LET THE ACTION BEGIN, PRESIDENT BUHARI By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, please permit me to start by congratulating you on your swearing-in as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sir, it has been a very long and arduous journey back to the State House; such an epic battle, to say the least. Yours is an eloquent confirmation of the dictum that it is never over until it is over. There is a lesson for all to learn in your uncommon determination, extraordinary tenacity, great perseverance and tremendous patience and equanimity. According to William Shakespeare “all is well that ends well.”

Now that you’re back in power, it is time to settle down quickly to govern a particularly delicate country as well as a very sensitive people. It is not that Nigerians are too difficult to govern but the fact is that our expectations are rather huge after suffering for far too long in the midst of plenty. An average Nigerian voted for you in the hope that you have the magic wand to turn mass poverty into abundant prosperity. As a matter of fact, they expect you to turn water into vintage wine and if possible raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why the cry for change was overwhelming and reached a crescendo which culminated in former President Jonathan and the PDP being swept away by that proverbial broom of change! Such is the enormity of the burden you must carry today that nobody should envy you for attaining this exalted position once again. Moreover, time is not even on your side. You must therefore hit the ground running right away.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, would be watching and analysing your actions as well as your body language from now on. Your biggest headache would be how to manage the unruly politicians who litter our political landscape. They are going to make your job more complex and complicated than it should be ordinarily because most of them don’t actually believe in your principles and ideology. Their agenda is possibly at cross-purposes with yours. As far as they are concerned, you will have your say while they would always meander their way through the labyrinth of policies that you will have to make in order to give effect to your vision of a corruption free Nation. The Nigeria you’re inheriting today is steeped in filth and all manner of odoriferous mess but you have a chance of redirecting us all.

My candid advice is that you should stick to who you are and what made it possible for you to record this landmark victory. You are not a politician per se but a social crusader. Politics is always the means but never an end. The end is leadership and, ultimately, performance. If you deliver on your promises, no evil shall befall you and you will be celebrated by all and sundry. But if you fail, the same politicians who swarmed all over you singing your praises would jettison you and move on pronto to new suitors.

I do not expect you to fail and many Nigerians, including myself, are praying that you succeed. In case the unexpected happens, and our hopes are dashed again, let the last man remember to switch off the last globe as we plunge into eternal darkness. The candle of hope you hold out to Nigerians at home and abroad is incredible and I am not jealous of you. The last time Nigerians united behind a Presidential candidate was in 1993 when Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola raised the flag of hope and promised to banish poverty from our land. Sadly, many things went wrong and our hopes were dashed and Nigeria was abandoned in a quagmire. The rest is history.

It has taken 22 agonising years to arrive at this juncture and we can’t afford another misadventure. The burden of expectations on you and your highly cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, is stupendously heavy. As I wrote in this column on March 14, 2015:

“The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections…

“To whom much is given, much is expected. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion in order to perform instant magic, in a nation on its bent knees…”

Your first test is how and when you pick your highly anticipated and eagerly awaited “change” team. It is certain you must announce some key appointments immediately. Some States have already taken the lead and this shows a sign of preparedness. I’m impressed with the tone and tempo coming out of Governor Nasir El Rufai’s Kaduna State and Governor Ambode’s Lagos State. The Federal Government must borrow a leaf from such decisiveness. You must never be seen to prevaricate on urgent decisions as if your hands are tied behind your back. Sir, you are now in charge and must do everything necessary to select some of the brightest men and women it has pleased God to bless Nigeria with.  I must confess that I am somewhat agitated on your behalf that no appointment of note has been announced, not even those of your personal and household aides.  If you have already made these appointments please announce them as a matter of urgency.  Modern day governance is a transparent government and not one to be shrouded in secrecy.  That was one of the failings of the previous administration.  You must not make the same mistake, Mr President.

What you’re expected to do is tantamount to a football coach selecting a national team to take to the World Cup. Please, note that every Nigerian sees himself as a competent coach. The first set of appointments can make or mar this government especially if it is overloaded with hard-core politicians and nominees of interest groups. Realistically, it is impossible to ignore the Party that provided the platform that laid the golden egg. But how you maintain the precarious balance would clearly indicate if it is going to be business as usual in Nigeria or otherwise.

Mr President, let me alert Your Excellency right away that you have the media as well as the army of unemployed youths to contend with. The media is no longer comprised of the traditional journalists but the self-appointed publishers and bloggers on social media most of who belong to an angry generation and are very impatient and temperamental. They won’t listen to lame and dodgy excuses. Your media team must be rock-solid from Day One. If your media people do not know their onions or lack the influence within the media fraternity, all the goodwill of the moment may evaporate before our very eyes.  It must be clear to you by now that there must be a distinction between your speechwriters and those that propagate the image of your administration.  Whilst the former may be close to you and are your friends, the latter do not have to be.  What is needed for the latter are those who can connect not only to their network but also to the citizens of this great country.

PDP is not going to be a simple opposition to contain after controlling power for 16 years. The man in the street is hungry and almost disillusioned. Your government would need the services of efficient communicators and not those propagandists who may think telling lies is how to win the hearts and souls of the people. Nigerians have become more sophisticated than in the past when they had government apologists insult their intelligence with impunity. You have built your stock on your integrity.  You therefore cannot afford to have spokespersons that lack credibility because they will tarnish the good image and reputation that you have painstakingly built for yourself over the years.

Your cabinet should be carefully assembled. This is not going to be too difficult once you stick to your avowed yardstick and not to allow anyone drop any deadwoods on you. Nigerians collectively heaved a sigh of relief when you declared that you belong to everybody and yet you belong to nobody! You have a nation of over 170 million people to seek and pick just a few candidates to help your government achieve monumental greatness. There are so many other jobs to be handed over to political jobbers but the soul of government is your cabinet. The Ministers are the Ambassadors of your government. They must be tested and trusted people who can command the respect of all and inspire Nigerians out of the present state of despair and disillusionment. They must not be imposed or foisted on you.  They must be people that align with the tenets of your administration, your visions and your goals.  Your cabinet must comprise men and women that you personally feel comfortable to work with.

There are key areas of priority. What connects every family in any country is education. It is the foundation for success or failure. If we can rescue our education speedily, Nigeria would save millions of dollars being spent on sending our kids to school abroad. In the past, most of us attended schools in Nigeria and only travelled out after A–Levels or first degrees. An investment on education at home can never be a wasted one. It would generate employment and recreate a better society. Illiteracy is the mother of all backwardness. No nation can ever be considered developed if the citizens live in abject ignorance.

Sir, our economy is obviously in tatters. The need for diversification has never been in doubt and is even more pertinent now than ever. Our over-dependence on oil proceeds is stupidity at its worst. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to other vast potentials that bring us wealth and succour. Agriculture is one and thank God you’ve been actively engaged in farming in your personal capacity.  In my childhood days, the richest people around were cocoa and ground nut farmers. But they’ve been sacked and banished to antiquity by the oil barons some of who feasted with reckless abandon on our black gold without making any significant contribution to our economic well-being. A country that oozes crude oil from its pores is unable to fuel the yearnings of its people both literally and figuratively.  That is a big shame.  Once upon a time, we boasted about our groundnut pyramids. The people of Malaysia came to us for our palm seedlings. We had tonnes and loads of Ofada rice. Our yam tubers looked more like the legs of Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Our people fed and were content. We must return to those good old days soonest.

