₦airaland Forum

The cold war between President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo reverberated at the Peoples Democratic Party today as Obasanjo’s loyalists were removed from sensitive positions in the party.

The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, backed by President Jonathan, moved against the National Auditor of the party, Alhaji Bode Mustapha, who was booted aside in favour of Alhaji Fatai Adewole Adeyanju. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) declared him to be the validly elected National Auditor.

Following the removal from office of Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the National Secretary, Mustapha was the only eye of the former President at the NWC.

Both Mustapha and Oyinlola are very close to the party's governors, who, like Obasanjo, are also against Jonathan contesting in 2015.

Also removed is the National Vice-Chairman of the party in South-West, Mr. Segun Oni, the former governor of Ekiti State who was removed by the courts three years ago. He is also close to 0basanjo.

Sources said that the decision to remove the men, although based on a court judgment which was given more than six months ago, is traceable to Jonathan's decision to seize control of the party in the zone and whittle down Obasanjo's influence.

The party also took the fight to Obasanjo's home state, Ogun, where it removed the chairman, and then recognised the faction that opposes the retired army general.

A statement by Olisa Metuh, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, said the NWC has set up a 17-man Caretaker Committee to pilot the affairs of the Ogun State Chapter pending the conduct of the State Congress. It will be headed by Barrister Ishola Filani as Zonal Chairman.

The NWC held that the Executive Committee constituted for the party in Ogun State at Congresses conducted by the Bashorun Dayo Soremi led harmonized Executive Committee for the Wards, Local Governments and in the State in March 2012 is the valid Exco of the party at the various levels in Ogun State and is entitled to their four-year tenure.

The NWC further resolved to organize a fresh South West Zonal Congress at which access would be given to delegates elected at congresses conducted by or under the supervision of the Soremi-led Ogun State Executive and accept the candidacy, for offices zoned to Ogun State, of only the persons nominated at the said congresses for the said offices.

Other members of the Caretaker Committee are as follows:
· Chief Pegba Otemolu - Zonal Secretary
· Adedeji Doherty - Organizing Secretary
· Rasak Adekonla Akanni - Audito
· Bolaji Jeje - Youth Leader
· Orimolade Olanrewaju - Treasurer
· Olawunmi Oshinmoluke Yuba - Woman Leader
· Banji Obasanmi - Financial Secretary
· Barrister Shola Oludipe - Legal Adviser
· Lawal Waheed Olatunde - Publicity Secretary
· Emmanuel Oladejo - Ex-Officio
· Olalekan Abubakar - Ex-Officio
· Seun Adesanya - Ex-Officio
· Samiu Babatunde - Ex-Officio
· Prince Tope Ademiluyi - Ex-Officio
· Tunde Olowofoyeku - Ex-Officio
· Prince Omoniyi Alo - Ex-Officio

The applicant has to show proof of available funds of at least $140,000 (about N22 million) to pay medical fees, and secondly, the applicant has to show proof of the need for medical attention in the US such as high risk pregnancy and the likes.
US Embassy Chief of Consular Section, Ms. Carol Cox, in an interview with select journalists in Abuja, yesterday disclosed that it would cost at least $60,000 to have a baby in the US.

Contrary to the widely held notions in the polity that to deliver a baby in the United States, a pregnant woman has to conceal her pregnancy during her visa interview and while entering the US, or she has to travel before her pregnancy starts to show, the US Embassy has clarified that it is okay to decide to have a baby in the country.
This is against the backdrop of the practise where some Nigerians deliberately lie during visa interviews in their bid to secure automatic US citizenship for their children.

The Embassy outlined some conditions which have to be met before such a visa which falls under medical tourism category is issued.
This it said, is necessary to encourage applicants to be truthful during visa interviews.
One: The applicant has to show proof of available funds of at least $140,000 (about N22 million) to pay medical fees, and secondly, the applicant has to show proof of the need for medical attention in the US such as high risk pregnancy and the likes.
US Embassy Chief of Consular Section, Ms. Carol Cox, in an interview with select journalists in Abuja, yesterday disclosed that it would cost at least $60,000 to have a baby in the US.

