Clay Richie

We see different things even when we are looking at the same picture. When CBN asked MTN to return the $8.1 billion dividends it “illegally” repatriated between 2007 and 2015, I was not thinking about MTN or CBN. Rather, my mind was on Econet, the ancestor of Airtel. Econet and MTN launched operations in Nigeria in 2001. Three Nigerian states — Lagos, Delta and Akwa Ibom — invested heavily in Econet, owned by a Zimbabwean. Suddenly, the states sold their shares for no intelligent reason. The only thing we knew was that the buyers of those shares happened to be fronts for politicians. Individuals, rather than the states, became the ultimate beneficiaries.

And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah – give them tidings of a painful punishment.” (Quran 9:34b) Almost four years into the Buhari's administration and Nigerians are still left bemoaning if the current government has any clue what it was voted into office to do, or if they have any idea what needs changing. One thing stands clear, Nigerians have never asked Buhari to do the spectacular (by transforming Nigeria into Singapore, Dubai or whatever in four years) but to just do the basic and simple things that would show he understands what it takes to run a country especially one like Nigeria bedeviled with mostly unpatriotic elites.

Often when people ask me where I am from and I say Zamfara State, the first reaction is astonishment. The jaws drop, the mouth opens wide and the eye brows lift. This is quickly followed by disbelief.  I can almost predict to about five seconds, the time, it will take; that instance when the head begins to shake from side to side, before the word NO manages to escape the lips sometimes vehemently to go with the vigorously shaking head other times slipping out almost noiseless, a whisper, in rhythm with the slow shaking head on a body almost paralysed by shock.

Fellow Nigerians, let’s not mince words today and go straight to the crux of the matter. What transpired in the State of Osun, as my dear Brother, the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, loves to refer to our State, was not a Gubernatorial, but prelude to Presidential election. The interest and resources galvanised for that election demonstrated that it was a civil war and not a civilised election. The election was seen and executed as a referendum on the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari and its wobbly government. While the ruling party appeared determined, or maybe ‘desperate’ is the appropriate word, to win, the main opposition party looked jazzed and disinterested. But for the merciful interventions of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the PDP candidate, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke, could as well have been a virtual orphan. It was that bad.

Let me start, as most speakers would, by thanking the organizers for asking me to be the Lead Speaker on this very topical topic. I do not know whether it is because I am a graduate of Mass Communication of longstanding (28 years is not a joke, gentlemen of the press). Or is it because I am a Corporate Communications practitioner, which means I’m knowledgeable in news management even if it is for Airtel Nigeria where I have been working in the last 16 years and Cadbury Nigeria where I previously worked for 8 years? Or is it because I have been involved in Fake News twice? Or is it all of the above? Whichever be the case, what is more important, for which I am more thankful, is that the topic is up for discussion at this very time. By that, I mean the period before the Hurricane of general elections hits the shores of Nigeria.

A reflection of Nigeria’s palpable dismal situation 58 years after independence shows that our growth has been stunted for over 40 years since independence. The Nigerian nation is today at the cross roads of choosing its path to National growth in line with other developing nations or on the other hand continuing its present retardation along the ignoble road to self destruction and conflicts among its numerous ethnic nationalities as had been witnessed within the last few years.

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, since its defeat in the last election which took it out of power, seems to have learned a lesson out two. This is evident in the manner in which it has since been conducting its affairs – emplacing transparency in party primaries for state’s staggered elections; the organization of its national convention and in how it managed the pockets of ripples the aftermath sprouted.

I have always marveled at the APC’s communication strategy. In opposition and in government, they’ve perfected the art of crying wolf. Somehow they think this is effective propaganda and when you ask for proof, I suppose they will point to the fact that they won the presidential election in 2015, have more state governors in their column and possibly more members of the National Assembly and States’ Assemblies combined. Who wants to quarrel with that result? But something is not right. They know, but they’re hoping Nigerians don’t get to know. In a way, it’s like hiding in plain sight. So what do I mean?

