Analysis
Tinubu And His Black Beast
On his way to Equatorial Guinea, Tinubu rode in a gleaming new car to the airport, leaving tongues wagging. A glamorous, armoured black Cadillac Escalade reminded many of the NPN days. Such a show of opulence in the immediate aftermath of the hunger protests seemed an act of defiance. He startled the public.
Tinubu preaches austerity, but makes no effort to curtail lavish public expenditure. A commentator said the car was the hardest evidence of his aloofness. But more patriotic people may argue that a man who leads 200 million people and who has just secured a vote of confidence from the people that matter is at liberty to thump his nose at disgruntled elements. Other patriots may argue that the president of the Giant of Africa cannot move around like a lizard, in a jalopy, just because of hunger in the land. The president’s aides, who always find sinisterness in every criticism of their principal, might soon release data on world leaders’ use of exotic cars. They won’t see the disconnect between what they preach and what they practice.
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If Tinubu didn’t impose hardship on the people, this penchant for luxury might have been pardonable. After all, a man who had dreamed of being president for many years must have developed a ton of fantasies along the way. So, if he promised himself he would change the national anthem to cure nostalgia and ride in a new car that shares a fleeting resemblance with that used by American presidents, shouldn’t we indulge him? But since his inauguration, in all his public addresses to the nation, the president has urged perseverance and understanding. In his last address during the protests against bad governance, he demanded sacrifice and patience from citizens to save the country from economic ruin. How ca the public understand this blatant hypocrisy?
Rather than lead by personal examples, the president and his men have continued with the routine lavish lifestyles of our politicians. The inflation rate has burnt jobs and livelihoods, but hasn’t stopped the president from acquiring a brandnew jet for his travels. Now, he has a new armoured Chairman Escalade, as they call it. For a country saddled with impossible debts, a car wouldn’t worsen our predicament, but it would send the message that the redemptive belt-tightening hasn’t begun.
In Nigeria, progressivism has been reduced to blind sentimental loyalty to a political leader who identifies or masquerades as a progressive, particularly one who once participated in pro-democracy activities. A progressive is no longer a person who champions social reforms. So, some of these other progressives actually think that the public focus on a new car is nonsensical pedantry by bad losers. In other words, since Tinubu is a rich man, we must allow him to enjoy the cushioned life of the rich while he is president.
In essence, why are we disturbed by a mere car when a corrupt president can move around in a rickety bolekaja while stealing the country blind? So, to critics who wonder why the prescription of sacrifice is good for the masses and not the president, these fans of Tinubu will say that Tinubu is being transparent and honest by ‘doing his little doings’ in the open. These folks aren’t bothered by manifest policy incongruencies. He runs a bloated cabinet, but wants people to curb their appetites. He wants the people to use Made-In-Nigeria goods, but he spurns the chance to lead the transformation by personal example at every opportunity.
In times past, some military heads of state decreed that all government officials, including the president, must use Peugeot cars, which were then assembled in Nigeria. While these symbolic gestures didn’t stop the rampant embezzlement of public funds, they showed that the government was conscious of the people’s predicament and could at least pay lip service to it. Such symbolic gestures made the people feel their military leaders were not altogether foreign conquering mercenaries. Even military juntas who weren’t answerable to anyone cared about optics and made some effort, even if superficial, to show empathy. Why, then, do our elected leaders grate the sensibilities of the frustrated and famished masses with their exhibition of sybaritism?
Since Tinubu’s black beast became the talk of the town, many youths have besieged the internet to find out the cost. A few government officials who now regard peaceful protests against bad governance as subversive might think of this new virulent inquisitiveness as rascality. They would rather have a docile citizenry that defers sheepishly to its leaders and their wanton profligacy and waits patiently till the elections to voice their concerns. The tragedy is that many citizens are now disillusioned and losing faith.
Apathy and anomie are spreading. The youths are increasingly feeling that our national problems are refractory and only those who can’t japa are staying behind. Rife rumours put the cost of the president’s beast at about a billion Naira. Only a few can understand why the president removed the petrol subsidy only to buy a new jet and car for himself when the country’s economy is still in peril. A cost-conscious and empathetic president would have seen out his first term in demonstrable personal austerity, but Tinubu perhaps thinks his comfort will quicken national recovery.
