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PoliticsI’m Opposed To Fuel Subsidy Removal – Buhari by austinkenneth(op): 4:11pm On Apr 15, 2015
I’m opposed to fuel subsidy removal – Buhari on December 09, 2011


BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI & UMAR YUSUF
ABUJA—Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 elections, General Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday, declared that the party is completely opposed to the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

He made the disclosure just as the Governorship candidate of the CPC in Adamawa State; General Mohammed Buba Marwa told election riggers planning to rig Adamawa State Governorship election to think twice because they will meet their waterloo.

“I am General Buba Marwa of the Lagos fame, I am not stupid. Those riggers will meet their waterloo in Adamawa. They can come but I will surprise them”, Marwa reacted to possible rigging by the opposition.

Speaking in Yola at the flag-off campaign of General Marwa, Buhari challenged Nigerians to rise up and speak with one voice to ensure that the planned removal of fuel subsidy is not actualized,

Buhari also alleged that the menace of Boko Haram presently ravaging the country is caused by bad leadership on the part of the PDP-led administration.

According to him, ‘Nigerians are being deceived on the issue of fuel subsidy, The federal government takes out fuel for refining, only to come back and talk of removing the subsidy. That is nonsense and an attempt by a clique with the PDP led federal government to siphon the proceeds to be realized from the removal of oil subsidy”.

Describing Marwa as a God sent leader that will turn the lives of Adamawa people around for the better, General Buhari said “Marwa has done it in other places like Lagos and Borno, comprising two states, So nobody should be in doubt about what he will do in his own state”.

“If Marwa says he will provide free education, I believe him, If Marwa says he will provide free health care, I believe him. If he says he would provide security for lives and property, I believe him and if he says he will bring change, I believe him because he has done it before, So give him your support because he is a good man”, Buhari said,

On his part, Marwa said, “All Nigerians leaving in Adamawa state irrespective of tribe and religious leaning would be treated with justice, equity and fair play. Everybody in Adamawa will be accorded equal rights”.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/im-opposed-to-fuel-subsidy-removal-buhari/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmG_dYY7YRA
PoliticsRe: Buhari To End Fuel Subsidy, Rationalise Mdas by austinkenneth: 2:21pm On Apr 15, 2015
From Curx MAccido (comment on this day)
Jonathan apologist!...so running a lean government, clear statement on eradication of corruption, removal oil subsidy, power reform through transmission decentralization, agriculture reforms, revenue mobilization, employment and refineries activation are all jonathan program....spare us of your crappy comments. 16 years of pdp government has taken us this far, let's have others give it a shot and stop confusing yourself, be patient!
PoliticsRe: Buhari To End Fuel Subsidy, Rationalise Mdas by austinkenneth: 2:18pm On Apr 15, 2015
From John West (comment on this day 5hours ago)



There is really nothing new in the APC policy proposals and it appears that the implementation of the policies of President Goodluck Jonathan is the cardinal policy of this new Government. This in itself is not bad at all, but the question is that , if these policies are desirable to the incoming Government, while then were they the basis for castigating the outgoing Government?

The Steve Orosanye report was not fully implemented because of the negative anticipated reactions from the usual suspects who believe that only Government can provide jobs for them and their people. I am really looking forward to the reactions of these people , when their man becomes the grim reaper, throwing them and their minions out of Government jobs.

Ha! Ha! Ha!!! So Buhari will remove fuel subsidy? Wonders will never end!! What will the APC supporters who occupied Lagos to protest the same policy in 2012 now do to their super hero?
Bottom line, I am quite gladdened to see that the APC Government will continue with the general thrust of the serially maligned Jonathan administration, the best Government , warts and all, in the checkered history of this Tower of Babel of a country.

For one thing, I applaud incoming President BUHARI for having the courage to admit indirectly, through the policies enunciated by Dr Fayemi, that he really has nothing new to offer the country and that all that noise about change was a simple power grab in the manner of his ancestors. Accuse the incumbent rulers of corruption and set the people against them, then sneak in like a thief in the night to steal power, in order to perpetrate even greater corruption and evil. . I shudder at the prospects for this country with all these policy flip flops even before the inauguration, but then like the basic principle of Law admonishes,"YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE".
PoliticsRe: Important: Updated Nairaland's Rule 2 Is Being Enforced -kudos Seun And His Mods by austinkenneth(op): 11:48am On Apr 15, 2015
Because of the events of the last two weeks (especially between Igbos and Yourbas)
Friends have been lost. Old ties broken. Several enemies made.

We are anonymous on Nairaland. So its even better. But its should not be abused.

In the heat of the moment. some folks went to their twitter and facebook accounts and wrote comments that they now regret. But alas, they cant take it back -its been shared and retweeted several times and their age old friends saw it and reputations built up over the years was destroyed by a single facebook or tweeter comment.

Let us be wise please. If you have made any unwholesome tribal comments better go and remove them now, otherwise when you would have forgotten about it. It'll might surface. People have been fired because of their tweets.
PoliticsImportant: Updated Nairaland's Rule 2 Is Being Enforced -kudos Seun And His Mods by austinkenneth(op): 11:17am On Apr 15, 2015
Post the governorship elections, Nairaland rule 2 was updated and is now being enforced. Kudos to the mods.
I’m glad that that is the case. This because I was becoming sick and tired of nairaland due to the tribal and ethnic slurs and hate that I was seeing on it.
How did I know it is being enforced? I simply carried out a test.
To check the level of enforcement I posted something offensive intentionally and 2 minutes later it was removed. I was happy. This is a check that I will be making periodically and the moment I don’t see any action, I will post about it. If the enforcement stays as it is now, I will also post about it.

Kudos to the mods!!! Good job!!!
Ethnic and tribal bigots take your fight elsewhere or better still sheath your swords. Don't bring to nairaland. Don’t spoil the nairaland experience for us. Don’t spoil Seun’s business and sweat for him.
Some people grew up in this country without experiencing tribalism or even knowing about but some of us, through our post are making them realize it, practice and dare I say that some of us with our post are even radicalizing them.
PoliticsRe: Ijeoma Ozichi Writes Chimamanda Adichie On The Oba Of Lagos Statement To Igbos by austinkenneth: 10:59am On Apr 15, 2015
EUROBOMBER:
This is the major problem with our people. If you are an objective person you will notice that she said a lot of truth. Don't let bitterness & hatred blind you.
The problem is not with our people like you said. M17 is just one guy but the problem is that online, any comment he makes may carry a lot of weight. He is a bigot. So now, am I one of 'our people'.
PoliticsAfricans Including Nigerians Now Living In Police Stations In South Africa by austinkenneth(op): 10:34am On Apr 15, 2015
Photos; Africans Including Nigerians Now Living In Police Stations In South Africa Following Xenophobic Attacks
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 Chinedu Andra 0 NEWS A+ A- Share on printPrint Share on emailEmail
Scores of Africans have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in one of South Africa’s worst outbreaks of xenophobic violence in years. Some South Africans have accused immigrants of taking jobs and opportunities away from them. Most of the recent unrest occurred in and around the coastal city of Durban, where police said two foreigners and three South Africans were killed.


