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http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/opinion/editorial/125-the-nationality-question-by-femi-fani-kayode

The Nationality Question by Femi Fani Kayode

23 Aug 2013 04:13
Written by Femi Fani-Kayode
Category: Editorial
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Permit me to begin this contribution with two incontrovertible assertions. Firstly had we successfully answered what has now come to be collectively known as the "Nationality Question" in the '50's and '60's, there would have been no civil war

Femi Fani-Kayode
in 1967. Secondly had we not chosen to forget our differences but instead had we tried to understand them the last fifty three years of our existence as an independent nation, we would have witnessed far more unity, stability and progress than it has done.

The agitation and quest to answer the ''Nationality Question'' in Nigeria will not stop until the question has been successfully answered no matter how long our leaders, politicians, professionals and intellectuals ignore it and attempt to brush it under the carpet. The quest to properly identify, situate and define the rights, duties and obligations of each and every one of our numerous nationalities in a wider Nigeria will never end until it is achieved. As a matter of fact given the sheer desperation of each of the major ethnic groups to win control at the centre in 2015, the activities of Boko Haram, the agitation of the Niger Deltans, the resurrection of MASSOB, the unmistakeable resurgence of a rather extreme form of Igbo nationalism, the activities of various ethnic nationalist groups and the growing religious and sectarian divide in our country it has only just started in earnest and it is a cause that I have chosen to dedicate my life to. As long as I live I will resist the idea of any part of Yorubaland being turned into a ''no-man's land'' where the Yoruba people are meant to live as second class citizens and never-do-wells and where they are treated like filth. If that makes me a tribalist or a bigot, then so be it.

If loving my nationality,which comprises of 50 million Yoruba people, and adoring my nation of 160 million Nigerians at the same time is a crime then I am guilty of that crime. I do not have to love one at the expense of the other. We are not America which is a nation that is made-up of immigrants and ex-slaves and a country which literally wiped out the indigenous population that they met there when they arrived who were known as the Red Indians. We are not Americans who somehow found their way into the world barely three hundred years ago but we are Nigerians. And each and every one of the great and numerous nationalities that make up our beautiful nation has a noble heritage that goes back for thousands of years. We may not be as developed or as wealthy as they are but we know who we are and we know where we are coming from. That is why I am proud of this country and all the various nationalities that make it up regardless of our difficulties and challenges. Yet we are not so different to some others. In the United Kingdom there are basically four nationalities. The English, the Welsh, the Irish and the Scottish. Each of these four nationalities is actually a tribe yet you very rarely find a British person who will tell you that he is not proud of his Scottish, Welsh, Irish or English heritage AND at the same time proud of his nation. He is first an Irishman, a Welshman, an Englishman or a Scot before being British even though he cherishes being both. He does not have to sacrifice his Irish, Welsh, English or Scottish heritage and roots for Britain and neither does he have to sacrifice Britain for his heritage and roots. He balances it well, he has the best of both worlds and this is indeed a wonderful thing. He derives his strength from both. He enjoys being Irish, Scottish, English or Welsh and cherishes it deeply just as much as he enjoys and cherishes being British. And today, centuries after Great Britain was established as one nation under one Crown and one Royal Sovereign the British citizen still cherishes his primary nationality and tribal heritage so much that power has been gradually devolved from the centre at Westminster in London to the various tribes and ethnic nationalities in the regions over the years.

Such is the agitation for the restoration of ethnic identity and devolution of power in the United Kingdom today that Scotland is preparing for a referendum to determine whether her people should remain in Great Britain or not. This is a beautiful thing. It is known as self-determination and no human being ought to be denied that right. Taking pride in your primary roots and your ancient heritage is not a crime.That is how it is meant to be. It is only in Nigeria that we call this perfectly natural and wholesome phenomenon ''tribalism''. We give it an ugly name and we ascribe to it an even uglier connotation. Everywhere else in the world the reality of ethnic nationalities is acknowledged, respected, valued, cherished and well-managed. As a matter of fact such diversity is a source of strength and pride for many. For example in the nation of Belgium one will find that there is an ancient dichotomy and deep rivalries between the Flemish people of the north and the Waloons of the south. They speak different languages and have a completely different history and cultural heritage yet these two great and ancient nationalities or tribes are proudly Belgian and they rally under one flag. This is how it ought to be everywhere. I have no hate or ill-feeling towards any other ethnic group in this country or anywhere else. God knows that that is the truth. If I did I would say so and damn the consequences. Racism and tribalism is below me and such primordial traits offend my sensibilities. To harbour such views is well below my intellectual and spiritual dignity. Those that know me well can attest to this. I am just too big, too large-hearted and too well educated for that sort of thing and most important of all my Christian faith and heritage does not allow me to look down on anyone or any other race. We are all children of the Living God. I have as many non-Yoruba friends just as I have Yoruba ones. I look down on no other human being, no other race and no other nationality and I do not claim that the Yoruba are better than anyone else.

