₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has paid the eight months allowances it owed the over 322 Nigerian students on the Bilateral Educational Agreement scholarship in Russia.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that the failure by the Federal Government to pay the allowances of the students had forced them into begging and resorting to illegal jobs, which put them at risk of deportation in Russia.

Following the report, our correspondent gathered on Thursday that the students had since started getting credit alerts on their respective bank accounts.

One of the affected students, Moyosore Ojuri, who is in her second year studying Metallurgical Engineering at the Volgograd State Technical University, Russia, told our correspondent on the telephone that the sum of $4,450 had been paid into her bank account.

The money, she explained, included $4,000 meant for her stipends from January to August; $200 for annual medicals and health insurance, and $250 covering her annual protective clothing.

Ojuri said she hoped that the Federal Government would begin paying them their allowances as at when due and save them from undue hardships.

“Before now, the Federal Government owed us from January to August. But now they have paid us everything. I can pay my accumulated debts and I am sure that I won’t be sent packing from the hostel over unpaid accommodation fees,” she said.

One of the student leaders, Akinola Akindamola, a post-graduate student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Volgograd State Technical University, Russia, stated that he and other student leaders were going round to ensure that all of them, especially the new students, had received their allowances.

Akindamola, who is the President of the Senate Committee of Association of Nigerian Scholarship Students in Russia, said, “The payment of the money is in process and I am confident that by the end of today, we would all have been paid. The least problem we want now is to be financially handicapped. We appreciate the Federal Government for their prompt response.”

When contacted, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Mr. Olu Lipede, confirmed that the Federal Government had paid the students all their entitlements.

Dr Stella Adedavoh was a brave doctor who laid her life in exchange of Humanitarian Service. No amount of FG's compensation can be quantified to her personalities, i think for her selfless service, all suspended and sacked resident doctors be called back to service in her honour.

OlusolaWarrior: Dr. Stella Adadevoh was a true professional. She was committed to her calling even though it meant risking her life. Do you think the Nigerian government should immortalize her? If yes, how best do you think she can be remembered/immortalized?

He is not up to task, he is still among the spectators not a player yet.

OlusolaWarrior: There are speculations that Senator Olubokola Saraki, former governor of Kwara State and now Senator at the National Assembly on the APC platform, may be gearing up to run for presidency. Do you think this man has the clout and experience necessary to lead Nigeria? Do you think someone from Kwara State can be allowed to lead Nigeria?

THE Federal Government has announced a direct assistance of N200 million to Lagos State government, to enable it to successfully curtail the spread of Ebola virus disease in the state.

Government had recently set aside the sum of N1.9 billion for the 36 states of the federation to combat the disease, following its importation into the country by the index case patient, the Liberian-American, the late Patrick Sawyer.

Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Presidential Villa, on Wednesday.

Chukwu, who briefed FEC on the progress of the move to halt the disease in the country, assured that comprehensive efforts had been deployed to eliminate the virus with the support of the president.

He said as of Wednesday, Nigeria had a total number of 12 cases of Ebola, which include the index case, adding that out of the 12, the the total number of successful cases stood at five and the total number of dead is also five.

Speaking on the death of Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, who handled the index case, the minister regretted that she succumbed to Ebola.

“Indeed, she had to physically restrain this infected person (Sawyer) from escaping from hospital when the latter attempted to do so, having been communicated that he was Ebola positive.

“If that index case had escaped hospital at that stage, it would have spelt disaster for Nigeria, as many more persons who would have been very difficult to track could have become primary contacts.

“There is no doubt that Dr Adadevoh was not only a dedicated, committed and competent doctor, but she showed rare courage, rare sense of duty, service and patriotism to her country,” the minister said.

He revealed that he had met with the family of the late doctor in Lagos and had been able to clear the misconceptions which followed her treatment in isolation.

The minister pointed out that Ebola survivors did not pose any danger to the society and, therefore, advised against stigmatisation.

Meanwhile, Mr Atedo Peterside, through his foundation, has donated N100,000 per bed per day to Ebola affected private hospitals in the country.

Signs of virus in Congo

THE Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating potential evidence of the Ebola virus in the country, a sign that the deadly illness may have spread to a fifth country.

Congo’s health minister and a team of experts were sent to a northern province, after a group of locals died from a sickness that resembled Ebola, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

If confirmed as Ebola, the presence of the virus in Congo could open a new hot spot for an illness that had already killed more than 1,200 West Africans in its latest outbreak.

The World Health Organisation and its United States (US) partners had struggled so far to contain the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

A spokesman for the governor of Congo’s Equateur province told Reuters he could not confirm that the deaths were from Ebola.

A local resident said about 10 people had died after experiencing flu-like symptoms and bleeding from the face.

A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos, Mr. Kunle Okunola, has said the All Progressives Congress’ criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan is not issue-based but purely political.

Okunola said if Jonathan were to defect to the APC, the leaders of the party would stop criticising him and would welcome him with open arms.

Okunola said this during an interview with journalists at the headquarters of the party after declaring his intention to run for the Ikeja federal constituency seat at the House of Representatives.

According to him, instead of the APC to join hands with Jonathan at this critical period of insecurity in the nation, the party is rather uncooperative.

He said, “Some people in the PDP who are being accused of crimes, when they change party, they become saints to the APC. Today if Jonathan joins the APC, they will say he is the best.”

Okunola also accused Governor Babatunde Fashola of not being fair to commercial motorcycle riders in the state and called for a change of power in 2015.

He said it was unfair for Fashola to have used the okada riders to campaign for his second term in 2011 and bought helmet for them only to turn his back against them and banned them from major highways in the state.

According to him, what the Fashola’s government ought to have done was to formulate policies to regulate the operations of the riders, rather than driving them away from the major highways in the state.

Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, a former minister and delegate from Jigawa State to the just concluded National Conference, in this interview with Wole Oladimeji speaks on the Confab, the position of the North at the confab and the implementation of the report by the presidency. Excerpts:

What is your impression of the just concluded National Conference?

The conference ended on a high happy note because it achieved harmony among all the delegates from various sections of the country. We are very happy about the conclusion of the conference, we are happy about the report of the conference. If you notice, we have agreed as a conference to look at those amendments that have been filed, that we are expecting to have been incorporated into the main report and that is one of the resolutions of the conference, they have accepted to look at each and every one of the recommendations for an amendment or inclusion and they promised to incorporate them before the return date of the final report would be submitted. We have done so, we are going to look very carefully to ensure that all the incorporated recommendations have been done and it would be well and good for everybody.

You had press conference where you alleged of new draft constitution being written by the conference, or did you do the press conference in error?

No, we have conducted the press conference where we indicated our outright rejection and disagreement, that we are not going to recognise any document outside volume 1,2 and 3 of the conference report. Volume 1, 2, and 3 are the documents adopted today and no more; any document emanating from outside these three volumes are not going to be the documents approved by the plenary of the conference today. What we objected to was the sudden and the surprising appearance of some documents called 2014 new draft constitution and the bill that was supposed to usher in the constitution. We have called the attention of the leadership that unelected people are not capable to create or recommend or draft or append in this conference to any document as the new constitution, that was why we called the press conference at the hotel, we rejected it. We told the leadership, we had meeting with them, and we told them that any suggestion or introduction of any new constitution is totally unacceptable to all our delegation from the North and that we will not recognise it.

