Our Senate is a luxury. Akpabio, the Senate President, can’t choose his words carefully.

Recently, he reminded a female senator that the Senate is not a nightclub. He was rebuking her for not obtaining his permission before speaking. In his flippancy and uncouthness, idleness could be gleaned.

Senator Akpabio received a letter from Ganduje, APC chairmen, and read it in plenary. Then, robotically, he revved the engines of the Senate and dumped Ndume. That sequence would have been fitting in a one-party communist state like China. Ndume’s sin was that he criticized the president. He said the president had good intentions but was inexplicably inaccessible and aloof, and his government was filled with crooked gatekeepers and kleptocrats. That was deemed apostasy. So the president must have fumed and ordered the National Assembly, through the party, to punish the rascally Ndume.

But the heretical letter didn’t stop there. It asked Akpabio to tell Ndume to resign from the party. Since the Senate has become the president’s distinguished handkerchief, Akpabio didn’t flinch while reading aloud the portion that asked Ndume to leave the party. The hallowed senate chambers might not be a nightclub, but isn’t it degenerating into a motor park where crude jokes mingle with acts of savagery, and the outrageous don’t often provoke any outrage?

Some have argued that the quality of the legislature is a reflection of societal decay. They had said the same thing about the clergy in churches and mosques, that they reveal the average morality of the collective. But these warped justifications of mediocrity only quicken the rot. A country that borrows to pay salaries must avoid frivolity as much as possible. Our leaders like to say we must not protest against bad governance so that foreign investors do not run away. But do they ever care about how our creditors feel when they see our leaders frittering away our resources wantonly? The Senate has to be scrapped because we have no financial strength to carry a huge white elephant on our lean back.

The country must trim down. We can’t run two legislative houses with members who live like nags and lack the sobriety to draft laws for development. The present Senate looks like an exorbitant superfluity. A surplus we can slough off to breathe better. This federation, just like the states, can thrive on a reformed unicameralism. However, this reformed legislature, as must happen in the states, should be filled with only part- time lawmakers. With a fundamental change in orientation, the lawmakers can understand their roles.

Making laws from Tuesdays to Thursdays, eight hours daily. That will be sufficient for the country. What the
country needs the most is ethical re-orientation. Not more laws. The masses need role models and transformative leadership that can birth enduring institutions. Living examples of moral probity laying down visions. Since laws are not made every day, the part-time lawmakers will have enough time for committee work, hearings, oversight visits, etc.

The part-time engagement will allow them to pursue other careers alongside legislative and associated responsibilities. The current bloated legislature isn’t just draining the country of resources with humongous perks and privileges the current lawmakers get; it sets the tone for profligacy across the arms. The legislature exists to check other arms of governments and re-orient them through legislation. But if the legislature becomes the epitome of slothfulness and wastefulness, then how can they be effective ethical standard bearers?

The country has an abundance of upright and noble citizens who can represent the people and make laws without fleecing the state. Only sitting allowances ought to be paid. Only those willing to contribute to the development of the country should contest. Lawmaking is a civic responsibility.

The only role our Senate plays that can’t be taken up by the existing House of Reps is the expression of equality of states. All states, regardless of population, contribute an equal number of senators. But since, in our case, all states must produce a federal minister by law, that expression will be preserved. A unicameral legislature is sufficient. We have never really embraced true federalism. So what exactly do we need a Senate for? All its present functions can be handed by the House of Reps where most members are also idle and passive.

But if we populate the single chamber with politicians, then the mischiefs that ail us might still persist. That single chamber will need a framework of statesmanship to lead and sustain a national rebirth. A situation where a Ganduje will transmit a letter for the removal of the whip if he criticizes the government’s Olympic preparation must be checked. The new legislature must have the gravitas to withstand the most overbearing president.

We could craft a unicameral legislature that fuses the House of Lords with the House of Commons. So, under this arrangement, only half of the seats will be filled by elections. The other half will be filled by statesmen and noble citizens nominated through a rigorous process from traditional and religious institutions; the military, police and other security agencies; civil society and professional bodies; etc. The participation of these stakeholders and institutions will offer backbone stability to our fragile democracy. Whatever inherent ideological democratic deficits this idea produces can be ameliorated by allowing only elected persons be elected by members to the leadership positions.

With a unicameral house of stakeholders and elected politicians, the legislature will help to protect and leash the country against political waywardness. A house of part-time lawmakers would be cheaper and more efficient. To complement this legislative rightsizing and refocusing, the country must reconsider a return to the parliamentary system of government. Our presidential system feels like borrowed oversized shoes. They don’t fit. We have neither the finance nor the electorate sophistication to run it.

We can start with a constitutional amendment to fix the federal legislature. From it, the states will have a practical model. If we can’t find a transformational president, then we must seek alternatives. Once we have a responsible and thinking federal legislature, the reforms needed in the other arms and across the agencies can begin.

Let’s scrap the Senate. And redesign the House of Representatives. Let’s start from there.

It is remarkable that two of the most prominent political actors who topped the news this week

on account of their blistering attacks on the performance indices of the Bola Tinubu administration were about the most energetic enablers of Asiwaju’s presidential aspiration.

Senator Ali Ndume was until this week, the Senate Chief Whip, and Comrade Salihu Lukman was also until recently, the national vice- chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Senator Ali Ndume apparently buoyed by Senator Kashim Shettima’s influence in Borno, supported Tinubu’s presidential aspiration and dynamically pushed for his victory in his Borno South senatorial district.

Indeed, Senator Ndume followed up his support for Tinubu’s successful presidential bid by also assuming the role of director- general of the campaign for Senator Godswill Akpabio’s Senate Presidency project.It is worthy of note that it is almost the tradition that whosever leads the successful campaign that brings in a new Senate President either gets the position of Senate Leader or chairmanship of a juicy committee, and notably, the Committee for Appropriations.

In Ndume’s case, he got neither. He was bested by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as Senate Leader and then, by Senator Olamilekan Adeola for the position of Appropriations chairman.

He was settled with the position of Senate Chief Whip, the number four position in the ruling party and then with the vice-chairmanship position in the Committee of Appropriations.

Was it at this point of losing those two positions that he became bitter? Or was it at the point of losing access to the president? Or even more pointing, was it at as he claimed in his own words when he discovered that the aides of the president were the least competent persons in the land?

Those are deep questions that demand much introspection.

Remarkably, Ndume’s campaign for Tinubu was against the desire of another prominent son of Borno South, Mr Daniel Bwala who had prior to the 2023 election forsworn Tinubu’s presidential aspiration. Bwala’s rejection of Tinubu was based on the Muslim-Muslim tilt that he saw as inconsiderate of a religious balance. Indeed, Bwala followed up by etching one of the most quoted lyrics regularly sung by the opposition that “human brains don’t work when you join APC.”

A year after, Ndume who canvassed Tinubu has now been shuttled to Siberia with an open declaration that he
could well leave his chilly political confinement for any other opposition party.

