₦airaland Forum

Hmmmm!
Another stolen car from Germany.

To the buyer, i pray the owner will not trace it down to Nigeria...

@OP, how much you give Seun for this advert?

Hmmmm!
So na Portharcourt them carry this car go...
Whao! @OP, its up to 2months now that i have been finding this car over here in Akure...
It was collected at gun shoot.
Please how much dos people sell am for you?

I have e-mail you just now.
Kindly let me pay that price and have my car back...

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said on
Thursday that President Goodluck Jonathan should
address the allegations levelled against him by former
President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Obasanjo, in a letter to Jonathan dated December 2 but
leaked to the media on Wednesday, had among others,
accused Jonathan of incompetence, abuse of office,
corruption and gross mismanagement of the resources
of the nation.
Falana said in a statement on Thursday that while
Obasanjo’s allegations against the President must not
be swept under the carpet, the ex-President lacked the
moral authority to tutor Jonathan on any of the subjects
raised.
“No doubt, the allegations which lacerated the
controversial letter are weighty. Instead of dismissing
the contents of the letter the Presidency should respond
to the allegations raised therein seriatim. In particular,
the allegation that the Federal Government is setting up
a Presidential Strike Force to carry out terrorist attacks
on political opponents should not be swept under the
carpet,” Falana said.
The rights lawyer, who picked hole in Obasanjo’s 18-
page letter, urged Nigerians to take advantage “of the
intra-class war going on in the ruling party to get
organised and take their political destiny in their own
hands.”
He said, “However, it is pertinent to point out that
President Jonathan is a faithful student of the Olusegun
Obasanjo School of Politics. While President Jonathan
has been accused by Gen. Obasanjo of diverting $7bn
from the Federation Account he (President Obasanjo)
has yet to account for the over $20bn which he diverted
from the same account.
“The 36 state governments sued the Federal
Government over the illegal diversion of such huge
public fund by President Obasanjo and the case is
currently pending at the Supreme Court.”
Among other wrongs which Falana said Obasanjo had
equally committed as President like Jonathan were
mismanagement of federation account, disloyalty to his
(Obasanjo’s) ruling party, aiding corrupt persons and
opposition to national conference.
However, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary
of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Raheem
Adedoyin, has urged President Jonathan to address the
issues raised by Obasanjo.
Adedoyin during a media briefing in Ilorin on Thursday
on his defection to the All Progressives Congress said
many people including the G-7 governors had raised the
alarm over the alleged rising corruption under
Jonathan’s administration.
“President Jonathan has to look at the issues that Chief
Obasanjo noted and address them. It is okay that
President Jonathan has directed that there should not
be media war with Obasanjo over his letter.
“He has leveled specific allegations, Jonathan should
take those allegations one by one and dismiss them.
That is what Nigerians are waiting for now. I am not
saying that Chief Obasanjo is wrong or right but he has
enough weight for whatever he says to command
attention.
“It is not just what you can waive aside and say that
Obasanjo is against us. That is not the issue. The issue is
that he has raised specific concerns and President
Jonathan must address those concerns,” Adedoyin said.



Source: www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-should-address-obasanjos-allegations-falana-adedoyin/

Jman06: Finally! APC has been put to shame.

•Why do you want to politicize this thread?

•Why are you advertising your ignorance here? This kind comment is one of the reason condoms should be free and abortion legalized in Nigeria...

•And another reason why i support abortion

•Will you drop that bottle and modify your comment

ODE!

Space book incase it make front-page...

SLIDE waxie: U said u be. Security, and u can only tell me that thieves av arrived, what happens to when they were coming?

U said u be NSA, and no intelligence since the insurgency of boko haram to knw that infiltration is eminent. U are now saying they av infiltrated Nigeria.

Can u listen to urself?

You said it all....

A round of a clap for you!

