THE PRESIDENT and THE PUNDITS

To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
--anon.
In _Photo-era magazine: The American Journal of Photography_, vol. 23 [1909]

Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent.
--Jonathan Swift (1667—1745)
Anglo-Irish poet and satirist.
_Thoughts on Various Subjects_ [October 1706]

All over the world, everybody knows that Presidential seats are hot seats, except perhaps the village idiots and the ditto-heads in our midst, who do not know their backsides from their elbows; who rush in where Angels fear to tread. 

Undoubtedly, the main reason why the seats are so blazing hot is the barrage of criticism (constructive or otherwise) that the occupiers get from the public, especially from the blowhard oppositions, civil rights organisations and many self-acclaimed political pundits. And, from what I can scoop from the public domain, this criticism most and generally arise from failed expectations and extinguished hope. 

For instance, in Nigeria, within weeks or months of a President's inaugurations, he is expected to perform miracles on the economy, wave a magic wand that would stop infant and childbirth mortality, crank out employments from his brainwaves, make the country an investors haven and holiday destination. If he fails to fulfill all these people-centered expectations within their time frames, the public, most notably, the pundits descend on him like vultures and begin to rip him apart.  

Well, do you blame the people at all? Everybody wants a President that would hit the ground running. Nobody wants a slowpoke (a go-slow) who uses almost forever studying a situation before coming to grips with it. Given the insensitivity of the past administrations to the grinding hunger, the degrading poverty and the horrific suffering of vast millions of (Nigerian) citizens who live daily on less than a dollar, one would expect a new President to be down to earth, wrap his brain around the matrix of issues bedeviling the nation and spring into action pronto!  


Frankly, it is kind of a head scratcher as to why a sitting President, in a democratic setting, would pick a bare-knuckle fight with political pundits. As far as I know, it would only draw more attention to their criticisms, elevate their status and the President, at the end of the day would come across as a thin skinned, run-of-the-mill autocrat. An image that's not too good for the party he represents and the country he presides over. After all, free speech and plurality of opinion form parts of the canons of a flourishing democracy. Moreover, if the President cannot stand the heat, let him sprint out of the kitchen! 

A friend of mine, apparently referring to a spiky relation of his, on his Facebook wall, said "This sort of flippant commentary gives a view to the problem of Nigeria, we don't analyze things, our collective thinking is on auto-pilot, it has become fashionable to abuse the President, so we must all indulge in it without thinking". He went further to say, "He is standing up to you all and saying he is his own man, that his style is different. Get used to it or relocate to Ghana". Still talking, he said "Anyway, it's not surprising since you people were eager to put us at the mercy of a despot and your idea of nation building was to create a police state". He ended his post by saying "There has hardly been any other leader that has been as articulate and inspiring, go and read his speeches if you are capable at all not making flippant commentaries while glossing over the kernel of what is being said".

Of course, my reactions to his post went thus: " Arigbs Baba, I don't know if you voted for him like I did o! But all we are saying is: GEJ, wake up and smell the coffee. Enough of empty rhetoric and sophistries. We have had leaders before him who were all sizzle and no steak; all mouth and no trousers! We don't want him to join their ignoble lists! And what are we asking for 'self'? Decisive action on these terrorists and at least 15 hours of electric power everyday.  I don't think these are too much to ask by people who queued in the sun; in the rain to vote him into Aso villa. Thanks".


I actually brought out my friend and I Facebook conversation to highlight the fact that criticism is part of democracy and it is even part of life. Just like the Quotation above rightly points out, "censure (criticism) is the tax a man pays for being eminent". Nobody would derisively mention my name or blame me at any local bar for the problems of Nigeria. Why? I am not Mr President! I don't even serve in his cabinet. The buck stops only on his table!! Truth is, since he's the de facto President, everybody blames him for the ills of the society (just like he would have cornered all the praises if things were going well). As a matter of fact, some men who could not get it up or enjoy a night of steamy passion with their wives (maybe due to power outage ) would still go ahead and blame the President for their bedroom woes!!! So, there goes the blame game again. But the President has no one to blame!