Happily we are bold to say, this morning there have been no single mention of any of the two documents we have rejected. So we are quite pleased at the conclusion, we think those three documents adopted are the three documents we recognised as the report of the conference. Even among those three, it is the conference decision that every one of us could look at it and send any remark or amendment or report or call attention of the leadership that certain decisions made were not included and incorporated into the final report and that was not limited to Northern delegates alone. It is open to all other delegates in the conference and I understand every other section of the country has looked at the documents and has made appropriate recommendations for the understanding of the conference.

Would you say that the North got what they wanted at the conference?

Yes, the North has gotten what we wanted. What the North wanted at all times is the cohesion and unity of this country. Today you have seen unanimity among the delegations at the conference, you have seen unity among Nigerians, and you have seen us singing the old National Anthem together.

To us from the North, that is the important victory and other aspect of the nittygritty of the constitutional provisions. That is the nature of conference in a country like Nigeria with polarity of tribe, religion and other differences. Nobody will get everything, everybody must get something and that is what we have gotten today and we are pleased with our own achievement. Delegates are happy; everybody got something to show for the efforts we have spent in the last five months we were at the conference.

It is suspected that your major grouse at the press conference was the third term agenda embedded in the new draft constitution, how far have you been able to resolve this?

Well, the issue of third term agenda was embedded in the so called new draft constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2014. If you adopt a new constitution and call it 2014 and you are able to pass it through parliament and various legislatives houses, what that in effect create is that there would be totally a new constitution that would not be called 1999 constitution as amended but would be 2014 constitution, that automatically give all existing elected people opportunity of two term of four years, because that would be embedded in the new constitution and they would be legitimately qualified to contest and remain in office for the next eight years. This has happened before in this country, some governors who had contested election under the previous constitution like Yobe, Kogi and Taraba, when they came up to recontest election people said no they could not because they would have more than two terms, but the court said no, that new constitution comes with new provisions, new rights and new opportunities.

This is where the agenda of third term comes in but not so many people understood us when we are saying so but I hope now that I have told you, it is clear enough for you to understand us. You get a new constitution it gives fresh opportunities to people to contest and we do not think it is healthy for political development of this country.

Remember when Nuhu Ribadu, as the EFCC Chairman, went hunting for the likes of Bola Tinubu over allegations of corruption? But once he was booted out of office and needed a job, he turned to politics and embraced the same people he called thieves and rouges. Show me your friend and I'll tell you who you are. Isn't Ribadu, by his very actions of camping with thieves, also a thief? And when he could not realise his political ambition of becoming president under the ACN and anticipating a bleak political future, what did he do? Like a prostitute, he changed partners in the middle of the night. Choosing to sleep with the People's Democratic Party, PDP, and praising President Goodluck Jonathan. Does he think Nigerians have a short memory? Has he forgotten so soon how he brought up allegations on Governor Goodluck Jonathan and his wife for looting Bayelsa State's treasury at the time the president was governor of the state? Indeed, Nuhu Ribadu is shameless. Perhaps, he has forgotten; we Nigerians haven't forgotten.

Spare me the sweet talk,the time Nigerians were easily teased with words are past we are ready to face reality now. call a spade a spade, Ribadu is simply shameless just as the writer has written

egift: Here is what Ribadu said in April:
[img]http://3.bp..com/-E7WgeHAqleI/U_Hz3khr7vI/AAAAAAADXJw/bWnfGY6rE50/s1600/4.png[/img]

I like Ribadu for the little legacy he has been able to cave for himself (which in Nigeria's political setting means much). But for heading back to his vomit - is very disappointing.

I just hope Jonathan does not play him like they messed Soludo.

For quite some years, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was seen as the leaders of the Yorubas. There was a time when the likes of Late Sen. Abraham Adesanya was the voice and image of the Yoruba people. Bola Tinubu, a political stalwart assumed that position even while he was the governor of Lagos State. He was embraced by almost every Yoruba who saw him as the Moses to lead the region to a new glory reminiscent of that created by Awolowo.

Recently, there are people - even in Yorubaland - that see Tinubu, the Messiah, as an obstacle to the progress of the Yoruba nation. While this position is arguable, one cannot deny that Tinubu no longer enjoys the broad appeal he once had among his people. Governor Rauf Aregbesola's rise to stardom in the South-West began while he was a commissioner in Lagos State in Tinubu's regime. His victory in getting the courts to reverse the electoral outcome that produced Olagunsoye Oyinlola as Governor of Osun State was seen as a remarkable point in his political career.

People saw him as a triumphant and relentless warrior - one who would not allow injustice to be meted out to the people. His passion to see to it that justice was done and his valiant efforts in that regard was no doubt admired. Gradually, he won the hearts of Osun indigenes in his first term of office. The people thought it befitting to cast their votes for him a second time, which saw to it that he was victorious at an electoral process that could be described as free and fair. With Tinubu's gradual decline and Aregbesola's gradual climb, can the Yoruba people accept Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the leader of the region?
(Quote) (Report) (Like)

Aregbesola, claimed Osun peoples' Obama, Tinubu Mr Ojuyobo, one time Lagos messiah . Can't believe these major APC Frontliners have lost their edges this far! None is worthy of Yoruba Land Leader, i say NONE!

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has picked the Peoples Democratic Party’s Expression of Interest form to enable him contest the governorship primaries of the party in Adamawa State.The form was picked on his behalf by one of his political aides, Alhaji Hamidu Mahmoud, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.The party will end sale of form to its governorship aspirants on August 19, 2014.Ribadu, it would be recalled had last Saturday registered as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the party’s primaries to pick its candidate for the October governorship bye election in Adamawa State.


He was registered at Bako Ward in Yola South.He was until then a member of the APC. He ran for president on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)His registration had been preceded by meetings with several PDP chieftains and lately with the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu.Some party chieftains are rooting for Ribadu to fly the PDP flag in the October 11 bye-election to replace the impeached Governor, Murtala Nyako.Ribadu is also said to be banking on a presidential aide to push for a waiver for him to contest in the PDP primaries.The number of PDP governorship aspirants has already increased to six, the latest being ex-Military Administrator of Lagos State, Gen. Buba Marwa; Dr. Umar Ardo, and Mr. Marcus Gundiri.

The nomination process closes today sparking an intense horse-trading in the last 48 hours.It was gathered that Muazu met Ribadu for some hours on Friday as part of the last minute moves to pressurise the ex-EFCC chairman to join the PDP.Sources said that their discussions centred on the need for waiver for Ribadu to enable him vie for the PDP governorship ticket.Any defector to PDP is expected to fulfil a mandatory two-year membership before aspiring for an elective office, unless a waiver is granted by the party’s leadership.A reliable source said: “I am aware that Muazu had a meeting with Ribadu on Friday. In fact, they went for Jumat Service together before holding talks on issues having to do with the latter’s invitation to PDP.

“This is not the first time the two leaders were meeting or discussing. But I think Friday’s talks had to do with the membership of PDP and the governorship slot of the party.“It is normal when new entrants are being welcomed. Even some members of the House of Representatives who defected from APGA to PDP had audience with Muazu.“But Adamawa’s case is peculiar. There has been pressure here and there on PDP and Ribadu. Some PDP members welcome Ribadu’s defection, some are vehemently opposed to him. There is division in the party on whether to grant Ribadu a waiver or not.”
The source said some forces, including a presidential aide, are pushing for a waiver for Ribadu. The Presidential aide is currently out of the country.

Four days after his defection from the All Progressives Congress [APC] to the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] became public, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], Nuhu Ribadu, has personally given an insight into why he crossed to the ruling party. In a statement posted on his Facebook page Mr. Ribadu said his “carefully considered decision” to defect to another party was in “in pursuit of a good cause, and never out of any selfish interests”. He did not expatiate on what this good cause is but he said his next step in his political struggle would be made known in due time.