The violence was caused by comments made by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, an influential figure among the Zulu ethnic group, that foreigners should “pack their bags” and leave. The king has since appealed for an end to the unrest. Some Africans including Nigerians are now living in police stations for fear of their lives.


http://www.nationalhelm.com/2015/04/photos-africans-including-nigerians-now.html
PoliticsRe: South Africans Attack Nigerians In Durban And Other Cities. ..pics by austinkenneth: 6:55am On Apr 15, 2015
MugabeRobert:
The lazy bastards? They are equally lazy like the yorubas, right? and their cities are all no man's land. Your stupidity has gone nternational.

Now tell me one successful business or work you do in South Africa other than selling drugs and doing all sorts of illegitimate businesses. When Nigerians(mostly ibos) go about selling drugs and provoking their hosts with disgusting lexical slurs were they expecting home coming parties with flowers in returns? I'm not in any way supporting these gory pictures but what I do know for certain is to.stay out of trouble and you have to do in Rome as Romans do.
if after seeing these pics you can still make this kind of comment then your case is beyond redemption.
PoliticsRe: Final Result For Abia State Governorship Election. INEC DECLARE PDP WINNER by austinkenneth: 6:16pm On Apr 13, 2015
donklens:
Ohafia LGA
APGA 17690;
PDP 11729
#AbiaDecides
INEC ANNOUNCED.
Ohafia LGA figure revised down from figure originally submitted.
You see the truth is coming out little by little. The time for rigging is over. Thanks to Jega. If you rig its only a matter of time before it'll be discovered. The INEC officials probably do not want to be a part of this charade. Jail things!!!
PoliticsRe: Final Result For Abia State Governorship Election. INEC DECLARE PDP WINNER by austinkenneth: 6:13pm On Apr 13, 2015
I think we need to understand a complication about the SE politics. SEners follow candidates and not parties.
PDP is firmly in control in only two states…Enugu and Ebonyi because their governors are perceived to have performed.
APC is coasting to victory in Imo…Only because Rochas has done well and people believe he deserves a 2nd term. Forget about what you see online.
APGA is in control in Anambra because Peter Obi did well there for 8 years. An then he presented a technocrat as a candidate who many perceived as a good one. He had to do so any way to be able to beatNgige. By the way Anambra has arguably the best road network in the country.
APGA is likely (or definitely) winning in Abia because T.A. Orji has not done well thus there is little belief in his stooge that he is bringing.
Abia folks home and abroad are behind Otti. When he declared his intention to contest, the PDP bigwigs knowing that he would be a formidable force thought that the only way to silence him was to bring him into their fold, promise him the ticket and then go ahead to silence and frustrate out of politics and chase back to Diamond bank where he has a good career anyway.
Abians followed him even when he was in PDP. He decamped to APGA only when he did not get the ticket. When he moved to APGA people simply followed him. If moved to APC or remained in PDP we would have still followed him than you would come to say we voted PDP of APC when infact we are following the best candidate.
Never think you understand it fully. A simplistic assumption about the situation doesn’t help at times in the SE because it is very complex but what I tell you is the current Abia situation.
There are normally a lot of factors at play in politics thats why people spend years in the university to study political science (Jega is a prof. of pl. science anyway)
AS FOR T.A. ORJI AND HIS CREW. JEGA IS THEIR NEMESIS. HE HAS MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR ANY RIGGED RESULT TO STAND. PDP WILL GO DOWN IN ABIA. THIS RESULT AND THAT OF IMO (IF THE JIGGING AND REJIGGING LEADS TO A PDP VICTORY) CANNOT STAND!!!
TRIBUNAL THINGS!!!
PoliticsRe: Final Result For Abia State Governorship Election. INEC DECLARE PDP WINNER by austinkenneth: 6:13pm On Apr 13, 2015
donklens:
Now for final tallying and announcement of winner.
PoliticsRe: Gov T.A Orji, Metuh Force Abia Returning Officer To Reverse Cancellation by austinkenneth: 5:33pm On Apr 13, 2015
akthedream:
...you igbos...so you hate pdp but want to force them on others right?...they even scammed you guys after deceiving you to vote Jonathan...before you start saying "lubbish",I am from Edo state and we dey enjoy Apc sweet and good...
Why can't you just spend sometime to understand SE politics. Its not the party we follow but the candidate. If you do not follow it well, you will think its the party we follow.

Can't you see that among the 5 SE states, its only Enugu and Ebonyi that are still firmly PDP...Because the PDP governors performed.

Imo is APC. Rochas will definitely win...He performed. Anambra is still APGA because the immediate past governor did a good job for 8 years and they put up a good candidate... Obiano

Abia is going to APGA simply because PDP has not performed and people see Otti as a good candidate... It is as simple as that. Remember Otti was in PDP and a lot Abians home and aroad were rooting for him.

even when he was in PDP. He decamped to APGA only when he did not get the ticket. The idea from Orji knowing that he is a formidable candidate was to bring him into PDP since he was going to contest and then frustrate him and silence him.
When he moved to APGA people simply followed him. If moved to APC or remained in PDP we would have still followed him than you would come to say we voted PDP of APC when infact we are following the best candidate.
Never think you understand it fully. A simplistic assumption about the situation doesn’t help at times in the SE because it is very complex but what I tell you is the current Abia situation.

AS FOR T.A. ORJI AND HIS CREW. JEGA IS THEIR NEMESIS. HE HAS MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR ANY RIGGED RESULT TO STAND. PDP WILL GO DOWN IN ABIA. THIS RESULT AND THAT OF IMO (IF THE JIGGING AND REJIGGING LEADS TO A PDP VICTORY) CANNOT STAND!!!
TRIBUNAL THINGS
PoliticsRe: Final Result For Abia State Governorship Election. INEC DECLARE PDP WINNER by austinkenneth: 5:03pm On Apr 13, 2015
Tribunal waiting after May 29.No way this result can stand.
PoliticsRe: Blatant Rigging In The South-south And South-east by austinkenneth: 12:36am On Apr 13, 2015
justirich:
It's really shameful the kinda results we are getting from the states in South-south and South-east. These regions are just centers of corruption and I'm greatly saddened to be from such region.

