₦airaland Forum

OPENING REMARKS BY ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU AT THE INAUGURAL LECTURE OF THE FREEDOM HOUSE DEMOCRACY LECTURE SERIES HELD AT MUSON CENTER, AGIP HALL, LAGOS, NIGERIA. JUNE 3OTH 2O14



POVERTY AND TERRORISM THREATEN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR DEMOCRACY


PROTOCOL

I thank all of you for participating in this maiden Freedom House lecture on democracy. I want to express special appreciation to Professor Larry Diamond for honoring us by accepting to deliver this inaugural address. It is my fervent hope that what we embark on today shall become a perennial institution, a permanent feature of our democratic landscape.

Such lectures are needed because our nation needs a broader, deeper appreciation of democracy in all of its complexities and ramifications. To state it bluntly because I know of no other way to state it, we do not understand enough about democratic governance and practice.
What we practice is often not democracy. How this nation is governed is a hybrid process where democracy is often the junior partner and minority attribute.
As such, the system of governance we practice has not yielded the desired results – the dividends of democracy have been painfully elusive. How could it be otherwise? It would be wrong to anticipate a pear to grow from apple tree or a dog to give birth to a goat. Thus, it is wrong to expect this current form of governance to produce the fruits of democracy when it is the wrong type of tree.
To think otherwise is not to be optimistic. It is to engage in unproductive wishful thinking that precludes us from doing the heavy and hard work needed to transform “what is” into “what ought to be.” This lecture series is a modest contribution toward this benign change.

Since the 1999 transition from military to civilian rule, we have effectively limited our definition of democracy to the holding of elections with little regard to the quality thereof. There are two jarring problems with this self-imposed constraint.

First, most members of the Nigerian political class was weaned on the rancid milk of dictatorship and the imperial mindset upon which it is based. Fairness and openness of process and outcome discourse and debate, and compromise and conciliation have no place in this realm. In this authoritarian world, the ends justify the means and the only ends pursued are those that increase the power and wealth of the people wielding them. It is a top- down world where the top dictates the tune and everyone dances to it or gets kicked into the shadows.
Most adult Nigerians have spent the majority of their lives under military, or its antecedent, colonial rule. Neither one is a good primer for democracy. Nigerians are smart people and learn fast. Too bad, our history has presented bad governance role models to us. We have learned much. Sadly, most of it has been the wrong lessons from the wrong textbook.

Thus, the conduct of elections during the past fifteen years has been basically an unbroken trail of malpractice and connivance to steer Nigeria to a contrived result with scant connection to the popular will.

Instead of being the periodic celebration of democracy, elections in Nigeria have generally mocked the very notion of democracy they are supposed to uphold.
Worst has been what comes after elections. Since the winner often is not chosen by the people but by some subterranean process, he continues to dishonor the people while resorting to that subterranean process in how he rules. Generally, these office holders believe they have the inborn right to rule instead of have been given a duty to govern.

For the most part, elections have become a perverse form of modern coronation. Instead of choosing public servants, elections in Nigeria have been basically to select a new aristocracy, an elected royalty.

Government is run like a medieval court, full of intrigue and an excessive number of jesters and unproductive courtiers whose only reason for being is to use their proximity to power to extract rents from the improper operation of government.

One can only find rhyme and reason in governance to the extent one can decipher or anticipate the whim and caprice of the man in power.
Thus, we call ourselves a new, growing democracy yet we retreat further into the old ways. We slip into authoritarian darkness.

Faced with a growing number of state governors in the opposition party, the federal government arbitrarily has reduced the revenues flowing to the states in order to punish the political opposition. In effect, the federal government has imposed economic sanctions simply because some political leaders have the temerity to belong to another party. That the people are made to suffer means little for the people are not why they entered into governance. Power and privilege are.

This is why they shut down newspapers recently and restricted freedom of movement by prohibiting key APC members from travelling into Ekiti state prior to elections. This is why they deployed more security people to hover over the elections in Ekiti than they do to protect the people and tackle the security challenges in Borno state. The Minister of State for Defence has spent more time in Ekiti than he has in Chibok. This is not responsible democratic governance. It is a hoax.

This brings me to the point where I would like to say a few words about the topic of today’s lecture: Poverty, Terrorism and Democracy. In my view, the first two concepts have intertwined to form a terrible union against the third, against democracy.

Some claim the rise of Boko Haram has nothing to do with poverty. They blame it all on ideology. Some go as far as implying that Islam is at fault. Those who say this can be excused to some extent for they are as ignorant about Islam as Boko Haram is. However, Boko Haram cannot be excused. They are violent murders of both Muslim and Christians. There is not one word in Islam that supports the evil they do.

It is obvious that Boko Haram terrorists have lashed themselves to a dangerous and desperate ideology. But we must ask who does such a thing and why do they seem to have so many adherents and supporters?
Poverty is a big part of the answer. Poverty often distorts a person’s humanity. The destitute and the ignorant, casting about on their last strand of hope, are susceptible to a mean and wicked interpretation of the world that labels everyone not in that group as expendable sacrifices and objects of terror.

Again to put it bluntly because I know of no other way, Boko Haram is an extreme manifestation of the chronic and acute misgovernance that has spread gross injustice and mass poverty across the face of our beloved nation.
All nations have their wayward souls. However, in better governed, more prosperous societies, the number of anti-social actors is much less and even their extremism is somewhat muted. Because of their low numbers, they are confined to being a law enforcement problem.

But here, abject poverty swells their ranks. Here, they have become a small army. With that, they are a national security threat and a political challenge to a free and open society.
We must deal with them decisively yet wisely. Also, government must also be cautious in not using the fight against terrorism to truncate otherwise legitimate political activity by a legitimate and peaceful political opposition. Also, government must restrain itself from striking indiscriminately against people in the affected areas, in the process committing human rights abuses that undermine democracy and that become a recruiting tool for the terrorists.

As such, poverty and terrorism are truly a compound threat to democracy. Not only do those who manufacture terror undermine democracy through their direct actions. We also must take carethat government’s response is not such a heavy-handed and indiscriminate one that it undermines civil liberties and chases people into the camp of the terrorists.

I shall end here that we may soon come to the meat of this gathering; Professor Diamond’s address.
Again, I thank you all for coming today that we may use this lecture to take a step toward the democracy we truly seek.

Reading Shaka Momodu’s diatribe against former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu entitled 'The Flawed Progressive' in a ThisDay opinion column recently, one must extend the deepest sympathies to Momodu. The man's soul has vanished, yet he writes this shameless piece to announce to the entire world that his soul has not died but that he merely sold it. Good for him. I hope he received a hefty payment. No matter the cost, the man lost something money cannot buy.
Shaka’s piece is a classic case of a journalist who needs urgent help. He writes like one on furlough from the institution. No trained professional hand, cultivated and lucid mind would have lent his name to such a puerile piece. His analysis showcases his disdain for rigour. The rigmarole in his arguments exposes the hollowness of the write up. His piece on Bola Tinubu exposes him to be not what he claimed to be; a journalist and writer. Bereft of what constitutes a logical and commonsense analysis, Shaka exposed his hand in a piece that is not only in bad taste but a sponsored hatchet job, ill-timed, ill-motivated and ill-advised.
Of course, Shaka’s right to write whatever he feels like writing cannot be begrudged. However, he must reckon with the fact that there is a wide gulf between responsible journalism and malicious fiction. Shaka has fallen into that gulf and from what we can see, it appears he has allowed himself to drown in it as well. His attempt to cast Tinubu as something other than a progressive is like a man who had bought the wrong size of shoes and was struggling to fit the shoes in because he must wear it at all cost.
Let us look at how the World Wide Web defined the word "Progressive": 'Favoring or promoting progress, advancing, forward looking, and forward thinking. A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties.'
Looking at the definition above, Shaka Momodu knew he was treading on thin ice. Yet, for lucre, he took on the ugly assignment. He had been recruited to disparage the person of Asiwaju. And he attacked the job like a hungry but enfeebled hyena without any teeth. Thus, he made the hyena noises but barely barked and for all the words, he never truly showed any bite. He therefore tried to set up Tinubu by first lavishing him with false praise. He asserted that the man is held in high esteem and loved by many. Shaka, the hatchet man, used his initial effusive praise to feign to be a balanced columnist but his intention was clear; to attack the person of Tinubu, not with hard facts but innuendo and claptrap. Remember the saying; “A lie oft repeated tends to be taken as the gospel truth by many.”
Continuing with his piece, Shaka went ahead to tell his readers how Tinubu was liked and hated by many, but he failed to tell us was how he arrived at his myopic conclusion. Was any survey conducted to determine the level of love and acceptability of the person of Asiwaju Tinubu, or otherwise? What people like Shaka and his ilk do is to create an impression, albeit a false one, that they are speaking as a representative of the people. What they will not say, however, is that they are sponsored by those in the ruling party afraid of the growing stature of Asiwaju Tinubu in the national space. That Tinubu is hated is true. What reformer is not hated by the guardians of the status quo? Thus, in trying too hard to prove his point, Shaka refuted it. The issue is not whether Tinubu is hated but by whom and for what reason. Those who don’t want equality and change hate him. Those who want it like him. Tinubu is one of the few Nigerian politicians who can walk freely among the people and also who likes to do so. Can the same be said of those hiding behind the high walls of Aso Villa?
The truth is the PDP never gave the APC a chance to survive as they wrongly assumed that key APC figures were like them and would place personal ambitions above national purpose. But now that the PDP have been caught unawares, they are flailing like drowning minnows, sponsoring men like Shaka, who, afflicted by the infamous Stockholm syndrome, will for a morsel, write anything and tell any lie to stay alive. Factuality and verification is not their concern, rather their pocket determines what they do. At this time, when Nigerians should be glad that we have a viable opposition, some mercenary Nigerians will, for a little pay, do anything to malign personalities for no reason but to taste of the crumbs of the feast of the powerful and cruel.

He started to bare his fangs and showed his true intent when he attacked Tinubu's intellectual accomplishments and what comes to my mind is, “Does Shaka have an 'Intellectual Meter' to measure how intelligent Tinubu is?” For one, I doubt if a mind that is less than cerebral can rise to become the Chief Treasurer of any oil giant of Mobil’s size and global reputation. But as earlier noted, Shaka just had to throw in a lot of mud with the hope that some will stick. Tinubu has never laid claim to being the present day Awolowo. In fact, he is on record to have said, “I have read Awolowo in several books, and he is our hero and mentor, but I cannot but be Bola Tinubu. I can only tread the path of Awolowo, without his shoes. I don't know his size, I can't step into his shoes because they are either bigger or smaller, and his image and legacy are bigger than me. I can only use and share the vision. He went away with his shoes and his cap but he left a legacy, a vision.”

