2015: HOW OUR NEXT PRESIDENT CAN WIN OUR HEARTS - S. P. EZE

    As the 2015 elections draw closer to the choice of our thumbprints - or as it may seem, the major contending parties and candidates, of recent, have dealt several blows on themselves through various means. Some have even been physical, but majority have been carried out mainly through the mass media. For instance, we have seen the opposition APC blame the ruling PDP and the President of a mass volume of corruption, mismanagement and  negligence on the part of duty to a nation of over 150 million tax paying, hopeful, agitated citizens. The APC has also tried in every way possible to portray their party and prospective candidates in a positive light, a light that has now formed a halo around the heads of these candidates enough for some to perceive them as angels of democracy and good governance.

 The ruling PDP, on the other hand, has made sure of appropriate retaliation to these blames which they receive as stereotypes and misconceptions, and has instead ascribed most of them to the APC and its members. The presidential spokesmen on many occasions have strived to dent the budding image being portrayed by the APC and other members of the opposition. On one occasion, the presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a distinguished professor of law, were tagged ‘semi-literate’ by one of the ruling party’s spokesmen, Prof. Oladipo. This is the level at which both parties have gone, not with the original intent to disgrace each other, but to strip themselves of their political relevance in order to win the votes of the eligible voting masses.

  However, these actions taking against each other by these political parties may not be directly significant to the ordinary Nigerian public. Thus, people only look forward to seeing the development and goodwill that can be bestowed upon the Nigerian society if a candidate were to emerge at the end of the 2015 general elections. With this in mind, there are some key characteristics that Nigeria’s next leader must possess in order to win the hearts of Nigerians, with his eyes focused on the nation’s primary seat of power, and with the people of the nation as his topmost priority.

  The power sector, which has been riddled by mismanagement of resources and supply shortages, has left many Nigerians downtrodden with regards to the poor power situation in the economy. Nigeria is, no doubt, tired of empty promises made by leaders who have sought the tactic of ‘‘promise before, and fail when in power’’. President Goodluck Jonathan is one of the sorts, but is not an exception to the myriad of his precedents who may have done even worse at fulfilling theirs. It is indeed obvious and still rather unimaginable that Nigeria hasn’t achieved the feat of constant power supply. More saddening is the fact that through comparison and various forms of parody, Nigeria- once known as the giant of Africa- has been directly or indirectly intimidated by their neighbouring Ghana and South Africa, below the map. These countries to which Nigeria once offered constant aid are now above her in terms of living standards and experience constant power supply. Above the comparison is the fact that the industries are gasping for breath as many of them are dying for power attention to survive. For sure, any president who is able to find a lasting solution to this problem may have just solved 40% of the economy’s problems.

  It is often said that people are as good as those they surround themselves with. I may want to disagree with the speculation that our own GEJ does not have the appropriate think-tank in his cabinet or inner caucus; however, it may be a case of personal characteristics and levels of perception on the part of these advisers and ministers. The current situation may also have come about as a result of the archetype of uncontrollable greed inherent in these supposed people of caliber. This level of incompetence of the part of the commander-in-chief has led to the rise and rise of various security, economic, and even international issues. Protests have been sparked up to address the high demonstration of corruption carried out right under the nose of the president. So incriminating is the fact that it is demonstrated by the president’s right-hand men – those who can assure him of financial support during his campaigns into the elections. We need not exhaust much of the important space on this write-up about his wife, our first lady. Summarily, our next president will win our hearts simply by providing the appropriate and efficient machinery, transparent enough to blurt out corruption from the roots of the Nigerian socio-political atmosphere. 

  Education has to be taken very seriously. Very seriously I tell you! The past ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) strikes that have lasted from 8 months to 1 year are definitely nothing to write home about. We all know that the tertiary institutions hold enough weight in terms of the voting populace. Any president who would be able to correct the educational system, hence, provides adequate financial support to these institutions and sets up effective machinery that would include both students and lecturers. This machinery would ensure that these funds are well spent on the development of the tertiary institutions to the knowledge of the students. The setting up of a transparency portal or institute that would ensure that lecturers do not harass students or vice versa may also aid the smooth sailing of this machinery. The resultant effect is that the president need not waste money campaigning in these institutions even if he were to go for a third term (which is of course impossible).

