₦airaland Forum

ON two occasions, Malam Adamu Ciroma came close to emerging as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In 1978 when the military was preparing for their first hand over of power to the civilians, he was a front runner for president on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

But because the Nigerian ruling class usually prefers less fancied materials, it was soft-spoken Alhaji Shehu Shagari that was picked.

Again in 1992, during General Ibrahim Babangida’s convoluted transition to civil rule programme, Ciroma was poised to pick up the ticket of the National Republican Convention (NRC). In the first ballot, he drew even with his closest rival, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi and a runoff was imminent.

It was Babangida’s cancellation of the primaries of the SDP and NRC and disqualification of all 22 presidential aspirants that scuttled Ciroma’s opportunity.

Among other things, Ciroma has been a Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Minister of Finance during the first term of the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 to 2003.

It is a man of this giant national profile that is now the field marshal of Arewa warriors campaigning for the return of power to the North in 2011. More than 30 years of exposure to sensitive high national public offices has failed to moderate the regional impetus that threw him upon the national centre-stage.

Just like Shagari, Ciroma started his public service in the office of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. He was the first editor (later Managing Director) of the Arewa-centric New Nigerian Newspapers.

But unlike Shagari who has stayed above the unfolding North versus Jonathan fray, Ciroma has remained the defender of the North that Sardauna raised members of his generation to be.

When he took the front seat to push Arewa’s demand that President Goodluck Jonathan should respect the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and give way to a Northerner in 2011, I felt he had a point, even if a clumsy one.

It is clumsy in that those asking Jonathan to step down for the North would never do that for the South if the situation were reversed, more so as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is on the President’s side.

Many Igbo people were hoping (and still are) that zoning would be respected in order to enable it solve the problem it was created to do in the first place – give every marginalised group (Igbos inclusive) a sense of belonging in the system, just it has done the Yoruba and Ijaw.

However, the call on Jonathan to resign or be impeached by the National Assembly, in my opinion, smacked of political hysteria, even desperation. When a person is desperate he can say or do anything. When a person is hysterical, he is not in full control of himself.

Something else other than cold reasoning has taken over. The ultimatum that Ciroma issued on behalf of the Northern Political Forum on Wednesday October 6, 2010 was clearly intended to incite the North against the President.

This appears to be a common tactic employed by the pro-zoning wing of Northern leaders against the aspirations of Jonathan. A prominent traditional ruler was quoted as telling Northerners that the emergence of Jonathan in 2011 would threaten their culture and religion.

In an interview in The News Magazine  Prof Ango Abdullahi, the former VC of the Ahmadu Bello University, claimed that Jonathan would lose if he ran for president. Alhaji Lawal Kaita was also quoted in the media as saying the North would make the nation ungovernable for the President unless he respected the zoning principle.

In his statement on behalf of the NPF, Ciroma replied Jonathan’s unguarded defence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and accusation of “terrorists” while investigation was ongoing with an equally unguarded repartee.

He said Jonathan should resign or be impeached because the North no longer felt safe under him. If Ciroma and his cohorts had their way, Jonathan would be removed from office.

The one-week ultimatum has passed and the call for Jonathan’s impeachment was not acted upon. The failure of the National Assembly to consider the impeachment of the President, even in form of a motion, is a possible pointer to the outcome of the impending struggle to snatch the PDP ticket from the President or defeat him in the general elections.

It is like a failed referendum. Knowing that no section of the country can muster the number of federal legislators to remove the President (least of all a severely divided North) the NPF should not have made that call. It turned out a wasted effort.

Again, it was inappropriate to liken Jonathan’s presidential bid to Obasanjo’s failed third term. Obasanjo tried to change the Constitution to get the third term but failed.

It is also untrue that Obasanjo’s third term bid led to “the wasting of innocent civilian lives”. No life was lost. Clearly, that statement was meant to create an anti-Jonathan feeling in the system as Obasanjo’s bid elicited.

I would advise Northern leaders, especially those who have benefited so much from Nigeria, to take it easy. Let them not give to Jonathan what they would not take from anybody if they were in the President’s shoes.

If they are serious about preventing Jonathan from getting elected next year, let them put their so-called majority power into effect democratically. The North is said to have the knack to unite at the snap of a finger. This is the time to prove it.

The campaign of incitement should cease forthwith, both from the North and Jonathan’s side, who are brandishing state agencies and MEND to intimidate their opponents. Be careful what you wish. You may get it

This is the same reason GEJ said that criminals were responsible for the Abuja bomb blast in a deliberate bid to tackle those responsible head-on. It is unfortunate also to note that most of the kidnappers are jobless and desperate. Thus, the act of kidnapping.
The question is: Do we think Nigeria government is doing enough to support Nigerians or enough to create the right environment that will enable people strive for individual happiness under the tenets of law that requires citizens to be law abiding in their bid for self sustenance? Government must become more accountable and responsible in terms of meeting the expectations of a people.

