The last few weeks have been taken over by the controversy over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his certificates. Did he or did he not attend school? If so, which schools, when, where and how? Did he or did he not have certificates? If so, what certificate, when and which school or schools? How did he attend school: As a man or as a woman? Did he pose as a hermaphrodite to gain admission into college in the United States of America? Did he gain admission to college with “ori olori” and “ese elese”, as they say? Were his certificates forged? By him or by who? Did he submit a forged certificate to the INEC to contest the February 25, 2023 presidential election?

The questions were endless but the most embarrassing aspect of the whole controversy was that Nigeria’s dirty linen was not only washed in the public, it was also spread out in the open for the whole world to see. And to think that the whole controversy raged in the United States of America courts at the same time that President Tinubu had to make his first appearance at the United Nations General Assembly as Nigeria’s numero uno! Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar spared no efforts to strip the President naked for the whole world to behold not just the nakedness of Tinubu as a person but of Nigeria as a country! While it lies within the legal rights of Atiku to take the tussle to the wires – and no one should grudge him that – can he please learn a thing or two from the apostle Paul when he says in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that “all things are lawful for me but not all things are expedient: all things are lawful for me but all things edify not” I dare to say that Atiku’s Chicago pursuit, though lawful, edifies not!

The end result of Atiku’s US court adventure left me more confused than when it all started. Who won – Atiku or Tinubu? With both parties claiming victory, I am confused! Our elders say two people cannot be oblivious when a lie is being told: If the person being conned is oblivious of it, the con man sure knows he is conning someone! But in this case, Atiku claims victory; Tinubu also claims victory. Reading the deposition by Chicago State University left me perplexed. There was something in it for Atiku; there was also something in it for Tinubu.

Atiku’s voyage to Chicago was a wild goose chase; it was akin to a man leaving Lagos and heading for Sokoto in search of what is in his “sokoto” pockets! Prove that you scored more votes than everyone else in the presidential election; prove that you won at least twelve two-thirds of the 37 states (Abuja being the 37th); not that someone is not morally upright. Are the challengers themselves morally upright? Are they not confirmed tax evaders, artful dodgers and treasury looters? Are they not the pot calling the kettle black? And is it not said that he that comes to equity must come with clean hands? Are their own hands clean? In all of these, that has been my utmost worry. Why should I line up behind one thief to condemn another thief?

Some of the interesting, even intriguing, courses we took in the university are: morality and politics; morality and law; morality and religion, etc. The debate is yet to abate. Assuming but not conceding that Tinubu is disqualified, can Atiku or Obi be declared the outright winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election? They cannot because they did not measure up! The best – or worst – that can be done – but again not conceding – is to disqualify Tinubu and order a rerun between Atiku and Obi! Are you laughing! It surely calls for laughter! How will Tinubu’s supporters react? Will the country survive the tsunami that will ensue? It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie!

 Smart Atiku! With his Chicago pursuit, he is already ahead of the other challengers in his preparation for 2027. That is what his Chicago adventure is all about. He is running ahead of Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso already. Shine your eyes! Little wonder that he is trying to use Chicago to rally Obi, Kwankwaso and other Nigerians behind him towards the next election in 2027, I suspect. Obi appears not ready to fall for it! He has told Atiku: On Chicago, you are on your own! Cunny man die, cunny man bury am!

We fight over certificates when the same colonialists that introduced certificates to us have since moved away from its stranglehold. What matters to them these days is your capacity and capabilities – what you can do and not the lorry-load of certificates that you have on display. If certificates equate to competence, why did Goodluck Jonathan, a Ph. D. holder, mess up so spectacularly? Here, colonialism has yielded its place to a more vicious neo-colonialism. We have been brain-washed. We have been colonized in our thoughts and processes – in our education, religion, tastes (for all things foreign); culture, system of government; name it! We now also cringe before and beg a foreign country to play the joker in our presidential contest!

 Cocoa prices are surging: west African countries should seize the moment to negotiate a better deal for farmers

“The cocoa-producing belt of west Africa is responsible for generating over 80% of the total global output. The global price of cocoa is spiking, a direct response to dwindling cocoa output in west Africa. In September, cocoa futures reached a 44-year price peak due to mounting concerns over reduced supplies from the region. The price surge could prove to be a critical moment for cocoa farming and policy in west Africa. The cocoa-producing belt of west Africa is responsible for generating over 80% of the total global output. Between them, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire contribute more than 60% to the global output. Ghana is the second-biggest producer in the world and cocoa is a vital component of the country’s economy.

