Tony Ogunlowo

Opinion

Let’s Talk About Super Excellence! | By: Tony Ogunlowo

So let’s talk about Super Excellence.

The English dictionary describes excellence as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Super excellence, however, is the art  of pushing yourself to go even further, further than going the proverbial extra mile, being better than the  best.

Already you’re excellent at what you do (I presume) but what if you could become even better?

In his highly acclaimed book ‘the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ Steven R Covey lists seven things you can do to be better. These are:

1, Be more proactive.

2, Begin with the end in mind.

3, Put first things first – taking full control and staying disciplined.

4, Think Win-Win – failure is not an option!

5, Learn first learn how to understand and then be understood.

6, Synergize – the habit of creative co-operation – teamwork.

7, Sharpen your saw.

We all know what we are good at so there’s no point in going into that. To be super excellent I’ll narrow these seven habits down to three things anyone can follow.

These are:

1, Time is money – don’t waste it!

2, Work Harder and smarter.

3, Seek Feedback.

Now let’s examine them one by one.

‘Time is money’ is a phrase we are all accustomed to. Once you’ve lost time you’ll never get it back! The secret is to make every minute count – time management. There are 24 hour hours in a day. How much of this do we actually waste on frivolous activities – watching TV, messing about online, social events etc. Say if you were to stay off the internet for an hour less every day that’s one hour gained a day, seven hours over a week and over thirty hours over a month. And this is time that can be put to achieving your goals or whatever you’re working on. Try to come up with a plan to manage your time effectively.

Don’t be like a hamster running on a wheel! The poor little creature is putting in a lot of hard work running on its wheel but it’s not going anywhere! It’s one thing to work hard and  another to work smarter – have a destination! There’s no point in working hard till you’re about to drop if it’s not geared towards achieving a specific goal. Some people spend all their lives working hard and at retirement they have nothing to show for it whereas some people work hard for a few years and they are set for life – work hard but smarter.

Two heads are better than one is a saying we are all familiar with. Nobody knows everything and its best to seek feedback on whatever you’re doing from someone else. Better still make sure it’s a third party person who knows very little about you. That way you can be assured that whatever feedback you receive will be an honest appraisal of your abilities not influenced by familiarity.

So let’s move on to the super excellence part; you’ve invented the wheel – Hurray! But it’s not time to pop a bottle of champagne and rest on your laurels. This is just the beginning! What can the wheel be applied to? Time to get your thinking cap on and think of the next step. And when you work it out that the wheel you have invented can be attached to a cart .What’s next? You either get a donkey to pull it or invent an engine to drive it. Be open to all possibilities.

You keep on evolving. You keep on going forward thinking of new things, broadening your horizons, improving your skills – till you become a Master at what you are doing. Look at it from this point of view; you go to primary school. Then on to secondary school. Then on to university to get your FIRST degree before proceeding to get a second degree, a Masters – why stop? You proceed to get your third degree, a  PhD – is there anything else after a PhD? Probably academically not but you can proceed to become an overall expert in your field. Anything else? You can of course proceed to become an internationally known expert in your field and keep on going till, perhaps, you become…..

There is no limit to how far you can go – don’t set yourself a target as this will only limit you, just keep on going! It’s rumoured we just use less than five per cent of our minds capabilities, now’s the time to start using the remaining unused ninety-five per cent! It can be done as its not impossible.

Being excellent to a high degree elevates you above everybody else; your thinking is different. Your perspective on the world becomes different and you’re able to do more things than most can do in their lifetimes.

You will obviously need to be disciplined, focused, ready to put in a lot of hard work, ready for criticism(-and constructive feedback) and at the end of the day your reward will be the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom beyond anybody’s wildest dreams which can be applied to any aspect of your life.

Follow Tony on Twitter: @Archangel641 or visit http:// archangel641.blogspot.com

 

