Buhari And His Dream Of A One Party State – Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, where and how does one begin? Whenever you think you have seen it all in our dear beloved country Nigeria, something bigger, bizarre and sometimes even more dastardly occurs.

Let me be honest, I have no problem with those decamping in droves from the opposition party PDP to the ruling party APC. As far as I’m concerned, they are merely exercising their inalienable rights of freedom of association, speech and movement. However, I have serious issues with only one man, President Muhammadu Buhari who seems to be the Talisman that they all credit with their defection. It is because of him they all turn into turncoat, notwithstanding their previously avowed aversion and derision of this same personage that has been the butt of their ridicule or denigration.

Before you begin to ask me why this is my position, I shall hasten to elucidate.
Prior to the 2015 Presidential election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari had contested on three occasions. And what was his claim to fame and entitlement to the throne? INTEGRITY. Others added courage, frugality and simplicity. To his acolytes he was nothing short of a saint or angel. The Chosen one, the Messiah. That description was a perfect fit. He had this childlike innocence written all over his soft, delicately hewn face. His cool mien and natural taciturnity complemented his persona. He was unreachable, yet touchable. An ethereal being, a Spirit!

Anyway. The Buhari I was introduced to by Dr Lanre Tejuoso in 2010 was totally calm and appeared serious and determined about changing Nigeria. Despite my reservations about his age and dictatorial past even at that time, he managed to present an image of a truly repentant, penitent and reformed born again democrat. It was hard to imagine the level of implacable and intractable obstinacy disguised, concealed and buried inside that seemingly frail figure. I later went ahead to contest against him and President Goodluck Jonathan and others. We both lost. The retired army General was devastated and blighted. I even read somewhere that he wept and vowed never to contest again.

Buhari And His Dream Of A One Party State – Dele Momodu

But something would happen to change his trajectory forever. By 2015, the PDP had held power for 16 solid years. And it was normal for the principle of diminishing return to set in. Apart from the assumed and acknowledged recklessness and profligacy ascribed to the party, President Jonathan faced his toughest challenge in the total collapse of security in some parts of the North East of Nigeria. The mass kidnap of young school girls at Chibok, in Borno State, further exacerbated the tense situation. The next party to consider realistically was APC. And Buhari was its candidate. It wasn’t easy to keep PDP in power given all its negative vibes and woes. On the other hand, it was obviously very risky to exchange this wobbly party which was an amalgamation of strange bed fellows. The decision to embrace the Change which APC promised to deliver through its enigmatic flagbearer would haunt us for a long time to come.

I cannot in good conscience say Buhari has not done anything good in over six years since he returned to power but his lack of attention to uniting Nigeria has obliterated whatever good he might have recorded and achieved so far. It seems that the President and his men became arrogant and power drunk and could not be bothered about leaving a legacy of dynamism, development and progress. Now, as the President and his men and women inch closer and closer to the finishing line, I can see a palpable sense of desperation. It is obvious they would love to rewrite the history and narrative of this terrible season and reverse the clock if possible. I believe, this is the main reason for the manner APC has been on a poaching spree of recent.

To some Nigerians and other friends of our country, it may appear strange and bizarre that so many people are rushing and running to a party that deserves to be shredded, trashed and disposed off into the dustbin of history for setting Nigeria back by decades if not centuries. But to keen observers and participants like me, such is standard practice here. The rationale for the wholesale desire to forsake and renounce any remaining iota or modicum of decency and morality has been the perception that the odds of winning an election in this country doubles when you participate as a member of the ruling party. Shame and propriety are absent in our lexicon. Worse still, we lack a sense of history. Once upon a time, some politicians worshipped General Sani Abacha and plotted to make him a life President. Where are they today? Where are those who tried to stop then Vice President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, from acting as President during the incapacitation of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua? Gone with the winds!

The giddiness that has taken over the bodies and souls of the APC apparatchiks is neither justifiable nor sustainable in reality and in the long run. Many leaders had tried in the past to enslave Nigerians and convert our system to a one party but they failed spectacularly. I have no doubts in my mind that this latest experiment and exploration too will fail. Someone should tell President Buhari to stop the bad habit of using state resources to play politics. I believe the APC has a party office. The next time they want to receive their decampees, they should head to the party secretariat. The seat of power in Aso Rock is too sacred and not an adjunct or appurtenance of the APC. It is an abuse of office and privilege to abandon extremely volatile matters of state and waste resources and time on frivolities. It is most unfair and unfortunate. It is even worse that the President seems not bothered about the implication of welcoming all comers on the so-called war against corruption.

The President made certain promises before he was appointed or elected. Those promises are too important and sacrosanct to be discarded on the altar of political or other expediency. There are too many problems demanding and requiring the President’s immediate, focused and undiluted attention. The President should worry less about who succeeds him and more about making a success of his tenure. The attempt to turn the Nigerian political space into one gigantic political behemoth is alarming and worrisome. However, the history of Nigerian politics has shown clearly that a one party state is virtually impossible to achieve here. Nearly every government attempted it in the past but failed.

Buhari should not think that he is any different from his lofty predecessors in this regard. He should just do his job and leave in peace. He will be applauded for this gesture. Any attempt to force any candidate on Nigeria will only bring gloom and doom upon the nation.
No matter how weak PDP may appear today, the party will bounce back in the next few months unless its leadership fails to think outside the box. This is because the roles have been reversed and things have turned full circle! The nadir and abyss the PDP reached after 16 years of governance in Nigeria has been reached and attained by APC in a record half of the time that it had taken the PDP.

The party must therefore take advantage of the opportunity presented by APC’s terminal malaise and find means of rebranding by bringing in fresh people, faces and truly fresher ideas. If the party allows its old and ageing politicians to hijack it as usual, and force or impose its ill-fated candidates on the nation, it means they are willing to remain in opposition ad infinitum. The party can defeat APC only if and when it reflects the mood of the nation and do the needful by seeking young, vibrant, accomplished, cosmopolitan leaders who can galvanize the youths into the party and motivate them into ensuring the party’s success at the polls.

I was very excited when I got a call from Senator Shehu Sani earlier in the week intimating me of his recent move to PDP. He confirmed that he had been partly swayed by my kind of admonition that success at the national level cannot come from a small political outfit with meagre resources and bereft of national outlook. Finally, serious people are beginning to heed my advice. I’m a firm believer in the efficacy of a two party system for national government even if there are smaller parties for the local and regional governments. He said every aspiring candidate should see, read and digest my last week’s column as a veritable blueprint and key into its genuine propositions and proposals.

The leading opposition party needs to free itself of unnecessary encumbrances. It should start attacking vigorously and stop the defensive game it’s been playing for some time now. It must be proactive and not reactive. It must say what it can do better and not just criticise for the sake of doing so. More importantly its ideas, pledges and promise must be well conceptualised and realistic and firmly rooted in objectivity and actualisation. It can be done and it must be done. Buhari and his cohorts must not be encouraged to think a one party state is still possible in a democracy. It is anathema to democracy, particularly a presidential system of government, no matter what else you may hear. PDP represents our only chance for a real difference and the unity and survival of a fractionalised, factionalised and fractious country. Its leaders and members must be encouraged to rise to the challenge and pick up the gauntlet. The time is now otherwise if we let the Buhari led APC and their co-conspirators continue with their onslaught, we will have no country left in a couple of years! I shudder at the thought…

Special Thanks to the Oluwo of Iwo
I have the pleasure of sharing the good news with you. The dream of every soul is to work hard, achieve greatness, receive recognition and get honored.

It is for this reason that I wish to thank His Imperial Majesty, OBA ABDULRASHEED ADEWALE AKANBI, for blessing me and my wife with the highest titles available in any part of Yorubaland, THE AARE OF IWOLAND. My dear beloved wife, Chief Mrs Mobolaji Momodu, will also bag the YEYE AARE as is customary. The OLUWO stool is ancient, being direct descendants of Oduduwa, and the Ooni of Ife and thus a powerful one at that, in Yorubaland. Its Rulers have been mythical and legendary. I’m very grateful for this heartwarming development and honour.

Our installation ceremony comes up on Saturday, the 2nd of October, 2021, at the expansive Palace of The Oluwo of Iwo, in Osun State, at 11.00am prompt. We have sent out letters to our families, friends and associates. We are indeed overwhelmed and grateful to all those who have sent felicitations, gifts and prayers ahead of the event and have confirmed attendance even from as far and near as Africa, Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australasia.
We have sought the royal blessings of the foremost Yoruba Monarchs, His Imperial Majesty, The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, and Iku Baba Yeye, The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, and are assured of their love and best wishes at all times.

Highest regards always to our Guru, The Spirit of Africa, Dr Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Isola Adenuga (GCON, CSG, CLH), for his continued love and support.

God has been been very kind to us that he gave us our first of four sons, Olupekan Momodu, exactly 27 years ago and we rejoice and humbly request you to do so with us…

Alter Konsult Provides Win-win Solution To NIgeria’s VAT War

To lay to rest the current imbroglio causing tension over the collection of Value Added Tax, a group, Alter Konsult has proffered a win-win formular that will get NIgeria’s economy back on track.

The suggestion was put forward in a statement jointly signed by its chairman, Dahiru Mohammed Dahiru Umar and secretary, Emmanuel Daniel Ochi, made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Friday September 17, 2021.

“For the harmonious working of the model, we recommend a new revenue sharing formula where all revenue generated is distributed equitably, as captured by the incidence of VAT modified.

“The solution to this problem cannot come from the current steps being taken by both states and federal government via FIRS but rather a holistic systemic solution to this systemic problem which should take into cognizance the political, economic and cultural variables of Nigeria.

“Irrespective of whoever wins in the courts will not solve the existing problem rather a solution which promotes national policy thrust that focuses on national unity while preserving our diversity.

“Also, the need for economic synergy amongst various elements within the national economy as indices for successful performance of the economy should be identified,” Alter Konsult said.

Alter Konsult Provides Win-win Solution To NIgeria’s VAT War

Read the full statement below:

PRESS RELEASE BY ALTER-KONSULT OF THE CURRENT CONFLICT OVER VAT

The current conflict over VAT between Rivers, Lagos, potentially, other states of the federation on one end and the federal government through FIRS on the other end have long existed; this is a Pandora’s Box.

The conflict has long existed within the entire tax system of Nigeria not just VAT.

This is evidenced by the continuous systemic corruption, difficulty in doing business, increased agitations to restructure, increasing social, political and economic crises bedevilling the country.

The increasing call for improvement in internally generated revenue (IGR) by states and local governments will reveal more of this kind of conflicts inherent within our tax system. Nigeria is a country on a defined geographical location with federal, states and local governments operating with little or no synergy within them.

Where will the states and local governments generate revenue different from that of the federal government? Of course it has to be from the same business entities, the same business activities and the same economy.

The states and local governments will only resort to creative taxation in form of levies to improve IGR which only makes business more difficult.

Also, a system where tax generated or paid by individuals in one part of the country becomes credited to another part of the country where the head office is located will be considered unfair by the part of the country where the tax was generated.

Or where parts of the country receive tax revenue without any corresponding input in generating that tax will be considered unfair by the parts of the country where the revenue is generated.

The problems are compounded due to the ethno-religious diversity of Nigeria and enterprising nature of Nigerians.

This has undermined and exacerbated the problems of ethnic balance and national integration; consequently our uniqueness and strength as a nation with diversity in the groupings has posed increasing challenges which at present threatens the fabric of our national unity.

The solution to this problem cannot come from the current steps being taken by both states and federal government via FIRS but rather a holistic systemic solution to this systemic problem which should take into cognizance the political, economic and cultural variables of Nigeria.

Irrespective of whoever wins in the courts will not solve the existing problem rather a solution which promotes national policy thrust that focuses on national unity while preserving our diversity.

Also, the need for economic synergy amongst various elements within the national economy as indices for successful performance of the economy should be identified.

Most importantly is a resource, revenue allocation formula as spelt out from the interplay of the concepts of taxation, unity in diversity, synergy, democracy, comparative advantage and protectionism with specific references to the economic structure of government. This is the solution we therefore proffer!

The model, a workable solution as presented by Alter-Konsult proposes that Value Added Tax (VAT) should be modified to be similar to Sales Tax and positioned to serve as an index for economic activities in all parts of the country: this should also serve as the base for revenue distribution.

VAT collection and administration should be a joint effort between Federal (FIRS), States (SIRS) and Local Government (LIRS) so as to create unified tax system, avoid multiple taxes and increase tax base.

Doing this will enable government at all levels function synergistically and focus on the provisions of fiscal variables necessary for economic growth within their levels while eliminating inefficiencies.

The fiscal variables—taxes, the quality and quantity of services (infrastructure) provided by government—are what policymakers can control and they will be able to know what effect these variables have on economic growth and firm location.

The impact of taxes on firms will be easy to measure because accurate measurement relies in part on the incidence of the tax.

We also propose the adoption of a mixed economic structure that will enable the local and state governments concentrate on the economic activities that is indigenous.

For the harmonious working of the model, we recommend a new revenue sharing formula where all revenue generated is distributed equitably, as captured by the incidence of VAT modified.

Our nation has got to the point where, more than ever, the needed wisdom and understanding, stemming from a rare compact knowledge of a workable probability has to be researched, well-articulated, appraised objectively and authentically utilized in order to come out of our doldrums.

This is what the solution proffered by Alter-Konsult based on the book titled “Political Economy and Taxation – A Practical Systemic Platform for Good Governance” has tried to achieve and, if well embraced, it will help the nation out of this quagmire. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” – Eliza Cook.

The condition of a society, good or bad, is the outflow of communal character and as such no nation ever grows, develops and stabilizes without shared values that can bring about these needs.

If the reality of a viable communal character is firmly believed in by most and is established in the polity, governance at all levels will be seamless, effective and economic growth will be recorded at all levels and parts of the country.

We have lingered too long on the blame-game and non-working ideologies.

Let us revisit our system with a purview to review, discard unhelpful content and work with new concepts that will surely bring about different and better results. This call should be within a defined time that will allow for careful review and accepted by all stakeholders.

The model being presented which will surely help in the amicable resolution of the conflict and salvage the nation from the social, economic and political precipice we have been sitting on and ultimately restore the dignity of Nigerians. Alter-Kosult is very much willing to make this presentation when called upon by all stakeholders.

A demonstration of this model was presented at:
1. Nigeria Union of Journalist Kaduna chapter;
2. Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna;
3. Alter-Konsult office in Kaduna to Journalists.

The model has also been submitted to:
1. National House of Representative Committee on the Review of the Constitution;
2. The Joint Tax Board of the FIRS;
3. The Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission;
Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
For: Alter Konsult

Mohammed Dahiru Umar (Chairman) Alter Konsult Emmanuel Daniel Ochi (Secretary) Alter Konsult

Defection: Ignore Fani-Kayode’s Mischievous Claims On Ugwuanyi – Onoh

Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, Dr Josef Onoh has refuted the insinuation by Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is among some governors of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, expected to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC, sooner than later.

Onoh described Fani-Kayode’s gaffe as a “figment of his imagination” and borrowed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s words to say that “Governor Ugwuanyi dey PDP kamkpe!”

Onoh said that if anybody was in doubt of Governor Ugwuanyi’s stable and courageous character, such a person should refer to last Thursday’s Southern Governors’ meeting in Enugu where Ugwuanyi was the only substantive Governor from the South east zone that attended.

According to Onoh: “What Femi Fani-Kayode said was his personal opinion, it did not reflect the opinion of the government, the state or the present state of affairs of the PDP and our Governor in Enugu state.

“Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the leader of the PDP in the south east, he was just been made the National Chairman of PDP zoning committee and that shows the level of confidence the PDP as a party has in him.

Defection: Ignore Fani-Kayode’s Mischievous Claims On Ugwuanyi – Onoh

“It’s like saying that the President of Nigeria could turn around and accept to become a ward councilor. The responsibilities saddled on him, not only as a governor, but to pilot the affairs of over 100 million active registered members of the party is a huge task. We respect Fani-Kayode’s conviction in joining the APC but in this game there are men of integrity and honour. I can tell you authoritatively, not just as an ally of the Governor, that the long rumour of Ugwuanyi joining the APC is false. Ifeanyi Ugwuany in Obasanjo’s words, we still dey kamkpe in PDP.”

Appreciating the role of opposition political parties in democracies, Onoh said that there cannot be vibrant democracy without opposition political parties that he said their role is to keep a tab on fair play and participation in politics.

“Here in Enugu state, we in the PDP are in opposition but we respect and accommodate the APC and other political parties, but the problem is that Femi Fani-Kayode mistakes Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s approach to politics to the general accepted barbaric norm played by some Nigeria politicians.

“Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the Governor of Enugu state, and so he is the Chief Security officer of the state and the father of all political parties in Enugu state. He even has the right to revoke the land that any political party office is located, but he provides security for all. If there is a problem in APC secretariat, he will ensure there is security to protect there, same as in APGA or any other party and so he is the Governor of all political parties in the state but he is a registered member and an active participant of the PDP because he rules with conscience.

“So whatever Femi Fani-Kayode said is a figment of his imagination and I want members of the general public to disregard that. This is a governor who courageously hosted the southern Governors irrespective of the fact that other South East Governors were not present, but he proved that he is the lion of the south east. For him to have stood on behalf of the other south east governors would have told you that there is no other way to define courage, integrity and what else do you need to question,” Onoh stated.