By Igbotako Nowinta
The anarchistic and brazen invasion of the High Court of competent jurisdiction handling the Sowore’s high profile case, by overzealous operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) is the highest point of utter disregard for the sanctity of the hallowed judicial chambers and fundamental human rights of Nigerians. In trying to protect or shield the Muhammadu Buhari administration from falling into the gutter of stagnation and ridicule, the DSS instead has unconsciously created a climate of terror, fear and caused a tragic mess for the ruling APC, signposting Nigeria’s biggest disgrace in the global community. In appropriating powers that the Constitution does not award it, the Department of State Security Services (DSS) under Yusuf Mogaji Bichi is setting a dreary pattern just like what was available under Mamman Daura, who was eventually stripped of his powers by Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, on August 7th, 2018. It must be recalled that our rights were systematically whittled down and brazenly swallowed up under the Director-Generalship of Mamman Daura. Really, the DSS’s behavior in rearresting Omoyele Sowore was a disastrously miscalculated gamble, a surrender of the machinery of democracy to the aberration of lawlessness, whereas good governance and lawlessness are strange bedfellows.
Just as it was in previous years, the year 2019 recorded some controversial issues that affected the fundamental dimension bordering on the Nigerian nation.
The much anticipated 2019 General Elections in Nigeria came and was gone leaving its historical knocks and lessons, not after it saw the dramatic wholesale yanking of all the names of elective candidates of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), off the scale of government in Zamfara and Rivers States, by the judicial declarations that became a stunning reality.
The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from bottom to the apex echelon became instant beneficiaries of the poorly managed internal wrangling that arose from the primaries, which tormented the APC in Zamfara and Rivers States to pieces.
Thus, the party that came second in the above mentioned States as a result of the general elections there rode on majestically to power, courtesy of the historic judicial verdict that is still dazing the ruling party in the affected states to stupor.The political logjam playing out in the so called ‘heart beat’ state in Nigeria, (Edo State) is an issue that is still trending.
Incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, a political nonentity, who was railrolled into power in a controversial manner in 2016, is fighting the political battles of his life, and he is panting excruciatingly to outpace his greatest political benefactor and erstwhile godfather in Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the ex-Governor of the state.
Many political watchers have dubbed Governor Godwin Obaseki as an ingrate, who has allowed his ‘political kwashiorkor’ to snowball into the present theatre of the absurd presently cracking the state into the pieces of unnecessary tension, agony and fear, a lot equally are celebrating the takedown of Oshiomhole as a neo-godfather in Edo State.
The reintroduction of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a shameless serial political decampee, by the powers that be in Edo State, to confront the Godwin Obaseki camp is a very sad story. It is a classic example of how many politicians have lost their souls in Nigeria.
It is sad because the political elite in Edo State have simply played out their Machiavellian tactics of feathering their selfish egocentric interests, far and above the wishes and genuine aspirations of the electorate.
If not, what dose Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu want now by coming back to APC from the PDP to consume his political vomits of the last four years? May l ask that: in 2020, will those specialists in usurpation of the mandate of the people succeed in Edo State? Only time will tell!
The economic challenges that confronted the Federal Government in Nigeria plunged the mass of the people further into the ocean of hyperinflation, untold hunger, deprivation, and painfully graduated into the first ever blanket closure of Nigeria’s land borders.
The price of rice and other staple essential commodities skyrocketed into high heavens and gradually led to the mighty revival of the patronization of the indigenous rice in Nigeria.
What of the controversial ‘hate speech bill’ that has been consumed by the endless fire of criticism in Nigeria!
The ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to control the social media, has resulted in the invention of the process in the National Assembly. The hope and prayers of many patriotic Nigerians is that this unfolding development will not turn out to be a borrowed relic of the past (talking about the 1983 military draconian decree) when Buhari was Nigeria’s Military Dictator.
The National Assembly members in the year 2019 not only made themselves a bunch of shameless rubber stamps to the Executive arm of government, but a hollow assemblage that did not have any feeling for the state of the country, by asking for such an outrageous amount of money to renovate the complex cum edifice built in 1999, as we have seen in the recently signed Budget by the President.
These present crops of law makers have shown that they don’t desire real democratic dividends for the masses who are presently bathing in the waters of severe and wide spread poverty; that what they only desire is the fruits of democracy for themselves and the indefinite expression of their vain powers.
Nigerians earnestly demand from the legislators in Abuja, to justify how that budgeted monstrous billions of naira should be used for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.
How did the already signed 2020 Budgetary contents scale through the fingers of Mr. President without detecting or raising an eye brow that the budgetary allocations for health and education are meagre compared to the whopping 37 billion naira earmarked for face lifting the Buildings within the nation’s National Assembly.
A glance at the signed 2020 Budget shows that the National Assembly is allocated 125 billion naira, while the Ministry of Defense is allocated 127 billion naira; the Health sector is given 46 billion naira; the education section is given 48 billion while 262 billion is allocated to works etc. It is clear from the above that the legislators don’t ever joke with their own welfare at all!
