Coronavirus streets in Manchester - XV

Cannot trust this dishonest government

On the matter of this Coronavirus pandemic, I had tuned out of the perfidious and the dishonest lying spectacle of Boris Johnson and his cabinet. Their message, direction, advice, instruction and guidance has been incoherent, ambiguous, misleading, ineffective, untruthful, distracting, lacking in conviction and in the main dishonest.

They have assumed the responsibility for nothing whilst seeking to blame others for their rank incompetence. In the same vein, I stopped watching television news, the rolling 24-hour spiel that is full of commentary but useless opinions and the false quest for balance.

Listening without the propaganda

There are respected epidemiologists who are neither in the pay of the government nor out for fame, they speak their minds with professional clout and clear messages. There is no propaganda to push and listening to them helps whatever arrangements I make for my safety.

Overnight, through muddled messages on the radio, I learnt that Greater Manchester had been put under COVID-19 local restrictions. Obviously, I thought it was the environs around the city where there have been waves of infections with the City of Manchester mostly intact.

Affected areas in North West England under new local restrictions.

We are restricted to a point

However, going to the government website, which is as navigable as to be forgettable, my city is included in the mix of places with significantly higher rates of infection that appears to be affecting more young people and affluent groups. [GOV.UK: Guidance - North West of England: local restrictions – what you can and cannot do]

For those with a vibrant social circle, the restrictions would put a stop to their socialising, making it illegal outside of their support bubble and households. Reviewing my own situation, not much changes, I have not created a support bubble, I haven’t neither been visiting nor socialising, attending places of worship is still allowed as long as they are COVID-19 aware and secure. I believe our village community gym with a booking system limited to residents of my village will still be open. I’ll be fine.

This pandemic is haunting and inconvenient, but for all the limitations on our liberties, staying alive is paramount and that requires being smart, sensible and taking no stupid risks. Manchester, we can do this.

[]

Ease yourself out of false propaganda of safety

What a hot day

We had a sizzling sweltering day today, the heat entering every nook and corner around the house without as much as a breeze outside. Yet, there was no better way than to shave with cold water from scalp to facial hair and then go a long walk in the shade.

Out towards Castlefield again I went, another route to see something else, sit by the wharf festooned with narrowboats, people out on the grass like a good summer’s day, maybe a picnic but not barbecues, it was like nothing was on their minds that has been on our minds for about 4 months.

Can’t trust this government

The government gives us an upbeat message about easing the lockdown and that things should open up and we can go back to the way things were. The truth is the government has no idea of what the virus is doing because they are not testing enough, there is no effective track and trace, the scientists are not singing from that hymn sheet and we had better be hearing the right tune.

We must exercise the abundance of caution, be wise and instinctive, what does not need to be done does not have to be done. Whilst we should not be paranoid, we must keep informed seeking out the smarter heads a long way away from the propaganda machinery of Downing Street.

You face a Coronavirus pandemic as this, not with the hubris, bluster and bombast of Boris Johnson, the braggadocio and swagger with which his government handled this virus has left 43,000 people dead. Individuals with names, families, friends, colleagues and connections to our world of significance beyond the statistics. Keep that in mind and keep safe.

Coronavirus streets in Manchester

Politicians polluting prospects

These Coronavirus pandemic times appear to invade every aspect of life and quite inconveniently for all. That it is fronted more by politicians that need to manage the message rather than experts who deal with facts does not make it any easier.

For instance, without any supporting data, Boris Johnson was suggesting this whole matter would be over in 12 weeks. I guess in the absence of any good news you throw something out there and leave everyone who really heard you scratching their heads in incredulity.

It does not engender confidence, it is as reckless as it is irresponsible, it is no time for soundbites from an inveterate japester. We want to send the virus packing, but it would take more than standing at a rostrum japing and genuflecting. [The Guardian]

Shut up, Donald

Over across the pond, Donald Trump stepped up to suggest Hydroxychloroquine was the panacea to the Coronavirus and the drugs was ready to be ramped up for prescriptive use. The FDA had not approved the drug as it was still being tested and was still being accessed for viability.

Various drug regimens are being deployed to this disease, many still unproven and inconclusive to determine what works and Donald Trump simply jumped the gun with the risk of forcing the system in a direction that could prove completely impulsive. [Daily Beast]

Those of us who used quinine compound drugs for the treatment of malaria in childhood experienced maddening side effects of severe itching of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. No one who experienced it drew any comfort from that knowledge especially when antihistamines did not reduce the itching.

Since sliced bread disappeared

I stepped out earlier to get some shopping, as the last time I was out, there was no sliced bread on the shelves, they are literally run out of eggs and all the toilet rolls were invisible. I am still at a loss as to why toilet rolls matter so much for the Coronavirus pandemic, I have not noticed acutely incessant diarrhoea as one of the major symptoms of contracting the virus. Then I don’t use hand sanitiser, I just use soap and water.

Today, at noon, sliced bread, toilet rolls and pasta were missing from the shelves, though I have enough food at home, it is worrisome that panic buying belies the lack of useful assurances, prevarication, and indecision from the government. The messages are mixed when pubs, restaurants and public places should be closed forthwith, and the government put in ameliorating steps to support businesses through these uncertain times.

