Redefining Self-Governance The Nigerian Way

by Eromose Ileso

Nigeria is a country with a bevy of paradox. There remain many aspects of society that are a complete opposite to what obtains practically and what is laid out on paper.

To many, it is easy to read the rules and regulations guiding a particular subject especially when you want to engage in some form of activities in a sector. 

However, often times, one is likely to be shocked by the polar opposite between what has been spelt out in a book that beautifully outlines the rules and regulations regarding such a subject or sector. It could be in the area of everyday life or just an aspect of governance.

The difference between what obtains practically and what is in such book is self-governance which is a thriving industry in Nigeria. 

The use of self-governance to some could mean a certain set of people agitating to be governed independently by themselves. But in this scenario, it is completely different from what self-governance actually means.

In Nigeria, self-governance means making a way for yourself in an area where the actual government has either failed or have neglected from fulfilling their obligations. 

From every facet of the Nigerian society, you are confronted with people that are actually government unto themselves by setting out rules to make their lives comfortable not because they want to, but because they have to as the government is mostly incommunicado.

No sector depicts the concept of self-governance in Nigeria than the power sector. Despite the billions of dollars that have been pumped into the sector, there is more darkness than light. Little wonder that, many Nigerians no longer wait for the various distribution companies to restore light when they deem fit, rather most now have generators to power their businesses and to light up their homes.

When you visit most markets or business places in Nigeria cities, you are suddenly confronted by the sheer number of congregation of generators that are slalomed together. The noise from these machines have become a trademark signature of the unreliable power situation in Nigeria.

If you are establishing a business in Nigeria, especially one that requires constant power supply and you have not factored in the purchase of a generator in your budget, it means you are not ready for business as the unstable and unreliable power supply could cripple such business before it has really started.

Another area is the issue of security. For years now, the government has mounted a campaign for Sim Cards to be registered. They are quick to point out that the registration of phone lines will reduce crime, and it will aid in apprehending criminals. But what obtains practically is different as crime has not been curbed or reduced through this avenue.

For instance, this is more evident in cases of kidnapping. Kidnappers would comfortably make calls to the families of their victims demanding ransom payment, and yet nothing is done to trace these calls to know under whose name the phone line was registered as well as the location of the kidnappers. It is a well-known fact that most cases of kidnapping in Nigeria are resolved through the payment of ransoms than the direct involvement of security agencies.   

Reporting a case of kidnapping to the police most times reeks more of record keeping than anything else. Though, there are some cases that are resolved by the police. But it could be put at a ratio of one in ten.

Because of the fact that the system and institutions in Nigeria doesn’t really work as it should, that is why most citizens have taken it upon themselves to resolve matters the best way possible, instead of waiting for government agencies to rescue the situation. It is this self-governance that continues to be the platform under which most crisis situations are resolved rather than through the concerted efforts of government.

Still on security, there are communities that have built police stations and handed it over to the police authorities to bring their presence to that area. It doesn’t end there; there are others that have set up vigilante groups that serve as security guards in many places.Yet these are duties of the government.

There is also the issue of infrastructure. This is evident in water supply and road. The provision of water by the citizens should be the biggest institution of self-governance in Nigeria. Nobody waits for government to provide pipe borne water these days in most Nigerian cities. The sinking of boreholes is now a common and necessary practice if you want to enjoy regular water supply. 

Though few can readily afford it, as a result there are public boreholes set up by private citizens to sell water, but light is not always available to pump it.

Most Nigerians born in the mid, last nineties and in this millennium have never seen pipe borne water from a government source, rather it is from a borehole sunk by a private citizen.

On roads, most communities now contribute funds to address the deplorable state of their road instead of waiting for government. It is common to see communities grading their streets during the dry season, while in some places, they usually go a step further by constructing drains and asphalting the roads.   

When you examine what government actually does for Nigerians, you can barely find little or nothing. When it comes to water, road, energy and other infrastructure, you begin to ask yourself what does the government really do?

Self-governance from Nigerians has become more reliable than the actual government as they have repeatedly failed to live up their responsibilities.

Despite Nigeria’s lopsided taxation structure, there are still many people that pay taxes regularly, and it is the poor that pay most of the taxes in Nigeria when compared to the rich. Yet, despite the payment of tax, you seldom enjoy any benefit for such payment.

The way Nigeria has evolved over time especially as the wheels continue to come off in certain areas, it is difficult to see beyond self-governance from citizens as the tool to get most things done. 

Nigerians will continue to buy generators to power their businesses, boreholes will continue to be sunk and many others if things don't improve.

Examining The Corporate Affairs Commission In The Treasury Single Account Scheme

by Eromose Ileso
                                         

In the past, precisely before and shortly after the new administration, when you visit Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), you can pay for services in their offices. Services that range from reservation of name, registration of business name and other copious services that is done at their offices could be paid for after the necessary conclusion of inquiries. 

However, all these have changed as money no longer exchange hands in the offices of the CAC. This is as a result of the introduction of the treasury single account (TSA) scheme which means that all monies are paid directly into the confers of the Federal government at any designated bank account through the Remita platform by which the TSA is operated.

The banks usually log into remita session designated for the Corporate Affairs Commission from which monies are paid to the treasury single account. However, one draw back about this laudable development is that most times the website is either inaccessible or it is completely down due to traffic. 

This is the reason why many Nigerians are reluctant to embrace a full fledged elimination of paper based transactions, because of how often these website break down especially at peak times of the day.

There was a story of a legal practitioner who wanted to make payment for name reservation at a bank. He was first at the United Bank of Africa (UBA), where he was told that the website was down. This was around noon. A shot walk to the nearby First Bank yielded the same result as the website was said to be down since morning.

It is common in most Nigerian institutions that when a website is down, it could be so for the entire day. And this can be very frustrating especially for a person that is walking within a time scale.

The remita site through which payments are made for services rendered by the Corporate Affairs Commission is specially designed in such a way that it can generate exactly where the payment is being made when the services being paid for his typed into the various column provided in the website. Yet, it is always advisable for anybody to approach the bank when making any payment as there would be a direct evidence of payment.

This is how the site looks: Payments To Billers & Collectors

When you click the column to select purpose of service, a list of services one can pay for through this platform that CAC offers like reservation of name, registration of business name, filing of annual returns, change of business name or address, registration of private or public limited company, registration of incorporated trustees are just a few of the services that would come once you click that column.

From this window, it is easy to see that typing business name registration into the column for purpose of services resulted in the generation of other columns. This is what occurs when other purpose of service is typed into the same column, it generates other columns that is related to the purpose of registration under which the transaction is being carried out.

However, it is not yet uhuru as far this service is concerned, which is why caution is required when any decision is taken to use this portal. 

As stated earlier, it is always best to use a designated bank to make payment which certainly would be through the same platform. The difference is that the bank serves as a strong evidence of payment for any services..

Depression: Nigeria’s Most Misunderstood Sickness

by Eromose Ileso

                                                               

photo credit: leadership.ng

To Most Nigerians, depression is a ‘white man’s sickness, because the death attributed to it is always in the public domain. 

To them, they can’t understand why a person living a 'comfortable' life should be depressed. 

When popular personalities like Robin Williams commits suicide as a result of depression, and other personalities that have died from overdose of anti-depressant coupled with the fact that news of these death are splashed in the media, it further gives credence to the wrong view that it is a white man’s sickness. It is easy to see why many here see depression as a white man’s sickness. Often, you seldom get to see any physical symptoms associated with it and most people that suffer from it are often well of. Although, there are exceptions as there are persons who are struggling in all indices of life that are suffering from the ailment.

However, this widely held notion that depression is a white man’s sickness has been negated by the rise in cases of suicides related to depression. There was a case recounted by a radio personality in Lagos, of a man who had no debts, had a good job, but over a period of time, he withdrew from his friends, and became a recluse. He complained that he was depressed to several persons, but what they advised for him was that he needed prayers. He sent his wife on an errant one evening, and before she returned, he committed suicide.

Nigerians see depression as a ‘spiritual problem’ in local parlance, dem dey wori am, some would say. Because, they cannot understand why a person that has no physical problem that is visible to the eye, would suddenly start experiencing mental disorder. It is this belief that has led to calls for more prayers for persons who are suffering from depression rather than a visit to see a therapist.

A 23 year old lady known to this writer had bouts of depression in 2014 and 2015. She went on Facebook to post suicidal thoughts, for which she was severely criticised by family and friends. Nobody could decipher what was wrong with her, until somebody drew the attention of her parents that she was depressed. 

