Opinions

Dele Farotimi’s Anarchism On Arise Tv Morning Show By Ayo OLADELE Peters

There is no doubt that Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ is the programme to beat on the morning belt of Nigeria’s competitive television business today

Published

3 years ago

March 8, 2022

Seyi Babalola

There is no doubt that Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ is the programme to beat on the morning belt of Nigeria’s competitive television business today. Of particular delight on the show is the deep erudition, fascinating elocution and sheer oratorical mastery of one of the presenters, Dr Reuben Abati. It is, however, unfortunate that the handlers of the show sometimes allow persons who are no more than anarchists and rabble rousers to take advantage of its wide viewership to peddle half-baked ideas, unrealistic theories and outright falsehood on air. Of course, such persons have a right to their views. But the presenters also have a greater responsibility to rigorously interrogate their guests’ assertions, correct clear falsehoods and expose obvious illogic reasoning. Television and radio talk shows, at least the ones that desire to be taken seriously, are not just avenues for the entertainment or amusement of their audiences. They are, more importantly, platforms for rigorous intellectual exchanges and robust engagements that will contribute meaningfully to public discourse and consequently national development as a person like Dr Abati knows all too well.

It is thus unfortunate that on one of its recent shows, one Dele Farotimi introduced as a lawyer was given the latitude to engage in utter rascality, wild and unsubstantiated claims and peddling of insults on air. The topic of discussion was supposedly the advocacy in some quarters for restructuring in Nigeria and the capabilities of some of those who have so far declared their interest in contesting for the country’s presidency in 2023. Since he is obviously the frontrunner in the race so far, it is perhaps understandable that Dele Farotimi spent the considerable part of his time on the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yet, in doing so, the anchors allowed him to get away with with arbitrary claims and assertions backed neither by logic nor by empirical facts.

For instance, he was of the view that he does not consider Tinubu a candidate yet. But there are no candidates yet so far on the platform of any party. All we have are aspirants jostling for party tickets after which they will become candidates. Again, he declared magisterially that Tinubu has enough impairments to render his candidacy a non-starter and also that he is incapable of withstanding the rigors of the office. He was not asked to elaborate on his claims and the basis for these. Arguing that Tinubu lacks the capacity to transform Nigeria in any way, shape or form, Farotimi repeated over and over that Tinubu has had 22 years of unchallenged hegemony in Lagos and there is nothing to show for it.

To his credit, Dr Abati reminded Farotimi that Tinubu had only two constitutional terms of eight years as governor in Lagos State. However, Farotimi insisted, incredibly, that Tinubu’s word is law in Lagos and that he controls the executive, legislature and judiciary in the state. It is scandalous that a supposed lawyer could make such utterly ignorant, even insane, claims. Yes, the AD, ACN and APC, parties to which Tinubu belonged, have been in power in Lagos since 1999. But were there no democratic elections in the state in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 all won by these parties? All these elections were conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is an agency under the control of the Federal Government. Thus, the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 elections won by Tinubu’s party in Lagos were supervised by the PDP controlled Federal Government! It was only the 2019 elections that was conducted with an APC government in power at the centre. Tinubu has been out of power since 2007 and has never held public office since then. So was Tinubu as a private individual between 2007 and 2015 more powerful than the PDP- controlled federal government in those years?

It is unfortunate that the anchors of the programme did not ask their guest, a lawyer, to prove his claim that Tinubu controls the judiciary in Lagos State or, failing to do so, to withdraw his statement. Of course, he is supposed to know that Nigeria runs a complex judicial system where appeals lie from lower courts to higher courts going from customary through magistrate, state high courts, federal high courts and courts of appeal right up to the Supreme Court. The principle of Separation of Powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary makes it difficult to even claim that any level of government is in control of any court as Farotimi so cavalierly implies in a way that seriously calls to question the validity of the legal degree he claims to have.

After Tinubu, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, Mr Babatunde Raji Fasola (SAN) and now Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, respectively, have been governors of Lagos State. All these are accomplished and successful professionals whose records and attainments are in the public domain. I make bold to say that Farotimi does not measure up to these accomplished men in intellect and capacity.