  The agricultural sector has been abandoned for many years since we discovered “blood money” (oil). This vital sector which sees that everyone survives and has enough energy to drill for oil, climb national assembly gates, appear fresh on CNN and so on has been abandoned. Agriculture was once the power house of Nigeria, but as obvious as this is, the government of the day has chosen to embrace oil wells in order to make other countries happy and increase fuel prices for our own people. The purpose of highlighting this is not to point fingers at anyone, but to state clearly that if agriculture is properly funded and cred for as much as our first lady cares for her appearance, then employment rates will triple, and Forbes had better prepare to announce Nigerian farmers on their rich-list soon.

  Finally, I have no best to save for the last. I strongly believe that every sector of the Nigerian economy is vital to its development as much as 2015 is vital to the survival of GEJ and GMB. Nigerians like any other people can never be satisfied, but they can be happy if our next leader does the right thing. Cast your votes and don’t complain afterwards if you didn’t. Let’s hope for change. Let’s move forward.

 

READ: BUHARI'S FIRST INTERVIEW

   

An interview recently conducted by Daily Trust reveals a bit of General Muhammadu Buhari's inner shell. In this exclusive interview, he summarily tries to give the Nigerian audience a hint on why he'll win the next elections against the all-powerful PDP. It may interest you to read more on this below:

  In the first interview he’s granted since he became the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), retired General Muhammadu Buhari opened up to Weekly Trust on a variety of past, present and future issues regarding his politics, military career, personal life and others. Herewith, are excerpts:

