CLEARLY, there is a difference between when Alhaji Aliko Dangote goes on protest and ordinary folks like us lining the streets to tell President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that we cannot cope with insecurity and the ascending cost of living.
We are all protesters. We are all hungry. Ordinary folks are hungry for bare necessities. Dangote is hungry to keep up his status. We are not Dangote, we agree. We are all hungry. Let us not argue that.

Dangote is the richest man in Africa. His hunger is for riches. We are mostly nationals of a country that has been confirmed the global capital of poverty. Nobody should be proud of that.

President Tinubu, possibly one of the richest Presidents in the world feels nothing about leading the largest mass of the poorest people in the world. He should not be angry, if he is actually the world’s richest President and I failed to acknowledge his achievement.
The President acts as if we barely exist. We are a great inconvenience to him, giving him headaches and sleepless nights. We have turned our First Lady into a peripatetic farmer whose fame now rest in failing, just like her husband, to listen to us.

Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu is consumed with television displays of a basket of vegetables that she says she planted in the surroundings of the presidential villa. It is a monumental success for her and a supposed lesson on us growing what we eat, just like her. Do you believe for a moment she eats only vegetables?

If the objective is for the First Lady to get air time, she has succeeded hugely. The deeper worry is that the First Lady is distant from the people, so distant that she does not know that majority of Nigerians, those most hit by hunger, live in spaces insufficient for them to rest their heads. Others are mainly on the move because their means cannot sustain any semblance of permanence at a place.
And the food needs of Nigerians has suddenly reduced to vegetables so that the First Lady would be hailed for pushing her unique nothingness to national prominence.

The hunger is real. It is not one that vegetables can manage. Dangote made that point with the aggressiveness he applied to rescuing his refinery that was apparently heading nowhere.
Within weeks of seizing the media space, Dangote had Nigerians behind him, in a deft move to buy Nigeria’s crude, on his own terms, for his monstrous refinery. The harsh words that flew between Dangote and the authorities were unprecedented.
The people, we, thought Dangote would remain implacable. He was beating the drums hard. He seemed to have no cares whether he would shred the leather.
Accusations and allegations verged on poor business practices. The affected parties went at full throttle at each other. The blows misses the plexus, deliberately it now appears, by inches.
Presidential panjandrums engaged full gears in attacking Nigeria’s global business icon. Dangote replied in like manner. The more stinging the blows were, the lower the devastated party went, the lower the scruples the other applied.
Nigerians became Dangote’s friends, adopting their “enemy’s enemy” as their friend.

The script that saw Dangote shedding tears, recounting his sacrifices for Nigeria, never for once mentioned Nigerians’ sacrifices that contributed to Dangote’s riches. His hunger was high voltage drama executed with Dangote as a victim of Nigeria’s notoriety for dealing with its own without counting the consequences.
Not for once did Dangote accept that Nigeria made him. He never discussed the impact of the waivers that Nigeria has fanned his way over the years. Is it possible that he forget? What would he have been without the waivers? How many other businesses got those waivers?

Dangote’s retort to his delight in running monopolies was to mock Nigerians by asking us to buy the refinery off him. The mockery was intentional. Where would a country that survives on borrowing raise $20 billion and more to buy Dangote’s discomfort? Why would we have had to buy the refinery?
Nigerians were busied with Dangote’s stories of owing no houses abroad, or in Abuja – distractions that only brought more tangentiality to an otherwise elevated conversation on how Nigeria has subsidised Dangote over the years.

Had the conversation on subsidising Dangote’s businesses been sustained, we may have had insights into what Dangote does for Nigeria. His foundations and donations, are investments that advance his businesses. They are not charity in the way we look at it.

Dangote’s hunger and anger were protested with a nudity that made many doubt his acclaimed business acumen. Who builds a $20 billion refinery without any confirmed sources for the supply of crude, the raw material to run it? What business plan did lenders peruse to hand Dangote $20 billion?
Many may be fooled. The few who are not are wondering what the drama was about, if not to navigate unconventional routes to confirm that Dangote gets what he wants.

Dangote got what he wanted. He will get more if he asks. Regulatory agencies that are famous for tardiness were thoroughly worsted in the Dangote drama.
The sucker punch would be that the leaders of NNPC and a Nigerian oil firm were refining crude in Malta for the Nigerian market. Dangote said the quality of the Maltese import was poorer, in response to the regulatory agency’s queries on Dangote’s products. Plainly put, Dangote thought his enterprise was being sabotaged by the unfair competition from Malta.

Dangote got the President’s ears. Tinubu conceded to everything Dangote wanted, with the sweetener that he can pay for the crude in Naira.
Tinubu’s government that cancelled subsidy with his inauguration speech handed a subsidy to Dangote. The applause is deafening. People see this as a right decision. Every waiver that has been awarded to Dangote is subsidy. That is the real name. The footnote that other domestic refineries will pay for crude oil leaves the question, which domestic refineries? Will Tinubu investigate the Malta refinery that Dangote alleged was doing underhand business with NNPC Limited?

Ordinary folks are hungry and angry. They will not be allowed to protest. They are too poor to merit attention or dispatch in their affairs unlike Dangote who can protest without hindrance and get results post-haste.

The President asks Nigerians to be patient. Was Tinubu patient in purchasing two presidential jets? Patience was forbidden in getting a N21 billion palace for the Vice-President. Dangote’s matters, too, abhor patience. What are patient Nigerians expecting? When will they get it?

What conditions are attached to the latest waiver to Dangote? When he gets 450,000 barrels of crude daily, what do Nigerians get? Is he refining for export or domestic consumption? Should we even know the terms of the contract? Who will determine the price of Dangote’s products?

President Tinubu snatched fuel subsidy from the poor public. He has created subsidy for the richest man in Africa, Dangote. Do we have to be Dangote to be heard? We all cannot be Dangote.

President Tinubu should allow Nigerians to participate in Nigeria’s affairs.
If the President realises that we are all Nigerians, he would be kinder in managing the genuine aggreviances that he just decisively dismisses.

•Isiguzo is a major commentator on minor issues

Nigeria’s Favour Ofili ran a season best time of of 22.24s to win her heat and book a spot in the semi-final of the women’s 200m event.

Ofili outran a field that also had Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Gambia’s Gina Bass-Bittaye.

Ofili’s finishing time put her in overall second place only behind USA’s Gabrielle Thomas who ran 22.20s.

While Asher-Smith finished in 22.28s, Bass-Bittaye came home in 22.84s.

The Nigerian is participating in her first Olympics.

[Vanguard]

Early Sunday morning, President Bola Tinubu addressed Nigerians in a televised broadcast amid the #EndBadGovernance protest, which commenced on Thursday in many parts of the country.

Hours before his address, his speech surfaced on the internet in what many called a “leak”.