I think it would be delusional for anybody aspiring for the highest office in the land to think that everybody would like him and fall in love with his policies (no matter how benevolent or people's oriented they are) and take them hook, line and sinker. From the day he picks the form signalling his intention to run for the presidency, he should just know that he would be the cynosure of all eyes, the envy of everyone (especially the oppositions) and the very object of criticism and verbal attacks of both the scum and the pundits.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

GADDAFI: MY OPINION.

"Oh, Gaddafi! Mixed feelings! Misty eyes!!!!"

That was my immediate reaction, on my Facebook wall, to the news of Col. Muammar Gaddafi's capture
before I learnt some minutes later that he might have been killed. Of course, not too long, he was confirmed dead.


Trust the global news media, especially the Western lots which have visceral revulsion for the man they have variously described as a dictator, a narcissistic totalitarian and a megalomaniac! As expected, they all went into a frenzy of some sort, treating us to the disturbing video of Muammar Gaddafi's bloodied, mangled body being dragged on the street of Sirte, his home town, and a scene of frenetic jubilation of NTC (National transition Council) soldiers and excited Libyans who were happy about their new found freedom.

Since I know that human memory could be treacherous even verging on mutiny a lot of times, I write this piece to jog the memories of all my friends ( who have been at the mercy of Western media, which daily force-feed them with falsehood, half-truths and propaganda) about the positive side of Col Muammar Gaddafi  who has been portrayed as a heavy-handed eccentric leader. For the good of the world, I think a bigger slice of humanity should know that Gaddafi was just not all about brutality and draconian rule and Libya under him was not a living hell and high water as the West and its prudish media frantically want us to believe. Let me state upfront, that I detest human right abuses in whatever form or shape and I condemn in strong terms, barbaric and extra judicial killings of fellow citizens (under any guise) of which Gaddafi was accused and summarily executed. And then, for good measure, I hate it when somebody under the guise of being a leader seeks to control every neuron in their people's heads and every aspect of their lives. That said, let me go straight to other side of Gaddafi that are not making headlines at the moment and that might never make any headline in any tabloid in the future given the deep-seated hatred the West and its allies have for Gaddafi (he didn't open up his country for another rounds of colonisation!!). Just a Google of "the positive side of Gaddafi" and you would be thunderstruck to discover that:



      1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all 
        its  citizens.

      2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned 
           and loans are given
           to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.

      3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed   
        that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya
         had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and
          his mother are still living in a tent.

      4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$ 50,000 ) 
           by the government to buy their first apartment so to help 
           start  up the family.

       5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before  
          Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 
           83%.

       6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would 
          receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and           Livestock to kick- start their farms – all for free.

        7.  If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities 
            they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad 
            for it – onnot only free but they get US $2, 300/month   
              accommodation and car allowance.

        8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized
            50% of the price.

        9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0. 14 per liter.

       10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 
             billion – now frozen globally.

       11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the
             state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he 
             or she is employed until employment is found.

     12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank 
            accounts of all Libyan citizens.

      13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US $5 ,000

      14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15

      15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree

     16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, 
           known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water 
            readily available throughout the desert country.

Furthermore, Gaddafi contributed greatly to the liberation movements in Sub-Saharan Africa when the West would not be bothered. If according to Mo Ibrahim "governance is a basket of political goods that governments are responsible for delivering to their citizens", why do we vilify and try to make a villain out of Gaddafi who had delivered political goods to his citizens, why do we sprint to conclusion when we know little or nothing about him, except what we are being daily fed with by the Media?

But what I still find hardest to understand is why subjecting the man (Gaddafi) and his son to jungle justice after they were captured live in the joint operation of NATO and NTC  forces. According to a respected  Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, "they should have been handed over to the special prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who had declared them wanted for crimes against humanity. By killing them in a barbaric extra-judicial manner the NATO and NTC violated the Geneva constitution and other relevant human rights instruments in the treatment of war prisoners". Falana went on to say "The shameful endorsement of the brutal killing of Gaddafi by heads of Western government is capable of promoting reckless assassination of political opponents".  