Weekly Trust: This is your fourth stab at the presidency. Is there any factor that makes you feel this attempt will be any different?
General Muhammadu Buhari: Yes. The first is the merger which gave birth to the APC itself. Since 2005, we realized that none of the opposition parties can go up against the PDP significantly. The party has no intention of ruling this country with justice, as we have seen in the sixteen years they have been around. For example, on the side of the economy, look at the Nigerian Airways, the railways and shipping line, where are they? Look at the expenditure on NEPA and the hearing conducted by the National Assembly on it. Then look at pension funds and the petroleum industry. The list is long. 
There is no way they can tell you that there has been an honest attempt to punish corruption on a massive scale in this country. Secondly, out of ethical behaviour, Nigerian soldiers started granting interviews to foreign media, saying they were being sent to the warfront without proper weapons. And again the National Assembly attempted to conduct a hearing by going to find out what is being appropriated to the military or the Ministry of Defence for the last three, four years, which amounts to trillions of naira. And they invited the service chiefs or Chief of Defence Staff to tell them what is happening to the money, but that hearing was frustrated.
WT: You’ve been in the race for the presidency for over a decade now. Some people feel that as one of the pillars of the merger, you should have sacrificed your ambition so that a younger generation would aspire...
Buhari: I don’t want to personalise going for the highest office. If you could recall, I was being held on it by a number of people when I broke down in 2010, when I said after that attempt I won’t attempt again. But my supporters all over the country said since I didn’t say I have resigned completely from politics in the press statement I issued, I cannot refuse them. So my supporters ganged up and said I must compete. The party had not rejected me, either. An example is the just-completed primaries. If my supporters had not wanted me to attempt again, they would have voted me out. But you know the result, it was transparent. So since I didn’t resign from partisan politics, I felt I had a role to play to make sure this country is secure and efficiently managed. 
WT: The current government has been criticised, even internationally, for under-performing. Do you think this would make coasting to victory relatively easy for you?
Buhari: Well, certainly they have made more than enough mistakes to be voted out. But most importantly, is for constituencies to be sufficiently mobilised to vote and make sure their votes count. We have the example of Ekiti and Osun, of recent. And we know that the only thing the PDP does is to rig elections, send compromised law enforcement agents to arrest opposition leadership, lock them up, then let them out after the elections. Also, they organise people to snatch boxes. All these have been displayed in court and in previous elections.
WT: Just recently the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had an interactive session with the media and a resolution reached was that the media cannot announce results. With your call that voters stand by results, are you comfortable with INEC being the sole announcer?
Buhari: I’m not comfortable with it at all. I will ask my party to send strong representation and if possible, mobilise voters to resist it. Results should be announced in every polling unit, collation centre, and local government and in every state, and then finally, it should be compiled and announced by INEC headquarters. In each polling unit, there are INEC representatives. Is it that they don’t trust the people they deploy? 
WT: What would be the very first action you would take against insurgency if you are elected?
Buhari: First of all, I’ll find out from the main source, the law enforcement agencies, their intelligence reports. What has been going wrong? How is it that fighting insurgents in one corner of Nigeria – the federal government, even with what is being voted for them – is asking the National Assembly to approve a $1billion loan to fight insurgency?
WT: As a retired military officer, with the benefit of hindsight, how do you feel about the state of the army today when you compare it to your time?
Buhari: Have you ever heard the armed forces individually meet with junior rank, giving interviews to foreign press, saying they were being pushed to the front without weapons? It never happened before now. And that was why the National Assembly attempted to conduct a hearing by digging into the budget of the Ministry of Defence over the last four years, and then tried to confront the service chiefs on what was happening. Like I said earlier, that hearing was frustrated.
If you go to any ministry or parastatal, two things you must get are administrative and financial institutions. If that is followed, soldiers wouldn’t have given interviews to foreign press because Nigeria is voting enough money for hardware and training. But the money is disappearing somewhere along the line. 
WT: Still on insecurity, you have commented about the Chibok girls’ situation in the past. What would have been your approach? 
Buhari: When the Chibok girls were kidnapped, it took weeks before the president even accepted that they were taken. I don’t want to believe the intelligence system of this country has collapsed so badly that a disaster of such magnitude could happen without the president knowing for that long. It’s unbelievable. And of course you can recall the drama with the First Lady. Of course, there is God. There has always been God and there always will be. 
WT: Do you ever feel that, with the colossal problems Nigeria is currently facing, you would fall short of expectations? 
Buhari: I have my ideas of the needful. But there will be a government in place. If under my leadership, it should comprise of knowledgeable, tried and tested people. As I said earlier, I don’t believe the intelligence community is not sending reports. They’re either being ignored by executives at various levels or we’re not working hard enough. But the important thing is to know the facts on the ground and work around the clock to make sure that you make progress as rapidly as humanly possible. 
WT: Corruption is a hot-button topic in Nigeria and some of your backers may have related issues. Wouldn’t your hands be tied when trying to deal with corruption?
Buhari: I try as much as possible not to make myself a hostage. So whoever helped me, as you suggest, to become the party’s flag-bearer, I want to assume he or she did it because they want to give the party the opportunity to win next year’s election, not because they want to hide whatever they may have committed against their country. 
WT: Speculation was rife when you picked your running mate, about APC chieftain Bola Tinubu forcing a candidate down your throat. How true is that?
Buhari: Tinubu didn’t force anybody on me. The system is absolutely clear. If your party chooses you, you have got the right to pick. The party picked me as their presidential candidate. There are so many considerations. Support for the party, its constituencies, and the character of the person you recommend. All you do is to ask for names from the party, and they go through the processes, taking into account constituencies in the six geo-political zones. 
You can’t have the presidential candidate from the northern political zone and then the vice president from there. It’s not politically acceptable. The party gave me the names and I picked one. Even the PDP accused me for being incompetent, that it took me six days to do it. The APC’s isn’t automatic. We go through a system. 
WT: How is your relationship with Tinubu beyond politics and party activities? 
Buhari: He’s a committed party member. I think, if not for him and Chief Akande and some of us, the merger wouldn’t have taken place.
WT: Some see your choice of running mate, Osinbajo, as unusual. When did you meet him and why did he become your choice? 