Meanwhile, Bwala after his tour of duty with the Atiku Abubakar campaign in the PDP has returned to the APC reaping where he did not sow.

Unlike Ndume who cannot get access, Bwala apparently gets access to Tinubu either in Nigeria or abroad.

Senator Ndume in at least two blistering interviews reduced the Tinubu presidency to the unenviable bottom of being beyond comparison with the Muhammadu Buhari administration. According to him, that uninviting assessment arose from the emergence of a kakistocracy in the administration.

For emphasis, a Kakistocracy refers to a government presided over by the worst and most incompetent persons in a country.

This correspondent believes that the term may be too far-reaching and may only be parroted by the most extreme of Tinubu’s critics. It, however, suffices that Ndume ordinarily as chief whip should not be a critic.

Rather, as the chief whip of the Senate, he was to marshal senators towards the attainment of the party’s positions on issues.

Unfortunately, he was not able to do so, citing what he claims was the lack of access to the president.

Whether he was too blunt in his assessment of the situation can only be judged by examining the efforts he made towards obtaining the required access.

But it must be said that in a virile democracy that truly lives to its name the Chief Whip is a very sensitive position who commands the loyalty of lawmakers with his ability to apply the whip.

The letter dismissing Ndume as Chief Whip was authored by the national chairman of the APC, Dr Umar Ganduje and the national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru.

Some have described the letter as indecorous on the claim that unelected political actors appear to have shoved away the two elected senators from their positions. It is quite shocking and a reflection of the low esteem that the Senate may have tumbled to in the present dispensation.

It was in respect of that depiction that Comrade Salihu Lukman described the Senate under Senator Akpabio as a parastatal of the executive branch of government.

Lukman, of course, has his own axe to grind with the APC. He resigned his position as National Vice Chairman of the party and subsequently dumped his membership of the party after venturing on the same issues as expressed by Ndume.

Shockingly, the APC senate caucus has become a supple conclave shorn of institutional memory or its powers of articulation.

It is unarguably on account of these letdowns that the former APC national vice-chairman, Lukan now refers to the 10th Senate as a parastatal of the administration.

It is a term worse than the rubber stamp that was derisively etched on the Ahmad Lawan Senate.

Cocaine, opioids and alcohol addiction is in the same league as tobacco addiction, says the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest research and mental health teaching hospital. Members of the opioid family include heroin, morphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl, according to the Johns Hopkins University medical website. 

Unbelievable! Cocaine, heroin, codeine, and morphine sharing the same podium with cigarettes? 

Surprise dropped my jaws, disbelief wrinkled my forehead. I had thought cocaine and opioids were the GOAT of narcotics. Little did I know the nicotine in tobacco qualifies the cigarette for the big league, to

How on earth did cocaine and its siblings become comrades-in-harms with cigarettes? It’s because inhaled cigarette smoke delivers nicotine to the brain within 20 seconds!

Home to breakthroughs in psychiatric research and the revolutionary discovery of dopamine receptors, CAMH says: “Nicotine releases a chemical called dopamine in the same regions of the brain as other addictive drugs. It (nicotine) causes mood-altering changes that make the person temporarily feel good. Inhaled smoke delivers nicotine to the brain within 20 seconds, which makes it very addictive—comparable to opioids, alcohol and cocaine.”

According to the foremost Canadian hospital, a simple way of identifying addiction is the cohabitation of 4 Cs in an addict. The 4 Cs are: (1) CRAVING (2) Loss of CONTROL of amount or frequency of use, (3) COMPULSION to use, and (4) Use despite CONSEQUENCES.

Relatedly,  addiction explains a chronic condition experienced when a substance or behaviour is withdrawn from the user, e.g. someone addicted to coffee might feel restless if he doesn’t get coffee when the craving arises.

Globally, millions of people battle various forms of addiction such as gambling, masturbation, hard drugs, overeating, kleptomania, shopping and alcoholism.

In general, there are four levels of addiction: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. A study published in the American Psychological Association says religious faith and spirituality may help people recover from substance abuse. The research, “Religious Denomination Affiliation and Psychological Health: Results From a Substance Abuse Population,” was authored by Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D, et al.

Let’s go back to me. How did I eat my frog? Firstly, I took myself to the mountain of transfiguration through the valley of awareness. That was when I brought myself to the realisation that cigarette was evil for my body. I criminalised cigarette and viewed it as the most despicable consumable product. When I laid it upon my mind to stop, I began to see smokers like me as victims pinned down under the weight of Zuma Rock. I knew it would take more than a mere wish to rescue me from under the yoke. 

So, I personally took the matter to God. This is the second stage of the fight. I went on my knees in prayer. I didn’t run to no pastor or imam or babalawo because I knew that God, my Maker, would hear my supplication quicker and clearer than He would hear it from any third party cassocked, turbaned or ‘lawani-ed’ as a saintly servant of God brandishing scented scriptures. Did He not say, “Ask and it shall be given. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened?” No mortal intercessor can convey the needs of the child better to the Father in filial terms than the child, except the child be illegitimate. I’m a legitimate child of God. Christ finished the work of intercession on the Cross and flung open the door to the Father for all.

At the second stage, I stumbled many times. Before leaving home in the morning, I would pray to God to guide me against smoking but would find myself still heading to Muhammed’s kiosk up the street. That’s when I would remember there was something I needed to discuss with Sola Tomoloju aka Sholay or Lai Ibidunni aka Layo Osha or Ayo Akinola aka Lado or Fela aka Orunmila or egbon Kole Ebisemiju aka Katuzi or the late Kayode Tomoju aka Sir Kay. All these great men lived opposite the mallam’s kiosk. Did they smoke? They belched smoke like a locomotive train.

I knew I shouldn’t go there. I knew I couldn’t escape smoking once I got there. I would say to myself, “Tunde, pádà. Turn back. There’s no way you won’t smoke there.” But I would warn myself strictly, “Listen, you mustn’t stay more than two minutes there o. Just brace up yourself. Do everything pá pà pá and leave,” – I would find myself helplessly propelled by an unseen force towards Muhammed’s kiosk. Little did I realise that the conversation within me was a raging battle inside my conscience between good and evil. It wasn’t the devil. It was a battle of choice, of free will.

As the war within me raged and I approached Muhammed’s kiosk, I would meet one of my fellow smokers, especially Sir Kay, who was fun to be with. “Professor, you look good,” he would say, adding, “Collect two Consulate and Tom Tom from Muhammed, I’ll pay.” While contemplating telling him to pay and that I would come and smoke later, Sir Kay would  bring up a political topic, “Dis our political class ehn, dem don finish us.” My resolve would evaporate. I would light the cigarette, take a puff, and tears would well in my eyes. I would flick the ash of the cigarette as it burned without smoking it, holding the conversation and blinking away my tears.