No doubt, Gaddafi ruffled a lot of feathers while he was alive and held the reign of power: he called for Jihad (or arm struggle) against Switzerland; he blamed J.F.K assassination on Israel, he once asked Nigeria to divide along religious lines and many more. But, despite his bare-knuckle confrontation with his perceived enemies ( most times the West), his rough-and-tumble style of government, his oddball notions and banal assertions on global issues, Gaddafi, still remain one of the best leaders Africa has ever produced in its checkered history. Therefore, any attempt, by the Western Media to railroad or bait us into a rash verbal attack of Gaddafi and his 42 years rule should be resisted by all, for the man was not as evil as they have maliciously painted him. 

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

ADIEU, MR STEVE JOBS

Wao!!! I can never forget Thursday October 6, 2011 just in a hurry. That was the day almost all Facebookers and subscribers to other social networks momentarily suspended their stock comments and jaundiced viewpoints on mundane and serious issues that have continually hugged the global headlines, to pay tribute to one of American foremost inventor, computer engineer and industrialist. It was a day all vertebrate mammals with the faculty to reason and ability to use personal computers, iPads and iPhones and the like became so effusive in their praise of one man who gave a new meaning to computing in his relatively short but fulfilling life.

Almost all the television channels I switched to, that day were awashed with the news of Steve Jobs' death, the story of his struggle with cancer of the pancreas which later claimed his life, his humble beginning and his sterling innovations which make life more meaningful and less harrowing. In fact it was as if the whole world stood stock-still to pay tribute to the man who, in the words of President Barrack Obama, put "internet in our pockets" and "made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun". Obama would end his tribute to Steve Jobs' life and legacy by saying, "The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented". How true!!!

Steve with Bill Gates

A friend on Facebook, in his grief laden tribute said "Strange! I'm fighting back tears for someone I never met. I don't even use ANY apple products! Boy, this is sad. #Steve Jobs". His statement resonated with me and I'm sure it did with many other Facebookers who had never met Steve, yet loved him to the point of showering on him flowery compliments that were almost verging on hero-worship. But what really caught my attentions and prodded me into writing this piece was his numerous searing and inspirational quotes that were flying around in the media immediately after his demise. While some of these quotes depicted a Steve Jobs that knew the sands are running out and he needed to push out many innovations within a fairly short time frame, many others portrayed him as a Life coach on the touchline, shouting out instructions and inciting the next generation on how to think out of the box, how to be quick on the uptake, how to persevere in the face of difficulties and how to put the best foot forward and seize the day.

Steve at Stanford University, 2005

One particular quote of his that got me thinking and reminded me that time marches on and I'm still lagging behind the original Me, was the one taken from his commencement address at Stanford in 2005:  

" Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary "

Honestly speaking, I see the quote as a clarion call to challenge the status quo and crush out stereotypes wherever they exist with the creative jackboots of a genius! It becomes absolutely clear from the address that, to amount to greatness in life you have got to be ready to step out of line and break the traditional mould that want to stunt your growth and impede your march towards your goal.


Another quote of Steve with subsisting life lessons, which as a matter of importance should be etched in the memory of creative weirdos (all over the world) because of its flaming radical bent, is the one from the Apple - Think Different campaign of 1997:

Steve and his wife, Laurene

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

As if he knew he was on the home stretch, Steve was forever harping on the need for young people to follow their hearts, find the niches that increase their demands, swim against the tide, shun the line of least resistance and beard the Lion in his own den, after all, there is nothing to lose:   

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

 Indeed, there is nothing to lose except your fear!!! Thank you Steve for making computing an idyllic experience and more importantly, thank you for all your inspirational quotes which have made a huge impression on me.  Adieu, Mr Steve Jobs.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI 

WOMEN AND THEIR MULTITASKING CHARM!

