By Umunna Kalu

    Dr. Ossai Ossai Edmund, University teacher, Public commentator, activist and international public health consultant, in this  encounter speaks on the One year of Tinubu presidency, economy, strike, changed national anthem,  reforms, the Nigerian condition with hunger  among other national issues.

Excerpt

How can you briefly assess the one year in office of President Bola Tinubu. So far so what?

This will evoke a bag of mixed feelings as there is no way one can disconnect from reality. The reality at present is that Nigerians are unhappy, hungry, angry near to frustration and perhaps disappointed too. I am just optimistic that President is aware that Nigerians expect so much from him and his government and I hope he rise to the challenge. Much needs to be done to improve the lives of Nigerians from what the situation is at present. The President took two courageous economic decisions on the day he was sworn in. These are the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the Naira. My little economic sense point to these two economic decisions for the most of the woes we are passing through at present. But do you know what; the President has not regretted that decision so I should believe there are several things he know that I am unaware of. To this effect I will prefer to give the administration more time before I can do an objective assessment. In truth, the mandate of the President is for four years even though the President should be aware that Nigerians usually do not have patience with any new administration. Well this one year can be taken as a learning curve but one year is still good a time for leadership that is visionary and focused to leave positive impact especially on the welfare of the people. So far the renewed hope agenda promise of the President remains largely unfulfilled. I think the President Tinubu-led APC government should worry about the economy. The country’s economic indices as at today are frightening, and worrisome. To be candid the last one year has been nightmarish for Nigerians.

Which area do you think the government needs to give priority attention?

The government of President Ahmed Tinubu has a huge task in his hands to restore hope to Nigerians. The state of despondency in Nigeria at present is very high. Economy has a great role to play in determining the mood of a nation and we all know that at present our economy is in the doldrums. The hunger in the land is at alarming levels. There may be no indicator to measure an improvement in restoring this hope to the citizens but I think that the President should engage and speak more to Nigerians and kindly too. There may be no need for self-awarded pass marks by the government. What Nigeria needs now is true leadership and providing direction to its citizens. If the masses are told to tighten their belt then the government ought to be seen doing the same thing. The President is a seasoned and tested politician. He has to rise up to the occasion and prove that he is a real political strategist that can positively turn things around and this should be partly seen on the improvement of the welfare, the quality of life of Nigerians.. The people expect much more from this government. The president said he was prepared for the job, so we should be expecting good results rather than blame game, blaming previous governments and things like that. There is every need to re-inflate the economy. Let me believe that the economic team of the President is already working on this. The next issue is the insecurity in the land. The security situation in Nigeria may have improved bit under the present government but I do not think it is an overall good picture yet. I want to hear of a time when no Nigeria is staying in an IDP camp, when people are free to go back to their farms without fear. Most of our rural dwellers are farmers and when for one reason or the other they are not going to the farm then there is a problem. At present, agriculture has a wonderful and key role to play in re-building the economy. Food prices are high and out of reach of many citizens so whether it is mechanized or subsistence agriculture it is for good. There is acute hunger in the land and we should aim at food security. Once the current state of hunger is reduced then the renewed hope agenda of the Tinubu administration should come into place. free

What is your take on the change to the old national anthem?

I may have to respond to this question from several angles. First of all, we should understand that authority matters and as such President Bola Tinubu has the power to effect the change as he did. As the Commander-In-Chief, perhaps his vision for the country at present may align with the message as encapsulated in the old but now new national anthem. However, he did not make any official statement in that light. To a large extent, the President personifies the country and his mood has a role to play in his government. The other angle is that the speed with which the new anthem bill was passed into law is phenomenal. I just hope that all national issues especially those that concern the masses will be treated with such urgency. Then the timing is very controversial. This was done at the time when it appears that the government was foot-dragging on announcing and implementing a new national minimum wage and this has obviously affected the way individuals viewed and received the new national anthem.The speedy passage made it appear as if there are other issues at stake. I know some people suggested a public hearing at the national assembly. From my perspective this could have been of essence.  It could have been a way to demonstrate that we are all involved.

Again, taking us back to the national anthem handed over to us by our colonial masters may not have been the best option. This is happening at a time when our citizens could do anything including swimming an ocean to get out of Nigeria. I think it does not send the right message and does not inspire citizens of the country in any form.

With the reversion to the old national anthem, we lost an opportunity to create a balance in our polity. The old but now new national anthem was given to us by the colonial masters, the second one was initiated by the military government. We could have gladly welcomed a new national anthem from the civilian government after 25 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria. This is the opportunity we have surely missed. Nigerians are creative and we could have had a ‘democratically directed national anthem.’