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Opinion

A New Axis of Power: Women at the Top | By: Tony Ogunlowo

In less than a months’ time the Americans will be heading
to the polls to elect a new President. And unless Republican contender, Donald
Trump, can pull a last minute trick out of his hat or resort to more dirty
tricks, the front runner, Hilary Clinton, is most definitely going to be the
next President of the United States of America.
Not only
will she become the first female leader of the World’s most powerful nation
she’ll be joining two other female leaders – Theresa May of GB and Angela Merkel of Germany –  to form a
new axis of power. This will mean that a third of the G8 nation leaders will be
women. Already Christine Lagarde
heads up the International Monetary Fund and for a while Diezani Alison-Madueke was the President of the all-powerful OPEC
organisation.
The joke
currently circulating around political circles is that the women are coming in
to clear up the mess made by the men. Perhaps.
We are beginning
to see a new breed of female leaders ready to take on the world in a move never
before seen since the Thatcher era. Traditionally women are better leaders (-
sorry guys but its true!) They are strong, decisive and pull no punches. They
are also not as scandal-prone as men, having little or no skeletons in their
cupboards. The Margaret Thatcher era of 1979 – 1990 turned a bankrupt and
floundering Great Britain into one of the most prosperous and powerful nations
that we know today. During her regime she battled the unions, introduced
capitalism across the board, whilst at the same time showing Britain’s military
might in facing off the Argentines over the Falkland and taking the country
into the First Gulf War. Under her rule Britain was a key player on the
international scene earning her the nickname of the no-nonsense ‘Iron Lady’.
With women at the
top of the three most powerful nations in the world we can expect a lot of
change in the world in the coming years. Even though President Hilary Clinton
will initially have her hands full with domestic issues we can expect changes
in areas such as world trade, migration and terrorism. All three are not
novices when it comes to governing a nation and performing on the international
scene: Angela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005, Theresa May
is a former Home Secretary and Hilary Clinton was Secretary of State in
President Obama first cabinet. Collectively, with their joint experience, they
can steer the world on to another course.
As any married man
knows fully well you can’t argue with a woman; they are better at putting an
argument across( and getting their own way!), they are better negotiators, more
thick skinned and are a lot better at dealing with(or ignoring!) criticism
levelled at them. Without a doubt there will be feminists out there who’ll
think it’s time to dust off their placards and take to the streets – they’ll be
wrong! These new leaders are not bra-burning feminists but competent leaders
who have proven themselves in a predominantly male-dominated chauvinistic
environment. They don’t have’ to prove themselves any further to make a point
or statement.
Women leaders,
unlike their male counterparts, tend to think of the bigger picture and as a
result their policies will be more diversified. They also well known for their
ability to negotiate peace deals – something the world desperately needs right
now with all the trouble hotspots.
Women
leaders are not scared to fight when necessary; Margaret Thatcher fought the
Argentines over the Falkland’s and when PM Theresa May was asked whether she
was prepared to authorize a nuclear strike, if need be, that could potentially
kill over a 100,000 men, women and children with a nuclear bomb she replied
with a curt ‘yes’.
Women leaders are prepared to fight just wars if need be-
when there is no other option. They won’t rush off and fight an unjust war like
Blair and Bush did. Having said that one of the areas they are bound to focus
on will be the turbulent Middle East – and they won’t be afraid to use military
force if necessary. Dealing with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea will also
be high on the cards.
There are
currently twenty-two female leaders in the world today running their countries
in the capacity of President, Prime Minister or Monarch (the Queen of England).
With the exception of ex-President Dilna Rousseff of Brazil who was recently
impeached all the other leaders are running their countries comfortably.
Come next
year it would be very easy to see Clinton (if she wins) sitting down with
Merkel and May discussing ways on to how to solve the worlds growing problems.

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Opinion

The Real Trouble with Nigeria | By: Tony Ogunlowo

In his acclaimed publication ‘The Trouble with Nigeria’ published 33 years ago, in 1983, the late Chinua Achebe pointed out that the ‘ the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership’.

Thirty-three years on this is still true but with an added ‘but’.
Nigeria is a very difficult country to govern: if not the most difficult in the world to govern. You have three major tribes with god-knows-how-many sub-tribes. Three major languages are spoken with over four hundred dialects. There are supposedly two major religions – Christianity and Islam – and again god-knows-how-many different heathen gods that are also worshipped.

Again you have over a hundred and eighty million inhabitants, most living below the poverty line and largely uneducated.
So many people to think of; of different tribes, religions, political affiliations and languages under the umbrella of one nation to be governed by one-person – a President.

Being the President of Nigeria is nothing in comparison to being the President of say, Ghana or the United States of America. The people in these countries are not so diversified.

A President of Nigeria has the near impossible task of trying to keep everybody happy which as I have previously mentioned is impossible because the latter in his best efforts (-or not!) to keep everybody happy will be accused of everything from tribalism and nepotism to favouritism.

In the past thirty years we’ve seen the ‘Buhari-IBB-Sonekan-Abacha- Abubakar’ governments and also the’ OBJ-Yar’Adua-Jonathan-Buhari’ governments. Some were dictators whilst others were elected.  It doesn’t matter where there is an APC or PDP Federal government there will still be moaning and groaning. Especially when you still have disillusioned fantasists like Chief Femi Fani Kayode still holding on to the now defunct belief of North-South, Christian-Islam divide. Nigeria has evolved over the years and its current predicament has nothing to do with the North-South, Christian-Muslim divide. 

Nigeria is a mess as a result of poor leadership, going back for decades, lack of foresight and the lack of accountability on behalf of everybody – from the humble market porter to the President. It’s easy to criticize, judge and condemn others without taking a good look at our very selves in the mirror. To borrow a Christian phrase ‘first remove the plank from your eye before you proceed to remove the speck of dust from brother’s eye’. We are all guilty of bringing the country down to its knees.

With the exception of the military juntas that have ruled Nigeria since independence every civilian government has been voted in by the people – NPC-NNDP, NPN, PDP, APC….

