₦airaland Forum

@ Seun everything is not about business, essential services (healthcare, fire services, police) are not set up for profit making as driving force

why is the man not presently in the country?

Those of you who value what the US says about Nigeria more than what Nigerians say or think about Nigeria need serious help unless this is just a case of inferiority complex.

The United States has asked the Nigerian government to allow as many candidates as possible to run in next month’s election as a practical demonstration of commitment to democratic principles and rule of law.

Reaction to comments by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Maurice Iwu, that Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Kalu is cleared to run in the presidential election, the US State Department said the exercise should not be closed to anyone willing to contest.

"We have always maintained that Chief Kalu would make a great leader and it is undemocratic to ban anyone who desires to run for elective office unless disqualified by a court of competent jurisdiction," the State Department stated.

The U.S officials noted that the Abia State governor had put his life and businesses on the line in defence of democracy and should not have been included in the alleged list of banned officials.
"We hope that he and other candidates would be allowed to campaign unhindered by the government," the statement stated.

The administration also revealed that it had received a petition from Vice President Atiku Abubakar on fears that the election may have been programmed to fail.
White House sources said President George Bush has directed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to take up the matter with Nigerian officials. The administration had expressed concern over what it called growing violent expressions of political will ahead of next month’s elections. It said the development was capable of undermining the nation's future.

The State Department stated that violence at recent political rallies in parts of the country was ominous.
"Violent expressions of political will are unnecessary, unacceptable and illegal," the statement said, adding: "Electoral violence not only threatens the credibility of elections but also damages the legitimacy of democratic institutions by weakening two fundamental human rights; freedom of association and freedom of speech.

"Furthermore, with violence comes destruction of property and businesses, which negatively impacts, on the economic progress and development. Let us not also forget the human toll. Electoral violence affects everyone, families, communities and the entire nation."

Nigeria's new Technical Adviser, Mr. Berti Vogts will on Thursday, March 15 be unveiled to the nation's football stakeholders by Globacom Limited, the Official Partner to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and Sponsor of the Super Eagles. The ceremony scheduled to hold at the Mike Adenuga Towers, corporate headquarters of Globacom, will also mark the formal handing over of the German coach to the NFA by the company.

Vogts is expected in Abuja today and will on Wednesday, pay a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the National Sports Commission and Minister of Sports, Hon. Engr Bala Bawa Kaoje in his office at the Federal Secretariat Complex. The coach will also be a guest at the Globacom regional headquarters in Abuja.


"Part of the itinerary of the coach in Abuja will include a courtesy call on the Honourable Minister and a visit to the Gloworld office in Abuja. He will also be shown his official residence in Abuja after the tour of our office", revealed a Globacom official.

"In Lagos on Thursday, Vogts will be formally presented to the public at a media briefing that will

also mark a formal handover to the NFA. In the evening of Thursday, he will be treated to dinner with a select number of important football stake-holders in attendance. We are going this length because we want the German to experience our hospitality and positive disposition to visitors", added the official.


Vogts, whose engagement by Nigeria was sealed at a contract signing ceremony in London is arriving the country to take charge of the Super Eagles in the

Nations Cup qualifying match against Uganda on March 24. The match will take place in Abeokuta.

"We want Nigerians to support the coach and players because the country cannot afford not to be at the Ghana 2008 Nations Cup after the last absence at the World Cup. This is the time for all Nigerians to unite again behind our football to set it on the track for South Africa 2010".

ABUJA—The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has promised to  investigate allegations that 38 billion recovered from the family of the late head of State General Sani Abacha is missing.    . 

Responding to a petition from  a human rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, ICPC also assured the group that it would ‘expedite the commision’s investigation of the allegations contained in the petition’.


In a letter dated 20/2/07 and sent on behalf of the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Ayoola, to SERAP, the Commission stated that “I write to acknowledge the receipt of your petition dated 19 December 2006 with respect to the allegations that #38 billion Abacha loot is missing.” The Commission then asked SERAP to respond to some questions “so as to expedite the Commission’s investigation of the allegations contained in your petition”. The Commission asked SERAP to provide it with information on: the source(s) of the Report(s) upon which the allegations contained in SERAP’s petition is based; particulars of the 51 projects being executed by the federal ministries mentioned in SERAP’s petition; the names of the contractor-companies/firms awarded these contracts.


