"Don't tell me what can't be done. When Matt Busby brought me here they told me we'd never make a go of it, that it couldn't be done. That Manchester United would never make a success. Told us we couldn't win the league, playing kids. Told us we couldn't match the best teams in Europe. And every bloody time we proved them wrong, so with respect sir, it can be done, it will be done, I'll make sure of it." Jimmy Murphy

The first time I heard the song The Greatest by multiple Grammy award winners  Sia and rapper Kendrick Lamar I felt a connect with the song. Sia’s songs gets you enamoured with her, just as it energizes you to push through whatever life throws at you and achieve your dreams and set goals.

In the song Never Give up she tells of a personal resilience to achieve greatness despite the defeats and disappointments of a distant past. Positivism starts from within; no matter the loss of the past. There future gains to be amassed only if we stay focused and see the loss for what it is, an opportunity to launch even further.

At that time it was thought that the “Busby babes” as they were then nicknamed were depleted and crushed. It was one of the darkest era I the life of Manchester United for they did lose a generation of one of Europe’s finest footballers.

Fast word to 60 years after, and the opening quote by Jimmy Murphy on the Matt Busby Babes becomes quite poignant. Today, the club is one of the greatest clubs of all in the world; with success in the Champions League, the Europa League and the English Premier league. Old Trafford may just be a stadium for where matches are played, but for us, it is the The Theatre of Dreams where the future is assured for many who believe in the power of their dreams, know what they carry within.

At a ceremony to mark the 60^th Anniversary in Old traaford yesterday, Michael Edelson, a non-executive director at the club, read from Ecclesiastes 9 and 12: “No man knows when their hour will come: as fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare.” The club’s former manager Sir Alex Ferguson read from Psalm 103: “The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone.”

In his words,  the club’s chaplain, the Rev John Boyers said When Munich happened a wave of grief and anguish swept this nation and in Manchester it impacted all. Here grief and anguish hit both United and City supporters alike. It mattered not whether you were red or blue; both sets of supporters stood together, wept together, mourned together. They all knew, together, that a remarkable team was no more.”

The crowd of over 4, 500 strong supporters sang the Flowers of Manchester, a song written in tribute to those who died in the crash, containing the lines: “Oh, England’s finest football team its record truly great, its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate. Eight men will never play again, who met destruction there, the flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.”

Jimmy Murphy never gave up! The support was strong and like the phoenix rising from its ashes, Manchester United became not just a football club but an institution. This is because they never gave up. Despite the darkness of the past, they looked forward towards the brightness of the future. This is what it means to never give up if you must be the greatest.

60 years, we remember them. We are Manchester United, we are great; We'll Never Die!

OjisiEmezie

The whole gamut of the social contract is that for you organise a society in such a way that you don’t have undue fears is for the individuals in the society to submit themselves to a common authority, maybe, a ruler, a parliament or a combination as we have in Nigeria today. What do they get from it? In surrendering some of their freedoms, the remaining rights are protected.  

Ike Ekweremadu

Today, I yield my space to the very erudite and prolific Ike Ekweremadu. Deputy President and Leader of the Nigerian Senate. Ikeoha Ndigbo, legal heavyweight and a quintessential representative as Senator representing Enugu West Constituency since 2003; at 55, the man is simply an enigma. His bluntness and defense for the truth is quite exemplary!

Hear him on the floor of the Senate yesterday.

OjisiEmezie

Distinguished colleagues, the killings going on in Nigeria are assuming alarming proportions and very disturbing. It is taking the dimension of football competition where you have matches and return matches; where you have home and away. So what you see now are going on in the country are situations of killings and then retaliations.

As a responsible institution, we must rise to the occasion and say that enough is enough. Nigerians expect us not only to say something, but also to do something. I believe that the recommendations of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Security Situation in Benue has come up with today, if we follow them through, will help in addressing some of these problems.

The Senate is not the only body or institution that is concerned; Nigerians are very worried. Our religious and political leaders some of who had hitherto kept mute, are now speaking up. That means that there is trouble.

Yesterday, The Guardian came up with a very disturbing editorial on this subject and today, if you look at the papers, you will see the concerns of not only these newspapers, but indeed those of Nigerians. If you look at the Daily Trust of today, you will see the story of kidnappers, who killed a lawmaker after collecting 25m ransom in Taraba. It is not just defenseless people in the villages that are been killed, even our leaders are also being killed and it can be anyboby.

