₦airaland Forum

*Idris Deby’s death may complicate security matters in Nigeria- Olawepo-Hashim*

Global energy executive and former presidential candidate in 2019,Mr.Gbenga Olawepo -Hashim has alerted that the death of Chadian leader,Marshall Idris Dedy has potential of complicating Nigeria's security issues, particularly in the North east and Northwest regions.

While reacting on the death of the Chadian strongman, Olawepo-Hashim said in an interview that Nigeria's policy experts must of necessity, be very worried of the development now.

According to the businessman , "the death of Marshal Idris Deby ,until yesterday President of Chad is undoubtedly a set back for Nigeria’s national security."

"Idris has been the buffer for Nigeria’s fight against multiple forces of insurgencies in the Lake Chad Region. "

"Nigeria policy experts must of necessity, be very worried now. Since the strategic mistake of the overthrow of Gadaffi by some western forces who cobbled together a motley crowd of Islamists in 2010 and waged war against Libya,the security situation in the Sahel Region has rapidly deteriorated."

"What was clear was that a balance of forces as a result of imported high-grade equipment of war and communication and training ,have tilted things in support of non-state actors as opposed to the various states and governments of the Sahel region."

Hashim explained that ironically, former President Jonathan who demonstrated zero knowledge of international relations and national security,allegedly instigated a minority group of African states who broke rank with majority of African countries in the African Union (AU) that opposed the invasion of Libya.

"Jonathan supported the invasion led by United States and France who backed Islamists to overthrow Gadaffi. The rest is history."

"The worst that knowledgeable African heads of state feared, have come to the Sahel as the forces of destruction unleashed on Libya continued to sweep through all the states of the Sahel and West Africa as a whole and even to Central Africa."

Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Burkina Faso ,he said ,were paying for the tragedy of 2010 in severe insecurity caused by non-state actors who were better trained and better armed.

"What ever the internal politics in Chad is, Nigeria’s concern must be our national interest."

"This is standard international relations since the treaty of Westphalia in 1641, national security is the primary interest of states."

"Deby’s death has the potential to complicate things for Nigeria in the North-East and North-West."

"Whatever the inadequacies of Idris Deby, he died a true African hero; a courageous African. Many times Idris launched attack from Chad to confront the extremist forces operating in the North-East.He made no noise about it and he claimed no credit. He was a true friend and ally of Nigeria."

"For now, it is time to put on our best thinking cap. It is no longer the time for mediocrity," he said.

TVC feature Legislative Watch report, rating Kwara lawmakers

The maiden edition of Legislative Watch report by Grand Plan Consult and leading Pro Democracy group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change has been debuted in Kwara State.

The national program, whose pilot scheme was done in Kwara State was featured on TVC.

Abdulrazaq Hamzat is the lead researcher of the project.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSa2vILGZq0

SmartPolician:
Restructuring is better than balkanization....

NO ALTERNATIVE TO NATIONAL UNITY

Being a text of speech by Abdulrazaq Hamzat, able represented by Oyo State Alumni Chairman,Mr Sunday Oyebami at Convention of Congress of NOUN Students in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Greetings

This is to specially apologize to you all for not making it to the program as earlier planned.

My absence at the program was due to situation beyond my control, as I was recently involved in a small accident.

The victim is currently undergoing surgery at the hospital and it is impossible to travel, leaving the victim in that condition.

Kindly accept my sincere apology.

However, let me say that, I am very happy about the progress of the Congress of NOUN Students and I encourage you all to be better than those before you.

You should strive to be the best practice that others should emulate, not the other way round.

You should have mentors, those you revere and look up to as references to learn from, but don't be a dogmatic follower.

Actually, don't be a follower at all. Even if you are following a leader, also learn to lead from behind.

Leadership is all about responsibility and being sensitive. You can be a leader even if you have no leadership position.

I must also inform you that the information getting to me about some of you is very encouraging, especially those of you who are great patriot of national unity.

You should know that those who stand for national unity are the best over those who are calling for segregation, regionalism and tribalism.

