I saw the last 1 hour of the Presidential Debate yesterday, and must say I am quite disappointed at the various candidates. Only Shekarau performed marginally well and presented some concrete plans.

One would have thought that these candidates would take this opportunity to present their concrete plans to bring Nigeria out of the woods, but all they did for half of the time was to insult PDP and then use rhetoric to confuse issues. That Nigeria needs to move forward is not news, but we need to hear how these people intend to implement all the wonderful promises they are making.

Hear excerpts of their responses to various issues:

How will you tackle Corruption?

Buhari - [/b]The process is corrupt and the people are also corrupt. The process will be changed such that subordinates will not keep quiet when Oga is "chopping'' (how he will achieve that he did not say). The national treasury is a trust and he will not allow anyone to eat out of it and go scotfree (rhetoric).

[b]Ribadu Disagreed with Buhari that the people are corrupt, but rather that it is the system that is corrupt (coming from Ribadu, acclaimed anti-corruption Czar, it was such a brainless statement that the audience shouted him down. We all know Nigerians are corrupt and that corruption has eaten into the fabric of our society, both public and private. So disappointing that Ribadu presented no concrete plan to fight corruption).

Shekarau - We will enlighten the public and preach the anti-corruption message (so brainless nobody knew that when he was through).

HOW WILL YOU TACKLE THE JOS AND BORNO CRISIS

Buhari Grazing reserves will be created for cattle as nomads move from place to place in search of pasture (This is crap. The issues in Jos have gone beyond grazing rights. It is now political and religious. The indigene/settler issue needs to be resolved)

Shekarau I will replicate what I did in Kano, such that there has been no violence for 8 years. I will pursue integration and inclusive Govt such as including all groups in Govt as I have done in Kano (This was his best point of the day and he was rewarded with a thundering applause, because he really made sense on this point).

Ribadu We need to promote justice and equity, The Boko Haram people that are saying western education is evil are not attacking schools, showing that there's more to the issues at stake (Am sure Ribadu did not think this through).

WHY SHOULD WE VOTE FOR YOU AND NOT OTHERS

The responses were so crappy I could not find anything meaningful to extract. Only Ribadu said he represents the aspiration of Nigerians, that he is young (impliedly not old as Buhari) and not a local or state person (like Shekarau), but that he is a federal person with national and international clout (more rhetorics).

CLOSING STATEMENTS

This is the most crappy use of closing statements. At this stage, a candidate should sum up all he has earlier said, with a goal of leaving us at a high point! All the candidates failed to achieve this. The moderator had to remind Buhari that he still had time and should keep talking, but the General just kept saying we should go out and vote and then defend our vote. Ribadu made a little sense, but he had this penchant of speaking beyond allotted time that the moderator had to remind him twice to stick to the terms of the agreement they all signed (quite embarassing in my opinion).

LAST WORD ON THE DEBATE

The debate failed to achieve much. The day went to Shekarau, though the presentation of all the candidates was well below par.

The problem is that most Nigerians are part time political observers in that we don't know our leaders and their history . We are therefore, most times , unable to build a complete picture of those who should lead us. [b]This is why it is easy for some to be swayed by a debate alone when they have never heard of Shekarau . That in itself is a recipe for disaster . Similarly , it is sad some , to the point of personal insult , can now malign Ribadu and Buhari so much based on their performance in a debate while conveniently ignoring the "complete picture" as far as both men are concerned.[/b] For all of you saying you will rush off to investigate Shekarau , let me save you the fruitless effort . There is nothing to investigate and there is no "rough diamond" to be uncovered . It is the same as how I said Yar Adua was mediocre when he was brought forward and people were impressed with the good things said of him that constant political observers knew was outright fabrication. I knew Yar Adua did very little in the 8 years he led Katsina State . It is precisely the same for Shekarau . Eloquence with zero political will. Listen to Saraki below:

Gbawe--- then wont it be hypocrisy castigating GEJ for not attending--- If we shouldn't be swayed by their performance in the debate--- for once I like your comment.

Genbuhari3:

how can you spend $16billion dollars and nothing happens and you say you just want to move forward without know what went wrong?

and even Ribadu mentioned they have to look into it as well!

Diversification into coal, gas bla bla bla is as generic as Buhari's response in revamping the power stations. Buhari still sits with the idea that Government is primarily responsible for power and knowing him as someone who birthed the refineries, [b]constructed 14000 kilometre[/b]s of road in PTF under 4 years, and poured money into health care and ensured that no contract in PTF was left undone, then he is certain he can judiciously bring power back to life!

Definitely people will be probed and jailed if found wanting but what happens afterwards , we just feel happy that the corrupt people are jailed while we still remain in darkness . I repeat that what we need is the way forward and Ribadu did just that , not informing us again of the problem we probably know better.

Was the benin - ore road repaired , rather we were all aware that all road leading to the north were the best in the country but the Benin- Ore road has been a pain since ages. if he did not touch the road then i can say Buhari himself failed to do something right to a high degree considering the importance but off course we know no one is perfect. We must come to know that all man has his own share of imperfection but trying to make me believe that Buhari is too straight to be queried is just fallacy.
I know you always do better bro .

