HARD VIEW (DISPENSABLE LIVES)

HARD VIEW

DISPENSABLE LIVES

Mother Nature could be beautiful, kind and nurturing, but she also has her dark moments. Floods, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones are all natural disasters that have the gargantuan capacity to destroy communities and indeed cities. The biggest most recent natural disaster was the Haiti earthquake in 2010 where an estimated 316,000 people were killed by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and a minimum of 52 aftershocks. As devastating as these events were, they were not preventable because they happened naturally. 

But when disasters are caused by man, it is inexcusable. Mankind has frequently created catastrophes that have devastated the immediate environment and taken countless innocent lives. The effects of chemical or radioactive spills are especially horrific to a person’s physical and mental state of health. The adverse effects resulting from chemicals are known to evoke a wide spectrum of biological responses in people, depending upon the extent of their exposure and its potential to interact with the person’s anatomical structures and physiological functions. These effects could finally result in clusters of disease or instantaneous death.

That is why when I shockingly learnt of the alleged dumping of harmful waste by the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KPRC), the NNPC subsidiary in Rido community of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, I was appalled. The community of Rido is about half a kilometre from KRPC with an estimated 30,000 people residing there. But between June 10 and 14, 2012, a powdery, dusty substance was dumped by contractors that were hired by the KRPC. Almost immediately, two human deaths were reported with a high death toll of dogs and chickens within the vicinity. At least six more deaths were reported within two weeks of this alleged callous crime; many children were admitted into the community’s only hospital and clinic. Many villagers experienced respiratory tract problems, as the fumes they inhaled were toxic and caused incessant, severe coughing. Even though children and animals alike had gone to the waste dump to pick wood and other things, those that did not go near the dump site experienced severe symptoms as the wind blew the powdery substance to nearby distances. The village head, nurses that work in the community and eyewitnesses have clarified the above facts.

The proprietor of Biams Integrated Farms, a farm located 500m from the vicinity of the waste dump, recorded the loss of 700 chickens in less than three hours, within four days of the waste’s dumping on their poultry farm. Staff employed at the farm complained of headaches and bloated stomachs. Justifiably, the matter is now in court and it would be inexcusable for the legal system not to take this matter with the seriousness it deserves. KINGS (Kaduna Integrity Groups), an NGO, has on behalf of the Rido community taken the matter up in court and a legal battle has been in the works since last year. Abdullahi Umar Ladan, leader of KINGS, has repeatedly called on the relevant authorities to come to the aid of the people in Rido Community by avoiding another illegal dumping of any toxic waste.

A veterinary doctor of Biams Integrated Farms, Abdul Ganiyu, spoke about the high mortality rate experienced with poultry on the farm. He also described some of the symptoms experienced by villagers, who described the smell of the waste as “having a tear-gas effect”. The victims spoke about taking painful breaths from the fumes of the waste.

Despite the fact that the waste has long been evacuated, residents of the community are still suffering from the effects of this traumatic event. The KEPA (Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency) has also confirmed that industrial waste was dumped in Rido community when KRPC refurbished some of its facilities. KEPA had informed KRPC that any waste to be dumped has to be done only with official clearance from KEPA, as industrial waste is a specialised waste and there are usually specific sites where these are dumped -- far away from community settlements. There have been futile promises by the affected government agencies to look fully into the matter but, till date, no impactful action has been taken on behalf of the people of this longsuffering community. The KRPC has continuously denied any misappropriate action taken by them, claiming that any dumping of waste was conducted by contractors. If indeed toxic waste was dumped by KRPC, then there need to be accountability by the organisation as well as adequate compensation for the victims.

Whatever the facts, a chemical incident has resulted as an unexpected, uncontrolled release of a chemical from its containment. The WHO defines a public- health incident as “where two or more members of the public are exposed (or threatened to be exposed) to a chemical.” In a majority of cases, it’s an acute release where the exposure and dose do not rise quickly and public health measures are not taken so promptly, even though the public- health concern can emerge suddenly and acutely. Chemicals enter our body through the eyes, skin, lung or digestive tract. The rate varies from different chemicals and the concentration of a chemical as well as length of time of exposure can have varying but ultimately damaging effects.

So how do we protect our people and environment from exposure to these chemical disasters? The federal government should set up procedures and organisations to ensure that the public- health management of any chemical incident is effective and comprehensive. In the case of the Rido community, it is apparent that the safety measures put in place were not adequate enough to protect them. At the local level, public- health authorities need to identify situations where chemical incidents could occur and assess the likely risks to exposed people, property and the environment. There should be facilities for emergency plan development and implementation. This means well- stocked pharmacies within a clinic, functional ambulances and highly trained staff attached to the clinics.

Vulnerability assessment, also known as community risk assessment (CRA) in the field of chemical incident management, is an assessment of the potential effects of a chemical incident in the local area. This is composed of four major steps: identification of hazardous chemical sites, identification of possible incident scenarios and exposure paths, identification of vulnerable populations, facilities and environments, and lastly estimation of health impact of potential chemical incidents and the requirements for health-care facilities sensitised on the dangers of such. There should also be proper monitoring of vulnerable areas with emergency phone lines available in preparation for any chemical incident.

In April 2010, a Maesrk Line vessel, “MV Nashville” was apprehended by the Nigerian Ports Authority. It was filled with toxic waste. In June 2010, a ship, “MV Gumel”, was detained in Lagos with several containers of toxic waste. Similarly, in 1988, radioactive waste was dumped in Koko, Delta State. The list seems endless. Ironically, in all these cases, the federal government sought substantial compensation for these crimes. There should not be double standard in how the crime of toxic waste dumping is investigated. 

