₦airaland Forum

A ladened brain always look for reasons to be in pain.

The hand writing will soon leave the wall, then the land will rise straight frim the sum, onboard will be the children of light.

coolzeal:
All the Federal roads in the entire Eastern region are nothing but death traps. There's no functioning international airport, no seaport, no 2nd Niger bridge and other FG projects. We are not saying our governors are superb but other governors in Nigeria are not better either. In fact, all the politicians in Nigeria are incompetent and looters..

You have just said dem'all.
More agricultural products comes from the north yet their food security profile reads insecure, governed the country for so long yet with the highest poverty level. The Toadla Umar assumed they hav better governors but they still cluster the world with vulnerable almajiris that lack the lowest form of education.

vedaxcool:
[s][/s]

The question remains you and mumundi kanu remembered you have bad roads to be fixed by fg after Jonathan lose?

This guy thinks' after data subscription you still have to pay to use Google.

Please no T fare to access information in any location through search engines.

#YouNeedBuckleUp

He did it for the fund, not for oneness.

############
Tell this to your muslin brothers; u guys are really built for piss.

Because of this assumed threat, if bu-bu reopen this halibuton case, i will accept he isn't a media corruption fighter, i will cease to call him bu-bu or dulli, i will delete his funny pics in my phone, i will deflect to the scamers' party, but i will still wail ontop of my 5% prOUDLY and lOUDLY .

He will destroy them and rebuild another edifice in 3days

You don't need to be a party member to.know the right person to vote.
I dislike APC from my blood to my marrow but i iwill vote Dakuku.

The lash have been traveling with bubu all the while, all d man hole for her body don receive even her ears. as bubu show, she show

Another channel to sap out cash; how will dey measure who is or not vulnerable? Personal judgement will tilt the scale to dea intl accounts. Toadla!

There are a few answers to this question but basically it comes down to this one by Glenn Baylock: Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus spilt to redeem us from our sins. Green is the color of life. Therefore, green symbolizes the potential for eternal life that Jesus' sacrifice made possible for all of us. The evergreen tree is green all year round. So, it also symbolizes eternal life. The flame of a candle, the lights on the tree and the star on top are all meant to remind us of the new star that appeared to proclaim the birth of the promised Messiah. The bell is a reminder of the bells worn by sheep. They provide a means for the shepherd to find the sheep that has wandered from the flock and become lost. They symbolize our pleas to the Good Shepherd for guidance back to His flock. The candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's staff. It symbolizes the responsibility that we all have to be shepherds, to help each other and guide each other back to God. Finally, the bows on the top of the presents are symbolic of brotherhood. It should be a reminder that, just as the ribbons are tied together, we should all be tied together by the knowledge that we are all God's children and, therefore, brothers and sisters.

I didn't read that poo, from deduction i know the master killed nd chased dea slaves out of the plantation field.

What is the essence of beauty to a man who is under economic trauma? This Toad don't know that even a happy hungry man is not rational.

Skyboyy:
Hate this Rochas of a man...always rubbing Peter to pay Paul

Not just peter alone, he.also robbed Marcus, john, Dave, Gavis, Emeka the annoying one is Judas to settle Paul.

were else can such meeting be held.

Struggling to make sense out of nonsense.

You don't draw an inference from one observation or case, this is only possible with those using a ladened brain.

