Adeola Fayehun Interviews President Buhari

Letter to President Buhari: Prof Willie Siyanbola is your best bet for Nigeria's S&T sector

Mr. President,

I find it incumbent upon myself to write this letter to you as a way of contributing to the development of our dear nation, Nigeria. Let me first congratulate Your Excellency on reaching the 100 days milestone in your administration. I sincerely believe you have started our nation in the right direction though some of us would have been more comfortable if the appointments you have made so far had been more sensitive to our nation's geopolitical make-up. I am writing at this time because anytime from now, you will send your nominees for ministerial position to the Senate for screening and approval. Uncle Bob Dee has always affirmed that you are a listening president, and you confirmed this when you invited him for a chat after his ‘desperate’ letter to you. Uncle Bob Dee’s attestations that you have listening ears gave me the encouragement to write this letter to you. So I really hope you get to read this letter or hear about it from your media relations team. And I want to state here that I am not writing to get an invitation to have a chat with you. I dare not class myself in the league of the Dele Momodus and Japheth Omojuwas of this world, at least not yet. But I really really desire that after reading my letter, you will sound out Professor Willie Siyanbola or make your findings about this wonderful Nigerian. That does not mean I do not desire to meet you, Mr. President (who wouldn’t?) or that I do not want to enter Aso Rock. But that is not the aim of this piece. My aim is to see Nigeria move forward.

I will like to state here, Mr. President that I am one of those who are anxious to see your administration perform creditably. Just like many of your numerous supporters, I have taken a lot of flak for throwing my support behind you, and at the risk of sounding sycophantic, I have not had any reason to regret supporting you and casting my vote for you. Though I honestly would have wished things could move faster under your administration, I understand that these things take time and that many of us not privy to the information at your disposal may not appreciate the enormity of what you met on ground upon taking over government. I also understand that slow and steady wins the race (Sincerely, no pun is intended here; those calling you Baba Go-Slow will come to appreciate your style of governance).

So Mr. President, my aim of writing this letter is to suggest to you a wonderful Nigerian, a gift to our motherland, a patriotic Nigerian, an astute administrator, a scientist per excellence and a well-travelled Nigerian for the position of the Minister of Science and Technology, and whatever other ministries you decide to combine with the Ministry of Science and Technology. Mr. President, if there is any man you need to man the area of science and technology in your administration, Professor. Willie Siyanbola is the man! Professor Siyanbola is the right man to drive Nigeria’s development through science and technology. If there is anyone with the qualifications and enormous experience to give impetus to the science and technology sector in Nigeria, Professor Siyanbola is the one to give the job. At the risk of sounding repetitive and myopic, I want to say that Professor Siyanbola’s track records prove that if Nigeria is to move of out the doldrums into the promised land, he is the best man for the job!

Professor Siyanbola is a man who understands clearly, the steps Nigeria needs to take to achieve the development level of other developed nations. Mr. President, you only need to sit with this man for a few minutes to realise that he is unmistakably the right person to lead the way out of Egypt and into the Promised Land in the area of development. It took Professor Siyanbola ony a few minutes to convince President Obasanjo to spare many agencies of the Ministry of Science and Technology that were to be scrapped then. He was also able to convince former President Obasanjo to elevate the status of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) from that of a parastatal to an Agency. These are only a few examples of how much this unusual Nigerian convincingly talks about science and technology, and its importance to any nation that is serious about development.

Professor Siyanbola led NACETEM to play a vital role in the development of the new national Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy for Nigeria. It is noteworthy that for the first time, based on the input of NACETEM, the concept of “innovation” was introduced into the Policy. Mr. President, being the person who spearheaded the review of the National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation, I believe professor Siyanbola is in the best position to jumpstart the implementation of this Policy, so that in a few years from now, the nation can begin to experience the prospects outlined in the Policy. And may I add Your Excellency, that some countries are now using Nigeria's new STI policy as a template for developing their own STI policy.

While I am not unaware of the fact that you have been making consultations on who to appoint as your ministers, I want to say that if you have delayed until now in nominating your ministers, you should still be able to give the candidature of Professor Siyanbola a serious thought. I assume you are not obliged to make all ministerial appointments at once. I am making this passionate appeal because I am convinced you want to see Nigeria move forward. Please find out about this rare gift to our nation before taking your decision on who will take charge of Nigeria's science and technology ministry. I do not need to suggest how to get information on this genius God has blessed this nation with but contacting the last four of five ministers of science and technology might be an option, or contacting the permanent secretaries who have served in the ministry.