Since it is proven that chemical waste has a long-lasting impact on our society and environment, all potential victims are entitled to compensation. Sadly, there can be no compensation for those innocent adults and children that lost their lives in 2012 in Rido community. A community’s basic right to coexist in peace and lead happy, healthy and productive lives has forever been blemished by the incident of chemical waste dump.

No matter how powerful or influential an organisation is, no one has the right to play God with innocent people’s lives. And if that unfortunate gamble is indeed taken, then, the culprits should be ready to not only face the wrath of God himself but be accountable to the proper authorities within the confines of our judicial system.

Hannatu Musawa

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Hard View (LORD OF THE AspiRINGS)

LORD OF THE AspiRINGS

I have a pitch for a great, blockbuster movie; I think I just may have to call Peter Jackson about it. My working title is “Lord of the AspiRings” and it goes something like this:

“A very powerful organization whose... inner functioning is concealed from non-members has covert meetings in which they strategize on ways they can hoard power within their group and deny anyone that is not part of them a fair shot. In a grand design, they agree that the best way to maintain that power is to rotate it exclusively between the members of the group and create an uneven playing ground to hinder anyone outside the organization from getting their hands on this power. Despite the fact that this organization controls the administration of over 160 million unsatisfied people desperate for change, they plot and plan, scheme and spin every possible strategy that would hold that power down. In a move to maintain the power, members of this organization came up with a rotation scheme that would alternate the power between the different regions that the members come from. Although the insulated agreement they drew up had no constitutional backing and wasn’t endorsed by the over 160 million people that the organization ruled over, greed, blind ambition, arrogance, self-interest and narcissism became so severe within this organization that it began to consume them. As more members of the organization became interested in aspiring for the most coveted post, accusations of agreements and broken pledges began to float to the surface. Suddenly feathers became ruffled and hairs started sticking out of place within this organization.

The story culminates into a bizarre drama, filled with a cocktail of suspense, sci-fi, action, thriller, horror and comedy, where the main players get nasty and downright dirty. And as the audience anxiously watches the epic saga unfold, the question remains, which one of the leading men within the organization will become the Lord of those aspiring…?”

Wow, what a blockbuster. This is how Oscars are born. I may be due for a brand new career soon.

OK, so unless one has been living under a meteor for the past couple of months, it is clear to every Nigerian that the political race for 2015 has well and truly begun. And if anyone wanted a lesson on how power is the ultimate corruptible aphrodisiac, they need only look at the power struggle igniting in the PDP.

As the race takes off, we have a series of claims and accusations in the PDP from the president and governors, with each repeatedly denying the other's accusations. An ambitious president, an agreement that nobody told us Nigerians about and a cluster of equally ambitious governors on the last leg of their second terms get a few nice shout outs but nothing is yet fully exposed.

And so it began a couple of days ago in the vibrant city of Abuja during a live radio broadcast when Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger state spoke of President Goodluck’s one term pact. An agreement was made, we are told, by the president to run only for one term in 2011 and the rumoured interest of President Jonathan in aspiring for a second term in 2015 should be taken as mere speculation.

At first, the president’s camp met this exposure with an almost stupefied taciturnity. And instead of a categorical address or some sort of press release to the nation to clear up the matter, the president did what all ill-starred leaders do when they want to express a position that they may need to deny in future. He sent his aide to wax lyrical about his commitment to Nigeria and deny committing to any agreement not to run for the presidency in 2015. All the while resurrecting nothing short of a sum speech of the president’s assumed aspiration; which essentially translated as, ‘Yes folks, I am aspiring for a second term… Don’t mind these darn governors and their premature aspirations.’

So did he, or didn’t he sign a pact to run for only one term? And if he did, does it really matter? Although ones intuition says that the president is being less than truthful on the matter, with so many of the key players giving so many variant accounts of the same topic, we may have to wait for Wikileaks, who will no doubt tell us what really happened in a couple of months.

As the mud gets slung around, we the spectators are being led to believe that the supposed collaborative agreement was predicated upon the desire of our leaders to uphold national character and stand up for the rights of their regions. One begs to differ! Let’s not get it twisted, this impasse has absolutely nothing to do with regional power shift or a need to protect a people’s interest but everything to do with a formula where everyone is feverishly angling for the best position to make their imagined target of taking power for themselves come true.

And it begs the question really, if the governors arguing for the turn of the north were in earnest trying to protect the interest of the north, what on earth happened to them in 2011? And was it not their fault that the initial power rotation of the PDP which gave power to President Obasanjo for eight years and then President Yar’adua for eight years was not enforced in accordance with that initial agreement in 2011? Since they had an opportunity and audience with President Jonathan to negotiate power back then, why did they not claim the position for the north in the aftermath of President Yar’adua’s death? Why, one may also ask, did they not support Atiku Abubakar or any of the other northerners that put themselves up for election in 2011? Their ferocious campaign against anyone that was northern in 2011 and in support of President Jonathan is a clear indication that the only interest they are truly out to protect is their own. Now that they are finishing their second terms and may have the aspiration to elevate themselves to the presidency in 2015, it’s difficult to take their crusade for the north sincerely. Seriously, if anyone is begging to not be taken seriously on the issue of trying to protect regional interest, it’s the northern governors who were in office in 2011 and their approach. There’s approach and strategy and then there’s freaking exasperating!

But despite the dodgy objective of the governors, President Jonathan does not and should not get a pass. Though his pledge of ignorance is coming furiously through his aid, the fact of the matter is that it goes to the root of revealing President Jonathan’s true character as a person. At a time when the presidency is openly being accused of telling bare faced lies, it would be untoward for the president to expose himself as a fibber. Already in the past he was caught in a lie in 2010 when he denied that PDP had an agreement for rotational presidency even though he was a beneficiary of that agreement. And when he denied the involvement of MEND in the October 1st 2010 Eagle Square bombing, his nose might have grown a few inches. If he did indeed agree to run only once and has subsequently changed his mind, Nigerians would respect him, not only as a leader but as a man if he admitted it. He still has a constitutional right to seek re-election despite any agreement and if he wants to be the Lord of those aspiring, then he should own it.