“I know how difficult it may be for you to come to terms with my defection to another party,” Mr. Ribadu said. “But I must assure you that it’s a carefully considered decision for which I do not wish to hurt anyone’s feeling. I’ll not embark on a needless animosity with my good friends, irrespective of political, religious, regional and ethnic affiliations. “For now, I wish to assure you that my defection is in pursuit of a good cause, and never out of any selfish interests as portrayed by a section. Thanks for bearing with me on this decision, and for those who have been in solidarity with my struggles and still giving me the benefits of the doubt, I’m most grateful.

I’ll never let you down on this new path.” The former EFCC chairman, who was reacting to a report quoting him as disparaging his former colleagues in the APC, said although he had left the opposition party, he would continue to hold its leaders in high esteem. He said, “Let me quickly make it known that I did not issue a statement disparaging APC and its members, including Governors Amaechi, Kwankwaso… These were clearly fabricated, expected backlash, by mischievous characters interested in misleading the public and drawing a picture of non-existent feuds between me and my good friends. “My defection shouldn’t be seen as an initiation of political antagonism with my good friends in another party.

I still hold them in high esteem, and even where there are marked differences, I believe there are decorous and honorable ways of resolving them. So, kindly disregard any statement said to be by me attacking the personality of any politician since my defection. I’ll never allow myself to be drawn into such disrespectful exchange.” Mr. Ribadu formally joined the PDP in Bako ward of Yola South Local Government on Saturday, to the chagrin of the APC, whose National Chairman, John Oyegun, described the development as “very terrible”.

The Chairman of Youth for Good Governance in Adamawa State, a PDP Pressure group supporting Ribadu’s candidature, Isa Toungo, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Ribadu was given a membership card with registration number 1933795. On Monday the former EFCC chairman obtained the expression of Interest and nomination forms to run for Adamawa Governor in the October 11 election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. One of his associates, Hamidu Mahmud, who led the team that went to the national headquarters of the PDP in Abuja to obtain the forms, said contrary to reports, the former APC presidential candidate did not join the PDP just to pick automatic governorship ticket.

He also said Mr. Ribadu had already applied for waiver in line with the party’s constitutional provision to enable him qualifies and participates in the election. Mr. Mahmud also dismissed the notion that Mr. Ribadu was in the contest at the behest of President Goodluck Jonathan. “The framers of the PDP Constitution did not insert the waiver clause in anticipation of Nuhu Ribadu; it is a principle of general application. So, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, having joined the party, is expected to enjoy this waiver clause that is in the PDP Constitution,” Mr. Mahmud said. “We have applied for the waiver and we are awaiting the decision of the party on that. We are not aware that the President wants Ribadu, it was some PDP Chieftains in the state that called on Ribadu to come and contest for the governorship of the state.So, the question of the President wanting Ribadu does not arise in this case.”

READ MR. RIBADU’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

My good friends, I know how difficult it may be for you to come to terms with my defection to another party. But I must assure you that it’s a carefully considered decision for which I do not wish to hurt anyone’s feeling. I’ll not embark on a needless animosity with my good friends, irrespective of political, religious, regional and ethnic affiliations. Let me quickly make it known that I did not issue a statement disparaging APC and its members, including Governors Amaechi, Kwankwaso… These were clearly fabricated, expected backlash, by mischievous characters interested in misleading the public and drawing a picture of non-existent feuds between me and my good friends.

My defection shouldn’t be seen as an initiation of political antagonism with my good friends in another party. I still hold them in high esteem, and even where there are marked differences, I believe there are decorous and honorable ways of resolving them. So, kindly disregard any statement said to be by me attacking the personality of any politician since my defection. I’ll never allow myself to be drawn into such disrespectful exchange. As for my next step in this political struggle, this would be made known in due time. For now, I wish to assure you that my defection is in pursuit of a good cause, and never out of any selfish interests as portrayed by a section. Thanks for bearing with me on this decision, and for those who have been in solidarity with my struggles and still giving me the benefits of the doubt, I’m most grateful. I’ll never let you down on this new path. Thank you! Nuhu Ribadu

The American Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, on Monday said his country was not yet in a position to make the Ebola Disease experimental drug, Zmapp, available to Nigeria.

Mr. Entwistle said during a visit to the Nigerian Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, that the drug was not yet available in sufficient quantity to go round all the countries requesting it.

The ambassador did not say when the drug would be available for Africa’s most populous country.

He only advised the Nigerian health ministry to focus on isolation, screening and prevention.

Mr. Entwistle commended the efforts of the Federal Government in curbing the spread of the Ebola virus in the country.

He said the aim of the visit was to discuss further on the anti-Ebola cooperation between the U.S government and the Nigerian government.

The ambassador also praised the work done at the emergency operation centre and the isolation centre, saying he understood that they were working hard.

“You have all seen the headlines over the weekend, this is an issue that we have to keep working hard on, it may be with us for a while but there are some encouraging signs.

“Your government is doing a good job on contact tracing; I noticed when I flew back here on Thursday night into the country, before I left the plane I filed in the questionnaire.

“I was very impressed because I had to put in my seat number which is a very good idea, so that if you have to trace the guy who was seating next to me you will know where I am.

“I have been very impressed by this thing so I encourage the government of Nigeria to keep at it, which I know they will,” he said.

Mr.Entwistle said the two countries had a broad partnership to keep collaborating, cooperating and working hard to make the world a better place.

He said he could not think of a more important example of cooperation than the Ebola cooperation.

Speaking during the visit, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the Nigerian Government was withholding its approval for the Anti-Ebola drug Nano-Silver produced by a Nigerian because it did not meet the requirements of the National Health Research Ethics Code. He said that the Nano Silver drug, which was made available to the

Emergency Operations Centre in Lagos on August 14, did not meet basic research requirements.

“The experimental drug, Nano Silver did not meet the requirements of the National Health Research Ethics Code.

“Accordingly, the approval was withheld by the National Health Research Ethics Committee,” Mr. Chukwu said.He said the ambassador’s visit was an opportunity to share ideas and information on Ebola virus.

“He is the spokesperson for the United States’ government here in Nigeria, and so he came to me as the Chief Public Health Officer of the country to exchange views with me,” Mr. Chukwu said.

The minister said Mr. Entwistle also visited to know if there was any new development that recently cropped up on the Ebola virus.
(NAN)

Boko Haram no go survive in Lagos, God no go gree for una.

Opeomoope: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/boko-haram-suspect-we-were-sent-to-bomb-lagos-airport/186724/

eunisam: GEJ remains the best president Nigeria ever had. Believe it or not.

GEJ has ever been in support of Nigeria and will ever be,lets just put all grudges aside and allow him establish the good works God has ordained him. One Nigeria!

The privilege for Nigerian Youths' potentials be showcased has just be permitted, this was made known by President Jonathan on 11th of Aug.,2014 in Abuja where he advocated on behalf of Nigerian Youths the removal of the constitutional age limit to 40 years for qualification to Presidency and equally promised of due supports.But, it has come to my understanding that some set of people claim the idea is'nt best enough and that it could lead to CONFUSION.

My Fellow Youths isnt it high time we stood to our ground,fight for our right to rule most especially when we already have the support of the President to actualise our Youthful progressive ideas,dreams and quotas to the development of Nigeria.

Is'nt it high time we refused to be onlookers not anymore!
Isn't it high time we rejected being continued followers, i mean we all have more sophisticated and jet world ideas that would turn Nigeria to a better place soon if permitted.