Here is one thing that is unassailable. When the PDP used hook, crook, ladder, hammer and nail to monopolize the South-West, Tinubu and Lagos stood as the lone survivor of these machinations. Had Tinubu fallen, the PDP would have swept the South West in its entirety and would have made a substantial down payment toward its objective for a One-Party State. However, Tinubu did not crumble. Not only did he hold ground, he used that foothold to claim more space for progressive politicians. From Ekiti, Osun, Edo, Oyo and Ogun came into the progressive camp. Would Shaka dare say that governors Fashola, Aregbesola, Fayemi, Oshiomhole, Ajimobi, Amosun are not progressives? In politics, as in other things, the fruit falls not far from the tree. Since these fruits are progressive, then the tree from which they appear must be likewise for a mango cannot be grown of an orange tree or a cashew of a lemon tree.

Tinubu has the ability to fight any battle he believes in. When the South West crumbled to the garrison politics of the PDP, Tinubu was the only man standing and that eventually made him a rallying point for the Progressives across the country.
Even ThisDay Newspapers, Shaka's original employers, recognized Tinubu as their "Man of the Year, 2013" and ascribed to him the "Man who re-built the Nigerian opposition." I trust that the judgement of your paper was a sound and timely one and it was fully independent.

Tinubu has earned his place of honor in Nigerian history. He is the single person most responsible for preventing the creation of a one-party state and thus the person most responsible for salvaging Nigeria's democracy from the PDP dictatorial inclinations. No other politician can boast of such a progressive achievement, particularly none in the PDP. The trajectory of his leadership skills is well documented. As Governor of Lagos, despite being starved of legitimate funds by the Obasanjo government, Tinubu dug deep and as a result of his resourcefulness and due to his shrewdness, Lagos state was the only state in Nigeria that could and can survive and even thrive without federal allocation. If that is not an achievement,
then one must change the definition of the word.

He ensured that Lagos became financially buoyant because he achieved a massive increase in the states internally generated revenue. Few men in politics can compare to Tinubu’s depth and expert use of words, certainly not the current President. Tinubu has mastered and understands the power of words and ideas. Meanwhile Shaka and those who pay him have no idea what an idea is.

Another oft used but tired accusation used to accuse the Asiwaju and his party is that it lacks internal democracy. There are no hard and fast rules as to how candidates can emerge in a political party. Consensus, the last time I checked, has been a way by which parties in Nigeria chose candidates so as to limit acrimony and other negative fallout of primary elections. The PDP uses it a lot in picking their candidates and come out to conduct phony primaries but to appear democratic. Shaka will do well to follow the Ekiti gubernatorial elections currently in the pipeline. The PDP has tried very hard to arrive at a consensus candidate and I fail to see how that is a problem. Accusing Tinubu of handpicking candidates is lowly hypocrisy. Was Oluremi Tinubu duly qualified to run for the Senate? Should being the wife of the biggest opposition figure in the country deny her of her constitutional right? Why is Bill Clinton’s head not on the chopper because his wife first became a Senator, later a Presidential candidate and later US Secretary of State? Because in America, your right as a citizen cannot be mortgaged because of your association by marriage, religion or other non-violent persuasions. I dare say that Oluremi Tinubu is doing a better job in her constitutional duties as a senator than Patience Jonathan is doing making a mockery of her unconstitutional role as first lady.

Tinubu did not get to where he is today by accident. Here is a man, who at great risk to his life, withstood the brutal Abacha and his goons and ultimately was forced into exile to avoid certain death. He is not without flaws, as only God is flawless. But as a man, his achievements are numerous and for all to see. When Tinubu became the governor of Lagos State, the state was internationally known as the dirtiest city in the world. Lagos has been improved, cleaned and made better. Take a drive round Lagos metropolis today and judge for yourself. At the end of his two terms, while the PDP gave Nigerians Yar'Adua, then Jonathan, Tinubu gifted Lagosians with one of the best administrators in Babatunde Fashola.

Tinubu has done excellently. The people of the Southwest recognize that but for his astuteness, courage, presence of mind and commitment to a better society the Southwest would have been overrun by the destructive and negative force called the PDP and other reactionary elements. These are days when most journalists are pliable, so the likes of Shaka come a dime in a dozen. Shaka’s piece is one fit for the trash. Tinubu has earned his accolade and his work speaks for him. Any wonder that anytime he talks, the entire PDP machinery starts to fall apart? Shaka, better go get a broom. You’ll need it!

Sunday Dare is the special Adviser on Media to Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Wow! Define a shot in the foot: Using Dickson as an example of good governorship material from the House of Reps. What a loser! MOB is going to lose in Ekiti in the most spectacular fashion. Fayemi has transformed the state totally. Anyone who wants the best for that state must be for Fayemi! APC ON TOP FOR LIFE!!

Report of the five-man ad-hoc committee set up by the Lagos House of Assembly on Tuesday September 21, 1999 to investigate allegations of perjury and forgery against Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu

PREAMBLE
AT the plenary session of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday September 21, 1999, Honourable Thomas Ayodele Fadeyi, representing Mushin Constituency 2 raised an issue under Motion for Adjournment with respect to recent publications in the print and electronic media. It bothers on allegations that the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu perjured and forged the credentials that qualified him to run for the gubernatorial election in Lagos State. The issue generated healthy debate on the floor of the House and the general consensus of members of the House was that the matter should be looked into. Honourable Tajudeen Jaiyeola Agoro, representing Lagos Mainland Constituency 1 thereafter moved a motion to the effect that an adhoc committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly be set up to look into the matter and report back to the House on Monday September 27, 1999. The motion was unanimously carried by members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Speaker of the House, the Honourable (Dr.) Adeleke Olorunimbe Mamora was also mandated at the same sitting by the House to constitute the ad-hoc committee, which he did forthwith. The members of the committee are as follows:

Hon. Babajide Omoworare - (Chairman)
Hon. Thomas Ayodele Fadeyi
Hon. Adeniyi Oyemade
Hon. Ibraheem 'Bola Gbabijo
Hon. Saliu Olaitan Musafa
FACTS

The allegations made against the Executive Governor of Lagos State were contained in a petition dated August l2, 1999, written by one Alhaji Jameed Seriki purportedly of 62 Balogun Street, West, Lagos and one Dr. Waliu Balogun-Smith purportedly of 5 Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos to the Inspector General of Police. The documents enclosed by the Petitioners were photocopies of the Governor's inauguration profile, INEC FORM CF. 001, affidavit sworn to at Ikeja High Court of Justice on 29th December 1998, the year books of Government College, Ibrahim and the transcript of Chicago State University.

Specifically, the Petitioners alleged as follows:

1. That there is discrepancy in the age of the Executive Governor of Lagos State since the profile published during his inauguration states that he was born in 1952 and the age on the transcript of the governor at Chicago State University states that he was born in 1954;

2. That the governor did not attend Government College, Ibadan as was stated in his profile and INEC FORM CF. 001; and

3. That the governor did not attend University of Chicago as he claimed in INEC FORM CF. 001 and an affidavit sworn to at the Ikeja High Court of Justice on 29th December 1998.

The above letter and the enclosures were published in Today Newspaper and The Source Magazine. The Committee deemed it fit to invite the Petitioners and therefore wrote the Petitioners. The letters were sent by courier. The Petitioners did not attend the hearing and we have not heard from them up till now. We visited their address at 62 Balogun Street, West, Lagos and 5 Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday September 22, 1999 and found out that the Petitioner neither reside nor carry on any business at the addresses.

Hence, we concluded that the petition was written in fictitious names. Attached herewith and marked "Annexures 1 and 2" are pictures of the buildings bearing the above addresses taken when the Committee visited the addressed. Also attached and marked "Annexures 3 and 4" are copies of the evidence of courier of the letters forwarded to the fictitious Petitioners.

The Committee invited Editors of This Day Newspaper because of the prominence, which they have given to the publication of the allegations. The editors of This Day visited us informally, refusing to oblige our invitation and informing us that they would rely on their publications.

The Executive Governor of Lagos State was also invited and he appeared before the Committee on Thursday September 23, l999 in the company of his counsel, Femi Falana Esquire.

We also invited Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, who represents Lagos State Central Senatorial Constituency at the Senate, National Assembly, Abuja, who recently a a press conference claimed an affidavit sworn to at the Ikeja High Court of Justice on 29th December 1998. Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi appeared before the Committee on Friday September 24, 1999 in the company of his counsel Professor Itsey Sagay (SAN).

In the evening of Thursday September 23, 1999, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly received a Memorandum from Chief Gani Fawehinmi, senior member of the bar and human right activist, written on the same date, in respect of the matter before this ad-hoc Committee. The Memorandum was forwarded to the committee for consideration. Chief Gani Fawehinmi has been in eh fore-front of those calling for the investigation of the allegation against the Executive Governor of Lagos State and that if found culpable, he should be prosecuted.

Chief Gani Fawehinmi had earlier written to the Executive Governor of Lagos State on Monday September 13, 1999 asking him to confirm or deny the allegations against him within 7 days. He had also written to the Inspector General of Police on Tuesday September 21, 1999 to make public the outcome of his investigation into the allegations. The Committee therefore invited Chief Gani Fawehinmi to appear before it and he did appear before the Committee on Saturday September 25, 1999.

The Governor's Testimony

The Governor of Lagos State started his evidence by admitting full responsibility for some of the "needless errors," being pinpointed in recent publications and which formed the basis of the allegations against him.

The Governor told the Committee that as a result of the acrimonious primaries of the Alliance for Democracy in Lagos State and its attendant crisis, the information contained in both the INEC form land affidavit of loss of Certificates was supplied by one of his political aides, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi.

The Governor then submitted to the Committee a copy of the Social Democratic Party senatorial candidature form dated June 1, 1992, which he used to contest the 1992 Senatorial election as candidate of the party for Lagos West.

In the form, which he personally filled, the Governor attached the certificates of Richard Daley College and Chicago State University. For his educational qualifications, he filled B.Sc. Accounting only.

This according to him demonstrated that "needless errors" spotted in the 1999 INEC form were not consistent and that they were "genuine errors". He further directed the attention of the Committee to the INEC form CFO1 that bore a wrong date of twenty-eight December 1999 instead of twenty-eight December 1998. The error he said was made by INEC which printed the form. And not even the Commissioner of Oath spotted this error.

This in his view further confirmed that the hurried and confused manner under which the preparations for the governorship primaries of 1998 were organised, gave rise to error on all sides.

The Governor said he was born Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu in 1952. He attended St. John's Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children's Home School in Ibadan.

The Governor spoke about his difficult and traumatic youth and how he scaled the hurdles of life as a self-made man. After his primary education, the Governor said he was admitted to Secondary Schools but he could not further his education because of his poverty.