In instances where complications arise from the delivery, the medical bills may go as high as $140,000.
Availability of the funds, Cox said is very important as it is necessary to ensure that American taxpayers do not have to pay such bills.
“We owe the American public who pay taxes to make sure that those who seek medical services in the US pay for such services. This is essential because there are those who have the money and are not willing to pay.
“It is very frustrating when you see a woman who is obviously pregnant, sometimes seven months gone, tell you during a visa interview that she is just going to the US for a vacation,” she said.

Commenting on the fate of those who have incurred bans in the process of visa applications, Cox said while they are allowed to appeal, the outcome would be determined by the gravity of what incurred the ban in the first instance.
She added that it would be difficult for such appeals to come through in instances of fraud.
“It is important for applicants to be truthful because if there is any discrepancy in what you say and what you have written in your form, your credibility is gone,” she said.

Speaking on visa wait times, the embassy has reduced the wait times from six weeks to 30 days for applicants in Abuja, and to 21 days for applicants in Lagos, she disclosed.

Public Affairs Officer of the Embassy, Ms. Debra MacLean reiterated that the visa is not a guarantee that an applicant would enter the US.
“If the applicant is found to have materially misrepresented his purpose of visit, the immigration officer at the airport may refuse him or her entry. This officer is the one who really determines who enters the US,” she clarified.

…Explains why previous merger attempts failed …

AREMO Segun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun State and a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in this chat, explains reasons behind the recent merger of opposition political parties. Osoba, who was a member of the strategic committee that saw the emergence of the All Progressive Congress, APC, accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) of allegedly sabotaging previous efforts to form an alliance. Excerpts:

b]Many people still have doubts about this merger based on the ambitions of some of the leaders. So, how far do you think [/b]this can go?

We agreed at our me
Me
rger meetings that under no circumstances should we debate the process on the pages of newspapers because we are conscious of attempts and moves to sabotage the merger. I must, however, tell you that in principle we are together, not because of political offices, not because of sharing loot or simply because we just want to win the presidency at all costs.

Our philosophy and determination is to redeem Nigeria, we are on a redemption mission. We are determined to regain the lost soul of this country. It is our belief and philosophy that we must create a genuine, trustworthy and reliable alternative to the evil that the PDP has become in Nigeria because they have been in power since 1999. I cannot point out any major achievement on the part of the PDP government since they have been in power.

Why did effort at merging ahead of the 2011 elections fail?
It failed because we had a presidency that wanted to create a one party state and a one party country. The one I can tell you authoritatively about was the Alliance for Democracy. The presidency then funded the breakaway of AD deliberately to sabotage the progressives in the Southwest. But this time around, we are determined to learn from previous experiences and if any of those methods are unleashed, we have our own counter measures.
Some allege that some of those involved in the merger are strange bedfellows. Is it also true that some PDP governors are coming into your fold?

When you call us strange bed fellows, it is a thing we have done before when we all coalesced into the SDP believed to be to the left, while the NRC were the conservatives. Inspite of the different backgrounds and because of the progressiveness in all of us, we survived and produced the best election that has not been beaten. We are back to the days of the SDP where those progressive elements that we lost to the PDP, are going to be the evil that will destroy PDP as a party.

ACN with control of the Southwest is the biggest party in the new party. Is this a plan to return the South-west to the centre?

Our own attitude about mainstream politics is different from the PDP mainstream politics. PDP mainstream is sharing of positions, largesse and pocketing as much as they can pocket. Our own principle of mainstream is true federalism, in which power is devolved from the over-concentrated centre to the federating states.

Fiscal federalism where revenues are shared between the federal and states; each of the federating states can create as many local government as it wants. We want a country where attention will be focused on security, lives and property skillful management of the economy, regular and sustained power supply and the Awolowo philosophy of egalitarianism, equality.

You mentioned true federalism but there is this agitation for local government autonomy, do you support this?

There is nothing like local government autonomy. We had a Supreme Court judgment that ruled that local governments are creation of states. I have never heard of a country where you have number of local governments listed in the constitution making it impossible for states to create local governments as they develop.

Imagine Lagos State, the most densely populated state in this country with the highest internally generated revenue, having 20 local governments. The old Kano State that was broken into Kano and Jigawa states and combined had over 60 local governments. Does that make any common sense arithmetic or political sense? By all means, let each state create as many local governments it chooses. Look at London, it is the most cosmopolitan city in the United Kingdom, it has the highest number of local governments and that is how it should be.