For God sake RIBADU WAS DAMN RIGHT!

He is very intelligent and brainy.If you say Nigerians are corrupt then all of us are corrupt.He did not say that those he investigated are not corrupt.Those that are not intelligent enough to understand simple statements are the ones that are brainless

9ijaMan:

I have a Kano indigen friend who is a die hard Shekarau fan and also confirmed the  statement in bold letters. Shekarau himself is known to be prudent but lacks the tenacity to fight corruption. A lot of his cabinet members who clearly embezzeled government funds to build mansions in Kano were said to have simply left for God to judge by Shekarau. I understand he does not punish thieving civil servants.

That's the main reason why I'm very much skeptical about his ability to wield the stick on erring government officials. My support still goes to Buhari 'cos he sure has the strong personality to ensure probity and accountability.

My brother , you are being a responsible voter thinking and talking like that because the debate must be taken together with the histories of these men as public servants . We must look at their efficacy as administrators as well in the alloted time they all had to impress us administrators . Shekarau had 8 years yet is a big fat zero . Saraki had 8 years and he is also nothing to write home about . It is therefore very fickle voters who would suddenly consider Saraki as more deserving of a vote than Buhari or Ribadu because Saraki spoke more eloquently than both men in a debate. I praise Shekarau because his conventional eloquence meant he carried the day but it was awful how Nairalander insulted the persons of Ribadu and Buhari over a debate . Ribadu is suddenly a "pompous buffoon"   and Shekarau suddenly President elect ? I bow for our fickle nature and irreverence . Like I said earlier , in a nation of extreme administrative mediocrities real performers never go unnoticed . This is why today we still know Okonjo-Iweala,. Buhari, Ribadu, et al while many Nairalanders did not even know Shekarau. Well we shall introduce Governor Shekarau to Nairalanders .

My brother , now Shekarau will also now experience the scrutiny the likes of Buhari and Ribadu have endured for years yet come through with their good name intact because of their performances that nothing , not even insults , can obliterate. We will begin to inspect Shekarau past also for the sake of fairness.

http://weekly.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=818:re-ibrahim-shekarau-and-2011-why-he-cannot-win-&catid=1:comments&Itemid=109

Mr Audu will agree with me that the issues I raised on why Nigerians will never vote for his principal, Ibrahim Shekarau,  are that his name is the fourth on the EFCC list of 31 corrupt governors as documented by EFCC when Nuhu Ribadu was in charge. That he has foreign accounts in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand and Egypt as was revealed in the press as far back as 2004 and 2006 which is against the principle of the Nigerian constitution of 1999.

As was reported in the press, the former Kano State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Yusuf who is a devout Muslim expressed his dismay and displeasure that Ibrahim Shekarau and his administration is sabotaging and usurping the powers of the Nigeria Police through his hisbah outfit which are law unto themselves.

Finally and amongst other things, Shekarau has refused to give the C of O of their plots of land to the various Christian churches in Kano State and in fact went ahead to destroy some. I expected Mr Saka Raji Audu to address these issues which can be verified in EFCC office in Abuja and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) office in Kano unfortunately, he decided to touch on petty and insignificant things he created in his mind.

Mr Audu, you will agree with me that your benefactor Shekarau’s appointment of Igbo and Yoruba Christians into his administration as advisers is simply a gimmick to cover his atrocities against indigenous Hausa Kano State Christians who are not only marginalized but their children are refused placement in public schools paid for by the tax payer and of course the Niger-delta petrol dollar.

Funny enough my good friend Mr Audu made reference to the fact that his principal and benefactor was given traditional titles in Anambra and Osun, but he forgot to add the fact that it is an open secret in Nigeria of today that chieftaincy titles and honorary degrees are “cash and carry” and is therefore for the highest looters. In fact the higher you loot and plunder from the public treasury the more chiefly title you will be given. That is why persons like your principal have now graduated from being called a ‘Mallam’ when he introduced his political Sharia to being called ‘Dr’ Ibrahim Shekarau.

I expected Mr Audu to explain why his master’s administration has refused to give C of O to over 80 Churches in Kano state and he had no words to explain this barbaric behaviour unbecoming of ‘democrats’ as he claims his principal to be.  I advise his master and benefactor to take a quick look over his shoulders to Gombe state or Niger state where true democrats are at work. Just last Month, not only did Danjuma Goje give C of O to Christian churches, he donated his personal money for building the CAN secretariat in Gombe state and in fact laid the foundation stone himself. Danjuma Goje is not only a Muslim but of the purest Fulani stock. This is how a true democrat should behave if you should ask me. Better still let your principal take a cue from Babatunde Fashola who though a Muslim attends almost all Christian functions and treats everybody the same, faith notwithstanding. These are the hallmark of true democrats and patriots. Please compare that to your principal where does he measure up to those mentioned above?