Coronavirus streets

Leaving my local Sainsbury’s, I walked down to the low-budget Spar to see if I could get a loaf of sliced bread when I noticed to my left that the Grade II listed Refuge Assurance building that became the Palace Hotel and changed to The Principal Manchester, three years ago has now become the Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel. I have not noticed a building change names that many times in such a short while. [LiveAndLetsFly]

Obviously, there is some interest in the historic building within the hospitality industry and I suppose each new offer has been impossible to refuse. I am not holding my breath; I give it another couple of years, and it might be called the Changeling Hotel. [Historic England]

Further on, Starbucks was open but without seats and tables, having transitioned to a Grab-and-Go coffee shop. It looked quite eerie from outside. There were people on the streets, masks on many apparently from the Asian subcontinent, though long before this pandemic, many did plod our streets with masks. I did get my loaf of sliced bread from Spar and I made my way home. [Business Insider]

Nigeria: Broken news and integrity deficit

The news of old habits

Tragedy struck the grieving and compounded their anguish this morning as there was an air crash in Lagos, Nigeria.

Social media was set alight with news of the event and as more people contributed, rumour, speculation, conjecture and controversy gained more readership for apparently non-existent facts.

Twitter is like a wildfire, what it takes is two clicks of the mouse button or a tap on your trusty tablet device and you propagate a falsehood and inexactitude or 140 characters to manufacture the news about something you know little about.

Such disasters leave no allowance for cool and measured engagement; many want to feature as news breakers and there the flux of traffic obfuscates the reality of the event.

Derelict and irresponsible

These are times when one expects professional news media to arrest the descent to fable, fiction and feeding frenzy of recognition at the expense of the unfortunate – one cannot say the state media have acquitted themselves well in this regard as lies usurp the throne of facts for popularity and effect.

We should always temper our curiosity with discrimination and discernment; we should be smart about where we allow ourselves to be led down in search for the truth.

Only when I am in it

In my view, the only time I want to be breaking the news is if I am making the news or part of the news event. Whilst scoops can make you famous, when such broken news is debunked or proved false you risk greater infamy.

When an event happens in Nigeria, it is very likely that the village-rag gossip websites will pick it up first without verification or corroboration, maybe some do exert themselves to a modicum of excellence but I do not consider them authoritative enough for me to stake my reputation and my integrity on giving their copy a platform.

The platforms we trust

We have mainstream Nigerian news media; I wait for their despatches and reports by their correspondents, though the foreign media appears to get the goods first. Even as the local outfits are slow in getting the news out and might even get it wrong, on balance they are at greater reputational risk as professionals than I am as a consumer and disseminator of their material.

Meanwhile, misinformation devoid of humanity, nuance, restraint or decorum rolls through our timelines ever tempting us to engage with increasing rage at the calumny of others.

In the midst of this is the guerrilla news agency, those who publish pieces the mainstream media are scared to touch, they sometimes do not have corroborated sources but they stimulate debate, get people talking and have others asking questions.

The patronage system in Nigeria makes this vehicle essential even though those with ulterior motives to disseminate falsehoods and fallacies at times abuse that platform – they are unavoidable against greater odds.

Opinions are free, we can wait

It is not a case of being wise after the fact; we have every opportunity to share our opinions about the event when the news has truly broken with the facts and other investigatory evidence that would include detail and specifics.

When it comes to breaking news, I can wait, I can wait to understand what is really happening, I can wait to appreciate what really happened, I can wait to hear the truth, the facts, the reality and the reports of those directly affected.

Don’t give in

Anxiety will not help situations much as urgency does not mean you can do anything with the information once obtained, I do not want to insert myself into anyone’s moment be it the news, the success or the tragedy, it is the gentlemanly thing to patiently elicit fact from fiction and only be present to propagate the truthful and the verified.

If you are unsure, do not be a purveyor; if in doubt, leave in out; if you are not the source be sure you do not present yourself as authoritatively the oracle and fount of wisdom from whom all knowledge can be sought.

Please think before you join the crowd of rumourmongers.

Nigeria: #OccupyNigeria New York townhall disruption

On Sahara Reporters

Now, I am not the greatest fan of Sahara Reporters but I realise that in a country like Nigeria the need for a guerilla news agency beyond the reach of government or powerful influences is critical and important.

I have always contended that they need to be more professional with a better editorial policy, an independent funding arrangement and some control of the quality of commentary that accompanies their stories.

As I learnt to my chagrin and annoyance, some two years ago having praised Sahara Reporters on my blog, their editorial team ripped off my article wholesale and posted it verbatim without acknowledgement or attribution and gave the impression I was a guest blogger when I was not at all.

The interesting knowledge gained from that experience was when I eventually got to see the 33 or so comments posted with relation to my write-up only one appeared to comprehend fully what I was talking about, the rest of the comments were redolent of ignorance and a strange pall of illiteracy that put keyboards at the fingertips of cretins.

Some lessons

Recently, the front-man of Sahara Reporters attended a town-hall meeting in New York where the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs was the guest of honour. He successfully disrupted the meeting which was recorded and posted on YouTube and he made some very crucial points that representatives of Nigeria going abroad will pay heed to appreciate and note.