It isn’t easy to imagine what the president feels and tells his closest aides behind closed doors. It must be arduous churning out justifications for this hypocrisy. It’s true the country is badly divided and no longer as safe as it used to be, and therefore, keeping the president safe should be a national priority. But if presidential security rather than comfort is the objective, then why wouldn’t such a paranoid president move around in an armoured personnel carrier like the president of Guinea?
A car might not worsen the penury of rural folks and the slum life of most in the cities, but a new gas-guzzling beast bought with taxpayers’ money and unveiled as hunger protesters were being forced off the streets will provoke public outrage. It’s true Nigeria didn’t become the global headquarters of multi-dimensional poverty and child malnutrition because of Tinubu. It’s true, he inherited a mess and shouldn’t be deprived of the tools and trappings of his exalted office. It’s indeed his turn. But he must remember that what he does is more significant than what he says.
The vice president believes Tinibu has only one wristwatch. Many who have been to Bourdillon, where he lives, say it’s spare. They must be believed, but if the president is not a man of flamboyance and profligacy, why does he struggle to cut a figure of frugality and run a lean government to give people hope? Why has he allowed himself to be embroiled in a damaging conflict of interest mess in the award of huge contracts?
The president must fashion and announce an ambitious vision. With a concise vision, he will find urgency; he will not waste time celebrating trivial achievements or indulge himself in fantasies. With a vision, he can sculpt the size, attitude and morality of the government he requires for the mission.
Analysis
Nigeria Ranked 5th Globally, 3rd In Africa As Most Generous Country In World Giving Index 2024
In a remarkable display of generosity, Nigeria has been ranked the third most generous country in Africa and fifth globally, according to the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index 2024. Despite facing economic and humanitarian challenges, Nigeria’s ranking is a testament to the country’s spirit of giving and willingness to help those in need.
The World Giving Index, which surveyed over 145,000 people across 140 countries, found that 72% of the world’s adult population gave money, time, or helped a stranger in 2022. Indonesia topped the global rankings, followed by Kenya, which emerged as the most generous country in Africa.
Nigeria’s ranking is impressive, considering the country’s economic challenges. The report highlights the importance of generosity and volunteering, citing Kenya’s high ranking as an example of the “utu” spirit, which signifies humanity.
The World Giving Index also noted that government initiatives can play a significant role in encouraging charitable activity, citing Singapore’s rise in the rankings as an example. The country’s government has implemented schemes to encourage partnerships between charities and businesses, as well as tax relief and government matching on charitable donations.
The report’s findings demonstrate that people across continents and cultures remain willing to help those in need, even in the face of economic and humanitarian challenges. Nigeria’s ranking as the fifth most generous country globally is a testament to the country’s resilience and generosity.
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North Korea is set to welcome back international tourists by the end of the year, according to travel agencies, but experts warn that the long-awaited opening up could be hindered by political tensions and harsh winters. The country sealed its borders and banned international visitors in early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but now plans to reopen to tourists, starting with the city of Samjiyon, near the Chinese border.
The apparent decision to lower the drawbridge has been welcomed by tour companies, but some North Korea watchers say plans to resume tourism after almost five years of pandemic-enforced isolation are fraught with problems. North Korean state media have yet to comment on the reported opening up, although Kim Jong-un has taken a personal interest in developing the tourism infrastructure and spoken of his desire to welcome visitors from “friendly” nations, China and Russia.
The official motivation has changed little since the North banned foreign tourists in 2020 – namely, to showcase a modern, content country centered on unwavering public devotion to three generations of the Kim dynasty. The first visitors are expected to be confined to Samjiyon, described by North Korea as a “socialist utopia” and “a model of highly civilized mountain city”. The destination, which reportedly boasts new apartments, hotels, and a ski resort, is a gateway to Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the peninsula and considered the mythical birthplace of a united Korean people – a place of pilgrimage that supports the cult of personality surrounding the family that has ruled with an iron fist since the country’s foundation in 1948.