It is our chance now,fellow Nigerian Youths, lend out your voice aloud, take up the challenge and choose to be leaders from now onward!-Our Call!!!

He may not have the oratory skills of President Obama of the United States, or the brutish mien for which Russian leader Vladmir Putin is known for, but President Goodluck Jonathan is his own man. He exemplifies the age-old statement that actions speak louder than words.
True to his nature, President Jonathan’s achievements speak for itself. Since his ascension to presidency, Nigeria’s third president in the fourth republic has racked up an impressive resume. Unlike some leaders, he has chosen not to publicize his list of achievements; instead, the president continues to trudge on. What matters most is that the work gets done.
Nigerians cannot deny that President Jonathan has made giant strides in infrastructural development, economic growth and diversification, and wealth creation through initiatives that are geared towards job creation.

To me,Patrick Sawyer is not only mad, he is an idiot and a killer. The word mad self is an understatement. Pls, Nigerians should please learn how to manage their grudges if at all it exist between the citizens and the President. How could we be faulting such a statement against a terrorist who aimed at my life and yours if permitted? My only prayer is that God should pls help us clear this mess the Liberian(Patrick) put us into and not condemning one who is trying to protect the citizens.

How Emeka Ojukwu’s war of blame has made the Igbo marginal players in Nigeria (1)

There is a common saying that truth is very bitter. Indeed, my experience is that very few people are really able to handle the truth, especially when it has to do with them. As a result, they tend to live a lie, while some others construct grand illusions and remain in them.
There are some basic truths about the Igbo in Nigeria today. Two of such are self evident. The first is that the typical Igbo is deeply unhappy with his lot in Nigeria and believes that both the Nigerian state and successive governments at the centre are not only biased against them, but also effectively marginalize them. Perhaps unknown to many Nigerians, this feeling of marginalization is deeply felt by the Igbo and permeates their entire being. During the hey days of military rule, the story of Igbo marginalization was like a swan song. It also reverberated rather loudly especially during the early period of former president Olusegun Obansojo’s first term as president. The rise of Niger Delta militancy and the strident agitation for resource control upstaged the issue of Igbo marginalization from the centrestage of national discourse. So, it is not that the Igbo have stopped feeling marginalized, rather it is that their voices have been drowned out by the better calibrated voices of other groups, who experience their own group challenges.




The current champions in that regards is the North, whose extremist and fundamentalist wing, BOKO HARAM, has forced the issue of ”Northern neglect and poverty” to the centre of both national and international discourse. The BOKO HARAM campaign of violence has been so successful that the world is now talking of measures to address the mass poverty and under development of the North. However, what I find so very curious in the whole issue, is the refusal of diverse commentators to locate the issue of poverty in the North within the context of its true cause.
The North chose freely, to embrace poverty by its rejection of Western education, enterprise and modernity. Afterall, as Boko Haram aptly captured, western education is ”haram,” evil! Pray, tell me, how can anyone enrich a decidedly illiterate population in the modern age? It is a fundamental principle of economic theory that wealth creation is a consequence or derivative of value addition. So how can anyone enrich a people who have no skills or value to add? Of course some would argue that the first order of business in such a circumstance would be to educate such a people. But then how do you educate people who believe intrinsically that education is an inherent sin, punishable by death?



Nevertheless, despite such glaring realities, the dominant narrative, locally and internationally, is that violence in the North was primarily caused by poverty, and that poverty was created by the disparity in the allocation of Nigeria’s oil wealth. Nigeria, according to the Americans, is made up of a rich South and a poor North. According to this warped logic, the wealth of the Nigerian nation was used to develop the south at the detriment of the North! What an asinine joke! In which country did that happen? This same Nigeria, which had been ruled and dominated by a succession of Northerners? No, sirs! It is simply most untrue. The truth of the poverty in the North is more accurately located in the choices both Northern leaders and Northerners made. Their choice was to be the Lords of the Nigerian nation, the privileged class who were maintained by the state.

Successive Northern leaders of Nigeria promoted a culture of cronyism and nepotism, favouring mainly Northerners in the choice of top managers of state-owned institutions, even strategic ones, and nurturing a culture of dependence and patronage. Thus the average Northerner lacked the requisite incentive to excel in virtually any field. As an undergraduate at the University of Calabar in the early 80′s, my school mates who hailed from the North were paid level 8 salaries as bursaries. Poor me, the then Imo state government never paid me a kobo. Even at that, you could count on your fingertips the number of students from the North. Today, there are still more candidates from Imo state applying for the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board Examination, (JAMB) than candidates from the whole nineteen states of the North. And Kano state is hardly an exception. Oyo and Edo sates each offer more candidates for JAMB examination each year than the entire Northern states put together.

The true facts of contemporary Nigerian history is that the North has not been marginalized. Rather, consistent with the old Peter’s principle of management, the North has merely risen to its level of incompetence.

The wonder however, is why this intellectual fallacy of Northern marginalization has not been challenged? Where are the Southern intellectuals, academics and journalists? The answer is shocking and demoralizing. The fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as the Southern intellectual or public commentator. What there is in truth, is the South West intellectual and public commentator. During the years of military rule and Northern domination of political power, it was the Yoruba intellectual and activist who mounted a sustained campaign against the North. Since the emergence of President Jonathan and the rise of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Yoruba leader, there has been a redefinition of Yoruba strategic interests, and “enemies.” It would now appear as if the Yoruba interest is in tandem with the interests of the North while the archetypal Northerner, no longer fits within the Yoruba definition of “enemies”.



The enemy now is apparently President Jonathan, “the son of a drunken fisherman”, in Bola Tinubu’s infamous barb. And because Tinubu is in defacto control of the mass media, the voice of the Yoruba intellectual, hitherto vibrant and eloquent, has been muted. As a result, patently erroneous narratives have been allowed to gain currency.
Some would wonder why the Igbo voice has been muted and why there is no whimper from the South/South. Well, for the South/South, there is no distinct voice. Whereas it is true that a large segment of the media is owned by the South/South, it is the world view of the South/West that dominates the media. The South/South voice has therefore been eclipsed by the South/West. As for the Igbo, its lack of a voice is part of the loss of relevance that has been its lot since Emeka Ojukwu launched his war of blame in 1967. In truth, the Igbo march into irrelevance began even before then. It started that fateful day when one Igbo Army Officer, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, embarked on a shooting spree in a misguided bout of patriotism.



It was then accelerated by the crass naivety of another Igbo man, Major General J.T.U Aguiyi Ironsi, who enacted the notorious Decree 33 that sought to unify Nigeria, thereby effectively terminating the wonderful regional system of government which had so greatly served Nigeria well. The final nail on the Igbo coffin was nailed by Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, whose decision to take his ill-prepared people to war must rank as one of the worst strategic policy blunders of the 21st century. As Dr Nnamdi Azikwe once said of him: “Emeka Ojukwu’s capacity for wrong judgement is monumental.”
The great tragedy of the Igbo is that they fought a war, which in all honesty should not have been fought, and especially in such a manner.



The consequences of that war have made the Igbos, their children and children’s children marginal members of the Nigeria state. Sadly, Igbos do not seem to know this. So they locate their pathetic situation within different causative factors and thus keep blundering under the load of self-pity, marginalization, recrimination and group impotence. Unknown to many Nigerians, almost every Igbo including some of their best and brightest, feels deep anger and frustration, whether they are in government or out of it. Amazingly, even under President Jonathan, allegedly the first “Igbo President “of Nigeria, the feelings of marginalization have not abated. If anything it has even worsened in some ways and across the Igbo country, today, there is despair, sadness and quiet bitterness. Many Igbos ask quietly and often privately, “what do we have to show for all our support for him (Jonathan)?

