Shall We Transit Please?
Africa has the youngest population in the world with a median age of 19.5 years.
Nigeria has a much younger population with a median age put at 17.9 years. The median age of the world population is 27 years.
The average age of Presidents in Africa is 72 years, while the global average is 52 years.
Do we wonder why Africa can't be up to speed?
The youthful population wants to run with incredible digital speed, but the grandpas leading the continent slows down the whole process with analog mindsets, and in some cases, completely ground the process.
We no longer need 70+ year old to contest for election at any level. We must make progress. And progress means that the grandpas, with deep sense of patriotism, leaves the political stage to allow for generational shift. It's a conscious choice they have to make.
I don't agree with those who say young aspirants in Nigeria should throw their hat into the ring to contest against the generation that has known power since their youth.
That old generation has impoverished the masses, destroyed the public school system so that the children of the masses continue the cycle of poverty. This is what the old guards leverage on to throw money around and buy votes. The old guards have all the apparatus of State at their disposal to manipulate the electioneering process to the detriment of the young aspirant who only has possibly, his vision and programme for a better, bigger and greater Nigeria.
I think naivety will be the first victim of a political process where the old guards are still well entrenched.
But good news is that the old guards are split. If events of last couple of weeks are anything to go by, open letters flying the skies, then I think majority of the old guards have turned their back on their own. How much of that will aid the ambition and aspiration of a new and younger generation of politicians would be watched by many.
I want to see a Nigeria where Europeans and Americans will be so eager to have visas to visit Nigeria just the way Nigerians have always been eager to have visas to go to Europe and America. I want to see a Nigeria where Nigerians will be happy and proud to be Nigerians anywhere in the world.
A New But Ugly Shadow:
I know being young doesn't necessarily translate into effective and value-adding leadership. We are already seeing a new generation of dictators in Africa who are young and want to perpetuate themselves in power. They use repression and continuous changing of the goal posts.
I know Faure Gnassingbé of Togo is 51 years old, and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi is 54 years old. Both men are young and are "enjoying" power in its absolute sense and no matter what their people think, they want to continue to remain in power.
Barack Obama, former President of the United States, while visiting #Africa alluded to fact that the continent has raised strong men and not strong institutions. He was 55 when he left Office as President. He couldn't have stayed in Office after two terms even if he wanted to.
Much as I strongly believe that the starting point to transform, develop and move Nigeria forward is to release the old guards into their well deserved retirement and younger generation picks the baton of leadership to run with, I also believe there is need for a deep and conscious political awakening beyond what we currently see, one that brings all of us to the circle of leadership, one that ensures that our collective DREAM of a Better, Bigger and Greater Nigeria , having been entrusted to a younger President via ballot, is not left unfollowed till next election. Our conversation, political conversation must further gain width and depth.
The System That Is Failing Us:
A child born in 1999 has already clocked 18 years and eligible to vote. S/he belong to the social media age and we constantly see what they post, share and trend. When I hear adults criticize these young people saying they don't know what they want, I frown.
What these young people want is limited to the options Government has made available to them. And given that the median age of our population is 17.9 years, it is safe to conclude that half of the population is not covered by any deliberate Government dev plan.
Otherwise, why is our education system in comatose after 18years of promises and promises by politicians? The system that should mould kids responsibly into young adulthood has been left to deteriorate. Hence if Nigerian youths don't know what they want, it's because Government has failed to develop the system that moulds them.
Why are students across the United States able to find the courage and articulation to engage politicians to address the problem of school shootings? Because the School system, private & public, is moulding them for leadership. In Nigeria , students march on streets to call on politicians to contest election. They have no plan to invite the politicians to Town hall, to engage the politicians on the issues bothering on their future.
So, when you say Nigerian youths don't know what they want, you should also think about the failure of Government and the political elite to create the system that helps kids develop. And that is the education system.
Education isn't just about passing or failing examinations. It's about the total development of a child that is expected to grow into responsible adulthood, take on leadership role and assert him/herself in life.
We need an elected President who knows what our education system needs and what to do to ensure those needs are met. We must take care of the future of our children. Every child on the street must be taken care of educationally.
The Jobless Fixers In Government:
Nigeria is not bereft of ideas. We have eggheads in the bureaucracy and political space. Why we're not increasing our pace of development as a Nation is the question we should ask ourselves.
Nigeria can boast of a pool of trained & talented technocrats in government who continue to attend government-sponsored world class training programmes with requisite exposure, and on any given day, can match their counterparts from any part of the world in terms of noble ideas.
