A general and a technocrat

    THE GENERAL AND THE TECHNOCRAT.......The overhauling long   awaited

      Given the recent developments in the nation at large, particularly with respect to the forthcoming elections, I have decided to take a tentative drift into politics......I trust you would find this piece elucidating. Enjoy

Good People of Nigeria.
Dear All,
LETTER OF APPEAL
Kindly find attached to this letter a memo titled “Entrusting Nigeria in Competent Hands- The Man Named Yemi Osibajo”.
Consider this an appeal towards making the right decisions in the forthcoming Presidential Election as this is very key to the advancement of our dear country.
I anticipate your apposite reaction to this outreach.

ENCL: ENTRUSTING NIGERIA IN COMPETENT HANDS- THE MAN NAMED YEMI OSIBAJO
Sincerely,
A fellow Patriot




ENTRUSTING NIGERIA IN COMPETENT HANDS- THE MAN NAMED YEMI OSIBAJO
In view of the forthcoming elections, particularly the presidential elections, so much has been made subject to debate. So many accusations, pointed fingers, political manipulations; strategies have been drawn up and executed. In fact, so many prophesies have evolved, the veracity of which can only be left to the Almighty God to Judge.
All these, we would agree, are towards ascertaining who amongst the candidates is worthy of the mantle of being the next Nigerian President or who in fact will emerge the winner. Whether or not the elections will be a fair one is a matter that bothers the mind of many and perhaps can only be left to be determined by chance.
My concern however lies in the APC Presidential running mate, in person of the amiable Prof. Yemi Osibajo. The news of his emergence as the running mate to the All Progressive Congress candidate, Gen. Mohammodu Buhari is no news to all, but very few are informed of his person. Through this memo, I intend to explicitly introduce you to this Gentleman and thereafter give you 5 reasons why you should vote for the All Progressive Congress in the forthcoming presidential election and afterwards only trust your better conscience to make the right choice at the polls.
While some cynics have tried to cast aspersions which thankfully, have received graceful rebuttals (http://t.co/2b2MqPKdjY), be sure that this memo seeks to be absolutely objective.
At inception I’d like to note that the Learned Silk proffers himself as a “Technocrat” and not a “Politician”. However tacit, there exists a wide difference between both concepts. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines a Politician as a person who is good at using different situations in an organization to try to get power or advantage for himself or herself. On the flipside, it defines a Technocrat as an expert who has a lot of power in politics and industry.
Prior to giving an in-depth analysis of Prof. I’d like to note that it is almost inarguable that our dear country has overtime been inundated with challenges which though seemingly insummountable but essentially requires the hands of veterans however technocratic.
In the words of Thomas E. Flores, in his online article Never Mind the Generals, Here Comes the Technocrats, “Voters across the world increasingly prefer technocrats to run affairs...wherever we turn in this time of austerity and financial crisis, we find technocrats in position of political power. In just the past few years, Alassane Quattara, an economist who rose to the position of deputy head of international Monetary Fund became president in Cote d’lvoire ...Mario Monti, known as “ll Professore for his expertise in economics became Prime Minister in Italy and quickly appointed  a technocratic cabinet...Meanwhile in Mexico, every president in the last 30 years, since the dawn of  the Latin American Debt Crisis in 1982 has held a graduate degree from Havard or Yale in Public Administration, Law, Business or Economics” I therefore seek your indulgence to allow me to prove to you that the APC party brings this sort of solace right to our faces.
Prof. Yemi Osibajo bagged his LLB in the University of Lagos and subsequently had his taste of European Education when he earned an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science. There is no doubt this man is enlightened. Well enlightened enough to influence change in a continent. Suffice it to say that his erudition and competence earned him the Office of the Head of Department, Public Law Department, University of Lagos. He stands today as one of the most outstanding Professors of Law in the World, being granted such honour at quite a tender Age. There is no doubt, The Man is Smart.
His passion for academic research and development birthed the Justice Research Institute Ltd wherein he is a Board Member. He also authors sundry books, among which are: The Unification and Reform of the Nigerian Criminal Law and Procedure Codes; Law Development and Administration; The Annotated Civil Procedure Rules of the Superior Courts of Nigeria; Cross Examination: A trial Lawyer’s Most Potent Weapon.
In the Legal Profession, he is not indolent enough to miss the toga of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, even in its elite character. In 1988 he was appointed the special adviser to the Attorney General of the Federation in person of the renowned Prince Bola Ajibola. Subsequently, he was appointed the Attorney General of Lagos State under the administration of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
These marked the beginning of his exploits in Nigerian Public Administrative System. It is interesting to note that during his tenure as the Commissioner for Justice and the Attorney General of Lagos State, he instigated the Lagos Reform Project which birthed the Directorate for Citizen’s Right, a body that provides Legal Aid to the indigent citizens of Lagos State, thereby reducing the incidence of wrongfully convicting persons.