BUHARI DID NOT MISS THE POINT ON HEALTH.
HE SAID HE WILL TACKLE THE CAUSE INSTEAD OF THE EFFECT LIKE HAVING CLEAN WATER SOURCES, FAKE DRUG ISSUE, ETC

On Job Security - while talking to Dbanj

"Assuming you r'e doing your job on stage, performing and we start hearing Gun shots outside, there need to be security from such situation as you perform. . . . . ."

Yeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Say its not true, God!!!!! Help us!

People should allow the insults to flow freely after all they have been insulting goodluck and his wife all these while.

General Buhari's answers. It was indeed not a bad one. many things said in few words. some of the words are mine, but the message is clear. Please watch the video again to confirm. I just watched it again and I think my anxiety made me miss his good performance

You were quoted at the emergence of your regime in 1984 that 'we the SMC have not considered a return to democratic rule'. why should Nigerians vote for you in a democratic setting? Will you be a democratic leader?


I am happy you said we, because in the the military government which i led, we had democracy. decisions were taken by the council of states, SMC, ministeries. we only suspended that part of the constitution which had to do with elections. I have shown since 2003 that I am a democrat, losing elections twice and going to court for 50 months to fight for my right rather than take to the street.

Are you satisfied with power?

I am not. We had 4000 megawats in 1999, we have around that number now, yet the PDP government have spent $16 billion dollars on power. we must know what happened to that money?

Are you saying you will probe past government?

'What I am saying is we need to know what happened during that period the money was spent'

General, so what are you going to do about power?

We must revamp the old power stations before thinking of building new ones. the thermal stations will be put to optimal use. we have the resources in this country to do this.

Will you commit to a certain megawat by this time?

We need to know what happened to the last investments in the last 12 years, and then take it up from there

What is your take on the budget (70% recurrent, 30% capital) of the Nigerian government?

we have to go back to the first republic when we had a 5 year developmental plan. we can't commit the infrastuctural development of this country to an ad-hoc plan.

So are you comfortable with the salaries of the legislators?

I am not. It is inmoral for a legislator to earn more than the president of America. we will persuade them to earn much less
What is wrong with our educational system and how do you plan to address it?

There is nothing wrong with our educational system, we just need to improve it. we need to ensure and secure proper funding of UBE and tertiary education, ensure that resources are properly used

If you say there is nothing wrong with our educational system, why then did your children go to private schools?

Well, you can choose private schools for your children, it is part of the beauty of democracy

What are your plans for the health sector?

we will improve the infrastructure, especially get good portable water supply for the people, invest more in health, equip the hospitals and the federal government must control fake drugs which can be more damaging than a disease, train more people, and educate the people because if they are educated, they are more aware of their health

What are your plans for child mortality?

we will seek expertise from foreign NGO's who have the knowledge and expertise to help us, we have the resources. and the federal, state and local government must allocate a substantial part of their budget to the funding of health care for women and children


How will you grow the economy?

we will invest heavily in infrastucture which will provide jobs for our people. especially power, we will ensure power drives this economy.[/b]How will you solve Jos crisis?

[b]we in CPC have what we call local policing. we will have local police authorities made up of people from that locals. the problem in Jos is between the normads and stagnant farmers, and this is because the grazing infrasture which we had back in the days to cater for the normads are gone. and this people by nature and profession moves around north, south, east. we need to bring back the grazing infrastructure to accomodate this people


Why a northerner, why not a southerner?

We in CPC believe that Nigeria is our constituency and every Nigerian has the right to contest for any political office. All we want is a free and fair election. Our vote must count, it is left to Nigerians to make their decisions



From me again,
I don tire ooo. But all, you need to watch that video again. I have Ribadu and Shekarau's answers as well, but i can't type it, maybe their supporters can help. but what I know is Shekarau carried us a way with is eloquence but said so little, Ribadu angered us by his lousiness and youthful exuberance, but said little that meant little, General Buhari disappointed us with his poor debating skills, but said a little that meant a lot!

General Buhari showed wisdom, vision, tolerance (despite Ribadu and Shekarau's bashing) will and commitment in the debate. And Shekarau endorsed him with his closing remarks! what a way to compensate the general.

And I did not include his best time of the debate. His closing statements which countered Obama's advice to Africa, and the need for Nigerians to vote and guard their votes.

jmaine,

the question you will ask is what was the condition of benin ore road between 1995 and 1998?

I dont know, but I know it wasn't bad!

opalu:

EVEN RIBADU DID NOT SPEAK EMPTY WORDS AS SOME PEOPLE EARLIER CLAIMED.

Indeed. I really wonder how some folks analyse issues . Shekarau says he will apply the Kano formula to Jos and that somehow deserves more praise than what Ribadu said to the effect that addressing the fundamental issues of justice would be more efficient ? When did Kano become Jos ? Ribadu's aggresive style was deemed "arrogant" by many but let folks listen to what the man said without bias and it will be clear ribadu is aware of the problems and has good solutions . On the Niger Delta , for example , he spoke about genuine justice and how he will provide a Marshall plan to tackle roads, infrastructure etc in ensuring the money derived from the ND region  is used to develop the region. he stated that the many insincere Ministries and committees created for the ND were not delivering desired results. What could be better than that ? What did Shekarau say?

