Who cares what the man wear? better make he no wear all that big agabada that is how all the ex leader deceived us stealing and hidding it in their fat belly, we can see when him belly begin big say he dey steal too,

As you guys know, I'm a very open minded individual who loves to view things from a different angle.

Duke as a presidential candidate happens to be a nice fit and I continue to learn more and more about this guy every day. So far so good, I must admit.

But my concerns are: Experience and Stamina.

Yes, he has done a great job for his state (which is also a size of an air plane), but is he capable of handling things effectively and efficiently as the next Nigerian president; especially at this tedious and sensitive period in Nigeria?

Does he have the stamina to deal with the political goons OBJ will be leaving behind?

Does he have any undiscovered bones in his closet? (because I heard some interesting things about him, but not confirmed as yet, hence I will leave it for another topic).

Hey guys, this is not about yoruba, igbo or HAUSA, it's about moving Nigeria forward. Enough is enough, it is time to restore the country back to the Giant of Africa, and I'm ready and willing to join who ever has the juice and strength to accomplish this goal.

FYI: Some governors are affective and magnificent at their positions just because there is no enough fund available for them to steal or they just don't have access to fund or all eyes are on them. Old folks say " there is no thief if there is nothing to steal".
In other word, it is extremely difficult to steal in some states while it's very easy in others. Be smart and think about it.

May God Bless Nigeria.

Big B1,
so which other candidate do you want. or do you think is better

Big B1 Dude I keep telling you every time you open your mouth it stinks, you talking of experience, Shagari was a school teach before he became president. I guess you won't know that you were too small sucking on your moms sagging tits

secondly did IBB the great destroyer have any leadership skill before he came to power?
has he ever been to a battle field?

I've said it
Duke is the guy with good intentions and he will win cause the nation is behind him so you can

Big B1,

I'm not sure what you mean by cross river is about the size of an aeroplane. have you looked at a map of nigeria. besides what does size have to do with nything. lagos and jo'burg are the smallest units in thier respective countries, but are the economic hubs

Hotbat, I grew up in Calabar and I can recall that during the creation of our state, Akwa Ibom state, all civil servants of Akwa Ibom descent were purged out of the state government's payroll. The misguided thinking, which is tribalism was that the state government should not have to pay for workers who were not indigenes of that state. I am pretty sure, or I may be wrong that nearly all state government have enforced this tribalism in their own culture. So, that said, Duke is not the first to have started this trend, but yeah, he should be accountable for his lack of judgment in destabilizing one's employment record.

If this trend is still persisting in Nigeria, then I hereby conclude "What a shame"!!!

OBONG: Indirectly, I meant Cross River sounds like a big state, but it's really not that big, my friend. There is no way I'm going to make my election decision over Cross River being a clean state. How cares?

Just because you can ride a bicycle very well does not mean you can drive an 18 wheeler (a very big truck).

And there is nobody

And no one is saying Duke is not a fine man, but he's not ready for this major task; believe me, he knows it too. His recent action is only to put his name out there for the future purpose. He really doesn't want to be the next Nigerian president.

You guys need to cool down and be sensible. Nigeria is currently crumbling and a strong experienced leader is needed. It will take up to 6 years for Mr. Duke to truly understand what is really going on in Nigeria, and that is a fact.

We have Sharia group in north, we have Adedibu and the thugs in Ibadan, we also have OBJ's goons walking around and so on. These groups will smoke Mr Duke in a minute; Believe me.

Being a governor in cross river is just like operating a family business in you home town. 99% of the time business like this will be successful.
Ruling Nigeria on the other hand is just like operating an international business. You have to deal with different culture, different rules, different people, different mentality, different background, ugly people, nice people, bad people, etc.
Trust me, it takes more than looking good or looking handsome to deal with this kind of task. You need experience and mental strength to survive.
No disrespect, Mr. Duke will not survive more than 6 months.

