₦airaland Forum

OROSUNBOLB:
What exactly is your point here ? Are you an Igbo apologist or what? Frankly,the issue here has gone far beyond your rhetoric. We have given those homeless wanderers too much freedom in Yorubaland and mechanism to reverse it has been put in place already-just watch out. I honestly don't care if igbo people are 'unintimidated' or not-it's their headache. But,I am pretty certain igbo do not have what it takes to defeat Yoruba in any form of battles;it won't happen. I honestly don't have time sermon. My point is very clear-Lagos will be very,very hot for Igbo and I truly hope they are ready for the calamities that are coming their way. Igbo are stupidly arrogant and foolish people who want to dominate their host's always. None of those eediots came out to vote in my area today-useless empty-chest-beating lots!

I cant agree more with you. I wonder why he is playing the devils advocate like we send them ibos. I am even shocked that even enlightened ones are like that. We all appealed to you on behalf of the Oba but you still continue in your ways. Continue, Agbaje will relocate to SE to join you guys, give him Governorship yeye they smell

Nocrap:
You made a lot of sense but not wholely. Igbo leaders have started medling into Lagos politics. They have complained of marginalization and exclusion from Lagos governance severally before this election even though they had an Igbo commissioner in Lagos.

Several Igbo people work with Lagos state government and I hope you know there are Igbo honourables now in Lagos. So jettison the notion that they aint competing for power in Lagos. Those honourables contested in Lagos not Onitsha.

Hausas are also in there millions in Lagos but they take whatever role they are given and would not ask for more or dare their host in this regard. I have read it online times without number where Igbos said they will rule Lagos one day. All these make the Igbos appear as nuissance and threat to the Yoruba kingdom of Lagos.

I love the Igbos and I hope they will understand and desist from asking for too much.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. because they wont even allow onetenth of that in their Ibo lands. if they will allow it then we wont complain in Lagos. they are just deceiving Agbaje the way they did Jonathan. Agbaje will cry us river when his eyes become clear

Volksfuhrer:
Nobody is saying Igbos shouldn't vote en bloc in Lagos! In fact it is their constitutional right to vote as they please. But why make such intention public knowledge?

Yes oooo why make it know to the whole world.

So why do our Igbo brothers want to breach the peace and Harmony we have all been enjoying together because of one Oba with loose mouth statement. Who told us that JK will suddenly love Igbos even more than the yorubas. See he should campaign more on what he will do rather than causing disaffection between the yorubas and Igbos in Lagos. PDP should remember that such campaign strategy didnt help Jonathan

The MOST INTELLIGENT write up I've read since this wahala started......
Onyebuchi Ememanka writes
What is the principal interest of the Igbos in Lagos? What do we seek to achieve in our sojourn here? My take is simple. We seek a prosperous Lagos that is economically viable, peaceful....a mini Nigeria of sorts where all people are able to live and pursue their livelihood without let or hinderance.
As a people that thrive on commerce, Igbos want a Lagos where there are government policies that promote the growth of commerce and business.
A Lagos where government builds roads, bridges, hospitals and is generally alive to their duties.
Education is free in Lagos and our children enjoy this.
No Igbo child has been sent away from any public school in Lagos. Lagos state government pays WAEC and NECO fees for all students in Lagos....our children enjoy this too.
What do we really want in Lagos? The truth is that we are strangers here. Lagos belongs to some people, just like Onitsha and Aba. Let's not carry on as if this place is a no man's land. It is not!
All of a sudden, Jimi Agbaje has become an Igboman....we have adopted him as our son.....the same way we adopted President Jonathan in the last election against our strategic interest as a people...a decision that has left us in serious political confusion and our senators begging to be admitted into the APC.
What is the difference between Jimi Agbaje and Akinwumi Ambode? Is any of them Igbo? What is our problem? I believe that we have a fair share here. We live in peace unlike our people in the North. I don't think there are more Igbos in Lagos than there are in Kano, yet we live peacefully here.
Yorubas are highly politically sophisticated people and they understand that it is better for them to have a government in Lagos that belongs to the same party as the party at the centre. Igbos cannot love Lagos more than Yorubas. This is their land. If anything happens here now, we will all leave and return home. These people own here...
this is their home and we must respect their feelings. Every person living in Lagos wants more federal presence in Lagos. We want a 4th mainland bridge, we want so many other things that the federal government can do.
In the years past, Lagos hasn't enjoyed much federal intervention because of political party differences. Now they have that chance and we want to spoil it for them by being more catholic than the pope.
Let everybody vote any candidate he wants but I reject any collective Igbo move to vote against the strategic interests of the people who own the land where we live and make our living. Lagos has been good to our people. We have succeeded here in business and the professions.
Let's not disrespect the people of Lagos. I will not support any move that will create an impression that Igbos are against the interest of the owners of Lagos. Nobody has murdered our people here like what we see in the north. Lagos remains the only state in this country where Igbos hold top government positions.
Even our neighbors and brothers, Rivers State have never given us that privilege despite our huge population and presence there"......Princeoflagos