Now everyone is more calm we can inspect utterances better. Even as far as his statement that Nigerians are not corrupt he was right because of what he was leading up to and the crowd seemed to do our Nation a disservice with how they prematurely concluded that we are indeed a corrupt people without letting Ribadu finish. Ribadu went on to clarify that it is a bastardized system that breeds corruption in Nigerians . How is that not a classy statement in light of how many non-Nigerians the world over are willing to swear that[b] Nigerians are corrupt by nature [/b] ? Do we not need a President who believes in our core goodness as a people to the extent he is ready to work in recapturing our lost goodness? Many politicians are corrupt today because of a cynical system everybody conforms with to the exception of a few guys like Ribadu and Buhari . When most Nigerians enter office they simply conclude that Nigerians are corrupt so why should I be different?

Doyin!:

For God sake RIBADU WAS DAMN RIGHT!

He is very intelligent and brainy.

Indeed . I don't know how folks confuse intelligence with eloquence. Folks should go and listen to the debate again without emotions . Indeed Shekarau was the most conventionally eloquent but most times he offered nothing deep . It is Ribadu who pledged that 25% will go towards funding education. It is Ribadu who spoke of providing an attractive environment to bring back home the many Nigerian health specialist domiciled abroad . It was Ribadu who suggested specialist centres in all the geo-political sections of Nigeria for the treatment of specialised ailments many Nigerians routinely go abroad for . It is Ribadu who stated that pruning waste is essential to do away with many superflous parastatals and agencies while Shekarau could only piggy-back by saying the EFCC and the ICPC are  some of the superflous agencies !!!! Is it not clear Shekarau is wrong ? What does Shekarau suggest we provide to fight corruption, fraud, Internet scamming , money laundering and financial crime? Attach those things to the duties of our Police force?  Who does not know that the EFCC is totally neccessary if it can be run with sincerity? Does Shekarau know what obtains throughout the world with specialist unit arising to fight highly sophisticated crime ? Is Shekarau aware of what the EFCC achieved for Nigeria internationally ? Let him do more research into the gains Nigeria made from the work of the EFCC before he speaks in favour of its abolition without telling us what he will provide in its place, 

[b]If you say Nigerians are corrupt then all of us are corrupt.[/b]He did not say that those he investigated are not corrupt.Those that are not intelligent enough to understand simple statements are the ones that are brainless

Indeed. If Ribadu admits that all Nigerians are corrupt then we should all go home and give up hope. He was saying that we need to embark on social reorientation that will help us recapture the Nigeria of the past where folks believed in hardwork rather than what we have today with a bastardized system that promotes the "get rich quick" mentality everyone is quick to embrace.

babasoty:

problem is most of you see GEJ as PDP-- that's the problem--- even CPC is worse off than PDP as for ACN its another story-- Yes Nigeria is corrupt, there's grinding Poverty etc etc, now tell me didn't Buhari contribute to this problem, here you have Ribadu absolving Tinubu a man he was after of any crime, if we beam our searchlight on Shekarau would u honestly find him clean.-- guys please spare me all this brouhaha--- change is from within us, don't put every blame on PDP, the lecturer who receives bribes from students to pass them would blame GEJ, the nurse at the Government clinic that would ask for something before she gives a woman drugs provided by the gov't would blame GEJ.

So if the problem is not PDP, who is it? ANPP? ACN? PPA? PDP has been in power for 12 years. How can you sit in your bedroom and continue to frighten us about CPC and ACN that have never produced the president. what power of foretelling the future do you have that we don't? Did Bush not say that Saadam had weapons of mass destruction?
Buhari spent 20months on office (just 8months more than GEJ has just done). He left office 26 years ago, perhaps before you were born
Yet you are claiming he contributed to a problem. What could he have done in 20months over 26years ago that others could not have been rectified?
Jonathan has been part of government (holding executive office) for 12 unbroken years to date. And he is not part of the problem? pleaaaase
BTW - Jonathan was deputy gov in Bayelsa for 6.5years and gov for 1.5years. Yet Bayelsa state has the highest poverty rate per head in Nigeria
So is that that fault of ACN, CPC, PPA or ANPP?

Power to change does not lie with us. If I had the powers, Harliburton bribe takers would be in jail, the Siemens thieves would be in jail, the minister of state for health (who confessed to taking bribe and sits across the table from Jonathan every wed at FEC meetings) will be in jail, Either Dokpesi would be in jail or I would have jailed those who concocted those Oct 1st bomb blast text messages, my ministers of Defence (Kayode) and Environment (Odey) as well as a presidential senior special assistant would not have attended Bode George's gig
Had I the powers, the rioters and bombers all over the country will be  feeling the heat. Look at mexico - the drug dealers are fighting back, but they are not dictating the pace
Were I president, any policeman who shoots an innocent person at a checkpoint will be given accelerated hearing
Anybody who dares to jail the mighty is telling all those small time miscreants who have no political godfather to shape up    

Finally, Qatar Airways is celebrating its 100th destinations now. The airline was set up by the ruling family in 1994 and became a public company with private ownership in 1997 (2 years before PDP came into office).
Obama is less than 3 years in office and he is being fully held to account for the 2 wars started by Bush as well as the other economic problems
What has PDP been doing - whining, lamenting, blaming incidents of over 15years?