The Excess Crude Account, which has dropped to $3.3bn
in recent times, may deplete further to $2.5bn as soon
as certain payments are made to the oil sector, the
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said on
Monday.
While speaking on the performance of the economy at a
breakfast meeting organised by the Nigerian Economic
Summit Group in Lagos on Monday, Okonjo-Iweala
argued that the huge drop in the ECA was necessary in
order to shore up the economy
She said, “The Foreign reserves have dropped to about
$44bn. The Excess Crude Account has dropped to about
$3.3bn. And what is that? It means that when certain
payments are made to the oil sector, we expect it to go
down to about $2.5bn.
“It means a huge amount has to drop from the Excess
Crude Account to be able to shore up the economy.”
Concerns have mounted in recent times over the
depleting rate of the foreign reserves and the ECA.
The Federal Government had recently withdrawn $1bn
(N160bn) from the ECA, bringing the balance to $3.59bn.
President Goodluck Jonathan approved the withdrawal
to augment the shortfall in revenue to the Federation
Account. The amount in the account as of the beginning
of this year was about $10bn.
The country had experienced persistent decline in oil
revenue owing to theft and pipeline vandalism. The
government had said if crude oil theft continued,
revenue loss this year could rise to $12bn.
Okonjo-Iweala told the audience at the NESG meeting
that the economy was doing well, stating that the
International Monetary Fund’s Article 14 Consultation
Result, which has just been released, indicated that the
Nigeria’s “economy has continued to perform very well
into the third quarter of 2013.”
She, however, said the growth witnessed in the
economy was mainly driven by the non-oil sector, which
contributed about 87.50 per cent to the Gross Domestic
Product in the third quarter, while the oil sector
contributed only 12.50 per cent.
Some of the sectors that have contributed to the growth
of the economy, according to her, are
telecommunications, 24.42 per cent; manufacturing,
8.16 per cent; building and construction, 14.6 per cent;
real estate, 10.35 per cent; and agriculture, five per cent.
The minister emphasised that inflation was 7.8 per cent
at the end of October, showing a continual downward
trend for the 10th consecutive month, down from 12.3
per cent in December 2012.
She added that the naira to the dollar exchange rate had
also remained fairly stable, currently standing at N155.2
to a dollar.
Okonjo-Iweala admitted that the economy was growing
but not creating enough jobs, adding that there were
two major challenges facing the economy.
According to her, the economy needs to grow at about
nine or 10 per cent rate to be able to drive job growths
needed to push the economy forward.
As a result, she said some policies would be put in place
to drive growth in certain sectors of the economy.
Secondly, she said inequality was rising among the
citizenry, pointing out that only 10 per cent of the
population were benefitting from the economy growth
created so far.
She gave the assurance that the government would
remove structural bottlenecks in the way of the private
sector to pave the way for more job creation.
On the 2014 budget, the minister said the government
would implement a fairly tight budget in 2014.
She added, “The oil benchmark proposal is $74 per
barrel. We want the National Assembly to push it to
$76.5. We did $79 last year; 2014 will be challenging
because of the elections. If we don’t make it tight, the
elections will unravel all the macroeconomic stability we
have achieved so far.”


Source: www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/excess-crude-account-to-deplete-further-to-2-5bn/