To my understanding, the idea behind the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is to raise Nigerians that would think beyond regionalism. That is why the name of the institution started with the word, ‘’ NATIONAL’’.

Those who named the school could have called the institution, ‘’Open University of Nigeria’’, but they didn’t for a purpose.

They resolved to put the word national in the front to emphasize the importance of thinking beyond tribal or regional consideration.

While the aim of NOUN is to have centers in all
communities across the country to ensure no one is left out of access to quality education, it also provides enabling platform for students
to move around the country without any restriction in term of access to higher education.

This is why we must specially thank the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was also a former student of this school.

For me, there's no alternative to national unity and I want you to make that resolve also.

Whenever they say divide, you should say unite. When they say war, you should say peace.

Finally, let me submit that there is a very thin line between individualism, tribalism, regionalism and nationalism.

And that thin line is cynicism.

I don’t know if there is any study that has
established this as a fact, but from my careful observation so far, I have come to the conclusion that the only difference between
individualism, tribalism, regionalism and nationalism is cynicism.

Individualism is about me and me alone. Every action taken is geared toward personal benefits.

This is not really a bad idea if it is not done at the detriment of others, but unfortunately, the great Nelson Mandela once opined that, nothing about ‘’I’’ can be for the interest of
all.

Those who think deeply were able to see beyond ‘’I’’ to tribe.

So, they become tribalist, not just to protect their own personal interest, but their own tribal interest.

Tribalism is when someone only advocates for the interest of his tribe. But, while this may not be a bad idea on it own if is not done at the detriment of other tribes, but unfortunately, this is the case.

I am of the view that, nothing can be about ‘’my’’ and be for ‘’all’’.

Again, having realized the shallowness and limitation of the tribal concept, those who also think deeply were able to see beyond tribe to
region, so they become regionalist, not just to protect their own tribal interest, but to protect the interest of all tribes in their
region.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have said it repeatedly also that regionalism is not entirely a bad concept, if it is not done at the detriment of
others, but unfortunately, this is also the case.

I have therefore been asking, why limit our grace of brotherhood and sisterhood, if we can actually expand and accommodate all?

Just a little deep thinking and reflection would reveal to us that we can do much better than our fore fathers and those who had a little more deep thinking and reflection were able to see beyond their shallow regional interest, so they embraced nationalism. Just so you know, nationalism is when you factor in the interest of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, region and region. It is a situation in which you do not place your regional interest above the interest of others, neither should you abandon it, but instead, you place them side by side for joint
problem solving.

While you understand that your regional interest matters, you know also that it doesn’t matter more than those of others.

So, in choosing who lead and how resources are allocated, you factor in the capacity of all those involved and entrust the mandate to only those who have the capacity to purposefully handle the interest of all on the basis of priority, importance, value and sincerity.

This is what we need in this country because; you can’t build peace in a multi tribal and multi religious country likes ours without being
national. People would often react to perceived unfair policies and distribution of scarce resources.

So therefore my dear colleagues, let
us all ‘’be national’’to move Nigeria forward.

Thanks

Abdulrazaq Hamzat is a Human Rights Ambassador and Executive
Director, Foundation for Peace Professionals.

*Legislative Watch needs to be in all libraries- APC Chieftain*

_Urges politician, academia and the general public to read report_

A chieftain of All Progressive Congress and business man, Prince Goke Folayan has urged the authorities to ensure that all libraries in Kwara State, both private and public have copies of legislative Watch report in them.

The politician also called on the political class, academic institutions and the general public to read the legislative Watch.

Speaking at the public presentation of the report during the week at NUJ Secretariat, Prince Goke stated that, he has never seen anything like this in politics and for the first time, he's very happy that something like this is happening in Kwara State to bring about legislative accountability.

According to him, this report is timely and well detailed and understanding it would go along way in strengthening our democracy.

He commended Kwara Must Change for carrying out such a wonderful job.

*Legislative Watch is legal and inline with constitution- Bar Sambo*

A prominent activist and human rights lawyer, Barrister Murtala Sambo has said that the Legislative Watch assessment report by leading Pro Democracy group, Kwar Must Change is inline with the Constitution.