Ruling Nigeria is not an easy job, it's an heavy duty

IBB is the man.

Think about it.

May God bless Nigeria.

BigB1, that was a cheap shot you just directed at Duke's supporters. You likened the job of a governor of Cross River state to running a family business with a 99% chance of surviving. Wrong on that. Do some research on the durability of family businesses, and then compare it with the redundancy of most state governors in the country.

Big B1,

Your beloved Babangida has 8 years solid experience in milking state treasury, murdering journalists, encouraging corruption, introducing a failed SAP program, running institutions aground, and annuling Nigeria's fairest elections and plunging the country into the chaos for the next 6 years.  You should be ashamed of your comments and loyalty to a dictator who thinks the masses have forgotten.  

I also sense moral and ethical bankrupcy in your nonsense noise directed at Donald Duke.

For starters, Cross River State is the largest state in the southern Nigeria (Maybe you skipped those geography lessons). Besides, Singapore boasts a global, dazzling economy, despite covering  less then 1% of Nigeria's area.  So the argument that Duke is not qualified because CRS is a "small state" presumably invalidating his nomination is both immature and pathetic. Mr. Duke will have 8 years solid experience in running state government next year, with commendable performance.   

In a nutshell, I had rather trust someone who did remarkably well running his own backyard, instead of supporting a criminal who openly admitted he was "after the gold", impoverishing a whole nation in the process.

You keep avoiding the question.   What are Babangida's QUALIFICATIONS?  And PLEASE spare me your usual "understands Nigeria" crap and be scientific.  Only accountable people deserve political office.

una don start o

And thse cats just wont allow him, he is too young, they may think

besides he is up against the likes of IBB and all

its funny how some people can still be pushing for some old guards like IBB. it's pretty useless just thinking about it.

He's had his opportunity at addressing the Nigerian situation and he has bungled it.

We need young visionary guys like Duke and Utomi and that's stating the obvious. Duke's achievement in the last seven years speak for itself.

Thoug Duke still has to come out and give enunciate what his vision for nigeria is. Pat Utomi has been doing that and he sounds reasonable, but to be realistic, his chances are slim. Duke has a fair chance.

If Internet and newspaper polls are anything to go by, he is capable of winning.
However, his inaugural campaign speech is full of empty sentences strung together.
Nothing concrete, just melodic arrangements of words that mean nothing. That's politics for you.

@ Seun
When Duke took over office in Calarbar the state has just 5% rural electrification but now it has 95%. He stated recently that before his tenure ends all communities will be connected to the National grid. Now let me tell you that he (Duke) did not name electrification as one of his campaign promises in 1999 and 2003 elections. So what he says in the speech do not count but what he does. All those who used thier speech to get our votes what did they really achieve in the past seven years.


@ All
Firstly
The fact that Nigeria is bigger than Calarbar does not mean that Duke cannot be president. Honnestly it surprises me the way some folks post views on this trend. Is Calarbar not a state in Nigeria? How can he not extend the method he used to making Calarbar a state everybody (even OBJ) is proud of to sharpen the future of this country of ours.
Secondly
Calarbar gets the lowest revenue in the Niger Delta from the FG yet Duke has used this little money into making the state a tourist attraction and soon it will have the only Business resort in West Africa what else is the quality of a good governance if not management, that is making good use of your resources.
Thirdly
OF all the people clamouring for the post of the presido he is more favoured becos he (Duke) has been tested and trusted.
Fourtly
He was not indicted by any anticoruption agency for corruption practises meaning he is the only non corrupt person among the governors

all this long grammar!

Thank God I have people trying to educate my dude BIGB1. This ALhaji has lost his mind long time ago. now I will take the back seat and watch him distroy himself.

the truth is that Duke opposers have nothing concrete to say against him. so they come up with little little things, that most people could care less about.

The politics played here is a lot different y'all

Cool down guys.

This a discussion, a discussion between brothers and sisters. There is no need to take this to the next level.