When you have a political system where 99% of those in government are corrupt and inept, or intend to be, you have a problem. Money and harmony go hand in hand. If there is no money to go around because someone has pilfered it there will be general dissatisfaction and even if God was President he won’t be able to run the country and keep everybody happy.

For those who still remember the oil-boom years ( Udoji awards, car and housing loans for graduate workers etc.) of the 70s and early 80s when money was plentiful and corruption was minimal the Head of State of the day had no problem running the country. There was little or no talk of religious or tribal differences as everyone got on with what they were supposed to do – honestly.

That was then. Nowadays the President has to struggle to run the country. He has to deal with the politically-correct brigade who’ll accuse him of playing the North-South, Christian-Muslim game. He has to deal with corrupt fellow politicians, current and past, who hide behind fancy lawyers and Section 308. But most important of all he has to deal with the mind-set of the people. As a race Nigerians are stubborn and don’t take to change very easily. 

We want things the way we want it and not the way it’s supposed to be. As a result because we’re stuck in our ways the way forward becomes clouded. Gone are the days when the military boys used to issue decrees forcing us to do things. Now we have democratic governments and everything has to be done by the vote opening the door for us to get up to all sorts, rarely doing the right thing.

If we want change we all have to change. Not just the President at the top of the food-chain but everyone.  Ditching our age-old habits won’t happen overnight as Rome wasn’t built in a day but a will to start will be a step in the right direction.

The failure of leadership in Nigeria is not just down to one person, the President, not doing his job, but our collective responsibility to do the right thing.

It’s one thing to blame the country’s woes on the lack of competent leadership over the years but what about the governed people themselves? It takes two to tango. If everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do, the right way, then the leaders would have no option but to follow suit.
We condemn our leaders but at the same time our mind-sets allows them to continue with impunity. Isn’t Nigeria the only country in the world where we celebrate corrupt and inept politicians? You salute them, praise them, worship them and give them chieftaincy titles and your daughters – the same very people who have STOLEN YOUR MONEY plunging your country into recession, lawlessness and uncertainty!
The mind-set of the average Nigerian encourages the leaders to do what they want because the people, as a whole, are not righteousness enough to condemn them. If a small country like Ghana can consider impeaching its President for accepting a gift (bribe?) of a car what does that say of Nigeria? We have laws and a constitution but some people believe they are above the law – like Patience Jonathan (who wasn’t even voted into office) – and the people let them get away with it – even protecting them!

We may have bad leaders but we also have a bad populace. If the populace that puts them in power demands (I’ll stress the word ‘demands’) accountability they must account for their actions. If any politician has a clear conscience why hide behind lawyers and section 308? It’s not until you have something like the Arab spring before leaders are forced to change their ways – vote them out! 
There are sections of the Nigerian Constitution that can be implemented to impeach a President, a Governor, a Senator or anybody who holds a public office. The sad thing is it’ll never be done. Why? Because we as a people are happy to live of the crumbs of their illicit gains : happy to keep them in power to satisfy our religious or tribal status quo; happy to think ‘someone has chop im own’ from public funds whilst at the same time hoping and praying we ourselves can get into public office and ‘chop our own’.

And when we don chop everything finish wetin go remain for future generations? Nothing!

Now we’re at square one again – no money in the country and a biting recession – and we’re wondering where it all went wrong.

Don’t just blame the leaders, blame yourselves too!

The people who fought and died for this country’s independence didn’t do so in order for a future generation of over-rated imbeciles to come and loot and plunge the country into darkness.
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Opinion

The Illusion of our Earthly Lives | By: Tony Ogunlowo

Every three years in the village of Toraja in South Sualwesi, in Indonesia they hold a very strange festival.

They exhume the bodies of their deceased relatives, clean them up, dress them in new clothes and put them on display.
While this might be grotesque, disgusting and not to everybody’s taste  the Cleansing of the Corpses festival is held so that the spirit of the deceased can return to its place of origin, hence the dressing up and all that. While this might conflict with everyone’s view of life after death it highlights one important fact – when we die all that we leave behind in this world is just a shrivelled corpse. It doesn’t matter how rich, famous, beautiful, handsome, good or evil you are, when you die the only thing you leave behind is dried-up flesh on a skeleton.

I like to liken the human being to a car. It could be any car from a cheap Skoda to the top of the range Bugati. Without a human driver behind the wheel (or a human to program it as regards the new driverless cars) it’s nothing but a pile of fancy metal on wheels on wheels that will just sit there without moving. Likewise a human being is nothing but flesh and bones until you insert a soul to drive it.

Before we are born  we sign a contract that when we come into this world, as a new born baby, we will come with nothing and when our earthly time is up we will leave with nothing, just leaving behind a shrivelled corpse to be buried or cremated(- and hopefully not exhumed and displayed as the Indonesians do!)
From the time we are born to the time we depart we live an Earthly life. Our souls are in a physical body that grows from that of a toddler to that of a fully grown adult. In between birth and death we learn and grow, contributing to this earthly world, good or bad, before we depart. We are like people who emigrate to live in foreign lands before one day returning home; the foreign land will never be your home and you can’t stay forever – you have to return to the source – and with nothing as promised before you came to life.
Shakespeare once said ‘All the Worlds a stage. And all men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances’. We are born to play a role or roles. What this role is depends on the individuals’ destiny. Some are born to be teachers, pastors or leaders. Others are born to be rich or poor, good or bad. Some might be builders, inventors or market porters. We all have a role to play in the upkeep and development of this word.