We are well informed of activities in Nigeria and the global cachet of Nigerians is able to project and protest anywhere in the world.

The idea that Nigerian dignitaries can utilise African time when going to events abroad where we do keep to time and are punctual will no more be condoned. In this case the Minister was shamefully 90 minutes late.

We are not in thrall of people in power, if you are in public service, the element of service to your countrymen has to be paramount, the idea that you will be revered as some potentate with an air of mystique is so last century.

Patriarchy is dead, if you are expectant of respect by reason of the office you hold, you will have to earn it by merit, with competence and the honest engagement that accords respect to the people you desire respect from.

Causing serious embarrassment

The Occupy Nigeria movement has a global outreach and it is evident that despite the fact that the President in his concessional speech revisiting the fuel subsidy issues by promising to cut unnecessary travel, this minister was almost aimlessly gallivanting around the United States with the penchant for arriving late at all events she was invited to.

Though there were Nigerians in Diaspora ready to fawn in supine sycophancy in the presence of Nigerian politicians the goal of Mr Sowore was to call out this minister and in the process address the burning issues going on in Nigeria whilst embarrassing the minister seriously for her classless and reprehensible behaviour, not to talk of the inability of the government to really cut back on the profligacy that had become part of the gripes of the Occupy Nigeria movement.

Mr Sowore made his point by disrupting the meeting and he probably could have been a bit less volatile and abusive in his delivery so as to make even more reasonable points. The meeting eventually commenced after that representation of Occupy Nigerian were escorted out of the venue by the New York Police Department but not before an 11 minute recording had been made which will have the minister having to do some explaining and clarification with regards to what that video clip purports to suggest.

Reviewing the video clip

Without doubt every news organ has an agenda and it behoves them to pursue it with fervour, but it also important that the organ maintains a principle of credibility and integrity for purposes of posterity.

I cannot say if Mr Sowore’s edition of that video had sinister intentions to embarrassing all Nigerian representatives to the point that their positions become untenable. That might be scalps for Sahara Reporters but it does their cause no good at all.

At issue with that video is the idea that the minister and representatives of the Nigerian Embassy in New York sat through the recitation of the Nigerian National Anthem and a cursory viewing of that video appears to suggest that they disrespected the National Anthem and the ensuing consequences will be grave. Many of the comments I have read had both excoriated and condemned those officials but I not convinced that they did sit through that fervent expression of patriotism.

Within the first 1:07 minutes of that recording, there is enough evidence to indicate that the editing of this film clip has either deliberately or inadvertently besmirched the loyalty of these officials.

I have taken timings in playing back that video at normal speed and detailed my observations to support my view.

00:00 The lead in to this video clip introduces the subject of this recording.

00:04 The national anthem was already being sung as the narrator began to set the stage for the event.

00:14 The man at the podium was talking to the audience from what one can see of his demeanour; he could not have been doing this whilst the national anthem was being sung, indicating the audio recording of the anthem was dubbed over the video.

00:30 The lady that approaches the podium after the man also appears to be talking to the audience.

00:35 The lady glances toward the high table as if to acknowledge the people sat there.

00:38 The lady in the black jacket walked over to confer with the lady speaking at the podium.

00:42 The camera pans to the back of the lady in red who appears to be holding a microphone and maybe asking questions – at no other time are we shown the audience singing the National Anthem after the glimpse at the beginning of the clip.

00:59 The clapping at the end of the audio playback of the national anthem appears to be in acknowledgement of the man getting up on the right as he makes for the podium. The minister and the other man are clapping too, it cannot have been for the end of the national anthem.

01:05 As the man approaches the podium we hear the voice of Mr Sowore who seems to have commandeered the microphone and you can see the attention of those sat at the high table directed towards him.

My submission

I will suggest that no matter how late meetings start for Nigerian gatherings there will most probably be a call to prayer and the singing of the national anthem.

In both cases, I will expect that the master of ceremonies will expressly as all in attendance to rise for prayer and then rise for the singing of the national anthem.

It is unlikely that the singing of the national anthem will be a spontaneous activity and hence if the people are asked to rise to sing the national anthem it is almost impossible to contemplate the situation where those at the high-table with expressly ignore that request and sit through the national anthem.

By circumstance, tradition or even rarity, one has to submit that the video was an edited version of the event which inadvertently portrays a side of the story that does not represent the whole truth and by so suggesting the official disrespected the national anthem – there is no indication from that clip that those officials did not rise for the national anthem and until one expressly shows that they did not respect the anthem it will be unjust to suggest impunity.

I will be ready to review any other recordings of this event either to corroborate or dispute my views but this video by commission or omission on the matter of respecting the national anthem is unfair, unjust and heaps opprobrium on the officials to foster an ulterior and dastardly motive which is at best unconscionable if not dishonest.

Nigeria: Fact Check: Hyundai Heavy Industries Building $7bn Shipyard - False

They met

It goes without saying that Nigeria essentially needs a serious fact-checking outfit, one that can review critical and important news items for truth, data and congruence with reality.

In a statement purported from the office of the President of Nigeria late on Thursday; it appears the President met with the CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. of South Korea, Jai-Seong Lee in Abuja, what transpired between them has now become a subject of speculation.

