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Sermon: Osoba’s Metamophorsis
By Babatunde Jose
Having read Chief Olusegun Osoba’s book; Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics, and my personal life journey with the author, my take away from the book is that it is a story of an unending adventure with fate. A man whose resilience, hard work, perseverance and belief in himself and service to God and man has paved the path for a successful life in what we could describe as the cauldron called the Nigerian post-colonial state. Born during the colonial era of the early constitutional development in Nigeria; precisely 1939, during the governor generalship of Sir Bernard Bourdillon 1935-1943 who laid the groundwork for the constitutional proposals which his successor Sir Arthur Richards (Lord Milverton) later submitted in 1944 and which became the Richard’s Constitution. He succeeded in convincing the Northern Emirs of the advisability of coming to join with the southerners in the Legislative Council of the country.
It is one of the mysteries of life that 80 years after, Osoba would be in the vanguard of progressive politicians who are bent on returning Nigeria back to its roots of ‘true federalism’. It has not been an easy task and it is still a work in progress. Whether it would succeed or fail is to be seen as the political climate of the country is in a state of ebullition.
Today, the gulf between the political elite widens by the day in terms of ethnicity, religion and a glaring lack of ideological persuasion. The Awolowo school of Hegelian philosophy and welfarism which Osoba belong to, has become divided and the unity of opposites which is the bedrock of Hegel’s dialectics has failed to produce a synthesis from the union of thesis and antithesis of Nigerian politics. Even within the political parties there is no unity of opposites. Hegelianism is the philosophy of G. W. F. Hegel which can be summed up by the dictum that “the rational alone is real”, which means that all reality is capable of being expressed in rational categories. His goal was to reduce reality to a more synthetic unity within the system of absolute idealism .True to form; Hegel was criticized as being’ not a logical thinker but a master in the use of trenchant aphorisms’.
What we are witnessing today is a schism in the political class; a crack in the political pot and a return to primitivism, parochial and primordial tendencies. In all these however, Olusegun Osoba stands out as one political animal who has cut a distinct persona for himself and a different breed from the hubris of ‘come and chop’ political class; a collective of brigands and ruthless socio-economic barracudas, hell bent on robbing the national coffers of all that it contain.
His sojourn in journalism started during the time of his adopted uncle and godfather, late Alhaji Babatunde Jose. Being a good student of human philosophy, Osoba would imbibe the salient qualities of his mentor to rise and shine above his peers. Despite his apogee in journalism, he was not only cool headed but worked hard to maintain his comportment. This is attested to in the wide network of his associates, particularly in his youthful, clubbing and rascally days. He never lost focus and at the back of his mind was always the dictum: Remember the son of whom you are.
As it was in journalism, so had it been in politics. Having worked closely with the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the man with a mission, Osoba had no choice but to pitch his tent with the progressive elements of Nigerian politics. It worked and has continued to work for him.
In all these however, one trait that has been discernible in Osoba’s personality is his contentment in life. This is the takeaway from his book. Contentment is a sign of a true believer. The virtue of contentment is closely connected with the quality of putting trust in God. With contentment one feels inner peace and increase in spirituality. He does not compare himself with those who are in better conditions, but rather he remembers those who are in worse conditions. For example, if someone is one-handed, he should be content and remember those who do not have hands at all. It is said that a man complained about his old shoes until he saw a man who had no feet. “Contentment is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” Contentment and patience earn one Paradise in the Hereafter. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Allah will not accept other than Paradise for a believing person who is afflicted with the death of his beloved one from among the inhabitants of the world and shows patience.” (Al-Nasa’i) Allah said: The (material) things which ye are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring: Will ye not then be wise? (Quran 28:60) The greatest cause for the lack of contentment is greed and avariciousness, covetousness and ‘long throat’. And I can attest to it that Osoba is none of these. These are very objectionable traits in any human being and they are the root cause of corruption; I can also posit that to all intents and purposes, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Akinrogun Egba is an epitome of contentment. May his days be long!
Barka Juma’at and happy weekend
A Federal High Court in Lokoja has set aside an earlier judgment that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
The latest ruling by the presiding judge, Justice Isah Dashen comes days after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to register the Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA) as a political party.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who presided over the Abuja case, had directed INEC to issue the party with a certificate of registration within seven days after ruling in a suit filed by Tamunotonye Samuel Solomon Inioribo and two others.
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Don’t Vote for Me If I Fail to Fix Power Comment: Onanuga Claims Tinubu Was Quoted Out of Context
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, has described as ‘out of context’ the assertion that President Bola Tinubu told Nigerians he would not seek re-election if he failed to provide constant power supply for the citizens.
Onanuga dismissed the claims which have recently resurfaced in many circles, and explained that the statement credited to the president was conditional, and not an outright pledge.
Onanuga spoke during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, where he further insisted that the President’s remarks on power sector reforms had been misrepresented, as it was not an outright pledge to forgo a second term.
Reports had quoted Tinubu during a business luncheon in December 2022 ahead of the 2023 presidential election, to have said: “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”
But the presidential aide argued that critics often quote only a portion of the President’s remarks while ignoring the context in which they were made.
Asked whether the President had promised not to seek re-election if the electricity supply did not improve dramatically, Onanuga said: “That is not exactly what he said. He said he will give Nigerians power. I’m paraphrasing now. He said he will also will end the area of estimated billing. A problem that he has largely solved because it should not be his business, but his government is producing meters, asking the DISCOS to give people meters free of charge.
