₦airaland Forum

Dokpesi and the Elastic Conscience

I just read Raymond Dokpesi’s interview with news men on his ordeal at the hands off the SSS and I am again appalled at the level of double speak our politicians are capable.

In adducing reasons why he is being allegedly persecuted, Mr. Dokpesi alleges that the Goodluck Jonathan team wanted him to head their campaign; however, there is some reason to doubt this claim. Raymond Dokpesi is from the South South, the same zone as Mr. President. The question then is how plausible would it be that the President would pick someone from the same zone as himself to head his campaign? Does it make sense when conventional wisdom compels Presidential aspirants to not only look outside their geo-politcal zone but beyond the Niger. Thus if a candidate is from the North, conventionally he would pick a campaign DG from the South and vice versa. So the question is would a politician of President Jonathan’s pedigree consider a fellow South Southerner as his campaign DG in an election as heavily fraught with zonal issues as 2011? In my humble opinion I think this very unlikely.

The other issue that beggars belief in Dokpesi’s interview is the reason he gave for rejecting the headship of the Jonathan campaign and supporting IBB instead. Said he ““It is not a matter of saying, ‘this is what is good for my people and that the other people can go to hell. We don’t care; we will bulldoze our way. I strongly believe that it is right and appropriate that what is due to John should be given to John and what is due to Benson should be given to Benson.” Dokpesi then challenged the PDP “to follow the path of honour by sticking to” zoning.

Now on the surface, the above argument does sound altruistic. However let us go down memory lane. In 2006 after Obasanjo’s two terms of four years, going by the zoning logic, power was to be zoned to the North. There were many contestants for the PDP ticket chief of which was a man called Peter Odili from the South South who according to Dokpesi would have emerged winner of the ticket had former President Obasanjo not intervened. Now the thing is that Mr Raymond Dokpesi was the campaign manager for Dr. Peter Odili’s 2006 presidential campaign organization!

So when did Mr. Dokpesi develop his scruples about sticking to the zoning agreement? Was it before or after he served as Odili’s campaign manager in 2011 when Odili was running against a Northerner and the party had zoned the ticket to the North? What happened to Mr Dokpesi’s logic that “what is due to John should be given to John and what is due to Benson should be given to Benson” in 2006? Did it take a holiday?

The truth is that Mr Dokpesi like many-oh too many- Nigerian politician has an elastic conscience that expands and contracts according to the needs of the owner.

Could it really be that Dr. Dokpesi would have wanted to serve Dr. Jonathan in the same capacity as he served Dr. Odili but was rejected in his overtures? Personally I think Mr Dokpesi revealed the real reasons why he is not on the Goodluck train when he said that ““AIT, for its efforts at the U-17 World Cup was initially owed N5.7 billion by the federal government, but the figure has risen to N19.7 billion” Mr. Dokpesi further informed journalist that “President Goodluck Jonathan earlier sent text messages as Vice-President, to him pleading with him to bear with the government over the debt as the President, late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, was sick and that the debt was delegated to him to pay. But also when Jonathan became President, I was told that he was quoted that the AIT should bear the cost as part of national service”.

Well now, we are coming to the crux of the matter. It seems that we are now being told the real reason why Mr. Dokpesi has an ax to grind with the President and it has nothing to do with zoning at all. Mr. Dokpesi really just wants his bills paid (funny though how N5.7 billion could balloon to N19.5 billion without any change in the service rendered) and is willing to help make anybody who would pay the bill President of Nigeria.

Please Nigerians connect the dots. Here is a man who has serious financial challenges and almost lost his media empire but for the intervention of Peter Odili in 2005/6 and who is once again in deep waters financially to the extent that the staff of his media emoire are owed many months’ salary in arrears. Is it not trite knowledge that a drowning man would clutch at straws!

Moreover, Mr. Dokpesi and IBB make quite a pair! I was almost struck dumb to read the reasons given by IBB for not attending the 50th Independence anniversary celebration. IBB claimed that “I don’t believe in the whole concept. The expenditure was too much. There are more effective ways of celebrating at 50. The large expenditure should have gone into universities". Really! This from a man who wasted $12.2 billion and to quote Okigbo whose "disbursements were clandestinely undertaken while the country was openly reeling with crushing external debt overhead.". I mean if IBB was so in love with Nigerian universities how come he withdrew the subsidy on education which more than anything destroyed Nigerian universities and led directly to brain drain? I mean if Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Buhari who had a reputation as a prudent spender while he held sway as military Head of State could attend, then certainly General Babangida had no reasons not to attend if it was the cost of the ceremony that was the issue. I mean how much did the ceremony cost? I believe it was16 billion Naira. How much has IBB spent chasing his presidential ambition? Yes 16 billion is quite on the high side but if General Babangida could spend billions celebrating himself with his Presidential bid, then I certainly can understand spending billions celebrating 150 million long suffering Nigerians. Besides if Genral Babangida loves our universities so much, perhaps he should have donated the millions he paid to fly in Joe the American R ‘n’ B star to sing for his son’s bride to any Nigerian university!