 Apart from Terrorism, a supercharged word, that beat it to a second position, Multitasking is the new word (in my own view and by my own reckoning) on the lips of young and upwardly mobile corporate individuals. Anywhere you go in the corporate world and marketplaces, it is Multitasking! - a new word that has relegated division of labour to the background and has given juggling of different tasks at the same time, a pride of place. You hear it in the board room when Directors and Management are planning about how to optimize efficiency using the cutting-edge technological approach. The same word finds its way stealthily into the bedroom when couples are marshaling plans for increased growth and production (whatever that means!!). It is Multitasking all the way!

I tried to look for the actual meaning of the 'vexed' word (Multitasking) and I discovered that, etymologically it originated in the computer engineering industry. It was used to refer to the ability of a microprocessor to apparently process several tasks simultaneously. But the computer word has been embraced not only by the tech savvy business world who sees it as "the art of being able to switch back and forth from one job or task to another repeatedly " (Dr Samjay Gupta) but also by the indigenous housewives who simply see it as "the ability to do several things at the same time".

Employers of labour wield this newfangled corporate vocabulary (Multitasking) to poisonous effect with the way they, for instance, task their staffs (mostly females) to function as secretaries, receptionists, personal assistants to the M.D and marketers of company's products (when they are off duty). Also, applicants these days are expected to include the word Multitasking in the "skills and abilities" section of their resumes, failing which, their days in the labour market would be without end.

Numerous researches and studies have shown the dangers of Multitasking . But it is beyond my pay grade and my brain power to begin to pontificate about its fatal danger to the brain and the toll it might be taking on the economy. I really must admit I am not expert enough to discuss all of those. Besides they are not the subjects of this article.

However, what really caught my attention is the way and manner the womenfolk have elevated Multitasking to an art form. Don't be surprised that the lady you are chatting with on Facebook or Yahoo Messenger or Skype is also breastfeeding, sending out an email, chopping vegetables (without cutting her fingers), and watching "Desperate Housewife"- all at the same time. Gosh! It is amazing how they do all of those, with just two hands, without losing concentration! Frankly, I reserve a special place of adulation for all ladies who would have to juggle a frenetic workday with an equally chaotic home life and having not a hair out of place, at the end of the day! For me it is a feat! 

And, if you are a man out there, you think this is no big deal, I challenge you to try talking on the phone, send your buddy a fax, change your baby wet diaper, get your toddler girl some snack and monitor what your school-aged boys are watching on television - all at the same time - and see what I am talking about.

Of course, just like everything else, science has some explanations for this phenomenon. It says women are capable of using both hemispheres of the brains at the same time, while men can only use one. It goes further to say, the back part of the Corpus Callosum is larger in women, hence there is better communication between the  two hemispheres in their brains. So, that explains why women are able to focus on a number of different things at one time and men are only able to concentrate for longer periods of time on one task (and do it better than women)? Well, that is one thorny question I really would like the womenfolk to brace up and answer. 

Nevertheless, in my own subjective view, the explanation provided by science lends credence to the reason why men always see the big picture (Vision) while the womenfolks are only concerned with the basic details. Hmm, I know that viewpoint won't wash with a lot of the 21st century modern ladies out there. But before they go beady-eyed and wrinkle their made-up faces; before they clench their beautifully manicured fists and charge at me like a feral cat, they should  just pick up any science textbooks - Physics, Mathematics, chemistry, etc - or medical textbooks, and they would discover to their chagrin that most theorems, principles and discoveries are overwhelmingly named after men!

Does that now mean guys are better than gals? Hell no!!! As a matter of fact without women and their multitasking magic, men are nothing but mere basket-cases; a large mass of disaster going somewhere to happen!!! Just like an architect cannot say he has no need of builders (men are architects, women are builders), no man in his correct state of mind would scorn at a woman or despised her nimble and multitasking fingers, which keep the earth in its orbit! 
Women are just wonderful!!!

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

IMAGINE THE FUTURE

Shh ....silent Nigerians! Close your eyes and rip the lid off  your cobwebbed creative faculty! Yes, let your imagination off its leash. Let it soar, soar like an Eagle in the sky. No! This is not a flight of fancy. And of course you are not spinning fantasies here!