The Governor thus had to engage in menial jobs before he proceeded in 1970 to the United States of America, in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece. The Governor informed us that in America, he undertook various odd jobs and tried to improve himself academically. After five years of he most harrowing working experience, the Governor said he enrolled at Richard Daley College in Chicago, which among others offers basic, remedial and academic classes, preparatory to entering Chicago State University.

He presented a photocopy of a certificate issued by Richard Daley College (City Colleges of Chicago), a copy of which is attached herewith and marked "Annexure 5".

Throughout the time he studied in Chicago, the Governor said he also had to fend for himself and that he actually paid his way through school by working extra hours as a tutor in the same University. He said he also studied for extra hours, especially during summer.

The Governor said 27 (twenty-seven) credit hours were transferred from Richard Daley College to Chicago State University, where he obtained Bachelor of Science in Business and Administration. His major was in Accounting. To back up his claim, the Governor produced the following documents:

1. a copy of a letter dated September 6, 1978 written by Andrew F. Sikula, Dean College of Business Administration, Chicago State University informing Mr. Bola Tinubu that he had made the Dean's honours list by making a 3.50 or better grade point average. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 6";

2. an inter-office memorandum of Chicago State University dated May 28, 1979 written by one Clyde Smith to the Honours Award Committee recommending Bola A. Tinubu as recipient of the outstanding senior award. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 7";

3. copies of May/June 1979 edition of the TEMPO, Chicago State University Campus journal covering Chicago State University Annual Awards Ceremony. Bola Tinubu was described as the President of the Accounting Society and was also said to be running for Student Government Association presidency. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 8";

4. a Chicago State University STATEMENT issued by the Accounts Receivable Department on June 15, 1979 with his social security number. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 9";

5. the Chicago State University Certificate dated 22nd day of June, 1979 conferring upon Bola A. Tinubu the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business and Administration (Accounting with honours). This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 10";

6. a copy of Chicago State University Outstanding Senior Award Certificate dated 5th July 1979, awarded to Bola A. Tinubu. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 11";

7. a copy of Chicago State University Departmental Certificate of Merit dated 5th July, 1979 presented to Bola A. Tinubu. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 12";

8. copy of year book of Chicago State University with the picture of Bola A. Tinubu on page 75. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 13";

9. Chicago State University academic record transcript) dated July 11th 1979. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 14";

10. copy of 1992 Social Democratic Party senatorial candidature form dated June 1 1992. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 15"; and

11. Chicago State University letter dated August 20th 1999 addressed To Whom It May Concern advising that Bola A. Tinubu did indeed attend Chicago State University from August 1977 through June 1979. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Administration with honours on June 22nd 1979. His major was Accounting. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 16".

The Governor informed us that before coming to Nigeria, he worked as an Accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells and at GTE Services Corporation. Enclosed herewith and marked "Annexure 17" and "Annexure 18" respectively are the pay slips relating to the above establishments.

He said he came to Nigeria and undertook his National Youth Service between November 12, 1982 and November 11, 1983 with HARBONI LIMITED of IBADAN. A copy of the National Youth Service Corp. discharge certificate number 173807 issued to Tinubu, Bola Adekunle (NYSC/OY/FORN/82/9106) dated November 11, 1983 was given to the Committee as proof. This is herewith attached and marked as "Annexure 19". The Governor said he also worked at Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc and rose to become the Treasurer of the organisation. To buttress this claim, he tendered the following documents:

1. A copy of Mobil Oil Nigeria, Plc Certificate of Service dated May 14th, 1992 issued in favour of Mr. B.A. Tinubu. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 20" is a copy of the said certificate.

2. A letter written by Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc dated December 29th, 1998 addressed to whom it may concern confirming that Mr. Tinubu was an employee of the Company between December 1, 1983 and mMay 17th, 1992. He was said to have left on May 18th, 1992 on public service lease of absence and did not return at the end of the leave. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 21" is a copy of the said letter.

3. A welcome address by Paul L. Caldwell, Chairman/Managing Director of Mobil Producing Nigeria at the dinner given in honour of Senator Bola Tinubu on June 11th, 1992. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 22" is a copy of the said address.

When questions were asked about age discrepancies, he insisted that he was born in 1952 and not 1954. In support of his claim, he referred to INEC FORM. 001 and his gubernatorial profile that put his year of birth as 1952. This tallies with his 1992 voters registration card and the Social Democratic Party senatorial candidature form dated June 1 1992, item 2 of which put his date of birth at March 29th, 1952.

The following documents were also made available to the Committee by the Governor.

1. His international passport number A0004062. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 23" is a copy of the relevant page of the said passport;

2. His United States of America refugee travel passport number A74685870. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 24" is a copy of the relevant page of the said passport; and

3. His United States of America employment authorisation card number LIN9804950277. Herewith attached and marked "Annexure 25" is a copy of the said card.

He concluded that errors on his INEC form were not deliberate, as he did not gain any advantage whatsoever by claiming 1954 or presenting bogus academic qualification since he already had the required minimum qualification.

When the Governor was asked why he did not respond to the allegations promptly, he said he felt they were all part of the campaign of calumny against him which began with the allegations that his administration was slow.

Asked about his view on the reactions of his aides to some of the allegations, he said that at a stage in the saga, the events took a life of its own with his aides issuing statements and papers on his behalf.

Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi' Testimony

He informed the Committee that he was heading the unit of the Governor's campaign responsible for processing the form and he accepted responsibilities for the mistakes in the INEC forms. He refuted that the form was signed at 2 a.m. He said the forms were filled for the Governor in a rush and under tensed circumstances, at a point when there were problems and crises in the party, Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Lagos State during the gubernatorial primary electioneering campaigns. He said as a result of the crises, they had very little time to fill land process the INEC form. He said the Governor also hurriedly signed the forms so as to beat the deadline given by INEC for the submission of all forms.

He also commented on the similarities and distinctions between the case at hand and that of Alhaji Salisu Ibraham Buhari, the former Speaker of house of Representatives. He said the only similarity is that both the former Speaker and the Lagos State Governor are public office holders. Otherwise, both cases are different in the following manner:

He said the former Speaker was under-aged at the time he contested the election and needed an advantage for eligibility, while the Governor was over the stipulated age. For example, in the case of Senate President, Evan Enwerem, the Senate Committee trying him discharged him on the allegation of age impropriety because even if there were two different ages, he was still above the minimum age requirement as at the time of his election.

The Governor has a degree from Chicago State University while the former Speaker did not even have a School Certificate.

The constitution provides immunity for the Governor from being ,tried or sentenced while Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim Buhari as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives had none.

He concluded that the mix-ups were caused by mistakes and not intentionally done as in the case of Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim Buhari.

Lastly, he said no crime was committed by the Governor and the Governor should be left to do what he has been voted for and elected into office to do.

The Testimony of Chief Gani Fawehinmi
Chief Gani Fawehinmio was of the view that the primary duty of the Lagos State House of Assembly is to determine if any law has been breached by the Lagos State Governor a this stage and not to determine the impeachment of the Governor now. He said the House of Assembly must find out if the Governor has committed any crime against the laws of Lagos State.

The issue according to him in that there are 2 (two) affidavits deposed to by the Governor of Lagos State and false declaration has been established. These affidavits are in INEC FORM CF. 001 deposed to before the Commissioner for Oath on 28th December 1998 and an affidavit titled "Affidavit in respect of loss of certificates" sworn to at the Ikeja High Court of Justice on 29th December 1998. Crime according to him has been committed since the provision of Sections 191 and 192 of the Criminal Code, cap. 32, Laws of Lagos State 1994 has been breached.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as a cruel irony the accusation of inconsistency and double standards leveled against its leaders by the presidency, saying an incompetent and flip flopping administration has no moral authority to point an accusing finger at anyone, least of all the patriotic and respectable APC leadership.

''The presidency is behaving like a punch-drunk boxer who, clearly dazed by a barrage of right-on-target punches from the opponent, ran to the ropes and started punching the air, when he should be thinking of a comeback strategy,'' the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

''This presidency is definitely dazed from its own failings, the collapse of the party that sired it and the opprobrium being poured on it daily by Nigerians who are grossly disappointed at its woeful performance and clear lack of direction. We are therefore not surprised that in addition to incompetence and cluelessness, it has now resorted to twisting facts,'' it said.

APC challenged the presidency to tell Nigerians when the party called on President Jonathan to respond to former President Olusegun Obasanjo's scorching letter, as claimed by the presidency on Monday.

''What we said, in our press release dated Dec. 13th 2013 and entitled 'APC to Jonathan: Don't take Nigeria back to Abacha days', was that
President Jonathan should address the allegations that he has put 1,000 Nigerians on a 'political watch-list', in addition to training snipers at the same facility where Abacha's killer squad was trained.

''Even then, our grouse with the President's letter is not that he should not have responded, but that he should have exhibited a high level of decorum in his response, bearing in mind that the presidency is an institution that should not be dragged into the mud, while the president is only a tenant.

''In order to show clearly that the presidency either did not understand our subsequent press release on the lettergate or has decided to distort our stand, we hereby reproduce the relevant part of the second statement we issued on Dec. 26th 2013, on the basis of which the presidency has misfired: 'The party said while it is not interested in joining the fray over the issues contained in the letters written by both men, the decision by the President to go personal in his reaction crossed the threshold of decency and brought the presidency - and indeed the country - into disrepute.

'''It said in other climes, the President would have simply issued a terse response to such a letter denying the allegations that border on national security, if any; as well as saying the former President's observations have been noted, and that the government would study them
and then engage with the former President in private, while assuring that the ship of state is on course'.''

On the accusation of inconsistency and double standards leveled against its leaders, the APC said the presidency was simply shooting the breeze.

''The problem with this presidency is that it still cannot get over the fact that our leaders, including Chief Bisi Akande, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have decided to put their differences aside and make personal sacrifices to rescue Nigeria from the PDP
death grip. The presidency cannot understand why the permutations of its fake political consultants, that personality clashes between Buhari and Asiwaju will not let the APC see the light of day, have failed.

''Also, they have been gripped with mortal fear that the leadership of the APC has reached out to all Nigerians, irrespective of their political leanings. They cannot understand that those who are genuinely committed to rebuilding a nation that has been made so fractious by a bungling ruling party must be flexible and accommodating, while holding on tight to their principles,'' the party said.

It urged the Jonathan presidency to expend its energy on telling Nigerians why it should not be voted out in 2015 for running the most incompetent administration yet in our country's history. It should explain to Nigerians why billions of naira have been squirreled away
under its watch. It should tell Nigerians why they spent their Christmas and New Year holidays in darkness; why most of our qualified
youth are unemployed, and why the government's contrived economic growth has yet to result in economic development (that's hoping they
know the difference).