Public figures, including politicians, knocked the presidency for “fooling Nigerians”, while some expressed concerns about the safety of other classified documents.

But was the president’s speech top secret in the first place? Here’s what to know about presidential broadcasts.

HOW IS A PRESIDENTIAL BROADCAST DISSEMINATED?

Hours before a presidential broadcast, an embargoed copy is disseminated to select media houses, especially the print media.

These media houses are trusted with the speech to enable them to prepare timely and accurate reports as the president delivers his address. 

WHO IS IT SHARED WITH?

The presidential speech is usually dispatched to the editors of the media houses ahead of the broadcast.

WHAT ARE THE STIPULATED CONDITIONS WHEN SHARED?

The speech will be under strict embargo until the president delivers his address. In most cases, the media houses are permitted to share the speeches at least 15 minutes into the broadcast. 

Sharing the speech before the president’s broadcast flouts the agreement with the media and creates a lack of public trust in the presidency. It also affects the relationship between the media and the government.

WHY IS EARLY DISSEMINATION IMPORTANT?

To ensure the broadcast makes the front pages of mainstream newspapers, it is expected that the speeches are disseminated the night before, especially for broadcasts that are made early in the morning. 

For print media houses, this gives them ample time for production. 

IS IT GLOBAL BEST PRACTICE?

Disseminating presidential speeches before they are televised is not a practice peculiar to Nigeria; it is done globally.

The practice is not only restricted to presidencies. Large multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and other international non-governmental organisations also engage in this practice.

The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated, and the time has come for President Tinubu to take decisive action to address the widespread discontent and protests engulfing the nation. It is imperative that he steps forward to quench the flames of unrest by directly addressing the nation, acknowledging their grievances, and providing a clear path forward to restore peace and stability.

Certain individuals within the president's circle hold the belief that the opposition parties or those who were unsuccessful in the last election are fueling the protests against the president. Others posit that the protesters are simply impatient and hindering Nigeria's progress. Meanwhile, some argue that the president should not acquiesce to the protesters' demands, as this would be perceived as a sign of weakness.

It's essential that we engage in honest self-reflection and confront the reality of the situation. Do the agitators have a legitimate grievance? Or, to put it another way, is their demand reasonable and justified? The answer, unequivocally, is yes.

Although I concede that some of the demands may be idealistic or unworkable now, I strongly contend that a substantial proportion of them necessitate swift and decisive action. The pressing nature of these demands demands that we treat them with the gravity and expediency they warrant, lest we risk exacerbating an already volatile situation.

The opulent lifestyle of politicians is a source of immense frustration for the masses. While the president implores citizens to endure the current hardships, the political elite continue to live extravagantly, oblivious to the struggles of the common man. The allocation of billions for a new vice presidential residence, despite already budgeting billions for renovations to the existing one, billions budgeted  on a yacht, exotic cars for the president, and rumors of a new presidential jet, as well as billions more on vehicles for the first lady and other frivolous expenses, all while the masses suffer. Allocating billions naira to National Assembly members to purchase SUVs, a staggering 300% salary increase for judges, a move that raises eyebrows and sparks outrage. All these are egregious misallocation of resources. This is particularly galling given the country's burgeoning debt crisis and widespread hunger and these expenditures seem to contradict the president's initial claims of inheriting a challenged economy, and raise questions about the administration's priorities and fiscal responsibility.

The cost of governance in Nigeria has reached unprecedented heights, with a staggering increase that flies in the face of promises to reduce it. We are witnessing an all-time high in the number of ministers, with some ministries serving no purpose other than to duplicate existing ones. The indulgent culture of government officials is exemplified by their conveyances, which are often excessive and unnecessary. The plethora of aides, extravagant foreign jaunts, and other luxuries are a slap in the face to the struggling masses. 

To genuinely lead by example, the government must take drastic measures to slash its own profligacy. This includes making significant cuts to the salaries and allowances of both legislative and executive officials, demonstrating a willingness to share the burden of these trying times with the people. Anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust.

The political elite in Nigeria are utterly unwilling to make any sacrifices, instead, they insist on indulging in the finest luxuries while the common man is forced to bear the brunt of fuel subsidy removal, electricity tariff hikes, and exorbitant education and healthcare costs. The prices of foodstuffs have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, and the nation is plagued by rising insecurity, hunger and unemployment. 

Meanwhile, the EFCC seems more focused on going after yahoo boys than holding the real thieves accountable, as corruption and embezzlement of public funds have become normalized and even legalized. 

As I mentioned earlier, some of the demands presented are indeed unrealistic, and it is the responsibility of the president to engage in open and honest dialogue with the protesters, the masses, and the nation as a whole. Through this dialogue, the president must clearly explain why certain requests or demands cannot be met at this time, providing a thorough and transparent rationale for each decision. By doing so, the president can foster a deeper understanding among the populace, address misconceptions, and work towards finding alternative solutions that balance the needs and concerns of all stakeholders.

In my view, the demand for the return of fuel subsidy removal appears unrealistic for several reasons. Firstly, there is no allocation for subsidy payments in this year's budget, making it a financially unviable option. Secondly, reinstating subsidies would likely sound the death knell for local refineries, such as the Dangote refinery, and deter others from investing in building new ones. Thirdly, the subsidy regime has been notorious for being plagued by scams, benefiting only a select few wealthy individuals. While I understand that those advocating for the return of subsidies do so with the intention of alleviating the suffering of the masses, I strongly believe that there are more effective and sustainable solutions to address the current economic hardships.

In my opinion, the removal of fuel subsidies is a notable accomplishment of this administration, but it was marred by two critical errors. Firstly, the government should have developed and implemented a comprehensive and effective plan to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal on the masses before taking the step. This would have helped to cushion the effects of the inevitable increase in pump prices and the resultant surge in the cost of living. Secondly, the administration's decision to entrust governors with distributing the gains of subsidy removal is baffling, especially considering the well-known history of mismanagement and corruption among many of them. 

The surge in food prices has sparked widespread agitation, and while the government has taken some token measures, such as removing import duties on select food items, these efforts are painfully insufficient. The harsh reality is that until the government confronts the pervasive security challenges, farmers will continue to flee their farms, leading to a severe shortage of food supplies and exorbitant prices. The mass exodus of farmers from rural areas to cities is a direct result of the government's failure to ensure their safety, leaving them vulnerable to attacks and kidnappings. Imaging farmers has to pay a tax to bandit before they can harvest their crops. To address this crisis government should improve security.

Government must also adopt a multifaceted approach to promote agriculture, including providing accessible loans, grants, training programs, and essential inputs like seeds and fertilizers. Moreover, the government should invest in modern farming machinery and establish state-of-the-art farm settlements across the country. Attractive policies are needed to entice young people to take up farming, and the government must recognize that agriculture is evolving from small-scale subsistence farming to large-scale commercial production, requiring a corresponding shift in policy support.