This femi Aribisala is a frustrated fellow he should just go and sit down with his bitterness and frustration over APC

NobleG1:
GEJ is very weak and incompetent. If you check his political history, you will understand what I mean.

For example; he was hand-picked to be Deputy governor of Bayelsa State. Later he became Governor by sheer luck. He was again hand-picked to be Vice president by Obasanjo. Then later, he became President by luck. So the only political campaign GEJ did for himself throughout his political career was for the 2011 election. Obasanjo s*crewed him up because GEJ wasn't obeying his greedy demands.

Obasanjo is a disaster wherever he goes and he's very unforgiving. He has destroyed many lives. His insatiable greed ruin this country. He's now desperately seeking relevance from Buhari. Obasanjo is very scared that Buhari will go after him for the massive corruption that occurred under his administration. He was the president and also the Oil minister, a serious evidence of the highest level of greed.

Obasanjo is the main problem we have in this country today and he should spend the rest of his life in jail or dragged out and shot in public square.

you are just deceiving yourself mith your myopic and blind hatred for obj

NobleG1:
Please Buhari, keep this huge ugly gorilla away from you. He is very corrupt.

The same advice you guys gave to GEJ, where did he land with Anenih, Alams, Bode George, Fayose etc. You want to start that advice for this govt. Ok now, start advising him oooo

100dollarbills:
Hey Bro! I can see u r not going for the interview/plan to travel with your kid(s). Hope u v a well thought-out answer incase the VO picks on that. IMO, its a decision that can swing both side.

#gopickupyourvisas

@ dollarbills no we are not going with the children cos we are going for our 10th year wedding anniversary and it was supposed to be for fun just for us. Will they expect me to take the children along?
Please respond.

Regards

shinejackie:
.

If it is not possible to get it amended b4 ur interview, u can proceed and explain to the VO about what happened, they might not even ask for the introduction letter, they don't rely too much on documents........go collect your visa and come post the scripts here..

Thanks for ur kind words

Hi team
I am due in embassy tomorrow with wify. But because I stay outside lagos I just picked my introduction from my letter from my office during this easter holiday from a colleague. Upon opening it I found out that the subject nname is mine while in the body of the mail they wrongly put another name. What can I do? Should I just appear with the document even when part of it is wrong. Before and amended copy will get to me it will be tuesday pm and my interview is 8am. Cheers.

100dollarbills:
My madam @ d top, LadyG has said it ali, take some ''jega'' pills (be calm), maintain good body language, speak with confidence and maintain eye-contact with the VO while answering questions thrown @ u.Shikena the visa is urs Same goes for madam. Then expect questions like ''have u travelled out as a couple before''.IMO u v a good reason (10th wedding anniversary) to visit the US-pls be quick to say it out loud when asked why u r going to Las Vegas. Where is ur interview? Lagos or Abuja

thanks my interview is in lagos. We have travelled as a family before to nairobnairobi. Me wify and children

Okay US visit team,

My wife and I will be having our interview coming week. We intend going to Las vegas for 2weeks. I intend spending 1.2m for both tickets and hotel bills. And that is what I intend telling the VO in case i am asked. is that amount good enough? Cos i dont want to be denied my visa on the basis of inadequate spend money.

100dollarbills:
Yes u can. It doesnt affect ur chance in anyway and if asked, u can always explain urself

Thanks

Dear Visa team,

I will be appearing next week with my wife at the embassy. we are actually going to Las vegas for out 10th year wedding anniversary. However, I found out that the hotel we indicated in our form that we will be staying insisted that we pay ahead for the booking and I just cant do that, what if we are not granted visa.

What do i do, do I book another hotel even if it wasn't the one i filled in the form.

Regards

he was warned ahead over mama peace

They traded away their career just for politicians that are here today gone tomorrow.