Akwa Ibom- How can PDP Udom Emmanuel get a whopping 996, 071 votes to 89, 865 to Umana Okon. 91% win. That's preposterous!
Enugu- PDP Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has won with 482,277 votes against Okey Ezea who polled a mere 43,839 votes. Another 90% win.

So the opposition candidates are so hated in all corners of these two states that they couldn't muster up to 100, 000votes. It's just despicable rigging by the PDP. At least rig with some decency.

Meanwhile Yoruba and Northern states have results that showed more credibility. Check Oyo, Ogun and Lagos official results. Close results. After we will be complaining about oppression when we are so evil to our own kin.

Kaduna- Nasir el-Rufa’i scored 1,117,635 while Mukhtar Yero polled 485,833 votes. 69% win.
Katsina- Aminu Masari, polled 943,085 votes to beat Musa Nashuni 476,768. 66% win. And this is even Buhari's state.

We the alleged oppressed regions are even the bane of democratic progress in Nigeria. It was really divine that this terrible party has lost at the center. Good riddance to bad rubbish. God save the South!!!
Can you at least mention any tangible structure that APC has put in Enugu apart from online abracadabra? Enugu APC is at its infancy. Im sure they knew they would loose just like PDP in Kano. By the way how about Kano where PDP got only 25% despite having ruled the state for about 6 years since 1999. Most of the house of reps and assembly members were PDP by 2011.
PoliticsRe: Igbo Appeal To Lagos Govt, Police To Protect Them After Elections by austinkenneth: 12:07am On Apr 13, 2015
[s][/s]
Amazo:
Sheath your swordshuh Hahahahaha, what a joke grin. Why don't you bring out your arsenals and make war if you're so certain of winning. With a few exceptions, the majority of ibos leaders keep making political miscalculations both in federal and state levels that hinder their progress as a people, and then blame everybody else but themselves when the consequences of their choices come into play. Yorubas might be friendly but they aren't stüpid; they might be patient but they are deadly - as deadly as a venomous belcher’s sea snake. Mess with this tribe at your own peril. So it is now they know that they have economic interests and assets in Lagos worth protecting, yet always eager to disrupt the fragile political and social status quo in place that begets a peaceful and prosperous coexistence. Is this not self-sabotage? Do you think for a moment the Yorubas are blind to the subtle and tactical aim for a gradual takeover of Lagos State the Ibos are planning and acting out? No, the Yorubas have x-ray vision in this case and can see your plans to the bones. It's just right now the sensible Yoruba leaders are still busy with clearing out the "omoale" leaders (as they call it) from their zones and building a solid political foundation for a brighter future for the Yoruba region and its people. Once they are through (and they are almost through), then the ibos case will be opened and addressed thoroughly. What is happening right now that the Yorubas seem to "overlook" certain anomalistic behavior of the ibos is best described by their idiom that says "Iya yin owa ninu cooler" - hope I got it right. That is, your punishment is still inside the cooler; and you will eat it hot in due time, unless there's a change.

Lagos State is a very complex society, it is like the New York of America; and every tribe in Nigeria have significant populations in Lagos. Whether it is Binis, Hausas, Ijaws, Idomas, Itshekiris, calabars...or whether peoples from Warri, makurdi, maiduguri, Kabba and other places etc! Lagos State as a society is a perfect microcosm of the totality of the Nigerian society at large. However, it has become commonplace for only the ibos (who subconsciously due to the unfortunate civil war continue to see the Yorubas as their social, economic and political enemies) to want to rigorously compete against the Yorubas as if a battle for conquest and Lagos State is one of the spoils of war. That's why you can already witness the ibos designating Lagos as a "no-mans land" on one hand; but yet on other hand methodically trying to take over the so-called no-man's land. This is totally wrong and unacceptable. Lagos state can never be converted to Ibo land, not now and not in a trillion years from now. Every Nigerian tribe I believe have a part of the land no matter how small that is theirs or rather they are the custodians of due to ancestry, conquest or what have you. But the era of conquests is over and no individual tribe has the moral or legal right, or political might to encroach or seize another tribe's accustomed lands. Only the federal government can further share lands to/from tribes as they see fit, and even with all the federal might this can't be done with impunity anymore because fortunately for everyone the era of military rule is over. No federal government will ever share Lagos to any tribe other than Yorubas. It is their inheritance in Nigeria. The ibo inhabitants in Lagos need to understand this: Lagos was, is and always will be a Yoruba State. So the earlier you drop your scheming of "conquering" Lagos, the better for you.


Now, regarding taxation and the DEVELOPMENT of Lagos State, many ibos keep making erroneous claims. They say stuff like: without ibos Lagos State would not have developed the way it has; ibos pay the most taxes; ibos built Lagos; Lagos can't survive without ibos...blah blah blah! Seeing how far this fallacy is spreading, it's best the matter is addressed for the sake of clarity and peace. First off, taxation of businesses and individuals in Lagos State isn't peculiar or exclusive to ibos alone. Everyone pays tax, irrespective of tribe - heck, even Yorubas pay tax and are not exempted. The Lagos State government doesn't have a discriminating taxation policy. Its tax policy is blind to tribe. Ibos don't pay more than everybody else and Yorubas don't pay less that everybody else. The tax percentages are at fixed rates. If we're talking about "amount" of taxes being generated on a tribal basis, unless you're the accountant general of Lagos State, it remains arguable which tribe brings in the highest percentage of taxes. Quantity doesn't necessarily translate to bigger amounts. For example, one company's tax returns in VI can be greater than the tax returns of 100,000 businesses tax returns in Oshodi and Agege combined. So tax revenues can't be estimated based on "quantity" of businesses. Therefore, because there is a proliferation of businesses by ibos across Lagos doesn't necessarily mean or translate that ibos are the largest contributors of taxes. Also, taxes aren't collected along tribal lines; so it will be really difficult for any tribe to indisputably PROVE that they are the largest tax contributors. All the noise ibos keep making claiming to be the ones are unfounded assumptions originating from the most unrealistic parts of their figments of imagination. They have no documented facts with figures from the Lagos state government to legitimize such false claims. It just might be the Hausas, Binis, Ijaws or some other tribe - who knows!

