On what premise did Muhammadu Buhari became the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Was it on the premise of his acumen for management of an economy, or his perceived intelligence or guile, or perhaps his experience in handling political realities within a state? For me neither of those premises was the reason he won the election, neither is the promises made by the APC in their entirety the reason the election was won, Promises like the five thousand naira stipend for unemployed youths, 3 million jobs to be created every year, etc. But in hindsight that Is in actual fact politics and democracy, making the unrealistic look realistic and making the majority believe in your capability to achieve such reality while the other is made to look incapable.

For me, the election was won based on two premise, the first being the direct propaganda against the person of Goodluck Jonathan (which isn’t totally misplaced) and the other based on the person of Muhammad Buhari, who appear to be the direct opposite to what Jonathan was made to appear. On the first part, the propaganda against the person of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as a failure, a corrupt and insensitive person who had no plans for the country was a bit unfair. The administration had one of the best cabinet Nigeria has witnessed in her 56 year history, but most without the necessary passion or will to impact positively in the country and the administration had its fair share of success in some areas but on the whole the failure far outweigh the success.

continue reading here...... /p7rK7i-1u

Lagos, a state we all love to complain and grump about but equally love to live in. However recent event under the new administration of Lagos, seem to indicate a sense of genuine detest of situations in the state. A situation of robbery, lost of lives of innocent citizens, high level insecurity generally, staggering rate of traffic gridlock, lack of economic prospect, staggering rate of impunity among lagosians, just to mention a few. These issues have always been there, and which city as overpopulated as Lagos is won’t? But it has never been as bad as it is now, that a lot of lagosians actually do love to hate the city at the state it is. All we do before now is to just blab and blab about the situation, but now there seem to be a genuine contempt for the city.

The past governor and government of Fashola made Nigerians love Lagos so much that it even brought more people into the city to compound the already over populated state the city was in. Fashola worked for Lagos and we lagosians do actually see and appreciate the work, a number of initiatives that weren’t traditional in Nigerian sense introduced into the state, there was the BRT, the law enforcement agencies created, the improvement of security, economic development, redesigning of major areas of the city etc. Lagos worked and the government made direct attempt for it to, EKO ONI BAJE was and still is the popular phrase around Lagos and truly for that period of 8 years EKO O BAJE, because we had a government that had the capacity and the capability to impact a change to we have, a change to a modern developed city one that would be the centre of excellence within Nigeria. There were several challenges that could have impaired Fashola in discharging his duty to Lagosians but not looking at that he did his part, he had a reputation to keep and he damn right kept it intact, politics is all a game about perception and he created a perception of capability and competence to public office for himself, many westerners believe in Fashola and when the time comes we will be there to get him to the highest political seat of all. We in Lagos have had a dose of his capability to lead for 8 years, and I know I talk for most when i say we wish we could have another 4 years of him as the chief Executive of Lagos state, now we are collectively privileged to have him at federal level which can only be positive thing for Nigeria as a whole, cause his intelligence is needed at the federal level if Nigeria is to move forward as a nation state. With the way he talk, it’s easy to see that he actually knows something is wrong with Nigeria but he shows the passion and hope that most of us share, one that Nigeria can be great and will be great if the simple/ rational things in government can be corrected.

Now in Lagos there is a new sheriff in town to take charge of the state, one that we voted for and one that Babatunde Raji Fashola vigorously campaigned for on the platform of continuity and experience in public office. Lagosians voted Akinwunmi Ambode as there governor to oversee the affairs of the state for the next four years, and majority voted him based in part on the trust on APC but mostly on the account of what had been witnessed an experienced by his predecessor, thus it would be easier for him to continue to follow in his footsteps and work on his plan while he overtime effect his own legacy. They were both an APC member and by this the transition should have been seamless which will mean a greater level of development in Lagos state.