Whilst we are Masters of our own destiny (to a certain degree!) we are in the habit of changing our direction, from time to time, to worship the insatiable demands of our physical bodies and the material world around us. We want more money (at any cost!). We want bigger houses. We want more fame. Everything we want, want, want is just to satisfy the vessel we call a human being, which in many cases may not be in accordance to the ‘driving’ soul’s directive. When things are not done in accordance to the soul’s reason for being on Earth it upsets the balance of things. This is when people sin (- and there’s a long list of naughty things we do!) with their sins affecting the lives of others and even the physical world we inhabit – people start wars killing people, destroying property and habitats. We deprive others of what is rightly theirs and so on and so forth.
And all for what?
We do all these things because of our want for the material things of life. We have basic needs and things we don’t need or could do without – but still clamour to get – things you can’t take with you when you go.

The sixth richest man in the world turned up in Nigeria the other day and people marvelled at how simple he looked clad in T-shirt and jeans, no watch, no designer trainers, nothing.

It’s because people like him realize that life on this planet is an illusion. You’re probably here for a short period of time, probably not more than a hundred years. You might have money to fly in private planes, drink the most expensive champagne and eat caviar but when your time is up you’re not taking any of it with you. Which is why we probably have these new breed of billionaires who are giving their wealth away to those who need it.

The average Naija man will argue that if you have money its best to live like a glutton and live life to the full, sparing no expenses, because you only live once. Hence the reason why he’ll accumulate expensive cars, wives, houses and money – his or not. This might be true, from his point of view, but yet again he’s wrong. Your fleshy human body (like the ones exhumed in Indonesia) lives once and can enjoy all this but your soul – which never dies – carries on into the afterlife.

Now what happens to our souls in the afterlife which could be in Heaven or Hell or something else is for eternity. Is it worth risking the wrath of what might be out there through our misdeeds, selfishness and naughtiness, in this illusionary material world we call Earth?
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Opinion

The Impact Of Facebook Founder Mike Zuckerberg’s Visit To Nigeria | By: Tony Ogunlowo

According to CNN Mark Zuckerberg has just made his first visit to ‘Sub-Sahara-Africa’ to witness the impact of his Facebook social media enterprise and to promote his Express WIFI internet service.
One should point it out to the CNN journalists and researchers, probably graduates from fourth-grade American universities, that there really isn’t a place called ‘Sub-Sahara-Africa’ anymore as it’s populated with countries that have names like ‘Nigeria’.

So Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg arrives in Nigeria, incognito, wearing his trademark low-key T-shirt and jeans and casually strolls into the Yaba offices of Co-creation Hub and Andela.

For future reference someone ought to tell him that if you’re 54 billion dollar Golden Goose you don’t go walk about in Yaba. The area boys there will jump you, mug you and kidnap you – bodyguards or not! But yet again nobody probably told him that if you’re a Tech Giant in Nigeria ( – do we have any?) you’re supposed to arrive in an entourage comprising of gun-toting policemen, bullet-proof 4X4s, a bevy of hanger-ons – and of course the full red carpet treatment.
But yet again our mentalities are different. When a Black Man has mega-money he suddenly thinks he’s the King of the Universe, struts around like a peacock on heat, reeking of ostentatious luxury and expects everyone to bow down and kiss his feet. Whereas the White Man thinks ‘well I’m stupendously rich but I still want to live my simple life’. Big difference. Money doesn’t make a person!
Whilst we might be ‘fantastically corrupt’ as ex-PM British Cameron once referred to us, the world – and tech giants – are watching us carefully, especially our youths who are a dab hand at computers, coding and social media( – not forgetting the antics of the yahoo yahoo 419 boys for which we’re infamously known worldwide!). Nigeria has the largest online social media base and its growing, perpetuating every aspect of lives. Growth is greater in Africa than it is in the rest of the world. For marketers and developers this is paradise: a vast untapped market.

The Western world is finally waking up to the fact that we’re not just a bunch of tree-climbing, monkey-chasing, goat-herding imbeciles as previously thought. We have as much raw talent as they do, hence his visit.
Zuckerberg wants to get the whole world on to social media. To do this he is interested in sponsoring the next generation of developers and start-ups. Andela  recently received funding to the tune of $24 million from the Zuckerberg foundation. To get everyone online poorer nations need a reliable internet service. His organisation,Internet.org, intends to get 4.5 billion unconnected people, worldwide, as soon as possible. To achieve this he has funded research into solar-powered high-altitude mobile relay platforms and a new breed of satellites. Unfortunately his flagship satellite, Amos-6, was destroyed in the Space-X rocket explosion a couple of days ago when he was in Nigeria ( – abi you naija people don curse am?)
Kenya, Zuckerberg’s next port of call, is a world leader in mobile payments and he was keen to learn all about it. Just like in Nigeria Kenya has its own silicon valley called iHub and many of the developers and start-ups are working on apps geared towards the local populace.

