₦airaland Forum

Abogwara:
From the look of things if Ihedioha is not checked Imo as a State might degenerate into tribal wars difficult to control.

Abogwara.

What tribal war?
There is only only one tribe - Igbo - in Imo state.

Orlu region is behind Gov Ihedioha

Okorocha built classrooms and added them to Houses in Okporo housing estate Orlu and bragged in his first term that he built School of nursing and health technology at Okporo in Orlu local government area. He even mounted "degree awarding" on his adverts about the institution.


Suddenly, at the last days of Okorocha's administration, he built new houses in Ogboko his hometown, and without announcement transferred the School of Nursing and health to Ogboko.

Why the waste of govt funds in building and closing and abandoning and rebuilding?


Now the new govt rightly gave order that the six years Old school of Nursing and health be taken back to its original cite at Okporo-Orlu.
Okorocha people start to confuse the public that Mbaise people came to Orlu to fight - LIES.

Javierleon:
Also the mother and child hospital is very essential in dimishing mother-infant mortality rate. Cause its prime focus is for only women and children. Of all hospitals built i considered that one the best. When it was been destroyed i dindt feel happy. Such important heath structure should be made accessible and equipped and even replicated in the other two zones

There are hundreds of mother and child health facilities at FMC Owerri, at the 27 uncompleted and yet to be equipped hospitals, at uncompleted and yet to be fully equipped IMSUTH Orlu, at uncompleted and yet to be fully equipped Imo Specialist Hospital Owerri.
What does Imo state need another 1000 bed Somtoo Mother and Child hospital for?

A building already meant for a shopping mall can't be converted to - of all things - a mother and child hospital.

What brought Rochas to the idea of 1000 bed mother and child somtoo hospital is this: as Owerri refused to support Okorocha's in-law to become next governor of Imo, Okorocha quickly pronounced the shopping mall a hospital to further mock and insult Owerri people who grumble that their ancestors were not happy over the demolition of the market.

[quote author=chernest2002 post=79603732]Our leaders refused to restructure in other words they are calling for total destruction. [/quote;]

Point.

sarrki:


Yet you and your leaders are rooting for Atiku Abubakar

Because, unlike Buhari, Atiku understands that crude oil is not all there is for a country to survive, hence Atiku promised to restructure Nigeria back to the system of independence.

Ha ha ha.

When there is still crude oil flowing in the Niger delta.

Buhari northern group doesn't understand that crude oil proceeds are not all a country needs to survive

Court or law, na only wickedness of the drivers of this govt still keeps Dasuki in detention without trial.
Zooooooooo things. Only in a zoo, keeping a man in detention for more than four years without trial.

Rochas Okorocha must like to be compensated with even Demolition Minister, as he knows his stay in the Senate is temporary.

Nearly every southern Nigerian living in Nigeria is living in a prison yard.

Northern Nigeria's military dictators who created 20 states in one region but created 17 states in two southern regions made Nigeria a Prison Yard with Fulani as prison warders. Land mass is never considered when creating states in a country of regional diversity.

By drawing large political representation from Fulani controlled northern region, Fulani politicians control Nigeria's political process.

Kingosytex:
The prof made some valid points but let me opine. The main reason why Tinubu or any southerner will find it very difficult to win peradventure he contests in 2023 is that there is great DISUNITY in the south


The disunity is so clear that even a blind man could notice it. There is a cold war between the southern region especially the south easterners and those from the south west. For an example in this forum one constantly comes accross words like AFONJA, BIAFURO, Biafra, TIFFNUBU, COWNU, POTOPOTO REPUBLIC, BROWN ROOF REPUBLIC, SKULL MINING REGION, EROSION RAVAGED REGION E.T.C are some of the words used by each region to insult the other.


The just concluded elections speak volumes. the SE and SW voted in opposite directions. The North knows this fact, so power will remain in the north beyond 2023 unless the south could bury the hatchet and unite

Disunity brought by Yoruba who have ruled for 11 years, yet wants Yoruba to succeed Buhari. Now Yoruba seen to have refused recognition to rotation of power, as Yoruba action depicts that Yoruba don't see Igbo as one of the three biggest founding fathers of Nigeria.