The pervasive insecurity plaguing Nigeria demands immediate and decisive action, as it has become a significant obstacle to the nation's progress. While increasing personnel numbers is a necessary step, it is grossly inadequate to address the complexities of Nigeria's security challenges. Our leaders must summon the political will and courage to declare war on the beneficiaries of insecurity, including both military and civilian individuals who profit from chaos and terror, as well as those who finance these nefarious activities. A comprehensive approach is required, encompassing border security, enhanced intelligence gathering, deployment of cutting-edge security technology, proactive strategies, modern counter-terrorism training and tactics, advanced drones, improved personnel welfare, training, and compensation, transparency in military budgets and expenditures, and the establishment of state police forces. Anything less would be a half-measured response to the existential threat Nigeria faces.

Allegations that protest organizers are faceless ring hollow when the protesters themselves are undeniably Nigerian citizens, with legitimate concerns and grievances. Rather than dismissing their voices, the government should take a more constructive approach by engaging directly with the Nigerian people and addressing the pressing issues they've raised.

In summary, firstly, the government should provide clear explanations for why certain demands cannot be met now, offering alternative solutions where possible. Secondly, the government must take swift and tangible action to demonstrate its commitment to listening to the people, as effective leadership hinges on the ability to listen. 

Thirdly, the president must inform the public that certain demands, including the transition from a bicameral to a unicameral legislature, the implementation of minimum wages for legislators, the introduction of part-time legislatures, electoral reform, and the drafting of a new constitution to replace the 1999 version, necessitate meticulous planning, widespread consultation, and constitutional amendment. It is the government's responsibility to communicate these complexities and timelines to the public. 

Furthermore, this administration has failed to establish effective communication channels with the masses, neglecting to regularly share government policies, achievements, plans, and situational updates, thereby exacerbating the sense of disconnection and mistrust.

Mr. President, the time for action is now. The nation is on edge, and it is imperative that you address the growing unrest and protest sweeping across the country. The people are crying out for relief, and it is your duty to respond. The flames of frustration and anger are burning bright, and it is your duty to quench them. The nation holds its breath, waiting for your leadership and guidance. Every moment counts, and every word matters. Rise to the challenge, Mr. President, and deliver the reassurance and solutions that the people so desperately need. The fate of the nation hangs in the balance, and your prompt action is the only antidote to the rising tensions and unrest. 

Together we shall build a nation where peace and justice shall reign. God bless Nigeria. 

Dr. Samuel Olanrewaju Bill.

My fellow Nigerians,

1. I speak to you today with a heavy heart and a sense of responsibility, aware of the turmoil and violent protests unleashed in some of our states.

2. Notably among the protesters were young Nigerians who desired a better and more progressive country where their dreams, hopes, and personal aspirations would be fulfilled.

3. I am especially pained by the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states, the destruction of public facilities in some states, and the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops, contrary to the promise of protest organisers that the protest would be peaceful across the country. The destruction of properties sets us back as a nation, as scarce resources will be again used to restore them.

4. I commiserate with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests. We must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction.

5. As President of this country, I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.

6. Under the circumstances, I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity. Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all - regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation. To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.

7. Our democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected. Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner.

8. My vision for our country is one of a just and prosperous nation where each person may enjoy the peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihood that only democratic good governance can provide – one that is open, transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people.

9. For decades, our economy has remained anaemic and taken a dip because of many misalignments that have stunted our growth. Just over a year ago, our dear country, Nigeria, reached a point where we couldn’t afford to continue the use of temporary solutions to solve long-term problems for the sake of now and our unborn generations. I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress.

10. These actions blocked the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made. They also blocked the undue subsidies we had extended to our neighbouring countries to the detriment of our people, rendering our economy prostrate. These decisions I made were necessary if we must reverse the decades of economic mismanagement that didn’t serve us well. Yes, I agree, the buck stops on my table. But I can assure you that I am focused fully on delivering the governance to the people - good governance for that matter.

11. In the past 14 months, our government has made significant strides in rebuilding the foundation of our economy to carry us into a future of plenty and abundance. On the fiscal side, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over 9.1 trillion Naira in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023 due to our efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation, and mobilising funding creatively without additional burden on the people. Productivity is gradually increasing in the non-oil sector, reaching new levels and taking advantage of the opportunities in the current economic ambience

12. My dear brothers and sisters, we have come this far. Coming from a place where our country spent 97% of all our revenue on debt service; we have been able to reduce that to 68% in the last 13 months. We have also cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5billion without any adverse impact on our programmes.

13. This has given us more financial freedom and the room to spend more money on you, our citizens, to fund essential social services like education and healthcare. It has also led to our State, and Local Governments receiving the highest allocations ever in our country’s history from the Federation Account.

14. We have also embarked on major infrastructure projects across the country. We are working to complete inherited projects critical to our economic prosperity, including roads, bridges, railways, power, and oil and gas developments. Notably, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway projects will open up 16 connecting states, creating thousands of jobs and boosting economic output through trade, tourism and cultural integration

15. Our once-declining oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence on the back of the reforms I announced in May 2024 to address the gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act. Last month, we increased our oil production to 1.61million barrels per day, and our gas assets are receiving the attention they deserve. Investors are coming back, and we have already seen two Foreign Direct Investments signed of over half a billion dollars since then.

16. Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for, and subsidise its use. To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over two trillion Naira a month, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education.

17. To this end, we will be distributing a million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods and who currently consume 80% of the imported PMS and AGO.

18. We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation.

19. Our administration has shown its commitment to the youth by setting up the student loan scheme. To date, 45.6billion Naira has already been processed for payment to students and their respective institutions

20. I encourage more of our vibrant youth population to take advantage of this opportunity. We established the Consumer Credit Corporation with over N200billion to help Nigerians to acquire essential products without the need for immediate cash payments, making life easier for millions of households. This will consequently reduce corruption and eliminate cash and opaque transactions. This week, I ordered the release of an additional N50billion Naira each for NELFUND – the student loan, and Credit Corporation from the proceeds of crime recovered by the EFCC

21. Additionally, we have secured $620million under the Digital and Creative Enterprises (IDiCE) – a programme to empower our young people, creating millions of IT and technical jobs that will make them globally competitive. These programmes include the 3Million Technical Talents scheme. Unfortunately, one of the digital centres was vandalised during the protests in Kano. What a shame!

22. In addition, we have introduced the Skill-Up Artisans Programme (SUPA); the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA); and the National Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP).

23. Also, more than N570 billion has been released to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, while 600,000 nano-businesses have benefitted from our nano-grants. An additional 400,000 more nano-businesses are expected to benefit.