As for development, whether economic and social, Lagos state even before it became a federal capital has always been thriving and prosperous. This is one of the major reasons Lagos later was selected to be a federal capital in the first place. It was an exceptionally promising state booming with exponential economic and social development potential vital for Nigeria's nation building. Lagos wasn't selected out of the blues or by raffle draw to become the federal capital. It was political genius to have done so. I can't dwell so much on this and anyone in doubt can look through the established history books and educate themselves. Development is progressive; it never stops or isn't meant to stop. After Lagos became a Federal capital, the development continued. After it lost that status, the development still continued and federal capital or no federal capital, one thing you could never strip from Lagos State is its super-economic potential. It was a state destined for greatness and nothing could stop it. Economically speaking, Lagos State was like the hand of Midas and everything that touches it turns to gold. To make money, isn't that the foremost reason all tribes have migrated to Lagos? Can't money be made elsewhere? Yes, but certainly not at the speed and success rate Lagosians seem to do it in Lagos. The economic potential was what brought the ibos to Lagos - it's all about coming to make money! Yes, just like everybody else that came, the ibos came to make money and make a life. Now that they have done so, the rest of the tribes can't rest again because the ibos feel they have arrived and arrogantly act as if they now own the state forgetting they met people here when they came. Ibos weren't the first tribe to prosper in Lagos, and ibos won't be the last; ibos aren't the first billionaires in Lagos, and ibos won't be the last. So why all the braggadocious display of economic arrogance towards other tribes, especially your hosts? Dangote (a billionaire in $$$$$) lives in Lagos and a considerable chunk of his business empire is in Lagos but he's not making noise and disturbing the peace in the land, so why must the ibos be harassing others and causing commotion just because they have attained some measure of wealth and every other tribe in Lagos should bow to you. It will never happen. This arrogant character has to stop. No one is intimidated by the ibos wealth because as far as Lagos is concerned, there are wealthy people from all tribes living there. Now, some more history, ibos didn't bring money to Lagos; rather they came to make money from Lagos. And ibos did, some legally and some illegally. Regarding taxes, whatever monies paid to the Lagos government wasn't made in Onitsha, Aba, Owerri, or Umuahia etc. It was made in Lagos and through Lagos. So it's only reasonable and proper that the taxes due be remitted to Lagos. If ibos are paying tens of billions naira in taxes to Lagos, then it's because they have already made hundreds of billions naira. And this is the same for all other tribes, so why are the ibos making a big deal out of this as if they're doing what nobody else is doing in Lagos. Businesses only pay taxes based on what you earn in the state and through the state. You don't pay what you didn't earn. So why are ibos talking as if the taxes they pay to Lagos was earned in Onitsha and they were compelled by the government to bring the money to Lagos; wasn't it earned in Lagos?

Regarding the social development of Lagos, did ibos develop Lagos? No! The ibos developed themselves. The ibos didn't build Lagos roads, bridges, schools, rail, or other public infrastructure. Who built all these? The federal and state governments using national and state resources respectively. So am I saying the ibos built nothing in Lagos? No, i'm not. Then what exactly did the ibos build in Lagos? Well, the ibos built THEIR homes, built THEIR houses, built THEIR businesses...etc! So essentially, the ibos built themselves in Lagos - no more, no less. You didn't build for Lagos, you built for yourselves in Lagos, same thing with other tribes, but the ibos keep talking blindly as if they are charity and what they built was handed over to society. Now you might want to say, What of the taxes they paid, didn't the government use taxpayers money to develop Lagos? Well, ibos are not the only ones who paid taxes. Hausas, ijaws, igallas, idomas, binis, urobos...also did too! Every tribe paid taxes in Lagos, heck even foreigners too. But yet, it's only the ibos making silly noise that they developed Lagos. This childish stupidity is annoying, and you should grow up mentally. If ibos built houses, you built it so that you can enjoy; if you built businesses, you built it so that you can enjoy...and so on! You built yourselves in Lagos, you didn't build Lagos. You developed yourselves in Lagos, you didn't develop Lagos. Lagos State is a natural economic magnet attracting investments from investors locally and globally. Those who bring in money are bringing in money to make more money or other benefits - and not for charity. There's always something to gain from Lagos. If all ibos and ibos assets were to be relocated from Lagos to the SE, would it destroy the Lagos economy? No, not in any way in reality. That "vacuum" (whether properties or investments) created will be filled almost instantly. As it is, there are thousands upon thousands of people rushing to get here daily, and millions more (both locals and foreigners) would come settle here if such a vacuum existed. Lagos is already in shortage of lands and many settlement projects are being built on the seas, like the Eko Atlantic city. I could go on but even this is enough to prove the versatility of the economic prosperity of the land flowing with milk and honey called Lagos state. For several years, the OBJ administration deprived Lagos of federal funds, yet Lagos didn't even feel it one bit. Lagos is a hub of prosperity on its own, take it or leave it. So the ibos shouldn't get it twisted, Lagos will continue to prosper with or without you. Nigeria needs the ibos and the ibos need Nigeria. But Lagos doesn't need the ibos; it's the ibos that need Lagos. Now stop creating any more conflict drama in Lagos than you already have and appreciate your hosts and other tribes. If the ibos are disgusted about paying taxes to Lagos and coexisting peacefully with mutual respect for the Yorubas hosts and other tribes inhabiting Lagos, then well the South East needs further development, the South East governments need taxes too to perform their obligations, so you're free to go to your home states and do the needful. You won't be missed!
PoliticsRe: I Will Lead A War Against Apc Like Ojukwu-wike by austinkenneth: 3:38pm On Apr 09, 2015
Adefaze:
quoted wike speech on LIVE television
Hey F*ck you Wike,

Please leave Ojukwu out of this for the follwoing reasons:
(i) You and your people, the Ikwerres have being denying since midway through the civil war that Ojukwu led that ure not Igbos. You yourself have not yet agreed that you are Igbo. You have been denying it and now that your sky seems to falling in, you are shifting ground and you want to be Igbo and Ojukwu is your leader. You want to ride on the back of being an Igbo to get to power.

(ii) You're a tout. Even though you are likely to win in Rivers. You're still a tout. Maybe the change sweeping throught the country will change you but for now you're still a tout.

(iii) You are going to win. But you know it that you do not have the good of Rivers people in your heart.
Adefaze:
quoted wike speech on LIVE television
Hey F*ck you Wike,

Please leave Ojukwu out of this for the follwoing reasons:
(i) You and your people, the Ikwerres have being denying since midway through the civil war that Ojukwu led that ure not Igbos. You yourself have not yet agreed that you are Igbo. You have been denying it and now that your sky seems to falling in, you are shifting ground and you want to be Igbo and Ojukwu is your leader. You want to ride on the back of being an Igbo to get to power.

(ii) You're a tout. Even though you are likely to win in Rivers. You're still a tout. Maybe the change sweeping throught the country will change you but for now you're still a tout.