Just imagine. Imagine a new Nigeria!

Refuse to dig up the past or rake over the ashes. Resist the temptation to dredge up unhappy memories or revisit old feelings. Don't think about the senseless orgy of violence that has taken up residence in the North or ponder over the ignoble business of kidnapping still going on in the South. Just close your eyes. Close your eyes and shut the door of your mind against the negative mainstream view of your country. Close your eyes and block your ears to the empty rhetoric and sophistries of your present-day leaders, whose emergence is a product of crude manipulations and systemic dysfunction; who are another failed expectations and extinguished hope.

Just close your eyes and imagine. Imagine a new Nigeria!

Imagine Nigeria blazing new trails and charting new frontiers in every sphere of human endeavor. Imagine a Nigeria where the outlaws and the moral Lilliputians will not dominate our political landscape. Imagine a Nigeria where our schools are hatcheries for Visionary and benevolent servant leaders and not hot-beds for the most hideous of crimes and the most horrendous transgressions.

Imagine! Imagine a country where Nigerians will sleep with their two eyes closed without having nervous pangs (or panic attack); a country where the Police is indeed your friend and not ally to godless money-hungry criminals. Imagine a country where the mass of the people are the centre-piece and focal point of Government's policies and spending; a country where corruption is no more the societal ethos and norm; where honesty and integrity become the pervasive culture.

Imagine a made in Nigeria cars in the U.S, in the gulf region and many parts of Europe. Imagine your country, Nigeria, in the G7!!!!

Imagine. Imagine a Nigeria where inaction and blame game would no longer hold sway; a country where her citizens would not bow to mere tokenism and blandishment of government officials; a country where we would no longer resign ourselves to fate in mute indifference and cold complacency. Imagine a Nigeria where everybody makes it a point of honour to grab the wheel and drive the change! 

Imagine. Just imagine a new NIGERIA!

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

...JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

"...don't go trying some new fashion; don't change the

colour of your hair; I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are... "

These are some of the words of the music belting out from the sound system of a cab I boarded while going somewhere important, a day after the 10th year anniversary of 9/11. Not sure who the artiste with such a lush baritone was, I asked my Filipino driver, who said something in smattering English which I could not make head or tail of. But I was enjoying this music. It was freewheeling down my soul. I really relished the lyrics, especially the part that said "I love you just the way you are". Boy! It was as if the music should not end. The music drown my worries and muffled a babel of jarring voices of doubt. However, not quite long, the music came to an end but not in my mind, and the announcer told us the artiste behind the baritone which has held me spell-bound. Barry White!

Of course, I should have known this guy! Any genuine lover of good music should have known this iconic artiste. But, before you go calling me a fuddy-duddy, let me state here that I grew up  as a Christian in an era when the so called Scripture Union (S.U) Christians also known as Born Again Christians used to literally retch at secular music. There was this pervasive belief  then, that secular music came from Satan's 'inner sanctum' of vulgarity and you were in danger of hell if you continued listening to such "unholy" music. So, as a young believer who was still wet between the ears I became so ill-disposed to secular musicians and their music to the point of avoiding them like plaque even when some of these music were not so replete with sexual innuendos and violence as we were made to believe. Thankfully, that mindset helped in a way. Yes, it prevented me from swift descent into the abyss of social vices and guided me through the difficult maze of youthful exuberance. And if truth be told, some of the beliefs acquired at that particular period of my history have formed the bedrock upon which my core values and belief systems are built today.
 

However, now that I am of a free spirit, I have an axe to grind with a provincial thought that says secular songs should not be listened to by (Born Again) Christians or anybody at that. I venture to say that some of these so called secular songs are not only inspirational but also do touch a chord , just like the song (by Barry White) in question had done to me, that beautiful morning.

The wordings of the song kept coming to me even, long after I have alighted from the cab and forgotten about the driver. The song  reminded me of God's love towards me and the fact that He loves me just the way I am. The lyrics of the song, especially the part that says "just the way you are" made God's love towards me so real, so practical and not just another airy-fairy philosophy of a confused theologian. No doubt, Barry White is serenading a belle in that song, but as far as I am concerned, it is God telling me "don't go trying some new fashion; don't change the colour  of  your hair; I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are".