I agree that a very minute % of the population have access and enjoys the human and career development opportunities government recurrent budgets provides for annually, but what this minute % can bring to the table in pursuit of national development has not been optimized. An infinitesimal proportion of their knowledge pool has only been harnessed. Nothing is tasking them. Nigeria trains them without letting them develop her.
Some brilliant technocrats in civil service/government who could have defined and crystallized a great Nigeria have been lost to a system that corrupted them. Though they were trained to think "nation first", the system reconditioned them to think "me first".
This is the challenge the future President of Nigeria must stand up to address. Put your technocrats to work. They're in every sector. Task them. Together with them, re-engineer the system that corrupts and limits them. Then, we can say we are unstoppable as a Nation.
Religion And State:
I've been asked, "Why are you opposed to religion?" I'm not opposed to religion. Religion itself is not a problem. But where it interferes with State in a manner that obstruct the smooth running of State or in manner that it exacts pressure on State resources to run itself, then religion becomes a problem.
I believe those who want to practise religion are free to do so. They're free to associate on the basis of their Faith. What I think is wrong is dragging the State into what ought to be individual convictions and beliefs of God. We need the State to run as the State, not as religious organization. That's how we can make progress.
The State has constitutional responsibility to care for all citizens, protect all citizens, be fair to all citizens, integrate all citizens into its plans and programmes, whether they believe in God or not.
That is why I think it is wrong to ask in any government form or by any government official in any transaction whatsoever, "What is your religion?"
Herder-Farmer Clashes:
We can rationalize issues. We can politicize issues. We can justify claims and counter claims. We can cheer and jeer those in Govt. At the end of the day, this Nation is ours. As we lay our bed, so shall we lie on it. Nigerians are been killed everyday. What is going on?
Here in Lagos, one wonders if all the daily News about the killings in the North Central due to herdsmen-farmers feud is fake news. But the reality is that lives are lost to this feud that one couldn't imagine before now.
By allowing the feud to degenerate into unabated bloodbath, with the killers emboldened in their impunity, the politicians are indeed implying that they can't solve the problem or they're unwilling to solve the problem.
If all that our federal lawmakers are worried about is election sequencing, how they'll veto Mr President, and they're not helping to find common grounds around the Anti-Grazing Laws in states affected by the herdsmen-farmers feud, it's a SHAME.
There is no military solution to the herdsmen-farmers feud. Only a political solution is feasible. If the National Assembly can find the Will, they can initiate and construct a political algorithm to end the crises. The Legislature is needed in times like this.
It's important to stress here that there is a clear distinction between the herdsmen-farmers feud and the Boko Haram insurgency. The issues around the two are different, so the strategies adopted by the State to deal with the two must be different.
I've held this view and I still do. There can't be military solution to the herder-farmer clashes. We must explore the possibility of other options. We must bring them on to the table. I've recommended a Truth And Reconciliation Committee to be constituted by Government to broker peace between the herder community and the farmer community with the overall intent to find lasting solution to the recurring crises.
Labor And Nominal Wage:
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. Many workers who have their kids in public schools should be able to derive satisfaction that their kids are getting quality education.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. The workers and their families should be able to access quality and affordable healthcare in our public hospitals.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than nominal wage. Our medical professionals and others should be protected from occupational hazards. Workers welfare should be paramount. They should have the tools to work with without having to take unnecessary risks.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. Beyond annual rhetorics of May 1st, Nigerians working in public sector, private sector and those having small businesses, deserve a better deal. Govt must commit to improving the living standard.
Do we have stats on how many Nigerians die from generator related accidents because they need to provide electricity for their homes? The stats could be disturbing. If the problem of power is largely solved, Nigerian Worker will be happy.
Our concern shouldn't be so much about those who plunged us into this ditch, but about those who are today and in the future saddled with the responsibility to get us out of the ditch.
Advice For Future President:
There are well entrenched obstacles that DOES limit the performance of any President of Nigeria . But the future President should be seen not to be helpless like his/her predecessors.
The future President must leave the Rock more often, interact with the barriers, work with the builders of the barriers to demolish the barriers. S/he must find the COURAGE to provide leadership for the Country.
The future President must have a clear VISION and DIRECTION for Nigeria , and before assuming Office, S/he knows and understand what tasks lies ahead. From Day 1 of assuming Office as President, it'll be clear that the tasks ahead are achievable.
Nigeria's future President knows S/he is as good as the quality of the Team S/he is able to assemble. Hence, while ensuring equitable distribution of appointments across the Country, both political & technocratic, S/he knows what the Team Mix should be.
