L’etat, c’est toi?

After every discourse with anyone –intellectual or otherwise – I invariably tend to have a rethink about my position because I tend to argue ferociously and my views come across as too strong which does not augur well for any discourse but I do listen contrary to what some over the years have thought.

Yesterday was a good day for such reflections – I spent over 5 hours with some drink buddies and we debated issues that centred on Fashola and his policies. Anyone who read one of my earlier blogs -

FASHOLA AS AN ELITIST GOVERNOR: THE TEJUOSHO MARKET EXAMPLE

(THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE POOR)

would guess that I think BRF is an elitist. His actions since then have not done anything to allay those suspicions but rather to bolster them.

The thing about our people is that we tend so soon to forget that the things that happened in the past may yet happen if we do not put in place some basic structures from the very beginning of our democracy and I will get to this after I state briefly some things that BRF has done to further indicate his elitist thinking.

The ban on okada riders from some places may look right to some people but I am old enough to know that nobody passed a decree for okada to be the mode of transportation in Lagos before it came about. Terminating the effect without treating the cause is as futile as applying tissue paper on a haemorrhaging wound. There are over 2 million part time and full time okada riders in Lagos the majority of who pay tax and daily levy of N200 to the state purse in their parks. The thirteen-sectioned restrictive ban law that BRF’s Gov't passed will not help in alleviating the economic conditions of these people as well as the various people who depend on this means of transportation to commute daily. The bad roads, bad vehicles, inadequate (and exorbitant) public transport vehicles etc are all directly responsible for bad traffic and not motorcyclists alone. Yes, we motorists love to hate them but for crying out loud they also have a right to be here because even the Road Safety Code accepts the rights of motorcyclists in telling motorists to be considerate of other road users. Because someone drives a lesser vehicle (okada) does not mean that I have more right of way than he.

Forcing okada riders away from most urban areas and highways is an invitation to chaos since no one at the RoundHouse foresaw that it just may have been better to provide other alternatives – like better roads, more BRT buses and so on before gradually allowing the natural forces of economy to push them away. How did Marwa ensure the popularity of Keke Marwa? Was it by official decree even though he had the military might and legitimacy of power? Did he suppress other means of transportation to promote what he felt was the best? The answer is obvious and the result to is there for the world to judge. If Marwa had dared that, some of us would have stoutly resisted but under BRF, we have been seduced into thinking that whatever he does must be the best way to do it and that is the start of dictatorship. In any case, do okada ply the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and is there no hold up along that road? Can we say with confidence that the okada restrictive ban has eased traffic anywhere in Lagos state? BRF has become a dictator and the concepts of democracy is lost in Lagos state.

Democracy all over the world is built on several principles but the most important concept is the people. When democracy stops been about the people, what you have in place is either a monarchy (rule by divine right) or an aristocracy (rule by select few). If our democracy is built on the American ideal then it is important for us to refer to that nation to get a good idea of what we should be guided by. Some smart ones say that America has had more years of practice than we have and to such I say we should not therefore carry out reforms to become in one day a megacity like America without taking time to think about the effect on the downtrodden like America did well before its 50th independence anniversary.

The argument of course is watery: America put some things in place from the very start and at the stage where we are in their political development, the issues that were raised are the same ones that we are raising now and some choose to only see the political side of it. Is there even anything wrong with that? No matter how good a proposal by the Democrats in US might be, it is the duty of the Republicans to subject it to vigorous debate for whatsoever reason. In Nigeria though, the brand of bias is avoided like a stigma and even opposition political parties shirk from this duty to the people so, someone has to do it. Following are the basic ideals on which democracy is founded as subscribed to by the founding fathers of modern democracy:

People must accept the principle of majority rule;

The political rights of minorities must be protected;

Citizens must agree to a system of rule by law;

The free exchange of opinions and ideas must not be restricted;

All citizens must be equal before the law and,

Government exists to serve the people, because it derives its power from the people.

In order to achieve these ideals, the US put in place four structures from the very early days of their democracy:

popular sovereignty: meaning that the people are the ultimate source of the government’s authority;

representative government;

checks and balances; and

federalism, an arrangement where powers are shared by different levels of government.

Popular sovereignty is present in Lagos state. The Gov’t of the day is perceived to have ridden to power on the basis of winning popular election. Indeed, BRF came to power with 828,424 votes to emerge as the most voted for candidate. This figure though, represents a very small minority of the over 17.5 million which the state claims as its population. If we are to go by the principle of representative Gov’t though, the number represents the majority of those who are resident in the state. Who are the majority? Is it the millions of poor and middle class folks or those elite who are less than one million? The answer as obvious as it is eludes the Gov’t of Fashola that has its eyes fixed on transforming Lagos to a New York or Dubai at all costs. If we are in a monarchy, it is alright but under a democracy, consultations and consensus are two of the most salient aspect. You just have to carry people along. We told OBJ that he did not own sovereignty but that it was given to him to hold in trust and to be withdrawn whenever we deemed it necessary.