The fact that there have, naturally, been disagreements sometimes between Tinubu and some of his successors on issues in the process of governance is well known and makes nonsense of Farotimi’s claim “Tinubu’s word is law” in Lagos. It is unfortunate that by the level of his reasoning, Farotimi comes across more as a motor park tout than a lawyer.

Farotimi tried desperately to rubbish and denigrate the developmental strides achieved in Lagos over the last two decades since 1999. In the process he claimed that nobody attends any public schools or government hospitals in the state! This is incredible and yet the anchors of the programme did not question his facts. There are at least 349 junior secondary schools and 322 senior secondary schools in Lagos State. And there are no less than 1,045 public primary schools in the state. While there are over 497,318 pupils in public primary schools, there are at least 567,704 students in public junior and secondary schools. In the same vein, there are over 26 General Hospitals in Lagos and over 329 Primary Health Care Centers. All these facts are in the public domain, including the number of teachers and health care workers in the public social service delivery system. How then could Farotimi have been allowed to get away with such an illiterate claim?

When he delivered an address at the Ehinbgeti Economic Summit organized by the Lagos State government at the Eko Hotel & Suites last year, governor Nasir ‘el Rufai of Kaduna state publicly said that Lagos has been lucky to have performing governors since 1999 and that his administration is following the developmental template of Lagos State. El Rufai is not known to be a Tinubu supporter. Unlike Farotimi, he was only being intellectually honest. When there was a dispute between Labour and workers over the minimum wage some years back, the then governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’aziz Yari, who was also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at the time, stated publicly that only Lagos State was buoyant enough to pay the minimum wage of N30,000. This was not by chance or luck. It was due to the financial engineering efforts of the Tinubu administration, which has been steadily built upon and improved by succeeding administrations, through which a solid fiscal base has been laid for the state.

From an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of N600 million monthly in 1999, the Tinubu administration had grown the IGR to over N8 billion monthly by 2007 and it is over N40 billion monthly today. Of course, the Farotimis of this world can keep on living in denial. Lagos State will continue to grow in leaps and bounds in spite of them. Unable to deny the phenomenal achievement of the Lagos Light Rail project, which will be delivered later this year, Farotimi sought to raise questions about the cost. If he has alternative costs for a project of such magnitude, he should put such in the public domain and also prove the source, credibility and reliability of his figures.

Farotimi propounded some half-baked ideas about restructuring Nigeria into regions stressing that is the only way that Nigeria can develop. He says he does not believe that personnel changes is what will take Nigeria out of the woods but rather structural changes. He is entitled to his fantasies even as he should be aware that there are hundreds of contending ideas of what a restructured Nigeria should look like and nothing makes his own view sacrosanct or better than others. Those who do not believe in restructuring, whatever it means, are also entitled to their views as Farotimi is nobody’s Kabiyesi. Someone posted Farotimi’s interview online and requested that his assertions be debated. The lone response to the post that I saw simply read: “There is really nothing to debate. So long as saints haven’t offered and subjected themselves to their respective parties’ nomination processes for selection or annointing, it is fait accompli that Nigeria’s president-in-waiting would emerge within the next 90 days. The February 2023 election will be just to crown the fellow”. Chikena!

Opinions

President Tinubu and Baba Adebanjo: A ‘Ringside’ Story

Published

3 weeks ago

February 22, 2025

Seyi Babalola

By Tunde Rahman

Since Afenifere leader Pa Ayo Adebanjo passed away on February 14 at 96, many have praised his significant contributions to Nigeria as a frontline nationalist, a key role player in the politics of the first and second republics, and an uncompromising devotee of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Active in the First Republic Action Group, the Second Republic Unity Party of Nigeria, and Alliance for Democracy from 1999, Baba Adebanjo fought tirelessly for democracy. He consistently advocated for true federalism and the country’s political and economic restructuring based on the 1963 Republican Constitution.