On July 23 2014, One can easily assume that Mr Patrick Sawyer was contracted on a disposal mission perhaps, after been handsomely settled and financially insured for 'life' and was used as life weapon for the dissemination of Ebola in Nigeria. What with his uncanny journey to seek better medical attention in Nigeria.
With the unwitty connivance of a very loose and corrupt gate-keepers at the airport - of course, they're all presently, paying so hard for it, who would lick a decomposing corpse even for $40, the Liberian, was left to slip through and the rest is history. Nigeria is now on global red alert for Ebola virus.

The fear of ebola has turned family members against each other. They no longer share towels et ce tera, because of the and the grossly inefficient dum-heads at the entry point. Everyone is on the RED button. School children, market women and traders are confused, alarmed and suspicious.

But what baffles me now is that some set of people claimed President Jonathan's statement that 'Patrick Sawyer, the carrier of Ebola to Nigeria was mad' isn't called for and shouldn't be heard of an Head of state.

Please,tell me: -Should President Jonathan be faulted for his statement over a man who dared to wipe out you and I from the face of the earth?

-Should terrorist(Patrick Sawyer) be pet with words despite his suicide mission on the Nation?
(Quote) (Report) (Like)

Recent comments by the governor of Kano State, Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso in the media is beginning to reveal sublime motives that may put the final nail to the coffin regarding the identity of Boko Haram sponsors. Remember how he chastised Nassarawa State Governor, Al Makura, stating that he suggested introducing his "foot soldiers" to foment violence in Nassarawa just about the time the latter was being threatened with impeachment in his state. The unguarded statements and threats by the Northern Elders Forum that President Goodluck Jonathan should release the kidnapped girls has also confirmed the suspicion that powerful elements in the north may be responsible for the terrorism over there. No doubt, we all know Kwankwaso has his eyes on the presidency, but should he put the nation at risk because of his selfish ambition?

The Presidency yesterday said the tension and apprehension over the 2015 general election by Nigerians are needless, given the successful conduct of the two governorship elections held in the South-west under a peaceful atmosphere.
It further said the opposition, with the use of propaganda, had always been responsible for causing tension among the electorate, given the inordinate ambition for power by most of their leaders.
The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, made this known in Abuja during a media interaction.

He said the peaceful conduct of the governorship election in both Ekiti and Osun States despite the hues and cries were clear evidence that the much-anticipated 2015 general election would come and go peacefully, while Nigeria will remain even more united and strong with the consistent efforts being made by President Goodluck Jonathan to deepen democracy in the country.

The presidential adviser said the successful conduct of the two elections in the South-west was a manifestation of the desire by President Jonathan and his team to deepen democracy by guiding against all elements geared towards causing chaos and confusion during elections. He said when President Jonathan harped on deployment of security to safeguard lives and property during elections; acting on security reports, the opposition went to town, as usual with banal propaganda, theatricals and grand-standing.

He said: “It is heartwarming to note that today President Jonathan has kept his words. And INEC too has done its job. Indeed President Goodluck Jonathan has now become a hero who all Nigerians are looking towards for making 2015 elections to be free, fair and better conducted.”

He said with the turn of events, it is necessary for those he described as political jobbers and master propagandists to allow President Jonathan concentrate more on his desire to fast-track the delivery of Transformation Agenda by his government.

While expressing appreciation on the good conduct of the people during the just concluded governorship poll in Osun State, Alkali lauded the spirited efforts by INEC in overcoming all shortcomings to make the election a huge success.

He also praised efforts by the security operatives, who he said gave very good account of themselves going by praises which, according to him, Nigerians have been showering on them.

He said: “In those days, we used to hear of the wild-wild west, most especially during elections. For that, many predicted mayhem and chaos during and after the election in Ekiti and Osun States. Then, security issues had to come in.

“From what we have seen so far, the two elections in the South-west zone have belied and negated the cliché of ‘wild wild west while affirming the people as the most politically-sophisticated with preparedness to defend democracy and its ethos.

“This is good for Nigeria and this is good for democracy. The lesson is clear. The 2015 that everybody appears to be scared off will not be different from the experiences we have had in Osun and Ekiti States. That is invariably showing that we are already coming of age in Nigeria.”

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that those predicting Nigeria’s breakup on the basis of the 2015 general elections would be disappointed.

The President stated this at an interfaith conference organised in Abuja by the Interfaith Initiative for Peace, with the theme: “The Imperative of Interfaith Understanding and Cooperation for Responsible Politics.”

Here are the highlights from his speech:

“I once again assure Nigerians and the international community that the 2015 elections will come and go, and Nigeria will stand stronger.

“The Nigerians I know and interact with everyday are only asking for one thing in the elections; transparency, and I have promised them.

“They want to vote and they want their votes to count; they don’t want to be molested, they don’t want ballot boxes to be hijacked by criminals.

“If they are convinced that the process is free, fair and credible, they have no reason to be angry; nobody can fight against one man, one vote, one woman one vote, one youth one vote and government will make sure that Nigerians are not killed during and after elections,”

“My promise of free and fair elections is clear. All governorship elections that have been conducted so far, you can agree with me that they have been free and fair.

“I am from the PDP, the ruling party, but I don’t use that strength to make sure that PDP must win by all means.

“PDP has lost elections in Edo State; we lost in Anambra State, we lost election in Ondo State, of course only two days back, we lost in Osun, but we know and we are saying that this country must change.

“The kind of election we had in the 1960s that led to the crisis in the West and threatened the sovereignty of this country cannot come up again.

“Nigerians must vote and our votes must count. If I was interested in manipulating elections, my party would not be losing all these governorship elections. All what we want is credible elections,”

“Politics is all about serving people and if people don’t want you to serve, then go and stay in your house.

“Our states are not our private estates. This country is not owned by any individual. If you are called to serve, you serve and if it is not your turn, then leave. Whenever it is your time, people will call you to come and serve,” he stated.

I want to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission for the smooth conduct of the Osun State governorship election.

After a long period battling with electoral irregularities in the country, it seems that we are finally getting to the Promised Land as far as credible elections as it is seen in 5 different states conducted like: Edo, Ekiti, Anambra, Osun and Ondo across the country.

I want INEC to keep up the feat as this is the only way the masses can elect credible people into positions of authority.

Though, there are some complaints on the deployment of soldiers to Osun State, it is now crystal clear that the presence of heavy security men in that state was not to intimidate the electorate but to protect them against harassment.

If we condemn the commission when it messes up, we should also commend it when it redeems itself.

President Jonathan’s administration,INEC chair, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the entire INEC Staff and Nigerians as a whole, have apparently brought great changes to this great country.

PAUSE & PONDER: EL RUFAI on BUHARI'S AMBITION' I was 25yrs old when BUHARI & BABANGIDA were Heads of State & i'm now 50 & they still want to be Head of State. I dont understand that. If you ask any of these people running for presidency, they will think that BlackBerry is a fruit '.- NASIR EL-RUFAI, THE SUN, MARCH 25, 2012

This nation has suffered boko haram insurgency far too much to be placed on condition for a baseless accusation of the abduction of Chibok girls in determinant to the fate of GEJ '2015 election.

This level of corruption goes beyond the the fight against western education as claimed by Boko Haramist,its a clear quest of islamicing the nation because i see no reason why all these insurgency werent at their peak in the reigns of northern presidency.

Northern leaders are expected to embrace bipartism approach with the FG tackling national issues facing the country rather than laying conditions.I suggest they are investigated for this suspicious act

It came as a surprise to many when Actress, Genevieve Nnaji, wasn’t picked as a Glo Ambassador, instead she was signed on by rival telecommunications brand, Etisalat.