''These are the issues that should bother this clueless presidency, not whether the APC asked President Jonathan to respond to a letter or
not. We are for issue-based engagements, not frivolity-based exchanges,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Interim National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Jan. 6th 2014

ilugunboy: Jagaban of Borgu emirate....keep flying high.

Haters goona hate anyway...that is what they are paid to do...hating

Gba o!! Hehehehe!

Is it a government that can't imprison a minister whose crimes are so glaring and obvious that will come and hold a great individual like Tinubu? Park well, jor!

alj harem: man of the year is Tinubu Nigeria is in trouble.

Yes. In trouble from terrible leadership at the FG level. Not from Tinubu. He's only doing his best!

A very well deserved award! All the meetings, threats, sleepless nights, countless miles flying for Nigeria to be great. Tinubu could have retired and rested like most politicians in the class of '99. His hunger for a better Nigeria wouldn't let him. One-by-One-by-God, he won back stolen mandates in the south west and added Edo to the fold. All performing governors. In the space of one year, 6 has become 16. God increase his health and mind for us!

All Progressives Congress National Leader and former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, in a Christmas message to Christians, urged Nigerians to remain steadfast in their faith that Nigeria will someday be lifted from its present predicament to a better society.

“Our hope for a better Nigeria, where the people are the core of governance and government functions as it should, must never diminish. We must continue to work, leaders and followers alike to realize the country of our dream," he said.

Tinubu admitted that Nigeria was going through a challenging phase with millions of ordinary citizens bearing the brunt. He, however, declared that out of these challenges, Nigeria will emerge stronger and better, as if out of the furnace.

"It is the responsibility of each one of us to find a space for action and develop the capacity to help bring about the desired change,” the former governor said. “It is never too late. Just like a few of us have built a political platform with the potential to deliver change and enhance the potentials of our people, others must join in or build similar platforms. It is not enough to stand, arms akimbo, waiting always to criticize and theorize as it is the way of some.

“What is required is being part of an active group that can wrest power and use it for the common good. Right now, the only way I know to securing power legitimately is through participation in the political party system.

“Though, some question our sincerity and our motives, we will not relent on the path we have chosen and the power of our conviction that it is only Nigerians from different backgrounds that can form an alliance for change.”

While wishing Christians a wonderful season, Tinubu called on all Nigerians to extend goodwill to others in the spirit of Christmas.

babamutum: This is balderdash. Whoever wrote this should come out and mention the name of who approached him to give him a job. This days people perpetrate all sorts in the name of Tinubu. The Jonanthan internet army have been writing all lkinds of trash about Tinubu, Buhari and others. More than 20 Nigerians fromt he usa who claim to be journalists are now camped in Abuja and paid huge sums to dinigrate others. We knowtheir names. We are ready to unmamsk then=m

Yes. All those who Okupe constantly supplies with money just to carry bad stories about the APC, their time to swim in the pool of shame and regret is nigh.

donphilopus: I've also been recruited! They've been paying me 100K as against PDP's 15K!

Hocus pocus.

Hehehehehe! Leave the yeye idiots, always ready to believe any silly uncomplimentary story against the APC. Don't go and face the failure of a govt they voted in Abuja.

No matter how much bad publicity you do against Ijebu Garri, it will sell. If GEJ's government is good and fair, it has nothing to fear from social media users. But wait, are you saying all the people yabbing GEJ are Tinubu sponsored?!

The APC held the 7th regular meeting of the Interim National Executive Committee of the party today, under the chairmanship of Chief Bisi Akande. Notable party leaders including Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Ogbonayya Onu, and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff graced the meeting.

The meeting happily welcomed for the first time the Governors of Kano and Rivers States, representatives of the Governors of Adamawa, Sokoto and Kwara States and Alhaji Kawu Baraje to the Interim NEC of the APC.

Sadly, in the course of the meeting, the APC learnt that another deadly attack was perpetrated against the Rivers Government House where the office of the Deputy Governor was partly destroyed. This and other acts of impunity clearly show the PDP, its agents and governments to be lawless. The APC warns that these acts demonstrate clearly that this government is anti-people, dictatorial and would go to any length to plunge the country into chaos.

At the conclusion of the meeting:

1. The APC has noted with concern the threats of the PDP to procure a pliant judge to declare the seats of the G-5 governors vacant in spite of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Atiku in 2007. It is of note that several times governors, including their legislatures from other parties have decamped from the ANPP and PPA to the PDP even when their former parties were not factionalized without any consequence. The APC will not only resist this lawfully but hereby warns the PDP to desist from words and deeds of impunity that threaten our stability and democracy. We also hope that the judiciary will not be a party to the deliberate promotion of lawlessness and impunity in our country. APC will give its governors and lawmakers the necessary support in defence of their rights and freedoms of association.

2. The APC has earlier alerted the nation of the strategy of the Jonathan administration to depopulate areas where our party has strong followings and suppress voter turnout in the Northern and South-West states through deliberate exacerbation of insecurity. We suspect that wittingly or unwittingly the recent declaration of INEC that elections are not likely to take place in states under state of emergency is in furtherance of this agenda.
3. The APC hereby warns that it will not accept the deliberate disenfranchisement of large swathes of our citizenry. APC will fight to defend the right of every eligible Nigerian voter to vote. We also want to alert the Federal Government that any attempt to extend the state of emergency without any justification will be resisted by every lawful and constitutional means.
4. The APC has always believed that it is a combination of carrot and stick that will resolve insurgencies that parts of our nation face. President Jonathan should therefore live up to his responsibilities by ensuring that every part of Nigeria is safe enough for elections, as our citizens expect nothing less.
5. The APC has alerted the nation of the gross abuse of the ecological funds and other illegal funds through the selective and unjust disbursement of funds to only Non-APC states. We also note the revelation of the diversion of revenues that ought to have been paid into the Federation Account running into trillions of Naira. Other budgeted amounts for parastatals, pensions, and the fuel subsidy that ought to have been properly accounted for are being similarly plundered with impunity. We call on the National Assembly to commence the immediate investigation of these constitutional violations and act in consonance with Nigeria’s constitution. This has become necessary to save our nation from falling off a fiscal cliff caused by excessive theft and corruption.
6. After the serial failures on the part of INEC to conduct bye-election and elections in Imo, Delta, Jigawa and Anambra States, the APC has expressed concern about the ability of the electoral umpire to conduct the forthcoming elections in 2014 and 2015. In Abia, the unprovoked harassment and intimidation of APC members continues unabated. Nevertheless, we support that INEC be adequately funded provided that biometric registration and accreditation be made conditions precedent for the required financial support. Democracy is not sustainable without free, fair and credible elections, and the APC warns that those that threaten this foundation are trying to destroy an edifice that they never built, but of which they are the biggest beneficiaries.
7. The APC is concerned with the situation in Rivers State. This display of impunity and the Faustian bargain between the police commissioner and a handful of rebel legislators has gone on for a full year. It must stop. Now is the time for all men and women of goodwill to speak up against the assault on an elected government and violations of the right of Rivers citizens. The international community is hereby put on notice that Nigeria’s democratic journey unravels and Rivers State might be the lightening torch for Nigeria’s descent into impunity. We wish to re-state once again that whatever touches one APC state affects the entire party. Our party will therefore not stand idly by and watch democracy desecrated in Rivers State or elsewhere in the country for that matter.



Chief Bisi Akande
Interim National Chairman

The Former President speaks some hard truths in his letter but how qualified is he to make a credible assessment?

They say the older we get, the bolder we get. And whilst even the most blinkered person would hardly describe Gen. Obasanjo as a shrinking violet, it is clear that in the former President’s dotage, to use a colloquialism, he no longer ‘sends’ anybody.

And hence his letter.

It is not so much a letter as it is a wrecking ball that devastates everything in its path. The ostensible target is President Jonathan's administration. But the wrecking ball is a crude device, it is unable to hone in on one specific target. It is an un-guided missile. If you want a wrecking ball to bulldoze a house, it takes the foundation with it. Resultantly, others likeAsiwaju Tinubu, Al-Mustapha, Bode George, NNPC and other politicians and officials have been similarly levelled in one fell swoop.

The shots are cheap and they are undoubtedly politically motivated. It is a scatter gun approach that doesn’t even pretend to be selective.

President Jonathan is something of a “cause célèbre” at the moment so undoubtedly the Obasanjo wrecking ball will have a number of Nigerians nodding in agreement after each pulverising paragraph. They will point to the fact that there is indeed questionable progress in the fight against corruption. They will agree that security remains an inaccessible ideal in several parts of the country.

When reading the epistle you may agree or disagree with it until you get to the part about Jonathan's poisoned legacy and you suddenly remember that, "Hang on, President Jonathan IS Obasanjo's legacy."

You then start to faintly remember all those campaign pictures with Jonathan beaming from ear-to-ear, arms aloft, hopping from state to state, with one man ubiquitously by his side at all times - Obasanjo.

So, what has changed? Is Obasanjo now so far removed from the inner caucus that an open letter is the only way to reach his former protégée? Is this wrecking ball in fact merely being swung by a disgruntled old lover?

How does Obasanjo credibly advise about legacy when his is so checkered? There is an old adage – Don't shoot the messenger – which I happen to agree with; however, there is nothing wrong with subjecting the messenger to a thorough examination. In fact, it is often quite prudent to do so.

In an 18-page letter, there was not a single statement of regret from Obasanjo. There was not a single word that even hinted at self-awareness or irony. A mea culpa this letter was not. And Nigeria has been waiting, in fact demanding one from Obasanjo for six years. It would be churlish to suggest that there were no positives from the Obasanjo administration, but the heavy stink of the third-term agenda decimated any public goodwill that had been accrued over 8 years.

When the former President writes: “As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour both of which are important ingredients of character. I will want to see anyone in the Office of the Presidency of Nigeria as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and character,” I wondered if he could possibly have uttered those words with a straight face.

Obasanjo’s broadsides as regards NNPC are particularly tough to digest. The NNPC is long overdue a shake-up but who can forget the bizarre and self-serving appointment of Obasanjo by Obasanjo, as Petroleum Minister? His 8-year tenure as President oversaw 8 fuel price hikes - an average of one a year. Inexplicably, petrol pump prices jumped 500% over the same period. It makes last year’s fuel subsidy hike seem positively benign in comparison.

When last can anyone remember queuing for petrol? In Obasanjo’s administration fuel queues were a periodic occurrence.

The lengthy complaints about insecurity are again justified in the wider context. But who can compare the insurgency in the Niger Delta now to what it was ten years ago? Boko Haram has been a black stain undoubtedly but their origins can be traced to Borno in 2002, under the Obasanjo administration.