Omooba77:
Former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in this interview with ADEKUNLE PETER, talks about insecurity, the 2019 general elections and the crisis in the party’s chapter in Edo State

How would you describe the last general elections?

I’m glad because the All Progressives Congress came out victorious all through. We have been badly bruised, no question about that, but we came out fine.

To what would you ascribe the success of your party in the presidential and the National Assembly elections?

If I had to ascribe it to any one major factor, I would say it is the following that the President (Muhammadu Buhari) enjoys that took us across the finishing line. Unfortunately, there was so much dissension in the party, arising from primaries and the rest of it. The intense dissension made it difficult. As a result, we lost a lot of states (to opposition parties) in the process, which is unfortunate. The most unfortunate cases happened in states where we couldn’t even, by the definition of the Independent National Electoral Commission, field candidates; the definition that the Supreme Court has agreed with. It was really sad.

But the European Union Election Observer Mission recently described the elections as not fair. What would you say to that?

All I can say is this; in terms of electioneering, the process and the rest of them, we have taken a step backward. When you consider the degree of violence; I’m not talking about the EU report now, because I’ve not read them. I only read what the papers reported. I will love to see the report myself. But, there’s no question about the observation; when you start losing 200 lives in the process of an election, then something is terribly wrong. It is not worth the sacrifice of 200 lives.

So, to that extent, we have taken a backward step, and it is my hope that whatever is in this report will help us streamline processes for the future. My party condemned it outright. Every report like that has lessons for you. But, I haven’t read it, so, I don’t know how strong they are in their condemnation. But, any criticism, however much you disagree with it, may have lessons for you, lessons you can glean from, lessons you can learn from. That’s the way I look at it. It will help to improve the processes in future elections. We must, as a party and as a nation, aim for truly clean elections that do not involve the kind of violence that we had.


Although President Buhari was declared winner of the last presidential election, many people believe he wouldn’t have won if the election was not rigged, considering his unpopularity. How do you respond to that?

There is nothing much really to say about that. People must learn to accept results of elections. We have a penchant for not accepting results of elections. But there are cases where there are clear injustices, particularly in the selection process.

But in the case of the presidential election, to my mind, there was no such thing. Whether we like it or not, President Buhari has a cult following in a large section of the nation and that has seen him through all the time. You can look at when he was not even the President, he had 12 million votes challenging a government that was determined that he should lose at all cost. His case is so clear that it doesn’t need any argument.

Your party was able to successfully have its wishes in the National Assembly unlike what happened in 2015 while you were the party chairman. What do you think changed this time?

That was fantastic; what happened this time was absolutely fantastic. I think in 2015, apart from the fact that there were a lot of interference and we were going through a learning process, there is no question at all that mistakes were made by a lot of individuals and the party.

I’m glad that they have learnt from it and they have seen that imposition does not work; it has never worked. ‘Godfatherism’ works for a while, but from my experience from all over the place now, it is never a permanent process. Eventually, it will collapse.

This time, I think after the initial pronouncement, the members were allowed to do their own will and dealing, and in the process, they provided a leadership that the party is happy about, and that I am happy about.

Like some of your party members have alleged, do you think they are right that you condoned indiscipline and impunity while you were there as chairman?

You know, in politics, people just take a swipe at people: “Ooh, he’s been bribed, he got N300m. Ooh, he condoned indiscipline.” I think from anybody accusing me (of condoning those things), I will want to know the specifics (of what they are talking about).

For me, the only difference is that I did not carry a sledgehammer; I don’t believe in a sledgehammer. I was properly brought up, I went to school, and so, I believe in my ability to persuade, to get people around to do what requires to be done. Of course, that is very much less dramatic. What is important is, do you get results?