Striking lecturers in the nation’s public universities on
Monday made good their decision not to return to work
as directed by the Federal Government.
The striking teachers also refused to sign the attendance
registers in their respective institutions as ordered by
the government.
They said they were only waiting for the sack letters the
Federal Government threatened to give them if they did
not return to work.
In many of the universities visited by our
correspondents, only administrative offices opened for
business while the lecture rooms were empty.
Particularly, lecturers’ offices remained shut.
Among some of the universities visited by our
correspondents were the University of Lagos, University
of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of
Calabar, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, and the
University of Uyo.
Others are Obafemi Awolwo University, Ile-Ife, Federal
University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and the Olabisi
Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike,
had urged the striking lecturers to return to work or on
before December 9 or risk being sacked.
But the leadership of ASUU had remained unfazed by
the FG’s directive and threat. They accused the
government of insincerity in the resolution of the face-
off.
At the NAU, Awka on Monday, though some of the
lecturers were on campus, they did not teach. The
institution’s Faculty of Social Sciences, for instance, had
its classrooms and laboratories shut.
The hostels were opened but students had yet to return
to the campus.
At UI, only a few lecturers were on the campus. They
neither taught nor signed the attendance register.
The institution’s chapter of ASUU earlier in the day had
sent a message to its members, urging them to be calm
and resolute in their demands.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu,
said they would have wasted their time and effort if they
caved in and returned to work under threat.
He said, “How can you call off a strike when there is
nothing to show for it? The government is not qualified
to call off the strike. Our union is awaiting the
government to state all it has done in black and white.
However, it is a serious insult on us for the government
to be harassing us with sacking threat. We are not
casual workers or labourers. Our research work has
been ongoing.”
Also, at UNICAL and at the Cross River University of
Science and Technology, students and their teachers
stayed away from the schools.
The UNICAL ASUU Chairman, Dr. James Okpiliya,
insisted that the Federal Government must meet the
lecturers’ demands before the strike could be
suspended.
Lecturers also shunned work at OAU even though a few
of the students were on the campus.
One of our correspondents observed that many of the
students who returned to campus were those residing
within Ife and its environs.
The Chairman of ASUU at the university, Prof. Adegbola
Akinola, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said
that the strike was still on.
He said, “Our union did not close the universities, what
we did was to withdraw teaching services and they will
remain withdrawn until the government properly
documents the agreement reached with us on
November 4, 2013.”
Lectures did not also hold at ABU. The two campuses of
the institution at Samaru and Kongo had only a
negligible human presence as of Monday.
Lecturers’ offices and lecture halls were shut, just as the
students did not show up as directed by the
government.
ASUU Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, told
journalists that they had yet to call off the action.
The UNIJOS ASUU chapter Chairman, Dr. David
Jangkam, said striking teachers in the university were
just waiting for their sack letters from the Federal
Government.
Jangkam said, “We are waiting for their sack letters. Any
government that is toying with education is not worth its
salt. We expect firm commitment in solving the issues,
but if the government is playing to the gallery, it is very
unfortunate.”
When our correspondent visited the various
departments, only a few departments had opened
registers as demanded by the governing council.
There were no studies too at UNIUYO, UNIJOS,
FUNAAB, LASU and UNILAG as lecturers boycotted
classes.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday,
urged the striking teachers to call off the industrial
action.
The President, who spoke at the All Nigerian Judges
Conference organised by the National Judicial Council in
Abuja, on Monday, said the industrial action would
prevent the country from achieving the Vision 2020
target of becoming one of the top 20 economies in the
world by 2020.
Although the Federal Government had recently
threatened to sack the lecturers for going on strike,
Jonathan noted that ASUU had the right to embark on
the industrial action.
He said, “This administration recognises and respects
the right of workers, including the right to embark on
industrial action to press home their demand and have
taken concrete steps to address the grievances of ASUU.
“I therefore use this occasion to call on ASUU to call off
its strike.”
“With this Nigeria’s quest to become one of the world’s
20th largest economies by the year 2020 cannot be
achieved in an atmosphere of industrial disharmony.
“Nigeria’s geopolitical history has been characterised by
incessant labour dispute and industrial action.
“While views may differ on the utility of industrial action
as a means of advancing the collective interest of
workers in the polity, it is an unassailable fact that
labour and industrial harmony is sine qua non to the
socio-economic development of any nation, Nigeria
inclusive.”

Source: www.punchng.com/news/were-waiting-for-sack-letters-say-defiant-lecturers/

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, (retd.)
has said that international terror organisation, Al
Qaeda, has made inroads into Nigeria’s security system.
Dasuki however said that the country was responding
effectively to the threat of terrorism through the making
of relevant laws and policies to destroy the terror
networks in the country.
The NSA’s comment was contained in a keynote address
read on his behalf by Ambassador Layiwola Laseinde,
who represented him at a one-week Strategic
Communications Plan workshop for counter-insurgency
organised by the National Defence College, Abuja on
Monday.
The event declared open by the Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Defence, Mr. Aliyu Ismaila, who represented
the Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku, was
organised in collaboration with the United States
Department of State’s Centre for Strategic Counter-
Terrorism Communication, the British Ministry of
Defence, and Albany Communications.
Dasuki said that the country had come to the realisation
that military action alone would not suffice in the
campaign against terrorism. He stressed that an
enlightenment campaign was a necessity in the quest to
defeat fundamentalists’ ideologies and terrorists’
tendencies.
Dasuki said that the need to build a consensus against
violent acts of terror remained one of the reasons
strategic communications was included in the nation’s
counter-terrorism operations.
He said, “Global terror, championed by Al-Qaeda, has
encroached upon the frontiers of Nigeria’s security and
well-being. Nigeria is responding to this threat on all
fronts.
“Through new and relevant legislations and policies,
security agencies have continued to dismantle terrorists’
infrastructure in Nigeria.
“Nigeria realises that military action on its own will not
counter terror if not accompanied by a robust public
diplomacy aimed at defeating the ideology of hate and
building consensus against violent extremism.
“This is why strategic communication is an essential part
of our counter-terrorism operations…”
Dasuki said that strategic communication in the country
would enhance the exposure of the true intent and form
of government “that the Al Qaeda-modelled Boko
Haram seeks to impose.”
He said that the strategic communication strategy would
also strive to place emphasis on the fact that terrorism
was un-Islamic and that counter-terrorism was not
targeted at Islam.
Dasuki said that efforts would be made to improve
Muslim-Christian relations and promote the rate of
literacy in the North as the fundamentalists were
exploiting mass illiteracy in the area.
The NSA stressed that the Federal Government would
promote inter-party collaboration in counter-terrorism
so that all stakeholders would contribute to the efforts
designed to provide safety and security in the society.


