Bandits return to the West African coast

 ©️ The Guardian

Nigeria’s new president has taken it upon himself to push the ECOWAS towards intervening in Niger’s domestic politics following the overthrow of the sitting president. There are claims that the intention is to restore democracy but whose benefit would that be for? Nigeria is not in a position to mandate democracy in Niger nor can it tell the people of Niger what government they should have in place. To date there are reports of Nigeriens taking to the streets to support the coup and express their opposition to any external intervention. 

It remains to be seen why newly elected President Tinubu chose to push for an intervention in Niger following the coup. Such intervention is quite unprecedented in the history of the ECOWAS. Nigeria has enormous and enduring problems which one would have thought would be more than enough to preoccupy a newly elected president. However, intervention in Niger is another dubious proposed action initiated by the new president. There have been very few indications of the new regime getting to grips with Nigeria’s social and economic travails to date. 

There is an argument going around that Tinubu is pushing for intervention at the behest of certain Western interests. Maybe this might be a way to gain favour for his administration given the major questions that have arisen about his election. It is also possible that he might be trying win some personal points to counteract the damaging rumours about his past that continue to be trumpeted. Whatever his reason are the possibility that he is doing the bidding of Western powers is another blow to his integrity and credibility. 

The idea of some African leaders interfering in the internal affairs of other African countries does not sit well in the best of circumstances. However, the possibility of it being done to serve foreign interests would be an outrage which harks back to the days of the Slave Trade. Africans selling out their kith and kin for distilled alcohol and glass beads. This isn’t a prospect that anyone wants for the continent. 

Here I am

©️Hannah Buckman

The thrill and relief at a new beginning

Just like the shock of some new meaning 

Fills you with wholesome expectation

With more than a hint of trepidation. 

Is it true, can it be real?

Did you miss something in all the zeal?

Do you rush in and stumble, 

Or hesitate and fumble?

 

Just as a flower blooming draws in water

Love’s first dawn invites you to the slaughter. 

The prize just over the horizon 

Requires you to charge forward like a bison.

The embrace is so much comfort 

Like a castle, or sight of that long sought fort.

Calories may come and go

But the ring of your laugh gives such a glow. 

You don’t have to be sure or perfect 

Just have faith in cause and effect. 

Be it a fitfully uncomfortable sleep 

Or pottering up hills too steep; 

All it takes is an afternoon kiss 

That’s bliss that just can’t miss. 

The feathery touch to release the valve

The gentle whisper the perfect salve. 

Nigerian Nexus: Hope or Horror

Since independence Nigeria has suffered ravaging and regression at the hands of successive regimes. The government of the first republic was overthrown by the military plunging the country into a spiral of political mismanagement, acculturated corruption and tribal conflict. With the end of military rule the second republic was bedevilled by excess and corruption. Another military coup led to a period of tyranny and widespread fraudulence by military leadership. A much anticipated transition to civilian rule finally occurred and the third republic has been a catalogue economic and social failings by one government after another. 

The 2023 elections in Nigeria will represent yet another opportunity to halt the damage and division visited upon the country by past and present political and military leadership. It will not see the reversal of all harm done by the sheer scale of the corruption, indifference and incompetence that has marked national government to date. The capacity for leaders to work solely for themselves or not at all has been breathtaking. Thanks to the their singularly unpatriotic and sterling apathetic efforts what was once a thriving nation with great potential is now performing at below any standard baseline in almost all aspects of social mobility. The country is not even close to being in a position to achieve any of its Sustainable Development Goals. 

Nigeria’s economy, political system, law enforcement and internal security are currently in a mess. The current government has floundered and watched things get progressively worse. Unfortunately the current crop of politicians are unlikely to have the will or integrity to get to grips with addressing all these problems. Peter Obi of the Labour Party of Nigeria is the one notable presidential candidate who is not completely tainted by the stench of ineptitude and corruption, however there are questions about the people he has surrounding him and his methods. Whether he will get the chance to prove his mettle remains to be seen. 

In February Nigerians will have the opportunity to take a stand and send a message or deal a decisive blow against corrupt and self serving politicians. Whether that opportunity is seized or not may say all there needs to be said about the prospects of Nigeria as a country and a credible nation. 

