Episteme2's Posts
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For President Buhari, forming the cabinet is the easy part for obvious reasons. Getting the economy up and running again won’t be a child’s play. According to Teriba, the problems he inherited from the past administration is quite intimidating. Among the tests he’ll face is the matter of the 2016 budget, whose presentation to parliament is already running late. Crude oil theft and the fuel subsidy trouble, with the fraud associated with it, will be crying out for attention, not to mention the destructive insurgency in the North-East. Government will need to find alternative sources of income to make up for dwindling oil revenues. Civil society organisations in Nigeria had an unusual meeting in Abuja on October 29. They didn’t gather to demand social justice or political reforms. The agitation was over the deplorable state of the economy. Led by Clem Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, the group decried the “steady and continuous decline of the Nigerian economy” since President Muhamadu Buhari reported for duty on May 29. Should we be concerned? Truth be told, the economic indicators are not looking too good. The Nigerian Stock Exchange’s All-Share Index is down 15 percent since the inauguration of the new administration on May 29. In other words, investors have lost about one trillion naira or $5 billion as share prices continue to fall. The naira has also been officially devalued by more than 20 percent against the US dollar in the past year. The National Bureau of Statistics put the gross domestic product in the second quarter of this year at 2.4 percent, down 1.6 percent from 4.2 percent in the same period a year ago. To put this in perspective, GDP averaged about 7 percent annually for almost a decade before the downturn set in this year. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have dropped 30 percent since last year to $30 billion, according to data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria. It may well be harsh to blame President Buhari for the state of the economy. He took over at a time of falling prices of crude oil – the country’s top revenue earner and main export product. But it’s his response or body language, in current parlance, to the economy that irks many observers. Beyond his commendable stance against corruption, the CSOs believe the President has not done much to reassure Nigerians and foreign investors that he has a game plan for reviving the economy. The fact that the ministers who will help steer the ship are yet to be assigned portfolios strengthens this argument. As Nwankwo, their spokesman, put it, “the major challenge we are currently facing is that we cannot see the urgency of this administration to improve the (depressing economic) situation.” Nor does it appear that it has a good grasp of the issues, he added. For instance, the decision of the central bank, backed by the government, to control the foreign exchange market rather than devalue the currency in the face of the persistent pressure on the local currency, has elicited criticism from both local and foreign analysts. As we wait for the ministers to take office, all eyes will be on the persons who will be in charge of key ministries such as finance, trade, mines, transport, aviation, works, agriculture and industries. The occupiers of these positions matter a lot to economic observers. Journalists and analysts will show more than a keen interest in certain ministries because if the financial markets like them, sentiments toward the government may turn positive. To be fair, the whole world is experiencing economic slump. Some nations are even in a worse state than Nigeria. It’s so that Nigeria does not become one of such basket cases that the Buhari administration needs to act fast. “This regime should do quick, wake up and address the problems”, Ayo Teriba, chief executive officer of Economics Associates, an economic think tank, pleaded. To make up for lost time, Mr. President will do well to inaugurate his cabinet this week without further delay. Thank God the Senate has cleared the ministerial nominees. So after five months of waiting, the wheel of government machinery should therefore begin to turn again. This will ease everybody’s concerns. Foreign investors can then decide to either invest in the country or go elsewhere. Local businesses can expect to be paid money owed them and bid for new contracts while millions of unemployed youths can expect to get hired as economic activities resume. As we wait for the ministers to take office, all eyes will be on the persons who will be in charge of key ministries such as finance, trade, mines, transport, aviation, works, agriculture and industries. The occupiers of these positions matter a lot to economic observers. Journalists and analysts will show more than a keen interest in certain ministries because if the financial markets like them, sentiments toward the government may turn positive. As a result, the floodgate of foreign direct investments could be opened. But if they are disliked, foreign investors may likely prevaricate. This was why four South African presidents from the late Nelson Mandela to Jacob Zuma retained Trevor Manuel as Finance Minister for 13 years between 1996 and 2009. It was also why former President Olusegun Obasanjo hired Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to head the finance ministry and why Goodluck Jonathan anointed her as Coordinator of his Economic Team, a powerful position that was until then unknown in