Source: www.punchng.com/news/al-qaeda-has-infiltrated-nigeria-says-nsa/

A letter to Dr. Nelson Mandela.


Dear Dr. Nelson, pls when you get to d world beyond,

Tell Herbert Macaulay that the party he founded has been turned to People Destroying Party.

Tell Obafemi Awolowo that the party he founded has be changed to mouth making party where we now pay school fees without going †o school.

Help me and tell Nnamdi Azikiwe that the long wall to democracy he built has fallen, only the cracked fence still stands.

Tell Chief Anthony Enaharo that the independent nation he fought for is no more.
Tell Alh Shehu Shagari that boko haram has destroyed his reason for creating NYSC c-s on one goes to the north any longer.

Tell Alh. Ahmadu Bello that our judicial system now favors only the rich.

Also tell Baba Fela that Terry-G is the new afro beat king.

Tell Muritala Mohammed that we still use kerosene to cook and candles to see.

Tell King Jaja of Opobo that we are still slaves in our own country.

Tell Prof. Iyayi that Federal Govt paid N200 Billion into ASUU account but we never see alert.

Pls tell Saro Wiwa that his south south youths are still jobless and cashless.

Tell Dele Giwa that the Nigerian press has been bought with money.

Tell them that we need a quick reply to this letter.


@Nairalanders, please add more to the list.

A letter to Dr. Nelson Mandela.


Dear Dr. Nelson, pls when you get to d world beyond,

Tell Herbert Macaulay that the party he founded has been turned to People Destroying Party.

Tell Obafemi Awolowo that the party he founded has be changed to mouth making party where we now pay school fees without going †o school.

Help me and tell Nnamdi Azikiwe that the long wall to democracy he built has fallen, only the cracked fence still stands.

Tell Chief Anthony Enaharo that the independent nation he fought for is no more.
Tell Alh Shehu Shagari that boko haram has destroyed his reason for creating NYSC c-s on one goes to the north any longer.

Tell Alh. Ahmadu Bello that our judicial system now favors only the rich.

Also tell Baba Fela that Terry-G is the new afro beat king.

Tell Muritala Mohammed that we still use kerosene to cook and candles to see.

Tell King Jaja of Opobo that we are still slaves in our own country.

Tell Prof. Iyayi that Federal Govt paid N200 Billion into ASUU account but we never see alert.

Pls tell Saro Wiwa that his south south youths are still jobless and cashless.

Tell Dele Giwa that the Nigerian press has been bought with money.

Tell them that we need a quick reply to this letter.


@Nairalanders, please add more to the list.

Vincent 4: e go bro...go and apply let me waite for ur corpse to be flown back

Woe unto your brain.

I stay in Kaduna, so I'm use to North...

Stop reasoning with your ANUS!

See awuf oooo!

Additional +3points for ARSENAL today.

#Team.Arsenal#
We are the big fish of EPL 2013-2014 season...

Chai, this people fall my hand oooo.

How come there is no space for Environmental Scientist?

That is why people go to hospital for treatment of infection diseases and go back with malaria when there is no Environmental scientist to make the environment clean and tidy for them...

Lack of knowledge dey worry this people...
Well, me i go apply ooo and i will state reasons why dey need my service in that hospital...

@ALL, abi you no reason along with mi?

OJB, i'm not begging you ooo,
BUT PLEASE LEAVE CIGA and BEER for now...
Remember na one kidney remain for you.
And please use the remaining change cut your hair.
GOD BLESS YOU.

musiwa112: does this picture look like two women can not be married to the same man.. many men are married to more than one wife in africa.