Nigeria 's future President's Team must comprise of people who are restless and eager to make a difference in governance, who knows what the real stakes are in moving #Nigeria away from analog development era to a digital new age.
Nigeria 's future President knows the method to adopt to handle the numerous complexities of Nigeria is to allow governance leverage on those complexities. S/he knows his/her real political associates are the masses. S/he is committed to their expectations.
[ Updated Below On June 12, 2018. ]
June 12 -- Democracy Day:
Andrew Adedayo Adetoye
Africa has the youngest population in the world with a median age of 19.5 years.
Nigeria has a much younger population with a median age put at 17.9 years. The median age of the world population is 27 years.
The average age of Presidents in Africa is 72 years, while the global average is 52 years.
Do we wonder why Africa can't be up to speed?
The youthful population wants to run with incredible digital speed, but the grandpas leading the continent slows down the whole process with analog mindsets, and in some cases, completely ground the process.
We no longer need 70+ year old to contest for election at any level. We must make progress. And progress means that the grandpas, with deep sense of patriotism, leaves the political stage to allow for generational shift. It's a conscious choice they have to make.
I don't agree with those who say young aspirants in Nigeria should throw their hat into the ring to contest against the generation that has known power since their youth.
That old generation has impoverished the masses, destroyed the public school system so that the children of the masses continue the cycle of poverty. This is what the old guards leverage on to throw money around and buy votes. The old guards have all the apparatus of State at their disposal to manipulate the electioneering process to the detriment of the young aspirant who only has possibly, his vision and programme for a better, bigger and greater Nigeria.
I think naivety will be the first victim of a political process where the old guards are still well entrenched.
But good news is that the old guards are split. If events of last couple of weeks are anything to go by, open letters flying the skies, then I think majority of the old guards have turned their back on their own. How much of that will aid the ambition and aspiration of a new and younger generation of politicians would be watched by many.
I want to see a Nigeria where Europeans and Americans will be so eager to have visas to visit Nigeria just the way Nigerians have always been eager to have visas to go to Europe and America. I want to see a Nigeria where Nigerians will be happy and proud to be Nigerians anywhere in the world.
A New But Ugly Shadow:
I know being young doesn't necessarily translate into effective and value-adding leadership. We are already seeing a new generation of dictators in Africa who are young and want to perpetuate themselves in power. They use repression and continuous changing of the goal posts.
I know Faure Gnassingbé of Togo is 51 years old, and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi is 54 years old. Both men are young and are "enjoying" power in its absolute sense and no matter what their people think, they want to continue to remain in power.
Barack Obama, former President of the United States, while visiting #Africa alluded to fact that the continent has raised strong men and not strong institutions. He was 55 when he left Office as President. He couldn't have stayed in Office after two terms even if he wanted to.
Much as I strongly believe that the starting point to transform, develop and move Nigeria forward is to release the old guards into their well deserved retirement and younger generation picks the baton of leadership to run with, I also believe there is need for a deep and conscious political awakening beyond what we currently see, one that brings all of us to the circle of leadership, one that ensures that our collective DREAM of a Better, Bigger and Greater Nigeria , having been entrusted to a younger President via ballot, is not left unfollowed till next election. Our conversation, political conversation must further gain width and depth.
The System That Is Failing Us:
A child born in 1999 has already clocked 18 years and eligible to vote. S/he belong to the social media age and we constantly see what they post, share and trend. When I hear adults criticize these young people saying they don't know what they want, I frown.
What these young people want is limited to the options Government has made available to them. And given that the median age of our population is 17.9 years, it is safe to conclude that half of the population is not covered by any deliberate Government dev plan.
Otherwise, why is our education system in comatose after 18years of promises and promises by politicians? The system that should mould kids responsibly into young adulthood has been left to deteriorate. Hence if Nigerian youths don't know what they want, it's because Government has failed to develop the system that moulds them.
Why are students across the United States able to find the courage and articulation to engage politicians to address the problem of school shootings? Because the School system, private & public, is moulding them for leadership. In Nigeria , students march on streets to call on politicians to contest election. They have no plan to invite the politicians to Town hall, to engage the politicians on the issues bothering on their future.
So, when you say Nigerian youths don't know what they want, you should also think about the failure of Government and the political elite to create the system that helps kids develop. And that is the education system.
Education isn't just about passing or failing examinations. It's about the total development of a child that is expected to grow into responsible adulthood, take on leadership role and assert him/herself in life.
We need an elected President who knows what our education system needs and what to do to ensure those needs are met. We must take care of the future of our children. Every child on the street must be taken care of educationally.