Seidu was another mallam in my area whose kiosk hangared a hodgepodge of stuff comprising mosquito coil, chewing stick, paracetamol, aboliki, kuli kuli, sugar, Maggi, tin tomato, milk, pencil, kola, soap, blade and, of course, cigarettes. Every kiosk-owning mallam in Lagos sold cigarettes.

Muhammed and Seidu were Fulani from the Niger Republic. Their credit facilities were better than any known Nigerian bank. Even though you owe, you would be given fresh commodities if you pay for the new ones you’re buying. At the end of the day, they would whisper to you gently, “Me, I dey go market next week,” informing you of your debt and the need to pay. I wonder if those folks ever made a profit. I never really owed, though. Whenever I said, “I’II stop smoking,” I’m sure they would say in their minds, “You, major shareholder, stop smoking? Abi I dey craze? You no go ever stop in Insha Allah!”

Separately, both would openly say, “E good make you stop. Me, I wan stop too. Siga no good at all,” and other fellow smokers would join in the conversation, expressing their views on the goodness and badness of smoking. This was when nobody cared where anybody came from. It was when the Fulani were the yardstick for trust and frugality. This was long before Muhammadu ibn Buhari came and put a knife into what held us together… things fall apart as madmen and specialists took the reins.

Later, I changed my tactic by changing my route; I refused to pass by Muhammed or Seidu’s kiosks. But, at times, I would have succeeded in evading all cigarette-selling mallams all day only for me to want to chill out with a bottle or two in the evening and I would inexplicably find a cigarette between my fingers. “Ha, Tunde!” I would sigh, feeling myself a letdown.

For many, smoking and drinking are Siamese twins. Separating the two is akin to using a sword without its handle. Smoking is the scabbard, alcohol is the sword, both work hand in glove, like the two hands of the grandfather clock; when you see one, know the other is coming behind, counting – tick-tock – telling smoke-weakened lungs, kidneys and liver, “Your cock has a few more corn to eat before its final crow. The body is willing but the organs are weak. RIP, soon.”

I succeeded in separating alcohol from smoking. Though I still drink rarely, I no longer rum like a pirate. I stopped ‘beering’, I now seldomly wine red wine, whisk whiskey, swish vodka if brandy isn’t available and down some scotch to scorch the cold in me – all in line with the advice of Apostle Paul in Timothy 5:23, which says, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities (KJV).

Something happened when I visited Israel on a pilgrimage many years ago. We visited many religious sites. Some of them bore the inscription, “Silence” or “No noise, please.” Our guides would tell us the solemnity attached to the place of visit but as soon as Nigerian pilgrims got in, they would begin to shout, casting and binding to Hades all manner of imaginary spirits, speaking in a million tongues.

These were the same people who would stuff their pockets with boiled eggs, fruits, etc after mealtimes even when they knew there would still be an overabundance of food when they returned for their next meal.

I had stopped smoking then. But I always bypassed them on my way to the bar whenever they gathered in the hotel lobbies, praying for long periods,  disturbing other hoteliers. Some of them would eye me from afar as I nursed my $6 beer, and I would mind my beer, saying in my mind, “I don’t serve a Pharisee God.”

. Concluded.

On July 17, 2024, Senator Ali Ndume was removed as Chief Whip of the Senate and replaced with Senator Tahir Monguno following a directive contained in a letter sent to All Progressives Congress Caucus in the Senate signed by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Senator Basiru Ajibola, APC National Chairman and National Secretary respectively. In the letter, Senator Ndume was alleged to “have been making uncouth and rabid outbursts against the government, before the international and before the global community is not only harmful to the government’s image alone but also undermines the party’s unity and cohesion and in addition, undermines the government’s efforts to bring in foreign direct investments to Nigeria”

What is the “uncouth and rabid outburst” made by Senator Ndume?

The letter referred to a televised interview with Arise Television where Senator Ndume expressed the concern that the APC government of President Bola Tinubu is going down, because, according to him, the government is being run by kakistocrats, which he explained to mean “a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens”. He went further to add that the ‘government is populated by kakistocrats and kleptocrats’, explaining that kleptocratic component refers to people “who are in government for what they can make for themselves”. Accordingly, the letter to the Senate requested Senator Ndume to “honourably resign the membership of APC and join any opposition party of his choice formally instead of hiding behind the veil of grass activism to decimate the hard-earned cohesion and goodwill that …the APC is enjoying within and outside the country.

In an ideal democratic setting where the organs of the party are functioning, a competent organ of the party would have been convened to deliberate on the issues raised by Sen. Ndume. In fact, if the organs of the party are functioning, instead of raising the issues in a television station, the issue would have been raised at a meeting of a competent organ of the party. Such a competent organ would have been the National Caucus, National Executive Committee (NEC) or National Advisory Council. Rule of fair hearing would have required that Sen. Ndume or anybody making such weighty allegations is invited and called upon to explain. The truth is, if organs of the party are functioning, the problem of lack of access to the President wouldn’t have arisen.

Somehow, the letter directing the removal of Sen. Ndume confirmed the allegations of a government of Kakistocrat. Dr. Ganduje and Sen. Ajibola and perhaps a small group of party leaders who have caged the President usurped the powers of organs of the APC and proceeded to pass judgement on Sen. Ndume. It is very doubtful if members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party are given the benefit of being part of those who took the decision to remove Sen. Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Senate. It is also doubtful if members of the APC Caucus in the Senate are consulted before the decision is taken to both remove Sen. Ndume and appoint Sen. Monguno as his replacement. It is simply an action taken by party leaders with fanatical mindset of blocking any attempt to scrutinise the President and actions being taken either directly by him or by his representatives, in whatever guise.

Beyond issues of fair hearing, the substantive allegation made by Sen. Ndume is that President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is inaccessible. Those he refers to as Kakistocrats and Kleptocrats have caged the President so much so that even Ministers are not able to access him. These are not new allegations. The way the government is being managed is quite worrisome. Anybody who knows Asiwaju Tinubu and how he has operated throughout his political life, will certainly know that it is unlike Asiwaju Tinubu to be insular. Many of the decisions taken betrays the true Asiwaju Tinubu. For instance, it is doubtful if Asiwaju Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State for eight years has had any instance of reversing any of the decisions he took. But as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the last one year, Nigerians are beginning to lose count of the number of decisions he took and ended up reversing them.