When will Lagos State be free of one man’s messianic mentality? Who will liberate the state from Bola Tinubu’s suffocating grip? Who will free Lagos, our dear Lagos, and its people from this modern-day slavery by one individual who is playing God? Is there no man courageous enough to fight the fight of his life to free Lagos from this imprisonment? Is every Lagosian a frightened coward, or just an impotent enabler of Tinubu’s overreach? Is there no one man enough to tell Tinubu that enough is enough? Why are Lagosians sheepishly following this man whose moral standing and character have been called to question several times? Why must he continually be the one to decide who governs Lagos, or who holds any political office in the state? Who will free Lagosians and indeed Nigerians from Tinubu’s pomposity, insufferable arrogance, and self-enthralled breathtaking hypocrisy? These questions are a clarion call to virtuous people of good conscience in Lagos to come together to save the...

According to media reports, over 300,000 people have applied for the about 4,000 Federal Road Safety Corp job vacancies which recruitment process is currently on-going. Statistically, every single vacancy is chased by at least 75 possibly qualified applicants or more. Some few years ago, it was reported that over 800,000 people applied for some few thousand INEC job vacancies. Reports available then, suggested that the figure was just conservative going by the fact that the deadline for closure of the applications was just mid-way.

As far as gaffes go, Isaac Folorunso Adewole’s own must rank very high among the Buhari administration officials. And there are quite many of them, but our dear minister of health’s own is condescension taken too far. A rather innocuous question, which demands a serious answer, turned a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics to a comedian.

At the end, the decision as to who becomes the next Governor of Osun is left in the hands of 3,498 voters in just seven polling units across four local government areas in the state. But given how high the stake has become, it is my prayer that the exercise does not degenerate into another bazaar or a financial shoot-out in which the highest bidder takes the day. I am also hoping that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can complete, without further hitches, the exercise it started so brilliantly.

A recent footage of the visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to one of the flood-affected areas in the country is instructive in many respects.

Over the weekend, Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council(GAC), a leading voice within the All Progressive Congresses (APC) in the state, came up with its final verdict: the incumbent Governor Akin Ambode will not be given a consensus candidate status.

ARTICLE 1 OF 3: HOW TO LOSE A NIGERIAN ELECTION “I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote, or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this — who will count the votes, and how.” — Joseph Stalin.

The PDP began to fall from grace to grass when party members and their leaders started making arrogant statements as: “we would still win without you…” Close to two years now, I have observed the ruling party very closely and sadly, I have been able to see that the APC is a sad repeat of the past. Both online and offline, those in leadership of the APC and their ardent followers proudly say: “without you, we would still win.” Even when the party loses one (1) million members, they would still come on air to say that they are not losing sleep, but they know that they are not sleeping!

Hidden within media blind spots are the world’s best kept secrets…Ena E. Orugbo After the overthrow of Colonel Moammar Gadhafi, an ebullient Hilary Clinton sang on national television; “we came, we saw, he died”. She never knew Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya would become the next victim of the blood thirsty mob. In Lagos, the pride of lions have roared; Ambode is snobbish. A second term for the technocrat from Epe is shaky even though precedence presupposes continuity. This seems like a script from Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power. Law 11, “learn to keep people dependent on you”. Is man indispensable? No. It is therefore genius to settle for a higher calling, the unwritten laws of power.

What is going on in Osun state right now is nothing short of political theatre. It is keeping us all entertained, but it has also turned so many observers into emergency lawyers. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the Osun Gubernatorial election of September 22 inconclusive and has ordered a supplementary election at seven polling centres in four local councils on September 27. Many Nigerians are taking a keen interest in the Osun election.

It is no longer news that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) declared the Osun State Governorship election inconclusive. This bold action has triggered all manners of verbal umbrage against the Umpire but notably targeted at the Head of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu. Conspiracy theorists have latched upon this action to vent their anger on a man whose only “sin” was that he was appointed by the current president. But before delving into the mind-numbing logic of judging a man’s character and competence for a job based on the perception of the judge of the appointing authority, let us dispassionately examine INEC’s action and try to situate or anchor the legality or otherwise of the said action against the provisions of the statutes that undergird elections in our country.

