God Bless Nigeria!

President, Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria and Chairman, Editor-in-Chief, THISDAY Newspapers Group Mr Nduka Obaigbena yesterday wrote the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to further clarify the payments of N670 million compensation to Thisday newspapers and members of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN, following Boko Haram attack on Thisday office and confiscation of copies of newspapers and circulation vans of newspaper houses.
In his letter, Mr Obaigbena explained how the compensation was arrived at following an agreement for out-of-court settlement and how the payment was made by the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA.
He told the anti-graft commission that the newspaper houses “were victims of a horrendous terrorist attack and should not be victimized any further as the terrorists will be celebrating what we are now being put through.”
According to him, “We do not deserve further trauma because some official(s), outside of our control, may or may not have followed due process. All victims of terrorist attack deserve a fair and just compensation. The fact that we have received some remedy should be reason to accelerate compensation for all victims of Boko Haram attacks across Nigeria, however big or small. We never wished this upon ourselves. The central purpose of government is the security of life and property of all citizens. And the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as other international law instruments and conventions of which Nigeria is a signatory underscores this – and in fact requires that we receive effective remedy and compensation”.
Contents of letter
The letter addressed to the acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC reads:
“At your request, we provide the following clarifications on payments of N670,000,000 received by GENERAL HYDROCARBONS LTD on behalf of THISDAY NEWSPAPERS GROUP (N550,000,000) and THE NEWSPAPERS PROPRIETORS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (NPAN), for member newspapers ( N120,000,000) from The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Office of The National Security Adviser ( ONSA) between 2014 and 2015. I have set out the areas of possible questions and concerns and provided answers below:
“Why GENERAL HYDROCARBONS LTD? General Hydrocarbons Ltd was set up as the power supply, diesel and fuel logistics arm of the THISDAY NEWSPAPERS GROUP, servicing the power and fuel logistics requirements of the group. There are other business units that service supplies and imports such as newsprint, ink, chemicals and consumables, machinery, etc. It is standard practice within large media groups to have business units meeting special logistics, infrastructural and supply needs.
“Why was the payment made to General Hydrocarbons Ltd and not to THISDAY directly? First, President Goodluck Jonathan made it clear at the beginning that he did not want to create a precedent by paying THISDAY compensation given we had several victims of Boko Haram bombings around the country. Once payment was approved for the reconstruction of the UN Buildings in Abuja, that continued refusal or reluctance to pay us became tenuous as we were the next institution to be so bombed after the UN and Police Headquarters buildings which were then being reconstructed by the Federal Government. So when the ONSA said that they had approval to pay us, but would rather not set a precedent by paying THISDAY directly, we nominated a member company of the THISDAY Newspapers Group, called General Hydrocarbons Ltd., to receive the payments on behalf of the group of companies, given that the assets of General Hydrocarbons Ltd – mainly generators – were also destroyed in the bombings.
*Nduka Obaigbena
*Nduka Obaigbena
” Why did THISDAY Newspapers Group not seek insurance payments for the bombings? We did ask our insurance consortium to pay compensation but they said we were not covered for war and or terrorism risk. Until that time, we never knew we needed war or terrorism insurance in Nigeria as the Government had not officially declared war. With the power of hindsight we now know better.
“What was the N550,000,000 paid to THISDAY used for? We simply used the compensation funds to defray some 30% of the N1.7billion we already paid to 3rd party printers for services in lieu of the Abuja press (please see attached for a listing of each of these payments) while we went to our banks for refinancing printing presses, computer-to-plate and other facilities.
“Why was the payment classified by ONSA as payment for “Energy Consultancy”? We do not know and cannot determine why and how security and intelligence agencies classify their payments in whatever manner they do. General Hydrocarbons Ltd did not engage in “energy consultancy” – whatever that means – with the Federal Government and or ONSA. They simply acted in agency collecting approved payments for and on behalf of THISDAY Newspapers Group and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) – to which the newspapers group belongs.
“Why did ONSA pay General Hydrocarbons Ltd and not directly to the account of NPAN? We did supply the account of NPAN to the Federal Government through the ONSA once we agreed the N120,000,000 compensation for member newspapers. But when I got a call from an official of the ONSA informing me that the payments agreed with The President was ready and should arrange to pick up cash, I balked and refused, asking him to pay to the NPAN account. Even when he suggested that The Nigerian Guild of Editors – NGE -(who are now calling for a probe) was paid N50,000,000 cash by the ONSA when President Jonathan donated to the building of the NGE secretariat, I still refused to collect cash and in any case, I had no independent confirmation the Nigerian Guild of Editors had collected cash. And even if they did, I was not prepared to do so. And when he insisted, after I had refused to pick up such a huge amount in cash, we agreed in good faith they credit the account of General Hydrocarbons Ltd, who upon legal advice, were acting in agency in line with industry practice where most payments are received through agencies, but in this instance, at no cost. General Hydrocarbons Ltd did receive the payments on behalf of NPAN and delivered same to NPAN, at no cost, despite bank charges. General Hydrocarbons Ltd – a member of the THISDAY Newspapers Group – who are bonafide members of NPAN – therefore collected the compensation on behalf NPAN and passed on exactly what was collected in fulfillment of the out-of-court settlement reached between President Goodluck Jonathan and the expanded leadership of NPAN who attended the June 12, 2014 meeting, at the invitation of The President, at State House Marina, Lagos to ensure newspapers are never again clamped down after years of military harassment. Indeed the newspaper chiefs were very concerned that the military authorities would accuse them