What I insist on though is that I should be allowed to acknowledge my history and to preserve my ancient heritage, culture, values and ethos. I also insist that my people should be allowed to develop at their own pace. I am not ashamed of who I am and where I come from and had it not been for others holding us back I know where the south west and the Yoruba would have been by now in terms of development. And neither would I go to England or America or Enugu or Kano and claim that I own the place or that my people built it from scratch and that they generate all the money that is there. I would never say or do such a thing and neither should I be expected to sit back quietly when someone says it about my land, my people and my territory. In this debate I have threatened no-one, I have incited no-one, I have accused no-one and I have not sought to silence anyone with threats or blackmail. I have not expressed hatred towards anyone. Yet my family has been subjected to insults, threats, humiliation, hate-speech, misrepresentation, falsehood, intimidation, calls for arrest and lies by some people who really ought to know better. My late father of blessed memory has been insulted during the course of this debate as has my late mother, my wife, my children and my people from the south west. We have been called all sorts of names and subjected to the most filthy and disgraceful abuse and malicious lies. And now some ask ask me if I will ever stop this fight for the rights of my people. The answer is that I will not stop because a price has already been paid. I will never renounce my views. As a matter of fact now more than ever before I see how important it is for us to ensure a certain degree of separate development in this country and to hold on to our heritage because we are just so different. Those that have chosen the path of aggression and open hostility and that seek to suppress our voices, intimidate us into silence and drown us with their propaganda are vulgar, crude and rude. That is their way. They are also experts at telling lies. Yet they cannot silence a whole nationality or just wish us away. We are here to stay. I am not looking for trouble and I abhor strife and violence. To me this is simply an intellectual exercise and we can agree to disagree and still remain compatriots and friends. However I will not give up my identity because that is all I have. I will not betray the dreams of my forefathers and their aspirations for our people. For four generations now, the Fani-Kayodes have contributed positively to the affairs of this country. Unlike some of those that are bleating and insulting us we have paid our dues. Like millions of others we have a stake here and we are from Yoruba. I have a little Fulani blood in me too and I am very proud of that but I am first and foremost a Yoruba and I will live and die for the Yoruba and indeed for my nation Nigeria if needs be.

I have written about virtually every major ethnic group and nationality in this country over the last twenty three years and sometimes in very harsh terms, including my own, Yet it is only when I disagree with some of our Igbo brothers and sisters and dispute their claims on Lagos that all hell breaks loose. Well one thing is clear. Whether they like it or not as long as God gives me life I will voice out my opinion and articulate what millions of the Yoruba are secretly thinking on this matter but are too shy, gentle and polite to say. They may not want to talk but I will talk for them and I will voice their legitimate concerns about the future of every Yoruba child in an increasingly hostile, ugly and unsustainable Nigeria. All the smear campaigns in the world cannot change that and neither can it stop it. If God does not smear me or mine, no man can smear us.This battle is more important to me than politics or anything else. It is a battle for the very survival of my people and my nation and with my intellect, my pen, my tongue, my knowledge and my wits I intend to fight it till the day that I die. It is my right to voice out my views and create awareness about the imminent danger that my people are facing of being overwhelmed by others that were never really part of them. They say our territory is ''no-man's land'' yet they will never offer us theirs in return or even allow us to build there. Who is the fool here? And when we complain they have the nerve to insult us. Enough is enough. It stops today. I am not a racist or a bigot but I believe that I have a right to defend that which is mine and to preserve my identity. Though I love being both, let it be clearly understood that I am a Yoruba-man before being a Nigerian and I make no apology for that.

We ignore our differences at our own peril and this is not only naive but it is also exceptionally dangerous. They made the same mistake in Yugoslavia through the '70's and 80's until the explosion came out of the blue in the '90's and all hell broke loose. No-one saw the war coming in that country except the more discerning and brilliant minds who had been shouting for decades before it came that their very own ''nationality question'' had to be answered and that Colonel Broznin Tito's dream of an eternal and everlasting old Yugoslavia was unsustainable. No-one listened to those discerning voices and consequently millions were killed in the most horrendous and vicious civil war that Europe has ever seen. From being one country where the people and numerous nationalities were compelled to ''forget their differences'' by law, Yugoslavia was eventually broken up into five sovereign independent states as a consequence of fratricidal butchery and unrestrained and all-out war. I pray that we never break up and that we never witness or fight such a war in Nigeria. The answer is to understand and settle our differences and not to conveniently forget them.

Femi Fani-Kayode is a former Aviation Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

My Meeting With Bola Tinubu And Muhammadu Buhari by Odusote Oluwakayode

22 Aug 2013 02:54
Written by Odusote Oluwakayode
Category: Articles
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My brother, “When you get upstairs, please be diplomatic. Tell the APC leaders all they need to hear. Convince them that Nigerians love them”.