Mr Duke knows it and we all know it too. The position is too heavy for this cat. why do you guys refuse to see the light?
If you truly admire Mr Duke, you would advise him to chill out for now. He's a fine man, no doubt about it, but he needs more time to develop.

There is a big different between governing cross river and ruling Nigeria.

This cat will not last 6 months in Aso rock before he goes crazy.

The other day, he couldn't even introduce his agenda and strategy effectively on the national TV; and the campaign hasn't started yet.

I know the truth is very painful, but take it as it is, Mr Duke will be back in 2011.

For now, give the spade to who the spade belongs to,

IBB is a better fit!
He has no reason to fail.
The second time will be much better, mark it down, my friends.

May God bless Nigeria.

WOW, some people only resort to repetitive propaganda.

Still evading the question? What are IBB's credentials and qualifications, besides his criminal past?

Why don't YOU just accept reality and give up on Maradona? PDP will never nominate him.
OBJ himself will block him.

Duke will not rest his case until he reaches Aso Rock.

Just accept that better-qualified, performing people with RISING profiles make it in politics. IBB is a rotten omelette.

The day IBB (International ad Belle) Becomes a president in this country is the day I will lost faith and hope in this country. Obasanjo should arrest him and throw him in Jail before the nomination date

@Big B1
I am sure you are one of his beneficiaries Bet it He will not suceed.

Duke's official Declaration speech



A GREAT FUTURE BECKONS,

TOGETHER LET US MARCH INTO IT


DONALD DUKE

ABUJA, TUESDAY, 7TH NOVEMBER, 2006


My Dear Friends and Compatriots Nigeria, our dearly beloved country, has a date with destiny next year. Indeed in the annals of our country's history, few dates have as much potentially dramatic consequences as 2007. This is not because we shall be going to the polls to elect a new leadership to run the nation for the next four years, important as that is, It . is also significant that it will be the first time one civilian administration, after having completed 2 (two) constitutionally permissible terms in office, will be handing over to another administration democratically. But this election is particularly critical because of the enormity of the challenges that face us as a country and as a people and the promises we must keep.

In the last seven and half years, some brave efforts have been deployed to rescue the country from the decadence and despair that have been our lot in the past several decades. Indeed, instead of being viewed as a failing state, Nigeria has been restored to the status of a work-in-progress. But concerted effort still needs to be taken to consolidate that work and to strike out in new directions. In effect, we must move determinedly and at great speed to achieve what fate, our people's abilities and our resources have clearly marked us out to be: a great nation, full of hope and bright opportunities for its zestful people.

In the past seven and a half years, the people of Cross River State have given my team and I the mandate to lift them up and restore the true purpose of governance: selfless service to the people. Thus with meagre resources, we have been able to restore hope and also chart new directions in development by introducing projects in partnership with the private sector and the people that will forever change the state's economic landscape. I needn't remind you my dear friends that this mandate in Cross River will expire on the 29th of May, 2007.

But we embrace the call to higher service, to translate what we have begun in Cross River State onto the wider national stage. Some will say it is a daunting task, that the problems of Nigeria are onerous, the country too big and complicated. But where others see problems, we see great possibilities and opportunities. Where some see daunting tasks, we see great challenges to be overcome. Nigerians demand leadership, true and selfless. One with imagination, breath and vision and I can provide it. And it shall be a service of love.

It is, therefore, with a deep sense of responsibility that I today formally declare my candidacy for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). This decision has been arrived at after consultations with key stakeholders across our nation. I do not come with preconceived notions, nor do I assume that the task of leading this nation is an easy one. Rather, I am propelled by a call to duty, by the conviction that our collective will under a committed, passionate and competent leadership will change the face of this country for ever. A leadership that will give us a country to be truly proud of and which will enable every African stand up proudly in any part of the globe.