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

All Nigerians will be looking forward with bated breaths to Thursday this week, September 27, when voters in seven polling units of four local government areas return to the polls to decide the winner of Osun State’s inconclusive governorship election. The result of Saturday’s election, declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osogbo yesterday, was the tightest ever seen in a Nigerian governorship election.

Nigeria like the Ostrich is yet to understand that lost opportunities are lost opportunities indeed…Ena E. Orugbo. The world was dazzled by the grandeur of Singapore as Kim Jong-Un, Leader of North Korea took a surprise nighttime walk ahead of his recent summit with Donald Trump, President of the United States of America. This is instructive because lazy students of history relish the correlation between Nigeria’s economic and developmental aloofness to her young age. Really! How old is Singapore? Advocates of quick wins also hinge Nigeria’s “higi haga” on untenable excuses. #Instablog9ja; Nigeria is neither land locked like Ethiopia, mineral resource bare like Japan, over populated like China nor home to 330 million gods like India. Therefore, where did Nigeria get it wrong? The great book says the plague is in the head.

Recently, a number of people criticised pop singer, Davido, for donning a Peoples Democratic Party attire during the PDP mega rally for his uncle, Senator Ademola Adeleke’s gubernatorial bid.

If not that we politicise everything in Nigeria, the Kemi Adeosun saga should provoke a genuine public debate on reforming the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The constitution and other laws are supposed to be living, not embalmed, documents. No constitution is perfect. Through practice, we encounter the flaws. This dynamism allows us to modernise our laws in tandem with global standards. The process of fine-tuning makes democracy and rule of law so sweet. It does not mean Adeosun would benefit from any new amendment, but it does mean we are learning and the grey areas and faulty provisions in our laws can be resolved in favour of common sense.

When Emmanuel Macron, President of France, Theresa May, prime minister of the United Kingdom, UK and Angela Merkel, president of Germany recently embarked on state visits to major African countries back-to-back, it was a clear testament to the fact that Africa is rising and shining.

It is a matter of public record that we Lagosians did not choose Babatunde Raji Fashola to run as governor of Lagos State. Granted that he exceeded our limited expectations. Then again, we did not choose Akinwunmi Ambode. Former Governor Bola Tinubu did. Once elected, Ambode became our Governor not Tinubu's governor. It is most strange that grown men within and outside the media would choose to belittle Governor Ambode because of the perceived (or even proven) animus between him and his estranged sponsor. The insult and the joke is on us all. Those who choose to lionize Tinubu because of his detestable excesses cannot claim to be democrats. I bundle them up with the likes of Dr Ibrahim Gambari who shamelessly expresses his preference for strong men as opposed to Strong Institutions. 

My dear Asiwaju, I pray my letter meets you and yours in fantastic spirit. It has almost become a tradition for me to write, or openly express my views, to you periodically on political issues, since about 2007. Before I go into the meat of my epistle, kindly permit me to establish some protocol, or preamble. I always choose to write to you in this manner, in moments of great concern and uncertainty such as this, because these words must be kept for posterity. It is not easy to advise someone much older than oneself in our clime. An elderly person can do no wrong, according to our tradition, particularly, if such an elder is respected and revered as you are. It is even much tougher to offer advice to someone as powerful as God has made you to be. You are a man of destiny, and miracles. Yours is a fairy-tale. A real grass to grace story that many applaud and seek to emulate. But at the end of the day, Sir, you are very human. You are a very kind and generous man. You are except...

The political scene in Nigeria is obviously one of the most interesting of all such scenes, all over the world. It is, because it is only in Nigeria that we see our own politicians talking from the two ends of their mouths saying exactly two different and opposing things and believe that they are talking!

At about the same time in 2014, the news media – Social and Mainstream – were busy showcasing the deep polarization that ripped through the Nigerian political landscape in the common quest to salvage Nigeria. The country was in the suffocating grip of a very clueless leader, who sought to hang on to power by all means, even though the real power was wielded by everyone else around him but himself. Today, we are back to square one in the infamous pattern of “Same Procedure as every year”.

