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Bestiality Of Power: Modus Operandi (6)

Published

6 years ago

February 10, 2020

In this concluding part of the series, effort will be made to pick out and clarify the various methods and strategies which had been used over many centuries to apply power as an instrument of bestiality.
Firstly, it is quite instructive that ancient Jews classified humanity into 12 categories, commonly known as the 12 tribes of Juda. Each of these classifications represents definite life-qualities of which the wandering or marauding quality is one.
Human races and groups bear various life qualities, distributed all over the earth, and by breeding and marital processes, there came to be some inter-connectivity, such that there is no absolutely pure race. Tribes that were born to rule and those that would be fetchers of water and hewers of wood, cannot make absolute claims to such inheritance, because, much water had passed under the bridge over the past millennia.
Tribes of wandering marauders, sea-farers, priests, etc, hardly remain pure and intact now, as a result of many factors. Two major proclivities or propensities emerged strong in the process of human interactions and developments. One is a fanatical instinct of domination or obsession with territorial control, and the other is religious fanaticism. These two tendencies have a common root, which has to do with the mind.
Studies in the operations of the human mind show that the search for security and material well being resulted in an imbalance in the wholesome utilisation of the resources of the mind. The outcome was an excessive development of the objective or intellectual portion of the brain.
Where the whole brain is working in harmony there is usually some element of ethical morality balancing objective rationality, ensuring justice in all dealings. It is called humanistic value.
Those who had relied solely on objective sensory mechanism of the brain soon discovered that force, fear and intimidation always gave them some edge over other people in their dealings. To avoid physical conflicts and reprisals; cunning, subterfuge and pretences served as alternative strategies of taking undue advantage of others. Over a long period of time, this strategy developed into a standing culture or mindset.
Power soon became a by-product of the criminal mind, but to avoid immediate conflict, power has to be applied with tact and caution. An example is Wole Soyinka’s ancient parable of the colonial victim – when the missionaries came, say the converts, they pressed the bible into our hands, told us to shut our eyes, kneel on the ground and pray. When we opened our eyes, we still had the bible, but the land was gone.”
It is no mischief to say that a great deal of criminal activities are committed under the invocation of the Name of the Lord. Thus, abusers of power usually hide under the mask of religion. From personal transactions to international trades and diplomatic affairs, not all those who use God’s Name mean well.
Trans-continental acts of brigandage were usually facilitated by the availability of superior technologies. In the modern times, fear of exposures, protests and condemnations make abusers of power to use hypocrisy, cunning, treachery, etc, to do exploits. Even state policies and programmes serve as subtle means of abuses of power. From the invasion of foreign territories as in the past, the power game is now localised, it is internal imperialism.
Allocation of oil blocks to individuals rarely go with the wherewithal to operate it; so foreign partnership comes in. Similarly, to plunge into deeper waters, the strategy is to fly a kite first. For example, grazing cattle in other people’s farmlands, followed by use of guns, bolders swagger and impunity. Meanwhile, faceless sponsors would be monitoring reactions and planning new strategies. Expansionist and imperial proclivities can manifest anywhere and at different dimensions, some of which can grow into crisis point.
Another strategy of a bestial use of power is the exploitation of human weaknesses. Fears of different kinds, superstitious beliefs, gluttony and the love of comfort and quick gains are some of the ready human weaknesses that are easily exploited by people obsessed with power. Apprentices in this project start as fraudsters, and after the accumulation of some capital, then plunge into big business or politics. There may be accomplices or a formidable alliance of powerful groups, to form an operating empire.
To discover what it is about power which can make people blind and unreasonable, study the various things that people can easily fall prey to. These traps range from women, to the human tendency to escape from the rigour of duty. It is not always money that can serve as a trap, but treachery can, after trust has been gained. So, those who bestialise power rarely have any scruples in the use of treachery and deceit to derail those trust they have been able to win, with patience.
For political wheeler-dealers, the slogan remains true that there are no permanent friends or enemies, but permanent interests. The core or permanent interest is obsession with territorial control. The conscience rarely counts or stands on the way of those who use power as a weapon to dominate a small or large empire. Abuse of power is predatory mindset.

Bright Amirize

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Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

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INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

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Tinubu Mourns Literary Icon, Biodun Jeyifo

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.

Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.

In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.

He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.

Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.

According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.

He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.

Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.

“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.