The global price spike has led west African governments to increase the guaranteed producer prices to farmers. Ghana recently raised the state-guaranteed cocoa price paid to farmers by two thirds. The announcement means that Ghana’s cocoa farmers will be paid 20,943 cedis (US$1,837) per ton for the upcoming 2023-2024 season, up from 12,800 cedis. Cameroon, the world’s fourth-largest cocoa producer, raised the price cocoa farmers get to 1,500 CFA francs (US$2.50) per kilogram, a 25% jump from the previous rate of 1,200 CFA francs. This increase is even more significant than Ghana’s when factoring in Cameroon’s single-digit inflation. Additionally, the Cote d’Ivoire government has announced a rise in the producer price… Recent shortages can be harnessed to strengthen the position of cocoa producers. This will enable them to address the structural challenges ingrained in the cocoa production value chain. Rising production costs have not been recognized in the value of cocoa beans. Farmers therefore haven’t been able to earn enough income and this has led to unsustainable farming practices.

West African countries should use the cocoa shortage as negotiating leverage against multinational corporations to address these structural issues. Both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire must recognize this pivotal moment. They must take the lead, and frame the current production challenges as deep-seated structural problems requiring solutions, rather than as short-term issues. What is driving the change? Ghana’s cocoa regulator recently indicated that its farmers might not be able to meet some cocoa contract obligations for another season. Ghana’s projected cocoa yield for the 2022/23 planting season was the lowest in 13 years, falling 24% short of the initial estimates of 850,000 metric tons. This trend has been repeated across the region, with production falling in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. Reduced output means demand can’t be met and global prices rise.

The reduction in cocoa output is attributed to short-term and long-term factors. Commentators typically emphasize the short-term factors as poor weather conditions; black pod disease, which causes cocoa pods to rot; the decline in the number of cocoa farmers, some of them selling their land to illegal miners; a shortage of fertilizers and pesticides, especially since the conflict in Ukraine has curtailed Russia’s export of potash and other fertilizers.

A number of long-term structural issues have beset cocoa farming in west Africa for decades. They shouldn’t be overshadowed by concerns with short-term problems. The first is the declining availability of forest land and its connection to increasing production costs. Over the last two decades, depletion of forest land has led farmers to turn to grasslands for replanting cocoa plants. This requires extensive land preparation, regular weeding around the cocoa trees, pruning, and the application of fertilizers and pesticides. What’s more, the plants are highly susceptible to disease. All these things result in increased labour costs.

None of these additional burdens have been incorporated into the pricing for sustainable cocoa production. In light of the new cost structure, cocoa beans have been undervalued for decades. Farmers have become poorer and are exploring alternative sources of livelihood. The cost of sustainably cultivating cocoa in grasslands must be reflected in the price that farmers receive. Relying solely on market forces will not achieve this. For instance, every year, typically in September, the Ghana Cocoa Board announces the official producer price for cocoa beans for the upcoming cocoa season on behalf of the government. This official price is based on the anticipated export market price, with an understanding in Ghana that farmers should receive approximately 70% of it. However, the resulting market price, and consequently the producer price derived from it, often falls short of covering the costs of sustainable cocoa cultivation.

A path forward: What would it cost for cocoa farmers to cultivate cocoa beans sustainably, and ensure a living income, without contributing to deforestation or resorting to child labour? If the market price falls below this cost (which isn’t static), then the farmers face exploitation, giving rise to many of the problems that plague the industry. A few years ago, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire pioneered the introduction of the “living income differential” – a premium that cocoa buyers would pay on top of the market price to ensure that farmers earned a sustainable income from their produce. Despite its noble intent, the initiative faltered. It was not well thought through. And it came at a time when these countries had diminished bargaining clout in a saturated market. Now is a favourable moment.

The crisis in the sector puts cocoa producers in a stronger negotiating position. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire could collaborate with other regional countries, such as Nigeria and Cameroon, to negotiate a better position for their cocoa farmers, ensuring sustainable cultivation. There are many strategies these countries can explore, including supply management (such as buffer stocks, export controls, or quotas), price premiums and value addition”

I came across the above piece on the internet and felt I should bring it to the attention of both the Federal Government and the state governments where cocoa is cultivated in Nigeria. If the billions of Naira wasted on the (political) cultivation of rice had been spent on cocoa, cotton, coffee, groundnuts, and palm produce, we would have had more value for money. Let us re-direct our focus and taste buds from everything foreign. We used to eat rice only on festive periods. Eating bread was even seen as profligacy. Whatever we do not have a local name for (such as iresi, buredi, tea, miliki) are foreign and should be discarded or consumed sparingly. That is the only way to exit our present quagmire, regardless who rides the horse.