It is really pathetic that a man who gave as one of the reasons for annulling the June 12 elections the excuse that the Federal Government owed Chief MKO Abiola millions of dollars would turn around to appoint as his campaign chief a man who also claims that the Federal Government owes him millions of dollars. Going by IBB’s logic the government would be justified in annulling his election if he won.

But logic is not what guides men like IBB and his new side kick Raymond Dokpesi. Such people are guided by only one motive-what’s in it for me. If you doubt me, then ask them why in the face of the multiple tragedies facing Northern Nigeria, both IBB and his motley crew of desperados have not thought it wise to publicly champion the cause of the millions of people in Northern Nigeria who are affected by the floods in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Jigawa state or the Cholera epidemic in the North or even the lead poisoning in Zamfara. Why would they when there is nothing in it for them?

To Mr. Dokpesi, Nigerians have come very far and no longer have as short a memory as the likes of Mr. Dokpesi would want us to have. If Mr. Dokpesi has forgotten, perhaps it is time to remind him that power was shifted to the South West not because of any zoning logic, but as compensation to the people of the South West for the injustice done to them by the annulment of the June 12 1993 Presidential elections by General Babangida when Chief Abiola was set to be declared winner. When Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar wanted to transition to a civilian democratic administration, he toured the six geo-political zones of the country in 1998 to meet with leaders of thought and opinion moulders and he was told that he risked the South West seceding if something was not done to pacify the zone for the injustice meted out to chief Abiola. He then put heads together with retired and serving military mandarins who came up with the idea of anointing one of their own in the person of General Obasanjo as a way of pacifying the South West while having someone whose chains the North could yank as President. Thus was President Obasanjo anointed President and no sooner had the puppet being sworn in than he came alive and rather than have his chains yanked by the North proceeded to yank the chains of the North as no one before or after him had done. I could go on and on, but suffice to say that power shift to the South West was caused by General Babangida’s callous act of 1993 and for him to contemplate coming back in 2011 is not only an affront on Nigerians but amounts to a case of a criminal profiting from his own criminality.



Reno Omokri is the Vice President, Africa, at Joe Trippi and Associates, the DC based Political Consultancy firm.
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/dokpesi-and-the-elastic-conscience.html

So if no Igbo man decides to contest in 2015, Jonathan should select one an handover to him? Or if the Igbo man loses the election, He should do abracadabra and declare him as the winner? Grand foolishness, arant nonsense, a stupefying display of stupidity unbelievable in this age with our level of enlightenment.
I laugh in Fulani!

I vex for am

With a good WIFI connection almost as good as anything you can using a laptop, but with the 3G services provided by the mobile phone companies, just forget the calls and use the chat functions

ziddy:
Mr. Human Vulture, you're the biggest fool I've ever encountered on Nairaland up until now. You want my tax details? Keep waiting I'll get back to you. Olodo.

It does take one to know one, don't you think so?

Funny how you ("Mr Sanctimonous", "Mr fighting for the masses whose moneys have been embezzeled by Fashola" find it so hard to defend yourself by providing a simple proof that you pay your taxes (Money that rightfully belongs to the governement), and that you are not stealing from the government when confronted by someone else. Infact a simple Yes I do pay or No I don't pay might even suffice! 
Yet you don't see it as an affront on the position of the Governor for him to come and be wasting his time reeling out an account for monies being spent on VISIBLE Projects. Projects being carried out by more than 50 Ministries, Parastatals and agencies of the State government? It's the likes of you that jump out of the window when FIRS comes knocking

I hope you also know that each of these ministries/parastatal have individual DGs, Commisioners and Heads etc that you can walk up to to confirm how their allocations are being spent, if you are so concerned.

Asari Dokubo already told us who the caller was in his exclusive interview with NN24 two days ago;
The caller was CHARLES OKAH, Henry Okah's brother!

What he means to say is: Why I was not at Eagle Square , Apart from the fact that I was planning to bomb the place, I also didn't like the way the money was being spent. LMHO

chosen04:
Let him tell that to the marines . . . . . . . .So, if the president keeps emerging from the North for an example, and other regions keeps geting lesser positions, where is the Zoning of the presidency in that arrangement.

JEGA talks as if the essence of the Zoning is not at least for every region to taste and enjoy power. . . . . .

I can never buy that his position on Zoning at all.