Our nation has taken great strides under the Presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. It is my desire to build and expand upon this foundation. Great nations of the world are either blessed with natural resources or with human resources. Our nation is one of the fortunate few blessed abundantly with both human and natural capital. Our goal is to leverage on this unique combination to fast-track our social and economic development. Let it be that at the end of our tenure, Nigeria would no longer be referred to as a poor, inept and struggling nation but rather as a nation that has come of its own providing vast opportunities for her people and sharing the world stage as of right.

In making this formal declaration today, it is my desire, working in tandem with the leadership of my party and all men and women of goodwill throughout the length and breadth of our nation and beyond, to focus on some key areas in need of urgent attention.

The first of this is our infrastructure. We are resolved to improve the state of our physical infrastructure, particularly roads, electricity, generation, transmission and distribution, ensuring that within a decade, every community in our land shall be on the national grid, ensuring that rail, sea and air transportation are of world class, and ensuring that our telecommunications system and the world wide web are functional and are of international standard.

Our Human Capital must be developed to be second to none in terms of skills and orientation. At the moment, our educational sector is embarrassingly at low ebb. Apart from facilities being decrepit, the quality of teaching staff is low and this must change. Nations of the world that have leapfrogged to advanced stages of development have done so mainly through universal primary and secondary education with a vocational curriculum. They have followed up with an expansion to tertiary education, particularly in Mathematics, the Pure Sciences and Engineering and a solid infrastructure base.

This thus leads to the issue of job creation. Our goal is the pursuit of happiness for all in the furtherance of our development. We must quickly expand job opportunities for our citizenry through a quick stimulation of the economy. Retooling the public sector to provide conducive policy measures, while engaging the private sector in the provision of jobs and galvanizing our people to seek self employment and consequently wealth creation. For happiness can only be attained through productivity in joyful activity.

For far too long, our economy has been dependent on petroleum. That too must change. Other sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, intellectual resource, information technology and tourism shall be galvanized to contribute to the national economy and the National Income.

Fellow compatriots, I cannot end this declaration without talking about the unrest in the Niger Delta that has been very troubling and is threatening to spin out of control. At the heart of this crisis are poverty, unemployment and despoliation of the environment all in the midst of plenty. There must be justice for the people and the communities in which our resources are found. And this justice lies in the appreciation of the people on whose land that we exploit, and consequently ensuring that they are benefiting from the spoils of their land. This calls for a programme of transformation of the environment and the lives of the people. We shall work with them to devise and implement such a programme. And it must be done urgently.

The justice that we seek for the Niger Delta must also be extended to people throughout our nation and this we shall deliver through good governance, governance that toils day and night to deliver on its promises. We can do it. We will do it. God helping us, we shall not fail.

We are of course aware that no serious development and progress can be made in an atmosphere of pervasive crime and insecurity. We must therefore put the question of law and order on the front burner. We will ensure that criminals - from petty felons to assassins and hired killers - are caught and dealt with in accordance with the law. To achieve this, we as a government shall conduct ourselves and abide by the rule of law and thus have the moral fibre to carry out a thorough reform of the criminal justice system including an overhaul of the police service and policing. The men and women who wear the uniform must be made proud of that uniform with a high sense of self-esteem that is led by qualified, professionally well-trained and competent personnel comparable to the best in the world. But wait a minute. When we shall have created jobs, when we shall have made our people productive, when our people would have attained happiness in a just system, even this crime would fade leaving behind in its trail a happy, contented people in a secure country.

My friends, the time has come to banish defeatism and cynicism from our polity. We are a country of can-do people. All over the world Nigerians excel in their chosen fields. We must galvanize such passions at home. Hope has come. Hope in our Fatherland. Hope in our abilities as a people. Hope in the goodness of the Nigerian people. Public office is a sacred trust. We shall work hard to earn the confidence of our citizenry in their government and in our leadership. When in 1999, I was entrusted with the governorship of my beloved Cross River State, though humbled by the enormity of the responsibility, we were undaunted. Today, the challenges we seek are loftier and more daring; but so is the courage and the spirit to match the odds. I trust the judgment of the Nigerian people. With your very kind support, we shall change Nigeria's circumstance and history by putting the people at the centre of our development. May I, therefore, my friends invite you to join me on this continuing journey of hope and redemption. We have the will and by His grace we shall find the way.