At first it sounded strange as nobody saw it that way. While the mantra of prayers was adopted initially. She ended up seeing a psychiatrist at the Neuro-Psychistrist Hospital, Uselu, Benin City. It was there they gave her some drugs. She would often complain to me at the time, that the medications made her to sleep a lot. However, she became much better, and eventually came out of it. Today, she is a student studying Biochemistry at the University.

There are persons who have had training in the field of psychiatry who can quickly point to the fact that something is wrong with a person. A Consultant Psychiatrist Nurse who retired from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) mentioned how she noticed the display of a person who had never behaved in such a way having known that person for over 40 years. She was able to notice it because of her training. It was she who called the attention of the person’s family, and drugs was administered, and that person subsequently improved.

I was with the resident pastor of the local church I worship in 2013; I went there to see him about somebody who had  reported me to him. After several minutes of saying how this particular person behaves, he concluded that the person was depressed. He went further to give an instance of a woman he knew that was well off financially and happily married, but committed suicide, because she was suffering from depression. Her swashbuckling life was just a façade that covered her inner ailment.

Nigerians often see a visit to the psychiatric hospital as something that is laced with stigma. Whenever there is mention of a visit to see a psychiatrist, there is a wrong impression that it has to do with insanity. There is nowhere, where it is asserted that depression is insanity. This is another reason why many don’t like talking about depression, and more, because treatment for it would make a person to see a clinical psychiatrist. To the society, any person that has an appointment with a psychiatrist is not normal.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)

·         Depression is a common mental disorder.

·         More women are affected by it than men.

·         At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.  

·         Depression is different from usual mood fluctuations and short lived emotional responses to challenges in everyday life.

·         It can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and function poorly at work, at school and in the family.

·         Barriers to effective care include a lack of resources, lack of trained health care providers, and social stigma associated with mental health disorders.

·         Another barrier to effective care is inaccurate assessment

·         During depressed episodes, affected persons suffer loss of interest and enjoyment, reduced energy leading to diminished activity.

·         Other symptoms include anxiety attacks, disturbed sleep and appetite and having feelings of guilt or low self-worth, poor concentration.

In the study titled Depression in adult Nigerians: results from the Nigerian Survey of Mental Health and Well-being by Gureje O, etal, 2010, it was stated that profiles and detailed studies of depression among Africans are still sparse. Yet that work was carried out six years ago. The landscape in respect of this discuss is gradually changing.

In a study by several Nigerian academic titled Prevalence of Depression among Resident Doctors in a Teaching Hospital, South East Nigeria by Aguocha GU, Onyeama GM, Bakare MO and Igwe MN published in the International Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2015, it was observed that there was an increased rate of depression amongst resident doctors. 

The study concludes that there was high prevalence of depression among resident doctors. There was no gender and marital status significant variations in depression among the resident doctors. The reason for this was cited as the stressful nature of the residency programme and the increased expectations and responsibilities placed on them.

The result above was on the prevalence of depression in resident doctors. There is a perception here that every doctor is well off. These are persons that are expected to carter for patients in the hospital, and with depression, it portends grave danger for the overall health institution and health care providers in the country.

There are enough reasons why most Nigerians could easily relapse into depressed episodes, with the state of affairs in the country where there is little or no electricity, endless queues in filling stations, increase in prices of goods, pressure to meet the needs of the nuclear and extended families, lack of job opportunities and the absence of equity to address perceived wrongs. 

With this, it is easy for any person irrespective of the status of the person to fall into depression. Yet, most Nigerians would put up a brave face, and would rather seek audience with a clergy instead of seeking a section with a medical professional. 

The inaccessible nature of such health care and the nature of the society makes this a difficult discuss. Few wouldn't spend anything on an ailment that is not visible to the eye when the average person can barely feed properly.

As long as many Nigerians take depression as a sickness that has a spiritual colouration, and the stigma that comes from the society, it would continue to be a misunderstood ailment.

It would take adequate awareness for people to change their perception about an ailment that has become a silent killer.

Djibouti And The West Double Standard African Diplomacy

By Eromose Ileso    April 14, 2016

To many, Djibouti might sound like a name of from one Disney’s cartoon characters, yet it is a country in the horn of Africa which borders Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and is just over the sea from Yemen in the Middle East. It is a tiny country with a population of just over 923,000 with an area of 23,200 sq. km. It gained independence from France in 1971.

