The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet There (1)

POLSCOPE 

with  Eddy Odivwri; eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com;   08053069356

Like the scripture, a good work of art is ageless. It does not expire. Its content speaks truth and reality from age to age. Its message(s) is/are ever valid. And so, each time I reflect on the content and message of Ayi Kwei Armah’s 49-year-old epic novel, The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born, I marvel at the prophetic accuracy that ran through the narrative of that work. Ruminating over what our experiences have been in the almost two years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, I cannot but agree with Ayi Kwei Armah that indeed, the beautiful ones are not yet born. Like former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Buhari administration came to power with a trailer load of goodwill. But right now, whatever is left of the Buhari goodwill is likely not enough load for a Keke Marwa (tricycle). Truth is that Nigerians were buffed up with the Jonathan, nay PDP-led government, and so anything but PDP/Jonathan was good enough.

The mess was monumental and smelly. All Progressives Congress (APC) fitted into the bill of public expectation. That was why the mono-syllabic catchy message of “Change” resonated so loud and well, across the length and breadth of Nigeria. The truth however was that many people were clearly apprehensive of General Muhammadu Buhari. All sorts of frightening messages aimed at scaring voters away from him were circulated then. But some of us believed the nay sayers were merely being politically mischievous. I believed all that discredited Buhari in the past belonged to the past indeed. And that at his second coming, he would have learnt from his past mistakes and pull Nigeria out of the woods, what with his unsmiling and unwavering determination to deal a fatal blow on corruption. His ascetic and credulous credentials were simply endearing; and so Nigerians embraced him. And he won. His victory came with great expectations. Very great expectations. We felt we were already at ground zero as a country under Jonathan and that the only possible thing that could happen to us is to be lifted up gradually and steadily.

Sadly however, almost two years down the line, that has not been our experience. Some of us have been obstinately hopeful, labouring to always explain to our traducers that the mound of mess inherited by the Buhari administration slowed down the quick effect of the expected “Change”. But that cannot be an eternal narrative! Almost two years after, Nigerians should begin to even feel, (if they can’t yet see or touch) the promise of a better life. But instead of relief and hope, Nigerians are harvesting hardship and hunger. Worse still, the bite expected of the Buhari government is clearly missing. And this is in nearly every facet of this administration. From the economy to infrastructure through anti-corruption fight, to new order, national rebirth, down to security, etc. etc., the government, as they say in local parlance, have been “falling our hands”. I had thought that even if Buhari fails in all other aspects of governance, it won’t be on the anti-corruption fight. He had made it the cardinal prism of his government.

He had made a song and dance of how corruption will kill us as a country if we don’t kill it collectively. He had come with fierce rave, baying for the faintest smell of corruption. So many people were indicted. The EFCC was literally hauling “corrupt” (both indicted and accused) people into detention. The cells were bursting in their seams. Just too many people were robbing the nation blind. And the rest of Nigerians were happy with the daily report of huge recoveries from the ancient thieves of the previous administration. Nigerians clapped and goaded Buhari on. I was among them! The huge recoveries have been so much that we seem to have even lost count. But the irony is that the more looted funds were recovered, the poorer and more distressed we became as a people. Yet what seems to be even more distressing is the fact that the Buhari administration is almost losing its defining identity. As the Holy Book says, “If salt loses its taste, then it is no longer good for anything, but to be cast down and trodden under the feet of men”. If Buhari loses the fight against corruption, which seems imminent, I am afraid, nothing else would his government be remembered for. I will cite some troubling examples.

The Clearance of the SGF and Magu

I, nay Nigerians were shocked that the presidency exonerated the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr David Babachir Lawal, from blame and declared him not guilty of the accusation of fraud when he was said to have diverted funds meant for the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) into his private company’s account. It was a matter that broke last year. The presidency had asked the Attorney General of the Federation (not Police or EFCC) to investigate the accusation and report back to the president. It was curious in the first place to ask the Attorney General to investigate an allegation of corruption. Those who suspected that the end of it would be as has been shown maintained that ever since the snake got pregnant was it known that its child will be long. It is even more significant to note that the so-called AGF report is not in the public domain. Nigerians have been waiting for the said report. They were shell-shocked to read, last Tuesday, of the strong defence and clearance the presidency gave Lawal. It was quintessential “Government Magic” as the late Fela Anikulapo would describe it. The grounds of defence by the presidency were as specious as they were misleading. It was a perfect case of red herring. The presidency was beating about the bush instead of addressing the issues.