It took a while for me to understand my friend’s advice. On what basis should I be diplomatic in the circumstance of our political misfortune and why should I convince them that Nigerians love them? I’m not hoping to be a Reuben Abati who’s astute and critical column possibly earned him a place in the present government which eventually rubbished his hard earned integrity nor do I hope to be a Dr. Doyin Okupe, who as alleged just graduated from being an attack “puppy” to an attack “Dog”.

I thought to myself, what could the basis of my invitation to meet with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari? All I know is that I got the invitation through my friend. Anyway I shrugged to his advice, giving him no challenge to avoid being persuaded against my conviction.

It was my first meeting with the Jagaban as fondly called by his political followers. Apart from Bola Tinubu in the expansive mansion, Three other men were gathered around the table, each of them smiling as I approached. There I saw, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Bisi Akande and Chief Tom Ikimi. They sat gloriously as elders of the APC.

In his usual charismatic style he said Bola Tinubu said “Youngman, I thank you for coming to this meeting at a short notice, it was your friend that insisted we invite you. He said you have an articulate way of making your points known and as you know, our party needs every useful advice to guide it in our plan to institute a government that would be to the interest and benefits of the people.”

I shuffled impatiently in my seat, surprised at a demand I wasn’t prepared for at least not at a short notice as affirmed by Jaganban. “I do not think we need to waste more time,” he said, with anticipation. “With the knowledge that you know the distinguished leaders seated and considering we have a larger meeting of party faithful in the next 30 minutes, you may begin”.

The other leaders of the party brought out their pads and pen in anticipation of putting down important points. Without much time to waste, I composed myself and made deserved protocols. Distinguished leaders, I cleared my throat, trying to find the perfect words needed to begin. My humble expectations, I hope, would be similar to that of the large poor masses of this nation.

For APC to be truly representative and admired, it must be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance to serve the governed with sincerity of heart and soul. It is easy to lead without being power drunk. The point of determination must always be to serve the people whole-heartedly and never for a moment divorce the government from the governed, to device policies and programmes in the interests of the people and not for the interest of the few elites or for the interests of the political party.

The organs of state must practice true democratic principles and tenets; they must rely on the governed and serve the people. All government officials, whatever their exalted positions, are expected to see themselves as servants. Responsibility is key – the duty of the leaders is to hold themselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy must conform to the people’s interests, and if mistakes occur, they must be corrected – that is what being responsible to the people means.

The leadership must be reminded that patriotism is not just a mere lip service. The specific beauty attached to service is patriotism. The government’s patriotic service should not be to corruption, insecurity, unemployment, oil theft, mismanagement, lack of quality education, lack of affordable and quality health service etc. Bringing about the defeat of parasites killing Nigeria by every possible means is in the interests of the nation. The wars launched by stated parasites are harming our statehood; therefore, the continuous subjection to the claws of parasites crippling our nation should not be allowed to defeat us totally. The truth must be told, we are presently being punched without the needed energy to free ourselves from the unwanted domination by the enemies of a peaceful and successful nation.

For me, the idea of defeat to these adversaries is not patriotism; it could be likened as complicity to criminal activities, many of our leaders are culpable in this regard. A virile, progressive and people’s party must take the responsibility of fighting in defense of the country it governs or seek to govern and only by achieving such will it be possible for a Nigeria to practice what we have always yearned for- True federalism and Democracy.

Enough of deceptions, the party must see to it that all Nigerians are sincerely told the truth that ours is the most populous black nation on earth, with endowed natural resources, oil wells, good weather but an economically backward and poor one. The truth must be devoid of baseless and empty promises. The people would appreciate hearing that to make Nigeria rich and great needs several intense efforts, which will include, among other things, the effort to practice strict economy and combat waste. Such efforts however, should not be to the detriment of the people while the leaders swim in affluence.

Discipline should be practiced in running all facets of government sectors, the principle of discipline should be observed in everything. Wherever the leaders are, they must treasure the nation’s productive sector and invest wisely in the material resources, and must not take a short view and indulge in wastefulness and extravagance for selfish political and financial gains. The selfish traits would kill the nation. In order to speed up a new and not “Negotiated Nigeria”, every federating unit must be acknowledged the needed and necessary respect a member of the union deserve.

Economically, restoration and re-development of agricultural sector and industrial production should be massively encouraged, the aspiring government must do its utmost, in the course of governance to preserve all useful means of production and of livelihood, take resolute measures against anyone’s destroying or wasting them, oppose extravagant and irresponsible spending. It should be made clear to civil and public servants that corruption and waste are very great crimes. Our campaigns against corruption and waste achieved some results under the Nuhu Ribadu led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but further efforts are required, especially with the truncation of such campaign under the present administration. Instead of engaging state governors to contribute to a sovereign wealth fund by force, our financial system must be guided by the principle of saving every naira for the needed infrastructural developments expected to aid economic and social developments.

