach of successive governments and their technocrats. Its intractability is not the result of bad planning, design and execution of plants, transmission lines etc, even if we’ve had our fair share of those. A very critical element in the mix is the place of companies and individuals with vast investments in the sole substitute to public power source. These are principally generator manufacturers’ agents and importers, diesel importers and generator maintenance and servicing outfits. This alternative industry must be worth hundreds of billions of Naira; offering employment to thousands of Nigerians and expatriates, and contributing to the tax coffers. Yet, to my knowledge, no power policy has factored them into the equation, except perhaps as saboteurs to be dealt with by the military, Nigeria Police and other paramilitary outfits.

This is the crux of the matter. Successive governments have failed to think outside the box. Look at it this way. Government’s inept policies over time have created this burgeoning subsector into which people have invested legally and legitimately, including many youths who went to universities and polytechnics with a view to servicing that sub-sector on graduating. They have become stakeholders in the power sector. Then government wakes up from its long slumber to redress the situation, which implies wiping out the sub-sector. Yet they are ignored. The risk to their investment is not considered; their future immaterial to policy makers. In desperation, they seek to protect themselves – by instigating illegal and immoral activities to stay in business. So they get correctly labelled saboteurs and outlaws to be resisted by all the forces at the government’s disposal, which happens to be inadequate. Business Hallmark in one of its July editions carried a lead story it headlined, “Unseen hands behind power crisis,” which sought to highlight the problem. Of course, tried as the trio of Victor Bassey, Chika Nwabueze and Obinna Chima did, mum was the word from the generator marketers they approached. It’s a survival thing, man.

A new approach is needed. Has it occurred to anyone to study the extent of this sub-sector to determine the size of investments, the number of jobs and the general socio-economic impact of a successful resuscitation of the public power sector on this section of it? Can stakeholders in the subsector get a piece of the action in the emerging scenario? Are the massive iron and metal contrivances capable of being integrated into the system or are they convertible to other uses? What becomes of those scraps, when they do become so?

What applies to the power sector is equally applicable to the transportation sector. Where do the trailer and tanker vehicle owners and operators fit in the scheme of things as we seek a revitalization of the rail sector? What becomes of the massive investments in the long haul vehicles and their thousands of minders? If cries of sabotage are not yet being heard there, they will.

While not encouraging lawlessness, I commend this wisdom of the Lord Jesus to our leaders: “…If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? (Matthew 18:12). Governments exist to take care of the interests of all its citizens, including those whose minority interests might be hurt in the process of meeting the needs of the majority. Otherwise the road to majority satisfaction will be unnecessarily elongated, as is currently the case.

OLD ENOUGH TO DIE? (2)

For those statistically inclined, who might want to know what could be considered as the scriptural long life, the following truths of the Bible should be of help. I might as well address the famous “threescore and ten years” or “fourscore” years supposed Biblical prescription oft-quoted from the Psalms. It reads: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Over the years I’ve heard this verse quoted as God’s idea of long life today. I am sure you’ve heard it too! But is it true?

I did not plan to return to the subject of longevity and death when I signed off the column last time. But as the last week wore on, I kept getting the feeling that I was a wee bit facetious about a serious matter or isn’t that how issues of life and death are described? I sensed that those who, upon reading the headline might have expected a deeper Scriptural perspective on the subject were probably underserved. My sincere apologies.

We concluded last week that David Livingstone, the explorer, hit bull’s eye when he said: “I am immortal until my task is accomplished.” And that is simply the truth for those who have a revelation of their true position in Christ Jesus. I might as well just explain this perspective at its most basic. The Bible says we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for certain pre-assigned tasks. My favourite rendition of the relevant verse of the Bible is from the New Living Translation and it says: “…we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). The Bible also quoted God the Father as saying in Psalm 91:16: “With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” The Hebrew root word translated “satisfy” here is sabea, and it connotes “enough”, or “suffice,” in addition to “satiate.” The combined effect of these two verses of scripture is that God has assigned each of us to certain tasks, equipped us for them and provided us enough “length of days” to accomplished them. That is the reason Livingstone could boldly make the assertion he was quoted as making. That is the reason; every child of God can make the same claim.

For those statistically inclined, who might want to know what could be considered as the scriptural long life, the following truths of the Bible should be of help. I might as well address the famous “threescore and ten years” or “fourscore” years supposed Biblical prescription oft-quoted from the Psalms. It reads: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Over the years I’ve heard this verse quoted as God’s idea of long life today. I am sure you’ve heard it too! But is it true?

The direct answer is “No”. If it were it wouldn’t have been said of Aaron: “And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor (Numbers 33:39). Nor would the Bible have recorded of Moses himself: “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated “(Deuteronomy 34:7). And remember Miriam? She was believed to be the sister who “stood afar” watching what would happen to her baby brother, Moses as he laid helplessly in “the ark among the flags” in Exodus chapter 2. Yet, she outlived both Aaron and Moses.

More important however is the historical context of Moses’ declaration in Psalm 90. Studies have located it at shortly after God had pronounced judgement upon the rebellious children of Israel in the book of Numbers. He had told Moses pointedly: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun… (Numbers 14:27-30). It was the curse of the Law foreshadowed at its deadliest, and Moses was simply echoing the status quo in his prayer recorded in this Psalm. It was a status quo limited to a season of unconscionable, mindless repudiation of God’s faithfulness and omnipotence, by a people who, above all else had tasted of both.

But the enemy had sold the lie for so long and so successfully that a vast majority of us Christians begin to wind down our activities from age 60, fully persuaded that it would take a miracle to go beyond the next 10 or 20. Yet 60 is but middle age! No, don’t laugh. It’s the truth of God’s word, if you’ll check out the sixth chapter of the book of Genesis. The Lord God, the Source of life, said in verse three: “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Yes, God’s life span floor for his children is 120 years, not 70 or 80. And if you consider the circumstance against which this floor was set, you’ll see that it was a big come-down, the result of the then on-going perversion.

You see, brethren, we need to renew our minds to the truth of Scripture, reject the lies of the enemy, no matter how long entrenched; so we can come into the fullness of our inheritance in God. That is what the likes of Evangelist Otis Clark, approaching 107; unbent, medication-free, clear-sighted enough to thread a needle, certified as having the heart of a 35-year-old, prove conclusively. And all it takes, says this man who still enjoys cooking his “own breakfast of steak and eggs or bacon and eggs…and make a pot of beef stew with garlic cloves, tomatoes and potatoes” is, “get on God’s side and stay there. No matter how many times you mess up, repent and stay on the winning side.”