If you look at The Leadership, you will also see their position that this crisis may plunge Nigeria into internecine conflict. If you look at the Punch newspaper, you will see the point made by Governor Aregbesola that Nigeria is pushing towards war, unknowingly.

Distinguished colleagues, Nigerians are not the only people worried, the international community, especially the intelligence and security communities are of the view that war is coming to Nigeria. We must not sit back and watch this to happen.

This brings me to the most important provision of our constitution, which is Section 14(2)(b). This section of the constitution says that the principal purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people. Every day, we cite this provision; every day we sit here to observe the ritual of one minute silence; we condemn the killings and sympathise with the victims. I am getting tired of all these. For us to get the full impact of the provisions of section 14(2)(b), is that we must have a just society. We must have peace and security before we can talk about infrastructure and all the other good things of life.

Going back in history, there was a time called the age of enlightment, which was between the 17th and 19thcenturies. The philosophers at the time were worried about what Thomas Hobbes called the state of nature. He was of the view that it was in the character of humans that the limitations to one’s actions are only his powers and conscience. So, might was then right, and it was quite disturbing. The philosophers of the time started to look for ways of reorganising society.

In 1651, when Thomas Hobbes came up with this, he was disturbed that in such environment, life would be short and brutish. So, they started looking for ways to deal with this situation. So in 1762, Rousseau wrote his classic called the Social Contract and the debate continued. The whole gamut of the social contract is that for you organise a society in such a way that you don’t have undue fears is for the individuals in the society to submit themselves to a common authority, maybe, a ruler, a parliament or a combination as we have in Nigeria today. What do they get from it? In surrendering some of their freedoms, the remaining rights are protected. That is what the whole essence of social contract is all about and this is captured in Section14 (2)(b) of our constitution and in all modern constitutions, there is this provision that the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people.

In order to ensure that the rulers or leaders will be able to live up to expectations in respect of social contract, the coercive powers of the state were evolved. We have the police to deal with internal security and we have the armed forces to deal with external aggression. So, if in spite of these coercive powers of the state people are being killed and there is no protection of those lives, which social contract entails, then the constitution, the principle of social contract envisage consequences. Some of these consequences are also provided in modern constitutions and that is why we have things like impeachment of chief executives; that is why we have recall of parliamentarians; that is why people and governments are voted out in elections.

In the seventies, when coup d’etat were prevalent, the courts in different jurisdictions came to the conclusion that coup d’etat was a legitimate process of removing a government that does not live up to social contract. Lately in North Africa, the issue of revolution, the Arab Spring, also demonstrated that revolution can achieve that process. We have come to situation where we must put a break, we must halt the drift otherwise those consequences await all of us because we are in government.

So, what do we do? I have listened to the recommendations of the Committee and I subscribe to all of them entirely. Let me also add that in addition to the security summit recommended by the committee, which is also apt, I think that the government should look at the provisions of Section 305(3) of the constitution dealing with state of emergency.

Section 305 (3) says inter alia: “The President shall have power to issue a Proclamation of a state of emergency only when:

(a) the Federation is at war;

(b) the Federation is in imminent danger of invasion or involvement in a state of war;

(Remember I said the international community is saying war is coming)

(c) there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part thereof to such extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security;

(d) there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the Federation or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger;

(e) there is an occurrence or imminent danger, or the occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity, affecting the community or a section of the community in the Federation;

(f) there is any other public danger which clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of the Federation; or

(g) the President receives a request to do so in accordance with the provisions of subsection (4) of this section.

We are not away from these circumstances and when I am talking about a state of emergency, it is not about removing a State Governor and replacing him with a Sole Administrator. No, the constitution does not envisage that. It is about taking extraordinary measures to safeguard the peace and unity of the country, to protect the lives of the individuals.

Countries have declared state of emergency in the whole nation. When I am talking about state of emergency, I am not talking about state of emergency in Benue, Plateau or Zamfara. I am talking of the state of emergency in the entire country to enable government to take extra ordinary measures. If you look at chapter 4 of the constitution that deals with human rights when there is state of emergency, certain rights are curtailed in other to achieve the results of the state of emergency.

I believe we have come to that. Egypt adopted state of emergency for many years. It is something we have to consider in order to take extraordinary measures which otherwise we cannot take unless there is a state of emergency.