Fellow Compatriots, I offer to serve.

God bless us all as we journey to the land of our dreams.

I thank you all.


Donald

Nigeria currently has over $40bn in the reserves, if iBB become president it will disappear

Donald Duke is great but i will not support him because am afraid he might not be as tough. Only tough and defiant people can succesfully leads this country. He mmight end up squandering all our money for senators and reps. But in fairness to him, he is a material.

My brothers and sisters,
It is not just enough to say Duke is not good or cannot handle the post. I will like all of you who are opposing him to name someone more qualified and who has a moderate acievement compared to Duke. Tell us the person and we will support him

@ Big B1
It takes a lunatic to support IBB. If Nigeria is a functioning state, IBB should be spending the rest of his entire life in Kirikiri maximum prison. Well, birds of the same feather flock together. If IBB is who we know he is ( a thief, a murderer) and you support him then we also know who you are.

@Topsido
Being tough as you put it is not a virtue and should not be ascribed to a leader. A leader should be amiable, lovable but firm. Donald Duke is firm and does not need to be tough.

@ALL
visit the personal blog site of Donald Duke @ http://donaldduke..com/ You have the opportunity of posting your comments and asking the Governor questions.

Wiseguy: you're another great example of why we can not move forward, you need to wise up your behind. There is absolutely no reason for you to call me a lunatic just because I refuse to follow the Igbo people's crusade.
It is my prerogative if I select IBB as my choice. You need to slow down and find someone else to pick on. Believe me, you need to slow down; I'm not the right one for you.

Back to the topic:

We definitely have a problem here, because people have stopped thinking and started to draft toward the wrong direction; you need to pull all my post and you will quickly realize that I'm not opposing Mr Duke, infact he has my full support, but I need to see that fire in his face. I mean, who wants a president that will be pushed around?
I need to see that he can withstand the pressure when the heavy rain starts pouring.
I'm just not going to join the dead heads just because Cross Rivers happens to be a clean state; I need more than a clean southern state to make my election decision, period.

You guys just refuse to see the light, it is deadly when thousands of people sleep and face the same direction. I refuse to be part of this group.

You have to deeply think to truly see where I'm coming from.

Mr Duke is a fine docile man, a great future for Nigeria. But at the moment, he will not be successful as the Nigerian next president; he needs time to develop.

Most people in here are too blind to see the light, even though the light is shinning directly into their eyes, but they still can not see.
I also think that the big problem here is encircled with the fact that most people do not care about Nigeria, they only care about the delinquent and neglectful goal of their tribe. And Nigeria will never never move forward with this type of mentality.

It's not about igbo, yoruba or HAUSA. It's about moving Nigeria forward efectively and competently; we are not ready to be led by a boy scout. We need an experienced strong leader who is highly respected by majority.

There is no way anyone without a solid experience will survive as the next Nigeria president.
It will take at least 6 years for Duke to truly understand what he's up against as the president.

It is not fair to him, if you truly admire this individual, then you will advise him to return in 2011; 2007 is no longer vacant.

1. FYI: Not to take anything away from Mr Duke, but If you're smart and on top of your game, it doesn't take that much to become a great governor or clean up a state.

2. FYI: There is no clean governor in Nigeria, trust me.
Just wait and see, more info will come out when the time is right, the same way the Money laundering presidential jet came out. Be patient and you will be able to truly select among the good, the bad and the ugly.

3. FYI: Mr. Duke is a very smart man, he doesn't want to be the next Nigerian president. He's only doing this to prepare himself for the 2011 presidential election; but folks are too dull to realize it.