I was challenged; they said I was weak, and all that. But, look at the primaries I oversaw and the opposition I faced. Did I cave in? Of course I did not. So, really, what is weakness? Does strength consist of how much power you have and how you can break heads? No, it doesn’t. For me, that is not my interpretation of power. My interpretation of a strong man is a man who sticks to principles and can only be swayed by superior arguments, not interests, not personal interest, not any other person’s interest. Somebody who has principles, applies the principles without discrimination and is firm in upholding the results from those applications, full stop. Those are two different types of politics.
It is for people to decide which direction they want to go. Do you want a situation of relative disorder, just so you can have your way, or, do you want people to trust you, believe in you and follow you because they trust you, not because you can smash their heads or deprive them of whatever rights belong to them?

So, these are two types of politics; one leads to violence, and the other leads to a deepening and maturing of politics, such that Nigerians can be better for it.

Look at India; look at the elections they had, which went on for six weeks. At the end of the elections, not a whimper of complaint was heard. Why can’t we aim for such civilised politics? Why must it be an ‘Ajasco’ type of politics? Why must we be killing people because of politics? Instead of dealing with programmes and the kind of country we foresee, paint the picture of the people to see, we believe in, why must it be, oh, this man stole this, this man stole that, that man doesn’t have a certificate, the other one doesn’t have that?

To me, that is a very crude form of politics and I think we are beyond it; we are a potentially great nation. But we are just putting ourselves into the bottom of the pit permanently. We should aspire; we should move forward, we should try to make politics lovely and decent.

You attacked the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, saying he lacked the temperament to run a party. The party in turn came out to attack you; do you still stand by all you said?

I have said all I need to say on that subject. For me, it is closed, unless something dramatic happens. For me, that was an unusual position to take. Sometimes, you need to make the point in as harsh form as possible, so that even if the people are deaf and dumb, they will finally get the message.

You also asked the party to get rid of godfathers, what would you consider as the implications of having godfathers in politics?

Let me once again try to make it distinct: those who enthrone themselves, somebody called it ‘mentoring.’ Mentoring is very good, mentoring is very positive, mentoring does not imply that after you have helped somebody and the person learns the ropes, it does not mean that you have a permanent rope tied around his waist. You let him be, let him come for advice. If he doesn’t come for advice, fine. Let him make his mistakes and learn from them.

But, ‘godfatherism’, the unfortunate bane of our politics, is the one that seeks to govern from the outside. Before decisions are made, you must be consulted. Before appointments are made, you must be asked for your list. Before the person you have ‘god-fathered’ turns right or left, he must ask you which the correct road to take is; otherwise, there are consequences. My state today, is a good example. Look at the kind of situation it is creating. That is ‘godfatherism’ and it’s very different from mentoring, which is absolutely beautiful. It is not the same thing as ‘godfatherism’.

In your own opinion, what can we do to get rid of ‘godfatherism’ in Nigerian politics?

Well, I think the only thing is that, everybody believes he is a champion, until it is proven that they are not that much. It is inevitability. It has proven itself repeatedly. You can count everywhere where this (godfatherism) has happened. There has never been one; I can’t think of a state where it has gone very, very well.

So, maybe experience will be the only teacher that they need so they will understand that being accepted because of being respected is much more enduring than being accepted out of fear.

Although you are a former chairman of the APC, you are first of all a Nigerian, are you concerned about the state of insecurity in the country?

Of course I am! Every Nigerian should be concerned. As a matter of fact, I’m very, very fearful of the real intention of what is going on. Is there a very deep-seated motivation by people outside this country who do not wish us well, because, there is no doubt at all that a lot of these people come from across our borders. They have infected our own normal people, no question about that. They have managed to infect them, using religion and all that. But the fact is that this thing is happening virtually in every community.

For me, the question is; could there be a sinister motive by people who do not wish this nation well? I can’t answer that question, only the security agencies can. And even if they know, they may not tell us, unless they have dealt with the situation. But, I’m very, very unhappy about it. I’ve no doubt in my mind that it has to be the number one priority of the second term (of the APC-led government) and I have no doubt that the President will give it the degree of priority it deserves.

Do you agree that your party has failed in its campaign promise to rid the nation of insecurity?

No, the party did not, the administration did not. What we promised on Boko Haram, we delivered.

But they are still attacking and killing…

No, no, no. America is the greatest nation on earth today, but it still has its own security challenges. Look at the number of violence in their schools and everywhere. That is the greatest nation with second to none security operatives all over the place, and it still happens.

But in America, nobody will come and say he controls part of California. That is what the President promised and he delivered.

You cannot stop a suicide bomber. Somebody is determined to kill himself and take others along with him, tell me, how do we stop him? The war at that level is still on, but we pray that deep involvement by the people themselves and their willingness to report suspicious movement will help the security agencies. But to expect that the act of violence will stop worldwide is impossible; it’s a terrible period in the entire universe. We are not exempted from it, and what it means is that a different type of insecurity manifests itself in the process. If we solve one problem, another one is coming up on us. That is the one I’m saying is very, very worrisome and I have no doubt that the President will give it the priority it deserves because it is worrisome. Anybody who is saying it is not (happening) or trying to wish it away is not living in the real world as it exists. It is very worrisome.

Your party also promised to improve the economy, but since it came to power, Nigerians have become poorer and the country is now the poverty capital of the world. Don’t you consider that as failure?

Well, let me put it this way; the problem has not been solved. Of course, there is real anguish in the land, there is real pain in the land and it is very unfortunate. It will sound heartless to say it is not so. This is a very unfortunate period that we are passing through. Unfortunately, development is a long process, a tedious process.

As I said in one of my interviews, in 1963, when, as young, passionate officers, we joined the civil service, when development plan which we were a part of, was the in-thing, in many countries of the world, people were actually dying of hunger in the streets. They had trucks plying the streets picking up people who had died of hunger. May God never, never let the situation be as bad as that for us! It’s a very, very unfortunate thing, and if we don’t accept that it exists, emphasise and work to correct the situation, then we are not being true to the Nigerian people.

It is a situation we inherited and it was inevitable. We don’t want to go into the history of it; we are supposed to solve the problem. That is why the people entrusted power to us. All I can say is that, the collapse of the Nigerian economy has been reversed, the economic base has been rebuilt during the first term (of President Buhari in office) and it is my prayer that with the nature of the government we are going to have now, we would be able to bring to bear, the innovative policies, effective policies that will address the economic situation and bring growth.

Right now, we are talking about two per cent of economic growth but the population is growing at well over three per cent, in which case, we are not growing. And if we are not growing, we cannot address a lot of these issues. So, when constituted, the government must aim at a rate of growth that is well in excess of three per cent. Whatever needs to be done has to be done.

Painful decisions may have to be taken, as far as the economy is concerned, which, of course, as usual, will lead to hue and cry in the system. But, there is no way we can make the level of progress we need to make if we do not think and work out of the box. Think out of the box, do something new, be creative and result-oriented.

What calibre of people do you expect the President to nominate for ministerial appointments for his second term in office?

I don’t know about that; I’m not close to the process, but the President said something in the speech he made on Democracy Day. I was struck by the admittance that political will, which means taking tough decisions and sticking by them to make them produce the necessary result, is something that will be a feature in the second term. I have no doubt at all that when he takes up the plough, we will see it.

As a former governor of Edo State, you understand the politics of the state. How would you describe the present political impasse in the party?

Well, I don’t know the details yet, but from what I know, it is a very, very unfortunate situation and it only originates from the breakdown of ‘godfatherism’. Edo State is a typical example of that. The only thing I want to say at this stage is that both sides should know that at all times, even from the time of the Action Group, Edo State, then Mid-Western Region, has always been a marginal state, meaning that there is no real landslide in Edo State. Edo State people have shown that they can vote in a discriminative manner. So, just to remind the combined combatants that if they continue on the path they are taking, there is the danger of making the APC the opposition party in the state, because the division in the party is very deep. And if they don’t reconcile quickly, then I can bet now that they will lose the state. That’s my only message to them.

READ ALSO: Lagos currency trader allegedly defrauds retirees, others of N235m

What advice would you give to those involved in the internal wrangling?