Twists and turns

My involvement in this story started with a Twitter posting by @stanleyazuakola to @renoomokri the Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on New Media on a news story in the Washington Post titled South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy says not building Nigerian shipyard where the company denied the statement released from the “Nigeria’s presidential office that it plans to build a multibillion dollar shipyard in the country.”

The day before, the Washington Post had posted this - Nigeria president promises multibillion-dollar shipyard in oil-rich delta built by Hyundai where the statement from the President’s office suggested a shipyard will be built and completed but 2012 in Brass, Bayelsa State employing about 2,000 Nigerians.

@renoomokri responded with to the enquiry with a news story that appeared in Reuters Africa - Hyundai Heavy to build $7 bln shipyard in Nigeria where apparently, the CEO had in first person terms with reporters said, “My company is going to $7 billion in Nigeria in the building of a shipyard,” strangely, one reads the statement and it makes no sense; it mentions money and building a shipyard but I think it is missing the word – “INVEST”.

Fact Check run

Now, a search on Google at 2:25AM (Dutch Time on the 17^th of September 2011) for Jai-Seong Lee with relevance to this release by the President’s office or statement by the mouth of the CEO whichever is true yielded 7 results whose links appear below.

Nigeria president promises multibillion-dollar shipyard in oil-rich delta built by Hyundai – Washington Post – Sep 15, 2011 [Attributed to the President.]

Jonathan hails Hyundai decision to build multi-billion dollar shipyard at Brass - The Nation Newspaper - Vincent Ikuomola - ‎Sep 15, 2011 [Attributed to the President but no cost assigned to the project.]

S.Korean company to build shipyard in Nigeria - AFP - ‎Sep 15, 2011‎ [Attributed to a statement released by the President with numbers to be employed but no cost.]

Hyundai Heavy to build $7 bln shipyard in Nigeria - Reuters Africa - ‎Sep 15, 2011‎ [Apparently quoting the CEO but on closer scrutiny of the updated story, (Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Dan Lalor) it had changed hands twice and we are no closer to the facts.]

South Korea's Hyundai Heavy says not building Nigerian shipyard - Washington Post - ‎13 hours ago (Indicating a publication on Sep 16, 2011) [“Hyundai Heavy spokesman Kim Moon-ju said Friday that the company has no such plan.” However, “Kim said the company is building a small pipe-manufacturing factory in Bayelsa.”]

You have to wonder if it was a pipe-dream to build a $7 billion shipyard, the truth is out there somewhere.

Hyundai Heavy: No Plan To Build Shipyard In Nigeria Fox Business - Kyong-Ae Choi - ‎21 hours ago‎ (Indicating a publication on Sep 16, 2011) [Here, the statement from Hyundai is categorical, using the phrase, “flatly denying reports” to Dow Jones Newswires. However, “Hyundai Heavy signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to construct a gas-plant equipment factory in June. Site work began in mid-September,” the spokesman said. The investment size is yet to be determined.]

Misrepresented Truth

From the foregoing stories and links, we can agree that President Goodluck Jonathan did meet with Mr Jai-Seong Lee, the CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. of South Korea and the company is building a small pipe-manufacturing factory in Bayelsa State which might be related to gas-plant equipment, beyond that, the rest looks like a fable manufactured by someone in the President’s office in cahoots with the reporter from Reuters Africa.

Whilst I am not suggesting there is a nexus between Presidential Assistants, the President’s propaganda machinery and Felix Onuah in Abuja, reporting to Reuters Africa, one should be careful about the impressions created by the release of statements that appear to embellish the truth and paint pictures far from the reality.

On the Fact Check Scale one can say it is Misrepresented Truth – A meeting took place but no promises were made and no one spoke to the press about it.

Note: I will update this if any new developments arise. If indeed Jai-Seong Lee did talk to reporters, you have to wonder why only the reporter from Reuters Africa heard and saw him, surely, there will be pictures and recordings of his statement, so far, the President's men only have that story to support their claims.

Editorial: Unravelling our inscrutable government processes

Hoarding essential information

Nigeria in terms is an obscure and inscrutable country especially when it comes to the government and the democracy we run.

Every once in a while we happen upon some gem of information about process, procedure or mostly the abuse of process and power of those who have assumed responsibility by hard work, graft, hook or crook but it is never freely obtainable.

The government media organs are so beholden to the powers that be that they have become propaganda tools of political potentates and their cohorts rather than disseminators of cogent information that is due the citizenry of the country.

Distracted by constitutional sleight

A case in point was when the UN Building was bombed in Abuja last month as every international media outlet was reporting in the matter, the National Television Authority was broadcasting the animist Osun festival and never got to reporting the national tragedy for hours.

The Nigerian Constitution which in terms should be the rulebook or maybe the guidebook of government and governance is as ambiguous as any interpretation will allow, where issues end up in the courts, the players obtain justice by SAN intimidation – SAN being Senior Advocate of Nigeria – any side can easily take up to 6 SANs to court as representatives, it is utterly absurd.

The cynical ploy employed by the disruptive element of the Presidential Special Adviser on New Media presenting reading the constitution as the panacea to democratic representation on Twitter is devious, disingenuous and without doubt knowingly a distraction.