It’s not yet clear what finally did it or who. But it was clear, almost from the start, that the country could not bluff its way through this flight. Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had mounted the problem maddeningly and by some curious twist of fate the incoming Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, would bear the brunt for it on her second day at work.

Given the penchant for brinksmanship that has almost become a national ideology, I am almost certain that a solution will be found on the issue of funding the 2019 general election, especially since this directly touches the interest of our politicians. Therefore, I entertain no fear that the indefinite adjournment of the National Assembly will cause any problem in that direction. My main concern today is that at a period when we need a serious and structured conversation about the future of our country, we have a proliferation of political parties that essentially represent the personal interests of their founders or more appropriately, owners. Invariably, what should serve as platforms for constructive engagement on what ails us as a nation are no more than mere vehicles for trading positions.

Early in the morning of Wednesday September 19th 2018, I switch on the television and proceeded to channel 306 on DSTV/Multichoice satellite network to let my little Son NaetoChukwu Nnadozie watch the beautiful programme for Children packaged by the publicly owned British broadcasting media house otherwise known as BBC, but my Son opted to leave the room for the parlour to link up with the Mother who was preparing stuffs for his pre-school session.

Since the report that HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services companies, took a dim view of the Buhari government’s economic policies, operatives and supporters of the government have been falling over themselves to give it back to the bank. Though I have been unable to lay my hands on the bank’s original research notes, it is widely reported that the bank claimed that another four years of a Buhari government would be detrimental to the country’s economic prospects. It was also reported that the bank predicted that Buhari would lose the 2019 election to the opposition PDP – a prediction that must have angered the presidency and Buhari’s supporters beyond measure while boosting the bullets in the PDP’s campaign armoury.

Who owns Lagos? As straightforward as the answer may be to Nigerian’s living outside Lagos, the answer to this question which is sung, cooed and echoed in every highbrow and swamp, holds for Lagosians their democratic paternity.

If we stick to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) 2019 general election timetable, all the political parties, by September 15, 2018, should have notified the INEC of the date for the conduct of their primaries for the 2019 elections. We hope no party missed the deadline because it is those primaries that must produce the candidates for the 2019 elections. The primary contests are expected to be concluded by October 7, 2018, which is about three weeks away.

Nigeria needs education not destruction. We must not put our money on the wrong unction. The fact is that if we spend less on education, we will invariably spend more on security. If we spend more on education we will spend less on security. Therefore, the best way to fight insecurity is through education.

In Central Africa, and predominantly Cameroon, there is a species of frog called: Hairy frog. Like every other frog, it is amphibian in nature and carnivorous in diet; it feeds on slugs, spiders, beetles and grasshoppers. But one thing that is profound about the hairy frog is the mechanism it uses in times of danger. Whenever Hairy frog is faced with a foe far beyond its capacity, it intentionally breaks the bones of its toes and turns them into very sharp claws. This it uses to strike down the adversary, earning it the nickname: wolverine frog. Nigeria is at a perilous time, our will is not only being tried but our resilience has been battered, smacked and spitted on by those who sworn to high heaven to defend the dignity of this country and cloth her shame with blazing garment.

Few days ago, a friend of mine, who is aspiring for an elective post in the country, raised an alarm that the cost of nomination and expression of interest form in her political party was too exorbitant. According to her, such ridiculous amounts would not only drive away genuine aspirants, it would also limit the chances of many women to be elected into offices under the current political dispensation. This unfortunate situation would not only affect female aspirants but other promising contestants, most especially youths and young persons.

Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance (2015-2018), Kemi Adeosun threw in her letter of resignation on Friday, September 14, to bring to a temporary closure, the public outcry and the embarrassment that her possession of a fake National Youth Service Corps Exemption Certificate had generated since July when it was first reported. Her letter of resignation in which she blames “trusted associates” for the mishap and explains her innocence, reads like the abstract of a future memoir in which she is likely to do her utmost best to ensure that her non-participation in the NYSC scheme does not become the defining marker of her public service career. She will of course in that book do the damage control of telling us that she is a victim of many conspiracies, the breach of trust, and the mischief of a sensitive and heavily politicized Nigerian public, seeking to hurt a holier-than-thou government as it seeks a second term in office.