The region that the 2015 aspirants come from shouldn’t matter. The native language and native dress they wear shouldn’t be a factor. If they came from Mars, as long as they are Nigerian and have a constitutional right to run for the presidency, no agreement can bypass that. Nobody should get to hide behind an agreement which has, at best, outrun its purpose and is unconstitutional.

Something new is happening across Nigeria and it has nothing to do with an insulated agreement that PDP made or with the towering zombie of ethnic dichotomy that has been manufactured for us to absorb and align with. The discourse with the vast majority of Nigerians has shifted. People are desperate for change; a sustained incremental change. A change that will be carried forward by ordinary people, ordinary men and women, not by governors or presidents or anyone who worships an unconstitutional agreement fashioned to take away the choice of the Nigerian people. And this is something that those in the ruling party should probably be remembering as the next two years go by.

As we watch the dramas unfold, I doubt that Hitchcock, Shakespeare or even Spielberg could have come up with a better plot than our epic story. And although we probably won’t be winning any accolades or awards for our ratchet mess, Nigerians will be on the edge of their seats to see whether it’s the governors or the president that emerge as the “Lord of the aspiRings”.

Hannatu Musawa
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Hard View (Global Warning)

GLOBAL WARNING

 

Our climate is changing. What is meant to be the chilly season of harmattan apparently feels more like a scorching heat-wave. Nigeria is supposed to have a wet and dry season, with the wet season starting at different times i...n the north and south. The harmattan season, the West African winter, is a season of gusty, dry winds, relatively cool at night but warm by day. Presently it is the season of harmattan, but in contrast to the norm of the climate, the weather is hot throughout the night and day. Like the weather, most Nigerians should agree that our climate is changing all the time. Because of global climatic cycles, some of the changes are natural while others are caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and gas emissions. In the past when I heard scientists talking about protecting the environment and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, I put it down to the fact that they did not have better things to talk about. With millions of men, women and children being abused and starving the world over why would a scientist solely be concerned with how many vehicles we drive? Besides, any talk about the ozone layer sounded more like the title of a Sci-Fi adventure movie for children to me back then. But upon doing some research and coming across numerous meteorological accounts that climate change is one of the most pervasive threats to the web of human life, I realized the supreme importance of considering the devastation of weather change. What prompted me to do research in this field was as a result of the countless, recurring natural disasters that have been occurring and reported all over the world in the last couple of years. Every time one turns on the news there seems to be a report of a hurricane, earthquake, typhoon, snow storm, drought or cyclone and I wanted to understand whether these unfortunate events had any connection with the talk of the greenhouse effect.

The truth is that much of our lives depend on our climate because we rely on water stored underground, in lakes and reservoirs for our personal use and crop irrigation. If the climate changes and warms up, the ability of the land to store moisture or the rain to fall changes. Evidence of the effects of climate change is presently being felt throughout the world. All over the globe glaciers are melting, avalanches are threatening, soil is eroding, water is flooding, snow is receding and oceans are warming; posing a risk to many marine creatures. The warm climate is upsetting seasonal cycles, harming ecosystems, affecting agriculture, food production and causing sea-levels to rise. In addition landslides, drought and famine are experienced. On top of this imminent threat, hotter heat waves create an ideal breeding ground for disease infested insects and rodents to expand their range while species are pushed to extinction. In Nigeria the effects could include an increase in epidemics of water-borne diseases such as malaria, typhoid, hepatitis and cholera.

Statistics show overwhelming evidence that the planet has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the course of the past century with the final 2 decades of the 20th century being the hottest on record. This is due to rise even more rapidly in the coming decades. The cause of this hybrid is because of the thickening layer of carbon dioxide pollution mostly from power plants and automobiles that traps heat in the atmosphere. Evidence shows that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels used in vehicles and dirty power plants has formed a blanket around the earth and is warming it. The gasses act like the gas of a greenhouse, trapping heat that would otherwise radiate off into space. The heat then rebounds onto the earth's surface and the planet's temperature rises, creating the greenhouse effect. Its harmful impact on the worlds’ climate is now so overwhelming especially given the fact that we have been pumping it into the world atmosphere for more than 2 centuries. Although a certain level of global warming is natural and essential to sustain life, the excessive emission of greenhouse gases accelerates this process by trapping too much heat and resulting in devastating effects on the world. Meteorologists argue that the recent change of weather is the natural consequence of this green house effect. Whether we subscribe to this argument or not, we can’t deny that the recent behavior of the weather and atmosphere has been irregular to what we are normally used to.

If our behavior as a people has had anything to do with the freak trend of the climate, it is imperative for us to study natural events and strive to correct the continuing damage on the world at this stage. While it is impossible to completely stop global warming we do have the ability to lessen the process, allowing nature time to adjust to this man made problem. Since we know that the majority of heat trapping gases comes from vehicles and power plants, we have the capability to curb their emissions by perfecting modern technologies and passing stronger laws regarding vehicle use and power plant management. Typically, it is quite common to see cars and trucks in this country traveling the motorways with an unbelievable amount of exhaust fume, as if in an exhaust fume competition. Regulations need to be passed prohibiting vehicle owners from operating such hazardous machines because apart from damaging the ozone layer, they further pose threats to other motorists. Since we are a heavily populated country with a vast number of vehicles, the Nigerian authorities should educate the nation on the ill effects of climate change to our environment and the importance of adapting to it. Government and industries should adopt initiatives to take the immediate action that will lead to more efficient public transport, cleaner energy production, increasing the efficiency of buildings and better responsible industrial and agricultural practices.