Thank God Nigerians are not particularly suicidal but rather hopeful. The quagmire is that people whose patriotism should rest on the entity Nigeria are beginning to form ‘states within a state’; manifested in form of ‘places of worship and all sort of brotherhoods and gangs’.  The consequent of the foregoing is that members of this smaller ‘states’ seek all ways possible to exploit the entity Nigeria. The paradox is that their loyalty ought to be with entity Nigeria first before any of the cellar groups but reverse is the case.

It is best to imagine the level of chaos that may be witnessed when goals of these groups conflict with that of our nation state (Nigeria). The question remains ‘how can government tackle ethnic, religious and criminally motivated goals and how can they simply create a balance between the need to fraternise and the requirement to follow the guiding set principles as stipulated in the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria?  

Beyond killing these criminals, how do we mitigate the possibility of re-emergence of kidnapping in Aba and elsewhere in Nigeria.  Do our government have a sound plan?
The Niger-delta rehabilitation model from my observation has been effective and the concept can be borrowed in tackling all manner of crime.

That said, government should not always wait for something to go wrong before creating programs to empower a people especially the youths of this country! Nigerian youths of today are a wasted generation and unless something is done in terms of capacity building in areas yet explored, youth restiveness and involvement in criminal activities will remain high.
God bless the federal republic of Nigeria.

I like this thinker. suffice to say that a man lies when he has one or two things to hide. The question is: what are these men (IBB and Dokpesi hiding) hiding?

Ribadu is right though, His service to this country was done with a lot of courage. to have such a man retired so quickly is a big shame. Nonetheless, if GEJ had reinstated him fully without retirement, tongues will wag. GEJ did what I thought was honourable in bid to clean up the mess left behind by Yaradua's wife because if you ask me; Yaradua was a good man.

Ribadu, my vote is for either you or GEJ. I will be happy to have either of you as my President but please dont join issues with GEJ, the public backlash maybe beyond your expectations. People just LOVE Gej and if you ask them why, they can't put a finger on it considering his short political experiences but we love him like that.

Try and join issues with IBB or our northern brothers and people will love you more. I like El-Rufia because he is doing that already. You need to clinch power from the old political class in our region otherwise they will swallow you just as they tried to you during Yaradua's days in power. IBB Atiku etc dont love you. They are the ones you need to demistify

IBB delibrately did not apply on time so that he can score a cheap political point on this that Jonatha is a totalitarian. So what? For all I care, IBB can eat my shorts.

It is your family who is sitting on a time bomb not Nigerians. You must be a member of the terrorist group that attacked our country on the 1st of cotber 2010. You will all soon be fished out. Non-entity.

Go and check JEGA's records! and see if fits your dumb theory. Jega time without number has turned down letters from Emirs in the north to assist their candidates who are not qualified for a academic space to be admitted. Go to Kebbi state and ask about him too and how he has distanced himself from politics.

His people are peace loving people that work hard and think with their heads and not from a religious or regional bais.

Your should be ashamed of yourself for asiociating Jega with northern thieves who are claiming to represent the interest of the north but in reality are not.

Useni is a sensible man. Where has that good man been? When he led Bendel state you can almost think a civilian government was in place just as he did with the FCT.
Leadeship skills are God given not the type of statement coming from CIROMA and his cronies.

Are we dumb or what? We ride on our emotions too often that our sense of judgement is relegated to the dust bin.
MEND is a group fighting for the emancipation of Niger-delta region from the exploitation of the energy companies in the region. Overtime MEND has blown flow stations and pipeline lines to drive home their point!
MEND is not known to for killing and or blowing innocent lives to ashes! MEND’s activity has never been outside the niger-delta creeks as far as records show and MEND was one group that had the sympathy of many Nigerian including Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana etc!
Why would MEND chose October 1st to embarrass Nigeria and these reputable men that has supported their cause, or their brother Jonathan who is more Niger-deltan than most of those touting a wannabe Niger-delta credentials!!!!?
What happened on Friday was an act of terrorism that does not represent the interest of any section of this country but the interest of a few deranged individuals who feel they have a better claim to power than anybody else in Nigeria.
Why is Arewa neck bent in the affairs of PDP? Why can’t they support the candidacy of Ribadu ; a very honourable man from the north. Isn’t it curious that these few unscrupulous individuals want to die where our freedom begins!
AREWA led by CIROMA has fulfilled their threat to cause mayhem should Jonathan not abandon his aspiration to carry the PDP flag this is why in their fickleness they all gathered together in one voice to call for his resignation. The larger northern fold is watching.