Isn’t it difficult for somebody in my position to advise them?

But, you’re a major stakeholder in the party and in the state…

You know what happened when the plan was on to remove me as the national chairman of the APC. It makes me want to take a very deep look at things. We all saw this happening, we knew it could happen, but I’m surprised it could happen with this degree of intensity. But, like I told you much earlier, ‘godfatherism’ does not work with a thinking people who are so diverse. People talk about Lagos, but Edo State is not Lagos.

Our senatorial districts are boundaries of relatively distinct people. What you can do in Lagos, you cannot do here. Basically, Lagos has only two ethnic groups, the Yoruba and the others. Here, it is not quite the same, so let them not destroy the party and the state because nobody will benefit from it if that happens, everybody will lose.



https://punchng.com/im-very-fearful-unhappy-about-insecurity-in-nigeria-chief-odigie-oyegun/amp

But John Co-founded APC which is now using govt instruments to pursue Islamization of Nigeria with associated insecurity all over Nigeria.

And John is still in APC.

Produce the server.
It's not possible that in the 21st Century, INEC conducted an election and collated I election results manually.

Apc sef. The day Buhari is no more president, APC shall implode, autodestruct.

Timmypromise:
Please come home
As a leader your must lead us to fight for our freedom
.
.
.
Not hiding behind keyboard
At least we witness what happen to one Igbo professor in Ghana

Last time, you taunted NK to come home to talk about Biafra. He returned.

Last time you taunted those who want Biafra to dare march on Nigeria's soil, they dared you in millions.


Truth is: only Oyibo colonial masters still hold one Nigeria together, not force of Nigeria Army, not force of northern Nigeria or Western Nigeria, neither the force of both north and south west combined.

Receive dense.

tactius:
Thank you.

To be honest, the tribalism on this site is really very annoying, and irritiating.

Yes, freedom of speech. Yes, we live in a democracy, but it does not mean that one must use infantile language.

I hope Seun, and the mods are reading this. Enough is enough. I am a proud Nigerian. I hate no man or woman from any tribe. Regardless of being a contraption, we must stand together....

You say regardless of Nigeria being a contraption, we must stand together.

Please stand in a contraption with yourself and others who want it.
Count out others who want a true and functioning country.
OMG, nothing that crude oil can't make people say to defend this most dysfunctional Nigeria. Cheap cash from crude oil. When shall this crude oil stop flowing in the Niger delta so that some people go develop sense?

Juliusmalema:
So this animal called Nnamdi kanu still have the mouth and temerity to talk.

He should direct his press statement to his fellow criminal European gangsters.

Ipob is a terrorist organization and remain proscribed


SE governor's should use village vigilante to check mate this fulani herdsmen terrorist.

That someone or a state is in South East, doesn't make them Igbo in anyway after same herdsmen has endorsed Ebonyi state Governor for president 2023.


Same way Ohanaeze endorsed obi their son is the same way Miyetti Allah endorsed umahi as their son.

They no fit buy you sense from market. Tufiakwa!!!


The fire power of colonial masters and their interest in one Nigeria, are what keep persons like you and Myetti Allah cattle rearers to be sharing one country with the Igbo.

Fulani wants Nigeria as Country of Fulani.

Whoever doesn't believe this must be a mugu.

Fulani is achieving this through the fraudulent political structure of 20 states created by Fulani-loyal soldiers in largely Fulani-controlled north.

From the over representation in the 20 states, only a Fulani-backed presidential candidate can win presidential election.

There is no country where land mass is used as criterion to determine where new states are to be created. Only in Nigeria.


Wake up politicians of southern Nigeria for restructuring Nigeria politicaly in a democracy.

Weapons to fight and kill who? Nigerians; Nigerian groups struggling for a governance system that fits their culture and religious practices.

Restructure Nigeria to fiscal federalism under regional govt system,

or

dissolve the impossible country to smaller and workable countries now.