THE RISE AND FALL OF GOODLUCK JONATHAN
Many will ask in 10 to 20 years time, what was the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan like and alas those who chose to turn history on its head will confuse future generations with glowing tales of how humble and delectable Goodluck was, that he was a victim of circumstance, a deliberate plot akin to a gang up of a Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba Majority against a kind hearted harmless Fisherman's son, a minority from the South South.
Thus one is compelled to set the record straight so that posterity will not be deceived by the sugar coated tongues of future sycophants.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did not lose the Presidency on 28th March 2015, he lost his grip on power years ago, Nigerians were just allowing him dig himself deeper into his hole of future departure as they waited patiently to show him the door once the next election election cycle came round.
Indeed it is necessary to chronicle the fall from grace to grass of Goodluck Jonathan so that future leaders may learn from a classical case of deliberate self sabotage.

One of the people who played the greatest role in the fall from grace of Goodluck Jonathan is his wife Patience Jonathan. From being an unknown quantity as the Vice President's wife, faith propelled her to be the nation’s first lady.
Instead of wearing a cloak of humility and championing laudable humanitarian causes she began to become a beacon of political interference.
The day she over stretched her boundaries and incited the open rebellion to her husband's rule was the day she brought the office of the first lady into disrepute by engaging Governor Rotimi Amaechi an elected official in an unseemly verbal engagement over matters of State. That was the day I first took note of this woman and for saw that she was building a castle in the air that will soon come crashing down.
Patience instead of letting the matter die a natural death proceeded to engage in a spurious vendetta against Governor Amaechi and unwisely prompted her husband to pick a fight with one of the most powerful Governors in the country.
Amaechi made many overtures to reconcile with Jonathan but the proud peacock that was pulling Jonathan 's apron strings rebuffed all attempts to tow the path of peace.
From here shenanigans as the Permanent Secretary without portfolio to her open confrontation with Turai Yar Adua to her goading Amaechi out of PDP and promoting the rise of certain thugs in Rivers State to undermine the Governor, Patience Jonathan thought she was doing her husband a favour not knowing she was sending his Presidency to an early grave.
Matters ultimately came to a head during the campaign for reelection when she suddenly became the censure of all attention thus Nigerians were left wondering if it was Goodluck Jonathan they were voting for or her.
Her notorious comments of insulting the North by saying they give birth to children that they throw away was the final nail in the coffin of any hope of Goodluck winning some vital states in the North. Then her further talk of encouraging her supporters to stone opposition figures was like a sucke punch that earned her a mention before the International Criminal Court.
Patience Jonathan did not demean her husband's Presidency by her grammatical errors and social inadequacies but her lack of understanding of the various cultures of Nigeria and a morbid taste in being too overbearing, suffocated the life out of her husband's presidency.
Her myriad of faux pas are too numerous to mention from her role in sending policemen and thugs to disrupt the peaceful sit in of the ‪#‎bringbackourgirls‬ campaigners to crying crocodile tears on National tv and collecting the list of kidnapped chibok girls then doing nothing about it. God truly delivered Nigeria from this woman who felt her husband staying for 4 more years was their birthright, alas its just a privilege bestowed by the Nigerian people. She will definitely not be missed.

And for future Presidents, they must learn to cut the excesses of their wives. They should groom them to be cultured ladies who exude grace, style and compassion. Once a woman's voice is higher than an octave then it is either she is a nagging wife or her husband is deficient or both.

Namadi Sambo. I have written numerous pieces about the colourless VP from Kaduna but alas a summary of how he conspired to bring about the end of the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan must be elucidated.
Namadi Sambo failed in his duty as a Vice President. At the height of the Boko Haram crisis in the North he sat by and did nothing. While the people in the North were dying in droves, communities sacked, school girls kidnapped and millions displaced from their homes, Namadi Sambo said and did nothing. Quintessentially he was gambling that jeeping a low profile will put him in goodstead to succeed Goodluck in 2019. This was a flawed assumption.
Unknown to the camp of Goodluck Jonathan, Namadi Sambo was fast becoming a liability to his Presidency. But alas the myopic charade that cocooned Goodluck could not allow him see beyond his nose.
And issues came to a head when Namadi Sambo started preaching a message of he is now the only true Muslim born in Mecca called Namdina and that Buhari is a fake Muslim for choosing a Pastor with 5000 churches as his running mate all eyes began to watch Namadina closely and unfortunately he failed at the first test as a tape of him fumbling while reciting same sacred text from the Koran suddenly became viral in the North.
Many Southerners may not understand the implications of this but to a Muslim these words misrepresented is akin to blasphemy from a man called Namadina. That was the day this Sambo became totally useless to Jonathan and was now a liability or lodestone around his neck. Namadina could never bring in votes for Jonathan for he had reduced himself into a hate figure in the North.
A Vice president is just 1 foot away from the Presidency, that much should have impinged on Jonathan ' s mind hence a more colourful person who could bring real substance to his Presidency like how the savvy Oshinbanjo complements Buhari would have helped to save a Jonathan Presidency.
Future Presidents should be more circumspect when choosing their vice Presidents.