Are we dumb or what? We ride on our emotions too often that our sense of judgement is relegated to the dust bin.
MEND is a group fighting for the emancipation of Niger-delta region from the exploitation of the energy companies in the region. Overtime MEND has blown flow stations and pipeline lines to drive home their point!
MEND is not known to for killing and or blowing innocent lives to ashes! MEND’s activity has never been outside the niger-delta creeks as far as records show and MEND was one group that had the sympathy of many Nigerian including Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana etc!
Why would MEND chose October 1st to embarrass Nigeria and these reputable men that has supported their cause, or their brother Jonathan who is more Niger-deltan than most of those touting a wannabe Niger-delta credentials!!!!?
What happened on Friday was an act of terrorism that does not represent the interest of any section of this country but the interest of a few deranged individuals who feel they have a better claim to power than anybody else in Nigeria.
Why is Arewa neck bent in the affairs of PDP? Why can’t they support the candidacy of Ribadu ; a very honourable man from the north. Isn’t it curious that these few unscrupulous individuals want to die where our freedom begins!
AREWA led by CIROMA has fulfilled their threat to cause mayhem should Jonathan not abandon his aspiration to carry the PDP flag this is why in their fickleness they all gathered together in one voice to call for his resignation. The larger northern fold is watching.

Senate warns against politicizing October bombing

By Emmanuel Ogala


October 7, 2010 06:21AM
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The Senate yesterday condemned what it called the politicization of the Independence Day bomb blast by political leaders. It described the statements made by some political leaders about the incident as embarrassing, unwarranted and disrespectful to the victims of the blast.

The senators, who said they disapprove of the new trend that comments on the issue have taken, spoke during their deliberation on a motion sponsored by Anthony Manzo over the blasts.

“Let me , express my total disappointment at the comments that are being made by very elderly statesmen outside the chambers here as far as this issue is concerned,” David Mark, the Senate president said.

He called on political leaders across the country to exercise restraint in their utterances, “We’ve lost lives, the nation’s unity is being threatened, and all they (political leaders) have succeeded in doing is to politicize it to their own personal gains and selfishness and I think that is rather unfortunate.”

Mr Mark, whose tone was laced with emotion, noted that “We respect them as elder statesmen, and I think those comments are totally uncalled for, they are unwarranted, the issue before us is far more serious than the politics that they want to play with the lives of Nigerians, with the unity of this country.”

In turns, senators condemned politicians for trading words and seeking political points at the expense of the unity of the nation. However, a comment by Kabiru Gaya, an All Nigeria People’s Party senator from Kano State, who said that President Goodluck Jonathan was hasty in his statements on the issue, sparked a row. The senator had noted that, “Mr. President should have talked less on this issue.”

However, his counterparts from the South-South demanded that Mr. Gaya retract his comment, saying it was an insult to the office of the president.

The president’s comment shortly after the Independence Day blast that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), was not responsible for the incident had led to criticisms and split the political class. On Tuesday, northern leaders had asked Mr. Jonathan to resign. On the same day, Henry Okah a leader of MEND who now lives in South Africa and who had been arrested and is undergoing trial for alleged terrorism had told Al Jazeera television that an aide of the president had called him to link the twin bomb blasts to Northern politicians. However, this has been denied by the presidency.

One enemy

The senate urged the government, politicians and every Nigerian to view terrorism as a common enemy and put aside biases in order to fight it.

Mr. Mark advised Nigerians to learn from the 9/11 terror attack on the United States of America when the nation united as one force against terrorism despite their different ideologies and political ambitions.

He advised that political differences be buried because terrorism is a common threat. He said, “That is what we should be doing on the particular problem in which we find ourselves. I also would like to say also that we should have at the back of our minds Chapter 14 of our Constitution about security and governance. It is a key issue in this country we cannot take it for granted.”

Hasten anti-terror bill

The Senate also resolved to hasten work on both the anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering bills which are before both chambers of the national assembly. According to the Senate, passage of the bills, in addition to provision of technologically up to date security gadgets for the nation’s security agents will help reduce any chances of such terrorism recurring in Nigeria.

“All those found guilty, the culprits and the security agents - for lapses - must be adequately punished. This is not the time for us to go on a sentiment ride and then begin to find reasons why things have gone wrong. Things have gone wrong people must be held responsible. Otherwise nobody will learn a lesson and as long as nobody is punished everybody will take it for granted that things can happen and go that way,” the senate president added.