Unlike the true Asiwaju Tinubu who as Governor of Lagos State was surrounded by competent and visionary appointees, he is surrounded by third rated appointees or Kakistocrats as rightly described by Sen. Ndume. A vintage Asiwaju Tinubu, confronted by the kind allegations coming from Sen. Ndume would have publicly engaged Sen. Ndume and proved him wrong. It is debatable whether after proving him wrong he will call for his removal. By extension, therefore, it is also contestable if a normal Asiwaju Tinubu would have allowed the organs of the party to have been demobilised in the manner that is being done now. The truth is, President Asiwaju Tinubu has lost his credentials of being a democrat, a progressive politician and an Awoist. That is the main essence of the criticism made by Sen. Ndume.
The point is that there is a big difference between the old Asiwaju Tinubu, who was the Governor of Lagos State and was as an astute politician, constantly engaging and having strong relationship with people, from the Asiwaju Tinubu who is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the last one year who has become insular and inaccessible. Decisions taken in the last one year have betrayed the progressive orientation envisioned when APC was formed, or even any claimed Awoist credentials. In fact, it is very embarrassing that there is very weak correlation with even the campaign promise made by President Asiwaju Tinubu as contained in the Renewed Hope 2023, which was the campaign document of President Asiwaju Tinubu.

The way things are, it is almost as if President Asiwaju Tinubu has resolved that he will only be a one term President. Under his watch living conditions of Nigerians is continuously getting worse. Instead of making effort to develop clear plans to address the situation, the government is becoming more intolerant to criticism. In the last one week, the government has developed a fanatical mindset of condemning and criminalising criticism so much so that it is resorting to bribing religious leaders to declare that protests are ungodly. Everything is being done to suspend free speech in the country. It is almost as if we are back in the Abacha era, or even worse. As it is, personal liberties of citizens are being threatened. Fair hearing is no longer guaranteed. Sadly, we are having democracy without democrats.

All patriotic Nigerians must wake up to the responsibility of rescuing the country. How can we have a democracy that produce leaders who are intolerant to criticism? Why should we allow a situation whereby so-called leaders of the ruling party will behave like officials of military tribunals who operate with the fanatical mindset of condemning everyone accused of wrongdoing without the benefit of fair hearing? It is quite interesting that Dr. Ganduje and Sen. Basiru could ask Sen. Ndume to ‘honourably resign the membership of APC and join any opposition party of his choice formally’. Already, with nonfunctioning organs, the APC has basically dismissed all its members.
Nowhere in the Constitution of APC where the National Chairman, National Secretary, or any official, or even the National Working Committee is given the powers to summarily remove any principal officer of the National Assembly. It is a shame that the APC Senate Caucus will permit such an act of illegality. By so doing, they have set a precedence that will further erode the independence of the National Assembly. Already, with the way Sen. Godswill Akpabio has been conducting himself almost reducing the Senate Chamber to the status of a parastatal of government, the action of the APC under the leadership of Dr. Ganduje to direct removal of principal officers for criticising President Asiwaju Tinubu’s government highlight the fanatical mindset undermining Nigerian democracy.

Any democracy that cannot accommodate criticism is no democracy. A democracy that subverts fair hearing is a dictatorship. A democracy that permits a ruling party to demobilise its organs and inadvertently expels its members is worse than a military government. All patriotic Nigerian political leaders must unite to restore Nigeria’s democracy. Nigerian opposition leaders must unite to build a truly strong political party to rebuild Nigerian democracy. All our opposition leaders and orphaned leaders of APC must come together and unite. Sen. Ndume being the newest APC orphan is welcome to join the effort of political leaders in the country to restore and rebuild our democracy. So long as APC, its leadership and Asiwaju Tinubu’s government have taken the self-destructive path, which is equivalent to a declaration of working end their tenure in 2027, patriotic Nigerians must help them to ensure their defeat in 2027!

States across the federation have been unsettled by the ongoing plan by some faceless Nigerian youths to begin a 10-day nationwide hunger and hardship protest to draw the federal and state governments’ attention to the worsening plight of the citizens.

LEADERSHIP Weekend’s investigation in some states showed that the governors and security agencies are not comfortable with the plot and, therefore, appealed for dialogue with the government at all levels.
According to media reports, the organisers of the protest have slated August 1 to August 10, 2024 to begin the mass action across the country.

Citing the loss of life and property that characterised the #EndSARS protest in the country, the governors and other stakeholders pleaded with the organisers to shelve their plan, adding that the issues raised by them were already being addressed.

The rally organisers say “this hunger is too much.”

The federal government confirmed knowledge of hunger rally plan on Thursday when it said the “identities of many of the brains behind the protest are known, along with their collaborators who are safely residing abroad, and the government is taking necessary actions to stop their subversive plans.”
The director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja, said the agency’s nationwide structure had identified the sponsors of the proposed protest and likely flashpoints.

He said the government will take measures to forestall any violent occurrences in the identified locations.
He stated that the intentions of those behind the planned protest were not about governance or the state of the economy but a decoy to destabilise the country, cause mayhem, and carry out arson, killings, and maiming of innocent citizens for narrow political reasons.

In his reaction to the planned national protest against hunger and hardship, Gombe State governor Inuwa Yahaya admonished the youth in the state not to join it.

He gave the charge when he addressed the youth at the flagged-off dredging exercise of drains in the state capital to avoid flooding, where many youths were recruited to conduct the exercise.

The governor urged the police to enforce law and order and stop any demonstrations in the state.
His Yobe State counterpart, Mai Mala Buni, urged the youths, especially in the North East region, to stop planning nationwide protests, saying such a move would be dangerous and counterproductive.
Buni said this during the launch of the Ethical and Re-orientation Campaign tagged ‘Operation Gyaran Hali’ organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ethical Re-orientation in Damaturu, the state capital.

The governor advised the youths on the responsible use of social media to shape a positive narrative about the state and the country.

He said, “No Nigerian youths, especially from the North East in their right senses will stage a protest that will disturb the hard-earned peace that people are enjoying in the North East after years of Boko Haram insurgency.”

He said the North East was yet to recover from the impact of the deadly Boko Haram insurgency, which has left the region in ruins, with millions of people’s lives and property worth billions destroyed.

“We all have not forgotten what we have gone through during the dark days of the insurgency. Only those who have no senses will pray to go back to those years when people were running for their dear lives, not to talk about what to eat.”

He said another round of protests would worsen the precarious security situation and economic hardship currently bedevilling the region and the country.

The Kano State commissioner for information, Baba Dantiye, said the state will monitor the situation and ensure all proactive measures are taken appropriately.

The executive director of Citizens for Development and Education (CDE), Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, a civil society organisation in Kano, called for calm among Nigerians, saying street protests aren’t the best option to address the dilemma.

He said the economic challenges in Nigeria are enough to motivate the citizens to take to the streets to show their anger. Still, the low level of civilisation and exposure and the conflicting sentiments around religion and ethnicity may not allow for well-coordinated protests, which could translate into something else, just like the EndSARS protest.

In Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on Thursday extracted a commitment from youth organisations and organised labour not to participate in the hunger protest slated for next month.
Consequently, the governor approved a N2 billion bursary for Niger students in tertiary institutions, up from an initial N500 million.

At an expanded security council meeting, the governor echoed the position of labour and youth organisations regarding their resolve not to join in the 10-day nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria.

