₦airaland Forum

Whether the bye-elections of last Saturday in Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Edo, Ogun and Oyo States was a true reflection of the majority of peoples' will or a testament to the strength or otherwise of the APC at the polls, will continue to be debated for a long time to come.

However, what's undeniable and not subject to any form of reasonable debate is the fact that the bye-elections (abi, na buy-election sef) in Kaduna have shown that for the first time since 1999, Southern Kaduna people didn't vote PDP or LP in high numbers enough to secure those parties victory.

Instead, they voted APC, a political party they've loathed since 2015 until Gov. Uba Sani broke the jinx with this bye-elections and that's only just the beginning.

Dangote is a national treasure and deserves all the support he can get from Government.

However, with these new CNG trucks now going to be involved in the transportation of highly volatile and inflammable substance, the management of DPR should please ensure only qualified, highly trained, sensible, drug free and professional Nigerians are allowed to drive these trucks across the length and breadth of this country to avoid stories that touch!

Lagos is far from perfect nor has it attained its full potential but as far as the barest minimum leadership standards are in Nigeria, no state has forward thinking, strategic and deliberate leaders like Lagos State.

While some states such as Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Kogi, etc are currently showing glimpses of hope of what good leadership is about, Lagos is miles ahead and it'll take a lot of strategic thinking and long-term vision for any other state to level up.

Religious leaders in the north such as Sheik Ahmad Gumi, are some of the major reasons we're not likely to overcome terrorism and banditry anytime soon in the northern region especially.

The timing of Sheik Gumi's latest outburst coming < 72hrs after the NSA announced the capture of two of the top 5 most wanted terrorist leaders in Nigeria & perhaps even West Africa, shows where his concerns lie - the possibility of Israeli Mossad involvement in Nigeria's intelligence architecture than the laudable capture of these demons in human form who have made life a living hell for many families and millions of northerners.

At this point, I don't think any sensible (Muslim)northerner will care where help comes from to help them overcome the life of fear, terror, bloodshed and destruction of livelihoods that terrorists & bandits have subjected them to over the years; majority of them just want the security of their lives and livelihoods to have a semblance of normalcy not caring if the help to achieve that comes from Israel or Afghanistan.

The Church where I worship in is looking for a video editor.

The job entails editing videos of the Senior Pastor's sermons (or any other sermon by the person that preaches on any particular Sunday) each week (edit at least 4 compelling videos from the sermon... Each video not longer than 6 minutes).

Kudos to the security agencies for this arrest.
However, the suspect is just one of several others also deployed to the field for vote buying, allegedly; they should also be fished out and arrested.

Unfortunately, whatever stats that show Nigeria's economy has turned the corner will NEVER be believed until the cost of living, goods & services are brought down to a reasonable level & purchasing power of majority of Nigerians greatly improved.

And that's why even though I believe PBAT should've a second term, I find it difficult to understand how he will successfully sell himself to Nigerian voters when he goes before them to campaign for re-election.

Babangida Aliyu (ex-Niger Gov)
Ahmed Makarfi (ex-Kaduna Gov)
Arc. Namadi Sambo (GEJ's VP)
Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola
Sir Peter Odili
Sir Victor Attah
Lucky Igbinedion
Jimi Agbaje
Ibrahim Idris (ex Kogi Gov)
Olusegun Osoba
Pa Bisi Akande
Tanko Al-makura
Etc.

fineboynl:
few years ago Ivm cars could be seen on the road including police van. But as we speak none of them can be seen anymore. There is a reason why Toyota is preferred in this country

You're right, you know. Although, I still see a couple of IVM vehicles (bus, SUV) in use by the military/security agencies on the road, there truly must be a reason why their vehicles aren't the most preferred by government officials and high networth individuals in the SE.

Same applies to the other vehicle manufacturers in the SW that I mentioned earlier.

In an unrelated note, could that also be the reason why our politicians don't like to be treated in Nigeria inspite of the availability of specialists, high quality private hospitals that can compare with the best anywhere & highly trained medical doctors and nurses? Trust deficit? Status/class symbol? Or what?

Beautiful. This is impressive and I commend Gov. Peter Mbah for a fantastic job well done so far; Enugu got it right with him as the state helmsman.

I couldn't help but notice though that the buses don't appear to have been manufactured by Innoson or am I wrong? The same way I cringed when I read a news item that the FG gave approval to the NEDC to import electric ⚡ buses from China is the same way I cringe when I see deals that could've gone to our local automobile manufacturers (empowering them, creating more jobs, encouraging them and saving scarce fx) going to their foreign counterparts.

Methinks the southeast governors and indeed the SEDC should be in the forefront of patronizing Innoson and other vehicle manufacturers in the region; no reason why all the SE govs aren't driving the highest range of Innoson SUVs along with other ranges of the manufacturer's vehicles for their wives, political appointees, security agencies etc.

In the same vein, no reason why the SW govs aren't driving the highest range of Nord, Stallion, Coscharis, Lanre Shittu etc along with other ranges of these manufacturers' vehicles for their wives, political appointees, security agencies etc.