of using their circulation vans to ferry bombs on behalf of terrorists and feared that this was a pretext for more sinister action against the media by the Federal Government. Against this background, we summoned a high – powered NPAN team that reached the out-of-court settlement with the Federal Government and they included: Nduka Obaigbena (THISDAY), Chief Olusegun Osoba ( Past NPAN President invited to underscore the seriousness of the issues), Uncle Sam Amuka (Vanguard Newspapers), Lady Maiden Ibru (Guardian Newspapers), Wale Aboderin (Punch Newspapers), Victor Ifijeh (The Nation Newspapers), Femi Adesina ( Sun Newspapers), Bayo Onanuga ( The News Magazine Group), Frank Aigbogun (BusinessDay), Mrs Nwadiuto Iheakanwa ( Champion Newspapers), Comfort Obi ( Source Magazine and General Secretary), Mr Akanni Aluko ( New Telegraph), Gbenga Adefaye (Vanguard), Toke Alex Ibru ( Guardian), Ayo Arowolo (THISDAY), and Feyi Smith ( NPAN). Everyone who attended this meeting did so with their heads high in defense of Free Speech and sought nothing beyond the national interest and an enabling environment for the media to operate in a democratic setting.
“Did NPAN members receive the N120,000,000 payments and did they know these payments were from the ONSA? Yes. At the NPAN meeting of March 17, 2015 held at the offices of Media Trust, Abuja, ahead of honoring the invitation of then Presidential Candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, at Sheraton Hotel Abuja, members were, again, informed that the Federal Government through the ONSA had agreed to make the payment of compensation for newspapers that had made claims for the military crackdown on newspapers. Indeed when the ONSA asked for their own meeting between President Jonathan and the media ahead of the elections, he was told that the NPAN would not meet with him or President Jonathan until the out-of-court settlement was paid. The NPAN captured this in the Minutes of the meeting as follows:
“The President (of NPAN) reported on a request by the National Security Adviser for a meeting for the following Wednesday and added that he made as a precondition for attendance, the payment to affected members, of the agreed sum of N10million compensation for the June 2014, military seizure of newspapers and distruption of circulation. The (NPAN) meeting endorsed the decision. It also endorsed that each beneficiary will pay N1million of the paid sum to the Association for its development activities.” – Extracts from Minutes NPAN Meeting of March 17, 2015 held at Media Trust offices, Abuja Once payment of the full N120,000,000 was received, we realized that we had 13 newspapers claiming instead of 12 and bank drafts were then issued as follows: 1. THISDAY Newspapers / N9,000,000; 2. Media Trust Newspapers/ N9,000,000; 3.VANGUARD / N9,000,000 ; 4. Leadership Newspapers /N9,000,000; 5. The Nation Newspapers (Vintage Press) N9,000,000; 6. Business Day / N9,000,000; 7. The SUN Newspapers/ N9,000,000; 8. Blueprint Newspapers / N9,000,000; Daily Independent / N9,000,000; 10. Peoples Daily / N9,000,000 ( with secretariat);11. Tribune Newspapers / N9,000,000 ( with secretariat); 12. Guardian Newspapers / N9,000,000 ( with secretariat) ; 13. New Telegraph / N9,000,000 ( with secretariat) and NPAN /N3,000,000. TOTAL : 120,000,000.00 as received from the ONSA ( Not a penny less). The association had ruled that members should first bring their membership accounts current with the NPAN Secretariat and then collect their cheques. The onus of whether or not to collect cheques for compensation they had voluntarily and collectively claimed remains with each member.
“Did NPAN members know these payments were from Arms Purchase budget to fight Boko Haram? The NPAN and indeed THISDAY Newspapers and / or even General Hydrocarbons Ltd could not have known which budget head payments ordered by The President through the ONSA came from, given that security and intelligence agencies have several payment conventions unknown to the public. But what is in the public domain is that The Appropriations Act 2014 and the Appropriations Act 2015 provided N28.5 Billion and N26.49 billion respectively in capital expenditure for the ONSA which included such miscellaneous subheads, that did not include arms purchase, from which the payments agreed with the President on June 12, 2014, could have been made after due process given that it was the ONSA that oversaw the crackdown on newspapers. Separately, the same Appropriations Act 2014 and the Appropriations Act 2015 provided the Ministry of Defense with arms budget of some N35.4 billion and N36.7 billion for capital budget and arms purchase. We never dealt with the Ministry of Defense. So any suggestion that payments made to NPAN and THISDAY Newspapers Group were for arms purchase is like calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it; incite the public against us and create panic amongst our members and stakeholders in such an important national institution as the media. We never participated in any arms purchase in any shape or form and only demanded compensation for a horrendous terrorist act against us. In the same way, the United Nations and others who may have received some compensation, could not have known the line budget items for the funds being used for the reconstruction of the UN Abuja buildings. Even the Nigerian Guild of Editors, which may have received donations for their secretariat from the ONSA, could not have known which subhead it was paid from. We simply cannot know or be expected to speculate which line item the spending was made from by the ONSA. There is simply no nexus between payments made for compensation, to us victims of terrorism as well as to newspapers in compensation for an unprovoked attack on free speech, and any arms purchase budget. It will be of interest to have a full and complete list of all payments made by the ONSA between 2014 and 2015 to make an informed determination and to understand what happened to the over N70 billion in arms budget allotted to the Ministry of Defense for armament.
“At the end of the day, we were victims of a horrendous terrorist attack and should not be victimized any further as the terrorists will be celebrating what we are now being put through. We do not deserve further trauma because some official(s), outside of our control, may or may not have followed due process. All victims of terrorist attack deserve a fair and just compensation. The fact that we have received some remedy should be reason to accelerate compensation for all victims of Boko Haram attacks across Nigeria however big or small. We never wished this upon ourselves. The central purpose of government is the security of life and property of all citizens. And the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as other international law instruments and conventions of which Nigeria is a signatory underscores this – and infact requires that we receive effective remedy and compensation.”