Preacher lies to the congregation cos that comes naturally, Shopman cheats his customer for maximum profitability, Politician takes all the bribes he can, constitutionally, Lawyer robs you with a pen completely legally. Country bombs its matty land nationalistically.

Following an increasingly commonplace epic journey between Lagos and Abeokuta this last weekend – 5hrs 10 minutes outwards (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Saturday Sept 15) and 4hrs 25 minutes return journey the following day via Otta - I feel compelled to offer this article in recognition of a national commitment to the predictable, and a passion for time travel – backwards!  It formed part of a recent publication – THE ROAD-MAP OF A NATION for the 30th Anniversary of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).  It did however appear in the dailies over two decades ago. Hopefully it will contribute to the general debate on the existence or not, of what is known as a‘national character’.

Normally, in a country where politicians and public office holders are not good friends with the resignation letter, anyone of them who leaves a job receives a hero’s welcome. Expectedly, since her resignation letter was made public on Friday, former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has been widely branded the poster girl for honour. “Adeosun bowed out in honour,” many have said; others have stopped short of calling her a saint.

The news filtered out surreptitiously and before we can manage a blink, it has assumed a life of its own. The internet was abuzz with hails and wails depending on which side of the divide you belong. But I never gave the issue a scant regard until I read the resignation letter of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun. Then, it dawned on me that in every war, there is bound to be collateral damage. The phrase, collateral damage, is usually associated with the military or war situations and it is a general term for deaths, injuries, or other damage inflicted on an unintended target. Clearly, in the hyped anti-corruption war of President Muhammad Buhari, Adeosun is a collateral damage.

President Muhammadu Buhari has rounded up a recent globetrotting session, first to the United Kingdom on a two weeks' medical vacation and then to China whereby he joined other African political office holders to go caps in hand to a parley organized by the Chinese government to announce a $60 Billion loan deals for different African economies that are in the various stages of collapse including those African Nations which are at the verge of dictatorship.

On Thursday evening, I was fiddling with my phone when an alert popped up, announcing the appointment of Mr. Yusuf Bichi as the new director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS). That means President Muhammadu Buhari did not confirm Mr. Matthew Seiyefa — who had acted as DG since the removal of Mr. Lawal Daura last month — as the substantive head of Nigeria’s secret police. For those interested in context, Bichi, a retired DSS official, is from Bichi town in Kano state — not much of a distance from Katsina state, where the president happens to come from. Seiyefa is from Bayelsa state, the home of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Three years ago, May 2015, General Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in president and commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The former military dictator (1983-85) won the election on the well panel-beaten wings of a no-nonsense, ramrod straight, man of integrity reputation.

Fellow Nigerians, if you are under the age of 30, you may not readily understand what I have called the “Otedola mythology” in this heading. Let me, therefore, take little time to explain, or describe, the meaning. Otedola is a Yoruba name that translates into English as conspiracy turns to fortune. What was expected to be a negative development favoured someone, inadvertently. This was the case of Sir Michael Otedola, the father of billionaire oil baron, Femi, whose name is sometimes transmuted and translated, by his acolytes, as Otedollar – someone who prints US Dollar, because of his fabled wealth.

Those who blindly approve and endorse everything Buhari does are doing a good job, provided it is putting food on their table and tossing some coins into their pocket, but if nothing is coming from it, then they are not wise, because even Mr. President—who professes to love Nigeria more than all of us is not in power, serving pro bono. Defending pro bono—professional politicians is not patriotism. Even if you are not going to collect money from them, you can shrewdly make them part with juicy appointments.

It was on the 3rd September, news that the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is in China was all over my timeline, my flight out of Saudi Arabia has been postponed yet again so I had ample time to follow the reactions and conversations online.

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, is wondering why we’re not clapping for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari first thing every morning and, perhaps, last thing at night before going to bed.