Metro

Nigeria’s Presidency criticises ex-President Obasanjo for opinion on democracy

Published

6 months ago

November 21, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

The Nigerian Presidency has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his opinion on democracy.

Obasanjo had tied Africa’s political woes to what he referred to as dependency on borrowed “Western Liberal Democracy.”

Obasanjo, popularly called OBJ, had on Monday, during an interactive session at a two-day forum in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said Africans should adopt its own kind of democracy which he called ‘Afro-Democracy’ as the ‘Western liberal democracy’ did not take into account the continent’s history, culture and tradition.

While delivering his keynote address at the high-level consultation on “Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa”, the former Nigerian leader said the borrowed style of democracy had failed in Africa because it did not consider the views of the majority of the people and had not worked for the continent.

“The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised, stem from its history, content and context and its practice,” Obasanjo opined.

“Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform.

“The essence of any system of government is the welfare and well-being of the people: all the people. Here, we must interrogate the performance of democracy in the West where it originated from and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.

“We are here to stop being foolish and stupid. Can we look inward and outward to see what in our country, culture, tradition, practice and living over the years that we can learn from, adopt and adapt with practices everywhere for a changed system of government that will serve our purpose better and deliver?”, he stated.

But the Nigerian Presidency, while reacting to the comments made by OBJ, rather blamed him for being a part of past leaders who imported the western democracy into Africa.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who spoke with journalists, attacked Obasanjo for daring to say that western type of democracy was not the way to go for African countries.

Onanuga blamed Obasanjo for the woes Nigeria was going through, noting that the democracy the country currently practiced was actually imported into the country by him and dated back to the period he was the military Head of State from 1976–1979, and as civilian President from 1999–2007.

“Obasanjo ought to know that he brought this thing into Nigeria. He was the one who made us adopt it in 1979,” the presidential spokesman said.

“He must have seen it as expensive and unsuitable when he governed us for eight years and even wanted an extension for another four years.

“So, the way he is sounding, it is like the man is getting wiser after leaving office.

“Obasanjo also knew that he copied this presidential system very wrongly. He copied the form and structure. But he didn’t copy the spirit of it.

“Something that should have been under him in 1999 to 2007, he even made attempts to modify the constitution,” Onanuga added.

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Metro

Nigeria: President Tinubu unveils 21 major initiatives

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has unveiled 21 major policy initiatives of his administration after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting he presided over on Tuesday.

According to the President’s Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, some of tie listed initiatives include a 48-hour visa policy, cancelling of airport toll payment exemption for very important persons and a ban on sand dredging 10 kilometres from all federal bridges throughout the country among others.

Onanuga who posted the resolutions of the FEC on his official X handle, said the marathon meeting which started on Monday, was concluded on Tuesday, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the council.

“After exhaustive deliberations, the council approved several policies and projects that would further boost the economy, facilitate investments and promote the ease of doing business in the country,” the presidential aide said.

Also briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting at Aso Rock Villa, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government was reviewing its visa regime to enable persons who wish to invest in Nigeria to obtain a visa within 48 hours, adding that the move was aimed at encouraging investors and tourists.

According to him, the visa policy review is necessary to foster ease of doing business on Nigerian soil.

“The Federal Executive Council has noted that our visa processes are becoming cumbersome and this is not encouraging investors to come in easily because, as the President has indicated, the ease of doing business is also tied to the ease of visa application,” Idris said.

“Therefore, the FEC has set up a committee to look at our visa processes to reduce the cumbersome nature of these visa processes, meaning that those investors or tourists who want to come into Nigeria will find it a lot easier to go into this country provided they follow all the laid down processes.

“This includes the e-visa platform, which has already been discussed. The Federal Government is also mulling the idea of every visa application being processed within the next 48 hours.”

“Nigeria’s e-visa process is part of a broader effort to streamline and modernise the country’s visa system, as outlined in the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2020.

“The e-visa system allows visiting non-Nigerians to apply online. Applicants must complete an electronic application form, upload necessary documents, and pay the required fees.

“Such e-visas available include the Short Visit Visa for business, which allows for a maximum stay of 90 days, and various investor visas that cater to different scales of investment from small to ultra-large enterprises.

Metro

Chipata youth calls for stronger media protections amid concerns over media independence

Published

24 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Alepha Banda, a programmes officer at the Youth Development Foundation (YDF), says Zambia’s existing laws do not adequately safeguard journalists, thereby impeding media freedoms and their ability to report objectively.

Banda also argued that journalists’ lack of economic stability makes them susceptible to manipulation.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor in the Eastern Province, Banda stated the need for the government to develop policies aimed at protecting private media entities and journalists.

“The government should formulate a policy that will protect the private media and journalists,” he said.

Moreover, Banda pointed out that although individuals theoretically possess the freedom to express themselves, this liberty was frequently curtailed by factors such as fear and threats emanating from certain members of the political class.

“Individuals in positions of power have a tendency to interfere with the media, as evidenced by numerous incidents where media outlets have been stormed by individuals affiliated with certain political factions,” he said.

Nevertheless, he noted that there had been instances where the government respected media freedoms.

“At least we have seen some tolerance in some instances, where the government has not taken action that hinders media freedom,” he stated.

Additionally, Banda mentioned that the marginalised were often overlooked both in new media platforms and traditional mainstream media outlets.

“The marginalised are often neglected across television, radio, and newspapers,” he said.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.