"It cited the poor state of federal roads in the South- East, abandonment of the Enugu coal mine for over 43 years, non-inclusion of Abia and Imo youths in the Niger Delta Amnesty deal, among others as instances of marginalization of Ndigbo"

When was these started?? May 29,2015 or before this date?? If yes, then why waiting till now

God bless Nigeria!

This is not a surprise as I have known this guy back days in Abuja when he featured in one single...Aye yapa yaski.
Keep rolling on boy..

BornSad:


In some courses, we have two types of masters. One is called academic masters while the other is called professional masters.

Academic masters presents you with advanced topics in your field and the choice of narrowing it down to some specific areas thus giving you the opportunity to understand and contribute your own quota in those areas, promote the field more and make use of what you've learned at your place of work.

Professional masters is more job oriented. It perches on the day to day practices of the field in question with respect to actual work environment. It's more accommodating to people from other departments since it's more like a training for the job than an academic research in the field in question. It's usually more expensive though.

The one you choose is amatter of choice.

Here are some examples:

MSc Comp Sci (Academic)/ MIT (professional)
MA Bus Admin (Academic)/MBA (professional)
Etc.

Hope this helped.

Thanks for your concern...
Can a graduate of Biochemistry apply for MBA (professional)

That's part of "Stomach Infrastructure"

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose-led government yesterday forcibly evicted owners of houses in Irewolede Estate in Ado-Ekiti, who were yet to complete payment of their mortgages.

The task force’s team stormed the estate as early as 7am, backed by armed policemen and bulldozers, with padlocks and chains.

The action caused panic among the residents, especially women and children.

A mother and her three-day-old baby, belonging to the Chairman of Estate Landlords Association, Ayo Orebe, were locked inside his house.

The action followed a two-month ultimatum issued to those yet to complete their payments to do so or face eviction.

The government announced on the state media its intent to move into the estate at the expiration of the deadline on August 5.

The demolished and sealed buildings belong to some former political appointees of the state’s immediate past administration.