There is nothing wrong with fighting
corruption. All those indicted must be
severely punished according to the laws of
our land. This has always been my
position. However, running after treasury
looters is a different thing from running the
economy of a country. These are obviously
two different things.
A government should not spend all its time
and resources fighting corruption at the
expense of its core mandate of running the
economy of the country and providing
succor to the people. Institutions set up to
fight corruption should be allowed to do
their jobs while the government
concentrates on its core mandate.
The security and welfare of the people shall
be the priority of the state, so says our
constitution. A good government should
be running the economy in such a way to
actulise this constitutional mandate. This is
what I was expecting from the
Muhammadu Buhari administration and
not taking up the jobs of the EFCC and
other anti-corruption agencies.
Running the economy of this country
should be about getting our manufacturing
plants working at optimum capacity and
providing jobs for our people. It should be
about ensuring uninterrupted fuel and
electricity supply, good roads, good schools
and good health institutions. It should be
about providing cheap food and affordable
housing to our people and creating an
enabling environment for businessmen to
do legitimate business with functional
infrastructure. It should be about
government coming out with policies and
programmes to reflate our depressed
economy and rolling out pragmatic fiscal
and monetary policies to revive our sliding
economy.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case
in the last seven months in this country. All
we hear is the war against corruption while
millions of Nigerians wallow in poverty.
Our jobless youth roam the streets with an
uncertain future while they are told that
billions of Naira is being recovered from
looters. Many go to bed without food, yet
they are told of billions of Naira being
returned. Our schools, roads and hospitals
remain in frightening state, unchanged by
the anti-corruption songs. Because Buhari
has neglected his core mandate of
managing the economy, our manufacturers
are shutting down and sacking workers.
Over 100,000 have lost their jobs in the
construction industry alone in the last six
months. Over 120,000 have been sacked in
the oil and gas sector. The number of
people sacked at Airtel has jumped to over
300. Retrenchment of Nigerians at Virgin
Atlantic has also hit about 150. So many
companies are downsizing. The online
stores are also badly affected.
Inclement economic environment has
reduced industrial production across the
country. Access to forex and frustrating
economic policies are big issues. I have
been making so much noise about the gale
of retrenchment across the country for a
number of weeks without a proactive
response from this administration
government. The embarrassment of fuel
scarcity in an oil-exporting country has
also continued for the 8thweek running
across the country, with petrol selling for
as high as N400 per litre in some states. A
country that claims to be broke has just
paid out N407 billion to fuel marketers as
subsidy claims; a subsidy that never gets to
the consumers.
This economy is in a mess.
We have never had it so bad. Virtually all
economic indices are on the negative side.
Inflation is at a level we have never
experienced before. Our GDP is sliding.
Industrial capacity utilization is dwindling.
Small and medium scale firms are folding
up. The capital market is crumbling.
Unemployment is at a frightening level. A
large number of unemployed youth is no
doubt a time bomb that can explode at any
time and consume this country. Nigeria’s
crude oil production is falling. Last month
alone, crude oil production fell by 250,000
barrels per day (bpd), making the country
lose its status as Africa’s top oil producer
to Angola. Nigeria recorded the biggest
drop in output in November among its
peers in OPEC. In the midst of all these
calamities, all we hear is “war against
corruption.”
The former President of the Lagos Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Remi
Bello recently spoke for many, when he
said, “significant disruptions, distortions
and dislocations have been created in the
business environment as a consequence of
the restrictions on the use of export
proceeds, denial of access to foreign
exchange market for many products,
including critical inputs needed in
manufacturing and service sectors,
prohibition of cash lodgments into
domiciliary accounts, tight exchange
controls and administrative allocation of
foreign exchange “which are typically
characterised by lack of transparency,
corruption and considerable abuse.”
The former LCCI boss added: “The economy
is now faced with a scenario where there is
much pressure to move funds out of the
economy than moving funds into the
economy. This can be likened to a run on a
system. This is a typical scenario which a
confidence crisis would create. Future
international trade transactions, financial
and investment relations are now at risk.
Round tripping of forex has continued to
flourish because of the disparity in the
exchange rate between the official and
parallel market. Inflow of forex into the two
autonomous sources has been adversely
affected. It is worthy of note that Diaspora
funds into the country was about $23
billion in 2013.
The current policy will discourage the
inflow of such funds which normally help to
strengthen the supply side of the foreign
exchange.”
No doubt, the sovereign risk perception of
Nigeria has worsened over the last three
months. Several credit lines for Nigerian
investors have been cut off following the
numerous cases of payment default to
foreign suppliers. This forex policy is
stifling. “Even reputable blue chip
companies have defaulted for the first time
in the several years of business relationship
with their foreign suppliers. Considerable
damage has been done to the image of
many companies and the country in the
international trade and investment arena. A
major confidence crisis has been created