The underlying complaint of the letter is that Jonathan is un-presidential. By writing such arude, scathing open letter and indicting the very office he once occupied, Obasanjo proves to be even more un-presidential.

I am hardly Jonathan’s biggest fan as a President. His legacy will not hold up to great scrutiny. However, it is particularly difficult to enjoy a gift when your benefactor is the same one who damns and rubbishes it in your presence.

The Obasanjo wrecking ball should not be mistaken for empathy at the Nigerian plight. It is a self-serving object of crudeness whose only purpose is to devastate and destroy.

The US Assistant Secretary Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has expressed concern over the conduct of the Anambra State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The United States Ambassador who spoke with press men in Abuja on Thursday 5th of December 2013 maintained that a transparent

election in Nigeria remains a high priority for the United States and that the Anambra Stated Guber Election was not transparent confirmed our disposition that Anambra Guber Election was a Scientific Fraud.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield went on to pledge a US government assistance to Nigerian Government to ensure that the errors that led to the supplementary election in Anambra State are not repeated in future elections in Nigeria

The United States Government spokes-person made it known that Anambra State Guber election was very problematic and un-transparent and that this seriously raises a concern about future elections in Nigeria and that Anambra Election does not reflect the will of the people

In order to solve the problems created by the Anambra Electoral Fraud, the US Ambassador suggested that the United States Government will work with Political parties to ensure that a Re-election in Anambra State and other future elections especially the 2015 general election will reflect the will of the people

We are very grateful to the United State Government that used her Satellite to X-ray the Guber Fraud in Anambra on the 16th of November and confirmed it for what it is, A CHARADE

Based on this confirmation and further evidence of electoral malpractice orchestrated by APGA and INEC during and after the November 16th Guber election in the state, the Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation and Anambra State PDP maintain our call for a total cancellation of the guber election and that the commission should organise a fresh election without delay

We also ask our supporters to be hopeful, faithful and steadfast as the mountain of evidence of the fraud perpetrated by both INEC and APGA in our possession will ensure that the Tribunal cancels this fraud and call for fresh election

Signed

Pharm Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann

Team Leader ICT and COMMUNICATION UNIT

Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation

One of the biggest supporters and kinsman of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has declared that the president has lost the support of his political base, the South-south and the South-East owing to the failure of his government to deliver on its promises.

Dokubo-Asari, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, said that it would be tough for Jonathan to win the presidential election in 2015 if he decides to run based on the poor showing of his administration.

He said that his decision to speak out was for him and others who are ardent supporters of Jonathan not to be blamed for his failure in 2015.

He said: “I want to start with an Ijaw proverb, which says: the eyes watched its seven children to death. Instead of advising them, it was just looking at them until they died, while the mouth talked its only child to life and success.

“We have continued as Ijaw people and the entire Niger Delta and South-South to support the presidency of President Goodluck Jonathan, but a time has come when silence cannot be golden.

“We mainly speak out in issues that are very critical to the survival of our people, the survival of the people of the South-South and the South-East, which happens to be the political base of Goodluck Jonathan.

“Jonathan is surrounded by very greedy people who are only in the Presidency to enrich themselves at the expense of Goodluck himself.

“This brings us to another Kalabari proverb, which says: where there are elders, a goat cannot be allowed to deliver tied to a stick.

“If we don’t talk and we continue to brush it aside, tomorrow we will be blamed and people will say: Mujahid Dokubo-Asari was around when Goodlcuk Jonathan was president and he didn’t talk.

“Them I will be an accomplice and accessory after the fact….

“It is alarming because the South-South must have its uninterrupted eight years tenure, which is constitutional.

“But with how things are going under Jonathan’s watch, we are afraid that we may not be able to have our eight years tenure because there will be no magic about it if it is going to be one man one vote.”

Dokubo-Asari said he will continue to speak out despite the fact that he had benefitted from Jonathan, adding that one of those causing trouble for the President remains the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godsday Orubebe.

He said: “I have benefited immensely from Goodluck Jonathan with my stake but benefit alone is not enough to make me to keep quiet when the period is very challenging for our people.

“So, some of us are tempted to ask this question: why are all these things happening?

“Why has the President allow some ministers like Godsday Orubebe to continue in government?

“Everyday people die on the East-West Road.

“If Orubebe is incompetent as he has shown himself to be, he should be removed.

“Nobody voted for Orubebe.

“And why is Orubebe so important to the President that he can’t remove him even in the face of his obvious incompetence and several allegation to corruption?

“We feel very ashamed and embarrassed.

“Orubebe was one of us.

“He was attending meetings with us, sleeping in the ground with us, entering night bus with us and we nominated him to be appointed a minister.

“We have gone to him and complained to him that we don’t like they way things are going in his ministry and told him that if the President leaves in 2015 without the completion of the East-West Road, we are finished.

“And the man keeps telling us there is no money.

“When IBB (former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida) was there, there was money.

“When Abacha was there, there was money.

“When others were there, there was money.

“How come the money disappeared when Jonathan got there?

“Jonathan and orubebe will account for the death in the East-West Road.”

On the face-off between Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dokubo-Asari said there was no need for it.

He said that no matter what Jonathan feels, he still remains a beneficiary of Obasanjo’s large heartedness.

He said: “First, there was no need for Goodluck Jonathan to disagree with Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I don’t like Obasanjo.

“I don’t like his face.

“I hate him.

“But he was instrumental in bringing Goodluck Jonathan to power.

“And the greedy people around Jonathan have not managed him enough to the extent that the President and people around him will allow Jonathan to disagree with Obasanjo openly.

“And if you check, all the people who supported Goodluck Jonathan and fought to bring him to power, have openly disagreed with him.

“What was the cause of these disagreements?

“These are the questions we want to put to the president.

“Some people say Obasanjo is manipulating Goodluck Jonathan, that is why Jonathan is disagreeing with him and we ask: what has Goodluck Jonathan’s government achieved to show that it is a departure from other governments that have existed since 1956?

“For us, nothing has changed.

“It is still business as usual.

“So what are the advice that Obasanjo gave to Jonathan that were so difficult for him to fulfill, that made him decide to fall out with Obasanjo?

“Obasanjo was instrumental and manipulated the process that illegally removed Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as governor of Bayelsa State and installed Jonathan as governor, made him vice president, fought for him to become acting president and also fought for him to become president of Nigeria.

“Apart from Obasanjo, there are so many people who supported Goodluck Jonathan, some have been pushed out by those who were not there to give him any support, while some others are trapped and they cannot talk.

I have a feeling that Fulani man Buhari would have done more for Niger-delta than Jonathan has done so far Jonathan has done nothing for Niger Delta actually. It is getting more and more difficult to support him, the second niger bridge is another issue. Even his allies are denouncing him. What a shame!

Soldiers, riot policemen and other security agencies on Thursday confronted the leaders of the All Progressives Congress during their march to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja to protest against the November 16 Anambra state governorship election.

Protest is ongoing in Abuja

The comments credited to Olisa Metuh, Natinal Publicity Secretary of the PDP, as reported in the media, to the effect that that APC knocks INEC I when it is losing and vice versa is diversionary in the face of glaring facts of the conduct of Anambra elections known to the whole world, but PDP who is part of the problem.
In fact it is a manifestation of sycophancy to please Metuh’s superiors in PDP caught in an intricate web of anti-party conducts and undue influence over INEC.

The mere fact that the position of the PDP, as expressed by Metuh contradicts that expressed by the PDP candidate in Anambra guber elections, Mr Toy Nwoye, who has called for the total cancellation of the elections, is indicative that the National body of PDP lead by the president may not have been behind fully behind their candidate.

Gladly, Metuh illustrated with Ondo State where his party fielded a candidate for the Governorship elections, but instead supported the Labour Party Candidate Gov Olusegun Mimiko through the back door.

He went further to claim that APC is coming third in Anambra State elections as it did in Ondo State.

Without meandering, the principle of PDP support which short-changes its candidates is the same for Anambra as it was in Ondo State, and the issue of coming third, fourth, fifth of sixth in a largely discredited election does not talke away the locus standi of a focused, people-oriented political party with vested interest to demand as APC and its candidate are doing, that all voters in Anambra State who showed up to vote on Saturday November 16, 2013, but be allowed to vote in a free and fair election on a clean slate.

The needless political point that Metuh and his party –at the national level-wish to score is that only those who have been awarded and undeserved first and second position, in an election in which all indices point to a total failure designed by the powers that be at the highest level can speak up on whether people should be allowed to vote or not.

We vehemently disgree!

The admission of INEC that its officers have colluded in election rigging , the confirmation of all observers ,local and foreign that elections was a failure , the testimonies further emerging from the elections beyond the original confirmed flashpoints to all 21 local government areas means that the rigging plan which PDP used to short-change Ghali Umar Na’Aba in 2003 in favour of a ANPP candidate and Ifeanyi Ararume ,Imo State in favour of Ohakim, a PPA candidate in Imo State’s 2007 elections, may or may not necessarily work for the ‘messed-up’ (In Prof Attahiru Jega’s words) elections in Anambra State.

However, while the issue of sincere support by the PDP a the national level to their own in the states remains their internal affair, what is unimpeachable is that APC stands for the principle of one, man one vote, which must count and all Anambra State citizens who are qualified to vote must be allowed to vote in a clean election for the results to be acceptable.

Hence, it remains unacceptable to accommodate a widespread manipulation using INEC officials, security agents, real and fake, which employed every possible vice found in Anambra State elections of the past to blur the future of Anambra youth, even if Metuh sell out his state on partisan considerations.

It becomes laughable when Metuh opens a new vista to the rigging plan of PDP when it chose to use security agents to arrest election observers in a neighbouring state to Anambra, only to label them ‘APC thugs’. Yet no charge is being pressed on these wonderful ‘tag-wearing thugs’, with large number of highly educated women in their ranks.

By towing this part, Metuh is the one trying, to becloud a serious issue of illegitimacy of government to be thrown up in the 2004-2018 gubernatorial tenure to naked propaganda, without content.

Were it not so, Metuh should have dealt directly with the issues of the INEC-assisted rigging in a n Obosi hotel where Policemen and the Army declined to make an arrest; the withdrawal of result sheets by INEC officials where they had ‘mistakenly’ supplied giving way for results to be recorded on rough sheets o cardboard paper; the use of fake policemen and NYSC members, the arrival of materials in overwhelming number of pre=determined local government areas at 2.00pm incomplete; the orchestrated strike by NYSC Presiding officers on elections day; the placement of materials on election tables unmanned, and them the refusal of INEC officials o answer to the helpline, and taken a discernable position ,so that Anambra State will recognise its enemies.

To conclude, we note that silence is better than the statement so far credited to PDP and Metuh on the Anambra State elections so far, even in the interest of his party.