Nigeria has no external enemies to acquire arms and ammunition for.

cosmatika:
We warned the North and Waste, but they said we don't know how to play politics. My only sympathy is that Taraba state voted light, but the supporters of the dark devil are roundabout them.
God let this evil reside with all who supported this Book haram sympathizer, amen

North and West are used to hero worshipping. That's why they believe that any group that refused to vote for Buhari does not know politics.

But it's total dictatorship if every group votes one person.

Iberibe...

During the late 1970s to 1980s, every Ghanaian you met in Aflao or Accra or even Sunyani/Kumasi wanted to see how to enter Nigeria

Once they came into Nigeria, and most of them succeeded, the only means to survive was through illegal or criminal activities.

alBHAGDADI:
This is just a sign that there's something sick with Nigerians. We claim our country is horrible, so we run for greener pastures. Sadly, the horrible things we claim to have run away from are replicated in the greener pastures thereby destroying those places. That shows that almost every individual Nigerian is the cause of the problems Nigeria is facing.

We have gone to small Ghana there to teach them Yahoo plus and kidnapping, yet we kick when south africans descend on us with xenophobia.

When were you born?
Ghanaians taught Nigerians nearly all the crimes you mentioned above.

One example: when Ghanaians started using Nigerian passports to travel to Europe and America, Nigerians never knew that another person could use another person's international passport, or that a foreign national could use international passport of another country .

Another: prostitution: Ghanaian women taught most Nigerian women how to do prostitution during the 1980s in Nigeria

Ghanaians have no love for Nigerians because of the Ghana must go deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria during the 1980s by Shagari government when Nigeria was great..


In Africa, Europe, Asia and America, every Ghanaian looks with inferiority complex, suspicion and suspense on sighting any Nigerian.

budaatum:
In one big mouth rant the Professor went to Ghana and behaved unprofessionally and brought Nigeria into disrepute.

When he returns to Nigeria we must flog him for not meeting up to PhD level of reasoning!

Abroad, president Buhari called you and other Nigerian youths criminals and lazy.

Yyeske:
Why shouldn't he be sacked and arrested for that inciting video, he thinks it is Buhari that he can talk about anyhow.
You live in a foreign country where you earn your living yet badmouthing them and I'm sure he is a Nairalander.

My major problem in all of this is that this builds up hate and trouble for fellow law abiding Nigerians living out there, we all saw and heard what happened in Kumasi Ghana recently.

Because of ex president Shagari's manner of deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria, Ghanaians have little or no love for Nigerians since then till today. Even in foreign countries, Ghanaians are ever suspicious of every Nigerian.
I even pity Nigerians who go to settle in Ghana these days.

Kyngfarabale1:
edo state is better than all the whole eastern state in Nigeria

anger issues with u people

Your happiness on the situation of Nigeria - your happiness on the situation is overflowing with milk and honey.

Under Buhari govt, with Buhari as Petroleum minister, under Buhari who boasts that he fought bitter civil war because of the oil?
Wait for him to leave office.

Hmm. Even a man like Obasanjo can't have freedom of choice in this regime?

In 2015 presidential election, Buhari replied a foreign journalist: "we have won more serious wars, what is Boko Haram?"

That made more Nigerians vote Buhari in 2015.
Four years after?


We all know that it's a religious war supported by millions of people who sympathize with Boko Haram's desire for a theocratic state of Nigeria to be governed with Islamic Sharia criminal codes.

Which country has ever won a religious war?

Ask the 12 northern Sharia states to RENOUNCE THEIR ADOPTION OF UNCONSTITUTIONAL SHARIA CRIMINAL CODES.

Once they do, Boko Haram, killer herdsmen and bandits shall cease operations.
You all know the root of the insecurity in Nigeria, but look the other way.

SEGLIZ:
36 states 44 state university and it not enough until each street owns one right. you try o.

Come to the US and see more.

Findschoolnews:
We need more

Still very few for a population of 180 million

Wow. Eastern Palm University Ogboko, Imo state finally made it to the list of State university.

Thank Okorocha Rochas shaa.

Thank our new gov Ihedioha.

AkataYeriYeri:
Return his sperms too.
Mumu woman

Wasted sperms. There were no kids from the union.