[img]http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4628567225928238&pid=1.7[/img]

This is Why I support abortion and human sacrifice!

drop that bottle and modify your comment

A friend in Cyprus ask me the meaning of ASUU strike.

I told him is an annual festival in Nigeria where students don't go to school for months...

THE ONLY PROGRESSIVE GOVERNOR and a BLESSING TO SOUTHWEST!

OJUKWU!!!

Hmmm, whenever i remember how this man take pick race for WAR!

I always laugh in 3D...

A man that start war and run!!!

Hmm, Sharp man!

Hmm,

THE BLOOD OF THIS PEOPLE IS BETWITCHING NIGERIA!

I'm not surprise jor.

THERE MUST SURELY BE A JUDAS!

When i got to that place,
I forget I'm a Nigerian!

Hmm,

A THIEF CALLING A THIEF A THIEF!

A cross-section of members of the academic community, joined by members of civil society organisations, booed one the officiating clergymen, during the lying-in-state ceremony held for late former President of the Academic staff Union of Universities, Prof. Festus Iyayi, which held on Friday, at the Akin Deko main auditorium of the University of Benin.

Rev. Fr. Andrew Obiyan, one of the seven officiating priests at the ceremony, which was attended by a record that continued to swell as the programme wore on, drew the ire of the virtually all in attendance, when he veered of his main business, to tell ASUU about having a rethink about their over five month-old strike.

The priest said many of the lecturers were already wary of the “fight.”

Reading from portions of the bible, Obiyan praised Iyayi’s tenacity of purpose, courage and sense of dedication to duty, all of which he said contributed to the “hero” he became, both in life and in death and went on to call on ASUU members to consider their position in order that they not continue to be at the receiving end.

He said, “The death of the faithful is precious in the eyes of God, so I want to admonish the family not to think of the pain of death, but think about the bright promise of immortality.”

Threading on what was to irk the crowd, he said, “Finally, I want to thank God because (ASUU) you have become the voice of the voiceless today. May that voice never die. But I want to remind you that there is no success without sacrifice; for Jesus to gain the whole world he had to give up his life. We give up to go up.

“My humble appeal to you as a minister of God is to kindly request you in the name of God to please surrender the tool of power. Do not give the federal government the privilege of satisfaction of fighting and defeating you. I encourage you to surrender first in this fight. You have made your point eloquently and clear enough.

“Sincere and intelligent Nigerians will consider will consider what you have done and will forever appreciate you for it. Your surrender at this time as a tool of power is the sign of strength, it’s not a sign of weakness. Our relationship with God our father shows that faith and trust navigate.

“We may not trust the federal government owing to their antecedents, but I humbly request you to please trust them now.”

Speaking with journalists at the end of the ceremony, ASUU President, Dr Nasri Fagge said reaction from the crowd was enough attestation to the mood of majority of union members on the matter.

He said, “We were told here at this gathering there were some fundamental issues that bother the mind of our late comrade, as to the future of the struggle. For me, it is left for us to rally round those ideals and advance his legacies. You saw the reaction of the crowd to what was said about suspending the struggle, and that to me said it all.”

Recalling some of his past encounters with the late professor of business administration, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, “Iyayi spoke truth to power, just as much as he spoke truth with his colleagues.”

Oshiomhole offered to support in building of ASUU secretariat at UNIBEN, as a way of immortalising Iyayi.


Source: www.punchng.com/news/iyayi-ASUU-members-boo-reverend-father/

How can a traitor be the Mandela of Nigeria.

This is a man that doesn't want the unity of Nigeria.

I poo on this thread!

@OP, what brand of cigar do you smoke?

Dr2great: is wole soyinka greater than gej? Is he richer or more popular than gej? FOOLISH chiefnalowo. sarcastic shout out to chiefinalowo.,the son of a brick layer

Comparing SOYINKA with GEJ is a big taboo.

In Oshomole voice: GO and DIE!

