Punch columnist and well known for his controversial manner of approach is back again with a response to a statement by the ex-president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo at the conference of Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy. "The problem today is that it is doubtful if the current administrative system under President Buhari, is imbued with the right mix of skills and values to successfully implement a well-articulated programme of change” says Olusegun Obasanjo However, his criticism didn’t go down well with the one time musician Etcetera, in his recently released article on Punch he called out the ex-president and the APC national leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the present disarray the country is facing. Read his piece here.

“At what point did Obasanjo realise this ehn? After they have sold Nigerians to propaganda? If anyone should speak at this point, it shouldn’t be Obasanjo. It shouldn’t be someone who has his hands soiled with oil from the cookie jar. A man who did everything to remain in power for a third term? A man who was ready to alter the constitution to meet his personal and selfish interest? If anyone should speak right now, it shouldn’t be former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He has robbed himself of the morality and right to criticise any government whether past, present or future. All the while people were screaming at the top of their voices that President Buhari was not qualified and didn’t have what it takes to lead us into eldorado, it was the likes of the former president that did everything possible to get him elected. So why come out now to challenge his capabilities? Isn’t this crying when the head has been cut off? Isn’t it too late? Buhari is president already and in a democracy like ours, nothing can be done anymore until after four years. And Nigerians might as well brace themselves for the longest four years in our nation’s history. Four years of gnashing of teeth and hardship because of the mistakes of few individuals.

The CBN has started deduction of 50 naira from every transaction in the bank. Is that not robbery? Are we cursed with leadership? The government is supposed to alleviate the sufferings of its people but all this government has done is to increase the plight of ordinary Nigerians aided by CBN flip flopping policies.

The government of Goodluck Jonathan was crappy in all ramifications; in fact I strongly believe that if we must progress as a nation, the Goodluck Jonathan era in office should be probed. But looking at what we have today, the whole country is in tatters. Nothing is working. The CBN is confused, making policies today and rescinding them tomorrow. The naira is collapsing beyond recognition and repair. Nigerians are leaving the country in droves daily. This is what Obasanjo and Tinubu have left us with.

A country said to be one of the world’s fastest growing economies just a couple of months ago has been thrown to the dogs. At the rate the naira is plunging, we are fast becoming another Zimbabwe where everyone is a billionaire but can’t afford a loaf of bread.

The likes of Olusegun Obasanjo and Bola Ahmed Tinubu must apologise to Nigerians for foisting Buhari on Nigerians. They must apologise to the nation for the present state of the economy. It is now crystal clear that all they wanted was to see the back of Goodluck Jonathan with no plan for the aftermath. Since May 29th, we are still waiting to know the plan of this government. What is the blueprint? The country is on auto-pilot. Buhari contested for over eight years before becoming the president, and one would expect that a man vying for any position for that long would have sat down to analyse the problems in the system and have a solution at hand to guide him when he gets into office. But it is not the case with the current government. We can see that they were only interested in seeing Goodluck Jonathan out of office. And I believe they never thought the man was capable of losing the election. They must have thought he was going to rig and remain in power at all cost, even to the detriment of the nation, like they would have done in his position.

In a sane country, former president Obasanjo would have retired quietly to a simple life after his bid for a third term in office collapsed in his face. And for some farfetched reasons, Buhari doesn’t seem to want or doesn’t seem to be capable of recognising that recycling politicians would only result in the failure of his government. The president must ask himself what Obasanjo and Tinubu achieved in government? Are we not suffering today because of their mismanagement? Mr. President, if your war against corruption must be viewed as fair and not a witch-hunt, it must be extended to all and sundry.

Finally, the female soldier who gathered her colleagues to beat up a man for saying she is beautiful should be brought to book. Those soldiers should be dismissed immediately. Even an illiterate will not react to being called beautiful in such an animalistic manner. It is clear that our military men are ignorant of their role in the society. How do you beat up someone for saying you are beautiful? You don’t even need an education or common sense to know that “you are beautiful” is a compliment. Public officials in uniform have embarrassed the nation enough. From corruption to drinking ogogoro in public in their uniforms, to beating and molesting people with the slightest provocation or no provocation at all, and smoking of Marijuana and collecting of bribes, fighting themselves publicly over bribes and so on, it is time the government looked into how these men in uniforms are trained.”

We often use benchmarks as measures of progress. ‘How is your favourite football team doing at the beginning of this season?’ ‘How many words does your one-year-old son say in a minute?’ And, of course, there’s the time-honoured measure of how well a new president is doing after 100 days in office. In case you hadn’t heard, that benchmark is here for President Buhari. You may feel it’s a little impertinent for me to issue a report card for President Buhari on his performance during his first 100 days in office. Yes, I’m not his teacher, and he’s not my student. But what the heck? It’s a free country and everyone else is doing it. So here it goes:

Confidence:- Buhari has brought back confidence in governance. Especially in tough times, the confident presence of a leader begets confidence in those that he or she leads. With his steady demeanour, optimistic outlook and command, Buhari embodies confidence. The number of incompetent heads of parastatals he has sacked so far reflects that sentiment. The percentage of Nigerians who think the country is on the right track is up. Grade: A1

 Pace of Governance:– When the pressure is high, leaders need perspective. They need swift action. Buhari is working on so many things all by himself that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all of them. He has too much on his plate. He should get into perspective and allow others do the job where he can’t. It won’t be a surprise to discover that the president is in charge of his travel itinerary, meeting schedule and other range of issues on his plate. He runs the risk of edging toward a burn out. Well, some argue that the president is keeping a pace that works for him. Grade: F9

Communications:– Effective leadership communication is outcome oriented and audience specific. President Buhari is clearly not an articulate communicator and he doesn’t do enough to shape his message to the audience. Hearing Mr. President pronounce APC leaves you lost and wondering if you heard him correctly. Maybe his media aides should have used this as an excuse to exonerate him from the hundred things he promised to have achieved before his first 100 days in office that has now capped him as a liar. Buhari’s tone of voice usually stays within a fairly narrow range. He could do better here. Grade: F9

Team Player: – There are two major factors on this distinction. The first is to get a great team in place. The second is to get your ego out of the way and allow the team to do their job. Buhari has stumbled here and most people will agree that his failure to appoint ministers in his first 100 days in office has been a setback to governance. Whether you agree with me or not, Buhari can’t be president and ministers all by himself. We need competent hands to man the various ministries. You cannot achieve a lot in three and half months without the support of a team. Good leaders are the keepers of the what, not the masters of the how. Assembling a strong team also helps in establishing an agenda. Buhari needs to realise that he’ll likely never have more momentum than he has now if he doesn’t put a team on the ground. Grade: F9

 Accountability and Responsibility: President Buhari has done fairly well with the campaign for government officials to be held accountable for their actions or inactions. He has brought a sense of transparency and has taken some interesting first steps in promoting government accountability. I think this is an area where there is a lot more to do however. For instant, there hasn’t really been a clear explanation yet as to how he is going to tackle corruption and how the country will avoid being ripped apart by government officials in the years to come. Grade: C

Economy: – This has so far been one of the president’s worst subjects. He may be making a grave mistake focusing all his attention on recouping looted funds instead of providing the basic needs of the people. Never in history has this approach successfully led a country out of recession. This might lead to an unhappy ending, and more inflation. The continuous drop of the nation’s currency is stark reminder that we are still in the worst slump in 50 years. Grade: F9

National Security:- Nigerians are still not experiencing any sense of security. People are dying and getting maimed everyday on the streets by hoodlums and touts. Boko Haram insurgents are still using the yet to be found Chibok girls for their bombings. Armed robbers are having a field day carting away properties. The country is still not safe. Grade: F9

“Shoki hey hey Shoki!” cries a voice from the radio to the beat of a nerve-wracking pandemonium that seems designed to drive you insane. A quick flick of the dial and “Shakiti bobo” is playing. The worse thing is that the raucous noise emitted by the artiste is no match for the loud, odious din coming from the beat. The lyrics are completely lost – which may not be regrettable to some – but the whole tumult sounds more like bad static than music.

I tuned the dial again. This time it was Olamide screaming “Vanessa Vanessa.” Continue… As the last strains of the song died away, the OAP cheerfully and enthusiastically breaks in, “Yes, that’s for all you listeners out there. That’s the way we do it right here at your cool station. We personalise our playlist to make you feel cool.”

Cool kor, cooler ni…. I felt like telling the OAP that his choice of songs made me feel SICK. This is simply today’s Nigerian music! Something is terribly WRONG with it! Yet millions around the country – especially the young people – listen to it by the hour. WHY? What is there about this music that is so gripping? How can something so meaningless hold millions under its spell? Why does it serve as a common denominator – as “the tie that binds” – for so many youths?

Judging from how and what they’re saying and singing, it is easy to conclude that some of these artistes should be taken for mental evaluation! Music mirrors our emotions; it reflects our thoughts; it echoes our activities – it shows us the way we really ARE! Most Nigerian artistes are confused and bewildered – or they wouldn’t sing songs about not being able to tell right from wrong, or songs which purposely don’t say or mean anything, or which try only to “embody an emotional state that points indirectly to marijuana and crazy s*x positions.”

Music – just like other forms of art – is like a social barometer. A strong and healthy society produces dynamic and stimulating music; a diseased and decaying society produces sick and decadent music. It’s a simple matter of cause and effect! This is now a SICK SOCIETY and, therefore, it produces SICK MUSIC. It’s just that simple! Both parents and the young people are to blame. My point is, we all don’t have to be a part of this sick society – or its sick music.

Even talking about today’s gospel songs, many are lacking in purpose and quality. The gospel singers are forgetting that God believes in QUALITY. Look at the universe He created! He also believes in human improvement and GROWTH. “Become ye therefore perfect” (Matt. 5:48) and “Grow in grace and knowledge” (II Pet. 3:18), He commands. God wants His people to grow in the right kind of culture – the right kind of appreciation for the finer things in life. He says that mature Christians are “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to DISCERN both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).

God wants us to EXERCISE our five physical senses. He wants us to learn what the true values for the enjoyment of the senses are. One of these senses is hearing. And one of the ways we need to exercise our hearing sense is in the appreciation of quality music. Quality in music involves, first of all, the way it is composed or arranged. Secondly, it involves how the music is performed. And thirdly, the setting (the place and occasion) in which the music is heard.

You attend a concert only to see artistes with a hodgepodge of idiotic noise played from a CD and the audience seated at round tables like they are in a canteen, screaming with mouthful of small chops and ‘samosas’ as every new song is introduced by the performer. What utter nonsense! What is WRONG with us? How did we completely lose our sense of value regarding music? Do we even know the purpose of music?

A mother justifies her daughter who’s listening to an obscene song by saying, “If you listen to the words of that one, it’s pretty rough. But it has a real good beat. My daughter says she doesn’t pay any attention to the words anyway.” Are we really that naïve? What erroneous reasoning! Go along with the crowd – even if the crowd is on the way to suffering, misery, pain, extinction? Do we think that these songs have no part in the tidal wave of promiscuity, venereal disease, illegitimate babies that are all over the country today? If you are one of those who like today’s Naija music, you ought to honestly and truthfully ask yourself WHY.

Former musician Etcetera is fast becoming quite the controversial writer with his weekly articles. In his latest pieces he joins the many voices conversing about Caitlyn Jenner. He however brings his point of discussion to Nigeria, especially media personality Denrele Edun and veteran musician Charly Boy.

Earlier in the week, news broke that Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has renewed interest in buy Arsenal FC of England. Well, this week, in his article titled ‘Dangote Cannot afford to buy Arsenal Football club’, controversial singer, blogger, OAP and columnist, Etcetera writes with facts to back up his claim that Dangote simply can’t afford it. Read his article below…...

You have sold some shares and you’ve got some money to spend. Now you want the ultimate: Your own football club. Hold on there, are you sure? Football clubs are a nightmare to run. In fact, almost two-thirds of premiership clubs have been in receivership at some point. Remember Portsmouth FC ploughed through four owners some seasons back and landed itself a debt of £60m and relegation in the Championship. Think of Leeds United’s tragicomic collapse; the balls-up at Cambridge United; Rotherham going into receivership in 2006 and 2008; Southampton’s sorry saga. And, of course, Crawley Town getting a winding up order years back. So, what do we know? Don’t buy a football club for the glory. So, before Dangote aspires to join Abrahamovic, Glazers and Al Mansours, he should make sure he knows his stuff....