24. Furthermore, 75,000 beneficiaries have been processed to receive our N1million Micro and Small Business single-digit interest loans, starting this month. We have also built 10 MSME hubs within the past year, created 240,000 jobs through them and 5 more hubs are in progress which will be ready by October this year.

25. Payments of N1billion each are also being made to large manufacturers under our single-digit loans to boost manufacturing output and stimulate growth.

26. I signed the National Minimum Wage into law last week, and the lowest-earning workers will now earn at least N70,000 a month.

27. Six months ago in Karsana, Abuja, I inaugurated the first phase of our ambitious housing initiative, the Renewed Hope City and Estate. This project is the first of six we have planned across the nation's geopolitical zones. Each of these cities will include a minimum of 1,000 housing units, with Karsana itself set to deliver 3,212 units

28. In addition to these city projects, we are also launching the Renewed Hope Estates in every state, each comprising 500 housing units. Our goal is to complete a total of 100,000 housing units over the next three years. This initiative is not only about providing homes but also about creating thousands of jobs across the nation as well as stimulating economic growth.

29. We are providing incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. I have directed that tariffs and other import duties should be removed on rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, drugs, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies for the next 6 months, in the first instance, to help drive down the prices.

30. I have been meeting with our Governors and key Ministers to accelerate food production. We have distributed fertilisers. Our target is to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what we eat. The Federal Government will provide all necessary incentives for this initiative, whilst the states provide the land, which will put millions of our people to work and further increase food production. In the past few months, we have also ordered mechanized farming equipment such as tractors and planters, worth billions of Naira from the United States, Belarus, and Brazil. I can confirm to you that the equipment is on the way.

31. My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.

32. But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity.

33. The task before us is a collective one, and I am leading the charge as your President. A lot of work has gone into stabilising our economy and I must stay focused on ensuring that the benefits reach every single Nigerian as promised.

34. My administration is working very hard to improve and expand our national infrastructure and create more opportunities for our young people.

35. Let nobody misinform and miseducate you about your country or tell you that your government does not care about you. Although there have been many dashed hopes in the past, we are in a new era of Renewed Hope. We are working hard for you, and the results will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy.

36. Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation. The economy is recovering; Please, don’t shut out its oxygen. Now that we have been enjoying democratic governance for 25 years, do not let the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda that will set us back on our democratic journey. FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER!

37. In conclusion, security operatives should continue to maintain peace, law, and order in our country following the necessary conventions on human rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. The safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount.

38. Thank God -- and Thank you for your attention, and may God continue to bless our great Nation. Thank you very much.

The 10-day protest against bad governance which commenced on Thursday, August 1, 2024, is proving to be about the most effective demonstration by the populace against political actors in recent history.

The only rage against the government that compares with it may be the demonstrations against military rule, notably the Anti-SAP riots and then the June 12 demonstrations to affirm the election of Chief Moshood Abiola as president of Nigeria.

Remarkably, one of the leading protesting political practitioners at that time, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has now become the object of political discontent, being the incumbent president of the country. 

Senator Shehu Sani, a veteran of many pro-democracy struggles himself confessed it not too long ago that Tinubu was the financier and godfather of many protests that were staged to enthrone democracy.

Even after the enthronement of democracy, the protest blood continued to flow in Tinubu culminating in his frontline role in the anti-fuel price hike of 2012.

However, the protest that confronted Tinubu last Thursday would be said to be unprecedented in the annals of the Fourth Republic. 

For a government that came to power with less than a majority of the votes, it spells a serious problem for him that the whole country rose in near unison against the administration.

In the past, protests, riots, and such were mostly undermined by the political, ethnic, and religious sentiments that divide the country.

However, this time, the administration through its hunger-inflicting policies was able to galvanize all sentiments in the country in unison against it.

 One of the most poignant demonstrations was the case in Jos, Plateau State, where Christians formed a ring around their Muslim colleagues while they were observing afternoon prayers.

Tinubu with his accolades as the financier and facilitator of several successful protests would have been shaken by the extent to which Nigerians came out in disapproval of his policies.

The vengeance of the protesters this week can easily be contrasted with the relative ease of things when Tinubu demonstrated against Jonathan in 2012.

At that time fuel prices were hiked by the Goodluck Jonathan administration from about N87 per litre to more than N140. It was a hike that Tinubu and other opposition forces at that time lamented as the wickedness of the administration and the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

However, under his watch as president, the same product has jumped more than 400% with price ranging anything from N617 to as much as N850 officially at the pump stations in Abuja.

That is only part of the story of the hardship that Nigerians have had to endure. But it is at the root of the crisis that is now bedeviling the country with the most existential risk to our country’s democracy.

The administration’s ill-advised decision to withdraw petrol subsidy which the president and some of his handlers initially hailed as a matter of courage has now come to hunt him.

The decision was pre-empted by what many political actors have repeatedly alleged as the corruption in the oil subsidy regime.

This correspondent, however, submits that the failure of successive administrations to frontally confront that corruption is rather the bane of the crisis.

As minister of petroleum, the president owes himself the duty of using his full powers to cleanse the sector. However, it is unfortunate that the same song of oil subsidy fraud has continued to be sung as if it is impossible to uproot it.

It is more unfortunate that the administration in Nigeria has continued to tie itself to the apron strings of the Bretton Woods institutions whose policies have over time been seen to be unfavourable to Africa and the Third World.

These institutions frown at the disposal of subsidies in Africa but close their eyes to the mobilisaiton of subsidies in Europe, America, and Japan.

Farmers in Japan and South Korea are for example the most pampered farmers in the world given that they enjoy the highest level of subsidy in the world.

The European Union also devotes a high chunk of its annual budget towards farm and energy subsidies. So, the argument that subsidy is anathema to even capitalism does not hold.

What the government needs to do is to manage the subsidy to ensure that it turns into a competitive advantage for the country in the broader economy.

The argument that subsidy will benefit Nigeria’s neighbours does not arise so long as we still have effective Customs and border control agencies. If they do not perform and there is leakage, then the officers involved should be fired.

It may be a sort of consolation for Tinubu that Nigerians were not focused on him alone, but on the political class including his APC members and the opposition in the PDP where they hold offices in the states.

Nigerians today are despiteful of both APC and PDP because when it comes to the mismanagement of the economy, that with very few exceptions almost all political actors behave the same. What Nigerians demand of them today is to repent and perhaps we will forgive them.

“Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do except hear” – King Jordan, first deaf President of Gallaudet University, 1988

By the time you read this article, at least two protests would have been underway in response to pervasive hunger and hardship nationwide. Ironically, those protesting against the Federal Government issued the first threat and threw all governments – FG and states – into a panic. Efforts to dissuade the organisers proved abortive. All the well-fed people in positions of power – the Presidency, the National Assembly, Governors, Ministers, Traditional Rulers, Religious leaders, leaders of the Organised Private Sector, leading journalists and public opinion moulders etc – have been called to Aso Rock for deliberations with Tinubu.