In even beating about the bush, the presidency did it most dishonestly, seeking to sell short the collective intelligence of Nigerians. Even if all else was correct, how did N200 million meant for the so-called grass cutting in an IDP camp, find its way into Babachir’s company’s bank account? Nobody has denied the presence of that sum in the bank account of the SGF’s company. And could grass cutting be the utmost need of a people dying of hunger in an IDP? Is it not even more interesting to note that indeed, no grass was cut anywhere? And pray, does it really cost as much as N248, 939, 231, to cut grass? What kind of grass is it? The payments of N10 million, twenty times (i.e. N200million) into Rholavision Engineering Ltd, a company owned by Babachir Lawal, from Josmon Technologies Ltd, the company that got the contract from Lawal’s Presidential Initiative on Northeast (PINE) were published. Nobody faulted them. But rather than address the salient issues, the presidency seems to be bothered by legal shenanigans of fair hearing and all such vexatious warts. Look, did Lawal’s company receive the N200 million kickback from the company he awarded the contract or not??? If yes, nothing else defines corruption, if no, let him explain how that sum got into his company’s account. QED! As quaintly described by Senator Shehu Sani, the presidency’s letter of defence of Babachir Lawal is the funeral service of anti-corruption war.

Who else will believe Buhari that he is indeed fighting corruption if he spares Lawal whose case is so very glaring even to the one-eyed man? It must be added that the Senate committee which investigated the diversion of funds meant for the welfare of the IDPs said PINE which was under Lawal’s supervision could not account for the N2.5 Billion fund allocated to it. Also related to this is the insistence that Ibrahim Magu be confirmed as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). My only worry in this is that by refusing to take into account the confidential report filed by the Directorate of State Services (DSS), which indicted Magu, which formed the basis for his rejection by the Senate, the presidency has undermined the validity of a state institution. If the DSS report can be that ignored with ignominy, then of what essence is the requirement of future profiling of anybody by the DSS? Or did the presidency also accuse the DSS of not giving Magu a fair hearing? These two incidents cast a big question mark on the genuineness and non-selectiveness of Buhari’s fight against corruption.

I shudder at the wisdom of allowing two individuals, accused of not having clean hands, to pull down the anti-corruption architecture the Buhari administration has been trying to build. Is it for lack of substitutes, in a country of 180 million people? These and many others will feed the suspicion of the Buhari critics/opposition groups that the anti-corruption fight indeed, has been a ruse.

Our Technological Aspiration
In a world where technology is ruling and transforming nations and economies, here in Nigeria, we are not only still trying to find our bearing, the sad and disappointing story is that when we eventually find our bearing, the Science and Technology minister, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu says our whole aspiration is to be able to produce pencil. Yes, Pencil! I hardly can fathom the wisdom of such dwarfish aspiration. Of all things, it is pencil production that will be our password to our technological breakthrough. And that perhaps explains why after many years of its establishment, the Science and Tech ministry has never really pioneered anything. They all just attend seminars and conferences, speak grammar and leave us where Obafemi Awolowo left us.

Killing the SMEs Long before now, there has been so much talk about growing our Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) believing that therein lies the strength of a nation’s private sector economy. Indeed, government cannot provide all the jobs a nation’s workforce will need. So the SMEs truly come to the rescue. But how can the SMEs thrive or even survive under the prevailing harsh economic policies of the Buhari administration? As at today, Diesel, for instance, is selling for N265 per litre. What kind of business will an entrepreneur meaningfully engage in when he buys diesel at that exorbitant price? What kind of profit can he/she ever make? With latent threats or rumours of threat of increase in the cost of even petrol (NNPC stations no longer sell at the discounted price), there is a clear stifling of the SMEs. Not only will it drive down our overall GDP, the attendant job losses will worsen our woes. Electricity Supply an Eternal Challenge? At the background of the impending death of the SMEs is the running comatose state of electricity supply in Nigeria.

We are simply tired of the loads of excuses and explanations of why all the present and past efforts give us more darkness than light. How can there be entrepreneurial growth or real sector growth with the continued comatose electricity supply situation in Nigeria? The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) have been groaning. Right from the days of Bola Ige (with his quick-fix model) to Babatunde Fashola, it’s been talk, talk and more talks. No action. No improvement even when more and more monies have been poured into the electricity pit. Right now, Fashola (who has gone all grey) in his usual smooth talk, has blamed the epileptic electricity supply on poor funding, asking that electricity tariff be raised as a guarantee tor steadier supply. It’s a throwback to the chicken-and-egg argument of which one comes first. Every night, my neighbourhood is literally aflame with a cacophony of generator noise.

A standing affront to our ears and peace. It is as if it is a technological enigma. This is what has long been overcome by even less endowed countries many years ago. But here, we are still struggling to supply four-hour-a-day electricity, 56 years after. At other times, we languish in unbroken darkness for weeks and even months. How can such a nation grow? Year-in-Year-out, the fate of electricity consumers is tied to the mood and whims of the militants in the creeks. Nobody has thought out a technology that will enable the storage of gas somewhere away from the creeks. Why should the economic fate of the nation be tied to the state of mind of some criminals in the creeks? And we all seem helpless, all lifelong! This review will continue next week, but is it not clear, thus far, that the beautiful ones are not yet there?

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