While we have a government and private investors who are blind to the advances being made by our tech savvy youths (- until they hack their bank accounts!) others are watching carefully and ready to invest in them. As Zuckerberg himself admits that Africa will build the future.

This is the third foreign billionaire to visit Nigeria in recent times: one,Gates, came to donate cash towards our ailing and failing health service, another, Bono of U2, came to highlight the plight of people living in deplorable IDP camps and now Zuckerberg. Isn’t it time our own home-grown ‘billionaires’ follow suit, or haven’t they been shamed enough?

Make yourself at home.
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Opinion

Solution to the Niger Delta Problem: How To Appease the Warring Militants | By: Tony Ogunlowo

Ever since oil was
discovered in the Niger Delta more than sixty years ago the lives of the
people, there, has been blighted by widespread ecological and environmental
pollution. It has reduced people’s life expectancy, led to the abandonment of
their primary occupations as farmers and fishermen as oil pollution has
destroyed both land and fishing grounds. There is widespread unemployment and
general unrest. This has led to general dissatisfaction amongst the people and
is partially to blame for the renewed calls for the re-establishment of the
defunct Biafra republic.
Disillusioned
and unemployed youths have taken to arms destroying pipelines and installations
and kidnapping oil workers in a bid to get something back. These groups go by
many names and the notable of all, presently, is the Niger Delta Avengers – who
are currently negotiating with the government. Apart from frequently wreaking
havoc on oil installations they also frequently battle each other. In the past
fifteen years the Federal Government has had to frequently send troops down to
the region to try and restore law and order.
Unfortunately
the damage is done. The multi- national oil companies operating in the region
have been allowed to get away with so much for so long considering the fact
there are no laws in Nigeria forcing them to clean-up or invest in the areas.
Also over the course of over fifty years the oil companies have colluded with
both military and civilian governmental officials to have things their own
way.  The 1995 execution of the environmentalist/writer Ken Saro Wiwa
exposed BPs complicity in his death and connivance with the then government of
the late Sanni Abacha.
In
recent years there have been attempts to appease the warring militants of the
region to the extent of bribing them to lay down their arms and sending some
abroad to gain further education. There have also been feeble attempts at a
clean-up operation.
Unfortunately
both attempts have failed. Paying off the militants hasn’t convinced them to
lay down their arms. Not only is it not a lasting solution to the problem it
has encouraged rogue splinter groups to emerge to earn ‘easy money’ from the
government. Leaders of such groups have become tin gods who have splashed out
money received on 4X4 jeeps and a luxurious lifestyle ignoring the masses they
claim to represent. And the clean-up of the polluted areas will take forever –
if an attempt is even made to start.
Nothing will work until the Federal Government forces the
oil companies to take full responsibility for their actions. When the BP-
operated DeepWater  Horizon oil rig exploded in 2010 killing eleven
workers and causing a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the American
government not only forced BP to clean-up but fined the company more than $4
Billion Dollars- and that’s not counting other pending private lawsuits against
the company. This money will be used by the government to compensate and rehabilitate
all those affected by the disaster.
Though it will be virtually impossible to get the oil
companies operating in Nigeria to agree to do a clean-up a forced levy can be
imposed upon them for re-development of the region.
Call it a ‘Niger Delta Re-Development Fund’ where monies
collected from the oil companies will be used to relocate worst-affected
smaller communities(if need be) to new settlements, to provide social
amenities, education and most important of all – employment!
Someone robbed of their health and livelihood by oil
pollution is bound to turn to mischief. The oil industry is a vast industry
that employs thousands of workers every year. Why not make it a priority to
recruit, exclusively, from the local indigenes first? Why not give the job of
clean-up operations to these Niger militants to keep them out of trouble? The
oil industry has a lot of tertiary companies that support their operations. Why
not force these companies to re-locate to these districts or get them to
establish branches in theses improvised areas? If you establish a company, for
instance, that dry cleans/launders workers overalls and employ fifty local
people you are actually taking fifty people off the street who might otherwise
be troublesome.
Also, education is very important here and should not be
forgotten. Most of the militants, currently terrorizing the region, are in
their late teens or early twenties and giving them access to a good education
will give them a better chance in life. Already some schemes are in place that
provides scholarships but it needs to be more widespread.
Establish a tax-free or low-tax zone to encourage both
domestic and foreign investors. Foreign trawlers who come to fish off our
waters would more than likely be interested in owning a processing plant in
such an area instead of having to freeze their catch and cart it off to their
countries.
Since the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta all the
indigenous cottage industries have all but disappeared.  With proper
funding, probably from government backed micro-finance banks, this can be
revitalized. This will give the local indigenes an alternative source of income
to what they’ve lost from farming and fishing.
Bribing militants or confronting them, leaving oil
companies un-governed and un-checked and coming up with impossible schemes to
clean-up the pollution will never solve the Niger Delta problem. Getting the
Niger Delta militants educated, employed and out of trouble and dealing with
the oil companies with a more firmer hand will.

