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Will Keyamo Help or Hurt Tinubu’s Campaign? 

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By Niran Adedokun

I watched Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo’s two recent television interviews with absolute bewilderment. And if the situation in Nigeria was not so grim currently, one would laugh at the Minister’s posturing during these conversations.

For starters, his appointment as a spokesperson for the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima Campaign Council is confounding.

Keyamo is the junior Minister for Labour and Employment, which is an all-time important portfolio anywhere in the world.

It is more so in Nigeria, which is currently ravaged by all forms of unemployment, serial industrial actions and brain drain challenges.
Unless the Minister is as redundant as he makes the Office of the Vice President look in recent arguments, how does he plan to hold these two roles together without dropping the ball?

Spokesman-ship for a presidential campaign is a critical role requiring round-the-clock intellectual and emotional vigour. Without this, the holder of the office will succumb to cheap sentiments and become a cry-baby running after trifles. He or she will ultimately lose the plot and the grand opportunity to persuade. So, how does a minister of the federal republic, who should attend cabinet meetings and lead policies for national re-emergence, play these two roles effectively?

Even if we would not have this predictable role conflict, there is the question of how ethical it is for a minister, appointed to serve all Nigerians regardless of what they represent, to take this new role. It is untidy that successive governments in Nigeria mix public office with partisanship. This abuses the sensitivities of millions of Nigerians who don’t belong to political parties but fund public offices.

Beyond Keyamo’s qualifications, however, is his disposition and the responses that he gave to two key questions.

From the outset of these interviews, Keyamo came about with the usual arrogance of office that you find in the average Nigerian leader. If as untoward as it is, Nigerians have come to terms with arrogant political officeholders, the spokesperson for a political campaign impairs his message when he fails the humility test.

The politics of elections is such that a majority of the voters have already made up their minds about whom they will vote for. So, a spokesperson’s principal job is to convince undecided voters. Now, it is preposterous to imagine that you can come to these people with the superiority that Mr Keyamo displayed in the said interviews. If you do, you will be de-marketing rather than selling your candidate.

Even if things were all rosy for Nigerians, citizens would evaluate the government in power during elections. They also react to social issues of the day. People will appraise you and ask questions that may irritate you. In this unavoidable reality, a spokesperson must remain calm and collected, and explain what the extant government is doing and what the candidate plans to do, meekly.

He must persuade citizens that government see things from their perspectives and cannot afford to dismiss every point raised as mere “opposition” rhetoric. Only a minority of Nigerians have party affiliations, so spokespersons must speak to Nigerians like someone concerned about their future, rather than trivializing every question by attaching political sentiments that profile a critical person as a disgruntled political opponent. This is regardless of what your party may have achieved. You owe the people this as their servant and someone seeking their votes.

But then, can we say that Nigerians are happy currently? Are things the best they could be? Has this regime lived up to the expectations it raised in people during its campaign?

This leads us to Keyamo’s reactions to two of the issues raised in the interviews. The first is the embarrassing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU). After throwing in details of how far the government has gone to negotiate with the union, Keyamo did two things: He tried to reduce the ASUU struggle to a selfish fight for survival and then appealed to parents to “beg” the lecturers.

There are too many things wrong with his take here. To give the faintest hint that a government, elected to solve problems, is helpless, steals hope from the people. It also detracts from that government’s legitimacy. It is, therefore, irresponsible to invite parents (who are victims of Nigeria’s plaque of misgovernance), to solve a problem that is a referendum on the capacity of the government to deliver a worthwhile future to Nigerians.

This call on parents also validates the widely held view that the government has reduced public universities to the exclusive territory of the poor. Or would the rich, who can send their children to private universities or fly them to prestigious foreign universities, join the colony of “begging parents” that the minister is convening?

In inviting Nigerians to see university lecturers as a selfish, insatiable lot, he said that the government spends N412bn (according to him more than half of the overhead on education) and that ASUU is now making demands that will cost N1.2tn, without considering government’s many other responsibilities. This is laughable considering that this same government (buckling under the burden of too many demands from ASUU) approved nine new federal universities just a few months back. So, how does it want to fund these new institutions?

Keyamo was not also entirely upfront about the reasons for the ASUU strike. More than just issues of subsistence, as he painted, the union is talking about the standard of Nigerian universities. ASUU complains that the university system cannot compete globally and that this is not because of a lack of human capital but the country’s failure to plan! This position is hard to contradict. Would Keyamo proudly send his child to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, where he graduated 30 years ago? Solicitors

concerning insecurity, the tendency of government functionaries to insult Nigerians’ intelligence by manipulating facts is exhausting. When they claim they have solved the problem of Boko Haram, you marvel, because it doesn’t look like that. What has happened is that, while the fire got too hot in the North-East, these guys moved to other parts of the country. The government itself has attributed three recent events (the Kuje Prison break; the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo and the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna bound train) to the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, a Boko Haram offshoot. This situation without the national security apparatus foreseeing it. Yet, Nigerians should be grateful for this?

Keyamo claimed that the regime had solved the farmer herders’ crisis. This is also debatable. While reports of incidents have decreased considerably, some of the violence in Zamfara, Kaduna and Benue states resulted from disagreements between farmers and herders. But even if the government has resolved these, the level of insecurity Nigeria has witnessed in the past couple of weeks is unprecedented, and any attempt to suggest otherwise would amount to lying to and insulting the intelligence of those you get paid to serve. A report published by The PUNCH in June showed that 3,478 people had been killed in violent attacks while 2,256 others were abducted across the country between December 2021 to June 15, 2022.  Regardless, government people want to argue that Nigerians are safer than at some other time. How is that even relevant in the circumstance? 