How come the PDP cleared the entire South West during the presidential elections except Osun State?
It was because Adamu Ciroma alienated a lot of southerners with his northern agenda. The North did not play its card well. Religion came into it, Jonathan went to kneel at the Redemption Camp and the born again group went for Jonathan.

Professionals who felt that such people just wanted to grab power for their own interest went for Jonathan. The likes of respected activists, well tested leaders like the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, fought on principle for Jonathan to be made president just like Alani Akinrinade, a retired general who had been Chief of Defence Staff, now donning t-shirts with Bakare and highly placed people.

The Save Nigeria Group went on all fronts demonstrating round the country for Jonathan to be given the power of the presidency when Yar’Adua was sick. At that time, the perception of Nigerians was that we needed to have a young dynamic person to take charge. Go and ask the Save Nigeria Group what their experience is now and how they feel? What do they feel about the situation? It went beyond party politics.

What are your views on Nigeria at 100, where did we go wrong and how can we make it right?
I have no objection to the centenary celebration; it is a fact that in 1914, we were forced to come together as a country. 100 years, for whatever it is worth, is worth looking at, it is not for me now to start crying over spilt milk. We know where we went wrong.

In 1999, the North imposed on us without reference to us in the Southwest, a president and the PDP continued to rig elections, they perfected rigging, created an INEC that was ready to collaborate and cooperate with them, that is where we went wrong. And when I say we are on a redemption mission, we want a situation where we will save this country from going under.

take dat: The usual blathering from a falling political party! There is no way the president could weaken the governors since they remain the live wire of the party, except Jonathan is ready to forfeit his re-election bid!

green75: PLZ PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY WHERE R WE GOINTO? first bank sent circular to all 36 state that they av increase their contract staff salary, which has been increase 4 d past 7yrs, instead of them do what they said they went and paid ogun and lagos state, since 16month we re nt pay the new salary, hw much is the salary, urban =#30,000 while rural were paid #24,000 other bank lyk GTB paid 60,000.00 ZENITH paid 60,000 to 70,000, even UNITY BANK paid their staff #50,000, MIN. FOR LABOUR AND PRODUCTIVITY WHEN DID NIGERIA WILL COME OUT OF CONTRACT STAFF SLAVERY, PLZ WE HAVE CHILDREN THAT WILL LIKE TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, PLZ DO SOMETHING SIR[color=#000099][/color]

With this your grammar and incoherent sentences, methinks you dont deserve any increment

solomon111: you are a moronn.

Sincere 9gerian: What are these guys talking about? Basic education is already free nationwide. Except of course they'r talking about free higher education. And if that's the case, it would the most STUPIDDD thing I've ever heard in a long while.

Just hope u no get hypertension for this Merger . I observe, you are really working overtime for your clueless master. Anu mpam

DMainMan: na wa o for some novice people who lack word usage skills when in sentences. D corrected statement is: Wigan can cause an upset today by defeating Chelsea

Grammer boy! Do not twist my words.....Chelsea wining today after losing so many matches will be a huge upset If you dont know the king of Europe has been downgraded to an underdog in football parlance. Up United

Ibanga p: I tink dis is kind of too offensive a comment to make abt som1 who hasn't wronged u in anyway. Even if he has, y bring his name into a different nd un-associated topic like dis 1. I tink u deserve a lenghty ban.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has announced Rev. Felix Omobude as the new President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

strangest: There are more out there... Maybe they should ask Wole Soyinka how to stop this...

[/b]Mr. Jonathan thanked Nigerian Christians for their unrelenting effort at making Nigeria “a more secured, more prosperous, more peaceful and more united nation” through their prayers.”

[b]I am 100% sure Jonathan has a mental case . I give up

the Ministry of Defence are
having a hard time coping with basic logistics such
as provision of the right uniforms, food, and proper
transportation for troops,

Last week, President Goodluck Jonathan said the
Federal Government has spent $34 million (N5.1
billion) on the deployment of 1200 troops to the
troubled West African country and pledged a further $5 million (N750 million) in assistance.
But three weeks after the first batch of 160 soldiers
was sent to the Malian capital, Bamako, the army is
having a difficult time getting the remaining troops
combat ready.