A resident, Bolaji Fasanmi, alleged that the state government was biased in its mode of operation, asserting that only buildings belonging to the executive members of the estate were locked.

He added that those belonging to other residents, who were owing heavily, were left unsealed.

Orebe described the government’s action as unwarranted and witch-hunting.

He added that the residents signed mortgage agreements ranging between 10 to 25 years for civil servants and five to 10 years for politicians, which, he said, the state government had contravened.

Orebe, who displayed evidence of his payment before reporters, explained that he had fulfilled his obligations through the primary mortgage institution and his house was still locked with a three-day old baby inside.

He said some of them had been living in the estate since 2008 and others in 2011.

The chairman noted that it would be wrong for them to be pushed out “in a disastrous way” after contributing immensely to the estate’s development.

“Some of the landlords bought their houses through mortgage arrangements and outright purchase, which will last for a period of between 10 and five years for the payment of the full money.

“Some of us have renovated our residences, spending several thousands of naira. Some of the landladies are widows, whose husbands bought the house and died few months after they got here.

“These widows have no means of livelihood and there is no way they can continue with the payments. Should we now ask those people to vacate for their inabilities to pay?” he queried.

Orebe added: “My people are aware of their indebtedness and we have even confirmed that to the government when the deputy governor met with us. But it will be difficult for us to pay this huge amount within a spate of short time.

“But if proper arrangement is worked out, the government will get its money and it will at the same time be easy for us to pay. We shall be grateful, if the state government could grant us this opportunity.”

The General Manager, Ekiti State Housing Corporation, Soji Awe, refused to comment on the development.

For now, many residents do not know their fate. Whether they would be thrown out of their homes completely or be given the grace to pay up as some of the buildings have been demolished by the task force.

Source..http://thenationonlineng.net/panic-as-ekitis-task-force-evicts-estates-residents-2/

More goodies are still coming...

Oya start analyzing the cost of her ear riñg

Follow ur mind...

There is God ooooo

Chai...there is God oooo

A meeting proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan with a cross section of Muslim leaders in the South West today (Sunday) at Ansarudeen Central Mosque, Ajao, Surulere, Lagos has hit a brick wall.
An insider source said the meeting was midwifed by the former Minister of State, Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro, who is now facing public opprobrium over his role in the alleged rigging of the last governorship election in Ekiti State.
The source said except a miracle happened the meeting would no longer take place.
According to the source, a phone conference meeting at the instance of the Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, saw the Muslim leaders rejecting an invitation of “a meeting that can polarize and create disunity among Muslims across geographical divide”.
The source said, “Muslim leaders argue that since Muslim leaders in the North, especially the Emirs thought it was inexpedient for a meeting of all Muslim leaders with the President which culminated in the scuttling of an earlier meeting proposed with the entire Muslim leaders in the country, it would be a betrayal for Muslims in the South-West to now separately meet Jonathan.
“It was further discussed that the N7 billion he gave the Christians to motivate them to mobilize support for him has left the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in tatters and may take a long time before the wound inflicted on the umbrella organization for all Nigerian Christians be healed. Since the man is going about shamelessly distributing money that belongs to the masses, would it not be immoral to take the filthy money which Muslims condemned when a section of Christendom accepted it. And if they reject it, would it not be an insult on the office of Mr. President?
“The Muslim leaders also wondered how they can trust Jonathan who when Muslims complained of marginalization in the composition of the Confab. He promised to redress it. But he went back on his words when the CAN President, Ayo Oritsajafor, said he dared not.
“The leaders wondered why a President who has always ignored the plea of Muslims for fairness and justice in appointments to top political appointments and never sent invitation to meet them is now enthusiastic to meet Muslims few weeks to the election.
“Imam Abdurahman Ahmad, the versatile Chief Missioner of Ansarudeen was given the assignment of conveying to Jonathan that we are not prepared to meet him,” the source added...culled from Sunday Trust.