In the year 2019, a court of competent jurisdiction, based in Lagos, gladdened my heart and concurred with my earlier published submission, when it ruled courageously that the pension laws adopted by various States in the Federation for ex- governors etc. was unconstitutional, null and void, querying that the law was cleverly manipulated to favor a greedy few in our midst; a terrible bench mark for profligacy so to say.
That decision by the court was one of the boldest stances ever made to curtail incredible excesses and irresponsibility of the present civilian system.
Towards the end of the year 2019, Mr. President went to Egypt to announce the now trending news of “Visa on Arrival policy “meant to boost trade, tourism and the rest. Now how will that policy work in Nigeria looking at our legendary weakness as a country? We are waiting and watching with eagerness.
Of all the issues in the news in 2019, the ordeal of Omoyele Sowore who allegedly dreamt of ‘revolution’ is the most fundamental to me, because of its significance to the democratic health and freedom of speech in Nigeria.
The anarchistic and brazen invasion of the High Court of competent jurisdiction handling the Sowore’s high profile case, by overzealous operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) is the highest point of utter disregard for the sanctity of the hallowed judicial chambers and fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
In trying to protect or shield the Muhammadu Buhari administration from falling into the gutter of stagnation and ridicule, the DSS instead has unconsciously created a climate of terror, fear and caused a tragic mess for the ruling APC, signposting Nigeria’s biggest disgrace in the global community.
In appropriating powers that the Constitution does not award it, the Department of State Security Services (DSS) under Yusuf Mogaji Bichi is setting a dreary pattern just like what was available under Mamman Daura, who was eventually stripped of his powers by Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, on August 7th, 2018.
It must be recalled that our rights were systematically whittled down and brazenly swallowed up under the Director-Generalship of Mamman Daura. Really, the DSS’s behavior in rearresting Omoyele Sowore was a disastrously miscalculated gamble, a surrender of the machinery of democracy to the aberration of lawlessness, whereas good governance and lawlessness are strange bedfellows.
In spite of his past miscalculation, misgivings or misjudgment and alleged unholy alliance with the APC that produced a merciless rattling and routing of all what former President Goodluck Jonathan ever stood for, using the instrumentality of the Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore must never be sliced to pieces inside the periphery of statutory constitutional provisions in our land today.
The Muhammadu Buhari presidency in allowing the American government via the new Ambassador here in Nigeria, to pressurize it to release Omoyele Sowore and Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) has missed its way inside the corridor of democratic sensibility; has shown its incapability to understand the sanctity and sacredness of the letters and spirits of fundamental human and democratic rights, even in trying to prevent wholesale opposition or insurrection as the case might be.
The Senate is yet to probe the alleged DSS invasion. Enemies of democracy and sanitized due process of law should be flushed out. Mamman Daura’s treatment should be reenacted against those flirting with gangsterism and military mentality; those who want to take us to the era of madness, making our country look like one without Constitution; leaving our people without the meagre of rights, the likes of Yusuf Bichi should be thrown out before he commits another blunder.
Come to think about the present scenario involving Omoyele Sowore, a society devoid of the likes of Sowore who throw themselves up now and then to stagger the ruling party, to make those in authority to look at their excesses is doomed to crash into the state of anarchy.
There is no sane democratic system without a form of opposition such as we see now and then in Europe and America and Asia. Dissenters and critics are indeed supposed to make a democratic setting complete, anything contrary is not democratic culture but full blown anarchistic dictatorship.
As a way of recommendation the DSS must be restructured and trimmed to behave within the pages of the law. President Buhari must introduce an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to stipulate penalties for corrupt practices in line with the policy innovations he has generated so far in power.
That will be a long way in handling the scientific stealing cases that have become tragic realities, and ultimately help in stopping the tap of corruption from running uninterruptedly.
The case in point is that of the former Governor of Abia State, who is currently cooling off inside the prison cell for his abuse of power and money laundry. How do you make these scientific thieves to account for every kobo they stole using their unhindered access to power in Nigeria?
Such conduit pipes like Orji Uzor Kalu must be blocked from sneaking into our resources and treasury. This bill that will emanate from the Presidency will go a long way to block leakages in this direction, as most of our statutory provisions have become out dated and moribund.
The First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, has been talking about cabalistic elements, diversion of loyalty in the present presidency. Therefore avaricious hand of cabalism should be nipped in the bud.
We are unlikely to see fewer obstacles to the establishment of pluralistic and quality democracy in 2020, as there are going to be Governorship Elections in Edo and other places, just as we saw the usual mudslinging, character assassinations, half-truth, naked lies displayed by desperate politicians in the year 2019.
As we march slowly into the year 2020, the authorities should never forget that the level of alienation in our clime is appalling. In spite of the spirited efforts being displayed by President Buhari, there is mass disaffection arising from the present imperfections in the distribution of natural, physical and financial resources.
Finally, still reflecting on Omoyele Sowore as my ‘personal man of the year’ 2019, the Yusuf Mogaji Bichi of our country should know that if the people rise the most efficient police or military force can be caught napping.