Mr. President, my appeal is borne out of a patriotic desire to see Nigeria make the quantum leap in technological development. I want to see Nigeria ride up the ladder of development. I want to see Nigeria take its rightful place in the league of developed nations. I strongly desire to see Nigeria a preferred destination for investors, tourists, students and persons from all walks of life. My overriding desire is to see your government perform creditably and change the fortunes of this nation. I want to see your administration lay a solid foundation for development for succeeding administrations. I want to see your administration succeed. I want to see your name etched in gold in the history of our dear nation.

I look forward to a positive response to this letter, Your Excellency.

Yours faithfully,
Darasimi Oshodi

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Nigeria’s leader Buhari may be the least corrupt in Africa – Washington Post

Article written by Sudarsan Raghavan for Washington Post

By the standards of sub-Saharan African leaders, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is dirt-poor.

According to a statement released by his government, he has $150,000 in his savings account. He owns five homes and two mud houses, an orchard and ranch with 270 head of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses and a variety of birds. He has bought two cars from his savings

“President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no oil wells,” reads the statement released by the spokesman, Garba Shehu, describing the president’s assets as “Spartan.”

The question on many minds is this: Is Buhari, Nigeria’s former military ruler and ex-head of the oil ministry, telling the truth?

Corruption, after all, is a major problem in Africa’s largest economy. Buhari himself has publicly said that more than $150 billion is missing from the government’s coffers. Still, the public declaration appears to be an attempt to show some much-needed transparency. Buhari was elected in March largely by promising that he wouldn’t tolerate corruption.

What’s clear is that Buhari has done what his predecessors — and most other African leaders — have never done.

Consider these five other African leaders. They have been labeled by Forbes Magazine as the “five worst leaders in Africa.”

1. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea

He’s Africa’s longest-serving ruler, an autocrat who leads the tiny, oil-rich West African nation of Equatorial Guinea. Despite its vast natural wealth, the majority of its people live in deep poverty with no access to clean drinking water, proper educational or health facilities. One fifth of children die before age 5. The money has gone into the pockets of Mbasogo and his family. They own luxury properties in the United States and other countries, a private jet and a fleet of luxury cars.

2. José Eduardo dos Santos, president of Angola

He’s Africa’s second-longest-serving leader. Angola is the continent’s second-largest oil producer, and one of the biggest suppliers of oil to the United States. It also has massive diamond deposits. Dos Santos’s relatives hold key positions in his government and control a huge share of Angola’s economy, amid widespread allegations of corruption. Nearly 70 percent of the population lives in dire poverty, and a third of the nation’s children are malnourished.

3. Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe

He has ruled the southern African nation for a quarter-century. He was the architect of controversial policies, most notably the seizure of white-owned commercial farms. Though the country in recent years has seen an economic rebound, Mugabe remains one of the continent’s most autocratic rulers. He wields nearly total control of government institutions, and his loyalists have used violence to retain control. Human rights abuses are rife, while unemployment remains among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

4. Omar Al-Bashir, president of Sudan

Bashir seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1989 and has since disbanded political parties, the nation’s parliament and many privately-owned media outlets. Under his rule, civil war erupted, in which more than 1 million people were killed. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court at the Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the killing and rape of civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region. A U.S. diplomatic cable, leaked by Wikileaks, unveiled that Bashir may have stolen as much as $9 billion from state coffers and deposited it into his private bank accounts in Great Britain.

5. King Mswati III, king of Swaziland

He is the continent’s last reigning monarch, presiding over a nation with one of the world’s highest HIV rates, where average life expectancy — 33 years — is among the lowest in the world. Despite his people’s suffering, the king leads a lavish life with a taste for luxury cars, first-class travel and expensive parties, even as the nation’s economy is in dire straits.

Source: http://africanspotlight.com/2015/09/05/nigerias-leader-buhari-may-be-the-least-corrupt-in-africa-washington-post/

A new sheriff is in town by Femi Adesina

Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly come to town.

Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years after he had been toppled from power as military head of state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today, and will surely echo for a long time to come.

On a day like this, you would expect a presidential spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I'll rather talk of, while we leave the tangibles till some other day.

Oh, he's escaping. There are no concrete achievements, some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task Force, the openness displayed about government finances and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn't pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would promote transparency and accountability in governance, the disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh!
When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing, the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things then pass away, behold, everything becomes new.

Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30 years.
But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught.

Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts. Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems? No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore! The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown to the President, he did something. He had swept into town with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results. And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen somebody!

Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015 general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise, as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is something that does not come cheap.

And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June, just one month into office, and with the plugging of some leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29 billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with holes.

An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance. They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the country.

Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the process. Surely, greater days are ahead.

Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days. And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then you can begin to run.

President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the situation by sheer force of persoo w w
Onality and presence. The Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who had bled our treasury to the point of death. They'll have stories to tell.

Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari