There are two critical success factors in any election; voter mobilisation and election results management. This is even more so for developing countries where institutions are not yet robust enough to withstand the twin evil of internal compromises and external pressures.

The Labour Party; her presidential and vice presidential candidates; their presidential campaign council; and the numerous donors, volunteers, and support groups powering the #OBIdient movement should be given due credit for their incredible voter mobilization efforts.

The weakest link however remains the election results management systems and processes. At a personal level, I have made what I believe were compelling arguments as to why Nigerians, especially the leadership of political parties, outside of the big two, should work hard to minimise the possibility of a technical compromise of the upcoming elections.

For some reason, the leadership of these parties, their candidates, and their campaign councils are not interested in having such discussions. Some seem worried that openly interrogating INEC's systems at this time may dampen the morale of their would-be voters. Others hinge their confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari's “body language” and the “assurances” given by INEC.

For so many prospective voters and the communities they represent, the issues at stake in the 2023 general elections are matters of life and death. For many others, the outcome of the elections will have monumental and irreparable consequences. Those who look at these realities and chose to emplace this level of confidence on mere assurances, without any effort to verify those assurances, have embarked on a gamble I consider too reckless.

At great risk and personal sacrifice, let me repeat this warning; Those desirous of birthing a new Nigeria MUST deploy the full levers of their agency to interrogate ALL the systems and processes INEC will rely on to process the voting decisions of Nigerians.

The reason is not far-fetched. I had, on the 18th day of September 2022, said that the winner of the 2023 presidential election will prosecute the elections with a “near mathematical accuracy.” Well, that was a diplomatic way of presenting issues. I have since removed the gloves and made attempts to paint the picture in black and white.

The dots have been connected. All that needs to be said about 2023 has been said, I believe. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Africa's morning will come.

Chima Christian

Without insisting on getting the right answers, the upcoming general elections stand a great risk of being technically compromised.


From outright snatching of ballot boxes, to attempting to snatch same ballot boxes through the courts, Nigeria has made substantial progress in election management and electoral law reforms since 1999. Yet, our politicians have never shed even an ounce of their desperation.

At every turn of improvement, they quickly find a way to gain the system and confer undue advantages on themselves. Today, anyone who intends to tamper with the wishes of ordinary Nigerians need not the services of thugs, but the services of ICT experts. This is because, as the opportunity for manual rigging gets increasingly bleak, a new window of opportunity has opened up for technical rigging of the elections.

That is why Nigerians must interrogate all the systems and processes that INEC relies on to process the voting decisions of Nigerians. So that such avenues for technical manipulation of the system are mitigated. Without further ado, these are the questions Nigerians must ask before casting the first ballot;

Question 1: Compromised Voter Register

1) Even after INEC announced cleaning up of 53,000 additional fake, double, multiple and underaged registrants from the voter register, there is evidence that several of those fake and underaged registrants are still on the final list of voters released to political parties a few days ago.

Can INEC conduct a sufficiently free fair and credible elections with a compromised voter register?

Question 2: Fake/underaged registrants: Can we withdraw access from the backend?

The PVCs of some of these double, multiple, fake and underaged registrants have been printed and issued. Given the number of days we have before the elections, it will be unrealistic for INEC to attempt recall those PVCs.

Given also the hostile nature of some polling units, especially those in the rural areas and volatile areas, it is practically difficult, if not impossible, to expect INEC staff deployed on election-day duty or agents of political parties to contest eligibility of prospective voters on the election day. They can successfully do this in urban and semi urban areas. But the weakest link is in the rural areas, especially in the strongholds of establishment figures.

Given these considerations, is it possible for INEC to do another round of internal auditing of the voter register so it can take away the registration details of these fake and underaged registrants from the back-end? So that even if they show up on the election day with the PVCs they managed to beat INEC's systems to obtain, those prospective under-aged and fake registrants will not be authenticated by BIVAS. As long as their details remain on the system, the coming elections stand a great risk of being decided by fake and underaged registrants.

Question 3: Can we subject these systems and processes to multi-stakeholder audit and integrity tests?

INEC, through its Commissioner of Voter Education, Festus Okoye, initially told Nigerians that the new data capturing protocol deployed during the last continuous voter register makes it difficult to manipulate. Yet, desperate politicians, working hand-in-hand with a few compromised INEC staff found a way to beat the system and on-board fake registrants. This is evidenced by the displayed voter register and what is now referred to as “Omuma Magic.”

INEC again told Nigerians that the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) will be deployed to detect and weed out those fake, double, multiple and underaged registrants. Yet, those registrants found a way to evade the prying eyes of the ABIS and made it successfully to the voter register. The only ones that were cleaned after the display of the register were those that were successfully reported by Nigerians. Those who couldn't be reported, given the limited window of redress, are still on the register and may possibly decide Nigeria's future.

Since these irrefutable proofs suggest that these systems can either be compromised or not as efficient as advertised, is INEC willing to subject these systems and processes to a third party multi-stakeholder audit and integrity tests so as to really ascertain the fitness of these systems and processes, and as a way to mobilise the highest level of stakeholder confidence on the systems?

Question 4: Can we look at the geographic distribution of the data enrolment devices during the last CVR exercise?


Is INEC able to publish the exact number of data capturing devices it deployed for the June 2021 - July 2022 CVR exercise, and is it able to publish a detailed breakdown (preferably local government breakdown) of how those devices were deployed and the justification for such deployments?

This is important because deploying more devices in some regions allows them to complete more registrations and thus on-board more prospective voters than other regions. Given the enthusiasm of many young Nigerians to register, especially after the presidential candidates emerged, there is now a suspicion of foul play in the geographic distribution of data capture devices. How soon can INEC release that data, and will INEC commit to making such data publicly available during the next continuous voter registration exercise?

Question 5: Lopsided Invalidation of Registrants: What happened?

After INEC concluded the June 2021 — July 2022 Continuous Voter Registration Exercise, the data released by INEC presented an interesting scenario. 49.3% of the 2.78 million invalidated registrations were coming from the South-East and South-south regions. A critical analysis of INEC data reveals that there is a national invalidation rate of 22%. A regional invalidation rate of 17% for the three northern regions and the south-west. Interestingly, that rejection rate spiked to 35.2% for the South-South and the South-East.

Mr. INEC Chairman Sir, why, in your own analysis, do you think these two regions presented such anomalies? Some are already claiming a possible compromise of the elections through a technical suppression of votes of people from certain regions. How does INEC respond to that?

As you answer the question, please be mindful that this lopsided invalidations were done using the ABIS software that curiously on-boarded a lot of double, multiple, underaged and outrightly fake registrants.

Also be mindful that the regions with the highest prevalence of under-aged registrations had the least percentage invalidations while the regions with the least prevalence of these things had the highest percentage invalidations.

Question 6: Detailed explanation of how the ABIS works

Mr. INEC Chairman, could you provide a 12-year old a detailed explanation of how the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) works? Does it run the facials and fingerprints supplied to it through an artificial intelligence system to determine the age of the owners of those biometrics? Does it also run those unique IDs to ensure that they meet parameters already set up by INEC. For instance, INEC says all pictures on-boarded must be captured in real-time by field agents of INEC deployed on CVR duties. But we saw passport and scanned photographs on the system. Is ABIS equipped to automatically detect those flaws? Is the system also equipped to detect multiple iterations of the same fingerprints as was used by politicians to on-board fake registrants?

If the answers to these questions are in the positive, why then did the system fail to flag the multiple incidences of these things when the data was ran through the ABIS? If the answers are in the negative, what then are the features of ABIS that pre-qualified it to be deployed for such a sensitive assignment as auditing voter registration information?

Question 7: Are we measuring the success or fail rate of the BIVAS?

The BIVAS was first deployed in Issoko - Delta State, and afterwards in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun off-season elections. Using empirical data, do you know what the voter validation rate of the BIVAS are in those elections?

I ask that question because there were a lot of voters who presented their duly issued PVCs on the election day, saw their names on the register displayed at the polling units, yet the BIVAS refused to accredit them using the two authentication modalities. If INEC does not have the exact number of failed authentications, can it at least do a minor software update on the BIVAS so it captures the number of unique voter authentication requests? This is important so that Nigerians can see the voter authentication success or fail rate of the BIVAS after the elections. Then they can subject that data to local government, state, regional and national analysis, to be doubly sure that no state or region had an irregular failed voter authentication rate. By having a failed voter authentication rate higher than the national average, the votes of a region or regions or even local government areas can be technically suppressed.

Question 8: How can political parties and their agents confirm data pre-loaded on the BIVAS?

Because of internet access considerations, the BIVAS relies on the information pre-loaded on it to process voter authentication requests. It only needs the internet to upload captured results. This is quite helpful because of Nigeria's internet penetration rate, especially in the rural areas.