And finally, remember that majority carries the vote in my country, hence I'm not dismayed by couple of voices in side nairaland mansion.
I believe time will tell soon.

May God bless Nigeria

Big B1, listen if you loved Nigeria like you say you do you would NEVER even suggest that IBB became President. If you knew Nigeria like you say you do then you would also realise that Gowon, who still holds the record for the longest period of time as head of state i.e. 9 years, was only 32 years old when he came into power and at that age successfully lead the nation through the civil war. OBJ himself and M. Muhammad were both about 37 when they became head of state. IBB was about 44 years old, even younger than Duke is, when he became head of state,  so to say Duke does not have the experience is absolute NON-SENSE. It is because of people like Nigeria is backward,  you can never look forward.

IBB had about 8 years experience when he annulled June 12. If his experience counted for anything then he should have known that was a stupid idea. ObJ has ruled Nigeria for a total of 11 years and yet he is still making stupid mistakes like allowing the unconstitutional impeachment of Governors etc. Don't tell me nonsense about experience.

Nigeria has had a string of stupid, incapable, illiterate leaders since independence and here we are with the opportunity to get probably the best leader ever and you say he is not yet ready. Non-Sense,  the man Governed Cross Rivers State firmly and ordered the arrest of several top politicians who tried to cause chaos. So don't mistake the peace and tranquility in CR state with it being an easy state to govern, it was simply that Duke was a very good governor.

Revolution: Excellent reply
Thanks for the sincere comment, I truly respect it.
I'm for positive advancement and I'm willing to join anyone that is capable of accomplishing this goal effectively and efficiently.

Even though my man for now is IBB; with him I see a better Nigeria and I truly feel that he has no reason to fail while others have thousands of reasons to fail.
I'm open and will no hesitate to change my mind if I discover a stronger candidate.


May God bless Nigeria.

big b1,

im sorry, but ibb had his chance to make change. ironically, he did, but the change was for the worse. fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me. i remember when IBB came into power wit all his 10 point agenda and shit. everybody got excited. what happend by 1993? dele giwa, army plane crash, vatsa, devalued currency, political thuggery, manipulation, duress, oil mis-management, corruption, among other things. AND YOU TELL ME IBB is ur man? u must be related to him, because i find it hard to comprehend you.


NOW, back to donald duke. i have watchd this man for years. he is among my top 5 nigerian govt officials (dora akinluyi, femi pedro, ngozi okonjo nweala, ribadu and donald duke). we have all seen what he can do. people forget what the REAL PROBLEM IS: HE IS A MINORITY

nigeria is not yet ready for a minority president. the next president, whetther we like it or not, will come from either the north or the south-south. from what i understand, duke's camp is aware of this. they are truly vying for the vice-president slot. unfortunately, if the presidential candidate comes from south-south, then d vp will be from the north. so for duke, his best chance (and what he is banking on) is a presidential nominee from the north. someone with a solid pedigree and a clean record, we shall see in the coming weeks how things transpire.

You guys are wasting your time and energy with Big B1. Concentrate more on promoting Duke and similar qualified candidates.

I dare say we might see a Duke + Marwa presidential campaign. And for the love of all that is ane, someone please post pics of Cross River state.

Mariory I've told people to leave that slowpoke BIG B1 alone, he is nothing but a dongon yaro, did you see all the people that went to pick up a form with IBB, all criminals lobbying to get a ministerial post. As for you BIGB1 Come to ROCKVIEW plaza on the 28th of this month and look at indigenous Nigerians all over the world coming to fight and protest against IBB we will never let him come back. Duke is the man he has a vision, IBB IS GOING FOR A GOLD we Nigerians are nothing to IBB but a price. he sold us once to the Muslim world and we won't let him do it again.

since IBB is so clean MR slowpoke BIGB1 why don't you tell us why he is scared to come to the USA?

have you guys seen the crown prince arising from the northwest?