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Opinion

Budget Padding: A New way to Steal? | By: Tony Ogunlowo

As the budget padding controversy rages on members of the public wonder what’s next.

When it comes to pilfering public funds Nigerian politicians ought to be awarded a Nobel Prize for the ingenious ways they devise to keep their fingers in the till. They will always find a way to circumvent whatever security firewalls are put in place.
Gone are the days when politicians used to be content with a ten percent commission from contracts awarded to friends and families. Now its widespread looting as seen in the days of the tenure of ex-President Goodluck. Then it was as if certain politicians had a key to the back door to the Treasury and helped themselves to whatever they wanted.

When President Buhari was sworn in last year he embarked upon a campaign to rid the country of corruption.
He was wrong.
Under his watch the sneaky politicians had devised a new way to steal money and without a doubt it’s been going on, for a while, unnoticed. It’s called ‘budget padding’.
To the uninitiated budget padding simply means you indulge in a bit of creative accounting and  inflate the budget of a ministry, department or project, by a number of extra zeros for instance, to accommodate any unforeseen expenses. So if you have budget of N10 Million Naira you add a further N2.5 Million Naira to ‘pad’ it. Legally it’s okay to do this (even though it’s deemed by the experts to be unethical and wasteful) as long as the excess, you no longer need, is remitted back to the Treasury at the end of the financial year and not creamed off into the back pockets of those who intend to steal it.
So the 2016 budget has been inflated by more than 40 Billion Naira and the President is furious. He swiftly re-assigned 184 key budget officials (- perhaps sacked some!) and brought in the EFCC to investigate.
It’s all and fair that the officials will be investigated and punished but the key question to ask is who ordered it. Most of those re-deployed officials were merely just following instructions handed down to them by somebody higher up. As employees who are they to question their employer/Boss’ orders?
There are quite a few key suspects but since the matter is being dealt with by the EFCC and the courts it’ll be wrong to name anyone – innocent until proven guilty! And if the Nigerian judiciary is anything to go by securing a conviction might take till eternity since our politicians are a dab hand at playing the system. Those accused might try to use the legal loophole that what they were doing was legal and the excess money would be returned to the Treasury at the end of the financial year – and not into their pockets as we all know was the true intention.
So budget padding is the new way to steal money? What’s next?
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Opinion

Boko Haram Survivors and the Stockholm Syndrome | By: Tony Ogunlowo

Right now more and more people, hostages, are being rescued from the clutches of the Boko Haram sect. Many of them who were abducted as girls are returning as mothers having had children with their abductors.

Unfortunately many of the returning women are being ostracized by their own families and communities for having kids with their kidnappers. People can’t understand why they had relationships with their captors. Rejected by their own many of these women have expressed their desires to return to their ‘Boko Haram ‘husbands’ and people can’t understand why they would want to go back to such a dreadful place to live with equally dreadful people.

The answer is very simple and it’s called ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ or capture bonding where people held against their will, in time, start to bond emotionally with their captors.

When people have been in captivity for long periods of time the hostile relationship between captive and captor begins to break down and they begin to have feelings for each other. Sometimes hostages feel empathy for their captors and begin to feel sorry for them and think like them. Notable cases are the Stockholm bank robbery of 1973 where hostages began to feel sorry for the bank robber who had captured them and Patty Hearst who was kidnapped by the SLA in 1974 and later joined them on bank robberies and helped them make propaganda announcements.
It’s not just hostages who suffer from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. People in abusive relationships, mostly women and children, are known to suffer from it too. After being abused for so long they begin to reason with their abusers, seeing things from their point of view until they start to blame themselves for their abusers often violent actions towards them.
Women kidnapped by the Boko Haram would initially be scared of their kidnappers but as time goes by (-and some of them have been gone for a long time) they will become friendly with their captors. Its human nature to seek out a friend. From time to time when we’re going through a rough patch in life we all need a friend or a shoulder to cry upon – and that shoulder could belong to anyone, even a Boko haram murderer.

To integrate them back into society we have to understand they’ve been away for a long time and would have become friendly with who we regard to be the enemy – even having offspring with them – because to them, over time, they became close – something that was beyond their control.
The people coming back from captivity will be strangers, shadows of their former selves. Their ways, mannerism and habits will all be different to what they used to be and they will have a general mistrust of the people around them. They will be scared – even of their own families and shadows – because they would have lost the ability to trust another human. They will need a lot of TLC, tender loving care, and without any doubt therapy to help re-integrate them back into society, to de-programme their confused minds and help them become themselves again. And to the authorities concerned leaving them on their own or dumping them in IDP camp doesn’t constitute help or therapy. Sadly our health authorities do not have specially trained psychiatric units standing by to provide the required therapy for people recovering from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

Also their families and their communities have a big role to play. Instead of shunning them because they’ve been with the Boko Haram for so long every effort must be made to help them. Remember none of them willingly went to live with the Boko Haram fighters and have kids with them. They were abducted and most likely subjected to un-imaginable abuse before their wills were broken. To help them back to their former selves will require a lot of effort from everybody around them – stigmatizing them won’t help. If for one minute they think they’ve been rescued from one hell hole to return to another they won’t think twice before indicating their desire to return to their former captors. 