Once again we restate our resolve to rescue the rights of Anambra State people to freely and fairly choose their leader and run their state without being controlled remotely form Abuja or elsewhere, a migraine that was all but solved in 2003, until retrogressive elements, seeking to serve only the interest of powers outside the state regained control.

APC without urges the good people pf Anambra State, Nigeria and the worlds to discountenance the mud-slinging from Metuh’s PDP, and pay closer attention to the comprehensive report of putrid manipulation of elections in all 21 local government areas of the state and the insulting signpost of this happening on the birthday of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose great sacrifices for democracy in Nigeria is unparalleled.

For: ALL PROGRSIVE GRAND ALLIANCE (APC), ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER

Okelo Madukaife

Interim State Publicity Secretary

You must realise that personal differences must be set aside in our quest to save Nigeria. IBB led Nigeria into problems but he can a lot be a part of the solution. Get off your high horse and join the Change Wagon!

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller - Pastor and Activist.

Two days ago, as I made it to the bus station to catch a BRT bus on my way to an appointment, I witnessed an incident that made me recognize that we, Nigerians, are still a long way from understanding the concept of people being governed by rules and not emotions.

A branded bus was less than 20 meters away from a traffic cop – already slowing down actually – when a young girl of about 17 years, carrying a bag of plantains on her head, jumped in front of the bus and was knocked down and fell to the ground. Since she was already out of the way and fearing there could be cars behind him, the driver kept going, since he would have to stop in front anyway. One guy, desperate to play the hero, ran after the bus, screaming his head off. The bus stopped and “Superman” began calling the driver all the bad names he could squeeze into ten seconds without his head exploding. The girl was being dragged off the floor in different directions by two men while a third one began to fan her like corn on hot coals. Bruises apart, she seemed ok. But the crowd wasn’t. They wanted blood; only this time, the driver’s.

One elderly man was already suggesting that the students among the small crowd should jump on the driver and beat him to death. Another guy made ready to skin the ‘offender’ alive.‘Superman’ looked like his eyes were going to laser the driver into ashes. I had seen the entire drama and couldn’t take the B***S*** any longer.

“Why are you all shouting at the driver?” I exclaimed, in my best “Agbero” voice. “Did he push the girl in front of his bus? Did she look properly before crossing the road? Was she hit while on the sidewalk? Leave the guy alone, he has done nothing wrong!”

One other guy joined me and that seemed to calm things down. The driver looked at us with so much gratitude in his eyes. You'd think we were his Jesus Christ on earth, apologies to Evans Bipi. We probably saved him from being lynched by the blood thirsty crowd. Funny enough, the police controlling traffic had vanished by this time.

As I rode in that bus, I allowed my mind to wander and I asked myself what would have happened if I had walked away from that scene. The poor guy would most probably have been beaten or even murdered and his offense won’t be that he knocked down a girl. No. It would be that he had the effrontery to be driving a bus while the majority slapped the pavement. The gang up on the dude would have been one of ‘Have Vs Have-Nots’. Period.

I’m always stupefied by how easy and readily we are prepared to ignore the rules that govern us; ignore the collective pains we share as people; ignore the human instincts that kept us at the top of the animal kingdom and just go off on each other over issues that can easily be resolved with a little decorum and sacrifice. We find it so effortless to put the other guy in his place, whether it’s in traffic or at the work place. Yet, when we are called to protest against a government policy or action, we easily manufacture reasons why it shouldn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t happen. In fact, we hate the guts of those who have the courage to question the authority and some go ahead, without any proof, to say activists are only in it for the money. It’s like we just can’t take it that there are some people who are can’t ignore injustice and actually want change in their society.

Lately, the drama between the Seven Renegade PDP Governors and the Presidency-backed Bamanga Tukur faction of the party reached some insane heights. It seems even the kitchen sink is not being spared as the GEJ Camp is throwing everything at the G7. It has been a galore of intimidation, threats, withdrawal of security, verbal attacks and, total disregard for the laws of the land, lockouts and manhandling. A sitting governor has had his ADC and CSO withdrawn. A governor was denied access to his own lodge because of his association. Five governors were held hostage by a DPO because of "orders from above." While this has happened, what have we all done as a people? Yep! We are siddon-looking!

I have a few questions, though. If Mr. President is using all his powers to make life hell for his opponents within his party, what will deter him from doing much worse to those in the opposition? If the man, who doesn’t hesitate to trumpet his credentials of having conducted the ‘best election in Nigeria’, cannot accept the result of an election involving only 35 individuals, will he willingly leave power if the voters go against him in the next election? Are we so happy to see the PDP implode that we are prepared to collectively ignore the crass, barely-concealed atrocities being committed against elected officials and free men by people who swore to protect the constitution? If a Police DPO have grown so bold as to order people who enjoy immunity under the law to remain sitting, who's to stop him from giving the rest of us mortals a hard time when he feels like it?

I am glad that the Progressive Governors Forum have stuck their necks out for their stricken colleagues and released a powerful statement in their defense. Yes, it could all be politics but not even the most cynical can deny the logic. This exert is the best part of that statement for me -“Particularly disturbing and worthy of note is that if seven Nigerian governors, all of whom are constitutionally guaranteed immunity from prosecution, can be manhandled in such a brutal manner, what would be the fate of ordinary citizens who seek to exercise their rights to freedom of association?”

If this question makes you uncomfortable, siddon-looking just stopped being an option. Else, when the oppressor comes for you, you may have no one to speak for you.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE TOO CRITICAL TO BE LEFT TO THE FLIP-FLOPPING PRESIDENCY OF GOODLUCK JONATHAN - Bola Tinubu

Since I first made known my initial reaction to President Jonathan’s proposed National Dialogue/Conference, the daggers have been out against me. The paid public relations gangs of the administration and some sympathizers have gone into overdrive in the media and public fora to denounce me for the position I have taken. I thought I ought to enjoy the same right they have exercised by supporting Jonathan’s conference to also reject it and make my reaction known. Unfortunately it does not seem so.

But I have news for them. I will not take anything I have said back on the proposed National Dialougue by this present administration. I insist that the planned national dialogue is a ‘Greek’ gift and public deception. I say beware of the Greek gift; let us first of all, ask a series of questions.

The government's proposal is a walk down a back alley that leads only to a dead end. It has the same empty taste as sitting down to dine after all the food has been eaten and the table cleared.

I intend to raise fundamental questions/interrogations in the following response. I am known to have always reviewed the message or policy action of government after which I simply proceed to respond to the message and not the messenger. But this time around, my focus and response is to the messenger and not the message essentially. Questioning the messenger and his motives is my mission here as a Nigerian and a political leader. Also, in warning against Jonathan’s proposed Conference, I will put forward a few practicable suggestions.

The core questions to ask here is how credible, reliable and capable is the current President to be able to midwife a critical conference such as this? Will this President be sincere enough to let all the issues that are on the agenda be exhaustively discussed at the conference? Will this President have the guts to implement fully all final resolutions of the conference without fear or favor or any pandering?

This is an administration that has been known to have flip-flopped on so many critical issues of national importance. President Jonathan was part of two issues of national importance in the recent past; Amnesty and the Uwais Panel on electoral reform. We all know what has happened to these two issues. The Amnesty conceived from inception has been corrupted and hijacked by the President’s clique. It is one of Nigeria’s drain pipes. A slush fund for political expeditions anda conduit to siphon money to the boys.

The Uwais Panel report gathers dust and suffers from constant cherry picking. What about the much-publicized SURE-P initiative of this administration? Another ill-conceived and fraudulently implemented program of this administration. Billions of naira have so far disappeared into private pockets and the treasury still bleeds. I can go on and on. Is this the leader we want to trust with organizing a National dialogue or is it conference they call it? Where is the capability? Where is the sincerity? Where is the presence of mind?

Recent Nigerian political history bears me out in this instance. Recall the call for a Sovereign National Conference began in earnest in the latter phase of the political transition programme of military president Ibrahim Babangida. Claiming that it was laying a solid foundation for a democracy that will endure, the regime turned Nigeria into a laboratory for all manner of political stunts.

Nigerians came to conclude that the regime was pursuing a not-so-hidden agenda of self-perpetuation and called for a Sovereign National conference to replace a transition programme that had clearly lost its momentum and its direction.

Next door, in Benin Republic, a Sovereign National Conference was being staged to chart a new course for a country that had virtually come to a standstill. Its crisp, bold and purposeful proceedings resonated in Nigeria, and Nigerians yearning for such a conference embraced the Beninoise model.

The military regime seemed at a point to embrace the concept, too, and even tried to enlist some prominent citizens to translate it into practice. But when it appeared those citizens had taken the regime more seriously than it took itself, the regime scuttled the idea and decreed jail sentences for anyone purporting to stage a national conference.

Then came the presidential election debacle of June 12, 1993, and with it, renewed calls for a Sovereign National Conference. The election crisis swept out the military regime, but not before it had planted a surrogate, the so-called Interim National Government, a clueless outfit that lasted three months but drove Nigeria to the edge of ruin, until it was overthrown by General Abacha.

To win public acceptance, Abacha promised to stage a National Conference with “constituent powers.” This was another act of bad faith, for Abacha packed the assembly with his hand-picked nominees. Those who were not his nominees were products of an election that was widely boycotted, persons who could hardly be described as authentic representatives of their constituencies. The conference exercised nothing close to the “constituent powers” Abacha had promised. The five political parties that emerged from the constitutional framework designed by the Assembly all ended up endorsing Abacha as their presidential candidate. Abacha’s death ended the charade. Knowing that Nigerians were no longer prepared to put up with military rule, Abacha’s colleagues hastily put together a constitution to serve as the legal framework for the civilian administration inaugurated in 1999.

The constitution was not published until it came into effect. It was not debated. Those who took office swore an oath to defend a Constitution they had not seen, and the provisions of which they did not know.

Soon, it became clear that it was riddled with grave defects. Despite its portentous preface, “We, the People,” it was not a people’s constitution. The people played hardly any role in its writing. It did not reflect their yearnings. Some legal authorities even went so far as to call the document a forgery.

And so, demands for a Sovereign National Conference broke out afresh, to design a new constitutional order for Nigeria, one anchored on the core principles of federalism and warranted by the preface, “We, the People.”

Then came the Obasanjo’s constitutional review process by the National Assembly in the twilight of his administration. The process came up with 118 recommendations most of which were far reaching and dealt with critical and contentious issues of nationhood. It became ill-fated due to the failure to smuggle in the third term tenure extension provision. The rest, as they say, is now history.