Sambo Dasuki, the second Sambo also had a major part to play in GEJ's downfall. He was the National Security Advisor who kept Jonathan sequestered in limbo. It was his duty to keep the President informed about the problems of Nigeria but alas for reasons best known to him he hid many problems from the eyes of the President.
He is the mastermind behind the South African Arms deal that used the private jet of the President of CAN to fly out illicit funds for a black market arms deal. This scandal eroded alot of confidence in GEJ and Sambo handled the matter poorly costing the President huge political capital.
From the Chibok girls to the sacking of Baga to the King of Morocco phone call saga, the National security advisor was repeatedly slow in updating the President hence the President was repeatedly embarrassed and seen to be clueless once confronted with issues that required urgent attention.
Sambo was indeed supposed to be the eyes and ears of the President but alas he left his president blind and deaf hence the results we see today.
A National Security Advisor is one of the most sensitive positions in any government. He must be proactive and decisive. He must be in the President's hair 24/7 hence must be a trustworthy person of impeccable character and high moral standing. The history we know of Dasuki throws a lot of warning lights and now in hindsight his appointment as National Security Advisor appears ill advised.

The Godfathers. Mentorship is important in Leadership. Every leader must have endured tutelage under someone which will help mould his leadership style. Obasanjo was key to the rise of GEJ but the two soon parted company. No matter how large Obasanjo maybe he deserves an audience before his pupil but alas the bees in Jonathan ' s ears deceived him into thinking the counsel of Obasanjo was unjust. They even rejoiced when Obj's PDP membership card was torn up and the man said ABJ, "Anyone but Jonathan" Unknowingly they didn't realise that OBJ was playing Pontus Pilate, washing his hands off the blood of a Jonathan set to lose an impending election.

Thus Jonathan exchanged the counsel of Obasanjo who is far from a Saint for the counsel of the heathen. Edwin Clark and DSP Alams, who became the kitchen cabinet of GEJ. These two individuals are local champions who promote a strict Ijaw Agenda that deserve absolutely no seat in any discourse on how to move Nigeria forward. At least the Patriotism of OBJ is beyond doubt but Clark and DSP are a different kettle of fish. These are the two humming birds that sang the song of deceit that reduced GEJ from being a national leader loved by the people in 2011 to their level of being a local champion despised by most in 2015. As they sang their beautiful tune the sensibilities of GEJ diminished as he lost focus of the reason why Nigerians elected him into office which was to fight corruption and impunity thus instead he pardoned corrupt individuals and dismantled the anticorruption apparatchik Yar Adua and OBJ struggled to build. Indeed this angered Nigerians greatly for corruption is perceived as one of the major problems of Nigeria and any leader who dares belittle this into the realm of goats eating yam and other shenanigans is courting fire and a backlash at the polls.
This is the cross GEJ has to bare for listening to the unwise counsel of his godfathers.
Future Presidents must chose their godfathers wisely. Don't chose a godfather whose outlook is restricted to the palm tree in front of his house because very soon you will be trapped in his microscopic world drinking palm wine together under that palm tree for days without end.