“And he said, if by any chance he has reasons not to give Nigerians adequate power, then they should understand the problem that he inherited.”
When he was told that the President said he should not be reelected if the electricity supply did not improve, Onanuga said, “He didn’t say that way. Let me see if I can open my phone and tell exactly what he said.”
Onanuga argued that Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to power sector reforms since assuming office, citing the signing of the Electricity Act as one of the administration’s major achievements.
“The first thing he did when he came to office was sign the Electricity Act, which enables states to generate power, transmit power and distribute power,” he said.
The presidential spokesman noted that the legislation has opened up the electricity sector and encouraged competition, with several states already taking advantage of the opportunities created by the law.
“That is a good thing. Some of the states are taking advantage of that, and more are going to do so. That will make the electricity sector open and competitive,” he added.
The presidential spokesman also pointed to efforts by the administration to address the metering gap across the country, saying the government had intervened to ensure more Nigerians receive meters free of charge.
“He also learnt the error of estimated billing, a problem that his government is largely solving because the government is producing meters and asking distribution companies to give people free of charge,” Onanuga said.
While acknowledging that electricity supply has yet to reach the level envisioned by the President, Onanuga attributed the challenge to long-standing structural problems in the sector.
“We are not at the level that the President meant it. I can tell you that,” he said.
He explained that although Nigeria has an installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, constraints such as gas shortages, legacy debts and weak transmission infrastructure have limited performance.
“What people don’t know is that we already have an installed capacity of 13,500 megawatts. What are the problems? No gas. The players in the sector owe the gas companies legacy debts of over four trillion naira,” he said.
According to Onanuga, the Tinubu administration is working to resolve these issues while pursuing reforms aimed at improving generation and transmission capacity.
“The transmission grid is outdated, but that is part of the reforms that need to be put in place,” he said.
He added that the government was exploring additional initiatives to optimise existing power assets and improve electricity delivery across the country.
Onanuga maintained that despite the challenges, the administration remains committed to delivering on its promise of improving electricity supply and strengthening the nation’s power sector.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered an investigation into an alleged leaked video which has stirred controversy in the trial of five suspects charged with being part of last year’s failed plot to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Judge Joyce Abdulmalik made the order following claims by prosecution lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), who is the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), that the video recording of one of the defendant’s statements had appeared on social media, contrary to an earlier court order.
He said he watched the video on the page of social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
He described the development as a national security issue. “We tendered the video recording and served it on the defence. I know I served my colleagues,” he said.
Continuing, Oyedepo argued that the development was extremely prejudicial and disturbing. He noted that the social media post had attracted more than 6,000 views.
He argued that since there is a law protecting witnesses, the court should direct an investigation into the matter.
“What I saw yesterday is quite disturbing. I urge your lordship to investigate this video and confirm whether it is the same video before the court and whether it contravenes your lordship’s order,” he said.
He also informed the court that VDM was present in court to perhaps tell the court how he got the video.
Reacting to the claim, all the defence lawyers took turns to deny knowledge of how the video leaked into the social media space.
“Our worry is that this is coming at the stage when we are trying to move our bail application. I am not even a social media person. I am not opposed to an investigation,” the lawyer to the first defendant, Muhammed Ndayako, a SAN, said.
Apart from their denial, some of the defence lawyers, including that of the fourth defendant, C.D. Okafor, urged the court to investigate members of the media who have been covering the proceedings.
While not opposing the probe, the fifth defendant, M.A Ibrahim, expressed doubts about the prospect of such investigation. The lawyer to the sixth defendant, Sanusi Musa (SAN), objected to any investigation.
“I am surprised that the DPP said the court should investigate this matter. Secondly, who are the suspects? The video might have been leaked from the court, it might be me, it might even be the DPP or from the Ministry of Justice.”
“Whatever the DPP said here cannot be acted upon without evidence. If he wants that, he should file an application. The EFCC also has a media department.
“My lord, while I thank God that I am not the one, I object to the suggestion that the matter be investigated,” he said.
Ruling on the issue, who the judge did not acknowledge that Very Dark Man was in court, affirmed the court’s power to direct the protection of witnesses.
She noted that Section 232(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 provides for the protection of vulnerable witnesses and prescribes consequences for any breach of witness protection measures or court orders made under that section.
Subsequently, Abdulmalik ordered the SSS to investigate any evidence on social media that may have “contravened the court’s earlier orders and bring any culprit before the court.”
She added that if such suspects are brought, the matter will be a “distinct case” while the current matter continues separately.
The six defendants charged in the case include a retired major general, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, and a retired navy captain, Erasmus Ochegobia Victor.
The rest are Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; and Zekeri Umoru, an electrician at the Presidential Villa; Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, a Zaria-based Islamic cleric.
They were accused of being part of a conspiracy to topple President Tinubu’s government. Information about the alleged secret plot was leaked to the authorities last September, leading to the arrest of serving and retired military officers alongside their alleged civilian conspirators.
The six men charged before the Federal High Court in Abuja face 13 counts of treason, terrorism, failure to disclose information, and money laundering over the alleged failed coup.
Since the trial began, the prosecution has called four witnesses.
The fourth prosecution witness, an army officer identified by the codename AAA for security reasons, has yet to be discharged. The prosecution witness brought video recordings of the defendants’ interrogations to court as exhibits.