As a matter of fact, it takes a deeply reflective mind to really appreciate God for His unconditional love and undeserved daily mercies. I do choke back tears when I remember that despite my failings, faults and foibles, He never send me to the pillory or gas chambers like some sexless African gods would have done. In spite of  what I did last summer and this summer and my hole-and-corner activities, He never ask me to do time in the purgatory. He just loves me warts and all!

I do not have to tint my Afro-textured  hair or grow some Arab-style side whiskers to be accepted of Him. I do not have to slather some expensive Paris-made bleaching cream on my body or alter my facial symmetry to impress Him. I do not have to fake an upper crust English accent or go learning one foreign language to have an audience with Him. He just loves me the way I am .

He loves me, with all my morning breath and other breaches of hygiene. He loves me, just the way I am.

ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI

Wake Up And Smell The Coffe, GEJ!

Few hours after the bombing of the United Nations building at Abuja, in which hundreds of Nigerian and International public servants tragically lost their lives, I went to my Facebook wall and I effusively vent my spleen.


My anger or rather comment read thus: "I have said it before and will say it again ....this Bros is weak-kneed! His docility has cost us so much. Nigeria has been reduced to a theatre of terrorism under his watch. It is now obvious that this guy is not fit for the throne!!!!!!!! May the souls of the victims rest in peace.!!!!!!!


So that nobody will accuse me of negative characterisation, I tried to couch my comment in innuendo. Of course any discerning Nigerian reader would know that my anger was directed at Mr President, the commander in Chief of the armed forces of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck .E. Jonathan


The first reaction to my comment came from Elo, my journalist friend, who asked tongue in cheek " Are you sure you didn't vote for him?". Another friend of mine, Frank, said "I dey laugh".
To say the truth, I was expecting some of my friends to jeer at me or derisively say "we told you".
Well, like I stoically told Elo and the rest of Facebookers who knew I rooted for Mr President before and during the Presidential election, I am not ashamed to admit here that I voted for him. There were two evils as far as I was concerned and I went for the lesser one. I went for a fresh blood, an individual still in his mint condition (or so I thought) who at least held out a measure of promises for Nigerians across all strata instead of a recycled generation of spent horses who had brought Nigeria down at the the heels. I opted for a breath of fresh air as against a geriatric leadership and its miasma of despotic disposition which General Muhammadu  Buhari represented.


But in the light of the violence being unleashed on Nigerians by Boko Haram (an Islamic sect with no clearly defined ideology other than terrorism) on a daily basis and with the latest bombing of United Nation building in Abuja last friday, 26th of August 2011, I am not sure anybody in Nigeria would like to fondly call President Jonathan a breath of fresh air. Of course by no stretch of the imagination could he be described as such at the moment. In point of fact, to many Nigerians, uncle GEJ is fast becoming a sickening stench of incompetence; a halitosis of cowardice that is choking everybody and driving them up the wall.
From all indications, one thing is incontestable and which has become a settled knowledge: Nigeria with her intricate network of complexities and peculiar paradoxes is just too hot (to govern) for a passive and introverted Dr Goodluck Jonathan, whose ilks are in Research Institutes, in sleepy rural towns. He just seems to me like a lost ball in high weeds; a lead actor who has completely lost the plot.


A friend of mine who was also responding to my emotional outburst on Facebook reminded me that the war on terror is a difficult one to fight. He went on to tell me that, even in America with all the money, muscle and mania at their disposal, they find it difficult to win the war on terror. Well, my reaction was that, what USA is doing about terrorism is a common knowledge to all. But can we say the same thing about our beloved country, Nigeria? While USA go after terrorists using both human and technology driven intelligence and annihilate them, Nigeria government allegedly go into negotiation with these savage criminals who had bombed several police stations in the North East of Nigeria and even Police Headquarters in Abuja (to make a point). Worse still, I overheard that amnesty is being proposed for them. The argument is, if the Niger Delta militant group in the creek could be given amnesty by the Federal Government, the right hand of amnesty should be extended to these bunch of criminals. God, that is sickening!!!! Retch!!!! The proposition is not only parochial, it is also illusory and can only come from sick minds.


