Airing an Era

The death of Queen Elizabeth has generated both discussions and questions about her legacy. Inevitably her legacy is inextricably linked to the legacy of the British Empire and the British government across the world. The Queen’s reign has spanned a period of momentous and memorable events across the world and  Great Britain. It has included the Second World War, the end of the Cold War, the partition of India, the splitting up of Palestine to create the state and of Israel, the end of colonial rule in Africa, the end of the two party political system in the U.K., the makings of multicultural society; Brexit; and the list goes on. It is understandable that during this period a lot of people have looked up and greatly admired the Queen for her status, service and carriage. However, there are also people who see the Queen as the symbol and representative of an oppressive and exploitative institution. These are all legitimate positions which come from places of genuinely heartfelt emotions and experiences.

The Queen has been a symbol of Britishness for over seventy years. She has represented stability and dignity to the British people and all over the Globe. She was a steadfast servant of the government and British national interest. She has been Britain’s foremost diplomat and tourism promoter all through her reign. Her non controversial nature gave the British someone to look up to and universally like. The British people have been enraptured and entertained by the Queen’s regal bearing and privileged lifestyle.

It was understandable that the Queen requested that King Charles III be retained as the head of the Commonwealth. However, it demonstrated how out of touch she was with the prevailing desire for independence and equality among citizens of member states. Retaining a monarch as head is hanging on to outdated and backward notions of status and entitlement. Making the Commonwealth democratic might have been some acknowledgment of the recognition of the evils of past imperialism and the desire to promote equality and self determination.

Even though Queen Elizabeth cannot be held directly responsible for all the misdeeds and horrors perpetrated in the name of the British Empire she cannot claim to stand for the it and its government and yet accept no accountability for its actions. Her failure to acknowledge and make overt amends for the wrongs committed will remain an unforgivable omission on her part. It must be said she has done far too little to modernise the monarchy or too promote or respect the wills of the people in the regions of which she has been the Sovereign. During her reign the royal family has been beset by scandal, petty disputes, relatively unaccomplished, entitled, indulgent, and overly close to the tabloid media. She leaves behind a King who is more pitiful than powerful, and a heir who seems unable to resolve the simplest conflicts amongst those close to him. She leaves the monarchy and the U.K. in a not much better state than when she came to the throne. The nation is a place riven by ethnic discontent, where a culture of prejudice and unfairness has taken roots and is saddled with a political system that is systemically corrupt. 

In terms of individual accomplishments the Queen may not have notched up a formidable array during her long reign. Her obligation to be non political has meant she has not taken a direct stance on many global issues. For some this has made her look disengaged and often irrelevant. There is also a school of thought that believes her being non political should not have deterred her from taking a stance on human rights and racial equality. After all, if the royal family is able to concern itself with wildlife conservation then how much more important should defending human dignity be to them? Queen Elizabeth II will forever be remembered as a major global figure of the 20th and 21st centuries. The British Empire will forever be remembered as an imperialist scourge of the developing world. For many the Queen as the head and symbol of that Empire should have done more to acknowledge and atone for its evils. 

The Original Armed Robbers in Nigeria are the Military

Nigeria’s independence in 1960 involved a precarious truce between North, East and South Protectorates that had been put in place by British colonialists. In order to emerge as a unified country the politicians needed time to come together and start to act with a common purpose. The route to shared ideals proved uncertain and uneasy. Corruption and tribal tensions provided the excuses for a bloody and brutal military coup. The military brought with it authoritarian rule, elitism, executive entropy, conspicuous consumption and regional quotas. 

The military subjected Nigeria to another coup within months of overthrowing the civilian government in 1966; and then straight into a civil war in 1967. The military government never had a vision for developing an independent nation and instead focused on placating dissatisfied elements in the military and asserting control over the country. They set about establishing a bureaucracy that reflected military sensibilities. Its leadership was determined by status and entitlement, without very much regard for competence or commitment. 

The military government appointed military officers to head all government agencies. The only qualification required was military rank. They set about a programme of random capital development and resource allocation which paid little consideration to strategic need or social and economic infrastructure. What followed was the introduction of a culture of cronyism, graft and financial misappropriation. They focused on taking full advantage of the newly discovered petroleum reserves to initiate vanity projects and reward themselves with a luxurious lifestyle. 

Instead of exploring the full range of resources available in oil exploration, investing in agriculture, public sewage system, diversifying energy production, and expanding the transportation network the military focused on building roads and bridges in urban areas where they could avail themselves of the many official vehicles they had issued to themselves. There was no strategy to promote small or medium business or develop fiscal facilities to develop commercial ventures and entrepreneurship. 

The period following the discovery of oil became notable for a child like keenness to use the wealth. White elephants were proposed, started and subsequently abandoned or under-utilised. There included two steel plants, multiple refuse disposal facilities and petroleum refineries in Northern Nigeria. In 1972 the Udoji Commission was set up to look at reforming the civil service and improving terms and conditions of staff. However, it turned into a giveaway bonanza with people being given cash handouts, pay increases and brand new official vehicles. Basic level staff got a nominal amount but senior officials received considerably greater benefits. 

Despite the lucrative petroleum exploitation Nigeria fell into a minor recession in 1978/1979, eventually leading to having to implement the IMF Structural Adjustment Programme in 1986. This led to a currency devaluation, rocketing food prices and higher import tariffs. In 1977 Nigeria's national debt rose by an estimated 110%. Power generation was so poorly managed there were frequent power cuts all through the 1970s, and many rural areas still do not have electricty.