Koryo Tours, which was forced to put visits on hold at the start of the pandemic, welcomed the reported resumption of tourism, adding that the move would probably extend to the rest of the country. “Having waited for over four years to make this announcement, Koryo Tours is very excited for the opening of North Korean tourism once again,” the Beijing-based firm said on its website, adding that its local partner would confirm itineraries and dates in coming weeks.
A second travel agency, Shenyang-based KTG Tours, also announced that tourists would be able to visit Samjiyon from this winter. But some experts said the plans could fall foul of the harsh weather that grips the remote Samjiyon area in winter, along with poor local infrastructure and, for Westerners, a reluctance to travel to a country that has become more aggressive in recent years.
“I can’t see how Samjiyon, being one of the more isolated tourist destinations within the DPRK, would be the first for the Koreans to try and open for the broader tourism market,” Rowan Beard, the manager of Young Pioneer Tours, told the NK News website, using the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Travel industry officials said they expected the first wave of tourism to be dominated by Chinese nationals and, in light of Kim’s recent meetings with Vladimir Putin, people from Russia. “I suspect that the powers that be in Pyongyang believe it’s time to open the borders like all other ‘normal’ nations have since the pandemic ended,” said Prof Dean J Ouellette, an expert in North Korean tourism at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. “That means opening up to international tourists, whether or not many decide to go, or are allowed by their governments to visit, or are even allowed entry by North Korean authorities because of their nationality.”
China is by far the most important market, with Chinese nationals making up about 90% of tourists to North Korea before Covid-19. Experts say a record 300,000 foreign tourists visited North Korea in 2019, earning the country between $90m and $150m. While the North is far from dependent on tourism for foreign currency, the injection of cash could boost its coffers.
“If there is a return to the heyday of Chinese tourist arrivals … North Korea could possibly earn an $100m to $175m,” Ouellette said. “For a heavily sanctioned and self-isolating economy like North Korea, that is not an insignificant amount.” But Chinese leaders have voiced reservations about North Korea’s supply of weapons to Russian forces in Ukraine and are cautiously following Kim’s closer relationship with Putin.
Read also : North Korea’s Olympic Return Sparks Hope For A Brighter Future
“I don’t think we will see a return to those high tourist numbers until Pyongyang repairs relations with Beijing,” Ouellette said. Tourism to the North was strictly limited before the pandemic, with tour companies saying about 5,000 western tourists visited each year. Americans made up about 20% percent of the market before the US banned its citizens from going there as tourists after the 2017 death of the university student Otto Warmbier.
Cockerell said much had yet to be decided about itineraries, but that tourists would continue to be closely watched. “The main system remains unchanged, with guided tours only and no
Fears are growing for the lives of women’s rights activists imprisoned in Iran, following a surge in executions since the election of President Masoud Pezeshkian in July. At least 87 people were executed in July, with another 29 meeting their fate on a single day this month.
The mass executions included Reza Rasaei, a young man sentenced to death for participating in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Human rights organizations now fear further executions in the lead-up to the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, which sparked unprecedented nationwide protests.
About 70 women are currently held as political prisoners in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, including two who have been sentenced to death: journalist Pakhshan Azizi and women’s rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi. Two more activists, Varisheh Moradi and Nasim Gholami Simiyari, face the same charges and await their fate.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran warns that multiple female political prisoners are at risk of execution based on “sham charges”. Executive director Hadi Ghaemi condemned the authorities’ attempts to silence dissent, saying, “Faced with a women’s movement in Iran that refuses to back down, Islamic Republic authorities are now trying to threaten these women with the gallows.”
Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi was reportedly among those injured during a prison protest against Rasaei’s execution. UN human rights experts have condemned reports that the women were denied access to timely and appropriate healthcare.
Read also : 106-Year-Old Manchester Woman Credits Long Life To Laughter And Steering Clear Of Men
Azizi and Mohammadi were sentenced to death in July on charges of “armed rebellion against the state”. Azizi was subjected to torture, including mock executions, while Mohammadi’s family expressed shock at her death sentence.
Former political prisoner Zeinab Bayazidi believes the death penalties are designed to dismantle the unified fight against the regime. “The Islamic Republic is retaliating against the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution,” she said.
As the situation grows increasingly dire, human rights organizations and experts urge the international community to take action and hold Iran’s authorities accountable for their brutal crackdown on women’s rights activists.
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