Pa Adebanjo was also a well-known activist who stood for equity, truth, and justice. He fought against all forms of injustice and oppression including military dictatorship.
In this respect, I recall his relationship with President Bola Tinubu.

When Asiwaju Tinubu, then a founding chieftain of the defunct AD, decided to run for Lagos governorship, Pa Adebanjo fully supported him, championing transparency in the process that produced him as the candidate of his party. Despite the initial opposition within the party, Baba Adebanjo and other young party members opted for open party primaries, helping Tinubu to emerge as the candidate. Tinubu went on to win the governorship election and was inaugurated on May 29, 1999.

Grateful for the support, Asiwaju maintained a strong relationship with Baba Adebanjo. Even when their political paths diverged, Tinubu held Baba in high regard. The President said this much in his incisive tribute to Pa Adebanjo, which I quote in part thus:
“In moments of national crisis, Baba’s courage shone brightest. When democracy hung in the balance after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, he joined the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) as one of the leading voices against military dictatorship, helping to galvanise a movement that became the bedrock of our collective struggle to reclaim democratic governance.

“His unwavering commitment to truth and justice extended to my journey as a governorship candidate in 1999. Baba Adebanjo’s steadfast support was instrumental in my election as Governor of Lagos State under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy.

“Though our political paths diverged in later years, my respect and admiration for him never wavered. Until his death, I shared a deep personal bond with Baba Adebanjo; he was like a father figure.”

Many in Tinubu’s position might have taken issue with Baba, who sometimes openly criticised him. But not Asíwájú. As an Omoluabi—a person of good character—Tinubu respects elders and institutions, giving honour where it’s due.

How do I know President Tinubu highly regarded Baba Adebanjo? As a journalist and editor, I was well-known to Baba Adebanjo. I interacted with and interviewed him on many occasions during my active years in journalism. So when I became Asiwaju’s Media Adviser, I became the envoy of sorts, the message-bearer for both. Baba Adebanjo would telephone me, saying, “Rahman, Rahman, so fun Oga e pe mo fe ri. To ba wu yin ke wa, to ba wu yin ke ma wa. Tie na la fe so fun,” meaning “Tell your Principal I would like to see him. If he likes, let him honour my invitation. It’s to his benefit if he comes.”

We visited Baba at his residence in Lekki, Lagos, several times. On other occasions, Baba called at Bourdillon, the Ikoyi residence of Asiwaju, along with his entourage.

There is, however, a hilarious and instructive story about the two, which speaks to the admiration and high regard President Tinubu had for Baba, which essentially is the focus of this article. It was during the 90th birthday of Baba Adebanjo, sometime in April 2018. I remember vividly that that particular birthday fell on a Sunday. But a birthday colloquium came up on a Thursday, three days before the actual birthday. We had lodged in our dairy for Asiwaju, the birthday lecture, as well as other activities and events lined up to celebrate the distinguished elder statesman. While focusing on the birthday date, I forgot the preceding Thursday event at Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Luckily for me, around 9am that Thursday, the traditional ruler of Oke-Ila in Osun State, Oba Dokun Abolarin, telephoned me, saying he was in Lagos and asking if Asiwaju was coming for the birthday lecture. Knowing I had failed to alert Asiwaju about the lecture the previous night, I smelled trouble.

I immediately raced to Bourdillion in Ikoyi. When I went upstairs to see Asiwaju, he was reading newspapers, oblivious of any early morning engagement that day, particularly that of Baba Adebanjo. I informed him about the event and apologised that I had my mind set on the birthday date on Sunday. The lecture was slated for 10 am, and time was already 10 am. Asiwaju, livid, sprung to his feet. By this time, my colleague Ademola Oshodi had joined me in Asiwaju’s room. Without any prompting, we prostrated and apologised again.