Am I therefore saying that the Gov’t should only do what its citizens perceive to be right? Under a democracy, YES! If we were in a monarchy, or aristocracy or even a theocracy, the head decides because like Louis XIV – the sun king said, ‘the head of state is the state’. In a democracy though, the head cannot just take decisions no matter how right he feels they are if the majority are not in support. Case in point: the Iraqi war was a misadventure for the U.S. but because George W. Bush had the support of the American and Iraqi people to overthrow the Gov’t of Saddam Hussein, he was able to carry on. When it came out though that he had manipulated the thinking of the people by claiming that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), he and his party lost favour very quickly because the American people realised they had been deceived.

BRF’s Gov’t doesn’t even bother to try to convince us before it carries out its plans. It simply arranges for the LSHA to rubber stamp its decision. Our honourables though, are now kicking against the arrangement. This brings us to the issue of checks and balances.

When we elected BRF, we also elected a house of assembly to carry out oversight functions of the executive arm (which BRF heads) while providing a platform for citizens to make their voices heard via subjecting Gov’t decisions to public debate. The blame for the lack of vigorous debates in the public square rests a little with the masses themselves. How many of us have ever gone to Alausa to watch the proceedings of the lawmakers? Nevertheless, Gov’t can sensitise and mobilise the masses the same way they are mobilised when it’s time for political rallies. If BRF had consulted very well on the okada issue, he would not fall into the dilemma that is sure to come within six months. The LSHA merely rubber stamped this particular decision and several others before it.

This piece therefore is simply about the emerging dictatorship of BRF. The only thing necessary for evil to thrive is for a few good men to keep silent. Part 2 of this piece will prove this assertion further.

FASHOLA AS AN ELITIST GOVERNOR: THE TEJUOSHO MARKET EXAMPLE (THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE POOR)

It is the evening of Wednesday the 18th of August and I just finished watching a repeat broadcast of what seemed like and I imagine is an interactive session of Gov. Fashola with journalists in Lagos state on LTV and it has left me first feeling amused to no end and a bit angry and then also sad. This is because for a while now, I have had a sneaky feeling that this Fashola Gov’t is actually a conspiracy of Gov’t and Elite to ‘disempower’ the poor further. Just last Saturday, an okada man taking me from Cele Express to Aguda, Surulere lamented bitterly that it cost N12,000 to procure documents to ride a motorbike in Lagos state compared with other south western states where you pay an average of N3,000. I dismissed it in my mind and put it down to the urbaneness of our Mega-City. I later thought about the exploitation of bike riders as from 10pm by policemen on the basis of the Lagos State edict forbidding motorcycle operations after the time because they were presumed guilty of complicity in armed robbery incidents. My mind wondered to their recent ban from some bridges particularly the new Itire-Isolo Bridge at Cele Express which to my mind makes no sense as the bikes do not represent the most potent threat to the durability of the bridge except that as a Lagos driver, I know the irritation that these ghost-riders represent to me so much that I feel like hitting one and teaching the others a lesson in ‘how-not-to-zoom-in-front-of-me-next-time’ but much as I may not agree with their kamikaze driving skills, I should defend to the death their right to the road as much as any Hummer Jeep driver.

As with any write-up like this, it is natural for the reader to assume that one has an axe to grind with the subject or that one’s view has been compromised in a way. Well, let me say to such that I have been a pro-masses progressive since my younger days and I will not stop now. And if my ideological judgment is still as sound as I think it is, Fashola’s is certainly not a pro-masses government and the facts speak for themselves. My conscience by the way, has never been for sale either by currency or by blackmail or even bland rhetoric from leaders who assume that one is stupid...I voted Asiwaju Tinubu in 1999 and 2003 because I was satisfied in seeing him stand up to the behemoth called OBJ in those days and though I know that he was not so high on performance by some standards, I do not regret voting for him. In 2007, I voted BRF because of all the candidates, he had better facts of the situation as it was and seemed to be the soundest mind among them all. The problem with an election where you double the vote of your closest opponent who is a person of the calibre of Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro of PDP with 828,484 votes to his 389,088 votes is that you assume a sense of invincibility and people are afraid to criticise you; therein then lies your downfall. Criticism in whatever form is the oil of democracy while sycophancy may well be the dearth of it and the inevitable birth of autocracy.

Markets are in various categories: some exist for the high class and some for the middle class. There are yet some that exist for the low class. Britain still has its fair share of ‘flea markets’ where cheap clothing and items are on sale at cut-rate prices. Tejuosho market was a middle class market where the poor could purchase goods that could compete with those purchased from Collectibles or LoP in those days. No matter the upgrading of the road carried out though, the traders there have always been a menace. They even sell on the railway and rush out of the way as soon as the train is coming. That is how it was and though we all loved the days of the ‘bend down boutique’, we knew it could not always be this way and some form of reform was necessary.