But does Dangote know how much these football clubs really cost?
It is often mistaken that these clubs go for a quid. For instance, Swansea City was bought by investors for £100, and sold four years later for a £1. But beware: underneath those figures lies a pile of debt.

Does Dangote have the cash, can he do an Abramovich?...
No, he can’t. New UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations already in place, require clubs to balance their income and expenses. Dangote cannot operate under such rules. The premiership is too organised and transparent for any businessman to easily manipulate. The wage structure of footballers is too large for a businessman like Dangote to take on. Let us forget that those goons at Forbes have told us that Dangote is Africa’s richest man. As it stands, he cannot afford the outright purchase of a big football club like Arsenal. It is as simple as that. He will go broke. It is a possibility if we are talking about a club in the coast of West Africa. Dangote has most of his wealth in shares and physical assets and the football business requires liquid cash to sustain. Have we all forgotten that the same Dangote got a 3G licence and sold it to Etisalat? He is a very smart businessman who knows how to pick his areas of investments.

Can he get Bank backing?
Unlikely! No serious private equity firm would get involved with a football club. They are not proper businesses. Too much politics, too many egos. And there’s no proper exit route – the history of football clubs on the stock market is chequered, to say the least. They are rich men’s toys, great for entertaining your mates, and that’s about it. I don’t think Dangote can afford such an expensive toy. A lot of people think it is relatively easy to make a million pounds by being the owner of a football club. That all you have to do is put in that first two million pounds. But these people should also know that since the English Premier League was formed in 1992, football finances have dried up to the extent that making a million pound profit is no longer a walk in the park. It is also the case that buying a football club is unlikely to yield that much of a return. Despite the significant TV and other commercial revenues, football clubs in England’s top flight still struggle to break even. This is ironic, given the goal of setting up the Premier League was to stabilise club finances.

Is Dangote putting his heart over his head?
Yes I think so. Simon Jordan, in his autobiography, tells the story of how owning a football club can go terribly wrong. Jordan amassed a fortune of £75m in the early days of the mobile phone revolution. In 2000, he paid £10m to take control of South London football team Crystal Palace, becoming the youngest football club chairman at the age of 32. He was warned by many not to do it, but having watched the club since his childhood, he could not resist. Fast-forward 10 years and the club was in administration and Jordan’s personal wealth largely wiped out. It is reported that Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea, has written off more than one billion pounds he ploughed into the club since acquiring it in 2003. Catching him up fast is Sheikh Mansour from Abu Dhabi, who has invested close to one billion pounds in Manchester City since 2008.

Can Dangote write off such a huge amount of money?
It is in fact the amount of money he borrows to invest in businesses. But again, I think Dangote is just trying to hype himself. Most of the serious money flowing into football recently has come from the Middle East. The Qatar Investment Authority (the country’s sovereign wealth fund) bought the French Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain in 2011 and has gone about transforming them in the same way Sheikh Mansour has Manchester City. Forget those guys at Forbes, Dangote is not in the same league as these guys. The Glazer Family bought Manchester United in 2006, recognising the immense value of its global brand as a cash generator and the opportunities to enhance it even further. The cost of buying the club was loaded on to the club itself, with the revenues it generates used to pay the debt and interest that the Glazers undertook to buy the club. Eventually, the hope is that the club will essentially pay for itself leaving its American owners in possession of a multi-billion pound asset but till date, the Glazers are still gnashing their teeth and are still neck deep in debt. When it was speculated that a Middle East consortium was willing to pay £1.5bn for Arsenal Football Club, it was stated that Stan Kroenke, the American who owns about 63 per cent of the shares in the club, would have made just £400m on his shares. So, given the appalling financial returns, why do people buy football clubs?

Who can buy Arsenal football club?
Anyone can buy Arsenal football club, but that anyone doesn’t include anyone who obtains bank loans to fund a business. Sir John Madejski, chairman of Reading Football Club, describes the ideal football club owner as having deep pockets, mercurial, and not faint-hearted....

Singer turned controversial writer, Etcetera is back again and this weekend, Burna Boy's Universal Music deal is served on the discourse plate. In his new article, the singer claims that Nigerian artiste now indulge in lying to boost their career and give them leverage over their peers.