Entertainment is now big business globally. The time has come to properly manage the industry in a manner that will bring high yields to our gifted ones. Millions can be gainfully employed as singers, producers, engineers, event managers, make-up artists, caterers, ushers, models, designers, tailors, deejays, comedians, choreographers, composers, songwriters, instrumentalists, decorators, stylists, and so on, if properly managed and directed in the right direction by your government. It is the same with Sports. Nigerians are very talented in most sports but we have not been able to turn this into the goldmine that it is.

Every Nigerian, rich or poor, is totally frustrated about incessant power outages. Nothing is more pressing than finding a lasting solution to this national embarrassment. It is a jinx that must be broken. If you succeed in doing this, Nigerians will be forever grateful.   As with the oil and gas industry there are very simple ways of fixing the problem.  The first is that you must do away with cartels and engender competitiveness.  There must be transparency in allocation and distribution of these national assets and resources.  In this regard Your Excellency should note that subsidy is not the problem in the oil industry.  It is a mere red herring meant to deceive and hide even more monumental frauds.  In any event the issue of subsidy will not arise if things are done properly.  Our refineries must be made to work and we must price appropriately.

The last major issue that your Government must tackle immediately is the insecurity in our country.  The Boko Haram menace must be curbed.  Your commendable resolve in this respect has already been demonstrated by your directive to the Nigerian military command as their Commander – in Chief to move their base to the heart of the insurgency in Borno State. Also, the increasing spate of kidnappings, political killings and armed robberies must be addressed.

In the next couple of weeks, I will contribute my humble quota as to solutions to our seemingly intractable problems. Every Nigerian must support you by rising above partisanship.

Once again, I rejoice with you, Mr President and pray for your resounding success as you bring about hope and change in our dear beloved country! God bless Nigeria.

LET THE ACTION BEGIN, PRESIDENT BUHARI By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, please permit me to start by congratulating you on your swearing-in as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sir, it has been a very long and arduous journey back to the State House; such an epic battle, to say the least. Yours is an eloquent confirmation of the dictum that it is never over until it is over. There is a lesson for all to learn in your uncommon determination, extraordinary tenacity, great perseverance and tremendous patience and equanimity. According to William Shakespeare “all is well that ends well.”

Now that you’re back in power, it is time to settle down quickly to govern a particularly delicate country as well as a very sensitive people. It is not that Nigerians are too difficult to govern but the fact is that our expectations are rather huge after suffering for far too long in the midst of plenty. An average Nigerian voted for you in the hope that you have the magic wand to turn mass poverty into abundant prosperity. As a matter of fact, they expect you to turn water into vintage wine and if possible raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why the cry for change was overwhelming and reached a crescendo which culminated in former President Jonathan and the PDP being swept away by that proverbial broom of change! Such is the enormity of the burden you must carry today that nobody should envy you for attaining this exalted position once again. Moreover, time is not even on your side. You must therefore hit the ground running right away.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, would be watching and analysing your actions as well as your body language from now on. Your biggest headache would be how to manage the unruly politicians who litter our political landscape. They are going to make your job more complex and complicated than it should be ordinarily because most of them don’t actually believe in your principles and ideology. Their agenda is possibly at cross-purposes with yours. As far as they are concerned, you will have your say while they would always meander their way through the labyrinth of policies that you will have to make in order to give effect to your vision of a corruption free Nation. The Nigeria you’re inheriting today is steeped in filth and all manner of odoriferous mess but you have a chance of redirecting us all.

My candid advice is that you should stick to who you are and what made it possible for you to record this landmark victory. You are not a politician per se but a social crusader. Politics is always the means but never an end. The end is leadership and, ultimately, performance. If you deliver on your promises, no evil shall befall you and you will be celebrated by all and sundry. But if you fail, the same politicians who swarmed all over you singing your praises would jettison you and move on pronto to new suitors.

I do not expect you to fail and many Nigerians, including myself, are praying that you succeed. In case the unexpected happens, and our hopes are dashed again, let the last man remember to switch off the last globe as we plunge into eternal darkness. The candle of hope you hold out to Nigerians at home and abroad is incredible and I am not jealous of you. The last time Nigerians united behind a Presidential candidate was in 1993 when Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola raised the flag of hope and promised to banish poverty from our land. Sadly, many things went wrong and our hopes were dashed and Nigeria was abandoned in a quagmire. The rest is history.

It has taken 22 agonising years to arrive at this juncture and we can’t afford another misadventure. The burden of expectations on you and your highly cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, is stupendously heavy. As I wrote in this column on March 14, 2015:

“The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections…

“To whom much is given, much is expected. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion in order to perform instant magic, in a nation on its bent knees…”

Your first test is how and when you pick your highly anticipated and eagerly awaited “change” team. It is certain you must announce some key appointments immediately. Some States have already taken the lead and this shows a sign of preparedness. I’m impressed with the tone and tempo coming out of Governor Nasir El Rufai’s Kaduna State and Governor Ambode’s Lagos State. The Federal Government must borrow a leaf from such decisiveness. You must never be seen to prevaricate on urgent decisions as if your hands are tied behind your back. Sir, you are now in charge and must do everything necessary to select some of the brightest men and women it has pleased God to bless Nigeria with.  I must confess that I am somewhat agitated on your behalf that no appointment of note has been announced, not even those of your personal and household aides.  If you have already made these appointments please announce them as a matter of urgency.  Modern day governance is a transparent government and not one to be shrouded in secrecy.  That was one of the failings of the previous administration.  You must not make the same mistake, Mr President.

What you’re expected to do is tantamount to a football coach selecting a national team to take to the World Cup. Please, note that every Nigerian sees himself as a competent coach. The first set of appointments can make or mar this government especially if it is overloaded with hard-core politicians and nominees of interest groups. Realistically, it is impossible to ignore the Party that provided the platform that laid the golden egg. But how you maintain the precarious balance would clearly indicate if it is going to be business as usual in Nigeria or otherwise.

Mr President, let me alert Your Excellency right away that you have the media as well as the army of unemployed youths to contend with. The media is no longer comprised of the traditional journalists but the self-appointed publishers and bloggers on social media most of who belong to an angry generation and are very impatient and temperamental. They won’t listen to lame and dodgy excuses. Your media team must be rock-solid from Day One. If your media people do not know their onions or lack the influence within the media fraternity, all the goodwill of the moment may evaporate before our very eyes.  It must be clear to you by now that there must be a distinction between your speechwriters and those that propagate the image of your administration.  Whilst the former may be close to you and are your friends, the latter do not have to be.  What is needed for the latter are those who can connect not only to their network but also to the citizens of this great country.

PDP is not going to be a simple opposition to contain after controlling power for 16 years. The man in the street is hungry and almost disillusioned. Your government would need the services of efficient communicators and not those propagandists who may think telling lies is how to win the hearts and souls of the people. Nigerians have become more sophisticated than in the past when they had government apologists insult their intelligence with impunity. You have built your stock on your integrity.  You therefore cannot afford to have spokespersons that lack credibility because they will tarnish the good image and reputation that you have painstakingly built for yourself over the years.