He said, “We, as youths of Niger State, have distanced ourselves from the nationwide protest because we are peaceful and want peace and tranquility. You can start demonstrations, but you cannot end demonstrations. To youths agitating for this protest, let us end this agitation and communicate and dialogue on the best way forward.”

“The food I am giving out at 50 percent subsidy was originally meant for export, but due to the hardship faced by the people, we have opened our warehouses to feed Nigerlites,” he added
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, the Shehu of Borno, Dr. Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi and the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Rev Dr John Bogna Bakeni and other stakeholders appealed to the citizens of Borno and the country at large to shelve the planned hunger protest and embrace dialogue.

At a stakeholders meeting convened by Governor Zulum at the Government House, Maiduguri, the governor said he was appealing to the people of Borno State and Nigerians to shun any protest that would bring hardship to Nigerians.

The stakeholders meeting comprised the members of the state executive council , traditional rulers, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), Network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the state, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ ), the Nigerian military, and the police, among others.
The Shehu of Borno, Dr Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi, joined Governor Zulum in appealing to the people of the state and the country at large to shun the proposed protest and embrace constructive engagement.

Also, Bishop John Bakeni, the chairman of CAN in the state, said what dialogue and constructive engagement cannot do, protest cannot solve.

“This is because even after the protest, we will still come back for dialogue, so why waste energy taking part in destruction when there is constructive engagement? Issues are not resolved in protest but in dialogue. The issue at hand is a wake-up call to us. We as leaders must work for justice,” he said.
In Ebonyi State, Governor Francis Nwifuru, the minister of works David Umahi and the senior programme manager of Development Integrity Intervention Goal, DiG Foundation, Mr. Anele Okoro-Agha, declared that Ebonyi youths and CSOs will not take part in the proposed prrotest

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the chief press secretary to the governor, Dr. Monday Uzor said the federal government is working assiduously to end the hardship being experienced in the country and called on the people of the state to be patient with the President.
Similarly, Umahi urged the people of Ebonyi and Southeast to reject calls for protests against the current government.

The minister made this appeal on Wednesday during the unveiling of Tinubu’s legacy road projects to stakeholders and residents of the state.

In Akwa Ibom State, the commissioners for information, Iniobong Ememobong; agriculture, Offiong Offor, and economic development, Emem Bob, said the administration of Governor Umo Eno, through various food and agricultural interventions, had reduced tension and given people hope of a return of normalcy in the food price regime.

Mrs Offor said the government had set up a Bulk Purchase Agency (BPA) to purchase food in large quantities for onward free disbursement to the very poor with government vouchers in the 2,272 gazetted villages across the 31 LGAs.

Demonstration Is A Constitutional Right – CSOs

Reacting to the planned protest, the chief executive, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Comrade Debo Odeniran, declared that protest is a fundamental human right that the government should not deny.

He stated, “Everybody has a right to peaceful protest as this a fundamental right that should not be disputed. However, the protest has to be structured, and there will be a demand that will be understandable to the target audience.

“The protest should be itemised and directed to the government stating what they want. And there should be suggestions or demands for what they want and ways how the government can attend to it, as there should be a spokesperson for negotiation.

“If it’s a 10-day thing, it should be stated; and you don’t just put a mark on the endpoint without stating the objective before arriving at the protest days, because: what if all the demands were met on the second day?”

Adeniran told the protesters not cause a breakdown of economic activity as people are already facing hardships. He, however, said CDHR and another CSO, CACOL, were yet to decide whether they would be joining in the protest.

On his part, the Ebonyi State senior programmes manager, Development Integrity Intervention Goals, Mr Anele Okoro-Agha, said the CSOs had not been notified of the planned protest, adding that the organisation will mobilise for the protest.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital yesterday, the director/CEO of AHDC, Prof Gabriel Umoh, lamented the pains Nigerians have to go through by a single pronouncement of Mr President that “fuel subsidy is gone”, knowing fully well that everything in Nigeria – transportation, production and every other businesses – depend on energy.

He signed on to the action but kicked against it being used as a weapon to drive destructive causes. He advised the demonstrators against destroying public assets established with taxpayers’ money.

“The whole problems stem from a single pronouncement by the President that subsidy has been removed, and the sector is the engine room driving the economy. If the oil sector is stable and the government fight corruption sincerely, recover the stolen funds and plough it back into the economy, the system will be fixed,” Umoh, a Professor of Agricultural and Development Economics at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), explained.

On its part, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) declared support for the protest and called on security agencies to respond to Nigerians’ yearnings with civility.

Its national chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, urged the citizens not to allow the planned peaceful protest to be hijacked.

Gabam highlighted that the struggle for a better Nigeria is a collective responsibility, regardless of political differences and dispositions.

The senior special assistant to the governor of Delta State on civil society and NGOs, Comrade Victor Ojei, popularly called Wong Box, has said rather than engaging in potentially dangerous protests, youths must advocate for systemic change via alternative means and hold leaders accountable for creating a Nigeria that prioritises the welfare and security of its citizens.

Ojei, who is the facilitator of the Young Nigerian Rights Organisation (YNRO), said there is no need for a protest, considering the severe insecurity prevalent in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

“We face numerous threats from hoodlums and criminals who exploit such platforms to engage in robbery, looting, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.

“What we need as a nation is not more protests but a focused effort on researching alternative solutions to our current challenges. The government must create a functional welfare system and study other countries with people-oriented systems to ensure the welfare and security of our citizens.

“However, history has shown, as with the ENDSARS protest, that such mobilizations can result in unnecessary loss of life,” Ojei advised.

On its part, a Bauchi State-based rights group, Prison Inmate Development Initiative (PIDI-Nigeria), said that youths’ planned protest against the current hunger and hardship in the country is aimless without a rigorous blueprint for authorities to use to end the crisis.

The group leader, Mr Mbami Sabka, stated this in an interview on Friday with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Bauchi.

He said while it is a constitutional right of citizens to peacefully protest to air their grievances over issues they feel are not going well in the country, such moves must have a clear-cut design to achieve the desired results.

Northern Students, Others Pull Out

Meanwhile, Arewa Concerned Citizens Forum (ACCF) has condemned the planned August nationwide protest, describing it as an attempt by desperate politicians to undermine President Bola Tinubu-led government.

The group, in a statement by National Coordinator Matthew Victor Bobai and general secretary Hon. Rabi Aminu Zaria, said the protest was ill-timed, misguided, and potentially harmful to the nation.

The duo said, “These protests are not only synchronised and well-coordinated but also have the potential to cause collateral damage and distract the Tinubu government from its efforts to rebuild the nation.”

The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has also dissociated itself from any upcoming protest seemingly directed against the administration of Governor Uba Sani.

The union’s national president, Tabara Kato, revealed this during a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Thursday in Kaduna.

He expressed deep satisfaction with Governor Sani’s administration’s policy trajectory and lauded the equitable and inclusive execution of projects across the state.

The Confederation of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups (CASG) has cautioned Nigerians regarding the upcoming nationwide protest saying such protests may lead to anarchy.