Again, contrary to assertions and impressions in some quarters that this Islamist rebel group is faceless, there are empirical facts and verifiable evidence to prove otherwise.The allied Security agencies of the Nigeria nation can not tell me, they have no single clue  from all the several arrests they have made so far. They can not tell me, members of this deadly Islamist group do not use means of communication like phones and internet, in this era of telecommunication advancement, where records can be requested and investigated. They can not tell me these criminals and their sponsors are ghosts that can not be traced and fish out, unless they want to tell me they are inept or hopelessly out to lunch !


However, I have some advice for our Mr President. First and foremost, let him forget the provincial notion that because 'goodluck' brought him to power then he's going to govern Nigeria or deal with this touchy and slippery issue of insecurity, using his 'goodluck' charm. If there is anytime in his checkered life that he needs to prove to all that he is not laid-back and weak-kneed, like some of us think of him, this is the time. This is the time to step out of line, break the mould and for once, swim against the tide of godfather-ism, tribalism, partisan politics and smoke out all the enemies of our beloved nation. This is the time to shun the line of least resistance and beard the Lion (Boko Haram and their sponsors) in its den. And if he has not assembled and addressed his security think tanks, he should do so now and foster a synergy between them and foreign security outfits that are ready to assist. GOD BLESS NIGERIA.


ADEDAYO GABRIEL FATOKI 

WHY THEY FAILED.

WHY THEY FAILED

2011 general elections have come and gone. Winners have emerged and have taken oath of office and allegiance and losers have taken their defeats in good faith (those who have not, are already in various Tribunals spread across the country, contesting the election results). Need we tell the winners to perform and deliver on their campaign   promises? Need we tell them if they do not perform, the same fate that befell some of their colleagues who failed to be re-elected in the 2011 April poll awaits them? Well, they do not need to be clairvoyant or possess Ivy League degrees under their belts to know just that. It is a no brainer! Nigerian voters are becoming increasingly intelligent by every election year. From the pattern of voting in the last general election, it is clear to all that in a free, fair and credible election, Nigerians know what to do to politicians that will not serve their interests.

Meanwhile there are some vitally important lessons to be learnt from the four–week long exercise. Yes, some lessons to be learnt by the losers (I wish I had better names to call them). First and foremost let me start off by reminding them what late Chief Obafemi  Awolowo said after the 1979 Presidential election which he lost to Alhaji Shehu Shagari : ”The greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising each time you fail”.
Again, I will remind them of what E.W Kenyon (1867-1948) says in his book, SIGNPOSTS ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: “Never lose heart because the first effort fail. Go back and find the reason. Pick up the wreckage of old failures and build them into success”

 I can understand if Gen Mohammad Buhari says he is not going to stand for any election in Nigeria again. But, I do not expect politicians like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Mr Fola Adeola, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Dr Ade Dosumu and a host of others who still have age on their sides, the cardiovascular wellness and musculoskeletal fitness to withstand the rigour of governance in the next 8 or 12 years, to say goodbye to politics too soon. As a matter of fact I write this piece for them and their likes. I will like to highlight where some of them got it wrong in the build up to the April 2011 general elections and proffer solutions to their mistakes.

The first mistake I observed was that many of them went into the elections with serious image problem. The general public had very bad impression about many of them. Perception they say, in Public Relations parlance, is reality. To have bad image is not the problem, the challenge has always been how to manage it. Former President Bill Clinton had a very serious bad image towards the tail end of his first term in office (Everybody still remembers the Monica Lewinsky saga), a serious scandal that almost cost him the second term in office. His publicists sprang into action, knocked down ugly stereotypes about him and began to tell everybody who cared to listen how he stabilized and improved the economy. Of course, superior argument won. Clinton won party nomination and went ahead to win the second term in office, the Lewinsky saga notwithstanding. That was the power of public relations! 