for investors,” noted the LCCI.
The position of the Association of Resident
Doctors, Federal Capital Territory chapter
on Buhari’s “war against corruption” and
our decaying health infrastructure is also
instructive here. Dr. Isaac Akerele,
President, of the association who spoke
recently on behalf of the association said:
“While we are not against the anti-
corruption war, we call on President
Muhammadu Buhari to invest greatly in
health sector. Investment in health is the
only way his government can be seen as
working. It is not enough to fight
corruption alone. There is urgent need to
upgrade our facilities.”
Buhari has mopped up and locked up huge
amount of money from the system through
the Treasury Single Account. To just lock up
the money is an archaic economic policy.
The money is idle in the treasury of the
CBN. This is quality money that should be
expeditiously used to reflate the economy
by investing in infrastructure and getting
contractors back on site. Rather than do
these, all we hear is the war against
corruption while the economy degenerates.
Can Buhari, in all honesty, point to a single
sector of the economy that he has
positively impacted on in the last six
months? I don’t think so.
His legion of sycophants who go about
saying ‘there is no money’ should please
shut up. Almost N1.5 trillion has accrued to
this administration in the last seven
months from the monthly revenue shared
by all the tiers of government. So, what did
Buhari do with all the money? How has he
impacted on our health, education, roads,
housing and general welfare in the last six
months? All we hear is “war against
corruption” while the country slides. He
has shown great ineptitude in the war
against Boko Haram. Over 1500 people have
been killed under his watch in the last six
months.
It seems the offices of anti-graft agencies
are now domiciled in the Presidency.
Buhari has taken direct control of these
agencies at the expense of running our
economy. The other day, he was directly
giving instruction to the DSS to arrest those
indicted by a probe panel. Buhari should
resign as the President of this country and
take up the position of EFCC chairman, so
as to fully concentrate on running the anti-
graft agency. I strongly believe that he
would perform very well as the Chairman of
EFCC than as the President of Nigeria.
Thereafter, we can look for a President to
run our economy and wage proactive war
against unemployment, underdevelopment,
poverty, disease, hunger, malnutrition,
insecurity and other challenges ravaging
our country. There is nothing wrong with
fighting corruption but managing the
Nigerian economy and providing security
for the people require much more than
running after treasury looters. Turning
around Nigeria requires much more that
fighting corruption. A man cannot give
what he does not have. The truth be told;
Nigeria has not experienced any change in
the last seven months. Pain, blood and
tears are still very much with us. There is
too much suffering in our land. Nothing
has changed.
Still on Compensation for THISDAY after
Terror Attack
I got so many text messages last week
following the revelation that THISDAY
Newspaper Group was compensated by the
federal government following the bombing
of its Abuja office by Boko Haram terrorists.
Some queried why public fund was used to
compensate THISDAY while others said the
compensation should not have been drawn
from the money voted for the war against
Boko Haram. Some others said THISDAY
ought to have provided insurance cover for
its buildings and equipment. The standard
in sane societies is for government to
properly compensate victims of terror
attacks, whether individuals or corporate
bodies.
There is nothing unusual for public funds
to be used for this. The cost centre from
which the fund is drawn is immaterial here.
Let’s look at the United States after the
9/11 terrorists attacks. The “September 11th
Victim Compensation Fund” was swiftly
created by an Act of Congress, (the Air
Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act) to compensate the victims
of the attack (or their families) in exchange
for their agreement not to sue the airline
corporations involved. About $7 billion was
awarded to 97% of the families; the average
payout was $1.8 million. Destroyed private
businesses also benefited from the
compensation.
Also, “The September 11th Fund” was
created by the New York Community Trust
and the United Way of New York City in
response to the destruction of the World
Trade Center. This was a private sector-led
initiative. The Fund collected $534 million
from more than two million donors and
distributed a total of 559 grants totaling
$528 million. Grants from the Fund
provided cash assistance, counseling and
other services to the families of those killed
in the 9/11 attacks, the injured and those
displaced from their homes or jobs. The
Fund also provided grants to affected
businesses and community organizations.
So, those querying why THISDAY
newspaper Group was compensated should
learn from the succour provided by the
United States Government after 9/11.
Just this year, the United States promised
to make “condolence payments” to families
of the victims killed in a deadly American
airstrike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. The
US will also pay for the repair of the
hospital. The US mistakenly hit the hospital
while attacking Taliban terrorists.
This country also has a lot to learn from the
United Kingdom in terms of compensation
for victims of terror attacks. Britain has a
standby body for compensating victims of
terror attacks called the Criminal Injuries
Compensation Authority (CICA). After the 7
July 2005 London bombings which resulted
in the death of 52 people, the CICA
(formerly called the British Criminal Injuries
Compensation Board) swiftly paid out
billions of Pounds as compensation t
victims. So, in the light of persistent Boko
Haram attacks, what stops this country
from having a Criminal Injuries
Compensation Authority? This is food for
thought.
www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-will-be-better-off-with-buhari-as-efcc-chairman/228401/