Now, we are about to embark on a similar futile exercise. And here is why. Until some two to three months back, our demands for a sovereign national conference found little sympathy in the Executive and Legislative branches of government, until some three weeks ago when Senate President, David Mark, issued a qualified endorsement. Then, in his National Independence Day Broadcast, President Jonathan Goodluck, announced to everyone’s surprise that the Federal Government would indeed sponsor a National Conference, at which Nigeria’s ethnic nationalists would discuss and negotiate the terms of continued association.

Within days, Dr. Jonathan named a chairman and members of a committee to advise on modalities for staging the conference and submit a report within one month.

I, like other well-meaning Nigerians, must welcome this shift. It is an admission, at last, that the wide cracks in the national fabric can no longer be papered over, and that the time has come for fresh thinking on fundamental problems, the existence of which has for too long been denied.
Yet, President Jonathan’s epiphany–if epiphany it is and not an expedient calculated to enhance his 2015 reelection bid – should be subjected to searching questions.

It is difficult to lay aside the suspicion that his sudden conversion is all about 2015. Otherwise, why the sudden endorsement of a National Conference, not merely in principle, but with a rush toward some form of implementation? What has happened that was not already in play in all those years during which the authorities rejected demands for a National Conference?

Second, it is also difficult to lay aside the suspicion that the government is now embracing the idea with a view to watering it down, if not smothering it altogether. What its proponents have been canvassing is a Sovereign National Conference organized by the sovereign people of Nigeria, not one staged by the government. Government will figure in that Conference only as a facilitator, not as organizer.

Many of the ethnic nationalities clamouring for a Sovereign National Conference are contesting nothing less than the legitimacy of the Nigerian State as presently constituted. It cannot be an answer to their misgivings that the Federal Government, the agent of that state, is set to take charge of a Sovereign National Conference designed to chart a new path.

Third, Dr. Jonathan did not indicate whether the Conference will be sovereign or exercise constituent powers. That omission is not reassuring. What Nigerians have been demanding is a Sovereign National Conference whose decisions can only be ratified or rejected by the people in a national referendum. There is no room for a Government White Paper or Blue Paper or Paper of any colour whatsoever in such a scheme.

Fourth, it must be asked whether this is an opportune moment for the conference, when the ruling party is in disarray, a large portion of the country is convulsed by Boko Haram violence and killings, and permutations over a general election have already taken centre stage in the affairs of the nation two years ahead of schedule.

Would staging a National Conference in such a setting not overheat the polity? Would it not be better to defer the Conference until after the general elections? There is still so much to do to ensure that the election is free and fair, conforms to the best practices, and represents the true will of the people.

Though I remain an unrepentant supporter of a genuine Sovereign National Conference, I am suspicious of this present concoction because it is half- baked and fully deceptive. Government's sincerity is questionable, the timing is also suspect. Now that this government is sinking in a pool of political and economic hot water of its own making, it seizes hold of the national conference idea as if it were a life jacket.

This government habitually puts the wrong leg forward. In the face of debilitating terrorist attacks by Boko Haram, kidnappings across the country and a general insecurity, this government wants to open up another political front by hurriedly organizing a national conference. This rankles the brain.

This government has not the honesty, foresight, tolerance and objectivity to hold a National Conference of any type. This government is so partisan and parochial, it can’t even hold its own party together. How dare it even think it can organize a national conference that lives up to its name by being truly representative of all the nation's constituent parts! At most, all they can conduct is a conference comprised of one section of their party and those shell, artificial civil society groups that purport to reflect the public's mind, yet do nothing but spew government propaganda and get paid good naira for their service. This government cannot hold a National Conference anymore than a comatose man can stand and hold up a candle that the rest of us might see our way to a better Nigeria.

Before embarking on new public relations ploys to whitewash its tarnished record, the government should treat some long outstanding issues and matters. This government cannot give what it does not have.

If the conference must be held now, we must return to the spade work already done by the Obasanjo government in the aspect of constitutional review. Let the Jonathan government bring it out, remove the third term toxic component and set up a technical review committee to examine the 118 recommendations therein. We must continue from where we disagreed. Nation building is a progressive work and to totally jettison the considerable spade work already done is to set back the hands of the clock. Time is not on our side.

Secondly, this government should implement the Uwais recommendations on electoral reforms. That report was the work of imminent Nigerians and it was done after widespread consultations to constituencies far and wide. We all know that our electoral system is broken and unfair. If the President has done nothing to fully implement this corrective report that would fix a system so blatantly broken, why would he implement recommendations of national conference if those recommendations do not suit his narrow purposes? The government should first implement this important work in order to demonstrate to Nigerians that it can hold and honor the outcome of a National dialogue.

This government should do so to show that it has nothing to hide and is willing to engage in the upcoming electoral contest on a level playing field.

This government must first show good faith for Nigerians to believe them. President Jonathan is not the man to give Nigerians a true National Conference. He can only give us a “Jonathan Conference” as bitter icing on the sour cake his government has become. This government lacks the presence of mind and the decency to implement a national conference.

This administration has not achieved any tangible transformation because it has no concrete goals. Now it tilts and staggers under the weight of insecurity. Claims of transformation and of building an economy that is robust and institutions of democracy, by the President shows someone who believes fiction is more important than fact and imagination is more genuine than reality. While I would not mind such a person to be a leading figure in our Nollywood film industry, I am frightened that he is the chief resident in Aso Villa.

Both in timing and in style, previous administrations adopted the same tricks of National Conference as a framework to structure their agenda to which people presented memoranda and attended plenaries before realising it was a trick.

This government's offer of a National Conference is a wingless bird. It will not fly. The advisory committee set up to design a framework and come up with recommendations as to the form, structure and mechanism of the process will soon find out they are on a journey with no destination save the wall of futility.

Yes, we need to talk. However, we need a national conference that is truly sovereign and not one dictated by the reactionary and regressive elements of the ruling party. This is not the way to clear Nigeria from danger. This is a selfish ploy that will place the nation deeper in darkness and indirection.

Nigeria is adrift and unless we start a discourse aimed at updating and improving our political economy and its structures, we might wake up one day from a night devoid of dreams because we have turned into a nation devoid of hope.

However, an imposed national conference by individuals who have shown total disdain for anything nationalistic that does not unduly benefit them and who have demonstrated lack of respect for the opinions of others because they are in “Power” will have little success. It will be an empty and expensive futility with no true dividends for a people wanting their leaders to show them a way out of the pit and not a way deeper into it.


Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Never has one man’s return been so eagerly awaited. By 8am last Saturday, both sides of the road leading to the Lagos International Airport was lined with cars. The mood was festive and the people were restless. Most were dabbed in the colours of the All Progressives Congress and you could tell that they all came to make a statement. If anyone was in doubt as to why they were there, several banners carried the message home: “Welcome Home, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Truth be told, the journalist in me was a little irritated. “Why are all these people here?” I asked myself. “This is a press event!” I wondered why the supporters and fans of Sen. Tinubu didn’t just go wait for the man at his house. The major thing for me was for the press to capture the early moments of the loved politician’s return and to get those juicy sound bites that were sure to make the front pages of newspapers. All I wanted was for the cameraman with me to take photos, give them to me and for me to find a way to get them to all my contacts in the online media. I almost screamed, “Go home and let the man land in peace!” That was until one man standing beside took a look at the crowd, and said, with a smile on his face, “Dem Baba don come back.” My anger evaporated.

After three months outside Nigeria, Sen. Bola Tinubu returned to the country he has always fought to defend from marauders and scavengers. This was the longest he had ever stayed away from Nigeria since he returned in 1998, after the military junta hounded him and sought to exterminate him. He had become a pest to them, one that needed to be crushed. His offense was his constant call for the military to return Late Moshood Abiola’s stolen mandate and leave the political scene for democracy and social justice to thrive. For his refusal to yield ground, he was hunted. So, he fled, teamed up with other freedom fighters andbattled them from the outside. Back then, his return was hardly noticed. This time, you couldn’t ignore it if you were blind, deaf and dumb.

Accompanied off the plane by Gov. Fayemi and Ogbeni Rauf, both of whom had joined boarded the aircraft after it taxied to a corner of the airstrip, Sen. Tinubu’s his first act was to give his dear wife, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, a warm hug. He then kissed her smack on the lips. For those brief seconds, no one else existed. This was the woman who had his back when he chose to leave the comfort of a corporate and easy life as the Treasurer at oil giant Mobil. She stood by him when he plunged into the murky waters of politics in 1992 and fled with him when it was time to go. Same woman was there for him when he began the transformation of Lagos state and raised its profile to an unassailable height. She was there through the political struggles that culminated into the merge of progressive parties and the establishment of the APC. She took care of him when he needed succor while healing from surgery. Now, she was there to welcome him home. Believe me, we didn’t exist to the man within those seconds!

Clearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people there to greet him, Sen. Tinubu couldn’t contain his joy.

“It is a great joy to be back,” he said. “It is good that we are back and I really appreciate your concern and this great gathering. I am returning today, having travelled overseas for medical attention. It is indeed good to be in my fatherland. This is the first ever and the longest period of my absence from Nigeria’s political scene since 1993. It has never happened. The only time something like this happened was when I was in exile. Since 1999, I have never been away for more than one week,not even personal vacation. I am glad that I am back, I am fit and able; I can run 2.5 kilometer, if you want to try me, I will get down, and we can run and see who wins.”

Always the man to share his wealth of experience, Sen. Tinubu said this of the doctors who treated him, “Among those who contributed to this(surgery/recovery) are great Nigerians, well qualified physicians, who have moved out of the country because there are no facilities, no equipment here. No such opportunities exist for them in Nigeria. Among them are physiotherapists, who did the job that I must get well quick and return to the country to participate in recovering Nigeria to the path of excellence. I thank them all.”

After making statements on his new party, the proposed national conference (a sick joke, I must add) and the recent plane crash, Sen. Tinubu was off. One would have thought he would be anxious to go home but this maverick just can’t be that predictable. He headed straight for the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, to see the victims of the plane crash. After commiserating with them, along with the governors of Osun, Ekiti and Oyo, he headed straight for the Oba of Lagos’ palace.

This last act is the mark of a true Omo Odua. That Sen. Tinubu respects the throne, traditions and customs of his people is the mark of a great man. Many people of influence and power are quick to neglect their African roots and, like streams that forget their source, dry out and wither. This man wants to remain relevant for a long time and could not afford to disrespect the throne. A lesson for young leaders here.

A carnival of sorts was waiting for the man at home and he duly obliged the thousands who have waited for hours to catch a glimpse of their leader, benefactor and hero. He danced to their drums, waving a broom (APC symbol) in the air. Once within his walls, he proceeded to seat under a canopy where prayers were held for his safe return and continued good health. The three major religions were represented. Finally, the man disappeared in-doors, his welcome party still going on in his compound.