The Jobless Fixers In Government:
Nigeria is not bereft of ideas. We have eggheads in the bureaucracy and political space. Why we're not increasing our pace of development as a Nation is the question we should ask ourselves.
Nigeria can boast of a pool of trained & talented technocrats in government who continue to attend government-sponsored world class training programmes with requisite exposure, and on any given day, can match their counterparts from any part of the world in terms of noble ideas.
I agree that a very minute % of the population have access and enjoys the human and career development opportunities government recurrent budgets provides for annually, but what this minute % can bring to the table in pursuit of national development has not been optimized. An infinitesimal proportion of their knowledge pool has only been harnessed. Nothing is tasking them. Nigeria trains them without letting them develop her.
Some brilliant technocrats in civil service/government who could have defined and crystallized a great Nigeria have been lost to a system that corrupted them. Though they were trained to think "nation first", the system reconditioned them to think "me first".
This is the challenge the future President of Nigeria must stand up to address. Put your technocrats to work. They're in every sector. Task them. Together with them, re-engineer the system that corrupts and limits them. Then, we can say we are unstoppable as a Nation.
Religion And State:
I've been asked, "Why are you opposed to religion?" I'm not opposed to religion. Religion itself is not a problem. But where it interferes with State in a manner that obstruct the smooth running of State or in manner that it exacts pressure on State resources to run itself, then religion becomes a problem.
I believe those who want to practise religion are free to do so. They're free to associate on the basis of their Faith. What I think is wrong is dragging the State into what ought to be individual convictions and beliefs of God. We need the State to run as the State, not as religious organization. That's how we can make progress.
The State has constitutional responsibility to care for all citizens, protect all citizens, be fair to all citizens, integrate all citizens into its plans and programmes, whether they believe in God or not.
That is why I think it is wrong to ask in any government form or by any government official in any transaction whatsoever, "What is your religion?"
Herder-Farmer Clashes:
We can rationalize issues. We can politicize issues. We can justify claims and counter claims. We can cheer and jeer those in Govt. At the end of the day, this Nation is ours. As we lay our bed, so shall we lie on it. Nigerians are been killed everyday. What is going on?
Here in Lagos, one wonders if all the daily News about the killings in the North Central due to herdsmen-farmers feud is fake news. But the reality is that lives are lost to this feud that one couldn't imagine before now.
By allowing the feud to degenerate into unabated bloodbath, with the killers emboldened in their impunity, the politicians are indeed implying that they can't solve the problem or they're unwilling to solve the problem.
If all that our federal lawmakers are worried about is election sequencing, how they'll veto Mr President, and they're not helping to find common grounds around the Anti-Grazing Laws in states affected by the herdsmen-farmers feud, it's a SHAME.
There is no military solution to the herdsmen-farmers feud. Only a political solution is feasible. If the National Assembly can find the Will, they can initiate and construct a political algorithm to end the crises. The Legislature is needed in times like this.
It's important to stress here that there is a clear distinction between the herdsmen-farmers feud and the Boko Haram insurgency. The issues around the two are different, so the strategies adopted by the State to deal with the two must be different.
I've held this view and I still do. There can't be military solution to the herder-farmer clashes. We must explore the possibility of other options. We must bring them on to the table. I've recommended a Truth And Reconciliation Committee to be constituted by Government to broker peace between the herder community and the farmer community with the overall intent to find lasting solution to the recurring crises.
Labor And Nominal Wage:
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. Many workers who have their kids in public schools should be able to derive satisfaction that their kids are getting quality education.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. The workers and their families should be able to access quality and affordable healthcare in our public hospitals.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than nominal wage. Our medical professionals and others should be protected from occupational hazards. Workers welfare should be paramount. They should have the tools to work with without having to take unnecessary risks.
Nigerian Workers deserve more than the nominal wage. Beyond annual rhetorics of May 1st, Nigerians working in public sector, private sector and those having small businesses, deserve a better deal. Govt must commit to improving the living standard.
Do we have stats on how many Nigerians die from generator related accidents because they need to provide electricity for their homes? The stats could be disturbing. If the problem of power is largely solved, Nigerian Worker will be happy.
Our concern shouldn't be so much about those who plunged us into this ditch, but about those who are today and in the future saddled with the responsibility to get us out of the ditch.
Advice For Future President:
There are well entrenched obstacles that DOES limit the performance of any President of Nigeria . But the future President should be seen not to be helpless like his/her predecessors.
The future President must leave the Rock more often, interact with the barriers, work with the builders of the barriers to demolish the barriers. S/he must find the COURAGE to provide leadership for the Country.