SalesConsultant:
Lesson Three:
What They Never Told You About Selling
In ancient Greece the great Hippocrates outlined the four behavioural styles as sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic. Except you wont be dealing with human beings, each person you come across have his or her own dominant behavioural style. This affects their choices and to a greater extent, determines how they make their buying decisions. In 1932 professor Lionel Robin pointed this out in his definition of economics as the science that studies human behaviours as a relationship between ends and scare means which have alternative uses. The illustration below will show us why this definition was largely acknowledge and accepted across the world and what no one ever told you about selling.
Now, imagine the advert of a Mobile phone on TV with all the enticing graphics, smiling faces and the appealing effects as you read this:
“GET THE LATEST XXXX PHONE. CHECK OUR THE STYLISH DESIGNS WITH CUTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY OF SMART BUSINESS TOOLS FOR GOAL GETTERS. ENRISHED WITH SOCIAL APPS THAT MAKES YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS COME ALIVE, IT’S COME WITH ONE YEAR GUARANTEE AND A 24HOURS CUSTOMERS SERVICES AT AN UNBEATABLE PRIZE OF XXXX ONLY. YES! THE REAL VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY GETS YOURS NOW!”
Together, lets now look the at the choices of words used in this advert and then do a little analysis, with regard to the well known four behavioural styles in our society:
SANGUINE: They are the friendly, stylish people in our society. They love to look good and are usually the first sets of people to try out new products or get latest gadgets, cars, visit entertainments centres, wear clothing’s and electronics, especially ones that tends to improve their social status, get more admirations from friends, spouse and colleagues. To these folk’s the right words are LATEST, STYLISH, SOCIAL AND COME ALIVE as used above.
CHOLERIC: They are dynamic, adventurous and fast pace people who hate to waste time. If what you sell will help them perfume faster, achieve their goals or objectives they are in. the cost is not much of an issue. To these folks the right words are SMART TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY, CUTTING EDGE, GOAL GETTER as used the illustration above.
MELANCHOLIC: They are peaceful, amiable and easy going people. They won’t deliberately offend you and they don’t need any trouble from you either. Friendship and relationship mean a lot to them. So they need some assurances that you truly value their patronage and you are not another hit and run hawker. So to these folks the right words would be 24 HOURS CUSTOMER SERVICE, GUARANTEE as also used above.
PHLEMATIC: They are the most difficult people to sell to. They won’t buy because it is new, latest, stylish or hottest in town. Even your customer care means little or nothing to them. Like accountants, they are more concerned about the benefits cost ratio. So the right word is REAL VALUE FOR MONEY as used above.
Together, let us once more at the illustrated advert and try to make a sense out of it. Here it goes:
“GET THE LATEST XXXX PHONE. CHECK OUR THE STYLISH DESIGNS WITH CUTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY OF SMART BUSINESS TOOLS FOR GOAL GETTERS. ENRISHED WITH SOCIAL APPS THAT MAKES YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS COME ALIVE, IT’S COME WITH ONE YEAR GUARANTEE AND A 24HOURS CUSTOMERS SERVICES AT AN UNBEATABLE PRIZE OF XXXX ONLY. YES! THE REAL VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY GETS YOURS NOW!”

Now, with more careful observation you will come to understand why this kind of advertisement is targeted at the general public and, at the same time come to appreciate Professor Lionel definition of Economics. Perhaps, you too have come to see things more clearly. This therefore shows that each person has its hot button.
Selling is an art! Which mean, anyone who puts his heart into it can learn the entire in tricks. However, you must stop locking at things on the superficial levels, and start looking at the underlying contest behind the motivations of customers. Remember, the process of selling is to convince your target customer that they will be better off with your product or services than they will be with the money necessary to buy your products or services.
Take sometime, to view your products or services from the standpoints of your potential customers. Do so with regard to their behavioural style. And then ask yourself “who am I really selling to?” “Do my customers cut across the four behavioural styles or just some?” “Am I using the right language?” Well, selling his not as difficult as you think. For instance if your product is targeted at the sanguine in our society, your job is to convince them that your product, services will make them look good, be more appreciated by their peers or the opposite sex, show them how it will improve their appearance, prestige, social status, get more approval from friends and recognitions compared to what they have to pay for it. And if they can afford it, why won’t they buy from you?
As simple as it seem, many business today budget millions of naira yearly on adverts and promotions on televisions, radio, internet and so on. Only to end up using the wrong language on their target customers and then, wondered why the heavy campaign of their product and services is not yielding the desire results. Do it right today and you could be on your way to fortunes, do it wrong again and go broke. I wondered why they don’t teach this in school! Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments while we prepare for the next lesson:

I really appreciate and salute your expertise...for the first time you make this platform so educative. I say more power to your elbow.
Please How can one deal with a customer that one can get to through middle man? To Make it more clearer, I am a Medical/Sales Representative ( I don't know if you know anything about this profession) but in short it is about marketing pharmaceutical products majorly drugs. Here your customers are Patients but you can only get to them through doctors which are middleman. You have only doctors to talk to not the patients that are using the products. So, how can one manage this situation

Hmmm!
I did not seen anything in this speech rather than a pragmatic way of presenting your achievements as govt in power to the electorates that have option of choosing between your party and the opposition unlike the govt at the centre who keep attacking the opposition without giving us the list of their achievements vis-à-vis its direct impact on their enterity of the populace... If there is third time, this guy will win.
Well, I am waiting for the opposition response...
Eko o ni baje, O baje ti..