Those close to President Tinubu know he is a very proficient politician in Yoruba as he is in English, complete with street lingo. Still seething in anger, Asiwaju said in Yoruba, “Hen hen, idobale yin yen ni emi ma te’ bati. Ma de ibi lecture, won a ma so pe mo moo mo pe de ni ki nba le da ijoko won ru,” meaning, “So it’s this your prostrating that will now count. I will get to the event now, and they will allege that I deliberately came late so I can cause a stir and disrupt the lecture.”

Somehow, Asiwaju quickly prepared to attend despite our tight schedule as we were meant to travel to Abuja that same day. We got to the occasion around noon after the program had been on for about two hours. One important personality I could not readily remember was on the podium.
Though we arrived late, Tinubu’s presence stirred excitement, and he delivered a heartfelt speech.

As President Tinubu predicted, his arrival caused a big stir and a temporary halt in the programme. As we made to leave, another commotion that did not subside even after our departure ensued. I suspect Asíwájú’s departure might have signaled the virtual end of the program.

That was not the end of the story, though. A couple of days later, I heard Uncle Jimi Disu, a known Asiwaju critic, on his regular programme then on Classic FM, talking about Baba Adebanjo’s birthday lecture, alleging that Asíwájú ‘sauntered’ into the programme uninvited and disrupted the birthday lecture of the nonagenarian. I could not believe my ears. I went on that program afterward to debunk what he said. I narrated what happened, that Asiwaju had tremendous respect for Baba and that he would have avoided the kind of situation that played out if I had briefed him of the timing of the programme.

This incident underscores the critical role of aides in supporting leaders to function effectively. Aides must guide them accurately, as their actions and inactions can significantly impact leadership outcomes. An oversight on my part unintentionally fueled what would have resulted in animus between Baba Adebanjo and Tinubu.

-Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media, Publicity and Special Duties.

Opinions

Between Japan’s Kaizen philosophy and Nigeria’s National Values Charter

Published

1 month ago

January 31, 2025

Seyi Babalola

By Temitope Ajayi

Two days after DeepSeek took the world by surprise, a Financial Times report warned that the West should be worried by how China appears to be leading the Artificial Intelligence race.

Financial Times says the emergence of DeepSeek from the shadows, catching the West unawares, is a strong indication that China has mastered the art of ‘Kaizen’.

I recall that my first encounter with Kaizen, the philosophy that underpins the rise of Japan as the Asian economic powerhouse, is about 10 years now.

Societies like China, Japan, and South Korea that anchor their development models on their culture and value systems continue to break new grounds and are far ahead in innovation and human advancement.

At the heart of Japan’s success, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, is the work ethics that are firmly rooted in the Kaizen philosophy. ‘Kaizen’ is a Japanese word that means continuous improvement or change for the better. The quest for excellence and attention to detail have been weaved into the social and moral fabrics of Japanese society as a matter of obligation.

It is this philosophy and social imperative that the Japanese take into product designs and execution. It is, therefore, not surprising that the world sees continuous improvement in every new edition of Japanese products like Toyota automobiles.

The concept of Kaizen became popular in the United States by the 1980s when it was discovered that the performance of Japanese companies was much better than their American counterparts. It became apparent that the difference between Japanese and American companies in terms of effectiveness and operational efficiency was the application of the Kaizen principle.

Kaizen philosophy is similar to the Yoruba Omoluabi ethos. Every major ethnic group and subculture in Nigeria and Africa has its own equivalent of such value systems.

We can only imagine our pace of development and progress as a country if we develop a national value system around the virtues of excellence, honour, and integrity. This means our workmen and women will pursue excellence as second nature in everything. Politicians will embrace public service as a matter of honour, and citizens will accept integrity as an article of faith in undertakings.

Our society is hemorrhaging as a result of value degradation. It is heartbreaking how badly we have drifted because we neglected our cultural values and practices that served as the guiding principles of society.

It is the responsibility of leaders at all levels to direct society to embrace enduring values that edify and promote human development. I believe we can still recover lost grounds. This is why the efforts being made by the Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu-led National Orientation Agency to re-ignite a new wave of consciousness through the National Values Charter should be appreciated and promoted. The values charter has already been approved by the Federal Executive Council. President Bola Tinubu is leading this renewed effort to push value re-orientation to the forefront of public policy and national development agenda.

-Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity

Opinions

Tinubu’s quest to overcome the power sector gridlock

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2025

Seyi Babalola

By Temitope Ajayi

Angered by the appalling situation of Nigeria’s electricity supply sector over several decades of doing the wrong things by successive governments with no remedy in sight, even after hundreds of billions of public funds had been expended, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 chose a different path that had worked in other jurisdictions.

He reached out to the then German Chancellor Angela Merkel to help solve the protracted power gridlock in Nigeria. The discussion between the two leaders gave birth to the FG-Siemens Energy AG Presidential Power Initiative in 2019. Under the terms of the agreement of the Nigerian Electrification Roadmap, Siemens Energy would ramp up electricity generation in Nigeria to 25,000 megawatt in six years, in three phases, from an average of 4000 megawatts the country had been stuck with for decades.

President Buhari was quite bullish about the project such that he put it under the direct supervision of his office with his Chief of Staff, late Abba Kyari, as the directing officer. The former president who didn’t want the project to be derailed by bureaucratic bottlenecks and red-tape made sure all man-made obstacles and deliberate obstructions were bulldozed with Abba Kyari in charge.

The unfortunate demise of Kyari in 2020 arising from Covid-19 while in Germany to get the power project underway rolled back the speedy implementation of what would have been a game-changer in Nigeria’s elusive quest for a stable and reliable power supply. Nigeria’s economy had been blighted by years of poor electricity supply. From available records, Federal Government has spent over $30 billion dollars to revamp the sector in the last three decades without any substantial progress. The economy is run on generators with Nigerians spending a staggering $10billion dollars (N7.6 trillion) annually on petrol and diesel to run their generators including the cost of maintenance, according to a 2024 report, “Beyond Gensets: Advancing the energy transition in Lagos State” published by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

True to his campaign promise to build on the achievements of his predecessor across all sectors and improve on governance performance in areas where it is required, President Tinubu, in demonstration of his unshaken believe in continuity of governance, took on the FG-Siemens Power Project as part of his priority projects in the energy sector.

It is necessary to state that this all-important power project had suffered undue delays since July, 29, 2020 when the Federal Executive Council approved the payment of €15.21m and N1.708bn as part of Nigeria’s counterpart funding for the offshore and onshore components of the project.

Managing Director, Siemens Energy Nigeria, Seun Suleiman, was quoted as saying then that, “Siemens Energy is committed to working with the Federal Government of Nigeria through the FGNPowerCo to see a successful implementation of the presidential power initiative. We have successfully carried out a similar project in Egypt.

“This project will transform the energy landscape of the country, and we are grateful the government has entrusted us with this notable initiative. We are capable, and we will deliver excellent results.”

In 2021, FGN Power Company, the Special Purpose Vehicle established by the Federal Government of Nigeria for the implementation of the PPI, announced the commencement of the grid network studies and power simulation training for technical experts in the Discos, TCN, NAPTIN and NERC, including provision of specialized power simulation softwares for TCN, NERC and all Discos. By December 2024, more than 100 experts across the sector have been trained on power systems simulation and network planning with skills to better manage the grid operations at various levels.
In the same year 2021, the Federal Executive Council approved the contract for the supply of 10 mobile substations and 10 power transformers by Siemens Energy for quick reinforcement of the grid as part of the pilot Phase of the project. Reports by FGN Power Company indicate that all the equipment have since been supplied and installed across the country.

However, the overall pace of the project delivery in terms of meeting timelines has not been impressive.

On assumption of office, President Tinubu saw the need to continue with the project and how timely delivery can transform the power sector for a country that desperately needs a reliable power supply for industrialisation and grow its economy. The status of the project came up at a bilateral meeting between President Tinubu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the latter’s working visit to Nigeria in August 2024 in Abuja. At a follow-up engagement in Dubai in December 2024 during COP28, the Nigerian Government and Siemens Energy AG signed an accelerated performance agreement aimed at expediting the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) to improve electricity supply in Nigeria. The agreement that was signed by Kenny Anuwe, Managing Director/CEO of FGN Power Company and Ms. Nadja Haakansson, Siemens Energy’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, was witnessed by President Tinubu and Chancellor Scholz.