Reports had earlier said that the deal didn’t pull through because she referred them to her Manager and that even when Mike Adenuga personally called her, she said the same thing.In a new interview with PM news, she cleared the misconception, saying “First of all, that is not true as I never spoke to Dr. Mike Adenuga. In fact, it will be an honour to speak with him. However, let us face the subject of speaking with my manager. I think it is professional that managers should be contacted when issues about business are about to be discussed. I am not saying that was the issue with that particular brand. But let’s assume it was; is there any problem speaking with someone’s management? Please tell me. Truly I was approached. We had negotiations but things didn’t work out and everyone moved on. It is simple.”

I've never been a fan of President Goodluck Jonathan. I didn't vote for him in the last elections and I've always said I won't vote for him in 2015 if he decides and is cleared to run. But I can't ignore the fact that he has enabled the country to hold peaceful and credible elections. The electoral body (INEC) has never been so transparent and professional in its duties. While I don't think it proper to commend a leader for carrying out his responsibilities, one shouldn't ignore the fact that we've had terrible leaders in the past, and as such good ones should be encouraged by commending them. Their heads won't swell too much. Will it?
Five elections under Jonathan: Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Anambra states; four opposition parties and only one PDP winning in these elections. Gradually, GEJ seems to be winning me over to his side without attempting to do so.

Dr Doyin Okupe is the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs. In this interview with Associate Editor, Tinu Ayanniyi, he speaks on the Chibok girls abduction saga, the removal and threat of removal of some governors, among other issues. Excerpts:

You served in the Olusegun Obasanjo’s government and you are now in Jonathan’s. What are you looking for?

Working for President Jonathan was not a straight affair. There were national issues that predated it. I took sides in the succession of the late president Umar Yar’adua matter, like my usual self. I was vociferous, made my position public as the matter raged on; I continued to defend without having met him. The hostility continued even after he was sworn in. I have a natural passion for defending what I consider true and just. I met him after about a year by happenstance. Subsequently, I got a call from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, and when I went to see him, he told me the president would like me to work with him and that was it.

As an insider, could you assure the global public that the Chibok girls will be found?

The much assurance is that of an insider. What I know as an insider is that, from the government president’s perspective, there is an overriding commitment to following through with every effort possible to get the girls back. It has nothing to do with global or local pressure; it’s a matter of national integrity and commitment of government to its responsibility. I don’t see this president or his government resting on its oars until the fulfillment of this very strong drive. But above all things, the priority is also the safety of the children.

Is President Goodluck Jonathan truly clueless or are his aides?

This is a wonderful question. It is a concept contrived, not just by the opponents but also by very powerful stakeholders who feel aggrieved by the continued existence of Jonathan’s presidency in the history of Nigerian politics. There is no fallacy or disinformation that is greater than this preposterous, indefensible falsehood which was propagated through the powerful media manipulation of the opposition. Unfortunately, the idea was allowed to sink by the failure of government information machinery from the very onset.

The Jonathan administration has been maintaining a healthy economic stability and indices, reforming our dead rail system, totally transforming our agric sector to the extent that our food import bills have been reduced by almost two-thirds from about N16 trillion per annum to just about N650 billion, the rehabilitation of virtually all our aviation infrastructure and also the repair and rehabilitation of major economics arterial roads nationwide, doubling of our power generating capacity and unbundling the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which was not achievable for over five years, the establishment of the first mortgage refinancing corporation funded by government to the tune of over N50 billion and which will allow ordinary Nigerians to have access to long term funds to facilities with which they can own their own individual homes. The establishment of a new industrial policy which has the potential of revolutionising our manufacturing capabilities to the extent that the world acclaimed finance consultants, Mckinsey Institute, now project independently that Nigeria will be among the first 20 economies in the world by 2030.

If all these achievements are products of cluelessness of a president and his administration, then it may mean that the sun no longer has power to lighten our days.

Where is President Jonathan on his Transformation Agenda train?

Transformation Agenda is what separates Jonathan from all our previous leaders. The president had the leadership of the country thrusted on him by the unfortunate demise of Yar’adua. Fortunately for him, that afforded him a reasonable time not to just jump into governance but rather to take time off to prepare a road map for transforming the country. There are various sectors on the agenda and these include power, agric, economy, infrastructure, housing, transport, road infrastructure, unemployment and security.

When you look at the sectors, I can say with all certainty that most of the milestones set in the agenda have already been achieved or are in the latter stages of their full actualisation.

Most Nigerians and the opposition believe the government is behind raging impeachments and threats of impeachment in some states. How true is this?

We are in a democracy and this administration has exercised extreme political liberation. There was a time in this country when the All Progressives Congress (APC) bestrode the country, going from state to state trying to woo serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serving governors into their fold. Their successes were not only orchestrated but gleefully celebrated. The PDP and the government of Jonathan didn’t do anything towards stopping them because it is a free country. We believe they were marketing their product which they have a right to do: the APC is a political contraption put together on the base of hate. It is only love that binds; hatred never binds anything together. Besides this, the APC state machineries have internal contradictions which made the chief executives to take political decisions not in sync which their followership and stakeholders.

For example, in Adamawa, how come a state governor, a two-term chief executive and political head will allow a situation where his legislative arm will be made up of assembly men, who are in overwhelming majority against his own party affiliation?

In Nasarawa, from day one, the governor was sitting on a keg of gunpowder and owed his existence as chief executive to the generosity and grace of his assembly men, who were largely PDP members. Under such circumstances, a chief executive cannot afford to tow a hard line of opposition and rub it in the nose of his assembly men. Look at Edo, Oyo and Imo states and you will see that in all these places, the governors, by their own making, have alienated themselves from their political bases.

In spite of all these, they continue to do unconstitutional things and directly opposite to the interest of the stakeholders in their states. Their continued existence as governors remains essentially precarious. From all the above, you will see that Shakespeare’s famous statement “Dear brothers, the fault is in us not in our stars” is very true in these cases.

The APC leadership should examine itself, the make up of their party, the political indignation and ill dispensation of their governors to correct whatever anomalies exist rather than blame their misfortune on Jonathan.

The president does not need to remove any APC state governor from office in order to win the 2015 election if he wants to contest. The result of Ekiti election has provided a profound lesson that media noisemaking and political grandstanding in the absence of sound judgement and quality performance will not sustain or guarantee an electoral reform.

I want to say categorically that we have no hand whatsoever in the misfortune of these politically inept APC governors. Is President Jonathan, for instance, the cause of the rift between Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Chief Olusegun Osoba in Ogun state or the struggle for power between Senator Femi Lanlehin and Governor Abiola Ajimobi?

Do you think President Jonathan stands any chance, if he decides to run in 2015?

When Jonathan declares his intention or otherwise, the battle line will be clearly drawn out. If he decides not to run, the PDP is too overwhelming to be subdued by a budding political platform like APC, which is yet to overcome its own internal problems. If President Jonathan decides to seek re-election in 2015, the sheer weight of evidence of his performance, which I will admit, we have not successfully and adequately propagated, will reduce any opposition from any contender from any party to a mere political Lilliputian. In other words, it would be more or less a no contest. I believe the opposition recognises the fact that is why a lot of moves and evil designs are being executed either to discourage or to misrepresent the president in the eye of the populace or even frustrate him outright. But we believe that, as long as God liveth, all these evil plans will never succeed.

GEJ '2015!!!

Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju is a former governor of Anambra State. He speaks with CHINELO OBOGO on the ongoing national conference, insecurity and other national issues. Excerpts:

There are some issues and recommendations by delegates in the national conference among which are states creation, taxing of religious institutions, scrapping of commissions and increase of derivation funds from 13 to 18 per cent. How workable are the recommendations?

I would not hesitate to support the scrapping of state electoral commissions because our national electoral commission never complained they are unable to do at state level what they have done at the national level. The state electoral commission is an unnecessary duplication and a waste of state resources. Furthermore, the governors of the states control the local governments and some of them become dictatorial because of the enormous powers conferred on them, and because of that they began to rub shoulders with the President and other authorities because they have accumulated money, and influence, and power. For me, there is nothing to gain by continuing with state electoral commissions and I believe they should be scrapped.

On the issue of taxation of religious bodies, I really don’t know how this is done in other countries. In America, the very big gospel Churches pay tax, it may be so for other countries. If money from the big churches reach the poor who are mainly in the smaller churches, not in the big cathedrals, the government may still assess the income of churches and decide what to do. If Churches in Nigeria should be taxed, the money raised must go to the poor in our society. Government will assist with funds from the churches. Nobody, I think, will complain for such an arrangement as it is only the very rich churches that government should target. Government may set-up a Commission with members to help lessen the burden of poor in our midst. It is a good idea. What I say about the church should also be true of rich Muslims and Mosques everywhere in Nigeria.

On the issue of derivation and whether funds should be increased from 13 to 18 percent, I’m inclined to say that even that is low. I support higher derivation fund because every State of the federation has natural resources, including oil. I don’t also believe that without oil some states cannot survive. Every State can survive with or without oil.

I’m inclined to suggest 50 percent derivation fund for every State product and 50 percent for the federation account. The Federal Government will have too much that they probably won’t know what to do with the enormous revenue accruing to it, except for some Federal Government Services.

On the issue of creation of more states, it should not be a problem ordinarily. Already, we have six zones in the country, the North West zone has seven, the North East zone has six; the North Central zone has seven states; the South West zone has six; the South South zone has six; and the South East zone has only five.

It is either we add one state to South East to make six like others, or we add one more state to each of the four states for them to have seven states each. Because “equity is equality” the present five states of the South East Zone will move up to seven in line with the other zones of the Federation for the purpose of equality of zones and balance of the federal structure, this is the only solution everyone should support.

The President asked for approval of N1 billion loan to tackle insecurity. There have been discordant tunes over the issue. What is your opinion?

No amount of money is too much to fight terrorists as long as it is well spent. If the governors have security votes, and it is not accounted for, how much more the Federal government? Boko Haram is an unfortunate phenomenon and they believe that if they kill, they go to heaven.

Insurgents and terrorists are fought all over the world, so let not Nigerians think that it was Jonathan that brought Boko Haram to Nigeria. But they are now with us, so everything should be done to save the lives of Nigerian people.

They didn’t stop with the life of our people alone but also of their property; they burnt Churches and Mosques, homes, markets and peoples’ means of livelihood. But our consolation is that we are not alone but this is the time we, as a nation, should come together and accept fully the leadership of President Jonathan and support him because he means well for Nigeria.

Do you think our security agencies are doing enough to fight the terrorists?

It cannot be rightly said that our security agencies are not serious in their response to anti-terrorism, I don’t agree with that idea. Those international groups still battle insurgents in their own counties and never won. Our military are trained as they exhibit in their foreign and international combats. The most recent was that of Mali where our forces stopped the advance of the insurgents as the Prime Minister escaped. It was Nigerian Forces that made their day. But after a Nigerian should have been appointed to lead the operation, the command was given to another person of less experience and qualification from another country. This is the case of “monkey de work, baboon de chop”.

Do you think the Federal Government did well to accept foreign assistance?

We are in a global village and nations share views and discuss strategies. I have already indicated in the above question the fact that Nigeria is rated one of the best in international combat. If we must fight in other states and countries for their freedom, why would foreign forces not reciprocate and fight along with Nigeria on our soil at this hour of our need?

The problem is that most Nigerians don’t trust themselves, how then can they trust their government who means well for them. We are very far from being nationalistic. We prefer admiring the gains of nation-building in other countries but they neglect the achievements our leaders are recording at home. I call on fellow Nigerians to remind them that “charity begins at home”.

Are there things that you did that you wished you would have done differently?

There is nothing I did in Anambra State that I could regret. I took over the Sate from the military and when I began my work I realized that the Government House was burnt just before the Military handed over. I inherited four months unpaid salary which I quickly paid off and began to pay workers salary of N583 million monthly, paid them Christmas bonus. Workers morale was high and we worked well until workers, spearheaded by the then National President who is now governor of his state started trouble. He is in trouble as he had put me in some trouble too, fulfilling the law of karma and nemesis.

Anambra fared well despite problems of funding which at times I could only receive N200million while workers salary was N583million every month. It was difficult, but we sailed through, establishing the first Anambra State University among other infrastructural developments of which the then President Obasanjo scored us ‘A’ on the scale, and in the area of security and welfare, I took the gold cup in a national competition at Abuja. I thank God for Governor Willie Obiano and Anambra State for deciding to take up my projects left half way. Indeed, no governor leaves office with all his projects completed. It is like relay race, one starts the other completes it. Actually, I never saw Governor Willie Obiano and he may not have seen me too, except in pictures. But by our works and utterances we have heard of each other. Willie as he is fondly called will govern Anambra State constitutionally and within his period, we will one day shake hands if he invites me.

With the forthcoming 2015 elections, do you foresee a situation where the South East will present and support a candidate for the presidential election?

The South East has decided to support President Goodluck Jonathan. He is about completing his first term and to do his second term as provided by the constitution. It is because of the minority syndrome that a man from the minority area should not be allowed to complete his two terms in office. It is not fair. And because such a thing happened to me, I would not like it to repeat for anyone I know.

So, if President Jonathan declares that he would not recontest, then the South East will support him. I don’t see Jonathan as a weak President as people say.

What we should remember is that there is a clear difference between a civilian president and military president. A military president rules by decree and it does not matter to him whose ox is gored. Nigerians are so used to military dictators that when there is an elected president, most Nigerians expect the civilian president to govern the country as military dictators had done. We must therefore be careful as to what Nigerians expect from their leaders in office.

President Jonathan’s hand is not only tied by the dictates of his religion, he also took the personal decision to be guided by his oath of office as prescribed by the constitution which he felt he must abide by the rules and regulations. If Chief Obasanjo had played according to rules of constitution, he wouldn’t have aspired for 3rd term in office, or stopped some governors from 2nd term which the constitution grants them.

President Jonathan’s chorus of election based on one-man, one-vote, one-woman, one vote, and so on, singles him out as a real democrat, and he did not allow electoral fraud as part of elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra and Ekiti. President Jonathan will be remembered as the best active and action-packed President Nigeria has had. It is unfortunate that there is too much hatred in the system now and if care is not taken Sodom and Gomorrah may be a child’s play.

GEJ '2015!!!

Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju is a former governor of Anambra State. He speaks with CHINELO OBOGO on the ongoing national conference, insecurity and other national issues. Excerpts:

There are some issues and recommendations by delegates in the national conference among which are states creation, taxing of religious institutions, scrapping of commissions and increase of derivation funds from 13 to 18 per cent. How workable are the recommendations?