I can never be deceived wit this video as it did not showcased the mind of an average Nigerian. The first video was shot where there are more of SS/SE, what do u expect?
I thought this video was shot in Lagos, why are we not seen more of Yoruba that dominate Lagos
What I know is that Nigerians have decided!!!
God bless Nigeria!!!!

I'm yet to understand what ruling party want to achieve from postpoment of election. I read it from premium times now that securities write to INEC that they want to have special operations on Boko Haram for 6weeks which will commence on Feb 14, those they could not have in the last three years, as a result of that they cannot provide security for the INEC on the election day...Hmmm

Notwithstanding... We will MARCHwithBUHARI

I failed to understand how some people think...School Cert is the basic of every profession. A medical dr became on after his school cert, so a lawyer, an Accountant,a Pharmacists even a Zoologist though it might not be his dream, likewise somebody that chose a military profession.
Before, it was Buhari does not have a certificate, now it is he has only school cert...
Nigerians are wise and we know where we are going, No amount of propaganda can delude us from reality...
Change we wants....
God bless Nigeria.

omolami:
Both Prof Ladipo nd Hassan are right.Buhari is semi literate.Buhari may have gained admission into Defence Academy with O/level or modern 7 during his time.He has failed to attend elite academics institutions that could award him qualifications that literate people are known for.Obasanjo has been attending such institutions since after leaving d presidency.Qual like Bsc,Bed,LLb,Msc,Phd etc are what make one literate not military courses known to be useful in military circles or at most chief security jobs outside d military.Military courses are not academics subjects.Thank God that NDA is now a university.All previos Head of state before 1987 when NDA becomes university got Nig Def Academy Cert of Education (NDACE) which was not runing during Buhari's time.Therefore Buhari is at most a schl cert holder and therefore qual as semi literate.Its a pity that an LLb holder accept to serve him. Osinbajo may not know his onus

I am so disappointed that this can come from yoruba that I regarded as the most elitistic tribe in Nigeria. Are you saying only Bsc,Bed,LLB,Msc,Phd... are the only cert that makes one a literate? check your dictionary and learn the meaning of SPECIALIZATION. otuoke man is a zoologists ( course for those that want to go to university at all cost) and he is literate to your understanding but a graduate of a military school ( school that many people dream of going) is illiterate....I hope you are not seeing yourself as one of the future of this country
God bless Nigeria.

Though I am absolutely convince that the APC appears so organize which gives me so much confidence that they will come out with a best VP...But I will be happy if they can give us Oby Ezekwesili...Madam #Bringbackourgirls
God bless my Country

I sit down dey look....

They were dancing because their stooge has been given the ticket....
sure their days were numbered...

They were dancing because their stooge has been given the ticket....
sure their days are number...

TIME FOR CHANGE

Speech by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, former Vice President,

Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the occasion of his

Declaration of Intent to seek the Nomination of the All

Congress (APC) to

Presidential Election, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.24

I welcome you all to this special gathering. I feel truly

honoured by your presence. That you could attend this

event despite the security and healthcare challenges

facing this country at the moment is all the more

gratifying. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We are all here because we believe that our country can

be made better. We want to see Nigeria develop, prosper

and become the pride of Africa and the Black race. We

are here because we know that change must come and

that change will come because of you.

As I move around this country interacting with regular

Nigerians, I listen to their concerns about unfulfilled

frustrations

Yet I still

determination and hope on their faces.

In spite of the many challenges we face, it is quite

remarkable that our people have refused to give up on

inspiring that amidst

growing anxiety over the future of our country, our

refused to succumb

hopelessness. This never-say-die attitude gives

immense hope and it is one of the reasons why I can

never give up on Nigeria.

The glaring mismatch between our potentials and our

achievements has become for many a frustrating puzzle;

for others it is a topic for national debate; and yet for

doomsday

is

it

progressive and open-minded Nigerian, I consider it a

golden opportunity and a bittersweet chance to display

our courage, rekindle our innovative instinct, showcase

our character and turn the Nigerian dream into reality.