We have had the Freedom of Information Act promulgated and signed but I have not seen people pick it up and use it with a vengeance, it is like once we got the Act signed that was the end as opposed to the means to an end.

No matter whose ox is gored

There are very few bold politicians or public figures who can put their heads above the parapet and simply speak out without dissimulation, from the erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo whose brutish expression is in need of a modicum of finesse to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi whose candour puts the frights in many especially the legislature when he exposed the atrocious cost of that lackadaisical cabal of blowhards.

Beyond the occasional exposé in the newpapers and the guerrilla press where proprietors risk running the gauntlet of the supine security services and thin-skinned megalomaniacs, the only other insight we have had into how we are governed has come from the US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks.

Somehow, the US Envoy to Nigeria engaged many of the political class whose inferiority complex in being invited to dialogue was evident in their inability to keep their counsel or be discreet – never have such a mob in aggrandising themselves with a foreign ambassador skirted what would be the boundaries of treasonable felony in other countries, it is a shame but for those of us who have sifted through the WikiLeaks troves we find some interesting anomalies in how we are misgoverned and the brokers that make Nigerian literally ungovernable.

An insider giving insight

Lastly, there is Nasir El-Rufai who at one time was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory with a seat at the cabinet and for all intents and purposes an insider, a key figure in the inner sanctum of Nigerian politics.

Today, he is a member of the opposition, a somewhat strident opponent of the government with sheaves of information that the government would rather the citizenry had no inkling of and if they did, it would first have been processed by the propaganda mill that embellishes intention, misrepresents it as fact and spews out what is closer to fantastic fables.

Now, Mallam El-Rufai may not be the friend of many and there are some that are implacably opposed to the man, whatever he has to say – I for one cannot vouch for how he managed his tenure of service, I just know he was counted worthy to be asked to serve and he did his bit.

The verdict however will be down to a spectrum of perceptions from commendably excellent through rank hypocrisy to atrociously corrupt, none of which particular bothers me.

A service we should treasure

Where Mallam El-Rufai comes into his own is the incontrovertible data he is able to produce to support his opinions which could be objective, subjective or pandering to some ulterior motive.

One can so easily be distracted by all that and miss out the gems of information provided in the data and analysis – I for one think Mallam El-Rufai is providing an essential service in putting necessary data in the public domain until such a time that we can more easily find empirical data to answer questions we might have about our government structures.

It goes without saying that Nigeria does need a fact-checking service that assesses government policy and announcements for impact, truth, corroboration, propaganda peddling, vested interest, bias and so on.

Until then, we have to deal with snippets of information, tales, rumour and the crumbs of lax controls of classified material along with a few “good” men to unravel the beast of our democracy.

Editorial: If in office, please be in power too

Instructively disruptive

In the space of two weeks the peace and camaraderie of the Nigerian Twitter community has been upturned with the sudden tweeting diarrhoea of a government apparatchik.

Now, one is hardly concerned about self-important people whose sudden closeness to power inflates their ego to the point that they take off like rudderless Zeppelins their feet never to touch the ground again.

Certain lives just have to take that course when they trade in their intellect for becoming fawning mouthpieces, at least they get paid for it having literally inveigled and worked their ways into the positions they now hold – it appears, that is the impression many have, with the situation being somewhere between unfortunate and the truth.

Swatted with the constitution

That said, every government that cannot make its activities have a direct impact on the people it governs needs a propaganda agent, a political strategist, someone in the mould of Joseph Goebbels who will find a way of conveying events and activities in spite of and despite the government as positive visionary acts of the leaders – that is really what they are paid to do.

Recently, each challenge or criticism of the government has been rebutted with an innocuous Machiavellian ploy; we are to read the constitution and by doing so we have a panacea for unrepresentative democracy because suddenly our knowledge will make politicians more respectful and fearful of the electorate. Bunkum!

I have had wool pulled over my eyes many times before that this was just beyond the pale; it is like saying, reading the Bible will make you a priest, maybe a medical encyclopaedia could make me doctor, a NASA manual an astronaut – the scale of absurdity is cause for amusement.

A false numbering of days

The fact is, Nigerians have expectations of their government, and whilst the cabinet of this current tenure might well be less than a hundred days in power, the President has been insisting he has only been in power for 100 days when in fact he assumed office substantively on the 6^th of May 2010 after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua; that gives us an estimate of just 488 days.

That is not to consider the fact that he was acting President from the 9^th of February 2010 and he exercised full executive mien by redeploying ministers immediately and then dissolving cabinet 3 weeks later whilst the comatose President haunted the corridors of power like a ghost.

Now, if we are to have the impression that over a year in the office of President was inconsequential and then the 100 days after inauguration with an almost lacklustre cabinet except for a handful of competent people the Presidency is still in planning stages, you have to wonder if the problems Nigeria has faced for too long and have been over-documented to the point of distraction have suddenly become invisible as to be literally non-existent such that the President risks being labelled as ineffective and clueless when there is every possibility he is not.

Paralysed by the sense of good fortune

Now, President Goodluck Jonathan did not always present this sense of unawareness bordering on rank incompetence, in March 2010, this was a man who appeared to show promise and had opportunity that his story shows would naturally have been well beyond his dreams of good fortune.

