TINUBU, JEGA AND THE OONI OF IFE TEMPLATE

President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Implementing Livestock Reforms on Tuesday in Abuja. The committee aims to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities that benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain.

The President appointed former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, as Co-Chairman of the Committee.

Attahiru Muhammadu Jega is a Nigerian academic and former vice-chancellor of Bayero University, Kano. He is a former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and was an opponent of the Babangida military government in the early 1990s.

Jega’s tenure as INEC Chairman birthed the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Atahiru Jega is a Professor of Political Science.

President Tinubu said “From here, I will appeal to everyone to remove every iota of partisan politics from this. I will assume the committee chairmanship as President and appoint Professor Attahiru Jega as my deputy or co-chair.”

On the list of members appointed one does not find a single expert in Agriculture not to talk of Livestock management. Neither President Tinubu nor Professor Jega has any experience in Livestock. They have never even owned a farm. Former President Buhari is reported to at least have a cattle ranch whose livestock population is constant.

It is becoming evident the Tinubu administration is averse to involvement of experts and professionals in governance. Square pegs are constantly being put in round holes.

Recall recently a 31-member Council was appointed by the President to find ways for Economic recovery. The list of members includes Senate President Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; 12 ministers, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso.

Members from the Organised Private sector include Dangote; Elumelu; Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu; Ms. Amina Maina, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir; Dr Funke Opeke; Dr. Doyin Salami; Mr. Patrick Okigbo; Mr. Kola Adesina; Mr. Segun Agbaje; Mr. Chidi Ajaere; Mr. Abdulkadir Aliu; and Mr. Rasheed Sarumi.

Not a single member of that council is a Public Sector Macro-Economist or expert in International Economic Diplomacy.

These experts Nigeria is blessed with in no short supply.

Previous governments since 1999 have involved this class of Nigerians in governance and have delivered on their mandates.

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not seem to have a flair for eggheads and think tanks.

This attitude shows a lack of political will to tackle the nation’s problems head-long. Councils and committees are set up without including experts. People with no expertise or experience in the particular fields are saddled with turning around an ailing system.

The government does not appreciate that the present drastic situation in Nigeria requires drastic measures.

Last Friday, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi read out riot acts to market men and women in the ancient city amid the skyrocketed hike in prices of foods and commodities.

Ooni Ogunwusi, through his chiefs on Friday, July 11, 2024, banned all market associations, saying that traders were free to sell at their own prices.

The chiefs in a now-viral video, while delivering the message of the monarch, told the market women that nobody should coerce or fix prices for others.

The Ooni also ordered that a portion of pepper should henceforth, be sold at the rate of N100 to N200.

The monarch also warned those selling seven cups of foodstuffs as a congo to residents to stop, adding that anyone caught will be banished from the town.

The chiefs in the video said, “In the name of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and the 16 Cheifs, the market heads (Babaloja and Iyaloja) of Ile-Ife should go and inform all market men and women in Ile-Ife that starting from today, (Friday), that Kabiyesi has cancelled anything called market association.”

 “Similarly, any outsider who came to trade in Ile-Ife should be welcome. Anybody who chases an outsider who came to trade away will be sent out of Ile-Ife.”

It was learnt that the unions and association curse their members who sell their commodities below the fixed price by the association.

A similar action was taken by the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba (Dr) Gabriel Aromolaran in May 2024, where he banned trade union and transport association in Ilesa.

The monarch said the extortionate practices of union leaders and the negative contributions of the unions and associations to the increment in prices of commodities are responsible for the ban.

The monarchs have shown a sense of urgency in addressing things affecting their subjects. They have displayed to the whole world that they understand the feelings of their people.

The Tinubu-led Federal Government should borrow a leaf from the Yoruba Monarchs and exercise control over the so called market forces which have caused untold hardship for Nigerians.

Government has blamed market forces for devaluation of the Naira, rise in cost of fuel, food inflation and fiscal inflation, playing helpless and losing control.

The Osun State monarchs did not set up councils and committees made up of the wrong persons, they took action.

And it is working.