Nigeria. Businesses and financial markets usually seek any information on these pivotal ministers to help understand them and so be able to predict their policy bearing. The reason is because markets dislike surprises. They prefer people they know and can trust. If they are former colleagues on Wall Street or the City of London, or Ivy League classmates, or pro-business eggheads whose temperament they can forecast, fine. For President Buhari, forming the cabinet is the easy part for obvious reasons. Getting the economy up and running again won’t be a child’s play. According to Teriba, the problems he inherited from the past administration is quite intimidating. Among the tests he’ll face is the matter of the 2016 budget, whose presentation to parliament is already running late. Crude oil theft and the fuel subsidy trouble, with the fraud associated with it, will be crying out for attention, not to mention the destructive insurgency in the North-East. Government will need to find alternative sources of income to make up for dwindling oil revenues. Otherwise, it will be impossible to fulfill campaign promises. And away from the usual lip service paid to diversifying the economy, it’s this administration that will have to actually do it. Unemployment must be confronted, inflation must be tamed, and exchange rate stabilised. Then with corruption, despite President Buhari’s body language, we don’t need a prophet to know that corruption won’t be an easy nut to crack. Paul Okolo is an Abuja-based public affairs commentator http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=169459
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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has come hard on the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed, for claiming that the opposition party will likely go down if it does not urgently rebrand itself. In a statement issued by its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, on Saturday, the PDP described Mohammed, who is a Minister- designate, as “a quarrelsome and misguided individual” who will end up as a minister without portfolio in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. While alleging that the APC spokesman is “completely unfit” to hold a responsible national office in a democratic government, the party wrote that his cantankerous nature, resort to personal attacks and uncouth description of a rival political party while responding to critical issues were indicative of his background, pedigree, upbringing and emptiness as a low life. PDP went on to admonish Mohammed to “shed his offensive narcissist tendencies even in his desperation not to end up being a minister without a portfolio.” It reminded him that ,“having been a beneficiary of the benevolence and forgiving spirit of the Senate President, one would expect him now to be mature, decent, civil and more organised in his responses to public comments.” Just yesterday, Mohammed had reacted to PDP national leadership’s recent communique on the recent political happenings in the nation by saying it is a rehash of the party’s “infantile whining”, which will not save it from going down unless it rebrands most urgently. He further stated that “It is time for the PDP to take a long, hard look at itself in the mirror and change everything that is ugly about the party, instead of wasting its energy and time on irrelevancies.” http://dailypost.ng/2015/10/31/lai-mohammed-will-be-a-minister-without-portfolio-pdp/
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A former governor of old Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa has stated that no one should sympathise with former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan over the mishap their vehicles encountered at the Lagos—Ibadan expressway as they were only being haunted by the karma.http://dailypost.ng/2015/10/31/obasanjo-jonathans-recent-road-accidents-serve-them-right-balarabe-musa/
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Lai in his characteristic arrogant grammatical exercise. We are yet to reap the fruits of your first class and hostile opposition and unprecedented propaganda, prefabricated lies, criminal deceits, and treasonable press conferences, you and your desperate ilks aggressively unleashed to the recklessly change-seeking masses just to wrestle power from the ruling party then. Go and sit down. The APC I know would have wailed this country down if they were in PDP shoes. PDP might be wailing, but their wailing in issue-based, threat-free and patriotic. We all know of a certain opposition party that threatened to form a parallel government in Nigeria if things didn't go their way. When court rules in their favour, it is a victory to democracy and a deadly upper cut and blow to impunity. If the ruling doesn't favour them, the court becomes a Kangaroo court and it will be a sad day for democracy. Strong opposition does not necessarily mean issuing inciting press statements, calling your supporters to defend themselves in any way, criticising the every movement of the president and his cabinet. |
Saraki can now go. This is the perfect time for Tinubu and APC to deal with him now that Ministerial Nominees have been screened and confirmed. Let me see how many Senators will accompany him to CCT again. How could he have flagrantly ignored PDP Senators concerns on Amaechi's confirmation, anticipating a soft landing at the CCT. You can now go and stand your trial. Give your loyalty to one party. |
OreMI22:It is indeed worrying that an administration that is celebrating fight against corruption as its achievement runs with a moral burden. |