Your cabinet should be carefully assembled. This is not going to be too difficult once you stick to your avowed yardstick and not to allow anyone drop any deadwoods on you. Nigerians collectively heaved a sigh of relief when you declared that you belong to everybody and yet you belong to nobody! You have a nation of over 170 million people to seek and pick just a few candidates to help your government achieve monumental greatness. There are so many other jobs to be handed over to political jobbers but the soul of government is your cabinet. The Ministers are the Ambassadors of your government. They must be tested and trusted people who can command the respect of all and inspire Nigerians out of the present state of despair and disillusionment. They must not be imposed or foisted on you.  They must be people that align with the tenets of your administration, your visions and your goals.  Your cabinet must comprise men and women that you personally feel comfortable to work with.

There are key areas of priority. What connects every family in any country is education. It is the foundation for success or failure. If we can rescue our education speedily, Nigeria would save millions of dollars being spent on sending our kids to school abroad. In the past, most of us attended schools in Nigeria and only travelled out after A–Levels or first degrees. An investment on education at home can never be a wasted one. It would generate employment and recreate a better society. Illiteracy is the mother of all backwardness. No nation can ever be considered developed if the citizens live in abject ignorance.

Sir, our economy is obviously in tatters. The need for diversification has never been in doubt and is even more pertinent now than ever. Our over-dependence on oil proceeds is stupidity at its worst. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to other vast potentials that bring us wealth and succour. Agriculture is one and thank God you’ve been actively engaged in farming in your personal capacity.  In my childhood days, the richest people around were cocoa and ground nut farmers. But they’ve been sacked and banished to antiquity by the oil barons some of who feasted with reckless abandon on our black gold without making any significant contribution to our economic well-being. A country that oozes crude oil from its pores is unable to fuel the yearnings of its people both literally and figuratively.  That is a big shame.  Once upon a time, we boasted about our groundnut pyramids. The people of Malaysia came to us for our palm seedlings. We had tonnes and loads of Ofada rice. Our yam tubers looked more like the legs of Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Our people fed and were content. We must return to those good old days soonest.

Entertainment is now big business globally. The time has come to properly manage the industry in a manner that will bring high yields to our gifted ones. Millions can be gainfully employed as singers, producers, engineers, event managers, make-up artists, caterers, ushers, models, designers, tailors, deejays, comedians, choreographers, composers, songwriters, instrumentalists, decorators, stylists, and so on, if properly managed and directed in the right direction by your government. It is the same with Sports. Nigerians are very talented in most sports but we have not been able to turn this into the goldmine that it is.

Every Nigerian, rich or poor, is totally frustrated about incessant power outages. Nothing is more pressing than finding a lasting solution to this national embarrassment. It is a jinx that must be broken. If you succeed in doing this, Nigerians will be forever grateful.   As with the oil and gas industry there are very simple ways of fixing the problem.  The first is that you must do away with cartels and engender competitiveness.  There must be transparency in allocation and distribution of these national assets and resources.  In this regard Your Excellency should note that subsidy is not the problem in the oil industry.  It is a mere red herring meant to deceive and hide even more monumental frauds.  In any event the issue of subsidy will not arise if things are done properly.  Our refineries must be made to work and we must price appropriately.

The last major issue that your Government must tackle immediately is the insecurity in our country.  The Boko Haram menace must be curbed.  Your commendable resolve in this respect has already been demonstrated by your directive to the Nigerian military command as their Commander – in Chief to move their base to the heart of the insurgency in Borno State. Also, the increasing spate of kidnappings, political killings and armed robberies must be addressed.

In the next couple of weeks, I will contribute my humble quota as to solutions to our seemingly intractable problems. Every Nigerian must support you by rising above partisanship.

Once again, I rejoice with you, Mr President and pray for your resounding success as you bring about hope and change in our dear beloved country! God bless Nigeria.

LET THE ACTION BEGIN, PRESIDENT BUHARI By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, please permit me to start by congratulating you on your swearing-in as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sir, it has been a very long and arduous journey back to the State House; such an epic battle, to say the least. Yours is an eloquent confirmation of the dictum that it is never over until it is over. There is a lesson for all to learn in your uncommon determination, extraordinary tenacity, great perseverance and tremendous patience and equanimity. According to William Shakespeare “all is well that ends well.”

Now that you’re back in power, it is time to settle down quickly to govern a particularly delicate country as well as a very sensitive people. It is not that Nigerians are too difficult to govern but the fact is that our expectations are rather huge after suffering for far too long in the midst of plenty. An average Nigerian voted for you in the hope that you have the magic wand to turn mass poverty into abundant prosperity. As a matter of fact, they expect you to turn water into vintage wine and if possible raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why the cry for change was overwhelming and reached a crescendo which culminated in former President Jonathan and the PDP being swept away by that proverbial broom of change! Such is the enormity of the burden you must carry today that nobody should envy you for attaining this exalted position once again. Moreover, time is not even on your side. You must therefore hit the ground running right away.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, would be watching and analysing your actions as well as your body language from now on. Your biggest headache would be how to manage the unruly politicians who litter our political landscape. They are going to make your job more complex and complicated than it should be ordinarily because most of them don’t actually believe in your principles and ideology. Their agenda is possibly at cross-purposes with yours. As far as they are concerned, you will have your say while they would always meander their way through the labyrinth of policies that you will have to make in order to give effect to your vision of a corruption free Nation. The Nigeria you’re inheriting today is steeped in filth and all manner of odoriferous mess but you have a chance of redirecting us all.

My candid advice is that you should stick to who you are and what made it possible for you to record this landmark victory. You are not a politician per se but a social crusader. Politics is always the means but never an end. The end is leadership and, ultimately, performance. If you deliver on your promises, no evil shall befall you and you will be celebrated by all and sundry. But if you fail, the same politicians who swarmed all over you singing your praises would jettison you and move on pronto to new suitors.

I do not expect you to fail and many Nigerians, including myself, are praying that you succeed. In case the unexpected happens, and our hopes are dashed again, let the last man remember to switch off the last globe as we plunge into eternal darkness. The candle of hope you hold out to Nigerians at home and abroad is incredible and I am not jealous of you. The last time Nigerians united behind a Presidential candidate was in 1993 when Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola raised the flag of hope and promised to banish poverty from our land. Sadly, many things went wrong and our hopes were dashed and Nigeria was abandoned in a quagmire. The rest is history.

It has taken 22 agonising years to arrive at this juncture and we can’t afford another misadventure. The burden of expectations on you and your highly cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, is stupendously heavy. As I wrote in this column on March 14, 2015:

“The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections…

“To whom much is given, much is expected. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion in order to perform instant magic, in a nation on its bent knees…”

Your first test is how and when you pick your highly anticipated and eagerly awaited “change” team. It is certain you must announce some key appointments immediately. Some States have already taken the lead and this shows a sign of preparedness. I’m impressed with the tone and tempo coming out of Governor Nasir El Rufai’s Kaduna State and Governor Ambode’s Lagos State. The Federal Government must borrow a leaf from such decisiveness. You must never be seen to prevaricate on urgent decisions as if your hands are tied behind your back. Sir, you are now in charge and must do everything necessary to select some of the brightest men and women it has pleased God to bless Nigeria with.  I must confess that I am somewhat agitated on your behalf that no appointment of note has been announced, not even those of your personal and household aides.  If you have already made these appointments please announce them as a matter of urgency.  Modern day governance is a transparent government and not one to be shrouded in secrecy.  That was one of the failings of the previous administration.  You must not make the same mistake, Mr President.