Their children shouldn’t be ostracized (- or thrown away or killed as some reportedly have been!) but welcomed into the family and the community. You cannot blame a poor innocent child for its conception, something of which it has no control. And the same goes for children conceived as a result of rape or from an abusive partner – DON’T TAKE IT OUT ON THE INNOCENT CHILD! They might be created as a result of an un-holy union but every effort must be made to ensure they are given an equal chance to live a normal life.
You waited a long time for your loved ones to return from captivity, now they’re back don’t shun them or drive them away because they are slightly different. If you force them to run away you’ll never see them again.
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The Naija Poverty Trap

Written by Tony Ogunlowo
Boko Haram fanatics in the North, militants blowing up oil installations in the South-East, lawless marauding Fulani herdsmen, cultists killing each other in broad daylight, murderers, fraudsters and kidnappers – what do they all have in common or what is the common denominator?
Poverty!
The World Bank describes the poverty trap as a spiralling mechanism which forces people to remain poor, forever, with no means of escape.
People caught up in the poverty trap are most likely to turn to mischief to either supplement their income or as a means to escape their predicament.
Youths in the North have little or nothing to do. Their land is infertile. There are no factories or offices for them to work in; not enough institutions of higher learning for them to learn a skill. They have no future. Nothing. So they are young with nothing to do and become susceptible to recruitment by militant hate preachers who can easily brainwash their idle minds. For being an Islamic fighter with a quasi-Islamic organisation called ‘Boko Haram’ they offer salaries paid in dollars and they get to keep the spoils of war. Most of the time they join up to starve of death of boredom or frustration – what’s more is they are promised a place in Paradise for killing a few infidels, kuffars. So why not?
In the Delta region of Nigeria, one of the most neglected places in the country, people have nothing to do either – there’s no work. After many years of oil exploration in the region the waters are polluted so they can’t fish or even farm. And all the while the unemployed youths of this area can see the wealth creamed off their lands with nothing being invested back. Though it’s not an excuse ,people wonder why they resort to blowing up oil installations and kidnapping oil workers- they have nothing and probably never will as they become trapped in the poverty trap that’s engulfed their lives. It will make them reckless, daring and prone to commit countless criminal activities.
Also in certain parts of the country young cultists have taken over the streets killing each other at random in the battle for supremacy of the neighbourhoods – why not? Most of them are highly educated, they have no jobs, no money and they take their frustration out on each other – what have they got to lose?
Again we’ve got the illiterate Fulani herdsmen with their own brand of terror. As poverty stricken as they are everything they have in this world is tied up in their scrawny herd they drive south when the rains don’t fall in the North. Being nomads nobody has thought to offer them some sort of education or at least educate them about the laws of the land, namely you can’t go driving your herd where you want to without repercussions. The poverty trap has excluded them from even the day-to- day workings of this century, things we often take for granted, which would explain why they act like Neanderthals and go on the rampage occasionally.
A poor man in the poverty trap is a very angry man – he’s got nothing and will never have anything – and all around him he can see people, mostly corrupt politicians, living a life in can’t even in his wildest dreams. As a resort a new breed of person is created.
It’s very easy for anybody to criticize, condemn or alienate. Very easy for us to play judge, jury and executioner. But unless you’re in the shoes of the aforementioned you will never know in your wildest nightmares what it is like to live their lives. What it’s like to feel worthless and unappreciated and looked down upon as the dregs of society, having no positive thoughts of a future or much to live for. Sometimes we should thank God or Allah, a bit more often, for our good fortune instead about moaning about what we don’t have – spare a thought for the poverty-stricken who have next to nothing and have to live like that and may never find a way out of their condition.
Why ?
The current economic situation in the country has doomed these people to a life of desperation. Where each day is lived day-by-day and out of desperation they will do anything – steal, kill, prostitute themselves out or allow themselves to be manipulated by people with evil intent.

