My intention was to continue my episode on the South-west Politics this morning, but, as I was privileged to have a video clip of Badoo shrine and the founder/leader. On the arrest of the founder/leader, The Police invaded the shrine about a week ago. I was able to get this courtesy of a friend who sent the video clip to me through the whatsaap platform, hence, i had to suspend action on the initial plan. On my glimpse and partial view of the clip, coupled with the initial reports I heard about the menace this sect of cultists had carried out in Ikorodu environment, I quickly put on my reasoning cap and traced history back to the past awful and appalling acts of this kind, then juxtaposed them with the present times terrorism syndrome. With this. I also revisited some measures adopted during each of the ones I can remember in order to awaken the thought and reasoning of the present day government as to save the lives of the citizenry. Happily, I thank heavens that people that are now in government are living witnesses to one example I want to make.

Some decades past, and, to be precise, between late 60s and early 70s, what first appeared to be social scandal which pervaded the society was the question of armed robbery. This was the era of General Yakubu Gowon as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed forces. You will also remember that it was then the thirty months civil war that Nigerians fought had been reaching its crescendo, as the eventual ceasefire came up on January 10, 1970. By 1971, the menace of armed robbery was on the increase. Different gangs were heard of, they operated at different spots and locations in the urban and semi urban areas. But, when armed robbery was getting rampant in the society, the Gowon administration made a move which eventually cautioned the menace caused its spate. The measure adopted was; the moment a gang of armed robbers were arrested, the trial would be carried without further delay and within a stipulated time, the end result was always firing squad. Though, armed robbery continued for some time, but it was not as rampant.

But, in the recent past and present systems, the question of corruption, assassination, cultism and kidnapping are what dominated the society thus making the people especially the governed to be fearful about living. But, reports on the listed activities have negative effects on innocent citizens. When one looks at the listed social vices, their operation seems to go along the political system whereby, politicians find every means to make their interest secured. However, one salutes the effort of the present administration of President Buhari with his no nonsense policy to corruption measure. A big kudos! Cultism starts with association in groups which begins with forming political party. From political party, sectional faction crops up, forming themselves into cult for which they seek power at all cost. If a faction/group discovers that the other one is more powerful than theirs, the next line of action is to know the power behind the group or the most powerful member amongst them.

Hence, the question of assassination would ensue. Where that is not practicable, rituals in the interest of gaining power at all cost would begin. Most of their rituals always involve human parts. Where getting human parts is involved, the quest through various measures to get human being necessitates kidnapping in order to kill the affected victim would take effect. Bad omen! However, outright kidnapping to make money by some disgruntled individuals had been in effect too. Only recently, a culprit and prime operator of this act by name Evans was arrested, the trial took so long as report at a time declared that security forces claimed that they could not get him, but they later said that he has been transferred to Abuja. Since then and up till now, no report is heard about him again.

The question with badoo sect of cultists was reported to be killing people for rituals; extorting the blood of the killed victims by means of white hand-kerchief, this they sell to their buyers at higher prices in order to make money for themselves. Thanks to the effort of The Police who at last got the leader and as well their shrine located. But the case in point is; Can’t there be stringent measure for all these dastardly acts as it was in the past is as to set the mind of the people at rest and have impression that sanity is being restored in the end.

This phase of the southwest politics speaks volume of the political activities of the south-west before and after Nigeria independence. And, since the topic is a continuum, we have to publish the article on south-west in phases.
Southwest is one of the six geo-political zones forming the country Nigeria, as it is referred to presently.

At the pre independence and the early period of Nigeria becoming independence and later republic, the country was divided into three parts; Eastern part, Northern part, and Western part. Each division is dominated majorly by tribes whose language are the same but different by way of sectional dialects. And, during the said time too, a portion of the west was carved out and it was named Mid-West. All the parts created were then referred to as regions, hence, regional government was what the country embarked on as at the period. The administrators in the regions were referred to as Premier. Hence, in the Eastern Region was Chief Michael Okpara, in the Northern Region was Sir Ahmadu Bello and in the Western Region was Chief Obafemi Awolowo. When the Mid-Western Region was created, Chief Anthony Enahoro was made the Premier.