In a country like Nigeria, there is a requirement for far more effective waste management and disposal. Everywhere we go in this country; there are dumps of rubbish and pollution on drive ways and road sides that it has almost become a trade mark of our towns and cities. The environmental sector in Nigeria needs to introduce more strategies for waste disposal. Previously, past governments had a sanitation eradication program on Saturdays where people were not allowed to roam the streets until 10, after a general clean up operation. The streets back then were much cleaner than they are now. Maybe the government needs to consider revisiting this practice in order to facilitate the clean up of the environment. The Nigerian government must consider adopting these or other alternative strategies and policies so that it can encourage industries to adapt to climate change. Furthermore, the initiative could include a sensitization exercise on the benefits of recycling products such as aluminum, glass, plastic, cardboard and paper. This would help because it would allow industries to save a lot of energy needed to make new products. In addition the use of energy efficient technologies and renewable energy resources like wind and solar power could be integrated by the industries that have the means.

On an individual and community level, we can each help cool the earth by small actions such as turning computers off overnight because of the energy it uses, planting trees and plants in order to combat erosion and integrating agricultural lands. The use of better water storage systems such as underground tanks and improved water treatment plants, improved rainwater harvesting strategies and creating community water resources to meet human or livestock needs can also be effective. Even though resources are limited, people engaged in the transportation business should try and service cars regularly and not send them out onto the streets with an unreasonable amount of exhaust seeping out. This is very common with molue buses and trucks.

All Nigerians should get involved in curbing the climate change that is fast becoming a threat to our existence. The whole process of environmental awareness is a difficult feat because as humans we tend to be nonchalant about the effect of gas emissions and water misuse on our environment. It is so easy for us to take the air we breathe for granted and not give a thought about the numerous ways we are polluting it. Unless a stance is taken, the cumulative impact of climate change is bound to affect our air and water quality even worse than it is now, resulting in inestimable consequences on every body living on this planet. If not in our lifetime, the fall back of the damage will affect the occupation, property and lives of our descendants.

Since the root cause of climate change is thought by scientists to lie primarily in the phenomena of huge emissions of gas, we effectively have the power to mitigate its damaging impact on our planet. To protect the health and economic wellbeing of current and future generations, we honestly must reduce our emissions of heat trapping gases by using the practical solutions already at our disposal. Solutions to global warming are available and everyone has a role to play in implementing them at all levels of society.

Since embarking on my research and recovering from the ignorance of climate change that plagued me, I now consider global warming as one of the most serious challenges facing our species today. And since we were the original cause of the problem we can always take solace in the fact that we can also create a solution for it. So even though Nigerians are in the middle of a harmattan heat wave, we should strive to consider our role in keeping our environment clean and eventually saving our world. I hope that the cumulative negative effect on natural resources and the balance of nature created by our over smoking exhaust pipes and rubbish laden streets serves as a global warning for global warming!

Written By Hannatu Musawa
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Hard View (New Dawn)

NEW DAWN

February 6, 2013 was a magnificent day for Nigeria. As the sun rose over the eventful day, Nigerians all over the world celebrated the thrashing our Super Eagles gave Mali’s Les Aigles to reach the final of the African Cup of Nati...ons in South Africa. But prosperity was not done with us, for as the jubilations rang out, news that several of our most significant opposition political parties, including the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, and the All Progressive Grand Alliance had merged to form one party gave cause for much more celebration. As the news of the newly formed All Progressive Congress trickled in, the social networks went crazy. Nigerians young and old; far and wide expressed their delight at the possibility of this new coalition party. Opposition victories have been hard to come by in the last decade and this new coalition not only gives the vast majority of worn-out Nigerians a tremendous sense of achievement, it gives millions of people new hope that their cause was right and new determination that change will finally show its face in Nigeria.

For many of us, this week has been a time to be proud; a time for reflection on the possibility of a new dawn, a time where our country has the chance to sow the seed of success in overcoming the great turmoil that our electoral and political process has thus far represented. Now, as Nigerians look towards 2015, it is beginning to look like we may be standing at the beginning of a new chapter in our history; one that will hopefully be defined by a prosperous democracy incontrovertibly built upon the will of the people.

Nigerians have really been put through the ringer. Apart from dealing with the dearth of security, employment, health care, education, striving to provide for our families and rising crime to name a few, we have been lumbered with a political leadership that is solely focused on personal interests rather than on solving our widespread problems. And even though there are over one million and ninety nine thousand things that Nigerians would ideally like to see done differently, the one general consensus of what people want right now seems to be a change of government.

A very smart man known as Albert Einstein once described insanity as ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ It would be difficult not to agree with him. If having the same party in power since 1999 translates into a reality where we still have no stable electricity, no unity, no security, no peace, no job opportunities, no development and hardly anything good, then how on earth can anyone expect a different result in terms of the way the country is governed if the same party keeps hoisting itself into power? It would naturally follow that in order for our life to change from the nightmare we are living, into a more structured dream, we must change; the country must change and government must change. And for the first time in a very long time, a vehicle with the ability to translate that nightmare into a dream and then into reality is being presented to Nigerians. That vehicle is this newly formed united merger.

However, now that the first leg of the task has been achieved, this marks the point at which the real work needs to be done. To consolidate the exceptional success that the merger represents, the APC must now pass the crucial test without allowing the demons of the past to re-emerge. The demons which defy stepping up to the challenge of putting personal interest aside in order for the party to operate in the interest of all the people of this nation. The party must set the objective of making Nigeria a place liveable for the right of the many. The coalition must work in partnership with each other to create a dynamic, broad and competitive platform for progressives, for minorities, for women, for children, for the poor and for every interest. The party must be fashioned as an entity that seeks to restore trust in Nigerian politics, cleanse Nigerian politics and decentralizes it so that people can once again have hope that politics can be about the service to the public.