Buhari: It wasn’t out of the blues. Who was my last running mate? He was a pastor and a Yoruba man. In 2003 it was Chuba Okadigbo, a Catholic. In 2007, it was Ume-Ezeoke, an Igbo man, a Catholic. In 2011, it was Bakare, a pastor. There’s nothing unusual about them.
Frankly, I met him through [Tinubu]. He brought a team of press men who grilled us for six hours on a Friday. I had to beg them for a Friday mosque break and they allowed me to go pray and come back. He’s a professor of Constitutional Law, has been a Commissioner of Justice and an Attorney General. He’s an intellectual and has got vast experience. Who else do we have better than that?
WT: But there were speculations that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State or Lagos State’s  Babatunde Fashola would emerge your running mate. Perhaps this is why your choice appeared unusual...
Buhari: To be fair, I defined the candidate’s right to choose his running mate, which is legal. Why should I be harassed for claiming my right? The party gave me the mandate. 
WT: You are yet to articulate an agenda to Nigerians...
Buhari: Our manifesto is coming.
WT: May we have a preview?
Buhari: But I’ve already stated that there are two fundamental issues. All other things are under security. If you don’t secure the country, you’ll be wasting your time. The government has the capacity to do some things simultaneously. This is to stop corruption. 
WT: What is your relationship with former Nigerian leaders, such as General Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo and the rest? 
Buhari: Obasanjo, of course, I competed against him in 2003 and he is still a member of the PDP. They are my biggest political enemies. I don’t think Babangida is an active member of the party like Obasanjo. We’re pressing our rights as Nigerians. Once we are out of uniform, we can pick a party of our choice. But whether in or out of uniform, everyone has the right to vote in his or her constituency. I don’t see anything between me and my former colleagues, senior or junior. 
WT: People say you were dictatorial when you were Head of State, but the tune seems different today, that then it was Idiagbon who was behind that approach. What was the true picture of things then?
Buhari: Idiagbon, may his soul rest in perfect peace, was very hard-working and loyal. That was his fault, being loyal. He’ll take instructions from me and implement to the letter. And because he refused to smile when he was in office, and was not sparing anybody, they put most of the blame on him. Now that he’s not there and I’m alive, they are shifting the blame to me. He was a committed Nigerian. Idiagbon had been militarily following my footsteps. He was commander of 31 Infantry Brigade, now Mechanized Brigade, which I established after the war. When I left, he became the commander there. When I moved to the North-East, he moved to become Governor of Borno State. Historically, he has been following me in my profession.
I knew him a long time ago. It’s one of the things now being abused by mischief-makers about the whole Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Christian ticket thing. Idiagbon lived and died a Muslim. I’m still a Muslim. Nobody had ever talked about religion when we were around. Gowon was in charge of this country for nine years, thirty months of which was a civil war. All his commanders, Army, Navy, Air Force and Supreme Headquarters were Christians and nobody talked. When Abiola became a politician, he contested and picked his running mate Kingibe, a Muslim from Borno State. If there was justice, they won that election. But Nigerians now have certainly allowed their attention to be diverted from productivity to religious arguments and so on. 
WT: What will you say to critics who translated your relationship with Idiagbon to say you’re weak?
Buhari: Give me the chance next year and see whether I’m weak or not.
WT: You just complained about how the society has been reduced to a religious and ethnic affair. What would you do if you become president come 2015?
Buhari: The way I’ll do it is by performance. It’s what is physically on the ground that matters, not what faith you practice. The constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria says you can belong to any religion or even choose not to. It’s your business. But the fundamental issue of Nigeria is security.
WT: (Cuts in) But that didn’t come to play in the process of choosing your running mate, Osinbajo as your running mate...
Buhari: You can’t absolutely ignore perception. At the same time, you’ll not allow perception to tamper with the reality on ground or social justice.
WT: A former associate of yours, Buba Galadima, said he left you because you reneged on your promise not to contest again. But here we are...
Buhari: Since I’ve gone back on what I said, the only thing for him and his followers is not to vote for me next year.
WT: If he comes back, would you accept him?
Buhari: He’s welcome.
WT: You left the army in 1985. What did you delve into after being released from house arrest?
Buhari: I went home and looked after my cattle.
WT: There are alarming statistics regarding youth unemployment in Nigeria. If elected, what exactly would be your solution? 
Buhari: The problem is that every unemployed youth is frightened. And a number of people think we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder, which is true. But what can be done rapidly to assuage the situation. I think agriculture and solid minerals would quickly move them away from unemployment. Other things have to take time, because you need to rehabilitate the infrastructure, especially education. You don’t get qualified teachers overnight. We’ve to cultivate it by retraining them and make teaching attractive so that teachers would agree to go to the institutions. Then renovate the institutions. It is disheartening to see children in some local governments sitting on the ground under a tree with a makeshift blackboard. I think that is indefensible. There must be enough resources to put educational infrastructures on ground. That’s very important, as is healthcare.
WT: Should Nigerians expect to see the Buhari brand of justice when you come into power? 
Buhari: I think the practical way of approaching corruption in this country – and I make reference to NEPA, the petroleum industry and the military – is to draw a line. Whatever is the cause, we’ll not interfere with the courts, except that we’ll stay on their backs. Let them treat corruption cases as best as they can. From the day we come in, for those who think the treasury is for their pockets, there will be legal implications. If you say you will start to investigate every corruption incident in Nigeria, it would not be possible. Most of the institutions have been compromised. The person you depend on to go and investigate may be corrupt also. 
WT: What is your typical day like?
Buhari: I use between 5:00am to 5:30am to pray, after which I listen to Voice of America, then the BBC up to 7:00am. Then I enjoy the benefit of retirement and put in an hour or so of sleep, and then I come out and have breakfast. After that, it’s the office and there are usually those who have an appointment and those who don’t, waiting for me. That’s what takes most of my time. Now that I’ve got a ticket, we have to be busy building the structure on the ground because time is against us. 
WT: What sport do you play?  
Buhari: I used to play squash and tennis. Now I walk. 
WT: What is your favourite food?
Buhari: Tuwon Alkama.
WT: The young are constantly online these days. Will your presidency be social media-friendly?
Buhari: Yes. I want the government to get to the people. I want an honest assessment of our performance to be conveyed to the public. 
WT: At 72, you’re still strong. What’s the secret?
Buhari: I think it’s the military training. I played a lot of squash and table tennis, too. Now I try to walk three times a week at least.
WT: There’s an impression in some quarters that you’re misunderstood. What can you say about that?
Buhari: I don’t think I’m misunderstood by most Nigerians. I’m misunderstood deliberately by paid agents of the PDP. That’s all I can say.
WT: What would you say is your philosophy?
Buhari: Social justice. From leadership of your family to whatever you become, make sure there is justice.