What you’re expected to do is tantamount to a football coach selecting a national team to take to the World Cup. Please, note that every Nigerian sees himself as a competent coach. The first set of appointments can make or mar this government especially if it is overloaded with hard-core politicians and nominees of interest groups. Realistically, it is impossible to ignore the Party that provided the platform that laid the golden egg. But how you maintain the precarious balance would clearly indicate if it is going to be business as usual in Nigeria or otherwise.

Mr President, let me alert Your Excellency right away that you have the media as well as the army of unemployed youths to contend with. The media is no longer comprised of the traditional journalists but the self-appointed publishers and bloggers on social media most of who belong to an angry generation and are very impatient and temperamental. They won’t listen to lame and dodgy excuses. Your media team must be rock-solid from Day One. If your media people do not know their onions or lack the influence within the media fraternity, all the goodwill of the moment may evaporate before our very eyes.  It must be clear to you by now that there must be a distinction between your speechwriters and those that propagate the image of your administration.  Whilst the former may be close to you and are your friends, the latter do not have to be.  What is needed for the latter are those who can connect not only to their network but also to the citizens of this great country.

PDP is not going to be a simple opposition to contain after controlling power for 16 years. The man in the street is hungry and almost disillusioned. Your government would need the services of efficient communicators and not those propagandists who may think telling lies is how to win the hearts and souls of the people. Nigerians have become more sophisticated than in the past when they had government apologists insult their intelligence with impunity. You have built your stock on your integrity.  You therefore cannot afford to have spokespersons that lack credibility because they will tarnish the good image and reputation that you have painstakingly built for yourself over the years.

Your cabinet should be carefully assembled. This is not going to be too difficult once you stick to your avowed yardstick and not to allow anyone drop any deadwoods on you. Nigerians collectively heaved a sigh of relief when you declared that you belong to everybody and yet you belong to nobody! You have a nation of over 170 million people to seek and pick just a few candidates to help your government achieve monumental greatness. There are so many other jobs to be handed over to political jobbers but the soul of government is your cabinet. The Ministers are the Ambassadors of your government. They must be tested and trusted people who can command the respect of all and inspire Nigerians out of the present state of despair and disillusionment. They must not be imposed or foisted on you.  They must be people that align with the tenets of your administration, your visions and your goals.  Your cabinet must comprise men and women that you personally feel comfortable to work with.

There are key areas of priority. What connects every family in any country is education. It is the foundation for success or failure. If we can rescue our education speedily, Nigeria would save millions of dollars being spent on sending our kids to school abroad. In the past, most of us attended schools in Nigeria and only travelled out after A–Levels or first degrees. An investment on education at home can never be a wasted one. It would generate employment and recreate a better society. Illiteracy is the mother of all backwardness. No nation can ever be considered developed if the citizens live in abject ignorance.

Sir, our economy is obviously in tatters. The need for diversification has never been in doubt and is even more pertinent now than ever. Our over-dependence on oil proceeds is stupidity at its worst. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to other vast potentials that bring us wealth and succour. Agriculture is one and thank God you’ve been actively engaged in farming in your personal capacity.  In my childhood days, the richest people around were cocoa and ground nut farmers. But they’ve been sacked and banished to antiquity by the oil barons some of who feasted with reckless abandon on our black gold without making any significant contribution to our economic well-being. A country that oozes crude oil from its pores is unable to fuel the yearnings of its people both literally and figuratively.  That is a big shame.  Once upon a time, we boasted about our groundnut pyramids. The people of Malaysia came to us for our palm seedlings. We had tonnes and loads of Ofada rice. Our yam tubers looked more like the legs of Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Our people fed and were content. We must return to those good old days soonest.

Entertainment is now big business globally. The time has come to properly manage the industry in a manner that will bring high yields to our gifted ones. Millions can be gainfully employed as singers, producers, engineers, event managers, make-up artists, caterers, ushers, models, designers, tailors, deejays, comedians, choreographers, composers, songwriters, instrumentalists, decorators, stylists, and so on, if properly managed and directed in the right direction by your government. It is the same with Sports. Nigerians are very talented in most sports but we have not been able to turn this into the goldmine that it is.

Every Nigerian, rich or poor, is totally frustrated about incessant power outages. Nothing is more pressing than finding a lasting solution to this national embarrassment. It is a jinx that must be broken. If you succeed in doing this, Nigerians will be forever grateful.   As with the oil and gas industry there are very simple ways of fixing the problem.  The first is that you must do away with cartels and engender competitiveness.  There must be transparency in allocation and distribution of these national assets and resources.  In this regard Your Excellency should note that subsidy is not the problem in the oil industry.  It is a mere red herring meant to deceive and hide even more monumental frauds.  In any event the issue of subsidy will not arise if things are done properly.  Our refineries must be made to work and we must price appropriately.

The last major issue that your Government must tackle immediately is the insecurity in our country.  The Boko Haram menace must be curbed.  Your commendable resolve in this respect has already been demonstrated by your directive to the Nigerian military command as their Commander – in Chief to move their base to the heart of the insurgency in Borno State. Also, the increasing spate of kidnappings, political killings and armed robberies must be addressed.

In the next couple of weeks, I will contribute my humble quota as to solutions to our seemingly intractable problems. Every Nigerian must support you by rising above partisanship.

Once again, I rejoice with you, Mr President and pray for your resounding success as you bring about hope and change in our dear beloved country! God bless Nigeria.

LET THE ACTION BEGIN, PRESIDENT BUHARI By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, please permit me to start by congratulating you on your swearing-in as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sir, it has been a very long and arduous journey back to the State House; such an epic battle, to say the least. Yours is an eloquent confirmation of the dictum that it is never over until it is over. There is a lesson for all to learn in your uncommon determination, extraordinary tenacity, great perseverance and tremendous patience and equanimity. According to William Shakespeare “all is well that ends well.”

Now that you’re back in power, it is time to settle down quickly to govern a particularly delicate country as well as a very sensitive people. It is not that Nigerians are too difficult to govern but the fact is that our expectations are rather huge after suffering for far too long in the midst of plenty. An average Nigerian voted for you in the hope that you have the magic wand to turn mass poverty into abundant prosperity. As a matter of fact, they expect you to turn water into vintage wine and if possible raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why the cry for change was overwhelming and reached a crescendo which culminated in former President Jonathan and the PDP being swept away by that proverbial broom of change! Such is the enormity of the burden you must carry today that nobody should envy you for attaining this exalted position once again. Moreover, time is not even on your side. You must therefore hit the ground running right away.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, would be watching and analysing your actions as well as your body language from now on. Your biggest headache would be how to manage the unruly politicians who litter our political landscape. They are going to make your job more complex and complicated than it should be ordinarily because most of them don’t actually believe in your principles and ideology. Their agenda is possibly at cross-purposes with yours. As far as they are concerned, you will have your say while they would always meander their way through the labyrinth of policies that you will have to make in order to give effect to your vision of a corruption free Nation. The Nigeria you’re inheriting today is steeped in filth and all manner of odoriferous mess but you have a chance of redirecting us all.

My candid advice is that you should stick to who you are and what made it possible for you to record this landmark victory. You are not a politician per se but a social crusader. Politics is always the means but never an end. The end is leadership and, ultimately, performance. If you deliver on your promises, no evil shall befall you and you will be celebrated by all and sundry. But if you fail, the same politicians who swarmed all over you singing your praises would jettison you and move on pronto to new suitors.