(iii) You are going to win. But you know it that you do not have the good of Rivers people in your heart.
Adefaze:
quoted wike speech on LIVE television
Hey F*ck you Wike,

Please leave Ojukwu out of this for the follwoing reasons:
(i) You and your people, the Ikwerres have being denying since midway through the civil war that Ojukwu led that ure not Igbos. You yourself have not yet agreed that you are Igbo. You have been denying it and now that your sky seems to falling in, you are shifting ground and you want to be Igbo and Ojukwu is your leader. You want to ride on the back of being an Igbo to get to power.

(ii) You're a tout. Even though you are likely to win in Rivers. You're still a tout. Maybe the change sweeping throught the country will change you but for now you're still a tout.

(iii) You are going to win. But you know it that you do not have the good of Rivers people in your heart.
PoliticsRe: Can My Igbo Brothers Explain To Me? by austinkenneth: 8:31am On Apr 08, 2015
tbaba1234:
Thank you, I really hope orji is kicked out.

2003 elections were massively rigged.
Evidence of T.A. Orji rigging is visible to the blind. You see politics is so complex that when you think you know it something else hits you. For instance, See Tinubu struggling for his support base.

As for T. A. Orji, He knows he was rigged and that he'll be kicked but beware of the next sucker puch that he may deliver ---Defection to APC which will shield him bacuse he will be their member.

That's why politics is complex.
PoliticsRe: Can My Igbo Brothers Explain To Me? by austinkenneth: 8:19am On Apr 08, 2015
OBJ and PDP rigged all the south-east elections in 2003 - Governorship, National assembly, House of assembly and presidential which were all won by APGA. That's why I keep telling people that The 2003 election was won by Buhari because Ojukwu swept the SE states clean but those votes were put together in favour of OBJ.
In addition, APGA was rigged out of all other positions. Thanks to OBJ and PDP. We all know what happened to those who went to the tribunal.

As for T. A. Orji, do you think he won? He was rigged in by PDP. The results will be contested by APGA and you'll see what will happen because PDP is no longer at the centre therefore Orji will have no cover and APC will calculate that one of the ways to make inroads into the SE will be to hand over what belongs to APGA to APGA.

As for the Emeka Ojukwu Jnr. You'll observe that only a few Igbo politicians have successfully ridden on the back of their parent's popularity. The mentality over there is that even if you are the son of the most revered man in Igboland, you're still equal with everybody.
Why should he be voted for just because his fahther is Ojukwu? who dash am.
PoliticsRe: Our Lagos Eko Atlantic (graphic View by austinkenneth: 8:16pm On Apr 07, 2015
StunningCEO:
dis is what is driving yiboe jealousy.....see visionary leaders for sw....unlike erosion land... grin...so dey want to bring agbaje to destroy it.. angry
Igbos may benefit more than the Yorubas if the project flies.
PoliticsRe: Agbaje Or Ambode - Online Polls by austinkenneth: 4:59pm On Apr 07, 2015
Guys pls vote here with your likes and shares on the first post as the case may be
PoliticsRe: #whotakeslagos - Online Voting - Ambode Vs Agbaje by austinkenneth: 4:47pm On Apr 07, 2015
Please vote your preferred candidate here. Lets see where we are.

http://www.whotakeslagos.com/
PoliticsRe: This Is Why Everybody Wants To Be In Abuja, View This Salary Breakdown,. by austinkenneth: 8:15am On Apr 07, 2015
chocolateme:
PLEASE, READ: THIS IS WHY EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO TO ABUJA.

If you don't understand why those who are in Abuja don't want to return and those who want to go are doing so at all cost, look at this information.

SPECIAL REPORT:
SALARY OF NIGERIAN SENATORS.

After reading through this Special Report, any sh[center][/center]red of doubt in the reader's mind that Nigeria is doomed and heading for a headlong, downward plummeting will simply dissipate. The details of the remuneration of an average Nigerian Senator is detailed below:

* Basic Salary (B.S) - N2,484,245.50
* Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) - N1,242,122.70
* Constituency Allowance (200% of B.S) - N4,968,509.00
* Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) - N1,242,122.70
* Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) - N621,061.37
* Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) - N248,424.55
* Accommodation (200% of B.S) - N4,968,509.00
* Utilities (30% of B.S) - N828,081.83
* Domestic Staff (70% of B.S) - N1,863,184.12
* Entertainment (30% of B.S) - N828,081.83
* Personal Assistants (25% of B.S) - N621,061.12
* Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (75% of B.S) - N1,863,184.12
* Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) - N248,424.55
* Severance Gratuity (300% of B.S) - N7,452,736.50
* Car Allowance (400% of B.S) - N9,936,982.00
* TOTAL MONTHLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00 ($181,974.00)
* TOTAL YEARLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00 x 12 = N353,756,988.00 ($2,183,685.00)
* EXCHANGE RATE: $1 = N162

LEGISLATORS PAY WORLDWIDE PER ANNUM
* Britain - $105,400.00
* United States - $174,000.00
* France - $85,900.00
* South Africa - $104,000.00
* Kenya - $74,500.00
* Saudi Arabia - $64,000.00
* Brazil - $157,600.00
* Ghana - $46,500.00
* Indonesia - $65,800.00
* Thailand - $43,800.00
* India - $11,200.00
* Italy - $182,000.00
* Bangladesh - $4,000.00
* Israel - $114,800.00
* Hong Kong - $130,700.00
* Japan - $149,700.00
* Singapore - $154,000.00
* Canada - $154 000.00
* New Zealand - $112,500.00
* Germany - $119,500.00
* Ireland - $120,400.00
* Pakistan - $3,500.00
* Malaysia - $25,300.00
* Sweden - $99 300.00
* Sri Lanka - $5,100.00
* Spain - $43,900.00
* Norway - $138,000.00

In terms of lawmakers’ salaries as a ratio of GDP per capita, the gap is even much wider. While the salary of a Nigerian lawmaker is 116 times the country’s GDP per person, that of a British member of parliament is just 2.7 times.

The average salary of Nigerian worker based on the national minimum wage is N18,000.00, So, the yearly salary is N18,000.00 x 12 = N216,000.00 ($1,333.00)
Remember, Yearly Salary of Nigerian Senator = $2,183,685.00.
Proportion: $2,183,685.00/$1,333.00 = 1,638
It will take an average Nigerian worker 1,638 years to earn the yearly salary of a Nigerian Senator.