Markets again are a good source of income for the elite and the state. The elite are more likely to pay taxes to the state than the poor and the elite are certain to make profit in a location like Tejuosho which over the years has become synonymous with trading just like Oke-Arin on the Island. Asiwaju’s mother is the President-General of marketers and traders in Lagos and she should know what the revenue from traders is like. Jide Jimoh is the chairman of Yaba Local Gov’t and BRF grew up a few kilometres from that market and schooled in that area too.

The conspiracy started with pressure from the state on the street traders and the inside-marketers supported them because it was affecting their own sales since customers preferred to buy from the road rather than enter into the market. In fact, if you had a shop inside Tejuosho, you needed a sales person to stand shoulder to shoulder with the traders outside the gates and marshal customers inside to buy from your shop rather than the illegal traders. The battle was waged by the Market Traders’ association in Tejuosho in conjunction with the KAI Brigade, LASTMA, LAWMA, the Police and LG officials and a compromise was reached restricting the illegal street traders to some stalls just outside the market for which they paid state and LG officials and also paid their dues to the Alhaja Abibat Mogaji led association. As an assurance of Gov’t presence, a branch of the State Mortgage bank was cited just inside the market at the railway end. The roads were repaired and we all thought it was good but like a Nigerian home video, it had to have part two.

When BRF came in, one of the ‘legacies’ of Asiwaju to him was the burnt portions of the market which had just gone up in mysterious flames. Another market was also gutted in flames at the time. BRF pulled the entire structure down without regard to the cry of the traders there that he should rebuild only the burnt portions and leave the other places but they were assuaged by assurances that they would all retain their shops as soon as it went up again. He assured the market women that their interests were well protected and they went to sleep on his word. This time like a bad Nigerian home video, it had to have part three after a meaningless part two.

Enter Jide Jimoh; young and urbane chairman of Yaba LG. Elected after BRF was and who bought heavily into the vision of the Mega City and New Lagos (at whatever cost). Elitist entertainment entrepreneurs, the Bruce brothers moved in on his tail since they had an office there and Domino’s was refurbished, movie buffs got a cinema at Yaba and the entire zone ‘stepped up’ to an atmosphere of Koko Lounge and e-centre. Documents that had long been abandoned were suddenly brought out to support the claim that the entire area was an elitist area in the colonial days (notice the bourgeois street names in Yaba) and that was the signal to some of us that a market like Tejuosho might not do in such a class area. Jide Jimoh also set up a board of elitist folks (advisory or something council, he called it) to support the agenda of Public and Private Partnership, much like the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (for the banks and the rich)...let me digress just a bit.

I was part of the student movement against OBJ’s privatisation and deregulation policies in major sectors of the socio-economics of Nigeria including Oil and Education. The arguments of the state impecuniosity were hard sell as we saw evidence of the wealth of Gov’t exemplified in the hosting of CHOGM and COJA to the tune of billions of dollars while universities languished and petroleum marketers obtained subsidy funds without selling a litre of petrol. As a Students’ Union leader then, I organised forum after forum to sensitise the students on the ills of this blind capitalism and abandonment of state responsibility which even the United States would not engage in.

On reflection, it appears that deregulation was snuck in by the party we all seemed to look up to, Action Congress (of Nigeria) but it was dressed in the garb of Public Private Partnership. This is ordinarily supposed to be a scheme where the interest of the people is protected by state but when you have an elitist Gov’t, only the rich can rest protected. What we have now is a situation where Lagos is sold in bits to private concerns such as Lekki Concession Company – (who is conceding what sef?) or HiTech (the same guys that detonated the Bank of Industry building and wear T-Shirts with the inscription ‘BEEN THERE...WRECKED THAT!’) They do not deny by the way, that they have past Gov’t officials on their payroll. This is Public Private Partnership a la Lagos State Gov’t. Why can Gov’t not build infrastructure by itself rather than ask a Concession Company to do so then step in only to you collect toll on its behalf with state machinery? The genesis of the LASU problem was when school fees were increased to the region of N25, 000 and the Vice Chancellor in connivance with the Student leaders then all kept quiet on the agreement that subvention to the school would increase and bursary of equal amount would be paid to students who are indigenes of Lagos State. I did warn then that it was a pyrrhic victory on the part of the students but I was viewed as a spent student leader and derided by Akanbi and co. Now, the chickens, as always, have come home to roost and in the words of Hadley Chase ‘things would soon be forced to come crumbling down like a pack of cards’...