It would be sad that having been given the responsibility he is left paralysed by the incredulity of his personal achievement and attainment of office when he should be motivated to make the best use of the power that he now wields.

It takes a lot to be a Nigerian, a proud one at that if you have had to face the issues at home and the consequences abroad – we all, at home and abroad are unwittingly ambassadors of that great country, even those of us who have the convenience of dual-nationality where our citizenships confer better opportunities rarely ever deny our heritage or attachment and earnestly deep desire that Nigeria begins to operate in the realm of what has been its long recognised potential.

If in office, be in power too

What gets passed off as implacable criticism at most times is simply the refusal to be satisfied with low expectations, easy wins and gimmickry. Anyone who aspires for office cannot be so oblivious of the key issues that affect Nigeria and Nigerians at large that they cannot hit the ground running.

However, amidst this general concern we have those to whom President Jonathan has become an object of hero-worship, he can do no wrong, he is infallible that he has transcended humanity to the status of demi-god, the recounting of his amazing achievements dulling the senses with soporific boredom; the sun always rises in the East and you can be sure to see dark shadows if the sky is not cloudy – maybe I have seen too many circus acts to be impressed with the ability to sit in a chair.

In the end, of whom much is given, much more is expected – if one is in office, surely, it is only right to expect that the same is in power doing with all the hope and imagination one can muster what brings lasting change and progress to Nigeria and Nigerians everywhere.

The 1^st semester report has long reached the landfill, maybe the next might find a file and the end-of-year report can make the dean’s list but it will be based on action and results not mere good intentions and propaganda – this time, whoever is President is not taking us for ride.

Nigeria: The Court of Goodluck I - Special Advisers

Don’t waste this mandate

Nigeria is an amazing place; it boasts many things that span the extremes of poverty and potential, merit and mediocrity, service and self-service.

As President Goodluck Jonathan begins to bed in as a substantive president of the country with his own mandate since every other substantive political post he has assumed has been by the accident of his predecessor’s misfortune, the last have succumbed to the scythe of the Grim Reaper, there have been great expectations of this man.

I have also been caught in the wave of this because the thinking was he not being of the typical garrulous, mendacious, megalomaniacal, Machiavellian and rent-seeking political class presented the possible shift in Nigerian political values and direction.

As ones patience is reaching exhaustion one somehow has to retain the semblance of the benefit of the doubt that this man embodies positive change for Nigeria in the four years he has been given to be at the helm of Nigeria’s political hierarchy.

How special is advice?

He has now been engaged in the process of building a team to help dispatch his duties and one does wonder if the whole process has not been overrun with political machinations and the pretentions to change that on closer scrutiny looks phoney at best.

Besides the screening of ministers that number over two score to help in the delegation of executive function and power, he has appointed Special Advisers with titles that make the names of Snow White’s seven dwarves seem like a serious rocket-science exercise.

Looking at the list of special adviser roles, it is important to comment on what they might mean and if any of the roles inspire any confidence in Nigerians hoping for meaningful change from this regime.

Special Adviser on propaganda

Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD (The New Partnership for Africa's Development), much as there is a need for focus on Africa’s development, there are issues with what developmental process the president advocates for Nigeria beyond seemingly vacuous words.

Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy, it remains to be seen if this is really about objective technocracy or propaganda, I will plumb for the latter because the man in this role; Oronto Douglas runs the social media persona of the president which takes the art of obsequiousness to a level exacerbating violent emesis.

Special Adviser to the President on Energy; any Nigerian would hope that the person in this role has some good short-, middle- and long-term ideas that can be realised in tackling the energy issues of Nigeria from the good management of our mineral resources to the harnessing of natural sources of energy for the development of our infrastructure.

Phoney Adviser of ethics

Special Adviser to the President on Social Development; on does wonder exactly where this fits, for human rights, education, health, security, safety, equality of opportunity, social mobility and many other things that would give Nigerians the pride of existence and nationhood.

Sarah Jibril, the lady who earned one singular vote in the ruling party presidential primaries now has the role of Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values. This sound laudable and noble as it is pretentious. Cynically, one would easily think this is advise on what the president might get away with as opposed to raising the standard of government and governance to deal with corruption and the way audited sources of income allows for thieves to hold sway in the corridors of power and escape justice with impunity – Honestly, one is not impressed.

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters; that is the snake-pit of Nigerian politics and the excess that Nigeria can hardly afford where those who have a duty to moderate executive power whilst promulgating legislation appear to have their snouts super-glued to the trough of Nigeria wealth that there is no time to them to sniff the air of reason – this job is probably important and it needs someone knowledgeable in the witchcraft of our obscure legislative system to wave the wand of getting things done in an affordable and hopefully an altruistic way.

Special Adviser on clueless antics

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, this matter is well beyond advisory to one needing effective and useful action, the past few regimes have shown themselves clueless with militancy taking the spoils of amnesty whilst the people themselves still wallow in deprivation with the militants and terrorists pretending to represent their people.

Special Adviser to the President on International Relations; much as we need someone in this role, the greater example will be in running the country well. Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties; it would appear this would be the person to project the office and influence of the president in some as yet undefined assignment, they somehow seem to rise to command the influence of chief adviser.