It is not Jonathan O. Court injunction or the fifth columnist is responsible. Thisday promoter arranged for Joanathan to meet the ex-militants yesterday so the notion that it is Jonathan is wrong.

Thisday is owing a lot and their core promoter has gone political as well.

El rufia benefitted from PDP likewise Ribadu. You dont bite the fingers that fed you. Ribadu and Rufia were on self excile under their brother Yaradua and now they are back and free under Jonathan yet we say Joanathan is not tolerant.

This double standard must stop!

Bigphil go take a chill pill. We know someone did it but not MEND period. All these trolls on naira land to uphold the notion  that MEND did what or not will not work. Advice your Oga IBB to flee and stop fighting dirty because this is the last straw, non-entities!
Faces of MEND have come out and stood by the President’s word that they did not do it and you all chose to believe a faceless Gbomo who says he is fighting for the rights of a people but can collect $100m to kill innocent souls. Let the blood of the departed be on the heads of the killers. At least we know Gbomo is a killer and he and his cronies will not know peace.
This is a joke taken too far! What bravado and you all still come on this page to spill rubbish! Did Jonathan defend the faceless Gbomo or Okah his instructor!? Did he? He came out and said hold this man Okah responsible based on facts on the table yet we choose to speculate than wait and see how further investigation plays out.
I only see dumb people when I read some post and the responses. God bless Nigeria.

K 17 you must be smoking beans. What zoning arrangement. That is the thinking of old and why are so concerned about PDP enternal affairs? Ciroma and his cronies should rest in peace before they destroy Nigeria. Ciroma do not speak like an elder state man. He has threatened this country far more than anyone else with his careless utterances since Jonathan's declaration was well received.

You must be an agent of of IBB as well.

Ciroma and his cohorts should rest in peace. They don't speak for the north. They speak for their pockets and interest. This man's career was not based on merit but through the zoning arrangement. No wonder he will die where our freedom from zoning begins.

Sahara and nairaland have become a play ground for desperate individuals whom may have collected peanuts from their mentor and leader (IBB) to assist him finally bury Nigeria and Nigerians before he dies.

We know these things are happening but the truth cannot be changed. the next few days will help people make better judgement of who IBB truly is.

I feel Gbomo and his cronies are struggling for relevance now after collecting whooping sum of $100M USD to kill innocent Nigerian for some political elites that threatened the peace of Nigeria after they witnessed the mammoth declaration of Jonathan for the Presidency. We don't really sit back to analyse situations very well. Henry Okah do not have much regards for Jonathan because when they were in charge in the Niger-delta who was GEJ? So they see him as a non entity and will do anything within their power to discredit his government and ambition.
Remember MEND was a brain child of Peter Odili who created all sort of restive groups to eliminate political opponents. Dikibo , Harry marshal and many others were slaughtered by Odili and these so called MEND group. Remember same Odili is currently working hand in hand with IBB. Remember that Asari Dokubo once flared when they said he was a bunker and alleged that the political class of Nigeria are the once who are neck deep into oil bunkering on the same aljeezera.
Remember that Ibori who thought he was invincible is cooling off in dubia cell and we all know how benignant he was with public fund in terms of settling and sponsoring some of these groups.

If we piece all these information together would we not think it is possible for IBB to be the mastermind of unfolding current events in Nigeria? They are playing their cards from old political cook books used elsewhere in America and Europe during the cold war. This is why we cannot exonerate the fingers of older generation who are nothing but corky and cunning at all times. I personally think that IBB and his generation are a disgrace to this country.
Go to the north and see if these old elites are famous or popular. The new thinking in the north is that all old political bloc should retire or offer elderly advice than participate in electoral processes in the 21st century. The average northerner is poor and ignorant. Only a handful of them are properly educated especially the upper elite class whose towns and villages are named after their ancestral fathers’ names.   
I can easily relate to Ribadu’s ideological posture and what he has shown over time to stand for. Beyond propaganda and fear mongering, what do an IBB or Atiku stand for talkless of Gasua who feels IBB and Abacha outsmarted him in a mutually agreed arrangement by the trio to govern Nigeria for fifteen years. Who do these northern elders represent; their pockets or subjugated masses of the northern region?
Effectively a Jonathan stepping into power will encourage the average man to aspire to do something for this country. We have admonished him for lavish 50th year celebration. Do we know the budget for presidential inauguration ceremony since 1999? Where do we see Nigeria in the next one year?
In all we do or say, beware of the manipulative powers of the insider that is standing with the enemy (the fifth columnist).