Well Buhari, IBB, Abacha now even Gusau did not see anything wrong in an all Northern presidency one after the other, or did they?

Bros, instead of resorting to area boy tactics kindly answer my question; what is ur contribution to this nations economy, how much tax do you pay? Do even pay at all?
And sorry to disappoint you this nation will continue to move forward, and joyfully without you.
I have lived in Lagos for many years and the dedication n commitment with singleness of purpose shown by Fashola for the development of lagos is exemplary and ONLY deserves commendation and nothing else.
It is sad that people like you criticise the good men to death and keep ur mouth shut when d likes of IBB n Abacha dominate n oppress the entire nation.
If you are a student of history, you should ask urself why ideologically sound and visionary people like Patrice Lumumba, emperor selassie, Sankara were hounded out of govt while crooks n scoundrels like Mobutu, compare n co were tolerated n continued to enslave their countries for years?
If you continue in this path, Fashola will happily return to his law firm, and he will definitely be replaced by the kind of people you want, crooks, scoundrels, illiterates n thugs, such as the likes of Akala - the choice is yours

ziddy:
Well, in the country of the blind, the one eyed man is king. People continue to heap praises on this Fashola guy for doing exactly (or maybe less than) the job he was elected to do; at the same time he is stealing public funds on a gargantuan scale.

When will a case of someone just doing his job stop being an exception rather than the rule in this country? Maybe when we stop canonizing crooked politicians, whether they perform the job they're elected to do or not.

It is statements like this that make governments shut down forums like this, do you have any proof of what you have just said? If you stand before a judge today can you substantiate it?

You are a classic example of a Human Vulture; what is the value of your contribution to this nations economy, that you are so passionate about people stealing? How much of your input has gone into this money you are so concerned about someone stealing?

bermuda1:
You misunderstand my post. I am not talking about the legality of Jonathan contesting so there is no need to quote the constitution

what I am against is the deep anti north sentiments been creeping in because of Jonathan contesting. most southerners claim to be intellectually superior and more advanced than the average northerner. It is time for this to show through. We can achieve all we want in Nigeria without being lousy, abusive and sanctimonious about it

Maybe I misunderstood the direction of your post with repsect to GEJ, however, I believe that these so called tribal sentiment is not directed at Northerners alone, it a typical Nigerian thing.
The yoruba man is biased to the Ibos as much as the Ijaw are to the Hausa; there is so much animosity to go around every possible tribe. Even the Ijebu's are antagonising the Egbas (how laughable).
The most unfortunate part is that even the so called educated cadre of Nigerians are not any better, infact they are responsible for instigating the uneducated lot and feeding them with misleading information that make them do all the terrible things that we see. A classic example is the Nigerian Media with their irresponsible journalism and money reporting. Newspapers like Sahara reporters, Sun and co who publish rumours and unfounded reports just to sell and most times to instigate public anger or to propagate their employers hidden agenda will one day answer to the law both of God and of this Nation.

Hmm,, looks like we are definitely more talk and less action,

Simple Question -  Why has Yahoo! or Gmail! or whatever email add he's been using not blocked yet?

If I was SSS director, I'll just follow these simple steps and pick up Mr Jomo Gbomo

[size=14pt]1. Trace IP address,
2. Locate ISP's server
3. Identify country of email origin
4. Locate account holder/cybercafe
5. Identify time and Date of email message
6. Ask a couple of questions
7. Pick up Henry or Charles Okah
8. Confirm Jomo Gbomo's Voice with voice recognition machine (If we no get, borrow from FBI/CIA/MI6)
9. Nail the murdering bastard!
10. Case closed
11. GEJ awards me MON for meritorious service - [/size]

Its that Simple, MEND is getting lousy

bermuda1:
Reading a lot of posts on NairaLand, it appears that we southerners are even more tribal than tha North that we accuse all the time

If the situation is the reverse and Goodluck with as President and Sambo as vice, if Goodluck dies and sambo takes over, will the southerners be equally happy to end zoning and allow Sambo contest another term?

Let us be objective in the way we think.

There is nothing objective about your analysis -
1. The tribe of whoever is president is not relevant, what is relevant is the ability to deliver and move the country away from tribalism and agelong domination by a corrupt cabal
2. Anyone from anywhere has the right to contest, be they a former Vice president or sitting vice president
3. The Nigerian constitution has not zoned any position to anywhere so, neither Jonathan nor IBB nor Yaradua nor the PDP has any right in the constitution to zone any position
4. The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria has specific provisions for Federal charatcer i.e once a president emerges, it becomes constitutionaly appropriate to make sure that all the other key offices are occupied by people from the various zones in Nigeria - equitably distributed
5. Finally, Jonathan is not contesting because he is from South - South, he is contesting because he is a Nigerian!