The highlight of the evening was when a group of dancers from Benue state emerged and did the Swange Dance. It was colourful and many of the guests seemed to enjoy it.

As they swayed, twisted and turned to the drums and the flute, I sat back and marveled at how this dance hasn’t changed despite the many challenges and alteration this country has faced. The dance still requiredgreat skill, flexibility strength and endless practice to master. You couldn’t pull off the Swange Dance without much dedication and sacrifice. Same way you couldn’t lead Nigeria properly if your patriotic credentials are in doubt or you suffer a lack of ingenuity and purpose.

Thankfully, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is blessed with all the gifts of nation building, is back home, safe and sound. The catalyst for progressive politics in Nigeria has arrived. The one they call ‘Oko Iya PDP’ has re-entered the stage. The time to unite and save Nigeria is now. Sweep on, Asiwaju!

YOBE MASSACRE ONE TOO MANY - Tinubu

As a father and leader, I am deeply saddened by the senseless killings of innocent students. It is unacceptable and indefensible under any guise. It is an act that must be punished.

The recent carnage in Borno State and now at the College of Agriculture in Yobe reminds us of the sinister nature of the enemy our nation now faces. There should be no mistake at this somber moment. Those who launched these attacks did not launch them at the people they killed. They knew not the names of their victims or who they were. The dead were just unfortunate souls who happened to be close enough to murder. The real targets of these massacres were our nation, society and any semblance of civilized, modern life. Nigeria is under attack and the earlier those in charge realize this, the quicker the situation can be arrested. In terms of security, the present is not safe, neither is the future secured.

The killings at the College of Agriculture were particularly jarring. Under cover of darkness, evil crept unto a campus of higher learning, turning it into a place of slaughter. These murderers snatch the lives of young people who were just entering the fullness of life. The attackers fell upon them so early that many of the students were still in bed. These young people only wanted an education to improve their future and that of the nation. They were armed only with this desire and with the tools of students. They had done no one any harm.

Yet, their attackers executed them in the cruelest fashion. This is terror in its basest form. By this act, the crazed and armed menace we face tells us that attending school, attempting to get an education, is now a capital offense. Those guilty of seeking to learn are to be executed.
This is a dire affront to fundamental humanity. It is also a frontal attack on our quest for economic development and social progress. Those that did this seek to cast a veil of fear and ignorance over Nigeria. We must remain steadfast in the belief that enlightenment and progress is best for our people.

These killers want us to hide in the shadow of fear and live in the cave of ignorance. We must be brave enough to tell them “no.” No matter how they try to frighten us, we shall walk in the light of learning, justice, hope and tolerance, unity and progress. What we face is nothing less than a contest for the soul of the nation. We dare not lose the contest. These young people died just because they wanted to learn and live better. We can’t allow their deaths to be in vain. Thus, we must rededicate ourselves that all of our children shall learn and live better because of the education they shall receive.

We must look beyond the deaths and spilled blood of these innocent children. In times like these, it is easy to give up and recede into our fears. Yet, we must be of good courage. We must not give way to sorrow or despair. We must forge ahead with our best plans and preparations for the people.

That said, we must beseech the federal government to tend better to our security. I make this not as a partisan jab. I make this as a Nigerian who sees the larger danger lurking behind these attacks. These murderers seek to shutter the educational system in the north. Should they accomplish this, they will only attack another social institution, then another, until all are flattened. They intend to make Nigeria desolate. In their warped minds, this will be paradise. Paradise for them will be purgatory for the rest of us.
With grim determination that Nigeria shall overcome this pestilence and that justice shall ultimately prevail, we cannot give up and retreat from the task of governance and building this nation. We must be of good courage. We cannot allow their violence to dictate the path that we must go.

They see a nation they want to destroy. I see a nation we should build. We shall win. They may have guns and terror. But they lack the moral force to stop us from building the nation we seek. We have justice and right. We shall win. They shall lose and get swept into the wash of history. They only issue is how long will it take and how many lives will be lost before this evil folds. Again, this where the federal government must become more proactive in developing a comprehensive law enforcement, intelligence-gathering and economic incentives strategy that checkmates this plague.

On such a grave matter of national security, there is no partisanship. We are all Nigerians. We stand ready to help in this fight. We await the call of the federal government to do so.
Our condolences are extended to the governor of Yobe, the people of the state, and the families of those killed. Your grief is heavy and thick because of the senselessness of this tragedy. But you don’t carry this grief alone. All Nigeria grieves with you. Those were our children, too.”

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The Nigerian political terrain is replete with various shades of people. In my country, every Tom, Dick and Harry calls himself a politician, but one man stands out among the pack. Hate or love him, his place in history is already reserved. Through admirable political sagacity, open-heartedness and sheer political industry, he has been able to extend handshakes across the Niger. To the chagrin of his political adversaries, he is leading a team that is determined to re-engineer the entire national political landscape.
To the progressives in the east, north, south and west, the man is one to be adored and “soaked” in panegyrics; but to the conservatives in these regions, the man is secretly revered but openly detested for being their nemesis. The conservatives and their kindred could not fathom why one single individual called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban of Borgu, could successfully rally the whole country against the ruling party – a situation that is sending jitters down the spines of occupants of the Presidential Villa.
No wonder they are secretly jubilating, albeit fleetingly, any time they remember the perceived prolonged overseas medical trip of Asiwaju. His absence from the nation’s political turf is not difficult to notice. Some politicians could afford to leave the scene without being noticed but not an Asiwaju, whose political clout and philanthropy, have defied ethnic/tribal boundary. His political adversaries recently went viral in the public domain with satanic speculations about his state of health. In market places, clubs, offices, Government Houses, homes, newspaper houses, newsstands, airports, government offices and public transportation among others, busy bodies at every opportunity talk about the Jagaban. Some idle talkers reportedly said the man could not walk; others maliciously concocted in hush tones – Parkinson, where none existed. God forbid!
The truth is that Asiwaju is hale and hearty in London, where he is relaxing after a minor surgery on his leg in America. Yours sincerely, being an avid admirer of the great political leader, went searching for him during my on-going annual vacation in London. Any reasonable person would show admiration for the man for championing the ongoing political revolution in the southwest and Edo State. Sincerely, no one would have believed that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tyrannical grip and political tomfoolery, using the visionless platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), could end so soon and abysmally too. To me, Asiwaju deserves all encomiums and support for having assembled a steadfastly committed team, using his resources and vast contacts in the process, to rescue a sizeable part of the country from political exploiters…and at the moment, extending the frontiers of such revolutionary onslaught to the entire country through the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The journey to Asiwaju’s London residence began when l left Essex last Sunday with my elder brother and a junior one. I gave the address of his residence to my brother who inserted it into the satellite navigation of his car. The trip was smooth and in barely over 30 minutes, we were in the heart of West London. The ancient architectural splendor of that area’s buildings was a beauty to behold. The visit was unscheduled and behold, l was at the entrance of the building.
My mind was wandering over all the lies of peddlers in Nigeria who derive joy in spreading negative things about their fellow being. At the entrance, I pressed the bell and the voice from the other end, surprisingly, was that of Jagaban himself. “Who is that?” He asked with bewitching humility. I answered: “I’m Mobolaji Sanusi from Nigeria sir.” Then, his reply: “Ooh, you are the one; push the door and come upstairs.”
I ascended the stairs, knocked and opened the door to his apartment. Standing before me were Asiwaju and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. After greeting the duo, my host asked me to take my seat in one of the sitting rooms where I met some guests waiting to see him too. Later, Mr Dele Alake, the brilliant and highly revered information strategist of our era came in and went straight to where Asiwaju was seated with Ribadu.
Jagaban donned a Tee shirt with blue sports shorts to match. On that day, yours sincerely watched with others, the Manchester town derby, where Manchester City devoured Jagaban’s favourite Manchester United Football Club team. In his boisterous mood, he admonished that no one should write off his darling team because it could be too early as the premiership is still open. Later, I sat alone with him to have general discussions before l left. He personally directed me to come back and I was there. In his routine morning exercise, he did seven miles on the bike. In the evening, he had another one-hour vigorous exercise that, honestly, made me green with envy.
Afterwards, I commenced intense reflection on where peddlers of that unfounded rumour about Asiwaju’s health got it. The esteemed Asiwaju, on my first visit to his apartment, personally opened the door for me and was intermittently walking round the house to do one thing or the other with no sign of strain on his leg or any part of his body. Also on my second visit, I closely watched the political icon engage in intense exercise that any physical instructor of high stature would marvel at. His photograph with General Mohammadu Buhari at the train station was even published.
I also sat with him alone, spending quality time in the process and could say that he is by the grace of God, as fit as a fiddle. His brain remains as sharp as before; his intellectual reflexes are still swift; his voice remained coherent and as loud as ever and his movement steady and balanced. He displayed in my presence, rare energy in hosting the deluge of very important guests from all over the world that visited him. H exuded coherence and mindfulness while receiving the avalanche of significant phone calls. He churned out specific instructions to his able aides, including Sunday Dare and youthful Oyefemi Oyatolu that are always with him round the clock.
The Nigerian polity, because of lack of ideas by the ruling party, is fast becoming fertile field of damaging rumours and speculations. Most Nigerians, especially idle politicians, derive pleasure in peddling slander as news against the person of Asiwaju. But it is not what Jagaban’s visible and surreptitious adversaries are thinking by spreading rumours with bad intents about him. Their evil thoughts had been perished and the man is in good health condition and in very high spirit, waiting to come back into the country stronger than before in the next couple of days. My averment: Asiwaju, take heart because scandalous rumours were peddled against that great Nigerian nationalist, Nnamdi Azikiwe and he outlived his enemies for several decades. This is the price of leadership and greatness. May you live long, Asiwaju. Amen.

UP APC!

manny4life: My friend shut up jor, what is sensitive about the Democratic Convention? Convention that more than 50,000 people attended? He had a deal and they let him walk, is that too hard to comprehend? Again shut up and speak on something you know....nansesne.

Werey! You were obviously there when the deal was made, so why don't you tell us how much kilograms of drugs was involved? You also slapped the handcuffs on him, so tell us what colour of shirt he wore that day? Idiot!! You want a lie to be true so bad you are willing to sell your blood. Get out of here and go get a life!!!

bloggernaija: Rubbish eastern nigeria quack journo as usual

Bless you!! Too many lies!

Come on!

mamikky: The grand patron Tinubu himself!!!.......i sure know more of ur dirty and shady deals will keep coming out....This is truly not the type of National leader or so called Patriot, we want to steer the wheel of the future of our great country.

Read the story again and spot the lies. Sahara Reporters was only mentioned to give the story the credibility it doesnt have. Why didnt Sowore of Sahara Reporters publish it if it was true? PointBlank are liars. No bi today. Just visit their site to see yourself