I would not hesitate to support the scrapping of state electoral commissions because our national electoral commission never complained they are unable to do at state level what they have done at the national level. The state electoral commission is an unnecessary duplication and a waste of state resources. Furthermore, the governors of the states control the local governments and some of them become dictatorial because of the enormous powers conferred on them, and because of that they began to rub shoulders with the President and other authorities because they have accumulated money, and influence, and power. For me, there is nothing to gain by continuing with state electoral commissions and I believe they should be scrapped.

On the issue of taxation of religious bodies, I really don’t know how this is done in other countries. In America, the very big gospel Churches pay tax, it may be so for other countries. If money from the big churches reach the poor who are mainly in the smaller churches, not in the big cathedrals, the government may still assess the income of churches and decide what to do. If Churches in Nigeria should be taxed, the money raised must go to the poor in our society. Government will assist with funds from the churches. Nobody, I think, will complain for such an arrangement as it is only the very rich churches that government should target. Government may set-up a Commission with members to help lessen the burden of poor in our midst. It is a good idea. What I say about the church should also be true of rich Muslims and Mosques everywhere in Nigeria.

On the issue of derivation and whether funds should be increased from 13 to 18 percent, I’m inclined to say that even that is low. I support higher derivation fund because every State of the federation has natural resources, including oil. I don’t also believe that without oil some states cannot survive. Every State can survive with or without oil.

I’m inclined to suggest 50 percent derivation fund for every State product and 50 percent for the federation account. The Federal Government will have too much that they probably won’t know what to do with the enormous revenue accruing to it, except for some Federal Government Services.

On the issue of creation of more states, it should not be a problem ordinarily. Already, we have six zones in the country, the North West zone has seven, the North East zone has six; the North Central zone has seven states; the South West zone has six; the South South zone has six; and the South East zone has only five.

It is either we add one state to South East to make six like others, or we add one more state to each of the four states for them to have seven states each. Because “equity is equality” the present five states of the South East Zone will move up to seven in line with the other zones of the Federation for the purpose of equality of zones and balance of the federal structure, this is the only solution everyone should support.

The President asked for approval of N1 billion loan to tackle insecurity. There have been discordant tunes over the issue. What is your opinion?

No amount of money is too much to fight terrorists as long as it is well spent. If the governors have security votes, and it is not accounted for, how much more the Federal government? Boko Haram is an unfortunate phenomenon and they believe that if they kill, they go to heaven.

Insurgents and terrorists are fought all over the world, so let not Nigerians think that it was Jonathan that brought Boko Haram to Nigeria. But they are now with us, so everything should be done to save the lives of Nigerian people.

They didn’t stop with the life of our people alone but also of their property; they burnt Churches and Mosques, homes, markets and peoples’ means of livelihood. But our consolation is that we are not alone but this is the time we, as a nation, should come together and accept fully the leadership of President Jonathan and support him because he means well for Nigeria.

Do you think our security agencies are doing enough to fight the terrorists?

It cannot be rightly said that our security agencies are not serious in their response to anti-terrorism, I don’t agree with that idea. Those international groups still battle insurgents in their own counties and never won. Our military are trained as they exhibit in their foreign and international combats. The most recent was that of Mali where our forces stopped the advance of the insurgents as the Prime Minister escaped. It was Nigerian Forces that made their day. But after a Nigerian should have been appointed to lead the operation, the command was given to another person of less experience and qualification from another country. This is the case of “monkey de work, baboon de chop”.

Do you think the Federal Government did well to accept foreign assistance?

We are in a global village and nations share views and discuss strategies. I have already indicated in the above question the fact that Nigeria is rated one of the best in international combat. If we must fight in other states and countries for their freedom, why would foreign forces not reciprocate and fight along with Nigeria on our soil at this hour of our need?

The problem is that most Nigerians don’t trust themselves, how then can they trust their government who means well for them. We are very far from being nationalistic. We prefer admiring the gains of nation-building in other countries but they neglect the achievements our leaders are recording at home. I call on fellow Nigerians to remind them that “charity begins at home”.

Are there things that you did that you wished you would have done differently?

There is nothing I did in Anambra State that I could regret. I took over the Sate from the military and when I began my work I realized that the Government House was burnt just before the Military handed over. I inherited four months unpaid salary which I quickly paid off and began to pay workers salary of N583 million monthly, paid them Christmas bonus. Workers morale was high and we worked well until workers, spearheaded by the then National President who is now governor of his state started trouble. He is in trouble as he had put me in some trouble too, fulfilling the law of karma and nemesis.

Anambra fared well despite problems of funding which at times I could only receive N200million while workers salary was N583million every month. It was difficult, but we sailed through, establishing the first Anambra State University among other infrastructural developments of which the then President Obasanjo scored us ‘A’ on the scale, and in the area of security and welfare, I took the gold cup in a national competition at Abuja. I thank God for Governor Willie Obiano and Anambra State for deciding to take up my projects left half way. Indeed, no governor leaves office with all his projects completed. It is like relay race, one starts the other completes it. Actually, I never saw Governor Willie Obiano and he may not have seen me too, except in pictures. But by our works and utterances we have heard of each other. Willie as he is fondly called will govern Anambra State constitutionally and within his period, we will one day shake hands if he invites me.

With the forthcoming 2015 elections, do you foresee a situation where the South East will present and support a candidate for the presidential election?

The South East has decided to support President Goodluck Jonathan. He is about completing his first term and to do his second term as provided by the constitution. It is because of the minority syndrome that a man from the minority area should not be allowed to complete his two terms in office. It is not fair. And because such a thing happened to me, I would not like it to repeat for anyone I know.

So, if President Jonathan declares that he would not recontest, then the South East will support him. I don’t see Jonathan as a weak President as people say.

What we should remember is that there is a clear difference between a civilian president and military president. A military president rules by decree and it does not matter to him whose ox is gored. Nigerians are so used to military dictators that when there is an elected president, most Nigerians expect the civilian president to govern the country as military dictators had done. We must therefore be careful as to what Nigerians expect from their leaders in office.

President Jonathan’s hand is not only tied by the dictates of his religion, he also took the personal decision to be guided by his oath of office as prescribed by the constitution which he felt he must abide by the rules and regulations. If Chief Obasanjo had played according to rules of constitution, he wouldn’t have aspired for 3rd term in office, or stopped some governors from 2nd term which the constitution grants them.

President Jonathan’s chorus of election based on one-man, one-vote, one-woman, one vote, and so on, singles him out as a real democrat, and he did not allow electoral fraud as part of elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra and Ekiti. President Jonathan will be remembered as the best active and action-packed President Nigeria has had. It is unfortunate that there is too much hatred in the system now and if care is not taken Sodom and Gomorrah may be a child’s play.

GEJ '2015!!!

Federal Civil Service Pensioners in Nigeria have thrown their weight behind the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan, saying he has done so much to deserve a second term.

Rising from an emergency meeting held in Lokoja the Kogi State capital, at the weekend, the pensioners dissociated themselves from an earlier statement credited to the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), which said pensioners in the country would not vote for the president in the 2015 presidential election.

In a communique signed by the National President, Mr. J.S Nmodu and the Secretary, Eddie Mene-Ejegi, the group said the statement credited to the NUP president was repulsive, selfish and did not represent the interests of all the members.

The communique, therefore, urged all members to vote en masse for the re-election of the president whenever he signified his intention to run.

The communique demanded equal representation in Nigeria Union of Pensioners’ executive, Board of Trustees and in core committees.

It also urged the NUP to release the check-off dues already collected from the Federal Government to the group within 21 days or face its wrath.

The communique also urged the head of service of the federation and other relevant bodies to involve members of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners in supervising the proposed verification exercise of pensioners in the 36 states of the federation.

GEJ '2015!!!