9ijaMan:

@Gbawe,
You are probably from Kwara state, just as I am. I may have issues with the Saraki family, but I surely will not be dishonest in my claims about what may or may not have transpired between GEJ & Bukola. You have simply resorted to the same style and tactics Beaf and his ilks use to paint anyone they are against black without any shred of evidence. I dare to say that your claims about Bukola extorting GEJ to the tune of billions of Naira is not true. When we make assertions we need to be objective and not let out emotions take over our reasoning.

Bukola Saraki only got into good terms with GEJ when he lost out in the choice of the NPLF for the Northern consensus candidate. Bukola and GEJ were still at logger heads even after GEJ was sworn in, this is supported by the fact that GEJ attempted to oust Bukola, through Gbenga Daniels and some other governors, from the chairmanship position of the governors forum.

Bukola reconciled with GEJ on a quid pro quo basis:
Bukola will use the support of the federal might to win the governorship elections in Kwara for the PDP candidate, Fatai Ahmed.
While on the other hand Bukola will use the state machinery to make sure GEJ wins majority of votes in Kwara state in the presidential election.
In a nut shell, he reconciled with GEJ in order to remain politically relevant since he's at loggerheads with his father.

My brother, I am talking of a period you may have forgotten about . When Yar Adua was comatose in SA and his cabal were gradually losing control , Bukola was chairman of the Governors forum. He met with Jonathan to articulate the positions of the Governor towards Jonathan's desire to be confirmed acting President . We all know everything is 'negotiation' in Nigeria . Before Jonathan , as acting President , even had time to take fiscal stock of what was on ground he disbursed billions to the Governors . Go figure !!!!

For me on this debate, I think Shekarau has more plans. In the absence of GEJ, Shekarau will have my vote. But with the Vice-Presidential Debates, is obvious that Buhari will be largely controlled by Bakare,  . Ribadu will will very well be managed by Adeola. I think the pair that has come out balanced in the Debates so far is the Shekarau/Oyegun pair. Both have independent minds with vast experience and have willingly chosen to work together, this is good for democracy! Buhari really is coming with a vindictive mindset and this is not good, even Bakare too. Nigeria is bigger and more vast than our respective regions can allow us to explore. We need tact, discipline and moral courage. Not anger or frustration (Bakare shows this). Ribadu/Adeola ,  I think Ribadu will lack the moral courage to do a blow to injustice and corruption. Why did he now refutes the fact that he ever tried to investigate Tinubu? Why did he leave the NPF when he was demoted. After all, his mates demoted alongside him are still the service

Well, lets meet again on Tuesday, March 29 2011 to hear Goodluck/Sambo and others then. Then we have a better perspective of what they have to offer.

So if the problem is not PDP, who is it? ANPP? ACN? PPA? PDP has been in power for 12 years. How can you sit in your bedroom and continue to frighten us about CPC and ACN that have never produced the president. what power of foretelling the future do you have that we don't? Did Bush not say that Saadam had weapons of mass destruction?
Buhari spent 20months on office (just 8months more than GEJ has just done). He left office 26 years ago, perhaps before you were born
Yet you are claiming he contributed to a problem. What could he have done in 20months over 26years ago that others could not have been rectified?
Jonathan has been part of government (holding executive office) for 12 unbroken years to date. And he is not part of the problem? pleaaaase
BTW - Jonathan was deputy gov in Bayelsa for 6.5years and gov for 1.5years. Yet Bayelsa state has the highest poverty rate per head in Nigeria
So is that that fault of ACN, CPC, PPA or ANPP?

Power to change does not lie with us. If I had the powers, Harliburton bribe takers would be in jail, the Siemens thieves would be in jail, the minister of state for health (who confessed to taking bribe and sits across the table from Jonathan every wed at FEC meetings) will be in jail, Either Dokpesi would be in jail or I would have jailed those who concocted those Oct 1st bomb blast text messages, my ministers of Defence (Kayode) and Environment (Odey) as well as a presidential senior special assistant would not have attended Bode George's gig
Had I the powers, the rioters and bombers all over the country will be  feeling the heat. Look at mexico - the drug dealers are fighting back, but they are not dictating the pace
Were I president, any policeman who shoots an innocent person at a checkpoint will be given accelerated hearing
Anybody who dares to jail the mighty is telling all those small time miscreants who have no political godfather to shape up    

Finally, Qatar Airways is celebrating its 100th destinations now. The airline was set up by the ruling family in 1994 and became a public company with private ownership in 1997 (2 years before PDP came into office).
Obama is less than 3 years in office and he is being fully held to account for the 2 wars started by Bush as well as the other economic problems
What has PDP been doing - whining, lamenting, blaming incidents of over 15years?