Trampled on

 © PA Wire

The crowd incident that happened at the Asake concert at the O2 Academy Brixton venue was tragic and has led to the death of one person while others are critically injured in hospital. Following the incident there are various claims about what exactly happened and who is to blame. It is right that the events of the night should be investigated and explanations given for how things went so wrong. In doing that we must not forget that this has been a tragedy that has led to the death and serious injury of people. However, there are questions that must be asked and people who should be held to account. 

Some people have blamed the Metropolitan Police for triggering the stampede that occurred. They have been accused of holding the crowd outside the venue in the freezing cold and then using force to repel some individuals. There are reasonable grounds for questioning whether the police risk assessment of the situation was sufficient or well informed. And it is unclear whether any attempts were made by the police to communicate with or appeal to the crowd. These are issues which an investigation should look into and hopefully resolve. However, it does appear that the police were called to the venue in response to an already developing crowd control problem. The indication being that trouble was already brewing before the police arrived and somebody recognised that and called for assistance. There was also video of people fighting inside the venue during the concert and this couldn’t have been the fault of the police. Whatever the inadequacies of the police response were it is clear that they did not create the situation and were probably were swept up in it like so many other people who might have legitimately been at the venue that night. 

It is possible that the concert promoter might have oversold tickets for the concert but there is no evidence at this point to suggest that was the case. If it happens that people with valid tickets had difficulty getting into the venue then questions must be asked about whether the organisation for the show might have contributed to the chaos that ensued. It may turn out that the concert promoter could not have anticipated the numbers of people without tickets who showed up to the venue; and ended being overwhelmed by the crowd violence. 

It seems that a lot of people without tickets might have gone to the venue and then tried to force their way in. There are rumours that fake tickets were being sold outside the venue on the day of the concert. This might have led to numerous people not accounted for trying to gain access to concert that was already sold out. This would have led to dangerous overcrowding and a surge at the entrance. There is video of some people shouting to break down the doors to the venue. It is hard to imagine people with legitimate tickets trying to access the concert by force. Assuming there were people in the freezing cold who were desperate to get inside the venue it shouldn’t have led to a crush at the door. It should have been their responsibility to be prepared for the conditions and dress warm. It is also not uncommon to have to wait in turn to gain entrance at a sold out concert. That shouldn’t lead to such impatience that people would rush the door. 

As shocking as the actions and consequences of that night may be it is not exactly a surprise. While this is not behaviour typical of most Nigerians we do see too many individuals behaving in ways that are reckless, hurtful and damaging to others. There is a tendency for some people to too readily resort to violence, abuse and criminality whenever they feel they are frustrated or desperate to get ahead. Not enough is done in the community to condemn and combat this behaviour. Too many people see it as a necessity of survival or commission of victimless crimes. There has to be more that can be done to highlight the fact that trolling others, violent conflict and being abusive should not be normalised in our community. What happened cannot be described as typical behaviour by Nigerians or Black people. It was unusual but it is behaviour amongst some individuals that is becoming all too prevalent. What we saw at the concert was what happens when a small group of these individuals come together in one place and the havoc they can cause. This may not be a popular view but there are a lot of demonstrations of abusive behaviour online and in person that seem to constantly permeate how people in the community interact with each other, and people from other groups. Continued efforts have to be made to condemn attitudes and actions that give rise to domestic violence, misogyny, trolling, physical violence and verbal abuse. It’s important to bear in mind that behaviour doesn’t just occur in a vacuum. It can be instinctive but it can also be learned and modelled. 

It is very unlikely that the people responsible for the chaos, stampede and subsequent death and injuries from it will ever be brought to justice. We do know who they are though. We see their posts and comments on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Even though these people may not be brought forward to answer for their actions in a legal forum we can only hope that the people close to them do something to hold them to account for their irresponsible actions and the suffering they have wrought. 

The business of race

Of recent Kanye West has been talking out of his ass and stirring up a lot of controversy with threatening and offensive pronouncements about Jews. A lot of his behaviour and what he has been saying has strong hints of clinical paranoia. People have turned on him in droves and he has not made much of an effort to make amends or row back his comments. Multiple businesses and organisations have ended relationships with him in response to the public outcry. He is clearly being hit in the pocket by the reactions to his unconscionable utterances but his reputation is taking an even bigger battering. It remains to be seen if there is any way back for him from casting out that he is currently going through. 