I do not expect you to fail and many Nigerians, including myself, are praying that you succeed. In case the unexpected happens, and our hopes are dashed again, let the last man remember to switch off the last globe as we plunge into eternal darkness. The candle of hope you hold out to Nigerians at home and abroad is incredible and I am not jealous of you. The last time Nigerians united behind a Presidential candidate was in 1993 when Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola raised the flag of hope and promised to banish poverty from our land. Sadly, many things went wrong and our hopes were dashed and Nigeria was abandoned in a quagmire. The rest is history.

It has taken 22 agonising years to arrive at this juncture and we can’t afford another misadventure. The burden of expectations on you and your highly cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, is stupendously heavy. As I wrote in this column on March 14, 2015:

“The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections…

“To whom much is given, much is expected. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion in order to perform instant magic, in a nation on its bent knees…”

Your first test is how and when you pick your highly anticipated and eagerly awaited “change” team. It is certain you must announce some key appointments immediately. Some States have already taken the lead and this shows a sign of preparedness. I’m impressed with the tone and tempo coming out of Governor Nasir El Rufai’s Kaduna State and Governor Ambode’s Lagos State. The Federal Government must borrow a leaf from such decisiveness. You must never be seen to prevaricate on urgent decisions as if your hands are tied behind your back. Sir, you are now in charge and must do everything necessary to select some of the brightest men and women it has pleased God to bless Nigeria with.  I must confess that I am somewhat agitated on your behalf that no appointment of note has been announced, not even those of your personal and household aides.  If you have already made these appointments please announce them as a matter of urgency.  Modern day governance is a transparent government and not one to be shrouded in secrecy.  That was one of the failings of the previous administration.  You must not make the same mistake, Mr President.

What you’re expected to do is tantamount to a football coach selecting a national team to take to the World Cup. Please, note that every Nigerian sees himself as a competent coach. The first set of appointments can make or mar this government especially if it is overloaded with hard-core politicians and nominees of interest groups. Realistically, it is impossible to ignore the Party that provided the platform that laid the golden egg. But how you maintain the precarious balance would clearly indicate if it is going to be business as usual in Nigeria or otherwise.

Mr President, let me alert Your Excellency right away that you have the media as well as the army of unemployed youths to contend with. The media is no longer comprised of the traditional journalists but the self-appointed publishers and bloggers on social media most of who belong to an angry generation and are very impatient and temperamental. They won’t listen to lame and dodgy excuses. Your media team must be rock-solid from Day One. If your media people do not know their onions or lack the influence within the media fraternity, all the goodwill of the moment may evaporate before our very eyes.  It must be clear to you by now that there must be a distinction between your speechwriters and those that propagate the image of your administration.  Whilst the former may be close to you and are your friends, the latter do not have to be.  What is needed for the latter are those who can connect not only to their network but also to the citizens of this great country.

PDP is not going to be a simple opposition to contain after controlling power for 16 years. The man in the street is hungry and almost disillusioned. Your government would need the services of efficient communicators and not those propagandists who may think telling lies is how to win the hearts and souls of the people. Nigerians have become more sophisticated than in the past when they had government apologists insult their intelligence with impunity. You have built your stock on your integrity.  You therefore cannot afford to have spokespersons that lack credibility because they will tarnish the good image and reputation that you have painstakingly built for yourself over the years.

Your cabinet should be carefully assembled. This is not going to be too difficult once you stick to your avowed yardstick and not to allow anyone drop any deadwoods on you. Nigerians collectively heaved a sigh of relief when you declared that you belong to everybody and yet you belong to nobody! You have a nation of over 170 million people to seek and pick just a few candidates to help your government achieve monumental greatness. There are so many other jobs to be handed over to political jobbers but the soul of government is your cabinet. The Ministers are the Ambassadors of your government. They must be tested and trusted people who can command the respect of all and inspire Nigerians out of the present state of despair and disillusionment. They must not be imposed or foisted on you.  They must be people that align with the tenets of your administration, your visions and your goals.  Your cabinet must comprise men and women that you personally feel comfortable to work with.

There are key areas of priority. What connects every family in any country is education. It is the foundation for success or failure. If we can rescue our education speedily, Nigeria would save millions of dollars being spent on sending our kids to school abroad. In the past, most of us attended schools in Nigeria and only travelled out after A–Levels or first degrees. An investment on education at home can never be a wasted one. It would generate employment and recreate a better society. Illiteracy is the mother of all backwardness. No nation can ever be considered developed if the citizens live in abject ignorance.

Sir, our economy is obviously in tatters. The need for diversification has never been in doubt and is even more pertinent now than ever. Our over-dependence on oil proceeds is stupidity at its worst. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to other vast potentials that bring us wealth and succour. Agriculture is one and thank God you’ve been actively engaged in farming in your personal capacity.  In my childhood days, the richest people around were cocoa and ground nut farmers. But they’ve been sacked and banished to antiquity by the oil barons some of who feasted with reckless abandon on our black gold without making any significant contribution to our economic well-being. A country that oozes crude oil from its pores is unable to fuel the yearnings of its people both literally and figuratively.  That is a big shame.  Once upon a time, we boasted about our groundnut pyramids. The people of Malaysia came to us for our palm seedlings. We had tonnes and loads of Ofada rice. Our yam tubers looked more like the legs of Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Our people fed and were content. We must return to those good old days soonest.

Entertainment is now big business globally. The time has come to properly manage the industry in a manner that will bring high yields to our gifted ones. Millions can be gainfully employed as singers, producers, engineers, event managers, make-up artists, caterers, ushers, models, designers, tailors, deejays, comedians, choreographers, composers, songwriters, instrumentalists, decorators, stylists, and so on, if properly managed and directed in the right direction by your government. It is the same with Sports. Nigerians are very talented in most sports but we have not been able to turn this into the goldmine that it is.

Every Nigerian, rich or poor, is totally frustrated about incessant power outages. Nothing is more pressing than finding a lasting solution to this national embarrassment. It is a jinx that must be broken. If you succeed in doing this, Nigerians will be forever grateful.   As with the oil and gas industry there are very simple ways of fixing the problem.  The first is that you must do away with cartels and engender competitiveness.  There must be transparency in allocation and distribution of these national assets and resources.  In this regard Your Excellency should note that subsidy is not the problem in the oil industry.  It is a mere red herring meant to deceive and hide even more monumental frauds.  In any event the issue of subsidy will not arise if things are done properly.  Our refineries must be made to work and we must price appropriately.

The last major issue that your Government must tackle immediately is the insecurity in our country.  The Boko Haram menace must be curbed.  Your commendable resolve in this respect has already been demonstrated by your directive to the Nigerian military command as their Commander – in Chief to move their base to the heart of the insurgency in Borno State. Also, the increasing spate of kidnappings, political killings and armed robberies must be addressed.

In the next couple of weeks, I will contribute my humble quota as to solutions to our seemingly intractable problems. Every Nigerian must support you by rising above partisanship.

Once again, I rejoice with you, Mr President and pray for your resounding success as you bring about hope and change in our dear beloved country! God bless Nigeria.

LET THE ACTION BEGIN, PRESIDENT BUHARI By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, please permit me to start by congratulating you on your swearing-in as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sir, it has been a very long and arduous journey back to the State House; such an epic battle, to say the least. Yours is an eloquent confirmation of the dictum that it is never over until it is over. There is a lesson for all to learn in your uncommon determination, extraordinary tenacity, great perseverance and tremendous patience and equanimity. According to William Shakespeare “all is well that ends well.”