The meetings, most probably, have included lunches featuring the best food money can buy in Nigeria today. In exchange, they have expressed gratitude by calling on the organisers of the planned protest to forget the entire idea because “Tinubu has the best interest of Nigeria at heart”, “the protest might be hijacked by hoodlums and become violent”, “protesters should embrace dialogue”, “offer constructive criticism instead of fomenting trouble which will destroy all the good works Tinubu has been doing” and, “remember that Tinubu inherited an economy totally ruined by his successor.” 

“Love, and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man is starving” – O Henry, 1862-1910, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, p 232.

To listen to and read all the statements from Nigerian leaders, one would come away with the impression that their views represent the feelings of their people. In reality, nothing can be further from the truth. The fact is; no traditional ruler or religious leader, well-fed, can now claim to speak for millions of his followers now starving to death everyday. Leaders of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, IECF, ASUU, SANU etc – had told their followers not to join the protest – for various reasons informed by self-interest.

If you take a look at the short list again, something very familiar would hit you. The same groups, under different leaderships, backed out of the protests against Abacha in 1994. They sent their ‘First elevens’ to Abacha’s Constitutional Conference, CONFAB; which only real leaders of the South-West boycotted. I called the CONFAB ‘A Ship of Fools’ – which it turned out to be. Now, as then, the leaders went in droves to Aso Rock to express solidarity with Abacha and to advise the protesters – including me – to embrace dialogue, to engage in constructive criticism. History has already recorded that what the protesters wanted was good governance – not worthless dialogue.

“Bandits occupy 102 Zamfara communities; shut down farming” – Report, July 30, 2024.

One thing is certain; irrespective of who joins or remains on the sidelines, pervasive hunger, allied with insecurity, scarcity of everything and rising inflation, will remain the dominant factors in the Nigerian economy for more than two years. Low crude oil production and export has emerged as the major limiting variable impeding economic development and progress; and inducing more borrowing by the FG. There is no sign that high level corruption has abated; and governments, at all levels, have done very little to curb waste. Consequently, hunger will remain a problem for some years. This is a fact that Nigerians, like Biblical Egyptians, must be prepared to live with. This calamity might last seven years – no matter whether protest holds or not. Those loudly proclaiming participation, as well as those disclaiming will all suffer. Neither the leaders of the protest nor those opposed to it can stop millions of stomach from grumbling; and anger from erupting frequently as a result.

MY ADVICE TO BOTH SIDES

“Who takes advice shall never fare the worse” – Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400

Right now, the protesters and their supporters, as well as governments and their praise-singers are like two groups of deaf people shouting at each other. I cannot remember any advice, given on this page, which the governments and opponents involved in desperate combat have followed. I also cannot recollect any instance when the choices made by those in power had not created a worse problem later on. But, giving advice is part of the responsibilities of an opinion maker. We have the luxury, like spectators in a tournament, of seeing more than the players. Furthermore, some of us have been on the beat for so long, we can easily spot recurrent errors of judgment which inevitably are counter-productive.

Palliatives provide the perfect example. Among the lucky recipients of palliatives early in the year in Lagos was Mrs X – mother of twins and three other kids. No father. For days after collecting her share, Tinubu was God. She was full of praises for and maledictions for anybody who spoke ill of ‘Emilokan’. Today, the rice has long been exhausted and she has since joined the rest of us. On the eve of the protest, she was heard loud and clear, supporting it. The truth is; palliatives, as currently conceived, are totally useless. The stomach is a rascal; it forgets by evening time how well it was fed at breakfast time.

The only solution is to shorten the time between now and when poor Nigerians will feed twice a day again. First, the protesters would be best advised to limit the programme to two or three days. Beyond that, only the well-fed will be able to continue. They need to do this because there is very little governments can do in the short-term to bring down prices of food significantly. Zamfara’s sad situation is not an isolated case. Several thousand rural farming communities, particularly in the North, have ceased farming on account of banditry. Communities on the borders of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi have been under siege for years. The same is true of Borno, Niger, Plateau and Benue states.

There is a direct correlation between scarcity of food and scarcity of farmers everywhere. FG can’t perform magic. Second, the FG should stop receiving all the free-loaders called traditional rulers and religious leaders. Instead, Tinubu should address the Nigerian people; lay the facts before them and present an achievable recovery programme. Among other things, he should let Nigerians realise that the FG owns only land in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Given the Land Use Decree of 1978, which vests all lands in state governments, food production is actually a matter for state governments to manage. Most southern states had out-sourced this responsibility to the North and foreigners producing rice, wheat, maize for our consumption. Commissioners for Agriculture in virtually all southern states are ‘Ghost Commissioners’. None of them is held to any specific target of food output – which should form the basis for evaluation of his/her performance.

The sooner we turn the heat on state governors, the better for us. They own the land; they should produce the food.

URBAN FOOD WARRIORS TO THE RESCUE

“An activist is not the person who says the room is dirty. A real activist is the person who cleans up the room” – Gamaliel Onosode, 1933-2015

Permit me to join the protest my own way by offering one solution which I strongly believe will provide relief in the short-run and permanently. Right now, the quickest way to increase food production incrementally is to start with about 100,000 Urban Food Warriors and increase the number until we reach about five million. Unlike rural communities, no bandits can come to our backyards and balconies and uproot tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and vegetables. We can produce more food quickly; and there is a template for execution of the idea. As far as I am concerned, the protesters should gather for no more than three days; have their say and go home. Very little will be achieved after that. Government and the security agencies should provide adequate protection for all stakeholders and let us prove to the world that a mature democracy is evolving. I would have been there; but for my health challenges.
LOSING LOVED ONES AND LOSING MONEY

“Undertakers are the only people who love corpses. For them, that is food on the table” – Late Mr Frazier, Undertaker, Melrose, Massachusetts, USA, 1968

Mr Frazier and his family were the only black family in Melrose in the 1960s. I met them through Mr and Mrs Aimo of 78, Whitman Avenue. The Fraziers were welcomed in the all-white community because the couple did the work nobody else wanted – they dressed dead bodies. That statement was uttered a few days after Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated. But, before then, I had spent a few evening in their professional parlour – where I learnt, without being told, that the easiest people to dupe are those mourning. Most people worldwide spend more for coffins and caskets than they need to. I just discovered recently how global Mr Frazier’s words were here in Nigeria. Nigerians are being scalped by coffin/casket sellers. Given the hardship in Nigeria now, it might be in your best interest to seek expert advice before going to price the coffin/casket for your loved ones. One family saved N500, 000 on just one box!!!

Read the VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS online; any time, anywhere and for very little.