Despite its size, it is one of the most important countries in Africa especially in the eyes of Western Powers. Besides being a gateway to the Suez Canal, which happens to be the busiest shipping route in the world, it is home to America’s largest military base in Africa. While France that is a former colonial power also has a military base there. It proximity to the Middle East means it is strategically located for the Western powers to launch any military incursions to troubled spots in the Middle East. Apart from the United States and France, China is also planning to establish a military base in Djibouti in the coming years.

Djibouti had its presidential election on April 8th, where long serving President Ismail Omar Guelleh secured a fourth term in office for another five years. The 68 year old has been in office since 1999, and as such he has been in power for 16 years. Apart from this, he rules the tiny country with an iron fist with the media and security tightly controlled by the state where freedom of speech is curtailed.

Despite the fact that Djibouti’s president has ran a repressive regime for years and also spent a decade and six years in power, the West has seldom criticised the activities of President Guelleh. They have repeatedly overlooked the transgressions and the repression of basic freedoms in Djibouti, because of the gains they derive from having the presence of military bases there.

However, the same tenure extension and planned tenure extensions that was perpetuated in other African countries has continually been criticised by the West. The recent referendum in Rwanda which granted Paul Kegame the powers to extend his time in office beyond it present term was not taken likely by the West, as it was met with strong words and criticism, with the added threat of withdrawal of aid.

There is the turbulence in neigbouring Burundi whose president forcibly amended the constitution through parliament to extend his ten year stay in office. A decision that has brought civil strife to Burundi.  This decision was also criticised by the West.  

Meanwhile, while some tenure extension is not welcomed in the West, others are met with a blind eye. It is this double standard approach to Africa’s issues that has continue to raise questions as to the underlining intentions of the West towards Africa. When there is something to be gained in a country, any repressive decisions made by such country’s leader is completely overlooked.

During the early part of the 20th century, the assassination of several African independence leaders was orchestrated by Western powers. From Slyvanus Olympio of Togo, to Patrice Lubumba of Congo Kinshasa, they stood up to the uncouth influence of the West, and they paid the ultimate price. While leaders that dance to their tune were installed in President G. Eyedema of Togo and Moboto Sese Seko of Congo Kinshasa who both ruled their countries for over and near three decades. And despite the fact that they left their countries in ruins while amassing so much wealth, they enjoyed the support of the West until their demise.

The later part of the 20th century was also beset by influence of double standards, with the assassination of Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso clearly influenced by Western elements after his socialist tendencies, and the subsequent installation of Blaise Campoare, who enjoyed the backing of France, yet he was ousted from power two years ago after a popular protest.

While, this writer is not in support of tenure extension, it is the double standard and double speaking from the West that has really cast a shadow over the ability to really sieve the actual desire of the West in respect of the internal affairs of certain African countries.

Some of these double standards have left some Africa countries in ruins especially Libya, a country that was a bastion of stability under M. Gadhafi has become a hotbed for Islamic militants. The effects of that decision has contributed to the uncontrolled influx of immigrants from the coast of Libya through the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, and the domino effect of Libya’s instability is the proliferation of arms in the Sahel belt and West Africa sub region. It was this turn of events that brought about the Tuareg rebels invasion of Northern Mali after they returned with sophisticated weapons from the Libyan conflict before they were pushed back.

When Barack Obama addressed Africa Union heads of states in its meeting in Addis Ababa in 2015, one of the points raised by the American president was his criticism of the tendency of African leaders to extend their tenure in office despite constitutional provisions that limits their tenure to a number of years. Yet there was no word from the West on what happened in Djibouti

While, different rules would continue to apply in the way the West treats African countries as evident by the responses to what happened in Djibouti and other countries. It is ultimately left to African leaders to chart a course for their countries which should start with good leadership without trying to repress basic freedoms of their citizens.  

Matrimonial Causes: Should Spouses Reveal Personal Secrets?

by Eromose Ileso

A friend’s wife once told him that he never speaks about any of his secrets. His reply was that he preferred it that way. While another friend told his wife to keep her secrets, while he keeps his after he was confronted by his wife that he doesn’t divulge certain information about his life.

These are just two instances in marriages were spouses have had heated exchanges about personal secrets. Most times, it is the wife that makes the move in this respect in inquiring about aspects of the man’s life she notices he doesn’t like talking about.

Ordinarily, secrets doesn’t have to be something sinister or uncouth here, but rather it could be an information that a spouse just wants to be remain hidden for whatever reasons.