Pls what is the current rate
Dollar and Pounds

9ijaMan:
I see a lot of dead brains here!
GEJ is starting a fight he'll not end. Too bad he has to go down like this!

You must be the brainless fish, I seriously believe you a sponsored poster on this forum.
The fact that investigations implicated him in murder of 12 people is not enuff to arrest him? Obviously d money u were aid has clouded ur ability to reason like a human.
The fight is not for gEJ it is a fight for all nigerians to reject all evil candidates from enslaving us again

Nigerians eh, you peole are too  in love with conspiracy theories. Why don't you just allow things to unfold instead of jumping d gun. No be only you get sense. Neither IBB nor dokpesi have anything to fear if they did not do anything wrong, but if they are behind the bombing and murder of these 12 innocent souls they will pay for it with their own lives.

krazynaija:
So i'm hungry here and the government is printing shiny money? smh i cry for una country

What are we celebrating? I spend minimum of 15k monthly on fuel because theres no light! #LightUpNigeria n all those parades campaigns do NUFFIN!

Na wa o! Is it GEJ that will come and give you food, why don't u get on the streets and find something to do!
Too much complaining is a sign of laziness, a sign that you lack the capacity to think and grow rich!

Just as Turai was the downfall of Yar'adua, Dame!!! hmm?
Jonathan, be careful with your madam o, she may be the begining of your problems

jennykadry:
Nigerian Idol REVEALED! Audu Maikori, Yinka Davies & Jeffrey Daniel are the judges with radio personality Yemisi ‘Misi’ Fajimolu as the host
Posted on Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 8:37 PM

Na wa for Naija, see as una don put Federal Character for Gameshow too!!!
Wetin man no go see for this country, anyways, Lets wait and see, hope they don't start forming Randy and Simon on the stage o

oyb:
that director must be a great boss if his subordinates can stick their necks into the line of fire for him

Why does he have to be a good boss, for you to resist his kidnap?
are you saying you will support your bosses' kidnapped, if he wasn't good to you?

I'm really surprised at the responses from posters, or am I getting it wrong?
What do you mean by amateur kidnappers, is there any school where that is taught?
Is there any criminal institution where you get trained to be a professional criminal, Crime is perpetrated by members of the society who take advantage of the laspes in security and opprotunity of being able to get away to do so.
Infact, many of us live with individuals with dubious character and we do nothing about it, thats why these evils continue. It is a big pity for our society, when instead of applauding those who go out of their way to stand for right we keep looking for excuses for these evils to continue, SHAME

dustydee:
at least we can still see the relics of PTF around the country.what did ompadec and NDDC do?even in the SS?

What kind of Stooopid que is that? In case you don't NDDC has been more relevant than any other organisation ever created. Their projects span across the entire landscape of NigerDelta, don't sit in Lagos/Abuja and make foolish comments on what you don't know, ok!

blapo:
We await the outcome of the meeting.

Meeting? You mean the BOXING MATCH!!!

ALMUSTAQIM:
HERE IS THE PDP ZONING FORMULAR AS DRAWN IN 1999 AS I KNOW IT:

ASSUMING 2 TERMS EACH;

PRESIDENT V. P. SEN. PRES. H. OF REP
1999 SW NE SE NW
2007 NW SS NE SW
2015 SE NC SS NE
2023 NE SW NC SE
2031 SS NW SW NC
2039 NC SE NW SS

Really? How come David Mark (from North Central) is the Senate President ? Care to explain?

JB and Unlocking iphones are like the easiest things to do, any donkey can do it (literally) and to make it worse its even LEGAL!
Too bad our boys wont be getting so much patronage anymore

Anyways here's another how to guide for dummys all over,
http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-ios-4.1-with-redsn0w-0.9.6-how-to-guide/

1525:
"The consultations about my political future have now been concluded."
"After the release of the timetable and after thorough examination and prayers with my family. I Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan have decided to humbly offer myself as a candidate for the presidential primaries in our party the PDP."

The crowd goes wild as the President soaks in the applause.

babasoty:
Really have you ever voted before, if you have who did you vote for

Pls ask him again, these people are never satisfied, their psyche has been so badly damaged they cannot even see a good thing when it stares them in the face.
Your ability to stand for anything makes you a man, most of those raising pessimistic comments here have never stood for anything not even police exploitation and they have the guts to criticise a man who has decided to stand against institutional corruption (Oligarchy) in Nigeria, spare me

1509: Another specially composed song by D'Banj brings on a dancing Goodluck Jonathan to the stage. He is full of dance moves and gyrations as he takes the stage with his wife.