The sycophants and unalloyed praise singers. My father taught me long ago that one must have 2 types of close friends. Those who praise and encourage you when the going is rough and those who criticise you when the going is good.
The first set help you through the obstacles in life, the second keep you humble, contrite and honest.
GEJ had neither. His best friends were the sycophants. The endless praise singers that will praise him when he does either wrong or right that the poor President couldn't even tell day from Night for the constant refrain around him was good morning. The list of these unsavoury characters are known to all.
Theses figures who serve Any Government in Power (AGIP) are well known for their antics and have led to the downfall of many Nigerian Presidents in the past so it is very sad that they have conned another President once again.
The one true friend GEJ had was Sanusi Lamido Sanusi , the former Central Bank Governor. That was the only man who tried to break through the veneer of sycophants around GEJ but alas the man was totally given over to the sweet melody of the hummingbirds hence was cajoled by the custodians of corruption to humiliate and send Sanusi packing.
How ironic that today the Sanusi he sacked is Emir for life while GEJ is now a lame duck President waiting for handover date to enter the unemployment market.
The team of sycophants led GEJ along the path of perdition attacking the personality of Buhari instead of running an issues based campaign. While Buhari was building bridges in the former of strong alliances, the sycophants were burning the little bridges Jonathan had left. Even when the dying embers of his rule was about to be extinguished these parrots kept on talking out of sorts giving false hope where none existed.
A President must have sincere people around him who can guage the pulse of the people and relay it back to him promptly. To lose another President to this nest of vipers is one tragedy Nigeria can ill afford in the future. Let the days of sycophancy come to an end and the days of truth and justice be ushered in.

But the number one person behind GEJ's failure is himself. He lost sight of his humble beginnings and started to become proud and pompous. No one could talk to him and he would listen for the sycophants and godfathers had sole access to him.
The day his Presidency started to end was the day he came on tv and said he didn't give a Damn about publicly declaring his assets. In a country where the perception of massive corruption is held in high regard Jonathan made nonsense of the war against corruption telling tales of goats and yam in the midst of no corruption exists only common stealing remains, these words incensed Nigerians and filtered to the grassroots. Thus the rumour was the most corrupt President ever was ruling Nigeria.
And Jonathan did everything in his power to encourage that notion. Allowing the Fuel subsidy scam to continue, rewarding persons accused of Malfeasance with Plumb Ministerial positions or tickets to higher office and even letting off many with only a mere slap on this wrist. This is one area that cost GEJ his Presidency.
The second is the handling of boko haram. For years GEJ treated Boko haram with kid gloves. This made him appear callous and evil in the eyes of a lot of Nigerians. It's common knowledge that Boko haram is neither a disciplined or formidable force yet for years their evil was allowed to grow unchecked. This is one question Goodluck will have hanging over him for ever. Why did you allow the killings to go on for so long?
The once proud Nigerian military was brought to the brink of imminent collapse under GEJ. Soldiers wives protesting, mass mutiny and tactical withdrawals into other countries also known as desertion/shameful retreat became the order of the day. In the end a multinational force from Neighbouring countries had to be mobilised to check this menace. Mixed with the sudden political will generated by the general elections GEJ suddenly woke up to his duty but by then it was too little too late.
GEJ'S supreme failure was failing to keep his wife in check. She made more powerful enemies for him than friends and totally alienated him from his people. She and a trioka of women turned GEJ into what OBJ called the 1st Hostage. GEJ was now seen as clueless and incompetent and the time was rife to ease him out of power peacefully via the ballot box.

Unlike many other 1 term President's in other climes they can trace their failure to a singular event. GEJ's case is different as in a myriad of events led to his downfall. The days of honoring himself are over. Nigerians should not cry for Goodluck. He had his chance and blew it big time. May others learn from the RISE AND FALL OF GOODLUCK JONATHAN.

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Some government officials like Mbu, Military spoke man and Ogar of DSS etc became partisan while discharging there duty to the extent in which they labelled opposition terrorist. What will happen now that Jonathan has lost. Will they switch allegiance or learn to remain neutral ?

Bros I pity you. You dont av a good wife and probably good mother. And I guess you must av been a weakling. You need to be assertive and prayerful.

egift:
https://www.gunster.com/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_50492266.jpg

Apart of the from the remaining bundle of dollars that Nigerians want to snatch from Jonathan and few others who fear he may undermine their years of career in the public service, by now, Jonathan would have been standing alone.

Once Buhari is declared winner, people will be avoiding Jonathan recommending or endorsing them for anything, because that will bring badluck to whatever you are pursuing.

Jonathan's next best friends are Lawyers as they battle to keep him out of jail. Also Accountants will be his best pals as they work even hard to bury all the loots in some fancy Statistical Tables.

Ex-Presido, safe journey back to Bayelsa. You do well

Omo you bad gannnnooooo

We are watching

Ogbenijhybo:
this man made cogent points and speaks the mind of so many!