In its reponse to the ICPC dated 12 March 2007, SERAP thanked the Commission for its interest and commitment to get to the root of the #38 billion Abacha missing loot, and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice.  SERAP cited among others the report on findings sponsored by the World Bank and carried out by five Non-Governmental Organisations and five representatives of the Federal Government, indicating that N38 billion of the N65 billion ($500m) public funds stashed away in Swiss banks by the late General Sani Abacha could not be traced or may have been misused. Furthermore, SERAP disclosed that the allocation of the recovered funds across the five Millennium Development Goals (MDG) sectors were broken down as N21.7 billion on Power, N18.6 billion on Works, N10.8 billion on Health, N7.7 billion on Education, and N6.2 billion on Water respectively, amounting to N65.07 billion in total. Information gathered from SERAP’s own investigation revealed that only half of the projects were completed, and that #38 billion of the #65.07 billion, remained missing.


Earlier in its petition to the Commission, SERAP expressed serious concerns that the allegations that Abacha loot was missing constituted grave breaches of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act of 2000; and the UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria recently ratified.  SERAP in the petition signed by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, also expressed concerns that “the theft of Abacha’s loot has once again diverted the much needed resources for water supply, roads, education, health, and other basic social services, inevitably contributing to the worsening level of poverty in the country. According to SERAP, “re-stealing recovered stolen money cannot be justified legally or morally.” SERAP reiterated that the Commission should make public the findings of its investigation, and should ensure the recovery of any money that is the subject of corruption, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible within the affected ministries are brought to justice.   


SERAP believes that the intervention by the Commission in cases such as the Abacha missing loot will demonstrate the agency’s commitment to faithfully discharge its anti-corruption mandates, and to help contribute to ending a climate of impunity, which leads to further corruption and abuse of power. Impunity arises and thrives when there is lack of accountability among high ranking government officials. By taking the lead and undertaking the responsibility to investigate Abacha missing loot, the ICPC has sent s strong message that there will be no hiding place for those who steal and plunder Nigeria’s natural resources and wealth, and continue to deny majority of Nigerians access to basic necessities of life, such as safe drinking water, education, health and housing

If the Government hospitals suck, the private ones are supposed to compensate for that albeit at a higher price, if the private one sucks then there is something wrong with the society

Billed as the occasion of the year, the Globacom-CAF African Football Awards ceremony in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, penultimate Thursday, could have been better-packaged. In the end the stage management skills of comperes, Mariam Toure and Gerry Rantselai helped. And, of course, the exhilarating performance of Yvonne Machaka (Chaka Chaka).

The opening was perfect, and the distinguished guests inside the Accra International Conference Center had no reason to fear that it could be less than the spectacle that we all saw in Abuja last year. But somehow, certain things failed to key in properly, and what we had was a moderate show.

Mariam Toure, from Mali, and Gerry Rantselai, from South Africa, were no Tom and Jerry. If they were, it would have been bad for night.
Globacom has done so much for the game of football in Nigeria and the whole of Africa, in only 43 months of operation, and has set very high standards for themselves in every area, that you would expect True Colours, the event managers from South Africa, to know what to package for them. The Accra show was lacking in proper planning in some areas.

There was nothing wrong about Globacom chairman. Dr Mike Adenuga’s opening message, which dwelt on Globacom’s faith in the future of the African game, the fact that “Africa is where the best players in the world are made”, and the giant strides that Nigeria’s second carrier has made, with 11 million subscribers in just more than three years of operation. Ghana’s Minister of Education, Science and Sport, Papa Owusu-Ankomah. followed by admitting that choosing Ghana as venue was in recognition of the giant strides that the country has made in African football.