The future of Nigeria is represented here. Nigerians of

my generation, who work tireless to earn a living, striving

to make Nigeria a better place for themselves and their

families, and who are entitled to retire in comfort, are

here. Our youth are represented here. (Please join me in

giving three gbozaas for our youth: Gbozaa! Gbozaa!

Gbozaa!). You, the youth – endowed with fresh ideas,

bubbling energy and a passionate desire for change –

you are the hope of this nation.

can’t talk of a future with hope and confidence.

That is why the 2015 election is about you. It is about

how to ensure that you live safe and secured lives. It is

about making sure that you feed well, receive quality and

affordable education and training, secure good jobs,

support your own families and contribute positively to

country.

our

of

responsible government

citizens. This is what our generation owes upcoming

generations. This is what we must do to guarantee our

country’s future. This is what democracy promises. This

is what our party, the All Progressive Congress (APC),

Our party, the APC, at its inception in July 2013, offered a

great hope for many Nigerians as a potent alternative to

the ruling PDP. We have in our fold selfless leaders who

cherish democratic principles and practice and who

demonstrated their patriotism

Regardless of the loud and lavish political propaganda,

impunity and unjust

sanctions

and

patronage

let me assure

remains strong and capable of fulfilling the nation’s

thirst for change. And we shall do so united across

regions, religions and generations.

I am particularly proud that our party has adopted the

innovative Modified Open Primaries in selecting its flag

bearers at all levels. This will ensure the emergence of

candidates whose mandate will be informed

popular will of the members of our party.

Some people have argued for a generational shift to

younger leaders without much experience.

believe that it is the responsibility of my generation to

offer our political shoulders to the new generation to

improve their vision

horizon. It is this trans-generational collaboration and

partnership that represents the best model to create the

future that we desire and deserve. This is a well-tested

model; the future of this nation should never again be

subjected to leadership experimentation or learning on

similar to the story of many

generation. I was born in a southern Adamawa village to

a nomadic trader and his wife who was a farmer. I grew

up as a shepherd and a farm boy. I was the only child of

my parents. My father had to be imprisoned by Local

Council authorities before he could allow me to go to

At 11, I lost my father and my whole world fell apart. With

the help of my mother, other relatives and friends of my

myself up from this

despair. I faced the future with uncommon confidence,

hope and faith in God. I am where I am today because I

did not give up. I struggled to acquire a good education

because the opportunity was made available.

people never had a chance and their potentials were

never discovered and their contributions to national

development thus curtailed. I worry today that too many

of our young people who could have improved their lives

nation have

opportunities to do so.

In the 20 years that I spent in the Nigerian public service,

I built a solid reputation for myself as a diligent, honest,

innovative staff.

accomplished and fulfilled public servant. That is what

every Nigerian who had diligently served this country

not dehumanization,

politically active in

imagination was captured by a leader, Late Shehu Musa

Yar’Adua, who started with persistent determination and

diligence to construct bridges of understanding and love

divides

ethno-religious

society. He convinced all of us who were bold to defy the

status quo to participate in his noble passion. We were

convinced that it was the only way to preserve our

and establish a

national development.

death, we have continued with renewed vigour to pursue

My politics have always been guided by the enduring

values of fairness and justice, honesty of purpose, the

pursuit of excellence, selflessness and the love for my

country. These values also characterize my conduct in

As Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, I worked

closely with my boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo,

who is also a passionate defender of Nigerian unity. We

our country into

years

following

professionalized our armed forces; we embarked on

economic reforms

Economic Team, which I had the honour to chair. We

focused on macro-economic stability and transforming

critical areas such as banking, insurance, oil and gas,

telecommunication, pension and the Civil Service. We

created novel institutions that should lay the foundation

for good governance and accountability such as the

Bureau of Procurement (Due Process), Economic and

Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), SERVICOM, whose

Golden rule is “Serve others as you would like to be

served.” Sadly, most of these institutions are now mere

shadows of themselves.

We also paid off nearly all of our foreign debt which was

crippling the country; we stabilized the exchange rate of

the naira as well as interest rates, and reduced inflation.

What needed to follow was for these macro-economic

gains to be further translated into improved welfare for

With the reforms in the telecommunications sector we

increased the number of functioning telephone lines

from 200,000 at the inception of our administration to

over 70 million by the time we left. Our reforms also led

in the market capitalization

Nigerian Stock Exchange from N400 billion to over N8

trillion by 2007 and to nearly N13 trillion by 2008.