Source: the economist

Legislators, both at d state & federal level are d problem of dis country. They only legislate into their pocket. Lets unite, mobilize & move against them begining with those thieves at the National Assembly. Pls read & send to all ur contact
Decreasing this by factor 20 should be a major part of the change we are advocating
PoliticsRe: Senate: Igbo Senators Lobby APC by austinkenneth: 10:43am On Apr 06, 2015
Have u guys forgotten that the position will be subjected to a vote and whoever is going to take that seat will need votes from SS and SE senators who are PDP. PDP has 49 senators. Anyone they vote for can clinch the seat.
So don't say they have no power.
PoliticsRe: Governorship Polls: How States Will Vote by austinkenneth: 8:31am On Apr 05, 2015
Very good analysis. But some modifications from my opinion.
Imo--PDP wins
Abia--APGA wins
Rivers--PDP wins
PoliticsRe: Ambode And Vice-president Elect Osinbajo Shut Down Alaba Market by austinkenneth: 8:17am On Apr 05, 2015
ChinemeOkpan:
Good but Igbo votes are not needed in Lagos

Ambode no ni jor
Not needed? Why then did they go to Alaba?
PoliticsRe: Senate Presidency: APC Leaders Push For Saraki by austinkenneth: 7:53am On Apr 05, 2015
ogene007:
As if APC has the required two-third. Kindly note that the PDP will have a lot to say about who becomes senate president as long as their 49 senators remain together.
You see. I keep watching the comments here in 3D and i'm amazed that it has not been mentioned that the senate presidency will be subjected to a vote which the PDP senators will be a part of. Have we 4gotten so soon how Tambuwal clinched the speakership with opposition votes?
I[b]f there is a crack in APC's ranks, the opposition votes, which will normally be bloc votes, will be the decider.[/b]
PoliticsRe: APC Loses Six Rep Seats In Lagos As Igbo Political Clout Grows. by austinkenneth: 11:44am On Mar 31, 2015
bobcharly:
My little experience in politics has taught me
that most people are more emotional than
rational when it comes to who leads. Even
when the evidences r cristal clear, they can't
still live above sentiments. Now its time to
wake up to reality. No matter how I am
tempted, I refuse to sacrifice the destiny of
this nation on d alter of sentiments.
Personally, I'm convinced beyond doubt that
this country needs change. How d change
will turn out, I don't know. But I dare to take
d risk.
1 million likes
PoliticsAl Jazeera Forecasting Rain Tomorrow In Southern Nigeria by austinkenneth(op): 4:42pm On Mar 27, 2015
Just watched Al Jazeera weather forecast and the forecast is that there will be rain tomorrow in southern Nigeria.

Whay Impactcould it have on voters turnout?
PoliticsRe: How Governors Rig Elections, By Donald Duke by austinkenneth(op): 1:42pm On Jan 12, 2015
Unibenstudent:
Buhari will win in a free and fair election.
Yes. But we all need to go out and vote or we would be voted for.
PoliticsRe: How Governors Rig Elections, By Donald Duke by austinkenneth(op): 1:36pm On Jan 12, 2015
Now, back to the elections, once that relationship has been established between the governor and the REC, if you are a governor who is ‘A Governor’, maybe two nights after you just pop by at the governors lodge and see the REC and say ah, ‘ah REC how are you doing? Are you OK?’ He says, ‘ah! Your Chief of Staff has been wonderful. He has been very nice to me; he supplied me the vehicles and everything is Ok’.

A few weeks to the elections, the REC sees the governor; you probably have on the average about three thousand five hundred, four thousand depending on the polling booths in every state. So, REC goes to the governor and says, ‘Your Excellency, could you please give us the names of about four, five thousand people so that we can hurriedly train them, we need them as Presiding Officers.’ You need experience. A good coach is one who has played and has lost matches in the past?

The REC now goes down and says, ‘we need to conduct a training programme for the presiding officers and em, headquarters hasn’t sent us any money yet, you know.’

And the governor is like: ‘How much would that cost?’

REC replies: ‘N25million for the first batch, we may have about three batches.’ Governor: ‘Ok, the Chief of Staff will see you.’
Now, the Chief of Staff, you call him: ‘Make sure, that we arrange N25 million this week and in two weeks time another N25 million and Seventy-Five million in all.’

Chief of Staff: ‘Your Excellency, how do we do it?’
Governor: ‘Put it under Security Vote.’

In other words, its cash, ok, now, cash in huge Ghana Must Go bags – some of my colleagues will shoot me- (turns to the audience) is any former governor here? (Crowd replies no!)

Good. Cash is lodged in huge Ghana Must Go Bags for the REC and of course, to be fair to them, they call their electoral officers and say the governor has been very benevolent; he has given us this and that. I say three batches because they have them in Senatorial districts. So, you have one in Calabar, you have One in Ikom and Ogoja, those are the headquarters of the Senatorial districts. Each one costs twenty-five million. Of course, the sums are not properly retired. I don’t know how much of this twenty-five million worked. But, there is a rapport this is going on.

The governor now turns round and says: ‘call me the party chairman.’ The party chairman appears and the governor says: ‘INEC requires 50 thousand people for conducting the elections. See to it that we meet their needs.’ The chairman goes and you hear in the evening on radio and television: There will be an urgent meeting of all chairmen and secretaries of XYZ party at the headquarters. They should report promptly at 10am (because) matters of urgent interest will be discussed. End of announcement. Now we have texts messages, so its easier, in no time everyone is here.
It’s a very short meeting, please go back and within 48 hours submit from each local government two hundred and fifty names of trusted party members. So in a week the deed is done. The names, sometimes even passport photographs if required are sent to INEC.

And the training programme is carried out. Let me pause a bit, this is at party level. They are usually civil servants. They may be teachers, whatever, but they are party members. The remuneration, for each of them for the elections from Abuja is 10,000 Naira for the day’s work. But the state in its benevolence gives 50 to 100,000 Naira to each of these folks right before this election.

This is even where it gets even more interesting. So, you have each of the three or four thousand polling booths; they are manned by party stalwarts. They are usually party stalwarts. You don’t send any peripheral member. The remuneration from Abuja has not arrived but that of the state was received 48 hours prior.

On the day of elections, each polling booth has no more than five hundred ballot papers, that is standard.

There is not a polling booth that is more than five hundred. So only two hundred people appear here, three hundred there, one hundred there, fifty there, four hundred there, at the end of election what happens. The Presiding Officer sits down and calls a few guys and says, ‘hey, there are a few hundred papers here, let’s thumbprint. This is the real election. Well, this is not a PDP thing. I am not here to castigate the PDP; it’s a Nigerian thing. This process may sound comical and jovial, it happens throughout the country, whether its Action Congress or APGA it’s the same thing. We are all the same. They start thumb-printing, some are overzealous. So at the end of the day you find some voting more than the number of people that were registered to vote.

Other wise they do it, you have 95 percent turnout. You start wondering where were the voters, I didn’t see so many people. And the election results are announced; XYZ party wins and it takes a week for this paltry ten thousand Naira for each presiding officer to arrive.