The CASG warns that advocates.

In a press conference held yesterday, the director-general of CASG, Kailani, proposed peaceful and constructive engagement instead.

Another group known as Concerned Northern Youths and Students called on youths and students across northern Nigeria to withdraw from the nationwide protests.

Students National Senate President Jibril Sani Bello, who also serves as the group’s coordinator, made the call at a press conference following a general meeting of student leaders from the north on Wednesday in Kano.

He also called on the students to appreciate President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s plans for Nigerian students who enjoy interest-free loans to support their education.

Youths in Kwara State may not participate in the hunger protest that some youths in the country are planning.

The chairman of Kwara State’s chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ali Nasir, indicated this during an interview with our reporter in Ilorin, the state capital.

Nasir said the youths in the state believe in the principles of dialogue as against protests and would only participate if dialogue failed to produce the desired results.

Security Agencies Place Personnel On Alert

Meanwhile, security agencies have mobilised the personnel to put the situation under control.

The Nigerian Air Force suspended “passes and leaves” for its personnel following the nationwide protest.

A circular cited by LEADERSHIP Weekend asked Commanders to step up security measures, monitor the situation and train personnel on crowd dispersal methods.

The circular reads: “Intelligence suggests likely nationwide protests and breakdown of law and order due to unresolved issues of minimum wage, hence the need to emplace strict security measures across all units.

“Furthermore, commanders are to review and forward complaints against violent protests. Commanders are to monitor and forward situation reports daily to acquit all personnel with complaints and train for crowd dispersal scenarios in line with the rules of engagement.”

When contacted, the director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, said the ban on leave and passes in the NAF is not unusual during perceived threats.

In Akwa Ibom State, the commissioner of police (CP), Waheed Ayilara, reiterated his zero tolerance for violence and his determination to sustain the state’s peaceful ambience.

In Ebony State, the police public relations officer Joshua Ukandu said the command had yet to receive a letter on the protest, adding that if the letter were brought to the command, modalities for the protest would be issued to the organisers.

In Sokoto, the police spokesperson, Ahmad Rufai, said the Command planned to engage stakeholders in dialogue to reach a compromise.

“We plan to hold a dialogue with stakeholders, starting Monday, with community leaders throughout the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the commandant-general of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC), Dr Abubakar Ahmed Audi, said he had already deployed undercover officers nationwide to monitor and curb violence during the planned nationwide hunger protest.

The NSCDC boss, who spoke through his national spokesperson, CSC Babawale Afolabi, stressed that the Corps will stop at nothing to secure all Critical National Assets and Infrastructure of government (CNAI)

While highlighting their major mandate to include safeguarding CNAI, disaster management, training, supervision, and issuing practicing licences to Private Guard Companies (PGCs), he added that their role had further been expanded to include the protection of farmers and mining sites, amongst others.

Audi, who further revealed that his men would be deployed strategically to identify flash points, said that in view of the foregoing, all zonal commanders, state commandants, component commanders and special forces across all formations had been directed to be on red alert.

“Our synergy with other sister security agencies remains strong and undiluted as we continue to ensure the peace and stability of the nation without compromise,” he said.

[Leadership]

There are concerns over the incessant attacks and humiliation of Nigerians in foreign lands.

This is as citizens continue to move out of the country in droves amid the prevailing hardship in the country.

In the last few months, there have been reports of maltreatment of many Nigerians abroad, even by fellow African countries.

However, despite the cries for justice from their loved ones, they hardly get one.

Reports show that over the past seven years, more than 350 Nigerians have been murdered extrajudicially in foreign countries.

Most of them fell victim to non-state actors with no justifiable reason for their deaths.

Most recently, precisely on June 26, 2024, a wave of protests broke out outside the Republic of Benin Embassy in Abuja, as Nigerians, particularly youths, rallied to demand the release of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji.

The Nigerian cleric, who is a native of Cross River State, has been detained in Benin for over a year.

Pastor Egbaji, who heads a church, Église De Miracle Et Action Du Saint Esprit in Benin, was accused of rape by Pede Victoire, a citizen of Benin.

Egbaji has remained in detention without trial. He is said to be subjected to harsh conditions, including being chained in a hospital.

The protesters decried the prolonged detention of Pastor Egbaji without due process and the lack of a fair trial.

Recall that in response to these injustices, the previous administration under President Muhammadu Buhari established the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), tasked with addressing the mistreatment and welfare of Nigerians abroad, with a particular focus on those unjustly imprisoned.

Chronicles of Nigerians killed in foreign lands

NiDCOM’s chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in 2022 revealed the alarming rate of killing of Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus.

According to her, over a span of six years, 13 Nigerians had been slain.

In July 2022, the murder of 39-year-old Nigerian, Alika Ogorchukwu, by an Italian man shocked the nation.

Ogorchukwu was beaten to death on a busy street, in full view of onlookers.

In the same month, two Nigerian security guards, Tosin Amos-Arowoshegbe and Chibueze Momah, were gunned down while on duty in Vaughan, Canada.

Another citizen, Chizoba Favour Eze died in an Ethiopian prison after being brutally beaten by prison officials. Chizoba was left untreated for days, eventually succumbing to her injuries.

Nigerians in South Africa have faced relentless xenophobic attacks. Since 2016, over 200 Nigerians have been killed extrajudicially.

Others remain in jail without trial

Sadly, many Nigerians have continued to languish in various prisons abroad due to minor offenses or no offence at all.

In 2021, data published by Patriotic Citizens Initiatives, a civil society group, indicated that 170,000 Nigerians were serving terms for drugs/human trafficking and other minor offences across the world.

This reflected a sharp rise from the 16,300 recorded in 2012, out of which 6,500 were on death row.

PCI also said that as many as 8,000 Nigerians were incarcerated in Chinese prisons, 3,719 in Canadian prisons, while British jail houses were home to some 750 Nigerian inmates.

India also held about 1,000 Nigerian prisoners. Indonesia imprisoned 200 Nigerians, with 40 of the inmates on death row.5 Oct 2023.

Even in neighbouring Benin Republic, over 3,000 Nigerians are being held behind bars.

Ayobamidele Kehinde, the International Director for Dynamic Ambassadors For Social Transformation and Orientation Initiative, told DAILY POST that the story of Benjamin Egbaji is one of many among the attacks on Nigerians in the neigbbouring West African nation.

He said, “I want the Nigerian people, the good people in Benin Republic and indeed the people of the world to rise up; this thing I am telling you is not just about Benjamin Egbaji, but Benjamin Egbaji’s case is just like a case that is opening up a can of worms that we have.

“There are thousands of Nigerians in Benin Republic prisons who have not committed any offence or committed minor offences and they are sentenced to prison just because they are Nigerians.

“I want to give you an instance; when this whole thing started, I called a prominent businessman in Benin Republic and said please one of our prominent brothers is having a case, how can you help.