Kanye has been accused of stirring up anti-semitism and giving license to fascists and nazis to show off their bigotry. This might be a bit of a reach because fascists have never needed any encouragement to abuse or attack Jews. While fascists might wholeheartedly agree with Kanye it would appear he is actually getting more obvious and vocal support from Republicans. Republicans have literally hoisted Kanye on their shoulders and showed him around as their gladiator in their war against “wokeness”. While the mainstream is working overtime to cancel Kanye the Republicans are promoting him for all they’re worth. 

Kanye West is currently topping the unpopularity charts but he has an extensive back catalogue of bigoted declarations dismissing the suffering of Black people and criticising the response to historic abuses, and icons in the civil rights struggle. He also routinely mistreats and verbally abuses Black people and women he comes across. It is interesting that even when he was at his most obnoxious he did not receive the wholesale disapproval he is currently experiencing. In fact, businesses were falling over themselves to throw money at him for his questionable creative endeavours. Whether you call him a maverick or a moron businesses had no problem making money off him while Black people and women were the targets of his unsavoury sayings. 

It is only too right that Kanye West is facing censure for his anti-semitism. His behaviour thoughtless and feeds into harmful stereotypes of Jews. However, it is problematic that society in general is a lot more tolerant of prejudice when it is directed at other minorities. We have seen mainstream right wing personalities and politicians try to downplay the murder of George Floyd and the GOP in America have launched an all out onslaught on Critical Race Theory. A lot of the right wing outrage is a concerted effort to deny the reality of prejudice and discrimination suffered by Black people in America. A lot more could be done to address racial inequality and tensions but they would rather put all that effort into covering it up. 

The U.K.’s prime minister’s office recently released a statement saying that Rishi Sunak; the prime minister, does not consider the U.K. a racist country. While it is true that not all people are racist certain groups definitely are and the institutions still show evidence of systemic racism. Health inequalities, disproportionate involvement in criminal justice system, the ‘Windrush Scandal’, and the current animosity towards Critical Race Theory are strong indications of that. These are permitted to persist because the environment we’re in allows it. There is such a strong undercurrent of prejudice towards Black people that many cases of subtle or overt racism towards Black people barely cause a ripple. The business community has figured out that they are better off covering up or just ignoring the issue. Maybe this was what Kanye was hoping for when he decided to give vent to his inner voice. 

The Real Cost of Privatisation

The United Kingdom's current cost of living crisis has been fueled to a large extent by the astronomical rise in energy costs resulting from the lifting of caps on energy tariffs. The rise in energy costs has meant tha not only are people facing economic hardship but there is also a real risk to life stemming from an inability to heat homes during the cold months. There are certainly questions to be asked about whether the UK government has done enough to protect citizens against dramatic energy cost increases and whether it has responded effectively to the prospect of millions of people not being able to afford to pay their energy bills. What is happening to domestic energy costs illustrates the dangers of privatising essential public services.

Recent events involving the Royal Mail, National Grid, rail services and the energy sector demonstrate the long term risks of privatising essential services that are critical to the day to day lives of people. When such public services put making a profit over the welfare and safety of people the adverse effects on people’s lives can be devastating. It is becoming increasingly clear that privatising is not proving a cheaper way to run public corporations. The costs being racked up in rescuing or shoring up these privatised entities are greatly exceeding what would have been the cost of running them by the government.

The energy sector has fought to lift price caps leading to tariffs that are risking lives and ruining businesses. Rail companies have been steadily increasing fares and cutting services. The National Grid is warning about blackouts during the coldest months after a period of declaring millions in profits. The Royal Mail has become unrecognisable with erratic service delivery and threats to lay off thousands of staff to remain profitable. These companies have no problems with paying out huge dividends but seem to balk at investing profits in service improvement and innovation.  

The ideal of privatisation was to create more efficient production and introduce competition in order to make productivity more economical and drive prices down. What in fact has happened is that privatised companies have prioritised profits and dividends rather than cheaper services for consumers. These are services that are meant to be essential for the smooth running of people lives and businesses. Yet we are consistently getting threats of service withdrawal because almost all profits are being funnelled out to shareholders. In reality it has not been viable to run these services as private profit making companies.

The reality of privatising essential public services has been poorer service provision and increased hardship for majority of the public using those services. The opposition to privatising is not about condemning profit making but about ensuring that people and business can get access to the services they need in a way that is fair and reasonable. 

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.