Listen to this before you ask your question: Who is the most important person in an election? – The presiding officer. And if there are a hundred and twenty thousand of them (booths) there are a hundred and twenty thousand presiding officers, they are the most important people in the elections, not the Chairman.

So, as long as we keep applying that same method, you will get the same results. Its crazy to think that because you substitute Iwu for Jega all will change. In other words, Iwu is a crook, Jega is a saint. Jega is great, he has an impeccable reputation. Iwu was great, now he seems not so great. Ok, they are both professors, they have reached the peak of whatever discipline that they profess. The point is that it is the system and the personnel and the chairman has little or no control over that.

Where are we now, we don’t even know when the elections will be. The Constitution amendment seems to be stalling somewhere. So it’s either in January or in April. Sometimes, we behave as if we invented democracy. We always want to draw new rules. We should know the day of elections. It should be fixed. We should know that on so and so date I think, America is the 4th of November or so and if it falls on a Sunday it doesn’t make a difference. The point I am making here is that date is fixed, you know; because in a democracy, election should be a norm, not an event. In our democracy, election is an event. Its like, we are going to spring on to you with fire works, hey, we are going to have an election, we are all running around- I know most politicians are broke right now, so we are all running around the field.

Secondly, if you have your ears to the ground there, are whispers that may be, we need to postpone this thing. The whispers are there. In a democracy, you postpone an election? You postpone things you didn’t plan for, not things that are there in the Constitution, that says you must do this, that and that, you can’t but –you know two ways of moving forward. This is where I like what SNG and CNP are doing.

We need a critical mass of Nigerians to get out and vote. It is important because the more ballot papers that are legitimately used on election day, the fewer available to be used to rig the vote, that’s the truth. Don’t keep to yourself and think that they will announce results. They are more sophisticated than that. And that’s why the aspirants who felt cheated and had the resources to employ forensic personnel, like those elections had the elections upturned in Edo and Ondo, because they could establish multiple voting by thumbprint.

So, if it’s an AC state the procedure is the same. I remember a state, that state will remain nameless. I hear the story that the then President was so determined that he must change the leadership of this state and he called the IG and said, ‘look, that Governor is a security breach. Let's have elections and flush the governor out, and the governor knows he is under siege. A week before the elections, a new police Commissioner arrives. And you know if you are a governor and a new Police Commissioner arrives before elections, you know something is wrong somewhere and he spends two, three days without going to see the governor, which is again a breach of protocol. The day he decides to see the governor, the governor says, I won’t be at the office. However, if he gives him a particular address they may discuss. Then the chap goes there and smartly salutes and it’s in a highbrow neighborhood of the city. (Shouts of Ikoyi rent the air.) ‘No! It’s Yobe!’ (The hall explodes in loud laughter).

The Commissioner of Police walks up to the governor and smartly salutes and says: ‘Your Excellency, I just came to introduce myself. My name is Mr. So, so and so. And the governor goes: ‘Ah, you are welcome. I heard you were here two or three days ago and I was wondering whether I won’t see you. Anyway, you are welcome. Have you settled down?’ ‘Yes I’ve been given accommodation and all that. And the governor asks, ‘where was your last posting?’ He tells him, he says fine.

Governor: ‘That car over there, this is the key and this is your house.
The Commissioner of Police now says: ‘Your Excellency, this Obasanjo is a very bad man. He is a very, very bad man. If you see all the things he has planned for you eh Olorun maje.’

How do we move on? How do we get out of here? What I have done is I’ve tried graphically to paint a picture of a process. How do we change this process?

One, I think, since we cannot change attitudes as quickly, we must ensure mass participation. In an election where there is a very high turnout, the results are usually genuine. The most celebrated election in Nigeria, June 12, 1993 what happened? People came out. The more people who come out to vote the fewer–there may be mago, mago here and there but there wouldn’t be much in such a critical manner to upset the will of the people. Beyond that, if you don’t vote in an election, you have no reason to criticize the government and I tell folks everywhere that guys, I would say, I have lived my life. You guys have not and you are all criticizing Nigeria but did you vote in the last election? Most of them say no then I say, you’ve lost the moral right to criticize what the government does because you were not part of the process.

Is there a way out? I think there is. I think we need to employ technology. It's just a suggestion and I want to share with you. I have said this in one or two fora and I’ve heard people say it has not been done in America or the West why should we do it here? I say they don’t have the attitude we have here. Necessity is the mother of invention. It is not necessary for us to do what I’m about to suggest.

For the purposes of this, 3455, this number is for a phone and that number is unique to you and valid for that election or the set of elections. And each party has a numerical equivalent. AC could be 1, the PDP could be 5, the Labour Party could be 3, whatever. And on the date of elections you decide that your number even if you don’t have a phone, you can go to a centre where they have a bank of phones and once you put in your number 3455 it recognizes you, it cannot be duplicated. Its only you that has that number and for that election on that date, once its used it cannot be used by anyone else. Then you can do this one from your house or anywhere, and any time between the hours of 9-12. When it says which party, you say 3 or 4 whatever the number, they ask you, ‘are you sure you say Yes’. You press it then you’ve voted. With that, I think we can conduct election but people say ah, it’s to technological and I say, why do you always underestimate the people in the rural areas? If you send them money this way, won’t they be able to cash it? Why is it that when it is to conduct their civic responsibilities it becomes high tech? I know this country, I ran a state for eight years, I know the nooks and crannies of my state. We are not the most enlightened of states in the country, but you see, I had a deal with MTN and Glo to ensure that every community in Cross River State has a base station; for that I gave them sites free of charge; so, virtually every nook and cranny of Cross River has a base station. Even the most rural of places; even in Bakassi when we still had control of it. And they all use it. They still use it to call their folks in the urban centres to say send us money. Why is that when it comes to civic responsibility it is high tech? Because the politicians don’t want to use it, that’s the truth.
I am not saying this is a perfect system, it can be fine-tuned, that will ensure that within an hour or two every one has voted and the results are near perfect.

Of course, once you design a system, there are those whose work is to un-design the system. There are people like that and they work backwards. Once you have that we also think the same way. How do we work backwards, where can this be faulted? It can be faulted in many ways. The service companies if you are able to break-through the integrity of the system, you know, here and there; but I think we are going to think outside the norm.

The point I’m trying to make is we have to think outside the box. I want to commend the federal government, each time the government talks about elections, it keeps on talking about credible elections with brilliant sound bite. But it must go beyond the sound bite and lets not kid ourselves, by thinking that by putting a Jega there that all is well. With Jega there, all will be well if he is able to design along with his team a system that is virtually fool proof. In other words, he himself must understand the system of elections, he needs to know how it works and how its been holding.

