The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 564 (February 9 - 22 2022)

TheTrumpet 

Africans now have a voice... Founded in 1995 

V O L 28 N O 564 F E B R U A R Y 9-22 2022 

President Évariste Ndayishimiy 

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“The NHS 

saved my 

wife’s life 

so giving 

back was 

the least I 

could do!” 

Burundi’s 

vicious 

crackdown 

never ended 

Continued on Page 3> 

By Mausi Segun 

When Kayode 

Aderinwale, 47, moved 

to the UK from Nigeria 

in 2009, he quickly realised just 

how important the NHS was. One 

day when his wife suddenly 

became seriously ill, Kayode was 

unsure of what to do. Desperate, he 

rang the emergency number and 

within 5 minutes, an ambulance 

was outside his house. 

“Such speedy healthcare is not 

available in Nigeria so I was both 

shocked and overjoyed by the 

quick response” says Kayode. He 

was further amazed by the care 

and treatment his wife received 

once they reached the hospital. 

“The NHS saved my wife’s life so 

giving back was the least I could 

do!” laughs Kayode. 

Prior to joining the NHS, 

Kayode had been an accountant 

for almost 20 years. Although he 

had a deep appreciation for the 

NHS, Kayode only started 

thinking about switching careers 

when his niece was diagnosed with 

cerebral palsy. To better 

understand her condition, Kayode 

did some research and discovered 

some of the long-term symptoms, 

Continued on Page 4

Health 

Page2 TheTrumpet FEBRUARY 9-22 2022 

Public urged to sign-up to covid-19 

antiviral study 

● Public urged to sign-up to a worldleading 

study for antivirals if they test 

positive for COVID-19. 

● Recruitment drive backed by charities 

including Kidney Care UK, Cystic 

Fibrosis Trust, Diabetes UK and the 

British Liver Trust as antivirals help 

protect most vulnerable from hospital. 

● At least 6,000 more participants 

needed as soon as possible so the lifesaving 

treatments can be rolled out 

more widely. 

● People can sign up here: 

panoramictrial.org/ 

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IMMIGRATION SPECIALISTS 

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Immigration, Appeals, 

Deportations, and Removal cases. 

* Judicial Review. * Prison and 

Detention Centre Legal Visits. 

* British Citizenship Applications. 

* Visas and more... 

Free Initial Consultation and Competitive Legal Fees 

Birmingham: 0121 554 0565 

London: 020 7183 3706 

Watford: 01923 901150 

Emergency: 07833 675415 

Email: shiraz@peerandco.com 

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The government and leading charities, 

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the PANORAMIC study. This is so that 

expert scientists can understand more 

about how to deploy these treatments in 

the NHS more widely later in the year – 

including who would benefit most from 

receiving antiviral treatments for 

COVID-19. 

Antivirals are medicines which can be 

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Anyone over the age of 50 or between 

18 to 49 with an underlying health 

condition can sign up to the study as soon 

as they receive a positive PCR or lateral 

flow test result. They need to be 

experiencing COVID-19 symptoms that 

began in the last five days to be eligible to 

enrol. 

Health and Social Care Secretary 

Sajid Javid said: “The vaccines are 

critical as a first line of defence, but 

antivirals form a vital part of our 

approach as we learn to live with COVID 

by preventing the most vulnerable from 

being hospitalised. 

“If you’re eligible, please step 

forward for the PANORAMIC trial and 

play your part in a vital mission – helping 

us to learn more about medicines which 

could save thousands of lives.” 

The UK-wide study, run by the 

University of Oxford and launched at the 

start of December 2021, currently has 

around 4,500 trial participants signed up, 

but needs thousands more to sign up as 

soon as possible to gather the data 

necessary. This will ensure medical 

experts can learn more about the potential 

benefits these treatments bring to 

vaccinated patients, and will help the 

NHS to develop plans for rolling out the 

antivirals to further patients later this 

year. 

It is open to anyone living in the UK 

who meets the following criteria: 

● Have received a PCR positive test for 

COVID-19 or feel unwell with 

symptoms of COVID-19 that started 

in the last five days; and 

● are aged 50 and over, or 18 to 49 years 

old with an underlying medical 

condition that can increase the risk of 

developing severe COVID-19. 

While vaccines remain the most 

important first line of defence against the 

virus, antivirals are used after someone 

contracts the virus to slow it down, make 

symptoms less severe and complications 

less common. 

The antiviral, Molnupiravir, that is 

part of the PANORAMIC trial, was 

granted approval for use by the 

Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory 

Authority (MHRA) in November 2021, 

and so far no unexpected safety findings 

have been reported in clinical trials. 

The government, through the 

Antivirals Taskforce, has procured 4.98 

million courses of antivirals – including 

2.23 million courses of Molnupiravir and 

2.75 million courses of PF- 

07321332/ritonavir. 

Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, 

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for 

England, said: “If you’re eligible for 

PANORAMIC please give some serious 

consideration to taking part. This will 

help us decide how to use COVID-19 

antiviral drugs for many years to come.” 

Eddie Gray, Chair of the Antivirals 

Taskforce, said: “Antivirals are a hugely 

important addition to our response to 

COVID-19 and we have secured access 

to two important products for NHS 

patients. 

“Getting people enrolled onto this 

study is vital, not just in protecting the 

most vulnerable now, but in ensuring we 

can deploy these medicines more widely 

as soon as possible.” 

Fiona Loud, Policy Director at 

Kidney Care UK, said: “We welcome the 

development and provision of antiviral 

treatments for people who are vulnerable 

to COVID-19. This trial is one of the 

ways to make them more widely 

available so we would like to encourage 

everyone who is eligible, including those 

with kidney disease, to take part in this 

study. 

“While we continue to encourage 

people to take up the offer of 

vaccinations, antiviral treatments are 

going to be a vital tool to give more 

protection to people who are most at risk 

from COVID-19, including those with 

kidney disease.” 

Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy 

at the British Liver Trust, said: “The 

introduction of new treatments for 

COVID-19 for the most vulnerable is an 

important and welcome development in 

the tackling of the pandemic. People 

with liver disease and liver transplant 

recipients are among the highest risk 

from COVID-19 and have less immunity 

from vaccines so treatments are vital to 

reduce their risk of hospitalisation should 

they catch the virus. 

“We urge people living with a liver 

condition to consider signing up for trial 

to protect themselves and ensure that 

more people can access these 

treatments.” 

David Ramsden, Chief Executive of 

Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: “It is vital for 

that we continue to focus on the 

development and evaluation of new 

treatments for COVID-19. 

“This is a really important study and 

we would encourage all eligible people 

with cystic fibrosis to get involved.”

News 

FEBRUARY 9-22 2022 


Burundi’s vicious crackdown 

never ended 

By Mausi Segun 

Page3 

Continued from Page 1< 

In June 2020, when Évariste 

Ndayishimiye was sworn in as 

Burundi’s President after the 

unexpected death of his brutal, autocratic 

predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, he 

pledged to “uphold unity among 

Burundians” and deliver “peace and 

justice for all.” Yet for the last year and a 

half, his government has largely carried 

on as Nkurunziza’s did. It has intimidated 

Burundi's former President - 

Pierre Nkurunziza 

Burundi's Presidential Palace - Ntare House 

and silenced its critics, detained and 

tortured its opponents, and as a growing 

body of evidence gathered by 

international and Burundian rights groups 

attests, killed and disappeared many of 

those it suspects of working with the 

political opposition or with rebel groups. 

According to local human rights 

organizations, hundreds of people have 

been killed since Ndayishimiye took 

office, some by Burundian security forces 

or members of the ruling party’s 

notorious youth league and some by 

unknown assailants. 

Human Rights Watch, where I work, 

has received credible reports of scores of 

killings and gathered hours of 

bloodcurdling testimony from survivors 

of torture and loved ones of those who 

have been killed or disappeared. In the 

country’s northwestern Cibitoke 

Province, which borders the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, residents 

described a vicious crackdown against 

people suspected of opposing the 

Burundian government or aiding an 

armed opposition group that has attacked 

Burundian security forces. Dead bodies, 

most unidentified and many mutilated, 

have turned up at an alarming rate over 

the last 18 months in or around the Rusizi 

River, which runs between the two 

countries. In most cases, local authorities 

bury them without investigation. 

And yet the United States and the 

European Union are welcoming Burundi 

in from the cold. In November, U.S. 

President Joe Biden lifted all the 

sanctions that the Obama administration 

had imposed on Burundi, citing “the 

transfer of power following elections in 

2020, significantly decreased violence, 

Continued on Page 11< 

When you think you need A&E, 

contact NHS 111 online first 

The NHS is encouraging the public to use NHS 

111 online to get urgent medical advice 

quickly – in addition to existing services – 

ahead of what England’s top doctor has said will 

be a ‘winter like no other.’ 

With more people predicted to suffer from flu 

this year and hospitals already treating an 

increased number of COVID-19 patients, NHS 111 

online offers an alternative way to get immediate 

medical advice. 

Data from September showed that the NHS 

was already experiencing record demand for 

emergency services, with ambulances responding 

to 76,000 life-threatening incidents and call 

handlers taking more than one million 999 calls. 

The NHS 111 phone service also saw record 

demand, with a call being taken every seven seconds. 

It’s recommended that if you have an urgent 

but not life-threatening medical need, you should 

visit NHS 111 online first rather than going 

straight to A&E. You can access the service by 

visiting the website 111.nhs.uk. 

People use the online 111 service for a range 

of reasons, including to check their symptoms and 

if an injury or illness requires further investigation, 

to get information on mental health support 

services available, or to seek advice on how to take 

a medication. 

The service is also able to arrange for you to 

be seen at an Urgent Treatment Centre, GP 

surgery, pharmacy, emergency dental services 

or A&E should you need it. 

If you or your loved one have a life-threatening 

illness or injury then you should always use 999. 

Just think 111 first. 

When you think you need A&E, 

go to NHS 111 online 111.nhs.uk 

or call 111.


TheTrumpet Group 

News 

“The NHS saved my wife’s 

life so giving back was the 

Field: 07956 385 604 

E-mail: 

info@the-trumpet.com 

TheTrumpetTeam 

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least I could do!” 


which included slow brain 

development and learning disabilities. 

“Although there was no cure for 

cerebral palsy, I learnt that there were 

treatments available to help people 

with the condition be as active and 

independent as possible, which is what 

I wanted for my niece,” shares 

Kayode. He was also happy to learn 

that the NHS offered a team of 

healthcare professionals to come up 

with a treatment plan that would meet 

the child’s individual needs. 

Inspired by what he had learnt and 

motivated by what he could achieve, 

Kayode decided to join the NHS as a 

Learning and Disability Nurse. “It was 

a drastic change in terms of roles but 

at the heart of it, they both involve 

trust, diligence and care,” says 

Kayode. This sense of responsibility 

was not lost on Kayode and his 

passionate and caring nature is what 

allowed him to easily make the 

transition. “Before people trusted me 

with their money and now they trust 

me with their lives!” he exclaims. 

Kayode soon embarked on a threeyear 

Nursing degree, which included 

a placement at Guy’s and St Thomas’ 

NHS Foundation Trust. He recently 

graduated in 2021 and is now a 

qualified Learning and Disability 

Nurse at Oxleas NHS Trust in 

Dartford. In his new role, Kayode 

works closely with people with 

learning disabilities and mental health 

issues. His day to day responsibilities 

involve the administration of 

medication, physiotherapy, physical 

and mental health treatment, and 

liaising with other multidisciplinary 

team members, including social 

workers, clinicians and psychologists - 

depending on his patient’s needs. 

“My role is extremely rewarding. 

Everyday I am helping to transform 

someone’s life - little by little. It’s so 

satisfying to watch people grow and 

progress and to know that you played 

an important part in their recovery - 

nothing can compare to it,” says 

Kayode. 

During COVID-19, Kayode helped 

to administer vaccines for people with 

learning disabilities. One particular 

patient had a phobia of needles and 

was terrified to get the jab. But 

Kayode was able to calm him down 

using relaxation techniques and other 

coping methods that helped to reduce 

the patient’s anxiety. He was able to 

successfully administer the jab; 

ensuring the patient and his family 

were protected during the pandemic. 

Kayode describes working for the 

NHS as a great privilege and 

encourages others to apply for the 

range of roles that are available. “If 

your goal is to create a positive impact 

on the lives of real people and you 

want to contribute your skills to 

making people’s lives better - then the 

NHS is the place for you,” says 

Kayode. 

Kayode also enjoys the work-life 

balance that comes with the job. “My 

work offers me enough flexibility to 

spend quality time with my family,” 

he shares. Kayode and his family love 

travelling, learning about new cultures 

and meeting new people. “My goal is 

to travel the whole world, though that 

might need to wait until I retire!” 

laughs Kayode. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has 

shown, now more than ever, that the 

future of England’s health and social 

care system relies on its people. Now 

in its fourth year, the ‘We are the NHS’ 

campaign is back to champion the 

extraordinary work of nurses, AHPs, 

and healthcare support workers to 

inspire a new cohort to consider a 

career in the health service and be part 

of the NHS’s future. To find out more 

about the range of roles available, 

search NHS Careers. 

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Politics 



Otunba Adewale Adenaike: I want to 

leave a legacy of selfless service 

Page5 

Otunba Adewale Adenaike has his eyes firmly set on clinching the Ogun East Senatorial 

District seat in Nigeria’s forthcoming elections in 2023. He speaks to Trumpet Media Group 

about his vision and plans… 

Can you let us in a bit about your background before 

you came into politics? 

I’m a Civil Engineer by training and that is an area 

where I have developed competency over the years since 

I left the university in the UK. My engineering background 

has prepared me substantially for a life in politics because 

there are quite a number of similarities in the principles of 

civil engineering and political engineering, which is where 

I am today. 

What are the most compelling reasons that informed 

your decision to contest for elective office? 

The most compelling reason that has driven me into 

politics is service. Today, I am like our forefathers who 

went abroad to school and came back to our fatherland 

with an insatiable desire to turn their fatherland into an 

Eldorado through service. Today, in Nigeria and especially 

my Senatorial District, there is a deficit of service. Ogun 

East is bigger in geographical size and richer in natural 

resources than some States in Nigeria, yet it is one of the 

most backward in 

Continued on Page 8

Page6 TheTrumpet FEBRUARY 9-22 2022

FEBRUARY 9-22 2022 TheTrumpet 

Page7


Politics 




terms of development. Even if we cannot 

become a State now because of the 

constitutional provisions attached to 

State creation in our beloved nation, are 

we unable to galvanize the natural 

resources we are endowed with? Are we 

also unable to mobilize national 

resources to which we are entitled, to 

turn the district around? Can anyone 

point to any meaningful constituency 

project in Ogun East Senatorial District 

that has been attracted from the Federal 

Government of Nigeria in recent times? 

Yet, our people pay taxes, they are 

industrious and we have forest reserves 

that are exploited on a daily basis so 

much so that our forest reserve is now 

seriously threatened. 

Why the Senate specifically? 

I am a man of the people. The Senate 

is the place to be. Democracy is about 

the people. I love it when people engage 

at the intellectual level. I love it when we 

have to consult with our people to know 

what they want and we go to the floor of 

IA-Foundation 

holds Charity 

event on Feb 26 

parliament to argue our position and 

convince others on the need to see things 

from our perspective. A Leader does not 

only take his people to where they want 

to go, you lead them to where they ought 

to be. That is the engine room of 

democratic governance – the parliament 

is the place to be. I have heard people 

describe it as the old people’s home. I 

beg to disagree with respect. Parliament 

also provides a wider circumference of 

operation. If there is one thing we need 

as a people in this country today, it is the 

ability to know ourselves and understand 

ourselves. When I get to the upper 

Legislative Chamber in 2023 by the 

grace of God and the power of the good 

and progressive people of Ogun East 

Senatorial District, I will have the 

opportunity to synergize with other great 

Nigerians from other parts of Nigeria. 

This type of synergy is the type you get 

in international relations – the synergy of 

mutual benefit for all the State actors. In 

the last four decades, I have watched 

with keen interest, robust Parliamentary 

debate in the UK with the interest of the 

citizenry being the focal point. The upper 

Education 

Legislative Chamber is certainly the 

place to be, my brother. 

Many will insist that democratic 

governance has underperformed 

generally since 1999... why do you think 

this is so? 

Again, I want to disagree with 

profound respect to those who put 

forward that view. In the first instance, I 

need to see their data for comparison. 

Part of the challenges that are fueling 

these conversations are beer parlour 

gossips and conversations lacking in 

empiricism. Let the critics provide their 

data and let us run the numbers 

scientifically and see where the scale 

tilts. Are we talking about military 

system of government that is 100% 

dictatorial, a take it or leave it situation? 

Are we also in romance with monarchy, 

anarchy or fascism? I align here with the 

late sage – Chief Obafemi Awolowo, 

who was one of my political mentors, 

who said “that of all systems of 

government man has developed, the 

most reasonable and viable amongst 

them is democracy, the shortcomings 

notwithstanding.” 

Again, you want to find out what the 

people expect in democracy which has 

not been provided. I recognize the fact 

that we have some challenges but let me 

tell you this, the Western democracies 

that we are using as a basis for 

comparison today fought bitter 

destructive wars to get to where they are. 

Read the history of Europe, America, 

Japan etc and you will see the number of 

wars they fought before they got to their 

current location in life. What we are 

going through are all pangs of nation 

building. It is an inevitable stage in 

nation building. The need to lessen the 

burden of nation building is what has 

driven persons like me into politics so 

that with our experience, education and 

exposure, we can reduce the down time 

in our march towards an egalitarian 

society. 

As an insider now and based on 

experience... why is Nigeria unable to 

fulfill the vast potential for which she is 

widely acknowledged? 


IA-Foundation holds its 3 rd Annual Charity event 

virtually on Saturday 26 February 2022 from 

6pm (UK time). 

The theme for this year’s event is 

#ImpactingLives. 

The organisation with an objective of “enabling 

the less-privileged through education” was 

established in 2019, and has been working to reduce 

the number of ‘out-of-school’ children and improve 

the standard of education in Nigeria. 

Speakers at this year’s event include: Dr Oby 

Ezekwesili FCA – a former Minister of Education in 

Nigeria; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo FCA – the Founder of 

Trinity House Church; and Zuriel Oduwole – an 

Education Advocate. 

Recently, IA Foundation was registered with 

United Kingdom’s Charity Commission – the nonministerial 

government department that registers and 

regulates charities in England and Wales, to ensure 

that the public can support charities with confidence. 

You can register for the charity event at: 

https://bit.Ly/3ekgzDq



Page9 

“It’s an 

MICHAEL LAWAL 

FOUNDER, SENDIT.MONEY 

Meet the founders 

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Politics 




regulatory instruments must also grow 

along with it, otherwise, there will be a 

distortion that can slow down our 

societal development. Take for instance 

the quest for State Police and Local 

Government autonomy. I think we have 

reached a stage in our nation where this 

amendment has to be done. Kudos to the 

brains behind Amotekun in Western 

Nigeria today. They may not be as 

sophisticated as we want that outfit to be 

but that notwithstanding, we have used 

one stone to kill two birds. One, we have 

increased the awareness on security. 

Secondly, we have found for some 

persons a little source of income that can 

keep body and soul together. As my 

Ijebu brethren will say – “were were 

witititi san ju witiwiti wape” (meaning 

“Every little helps.”). 

In the course of serving as the Special 

Assistant to the Hon. Minister of State 

for Education on Projects, I have come 

to see that Nigeria is truly large and as 

such we need to drop some powers so 

that the people can use it to their own 

benefit. Do you know how long it will 


STALLIONS AIR 

First is to adopt my answer to the last 

question as part of the answer to this 

question. The second point to be made in 

response to the question is that society 

has become very large and we have not 

exploited other natural resources, which 

has pleased God, to endow us with. 

Instead, we have concentrated all our 

attention on just one, which is crude oil 

or the black gold as some people 

describe it. Unfortunately, because of 

error of judgment and associated issues, 

we have not taken full advantage of this 

black gold, it has now become for us 

what scholars have described as the 

‘resource curse.’ It is also important to 

mention here that we have also allowed 

too much of divisive mundane issues to 

come to the fore, much more than the 

things that unite us. But as I said, all 

these are indicative of our growth and 

development as a people and as a nation. 

Otunba Adewale Adenaike - YESSS 

With a little bit of perseverance and 

cross-border synergy, all these things 

will become part of our history and those 

alive then to tell the story will wonder 

how we were able to exist as a people 

with all the challenges that came our 

way. Post-internet and GSM children are 

still wondering how we were able to 

cope without those facilities. I am still 

wondering myself. 

Do you think Nigeria needs 

constitutional reforms to address the 

issues surrounding resource control, 

restructuring of the federation, local 

governments etc? 

I have heard that debate about 

Constitutional Amendment so many 

times and I align my humble self with 

the proposition that the Constitution 

requires amendment for the simple 

reason that as society grows, the 

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News 


Burundi’s vicious crackdown 

never ended 


Page11 


and President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s 

pursuit of reforms across multiple 

sectors.” In October, the EU indicated 

that even as it renewed targeted sanctions 

against some senior Burundian officials, 

it would also resume direct budgetary 

support to Burundi’s government. 

These overtures toward a government 

that continues to torture and kill its own 

people risk emboldening Burundi’s 

leaders to crack down even harder on 

their opponents. Instead of hoping that 

the Burundian government will change 

its ways, the United States and the 

European Union should publicly push the 

country’s leaders to take concrete and 

measurable steps to improve their dire 

human rights record. 

False promises 

Burundi descended into chaos and 

violence in April 2015, after Nkurunziza 

announced a controversial bid for a third 

term in office, sparking months of 

protests and a failed coup attempt. 

Government security forces and members 

of the ruling party’s youth league, known 

as the Imbonerakure - meaning “those 

who see far” in the Kirundi language - 

arrested or shot protesters and critics. By 

mid-2015, hundreds of people had been 

killed, and almost all of Burundi’s 

opposition leaders, independent 

journalists, and civil society activists had 

fled the country. Some 400,000 people 

sought refuge in neighboring countries. 

In 2018, Nkurunziza unexpectedly 

announced that he would not seek 

reelection in 2020. Ndayishimiye, a 

former army general who was Secretary- 

General of the ruling party at the height 

of the crisis, became the party’s candidate 

for president, winning in an election 

marred by violence and allegations of 

rigging. In June 2020, two months before 

he was set to step down, Nkurunziza died 

suddenly under mysterious 

circumstances. 

Ndayishimiye was sworn in early 

during a hastily arranged ceremony. 

Although he had overseen the party while 

it committed grave human rights abuses, 

Ndayishimiye promised to promote 

political tolerance, make the justice 

system more impartial and fair, and hold 

accountable those responsible for past 

crimes. 

Ndayishimiye did release some 

human rights advocates and journalists 

from jail and lift some restrictions on the 

media and civil society, but his 

government continues to use repressive 

tactics against its opponents. Tony 

Germain Nkina, a lawyer and former 

human rights defender, was convicted on 

baseless charges of collaborating with 

rebels that were confirmed on appeal in 

September 2021. The government has 

also used arrest warrants, convictions in 

absentia, and life sentences against 

human rights defenders in exile to silence 

the country’s once-thriving human rights 

movement. 

“Our province has become a 

graveyard.” 

Then there are the killings. Carried 

out by security forces, Imbonerakure 

members, and other unknown 

perpetrators, they have sowed terror 

among the population. “Our province has 

become a graveyard,” one resident of 

Cibitoke told my colleagues and me last 

August. Another man said he witnessed 

four men in military attire beat to death 

Emmanuel Baransegeta, a 53-year-old 

fisherman, as he returned from work on 

the Rusizi River the evening of July 8, 

2021. Two days later on the banks of the 

river, residents found the body of a man 

who looked as if he had been beaten. 

They said they believed he was 

Baransegeta, but the local authorities 

buried him without investigating the 

circumstances of his death or even trying 

to confirm his identity. 

For many, these killings evoke 

memories of Burundi’s violent past. The 

banks of the Rusizi have historically been 

dumping grounds for bodies of people 

killed in political or ethnic strife. During 

Burundi’s brutal civil war, which raged 

from 1993 to 2009, an estimated 300,000 

people were killed in fighting that broke 

down largely along ethnic lines. Both the 

Tutsi-dominated military and the armed 

Hutu opposition forces committed 

serious war crimes, including killings and 

President Évariste Ndayishimiy 

rapes of civilians. 

Nkurunziza’s first term, from 2005 to 

2010, offered hope for a break with that 

history. A Hutu rebel leader during the 

war, he took office under a new 

constitution that guaranteed powersharing 

between Hutus and Tutsis and 

among political parties. Despite 

continued bouts of violence, the country 

achieved a degree of stability and made 

some progress toward peace, 

reconciliation, and economic 

development. It developed a burgeoning 

civil society and independent media 

landscape. But this fragile progress 

suffered serious setbacks during and after 

the 2010 elections as political tensions 

rose and security forces and armed 

opposition groups committed scores of 

killings. In Cibitoke, residents once again 

found mutilated bodies of opposition 

supporters near the river. Now, they are 

encountering them with appalling 

frequency. 

Dangerous gamble 

In September 2021, the UN 

Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, 

which has documented grave human 

rights violations in the country every year 

since its creation in 2016, presented its 

last report to the UN Human Rights 

Council. The Commission concluded that 

under Burundi’s new government, “no 

structural reform has been undertaken to 

durably improve the situation.” It 

expressed alarm about continuing human 

rights violations and the progressive 

erosion of the rule of law. Yet the Human 

Rights Council, in a resolution led by the 

EU and supported by the United States, 

ended the Commission’s mandate in 

favor of a Special Rapporteur with fewer 

resources to investigate human rights 

violations. The resolution claimed that 

progress “has been made in the field of 

human rights, good governance and the 

rule of law,” citing the limited, largely 

symbolic gestures by the Burundian 

government. Unsurprisingly, in 

December, Burundi’s Foreign Minister 

said it would “never” work with the 

Special Rapporteur. 

Ending the Commission’s mandate 

and lifting international sanctions and 

other punitive measures in the absence of 

real progress on human rights or 

democratic reforms is a dangerous 

gamble. The United States and the EU 

may hope that doing so will encourage 

reform, but it will more likely embolden 

human rights abusers who already 

operate with near-total impunity. To 

many victims of abuses, the willingness 

of Washington and Brussels to trust the 

same officials who have overseen the 

killing, disappearance, and brutal torture 

of thousands of people since 2015 is 

inexplicable - as is their silence in the 

face of persistent human rights violations 

under Ndayishimiye. 

The United States and the EU should 

publicly press the Burundian government 

to release all political prisoners, including 

Nkina, and overturn unfair convictions 

and drop arrest warrants against human 

rights activists and journalists in exile. 

The government can prove it is serious 

about reform by allowing the UN Special 

Rapporteur to access the country and by 

conducting credible investigations into 

killings, disappearances, and instances of 

torture. Any members of the security 

forces or Imbonerakure who are found to 

be responsible for these abuses should be 

immediately arrested and prosecuted. 

“Please, I am asking you to tell as 

many people as you can about what is 

going on here. The international 

community must know about these 

killings,” an official in Burundi’s 

National Defense Force told us. He spoke 

on the condition of anonymity, defying 

his superiors in order to call attention to 

the dead bodies he was regularly finding 

along the Rusizi. But the problem is not 

that the United States and the EU don’t 

know what is going in Burundi. The 

problem is they are choosing to ignore it. 

Mausi Segun is the Executive 

Director (Africa) for Human Rights 

Watch. 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/02/0 

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Opinion 





Page13 


take you to travel from Abuja to 

Kontagora or from Abuja to Ijebu or 

from Abuja to Calabar even if you are 

doing it by air or speed rail? We certainly 

need to deepen that conversation but it 

must be in an atmosphere devoid of 

witch-hunting. There is beauty in our 

size. it is intimidating, it is of immense 

advantage in terms of commercial value. 

Nigeria is the investor’s destination at 

any time of the day. But we need to get 

some things right and our laws remain 

one of those things we must deal with 

decisively for the investment space to be 

opened. 

Looking at legislative performance... 

what areas can you say are lacking? 

Has the NASS been able to act as an 

effective check to the seemingly 

overarching powers of the Executive? 

Some have said that the Legislature is 

a mere rubber stamp... what are your 

candid views on this? 

This is a cocktail of questions. I will 

attempt to respond to all of them briefly. 

On the issue of legislative performance, 

I think we must salute the legislative arm 

Tel: +44 (0) 7956 385 604 

of government for providing the 

necessary support that other arms of 

government require for their optimal 

performance. One trap that we fall into 

easily is that the legislative arm of 

government is only effective when it is 

travelling on the opposite direction with 

other arms of government. This is not 

only erroneous; it is also fallacious. Take 

the issue of Ministerial appointments for 

instance, but for the legislature, do you 

know the kind of characters that may 

have been brought into administration to 

run the government of the State or the 

Federation? Arising from this position, 

the issue of rubber stamp is therefore a 

label that I consider to be unfair for the 

legislature. Take the Buhari 

administration for instance, even when 

the leadership of the lower and upper 

Legislative arms of government are from 

the Ruling party at the Executive level, 

there are instances where the legislative 

arm of government has rejected some 

propositions from the Executive arm of 

government. A case in point is the 

nomination of Onochie as INEC 

Commissioner. The legislature rejected 

the nomination for the number of times 

the Executive proposed the name. 

On a personal level, what do you 

think makes you highly qualified to run 

for Senate? 

There are several factors that make 

me highly qualified to run for this 

position. First, I have been 

constitutionally empowered to do so. 

Second, I am not just a Nigerian, I am 

also proudly and happily of Ijebu stock. 

Furthermore, I have had years of service 

both locally and internationally. If I can 

excel in service in foreign land, then the 

least I can do is to replicate that good 

service that I delivered in foreign land in 

my own. What is more, I am better 

exposed and experienced more than 

before. The errors I made at the start of 

my public/working career can never be 

made again. 

If or when elected, what would be 

your priorities? What sort of bills will 

you be introducing? 

Let me set the record straight, I’m on 

a divine mandate to bring succor to the 

people of Ogun East, I have also paid my 

dues and I’m well loved by my people, 

therefore, there is no issue of ‘if elected!’ 

It is ‘when.’ 

Now to your question, there are quite 

a number of issues we need to deal with 

and some of them will include but are 

not limited to what I will personally want 

to see done through legislative 

interventions. Some of my personal 

views are currently revolving around 

Otunba Adewale Adenaike 

such things like Education Reform, 

Sanctions for any State refusing Local 

Government Autonomy, Compulsory 

Provision of basic amenities (portable 

water, electricity, healthcare, social 

housing et al), State Police, 

Restructuring of NYSC, 

Decentralization of Federal Powers, 

removal of the dichotomy between State 

and Federal roads – all roads are on State 

lands…. I can go on 

Looking at your constituency Ogun 

East... what are the key issues here? 

What sort of programmes will you 

sponsor to deliver the so called 

Democracy dividends? 

The first thing I will pursue 

vigorously is how to liberate my people 

from the strangulating shackles of 

economic and mental poverty. These two 

issues make other things thrive. Poverty 

of the pocket and the mind drive crime 

and several other anti-development 

issues in the society. Through a series of 

programmes, I will pursue this project 

vigorously. In concert with the Federal 

and State governments and Private 

investors, I will light up Ogun East 

within 4years. I already have my 

blueprints. There MUST not be any child 

(5-17yr old) roaming the streets of Ogun 

East or at home during school time. 

Teachers’ welfare is also part of my 

priority – every TRCN registered teacher 

in Ogun East will be proud to be in the 

Continued on Page 14 >


Politics 




profession within my first two years of 

being elected. Human Capital 

Development is the fulcrum of 

development. It is therefore imperative 

that a lot of premium would be placed on 

capacity building. 

Please take note of my promises and 

confront me with them as at when due. 

There’s been a lot of controversy 

about constituency projects... the main 

argument is that legislators have no 

business awarding contracts and that a 

lot of money is stolen... what will be 

your justification for the continuation 

of this regime? 

There is nothing wrong with the 

concept of Constituency projects. The 

project earmarked for a constituency is 

intended for the development of that 

constituency. Democracy is about who 

gets what, where and when. 

Constituency project is also supposed to 

help speed up the pace of development. 

What we therefore need to look at is how 

to make people become more 

accountable for whatever they have done 

in contrast with what the law states. 

Looking at elections proper, what 

ways do you think Nigerians can have 

free, fair and credible elections? 

Free and fair election is a product of 

strengthened institutions. Democratic 

institutions include a free and 

responsible media, unfettered judiciary, 

an electoral umpire that is independent, a 

vibrant and effective communication 

architecture, etc. Once all democratic 

institutions are strengthened, elections 

will be free and fair. I must however say 

that we have improved in the area of 

electoral management. You don’t want to 

know what happened in the NPN/UPN 

days when ballot boxes where openly 

snatched. There has been immense 

improvement in our electoral 

management systems. I trust that in the 

years ahead, more improvement will be 

forced on us by our realities. 

I must mention the role of money. 

While acknowledging that campaigns 

are expensive, vote buying is a 

problem... stomach infrastructure as it 

is called... why is this a major strategy 

for winning by the political class? Is it 

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Otunba Adewale Adenaike 

a function of poverty or ignorance 

among the electorate? 

In response to one of your previous 

questions, I clearly stated that two major 

issues that I will pursue with 

unrestrained vigour are: economic and 

mental poverty. Those two factors fuel 

money politics in our country. When a 

man has not eaten, his thinking is 

skewed, it becomes so warped that he or 

she is unable to have clear-cut thinking. 

Until you cure him of that hunger, 

nothing else is meaningful to him. 

There’s a lot of anxiety in the build 

up to 2023 as usual, how do we douse 

tension especially within party ranks as 

people jostle for positions? 

Tension is an in-built feature in any 

form of contestation. As the day of the 

political contest draws near, gladiators 

and spectators become apprehensive and 

worried about their position not because 

of anything other than the fact that in any 

competition, humans get worried. Even 

on the day of marriage, the man and the 

woman are apprehensive – will she come 

or has she changed her mind? The 

woman too will be asking herself silently 

whether she has taken the right decision 

and whether the man will not change his 

mind over night and put her in a state of 

shame. In the case of Nigeria, our 

tension is further accentuated by the fact 

that we run an expensive electioneering 

campaign. Democracy all over the world 

– whether in the US, Great Britain, 

Germany, Russia, etc is not cheap. 

Therefore, when the reality of losing so 

much money as a result of the loss of the 

election hits you, there is bound to be 

tension. But we can douse this from 

different perspectives. First, is that our 

language of campaign must be devoid of 

belligerence. We must also find a very 

creative and innovative way of cutting 

down the cost of electioneering 

campaigns. It is also very important for 

us to look at the process of how party 

flagbearers emerge. The idea of direct 

primaries looks like a strategy that will 

help remold some of these tendencies. 

Do you support direct primaries? 

It has its own benefits that we can 

examine again and again. Allowing party 

flagbearers to emerge through direct 

primaries underscores the concept of 

‘power belongs to the people.’ I think it 

is an idea that has some utility embedded 

in it. 

INEC has introduced lots of reforms 

to the voters registration and polling 

procedures... relying more on 

technology... do you see this as 

sustainable given that lots of voters are 

not tech savvy or even literate? 

I have no issue whatsoever with the 

innovations that INEC has introduced 

into our electoral system. They are 

welcome developments. I fully endorse 

them. It is also important to state the 

need for INEC to continue to research 

into ways and means of further 

improving on the current height the body 

has attained. Give a few years more, 

some negative things commonly 

associated with election and the entire 

electoral process will be impossible in 

this country. So, we must give credit to 

INEC for their efforts to give us an 

electoral process that is error free, an 

electoral system that is so sound and 

reliable that contestants will find it 

unnecessary to approach the judiciary for 

any form of adjudication because the 

process will not only be transparent, the 

outcome will simply be acceptable by all 

and sundry. 

What sort of legacies would you 

want to leave behind as a politician 

given that a lot of Nigerian politicians 

are forgotten as soon as they leave 

office? 

I want to do those things that will last 

from one generation to the other. In the 

next 50 years, Chief Obafemi Awolowo 

will still be remembered in this country 

because of the positive ways he affected 

the life of his generation and future 

generations. The legacy I want to leave is 

the legacy of selfless service like that of 

the likes of Aminu Kano who was an 

apostle of talakawa politics, the politics 

and service that take people out of the 

dark alley of mental and economic 

poverty.

FEBRUARY 9-22 2022 TheTrumpet 

Page15


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