Now that you’re back in power, it is time to settle down quickly to govern a particularly delicate country as well as a very sensitive people. It is not that Nigerians are too difficult to govern but the fact is that our expectations are rather huge after suffering for far too long in the midst of plenty. An average Nigerian voted for you in the hope that you have the magic wand to turn mass poverty into abundant prosperity. As a matter of fact, they expect you to turn water into vintage wine and if possible raise Lazarus from the dead. That is why the cry for change was overwhelming and reached a crescendo which culminated in former President Jonathan and the PDP being swept away by that proverbial broom of change! Such is the enormity of the burden you must carry today that nobody should envy you for attaining this exalted position once again. Moreover, time is not even on your side. You must therefore hit the ground running right away.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, would be watching and analysing your actions as well as your body language from now on. Your biggest headache would be how to manage the unruly politicians who litter our political landscape. They are going to make your job more complex and complicated than it should be ordinarily because most of them don’t actually believe in your principles and ideology. Their agenda is possibly at cross-purposes with yours. As far as they are concerned, you will have your say while they would always meander their way through the labyrinth of policies that you will have to make in order to give effect to your vision of a corruption free Nation. The Nigeria you’re inheriting today is steeped in filth and all manner of odoriferous mess but you have a chance of redirecting us all.

My candid advice is that you should stick to who you are and what made it possible for you to record this landmark victory. You are not a politician per se but a social crusader. Politics is always the means but never an end. The end is leadership and, ultimately, performance. If you deliver on your promises, no evil shall befall you and you will be celebrated by all and sundry. But if you fail, the same politicians who swarmed all over you singing your praises would jettison you and move on pronto to new suitors.

I do not expect you to fail and many Nigerians, including myself, are praying that you succeed. In case the unexpected happens, and our hopes are dashed again, let the last man remember to switch off the last globe as we plunge into eternal darkness. The candle of hope you hold out to Nigerians at home and abroad is incredible and I am not jealous of you. The last time Nigerians united behind a Presidential candidate was in 1993 when Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola raised the flag of hope and promised to banish poverty from our land. Sadly, many things went wrong and our hopes were dashed and Nigeria was abandoned in a quagmire. The rest is history.

It has taken 22 agonising years to arrive at this juncture and we can’t afford another misadventure. The burden of expectations on you and your highly cerebral Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, is stupendously heavy. As I wrote in this column on March 14, 2015:

“The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections…

“To whom much is given, much is expected. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion in order to perform instant magic, in a nation on its bent knees…”

Your first test is how and when you pick your highly anticipated and eagerly awaited “change” team. It is certain you must announce some key appointments immediately. Some States have already taken the lead and this shows a sign of preparedness. I’m impressed with the tone and tempo coming out of Governor Nasir El Rufai’s Kaduna State and Governor Ambode’s Lagos State. The Federal Government must borrow a leaf from such decisiveness. You must never be seen to prevaricate on urgent decisions as if your hands are tied behind your back. Sir, you are now in charge and must do everything necessary to select some of the brightest men and women it has pleased God to bless Nigeria with.  I must confess that I am somewhat agitated on your behalf that no appointment of note has been announced, not even those of your personal and household aides.  If you have already made these appointments please announce them as a matter of urgency.  Modern day governance is a transparent government and not one to be shrouded in secrecy.  That was one of the failings of the previous administration.  You must not make the same mistake, Mr President.

What you’re expected to do is tantamount to a football coach selecting a national team to take to the World Cup. Please, note that every Nigerian sees himself as a competent coach. The first set of appointments can make or mar this government especially if it is overloaded with hard-core politicians and nominees of interest groups. Realistically, it is impossible to ignore the Party that provided the platform that laid the golden egg. But how you maintain the precarious balance would clearly indicate if it is going to be business as usual in Nigeria or otherwise.

Mr President, let me alert Your Excellency right away that you have the media as well as the army of unemployed youths to contend with. The media is no longer comprised of the traditional journalists but the self-appointed publishers and bloggers on social media most of who belong to an angry generation and are very impatient and temperamental. They won’t listen to lame and dodgy excuses. Your media team must be rock-solid from Day One. If your media people do not know their onions or lack the influence within the media fraternity, all the goodwill of the moment may evaporate before our very eyes.  It must be clear to you by now that there must be a distinction between your speechwriters and those that propagate the image of your administration.  Whilst the former may be close to you and are your friends, the latter do not have to be.  What is needed for the latter are those who can connect not only to their network but also to the citizens of this great country.

PDP is not going to be a simple opposition to contain after controlling power for 16 years. The man in the street is hungry and almost disillusioned. Your government would need the services of efficient communicators and not those propagandists who may think telling lies is how to win the hearts and souls of the people. Nigerians have become more sophisticated than in the past when they had government apologists insult their intelligence with impunity. You have built your stock on your integrity.  You therefore cannot afford to have spokespersons that lack credibility because they will tarnish the good image and reputation that you have painstakingly built for yourself over the years.

Your cabinet should be carefully assembled. This is not going to be too difficult once you stick to your avowed yardstick and not to allow anyone drop any deadwoods on you. Nigerians collectively heaved a sigh of relief when you declared that you belong to everybody and yet you belong to nobody! You have a nation of over 170 million people to seek and pick just a few candidates to help your government achieve monumental greatness. There are so many other jobs to be handed over to political jobbers but the soul of government is your cabinet. The Ministers are the Ambassadors of your government. They must be tested and trusted people who can command the respect of all and inspire Nigerians out of the present state of despair and disillusionment. They must not be imposed or foisted on you.  They must be people that align with the tenets of your administration, your visions and your goals.  Your cabinet must comprise men and women that you personally feel comfortable to work with.

There are key areas of priority. What connects every family in any country is education. It is the foundation for success or failure. If we can rescue our education speedily, Nigeria would save millions of dollars being spent on sending our kids to school abroad. In the past, most of us attended schools in Nigeria and only travelled out after A–Levels or first degrees. An investment on education at home can never be a wasted one. It would generate employment and recreate a better society. Illiteracy is the mother of all backwardness. No nation can ever be considered developed if the citizens live in abject ignorance.

Sir, our economy is obviously in tatters. The need for diversification has never been in doubt and is even more pertinent now than ever. Our over-dependence on oil proceeds is stupidity at its worst. We can no longer afford to pay lip service to other vast potentials that bring us wealth and succour. Agriculture is one and thank God you’ve been actively engaged in farming in your personal capacity.  In my childhood days, the richest people around were cocoa and ground nut farmers. But they’ve been sacked and banished to antiquity by the oil barons some of who feasted with reckless abandon on our black gold without making any significant contribution to our economic well-being. A country that oozes crude oil from its pores is unable to fuel the yearnings of its people both literally and figuratively.  That is a big shame.  Once upon a time, we boasted about our groundnut pyramids. The people of Malaysia came to us for our palm seedlings. We had tonnes and loads of Ofada rice. Our yam tubers looked more like the legs of Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Our people fed and were content. We must return to those good old days soonest.

Entertainment is now big business globally. The time has come to properly manage the industry in a manner that will bring high yields to our gifted ones. Millions can be gainfully employed as singers, producers, engineers, event managers, make-up artists, caterers, ushers, models, designers, tailors, deejays, comedians, choreographers, composers, songwriters, instrumentalists, decorators, stylists, and so on, if properly managed and directed in the right direction by your government. It is the same with Sports. Nigerians are very talented in most sports but we have not been able to turn this into the goldmine that it is.