We also handed over well-articulated master Plans for

the development of multi-modal transportation system,

the

for

contract

We also commenced the implementation of

the Gas to Power Master Plan, with a target of 26,000

megawatts of electricity expected to be delivered by

This is the story of the service of an administration,

proud to have been

achievements were made possible because of the vision,

dedication of

leadership is what it takes to make good things happen.

Did we resolve all of Nigeria’s challenges? Of course not!

But no one would say that there was leadership vacuum

or a lack of commitment, plan and execution.

We know the story today. Rather than continuing to pay

our borrowing

increasing even though the price of oil has consistently

been above $100 per barrel since the inception of the

current administration. The percentage of our budget

that is implemented has diminished significantly since

capital projects are poorly cash-backed.

A number of major manufacturers have divested from

Nigeria and relocated to neighbouring countries while

those that remain operate at far below their installed

poor

to

mainly

environment for doing business, and our ranking in

world competitiveness index have worsened. Therefore,

job opportunities for our teeming youth have become

harder to come by. We recall with sadness the avoidable

deaths of job seekers during the poorly organized so-

called Immigration Service recruitment exam just last

Up to this moment no

accountable for those needless deaths.

our

development,

mortality, and poverty and illiteracy levels continue to be

embarrassingly high. Thus, while countries such as

Ghana, Gabon and Botswana are classified by the UNDP

as being at the Medium Human Development Level,

grouped with those

Development Level.

This situation reinforces the urgent need for change. We

cannot continue down this path of national decline.

Resentment, disillusionment and hopelessness are the

emotions on which insecurity and disharmony thrive.

Our country is more divided today than at any other time

since the civil war. There is a disturbing rise in ethnic

nationalism and religious bigotry. This is promoting

social tension and mutual distrust amongst the people

of Nigeria. All over the country, there are daily breaches

of security resulting in loss of lives and properties.

and

kidnappings

continue to ravage many parts of the country. A bunch

of extremist insurgents are hoisting strange flags on

large areas of our territory that they claim to have

Unspeakable horrors

against our people

elements in the name of religion and other causes.

responsibility

a

the on-going

Nigerians. Unfortunately what we have is a serious

governance deficit. To put it bluntly, our country seems

to be on auto pilot with no one in charge.

We need a strong, dynamic, decisive, competent and

visionary leadership that can halt the current drift of the

ship of state, fight corruption, create jobs, rebuild our

social

provide

insecurity in a decisive, robust multi-pronged way. This

is the change we want and deserve and this is the

change the APC is primed to offer. And that is why I am a

proud member of this platform for change.

To fix Nigeria, an APC government will promote a new

socio-political order which will compel the leadership to

always balance power and authority with service and

I have been asked why I am always seeking to become

the president of this country. My passion for governance

is that of a man who wants to do more because there is

so much more to be done in fixing Nigeria. This passion

continues to grow as long as this government is not

really doing the fixing. I have what it takes to bring

people together and turn things around for the better.

Therefore, I want to play a leading role in the trans-

generational efforts to save this country and improve the

With the support of the millions of Nigerians desirous of

change and the hard work by all of us, the APC shall

form the next government of this great nation.

I have, therefore, decided that I will, along with other

respected leaders of our party, seek nomination as a

candidate of the APC to contest the Presidential election

I want to lead a government that will invest in its people

because people constitute the wealth of any nation. I

want to lead a government that will create “A Nigeria for

All”. A Nigeria that is not about North or South, Christian

or Muslim, but about a better tomorrow where every

secure, act with

assurance of the fulfilment of his or her aspirations.

government that will

a

governance with

nepotism, where

dedication are adequately rewarded.

I want to assemble the best brains in the land and

provide the political will and commitment so that jointly,

and with the cooperation of all of you, build a Nigeria of

Nigeria must rise to retake its leadership place in Africa and earn the respect of other nations. This places on us the responsibility of stewardship. It is the consciousness

responsibility

political adventures; and it is this call to serve that I have come to answer once again.

Nigeria must and will be great.

prayers, we will change this country for good. We will

create a country that will truly be the pride of the black

race. We will create a new Nigeria for all Nigerians.

Thank you and God bless Nigeria.

it happened in the school of legal studies in Kano, very close to BUK...
God will save us in this country...

If this is true, then it is high time we Nigerian Youths take our time to analysing the situation at hand...
Southerns plan to kill Nothern's Elders, Notherners killing the Southerners...
what is the future of this country? what is the future of we Nigerian Youths

Nigerian Politics becoming more interesting as it is now exposing the intellegent and ignorant of average Nigerian...God bless my Country!!!