The APC should be a party entrenched with solid ideals; the ideals of integrity, impartiality, unity, honesty and development. And it should also be a party equipped with the valour to welcome new ideas required to make those standards a reality for Nigerians; a party of practical process in pursuit of a gallant cause and the solemn obligation to act accountably, transparently, and impartially. These should be at the core of APC’s intention for Nigeria.

True democracy has never been a concrete box that isolates the political leadership from the people. And if it’s true democracy we are interested in, then the party leadership must embrace that fact. Leaders of APC have the obligation to use their positions of power to earn the people’s trust because that is what will primarily impact the public’s confidence in the party. As the governors and leaders of the opposition gathered in front of the residence of the Lagos State Governor to announce the merger, they must know all too well the enormous responsibility that they have undertaken and the great trust that the Nigerian people may be willing to place in them. More than anyone, the leaders of the APC know well the change that Nigeria desperately needs. They know that this country is anxious to step away from its past, desperate to get those things done that need doing for the future.
No less important, the parties that have come together to form the APC must each individually get their acts together. The ongoing internal wrangling and court cases that litter the corridors of most of the opposition parties have to stop with immediate effect. If the APC is to have a chance of success and have a chance of being inclusive and nonpartisan in its internal decision making, then the different entities that form it must find a way of letting bygones be bygones, cooperating and actively seeking consensus through compromise and dialogue. Each of these parties is responsible for cooperating fully with the ideal and unity necessary to establish and promote the APC.

Let me state a simple truth: public faith in the political process is extremely low. Many people are still pessimistic, especially given the fact that a number of the strong players in the new coalition were once part of past governments. Part of the APC’s challenge is to earn the trust of the people by avoiding political trickery, standing up to the PDP, abstaining from inflammatory behavior, working together and convincing the public that the party really is ready to be the fresh new change Nigeria needs despite some of the personalities that make up the party.

If managed well, the APC has the ability to bring Nigeria together once again, to unite people as one nation in which our hopes for Nigeria corresponds with a sense of consideration, decorum and responsibility. Let us be hopeful and optimistic about this chance. One can only shape the opposition and make it what they need it to be when they participate in the process.

As Nigeria prepares to embark on this new chapter in its political life, one element of change seems to rise above all others in terms of importance: specifically the need for our politicians to show love for Nigeria. Love for Nigeria means putting public interests above personal interests. It means doing everything possible to keep partisan politics fair and clean. Love for Nigeria is not about the words that politicians speak but about their actions. It’s about putting nation building above everything else. Leaders of APC must display their love for Nigeria.

With 2015 approaching, we have a chance to start a new chapter, to put aside individual and party interests, to insist on accountability from the political class. More than anything, we should all accept individual responsibility for making this happen because only individual Nigerians putting Nigeria’s interests first can build the just, democratic society that will make present and future generations of Nigerians justifiably proud. As this new dawn breaks, the APC is giving Nigerians a platform to do just that.

February 6, 2013 truly was a magnificent day for Nigeria and as we keep our eye on the making sure the APC does right by us, let us also keep our fingers crossed for the success of our Eagles in the African Cup of Nations.

Written By Hannatu Musawa
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Hard View (Party Palava, Volume II)

PARTY PALAVA; VOLUME II

Alas and Ahold, all my readers Behold;
Party Palava, Volume II is about to be told!
It’s a view of the intrigue, the canker, the mould,
Of the political parties abound in our fold.
... Please hope you’re consoled, coz the story’s twofold,
With such vast dimensions, it takes time to unfold.
Last week I unrolled the new and the old,
Of the jist of PDP, a party so bold.
This week, as foretold, on my paper I’ve scrolled,
The chitchat on other parties that INEC enrolled.
These are parties who bowled low when elections were polled,
And the ones not extolled, undersold, not controlled.
Now again time has rolled, where they can all be paroled,
In a merger remould to form political party gold!

_________********__________

Now this merger affair, I’m sure you’re aware,
Brings to bear all the parties once in disrepair.
They’ll declare under a single umbrella to share,
In order to snare out PDP with its doctrinaire.
Now, in the parties concessionaire, for the merger prepare,
CPC is there and CAN…; “What a pair!”
Other parties who care and say the system’s unfair,
May step out of their chair to join the coalition square.
APGA’s in mid-air. ANPP might not bare,
To be part of the dare to cause political despair.
But if they all take due care, speak with one debonair,
They’d create a rare flair and ignition…; “I swear!”
They would scare PDP, give them serious wear and tear,
And impair the ruling party while pulling its hair!

_________********__________

As time moves at a scale of a thunderous gale,
Nigerians will trail the morsel of every party’s detail.
Though our nation is frail and our elections all fail,
For our future to sail, democracy must prevail!
That’s why we all must unveil, each and every party’s travail,
So Nigerians can nail which to eject and curtail.
For most involved in this tale, the ruling party’s gone stale,
Government moves like a snail, corruptions the size of a whale.
We live life like in a jail, with no release and no bail.
The toxic air we inhale ain’t free or fit to exhale.
Now since the merger e-mail, excitement’s rife in our vale.
Nigerians; male and female hope the opposition wont bale.
To be hearty and hale, our options must be put out on the rail.
No forfeit, no derail! That merger must entail!

_________********__________

First, in the CPC gene lies something strange and obscene,
When their manifesto machine sunk like a blue submarine.
When they emerged on the green, they had the tightest routine,
But with only 1 governor on the screen they are remaining unseen.
Many thought the parties demean, was really quite unforeseen.
As the party with a Northern mien, their victory was serene.
But their problem has always been, their leadership is not keen,
To right the wrongs they have in the bean of the CPC Deen.
And then within their ravine, some senior members are mean.
They cheat and lie in between and make the party unclean.
Now in this twenty thirteen, the party does reconvene.
They’ve set committees to intervene for their biggest spring clean.
With the likes of El-Rufai on the scene, the party’s now preen.
They're ready for the merger to convene; ready for twenty fifteen!