However, in this political clime such P.R stunt is still missing. At a minimum, I expected the P.R experts working with Gen. Buhari to organize series of interviews on national televisions at prime time for their principal. The man would have had opportunity to correct and trash some of those brutal and despotic images some people had of him. It is true his followers up North perceived him as a progressive populist, but what about the South where the generality of the people perceived him as a religious bigot and ethnic jingoist. Even, the post election violence that consumed some part of the North, people still blame him for it. 

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu also was perceived to be a master of discriminative and selective justice, of double speak and a willing tool in the miscarriage of justice if the price is right. People frowned at his association with the same corrupt politicians he condemned in very damning terms when he was the anti-corruption czar. The Mallam went into the Presidential contest with this weighty moral question and expected to win.
  

The second mistake I observed was in the area of alliance. No Boxer will tell you he won a fight all alone without an input from any quarters. As a matter of fact, the quality of his corner decides whether he wins or lose any bout? Sam Walton says, “Individuals don’t win in business, teams do.” As it is in business, so it is in politics, no individual wins, teams do. Prior to the election, I expected politicians to build alliances across Nigeria. I expected Gen Buhari for instance, to deliver  public lectures in places like University of Lagos, Anambra state university, University of Ibadan and so on. I also expected him to hold business meetings with the business moguls, the doyens and captains of industries and interact with the major shakers and movers in the entertainment industry. While meeting and interacting with these eminent personalities, he would have had the opportunity of presenting his vision and mission, and gain friendship and followership across the nation. As far as I am concern, Gen Buhari’s popularity is more skewed towards the  Almajiris in the North than anywhere else in Nigeria. To win an election, especially Presidential contest in Nigeria as presently constituted, one has to shed his puritanical toga and be seen to be friend to all.

Another mistake I observed was in the Presidential and governorship debates. Only few of the candidates were adequately prepared for the debates, perhaps they didn’t think they were so important to their successes at the poll. During the governorship debate held in Lagos, Mr Fashola, the incumbent governor showed the world that it is not for nothing that he is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The man sold himself and vision to the Lagosians, little wonder the landslide victory recorded at the poll.  As the NN24 Presidential debate showed, only Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau shone like a million stars. His eloquence and preternatural composure in front of television camera was legendary. The Mallam swept everybody off their feet by his oratory and 21st century carriage of a President. If debate is all it takes to win election I am so sure Alhaji Shekarau would have won the Presidential contest so convincingly. Gen Buhari, who held out much hope and nursed the ambition of upsetting the ruling party, was so incoherent on one of the most important nights in his checkered civilian life.  The man seemed to be so bereft of ideas to govern Nigeria that one wondered if he really prepared for the presidential debate. 

Party structure is another issue worth mentioning. Many of the political parties lack the structure and the mercenaries to win elections. Of all the parties, only Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seem to have the spread and the structure to win Presidential election in Nigeria. The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, for instance failed very woefully in the Southern part of Nigeria because it lack the structure. As a matter of fact the party was built around one individual.

 Lastly, many of the parties had no clearly defined action plan to win elections. An action plan as I know it is nothing more than a set of long-term strategies and short-term tactics. Again, take CPC as a party for instance; it concentrated much of its effort and activities in the Northern part of Nigeria (Little or nothing was happening in the Southern part of Nigeria). A tumultuous crowd attended its campaign rallies in most parts of the North; Gen Buhari who was synonymous with the Party had a cult followership. Of course, all these gave the party the delusions of the grandeur, that it can give the PDP a run for its money at the poll.  But it was mistaken. 

There was even a time when CPC alliance with Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN was on the cards. However, inability of both parties to concede grounds and reach a happy medium stalled the much touted  partnership.

Naturally, one would have thought that all the opposition parties would close ranks, rally behind one candidate and confront the elephantine PDP that had the spread and structure. But that was not to be. The PDP waxed stronger and trounced the oppositions in what has been dubbed a landslide victory.

ADEDAYO G. FATOKI writes from Lagos.