A dangerous tendency in our leaders is the continued unwillingness to share and understand the hardships, sufferings and the pains of the mass poor of the same country we ascribe as “ours” due to their concern for personal political fame and financial gain. I believe no one needs to tell our leaders, the government or aspiring government that this trend is very bad. May I say that for a willing party – called progressives hoping to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, one way of overcoming it is to simplify the system of government.

Politics should not be played with hatred, verbal exchanges and killings. Our politics should be based on issues of national concern, neatly debated and the electorates left to choose a better choice. Politics as a game should be with a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

Politics as a game should be with a promise that says the economy should reward drive & innovation and generate growth. That government and corporate businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create Nigerians jobs, with good package to meet necessary demands.

Politics as a game should be with the promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves, provision of Security, provision of free education, provision of infrastructure, provision of reliable health service, provision of clean water, provision of electricity, provision of refineries to refine our crude instead of importing what we produce.

Our governments have the mandate and obligation to work for us, not against us. It should ease our pains, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity for all and not just for the rich and those with influence whether questionable or not.

Those are the qualities enshrined in the game of politics – the passion that the leaders are responsible to the led, the courage that in times of challenges, we rise or fall as one nation, the love that I am my brother’s keeper from any tribe.

That’s the promise I see in politics and that’s what a party with genuine programmes need to keep up with for a better nation.

Our government must invest in education. They must recruit quality teachers and make teaching attractive, by paying good salaries and giving them more support. Such gesture from the government will produce standards…

With my spirit rising to say more, I hit my hands on the table and the immediate pains brought me back from a long night dream.

Oluwakayode Odusote is a Management Consultant. He writes in from Abuja, Nigeria
http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/opinion/articles/122-my-meeting-with-bola-tinubu-and-muhammadu-buhari-by-odusote-oluwakayode

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Redsun is so on point

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak Freed, Faces House Arrest

22 Aug 2013 02:41
Written by Skytrend
Category: World
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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is to be put under house arrest following a court order to release him in a corruption case, officials say.

The prime minister's office said the measure would be taken "in the context of the emergency law" currently in place across the country.

Mr Mubarak, 85, is expected to be released from prison later on Thursday.

He still faces charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the uprising that ousted him in 2011.

He was sentenced to life in jail last year, but a retrial was later ordered after his appeal was upheld.

That retrial opened in May but Mr Mubarak has now served the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in the case.

'Symbolic sign'

The office of Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi made its announcement late on Wednesday.

"In the context of the emergency law, the deputy military commander issued an order that Hosni Mubarak should be put under house arrest," the office said in a statement.

Egypt is under a state of emergency amid the bloodshed which has accompanied the interim government's crackdown on Islamists opposed to the army's ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on 3 July.

Hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood - the movement from which Mr Morsi comes - have been detained including its most senior leader Mohammed Badie, who was wanted over alleged incitement to violence and murder,

The prime minister's statement came shortly after the court in Cairo to release Mr Mubarak.

Asked when the former leader could actually leave the prison, his defence lawyer Fareed El-Deeb told Reuters: "Maybe tomorrow (Thursday)."

The ruling came during a hearing on charges that the former president had accepted gifts from state-run publisher al-Ahram.

State prosecutor Ahmed el-Bahrawi was quoted by Reuters as saying that the ruling "is final and the prosecution cannot appeal against it".

Prosecutors have previously brought new charges when courts have ordered Mr Mubarak's release - a move intended to keep the ailing ex-leader in detention.

Analysts say Mr Mubarak's release - if it happens - would be seen by many as a symbolic sign the military is rolling back the changes that flowed from the 2011 uprising.

Western reaction

European Union foreign ministers on Wednesday held urgent talks to determine a response to the clampdown.

At the meeting in Brussels, they agreed to stop export licences on military equipment to Egypt and to reassess security co-operation.

Arms are provided by individual countries rather than the EU as a whole, mostly by Germany, France and Spain. The UK has already suspended some of its military help.



But the 28-member block's humanitarian aid to Egypt would remain unaffected, despite calls from some EU politicians to cut the assistance after more than 900 people were killed in clashes last week.

The violence erupted as security forces cleared two sit-ins in Cairo by people demanding the reinstatement of Mr Morsi.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton, said: "Assistance to the most needy will remain. All member states feel very strongly they want to continue to support the people of Egypt."

She earlier offered to mediate a political solution to the crisis and is working on "confidence building measures" between the interim government and Brotherhood.

In Washington, senior officials discussed on Tuesday whether to reduce the $1.3bn (£830m) in military aid that the US gives Egypt every year. The meeting reportedly produced no imminent changes to US policy.

http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/news/world-news/119-egypt-s-hosni-mubarak-freed-faces-house-arrest

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No Reversing Disqualification of Soludo, Others – APGA


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THERE is no going back on the disqualification of former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and five other aspirants from participating in Anambra State governorship primaries of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, holding on August 26, National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh, has said.

According to Umeh, the process of screening and clearance of aspirants for the primaries have been concluded in line with the guidelines of the party without interference by APGA hierarchy and those screened out knew they were not qualified to continue to aspire on APGA’s platform.

In a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday, Umeh dismissed allegations that APGA did not follow its constitution in constituting the screening panel and described insinuations that he had a hand in the disqualification of some aspirants as unfounded.

Asked if the disqualification of the aspirants could be reconsidered, he said: “The process has been concluded. It is no longer subject to review. The panels were unbiased. I did not interfere with their work and the aspirants after the screening commended the panel for doing a good job and said they would accept the outcome. We don’t want to be distracted by the complaints. We want to be focused on conducting credible primaries on August 26 for those who are qualified and go ahead to win the elections on November 16.”

http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/news/cover/117-no-reversing-disqualification-of-soludo-others-apga
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Only Good Governance Can Lead to Development- Group

22 Aug 2013 02:56
Written by Skytrend
Category: Political
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Abuja – Good governance has been identified as the only guarantor of political and socio- economic development in Nigeria. This was expressed by Amb Abdulrazaq O. Hamzat, Convener, Nigeria Must Change in a press statement released by the Group in Abuja recently. He said the movement is for Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who desire change in the country and are ready to work towards it accomplishments.

“We shall mobilize and encourage all our members and the general public to participate in the political process as we believe that, politics is the only realistic process to governance and good governance is the only guarantor of national development”.

In a press statement signed by the Forum Convener, he said if those in government fail to change their attitudes toward leadership, no amount of effort would bring the required changes we all desire irrespective of our efforts. It’s this fact that led to the emergence of Nigeria Must Change, the statement declared.

“We are calling on every Nigerian who believes in the inevitability of a changed Nation to join us in achieving the goal of a changed Nigeria for the benefit of our present and unborn generation. We have waited and waited but the messiah is yet to show up. Is it not high time we took these responsibilities into our own hands?” He asked rhetorically.

“We have come to you to seek your humble hands and loyalty in waking up this bride. There is no point trying to pass the buck. We are not waiting for foreign countries to come to our rescue because they have been aware of our troubling past already. We are not looking for publicity through the foreign media because we have enough of these. We are not looking for sympathy because that is not what we need. Could we please show our leaders we don’t want mediocrity?’’

The statement maintained that what Nigerians want now is justice for all her citizens.

“We want the ills of our dear nation to be taken care of. We want the public servant to be able to serve us with heart and might as in the Nigerian anthem. We want justice for the mild who cannot feed themselves as a result of inadequate distribution of wealth. We want our schools to be upgraded to what is fit for a living human being.

“Excessive individualism and materialism have been the bane of the Nigerian society. Economic woes are being passed on the helpless majority of the citizens who are now seen as the minorities. We need to start now, to save the face of our present and future generations,” The statement concluded.

The Group convener encouraged prospective members to get involved and spread the word by joining Nigeria must Change on facebook or by sending a message to discus4now@gmail.com for further information.

http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/news/politics/123-only-good-governance-can-lead-to-development-group

It is very difficult to get everyone to speak sincerely..why is that?

lol

Olamide won the largest part in the NEA award, going home with 3 out of the 5 awards he was nominated for. Apart from baddo, other winners only went with one each.

olamide had previousely reported that, Your boy, "baddest boy ever livet" badoo of life, OLAMIDE, as been nominated in 5 categories;

#Best Album of the Year
#Best Indigenous Act
#Best Collabo

@ the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards taking place in New York, USA.

We need to come back home with all awards so please support as you VOTE @

www.nigeriaentawards.com

Ma shi wa wo

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Why can't we compare? Since newyork is high developped, why is the highly developped spending more money on development and yet,the less developped spending less?

Indeed

The article is educating

hum

why should we not compare them?

the admin probably didnt take notice

THE HAUSA FULANI MUST LISTEN

08 Aug 2013 12:12
Category: Editorial
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Bahaushe mai ban haushi, na Tanko mai kan bashi! Goes the Hausa saying, which is an excellent self-rebuke that may be loosely translated as, ‘Some Hausas may do some embarrassing, self-annihilating things that would make you want to slap some sense into them.’ It is an old saying, but clearly, it is perfect for the Hausa Fulani of today. I am Hausa (and a fringe Fulani) through my father, and I am Fulani (and a fringe Arab) through my mother. I have the height and other structural features of the Fulani and I have the dark skin of the Hausa. Hausa is my mother tongue, Islam is my religion and I was in born inside the old city of Kano. I think this is as Hausa Fulani Muslim as it may get. Yet, I have to agree that the saying above perfectly describes me and my kindred in the political, social and economic situation that we, largely, created for ourselves today. And we are paying for it. But can we change it? Yes, if only we will listen.

This is a rejoinder of sorts to the controversial piece that was written by Mal. Adamu Adamu of Daily Trust titled ‘Is the North a Lip?’ It came in two parts on July 19 and 26 of 2013. The second part is the most controversial because in it, Adamu blamed some utterances of the late Sheikh Abubakar Gumi at certain periods of Nigeria’s history as the foundation for the unfortunate mutual distrust that prevails between the Muslims and Christians that inhabit northern Nigeria at present. So many rejoinders have been written to not only absolve the revered Sheikh, but also to place the blame back on the sect that Adamu is believed by others to belong to. One such rejoinder came from Dr. Salisu Shehu of Bayero University Kano. Yet, important as this part of Adamu’s write up is deemed to be by many, I choose to dwell on the aspect where he spoke on the self-destructive tendencies and practices of the Hausa Fulani that is, more than anything, behind the current confusion that reigns in our land.

I choose to do that because at the root of the former issue (without prejudice to Adamu’s claim of being a sunni) is an unproductive, unwinnable argument that has been around between Muslim groups since the demise of the Prophet (SAW). As an ordinary Muslim, I appreciate the contributions of Sheikh Gumi to Islamic scholarship in Nigeria, but I am fully aware that he was not infallible just like Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, Sheikh Kabara and Sheik Alzakzaky. If he made mistakes as Adamu claimed, may Allah forgive him and his followers. If Adamu was wrong, given many angles that are being illuminated now, may Allah give him the humility to ask for the Sheikh’s forgiveness through beseeching Allah and offering a public apology through the same page in which he laid the accusations. This is all I can say in that regard. But where I stand fully with Adamu is where he identified the Hausa Fulani as a haughty, self-annihilating lot that need to re-examine their ways. This is what I wish to approach and underscore.

However, as espoused by the finest traditions, I need to lay the foundation with praise if I want the bitter truth that will come later to be received, understood, appreciated and worked with. The praise is not a lie. The Hausa Fulani were generally regarded as some of the most hospitable, honest and godly people amongst the ethnic groups of Nigeria. They reserve the finest reception and accommodation for guests especially if the guests profess the same religion with the Hausas. Examples are the quarters inside the old city of Kano that were allocated the Yoruba, the Kanuri, the Nupe, the Igala, the Igbira, etc. Two past governors of Kano State came from such quarters or background. As for non-Muslims, quarters were allocated for them outside the old City so as to give them maximum opportunity to practice their religion and to live according to the dictates of their culture which may be strange to the Muslim inhabitants of the towns. This arrangement suited all perfectly because while Muslims will call for prayers, five times a day, without the sound disturbing anybody, and maintain a tight grip on their culture within the town, the non-Muslims can have their masquerade, consume alcohol and dress as scantily as they liked without offending anybody. The two groups meet in the markets and carry out businesses that are mutually beneficial. And before you knew it, Kano became the house of all, the centre of commerce. This practice earned the Hausa Fulani a lot of social capital and goodwill.

In fact, as recently as 2010, while I was a part of an engineering team that worked in Ebonyi State, an interesting event played out. We ran out of some special materials of construction on site in Uburu LGA. I simply placed a call to one Igbo seller of such materials in Abuja that I had one time bought some things from. He recognized me and immediately arranged for somebody in Enugu to supply me with the materials. The materials were delivered on that day. As I thanked those that brought the materials to the site and then asked for their account number so I could credit them ‘in two days time,’ they said he had paid them already. One of them laughed and said, ‘If you think we would embark on a journey to bring these things to you in this village without being paid, think again. But Aboki, you are not the problem. We know ourselves.’ And he spoke in Hausa! Stunned, I immediately phoned that Igbo man, Mr. Chris, to thank him and to ask him for his account number. I also told him what they said. Chris laughed and said, ‘Don’t mind my people Malam. They are my brothers but they won’t trust me. We don’t trust each other. I had to pay them. But don’t worry. I will send you the details later. ‘Flash’ me when you finish on Monday and get to Abakaliki.’ I couldn’t help but ask, ‘But why do YOU trust ME?’ He laughed again and said, ‘You are my Hausa friend.’ He only had my phone number and we had met only once.

Now I have just reaped the benefits of the famed, venerable principles, practices and values of my forefathers. They were responsible, honest and trustworthy. The question is, are the principles, practices and the values that rule my life today as a Hausa Fulani not a perfect negation of those of my fathers’? Can I honestly expect others that live with me to trust me with their lives and property? Can I in all sincerity expect non-Hausa Fulani Muslims to believe that I respect them and have their interests at heart? Can I be confident that even my fellow Hausa Fulani Muslims will trust me with their property and wealth? In fact, can I honestly look at the poor in the Hausa Fulani community and tell them that I got their back?

The truth is that we have departed from those values that defined, guided and elevated us to a position that commanded reverence. For those reasons, we are where we are today. We are the butt of every joke because we unfortunately deserve it. From being industrious, energetic and resourceful, we have become lazy, complacent and daft. From being centres of scholarship and commerce, we have become centres of ignorance and destitution. We lead in almost all the negative indices of development: Highest poverty rate, highest maternal mortality rate, highest illiteracy rate and lowest productivity. The only negatives that we do not lead in are promiscuity and indecency which makes us have the lowest HIV rate; but even in that, we are catching up. We are just lucky that the pillars that our religion and society drilled in that respect are too strong. But you and I know that we are gradually chipping away at them.

So what happened? I am not saying we are entirely at fault, because we are not living in a vacuum. But we find it so easy to blame others. Indeed certain stimuli might have come from without, but how you respond depends entirely on you. We were always having our fate in our hands. We were in control of our destinies as ordained by God; but not anymore. We now rely on crumbs from without. If the union feeds us, we live. If it starves us, we die. We have become such a pathetic lot that cannot even raise a credible finger to defend ourselves.

If the Hausa Fulani rightfully or wrongly feel like they are under siege, they are not the first people to be faced with that kind of situation. The Hausa can turn that siege mentality (or reality) to an excellent opportunity that would give rise to advantage. So many examples abound in history as to how to go about doing just that, and winning. These materials are in the books, but unfortunately, the Hausa Fulani have stopped reading. The materials in the books require not only reading, but assimilating, drawing inferences and then building. This requires rested, primed and energetic brains. But most Hausa Fulani stomachs are so hungry that their brains cannot think beyond the next meal. Little wonder both their poor and their rich line up during elections to receive peanuts and sell their future – and their souls.

The funny thing is that at the time that we are so poor in every aspect of value imaginable, we still have the guts to look down upon others. When Adamu Adamu said that some Hausa Fulani Muslims think of other Nigerian Muslims as not Muslim enough, he was not wrong. We think nobody is good enough. This is borne out of the ignorance that rules our land. We have lost even the religious education that clearly abhors that mindset. We meet to fellow Yoruba, Igbira and other Muslims the same disdainful treatment that some ignorant Arabs meet to blacks (including Hausa Fulani) when they go for Hajj. Some do not even want to stand in next to a black man. You are not Muslim enough! Now if we will think that lowly of Muslims, what regard do we reserve for the non-Hausa, non-Muslim? That is why when non-Muslims are flaunting some achievements online, wearing some air of superiority, I just laugh. They have no idea that in spite of every negative index of development, the Hausa Fulani would never envy them. Even if he will die, he will never want to be identified as anything other than a Hausa Fulani Muslim.

Now a moderate pride in one’s tribe, religion, culture and heritage is not bad. But we should be sensible enough to know that we need to re-invent ourselves, because we have strayed from the ideals of the religion and the culture long ago. We are now a people in disarray. We are neither here nor there; everyone is for himself. If things continue this way, the days of the Hausa Fulani as a viable community are numbered. This truth, whether it comes from an Adamu Adamu or from a Chris Okotie, it is still God’s honest truth. And we ignore it at our own peril. The same Bahaushe said, ‘Gyara kayanka ba ya zama sauke mu raba.’ By telling me to put my house in order, you are giving me a good advice. I lose nothing by heeding it. It is to my benefit whether it comes from expected sources or not; and whether the premise of your advice and your intentions are fair or not.

It is time to go back to the drawing board. We need to go back to the good Book and find our bearing as per values, principles and practice. We need to listen to what the world is saying. We need to listen to what friends and non-friends are saying. We need to, as individuals and as a collective, look inwards and honestly appraise what is happenings, what we are doing to ourselves, what others are doing to us, draw up an executable plan to bail ourselves out of our present predicament. We don’t need anybody to put our house in order for us; we only need God and ourselves to save ourselves from our destructive attitudes. But we must work hand in hand with others to foster peace, entrench harmony, elevate our politics and generate economic growth and development, all with mutual respect and dignity. Nobody can afford to live in a vacuum, not even the Hausa Fulani. And the time to start is today.

Auwal Sani Anwar is an Engineer and Public analyst. He writes from Kano, Nigeria.


http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/opinion/editorial/17-an-editorial

Lagos Vs New York: How Budgets Reflect Living Standards

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Lagos Vs New York: How Budgets Reflect Living Standards

I spent 2 hours last week looking at the 2013 budget of America's biggest city-New York-and that of Nigeria's Lagos. New York budgeted $70 billion for 2013-14 fiscal year starting from June while Lagos budgeted 499 billion naira($3.1 billion) for this same year. The population of New York is about 8.3 million while Lagos is between 12-16 million. Does that tell you anything?

We are so poor that I often wonder how we manage to survive day to day life in Nigeria. How did we manage to get tap water and electricity in some areas?

People in the West asked how/where we were going to get money to pay for mobile phones in 2000. Thirteen years later, we are the fastest and biggest mobile market in the world followed by India. Our potential to turn our lives around is very huge. We only need a committed and visionary government. The kind of vision that brought us the Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM).

You don't have to speak flowery English, cite relevant statistics or hold a degree to create wealth. You don't have to be a president, governor, chairman or hold any political office to create wealth. Those in public office we always look up to like Governor Fashola, President Jonathan or those on Facebook speaking flowery English do not always have the skills to create wealth.

Kenneth Nnebue, a shopkeeper in Onitsha after looking at the excess imported video cassettes he had in 1992 decided to write and produce the film ''Living in Bondage''. The film was shot straight-to-video signaling the birth of Nollywood entertainment industry. Today, the industry employs hundreds of thousands of people and generate over $200 million annually.

A shopkeeper's idea gave life (jobs and money) to millions. Can a farmer come to our rescue this time? Can someone revolutionize our agriculture, mining, manufacturing? Can we get another Kenneth Nnebue?

Chika Omeje is a Business Analyst. He writes in from Doha, Qatar

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http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/opinion/blogs/95-reflection-on-how-to-reduce-poverty-in-nigeria

Bankers commit N18bn fraud in 2012 – NDIC


. Says only 10 banks sound in Nigeria

ABUJA—DESPITE claims that the nation’s 24 banks are strong and posting huge profit, fraudulent practises have continued among operators with no fewer than 3, 380 cases involving N17. 97 billion recorded last year.

According to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, annual report for 2012, this has resulted in a loss of about N4. 52 billion.

The report, released in Abuja yesterday, also said only 10 banks were rated sound in the year under review.

“The DMBs reported 3,380 fraud cases involving the sum of N17.97 billion with expected/contingent loss of about N4.52 billion in 2012.

“The expected/contingent loss had increased by N455 million (10.9 percent) as against N4.072 billion reported in 2011,” NDIC said.

The corporation said, however, that the amount involved in the fraud cases decreased by 36.4 percent from N28.40 billion in 2011 to N18.04 billion in 2012.

It said DMBs posted a combined profit before tax of N525 billion, adding that last year’s performance was an indication that the banks were strong and well capitalised.

“The banking industry was adequately capitalised in the year under review with capital adequacy ratio of 18.07 percent compared to 17.71 percent recorded in 2011. All the DMBs also met the minimum liquidity threshold of 30 percent. The asset quality significantly improved during the year as the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans decreased from 4.95 percent in 2011 to 3.51 percent in 2012.

“The improvement in the banking industry’s asset quality was due to the purchase of the non-performing loans of DMBs by AMCON and the enhanced credit risk management by DMBs. The overall effect was an improvement in the industry’s profit before tax which increased from a loss of N6.71 billion in 2011 to a profit of N525.34 billion in 2012,” it said.

The report said in terms of level of soundness, 10 banks were rated sound, nine satisfactory, while one bank was rated marginal, adding that “the industry could be considered to be relatively stable in 2012.

It insisted that “there was no unsound bank in the banking industry as at December 31, 2012.”

The corporation said it continued to pay depositors of banks-in-liquidation during the year with cumulative payment of N6.82 billion to 528,212 insured depositors of closed banks by December 31, 2012 as against N6.68 billion paid to 527,942 insured depositors as at December 31, 2011.

The NDIC said the feat was achieved in spite of the long closure of the banks and the unwillingness of many depositors to file for their claims.

Similarly, it said a total sum of N2.505 billion was paid to 75,322 verified depositors of 95 of 103 closed MFBs during the year, against the sum of N2.249 billion paid to 72,062 verified depositors in 2011.

“Also, the sum of N73.58 billion had been paid as liquidation dividend to 250,209 depositors of DMBs as at December 31, 2012. It is pertinent to indicate that a total of 14 out of the 34 banks-in-liquidation prior to 2006 had declared a final dividend of 100 percent of their total deposits, indicating that all depositors of the affected closed banks had fully recovered their deposits,” the corporation said.

The NDIC said the banking industry recorded significant improvement in its financial condition and performance in 2012 as revealed by all major financial indicators, compared to the previous year.
http://www.skytrendnews.com/index.php/business/banking/114-bankers-commit-n18bn-fraud-in-2012-ndic

great indeed

What do you think is the way forward?