A lot of retired military officers have been at the heart of the civilian political kleptocracy that has ravaged Nigeria to the point of destitution. The military is one of the best funded organisations in the country but its budgets have been subject to rampant misuse and misappropriation. The current president, an ex military ruler, has presided over an unfathomable period of decline. He has also been incredibly ineffective and unprogressive. Olusegun Obasanjo who is held up as an example of a leader who got things done, presided over the destruction of postal and telephone services in the country. He introduced cellular services but that has been a largely unregulated money grab by providers. The National Health Insurance Service he set up only provides limited healthcare for a small minority of citizens.

Nigeria's current problems seem insurmountable and the military, and ex military officers are historically and currently at the heart of all that is wrong in Nigeria. Just to halt all the damage done a new political order and system is needed. All the current politicians need to be banned and a new constitution needs to be written. The government apparatus needs to be slimmed down to halt waste and inefficiency and resources directed to building agricultural and manufacturing infrastructure. The sole reliance on petroleum revenue has been Nigeria's downfall. The economy needs to be diversified and more prominence given to productivity. That is the real way to reduce unemployment and reduce poverty and wealth inequity.

Time to Deconstruct Policing in Nigeria

© The Star

Law enforcement brutality in Nigeria has a long history predating independence. Britain used armed forces to violently quell any local resistance to the imposition of colonial rule. And during colonial rule local police forces were extremely repressive in dealing with uncooperative and non compliant disenfranchised citizens. Tragically, since independence the country has failed to redress the oppressive history of law enforcement that it had inherited. Years of military rule and unrestrained armed robbery have entrenched a culture of repression and brutality in law enforcement. 

The Nigerian Police Force has a well earned reputation for being undertrained, underpaid and under managed. The force is notorious for corruption, extortion and extra judicial killings. It has absolutely no capability for maintaining law and order, or detecting crime. Its sole function has been to selectively respond to already committed crimes or crimes in progress. The only protection the police force offers is to government officials, banks and the wealthy. 

The atrocities committed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) are a reflection of the corrupted state of Nigerian law enforcement; and disdain for the lives and wellbeing of ordinary citizens that successive governments have demonstrated. Nigerians are suffering brutality and murder at the hands of police officers, soldiers, secret service agents, prison officials and road marshals. There is absolutely nowhere that they can turn to seek redress or reprieve. The governments feeble attempt to rebrand SARS as a new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team shows how disinterested and out of touch it is.

Seismic changes are needed in law enforcement in Nigeria in order to reform the police. The emphasis has to be taken away from guarding the elite to tackling crime in a strategic and comprehensive manner. Critical to that will be disarming the rank and file police officers. Police officers should be trained in community policing and protecting the Nigerian populace. They need to learn how to carry out their duties unarmed and in a sensitive manner. This is what will give them the authority to effectively police the streets. Armed squads should be used in response to identified threats of armed attacks by criminals. Retraining in detecting crime will go some way to taking guns off, and improving safety on the streets. 

There is no possibility of reforming the Nigeria Police Force without completely reorganising, or possibly removing the entire senior officer corps currently at the helm. Every senior officer should be evaluated and assessed for honesty, competence and commitment. All those who fail the evaluation should be forced to resign or face being dismissed. All existing members of the police force should undergo a programme of development and retraining. The police force should be subject to new a governance framework with an independent board responsible for regulation and executive management at the helm. 

Of course, none of this would be possible unless there is a ruling government committed to anti-corruption, equity, transparency and reform. But then I guess it would also help to not have a prison system that is decrepit and inhumane, a judiciary that is full of negligent sellouts, a legislature populated by corrupt parasites; and political parties run by self serving immoral shysters. This government’s inept handling of the ‘End SARS’ protests shows that it is neither committed to nor capable of looking out for the welfare of the people or country of Nigeria.  

Is Death Better than Bondage?

Black people continue to live with the pain and consequences of enslavement and colonisation. This has meant having to grow up with limited resources and, very often, few prospects. So many of us have faced so much frustration and hopelessness that we have been compelled to believe that we have to exist as if there is nothing to live for. Criminality, violence, drug abuse and illegal immigration have become easily embraceable life choices for too many of us. Our environments and perceptions essentially have our futures chained down and locked away.

In spite of the poverty and exclusion that Black communities have to contend with there are people of exceptional talent emerging from them on an ongoing basis. And for those who may not be sought out for their talents they stil have a great capacity for growth and development. The wisdom and maturity they garner from their lives is something they can share around them and pass on to future generations to keep hope alive. Even in the most oppressive captivity the mind has the potential and capacity to grow and evolve. And it is sometimes in these darkest moments that we may do our clearest thinking. Being shackled by dogma and self doubt is what really keeps us in bondage. Supporting those around us and leaving something of worth for posterity is certainly worth living for.

The history of slavery has shown us that those who refused to lie down and die but fought the hardest to resist oppression and escape enslavement went on to become the torchbearers for future generations. Not only did they uplift the people around them but they also left a legacy of honour and dignity for the human race as a whole.

Given the choice everyone would want to die free but it is also important to fight to create a better future for coming generations whatever the cost to ourselves. Sometimes it takes the effort of the many to realise the vision of a few. And maybe the prospect of the life we could not live is the greatest inheritance we can pass on to future generations.

I don’t mind the idea of dying fighting for freedom. Then even with my dying breath I will still feel a tinge of hope. That can inspire hope and fight in others. Even if you’ve done wrong, fighting for redemption can bring new life to you and others. To achieve that would be to truly be free.