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday arrived Paris,
France after his two-day private visit to Germany.
Jonathan, who arrived in company with his wife,
Patience, is in the country to participate in the Summit
on Peace and Security in Africa.
Although the nature of his private visit to Germany was
not disclosed, there were indications during the week
that he and his wife would undergo medical checks. An
online report claimed that they both checked into a
German hospital.
The President and his wife, who were both decked in
winter jackets, were received at the airport by the
Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Dr. Muhammed
Nurudeen.
They were accompanied by some presidential aides and
security chiefs.
They did not show any sign of ill-health.
Spokesman of the President’s wife, Mrs. Ayotunde
Adesugba, later issued a statement indicating that Mrs.
Jonathan attended First Ladies’ meeting at the Elysee
Summit for Peace and Security in Africa with the theme
“Acts Of Sexual Violence Against Women In Africa”
hosted by the First Lady of France, Ms. Valerie
Trierweiler.
The statement quoted Mrs. Jonathan, in her remarks at
the event, as describing the late President of South
Africa, Dr. Nelson Mandela, as an icon of peace for
humanity.
She said Mandela’s life as an epitome of peace and
compassion reflects the principles of the African First
Ladies Peace Mission which she chairs.
The statement read, “Dame Jonathan stated that the
late South African President, who was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 jointly with Frederik Willem
de Klerk, was a great bridge for promoting peace
because of his forgiving spirit and also because he lived
his life in a way that respected and enhanced the
freedom of others.
“She stated that as a proponent of peace, justice and
social inclusion, Dr. Mandela was a towering iconic
figure in life and an even greater figure in death.
“The AFLPM President noted that the late Dr. Mandela
is indeed a hero of all time who was held in the highest
esteem by not only people on the African continent, but
the entire world.
“She said that Dr. Mandela would be greatly missed but
observed that his impact would be felt forever. She
added that the activities of the AFLPM would continue to
draw inspiration from the remarkable life of Dr.
Mandela.”
The African First Ladies Peace Mission, which is open to
all first ladies of Africa, has the mandate of conflict
prevention and management, as well as the making,
keeping and building of peace through various means
including civil, humanitarian and diplomatic action.



Source: www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-arrives-paris-after-private-visit-to-germany/

A former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday joined other world leaders to pay tributes to the late ex-South African president, Nelson Mandela.

Obasanjo in a statement he read to newsmen at his Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta on Friday said Mandela lived an exemplary life.

Obasanjo relived various encounters he had with Mandela saying that his style of leadership helped South Africa to overcome the pains of apartheid. He described Mandela’s death as a loss to his family “who would miss a caring patriarch, the people of South Africa, who would miss a guide, Africa who would miss a role model and the world who would miss a leader.

The statement reads in part: “One of my earliest contacts with Nelson Mandela was in February 1986 when I visited him at Polls-moor Prison in my capacity as Co-Chairman of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on Southern Africa. He dressed defiantly in ANC belt and reminded me of his visit to Nigeria in 1962.

Though appalled by Apartheid, I left his prison cell deeply convinced that the history of South Africa and, indeed, Africa would be worse off and would not be complete if the purpose for which he was in jail – elimination of apartheid – did not end for him to be in a position to lead his country from racial and tribal division into a rainbow united society.

“As we discussed during the visit, Mandela mentioned in passing that ‘if he got out of prison’…I interrupted him that ‘it was not if, but when…’ From that moment on, I resolved to do everything humanly possible, personally and working with my group to facilitate the release of Nelson Mandela from jail because South Africa and the world needed Mandela to be alive and released to be able to give South Africa the smooth transition it would need from an apartheid system to popular participation by all South Africans in their own governance.

“The eventual release of Nelson Mandela from prison was inevitable. On a visit to South Africa, I called on Mandela after he was released from prison on Sunday, 11 February 1990. He pulled me out of the hotel and made me to stay with him and his family in their house in Soweto.

“During the first non-racial democratic elections in 1994, I was on election observation assignment in South Africa and was there for his campaign and when he, Nelson Mandela, cast his own vote in a post-apartheid South Africa.

“He was devoid of bitterness or anger against anybody except he hated apartheid system. He won the election and more importantly led South Africa to the extent that the country was able to cast aside its apartheid legacy and take its place in comity of nations.

“Certain that his task was completed, Nelson Mandela modestly refused to seek re-election after his first term in office as his presidency elapsed. I still recall his pragmatic words when he said to me ‘Olu, show me a place in the world where a man of 80 years is running the affairs of his country.

‘This, to me, reflects an unequalled sense of modesty for a man who spent 27 of the prime years of his life in prison for a just cause and still kept a calm and peaceful disposition to those who took away his freedom for all those years of his life.

“The last time I saw him was about two years ago. I went to visit him at his Johannesburg residence. His health had deteriorated somewhat but he was still very alert but did not talk much during our discussions; Graca did more of the talking.