Grammy Award winners, Soweto Gospel Choir, were led in performance by Yvonne Machaka, who truly captivated the auditorium with hit single ‘Quixobotin’. Then, CAF President, Issa Hayatou, congratulated Ghana for celebrating Golden Jubilee as an independent nation the same year CAF is celebrating 50 years, and disclosed that CAF handed Dr Adenuga the Gold Order of Merit because of his noble and enviable contributions to African football. He also congratulated President John Kufour for his election as chairman of the African Union.

It would have been great if the momentum was maintained, but then, few people people began to overstay their welcome. An awards ceremony is not one for long speeches and one person taking the stage for too long. It gets boring. Nigeria’s Minister/Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Engineer Bala Ka’oje, led the way. He might have meant well with his speech that was preceded by President Obasanjo’s speech, but the organizers paid for two hours of quality showpiece for TV and not for long talk. He also did not realize the right time to quit. Ghanaian musician, Batman Samini, was also guilty of same, ensuring that he achieved his aim of shaking hands with President Kufour.

Globacom’s Yinka Olafimihan, who read Dr Adenuga’s speech, was equally guilty, and his attempt to read a French version met with a stoic verbal resistance that swept him off stage. But, it was good he realized it was time to quit.

Apart from too-long-a-letter, the two other issues that undermined the night were ‘no-famous-names’ and ‘winner-takes-all’. It was winner-takes-all, because we were only told the winners in each category, not the second or third. It would also have helped if someone took it upon himself to compile names of the famous personalities who were in the hall, and hand this over to the comperes for proper recognition of some of the greatest names in African football, art and culture.

Nigeria’s legendary musician, King Sunny Ade, was there, as well as legendary footballer, Olusegun Odegbami. Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen, and Samson Siasia, as well as famous administrators from far and near, were all buried in anonymity.

Recognition for President Kufour, Vice President, Aliu Mahama, CAF President, Issa Hayatou, and a mention of ‘board of governors’ of CAF, was all that we had.
Nigerian musician, Lagbaja, failed to come in with his hit song, and dragged on without inspiring the auditorium. Machaka came back and lifted spirits once more. “I’m 41 but I still feel like a teenager”, she told me when I approached her at the end. I agreed with her.

One more. How did they manage to leave out the Supporters Club of the Year award entirely, even when it was on the programme? And who was that fellow who ‘gatecrashed’ onto the comperes’ dias to announce Hossam Hassan as the Inter-Club Player of the Year, when he was actually to present the award?
Next time, we should have shorter and fewer speeches, recognition of famous names, musicians who will live the auditorium enraptured, order of votes for each category and more razzmatazz. That’s what a spectacle is about.

Whao, Big_B1, this is the one comment you've ever made that I agree with completely. Men, maybe our views don't differ that drastically afterall

Why is the health services in Katsina not working Why are the hospitals in Nigeria as a whole not fit for purpose So many who can't afford this trip abroad would have died of this same illness but here he is treated within days and able to join his campaign. How long shall we continue in this hypocrisy? It is even more painful that the same is even obtainable of the so called opposition, only in December Atiku went for medical check up abroad and the same can be said of all the elite politicians in Nigeria.

I hope you can remember;

We've gone through same issue in the past for many weeks and at that time you seemed not to understand my point.

Let me refresh your memory by asking you this question: How come most Nigerian ministers of education specialize in shipping their children to attend school in abroad?
Does that make any sense to you?

If you pay attention you will realize the common analogy between these subjects.

I've recommended this strategy in the past: The only way our educational and medical system can and will improve in Nigeria is by implementing a law that enforces top Federal government officials and their families to utilize these resources.
No more flying abroad for back pain or head ache.

I guarantee you that things will improve as soon as this strategy is initiated.

Believe me, it's not that difficult to correct things in Nigeria; all it takes is a strong, focused and dedicated leader.

Why is the health services in Katsina not working Why are the hospitals in Nigeria as a whole not fit for purpose So many who can't afford this trip abroad would have died of this same illness but here he is treated within days and able to join his campaign. How long shall we continue in this hypocrisy? It is even more painful that the same is even obtainable of the so called opposition, only in December Atiku went for medical check up abroad and the same can be said of all the elite politicians in Nigeria.