Rantings rantings rantings-- firstly I was in primary 4 while Buhari came into power, is PDP made up of masked men, aren't they Nigerians just like you are, is CPC not composed of the same men who once called the shots in PDP, are they better off in terms of leadership, a party that couldn't even uphold its own constitution has the moral right to attack PDP, a party (CPC) that couldn't even obey the wishes of its majority in choosing a candidate doesn't have any right to castigate PDP, if Buhari couldn't accomplish anything in 20 months while ruling with executive fiats, are you expecting a miracle from GEJ that has to pass through the bottlenecks of legislation to get a bill approved, apart from the few months he held sway as governor in office GEJ has never been in a position to called the shots in governance so I wonder where you got the * GEJ has been in Government for 12 years*, and as for your bayelsa figures--- please support that with proof,
A man is pronounced guilty by a law court before you call him that, I wonder where you get your stories of the minister of health admitting to taking bribe, is that a figment of your imagination or what ?, Please do not ever compare the drug war in mexico to Nigeria, even MEND nor BOKO HARAM is not as brazen as them, since you so uninformed their are currently prosecutions going on in the haalliburton scandal-- even affecting an aide of OBJ who you guys are quick to charge runs the government, every company involved paid in one form or the other and most are on probations. so please before ranting next time---- check facts.

Can people quit talking up Shekarau. He has been governor of a state and that provides a benchmark for his performance. What is the performance report of his stewardship of a state? If he didn't do anything tangible or worthwhile in his home state, what is he going to do with Nigeria? Nigerians can be so fickle.No underperforming Governor in Nigeria SHOULD be seeking the office of President. Perhaps Ibori, Gbenga Daniels, and Akala will run in 2015.

babasoty:

Gbawe--- then wont it be hypocrisy castigating GEJ for not attending--- If we shouldn't be swayed by their performance in the debate--- for once I like your comment.

Jonathan should have attended . I have not said we should not be swayed by their performance in the debate alone. I enjoyed the debate and support the precedences it set. I have qualified my statement to show that , along with the debate, we should include performance in public office to judge , in totality , those who have "walked the walk". No doubt Jonathan and Shekarau , with many years in public office , have not "walked the walk" and distinguished themselves like Buhari and Ribadu have done.

Do we not have eloquent fraudsters , as leaders, all across Nigeria? Jonathan was actually described as "underwhelming" by the same American Government that gave Ribadu audience to address congress.  Abeg , if conventional eloquence , rather than substance and genuine political will,  provides what Nigeria need then let us make Dimeji Bankole President today. I take nothing away from Shekarau but I still insist he did not do as well as people claim he did. Many were simply bowled over by his eloquence , "especially for an Aboki" , to the extent that they simply failed to scrutinise the message he passed along for saliency and efficacy. Shekarau needed this because he does not have the profile of Buhari and Ribadu. GEJ should have been there because , even with his visibility, he does not have the above average record , in office , Buhari and Ribadu have.

Katsumoto:

Can people quit talking up Shekarau. He has been governor of a state and that provides a benchmark for his performance. What is the performance report of his stewardship of a state? If he didn't do anything tangible or worthwhile in his home state, what is he going to do with Nigeria? Nigerians can be so fickle.No underperforming Governor in Nigeria SHOULD be seeking the office of President. Perhaps Ibori, Gbenga Daniels, and Akala will run in 2015.

Ol boy where have you been ? I was actually going to comment that I would wait for some of the most balanced Nairalanders , who routinely see beyond rhetoric, like yourself , Mikeansy, Na-so, Debosky, Obiagu et al to comment . I feel many responded to Shekarau as if he was a freak show i.e "an eloquent Aboki" blew them away even when , for the most balanced , it was clear Shekarau did not provide the most  insightful solutions or answers . Did you note that on Jos , Shekarau proposed he would use the Kano formula  He was actually praised for that very poor reasoning by those totally enthralled that an "aboki" is eloquent to the extent they do not even inspect the intelligence or functionality of what he is saying !!!

Genbuhari3:

jmaine,

the question you will ask is what was the condition of benin ore road between 1995 and 1998?

I dont know, but I know it wasn't bad!

UTTERLY WRONG ,don't even try to defend him on this . that road has being a pain since the days of the Peugeot  J5 ( early 90's mode of public transport) to the night travelling marcopolos of the big transport firms e.g Chisco [i]et a[/i]l.,.

Please let's move on.

Jonathan should have attended . I have not said we should not be swayed by their performance in the debate alone. I enjoyed the debate and support the precedences it set. I have qualified my statement to show that , along with the debate, we should include performance in public office to judge , in totality , those who have "walked the walk". No doubt Jonathan and Shekarau , with many years in public office , have not "walked the walk" and distinguished themselves like Buhari and Ribadu have done.

Do we not have eloquent fraudsters , as leaders, all across Nigeria? Jonathan was actually described as "underwhelming" by the same American Government that gave Ribadu audience to address congress.  Abeg , if conventional eloquence , rather than substance and genuine political will,  provides what Nigeria need then let us make Dimeji Bankole President today. I take nothing away from Shekarau but I still insist he did not do as well as people claim he did. Many were simply bowled over by his eloquence , "especially for an Aboki" , to the extent that they simply failed to scrutinise the message he passed along for saliency and efficacy. Shekarau needed this because he does not have the profile of Buhari and Ribadu. GEJ should have been there because , even with his visibility, he does not have the above average record , in office , Buhari and Ribadu have.

Gbawe I beg to disagree on the above highlighted part--- analyse the amount of time Buahri actually called the shots and GEJ, lets forget about ribadu--because his own record in office is debatable looking at the side of the divide in which your in, a lot of people would say he was after OBJ's opponents and others would differ on it, and I don't think his position should be used to compare that held by GEJ or Buhari or even Shekarau--cus all he can actually boast of was his fight against corruption. Coming to Buhari-- was his reign much better off than GEJ's compared to the challenges both faced, Buhari had no legislators to battle to face to pass a bill, he had no administrative bottlenecks to encounter unlike GEJ, but can you say his government was better off, what was his tactics in combating rising inflation--sending soldiers to beat up market men and women, what was his credentials in containing opposition even if he was a military head, we both know Idiagbon was the backbone of that government that's why it was easy to overthrow the government while he wasn't around, the same clueless toga heaped on GEJ is what we can call Buhari then, what was Buhari's stance on corruption then cus that's what most folks attribute to him, the case of the "53" briefcase readily comes to mind that his was a selective fight against corruption, he added tribal sentiments to it when dealing with politicians who he claimed were corrupt, jailing the southerners and keeping the northerners in house arrest, so please i don't see how better off he was when compared to GEJ.

Jonathan should have attended . I have not said we should not be swayed by their performance in the debate alone. I enjoyed the debate and support the precedences it set. I have qualified my statement to show that , along with the debate, we should include performance in public office to judge , in totality , those who have "walked the walk". No doubt Jonathan and Shekarau , with many years in public office , have not "walked the walk" and distinguished themselves like Buhari and Ribadu have done.

Do we not have eloquent fraudsters , as leaders, all across Nigeria? Jonathan was actually described as "underwhelming" by the same American Government that gave Ribadu audience to address congress.  Abeg , if conventional eloquence , rather than substance and genuine political will,  provides what Nigeria need then let us make Dimeji Bankole President today. I take nothing away from Shekarau but I still insist he did not do as well as people claim he did. Many were simply bowled over by his eloquence , "especially for an Aboki" , to the extent that they simply failed to scrutinise the message he passed along for saliency and efficacy. Shekarau needed this because he does not have the profile of Buhari and Ribadu. GEJ should have been there because , even with his visibility, he does not have the above average record , in office , Buhari and Ribadu have.

Gbawe I beg to disagree on the above highlighted part--- analyse the amount of time Buahri actually called the shots and GEJ, lets forget about ribadu--because his own record in office is debatable looking at the side of the divide in which your in, a lot of people would say he was after OBJ's opponents and others would differ on it, and I don't think his position should be used to compare that held by GEJ or Buhari or even Shekarau--cus all he can actually boast of was his fight against corruption. Coming to Buhari-- was his reign much better off than GEJ's compared to the challenges both faced, Buhari had no legislators to battle to face to pass a bill, he had no administrative bottlenecks to encounter unlike GEJ, but can you say his government was better off, what was his tactics in combating rising inflation--sending soldiers to beat up market men and women, what was his credentials in containing opposition even if he was a military head, we both know Idiagbon was the backbone of that government that's why it was easy to overthrow the government while he wasn't around, the same clueless toga heaped on GEJ is what we can call Buhari then, what was Buhari's stance on corruption then cus that's what most folks attribute to him, the case of the "53" briefcase readily comes to mind that his was a selective fight against corruption, he added tribal sentiments to it when dealing with politicians who he claimed were corrupt, jailing the southerners and keeping the northerners in house arrest, so please i don't see how better off he was when compared to GEJ.

babasoty:

Gbawe I beg to disagree on the above highlighted part--- analyse the amount of time Buahri actually called the shots and GEJ, lets forget about ribadu--because his own record in office is debatable looking at the side of the divide in which your in, a lot of people would say he was after OBJ's opponents and others would differ on it, and I don't think his position should be used to compare that held by GEJ or Buhari or even Shekarau--cus all he can actually boast of was his fight against corruption. Coming to Buhari-- was his reign much better off than GEJ's compared to the challenges both faced, Buhari had no legislators to battle to face to pass a bill, he had no administrative bottlenecks to encounter unlike GEJ, but can you say his government was better off, what was his tactics in combating rising inflation--sending soldiers to beat up market men and women, what was his credentials in containing opposition even if he was a military head, we both know Idiagbon was the backbone of that government that's why it was easy to overthrow the government while he wasn't around, the same clueless toga heaped on GEJ is what we can call Buhari then, what was Buhari's stance on corruption then cus that's what most folks attribute to him, the case of the "53" briefcase readily comes to mind that his was a selective fight against corruption, he added tribal sentiments to it when dealing with politicians who he claimed were corrupt, jailing the southerners and keeping the northerners in house arrest, so please i don't see how better off he was when compared to GEJ.