So, Saraki should be spared at the CCT because he has done APC bidding? |
Every event in life makes a history. Whether or not Amaechi was confirmed today, history still was made. But, we should be worried about what people who will read the history that was made today say or ask tomorrow. They might probably ask, what did the Senate do with the Report of Ethics Committee? Couldn't Amaechi have gone to clear his name? Is it a positive or negative one, the history you're talking about? |
Every event in life makes a history. Whether or not Amaechi was confirmed today, history still was made. But, we should be worried about what people who will read the history that was made today say or ask tomorrow. They might probably ask, what did the Senate do with the Report of Ethics Committee? Couldn't Amaechi have gone to clear his name? |
Face-saving and pendulous performance. |
It's not just about Wike. It's only a mockery of our fight against corruption. It's all about questions that were left unaswered which the masses yerned for an answer. Accountability and fight against corruption has been put to shame, not wike. |
fran6co:Indeed, corruption finally triumphed. |
Today, APC has finally confirmed that their fight against corruption is a child's play. It is on record today that APC should not be taken serious in their so much touted fight against corruption. This administration is her own enemy. While PDP has directly and openly shown their interest and readiness to fight corruption by making sure that a controversal nominee who has serious corruption allegation on his neck was not confirmed as a minister, APC and particularly Saraki in his expected face-saving tricks led the APC-majority senators into confirming Rotimi Amaechi as a minister. This is without recourse and consideration to the Senator Anyanwu led committee report on the petitions against Amaechi. Nay, this is a celebration of corruption by the administration whose obsession and preoccupation is shouting corruption fight. As an administration that is supposedly poised to fighting corruption, the right thing would have been recommending that Amaechi should go and clear his name. Even when he was invited by a properly constituted judicial panel of enquiry, which would have been the best time to clear his name and shame his critics if he were innocent, he snubbed their invitation with contempt. And none of his fanatical fans thought it wise to advise him to honour the invitation. PMB by paying a deafening silence to the petitions and allegations of corruption hanging on Amaechi simply because he benefitted from the corruption proceeds has shown that his fight against corruption is only targetted at the opposition and his disloyal party menbers. Amaechi was only confirmed today by corruption. Yes, Saraki's confirmation of Amaechi showed that he could indeed be a stumbling block to fighting corruption. He thought he could use Amaechi's confirmation to anticipate and secure a safe landing in his CCT corruption case. But he might be disappointed because the PMB, we know is rigid and unforgiving. As from today, he should know that his Senate presidency is shaky. If he must remain there, he should get ready to start acting like a puppet becase his support base is now aggrieved. With what happened today, I just deduce that trachery runs in Saraki's vein. For Amachi's fanatical fans, it's a win win for them, but Amaechi has a burden to off-load from his body. Until he comes out plain to give an account of his stewardship as Rivers State Governor, his integrity still carries question mark. Never in the history of Nigeria has there been an occasion when a controversal and allegedly corrupt nominee was confirmed a Minister despite the wailing of the masses, especially by those he served as their Governor and a mature walk-out by the Senators who sought to know the true postion of the petitons and allegations against him. It is indeed a celebration of and reward to corruption. It is a sad day for well meaning and unbiased minds who want to sustain the fight against corruption and wail for a better Nigeria, more especially in this administration which can never say or write a word in her achievement book without mentioning 'fighting corruption'. |
This statement has since become a trite. We are tired of hearing this. What happens to poverty, inflation, economy, employment, basic education, infrastructure and most importantly, our democracy? |
The collapse is still just overhanging with the way the country is being run now. GEJ did not want it to happen under his watch. |
Twenty-four out of 29 political parties in Rivers State have said they would not present any candidate against the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, should there be a rerun of the 2015 governorship election.http://punchng.com/2015/10/1885 |
Jesusloveyou:APC are fond on overplaying their hands. That led to Saraki's emergence. |
afoo02:This is not empty threat. They can stage a showdown in the Senate if they are not properly and carefully lobbied. |
ABUJA — Senators belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and their All Progressives Congress, APC, were, yesterday, preparing for a showdown over different positions on the confirmation of two of 16 remaining ministerial nominees.http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/pdp-senators-vow-to-withdraw-support-for-saraki-if-amaechi-is-confirmed/
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cramjones:How does that concern us here on nairaland, evidence or no evidence? |