“The man pleaded with me, he said ‘here, don’t just by mistake get into any trouble, they will finish you and every of your investment they will go with it’”.

Also speaking with DAILY POST, Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun of the Media and Public Relations Unit of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, attributed most of the cases to what he described as “communication gap” and lack of respect for rules to foreign lands.

According to him, “Whenever we hear of any case, we link up with our embassy’s interesting countries.

“And then to do a total investigation. Because in most cases, like I said, we discover that some of our nationals are at fault. In some cases we discover that it is a communication gap.

“Look at the case in Dubai. There was a law that says you should not be taking pictures of the airport.

“A lady got there and saw a scene and started recording. They got her arrested and sentenced her to prison.

“They have their own law and if you get there, you have to obey.”

In the case of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, Balogun said the Nigerian government was interested in the case and was making necessary efforts to make sure his rights were not trampled upon.

“Yes, we received a letter dated March 5, 2024, from his lawyer over the issue. We reached out to our ambassador in Benin Republic, who is also on the matter.

“The matter is already in court. But notwithstanding, we sent some lawyers there to make sure they didn’t trample on his fundamental human rights,” he revealed.

When informed that the pastor is currently being chained to bed and his health is failing, Balogun said he was just hearing that for the first time

“Well, I am just hearing that for the first time. He has a lawyer. It is when you don’t have a lawyer that you will panic.

“Apart from his lawyer, we also supported him with two lawyers,” he added.

[DailyPost]

The joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating arbitrary rise of cement price in the country, has asked major producers in the industry to tender documents on cost production to justify the price of cement in the market.

The committee resolved to visit production plants of the companies after going though their books to ascertain the cost of production with a view to determine a fair price of cement for all Nigerians.

The Chairman of the joint committee, Jonathan Gaza (APC-Nasarawa) made the demand on Friday at a public hearing while quizzing Dangote Cement Company and Lafarge Africa Plc in Abuja.

He said that the committee is interested in the cost of production from 2020 to date that justified the current price of cement which is over N10,000 in most parts of the country.

He said that the companies should give its average daily consumption of coal, gas, gypsum, limestone, clay, laterite and the average daily production of cement from 2020 to date.

Gaza said that the companies should provide details of all imported components for the production of cement and their prices from
2020 to date.

The lawmaker said that the companies should also provide details of local components for the production of cement and their prices in naira and dollars if any in the period under review.

He said that the companies should provide a summary of the monthly prices and guantity of cement produced from 2019 to date as well as their audited accounts of the company, bills of ladan and duties paid to customs within the period under review.

Gaza also said that the companies should provide details of tax waivers and other incentives enjoyed plus gas and explosives contract details.

Dabo Ismail (APC-Bauchi state) a member of the committee said that Dangote Cement Company had continued to make increasing profits in the country despite being able to source most of its raw materials locally.

He said that in 2022, the company declared a profit of N524 billion, N553 billion in 2023 and have so far made N166.4 billion in 2024.

The lawmaker said that there is no reason why the price of cement will keep rising in the market to the detriment of Nigerians while producers are smiling to he banks.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Company, Arvind Pathack, said that 95 per cent of production cost are either imported or linked to forex.

He explained that there had been between 100 to 333 per cent increase in the price of major cement input materials like gas, AGO, gypsum, imported coal, spare parts, new trucks, tyres, petrol among others.

Pathack said that company is made to pay in dollars some of its contracts to access gas and explosives saying that the provision made by the Central Bank of Nigeria was not enough to meet demand so the engage in international sales also sauce from the parallel market.

According to him, logistics issues such as deplorable state of key roads, creates several issues including longer time to deliver, increase in truck maintenance and delivery cost.

The GMD explained that lack of sufficient forex to settle trade obligations had resulted to huge forex losses to a tone of N150 billion a per annum while paying 30 per cent interest rate on loans.

He said between May 2023 and June 2024, there has been over 220 per cent devaluation of the Naira among many other challenges like insecurity and public power supply.

Pathack said that the cost building materials like reinforcement, granite and aluminum window had increased by 177 per cent to 283 per cent while cement had increase by 166 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

He said that cement was being sold at average cost of 7,200 saying that any price over N10,000 was the handwork of retailers which the company had no control over.

According to him, when converted to dollars a bag of cement is said at $7.8 dollars in Benin, $6.6 in Togo, $7.8 in Ghana, $4.4 in India while that of Nigeria is $4.43, making it one of the cheapest in Africa.

The committee admonished the companies to look into their policy and operations with a view to reduce the price of cement in the country.

In an interview with newsmen, the chairman of the committee expressed hope that the engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

He blamed high price of the commodity on the inaction of Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission.

Gaza said that as an agency responsible for the protection of consumers, they failed to protect Nigerians against middlemen who sold the commodity for as high as N14,000 after purchasing it for N6,000 at the factory.

“We are extremely hopeful that this engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

“FCCPC has slept on their functions so far, their inactivity and none responsiveness to price is what has put Nigeria where we are today,” he said.

[NAN]

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the national voter register for Rivers to the state electoral body.

Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, gave the order on Friday after a motion ex parte filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The INEC, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), attorney-general of the federation (AGF), inspector-general of police (IGP), and Department of State Service (DSS) are 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.

In the application, the APC asked the court to restrain INEC from releasing the national voter register to RSIEC for the conduct of the Rivers LGA election.

The APC said releasing the register to RSIEC will contravene “Items 11 and 12 on the concurrent legislative list in Part II of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, sections 28, 29, and 103(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.

The party also asked the court to restrain the IGP and DSS from providing security cover or participating in the Rivers LGA elections that would be conducted by RSIEC.

“AN ORDER directing the 1st to 5th Defendants to maintain the status quo ante bellum and not to do any act or take any further steps in furtherance of the conduct of the Local Government Elections in Rivers State that are, by virtue of Sections 13 and 20 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law of No. 2 of 2018, in contravention, breach or violation of items 11 and 12 on the Concurrent Legislative List, Part II of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Section 28, 29 and 103(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the Plaintiffs’ Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction,” part of the application reads.

The judge granted the prayers of the APC and restrained INEC from releasing the voter register pending the determination of the suit on August 2.

In the same vein, the judge also ordered that the defendants in the suit be served with court orders and processes via substituted means.

He directed that the service of the court process should be published in two national dailies.

In June, RSIEC fixed October 5 for the LGA election in Rivers.

One of the responses I got to last week’s column repeated a historically and sociolinguistically suspect claim about the supposed contempt Hausa people have for Ilorin people to justify why Kano State NNPP chairman Hashim Dungurawa’s sly disparagement of the Ilorin blood in Emir Aminu Ado Bayero was unsurprising. 

Hausa people supposedly called the people of Ilorin “masu zamba,” which translates as fraudsters or swindlers, and that “mesu jamba,” the slur Southwest Yoruba people habitually hurl at Ilorin people in moments of inflamed passions, derives from it.