Point of action: Nigeria population is about 1,100,000 subtracting 60,000,000 Biafrans.

Do the needful ASAP.

Alexyswiss:
kaiiii

is this a new news or this happened that same day at zaria??

if its a new news then NA Don dey Bleep up bdat oo

they should ignore these people abeg
I watch that video and discovered that the people who were disagreeing for the COAS to pass are the illiterate one who doesn't even know the reps involved in being called COAS

make them focus on BH forget these mindless individuals

New news * X = threat on the queen of England

Find 'X'

This OP self,
How in hell will u forget or see it not necessary to add the RAM, processor type and size?
The android type though might not b.necessary.

Minister of Transportation, Chibuike
Amaechi,
Minister expresses ignorance of contract
awarded to Tompolo
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
 and
Sunday Okobi in Lagos

In a bizarre twist, the Minister of
Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, On
Tuesday announced that he never knew the
railways as a means of transport efficiently
existed in Nigeria.
The minister who stated this when he and
other officials of the ministry toured the
facilities of the Nigerian Railways
Corporation (NRC) in Lagos, added that the
government would concentrate on building
standard gauge railway lines that would
befit Nigeria status as a developing
economy as well as compliment it.
Amaechi said: “In fact, I think we have a
problem; most people don’t believe that
the railway transport is functioning in
Nigeria. I didn’t even know, until I started
this tour, I never knew that the railway was
functioning, it was even from his (MD’s)
speech that I learnt that there are some
coaches or services that go to Kano or Port
Harcourt or elsewhere.”
According to him, “The federal government
will concentrate on standard gauge of the
railways, because it is critical that Nigeria
becomes one of the countries founded on
standard gauge. The only time I had seen
railways (trains) or the coaches was one or
two days in Lagos, and I thought it started
from the beginning of Lagos to the end of
Lagos.
“So we need to make people become more
aware that the narrow gauge is working,
and that people can still use it to travel
around that country. There was a joke
somebody told me that it takes three days
to reach Kano from Lagos on the narrow
gauge, and when I asked the managing
director of NRC, he said no, it takes one
and half days; I said: ‘what’s the difference
between three days and one and a half
days?’ So that is why the government has
to reemphasise on the need for the
construction of the standard gauge to help
boost the economy.”
In his speech, the Managing Director of the
NRC, Adeseyi Sijuwade, expressed
appreciation on the commitment and
desire of the minister to effect positive
change in the railway subsector, adding
that the subsector had for years been in
comatose but now back on track, and that
with the minister’s desire to see it taken to
another level, the railway transport is on it
way to attaining greater heights.
In another development, Amaechi yesterday
expressed ignorance of the multi-billion
naira pipeline protection and waterways
security contract awarded to ex-Niger Delta
militant, Government Ekpemupolo, also
known as Tompolo.
Tompolo was one of the Niger Delta
militants who accepted the Nigerian
government’s amnesty in 2010.
Amaechi who made the denial while
appearing before the Senate Committee on
Marine Transport chaired by Senator
Ahmed Rufai Sani, said he only heard about
the contract through the newspapers,
adding that he was yet to be properly
briefed by officials of Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
on the matter since his appointment as
transport minister.
Amaechi added that he only knew about
Global West Vessel Specialist Agency
Limited, said to be owned by Tompolo
when he visited the office of NIMASA
recently.
“It was in the public that I knew that
Tompolo had a contract. Even up till now, I
have never been briefed about the contract.
How did I know the company? I got to
NIMASA and I saw a building that was
looking very ugly. And I said for Christ’s
sake, who are the people staying in this
dirty place? And they said staff of Global
West Company and they are Tompolo’s
staff.
“Nobody ever mentioned that contract to
me. That’s why I said give me information
about all the contracts that you have
awarded in NIMASA so that I know and the
stage of payment.”
Global West had secured $103 million
contract during former President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration alongside other
similar multi-billion naira contracts.
The contract and others given to Global
West and other companies linked to the ex-
militant have been a subject of controversy
since they were made public.
At the meeting, Amaechi who said he had
to cut short his visit to agencies and
parastatals in the maritime sector in Lagos
to honour the committee’s invitation, said
he was still studying the railway and
aviation sectors and called for more time to
furnish the committee with necessary
information.




www.thisdaylive.com/articles/amaechi-i-never-knew-railway-transport-existed-in-nigeria/228147/

Thanksgiving for coming out from the evil forest, lobby, successful liquor lib or halting thunder strike?

Sacrilege in the fullness of time! religion bastardized by people.

It is just that pple most times don't channel their grievance to the right persons or institute.
I had similar issues, years ago but i channel it to the admission office, was given a form to fill and attach my post UME nd Jamb result without paying 1kobo or IM my name was included in d next list.

In Festac nd its environment, on the 12 of December, 2015. 5PM @ Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac Town.

Carol of nine lesson:

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is
told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of
Christmas carols , hymns and choir
music.

History:

In 1878 the Royal Cornwall Gazette reported that the choir of Truro Cathedral would sing a service of carols at 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Two years later, Edward Benson , later Archbishop of Canterbury but at that time Bishop of Truro , in Cornwall,
formalised the service with Nine Lessons for use on Christmas Eve (24 December) 1880. The first service took place at 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve in the temporary wooden structure serving as his cathedral whilst the new cathedral was being built. Over 400 people attended this first service. There is an oft-repeated myth that the purpose of the service was to keep men out of the pubs.
The service has subsequently been in continuous use (with modifications) in Truro since 1880, and followed Bishop Benson in his new appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1883. In December 2013 Truro Cathedral staged a reconstruction of Bishop Benson's original 1880 Nine Lessons with Carols Service which was attended by an audience of over 1,500 people. The original liturgy has since been adapted and used by other churches all
over the world. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Catholic and Anglican churches.
However, numerous Christian
denominations have adopted this service, or a variation on this service, as part of their Christmas celebrations. In the UK, the service has become the standard
format for schools' Christmas carol
services. The best-known version is broadcast annually from King's College, Cambridge , on Christmas Eve. It features carols sung
by the famous Choir of King's College. Groton School of Groton, Massachusetts, has performed the festival longer than any institution other than King's, holding its first Lessons and Carols in 1928.

We are now in the season of Christmas, you can keep us posted on the date, time and location of your parish Carol of Nine Lessons.

baseless policy; they should ask Euro zone 'how far'

I will kill all dullards to halt widespreads of dullies through reproduction.

OP u need to buckle up.

Demand for fool noted .......Confirmation processing.

this agitation is not about PDP or CPC; freedom is what we need.

Suddenly no antagonist is referencing the statement of bull-hari on his 5% treatment, which is part of the aluta and the unlawful detention of the director.

Who cares about who.leads Zoogeria?

OP u need to buckle up.

Spotted!

In another news, he is a very brave man.

One of the posters below me had to Google 'another news' before hitting the 'rely button.

I am not certain if the English aphorism which says, ‘it is easier said than done’ was coined with the attitude of politicians in mind. But over the years, it has become verily descriptive of the attitude of Nigerian politicians especially when it comes to the fulfillment of promises made during electioneering campaigns. In the last 16 years, I had formed a habit of gathering and keeping all campaign literature, brochure and booklets of many politicians. And when, at the end of their service years, I assess what they promised and what they achieved, there is usually a very wide yawning gap. The sad thing is that too often, the politicians get away with such electoral deficits essentially because many Nigerian electorate dwell largely on short term benefits, and have also come to pay little attention to what politicians promise because they really do not expect them to fulfill their promises. Nigerian electorate, so-to-say, prefer the paramedics and not the medical doctors to attend to their pains. Were it not so, politicians in search of votes will not promise to fix the bad roads, provide water, upgrade schools, equip hospitals, provide employment, ensure security, etc etc., and at the end of the day, fulfill none of the promises. Yet, they will come back again, four years after, facing the same audience and making the same unfulfilled promises, and still get the votes of the electorate. That is why I was excited with the question of one of the senators from Adamawa State, Senator Binta Masi Garba (alias BMG), whose focus during the ministerial screening exercise, was on how the then ministerial nominees will help the All Progressives Congress (APC) fulfill its campaign promises. Not many people paid attention to the promises made by the various parties during the campaigns. Of course, nobody reckons anymore with the promises of the party that lost the election. So the PDP is out of consideration in this case. As for the APC, it regaled the nation with the quest for change. Nigerians who were really choking from the gross misrule of the PDP quickly embraced the APC. The PDP had seemingly taken Nigerians for granted: doing as it pleases without recourse to meeting either the needs of Nigerians or even fulfilling its own warped promises. Amidst the many promises of the APC, I shall dwell on just three: the promise to pay N5,000 monthly allowance to unemployed Nigerian youths; the promise to provide a meal a day to school children and the promise to provide 3,000,000 jobs every year. On the first promise, the Buhari-led government is already struggling to work out the modalities of fulfilling the promise by next year. First, it is had contemplated paying the NYSC allowance (of N19,800) to unemployed youths, but recently settled for N5,000 per month. The Federal Government had gone further, during the week, to compute the cost of this promise by declaring that it would cost the government the sum of N125 Billion every month. Really? What figure was the FG using to compute the cost? For a country with no reliable statistics, how did the government arrive at the quoted figure? Is there any database of the unemployed in the country? Let us assume it is true, it means that the FG will be doling out N1.5tr every year to service the unemployed persons. How much would it cost the FG to establish companies and industries that can absorb these youths and make them contribute to the nation’s GDP instead of merely waiting for the Abuja manna? N1.5tr per annum…. for just one of the promises!!! On the second promise, there is yet no indication of whether the government is planning to fulfill this promise. Again, it is not certain there is a reliable school enrollment figure. And pray, how really does the government plan to fulfill this promise? It will be interesting to see how such lunch packs will get to my village folks in Emonu-Orogun, Delta State, or are they not part of the Nigerians so promised? I shudder at the complexity of the logistics associated with this scheme. This is full six months gone. The template of executing this promise is still blank. Perhaps the most troubling promise is the third: to create 3,000,000 jobs per year! In four years, the scheme should have created 12 million jobs. But this is five months gone, not a jot of a job has been created. Rather, jobs are being lost because of a crushing and shrinking economy. The PDP, I remember, had promised to also create 3 million jobs per year, and the APC adopted it pronto and their campaign machinery lapped it up sufficiently so much that it became a sub theme of the campaign mantra. No doubt, the agriculture and solid minerals sectors hold a lot of promise in absorbing many of Nigerian youths. But with the late activation of the ministries (by the recent appointment of ministers), not much can be expected from these sectors in the next six months. That technically knocks off one year (of unfulfilled promise) out of the tenure of Buhari’s first term. It is even remarkable that beside the three million jobs, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo , during the campaigns had further promised that the FG will assist the states to create 200,000 jobs per year. Here are states which are struggling to pay workers’ salaries, even with their bail out funds! Hear Osinbajo last March in Ondo: ‘If by the special grace of God we win the election we will support state governments to create 20, 000 jobs to cushion the unemployment crisis in the country”. So Mr VP, how far? Time is ticking away irretrievably. You can imagine the tons of promises across the land. How they go unfulfilled. Already, I am hearing so much of similar promises from the campaigners in Kogi and Bayelsa States. The two leading combatants in Kogi (Capt Wada and Chief Audu) have governed the state before. How much of their previous promises were fulfilled? In the same way in Bayelsa, the two leading contestants ( Seriake Dickson and Timipre Sylva) have each governed the state for four years or almost, … how much of their previous promises did they keep? All said, Nigerian politicians see campaign promises as mere political verbiages to which no seriousness should be attached. Indeed, the electorate do not consider campaign promises as political covenants and when they are broken, as they often do, they bath no eyelid. In fact, the surprise is usually when the promises are fulfilled. Sadly, the ready reason for failing to uphold campaign promises is “we met empty treasury” or as Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman now puts it, “ we could not hit the ground running because we landed on very muddy ground”. These excuses, over the years, have become the river between campaign promises and their fulfillment. Canticles... Where are the Corrupt APC Members? Did you hear that President Buhari ordered the arrest of former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd)? Yes, I heard. He was not the only one ordered (to be) arrested. And it is not for nothing. Didn’t you hear that a panel’s report that investigated the procurement of arms indicted Dasuki and co? That the sum of $2.6bn was stolen or missing? That there were fictitious contracts, failed contracts, and that some awarded contracts were not executed but payments were made? Didn’t you hear all these and more? Why are you speaking as if the entire report is true? Do you know that even Dasuki was never invited to defend his action before the panel? Is that how to do investigation? Can’t you see bias? Where is the demand of fair hearing? Can’t you see through the silhouette and give the right interpretation that this is pure persecution? Persecution? How? Look, this is a new era. The age of impunity and two set of rules: one for the rich and influential and the other for the paupers and helpless is over. The law is blind. Everybody is equal before the law. If you offend, you answer for it. QED! All those of you who want the law to respect certain individuals must either reappraise your ways or face the consequences. Nobody is persecuting anybody. A man stores a cache of arms without licence, in his private house and you don’t want him to answer for it? Large sums of hard currency are found in his house and you say if he is asked to explain, then it is persecution? Look, the country must move away from the path of perdition to the path of probity. My friend, I don’t care how much grammar you speak. If you are discerning, you will see the trend of the fight being orchestrated by the APC-led government. Can’t you see? Is it not obvious that the fight and harassment is targeted at the helmsmen of yesterday? What is wrong with that? Do you want those who had nothing to do with public treasury to be harassed? Won’t that be the persecution you are talking about? Let me ask you: do you know how many former chieftains of the PDP who were holding public offices have secretly returned stolen money? Just wait, it will all be made open soon. Those who helped to deepen the economic misery of this country must be dealt with. The age of impunity and recklessness is forever gone. Every man or woman must answer for his/her deeds, without minding whose ox is gored. That is the new operating policy. Are you saying that the so-called new operating policy is applicable only to PDP members? Why are APC members not being prosecuted as well? Or are you saying APC is a haven of angels? I know you will argue. But how do you explain that people like Godswill Akpabio, Gabriel Suswan, Sambo Dasuki, Diezani Allison-Madueke, Sule Lamido, etc,…. all PDP chieftains are the only corrupt persons that have to be haunted and hacked down? How do you justify that? Were we not in this country when a panel of enquiry also indicted former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, now Minister of Transport? What happened? Was he spared because he is an APC chieftain? And pray, do we not know how many APC chieftains have virtually amortised the entire Lagos into their own property and yet nobody is talking about it? What kind of double standard is this? Don’t mope at me. Speak! Argue and defend them! Hmmm, One thing I can assure you is that you can neither intimidate me nor successfully blackmail me. You don’t muddle up issues. Take them one after the other. As for former Governor Amaechi, even new born babies know that his successor, Mr Nyesom Wike merely wanted to wreck Amaechi’s political career for obvious reasons associated with political differences. This is the same Wike who borrowed N30 billion in 30 days. Can you imagine that? It is that same Wike that is promising to reward every goal scored by the Nigerian players at the Cup of Nations with $20,000. So if 20 goals are scored, he will dole out $400,000! And that is borrowed money! Isn’t it? And when the searchlight is beamed at such reckless persons later, you will begin to grumble. Is it for nothing that the so-called panel report did not indict Amaechi? Have you read the panel’s report? Have you asked yourself why it was only the Government’s white paper, and not the panel’s report that indicted him? Does that not tell you something? Look, do you think if Amaechi was corrupt that former President Jonathan would not have crushed him? Have you also forgotten that the EFCC also invited and investigated Amaechi and found nothing against him? Do you want him prosecuted for prosecution sake, just so it would seem that even APC members are being prosecuted, even when there are no substance to the wild and unfounded allegations? Look, leave that man alone. Those who battle him are troubling their Chi. And lest I forget, have you forgotten that the number three citizen of this country, the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, an APC chieftain is being prosecuted now for alleged wrong declaration of assets? Is he not an APC man? And as for whether some persons have cornered everything in Lagos, I will advise you to send in your petitions with clear and investigatable evidence and watch whether action will not be taken. Look, I have always maintained that the question to ask is: are the accusations against the arrested people true or not? Forget whether they are members of Party A or Party B. That is the take off point in the fight against mindless roguery that had rattled the country in past years. I am not surprised at your casuistic arguments. I am not unaware that no matter how sharp a knife is, it cannot cut it’s own handle. So, that APC members are being spared is understandable. All we ask is that those being arrested are not merely framed up and that the trials are not powered by partisan considerations. And above all, let what is good fort the goose be good for the ganders. If APC members are also proven to be corrupt let them go for it. Is it for nothing that Olisah Metuh and Governor Ayo Fayose have been shouting that this fight against corruption is as one- sided as the look of the eagle on the EFCC logo? (a long hiss) How can you reduce the seriousness of this conversation to those partisan megaphones of the PDP? Don’t you see how they run their mouths like broken taps? You want to ascribe seriousness to their pronouncements? Was it not this same Fayose who quoted a certain fictitious address in London as where President Buhari has been admitted for treatment during the campaigns early in the year? Do you take such persons serious? pix: Magus.jpg





www.thisdaylive.com/articles/campaign-promises-and-the-river-between/227136/