“As the whole world pays tribute to Madiba, I join them in celebrating the life of a man who raised the beacon of human struggle to lofty heights of nobility and whose life is an example of what we should all aspire for. His struggle and our struggles remain the same and as we all seek for answers to deal with today’s challenges.

“In all situations, he lived nobly and died in nobility. Let us bear in mind that we all have the opportunity to act nobly in whatever position we find ourselves. When we teach our children the lessons for tomorrow, let us be reminded of the lessons Mandela gave the world in forgiveness and forbearance. May his soul rest in perfect peace.”

Source: www.punchng.com/news/my-life-with-mandela-obasanjo/

The remains of the Second Republic Governor of Plateau State and pioneer National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Solomon Lar, will arrive the Abuja International Airport on Friday (today).

Chairman of the national burial committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, announced this at a press briefing to unveil the burial rites in Abuja on Thursday.

Gana was accompanied to the briefing by other members of the burial committee, including Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku; former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ibrahim Mantu; and former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Mrs. Pauline Tallen.

Gana also announced that the remains of Lar would be interred on Friday, December 13, after a weeklong of activities.

He said, “The body will be received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The airport reception will be at 6am. On Saturday at 3pm will be the main commendation service where friends, associates and the general public will be given the opportunity pay their last respect at the National Christian Centre.

“We invite the general public to be at that service to pay their last respect to the departed Chief Solomon Lar. On Tuesday at 11am, the House of Representatives will be holding a special session for the late Lar. Chief Solomon was a member of parliament in the First Republic. He was initially a Minister of State and later a Member of Parliament.”

Other programmes announced included a memorial lecture to be held on Monday at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Abuja Sheralton Hotel and Towers. Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah; and Prof. Jonah Eliagwu are billed to deliver the lecture.

On Tuesday, the body will depart Abuja for Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, for lying in state. Nasarawa State was part of the old Plateau State when Lar was governor of the state.

The body will move to Langtang in Plateau for lying in state.

The late Lar belonged to the Tarok-speaking people of Plateau State. Their ancestral home is Langtang. Langtang is also the headquarters of the Langtang Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Source: www.punchng.com/news/lars-body-arrives-abuja-today/

The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has said Governor Babatunde Fashola should learn from President Goodluck Jonathan, especially in the area of harmonious politics.

The party said this against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s approval of a $200m loan sought by the Lagos State Government.

The party, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Taofik Gani, accused Fashola of playing bad politics by frustrating developmental programmes of PDP councillors in their wards.

The statement read in part “In the opinion of the party, the Federal Government’s gestures to an opposition state government has further confirmed that the Jonathan-led PDP Government is indeed a government of development with human face and with clear direction, contrary to the impression being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress.

“Unlike Fashola and his council chairmen who are deliberately witch hunting our few councillors by denying their wards developmental projects, the PDP Federal Government has continually supported the Lagos State Government to develop. This is how progressive government is run.

“Governance must be distinguished from partisan politics and we salute President Jonathan for practising this. We hope Fashola would learn such sincere governance from him.”

The party also applauded the decision of the Federal Government to approve $1.3bn for the commencement of construction of a deep seaport at Lekki.

It added that many of the structures in the state were laid by the Federal Government.

“The party notes that the Federal Government has monumental legacies within the state which are pillars upon which the Lagos State Government has been flaunting performance.

“Such legacies include the only two airports in the state; the seaports; railways, all the bridges connecting the mainland to the island; police and military installations to mention a few,” the statement added.

Source: www.punchng.com/news/fashola-should-learn-from-jonathans-good-governance-pdp/

