Tuesday, August 29, 2006

If I Were Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany

Not many are lucky enough to start their new jobs the "gift-of-celebrations" way the German Chancellor, Mrs Angela Merkel, got to do recently. Many world leaders must be green with envy!!! And they should.

Okay, here is the gist (as if you don't already know!). She came to office, as Germany's first-ever woman leader, with a confusing and convulsing post-unification electoral indecision by the voting public. They wanted change but didn't want the change to be real change! They wanted Mr Gerhard Schroeder out but wanted his policies in...or something to that effect! Anyway, we now have a Grand Coalition, so-called because it allows Germans to eat both their political cake and sausage, and still have their economic sandwich. Confused? So are many. But it's a clever dice, I admit.

And then the World Cup! What a blast!! Ms Merkel's Germany rode the beast of failure, and so roundly defeated the skeptics' grand scenarios of ultimate regrets, that the 4-yearly soccer fiesta will never be the same again. All its future will be bench marked by Germany 2006. Period.

If I were the German Chancellor, I will build so strongly, proudly and securely on the massive possibilities that this opportunity beams. I will beam more German Love to the world, in a new and ambitious fashion. I will aim higher and bigger for the German Voice in world development
and spend this new soccer-spurned capital absolutely creatively, and courageously - the true attributes of the Beautiful Game!

How? There are no fixed rules, just some sensible routes. Here:

1) Intensify Germany's positive role in helping to secure the long-elusive Middle East peace
2) Continue the country's special relationships with Russia, China and France
3) Rebuild US-German relations, post-Iraq squabbles
4) Tackle the rising race and creed problems in Germany, and help Europe do same
5) Help FIFA use "soccer-power" to fight poverty and hopelessness in the developing world
6) Invest 100 Billion Euros of German capital/business funds in Africa's microfinance industry
7) Lead the "Global Gender Crusade" from January 2007, as the world's leading woman today
8) Get Germany's immigration right, including an innovative work/study visa regime
9) Visit Cuba and Venezuela for strategic talks, and to help "new-friend" George W Bush
10) Pay an urgent Solidarity Working Visit to Nigeria, in support of "Elections 2007"
11) Help Italy's Romano Prodi get his country's economy back on the "Club Big 4" track
12) Convoke an independent Germany-NEPAD Youth Dynamics Forum for biennial actions
13) Help Third World Writers bond and benefit from the legendary German Publishing world, including state-supported significant participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair & Berlin Festivals
14) Help developing countries recover looted funds residing & hiding in Europe, and elsewhere
15) Be so wonderfully German, and make unification work better by revamping East Germany
16) Export East German "expertise and ruggedness" to the Third World, especially Africa, for agricultural, housing and rural development. Get some innovative "twinning schemes" on board.

For these to work successfully, the German economy must grow. If I were Angela Merkel, this is the time to tackle the tough issues. Just make business work! Don't demur, don't dodge, don't fudge. Germany is important to Europe, and to our world. It is tough to be her chancellor, but it will be rough if the tough tasks are left to politics and tricks. When we get things right, the whole world celebrates.

That is the greatest lesson of the World Cup this summer. As German Chancellor, I will take the lesson and run!

Monday, August 28, 2006

If I Were Nigeria's Parliaments and Legislators

In the remaining months of their current tenure, parliamentarians at all levels have a duty to both self and country. They need to search their conscience, and answer the following questions:

1) Have we served with equity and justice?
2) Have we kept to our oath of office?
3) Have the nation, and our constituencies, had the deserved benefits/dividends of democracy?4) Can I face my God and say I did my absolute best....and have earned my pay/privileges?
5) Am I a worthy and visible example of parliamentarians of honour and dignity?
6) If we did our job, why are the anti-corruption agencies screaming blue murder?
7) Why is Nigeria's corruption and development rating so abysmal?
8) Why are politicians protesting the new regime of scrutiny of their integrity and assets?
9) Why is the Freedom Of Information bill still languishing in the Senate?
10) Why, after 11Trillion Naira of federally-distributed revenue, not to mention internal and other external revenue/resources, in 7 YEARS, is our country still in this socio-economic mess?