At the end of the first day of what protesters titled #EndBadGovernance, I had expected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the protesters and encourage them to get off the streets. Still staying away from them some two days after, greatly surprised me. I developed more worries when the media became replete with reports of calls by different people urging the president to speak to the protesters. If his aides had convinced him to say nothing because they imagined that the protests were politically motivated, I had hoped that calls by non-partisan groups such as the ‘Coalition of Pro-Democracy Groups for A Better Nigeria’would make the president to have a rethink and act quickly. 

One of the civil society groups, ActionAidNigeria probably spoke the minds of many when it argued that ‘in the face of widespread protests and rising public discontent, it would be disheartening for President Tinubu to remain in the background, sending spokespersons to address the nation on his behalf.’ The implication of ignoring such groups was that Tinubu was inadvertently telling the nation that the previous impression that he was a listening president was inaccurate. Whereas it is true that the president had much earlier assured the nation that the long-term benefits of his reform agenda outweigh their initial pains, it is exceedingly difficult to be patient with inescapable hunger. In such circumstances, previous pleas cannot easily justify current silence. This is why in public communication, there is merit in saying the same thing many times with fresh gestures.

Besides, communication officials in the cabinet had a duty to explain to the president and other officials that not everyone comprehends certain statements at the same time or in the same way. Some people are victims of selective hearing because what they choose to understand from a statement is usually the part of the message which confirms their own predisposition. In fact, to say that the gains of a reform would soon overcome the pains is difficult to appreciate by those who understand the term ‘soon’ to mean soonest or shortly or within an hour or thereabout. When soon means until when a citizen no longer has any source of livelihood, it is unfair to expect such a citizen to remain patient in grave hunger. Otherwise, what would sustain such patience and dissuade the hungry from protests or even riots?

It is also unrealistic to believe that everyone has the capacity to understand the real meaning of a statement. Those who think so erroneously assume that the process of communication is complete as soon a message is passed from one source to another. But in reality, it is hardly ever so without a feedback mechanism which confirms that the receiver understood the full meaning of the message passed by a sender. 

When related to President Tinubu’s reform agenda, there is ample doubt if many heard what he said and if everyone among those who supposedly heard actually understood it. In Nigeria, it is more difficult to ascertain the tendency of spokespersons to disseminate information to citizens in King’s English rather than the local language the people understand.

This was what the military had in mind when they established a modern town crier, the National Orientation Agency NOA in 1993 to publicize government activities in the different states and local government areas to the understanding of citizens. As at today, because NOA is not properly funded, it exists only to pay salaries to workers. Structures and facilities for performing the functions for which it was set up have become obsolete. Which other framework does government have to mobilize and enlighten Nigerians on government policies? At inception, one strategic mandate of the Agency was to prepare a weekly report to sensitize the government on the reactions of the people to public policy. In the last decade or so, even the government lost interest in the reports, making it difficult to obtain the correct reaction of citizens to Tinubu’s current reform agenda.

The point to be made is that Nigeria’s public communication system has become ineffectual. Apart from Information Minister Mohammed Idris and Presidential Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale whose conciliatory diction is no doubt good for government, too many other people who are generally intemperate are busy derogating from the credibility of government. For example, the anti-Igbo sentiments which were deprecated during elections have no place during governance. Although the statement credited to the senate president that those who want to protest can continue while the rich is eating has been denied, it may have exacerbated the protests which is not helpful to the polity.

The argument that the protests are political is not as convincing as the reality that many protesters are more bothered about the unaffordable costs of living in the country. As Governor Uba Sani stated in his reactions to the protests in the Northern part of the country, 70 percent of Northerners live below poverty line while 60 percent are financially excluded. The governor added that of the 18.3 million out of school children in Nigeria,65 percent live in the North hence the protests were more patronized there. In other words, the greatest motivation for protests in the North was economic. President Tinubu needs to listen to Uba Sani who is anxious that the cost of governance should be substantially reduced to boost the economy

While a few people may have joined the protest because of political differences, some factors such as ethnicity and religion that usually influenced negative gatherings in Nigeria appear absent this time around.

At the Ojota protest ground in Lagos last Friday, Muslim faithful participating in the ongoing nationwide protest paused their demonstrations to observe the Jumaat prayers. Social media, photojournalists did not miss the beautiful opportunity to project shots showing how their Christians colleagues were standing guard while Muslim faithful observed the prayer. The report established beyond reasonable doubt that the two religious groups were united in the protest against spiralling inflation and poverty.

At the end of the 2023 elections, Tinubu became president of the nation and not that of one political party. Consequently, those party supporters making statements that elicit hate for his government should be called to order. At the same time, those who do not have the authority of the presidency should stop making statements on behalf of the president. If the decision of President Tinubu to ignore the protesters was influenced by party chieftains, our considered opinion is that the president should rise above the approach. What is needed now is for Tinubu to address the protesters so that the protests can be put behind us. As a matter of fact, some of them told the media in Abuja two days ago that it is only the president’s address that can take them away from the streets.

The fear that the President may not have what it takes to change the minds of protesters cannot be a strong one considering how he handled the fiery issue of the new minimum wage and got the Nigerian Labour Congress and governors to stay on the same page. The idea of the president listening to calls to address the protesters could make some of them drop their anger without evening getting a full grip of the expected address. In addition, nothing stops Tinubu from letting the target group recognize that it is easier and cheaper to conclude the reform agenda than to scuttle the journey half way. It would also not be too much for him to set up a committee that would include some of the protesters to recommend how to fast forward the reforms.

The last few days of protests and the negative effect on our economy and international image ought to put Tinubu in a different posture to reduce the size of his bloated government. It should push him to persuade the senate to emulate the House of Representatives by giving up a substantial portion of their huge emoluments and stop their commercialized oversight. An agreement by all our leaders to lead by example will help to make the entire nation see the need for everyone to be patriotic. For example, leaders should stop diverting palliatives away from the vulnerable for which they are meant. By some sheer luck, the protest may open the way for positive dividends to the nation.

May the souls that took their untimely exit during the last #EndBadGovernance protest find sweet repose and may the contradictions that predisposed us to tolerating depopulation as an acceptable handmaid of public protests be exorcised from our psyche. As predicted, after the first day of protests by the sons and daughters of the land, we counted the surviving warriors. A yet indeterminate number is missing. They will not witness the mythical Eldorado we are all looking forward to tomorrow.

Market Route

I learnt early in life that many footpaths lead to the market. Whichever direction you’re coming from, the market is always central in relation to the village. In the same vein, there is no single route to success in any endeavour, especially in the political sphere. If the politician’s goal is to win the trust of rivals and outright foes, even if only grudgingly, his toolbox can’t consist mainly of barbs and sticks; it must also have plenty of roses and carrots.