I reproduce below a column I wrote in November 2018 to question the accuracy of this claim. Enjoy:

For those who are not clued in on Yoruba cultural politics, “mesu jamba” is a term of insult that Yoruba people deploy to demean Ilorin people. Its usage spiked exponentially in the last three years with the ascension of Bukola Saraki to the Nigerian Senate presidency. 

Yoruba people loyal to Bola Tinubu routinely slur Saraki as “mesu jamba” because of his Ilorin origins, which, incidentally, some reactionary, intellectually impoverished Ilorin nativists are now calling into question.

Interestingly, too, in a September 2018 tweet, former culture minister Femi Fani-Kayode extended the insult to Lai Mohammed, who is not from Ilorin but from Oro, a town in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State where people speak a dialect of Yoruba called Igbomina. Fani-Kayode taunted Mohammed as an ''ugly little mesu jamba parrot.''

I don’t know if this extension of the “mesu jamba” (sometimes spelled as “mesujamba”) insult to all Yoruba-speaking Kwarans is widespread among the Yoruba of southwest Nigeria. Nevertheless, “mesu jamba” is often said to be a Hausa loan in Yoruba to mean “fraudulent people.” (Since it is sometimes used even for a person, it can denote a “fraudulent person”). But this is a linguistic fraud, and here is why.

If the expression were to be written in Hausa, it would be rendered as “masu zamba,” which would mean the people of fraud—or simply scammers. “Masu” is the plural form of “mai,” which functions as what linguists call a “relater” or a particle. It is used in Hausa to introduce nominal (and sometimes verbal) phrases and to indicate possession of or close association with the noun (or verbal phrase) mentioned. So, a person who sells water is called a “mai ruwa.” Groups of people who sell water would be “masu ruwa.” Zamba means fraud in Hausa. So, one fraudulent person would be “mai zamba” and multiple fraudulent people would be “masu zamba.”

The expression “masu zamba” (which was supposedly corrupted to “mesu jamba” in Yoruba) reputedly stems from Hausa people’s experience with the widespread fraud among Ilorin people. The problem is that, historically, Hausa people have never had any untoward relationship with Ilorin people to warrant characterizing them as scammers. If anything, as I pointed out in my two-part series titled, “Ilorinis an Ethnogenesis: Response to Kawu’s Anti-Saraki Ilorin Purism,” Hausa people are integral to the founding of Ilorin in its current form.

“The Ilorin identity is the product of the fusion of Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, Baatonu (Bariba), Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, and Gobir ethnicities and influences,” I wrote. It is a relatively new ethnogeny that was birthed in the full light of history. As I pointed out in my article, a Hausa man by the name of Bako nearly became the first emir of Ilorin and, as I’ll show shortly, ex-Hausa slaves from Oyo were part of Afonja’s foot soldiers.

Phonological fraud

It is phonologically implausible that “masu zamba” would be rendered as “mesu jamba” in Yoruba. Yoruba does not have a “z” sound, and whenever it borrows a word from another language that has a “z” sound, it almost always substitutes “z” with “s.” That is why Aziz becomes Lasisi, why Zubair becomes Suberu, why Zakari becomes Sakari (and later Saka), why Zamfara is pronounced Samfara, etc. For more on the phonological and morphological domestication processes of Yoruba, read my July 13, 2014, column titled “Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names” and my May 13, 2012, column titled, “The Arabic Origins of Common Yoruba Words.”

There is no instantiation I can find of a “z” sound from a donor language being substituted with a “j” sound when borrowed in the Yoruba language. I see no reason why “zamba” would defy the enduring phonological logic of the Yoruba language and become “jamba.” I welcome any Yoruba speaker with contrary information to challenge or educate me.

Interestingly, in my native Baatonu language, (which Yoruba people call Baruba, Bariba, or Ibariba), the Hausa “zamba” is domesticated as “samba,” and it means not just fraud but guileful fraud. Baatonu, like Yoruba, has no “z” sound and always substitutes “z” with “s.” So, what is true origin of the expression “mesu jamba”?

Etymology of “mesu jamba”

As I pointed out earlier, Ilorin is an ethnogeny that is synthesized from a multiplicity of disparate ethnic identities, among which are Hausa or Hausa-speaking people. When Afonja rebelled against the Alaafin of Oyo in the early 1800s, he assembled a multi-ethnic army he called “jama” (sometimes spelled as “jema” in the historical literature). Jama is the corruption of the Arabic jama’ah, which translates as “congregation” or “community” in English.

Professor Abdullahi Smith’s book titled A Little New Light, which I cited liberally in my “Ilorin is an Ethnogenesis” series, clearly shows that Afonja’s “jama” had in it Yoruba, Hausa, and Fulani foot soldiers who were notorious for their unfeeling ruthlessness. Afonja invited Alimi, the forebear of Ilorin’s contemporary traditional ruling family, to permanently settle in Ilorin and to become his spiritual guardian. Afonja later told Alimi to relocate his entire family from Sokoto to Ilorin.

But Alimi brought more than his immediate family. Several Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto, who were not his blood relatives, came along as well. And since, according to historical records, Afonja’s jama was still active even after Alimi’s death, the newly arrived Hausa-speaking Muslims from Sokoto referred to Afonja and his foot soldiers as “masu jama’a,” which denotatively means people of the community, but which connotatively meant members of Afonja’s jama army. The singular form of “masu jama” would be “mai jama.”

These expressions—“mai jama’a” and “masu jama’a” are still active in the Hausa language. The nickname for Hon. Zakari Mohammed, the House of Representatives member from Kwara State representing Baruten and Kaiama local governments, is “Mai Jama’a,” which connotes “man of the people.”

But the “jama’a” in the original “masu jama’a” referred only to Afonja’s army, which, as I’ve pointed out, was literally called “jama” (or “jema” in the writings of Yoruba historians). Over time, “masu jama’a” came to mean the Ilorin people who were loyal to Afonja, who died in a battle with Alimi’s descendants in the 1830s. That’s the historical basis for the pejorative undertone of “masu jama’a.”

In the course of time, however, Yoruba speakers domesticated “masu jama’a” to “mesu jama” (and later “mesu jamba”). Phonological intrusion isn’t uncommon when languages borrow from another language, so the intrusive “b” in “jamba” isn’t unusual. The fact that members of Afonja’s jama were war-mongering mercenaries and bandits, not to mention non-Muslims, redounded to the semantic derogation of the term. Since the jama was disbanded and most Ilorin people pledged allegiance to the emir, “masu jama” went into disuse in Ilorin.

Nevertheless, the term was picked up by Yoruba people in the southwest, who have no awareness of the etymology of the term. They now use it indiscriminately as a catch-all slur for all Ilorin people. It’s a linguistic fraud that should get to the end of its shelf life now.

Isn’t it a supreme irony that a fraud is deployed to characterize people as frauds?