I outrightly reject your arrogant dismissal of Ribadu's achievements . If anything Ribadu is the one that deserves the most chance out of those running. Buhari and GEJ have led Nigeria with supreme executive power. In our system , where power is concentrated inordinately in the Presidency/head of State , we can agree that Buhari and GEJ , with supreme power,  have had , by far , the best chance to impress Nigerians . GEJ and Shekarau both served as Governors . Shekarau has been a Governor for 8 years. We all knows how powerful Governors are . We know the changes they are capable of delivering if the will is there . In comparison to Fashola , Chime and Amaechi we can only conclude , on the evidence before Nigerians , that GEJ and Shekarau were mediocre as Governors of Bayelsa and Kano respectively .

I think some folks would conclude that Ribadu has real potentials because of the success he recorded despite the restraint he had to work with. Let us not go off tangent . I don't think any Nairalander can agree with you that Shekarau and GEJ are not mediocre if we actually inspect their roles in positions where they had real and unrestrained power to make a difference. GEJ has been Deputy Governor, Governor , Vice President and now President . We have seen nothing exemplary from him in all those positions . We all could do with more history lessons because there is ignorance of the record of Ribadu. How many folks know that Ribadu's efficacy in office began even before he worked for OBJ? Listen to hardtalk below ( fast forward to the 7 minutes mark) to note that Ribadu was an achiever and a performer even before he ever worked for OBJ. The man has never been mediocre in any role in his past . That is the best evidence he will not be mediocre in future either.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4707043/nuhu_ribadu_on_hardtalk_may_2010/

thanks you mentioned the future because Ribadu's temperament I witnessed yesterday is not read for a complex Nigeria yet. he needs to learn his lesson. you cannot be so arrogant to say you have worked with the federal government and international organisations hence you are more capable than someone wo has led the most populous state in this country for 8 years!

All I have to say is that, Nigeria can do better than the crop of people who want to become president in 2011. Our system is worse than rotten if out of all the talent we have in our great country, these debaters and GEJ are the only options we have.

Having said that, SAI BUHARI

ndu_chucks:

All I have to say is that, Nigeria can do better than the crop of people who want to become president in 2011. Our system is worse than rotten if out of all the talent we have in our great country, these debaters and GEJ are the only options we have.

Having said that, SAI BUHARI

I somehow agree with the above.

But not all the candidates were invited- Dele Momodu, Chris Okotie, Pat Utomi.

If debates are regarded as platforms for candidates to reel out their programmes, then every candidate should be given an opportunity.

babasoty:

Gbawe I beg to disagree on the above highlighted part--- analyse the amount of time Buahri actually called the shots and GEJ, lets forget about ribadu--because his own record in office is debatable looking at the side of the divide in which your in, a lot of people would say he was after OBJ's opponents and others would differ on it, and I don't think his position should be used to compare that held by GEJ or Buhari or even Shekarau--cus all he can actually boast of was his fight against corruption. Coming to Buhari-- was his reign much better off than GEJ's compared to the challenges both faced, Buhari had no legislators to battle to face to pass a bill, he had no administrative bottlenecks to encounter unlike GEJ, but can you say his government was better off, what was his tactics in combating rising inflation--sending soldiers to beat up market men and women, what was his credentials in containing opposition even if he was a military head, we both know Idiagbon was the backbone of that government that's why it was easy to overthrow the government while he wasn't around, the same clueless toga heaped on GEJ is what we can call Buhari then, what was Buhari's stance on corruption then cus that's what most folks attribute to him, the case of the "53" briefcase readily comes to mind that his was a selective fight against corruption, he added tribal sentiments to it when dealing with politicians who he claimed were corrupt, jailing the southerners and keeping the northerners in house arrest, so please i don't see how better off he was when compared to GEJ.

GEJ is the worst candidate of all those contesting. A man that refuses to sit for an exam does not deserve to pass.
Despite your attempts at be-littling Ribadu's record, he has done better than GEJ. It is your opinion that he went after OBJ's enemies, it is my opinion that he targetted corrupt political office holders. During Ribadu's reign at the EFCC, corrupt officials were quaking in their boots. Now, with Waziri, Nigeria has gone backwards with looting just like the old days. You are lucky, I don't really have the time this morning.

Nigeria is really doomed if more people think and reason like you do.

Pro Anti:

I somehow agree with the above.

But not all the candidates were invited- Dele Momodu, Chris Okotie, Pat Utomi.

If debates are regarded as platforms for candidates to reel out their programmes, then every candidate should be given an opportunity.

Having a debating with no-hopers is always a distraction and not pragmatic. Even in the UK, candidates from the Green Party, UKIP, BNP, etc were not invited to debates. In the US, Independents without a strong base are not invited; Ross Perot (1992) and John Anderson (1980) have been the only Independents invited to debates.