Lol. Same Mal. Nasir El-rufai is now their beloved darling.

Anyways, 2027 will be the ultimatum referendum of the Nigerian voters on APC, ADC, PDP, LP, NNPP, SDP et al.

Meanwhile, I stand on the mandate ♾️

When work resumed on this site, I was blown away by the fact that it's construction is being handled by Julius Berger and wondered who owned the project or what was being built exactly.

If you're familiar with the Jabi axis, this is the construction site directly opposite AKTC.

Nice to see Gov. Oyebanji retained the Agric Commissioner. Man's probably the best & most innovative Agric Commissioner currently in Nigeria; I can only imagine what he could've accomplished if Ekiti had the type of financial muscle Lagos has.

This man either has short memories or he must think Nigerians f00ls.

The question remains: did he transform a "small" state like Anambra into a model state for the southeast (not to talk of Nigeria) in the 8yrs he was governor? What transformational policies, legislation or institutions did he put in place for the 8 yrs he was executive governor?

If you can't finish cooking and eating a goat in 8 days, you've got no right, capacity or experience to claim you can finish cooking and eating an Elephant in 4 days.

Another dollar rain incoming... go for Gold D’Tigress.

It's simple. 2027 is around the corner: y'all better mobilize to vote him out instead of all this whining.

Lol. While the need for caution in dishing out appointments by the newly sworn-in local government chairpersons is understandable, I don't know where the Governor derived his powers from to stop them from making any appointments aside that of Chief of Staff.

It's just like the President directing state governors not to make any appointments on their own without approval of the FG; if indeed we've LG autonomy, a state Governor shouldn't be issuing this type of directive.

Iconic until a group of Jihadists come for you and take you captive while demanding millions in ransom.

Apparently, you missed the point.

Exactly what I was condemning is what you’re promoting; what does it matter if Gov. Uzodinma hosted only members of the victorious Falcons team from his ethnicity? What stops other Governors from doing same?

And speaking about state of origin, is the team captain Rasheedat Ajibade from both Osun and Lagos States?

Before you take my opinion out of context, I don’t care if any governor decides to host only those from their ethnic group; if anything, it’s an indicator that they’ve invested in female football development in their region. Let others also do same so that we can all hear word!

Akanoaaa:
Why is it hard for you people to understand simple thing? Must everything be compared? Adeleke hosted players that are from Osun State not the Yoruba players among the team and Sanwo-Olu hosted players that are from Lagos State or the ones who was brought up in Lagos State not the Yoruba players. How can that be compared to a state governor who hosted a single tribe from the whole team? Will anybody complain if he hosted only players from his state?

This is where we found ourselves now; people can't honestly do anything without being accused of tribalism.

It has been the norm for ages - especially in Nigeria - that state governments host members of a team that hail from the state or proudly claim or represent the state. Due to the logistics involved of hosting all the team members by all the state governments and the FCT, the victorious team members are hosted by their respective state governments accordingly.

However, since that guy has set up a ring light and accused Imo State Governor, he will now be left with no option but to also do same to Sanwo-Olu, Adeleke and any other governor afterwards: that's what you get when you most times jump on matters that don't really concern you or interpret events in ways that suit your biases.

Once upon a time in Nigeria, the slogan was "Ghana Must Go!" There was no social media, no internet and no mass citizen journalism like we've today.

Now, the tables have turned and the slogan in Ghana now is "Nigerians Must Go!"

They're complaining about us in South Africa, Dubai, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and now Ghana; how do we go to other countries and instead of overwhelmingly contributing positively to those countries, some few elements among us engage in widespread crime (cult fights, illicit drug dealings, prostitution, cybercrime etc)?

While the Ghanaians in this particular instance are right to protect their country from a looming epidemic brought about by some criminal minded Nigerians in their midst, they should be careful not to also taint the image of hardworking, honest and diligent Nigerians.

Only those driven by emotions and disdain for the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led Senate will no see that what Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has engaged in since her ordeal began is clearly a media trial and sensationalization of otherwise serious issues.

Like the author stated, even her own grounds for appeal have negated whatever straws she was still clawing on to.

Lol. Since assuming office in May of 2023, most - if not all - investigative media (print and electronic) have not been able to trace any corruption or personal enrichment to Mr. President or immediate family members - at least for now.

This is contrary to the picture that was painted of the man before he became President; that he will accumulate Nigeria's commonwealth for himself & his family members especially ST. Meanwhile, same rumor peddlers forget that if that was PBAT's intention, he would've kept subsidizing the Naira and Petrol. On those two fronts, he could've easily made his children, associates, friends, partners etc multi-millionaires in dollars in less than a year.

However, seeing that they've nothing on him yet, they'll continue to find & amplify allegations of corruption against his appointees particularly Nyesom Wike. I wish them all good luck in their attempts to get the President to wield the big stick on Wike. Even if that will happen, at least, not in this first term where the HM of the FCT has shown capacity and workings and will also be a valuable asset in PBAT's run for a second term.

Sings aloud:
HIP - for the Hip for the Hippopo
POPO - for the Hippopo
And TAMUS - for the Hippopotamus - HIPPOPOTAMUS!