The quality of education is also different. According to
the Bantu Educational Journal, only 5,660 African
children in the whole of South Africa passed their Junior
Certificate in 1962, and in that year only 362 passed
matric. This is presumably consistent with the policy of
Bantu education about which the present Prime
Minister said, during the debate on the Bantu Education
Bill in 1953:
"When I have control of Native education I will
reform it so that Natives will be taught from
childhood to realize that equality with Europeans is
not for them . . . People who believe in equality are
not desirable teachers for Natives. When my
Department controls Native education it will know
for what class of higher education a Native is fitted,
and whether he will have a chance in life to use his
knowledge."
The other main obstacle to the economic advancement
of the African is the industrial colour-bar under which
all the better jobs of industry are reserved for Whites
only. Moreover, Africans who do obtain employment in
the unskilled and semi-skilled occupations which are
open to them are not allowed to form trade unions
which have recognition under the Industrial Conciliation
Act. This means that strikes of African workers are
illegal, and that they are denied the right of collective
bargaining which is permitted to the better-paid White
workers. The discrimination in the policy of successive
South African Governments towards African workers is
demonstrated by the so-called 'civilized labour policy'
under which sheltered, unskilled Government jobs are
found for those white workers who cannot make the
grade in industry, at wages which far exceed the
earnings of the average African employee in industry.
The Government often answers its critics by saying that
Africans in South Africa are economically better off than
the inhabitants of the other countries in Africa. I do not
know whether this statement is true and doubt whether
any comparison can be made without having regard to
the cost-of-living index in such countries. But even if it is
true, as far as the African people are concerned it is
irrelevant. Our complaint is not that we are poor by
comparison with people in other countries, but that we
are poor by comparison with the white people in our
own country, and that we are prevented by legislation
from altering this imbalance.
The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the
direct result of the policy of white supremacy. White
supremacy implies black inferiority. Legislation
designed to preserve white supremacy entrenches this
notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably
performed by Africans. When anything has to be carried
or cleaned the white man will look around for an
African to do it for him, whether the African is employed
by him or not. Because of this sort of attitude, whites
tend to regard Africans as a separate breed. They do
not look upon them as people with families of their
own; they do not realize that they have emotions - that
they fall in love like white people do; that they want to
be with their wives and children like white people want
to be with theirs; that they want to earn enough money
to support their families properly, to feed and clothe
them and send them to school. And what 'house-boy' or
'garden-boy' or labourer can ever hope to do this?
Pass laws, which to the Africans are among the most
hated bits of legislation in South Africa, render any
African liable to police surveillance at any time. I doubt
whether there is a single African male in South Africa
who has not at some stage had a brush with the police
over his pass. Hundreds and thousands of Africans are
thrown into jail each year under pass laws. Even worse
than this is the fact that pass laws keep husband and
wife apart and lead to the breakdown of family life.
Poverty and the breakdown of family life have
secondary effects. Children wander about the streets of
the townships because they have no schools to go to, or
no money to enable them to go to school, or no parents
at home to see that they go to school, because both
parents (if there be two) have to work to keep the family
alive. This leads to a breakdown in moral standards, to
an alarming rise in illegitimacy, and to growing violence
which erupts not only politically, but everywhere. Life in
the townships is dangerous. There is not a day that goes
by without somebody being stabbed or assaulted. And
violence is carried out of the townships in the white
living areas. People are afraid to walk alone in the
streets after dark. Housebreakings and robberies are
increasing, despite the fact that the death sentence can
now be imposed for such offences. Death sentences
cannot cure the festering sore.
Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to
perform work which they are capable of doing, and not
work which the Government declares them to be
capable o Africans want to be allowed to live where they
obtain work, and not be endorsed out of an area
because they were not born there. Africans want to be
allowed to own land in places where they work, and not
to be obliged to live in rented houses which they can
never call their own. Africans want to be part of the
general population, and not confined to living in their
own ghettoes. African men want to have their wives and
children to live with them where they work, and not be
forced into an unnatural existence in men's hostels.
African women want to be with their menfolk and not
be left permanently widowed in the Reserves. Africans
want to be allowed out after eleven o'clock at night and
not to be confined to their rooms like little children.
Africans want to be allowed
to travel in their own country and to seek work where
they want to and not where the Labour Bureau tells
them to. Africans want a just share in the whole of
South Africa; they want security and a stake in society.
Above all, we want equal political rights, because
without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know
this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country,
because the majority of voters will be Africans. This
makes the white man fear democracy.
But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of
the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony
and freedom for all. It is not true that the
enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination.
Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial
and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one
colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a
century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs it
will not change that policy.
This then is what the ANC is fighting. Their struggle is a
truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people,
inspired by their own suffering and their own
experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this
struggle of the African people. I have fought against
white domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic
and free society in which all persons live together in
harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal
which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be,
it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
On 11 June 1964, at the conclusion of the trial, Mandela
and seven others - Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki,
Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, Andrew Mlangeni,
Ahmed Kathrada and Denis Goldberg - were convicted.
Mandela was found guilty on four charges of sabotage
and, like the others, was sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Source: www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/rivonia.htm