If I were a legislator, I will wonder and worry about history. Can I be a healthy part of it, or just a pathetic footnote, as things stand today in this country? I will ask my colleagues and preacher and compatriots for help....to make amends. And here is a key hint:

a) Let's ask the anti-corruption agencies for all dossiers on the executive branch, and ACT now
b) Let's probe our principal officers of ALL the parliaments in the country, and punish the guilty
c) Let's work with the National Judicial Council to sanitize the judiciary before May 2007
d) Let's remove all taxes on education, IT and media materials, to boost public information
e) Let's tackle the worsening state of insecurity in the land
f) Let's pass the law on "Social Security and Welfare Scheme" this year
g) Let's increase the "Derivation Percentage" in our revenue allocation regime
h) Let's roll out Internet Broadband nationwide....before May 2007, and localise home traffic
i) Let's roll out massively on Cassava, Yam, Maize and Aquaculture between now and May '07
j) Let's act with the FEAR of God Almighty.

If I were Nigeria's Parliamentarians, we should be bonding together to tackle these matters, the results of which can be amazingly dramatic, and which fallout will empower our poor voters to be better able to resist money politics and shame electoral charlatans next year!

Because it will be magic, I will act NOW.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

If I Were Chinese, Indian and Russian Leaders (1)

I believe the world has now settled and reconciled with the hard facts of our future world, that China and India are the next economic superpowers, and Russia the energy superpower. Don't mind all the rabble-rousing WTO tiffs - it's mere shuffling. The facts are hard and fast. Simple.

If I were the leaders of these leading countries, I will immediately embark on the most effective cultural human relations of all: Export My Language.

I will launch a 25-year plan with only one official agenda: Promote Peace through our official and some local shades of our Language. Each and every of our diplomatic mission will oversee very extensive and intensive collaborations in this regard. We will bring world citizens home for high quality train-the-trainers and teachers programmes, and also send loads of our brightest bi/multilingual nationals on rotational services abroad. I will start by 1 January 2007. I will do so massively.

The Asian Tigers, including Japan, missed that lesson during their boom years. It was costly. Very much so. No rising power should miss the chance again. Not China, not India, Not Russia!

On this language train, three other countries will need to catch the bug also: Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. They have to build their own response over the next 3-5 years, and act.

And the best part is its purpose for a truly globalising world - a true Global Village.

For it, I speak.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

If I Were Nigeria's Inspector General of Police

Things are getting tougher and rougher in the area of crimes, criminality, security and law and order in Nigeria. Whether in urban or rural parts, there is palpable anxiety. It is getting even so in politics. Frauds, assassinations, kidnappings, cultism & ritual killing, rape, arson, and drugs. Of course there are more!

Only half-hearted analysts will fail to locate this upsurge, like its root causes, in the full bosom of POVERTY and the feeling of HOPELESSNESS across the land. The culture of violence has been badly accentuated by the "winner takes all" culture that intruded into our polity and policies over the last three decades. Neither military nor civilian governments can be absolved of the full responsibility for this scourge. It is now both a national dilemma, and a global embarrassment. Drastic courageous and creative action is now needed. We be all concerned. Big problem. Ha!

The bulk of the burden for its resolution is dumped, expectedly in a democracy, on the POLICE. If I were the Inspector General of Police, IGP, I will accept the burden without any question at all. Then I will make my demands in a world press conference. It will be personal, and public! Here are the highlights:

a) Bombast Boost of Total Personnel Mix ................... One Million

*** Grassroots Policing------ 400,000
*** Cyber Policing----------- 100,000
*** Anti-Terrorism---------- 100,000
*** Mobile Squad------------ 100,000
*** Marine Organisation----- 100,000
*** Air Command------------- 50,000
*** Special Group------------- 50,000
*** Protection Team---------- 40,000
*** Nuclear Threats----------- 10,000
*** Gender Special------------ 10,000
*** Youth Special-------------- 10,000
*** Juveniles Special-----------10,000
*** Mining Marshalls-----------10,000
*** Campus Connect----------- 10,000

b) Full and Complete National Police Infrastructure

c) Absolutely Modern and Adequate Equipment

d) Total Restructuring and Repositioning

e) New Recruitment and Advancement Policy

f) Millennium Budgetting and Funding

g) Police Multimedia Agency (Radio/TV/Internet/Paper)

h) Police University with Geo-Political (Zonal) and Special Academies

i) Badly-Needed Cooperation: Traditional & Faith Institutions; Students & Labour Unions

j) Strongly-Needed Liaison: Market & Trade Associations; Transporters & Drivers Groups


The bottom line is to create a NEW police service in FIVE years. Minimum qualification will be a university/polytechnic degree. Those in service will be encouraged to upgrade themselves with generous support/incentives, so as to retain institutional memory, and reward long service by the present personnel. All others will be humanely phased out under a special scheme...into neighbourhood protection & information, corporate guards and private/domestic security, etc. or a happy retirement.

We will sign a 10-year unique capacity building and impact-special MOU with the world's best police services, in their areas of specialisation, and tying these up with our technical and general operations.

Once things normalise in the land, technology and other factors will lead to reduced manpower and better citizen-participation in crime management, prevention and control.

If I were IG Sunday Ehindero, I will help Nigeria install the best officer for the above agenda as the next Inspector General of Police, when I bow out in 2007.

Monday, August 14, 2006

If I Were Nuhu Ribadu (Nigeria's Financial Crimes Czar)-2

The electoral field is wide and open...for the 2007 general elections. Nuhu Ribadu and his commission must be neck-deep in tough, knotty and tricky cases on multifarious financial crimes. Expected. Their plate must necessarily be full....even over-flowing. Expected.

But the guy has also been serving notice of the impending release of earth-shaking revelations vis-a-vis the political class. We wait. And we've been waiting. We must wait.

If I were the anti-corruption czar, this is the time to do so....in style. Do it.

Leaving it too late will be misconstrued, and may be abused. We must give the "indicted" and the courts ENOUGH time to fulfil all righteousness. The law should take its course, while justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.

If I were Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, I shall delay no more!

Sunday, August 06, 2006

If I Were Nigeria's Electoral Commission

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is not being seen or regarded as truly "independent" or "nationalistic" by many in our country! This is a serious matter indeed.

Almost all the opposition parties plus the "fringe" factions of the ruling PDP are complaining. So is the crusading community. Watch and read the independent media, same doubts. And the donor agencies are equally worried about the level of preparedness for the arduous task of the 2007 Elections. Just recently, in far away London, the senate president wondered aloud.

Before these people and bodies, the INEC chairman had severally raised justifiable alarm on the commission's plight. One would have thought finding wholesome solutions by all stakeholders should be paramount right now. INEC needs friends, not more enemies and fifth columnists. It should be tooling and toiling so very hard, and reaching out to all and sundry. There's so much to do....right and rightly. So much!

Alas, what do we have? Instead of concentrating on its job, INEC has been busy tackling all its critics, and abusing Nigeria's sitting vice president! Haba! We must wonder, and we must worry.

The National Assembly must make a parliamentary intervention immediately....especially now that there are raging speculations of some hidden agenda towards a so-called "Interim National Government" (INC), post-May 2007. This devilish orgre must be crushed forthwith. Promptly. Remember the "Third Term" monster? This was how it all started! This time, let's take no chances o!

Prudently, and rightly so, most players - including the PDP and the Presidency - have, so far, distanced themselves from the dastardly idea. Even Dr Ezeife, former governor and Harvard-trained economist, who had unwisely "addressed" a pro-INC press conference on the subject, has also "backed down", by means of a "clarification" statement! Belatedly, but certainly!!

If I were the INEC people, I would retract the "attack" on Mr Vice President, and apologise to the nation. Professor Maurice Iwu, as chairman, should lead an INEC peace mission to media houses, convene a political peace summit and employ these powerful allies to promptly pressure parliament for positive action.....to secure a legitimate, free and fair 2007 General Elections.

History beckons.