Every Nigerian, rich or poor, is totally frustrated about incessant power outages. Nothing is more pressing than finding a lasting solution to this national embarrassment. It is a jinx that must be broken. If you succeed in doing this, Nigerians will be forever grateful.   As with the oil and gas industry there are very simple ways of fixing the problem.  The first is that you must do away with cartels and engender competitiveness.  There must be transparency in allocation and distribution of these national assets and resources.  In this regard Your Excellency should note that subsidy is not the problem in the oil industry.  It is a mere red herring meant to deceive and hide even more monumental frauds.  In any event the issue of subsidy will not arise if things are done properly.  Our refineries must be made to work and we must price appropriately.

The last major issue that your Government must tackle immediately is the insecurity in our country.  The Boko Haram menace must be curbed.  Your commendable resolve in this respect has already been demonstrated by your directive to the Nigerian military command as their Commander – in Chief to move their base to the heart of the insurgency in Borno State. Also, the increasing spate of kidnappings, political killings and armed robberies must be addressed.

In the next couple of weeks, I will contribute my humble quota as to solutions to our seemingly intractable problems. Every Nigerian must support you by rising above partisanship.

Once again, I rejoice with you, Mr President and pray for your resounding success as you bring about hope and change in our dear beloved country! God bless Nigeria.

LEDAP CHALLENGES ALTERATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION BY NASS, SAYS PROPER PROCEDURE WERE NOT FOLLOWED -CHINO OBIAGWU

By Ayilara Olalekan

The Federal High Court Abuja has been asked to nullify all the amendments of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly because the required procedures were not followed. The National Assembly has to date adopted three constitutional amendments, namely the First, Second, and Third Alteration Acts. The Fourth alteration Bill is enmeshed in legal tussle between the Presidency and the National Assembly.

In a suit filed yesterday by the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) against the Clerk of the National Assembly, the NGO is claiming that the procedure for alteration or amendment of the Constitution under Sections 8 and 9 of the Constitution were not followed in the exercise of alterations of the Constitution. The plaintiff claim that the National Assembly did not secure the required two-third majority votes of all the members of the House of Representatives and Senate, and the resolutions of two-third of Houses of Assembly of the States before adopting the constitutional alteration laws.  The court is then asked to declare those alterations of the constitution as null and void.  The reliefs sought in the case are:

1.      A DECLARATION that the mandatory procedure for alteration of the 1999 Constitution provided under section 9 of the 1999 Constitution were not followed by the National Assembly in enacting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (First Alteration) Act, 2010; the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Second Alteration) Act, 2010; the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Third Alteration) Act, 2010 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Bill, 2015.

2.      A DECLARATION that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (First Alteration) Act 2010, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Second Alteration) Act 2010, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Third Alteration) Act 2010, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Bill 2015 were not passed with the required mandatory votes of not less than two-third majority or four-fifth majority, as the case may be, of all members of the National Assembly and approved by resolutions of not less than two-thirds of the Houses of Assembly of states of the Federation of Nigeria.

3.      AN ORDER declaring the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (First Alteration) Act 2010, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Second Alteration) Act 2010, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Third Alteration) Act 2010 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Bill 2015 unconstitutional and therefore null and void.

LEDAP’s lead counsel, Mr Chino Obiagwu in a statement said “the case is an important measure by the organisation to enthrone the rule of law and constitutionalism in governance. We want to continue to demand that all arms of government including the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly comply with the law while carrying out any of their duties. The constitution is the fundamental law of the country and should not be amended without following the proper procedure designed to ensure proper consultation with the popular representatives of the people.”

It will be recalled that the recent bill to alter the constitution is stalled because the Presidency had objected to some of the provisions of the bill, which it returned to the National Assembly to amend them.

Release Victims Support Fund to Boko Haram Victims, Asks FG? - NCICC

The Nigeria Coalition for the International Criminal Court (NCICC) has called on the Federal Government to direct the Committee on Victims Support Fund (CVSF) registered as the Nigeria Foundation for Support of Victims of Terrorism LTD/GTE, to help victims of Boko Haram atrocities by releasing money and materials to them.

This is in line with one of the Foundation’s Terms of Reference, which is “to manage, disburse, and/or administer support to the victims as appropriate.” In the last few weeks, the Nigerian military has rescued over 1,500 women, girls and children abducted by Boko Haram.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, about 214 of the women and girls rescued are currently pregnant, raising several issues that need to be addressed by the CVSF and other humanitarian agencies and organisations.

The CVSF was set up in July 2014 by the federal government to meet the needs of victims of atrocities allegedly committed by Boko Haram. Every victim of terrorism and violence who qualifies to benefit from the fund can apply and be assisted. The CVSF raised the sum of N80 billion during a presidential fund raising event on July 31, 2014.

In a statement issued and signed by the Chair and Member, NCICC Steering Committee, Chino Obiagwu and Oby Nwankwo respectively, the coalition said, “Although NCICC heartily commends the fund raising, our celebration has been short-lived considering that such funds raised are yet to reach the actual victims, who have sadly increased over several months since July 2014.

“NCICC is therefore appealing to the federal government to prevent a re-occurrence of non- release of funds to the victims of the 2012 flood, which ravaged several states in Nigeria. The flood affected several Nigerians who were either killed, displaced or their properties destroyed. The federal government, in order to ameliorate the situation, not only provided a sum total of N18 billion, it also mobilised other Nigerian citizens to contribute funds to help the flood victims. However up till date, many communities have not accessed the funds.

“The registration of the Victims’ Support Fund as a company limited by guarantee and the appointment of an Executive Director raises several legal issues regarding the status of the Foundation. Although the registration is commendable, NCICC believes that the bill to domesticate the Rome Statute of the ICC currently before the National Assembly offers a holistic approach to the fight against impunity in Nigeria. More so, the bill envisages a Special Victim Trust Fund (SVTF) to assist victims, families of victims and survivors of international crimes in Nigeria.

“In this regard, NCICC calls on the President Jonathan administration to ensure that the funds reach those that need them and that everything possible is done to clarify the legal status of the CVSF and its relationship vis-à-vis the SVTF envisaged in the bill currently before the National Assembly.

“The Presidency stated clearly at the 2014 Fund raising event that “the fund raising was part of government’s efforts at mobilising funds so that widows, orphans, those whose business premises had been vandalised, worship places such as mosques and churches that have been destroyed would be rebuilt”.

According to the coalition, “It is time for the Government to make good its promise to mitigate the pain and suffering of innocent victims of Boko Haram attacks.”

It also called on the in-coming administration of President-Elect Mohammadu Buhari to ensure that the proposed marshal plan for North-East Nigeria includes issues relating to accountability for crimes committed by Boko Haram, Nigerian soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.

“This calls for the immediate passage into law of the Rome Statute Domestication bill pending before the National Assembly. It also calls for making the support for victims and survivors of victims of Boko Haram insurgency a priority”, the coalition added.

IGP to sanitise SARS - NOPRIN

The Inspector General of Police
The Nigeria Police
Force Headquarters
Abuja.