I'd say options A & C are the correct spelling.

peleson1:
The Senate does not have such rights to suspend her

Ok. Just so you know, they did and when the matter went before Justice Binta Nyako of the FHC, Abuja, she didn't rule or declare that the Senate lacks the powers to discipline its members as it deems fit, she only stated that the "punishment" in this case, 6 months suspension, may have been to harsh considering the implications for her constituents who will be denied representation in the upper chamber of the National Assembly for that duration of time.

Meanwhile, do you mind just for the sake of deepening knowledge, share your view on how the Senate and indeed the legislative arm is supposed to place its "erring" members in check aside suspension from legislative duties? I'll really like to know your thoughts.

Why are we like this? Why must every good intentioned policy be an avenue for some unscrupulous elements to make fast bucks?

When you hear Alh. Aliko Dangote himself constantly lamenting about oil industry mafias or cabals, Baba knows what his eyes have seen in this brief period of his entry into the industry that's making him cry out every time.

The same way they found a way to subvert fuel subsidy and enrich themselves at the expense of the Nigerian Government and people, they've also found another dubious way to short-change Dangote and enrich themselves.

Truth is, the average Nigerian is greedy & a thief: lack of opportunities is what has made this disturbing trait dormant in us. It will usually rear its ugly head once opportunity presents itself and the risk of getting caught is "low".

They don't learn. Someone will ask, "who's Anthony Sani & what does he know?"
Well, lessons will be learnt by all.

zero8zero:
Since 1998, Atiku has been miscalculating. At this point, he's not destined to be President.

You just summarized it. At this point it looks like he's under a powerful spell.
Man isn't politically savvy, at all. If he wasn't a northerner and Fulani, he would most likely be in the league of Southern politicians like Chief Dele Momodu.

The VC should be sacked for shirking her responsibilities. Claiming she only just knew last week that her instruction to stick to the allotted quota wasn't adhered to is balderdash.

While she's already thrown the admissions office, Dean/Provost under the bus and exonerating herself from the whole malfeasance beneath this troubling scandal, she should also be made to face the music squarely for not knowing what was going on right under her nose.

peleson1:
Exactly,same reason that makes a governor not vacate his seat applies here too. Natasha will not be forced out of her constitutional responsibilities untill final verdict . She has to continue

Again, no! She was already suspended from the Senate, say one? She went to court to contest the Senate's powers to suspend her, say two? Court rules: she should apologise for contempt of court for her satirical FB post and publicize the apology in one or two national dailies & then the court also declared that the suspension of the Senator for 6months may have been too harsh. Sen. Natasha appeals the part of the Court's decision on her apologizing, say three?

Now, compare this to a governor who's already on seat, say one? His opponent goes to the tribunal and obtains a favourable ruling sacking the governor, say two? Sitting governor appeals ruling, say three?

Notice the difference? In case you didn't, let me spell it out for you: in first scenario, notice that the Senator was already suspended (ejected, so to say) and was no longer a "sitting Senator" for at least 6months before she went to court? In the other scenario, notice that the governor is on seat? So, he can't be removed until all appeals have been exhausted same with Sen. Natasha: she can't be reinstated until all appeals have been exhausted so, it's still a long journey to getting back into the Senate for her.

That's why some of her reasonable colleagues like Sen. Seriake Dickson are advocating a political solution but would ego & youthful exuberance allow the suspended Senator see reason with this practical solution? She might just end up being in court (Appeal then Supreme) till the end of this current National Assembly in 2027 and by then, the aim of those who suspended her in the first place would've been fulfilled.

peleson1:
She will continue her constitutional duties in the Senate till the court decide. The Senate is not akpabio own

You're missing the point there, Sir. The reason why an election tribunal for e.g delivers a judgment sacking a sitting governor from office & ordering their opponent be sworn-in isn't enforced until all legal options have been exhausted (up to the Supreme Court) is the same reason why she can't "continue her constitutional duties in the Senate" until all appeals have been done with - up to the Supreme Court.

This has nothing to do with whether the Senate is Akpabio's own or not.

PS: Senator Natasha knows this fully well but is only counting on the support of ignorant & gullible supporters who are swayed by emotions rather than facts.

If she claims that the court has ordered her recall back to the Senate and the Senate has no option but to comply, why did she appeal a clear order of the same Court/Judge which she disagreed? If she has a right to appeal a part of the whole ruling of the court that doesn't sit well with her, what makes her (and you, in this case) believe the Senate doesn't also have the right to appeal a part of the ruling that it disagrees with?

Lol. ADC is a SPV that'll take all these people nowhere.

After 2027 by God's grace, most of them will find their way back to the PDP because by then, Atiku would've been done politically; he won't have anywhere else to jump to.

Meanwhile, it's very easy to blame Wike for what's happening to PDP but for every effect, there must be a cause and that cause was Atiku Abubakar!

In 2003, 2006, & 2014 his unbridled ambitions rocked PDP to the foundations and each time he left, he returned only when he thought the coast was clear for him to clinch the party's ticket.