The question now is, how can political parties and their agents be sure that the data of all eligible voters in any given polling unit were all pre-loaded on the BIVAS before voting commences in that unit? Secondly, even if the total number of loaded voter records match the number on the physical voter register, how can political parties and their agents ascertain that ALL the loaded bio-data of prospective voters belong to actual voters in that given unit?

This is to avoid the issue of partially loading correct details of voters, and filling up the quota with bio-data from voters who are not eligible voters in that particular polling unit. In which case there will be high failed authentication rates. Also some of these failed authentications may not necessarily be as a result of compromise. It may also be because of honest mistakes. So, how can political parties track and make sure those mistakes are not made because the consequences of such mistakes are enormous?

There are concerns about security, PVC distribution challenges including lopsided PVC distributions where PVCs of people who bear certain names are witheld. There are issues of PVCs that were burnt or dumped in the gutters while they were still in the custody of INEC. Nobody knows what becomes of these voters who, by no fault of theirs, have now been disenfranchised, except INEC provides a remedy which may include authentications with the VIN on the temporary voter's card. Nigerians, it is now left for us to add to the list of these questions if need be, and also demand answers before the first ballot is cast.

We also have to compel our favourite candidates and their campaign councils, especially those who stand to hurt the most from such irregularities whether they are aware of these issues, and how they can add their voices to those of ordinary Nigerians to draw attention to these issues and insist that they be resolved satisfactorily.

“The price for liberty is eternal vigilance.” Fellow Nigerians, the ball is now in our court.

Africa's morning will come.

Please share.

Chima Christian

At a total of 201, Anambra, in 2022, became the state with the highest number of reported deaths arising from insecurity in the whole of southern Nigeria.

Despite his rhetorics, available data (especially Nigeria Security Tracker) suggest that Gov. Chukwuma Soludo is supervising a massive killing field. We are just ten days into the new year, and reports of gory killings from Obosi, Ifite Awka, and other such places have started filtering in.

Meanwhile, Awkuzu SARS, which never really changed its habits, has resumed its unofficial pastime of torturing and killing innocent citizens. Additionally, reports of impropriety and extra-judicial killings, wanton destructions, indiscriminate arrests, and detentions now mar the war against “unknown gunmen.”

For emphasis, I support all lawful and genuine attempts at stamping out criminality in Anambra state. What I have refused to accept is the ungodly idea that security men and women cannot be trained and be held responsible so they execute their job with pinpoint accuracy.

I have been praying for those who are excusing this official rascality as mere collateral damages, not to experience such “damages” in their lives and those of their loved ones. But it appears that I have to amend such prayers, so they understand what it feels like when an innocent person has been arrested, tortured, and killed for a crime he/she has no hand in.

I find it utterly distasteful that Anambra, the state with the most reported deaths arising from insecurity in the whole of southern Nigeria, is also retaining its dubious position as arguably the police brutality capital of Nigeria.

Everyday Ndi Anambra, especially adolescents and early adult males, are suffering on two counts. First is the many manifestations of insecurity. And then, the brutal, totally unregulated, and unaccountable policing environment where security resources seem to have the blanket approval to act without recourse to rules of engagement.

It is sad to see that the night has gotten pitch black in Anambra when it comes to security.

Yet, Africa's morning will come.

Chima Christian

I visited my pastor at the site of our church project earlier in the month. We talked about the need for a bigger concrete mixer. Coincidentally, I went to see a friend that evening and saw a concrete mixer in his house. I took pictures of the mixer with my mobile phone so I can compare its size to the one I saw at the church project size.

I've been quite busy since then and have not gone back to the project site. I have not shared the pictures with anyone or discussed concrete mixers with anyone either online or via a telephone call. I have also not browsed or sought information online concerning concrete mixers.

Yet, Google has been inundating me with all manner of advertisements about concrete mixers since then. They have added block molding machines to the advertisements this morning in case “I no wan hear word.”

With this and other experiences I have been observing, I am fairly convinced that big tech illegally harvests user data, including listening in on private conversations, and swooping in on private media files. Perhaps, you might have had similar experiences.

These are some of the things that should be brought under regulation when Nigeria gets past its lethargy and finally regulates the social media and tech space.

Unfortunately, our policymakers' idea of social media/tech regulation, as evidenced by the laws they have previously proposed, is only tax income and arresting dissenting voices. No interest whatsoever in regulating how user data are harvested and used or sold to third parties.

I don't know who we offended to merit this current crop of political leadership.

I'm convinced however that Africa's morning will come.

Chima Christian

The inability of the Federal Government and ASUU to come to a compromise, even after President Muhammadu Buhari gave members of his team a clear implementation timeline underscores the point that has been long emphasised. Which is that Nigeria's tertiary education funding model has to be revisited. I agree with ASUU that their working conditions be improved and that more funding should be ploughed into tertiary education generally.

I'm however advocating for Nigeria's public universities to generate a substantial part of their own funding. They can do this through their alumni network, partnerships with the private sector, endowments from NGOs and high networth individuals, commercialisation of research ideas, phased increase in tuition, investment of university funds in relatively stable instruments, etc.

The idea of universities running to Abuja every now and then to sort out their basic needs, just like we have state governments reliant on the FG for allocations, has made them lazy. It makes no sense that someone in Abuja will unilaterally decide what a lecturer in Awka will be earning and what platform he/she is to be paid on.

I agree with ASUU that the the IPPIS payment platform is not working for them. Universities should however generate their own resources and then have the autonomy to spend as they deem fit. What the government should owe them is subventions not more than 30 percent of their funding needs and then periodic audit of their accounts.

This, if done, I believe, will permanently resolve the now too frequent disagreements between the Federal Government and ASUU.

Chima Christian

Chima Christian is a member of the opposition People's Democratic Party. He ran for the office of the State Publicity Secretary of the Anambra State chapter of the party. In this interview with our correspondent, the public policy analyst sat to discuss the just-concluded primaries, defections, separatist movements and insecurity in the southeast. The interview is excerpted below.


Can you provide us with some insights into some of the developments at the PDP that led to the exit of some members like Peter Obi?

Political participation is a voluntary one. And people have different reasons for joining or leaving political platforms. This is especially more so in Nigeria where there are no clear ideological markers of identity that separate party A from party Z.

As an upcoming leader in the party, what's your personal assessment of the processes that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party's presidential flag bearer for the 2023 election?

PDP presidential primaries did not produce the outcome I and many young Nigerians wished to see. That milk has been spilt and I see no need to cry over it. I have however taken notes of the missed opportunity and lessons learned.

Many believe the PDP appears to have betrayed the southeast by not keeping faith with the zoning arrangement. What's your take on this?

The sentiments are there. My feeling is that the PDP placed petty partisan interests ahead of weightier considerations of fairness, equity and justice. Even while we south-easterners lament, there is also a need for us to ask heady questions. For instance, what role did fellow south-easterners play or did not play that guaranteed this electoral outcome?

The likes of Ebonyi Governor, Dave Umahi left PDP when he discovered that the party was not ready to zone its presidential ticket to the southeast. Don't you think he has been vindicated?

My appraisal is that Gov. Dave Umahi outperformed his southeastern peers on several indices of governance. That personal assessment of him has not changed simply because he decided to leave our party to try his luck elsewhere. What I did not appreciate is the way he went about speaking ill of the party that gave him all his political opportunities so far, including the one he currently enjoys.

That said, the relationship that exists between Gov. Umahi and President Muhammadu Buhari is not a secret. In leaving the PDP, Umahi made a calculated attempt to leverage his relationship with Buhari to further his presidential aspirations on the platform of the APC seeing that his chances were not as bright in the PDP. That is political pragmatism and I do not fault him for that. His gamble did not pay off however. Not for him personally nor indeed for the other presidential hopefuls of southeast extraction in the APC.

As to your question of whether Umahi has been vindicated, result of the presidential primaries of the APC does not suggest so.

If indeed Umahi left the PDP to pursue “Igbo agenda” as claimed, he would have also left the APC to join forces with the only party that has presented a credible Igbo candidate. Umahi was and is still pursuing a personal, not a collective aspiration. That does not make him a bad person. The weak attempt to present himself as a champion of the Igbo race should however be consigned to the dustbin of history where it rightly belongs.

Governor Nyesom Wike accused southern governors of betrayal in the aftermath of his loss of PDP presidential ticket to Atiku. Do you think his position was justified given that many expected them to rally behind the return of the ticket to the south?

My interpretation of Gov. Nyesom Wike's interview during which he heaped blame on his southern brothers but went silent on the shocking betrayal of his friend Aminu Tambuwal is that Wike missed a huge opportunity for self-introspection.