If we haven’t learnt anything from the #EndBadGovernance protest, then those who died have died in vain. The destruction of public properties and the social dislocation caused in many parts of the country may need to happen again with more ghastly consequences before we become wiser. But as rational beings, we can chart a different path. After all, the planet is pork-marked with erstwhile popular footpaths abandoned in favour of newer ones to meet the exigencies of the times.

In the changing sands of modern times, it is no longer considered smart to meet every novel suggestion with the stock answer — “This is how we are used to doing the job”. The contemporary wisdom is to seek newer, smarter ways of tackling old problems, more so as the analogue ways of yore are unlikely to be any match for today’s digital challenges.

Translated into the vernacular of old fashioned politics, the opposition is usually characterised as enemies of the ruling party and the state itself. Subscribing to different political philosophies is cast as a choice between heaven and hell. All the members of one’s own party are saints; the opposition is made up of demons and enemies of state.

Because shamelessness comes with the territory, politicians can’t be bothered by the contradictions inherent in the way they routinely decamp from one party to the other. As soon as they announce their change of ship, they start unsaying all the terrible things they had said about their new political homestead. Their old foes suddenly become family.

Their fanatical followers, rendered more brainless by economic flagellation, simply follow their masters to the new camp. No questions asked. Just memorise the new slogans. Old things have passed away; welcome to our new political home. Amen. And their former party, former family, becomes the coven of political witches and wizards who don’t mean well for the state or country.
We have played enough games in this country. For our collective sakes, I think it is about time we did things differently. By this, I mean that we cannot continue relying on the same old footpaths to take us to the market of political cohesion when there are shorter routes that are guaranteed to take us there more quickly.

New Footpath

Nigeria’s problems require the input and commitment of ALL stakeholders, not just the ruling political party. Bear in mind that the last presidential election was unique in the sense that it was a three-horse race with the winner securing a little more than one-third of the total number of votes cast. President Tinubu scored 8,794,726 against a total of 14,582,740 scored by his three major opponents, Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso. It would make sense to reach out to those major opponents, especially Atiku and Obi.

The president can borrow a fairly used idea from the era of Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency. One of the fora purposely created for reaching out to political opponents and pressure groups was the Presidential Breakfast Table where the wily general tapped the brains of his foes, friends and sectoral experts. Being invited to the president’s breakfast table was considered an honour and many prominent politicians relished the privilege.

Now, imagine the president inviting Mr. Peter Obi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and some of the more visible economic experts and technocrats to the presidential breakfast table. Usually, some policy statements will seep out of the gathering after the intellectual intercourse. Party chieftains, too, will seize the opportunity to show that they are part of the new spirit of reaching out. In effect, such a move will help to douse the political tension in the land.

The alternative is the current default position which the current administration inherited from Buhari’s unfeeling government which established the template of hiring thugs to disrupt protests. To make matters worse, his idea of the presidency was a kind of royal court where he was the ultimate ‘Kabiyesi’ and everyone else was a political serf or vassal. That informed why he merely reigned while his henchmen ruled/ruined the roost.

Tinubu is more exposed and better educated than Buhari. He is also a politician while his predecessor was more of a cult figure. Tinubu knows what to do to defuse the political tension in the land. The surprise is why he hasn’t done it all these days. it is about time that the president took direct control of the narrative going forward. As the intriguing TV advert says, “Draw your friends close; and your enemies closer!” Except that there are really no enemies in this case.

Shagari’s Example

I remember that during the Second Republic, the rivalry between Awolowo’s UPN and Shagari’s NPN was fierce. But Shagari had the benefit of the political ‘wiseness’ of his party chairman, Chief A.M.A. Akinloye (a.k.a. Always Mentally Alert). Those were the days when party supremacy had a meaning. The party and the president agreed that they needed to have Chief Awolowo on their side, especially as he was reputed to be an economic wizard of sorts.

Perhaps he would share some of his wisdom with them? And perhaps his followers would now give Shagari a breathing space? Shagari invited Awo to take a trip with him in the presidential jet and later decorated the leader of the major opposition party with Nigeria’s highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR). If Shagari could do that 42 years ago, I have no doubt that Tinubu can match the spirit of the gesture in terms of how he relates with political opponents.

When political apparatchiks are allowed to build a cult around the president and turn him to a ‘Kabiyesi’, they (whoever they are and whatever designation they are identified by) become the real McCoy because while the president is reduced to a hermit who shows up only for major ceremonial occasions, they, the aides, assume control. From what we know about President Tinubu, he is not the type of person who would drive a car from the back seat.

There are many pathways that lead to the marketplace of political engineering. The president should choose the less travelled one of statesmanship in which opponents are treated as fellow shareholders in the Nigerian commonwealth. I’m tired of Nigerian presidents showing so much promise and then failing spectacularly.

I want Tinubu to succeed. If he succeeds, there are chances that Nigerians shall have life more abundant. But to succeed, he must remember that he who walks alone is both in front and behind.

Visit any of our institutions of higher learning and you begin to see toddler-undergraduates all over the place! Boys and girls who should still be in SS1 are already preparing to graduate! Merely looking at them testifies to the fact that they lack the much-needed maturity. They may pass through the university but will the university pass through them? At the tender age that many of these boys and girls gain admission into institutions of higher learning, do they - can they - have a true understanding of the real essence of higher education?

Is that not one of the reasons why we see hordes of university graduates clutching certificates that are more worthless than the paper on which they are printed? We need to conduct a census to know what percentage of our undergraduates are under-aged. They may still be in the minority but their number is growing - and rapidly, too. Our law stipulates 18 years as the minimum age for admission into institutions of higher learning. Many of our universities admit younger candidates, some as young as 14 years! By the time they clock the stipulated admission age of 18 years, they are already graduates! The private universities are the worst hit here.

At the recently-concluded Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB’s) 2024 policy/stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja, this vexed issue reared its ugly head again. The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, started the controversy as he read the Riot Act to the gathering of vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts of the country’s institutions of higher learning. Anyone who engages in illegal admission would be sanctioned, he said. And it is illegal to give admission to under-aged candidates because the law stipulates a minimum of 18 years of age as one of the requirements for admission.

Mamman explained that under-aged candidates given admission are flung into forced maturity at a tender age - and this is disallowed because of its dire consequences on the candidates. Nature, he said, has a way of catching up with such students. Any attempt to circumvent the law will be met with appropriate sanctions, he reiterated. “Only those who have attained the age of 18 years qualify to be given admission. That is our law. JAMB is to admit only those who have attained the age of 18 years,” he said for emphasis.

Widespread murmurs of disapproval greeted the Minister’s submission. To the high table’s shout of “Are we together?” the expansive hall of the Body of Benchers venue of the meeting erupted into screams of “No, no, no!” It took some time before order was restored. Unfazed, Mamman told the egg-heads he was surprised that those who were supposed to enforce the law were the very ones shouting “No, No, No!”. “This is the law and we are going to enforce it. If you want underage children to be admitted, go to the National Assembly and amend the law. Fortunately, we have members of the National Assembly here.”