He also added that the manner in which the Legislative Watch addressed the issue of representation is highly commendable.

Bar Sambo, who made this position while reviewing the report at the public presentation during the week at NUJ Secretariat in ilorin noted that, as far as the Constitution is concerned, the Legislative Watch is in line with the Constitution and the manner the report tackled representation is highly commendable.

According to him, what Kwara Must Change is doing is very dangerous because it can be easily misunderstood, but it takes a lot of courage and focus to do this and am happy that they have already set the standard.

"Even if you didn't do another one in the future due to any kind of pressure, this one that you have done has already set the template that cannot be reversed" he said.

*Human Rights lawyer orders 24 copies of Legislative Watch for house of Assembly members*

_As KMC Convener assures him of distribution without payment_

Prominent activist and human Rights lawyer, Barrister Murtala Sambo has ordered 24 copies of Legislative Watch report to be distributed to all members of Kwara State House of Assembly.

The legal practitioner made the announcement during the public presentation of the report at NUJ Secretariat in ilorin during the week.

Barrister Sambo, who queried the absence of the lawmakers at the event noted that, their absence has denied them an opportunity of factual engagement and he informed the audience that he would personally pay for 24 copies of the report to be distributed to all members of the state assembly.

Reacting to his announcement, Convener of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat explained that, the lawmakers were not invited to the event and they should not be blamed for not coming.

He also noted that, it is part of the organizations plan to make copies of the report available to all lawmakers and they will be getting it in due time.

End

Poor Representation Hindering Good Governance, Says Kwara Group
editorApril 14, 2021 11:06 Pm
By Hammed Shittu

A pressure group, Kwara Must Change (KMC), has observed that good governance is suffering in the country due to poor representation.


The group however said that, the legislative arm of government was not providing direction based on needs of the people.

Speaking at the public presentation of legislative watch assessment report of both national representatives and Kwara state Assembly members in Ilorin on Wednesday held at NUJ Press centre, Ilorin , the convener of KMC, Mallam Abdulrazaq Hamzat, also stated that the legislative arm of government was also not strictly carrying out its oversight functions.

According to him ,”it’s our candid opinion that good governnace is suffering in Nigeria because of poor representation and we are convinced that democracy cannot produce good governance if the legislative arm of government is not providing the direction”.


He said, “Across Nigeria, many have observed that quality of government projects being executed in this fourth republic is not comparable to those of past republics and even those of the military era.

“It is based on this realization and the quest to strenghten the legislature that we came up with concept of legislative watch, as an assessment tool to widen public understanding of legislative responsibility and accountability process”.

In rating the state’s representatives at the national and state House of Assembly, Mallam Hamzat said that more than 80 percent of House of Representatives members sco6re below average, indicating low level of legislative understanding and commitment.


The group adjudged the Senator representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar, and the Speaker, Kwara state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the most performing legislators from the state.

“More than 66 per cent of Senators scored above average in the legislative assessment, indicating higher level of legislative understanding and commitment from the senators.

“majority of members of the state House of Assembly have little understanding of legislative engagement, neither do they have commitment to improve themselves through active participation in legislative activities.


“More than 90 per cent of the state House of Assembly scored below average in the legislative watch assessment, signifying worsening state of legislative understanding”.

The convener urged lawmakers in the state to see KMC assessment as an opportunity to deepen democracy, assuring that the group and the legislators are partners in progress because it is in their success that the people will rejoice.

Also speaking, the chairperson of the occasion, as well as the women wing coordinator of the KMC, Dr. Mopelola Abdulmaliq Bashir, said that the production of the legislative watch was not an attempt to blackmail some legislators and block their future electoral chances.


She also said that, “there is every need to dispel the erroneous impression in certain quarters that views this novel efforts of the group as an attempt to blackmail legislators.