Now Mr. President has spoken and who am I to say No. Based on this assertion I had to read the new national anthem in between lines. Forget the controversy whether Nigeria is a fatherland or a motherland. Some lines in the new national anthem speak volumes. Could it be that Tinubu came to power to correct some of our national mistakes, a kind of re-building strategy.

At a time almost all segments and zones of the country are crying because of marginalization and we hope to ‘ ….build a nation where no man is oppressed’ If we achieve this I think we have achieved everything.Then ‘..hand over to our children a banner without stain’ If we stop this incessant killing of citizens of Nigeria in any form, I think that is good enough.  Then, ‘..with peace and plenty, Nigeria may be blessed.’ I would have preferred another word instead of ‘may. Something like’Nigeria will be blessed,” You know hunger in the country is at its peak so Tinubu has much work in his hands.If the President thinks that the stimulus he needs to make a new Nigeria is the new national anthem, then let us give him the chance to do that.

Recently, Minister of Education  Tahir Mamman said the government is considering  the idea of shifting admission age limit into the tertiary institution from 16  to 18. How will you react to it?

I do not know what may have informed this decision but I am happy it is not yet implemented. There is need for empirical facts. What are the reasons for contemplating this policy change. Our children complete secondary education on the average at the age of sixteen years. Do we have what to engage them with for those two years before they could officially commence university education? There is the need to review that policy because if we cannot engage them meaningfully for those two years, we are aiming at self-destruction.

Then the problems in our universities are not perpetrated by the students who are less than eighteen years old. By my own assessment these group of students are more focused on their studies than the older students. This policy if implemented will be detrimental. This will entail that after completing secondary education, the parents who could afford university education for their children outside the country will do so. The result will be that those that their parents cannot afford university education outside Nigeria will be at a disadvantage. I do not think that this idea of shifting admission age limit into the tertiary institution to 18 years is in line with global best practices and as such should be dropped.

How do you see the minimum wage battle between organized labour and the government?

The government has been a bit lethargic in this issue of a new minimum wage bearing in mind the economic difficulties faced by the citizens at present. I had expected the government to be pro-active rather than being reactive. Let us also remember also that President  Tinubu has promised a ‘living wage’ to Nigerian workers ever before now. This calls for collective bargaining and already the government and the Labour unions are at the negotiation table and we hope that a new minimum wage that will be acceptable to all will be the outcome. It was good that the strike was put on hold by the Labour unions and all efforts should be made to ensure that there is no further break down in negotiations. For a government that has promised its citizens a living wage, I see this problem being resolved within the one week time frame that was earmarked for the negotiations. I hope the government will not play with this one week window of opportunity to come to meaningful and realisable agreement with labour. Shutting down the country is not in the best interest of the government. Tinubu must resist going the Buhari way of not honouring agreements.

What are your fears about Nigeria or you have none?

I do not have any fears for Nigeria. What we are witnessing are changes in times and seasons which come and go. It is said that after the rain comes the sun. Remember there was a time we had austerity measure by the Shagari government and structural adjustment programme by the Babangida junta. So difficult moments like this come and go. There is only one worry and that is that we are not maximizing our potentials as a nation, we keep learning how to walk even when it is obvious we should be teaching other countries how to walk. That not-withstanding, I am sure we have the capacity to overcome all these difficult periods and move forward to becoming a great country that we should be.

We will soon be having off-season elections in some states. Do you have confidence in INEC conducting a free and fair election?

Perhaps by default, INEC does better in off-season elections. This may be due to the concentration of ‘energy’ in the states involved since they are just part of the whole. INEC kindles hope during off season elections and dash such hopes during national elections. I expect INEC to get it right during these upcoming off-season elections but I may not judge them based on that. The true test is the national elections where the stakes are higher.

Going forward to the national elections, I think it will be good to take another look at the Electoral Act and see areas that may need some revisions since the Act has been tested at the last general election. Some weaknesses may have been observed so that we cover such weaknesses and go to the field again. Certainly, we will get it right.

Speak on the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and if you think it is affecting the security challenge in the southeast zone?

People may think I am Nnamdi Kanu prophet. But on a serious note I think he should be released. We have Court judgement to that effect. The government can also use political solution. He is not the first to pass through this ordeal and political solution was used. We have cases of Gani Adams, OPC, Ralph Uwazurike, MASSOB, and the recent case of Sunday Igboho seeking for the realization of the Yoruba nation. So why continue to delay Mazi Nnamdi Kanu? There is a rumour that what is happening is a planned tactics to destroy the Southeast economy, distabilise it’s politics and de-develop the region. The continued detention of Mazi Kanu may just be confirming that narrative. I just hope that the narrative is false. There is no doubt that releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will bring down the insecurity tension in the zone. Let me use this respected medium to join my voice to plead with President Tinubu to use political option to release him.