POLITICS

I Didn’t Call for Ganduje’s Resignation – Alia

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue has denied calling for the resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Tersoo Kula.


The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CPS was reacting to some media reports that the governor has called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.

The Kula said the governor at no time called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
He said the governor enjoyed a good relationship with the Ganduje-led leadership of APC.
“It is imperative to clarify that at no point did Governor Alia assembled, attended and sent a representative or participated in any meeting to discuss the removal or call for resignation of Alhaji.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The Benue State governor remains firm in his support and allegiance to the leadership of the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Alhaji Ganduje.
“Furthermore, at no point, whether publicly or privately, has the governor advocated or expressed any desire for the resignation of the National party chairman”, he said.
He said the governor was focused on positively changing the fortunes of the state.
“He is alive to his responsibilities as the leader of APC in Benue State and is doing everything legitimate to reposition the party for future victories.” Kula said.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Benue State said it has withdrawn the only case filed by the embattled state chairman of the party, comrade Austin Agada that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
It said the said case has been consequently struck out by Justice T.A. Kume.
The state publicity secretary of the party, Daniel Ihomun,  said this was done in compliance with the directive of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its 146th meeting held on the 20th March, 2024, wherein resolutions targeting peace were made directing all pending cases filed by members of the party in Benue State against the party or concerning the party and its members be withdrawn within 7 days.
Mr. Ihomun in a statement, made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the State Legal Adviser of the APC, Alyebo Mathew Esq, at the instance of the state chairman, filed a Notice of Withdrawal on the 25th March, 2024, in the only case filed by the chairman that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
The party urged all members affected by the directive to withdraw all matters in court to clear the way for proper reconciliation that will ultimately pave the way for peace in the party.

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POLITICS

Mutfwang Meets PDP North Central Leadership Calls for Unity among Officials

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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has called for unity a purpose among officials of the North Central geopolitical political zone towards the growth of the party in the region.
He noted that the region has consistently remained a stronghold for the PDP since its inception, attributing it to the party’s ideologies and its developmental impact on the citizens at any given opportunity.


Governor Mutfwang made the commendation during a meeting on Wednesday with PDP officials from the North Central, led by the zonal National Vice Chairman, Hon.
Theophilus Dakas Shan, at Plateau House in Abuja the nation’s capital.

While applauding the dedication, patriotism, and steadfast support of the PDP officials in the region for their role in promoting unity and internal democracy in the party reiterated that such dedication will not be forgotten by the party.
Governor Mutfwang through his Director of Press and Public Affairs expressed his gratitude to the zonal officials for their commitment during the 2023 general elections, an effort he said aligned with the party’s principles.
He reiterated that the party’s mission is to govern not for personal gain but for the people’s liberation, voicing his expectation that the PDP will continue to be the people’s party, deserving of significant involvement in its administration.
As the opposition party, the Governor emphasized the need to strive for the governance Nigerians aspire to, stating, “We must offer constructive criticism to the government and ensure the Nigerian people are not shortchanged.”
The Governor announced plans to reform the party into a robust, dependable, and credible political platform that enables Nigerians to run for elections and fulfill the promise of democracy.
The National Vice Chairman of the PDP North Central Zone, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan, congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his election and Supreme Court victories.
He pledged full support to his administration, noting that the Governor’s unique position as the sole PDP-elected Governor from the zone will not be taken for granted.
He acknowledged the North Central’s role in electing the National Chairman of the PDP by consensus before the 2023 elections. However, recent political events in Benue State, has set aside the Chairman from office adding that the zone needs to address the matter as a family.
Hon. Shan said plans are underway to hold congresses of the Party and called for unity to ensure that the process is reliable, credible, and universally accepted, thereby minimizing potential litigation.

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POLITICS

FG Seeks Swedish Govt Support on Technical Education

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government is seeking the support of the Swedish Government to help drive its ongoing efforts of integrating technology and skills into the education sector.The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman who made the appeal while hosting the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Annika Hahn-Englung, on a working visit to the ministry on Tuesday in Abuja, said it was important to leverage Sweden’s technical expertise.

The Minister also said the Federal government is seeking the support of the Swedish government in the development of indigenous languages to aid sound educational development in Nigeria.
He said: “The presence of (Swedish) tech companies in education and training is very important for us because one of the major things this ministry is focusing on now is to bring technology and skills into our education system right from the very early stage of education and we feel it is a very important mechanism tool for learning and teaching.
”And so we will be looking at your experiences to see how we can grow from that because what we want is right from primary school we want our students to be exposed to technology and skills so that at that stage they can grow with it and nurture critical thinking capabilities.“Right now education is not all about just providing training for jobs and skills of today, but preparing them to think about the skills of tomorrow and the best way to do that is by nurturing critical thinking capability right at the early stage.“So we will be leveraging your expertise and experience in order for us to develop our plans and integrate skills and technology into the curriculum at all the levels of our education system in Nigeria.”Mamman who noted that some agreements had been signed between Nigeria and Sweden in the past, however, stressed the need for both countries to deepen bilateral relationships by committing to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in several areas of partnerships.The Swedish envoy had earlier named some Swedish firms in Nigeria engaged in educational and entrepreneurship programmes.Hahn – Englung who expressed Sweden’s readiness to deepen existing relationships, especially in the area of education, noted Sweden’s desire to have more students study in the country’s institutions of higher learning.“We have quite a number of companies especially when it comes to EdTech but then also, we have ideas to see what we can do more together.“We have many Nigerian students going to Sweden every year. They are very competitive students we have noticed but we will like to see that expand more.”

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