Under the accelerated performance agreement, Siemens Energy will see to the end-to-end modernization and expansion of Nigeria’s electric power transmission grid with the full supply, delivery, and installation of Siemens-manufactured equipment.

Furthermore, the agreement will ensure project sustainability and maintenance with full technology transfer and training for Nigerian engineers at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

In a major demonstration of President Tinubu’s commitment to the power project and a positive shift towards execution, the President led the Federal Executive Council on December 16, 2024 to approve €161.3 million Euros for the execution of the contracts in the first batch of the Phase one of the projects across the country following earlier approval of the transaction by the Bureau of Public Procurement.

Addressing journalists after the FEC approval, an enthusiastic Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, with the renewed vigour to deliver on the project said, “at the Federal Executive Council meeting, there were basically two approvals for the Federal Ministry of Power, as I presented. The first was actually an approval for the award of contract for engineering, procurement, construction and financing for the implementation of the 331 32 KV And 132 33 KV substations upgrade under Phase One of the Presidential Initiative, popularly known as the Siemens project consequent upon completion of the pilot phase of this project.

“So, the Federal Executive Council considered it necessary for us to move forward as promised by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at a meeting he held with the President of the Republic of Germany.”

The latest FEC approved scope of work includes upgrade of TCN substations in five locations of Abeokuta (330/132/33kV), Ayede (330/132/33kV), Offa (132/33kV), Onitsha (330/132/33kV) and Sokoto (132/33kV). These substations were carefully selected as Batch 1 of the brownfield scope of the Phase 1 projects to increase the wheeling capacity of the transmission network grid.

In the same vein, FGN Power Company will implement assets upgrade and enhancement in the distribution networks, in collaboration with the Distribution Companies (Discos) to ensure last-mile delivery of the evacuated power to industrial customers and residential consumers. These locations are load centres that are currently underserved and require swift enhancements. The execution of the project will be fast tracked and completed under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

It’s important to state that the FGN Power Company has started working on other priority brownfield and Greenfield projects in target load centres across the country. Special attention is also being paid to the execution of systems and products to enhance grid resilience and stability to reduce the frequent occurrences of grid disturbances.

In December 2024, Minister of Power Adelabu commissioned the mobile substation in Saapade, a suburb of Shagamu in Ogun State. This has enhanced power evacuation and delivery to industrial customers within the Shagamu hub. Similarly, another mobile substation was commissioned at the Ajibode area of the University of Ibadan to enhance power delivery to the university community and adjoining areas. Before then, mobile substations and power transformers have been commissioned and energized in Ajah Lagos, Mando Kano, Jebba Kwara State, Okene Kogi, Amukpe Delta, Potiskum Yobe, Apo Abuja and Ihovbor Edo.

While the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative is going on, President Tinubu has equally inaugurated the Presidential Metering Initiative, which aims to increase the rate of smart metering of all customers in a commercially sustainable manner. The roll out of the metering solutions has started. It is expected that the combined impact of assets upgrade through Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and metering through the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), coupled with efforts of subnational electricity markets will bring lasting solutions to the challenges of electricity supply in Nigeria.

With President Tinubu’s committed leadership, the parlous state of the power sector will be reversed, and Nigerians and the economy will experience a new lease of life with reliable electricity supply that will geometrically increase productive activities. Indeed, the president’s strategic approach to resolving the multifaceted challenges in the power sector is yielding visible results. The restructuring of the tariff regime, intervention in the commercial imbroglio on gas supply, additional investments in infrastructure through PPI, enactment of the new Electricity Act which provides legal framework for further decentralisation of the sector and devolution of more responsibilities to the subnational governments, are all part of the renewed hope agenda for the power sector to bring sustainable solutions.

-Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity