Self-Interest
Jibrin Ibrahim
Governance as Self-Interest
Jibrin Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy, Daily Trust, 7th March 2025
The most accurate way to describe Nigerian politics today is that state and society have been captured by an efficient and ruthless band that is recreating politics and the political economy in its image. On a daily basis, people are lamenting about the absence of rules, ethics and red lines in politics and the economy as the cabal in power do as they please and we the citizens watch and wonder whether it’s the new reality or a new rascally Nollywood production.
We all watched the skit on the Lagos State House of Assembly. The Speaker was removed, a new one was installed elected by a massive majority of members. As in all good Nollywood films, the new Speaker was safe because the majority of members supported her and clearly, there was nothing former Speaker Obasa could do, or so we thought. Suddenly, the music became lauder, Speaker Mojisola Merenda saw she was all alone as her entire security team had been withdrawn. Former Speaker Obasa turned his appellation from former to current, he majestically moved in to take control of the Lagos House of Assembly. He demanded the legislators come and pay homage to him, only four turned up. As the drama moved into a crescendo, phone calls were made, instructions issued and the entire House rallied and paid homage to Rt. Hon. Obasa. My sympathies Merenda, there are powers and there are powers.
While the Lagos show was on-going, another was happening in the Supreme Court. Suddenly, the entire basis of Nigerian jurisprudence which is based on precedence was thrown into the waste paper basket as Governor Fubara who thought he was in power was told in no uncertain terms that there are powers and there are powers. The election he organised into the Local Government Councils was thrown out. The legislators who had sworn to impeach him after he challenged their right to abandon the party on whose ticket they won elections to join the ruling party were recognised as legitimate and the Central Bank was instructed to stop sending monies to the State government. It was blatant partisan action that has not been seen in recent years. Sorry Fubara, there are powers and there are powers.
It’s difficult to avoid the Nollywood imagery as I was watching a Senator complaining bitterly on Channels television that he saw his colleague Senator Natasha come into the Chambers with her husband and he kissed her. It was totally unacceptable for a husband to kiss his wife in the Chambers he explained. I was confused and did not know whether to cry or laugh. This distinguished Senator had made disturbing allegations of sexual harassment against the President of the Senate. If such a highly placed women felt the need to make such a serious allegation against a powerful individual, the least any serious democracy could do is to take such an allegation seriously and investigate. The decision taken was to throw out her petition without investigation and to charge her with “crimes” of disrespect to constituted authority after all there are powers and there are powers. The argument used by the Committee Chairman, Mr Imasuen was that “Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition violated the Senate’s procedural rules, as she had personally signed the document.” Of course, a petition not signed by the complainant would also have no legal standing. All sorts of stories were then fabricated against her. I refuse to dignify the stories they are currently spreading to impugn her integrity and would not talk about them. We are sinking too low.
While all this drama was going on, I was alarmed to read that a confidential report exclusively obtained by Nairametrics from a reliable source tracking the movements of motor tanker vessels, which monitors cargo tanks entering the country, revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has imported 159,000 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) between February 1, 2025, and February 12, 2025. Based on a standard conversion of 1,341 litre per metric ton, this translates to approximately 213 million litres of petrol, imported by the state-owned oil company according to the Motor Tanker Vessels report.
The revelation comes at a time Dangote Refinery, which can supply the country’s needs is locked in a legal dispute with NNPCL and major oil marketers over the importation of refined petroleum products, which are already being produced locally without any shortfall. The interests of Nigeria do not appear to matter in our governance mechanism. It is all about self-interest. That is why despite the January 2025 deadline set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles to reduce air pollution across the region, Nigeria has continued to import petroleum products that exceed the permissible sulphur limit under this regulation.
In December 2024, the NNPCL announced the restart of the 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), which was approved for rehabilitation in 2021 for $897 million. This announcement followed reports that the Port Harcourt refinery’s 60,000 bpd phase one had begun refining key fuels. Nigeria operates four national refineries: one in Kaduna, one in Warri, and two in Port Harcourt. The refurbishment of these refineries, in addition to the operations of the Dangote refinery, was expected to reduce Nigeria’s importation of petroleum products and make the country fuel independent. However, the importation of refined products continues on a large scale despite the growing number of local refineries.
To conclude, choosing the cast that is producing these stories is something worth understanding. Good qualifications are necessary.
Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi who has just been appointed the country’s new Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, was between 2011 and 2012, indicted in the N2 billion police payroll fraud. Also, Ogunjimi was reported to have come fourth in the examination for the selection of Accountant General, scoring 62 percent in the written examination, according to a memo signed by Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence. Between 2011 and 2012, Ogunjimi was alleged to have used eight Bank accounts in First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Eco Bank to warehouse funds linked to the Police Payroll Fraud. Self-service is the game for the powers that be and the operatives are chosen carefully.
Cornelius Hamelberg
If only for a change, the title was “ Governance as enlightened self interest “, and instead of another litany of woes, the supporting text from the good news messenger was upbeat, laudatory and heart-warming…
Professor Jibrin Ibrahim of an avowed Marxist orientation, merely substituting USA for Nigeria, and without having to change the wording slightly, by for instance substituting “ruthless oligarchy” for “an efficient and ruthless band”, a disenchanted woke US Democrat could well mistake your first paragraph as an accurate description of what’s happening within the first 45 days of Trump officially taking over the reins of government in his United States of America 😡
“The most accurate way to describe American politics today is that state and society have been captured by an efficient and ruthless band that is recreating politics and the political economy in its image. On a daily basis, people are lamenting about the absence of rules, ethics and red lines in politics and the economy as the cabal in power do as they please and we the citizens watch and wonder whether it’s the new reality or a new rascally Hollywood production.”
Professor Jibrin Ibrahim’s weighing in on weighty matters of topical / emergency national interest ought to invite equally engaging responses, one would hope, primarily from Pan-Africanists, Nigerian nationals at home and abroad, and of course, Diaspora Nigerians who may have acquired foreign citizenship /naturalization , and among them, possibly even those who may be boasting that at least technically they’ve washed their hands off the country’s affairs but secretly still have Nigeria at heart - and such heart emotions would come to the forefront God willing, e.g. should Nigeria wallop USA 5-0 when they battle it out at the next FIFA world cup next year - at which point many a “Nigerian-American” will be showing their true colours with much chest-beating and boastful praise-singing about Nigeria’s greatness. We don’t know how Trump would be responding to such a scenario, Nigeria walloping USA but guess he’d either be peacefully exploding with “Shit happens ” or “ We also have some very fine Nigerians here in the US, very fine people ”
Nationalism cuts across in so many ways
Perhaps, Nigerians are best qualified to comment on Nigerian matters? Mainly due to ignorance, I’d still shy away from going all in.
In a war between ( God forbid) Israel and Nigeria on whose side would the miscreant fight? The miscreant would join Hamas, to fight in Jesus’ Liberation Army I suppose ? Here’s the root to that kind of mistaken identity and the cause of so much confusion. : This versus THIS
Should I “write” a poem entitled “Benjamin Netanyahu” whose ups and downs I have followed closely since 1995? ? I would if anyone in this forum asked me to, and it would surprise you. I’d have to take about a week to polish it to my own satisfaction and for posterity…
I Googled Robert Gabriel Mugabe (Poem) and the first item that came up was
Salisbury Prison, 31 December 1966
The second item that came up was
The Inimitable Zimbabwean Patriot - Robert Gabriel Mugabe!
Followed by
Den Uforlignelige Zimbabwiske Patriot - Robert Gabriel Mugabe!
K. Gozie Ifesinachukwu
Nigeria is an unserious country.
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