_________********__________

The ANPP as well, is supposed to be part of the cell,
To compel this new merger with their clientele.
But the grapevine does yell, some members wear the lapel,
Of a hidden cartel that’s part of a PDP shell.
But their leaders dispel, this rank accusing bad smell,
As part of a misspell to propel their party’s death knell.
Now the question I dwell, “Will they merge or rebel?”
“Will they excel to do well, and in 2015 raise hell?”
Who can know, who can tell, with which allegiance they’ll gel?
Only time can foretell the party’s real true pastel.
But in my personnel, to say a truth that’s nobel,
The rumours they cannot quell if they bid the merger farewell.
Because they know that they can’t excel against the PDP bell,
By standing as a single Gazelle. “That’s for sure, Mademoiselle!”

_________********__________

Next, the party I’ve scanned is an Alliance that’s grand.
A party that was once manned by the Ikembas own hand.
APGA has its high command, in our Easternmost land,
And it has proven first-hand that it is in high demand,
And with two states in their band, they just cannot be disband.
But the one thing that’s tanned their own type of brand,
Is the accusation grandstand that they can be quite offhand.
The rumour mill has been fanned that they’re part of a PDP strand.
To put this talk in remand, they must work harder than planned.
And the merger is the best way on hand for APGA now to expand.
The question out in the sand, “Can Obi and Rochas withstand,
The intrigues that are panned, to keep them in PDPs band?”
The public gaze will be spanned on APGA’s activity gland,
So we can see and understand the motives on which they stand.

_________********__________

Might I suggest an attest; ACN is the best in the West.
In the past election protest, they had really impressed.
They oppressed the opposition and in turn have progressed.
If there’s one party that’s blessed to quash the PDP quest,
The Action Congress of Nigeria is dressed for that ultimate test.
ACN has not been messed, depressed; they’ve not been distressed.
PDP’s infest of other party’s does not rest in their nest,
And No doubt Tinubu has the zest to keep the party abreast.
In the states ACN possessed, development has been their crest.
And at their governors’ behest, they do their best to invest.
As 2015 is addressed, one surely would have now guessed,
That ACN holds the digest to win the election contest.
Now they are no doubt the best; they’re way ahead of the rest.
ACN wears the vital vest if the merger is to be coalesced.

_________********__________

As we talk of this merger guys, let’s try our best to surmise,
That a new party will arise from this union of allies.
But the test for them lies, on the candidate that the party flies.
They just have to be wise and try their best to strategize.
They’d be no point in their tries, if past failures they revise,
They need fresh supplies to see things through fresh new eyes.
From all it implies, Johnny will run to reclaim his prize.
So the opposition should devise to spring the greatest surprise.
Through the best improvise, the merger we do advise,
To pick Fashola as the one that all of them will baptize.
He’s the one that should rise! By far the best compromise!
He’s the man with the guise to ensure PDP’s demise.
That would sensationalize and give a boost quantum in size.
That would give opposition the highs to reach the ultimate skies.

_________********__________

So at the end of the day, a merger is the only way,
Opposition can play and at last have their say.
All the past talk and cabaret has now become a cliché,
Because with no merger on the tray, PDP won’t go away!
Now the pressure must stay on the leadership bay,
Because in the past they portray an attitude that’s blasé.
Those who head the cache just must not go astray,
They must not betray and decay this new hope-dossier.
The public of today, in their mass, do convey,
A desperation and dismay at the merger delay.
And now as clear as the day and as soft as soufflé,
Tis the final match-play before the big judgement day.
Now the ball is on display in the opposition’s chalet.
“Will the merger be OK?... On this, Nigerians do pray!

_________********__________

As Volume II goes round the bend; at last it’s come to an end,
I know my writing’s a blend of much extol and offend.
You see as this sonnet was penned, emotions overextend,
Because the trend of our failure is too much to comprehend.
Those who have earned their commend, we will always defend,
Those who condescend or misspend, on them we will descend.
As we watch our future ascend, it’s up to us to amend,
The negativity we lend and undo our constant suspend.
“Nigerians, it’s time to attend!” I recommend you unbend,
Extend your hand to amend so that Nija can transcend.
I cannot say or pretend that I’m the Paragon of mend,
But I know on our government we can’t ascend or depend.
Folks, as I give this portend, I close with the best of intend.
My reader, my friend, hope you made it right to the end,
Of this long Party Palava Volume that I finally do send.


Written By Hannatu Musawa
I invite you to follow me on Twitter- @hanneymusawa
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Hard View (Party Palava; Volume I)

PARTY PALAVA; VOLUME I

Yo folks, it’s that time when I chime out in rhyme.

To chronicle the thyme and the chaos sublime,

Abound in our nation of organised crime.

As I witness Nigeria go back in her climb,

My pen and my paper will mimic my mime.

The line of this fine rhyme has to do with the grime,

Of our political parties; their lemons and lime.

With two years before our election’s in prime,

The spinning and plotting have started their slime.

I’ll speak of the parties in volume this time.

In a two week edition of ‘Party Palava’ Prime.

This week the laundry hung on this clothing line,

Will be that of Africa’s biggest party of time.

Next week, the opposition will be given their dime!

 

_______****________

 

This screed starts with PDP; the party of greed.

Where members behave just like zombies who feed.

For 14 bad years, they force feed us their creed.

By mislead and misdeed, they misread us indeed.

At every election, they exceed what’s agreed,

And proceed to stampede on the rights of the freed.

Those decreed with the deed to lead our breed,

Succeed only in their own self-serving need.

Our plights supersede a Balm of Gilead.

We’re treated like vermin and rattlesnake weed.