When that happens, the Federal Government should have a massive deployment of our armed forces in order to reclaim all those proliferated arms all over the country.

We hear about stranger elements in the killings and then we hear about ECOWAS Protocol. When we have a state of emergency, it enables us to take extraordinary measures, which now also gives us the impetus to say we are closing our borders for twelve months to make sure that this doesn’t happen again because that is what state of emergency envisages. Then we can go the extra mile of justifying it through the international law principle of the doctrine of necessity and then be able to secure our borders.

Finally, I think that it is also important that we have to have a rethink on the issue of decentralising our police force. We have run away from it for many years but we cannot continue to run. It is time for us to see necessity for every state to have the type of police or security architecture that is relevant to its own circumstances. By so doing, more Nigerians will be secure. I keep saying that Nigeria is about the only country in the world with e federal system and a unitary police system and it cannot work.

There are fears about police decentralising, but which all of us can sit down and find a way of dealing with. Yes, they say it may be subject to abuse but we are not the only country in the world, Brazil, Canada, Australia, they are federal states but they have decentralised policing and they have provisions on how those abuses are being checked. Some say they may not have money to set it up. Yes, every state cannot provide for it, but those who are able to provide it should provide and then the federal police can now be limited to some of those places where they were unable to provide for it; and I also believe that there should be cooperation between states to ensure that this works out.

 Being the contribution by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to the plenary debate on the Report of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Security Situations in Benue State (January 16, 2018)

 

Through this handshake across the Niger the Publicity Secretary of Afenifere remarked,  a spiritual bridge that will eventually turn out to be stronger than the physical highly politicized second Niger bridge will be built, and when that is done on the 11th of this month, then nothing whatsoever will ever remain the same in this country.  Yinka Odumakin

Every Generation is confronted with opportunities they seize upon, as well as the challenges they must confront and defeat if they desire to make appreciable progress, or simply succumb to those challenges and live with the consequences of their actions or inactions forever after.

It is no different with the present generation of the Igbos and Yorubas especially in the present day Nigeria.

 For far too long the present generation of the Yorubas and the Igbos have frittered away so much energy in animosity and mutual cynicism, driven by mostly false narrative, and to the benefit of everyone else but the two ethnic groups.

 The generations before were equally challenged and confronted with their own opportunities as well as challenges with colonialism and imperialism which despite their ethnic differences they bind together, cooperated, confronted and eventually defeated what was then perceived as a common enemy that must be defeated so that a new dawn of independent Nigeria will be ushered in.

 It was that spirit of cooperation that brought Late Herbert Macaulay and late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe the Great Zik together. It was also that same spirit of cooperation that led the late Nnamdi Azikiwe to inspire a generation including the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Late Adeniran Ogunsanya who remained close to him till death did them apart.

Simply put; While they competed based on regional economic pursuits,  they still cooperated to fight for liberation of Nigeria from the shackles of comolinalism. It is that spirit of cooperation between these two extraordinary ethnic groups that the Handshake across the Niger seek to rekindle in Enugu.

Fast forward to this present era; there's no doubt that the events of post independent Nigeria leading all the way to the bitter civil war has created serious rift and dissonance among the ethnic groups that once cooperated despite their differences to lower the British Union Jack and to raise the Green white Green Nigeria  National flag as proud people with so much hope and promise not just for the people of Nigeria, but for the entire African continent. Need we say; that it has remained just mere hope and dream deferred because the people that could've driven Nigeria into modernity as a thriving viable society were and still are preoccupied with frivolities and ethnic bickering.

Lost to our minds is the Silver lining and flicker of hope in the midst of that crises as historical bond of friendship was established by both Late Head of State General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi and the then Military Governor of the Western Nigeria late Fajuyi as they faced the same fate when both were brutally murdered by the counter coupists of Northern soldiers.

 Also both sides have seriously failed to amplify and celebrate the clear demonstration of act of being their brother’s keeper, instead have chosen to cling to falsehood to justify certain personal and political misadventures of some of our past and even present leaders.

For instance; it may surprise so many that it was the trio of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara and Odumegwu Ojukwu that were instrumental to Chief Awolowo who was jailed by Tafawa Balewa govt to be transfered to Calabar where he was properly looked after protected and subsequently released. Calabar was part of Eastern Region under Okpara and then Ojukwu with Enugu as the capital. It was that same spirit that led the story of abandoned property not becoming a reality in Lagos, thanks to elite Lagosians that upheld the rule of law.