The future President must have a clear VISION and DIRECTION for Nigeria , and before assuming Office, S/he knows and understand what tasks lies ahead. From Day 1 of assuming Office as President, it'll be clear that the tasks ahead are achievable.
Nigeria's future President knows S/he is as good as the quality of the Team S/he is able to assemble. Hence, while ensuring equitable distribution of appointments across the Country, both political & technocratic, S/he knows what the Team Mix should be.
Nigeria 's future President's Team must comprise of people who are restless and eager to make a difference in governance, who knows what the real stakes are in moving #Nigeria away from analog development era to a digital new age.
Nigeria 's future President knows the method to adopt to handle the numerous complexities of Nigeria is to allow governance leverage on those complexities. S/he knows his/her real political associates are the masses. S/he is committed to their expectations.
[ Updated Below On June 12, 2018. ]
June 12 -- Democracy Day:
I've followed developments since the declaration of June12 by President Buhari as Democracy Day and today's posthumous conferment of National Honors by the President on those now regarded as the key actors.
For me, June12 goes beyond an individual, or group of individuals, or a tribe, or a geopolitical zone. June12 is a MOVEMENT whose spirit seeks a better, secured, just, and prosperous Nigeria for ALL Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion, political affiliation, or gender.
When under the previous administration of GEJ the UNILAG students protested the Change of name of their university that was made in honor of MKO Abiola, the students thought this was about a man.
In actual sense, it isn't about a man. June12 is about the collective DREAM of ALL Nigerians to have a Nation that works for us all, a Nation where TOLERANCE reigns, that nothing should divide us along ethnicity and religion in our quest to develop as a Nation.
With the recognition of June12 as
Democracy Day , I hope our politicians at all levels; ward level, LG level, state level and federal level, would henceforth change how they see Governance and leadership. That it is SERVICE to the PEOPLE.
Democracy Day , I hope our politicians at all levels; ward level, LG level, state level and federal level, would henceforth change how they see Governance and leadership. That it is SERVICE to the PEOPLE.
That is what everyone expected when they trooped out on June 12 , 1993, to vote and defend their collective choice putting their lives at risk. 25 years after, the June 12 MOVEMENT and SPIRIT lives on!
[ Updated Below On June 27, 2018. ]
[ Updated Below On June 27, 2018. ]
The Extant Police Structure And Nigeria's Security Challenge:
This colonial Police structure we've been running since independence has outlived its usefulness. It does not fit the realities of
Nigeria today, and it won't fit the realities of our quest to develop. It is anachronistic.
Nigeria today, and it won't fit the realities of our quest to develop. It is anachronistic.
A structure where all States CPs, AIGs, and DIGs report to and receives directive from the IGP, who himself is appointed by the President, is anachronistic in today's Nigeria . It makes it easy for CEOs of States, ie Governors, to be lukewarm about security of their States.
Where security completely collapses like the latest case in Plateau, given all the different interpretation to the causes of the massacre, it is difficult to hold the Governor accountable for loss of lives and properties.
But Governors as Chief Executive Officers should also be able to function as Chief Security Officers, and should be able to take responsibility for security of lives and properties in their States.
But the AIG and CP only take directive when it matters most from the IGP, and where the directive from a Governor conflicts with the IGP's, the IGP's supersedes. The extant Police structure is not helping to solve the security challenges.
There is inherent assumption in the extant Police structure: It assumes that Abuja knows and understands each and every state better than the Governors that are elected in those states to govern those states. There can be nothing farther from the truth.
As a citizen, I think in today's Nigeria Policing should be the primary business & responsibility of states, not the federal govt.
I think the federal govt should only have direct control over the Military, DSS, NIA, Customs, and NSCDC. (NSCDC can be reformed and upgraded to be an intervention security organ deployed to troubled spots where state police needs federal backup)
It is obvious that our Military is overstretched already, taking on several duties that are untraditional. This ought not to be if our security architecture is well laid out with Governors having to be the first responders to security threat in their states, not IGP in Abuja.
Some say Governors will abuse their powers if allowed to have state police under their control. I say the extant policing structure where all DIGs, AIGs and CPs wait for directive from Abuja is sickening and anachronistic.
I know that mediation plays much significant role in conflict resolution. This is largely lacking.
When security comes up as an issue during electioneering campaign for a Governor seeking reelection, he tells you he has no control over the Police. Anyone can get away with that excuse. Isn't it?
How do you measure a Governor's capacity to ensure security of lives and properties in his state when he has no Police to rally for that purpose? All he does is buy police vans and equipments for a Police that takes directive from Abuja.
Andrew Adedayo Adetoye
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