” I say it with all sense of responsibility that this erroneous impression holds no water as the group only intends to use the publication to strenghten legislative accountability and extend our hands of partnership to the legislative arm of government”.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/04/14/poor-representation-hindering-good-governance-says-kwara-group/amp/

*Elect Leaders with programs, not ethnicity and religion- Olawepo Hashim*

As politicians continue to jostle ahead of 2023 general election, a former Presidential Candidate, Mr Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has called on the Nigerian people to elect leaders on the basis of their programs, character and antecedents, not based on ethnicity and religion.

In a post on his Facebook social media page, the infrastructure investment and energy tycoon, who is a leading advocate for national unity stated that, for anyone who desires progress and development, the considerations to elect a leader must be vision, character, antecedent and program, not ethnicity not religion.

He wrote, "Yes, for anyone who desires progress and development, the considerations to elect a leader must be vision, character, antecedent and program, not Ethnicity not Religion!
#BetterTogetherWithGO"

Hashim, who contested to be Nigeria's president in 2019 with solid economic plan and a promise to create a $4 trillion economy has been advocating for devolution of power to state and local government, arguing that empowering state and local government would create efficiency and make the country better.

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We see you

*Propaganda of none state actors*
By Abdulrazaq Hamzat

Branding is propaganda, Marketing is propaganda and Public Relations is propaganda.

In other words, propaganda is a nuetral concept that can be used either for good or for bad.

The concept of propaganda has been used to advance the greatest course of humanity, it has also been used to advance its cruelest.

Propaganda was used to set Africa free from colonialism, it was also used to pitch it against each other in war.

Propaganda was used to de-market African spiritualism, it was also used to elevate African nationalism.

If you see an African wearing suit during hot whether, that's because of propaganda.

If you read that Mungo Park discovered River Niger, that's the work of propaganda.

People around the world bear names they don't know its meaning as a result of propaganda.

Hundreds of thousands of people troop to Israel and Jerusalem every year because of propaganda and we have billions of people, who don't believe their creator will listen to their prayers if done in their own language, but would only grant their request, if done in the name of someone else.

So, propaganda is not just about politics, it is much more.

In recent times, none state actors across Nigeria, have intensified their propaganda against the state and because of state's insensitivity towards such matters, it is gradually loosing its grape on the nation.

Every nation of worth knows that national security begins with protecting and shaping the minds of the citizens.

If you loose the information warfare, you will loose your personal security, loose your national security, loose your territorial integrity and loose your national soveriengty.

This is why the Chinese government is in firm grip of flow of information in its country and the US government, which allows free flow of information is always ahead in information dessimination.

While dominant narratives in recent time have limited the use of propaganda to the media, the truth of the matter is that, propaganda is beyond the tool of the media.

Family, tribes, religion etc all make use of propaganda to advance their ideals.

Ofcourse, propaganda is also a tool of the media, but media is just a tiny fraction of sectors that utilize propaganda. Long before media industry came into existence as a formal professional, propaganda has been a tool for religious propagation.

Christian crusade and Islamic da'awah have the two most creative propaganda instrument in the world.

However, even before the establishment of modern religion such as Islam and Christianity, propaganda had long been a tool for tribal and communal advancement.

To say it differently, propaganda is part and parcel of human nature as a community and it cannot be extricated.

Parents use propaganda in managing their homes and to teach their children. Families and ethnicity use propaganda to advance their family and ethnic phylosophy. Religion also use it to advance its spiritual crusade.

That's why propaganda is defined as the spreading of ideas, information, or rumour for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.

For propaganda, it’s not important whether the information is true or false. What is important is that the propaganda material can advance the motive of its purveyor.

Sometimes, a propaganda content might be true, other times, they may be untrue. Sometimes, they maybe in context, other times, out of context.

Historically, from the 1790s, the term began being used also to refer for propaganda in secular activities, taking a pejorative or negative connotation in the mid-19th century, when it was used in the political sphere.

It is on record that In the beginning of its political utilisation, propaganda is often associated with material prepared by governments, but activist groups, companies, religious organisations and the media can also produce propaganda material to advance their interest. In the twentieth century, the term propaganda has often been associated with a manipulative approach, but propaganda historically was a neutral descriptive term.

The first large-scale and organised propagation of government propaganda was occasioned by the outbreak of war in 1914.

After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, military officials such as Erich Ludendorff suggested that British propaganda had been instrumental in their defeat. Adolf Hitler came to echo this view, believing that it had been a primary cause of the collapse of morale and the revolts in the German home front and Navy in 1918.

In Mein Kampf (1925) Hitler expounded his theory of propaganda, which provided a powerful base for his rise to power in 1933.

Historian Robert Ensor explains that “Hitler…puts no limit on what can be done by propaganda; people will believe anything, provided they are told it often enough and emphatically enough, and that contradicters are either silenced or smothered in calumny.” Most propaganda in Nazi Germany was produced by the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels. World War II saw continued use of propaganda as a weapon of war, building on the experience of WWI, by Goebbels and the British Political Warfare Executive, as well as the United States Office of War Information.

In the years following the October Revolution of 1917, the Soviet government sponsored the Russian film industry with the purpose of making propaganda films (e.g. the 1925 film The Battleship Potemkin glorifies Communist ideals.)

The 1930s and 1940s, which saw the rise of totalitarian states and the Second World War, are arguably the “Golden Age of Propaganda”. Leni Riefenstahl, a filmmaker working in Nazi Germany, created one of the best-known propaganda movies, Triumph of the Will.

In the US, animation became popular, especially for winning over youthful audiences and aiding the US war effort, e.g.,Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942), which ridicules Hitler and advocates the value of freedom.

US war films in the early 1940s were designed to create a patriotic mindset and convince viewers that sacrifices needed to be made to defeat the Axis Powers. The West and the Soviet Union both used propaganda extensively during the Cold War. Both sides used film, television, and radio programming to influence their own citizens, each other, and Third World nations.

George Orwell’s novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four are virtual textbooks on the use of propaganda.

During the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro stressed the importance of propaganda. It was also used extensively by Communist forces in the Vietnam War as means of controlling people’s opinions.

In pre-independent Africa, African movements made use of propaganda to advance their struggle against colonialism, but just as they used propaganda against the colonial governments, regions and tribes within Africa were also using propaganda within and against each other to advance their respective tribal interest.

The propagandist seeks to change the way people understand an issue or situation for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group.

In Nigeria of today, a careful observation of the information pattern tells us that none state actors are making significant headway in their propaganda against the state and the government is not paying serious attention. This account for the growing insecurity and dissent against the nation by its citizens.

It is therefore important that government and its institutions, aswell as all citizens of conscience re-evaluate their communication to shape the direction of the nation.

*Abdulrazaq Hamzat can be reached at discus4now@gmail.com*

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*Olawepo Hashim urges IPOB to cease hostility*

_Says the weak and poor on all sides will always suffer_

Former Presidential Candidate and Global Business Man, Mr Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has called on seperatist agitators across Nigeria, particularly in South East region to cease all hostilities and instead give room to resolve all contending issues politically.

The frontline politician, who is a strong advocate for national unity also called on the Federal government to take quick action to stabilize the polity.

In a short message posted on his Facebook page in reaction to attacks on Imo State police headquarters and correctional facility, Hashim stated that, separatist operations are getting more widespread in the South East as well as agitations in the South West Nigeria and he continue to call for dialogue to strengthen the Nigerian federation.

Hashim counsel the Federal Government on the need for quick action to stabilize the polity.

According to him, "we need to see quick action on the part of the Federal Government to stabilize the polity.

The business mogul advocating for devolution of power to state and local government cautioned seperatist agitators on the need to cease hostilities.

"We call on IPOB and other separatist groups to cease hostilities and to allow for political settlement of all grievances. He said.

Olawepo Hashim, who went to DMZ between North and South Korea on a solidarity march 32 years ago noted that, "When war breaks out, the weak and the poor on all the sides always suffer and all wars always end up on a round table, so why not talk instead of fighting?

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as border dividing the two hostile countries.

He called on all Nigerians to avoid provocative actions that can lead the country to war.