However the first few months of the administration has not been as it was thought of by most, rather what we are seeing is a regressing Lagos state. A staggering change of ideas and plans to something totally different from before, if one didn’t know, one would have thought that there was change of political party in Lagos such is the level of change we are presently experiencing coupled with the varied number of propaganda levied on the past government. Is it a question of capacity or capability on the job? Well, in all honestly it’s too early to say but it’s still a worthy point of reasoning, one we need to consider going forward and thus help this administration out in this period of several challenges in Lagos, we are the 4th arm of government and we can’t but play our part in government that is one thing Nigerian seem to always forget or are totally ignorant of. This present administration seems to take the approach of governance from a theoretical view, as though it reads from a book to make all its decision. Most of his actions so far seem to indicate an adherence to theoretical management. In a recent town hall briefing conducted in Ipaja, Alimosho local government area of Lagos, the governor indicated that Lagos under his administration have saved as much as 3 billion naira montly from a restructure of the financials of the state, which would infer that that 3 billion of public funds was being wasted by the past administration. I can’t say I was privy to the operational detail of the past, but one thing is sure that the person of Fashola may have spent what could have been termed as not so prudence, but the point of it is that there will be lot of spending in public space that wouldn’t make sense to the ordinary person, but are inevitable in seeing results are achieved. Not that I’m making a case for wastage but in administering public office there are a number of expenses that can and will be tagged as not being financially savvy, but those expenses in politics in most cases are necessary evil to have a seamless process to discharging duties. If those funds can be cut without any disadvantaged effect on the state, then I’m perfectly fine with it, but hitherto it hasn’t look as such thus my position. However from all intent and purposes, Ambode seem to be more focused in the rural part of Lagos, the not so worked on part of Lagos or incomplete projects under Fashola, which in all honestly is an honourable and good idea, but that shouldn’t legislate for the whole idea of setting aside the part that had been worked on entirely. That’s the idea he seems to be portraying so far. It would never work like that, and certainly not in a state like Lagos. Lagos and Nigeria in general is in a peculiar situation, every palliative needs to be considered before decisions are to be made. In management if production cost is reduced/cut, it is imperative that such cost cutting don’t affect sales, if it in fact does then it’s all amount to failure, thus you can’t say you want to cut cost while not contextualizing the impact such cost cutting will have on sales, every palliative need to be looked at. When such critical decision as production cost are therefore being made, the ultimate decision is to know the direct impact on sales, if sales will drop then its best to let it be. If such cost will keep sales at equilibrium then good, if it will in fact improve sales, then perfect. That seem to be the situation with Ambode and Lagos, a case where 3 billion naira is saved but the primary purpose of the government is lagging, what then is the end to that cost saved. The state is failing but here you are bragging about some illusionary 3 billion saved. Lagos so far has practical managers, who seem to be focused or fighting one thing or the other, however Ambode seem to have brought theoretical managerial aspect to Lagos one that the state have obviously indicated it detest for.

I like Fashola, his a model for me personally to follow, the arrogance to which he makes his point when confronted, the confidence and calmness to which he delivers his assertions, the manner to which he discharges his duty, to which he has taken responsibility of, his level of intelligence and brilliance across board. Fashola is of no equal among our ‘abjectly poor’ political class, and if Ambode is to move forward and go with his campaign mantra of ‘building on what’s already been done’ then he’ll need to go back to Fashola’s fact book. I believe he’ll do well, is that believe backed by an objective reasoning? NO, but my reason to this believe is on the assertion of what have seen from his body language, he cares and that is the number one thing a public office holder need to have. You have to be sensitive to the needs of the people and he seems to genuinely care for lagosians, it’s just his approach towards leading that need serious change and fast to. He’ll need to do away with his theoretical rule and come back to practical realities. I know Lagos will work again as it has for the last eight years, and as we lagosian say EKO ONI BAJE O.

Disclaimer: This particular post was written as far back as October of last year while the even that constitute the write up arent so in play now, i felt the need to put the write up out there for us to remember how things were once. A lot have actually changed and most for the better and this is appreciating the effort that the government has put in when remembring the way thing were before now. So reading this, i would emplore you to read in retrospect and not in relation to present happenings.

wrote this write up a while back on lagos, the governor and his mode of operation, a truly good and enjoyable read, please clik the link ton read. https://reviewpostblog./2016/03/17/lagos-and-the-case-of-the-theorist

A really sad thing.

kaffy4tope:
Yeah, I just watched it on Youtube. Too bad, I felt like crying.