When you have a country, like Nigeria, where more than half of the population live below the poverty line, you have a problem. As its inevitable the crime rate will go up, mortality rates will rise as the life expectancy is reduced(- the current life expectancy in Nigeria is 54.5 years), GDP will drop as a result of so many people being out of work and the government will have to spend more money policing the end creations of the poverty trap.
The total elimination of a poverty trap, in any nation, is virtually impossible but steps can be taken to greatly reduce it. Employment is a key factor here.
Get people into employment (- and pay them on time!) and the first hurdle is crossed. Employment can guarantee the least privileged of soceity the opportunity to put a roof above their heads, three square meals a day and spare money in their pockets. This will take people off the streets and away from the temptation to get up to any mischief. But yet again the employment needs to be permanent to offer the individual a sense of belonging and a future. Unfortunately in Naija no condition is permanent and places of work open and close all the time offering workers no condition of long term employment or job security.
There needs to be substantial Federal Government investment in what I’ll call ‘flashpoint zones’ – areas in which mass unrest can erupt at a minutes notice without even the slightest provocation – these are currently large areas of the barren North and the Delta Region. People without anything to do are potential troublemakers. And government investment shouldn’t just be limited to building a few schools and hospitals but to include places where actual skills can be learnt like the old modern schools, places to work and places to unwind later such as sport centres, social clubs and libraries. This way they have a place to learn, work and congregate instead of milling around street corners or waiting to be indoctrinated by gangs or warped religious goons.
Incentives, such as tax-breaks, should be given to investors and companies willing to invest and build-up businesses in deprived areas. A new factory opening up in a deprived town can turn its fortunes around in a matter of just a few years.
With the current Naija poverty trap going on unchecked as it is we can hardly be surprised when the end results come back to haunt us as juvenile delinquents, hoodlums and other undesirables.
It’s easy to judge people who run off to join Boko Haram or who blow up oil installations in the Delta region. It’s easy to condemn cultists and other criminals. Do we know what poverty is? Do we know what it’s like to be desperate? Do we know what it’s like to have No Future Ambition? Do we know what it’s like to live day-by-day hustling trapped in a poverty trap?
We don’t! When we know all our problems will be solved.
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It’s Time To Abrogate the Infamous Section 308 | By: Tony Ogunlowo

 
The recent alleged antics of the Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, and others have again brought the spotlight on the infamous Section 308 of the Nigerian Constitution.
When his bank account was frozen by the EFCC due to un-explained monies in his possession, his party, The Peoples Democratic party (PDP) were quick to jump to his (Fayose) defence claiming “the freezing of Governor Fayose’s personal account was illegal and asked the EFCC to free the bank account immediately saying the action violates Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution”. In effect the EFCCs actions were unlawful, un-democratic and illegal.
The President, Vice-President, Governors and Deputy-Governors and a few others are exempt from any civil or criminal proceedings while they are still in office. In this immunity clause called Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution. It effectively means the aforementioned politicians become untouchable for whatever crimes they commit while in office and can only be tried when their tenure is up.
A crime is a crime and if a person commits a crime, irregardless of their political standing, it should be punishable by law. There can’t be one law for some and another for everybody else; it makes a mockery of the law we are all supposed to be subject to.

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One can imagine that Section 308 was deliberately sneaked into the constitution to serve the purposes of those politicians who knew they’ll be breaking the law, providing themselves with an easy get out clause. How many of these ‘naughty’ untouchable politicians have got up to allsorts (-and still are!) in the past seventeen years and how many of them have been brought to justice when their tenures were up?
So if one of these ‘protected few’ goes on the rampage, on the street tomorrow and shoots a few people dead (- or orders someone to do it) will he be arrested on the spot or will the police just turn a blind eye hopping to bring charges against him when his term of office is up? (-effectively leaving him alone to get up to more mischief!)

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How many top serving politicians accused of crimes ranging from murder to money laundering are strutting around today with their heads held high knowing fully well they are immune from prosecution? And on the other side of the spectrum a poor hungry man who steals a bag of Indomie noodles, from the market, is arraigned before a magistrate – that’s if he doesn’t get lynched first!
The question to ask is simple – at what point does the immunity end and prosecution begins? What crime does this ‘protected few’ have to commit before they are finally arraigned before a judge? Currently it seems murder, embezzlement and money laundering are not big enough crimes for a serving President, Governor or their deputies to face trial.
In a more civilized world (- obviously not Nigeria!) the law is above everybody and nobody is immune from prosecution. Even in America, Presidents have been impeached for committing crimes (Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson were impeached but were later acquitted by the Senate. Nixon resigned before he could be impeached) whilst in office and serving governors have been tried and sent to prison for crimes committed. Nobody waits for them to finish their tenure in office before arresting them. If you’re a respected politician who is stupid enough to risk your reputation by committing a crime then you should be ready to do the time (in a prison after a humiliating public trial). Unless you’re a coward who hides behind the façade of Section 308.
In 2011, President Buhari, then a presidential candidate, promised a crackdown on the abuse of section 308. He promised to “remove immunity from prosecution for elected officers in criminal cases”. So far this is one campaign promise he hasn’t yet honoured.

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How can a nation go forward if a ‘selected few’ have a licence to get up to anything they please if there is no fear of retribution?
There are those who might argue that the immunity clause is necessary to prevent our top politicians from becoming embroiled in lawsuits during their tenure of office. But if they are law abiding citizens  why do they need to get embroiled in criminal lawsuits in the first place?
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