All now quiet, Mamman went on to disclose that a new curriculum for our secondary schools was in the works, which would incorporate skill acquisition. In a veiled warning to Governing Councils that abuse their offices and see the institutions they preside over as cash cows, he said procurement as well as appointment of principal officers must be conducted under the ambit of the law. He encouraged the school management to cultivate good relationships with the Unions. “Engage them; we have adopted that method in the past one year and it works,” he said. He canvassed transparency and openness and the need to keep the channels of communication open at all times. He also emphasized the importance of having peace on our campuses.

The business of the day progressed smoothly for some hours until the issue of underage admissions was raised again by the Vice-Chancellor of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State; he had wanted to know the fate of underage candidates that have been allowed to write the last JAMB examinations. Do they now stand disqualified? The Minister, JAMB's Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and a few other dignitaries on the high table conversed. Thinking aloud, Oloyede mooted the idea whether the implementation of the 18-year benchmark be waived for the current admissions, and be made effective as from next year. The minister said he could work with that for the sake of building a consensus; otherwise, the argument advanced would not stand because ignorance of the law is not an excuse. The Minister is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

I have said it before that I am in support of the 18-year minimum age requirement for admission into our institutions of higher learning. I have also canvassed that school-going age should not be less than six years for any child. It was possible in my own days but to implement such these days requires planning and provision of the needed infrastructure. Rural-urban migration has changed the face of our society. Many parents today are working class and must necessarily keep their children in creches and nursery schools at tender ages. When kids start schooling so early, they will also complete their secondary school education very early; at 15, 16 or even earlier. Will they be consigned to sitting at home doing nothing? In those days, there used to be Modern School, Teacher Training College, Higher School Certificate or Sixth Form (Advanced Level); no more!

The government must study how the Chinese and Japanese engage their own children in productive ventures before attaining school-going age of six years. If we also do that here and our children start Primary School at age six, they will be 18 years or thereabout by the time they are through with secondary school education. But to whimsically slam the law of 18-year minimum age without thinking the policy through and putting the necessary infrastructure in place will not achieve the desired results. When we make laws that are impossible to enforce, we encourage criminality.

Can we also ask whether our leaders who make these laws subject their own children, many of whom study abroad, to the jurisdiction of the same or similar age-limit laws? These days, employers set ridiculous age limits for the recruitment of graduates into their employment. Except they enter university as under-aged, there is no way many of today’s graduates can scale the barricade of age limit set by employers of labour. What is the government going to do about that?

JAMB’s Registrar, Oloyede, is into his second term of office. He will be sorely missed by everyone when he quits office not only because of the quantum of work he has put in and the extraordinary improvement he has brought to our university admissions system but also for his candour and sense of humour. He has an uncanny way of stepping on toes without attracting malice. There are no dull moments with him. Advising the provosts of colleges of education to sit together and not scatter themselves all over the hall, Oloyede told them: “You know you are an endangered species!”

There was laughter but the JAMB's Registrar had passed a very important, even if unfortunate, message. Candidates are shunning the colleges of education - and the polytechnics, if I may add - with all attention focused on the universities. The dichotomy between university degree, polytechnic diplomas and college of education certificates has not been adequately addressed. Oloyede advocated that incentives be given to attract candidates into those “endangered” institutions of higher learning. The disparity in remunerations and career advancement between university graduates and non-university graduates should also be removed. When many hands were raised to second a motion, Oloyede sighted one of such hands and said: “I can see a light-complexioned lady raising up her hand. I am a mallam but I am not blind!” Perhaps, a reference to the lady’s good looks!

The disruption caused to the university system by the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ last strike action continues to take its toll. There are three streams of university academic calendar: 2021/2022; 2022/2023, and 2023/2024. The private universities are the only ones up-to-date with their academic calendar. What this means is that the government must bend over backward to avert any new industrial action by ASUU. It also means that students already admitted and who have accepted the admission cannot resume but are just marking time at home.

Time to wield the big stick and Oloyede reminded everyone that JAMB’s name is not only about “admissions” but its mandate also encompasses overseeing the matriculation of students. Schools must give JAMB at least two weeks' notice to witness their matriculation ceremonies. Penalties for defaulters are steep: They will not be eligible for the JAMB-organized award of excellence; there will be no NYSC for candidates not properly matriculated; and there will also be no cover for them with foreign institutions.

The more JAMB blocks one examination malpractice loophole, the more other ingenious methods rear their ugly head. Candidates, their parents, CBT centres, admissions contractors, unscrupulous JAMB staff, the institutions of higher learning themselves were severally indicted by Oloyede. The good news, however, is that JAMB’s robust CAPS admissions system and cutting edge technology remain a hard nut to crack for fraudsters. And whenever any infraction is brought to Oloyede’s notice, he ensures that justice is done, and promptly too, regardless of whose ox is gored.

To avoid writing post-UTME, candidates now travel abroad days or weeks before the examination date to write the exam. To stem the tide, the new regulation stipulates that such candidates must have been in the foreign country for at least six months before the date of the examination. A growing number of candidates who fail to turn up for exams now claim they were kidnapped! Oloyede would mention the infractions and the culprits, even when they are heads of institutions, but on one occasion he sought the indulgence of everyone “to keep our secrets, secret!” But, usually, penalties imposed on infractions would be disclosed. Illegal admissions by the institutions, admission of underage candidates, selective uploading of post-UTME results to favour some at the expense of more qualified candidates were some of the infractions that Oloyede frowned at.

With many candidates shunning Education and Agriculture courses while running after the limited vacancies available in Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, Engineering, Accountancy, etc, Oloyede advocated that scholarships be used to entice candidates into those “endangered” courses or else, we shall continue to encounter problems in our admissions process, the Students’ Loan recently introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, laudable as it is, notwithstanding.

The JAMB boss corrected the erroneous impression that there is anything called “cut-off” mark but “minimum tolerable score”; which means that no one with scores below it will be admitted. It does not mean that everyone with that score and above will be admitted. Again, the course intended and the carrying capacity of the institution concerned will come into play. The total scores of a candidate include WAEC score, JAMB score and post-UTME score, where applicable. This year’s “minimum tolerable score” for the universities was set at 140 and 100 for polytechnics, colleges of education, etc. No candidate with less than two points will be taken for Direct Entry admission into the universities.

The term used to describe the “disabled” keeps evolving; they are no longer referred to as “disabled” or “physically-challenged” but are now to be known and called “differently-abled” persons. In his characteristic candour, Oloyede had informed that everyone should give "differently-abled" persons some respect because every able-bodied person is a potential member of the group of differently-abled persons; to which someone seated close to me snapped her fingers over her head and said, “God forbid!”