This weekend a video surfaced, purportedly by Premium times that showed the minister of interior Dambazau’s shoes being cleaned in public by a secret service agent and it hit me, who really are these people we call our leaders, how morally upright are these folks, how conventional is there thinking and how representative are they really are? The president, his vice and all his cabinet members are responsible to the public thus the name public servant, they are servants to the public and not the other way around where a serving officers of the secret service, a Nigerian serves as a ‘servant’ for a man many believe to have attribute of an astute, technical person, but one that has shown that those qualities are misguided. A man that would seat there and degrade a whole secret service agent in public to the extent of cleaning a shoe, tells you more than meets the eye. For this is someone that should know better than degrade someone of that nature having been a general of the Nigerian Army himself, if he could do that in public, what then has he been doing to his security details in private? How representative can someone who doesn’t respect his detail then respect or represent folks that aren’t even close to him. This is the kind of people we call our leaders and it is unfortunate really, even more unfortunate to see it in this present government, one majority of Nigerians have genuine hope and trust for.
However, the blame shouldn’t be felt by the minister alone, as for me the secret service agent should also be called to question. Is it the case of ass kissing, where the agent is just doing too much to impress the minister and as such involved in what wasn’t requested and what was outside his jurisdiction as a security detail to the minister? These are question that we can’t categorically have answers to. However regardless of what the case maybe it’s still a very deplorable situation for both the minister and the agent in question, if peradventure he was asked I feel it is within his right to reject the request and stay with his primary duty to the minister and not subject himself to embarrassing errands in public. In Nigeria, more so in the western part of the country we seem to let culture impede us especially in official settings, whereby we take our leaders/elders as gods who cannot be questioned or challenged even when on a wrong pact. This is where the agent got it wrong for me, he simply didn’t challenge the minister even when hypothetically the minister may have requested for a shoe shine and simply did his bidding with no questions asked.
This same instance could be said to be palpable within the Nigerian system in general, within government and outside where by youth does the bidding of its elders without any questions asked, it’s a slippery slope kind of situation with a dire consequence. As citizens, workers of government officers be it executive, legislature, or judiciary we need to challenge those who are our leaders/superiors to make better decisions, to do the needful and stay within that which is just, if not there would be no room for development with regards to human and material development. We need to challenge the seat of power, enable these people become better, provide better service, represent us the way we want, and not just be comfortable with the status co which isn’t really doing anyone any good. If we are comfortable with what exist there won’t be any changes in government which could be applicable personally too, To develop one need to keep challenging himself/herself, so too is government. The SSS agent failed to challenge the minister of interior, even in an instance where his image was going to be tarnished, and we can’t continue to live our lives like that.
We (citizens) need first to play our role in government, government cannot be run in isolation, if they are willing to isolate us we cannot allow it happen, we need to be involved, say things we would want/like to happen, things we would like to have differently, engage the government and continue to challenge the seat of power not to get comfortable.
In contemporary politics, there’s this saying that “you don’t inherit power you take it” and this is something I totally agree with, more so conventional happenings of today. Power/leadership should never be something that is inherited, it should rather be fought for, fought for in terms of the will, capability and capacity and not betrothed. If you want power or a seat in leadership show that you can handle it and you want it, which also narrates with, fight for what you want. Good things don’t/shouldn’t come/go to those who seat and wait for it, it goes to those who take the extra mile to fight for it, who would go extra mile to fight for what they believe in. If you want a particular action to stop in your office or how someone treats you, you think it would stop if you don’t challenge them to stop or do that which they do differently? No it won’t, it certainly didn’t for the SSS agent (assuming he’s not okay with it) and it’s not about to if he does not; firstly challenge the minister that he’s going beyond his jurisdiction and then to also make the minister understand that we are in a civilized society and such things like having someone clean your shoe in public event while you seat shouldn’t be happening anywhere in the world, our third world status shouldn’t be applicable to our thinking ability as people.

As Karl Marx put it In the Communist Manifesto “the workers have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to gain.” If we are to gain, archive we need to let lose our chains, certainly the SSS agent is still in perpetual chains (it would seem), we as Nigerians can’t be in that state of mind, thus the need to challenge the seat of power.

read more political articles/opinion on http://review-posts..com.ng/

This weekend a video surfaced, purportedly by Premium times that showed the minister of interior Dambazau’s shoes being cleaned in public by a secret service agent and it hit me, who really are these people we call our leaders, how morally upright are these folks, how conventional is there thinking and how representative are they really are? The president, his vice and all his cabinet members are responsible to the public thus the name public servant, they are servants to the public and not the other way around where a serving officers of the secret service, a Nigerian serves as a ‘servant’ for a man many believe to have attribute of an astute, technical person, but one that has shown that those qualities are misguided. continue reading ..... http://review-posts..com/2016/01/challenging-seat-of-power.html?spref=fb

Wrote this on the spade of recent corruption cases in the country, the role to play as citizen and youth http://review-posts..com/2016/01/a-kleptocratic-system-with-corrupt.html?spref=fb