Professor Osibajo does not restrict his exploits to the realm of public administration but also has a large bite in the domain of Corporate Governance. Being the Principal Partner in SimmonsCooper Partners, a leading commercial firm in Lagos, he also doubles as the Ethical Adviser to the advisory board of the African Development Bank, instigator of the award-winning 623 Euro Lake Turkana Wind Power Project which is the biggest in Kenyan History and which has been nominated as the African Renewable Deal of the year 2014 by Thomson Reuters Project Finance International.  He is also a co-founder and board member of the Convention on Business Integrity and a Director at Citi Bank Plc.
In International Parlance, he has served in the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, United Nations African Institute for Crime Prevention, International Criminal court for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, as well as the United Nations Peace Operations in Somalia.
As an  humanitarian, he took the initiative of set up in conjunction with his wife, Mrs Oludolapo Osibajo, The Orderly Society Trust, which is a Non Governmental Organization dedicated to promoting Christian Ethics and Orderliness . He is also very responsible for the Destiny Child Trust, which is also a charitable venture that helps to reduce the number of motherless and helpless children on the street by providing for housing, feeding and education.
Further, as a Clergyman, he pastors the Olive Tree House of Prayer for all Nations, a subsidiary of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Church renowned worldwide for sharing truth in its very raw form.
There is no gainsaying that with such resume cutting across the fours of life, Prof Osibajo has the skill to champion and extensive overhauling which Nigeria so direly needs. Although conspiracy theories may spring up indiscreetly, the triviality of which is only reflective of malicious and malafide intentions as well as sheer political intimidation.
To this end, I can only trust your best judgment in deciding who is deserving of the ink and your thumbprints at the polls in February. Nevertheless, kindly oblige me to give you, not 10, not 20, not 30 but just FIVE (5) reasons to vote for All Progressive Congress Party in the forthcoming presidential election.
Firstly, APC affords us change. Not only is it the motto of the party but also practically what the party stands for. The extensive overhauling that we see in Lagos State under the administration of  Governor Babtunde Fashola SAN is not detachable from the very tenets of his political party.
Suffice it to say that Nigeria in its Federal entity has been governed by a single party for over 16 years and we can only ask ourselves what good that has brought to us overtime. There is no shying away from the fact that our dear country is deteriorating per time (at a time we were speaking of the menace of corruption which has only mature to a state of insecurity). It is only sensible that a different hand be allowed as the situation may in actual fact require a different standpoint. In the words of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Governor of Rivers State who recently decamped from anopposition party to the Alliance People’s Congress, “APC is on a rescue mission both in Rivers State and Nigeria”
Further, Governors of states that have emerged from this party have not only been excellent but have also proven themselves to be worthy of the people’s accolade in terms of their laudable policies and incredible administration of the state affairs. In Lagos, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola(Need I mention that he is also a Technocrat) is celebrated not only within but also without Lagos State. In Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun keeps bewildering the populace with his massive infrastructure developmental projects cutting across every geo political zones. The list goes on.
Another reason I think you should vote for the All Progressive Party is that its the people’s choice. In the streets, in the market, in schools, on the pitch, persons are everywhere discussing politics. It is the popular view that APC is here to rescue Nigeria from its apparent perils. Although it is often said that the popular view is not always the right view, nevertheless it is presumably the best view.
As a result of the values the party upholds and which people are coming to appreciate in recent times, a host number of people have found themselves migrating from other political parties. It would not be fallacious to say that the Alliance Progressive Party is a hub that attracts potential patriotic Nigerians together. In the words of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, “From what you can see, APC is the fastest growing party in Africa. All these people you are seeing here were once members of PDP...Today they joined me in formally moving to APC and the reason for moving is that we are on a rescue mission... We are here to rescue Nigeria. We can’t continue like this. Look at this crowd you are seeing here 80% are unemployed...”
Lastly, the combination of General Mohammodu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osibajo can only be described as an impeccable combination; two remarkable fellows with contrasting features towards creating the perfect balance in Nigeria. The best is what is to be expected from a General and a Technocrat. Moreover, I strongly perceive that the combination of General Mohammodu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osibajo is likely to the usher in a perfect antidote to religious wars in Nigeria.
Conclusively, I urge all Nigerians, Patriotic or otherwise to join this train of progress, unity, advancement, prospects, so that we may some day with all sincerity and in one accord declare “NIGERIA: GOOD PEOPLE GREAT NATION”.

OLUWASEYI ABAYOMI SANNI.