One now wonders why we hear less of these positive stories and more of blood boiling negative stories that have fuelled the mistrust and hate to our collective detriment.

The two Heroes, (Ironsi and Fajuyi) will be honoured and celebrated by both ethnic groups in Enugu on January 11th 2018.

 It is the hope of the organizers of this remarkable event that this friendship between these two leaders and the tragedy they both faced should be a bond that will hold these two ethnic groups together. Because whether these two groups realize it or not, as the fate of both Heroes was sealed on that sad day so are attempts made in so many ways, openly and clandestinely to seal the fate of mostly Southern Nigerians who share the deepest aspirations, to be free and to realize their God given potential which the rising watermark will undoubtedly lift the entire Nigeria,  as their fate is inextricably tied together.

It is clearly evident that the day Southern Nigeria will realize that the power and progress of this nation is predicated on their cooperation,  that day will mark the beginning of wisdom for these two highly talented ethnic groups that actually share so much in common and have so much to celebrate, but have been led to focus on the negatives as they amplified few differences between the two ethnic groups.

No one is naive to think that the huge wall of mistrust and pains of yesterday will be wished away overnight especially on the side of the Igbos who suffered and are still suffering from the effects of what seem so clearly as an avoidable civil war, (if only entreaties to peace were adhered to).

No! But let's get started. There's no utopian ethnic group or a tribe without fault. So it is a commendable conscious decision to assume that whatever has bitten one in the night to be mosquitoes.

 It is time to move on by telling ourselves the truth, as we challenge certain polarizing and divisive narrative that has fuelled the disunity among us.

 

There's no doubt that we have pretty much lived under internal neo colonialism with what seem clearly like a hegemonic agenda. The divide and rule that has kept the two regions apart has made it so difficult to instigate an outrage that will galvanize our people to fight for freedom all over again from the internal subjugation and dominance.

It appears to be so for most part, because it has the semblance of what they call; Black on Black crime that often go unnoticed, and therefore is swept under the table.

In fact, the events of recent happenings in Nigeria and around the world have made it once again ever so imperative that some kind of new strategic alliances must be; from the Middle belt region all the way to the Creeks of the Niger Delta, and from the hills of the Eastern rising sun all the way to the Western Sunset by the Lagoon. For this is the only way they can  once again defeat what seem so clearly to be existential problems and some form of internal colonialism aided by faulty foundation and flawed 1999 constitution.

It is no longer a question of choice or luxury of time.  We must act now or simply remain in doldrums and great uncertainty.

This is the reason for the HAND SHAKE ACROSS THE NIGER. And the time is now.

 There's no better time than this moment as it is now glaringly obvious that our fate and destiny are tied together and our interest better served when the two brethren stand up shoulder to shoulder as will be witnessed in Enugu on 11th of January.

The interesting thing about this adventure is that it is strictly driven by ordinary citizens, not the politicians on both sides. It is these ordinary citizens decided that it is time to do things differently.

It is time to find a common ground and celebrate the tremendous good among Southern Nigeria ethnic groups beginning with the Igbos in the South East and The Yorubas in the South West and eventually extending it across our South South Brothers that have also suffered the brunt of this dysfunctional structure and internal colonialism.

Nzuko Umunna, a non-partisan, non-political organization (A think tank) comprising of ordinary concerned citizens of the Igbos across the world floated this idea as part of the search for lasting solutions to our perennial problems. As it turned out, our Southwest brothers were equally predisposed to this new thinking. Unlike other similar initiatives, this is driven by ordinary citizens with a sense of duty and history.

So if you hear names of politicians including Governors, Government officials, including the Royal fathers of the day such as the Obi Of Onitsha and the Oni of Ife, be rest assured that they were all invited to bear witness to history.

 It is time we as ordinary citizens take the bull by the horns and redefine our history and strengthen our destiny as a people richly endowed with inherent ability to contribute towards the betterment of humanity and advancement of mankind.

Through this handshake across the Niger as Yinka Odumakin the Publicity Secretary of Afenifere remarked,  a spiritual bridge that will eventually turn out to be stronger than the physical highly politicized second Niger bridge will be built, and when that is done on the 11th of this month, then nothing whatsoever will ever remain the same in this country.

 Nothing indeed!!

Enugu, Jan 11, 2018

Chris O.Maduka  is A public Affairs and Policy Analyst and A member of Nzuko Umunna.