Editorial
That Nigerian’s Appointment In Canada
About a fortnight ago, Nigeria’s often bashed image in international circles got a lift following reports that a Nigerian, in fact, a Canadian of Nigerian descent, had been appointed Justice Minister in the North American country.
The man, Kaycee Madu, who was born and raised in the South Eastern part of Nigeria and moved to Canada in 2005 was appointed Minister of Justice and Solicitor-General for the Government of Alberta in Canada.
It is historic because Madu is the first African-born provincial minister in Canadian history; he is also the provincial Secretary and keeper of the Great Seal of the Province of Alberta. Moreso, he is the first black man to occupy either provincial or federal justice positions of the Justice Minister, Attorney General or Solicitor General in the country.
Indeed, it was one of the rare occasions that the country was thrust in positive international light and media discourse. The import of the development cannot be ignored or simply waved away. That is why we think that it is a momentous development that should serve to be a bastion, not only for the Nigerian government, but the citizenry and Nigerians in diaspora as well.
Already, President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly congratulated the new Canadian Justice Minister. Describing the development as “landmark and historic”, the President said that it has once again shown people of Nigerian descent as go-getters, who distinguish themselves in different walks of life. According to him, “Madu has written himself into history book”; he urged Nigerians, both at home and abroad to remain good ambassadors of their country. Other Nigerians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar weighed-in with their own messages with Abubakar believing that the appointment has the capacity to impact the world.
The Tide also joins eminent and other well-meaning Nigerians to congratulate Madu on his appointment. However, while we rejoice and commend the Canadian Justice Minister, we urge Nigerians, particularly leaders and the political class to reflect on the significance and import of the development for Nigeria, a country where an individual from a different state or community would hardly be afforded the opportunity to hold an elected position in another state or community or even allowed a service space.
We think that with Madu being so appointed in Canada, coupled with other handful of Nigerians in diaspora occupying sensitive positions and helping to drive the wheels of other countries, Nigerians at home should begin to adopt the doctrine of meritocracy in considering professionals/technocrats for positions.
It is time we begin to eschew primordial sentiments in making appointments and allowing every eligible individual a level playing ground in political contests, no matter the person’s ethnic or religious background. If Madu, who the Canadian Premier, Jason Kenney, described as “a man who has experienced racial prejudice first-hand and can bring that sensitivity to this important role”, could be trusted with the sensitive appointment, then, Nigerians should begin to break the barriers of mutual ethnic and religious bigotry and distrust that have held the country hostage over the years.
In addition, while Nigeria celebrates the recognition accorded Madu, we urge Nigerians to see the development as a challenge and motivation to aspire to be the best they can be. This is because hardwork, integrity and professionalism can always put one in good stead for top recognition no matter how low or otherwise the person’s background may be.
Indeed, despite the tendency for the world, especially Europeans and Americans to, often times, paint Nigeria and her citizenry in bad light, the country is blessed with geniuses and achievers in different walks of life. We have the capacity to rub shoulders with the best the world has to offer, only if we can stay focused and exploit our God-given potentials maximally.
Madu’s case should also serve to teach other Nigerians in diaspora that being a resourceful and responsible citizen has its reward, no matter where you find yourself. They should not only strive to be good ambassadors of their country, but valuable members of their host communities, state and country.
For the new Minister of Justice and Solicitor General for the Government of Alberta in Canada, the appointment calls for more hardwork and sacrifice. We urge him to make maximum use of the opportunity to further prove himself and endear himself to the people of Canada, which will directly or indirectly rub off on Nigeria and Nigerians, his mother country.
We believe that positive acquittal of his responsibilities would buoy confidence on the abilities and savvy of more professionals of Nigerian descent to deliver on responsibilities on the international stage.
It is, indeed, glorious for Nigeria to be associated with the type of events surrounding Kaycee Madu in Canada. However, while we celebrate the positive mileage this has secured for the country, the lessons therefrom must not escape us. We expect our leaders at various levels and capacities to begin to enthrone values and practices that would domesticate such development in order to ensure that a square peg is fitted into a square hole at all times for the development of our communities and country.
There are moments in the life of a legislature when plain speaking becomes a public service. Senator Adams Oshiomhole provided such a moment on the floor of the Senate when he accused the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, of manifestly neglecting critical federal arteries in Edo and Delta States, and implored his colleagues to prevail on the Minister to adopt a more equitable and genuinely national approach to road infrastructure delivery. It was blunt, it was uncomfortable, and it was necessary.
The specifics of his complaint deserve restating. Drawing attention to the recent approval of some 20 new road projects despite the parlous state of existing ones, the former Edo State governor lamented that Nigerians cannot travel from Benin to Warri, Benin to Asaba, Benin to Auchi, or Auchi to Okene without encountering severe distress. He alleged a deliberate omission of these corridors from the national budget in the last three years, save for palliative interventions directed by President Bola Tinubu through tax credit arrangements. His question — “What have we done wrong?” — resonates far beyond the chambers of the National Assembly.