Dear Sir,

SANITISE THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE: PURGE IT OF MURDERERS AND OTHER DANGEROUS ELEMENTS

NOPRIN is seriously concerned about consistent reports it receives on an almost daily basis of patterns of gross human rights atrocities committed by police officers particularly, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) across the country which clearly show that the conduct and operations of the Nigeria Police  mostly bear no resemblance to the requirements of the laws governing the operations of the Police in Nigeria.

The use of unprovoked and unwarranted violence and brutality against persons, including women and children, in the course of arrest; extortion and outright robbery of suspects (by way of taking suspects to their banks and forcing them to empty their accounts and handing the money to SARS operatives); forcing accused persons to release their  ATM cards and compelling them to disclose their ATM secret PIN, with which SARS operatives go to empty their bank accounts; the use of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment to pressure accused persons to, in many instances, make self-incriminating 'confessions';  indefinite detention and denial of detained persons access to family, lawyers and doctors; summary executions and disappearances of persons in custody- are all too familiar occurrences.

The latest in the endless list of shocking complaints of  abuse of police powers and gross violation of human rights of citizens is the one we just received on Tuesday 19, May 2015 concerning the alleged 'DETENTION, TORTURE AND DEHUMANIZATION OF MR VICTOR ANAMELECHI BY SERGEANT ABDURAMAN AND HIS TEAM FROM SARS, IKEJA, LAGOS'.

We reproduce hereunder, the relevant text of the complaint as narrated to us by the victim's brother, Mr. Cyprian Anamelechi.

Mr. Cyprian Anamelechi informed NOPRIN as follows:

1. That '...some men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, Lagos unleashed untold mayhem on members of their family, and thereby rubbishing the public image of the Nigeria Police'.

2. That their brother, Victor Anamaelechi lived with his family at Bashorun Ogundairo Estate, Waterside, off Ago Road, Amuwo, Lagos.

3. That Victor’s wife, Onyinyechi  was at home with her children and some relations at the above address on Monday, 15th December 2014 when three armed policemen in mufti stormed in with Victor, whom they had arrested on his way out and handcuffed. The policemen turned out to be from SARS Ikeja, led by one Sergeant Abduraman.

4. That immediately the policemen got into Victor’s house, they started asking ‘where is the money, where is the money!’ and when Victor’s wife, who was terrified could not answer them, one of the policemen hit her so hard on the face that she fell down. 

5. That the men from SARS then set about searching the entire house inside-out, taking with them every kobo they found in the house, including jewelries, documents, credentials, motor particulars, land documents and other valuables.

6. That apart from Victor, Sergeant Abdulraman and his men, (named Hassan and Busso) also arrested his wife, Onyinye, their two little children, one aged 5 and the other just above 1 year.  

7. That they also arrested Onyinye’s brother and her course mate, who visited them.  The SARS men forcefully took Victor’s little dog and his two cars, Acura MDX and Toyota Corrola Verso.

8. That when Victor and his family were brought to SARS, Ikeja they were taken to the torture chamber where Victor was accused of armed robbery and subjected to a long and gruelling torture in the presence of his wife and children, as the SARS men demanded to know where he had money.  

9. That at a point Sergeant Abdulraman pointed a gun on Victor’s 5-year-old son, Daniel and threatened to shoot him if Victor refused to tell them where he kept money. 

10. That even when he was forced to tell them that he had money in GTB, Amuwo branch they continued to torture him until he fainted.

11. That the policemen then turned on Victor’s wife, Onyinye, and kicked her from all sides, demanding to know her husband’s other bank accounts. She said she did not know and begged them to leave her because she was pregnant. 

12. That the policemen stripped her naked in the presence of everyone there.  

13. That on the second night of the detention, Victor’s wife had a miscarriage in the cell and the whole place was filled with blood.  For three days she and the children did not taste any food. 

14. That on three different occasions Sergeant Abdulraman and his men took Victor to his bank branch at GTB, Amuwo and forced him to withdraw a total of N7.7Million and handed over to them. 

15. That on the night of 29th December the cries of Victor’s children attracted the attention of a senior police officer at SARS who came to the cell and ordered that Onyinye and the children should be released immediately. They were released on 30th December 2014, after two weeks and two days.

16. That after she was released, Victor's wife had on Saturday, February 21, 2015 taken permission from one of the SARS team members called Hassan to go to her residence  and collect some clothes for her children to use in her  relation's residence where they were squatting, having been barred from their house..

17. That she was accompanied by her brother-in-law, Mike, and while at home, a squad of 8 heavily armed policemen, led by the same Sergeant Abdulraman again stormed the house with three vehicles, and descended heavily on Onyinye and Mike.  

18. That thereafter, Sergeant Abudulraman and his men removed all the furniture, fittings and household items from the house and carted them away in their vehicles. 

19. That before taking Onyinye and Mike away with them, they destroyed other house fittings which they could not remove. They also confiscated Onyinye’s ATM card and forced her to disclose the pin number to them. 

20. That on the way to SARS, Sergeant Abdulraman directed that the things taken from Victor’s house be taken to ‘the workshop’. Onyinye and Mike were eventually detained till the following evening. 

21. That when Onyinye went to her bank the following day she discovered that her account had been emptied.

22. That on Monday, 23rd February 2015, Victor’s younger brother, Azunna, got a call from SARS Ikeja to bring along the keys to his shop at Ojo-Alaba market where he sells generators.  The following day he complied, only to be arrested and brought in handcuffs to the shop in Ojo-Alaba.  

23.That the police team then carried away all the goods (generators) in the shop  and then detained Azunna for four days. 

24. That till date,  Victor has not been charged to court and is still in the custody of SARS, Ikeja where he is being subjected to serial and cruel torture.

25. That the rampaging SARS operatives have made the life of their entire family very traumatic, and have subjected them to palpable fear, distress and apprehension. 

26. That it is in view of these terrible circumstances and the fear that their brother’s life is in dire danger that they hereby urgently appeal to the IGP to intervene on their behalf and other Nigerians suffering similar fate in the hands of officers of the NPF.

27. That they appeal to the IGP to order a prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation into  the activities of these over zealous and wild SARS men who have gone beyond their call of duty and are still poised to trampling on the basic fundamental rights of their family members. 

NOPRIN CALLS:

NOPRIN strongly recommends to the IGP as follows, that:

The Nigeria Police authorities under the leadership of the current IGP, Solomon Arase, is called upon to put an end to arbitrary arrest and indefinite detention without charge.

Every arrested person has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law in a public trial at which he/she has had all the guarantees necessary for his or her defence. It is for the court to decide if a suspect is guilty. This can only be done after all the evidence has been heard and the person has been proven to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Police must always ensure immediate release or charge and proper trial before a regular court respecting international standards of due process of all those held in detention;

The police must always allow all those held in custody for whatever reason full access to lawyers of their choice, their families and private doctors;

The police must ensure that conditions of detention and imprisonment are in full compliance with international standards.
Police authorities must enforce codes of conduct and ensure discipline and professionalism in the police by ensuring that all police officers responsible for breach of the fundamental human rights and due process guarantees for detainees are appropriately punished.

NOPRIN hereby reiterates its earlier call on the IGP, for the umpteenth time, to reorganise SARS and the entire anti crime operations of the NPF across Nigeria. This will include investigating the crimes committed by the various Officers in Charge and other personnel of SARS and bringing them to account for unlawful detention, torture, extortion, extrajudicial killings and disappearances of persons held in their custody. 

Sincerely,

Nwanguma Okechukwu
National Coordinator