The issue of secrets in marriages is embedded in the African culture, where in time past wives were not expected to ask certain questions of their husbands. 

At the time, multi-cultural marriages were not common, and there were instances were both spouses did not even meet before marriage, rather it was the families that made the arrangement for one to meet the other most times in the city. 

In such a culture, a wife seldom asked her husband certain questions. However, with the evolution of different cultures and the increased influence of Western values into several cultures, many wives are demanding to know more about aspects of their husband’s life that ordinarily a wife would not have thought of in time past.

These issues have ended up causing friction and fostered an atmosphere where trust is at a low ebb in marriages.  

Yet, both spouses have secrets they would like to remain hidden, as there are certain aspects of their life they know would lead to problems if there are any revelations in respect of that area. 

However, often times, it is the events that have happened during the marriage, not before both spouses met that often leads to issues. 

For instances, most husbands prefer to not to tell their wives what they are doing for their family, as a wife that lacks the requisite understanding could suddenly feel he is doing more for his family than even her family. While also there are husbands who also don’t reveal any aspect of their work life to their wife like details of their take home pay and any other deals they are into.

For all intents and purposes, it is the kind of wife a man has that determines what he tells her in a marriage. There are understanding wives that take every information the way it is without giving it strands of interpretations. 

For instance, a man entered into a business deal without telling his wife, but included as a partner, a friend and both friend’s wives are friends. Eventually when the business hit the rocks when they were duped, the friend who was brought in as a partner informed his wife about the turn of events, she in turn informed the wife of the other man who was not aware of what her husband was into, this issue caused a huge disagreement between that man and his wife. 

In this instance, the friend that told his wife about an information only he was disposed to opened the door for friction to develop in another marriage. In the first place, the man who chooses not to inform his wife about the business had his reasons.

For me, there are certain aspects of a man’s life that should be left to the man, as statistics have shown that when certain revelations reach one of the spouses it always ends up causing issues that if left unresolved could result in a separation.

A man worked for 35 years, and during that time, his wife never knew of the amount of his salary. But in that time, he took care of his wife and trained his children all of which had graduated from school. 

However, his wife of over thirty years had cause to stumble on a phone alert that revealed the amount of her husband’s pension. This revelation resulted in the woman to confront him that he had received huge salaries for years and she was not aware of it. She never considered that this was a man that took care of the family, and also trained the children. Rather in this respect the focus was on the amount of the salary that was not known to her, but not on what the man used the money for.

In Western cultures, this is often not the case, where both spouses know most things about themselves. However, in African cultures, it is often difficult to let a spouse know certain aspects of one’s life in order to avoid anything that could cause problems later on. This has led many spouses to leave some aspects of their lives untouched without revealing anything.

In Christian marriages especially during counseling sections, it is common place for the marriage counselor to tell couples that there shouldn’t be secrets in their marriages, this is not always the case as many have chose to use their discretion in dealing with such issues rather than following what was said in a counseling section.

From a biblical point of view, when Apostle Paul wrote of a man in 2nd Corinthians 12:3-4 who was caught up in the third heavens, and he heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. This could be term mysteries and secrets. Which in a nutshell portends that there could be aspects of life that should be left untouched. 

Some could say that this is different from having secrets in marriages, but the underlining point from there, is that not all things are met to be known which is why certain aspects of a couples life should remain a secret.

Going further, in the book of Genesis, an account about a couple was when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac that he got at an old age, he did not inform his wife Sarah about what God told him. And after he carried out that instruction, there is no account in the bible that Sarah ever heard of it. 

This particular account is instructive, because Abraham never informed Sarah of what was a key secret especially one that concerned their son which took decades for them to get. This means there are secrets in a marriage that couples could keep to avoid unnecessary friction. Because, concerning Abraham, Sarah wouldn't have allowed him to carry out that instruction because of how long it took for her to get Isaac. The natural human instinct of thinking as a human would have kicked in from her. Yet it was after Abraham's act of obedience that God's promise of generational blessing came.

In a nutshell, it is the man where it concerns him and the wife where it concerns her, that should determine what secret to reveal and which to keep. Some are met to be kept. But bad secrets eventually find a way out, which is why it must be a secret that is unscarred. The purport of this, is that there would always be secrets in marriages, and it could be an important tool to maintain a certain balance.