Nigerians recede, live a life where we bleed;

An existence where heartache with speed’s guaranteed.

In this race to accede on that Aso Rock Stead,

Already we read that some might just secede.

 

_______****________

 

Now in my small position, I’ll give a rendition,

Of the war of attrition in the PDP mission.

The competition for admission in the 2015 edition,

Was the ignition for the demolition of their old coalition.

You see, for Johnny’s acquisition, he needs ammunition,

So in the party’s transition, he brought an old politician.

The imposition of Bamanga Tukur amidst no real audition,

Created suspicion and opposition partition.

The composition of the governors in their juxtaposition,

Saw ‘this near-sedition’ as their own decommission.

For it’s just not tradition, in the governor’s supposition,

For their views to be in omission in the power transmission.

Since ‘that’ imposition and Johnny’s decision,

The party’s disposition looks more like nuclear fission!

 

_______****________

 

Now it’s just so insane that this causes such strain.

I’ll try to explain this, ‘their hunger to reign’.

You see, for one to maintain ‘that’ power domain,

Their campaign must be lain at the start of the chain.

It’s plain that our Johnny was using his brain,

To retain his best ‘hommie’ as the parties One Main.

His reasons were plain, his facts were germane.

In his party’s terrain, he could feel the disdain.

The bane of resistance, the rain of complain,

Are from those who want to attain his leadership crane.

It’s the governors, who drain their second term grain,

That are out to detain John’s jugular vein.

For, after their gain in the full governor’s lane,

Their wish (to be plain) is ‘that’ presidential train!

 

_______****________

 

Now, in my opine, that’s the bottom line!

A fight for ‘that’ shrine that powers define.

At least quarter the governors; around about nine,

Have align to fight Johnny in a design most devine.

To consign his decline, they must as one combine,

To entwine every swine Johnny forced down their spine.

The sign for this drama is clearly in shine;

‘Infighting Treatens the Giant’; “Oh Golly, Oh mine!”

Every reason benign, every rant, every whine,

Will be used by both sides to supine and malign.

But the one potent vine they will use in refine,

Will be about tribe; The North will be asked to realign.

‘It’s the turn of the North to recline and to dine’.

That’s the tagline that, I’m telling you, we must now decline!

 

_______****________

 

If I’m right in my guess and that’s what will transgress.

Those who possess their full senses must remain convalesce.

For how can people who suppress our success,

Address us like Yoyos just for their own progress?

In the 2011 mess, our Johnny they’d bless.

At the time of that press, they had second terms to caress.

Now they want to address the North’s dispossess,

When the repress of the region comes from their own excess.

Unless they transgress their own selfish obsess,

The dress of the North never can impress.

I must confess, nevertheless, this is my assess.

I don’t want to digress from our political chess.

I’m just trying to express my countries depress;

Through the voice I possess, through my freedom of press!

 

_______****________

 

The update does not abate at the governor’s gate.

To reinstate their weight, they went to Tukur’s state.

In a move to deflate the Chairman’s dictate,

The Adamawa Exco slate was dissolved outright, straight!

With members of the great NWC joint plotting his fate,

At this rate, Johnny aint no ‘Alexander the Great!’

He’s looking more like a tired junior lightweight!

In attempt to communicate with all those who’ve shown hate,

Johnny did conjugate a meeting to reinstate his estate.

But the negate from the irate does seem to somehow translate,

Into a restate where they want a new Head of State.

Only time can equate which side will win the debate.

Whether Johnny’s ambition will at the end procreate,

Or if the governors who berate can desecrate on his freight!

 

_______****________

 

The drama is on another degree in this party grand prix.

Now, who will be the draftee for the Board of Trustee?

First they called Anenih, Mr Fix-It or Gutsy,

As the ‘Gee’ with the decree to head their family tree.

Obasanjo did not agree and with the jerk of his knee,

Named his fellow retiree, Ahmadu Ali.

“That just will not be!” said the PDP bourgeoisie.

They did foresee Baba’s choice as the worst nominee.

Baba must feel like a Pea smack in the Aegean Sea,

Coz he created this debris with his skeleton key.

In this battle of spree between Obasanjo and Johnny,

Who will win to guarantee their draftee as top honouree?

If you ask me, Ekwueme is the best by a million degree.

But I’ve no say-so in this Potpourri…, “Hey, I’m just the Emcee!”

_______****________

 

Now I’ll wind down this first part of two,

But we can see the bamboo breaking through.

Oyinlola went askew, when they told him adieu,

As the internal kung-fu rages on fresh as new.

As the governors renew their coup,

To subdue and outdo Johnny’s view.

They must not misconstrue, only ‘One’ can debut,

The ‘Cordon Bleu’ that they ALL pursue!

Nigerians generally construe, that PDPs time is long overdue.

Only time will review whether they will pull through,

To undo all the party’s unfavourable hue.

This ‘Party Palava’ in lieu, is a drama that’s starting to brew.

Gonna take off my shoe, find some popcorn to chew,

“Gonna watch me some drama; Thankyou!”

_______****________

 

As I close down this volume of my first critique,

My daughter is telling me that I have a cheek!

I don’t mean to be rude in the words that I speak,

I’m just stating the obvious in a different technique.

When I speak out on politics, my passion’s not meek.

‘With our future so bleak’, I bespeak and I shriek.

A sneak peak at Nigeria gives one such mystique.

It’s a nation, on paper, that’s blessed and unique;

A nation where leaders have led us oblique.

But we have a chance to seek out our peak,

And tweak the main leak where our havoc is wreak.

It starts with what we allow government to seek!

I’ll examine the physique of the oppositions’ batik,

In ‘Party Palava, Volume II’, which I will write for next week

Let’s make it a date so you can take a sneak!