We lend our full and unequivocal support to that call. The Auchi-Benin Road, for instance, has been in a deplorable and near-impassable condition for several years, turning what should be a two-hour journey into an all-day ordeal of broken axles, extortionate fares, and despondent commuters. The media have, on multiple occasions, chronicled the suffering of motorists, traders, and students who ply that route. To describe it as a federal road today is to stretch the meaning of the term beyond recognition.
This pattern of sidelining is not confined to Edo or Delta. Even here in Rivers State, the disposition of the Federal Ministry of Works has left much to be desired, particularly along the Eleme axis of the East-West Road. That road, which ought to be a flagship of federal presence in the Niger Delta, has remained in a wretched state for long. Those who use it daily — workers at the Eleme Petrochemical Complex, the two refineries, Onne Port, and the countless ancillary industries — can attest to its deterioration. Work has proceeded in fits and starts without the sustained urgency such a strategic road demands.
The Eleme stretch is not a mere intra-state byway. It is the gateway to the nation’s economic jugular. According to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing’s 2023 Highway Condition Survey, only about 35 per cent of the country’s 36,000 kilometres of federal roads are rated as being in good or fair condition, with the remainder classified as poor or very poor. The East-West Road, conceived in the 1970s to bind the entire Niger Delta, remains unfinished in critical sections more than four decades after. If it had been treated as a priority, the perennial gridlock, carnage, and economic loss on the Eleme-Refinery junction would have long been consigned to history.
The irony is as painful as it is glaring. The Niger Delta remains the goose that lays the golden eggs. Data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative [NEITI 2023 Oil and Gas Audit] show that the region still accounts for over 78 per cent of Nigeria’s federally collected export earnings and about 65 per cent of total government revenue. The National Bureau of Statistics [NBS Foreign Trade Report Q4 2024] similarly confirms that crude oil continues to dominate export receipts. By every metric of equity and economic logic, a region that sustains the national purse deserves first-rate consideration in the allocation of infrastructure, not afterthoughts and tokenism.
Road infrastructure is not largesse to be dispensed by favour; it is the skeleton upon which commerce, cohesion, and citizenship hang. When contracts are concentrated in one geopolitical zone while other zones are left to contend with craters, it erodes trust in the federation itself. The World Bank’s Nigeria Development Update [June 2023] estimated that poor transport connectivity inflates the cost of moving goods by up to 40 per cent and costs the Nigerian economy an estimated $1.5 billion annually in lost man-hours and vehicle maintenance. If we profess to be one country, then equity must be the compass that guides key institutions before any project is executed. Development must spread round, not pool in one place as though other regions do not matter.
There is also a grave security dimension that can no longer be ignored. The deplorable condition of federal roads has become a veritable enabler of criminality. The NBS Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey reported over 2.5 million incidents of kidnapping-related occurrences nationally, with transport workers identifying bad road spots as prime ambush points. When vehicles are forced to crawl at 10 kilometres per hour through failed sections at Auchi, Sapele Road, or Eleme, they become sitting ducks for armed gangs. Fixing bad roads, therefore, is not merely about convenience; it is about safeguarding lives.
By his intervention, Senator Oshiomhole has hit the nail on the head and reminded Minister Umahi of a fundamental constitutional truth: public office is held in trust. The Ministry of Works is not a personal estate where contracts are awarded according to whim or political convenience. It is a national institution funded by the collective resources of Nigerians, including the oil and gas rents from the very communities whose roads are now neglected. The Minister must demonstrate balance, transparency, and a pan-Nigerian outlook in the distribution of projects that impact the daily existence of citizens. Selective neglect breeds suspicion, and suspicion is corrosive at a time when the nation is preaching unity, oneness, equity, and justice.
Consequently, the National Assembly must go beyond rhetoric and assert its oversight powers with vigour. Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution [as amended] empower the legislature to investigate and expose any maladministration in the execution of federal projects. If an office holder is not acting rightly, it is the duty of the Senate and the House of Representatives to call him to order. Oversight must not be reduced to budget approval ceremonies; it must translate to field verification, public hearings, and insistence that the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in Section 14(3) of the Constitution, reflects in road awards.
Let the Auchi-Okene, Benin-Warri, Benin-Asaba, and Eleme East-West gangways be restored to motorable dignity. Let priority be given to completing existing, economically vital roads before embarking on new ones. If those who, through their resources, sustain the federation are sidelined in the distribution of tangible dividends, it tells poorly of our nationhood. Bad roads must be fixed, and they must be fixed now, with fairness as the guiding standard.