The manner Gov. Wike went about his campaign in the south was widely reported. His comments, for the most part, lacked the grace expected of a presidential aspirant. Instead of closing ranks and building consensus with his southern brothers, Wike went about as if he did not need the support of the south or if he can commandeer such support with brute force.

Wike's approach reeked of arrogance. He had issues with nearly all his brother governors and presidential aspirants from the south. Instead of lobbying and watering the ground for future collaboration, Wike carried on with so much hubris as if he had not only won the primaries but had been sworn in as the president of Nigeria already.

If Wike is looking for who betrayed him, he should first look into the mirror. His presidential ambition was largely betrayed by his untamed character and uncouth language. Secondly, Wike should point some fingers up north where he had spent a considerable amount of resources and goodwill in the service of the 2019 presidential aspirations of his friend Aminu Tambuwal. Given what Wike had spent in the service of his friendship with Tambuwal and how Tambuwal returned the favour, it should be obvious who betrayed Wike in Abuja. Wike remains our brother nonetheless. A loss of this magnitude could be devastating, especially given the confidence that preceded it. I am praying for him. I hope he finds the time to reflect and mend fences with some of his brothers and sisters whom he roughed up in his quest for power.

Given that a large chunk of PDP faithful in the southeast seem to have followed Peter Obi to the Labour Party, what do you think of the party's chances at the next presidential poll?

I believe that our party the PDP threw away a huge opportunity to reclaim the power it lost in 2015. The damage done, especially in the southeast which has all the while been its most loyal voting bloc is nearly irreparable.

However, the general election, in my estimation, will go to who works the hardest. Peter Obi's Labour Party has a lot of organic energy and goodwill going for it. The PDP will have to work extremely hard to roll back certain disadvantages. Even while we work hard to win, my prayer is for the peace and progress of the country regardless of the outcome of the general elections.

The PDP in Anambra State and southeastern states appear to be battling to remain united ahead of the 2023 general election. Do you see the party faring better than 2019 in the geopolitical zone?

If I am to be honest with you, the PDP will be lucky to get even 5 percent of the total votes cast in the southeast during the 2023 presidential election. This will not necessarily be so in other elective positions. The emergent reality is that many voters in the southeast presently have their favourites running for different elective positions on different political platforms. These favourites used to be clustered in one political party. That is no longer the case in the southeast. However, the southeast as a voting bloc is more sophisticated than it gets credit for. Voters down here know how to sort through the ballot and vote different parties for different elective positions. While the bandwagon effect may assist one or two candidates, nearly all of them will rise and fall on their individual capacities.

What's your take on the security crisis rocking the southeast?

The security issues in the southeast were both foreseeable and preventable. But the political leadership of the southeast failed yet again. Abuja-controlled security resources became lethargic and unresponsive to the security demands of the country. This included the southeast which had an often exaggerated but potent threat of terrorists masquerading as herdsmen. Seeing how Benue state, for instance, had been overrun by terrorists and the accusations of federal government's duplicity coming from the government of Benue State, it became apparent that the southeast needed a homegrown security outfit to fill in the gap.

While the southwest responded with Amotekun, southeast political power players did not show as much commitment and decisiveness. So separatists, who I suspect have always nursed an armed agenda, saw an opportunity to plant themselves as that credible alternative given the halting reaction of southeast political leadership. People like us forewarned that such amorphous non-state actors who are not accountable nor can indeed be held to account is an uncontrollable experiment.

Today, the chickens have sadly come to roost. Armed agitators and other mutants who their activities inspire, instead of becoming the promised solution, became in and of themselves the biggest security threat to the southeast.

Even as we make a little room for the oft-repeated excuse of foreign operators masquerading as agitators just to make nonsense of the agitation, those pushing fiery anti-establishment rhetorics in the pursuit of their stated political agenda must also take some form of responsibility for what is happening in the southeast today.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s government is now battling hard to tame the rampaging unknown gunmen. How would you assess the government's intervention so far and the result?

Gov Chukwuma Soludo has since learned that problems like “unknown gunmen” do not respond to beautiful speeches alone. Thankfully, Soludo is already the chief promoter of what could be best described as “Akwaetenomics” or homegrown economics. There is no other way, Anambra state must go beyond merely giving support to federal authorities to independently acquiring state capacity to protect its citizens. As a necessary first step, the state's vigilante services must be reinvigorated. Then after the country comes out from the governance distractions of 2023, Soludo should work with other leaders of the southeast to revitalise Ebubeagu or float a new regional security outfit. There is also a need for Soludo's government to implement the recommendations of Anambra EndSARS Panel. The panel made far-reaching recommendations on some of the injustices that contribute to the insecurity we see in Anambra today.

Beyond Soludo, members of the National Assembly must find the boldness to review certain aspects of our laws. For instance, the Amotekun experiment is beginning to reveal the ineffectiveness of arming vigilantes with “pump action” guns while expecting them to successfully combat aggressors armed with AK-47s and even more lethal weapons. It will be a difficult conversation, but the south and the middle belt can muster the numbers to push through such important amendments to our constitution.

What do you consider the way out of this crisis?


There is an economic side to this. There is a legal side to it. There is a structural side to it. There is a justice and fairness side to it. There is a political side to it. There is information management and perception side to it. There is a citizen participation side to it. Unpacking these will take a standalone interview. My short answer is that all units must supply if we are to get ourselves out of this mess.

Between Igbo Presidency and Biafra which one do you think is the solution to the Igbo nation?

A president of Igbo extraction is not just another good idea that checks off the boxes of fairness and promoting harmony. Nigeria will derive many positives on the account of it alone.

However, a president of Igbo extraction, nation-building or independent statehood is not an end in itself. There are countless studies and historical pieces of evidence that point to the fact that mental depiction of a perfect state is an elusive eldorado. Even civilised nations still have several unmet needs to grapple with.

The thinking, which has unfortunately become popular in the southeast, that there is a one-size-fits-all solution is misleading. No one solution will permanently solve the agitations in the hearts of men. Political perfection is a constantly changing goalpost. As long as people still have breath in their nostrils, there must be yearnings in their hearts that will remain unsatisfied by the state, no matter how hard it strives.

Neither Igbo presidency nor Biafra, nor restructuring, nor the release of Nnamdi Kanu can satisfy the yearnings in the hearts of south-easterners. Not even all of them put together. That is not to say that good governance and equity demands should not be made. I have personally been making such demands and I encourage all healthy conversations that are aimed at moving the needle of governance and justice further.

We should however approach these matters with humility and the understanding that we cannot achieve perfection with one stroke, no matter how ambitious. That understanding alone will deal with a lot of the passions and extremism that have unfortunately characterised these discussions.

The call for restructuring of Nigeria vs self-determination which do you consider the best option to save the country from implosion?

Restructuring and self-determination are not mutually exclusive terms. Publicly discussing them, especially self-determination, should also not be treated as a taboo. All civilised discussions on the continued existence, peace, progress and governance structure of Nigeria should be accommodated.

But the issue with Nigeria's civic space is that some discussions have been placed beyond the limits of civilised discourse. Since moderate voices have been practically barred from openly discussing these issues, extremist voices have stepped in and taken the lead.

If you think of it, it does appear that Nigeria prefers to deal with extremists than moderates. And that accounts for the several manifestations of extremism you see in Nigeria today. When Nigeria is ready, there are moderates available to engage in the difficult but necessary conversations that must be had about the future of this country. For now, it appears that we have to keep playing this dangerous game of brinkmanship.

Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu's best legacy and gift to Nigerians will be to dare the consequences and throw his weight behind Labour Party's candidate. Nigerian youths will find that a perfect atonement. They will accept and rally around him even if EFCC decides to resume work at Bourdillon the next day.

Baba has worked so hard for this day. He has planted men, nurtured ideas, burnt bridges, abandoned his people, and rode the tiger. He put in the effort. But it didn't work. It is painful. You can hear it from his voice. Will he respond in equal measure? Those who know say it will be foolhardy for him to do so.

I have a slightly different view. At his age, Tinubu has nothing more to lose. Farooq Kperogi phrased it better. “At 70, he (Tinubu) has little to lose, and there’s no one more dangerous than a man who thinks he is already down and has nothing to lose.”

Tinubu's appeal to Yoruba nationalist sentiments is not working. His last card at redeeming what is left of his legacy is to reverse his earlier stance and key into the #TakeBackNaija movement. It will be a painful choice. But that's the best for him. I wish him well. I sincerely wish him well.

Chima Christian

Since the extension of the deadline for the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and the near conclusion of the primary elections, there has been a surge in the interest of the masses to complete their voter registration, PVC transfer or replacement.