It must be noted that at a time before independence, Nigeria was governed under colonial rule and the colonial master was Britain. Britain colonized and managed Nigeria from 1914 until the country attained her independence on October1, 1960. Although, the regions have been existing during the colonial rule even with the administration of premiers in the regions, the regional government continued after all, with Nigerians governing ourselves at the aegis of our frontline politicians, the founding fathers. And, Parliamentarian democracy was adopted as the system through which the government was governed, and Alhaji Tafawa was the Prime Minister.
With regional government in vogue and has its head at the centre as the Prime Minister, British constitution was adopted and put it in use, the constitution then allowed the Prime minister at the centre as the head of government, and the regions to be administered by premiers. Therefore, today’s South-west which was then known as Western Region began self-government. It must be enunciated that the western region under government of Awolowo as premier and before the carving out of Mid-West extended to Asaba, having Onitsha, an eastern commercial town as boundary between east and west, showing that the present Edo and some parts of Delta states were part of the western region.
As initially explained, it was the Yoruba tribe that dominated the western region. By 1945, a Pan Yoruba organization, Egbe Omo Oduduwa (The descendants of Oduduwa) having Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the leader was formed. With his faith and advocacy for pure federalism and self-government against the British indirect rule in Nigeria formed political party, Action Group (A G) as Egbe Omo Oduduwa political offshoot in 1950 and participated in the western regional election in 1951. The Action Group’s platform called for the immediate termination of British rule in Nigeria and development of various welfare programs including; Universal Primary education, improvement of Health services in rural areas, diversification of Western Regional economy and full democratization of local government. The result of the election conducted in the west was in favour of Action Group as it won the majority vote, and Awolowo as the president, A G became the leader of the party in Nigeria by 1952.
In 1954, Awolowo became the first premier of Western Region and governed the region. With various progressive developmental programs, like Free Primary Education which began in 1955, and as well, award of scholarships to students who could not afford to pay for their secondary/ tertiary education, and, lastly provision of health services to the citizenry of the region.
By 1959, having confidence in self that he could win the election into the Federal House of Representatives, Awolowo resigned his position as the premier of Western Region and contested the election. He eventually lost the election but remained the leader of opposition. As at then, the deputy leader of Action Group, Chief Ladoke Akintola while Awolowo was the leader of opposition, automatically became the premier of the region. By 1962, political disturbances began in the Western Region House of Assembly as creation of factions within the party ensued. There was Akintola faction and the other faction was the Awolowo loyalists. At the peak of the disturbances, Akintola faction pulled out of A G and formed another party, National Nigeria Democratic Party (NNDP). Hence, by 1963, another election was conducted In Western Region, but, the result was in favour of Akintola’s party, NNDP, thus Akintola was fully in government from 1964 to 1966. But, there were crisis in the political class in Nigeria all through the period and this allowed for the military intervention and eventual usurpation of power through coup de tat of January 15, 1966.

We have in the past communicated three series of this article intimating the public on the outlook of the traffic situation in Lagos metropolis.

The intention behind communicating the article remains to acquaint the general public with the knowledge of how the question of traffic jam began in Lagos and by extension made the government of the day proffer a lasting solution to avert the menace caused by the incessant traffic jam. This episode is the 4th in the series. It speaks volume of how Banbangida’s administration faired in its tenure On the start of the regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the Nigerian populace was jubilant in ecstasy of a new government that would change their supposed tyrannical and hard government of the Buhari/Idiagbon regime.

However, within a short period that the regime started, the opposite was witnessed, as different programs like MAMSER, SAP, and Better Life for Rural Dwellers, which the larger percentage of the people did not benefit from, were introduced. Meanwhile, since it is not the general performance of any administration that is the concern of this article, but, the concern is how different administration faired as per the Lagos traffic situation. Hence, the regime of general Babangida as it started in August, 1985, met Lagos as the Nigeria’s capital city.

Although work had been on in Abuja as the new federal capital, but, all the formal federal structures in Lagos were still in place. Within a short period of time that IBB administration commenced operation, the closed Mainland Express Road which had been one of the roads designed by Gowon’s administration to combat the menace of traffic germ in Lagos was re-opened for construction in order to bring down the heavy traffic situation on the other main roads within the metropolis. Work immediately began on its construction. It was this express road that has the longest bridge built on it as it crossed the lagoon at its voluminous course. The bridge takes its source from Obalende/Adeniji Adele end and ended as it linked Oworonshoki route.

Hence, it linked the Island with mainland via Oworonshoki/Ggagada and Anthony village road. And, by 1990 when the road was completed and commissioned for use, it was christened Third Mainland Bridge Route. Lest I forget, there were two coup de tat staged and meant to oust the Babangida administration. The first coup was in1987, staged by some officers of the Nigerian Army led by General Manman Vatsa and the second one of 1990, was led by Major Gideon Okar, but unfortunately, the two coups became abortive as they were crushed by another set of officers of the Nigerian Army. Hence, the Babangida administration continued its work as planned and scheduled. On the commissioning of third mainland bridge route, it served as a panacea to the traffic logjam experienced especially linking the Island with the Mainland.

The congestion was reduced to the barest minimum then. But, the reduction was later faulted by the increase in population occasioned by the influx of people into Lagos. However, there was no major road rehabilitation or construction after the commissioning of third mainland bridge route until the political era of 1991 started. Between 1991 and 1993, there was political logjam in the land, the conducted general election of 1993 was annulled, an “Interim Government” headed by Chief Ernest Sonekan, christened “Child of Circumstance” was put in place. But, the political situation was so deranged that every aspect of living was affected. Hence, the question with traffic germ had gathered momentum. By November 1993, a palace coup was staged by Late General Sani Abacha, when the political imbroglio was becoming too difficult to settle.

That intervention of the military then was christened, “Child of Necessity.” The administration of General Sani Abacha did not record any spectacular performance on roads and the traffic situation, since what the generality of people wanted was the institution of true and thorough democracy. Please, I appeal to you all, not to be bored by the longevity of this article, it is meant to sensitize the public of the happenings in the traffic situation in Nigeria as it affects Lagos, the economic capital. Perhaps, this could touch the hearts of the decision makers. Therefore wet your appetite for the next episode.