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Black Panther: Atiku Abubakar Lists Many Lessons For Nigeria
Over the weekend, I joined my children to watch the much talked about ‘Black Panther’. It was a good film, and I was happy they took me to see it. However, I came out of the movie theatre a little upset.
When the first scenes came up, and I saw “Sambisa Forest” I was unhappy that the only reference the film makers could have for Nigeria was a negative one, but I was later encouraged by the thought of Africans solving African problems. That is a good thing, the kinds of things we used to do.
For young people who may not remember, Nigerian civil servants and indeed most able citizens used to contribute money every month to support the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Nigeria was the single stabilizing force across West Africa. Helping to restore peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone are examples of the gigantic status we once had.
Seeing another African country come play ‘Big Brother’ to Nigeria made me very sad. We must return to a place of respect. We may argue that the film is a work of fiction, but there are many truths in the story – one of them being that young girls are being abducted by terrorists across the northeast of Nigeria, and they need to be rescued. Only recently, a band of terrorists stormed another girls’ school in Dapchi, Yobe State. After days of confusing information, it is now confirmed that 110 girls are missing. Nigeria has once again been thrown into sorrow with many of us wishing that there was indeed a ‘Black Panther’ to help rescue the girls.
Here are my takeaways on Black Panther:
Institutions are important
Wakanda was portrayed as a technological giant, which ruled great kinds, supported by a council, and traditions are held in high esteem. But it was easy to see that most of the decisions are those of the king, which presents serious institutional problems. Institutional order in the dispensation of justice could have helped handle the betrayal of Wakanda by the king’s brother, which would have prevented the hatred of Wakanda which filled the heart of the nephew who was left behind.
The succession system is also another example of institutional weakness in Wakanda. The young man from America came in and within days, destroyed the long standing institutions, even when he seemed to be trying to help Black people all over the world.
In one moment of folly, he decided to destroy the garden that guarantees powers to every other king of the future. Should there not have been a process whereby a council needs to approve the King’s orders before they are carried out? Institutions are better guarantors of good governance than kings or strong men/women.
Checks and balances are important in leadership.
This is why democracy is important. As a Nigerian who has lived through many dictatorships, I would have liked Wakandans to adopt a new model, which gives them a say in who leads them, as well as includes checks and balances. This would at least insure the country against the rise of tyrants and demagogues.
Killmonger’s liberation philosophy was terrible
The most successful tyrants always have simple philosophies, which on the surface appear good. We only see the deviousness of the plan after a second look.
Many people would be drawn to the message of black liberation that the young American returnee preached, but closer scrutiny reveals that it wasn’t liberation he was preaching, but reverse oppression. When the oppressed becomes the oppressor, has justice really been done or are we just exchanging one evil for another?
Nigeria’s hope is Nigerians
One of Wakanda’s most valuable resources was mentioned in the film, but not shown – many Wakandans abroad providing intelligence to their country back home.
There’s enough Nigerian talent abroad to turn our country into a technology and industry giant. The question then is how we can make the environment conducive for them to return and contribute to its growth and development.
During my time in government, mining the ‘natural resource’ of Nigerians in the Diaspora was an important part of our strategy, bringing back Nigerians who had established themselves abroad to come home to work. Sadly, many of those people who came back have packed up and returned abroad. We are losing professionals in all sectors in their droves every month, at the fastest rate not seen since the 1980s.
We cannot build the Nigeria of our dreams without keeping our best people in the country and empowering them to work and build businesses. We cannot keep our people healthy when the best of our medical professionals are being forced to pack up and leave.
We always need strategic alliances
One of my favourite characters in the film was Mbaku, the big chief from the mountain tribe. He sounded and acted very Nigerian, which made me like him a lot.
His alliance with T’Challa was very innocuous – having failed to defeat the new king in the challenge for the throne, the king encouraged him to give up, that he will be useful to the king in the future. That little moment is the reason Wakanda was saved later in the film.
As a Nigerian, I always wonder how much stronger our regional leadership would be if we built better alliances. Nigerian soldiers spent most of the 90s and 2000s helping stabilize West Africa. Wouldn’t it be in our interest to strengthen our influence on the basis of those sacrifices?
Women in Africa get things done
One important thing I noticed in Wakanda was the strong role of women in all aspects – defense, technology, leadership, spiritual leadership, among others.
When there was trouble, the women of Wakanda didn’t just stand by, they found a way. I remember in the mid-90s, when many of Nigeria’s leading democracy activists were running away in crates and bush border crossings, (I also miraculously escaped), the women were there to save us. Women were either helping the movement go underground, or taking up the fight. It would be a disservice to Nigerian women, if we speak about June 12, without mentioning the role of Kudirat Abiola. I was honoured to present a posthumous award to MKO Abiola’s family during the recently held Silverbird Man of the Year Awards, and I wish more awards will go to the women who often led or supported the pro-democracy movement.
I finished the Black Panther movie wondering how much better our country would be if we let more women into leadership. We are losing up to 40 per cent of our productivity because we still haven’t fully integrated our women into economic and socio-political leadership.
But I was also left thinking, what if the king’s first child was a girl, would Wakandans support her to be Black Panther?
. Abubakar is a former Vice President of Nigeria and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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