 

Written By Hannatu Musawa

I invite you to follow me on Twitter- @hanneymusawa

Visit my Website- www.hannatumusawa.com

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Hard View (THE EXPERIENCE OF THE UNNAMED WIDOW)

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE UNNAMED WIDOW

“It was like my worst nightmare! As the two ferocious men huddled over me my heart felt like it was going to explode. I couldn’t make out what they were saying because they were talking all at once but it sounded like a demand so I responded with a meek ‘o.k.’ My head was lowered so that I couldn’t see their faces but I crawled to where my bag was, took out the key to the safe and handed it to them without looking up. My head was still lowered like that of a child who had misbehaved, my heart beating like the drums of doomsday and my eyes were stinging with unshed tears. In the other room I could hear continuous thumping and knew instantly that my husband was having a worse experience than I. I prayed hard for him to be alive and them not to find our two children hiding in the guest bathroom. The rummage in the safe, the sound of running feet and the gun shots I heard from outside seemed to last an eternity. I had a horrible few seconds when I froze, then I began hyperventilating and shaking so badly with my teeth chattering. At last there was silence so I slowly lifted my eyes but not my head and realized they had gone. The ordeal lasted only for a few minutes but the effects will stay with me for the rest of my life because that was the night armed robbers visited my house and shot my mai-guard… It was also the night they beat my husband to death…!”

Does this story of an unnamed widow sound familiar? Well it should because every single day someone in Nigeria will have a similar experience. The effect of armed robbery on a victim leaves a lifelong mark of anxiety, insecurity and depression. Of all the problems we have in Nigeria, the lack of security has got to be the worst. Violent attacks, armed robbery and these senseless bombings have almost become the order of the day, and it seems to happen anytime and anywhere. A couple of months ago I had a debate with a friend who was of the opinion that the incidence of armed robbery in Nigeria was on the increase. I disagreed and believed that armed robbery had been overtaken with other more lucrative acts of violence such as kidnapping. “You are thinking this way”, she said “because nobody around you has been subjected to a robbery attack of recent”. While, at the time, I thought she was talking rubbish, now I know better; now I know that she was right. Because in the last four weeks, I have known three people that have been victims of armed robbers.

Violent crime, such as armed robbery, has been a growing problem since the oil boom raised the potential for people to get rich abruptly in the seventies, in collaboration with our special brand of institutionalised corruption. Additionally over the years, the putrefaction of moral fibre, the kleptomaniac standards set by our leaders and the knowledge that the Nigerian police are ill-equipped have all contributed to the level of crime we are living with. Also, the economic policies of our past governments have taken its toll on the populace who never saw its benefits. The past governments’ privatisation programme generated financial and investment opportunities for the rich but excluded the vast majority of the population. It also lead to the redundancy of workers in state monopolies which were being privatised, creating unemployment and contributing to the increase in social crime. While previously most people who commit violent crimes were illiterate, now the statistics show that a large number of robbers in operation are unemployed university graduates.

As for the police, though it is their duty to protect the public, they are, for the most part, ineffective. Even though the fault is not squarely on the force’s shoulders, seeing that they lack adequate man and fire power, motivation and the will to tackle the increasing crime rate in our poverty stricken society, they do have a duty to protect Nigerians. The force is in desperate need for in-house reform in order to break the bad-eggs amongst them that have participated in crimes such as collaborating with robbery gangs and setting up illegal roadblocks. The police needs to stop releasing without charge robbery suspects that pay them bribes. They need to develop new strategies for dealing with the increase in crime so that the concerns of the community for safety are addressed. They must do this, perhaps, by adopting some of the strategies used during the military era.

One of the benefits of Military rule in Nigeria was the strangulation of activities such as robbery. But in 1999, upon our ascension to democracy, the government abolished the military anti-crime task forces and handed over their role to the police. Although our newfound democracy and the abolition of the task forces were in the interest of the country, it has, to some extent, become one of our sources of insecurity. The disbandment of the security apparatuses used by the previous military government and their replacement with an ineffective police force has been exploited by criminal elements in the society.

In spite of the government’s promises to tackle crime, armed robbery is still rampant. The response of the government to crime has remained extemporized. The police are poorly paid; the government must increase their benefits and gratuity and bulk up the compensation paid to the families of those killed in the line of duty. Government should also enact more draconian anti-crime laws and reconsider the legalisation of the activities of organised vigilante groups. Public disenchantment with the criminal justice system and particularly the failure of the police to bring down the level of crime has led communities to establish such vigilante groups in order to challenge the monopoly of violence in the communities.

The Nigerian frustration with the government and police’s inability to protect the society and reduce crime has resulted in individuals resorting to self-help measures such as the erection of high-walled fences and the proliferation of private security. Almost every house in residential neighbourhoods in Nigeria is secured with burglar proofing, hidden behind towering concrete walls, barricaded with bullet proof doors and numerous other security devices, rendering people prisoners in their own homes.

The situation has forced every Nigerian to be wary and suspicious of strangers. The experience of a family friend who was trailed from her office to her house during daytime by an armed robber on an Okada bike, who latter went to her house at night with his gang of not so merry men, has made the likes of myself unreasonably paranoid of any car or motorbike driving behind us when we are on the road.

Unless the authorities clamp down on the spate of armed robbery, then we would have failed the likes of our unnamed widow whose fortune was that she had money to give the robbers on that tragic night. Unless the government addresses this armed robbery menace effectively then maybe the next time robbers decide to go to the house of the unnamed widow, they will first of all search the guest bathroom.…”The story then will be different and through swelled eyes the widow will recall how her second armed robbery ordeal lasted only for a few minutes more than the first one and how the effects of the second one will stay with her for all of eternity… because that was the night armed robbers shot both her children dead!”

Written By Hannatu Musawa

I invite you to follow me on Twitter- @hanneymusawa

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