Rueben Abati, the erstwhile Head of the editorial board of the Guardian Newspaper becomes the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, this in my view overlaps with that of Research and Strategy, that makes two propaganda demons ready to wage war on the sensibilities of Nigerians – we would not be assimilated into that quagmire, if we can help it.

Special Adviser on the interesting

Special Adviser to the President on Gender Issues; this will be a tough task, be it that of the emancipation of women, the matter of infant and maternal mortality, genital mutilation, domestic violence, childhood marriage, primary healthcare delivery from immunization to the rights of women in conservative regions that subjugate them on the premise of religious adherence and obligations and it should also address the matter of minority groups – this would be an uphill battle with societal norms, religion, traditions, customs and a stridently patriarchal system of power that we have acquiesced to without debate.

Special Adviser to the President on Technical Matters; how that would keep the next satellite launch from falling out of orbit remains to be seen as it could overlap with matters that concern infrastructure, power, effective transport, the proper documentation of government material for adherence to the Freedom of Act as well the effective adoption of Information Technology services in government.

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters (Office of the Vice President); Special Adviser to the President on Legal Matters (Office of the Vice President) and Special Adviser to the President for Special Duties (Office of the Vice President), the need of all these seemingly duplicated posts albeit in the office of the Vice President would be an interesting recipe for political intrigue.

Can we afford this?

The president cannot in and of himself be the sole repository of ability and drive to run the country but there must be a basic quality of leadership and nous to do the job with the advisors in some case just helping to fine-tune the ideas and reframe them into working and implementable policies – you have to wonder what is the validator of good advice over sycophantic subservience to the president.

It is arguable whether the executive arm of government does really need all these advisers who must find the ear of the President to dispense advice that might be useless, accepted or ignored. Where the roles overlap, the people might be seeking to curry favour as those in the court of the President play factions against each other with glee.

The Psalmist talked of the noisome pestilence, you can imagine how fatigued the President can become with the paralysis of analysis and the deluge of advice that he has no time to think through one set of ideas before they are overtaken with new ones for political expedience.

Many are called

Ultimately, running the Nigerian ship of state is not easy task but it begs the question whether Nigeria really can afford this model of democracy that appears to convert every principal piece on a chessboard into a pawn aspiring to promotion that will never materialise as the President surrounds himself with enough cannon fodder that he can so easily insulate himself from opprobrium and responsibility.

I fear that some of these activities all seems like quid pro quo for assuming office than one that engenders confidence in the possibility of a changed Nigeria, I must however give the President the benefit of the doubt much as I am quite unpersuaded of that result, I can handle pleasant surprise.

The least we can do is welcome the Court of Goodluck I and his courtiers of lords, chiefs, elders, thieves, sycophants, advisors - Nigerians all, proud to serve and be served.

Source of news story

234Next.com - Jonathan to swear in special advisers today

The detail of the special advisers was excerpted from a news article on 234Next.com, I uncharacteristically forgot to reference it in my original publication of this blog and I apologise.

Nigeria: Politics, Prophecy and Perceptions of Tunde Bakare

Perceptions or propaganda

The Nigerian public space sometimes affords the opportunity to postulate, proselytise, propagate, preach, prophesy, pronounce, predict, pander or pillory.

That list is hardly exhaustive as people who believe they have a voice find easy platforms, lecterns, pulpits, organs and media to make their strong views known.

There is the truth out there and there are shades of the truth, people can subscribe to speak the truth but the whole truth in a society as diverse and multifarious as Nigeria cannot be in the exclusive possession of singular persons, communities, regions, states or particular interests no matter how altruistic, honest and laudable their aims might be.

We must however grant everyone the opportunity to relay and convey their version of the truth and those who hear must exercise the greatest and utmost meticulous means to assess, challenge, verify, discuss and ascertain with all objective resource the sum and product of all these versions to arrive at the truth, debunk the fallacies, contemn the lies and in all expressions of disagreement strive to avoid disagreeableness.

As we stand in Nigeria

This afternoon, I came upon a sermon delivered by Pastor Tunde Bakare who recently was the presidential running mate of Retired General Mohammadu Buhari of the CPC, which in the Presidential elections of April the 16^th literally swept the majority in the North but hardly made an impact in the South.

I am of the conviction that the CPC was never a party that had the requisite national representative cachet to take the spoils from both their poor showings in all the elections apart from the presidential one, which meant even if they did pull the miracle of winning the race to head the executive arm of government, it would have been impossible for them to implement their agenda with a minuscule number of representatives in the legislature.

In fact, I would have expected the Machiavellian nature of Nigerian politics to have inspired the legislature to make the impeachment of the CPC stalwarts their one and only aim until they put a ruling party stooge in charge, but that is speculation.

The backstories are many

Now, Pastor Bakare is a passionate man, he is most probably a very religious man and as a preacher he can put together a very compelling case that would rank with the legal prowess of Perry Mason or some other amazing legal luminary however in a court the case is heard for both the appellant and the defendant with sometimes the use of expert witnesses, the moderation of a judge and the attentiveness of a jury before a decision is arrived at.