Back to Tejuosho, where even before the contractor (Public-Private) has finished construction, they have started aggressive marketing for buyers at the modest price of ...N770, 000 per square metre (m²). For those who do not know, a square metre is equivalent to one average ceiling slate size and you need about 9 (3x3) of such to have a modest shop which runs to about N6.9 million. Vis-a-vis the promise BRF made to the traders, how are they supposed to raise the funds to repurchase their own stalls? The Brighter Rewarding solution? Mortgage.

To the simple minded, it means you can pay at your convenience; to the not so simple? We know that’s how the rich stay rich...money lending and collateral deposit. Add a little sabotage to ensure you do not pay up on time and you have an idea of how the Rothschild family became wealthy through banking. What then is the personal opinion of BRF on all these? He says:

‘there’s no low cost cement or low cost iron rod’

In other words, no low cost houses and Tejuosho is not for the former tenants many of whom are indigent.

‘...your concern is whether you can pay at your convenience...’

In other words, either you pay at once or pay through mortgage, you can return the money to the bank gradually but one must ask, why was the mortgage bank that has been there not ever been patronised by the traders ab initio? They might be indigent but Tejuosho traders are not stupid. They know what ‘owo ele’ (interest based lending) means. Most of them were actually unable to independently own shops there either purchasing through cooperative societies or renting from local cronies and executive members of the association led by ‘you-know-who’s-mother’. They however preferred to deal with these ones since all they demanded was nothing more than a particular pattern of voting at elections, constant revenue through levies, buying of aso-ebi when party times come and joining the right cooperative society. Mortgage is another matter entirely- the bankers don’t waste time in taking your property and putting it up for auction. This is exactly what the state is exposing its citizens to.

When a question was asked about getting landed property in Lagos, BRF showed a glimpse of his thought process by saying ‘we all have collateral in one form or the other’. Sounds to me as arrogant as OBJ retorting to either Cyril Stober or John Momoh now... ‘who are the masses?’

When referring to the exact price of the shops, in order not to alarm and embarrass the party men of conscience seated in the audience at the interactive session, the SAN with a sound mind responded ‘I don’t know the figures offhand (sic).’ (rotflmao by this time!)

Do all these seem farfetched to you? It did to me till I reflected on the development of the state which seems to be concentrated in urban areas than rural ones. BRF says he is been ‘methodical in the development of the state’. Ijegun-Isheri Road (where I live) has been stuck at almost the same state and BRF insists that the contractors have not abandoned shop. How come he was displeased when he came to commission the waterworks? We’ll expect him to come and express more outrage when he comes to commission the Maternity and Child Care Centre at Isheri. By the way, guess who is constructing the road? Hi-Tech (detonation) Constructions Limited.

I recall also the effort to give Lagos a makeover in order to impress the tourist that came for Nigeria 2009. BRF and Muiz Banire – Environment Commissioner, proposed that the good and robustly rugged people of Shitta, Rabiatu Thompson, Bank Olemoh and others within the vicinity of Teslim Balogun Stadium should paint their houses in order to appear elitist enough for our one month visitors. Of course the conscious masses in that area resisted and Gov’t had to step in and paint it for them for which they said ‘thank you.’ It was the more populist but not necessarily more caring Banire who reportedly first brought up the idea of Gov’t refurbishment at the SEC meeting and the elitist trio of Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunasanya , Supo Shasore and Prince Adesegun Oniru could not muster the requisite majority to counter the idea.

In response to the issue of the petition by the True Face (lessness?) of Lagos group which inspired the House of Assembly probe, BRF said ‘an arm of Gov’t that has oversight responsibilities has launched an investigation into the matter, another arm of Gov’t has said “hold on while we look things over”. Sounds a little like taking with one arm (no pun intended) what you gave with the other. The marks on our faces are prominent and so they must think we are stupid, don’t they? (lwkmd).

I think Governor Raji Fashola is the biggest beneficiary of the mediocrity and bad governance of this nation. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king and thus reigns the man supreme and arrogantly. I am happy that someone is doing something other than allocating state funds to parties and party but I do have a problem with any leadership style that partners with the elite to plunder the poor...a reverse case of Robin Hood. My pain? That he may not have a better opponent in 2011 and I will be forced to vote him rather than boycott....shame.

THE DANCE OF LOVE

My beat is wild, Kaffy can’t step to this

Even the best barely hang on

This train is light-fast, raging like fire

Consuming all

In a buffet breakfast

When mystery goes so does desire,

Proteus is my love: never static,

Constant is my boredom,

Boredom is hatred-

May I not hate so may you not bore,

My dance is complex, my rock is swift

Lover be careful and watch your feet

I dance with many so bend to my will,

Blend to my feel,

My core is bare; I can’t feel the wind,

I run against it;

Do not love me, with all your heart

I won’t love you - it’s not my part

I play in dance, the fun is the start

Sway with me, dance along

It is just a play, you are just a prey

So act your part...dance with me.

February 12, 2009.