As I speak to you, we’ve not started voters’ registration. That exercise will take any where from three to four months. It will take at least, ninety days to run through its course, another six weeks to tidy up before it is published; lets not kid ourselves. You can have elections anytime, but you can’t have credible elections in January. So, for those thinking we can have elections in January, I think we have to rethink the process; we cannot have credible elections in January. We may have elections but it may not be credible. Where are we? We need to get out of these holes; we need to traverse the length and breath of this country. We need to recruit an army of people may be 5, 000 in each state, two hundred young men and women who will reach our (people), give each of them a task to ensure that he registers at least a hundred person. That alone, will bring twenty million people into the fold. This is what they did in the Obama election.

Fortunately, I was monitoring the Obama election, whether you attain voting age or not, you are able to send text and move around and get people to vote. It's one thing to register, some folk tell me, ‘how can I go to line up for hours to vote for this person’. This is again what pastor Bakare was talking about, if people are not excited about the candidates they will not come out. ‘Look at the four people running, they are all clowns. I’ m going to watch television; I’m not going to vote because either way a clown is going to win’.

So, we have to get involved in the process. We can’t all run for offices, we all can’t. ...”
PoliticsHow Governors Rig Elections, By Donald Duke by austinkenneth(op): 1:36pm On Jan 12, 2015
http://saharareporters.com/2010/07/18/must-read-how-governors-rig-elections-donald-duke-guardian

A MUST READ: How Governors Rig Elections, By Donald Duke-Guardian


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by Sahara Reporters
Jul 18, 2010
A comprehensive expose on how elections are rigged in the country has been unveiled by one of the insiders in the political process and former Cross River State Governor, Mr. Donald Duke. Last Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Duke gave a blow by blow account to a gathering of pro-democracy advocates, including the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), of the modus operandi of State Chief Executives and Resident Electoral Commissioners to thwart the mandate of the electorate, not just in states controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but all the others.
In his opinion, it is not just a question of replacing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, but getting a critical mass to come out to vote and ensuring that votes count.
The Guardian today delivers excerpts of his extempore speech:

“LET me start this way. Professor Maurice Iwu is truly an enigma; he enjoyed the limelight. He enjoyed all the attacks, thrown and meted at him, he remained undaunted. I think, he belongs to the school of thought that believes that bad publicity is better than no publicity. So, even though he was being attacked and scolded and all sorts of things were said about him, he didn’t shy away from even going to the United States and talking to Nigerians in the Diaspora about his work, he didn’t shy away from it. I was told he organized a rally to ensure that he will come back to do the work he was appointed to.

Why do I call him an enigma? The truth is, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission has little or no bearing on the success of elections, that’s the truth. To me, it’s actually immaterial because he is head of the administration he takes the brunt. The best he can do is perhaps, draw up a blueprint but the implementation of that blueprint is outside his control. So, if elections are rigged in say -Taraba State- we don’t do that stuff in Cross Rivers State (laughter),
Every one looks at Iwu and he proudly says we did this or that. Hogwash!
Let me now take you through the process of an election. We have a hundred and twenty thousand booths in Nigeria. At the hierarchy, you have the Chairman of INEC, then you have the zonal Commissioners, then you have the Resident Electoral Commissioners and they are the heads in every state the zone as the name implies; we have six zones in Nigeria, so you have six of them. Then you have the Resident Electoral Commissioners and there are 36 of them of course, and Abuja. Then for each local government, you have an electoral officer. Beyond that you have a hundred and twenty thousand polling booths, headed by presiding officers. The people think that at the end of the elections, the PDP would just decide who wins and who doesn’t and announces the results. I think the process is a bit more sophisticated than that.

This is what happens; the Resident Electoral Commissioner is usually from another state. The electoral officers, they move around. They are usually from that state, but for the conduct of elections itself, you would probably move from Cross River to Akwa Ibom or to Abia, but these musical chairs don’t mean nothing.

When the Resident Electoral Commissioner comes before the elections are conducted- of course when he comes to the state, usually, he has no accommodation; monies have not been released for the running or conduct of the elections and all that because we always start late. He pays a courtesy call on the governor. It’s usually a televised event you know, and of course he says all the right things. ‘Your Excellency, I am here to ensure that we have free and fair elections and I will require your support.’

Now, at that courtesy call, most governors, at least I did, will invite the Commissioner of Police because he is part of the action and he sits there.

After the courtesy call, the Resident Electoral Commissioner now moves in for a one-on-one with the governor the says, “Your Excellency, since I came, I’ve been staying in this hotel, there is no accommodation for me and even my vehicle is broken down and the last Commissioner didn’t leave the vehicle, so if you could help me settle down quickly;’ and the governor says, ‘Chief of Staff, where is the Chief of Staff here?’ And the Chief of Staff appears. Governor says: ‘Please ensure that the REC is accommodated–put him in the Presidential lodge, allot two cars to him, I give you seven days to get this done. Then the relationship has started; I am going to share some of these things with you so that we don’t leave here with any illusions. A lot of us, folks who have gone through an election or have been elected for one thing or another, see groups like Save Nigeria Group (SNG), the CLP as woolly-eye dreamers, you have to come down to the backsides, since I am now a hybrid between both. I want to bring you both down to backsides. Let me take you down to what happens so that you can change it because if you don’t change it, we here won’t suffer but I think of our children will.

We the elite, I am one of them, we send our kids to the best schools around the World, when they come back they are misfits, they cannot fit in and so ultimately we are designing a system that would destroy us in the end.

Let me take our minds back to Somalia. Somalia is mono-religious, mono-ethnic; they only have clans (but) they have one tribe. What has happened there? It’s a failed state because the elite in Somalia were so disconnected from the people that once they had some money, they buy houses in England, Washington and all those places; they were not investing, putting their best foot forward and I think that was what Pastor Bakare was talking about. If you want to be in a contest, you put your best foot forward; at the end of the day, there was such a disconnect that even till today, they cannot bridge it. Let me tell you, the last recognized President of Somalia is buried in Lagos- Siad Barre.

We are multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-problematic. The reason why most people worry about us is if we explode, who will contain us? Let me also say this, I know what I am saying now is an aside, I will go back to the elections. When we conducted the census in 2006 or so, the raw figures said we were over two hundred million; when they went and processed the figures it came down to 140million.

When you look at those figures and compare to those we had in 1991 at a growth rate of 2.1 or something like that, it is really just an extrapolation, because we were too embarrassed to admit our true numbers. If we get it wrong, we will fail like Somalia; in Somalia, half of them are in Kenya, Ethiopia, and a few are in Europe here and there; who will contain us in all of West Africa and Central Africa and for that it is imperative not just for ourselves but for the rest of the continent that we get it right.

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