I will contend that despite the many facts, truths, analogies, allegories, inferences, proverbs and riddles, we have only heard a side of a bigger story which appears on deeper scrutiny to be a proxy feud between families intent on laying claim to some crown of leadership of a community.

There are many backstories to the claims being made and it is important that beyond the sensationalist headlines that newspapers will gravitate to in the quest for grandiose speculation and vile vituperations it behoves all that are fair and just to listen to the good 1:45 hours of this message.

To enter the discourse

It is probably best reviewed in Internet Explorer where you can adjust the slider, in Google Chrome, you are forced to listen to the whole lot and using Mozilla Firefox you will need to have the Apple Quicktime plugin installed.

An open mind is required and you probably want to take notes, the last thing you want to do is jump to conclusions or make assertions that were not volubly and directly made by the speaker.

The admissible evidence

It started from Feyi Fawehinmi’s status on Facebook where over a 100 comments and exchanges have clashed with passion. Depending on his security settings you might be able to view the exchanges, have to login in to Facebook or become his friend on Facebook.

Bakare: A bastard can’t be Yoruba leader: The National Compass Newspaper scores a tabloid style news scoop courting controversy with some excerpts of the sermon.

The sermon – It’s time to speak – Tunde Bakare, best reviewed in Internet Explorer or through Mozilla Firefox on systems where Apple QuickTime is installed.

The Iraqi Travesty - Saddam escapes justice

Conned with a false promise

To use what I think is an Americanism, it was a no-brainer that dawned on the Iraqi High Tribunal despite the protestations to the contrary before the 30^th of December 2006.

A whole set of charges were laid against Saddam Hussein but there was an innocuous proviso that allowed for Saddam to be condemned to death and then have that sentence carried out before all the other charges were tried in court.

Every sensible person opined that there was no way the tribunal could legitimately try a person who is already dead, in fact, we also found as in the case of Ken Lay of Enron, whilst his first trial found him guilty, his death before sentencing or appeal meant the whole case had to be set aside.

Like I said before, no lawyer would waste their time defending a dead man except if there is a principle at stake.

Saddam innocent and cannot be proven otherwise

As it now transpires, the Iraqi High Tribunal has dropped all charges against Saddam Hussein and invariably there is no legal sanction for all the other atrocities that Saddam committed against his people.

Technically, whilst Saddam Hussein might have directly or through his proxies committed crimes against humanity, legally, he is not charged with anything, hence, he cannot be tried for anything and the principle of the Presumption of Innocence abides that everyman is innocent till declared guilty.

In this case, Saddam Hussein is only guilty of the crime against the 148 of the village of Dujail, a crime for which he has been totally and fully punished – his book is now closed, though issues still are pending.

A government immune to good sense

Obviously, the government of Iraq who are immune to constructive discourse and criticism view the death of Saddam as the panacea to all Iraqi ills and the opportunity for a new beginning; well, that was a possibility they squandered with their rush to the gallows where everything that could go right went wrong.

The National Security Adviser himself still has the gall to appear on television to advise the people to move beyond Saddam having told a bare-faced lie about the atmosphere around the execution.

Where really is the integrity, honesty, probity and equity in this puppet contraption of government masquerading as a democracy?

Now, the blood of the innocent

The blood of the innocent should be requited and this could have been legitimately, legally and consummately done with trying Saddam for each and every offence, bringing to scrutiny the evidence of those atrocities – finding against Saddam would have served as a point of change, healing and reconciliation.

However, Saddam the tyrant and despot before death has at the point when the noose went round his neck with the sectarian taunting of the observers that included the cool National Security Adviser who was caught in a lie, is now becoming Saddam Hussein the martyr.

The irony of it all is not so much that Saddam’s evil was unforgivable, but that Saddam was a symbol of an Arab or Middle-Eastern personality standing up against the West – a lesson none of the Neo-Conservatives ever took on board.

Meanwhile, there is the simple matter of who now bears the blood of the innocent since justice could not be done – for those who have no part in this debacle, learn and learn well – this is how men bring great damnation upon themselves, by errors of omission when they rush to incomplete justice.

Spare and pardon the Saddam video guard

They lied to us

If there are lessons to be learnt from the hanging of Saddam Hussein, it is not about preventing mobile phone camera devices from having access to the proceedings but the fact that a better class of witness needs to attend the execution.

We were told that Saddam Hussein was a broken man as he approached his death and even the National Security Advisor of Iraq claimed Saddam was treated with dignity and not humiliated in any way.

Well, we all now know better, we were being lied to and the more reason why exposing the real episode is a service to democracy.

He exposed a lie

All the outcry about the guilty person wanting to destabilise the country is hogwash, if Saddam were treated with dignity such that the government was not caught is a bare-faced lie; there would be no kafuffle about this event.

We cannot in a fledgling democracy have the levers of information manipulated subjectively by the government to further their good intentions through propaganda when in fact they are doing something completely different.

Save the guard petition

It would be unjust to punish the guard for exposing a lie which has embarrassed the government, they created the mess and these are the consequences, they should face up to their mistakes rather than look for a scapegoat.

They hopefully, from now on, would learn to conduct themselves with dignity and comportment whilst being completely truthful about what they are doing.