I agree with u.

sincerenigerian:
[s][/s]

Rubbish.

continue to cancel and be saying rubish. The same way God will cancel jonathan from our lives.
mthweeee

Cannot be better captured.

People who say, “President Goodluck Jonathan has done nothing!” are not being truthful, but those who take it literally are even more guilty. Jonathan has done something.

In November 2013, I travelled into Nigeria and wrote about the mess that was the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on this column. Sixteen months later, that same airport is very far from being world class but it is a long travel from the seamy dump of shame it looked like that November. I also believe that his administration has not done too badly with Information and Communication Technology. There are people who believe the successes in agriculture are more noise than substance but I am of the view that agriculture, while still very far from where it ought to be, has seen some improvements in terms of the process involved in helping farmers access extension support. It may sound like a campaign catch but that we didn’t have a famine after the 2012 flooding is credit to the work done by that ministry. Sports haven’t been stellar but you can’t say, “nothing has been done” here either. A former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, achieved great things. So yes, Jonathan has done something. If you make a six-year old-child president, s/he also would get some things right in five years because someway, somehow, someone in his government would just decide to leave her own legacy behind and not mind the incompetence of the “baby president”.

However, President Jonathan’s failings are not as much about what he has done as it is about what he has not done. One believes the most important attribute of leadership is caring; Goodluck Jonathan does not care about the people. He is a provincial, insensitive, callous, selfish, clueless, top-of-the-range incompetent President who woke up one day with power and has spent half a decade still wondering what to do with it.

If you followed the Chibok girls’ abduction, you’d see the only reason Boko Haram successfully abducted the girls and still has them is because President Jonathan and his crew of “na our turn” handlers refused to believe the girls had been abducted. It took over two weeks for the President to acknowledge this. The cost of that delay is the reason almost a year after, the girls remain in the custody of their abductors.

President Jonathan refused to visit Nigerian soldiers in Borno State until he had to visit the state to campaign. He then made one visit to the state just before his campaign visit; to deflect the criticisms that’d come from being seen as visiting Borno just for elections and not to meet with the citizens who had been burdened by insurgency for years. It was a callous act on the side of the President but it was consistent with his attitude.

When 59 boys were murdered by Boko Haram at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, President Jonathan and his handlers not only did nothing, they said nothing. The President only sent the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdul Bulama, one whole year after the tragic incident, to convey his “grief” with the parents. One year after? That is diabolical! Note this is not yet about the President failing in his sworn responsibility to protect the people of Nigeria – he has so failed that Nigerians themselves no longer care to expect him to be responsible on that front – this was the President not caring to commiserate with the parents and relatives. This is not only a failure of leadership; it is a failure of President Jonathan’s humanity.

A day after a bomb blast that killed over 200 people – government claimed 75 people but eyewitnesses including an online news medium stated otherwise – in Nyanyan, on the outskirts of Abuja, President Jonathan was pictured actually dancing “Skelewu” alongside a renowned northern artist, Sani Danja, while welcoming former Kano Governor Ibrahim Shekarau back to the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party. This happened last April. People say Nigerians suffer from collective amnesia but is it so chronic 11 months are so far into the past we cannot remember what happened? The late human rights activist, Bamidele Aturu, said at the time, “It is plain insensitive, really. It is an evidence that the leadership of this country does not take our lives seriously at all,” and few will argue against that statement even today.

You would think the President has learnt his lessons since all of the above and others too numerous to mention happened, he has not. Last Sunday, 80 people were killed as the Fulani and Agatu clashed. Instead of at least making a statement, the President chose to spend the time wining and dining with celebrities in Lagos. No word, no action. When 12 people got killed by terrorists at the Paris office of the satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, President Jonathan commiserated with the people of France, while on this same day about 2,000 people were killed at Baga – government claims the numbers are far less but no claim of it being less than 150 people – yet the government offered no commiseration, condolence or the usually tepid “we will bring the perpetrators to book” statements that both the spokesperson and the person who was being spoken for have never believed would happen.

This President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, does not care! There are many facts to back this statement up but if the above tragedies are not enough to make the point, the point would never be made with a countless other examples.

Remember that the fuel price increase of January 1, 2012 could have been done any other day and month of that New Year. What sort of a person looks at the first day of the year and decides to take such a decision? Many still have sad stories about how returning to their bases post-Yuletide season was tougher than anticipated. The President – two weeks to the elections – is announcing a joke 30 per cent reduction in certain salaries. This promise was made three years ago when Nigerians marched against his government. Nothing happened in three years. He also promised to cut on his and his aides international travel expenses; check, the numbers have only increased since then.

You would see the President has been running around over the last four weeks – since the elections were postponed – to see if he can turn the tide. He took all of us for granted in the past because he never envisaged there would be an alternative to the PDP. Until these elections, no political party stood a chance of beating the PDP at the presidential poll. The All Progressives Congress was expected to crumble latest by December of 2014 when it held its presidential primary. Miraculously and against the usual order of opposition politics, the party came out of that even stronger. It was then and only then that Jonathan began to see that he stood a chance of losing the election. It was then and only then did he remember he had a country to preside over.

As he meets with Yoruba Obas, celebrities and those who claim to be youth leaders, amongst other interests, let the ones brave enough ask him: in a sane world, would he even be a candidate to run again after all his failures? This is Goodluck Jonathan, and there is no rational argument available to vote this man as President. He has done enough and not done enough to show that he took Nigerians for granted. His cup is full; it is time to let someone finally pay for this mess we have come to get used to. The power is in your hands!

Omojuwa is a social media entrepreneur and political commentator

I hope some wife is hearing.

Ivory Coast jails ex-first lady 20 years for election violence

MARCH 10, 2015 BY TELEGRAPH
138 Comments
A court in Ivory Coast on Tuesday found former first lady Simone Gbagbo guilty of charges related to her role in a 2011 post-election crisis in which around 3,000 people were killed, sentencing her to 20 years in prison, her lawyer said.

Gbagbo, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, was tried along with 82 other allies of ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

“The jury members retained all the charges against her, including disturbing the peace, forming and organising armed gangs and undermining state security,” said Rodrigue Dadje.

Her civil rights will also be suspended for a period of 10 years.

The former president’s son, Michel Gbagbo, was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, he said.

Ivory Coast’s brief 2011 civil war was sparked by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat to Alassane Ouattara, now president, in elections in late 2010.

He is awaiting trial at the ICC accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in orchestrating the violence.

Ivory Coast refused to transfer Simone Gbagbo to The Hague court, claiming she could be judged fairly in a domestic court.

Ivory Coast jails ex-first lady 20 years for election violence

MARCH 10, 2015 BY TELEGRAPH
138 Comments
A court in Ivory Coast on Tuesday found former first lady Simone Gbagbo guilty of charges related to her role in a 2011 post-election crisis in which around 3,000 people were killed, sentencing her to 20 years in prison, her lawyer said.

Gbagbo, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, was tried along with 82 other allies of ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

“The jury members retained all the charges against her, including disturbing the peace, forming and organising armed gangs and undermining state security,” said Rodrigue Dadje.

Her civil rights will also be suspended for a period of 10 years.

The former president’s son, Michel Gbagbo, was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, he said.

Ivory Coast’s brief 2011 civil war was sparked by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat to Alassane Ouattara, now president, in elections in late 2010.

He is awaiting trial at the ICC accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in orchestrating the violence.

Ivory Coast refused to transfer Simone Gbagbo to The Hague court, claiming she could be judged fairly in a domestic court.

LadyGuinivere:
Hahahahah. 100dollarbill na so you take arranzge your own? You go fear fear o! . I can't wait for next tuesday to see how you razzmattaz them.

@bugati, 100dollar may have gone a bit overboard here but he's basically saying, be prepared to show the VO that you know the implications of travelling hence the spreadsheet-to prove you are prepared. No you do not buy a ticket but you have an idea of how much it is.
For documentation, you basically have to carry documentation to support any answer you give. There is no hard and fast rule. Thou only a few (wierd and overzealous) VO's will ask for documentation

thanks

100dollarbills:
7. Wedding certificate (church/court)
8. Excel Spreadsheet showing Flight Ticket Fee, Accomodation, Shopping, Sight-seeing,Feeding&Transport etc (ITK .....I Too Know.... u may say. But u can never be "under-prepeared"
9. C-of-O or any Title Document (if any)

Learnt they hardly check documents tho'

Thanks,

but how can I have flight ticket fee when I have not been granted visa?

Hey guys my wife and I are due for interview at the embassy early April, apart from the following documents is there any other thing I needed;

1. Our individual salary bank statements-6months
2. Letters from our employers
3. Staff identity cards
4. Picture of our family inclusive that of the children
5.Passport photograph
6. Of course our Nigerian passport

Please any other thing I need to carry along