cramjones:How does that concern us here on nairaland, evidence or no evidence. |
TonyeBarcanista:Barcanista, I don't have a problem with you. You could have replied him in the same thread. |
Idokojimmy:Can you imagine that? You know. |
First, I am just a learner and a keen observer who tries not to join issues with anyone or draw unnecessary attention to myself. But since today, TonyeBarcanista and Cramjones have been uninterestingly regaling us with how both of them met and never met which ordinarily should not lead to creation of many threads here. John Mason in one of his books wrote " a conceited person never gets anywhere because he thinks he is already there". If you have been following their sides of their stories, you would have noticed flagrant arrogance and pomposity in the duo. They just have inflated view of themselves. Otherwise, they would have thought it wise, needless and inconsequential to bring to our knowledge whether or not they both met at Lagos and one bought the other a drink. Here in Nairaland politics section, we have got more pressing issues, characters, needs and topics to discuss than the duo's war of words and attention-seeking threads on their meeting. With this their recent disposition, call them clowns, you are not mistaking; if you compare them to toddlers, you are not far from the truth; if you say they are attention-seekers in a faceless forum, you equally got it right. In my own opinion devoid of any briefs, whether or not Tonye and Cramjones met, it should not be the business of nairalanders. Two people that share the same ideology on a social platform can arrange to met at their own convenience. Sometimes, I just wish fellow nairalanders would desert their attention seeking thread because on a second thought it could have been arranged by the arrogant duo to engage unsuspecting nairalanders. The truth is whether or not one is saying the truth and the other is lying, it does not put food on our table. Our political leaders we see everyday have held several meetings which have not availed us anything better let alone two assuming faceless nairaland handlers. The duo should stop this madness of "we met, we never met" on nairaland by desisting from creating needless but attention-seeking threads on that issue. We welcome their opinions and views just as every other person on national issues and Nigerian politics. As we indulge in their threads, they should not have inflated views of themselves or deliberately engage nairalanders in needless attention-seeking thread or do something that will undermine their perceived personality here on nairaland. They should take note. |
Soured news! |
Breaking News: Troops rescue 338 people held by Boko Haram: October 28, 2015 at 11:05 am in News The Nigerian Army said on Wedneday that troops had rescued about 338 people held by Boko Haram as well as killed over 30 Boko Haram terrorists. The Army in a statemet by Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman Acting Director Army Public Relations and made avaible stated that the troops of 28 Task Force Brigade Nigerian Army deployed at Bitta and Pridang carried out a successful raid on suspected Boko Haram terrorists camps at Bulajilin and Manawashe villages along Bita and Damboa road at the fringes of Sambisa forest on Tuesday. The troops were able to killed 30 Boko Haram terrorists. The unit also rescued 338 persons that were held captive by the terrorists in the enclaves. The rescued persons which comprised of male 8, female 138 and children 192, have since been evacuated to Mubi. Troops also recovered arms and ammunitions during the raid operation which include 1 General Purpose Machine Gun and 2 Dane Guns, 150 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO), 6 boxes of 7.62mm (NATO) and 3 cutlasses. In a related development, troops based on a tip off, ambushed and killed 4 suspected Boko Haram terrorists on a suicide bombing mission to Gubula, Madagali Local Government Area, Adamawa State. Apart from 2 AK-47 rifles recovered, the troops also recovered some Unexploded Ordinances (UXOs), mortar bombs and cash sum of N153,385k was retrieved. It is worthy to note that the raid operation on the Boko Haram Terrorists enclave coincided with the Chief of Army Staff’s operational visit to the Brigade Headquarters in Mubi. The successful clearance operations and ambushing of the terrorists has further degraded them and saved the lives of so many innocent victims of their suicide bombings. Having appealed and given the terrorists final warning, we would like to state that from now on troops within bounds of respect for human rights and rules of engagement, we shall continue to decisively deal with Boko Haram terrorists until they are defeated. Therefore, we are appealing for continued vigilance, security consciousness and above all cooperation with the military and security agencies to enable us successfully defeat the terrorists. You are please requested to disseminate this information to the public through your medium. Thank you for your usual and kind cooperation in giving this release the desired attention. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/breaking-news-troops-rescue-338-people-held-by-boko-haram/ |
Dannyset:That's because the tribunal ruling was mainly predicated on the use of card reader when we all know card reader malfunctioned nationwide. You certainly don't want any strong opposition in Nigeria. |
Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, has stated that neither him nor any member of the Assembly was sacked by the Elections Petitions Tribunal on Monday. Ibani’s statement yesterday was on the heels of the judgement of the tribunal which nullified the elections of the Speaker and 20 other lawmakers of the State Assembly. Addressing journalists at the Assembly complex, the speaker, representing Andoni Constituency, said the Tribunal gave judgement and ordered a re-run within 90 days. He said: “I heard over the news that the Speaker and 20 others have been sacked by the Election Tribunal. No member, not even the Speaker has been sacked. The lower Tribunal gave judgement in their opinion. In their judgement they argued that there should be a rerun within 90days. “The Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani was not sacked by any election petition tribunal, and none of the members were sacked by the election petition Tribunal. I am still the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the members still remain members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. “The whole world knows that the election was conducted in the State on April 11. The whole world knows as well that INEC prepared for the election for a long period. Because we have faith in the judiciary system, we have faith in the judges and justices we have in Nigeria, we believe that our case will not be different.” Igbani disclosed that the lawmakers had directed their counsels to appeal the matter, expressing optimism in the credibility of the judiciary to deliver unbiased verdicts. He expressed: “We have strong faith in the Nigerian state and its judicial system. We believe, as legislators, that conscience not placed on the canvass of justice is unconscionable. We believe that same principles in law should be applied in all circumstance. “The judicial procedure of the Nigerian system is such that, when the lower tribunal gives its judgement, you have the right to appeal. And that we have done. We have directed our lawyers to file notices of appeal. That we have done.” Fielding questions from journalists, the speaker argued why different principles on a similar circumstance should play out in the Tribunals’ judgements. Ibani wondered: “We believe that if a particular principle was applied in some situations in the North or West, it should also apply in the South-South. If Ambode (Governor of Lagos State) could be elected without voters using card readers, why shouldn’t Wike? Justice is one element that keeps the faith of the people of a nation. It is my plea that wherever we find ourselves as people of Nigeria, the Nigerian state should give us justice.” http://www.thebreakingtimes.com/if-ambode-can-be-elected-without-card-readers-why-cant-wike-rivers-speaker/ |
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state says
Nyesom Wike, the incumbent governor, will lose in a
fresh free and fair election.
According to the party, the APC gubernatorial candidate,
Dakuku Peterside, will mercilessly beat Wike in a free and
fair election, The Cable reports.
This was claimed on Monday, October 26, in a statement by
Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the spokesman for the Rivers APC
chairman.
“If Wike and PDP are convinced that they truly won any
election in Rivers State, we challenge them not to appeal the
tribunal judgement and let the people of Rivers State decide
in a free and fair election ,” the statement read.
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja and headed by
Justice Suleiman Ambrosa on Saturday, nullified the April 11,
2015 that produced Wike as governor of Rivers state
, citing irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions
of the Electoral Act. The tribunal ordered for a fresh election
to be conducted within 90 days.
The APC dedicated Saturday’s victory at the tribunal over the
PDP to its members who lost their lives during the campaign
period.
“We wish to formally dedicate the tribunal judgement to our
over 100 members killed by agents of Wike and PDP and
wish to reiterate that their death shall never be in vain as we
are determined to install, by the grace of God and with the
help of the good people of Rivers State, a god-fearing
administration that will take Rivers state to the next level ,”
the statement read.
The party took a swipe at the PDP governor saying, “Wike’s
loss seems to have affected his sense of reasoning; if not,
how could he open his mouth and accuse APC of bribing
tribunals to rule against PDP candidates in the South-South?”
The party reminded Wike and the PDP that both local and
international observers condemned the election in the state
as a sham and an exercise in impunity, lawlessness and
criminality, which can only be applauded by mindless and
demented persons.
The APC therefore called on the tribunal to ignore the
ranting of the PDP.
After the tribunal’s verdict, Wike made it known that that he
will appeal the judgment of the election petition tribunal
nullifying his election.
Speaking on Sunday, October 25, at a thanksgiving service,
Wike said he will complete his four year tenure, in spite of
the ruling of the tribunal. He assured his supporters that
their mandate will be returned as he still had hope in the
judiciary.
The PDP described the verdict of the governorship election
tribunal in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states as completely
bizarre
, unacceptable and part of the script by the APC to
manipulate the will of the people. https://www.naij.com/618829-will-wike-fresh-election-apc-speaks |
Dannyset:What shall it profit you if PDP dies? |
micfoley:After winning the rerun. |
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