While the citizens are willing to perform their patriotic duty as has been evidenced by the crowds in various registration centres, field data obtained by this writer reveals INEC's unpreparedness to cater to Anambra's voter registration demands.

Per the field reports available to this writer, there are just 22 registration centres, 44 data capturing devices and about 176 INEC staff deployed on CVR exercise in the whole of Anambra State. For context, Anambra has 326 political wards, 5,720 polling units and a 2020 population estimate of 6.3 million.

At the average time of 6 minutes per completed registration, and the number of man-hours available till the conclusion of this exercise, there is already a limit as to the number of eligible Anambra voters INEC can successfully process their registration requests.

I am not in a position to speculate on the possibility of technical disenfranchisement of Anambra voters till I review registration resource data of other states/regions. What I know however is that current human and material resources deployed to cover the CVR exercise in Anambra state are largely inadequate.

As a result of this inadequacy, we have received several accusations of registration racketeering. Compromised INEC staff now allegedly collect bribes from citizens to fast track their registrations. The alternative might be to spend the whole day at the centre without a guarantee of successful registration. This is frustrating.

I am calling on INEC to immediately deploy at least 326 data capturing devices in Anambra State. These devices are to be deployed to the various INEC local government offices according to the number of wards in those LGAs.

For instance, Nnewi North LGA which has ten wards must have at least ten registration points inside the approved centre to cater for the huge population that daily besiege that registration centre.

I am also calling on Anambra INEC to work with security agencies to draw up an action plan for ward level registration exercise in the 13 local government areas of the state that is not severely impacted by the activities of “unknown gunmen.”

I am also calling on the government of Anambra State ably led by Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo to immediately deploy security resources around the 22 registration centres in the state and any other registration centres that may be approved in the future.

In the wake of recent developments in Anambra, government must take all necessary precautions to ensure that INEC staff on CVR duty in Anambra and prospective Anambra voters who are now clustered in various registration centres are offered all necessary protection.

The coming general elections hold so much promise for Nigerians. Even as we encourage more and more eligible citizens to plan to vote for their preferred candidates, I invite every critical stakeholder to play their part to make the process seamless.

Nigeria's morning is near.

Chima Christian

If my memory serves me right, all incoming Anambra administrations since 1999 have had to deal with one form of pervasive insecurity or the other in the early days of their respective administrations.

It was so bad in 1999 that Chinweoke Mbadinuju was egged on to import “Bakassi Boys” to arrest the massive crime scene Anambra was when he assumed office.

Chris Ngige did not fare better.

From back-to-back bank robberies to broad daylight kidnappings, Peter Obi inherited a state so badly broken that he threw everything he had at addressing insecurity. When kidnapping for ransom refused to abate, he had to work with the State House of Assembly to include demolishing houses built from the proceeds of kidnapping into the mix.

Willie Obiano's security nuts were partly cracked for him. He however started his mandate with an aggressive fight against insecurity. He worked so hard in his first few months to prove that a new sheriff was in town. He achieved relative peace in Anambra for a while. He however derailed once unknown hype men got a hold of him.

Without any data to back up their phantom claims, they started telling Willie Obiano that Anambra under his watch had become the “safest state in Nigeria.” They lied to him so much so that the poor man not only believed but became the chief promoter of the white lie.

Today, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo is battling with an even graver dimension of what his predecessors spent their first few years in office battling. Anambra traditional marriages have started relocating back to Lagos due to insecurity. Decapitating fellow human beings and attacking public facilities now seem the best way to “send a message” in Anambra State.

A pattern has emerged. Successive governors of Anambra State from 1999 start their mandates with an all-out fight against insecurity and then relapse towards the end of their sojourn in Agu Awka.

For instance, nothing suggests to me that Obiano did not receive security reports when “unknown gunmen” started planting camps and sleeper cells in Anambra's state. Had Willie Obiano not succumbed to hypes and expensive liquids in the last lap of his governance race, the security situation in Anambra would not have been this bad today.

Prof. Chukwuma Soludo does not have options. He must step up and run terrorists out of Anambra State. He should however be encouraged to break this relay race of insecurity that has been going on in Anambra State for a while.

Soludo should plan to hand over a fiscally and physically secure state when his contract expires either in four or eight year's time.

May Anambra succeed.

Chima Christian

By Chima Christian

From Peter Odili who made a play for Vice Presidency to Rotimi Amaechi who led an insurrection, to Nyesom Wike who pursued a pipe dream, every two-term governor of River State since 1999 has squandered River State money sponsoring wasteful presidential bids.

Without prejudice to the expected conclusion of the presidential primaries of the APC, which Rotimi Amaechi believes he could still pull off, none of these costly bids has yielded any return on investment to everyday Riverians.

To be sure, I am not against the legitimate political aspiration of any Nigerian. This includes referenced Riverians. What I decry is the brazen, if not crude, and stupendous expenditure of state resources that has characterised the referenced mad pursuit of power.

Those monies could have been brought into the service of everyday Riverians on whose behalf those men obtained the authority to manage state resources.

Blinded by ambition and cheered on by a retinue of charlatans, all of them, without fail, chose to act on their vainglorious impulses.

What people often fail to realise is that River State's consolidated revenue for any given fiscal year could fund the annual budgets of about ten African countries put together. River State, with its oil money, ought to be competing with Dubai, Abu Dhabi or even Qatar. But no, it has been afflicted with emotionally needy and often erratic political leadership.

I won't conclude this essay without commenting on how many everyday Riverians whose resources are being mindlessly squandered choose to remain aloof to, or in some cases endorse, this near insanity of their elected leaders. There are many exceptions though.

It is hoped that Wike will be the last of them. We however know that men hardly learn from history. So the next two-term governor of River State is almost duty-bound to continue the wasteful circus. Who knows? He might even be louder and more brazen than Amaechi and Wike put together.

I offer sincere condolences to the good people of River State. They, not Odili, Amaechi or Wike, are the ultimate casualties of these costly presidential gambles.

The southeast needs to seriously investigate why nsọ ala (taboo), arụ (abomination) and “thou shall not kill” have suddenly lost their influence on human affairs down here.

To do this, we may have to ask fiery promoters of the imaginary land what their conception of life is, what is the logic of their approach, how they arrived at certain conclusions, and how they made peace with the unmissable consequences of certain utterances and actions.

We should inquire from them how, for instance, they intend to fashion out a truly prosperous nation out of a bunch of indoctrinated, angry, frustrated and murderous citizens who think in herds and literally take heads for dinner.

Do they know that without erecting and preserving important anchors of human existence – like the sanctity of life – that the promised land will not be different from Afghanistan if or when it arrives?

Moderates in the southeast have their work cut out already. There is a need to work doubly hard to roll back certain pervasive mindsets. If not, the southeast will wake up one morning to painfully realise that the values of a people always outweigh artificial boundaries, the name of the country and the operational structure of its government.

Once Igbos lose their values in this flight of fantasy, Biafra or anything they chose to call the stated objective will hold no promise.

Chima Christian

By Chima Christian

Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo's public disclosure that he inherited a 120 billion Naira debt from Willie Obiano is troubling. Yet it rightly elicits very little public sympathy.

Like pregnancy that cannot be covered for so long, Gov. Willie Obiano's profligacy became manifest in the first few months of his administration. Some of us did all we could to draw the attention of Ndi Anambra to what we saw as a brazen departure from the fiscal prudence we assumed was now Anambra's governance culture.

While we were shouting ourselves hoarse, Soludo mounted the rostrum, cleared his baritone voice and bellowed: “If it is not broken, why mend it?” He further likened Willie Obiano to a general, urging Ndị Anambra not to “change the general in the middle of a war.”

His speech attempted to make nonsense of the empirical pieces of evidence we supplied to the contrary. To be truthful, he succeeded in part.

Soludo's high sounding argument became an excuse of a prime intellectual justification for Willie Obiano's re-election.

The cracks became more visible as we warned after Obiano's re-election. Even the mediocre governance (by Anambra standards) Obiano previously supplied became scarce.

Anambra road infrastructure collapsed. Touts practically took over Onitsha and its environs. Willie looked away while unknown gunmen took over Anambra's forests and were erecting camps and sleeper cells. Mountains of refuse took over our cities. Unpaid pensions/gratuities were pilling. Public debt was rising.

Ndi Anambra started having buyer's remorse.

Save for the airport and the International Conference Centre which became the only consolation, Willie Obiano's second term would have been an utter waste of governance opportunity. In all these, Soludo saw no evil, heard no evil and spoke no evil.

Soludo would later reveal why he chose to muddy the facts in 2017. His statement that “Obiano kept his part of the gentleman's agreement” is all the evidence anyone needs to fully understand the basis for Soludo's 2017 endorsement and continued support of Obiano's fiscal rascality.

Today the table has turned. Soludo has regained logical reasoning and appreciation of empirical evidence.

Soludo has now become the chief mourner in what is fast revealing itself to be a funeral.

The facts Soludo brandishes do not depict Obiano as a corporal, let alone a general. And the real war is here!

Soludo now tactfully acknowledges what he has always known to be the truth: that Anambra is badly broken and urgently needs to be fixed.

Ironically, he sees himself and is working so hard to convince us to see him, as the solution to a problem he was an integral enabler of.

Had Soludo not placed his interests ahead of those of ndị Anambra, the challenges facing Anambra today would not be this much. The debt he is now decrying would not have been this much.

Unknown gunmen would not have firmly taken roots in Anambra. There would not be a need for Soludo to declare a state of emergency on Anambra roads. There would not be a need to spend all the creative energies of the new government clearing mountains of literal and figurative refuse Obiano left behind.

In all these, we have chosen the moral high road. To momentarily set logic aside and offer Soludo the much-needed support. His failure will have damning consequences.

We continue to pray for him, and for Anambra in distress. We are helping in any way we can to turn Anambra into the promised “liveable and prosperous homeland.”

What we cannot do for Soludo however is to stand in the way of karma or what Igbos call “ometere buru.”

May Anambra succeed.

@ChimaChristian_

Uli, in the Ihiala Zone of present-day Anambra State, played a strategic role during the most strenuous period of Igbo civilisation. While the Nigerian state aggressively pursued an “all is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war” policy, Uli Airstrip paid a glowing tribute to what we have always known about ourselves.

Many historians agree that 1967-1970 would have had even more tragic consequences had it not been for the sacrifices that were made to protect and keep Uli Airstrip in a serviceable condition.

Because major airfields in Biafra were captured by forces loyal to the government of Nigeria early in the war, Uli Airstrip became the most important link between the “dot in a circle” and the outside world. When Nigeria instituted a total blockade of the region, pilots have to attempt very dangerous night landing manoeuvres to avoid Nigerian forces shooting their planes out of the sky.

There exist graphic details of how runway lights, for instance, will be turned on and off at specific times. Beyond the human causalities of protecting that important airfield, it took a great deal of engineering artistry, synchronicity and evasive manoeuvres to land planes there.

With the tactical manoeuvres that accompanied each successful landing at the Uli Airstrip, Ihiala became another symbol of Igbo ingenuity, tenacity and drive. Sadly, modern-day “freedom fighters” have reduced Ihiala to a theatre of violence and mindless bloodletting.

Who would have believed that people whose parents were saved from starvation would turn around to kill, kidnap and terrorise at the same spot where men and women, some foreigners, gave their lives so that hunger will not wipe off an entire nation?

Whatever the excuses – and there should be a lot of them – we should, at the very least, publicly acknowledge that what is going on in the southeast today, which Ihiala has unfortunately become a major flashpoint, is not the best way to address the many injustices of the country called Nigeria.

E reach for us to lament! The creative energies of some of our young people have been corrupted through the artful but manipulative use of words.

The damage is far-reaching.

It will take a while and a whole lot of effort before we recapture the hearts of our misled brethren and help them come back to the conclusion of our forefathers that Igbo advancement comes through witty inventions, tenacity, industry and shared values — not from victimhood mentality, rash emotional outbursts, hatred, hero-worship, unexamined "truths" and mindless destructions.

Africa's morning will come.

Chima Christian

Truth be told, Nnamdi Kanu's IPOB once filled an important vacuum. The political leadership of the southeast became so dismal and aloof to the aspirations of their people that another had to take on the charge of championing the Igbo cause.

Nonetheless, IPOB and its sponsors have put the southeast in a vicious dilemma. The programmes of the “freedom” they are pursuing are in and of themselves sharply opposed to the stated objectives.

They have persuaded this generation of Igbos to choose bondage cleverly presented as freedom.

To get us to the promised land, we are compelled to give up our rights. To escape from Fulani herdsmen, we must, without question, enter the prison of unknown gunmen. To break us free from systemic marginalisation, we must wholeheartedly submit ourselves to the reign of terror and mindless destruction.

To achieve singleness of thought, every dissenting voice must be silenced. To promote the “truth” we must not let it be questioned. To question their ”truth” is to become a saboteur. Becoming a “sabo” is a capital offence punishable by the prevailing mood of an always angry mob.

Given this preferred strategy, IPOB cannot thrive where citizens are capable of critical thinking. That is why they intentionally speak to, and in many instances exploit, the feelings and national aspirations of their audience.

They are seemingly breeding zombies whose only contribution to the actualisation of the imaginary land flowing with milk and honey is to lick the boots of confused but very eloquent tyrants.

For previously capturing the hearts of a people famed for their republican nature, IPOB must be given credit for their audacious social re-engineering experiment. The consequences are however intolerable.

No matter how difficult the position of the Igbo is in today's Nigeria, however dismal the political leadership of the southeast has become, advancement of the Igbo cause is not to be found in the alternative provided by IPOB and its unknown siblings.

If what IPOB has presented to the southeast is their very best, and I think it is, then the prospect is too pathetic to be endured.

Igbos urgently need to avail themselves of a new breed of thought leaders.

Chima Christian

Despite the atrocities of “unknown gunmen,” which is by the way getting the popular condemnation it rightly deserves, the disenchantment with Nigeria has not abated in the southeast. It is only taking a nap.

This scepticism, especially among young people of the southeast, will more than likely, resurface and indeed get worse after the May 2022 presidential primaries.

The insensitiveness of a vast section of Nigeria's political elite will help separatists double down that “no victor, no vanquished” has always been a ruse. Interestingly, those who shout “one Nigeria” the loudest are the same people who disregard all consequences and attempt to carry on without an important leg of the “tripod.”

As I see it, the trouble with Nigeria's federal character is incurable as long as it remains susceptible to convenient interpretations. It is because of this and more that many south-easterners revolt.

IPOB/ESN may have lost their scruples but if Nigeria's brazen insensitivity continues unabated, the southeast will have no option but to realise what now seems to be its manifest destiny.

Chima Christian

As the March 17 inauguration of Anambra's Governor-elect draws close, a member of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) has assured of his party's readiness to live up to its responsibility as an opposition party and keep Prof. Chukwuma Soludo on his toes.

Chima Christian who is aspiring to be elected the Publicity Secretary of Anambra State chapter of the PDP in the upcoming party congresses, made this known while addressing newsmen in Awka on Friday.

According to Chima, “our great party and her governorship candidate Mr. Valentine Ozigbo approached the Anambra 2021 elections with every consciousness of the heavy demands of the times.

“We are at a time when the confidence of the masses on the political leadership of the southeast is at an all-time low. The whole of the southeast, not just Anambra, suffers from pervasive voter apathy rooted in a deep-seated feeling that the collective aspiration of our people for a better life can no longer be achieved through the political process.”

The public policy analyst said this loss of confidence has found expression in extremism and certain forms of armed confrontations that were previously unheard of in the post-civil war southeast.

“As a man given to brilliance and eloquence, Soludo has, especially through his utterances since his declaration as Anambra's governor-elect, raised a lot of hope.

“By striking the right chords, he is beginning to convince even ardent sceptics to give democracy one more shot. Some are doing this with bated breath hoping that Soludo will perhaps be that light at the end of southeast's political tunnel.

“One could then imagine how tragic it will become if Soludo disappoints. That possible endpoint is frightening. If it happens, the southeast will, no doubt, slide into further rudderlessness and possible anarchy. This is why Soludo, insofar as he remains the governor of Anambra state, cannot be allowed to fail.

“Though partisan politicians, we are more mindful of the harm Soludo's failure will do to the collective psyche and destiny of our people than the cheap political points thay may accrue to our party on the account of his failure.

“This forms part of the reasons I am running for the office of the Publicity Secretary of the Anambra State chapter of the PDP. Anambra needs a vibrant opposition that is alive to its responsibilities.

“The goal should not to be to provide toxic opposition. It is perhaps that, through robust engagement, Soludo will, at every turn, see Anambra PDP as a constant reminder of the enormous responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders and the monumental consequences of him not doing the work expected of him,” Chima concluded.

Chima Christian is a public policy analyst, good governance advocate, former broadcast journalist, media consultant, change maker and a budding politician.

Born in 1992 in Nnewi to Late Mr. David Chukwudolue and Mrs. Chinwe Chukwudolue, both traders, the later a strict disciplinarian, Chima describes his sustained interest in politics as “both an accident and a grand design.”

He recalls having to ask the proprietor of his alma mater, at the age of seven, for old newspapers to wrap the cover page of his text and exercise books. “What I later noticed was that I would eventually unwrap the cover pages of my books just to read the newspapers I previously wrapped them with.”

Chima was to later form the habit of consistently borrowing and reading national dailies from the school library, school proprietor's house, principal's office and neighbours' houses when school was not in session.

“All through my primary and secondary school days, you could count on your fingers days I missed reading newspapers. As a result of those early exposure to newspapers” he recounts, “I developed an unusual amount of interest in politics and governance.”

“I see my sustained interest in politics as an accident of nature because I did not start off looking for newspapers to read. I just wanted to wrap the cover pages of my books. If I was supplied with perhaps an old almanac or something else to wrap those books, who knows, the story could have been different today.”

“I also see my interest in politics as a grand design. This is because something was pulling me to voraciously read those newspapers knowing fully well that no one could have had such sustained exposure to political news and commentaries, and getting to daily read of the pains and miseries of Nigerians, from such a young age, without being moved to the point of itching to get involved in the change process.”

While it his common with his peers to either remain apolitical or see politics as an opportunity to grab power and in turn amass money, Chima sees political participation as a vehicle for massive societal change at scale. A view he formed at a very tender age. Chima has stayed true to this political worldview and motivation in his nearly one decade of active civic and political engagements.

Chima's views are bold, issues-focused, nuanced and carefully-considered. And, he communicates them so eloquently. As he often argues, “Nigeria is only one President away from disaster. The country is also, in equal measure, only one president away from massive course-correction. We just have to painstakingly put systems that identify, train, empower and recruit leaders in a way that is sustainable.”

Chima navigates both worlds of traditional and new media with ease. His social media posts, newspaper articles, conference speeches, television and radio appearances are focused on Nigeria’s socio-political issues.

Chima's approach is unique. He does not just highlight what is wrong with Nigeria's political leadership, governance, electoral process, economy, security, civil service and the civic space, he, through his periodic interventions, offer workable public policy alternatives.

In consequence, his views on regional and national issues are highly sought after. His interviews and opinion pieces have been featured on the backpage of Daily Sun. They have also been variously published by The Nation, Business Day, THISDAY, The Cable, Punch, Daily Trust, Vanguard, Leadership, Daily Post, Gamji.com, Opinion NG, Signal NG, Opera News, BBC News Igbo and other reputable platforms.

Chima has appeared live on NTA Network. His interviews have also been featured on AIT and other television stations. Additionally, Chima's views have been severally sought by more than a dozen different radio stations.

Chima's career to date gives a new outlook to civic participation. As a broadcast journalist, Chima's “In-house Analyst” appearances on Blaze FM's flagship political talkshow inspired thousands of listeners, trying to give the listening public a better appreciation of the issues around them and how they can quit feeling helpless and be involved in the change process.

At Blaze FM Oraifite, Chima was variously deployed to cover events and produce news reports. He later edited and cast the news, all with the same radio station, before he quit broadcast journalism to explore more exciting opportunities in politics, media advocacy and consulting.

Chima volunteered for the campaign of the then governorship aspirant and eventually the candidate of the People's Democratic Party in the Anambra 2017 governorship election where he served as a media aide to the governorship candidate.

Following his resourcefulness and spectacular contributions to Oseloka H. Obaze's 2017 governorship bid, Chima was hired as a Research Associate at Selonnes Consult Ltd., one of Nigeria's top public policy and governance consulting firms, where he contributed to, authored and co-authored a number of public policy briefs.

Chima was later appointed a Member of the Publicity Committee of Atiku/Obi 2019 Presidential Campaign Council, Anambra State Chapter

.

In 2021, Chima was invited by the 2017 Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, to spearhead the Media Directorate of her 2021 governorship bid. Chima, working in concert with a few others, deployed their creative best in propagating Onyemelukwe's candidacy. The party, in her wisdom, however settled for Valentine Ozigbo to be the flagbearer of the party.

At the conclusion of 2021 party primaries, Chima was invited to serve in the Media Directorate of the Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Campaign Organisation. Working closely with Mrs. Azuka Enemo, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the party, Chima used social media, radio, television, news blogs, print media and indeed all the platforms available to him to brilliantly promote the Ozigbo-Enemo joint candidacy.

Politics, they say, is local. Also in 2021, Chima was appointed a member of the VCO Campaign Council at his ward, Otolo Ward 2, Nnewi and also a member of the Nnewi North LGA VCO Campaign Council. He also served as a Polling Unit Agent of the PDP on the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election.

Chima previously served as an observer, representing YIAGA Africa (#NotTooYoungToRun) at the Anambra State Judicial Panel of Enquiry on Police Brutality, Extra-Judicial Killings and other Related Matters. He also sat on the board of Save Tommorrow Initiative, a non-governmental organisation working on providing better educational support for today's school age children.

Motivated by the need to impact his generation, Chima, between 2010 and 2012, taught Mathematics and mentored dozens of secondary school students at two different secondary schools in Nnewi, including his alma mater, Nneoma Secondary School, Nnewi. He also devoted some time as a traveling moral instructor to various secondary schools, devoting his time and energy to inspiring fellow young people to become active participants in Nigeria's civic space.

Chima Christian is now the Convener of COBRA, a public policy think tank focused on addressing issues surrounding the political leadership of Nigeria's southeast region. He is also the Head of Business Development at Preshdub Media, a multi-disciplinary media outfit.
In 2011, he founded Inspaya Konzult, a public relations and reputation management consulting firm through which he has helped and continues to help a lot of individuals and corporate organisations design, implement and evaluate their PR, media, communications and branding strategies.

Chima received executive education in Entrepreneurship from University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Public Relations Planning and Execution from Metropolitan School of Business and Management, United Kingdom.

Chima audited several massive open online courses from some of the world's finest institutions. He took courses on “Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking” from Harvard University
; “Introduction to Public Speaking” from University of Washington; “Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content” from University of Pennsylvania.

He also audited courses on “Leadership through Social Influence” from Northwestern University; “Storytelling for Social Change” from University of Michigan
; “Journalism for Social Change” University of California at Berkely; “How to Finance and Grow Your Startup – Without Venture Capital” from University of London; “English Composition” and
“How to Reason and Argue” both from Duke University.

Chima is a recipient of “Excellence Award” by Nigerian Top Executives in the Advertising, Marketing & PR Industry (2015 Publication and Rating. Rated in the top 7 percent of all Nigerian executives based on company size and international business network strength.)

He is married to Chinaraotito Precious Chima, MD/CEO of Preshdub Media, and their marriage is blessed with two children. He enjoys reading, travelling and experiencing new cultures.

Chima is presently running for the office of the Publicity Secretary, Anambra State chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) where he insists that Anambra PDP’s political thinking needs the infusion of new insights. Chima sincerely believes that his enormous vitality, intellect and extensive media reach can be brought into the service of rebuilding Anambra PDP.

Anyone with even the faintest sense of history appreciates that there's really “nothing new under the sun.”

If what Ambassador Denis Ukume, Nigeria's Ambassador to Cote D’Ivoire under late President Shehu Shagari, claimed in his memoir “I Believe” is anything to go by, one will find that the idea of “join our ruling party and your sins will be washed away” did not start today.

Hear him;

“When the Executive Committee members of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, got wind about the progress being made in connection with the granting of amnesty to (Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu) Ojukwu, they quickly sent a powerful delegation to me.

“They requested that under no circumstances should amnesty be given to Ojukwu unless he gave an unequivocal undertaking that he would enroll as a member of the NPN on return.”

Sounds familiar?

Present day abuse of power is not new. It is just history repeating itself in the most uncharitable of manners.

Well, all political powers and dynasties eventually come to an end. Some to a screeching halt. Like others before it, APC will soon be nothing more than a wretched piece of sad history.

Chima Christian

Ref: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/12/ojukwu-wept-under-my-shoulder-for-forgiveness-over-role-in-war-%e2%80%95-amb-ukume/

Complaints of the traffic situation at Bridgehead Onitsha are now so deafening. One writer says he spent 6 hours driving from Lagos to Delta State, and then 5 hours from Asaba to Onitsha.

I have been told that the already messy traffic situation is compounded by the presence of security operatives deployed on “stop and search operations” at the two ends of the Niger bridge.

As more people pour into the southeast for Christmas and new year celebrations, I implore the Governments of Anambra and Delta states to work with relevant authorities to temporarily withdraw the services of those uniformed men and women at the Niger Bridge.

If the multiple security checkpoints between road users' different points of origin to the southeast didn't flag them as criminals or offenders of any known law, I'm not exactly sure what miracles those security deployments at the Niger Bridge are expected to perform. Except if the idea is to cause nuisance and increase the sufferings of road users.

I hereby respectfully call on Governors Okowa and Obiano to rise to the occasion, temporarily withdraw “stop and search” security operatives deployed at both ends of the Niger Bridge, and make access to the bridge a bit freer this festive season.

Chima Christian

Photo Credit: Channels Television

2023: THERE WILL BE 190 VACANT SEATS IN THE SOUTHEAST, WHY ARE WE FIXATED ON JUST ONE? - CHIMA CHRISTIAN

The southeast is in desperate need of a new breed of political leadership. A leadership that will restore the badly damaged trust between southeast's political elite and the masses. 2023 general elections offer us another opportunity to choose right.

Regrettably, almost all 2023 eyes are fixated on who becomes Nigeria's next president.

It is agreed that some political positions command more influence than others. I have however come to the conclusion that southeast's 5 governors, 15 senators, 43 federal representatives, and 129 state house of assembly members can impact the southeast better than any president can, even if he/she is the “SI Unit” of good governance or hails from the southeast.

Of these 192 seats, only two (Anambra & Imo governorship seats) will not be on the ballot during the 2023 general elections.

As we spend time plotting on who becomes Nigeria's next president, or what “zone” he/she hails from, we should devote some, if not more, energy to purposively selecting leaders that are close to home.

If the southeast does not elect good governors, senators, federal representatives, state house of assembly members, and then local government chairpersons, I'm afraid that even a great president won't be of much help to us.

Chima Christian

CHIMA CHRISTIAN

Governors Dave Umahi, Hope Uzodinma, Willie Obiano and Okezie Ikpeazu's absence at yesterday's meeting of Southern Governors' Forum in Enugu noticeably violates good taste. All things considered, the four of them might have had legitimate reasons that kept them away from such an important meeting.

Yet, at such a time as this when the south-east is almost up in flames, one begins to imagine what could be more important to these governors than a meeting its outcome could douse the tensions in the south-east.

The optics is not right. This is especially with the reported backtracking of Governor Uzodinma on some of the previous resolutions of the Southern Governor's Forum; and Gov. Umahi's resoundingly denounced prayers that God visits Nigeria with another plague in 2023.

It is double tragedy for those of us in Anambra. While the other three south-east governors sent their deputies to the meeting, neither Willie Obiano nor his deputy, Nkem Okeke, showed up!

Those of us in Anambra are already counting in weeks before man Willie and his government is taken care of by nature. It is however terrible that not only does our government fail to implement resolutions reached by Southern Governors Forum, it now has the impudence to stay away completely!

Willie Obiano is fast writing his own evaluation.

APGA always claim to be the party of the Igbos. Yet, as at this morning, the APGA led government of Anambra State has not sent the agreed Anti-Open Grazing Bill to the State House of Assembly, let alone the APGA-controlled House (for now) deliberating on it. APGA has also not clearly demonstrated that it is doing all it can, and also strategically engaging the federal government to resolve matters most affecting Ndị Igbo.

Current mood in the south-east derives from such obvious disconnect of political actors from issues affecting everyday citizens. We are thankful that Gov. Ugwuanyi and Enugu State House of Assembly are gradually stepping up to the plate.

We are also thankful that Candidate Andy Uba's "connecting Anambra to the centre" hogwash is being resoundingly rejected by everyday Ndi Anambra. Never mind that a handful of political operators, who are willing to sell Ndị Anambra for crumbs, defected to create a smokescreen.

PDP has its faults. Those nonetheless, it is fast becoming clear that it presents Ndi Anambra with the most credible alternative. Yesterday's Southern Governors Forum, and the events leading to it, is both a warning and a confirmation.

Vote PDP Ka Anambra Chawapu.

Chima Christian

We should have the humility to admit that Igbo intelligentsia, despite the very many individual brilliance and personal accomplishments, collectively failed to provide responsive political leadership for the south-east.

In consequence, power devolved to disenchanted individuals who are now threatening to wreck the moral, intellectual and entrepreneurial foundations of the region.

Doing nothing about this and expecting the system to self-correct is a big gamble.

The south-east needs to urgently sit down and discuss its future. South-East Governors' Forum and Ohaneze Ndigbo should consider convoking a regional conference that draws representations from all actors, including known and unknown gunmen, ESN, IPOB, traditional rulers, ASATU, academics, diaspora, youth and women bodies, artisans, traders, religious, business and political elite.

The mountain of disagreements is admittedly high. Yet, it can be leveled by the bulldozer of sincere deliberations. I wish us well.

Chima Christian

IPOB HAS THE RIGHT TO BE ANGRY, IT HOWEVER SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO PUT THE SOUTH-EAST SIX FEET UNDER — CHIMA CHRISTIAN

According to multiple sources, the exam class of CSS Nkume in Njaba LGA of Imo State were writing their English Language WASCE earlier today when suspected IPOB "sit-at-home" enforcers broke into the school and violently dispersed the students. They also reportedly set ablaze motorbikes belonging to school teachers and visiting invigilators.

This attack adds to the widespread reports of violence, arson, brigandage and murder that has characterised the "sit-at-home orders" of the past few weeks.

As an Igbo man, spilling of innocent blood and violent attacks on school children and teachers is strange to me. What is even more confusing is the attitude of those of us still excusing and therefore encouraging this kind of behaviour.

To be sure, IPOB, as an organisation, has justifiable reasons to be angry at both the Nigerian state and the fumbling political leadership of the south-east. They also retain the liberty to demonstrate that anger in periodic boycotts, "sit-at-home" or whatever method they so choose.

What they don't have, however, is the right to violently coerce those who are not so persuaded by their rhetorics and tactics to join them in whatever they are doing.

Those who believe that closing their businesses and stopping their children from writing certificate examinations will magically solve all the problems of the south-east should by all means do so. They however cannot be allowed to continue violently insisting that others join them in their tactless pursuits.

IPOB, unfortunately, has derailed and become unrepentantly destructive. This ongoing madness is threatening to put the south-east six feet under. We must now therefore summon the full weight of the Igbo spirit and show this idol the tree it was hewn from.

Chima Christian

Link to video: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4346386905396915&id=100000769464408

By Chima Christian

The south-east almost always places its emotions ahead of rational thinking anytime Biafra or anything that sounds like it is mentioned. Given our history, this emotional attachment is understandable. Yet, we must strive to grow past the traumas and learn how to put things in proper perspective.

Truth is that IPOB, just like the politicians they routinely condemn, have, at least in the past few weeks, placed their agenda ahead of the collective interest of the people they claim to be fighting for.

No matter how down things come to the wire, you cannot truthfully claim to love a cause more than the people that cause is meant to benefit.

IPOB, thanks to the near-absence of people-centric political leadership in the south-east, acquired power through manipulative rhetorics.

The thing with large scale emotional manipulation is that it may help one acquire power, but it is largely not enough to sustain it. IPOB knows this. That is why it quickly helped itself with a strong instrument of coercion in the name of ESN, unknown gunmen and its upcoming mutations.

The question to ask is this; If the power IPOB obtained through convincing rhetorics is being maintained through brutality and terror, how then are they different from the politicians and "otellectuals" they roundly condemn?

Regardless of what they say their intentions are, IPOB will remain dangerously explosive until the power they wield is made to be accountable to the people. This risk is even compounded by the absence of protocols to protect their power from being susceptible to the emotional outbursts of either IPOB leadership or their angry mob.

All is not well with the south-east. May our present day gamble with IPOB not cost us an arm and a leg before we realise that six is not different from half a dozen.

Chima Christian

Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, the leading aspirant of the People's Democratic Party in the upcoming Anambra 2021 gubernatorial elections, has said her government will adopt a bottom-up approach to tackling the healthcare challenges of the state, if elected.

Onyemelukwe made this known on Monday shortly after arriving Abuja for the multi-stakeholders consultative meeting of the party ahead of their June 26 primaries.

According to her, “despite modest efforts of successive administrations, Anambra remains challenged in the healthcare service delivery sector.

“We have outlined a bottom-up approach in our manifesto. Our plan is to provide the 629 primary healthcare centres, health clinics and health posts in Anambra State with water and basic sanitation, adequate staffing, decent remuneration, beddings, nets and healthcare consumables.

“We also intend to gradually, dependent on available resources and competing priorities, pursue a phased closure of the infrastructure gaps that exist at these PHCs.

Onyemelukwe said the pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions will be reduced if PHCs are fixed and supported to regain the confidence of the citizens to approach them for their basic healthcare needs.

The former Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo also said the state's infant and maternal mortality rates, and life expectancy will be improved if her bottom-up public health policy is vigorously implemented.

Furthermore, Onyemelukwe said her government will support the state's health insurance scheme to broaden its subscriber base.

“Our plan is to help it deliberately target and enroll those in the organised private sector. We plan to employ instruments like tax rebates and other incentives to bring this specific corporate user group in. Once they are in, then the system can reach out to capture the undeserved in the informal sector.

The former Board Chairman, Federal Housing Authority also expressed the readiness of her administration to continue and institutionalise periodic subventions from the state government to qualifying faith-based and other private healthcare service providers.

“Healthcare service delivery is a critical component of our #RESTOREAnambra plan. You have my assurances, we will vigorously pursue people-oriented healthcare programmes if given the opportunity,” Onyemelukwe concluded.

Nigerians had a lot of expectations when the country returned to participatory democratic governance on May 29, 1999, after many years of military anti-politics. Twenty-two years after, and despite huge expectations, the consensus seems to be that Nigeria has regressed badly.

Offering her views on the matter, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, a front line Anambra 2021 PDP governorship aspirant, said Nigeria is more fragile today than it was when the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.

This was contained in a statement issued by her media office in Awka to mark this year's democracy day.

Onyemelukwe, first daughter of second republic vice president and one of the early advocates of Nigeria's return to democracy, the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, said the country must find the courage to make honest assessments about its journey.

“As we reflect on the progress, or the lack thereof, made so far, we must find it in us to make honest assessments of where we are. From the way I see it, the democracy many struggled for, made sacrifices and took great personal risks for, and indeed paid the ultimate price for, is not delivering expected results as of yet.

“People are hungry, angry and feel very visibly unsafe. There is an alarming inflation rate and an even more alarming youth unemployment rate. Almost all the indices are pointing southwards. In consequence, many Nigerians have lost hope and are now defaulting to self-help. Insecurity in the country is expansive even as Nigeria's civic and democratic space continue to shrink, and ungoverned spaces expand.

“These numbing realities should offer today's ruling class sufficient motivation to take ongoing constitutional review efforts seriously. The country is rife for a holistic review of our constitution. More so Nigeria's electoral act must be tweaked somewhat, so that the right to choose can truly return to the people.

Continuing, Onyemelukwe said “the discourse about true federalism or restructuring should be pursued with the needed vigour.” According to her, “a small window of opportunity exists for such course correction. We must act collectively in seeking immediate redress before things get worse.

In conclusion, Onyemelukwe argued that, “Nigeria has all it takes to flourish. But the right enablers must be put in place. All is certainly not well with Nigeria at the moment. With concerted efforts we can still halt this drift and restore Nigeria on the right path to greatness.”

Armed confrontations cannot bring about the kind of progress the south-east needs at this time.

I am aware of prevailing challenges, unmet needs and related issues that need to be discussed. But the solutions we seek cannot be realized by the force of arms and violence. I am conscious of the disconnect between the political elite and the masses, including disenfranchised and unemployed youths. Yet the questions confronting the south-east call for dialogue.

Those at the upper echelons of power need to work doubly hard to regain the confidence of our people. Should we continue to speak and act in manners that further deplete that badly-damaged trust, then the south-east could be in for a serious decline as the loss of confidence, resort-to-arms and self-help will only prove destructive.

Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe
#RESTOREAnambra
#BetterLife4NdiAnambra

As we mark this year's Children's Day to honour every child, our thoughts and prayers must be spared for some of our children who are victims of various forms of abuse, including neglect, trafficking, kidnapping, child labour, girl-child marriage, malnourishment, and unmet healthcare and educational needs. These challenges are even more pronounced in Nigeria where there are 13 million out of school children, more than whole populations of many nations.

As I offer myself to the service of our dear state, I continue to give primacy to children’s education, welfare and healthcare needs. These are fully reflected in our manifesto where we have laid out plans for the education, health and welfare of the child to be front and centre in our governance modalities.

The air of insecurity in and around Nigeria troubles everyone and for sure would be even more traumatising for our children. For their sakes, we need to work hard to restore peace to our land. May we never lose focus of the truth in the saying that “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Let us all commit, on this day, to working doubly hard to bequeath a cleaner and greener and better environment to our children.

As a mother, my fervent prayer and wish for every Nigerian child, and indeed children all over the world is joy, safety, good health, success and all round excellence.

A blessed children's day to all our children. May we not fail them. May we bequeath to them and future generations, a better legacy than that which was left us. In all that we do, may we always remember, that the struggle after all, is about them!

Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe
#BetterLife4NdiAnambra

Of the sixteen gubernatorial aspirants hoping to clinch the ticket of the People's Democratic Party ahead of the November 6 Anambra gubernatorial election, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe has been singled out as being markedly different from the rest.

Women leaders from the 21 local government chapters of the PDP in the state made this observation when they conferred with Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe at her Nnewi country home on Monday.

According to the women, Chidi Onyemelukwe, the first daughter of second republic Vice President and one of the founding fathers of PDP, Late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, is well-refined and better suited to offer purposeful leadership to Ndị Anambra.

“You know we have other women also aspiring to clinch our party's ticket. But Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe is markedly different. She has home training. She is polished and she carries herself with decorum, dignity and poise befitting of a woman and a public office seeker.

“Her beauty is easy to see, but much more important than that is her character. Chidi is virtuous. Hardly will you see this kind of virtue, administrative experience and beauty packed into one human being. My only appeal is for fellow delegates to prayerfully consider our options before casting that primary election ballot come June 26.”

On whether a woman can govern Anambra state, the women argued that the time is ripe for the state to dismantle all gender-based barriers and engage the best of hands to manage its affairs.

“If you look around, you will notice that we are having an off-season election. It is so because Anambra blazed the trail on election litigation in Nigeria. Mind you that we have also had the first female governor in Nigeria. Also, two out of three serving Anambra Senators are females. Anambra, I am sure, will once again lead the charge on dismantling undue gender-based barriers so our women and indeed the whole society can blossom fully,” one of the women enthused.

On her part, Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, former Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on SMEs and the 2017 deputy governorship candidate of the party, thanked the women for their kind words. She reiterated her commitment to “implement political and gender-based equity in elective and appointive positions based on a 60:40 ratio.”

The former Board Chairman, Federal Housing Authority assured the women leaders that she posses requisite street and administrative experience to drive her broad vision of restoring Anambra on the right path to progress. She then sought for their prayers and support even as she intensifies consultations ahead of the upcoming party primaries.

Chima Christian

Lady Chidi Onyemelukwe, has condoled with the family of former Senate President, the Late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, over the death of their son, Pharaoh Okadigbo.

Onyemelukwe described Pharaoh as an energetic young man who had so much to add to the advancement of our society.

“I am indeed saddened to receive the news of his untimely death. I offer my thoughts, prayers and well-wishes to his family during this very dark time.

“I pray for the peaceful repose of his soul. I also pray that our Lord brings the Okadigbos and all who knew Pharaoh the much-needed fortitude to bear this painful loss,” Onyemelukwe concluded.

May his soul rest in peace. Amen!

The government of Anambra State has been called upon to come up with an economic stimulus plan to cushion the impact of covid-19 on households and businesses.

Chima Christian, a good governance advocate and a public policy analyst, made the call in Awka Friday.

He said while covid-19 prevention and containment efforts should be in top gear, the state needs to makes efforts so that covid-19-inspired economic crisis will not hit residents of the state badly.

He recalled that Anambra was the first state in Nigeria to announce an economic stimulus package in the wake of the 2016 recession.

“Thankfully, that same Government is still in power. I call on them to lead again by becoming the first sub-national government in Nigeria to announce a bold covid-19 economic stimulus plan.

“This administration is encouraged to consider granting tax reductions and tax holidays, government-backed single digit facilities to SMEs, timed support to public and private schools, timed subsidy of Anambra health insurance premiums so that more families will be covered without the system collapsing, priority release of capital expenditure so that money will be injected into the economy, and other such ideas the government may wish to come up with.

“We should also not rule out the possibility of direct government intervention so that people will not starve to death should Anambra markets be on lock down for a long period of time.

“The Government should start now to piece together a system that will deliver handouts or conditional cash transfers in a transparent and accountable manner, if it gets to that.”

Chima acknowledged that a bold economic stimulus package will be a tall order for the state considering the realities of the day but said it is very much within reach.

“Though the whole world is hurting, there are dozens of debt relief opportunities, agency and individual donor funds the state can tap into.

“The government must be persuaded to modify their governance style and mobilise resources that will help the state maximise such opportunities. A lot of Anambra lives and businesses may depend on those opportunities.

“More so, our governor may wish to take a voluntary pay cut and then inspire members of his team to do likewise. He may also wish to come up with other measures to cut down the running cost of government.”

“As at today, there's no confirmed Covid-19 case in Anambra, thankfully. What is confirmed is that families and businesses are beginning to hurt already. The state government should get economic bandage and pain killers ready so that covid-19 economic crisis will not hurt as much” Chima concluded.