ANOTHER UGLY FACE OF PROSTITUTION

  

   It's really galling, but people have decided to embrace the meanest means of survival in a bid to 'hammer' and improve their lives- if that is what the outcome would be. Recently, we came across this content about the oddities of prostitution in Italy by Nigerian girls. The Strange- but- true website has this to say:

(Daily Mail) Nigerian women are being trafficked to Italy under the pretence that they will be working as nannies or in factories – but often end up working the streets as prostitutes.

Their plight has been highlighted by Paris-based photographer Elena Perlino, originally from Italy, who began to notice the presence of young African women working on the streets during her commutes from Turin.

She said: ‘I decided to start from this surreal vision to tell a story. I have been working on the topic for several years, focusing mainly on the Italian connection.’

Perlino reveals that many Nigerian women come to Italy hoping to make enough money from honest work as nannies or factory workers to support their families back home, but are tricked by traffickers into working in the sex trade.

A Nigerian called Faith having a blood test at the Amedeo di Savoia Hospital in Turin

Nigerian woman Fatima shows the scars on her body due to vicious fighting with collegues working as prostitutes in the outskirts of Acerra

Nigerian women in a Catholic shelter for victims of trafficking

Eighty per cent of women trafficked to Italy come from Benin City, Edo State, in south Nigeria.
The photographer explained: ‘My work attempts to show a complex phenomenon that crosses Italy from North to South.

‘This involves many cities including Turin, Milan, Genoa, Rome, Naples and Palermo and thousands of Nigerian and Italian people.’
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime declared Nigeria among the top eight countries with the highest human trafficking rates in the world.

A Nigerian in Italy waits for a client in the countryside during the winter season

A Nigerian in Italy waits for a client in the countryside during the winter season

A Nigerian woman in a temporary detention centre

Italian police review the documents of a Nigerian woman working as a prostitute

A Nigerian woman, working as a prostitute in the countryside, is taken to a police station because she was found without a passport

This photograph shows a Nigerian woman waiting for a client in the summer season

A Nigerian woman commuting between Turin and Milan on the 4am train