*WHEN POLITICAL EXTRAPOLATIONS AND GANG-UPS TURN HUMILIATING:*

UWODE E.J.
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com. 28/02/2019.

Political discuss geared towards making sound extrapolations with realistic outcomes is expected to be distant from ethnic, religious, sentiments and party affiliations which are factors that most times becloud the sense of reasoning of a mediocre political analyst.

With reference to the 2019 presidential election, an intelligent political analysts would have first and foremost gotten a clear understanding of the Nigerian political terrain that bordered around 1) Nature of the politician 2)Federal might 3)power of incumbency and the components inherent in the polity (stakeholders such as the politicians, the electorates, the political umpire (INEC) and institutions ) in order to reach a logical conclusion.

The outcome of the presidential election adjudged from election results, as announced by INEC has unveiled the faces behind the mask. Indeed some prophesies have gone soured, portraying such prophets as people who indulge in tentative guess under the guise of prophecy. Also some perceived godfathers who have held the nation to Ransome through their ordaining of perceived desired candidates on egocentric and unscrupulous ground have also been rendered politically irrelevant.

I want to unequivocally state that there is no point amplifying the mockery of such elements whose anticipations over who becomes Nigeria's president elect ended euphoria. Even the Almighty U.S predicted national disintegration of Nigeria after the 2015 election and ended up making a foolery of themselves. Pastors and prophets who can be tagged political oracles should not also feel embittered if their predictions finally made a nonsense of themselves. It was in this country that a senior colleague of theirs saw a woman emerging the president of the U.S while Donald Trump eventually turned out the winner of the presidential contest. It makes no buzz anymore if our top notch prophets indulge in tentative guess just to seek political relevance.

A killer syndrome of good governance in Nigeria has been the pronounced and destructive politics of godfatherism and election rigging. The suspense and the thrillers in this particular election lyes in the relegation of the Almighty Bukola Saraki and the boastful letter writing expert whose anticipations hit the rocks, an indication that there is no God in any man. Hmmmm, How hath thy mighty fallen!!!. This immediately reminds one of the Biblical injunction that one with God is majority and one with humans like saraki, OBJ, T.Y Danjuma and a host of others are minority. Buhari is indeed a game changer, an action driven man and not a noise maker.

To my fellow political analysts who predict outcomes using parameters of campaign crowd and social media support, my advise is for you to discard sentiments and face reality when analysing issues of electoral concerns. Campaign crowd is never a reflection of the realities on ground. Part of the campaign crowd are mostly hired, some have PVC but don't vote, some don't have PVCs and some appear just for the financial gains involved and some end up being social media supporters who only have data and no PVC and can give no pragmatic contribution to electoral victory. I guess this was the faulty strategy employed by the anti-Buhari fan in making their predictions that finally hit the rocks. The interplay of this factor explains why oppositions are ever shocked over election outcomes and cry out rigging.

I strongly believe also that the anti-Buhari crew applied the wrong formulae by allowing a money bag politician to become the flag bearer of the PDP when there were credible candidates that could have guaranteed their wider acceptability. Am sure while doing this, they forgot the voting Tsunami comes majorly from the Northerners who can not compromise integrity for social status of which president Buhari possesses such a criterion .

PDP missed it again when party stakeholders chose an Igbo man to deputise Atiku, forgetting also the uncommon hatred for the Igbo tribe by the Northern and western entity. The voting power of the entire south south and south east can be swept away by just the votes of two major states in the northern part e.g Kano and Kaduna. The heavy reliance of the Atiku fans on the inconsequential vote of the south east and south south was politically suicidal.

The man Atiku finally shot himself in the leg when his campaign objective shifted from restructuring to the proposed sales of NNPC. While doing this, I guess he forgot that Nigerians don't jettison history in a hurry. I mean how could they have forgotten the draconian impact of the then privatisation policy under the watch of the Obasanjo led administration of which Atiku was part of?. No doubt the downsizing and rightsizing policies led to the retrenchment of workers in the public sector, which also amounted to the acquisition of such public assets by the Atiku and OBJ as beneficiaries. This alone could not give Nigerians the confidence to entrust the lifeblood of the nation (NNPC) in the hands of some business moguls like Atiku whose intent is adjudged on his previous deeds.

Rigging!! Rigging!! has become the trending chorus from the opposition but I want to state here without prejudice, that even if the free and fairest election is conducted , the losers will sure cry foul.

The February 18th supposed presidential election was postponed and rescheduled on the premise of suspected issues that could compromise the electoral process. On 23rd February 2019, the presidential election was finally conducted under the auspices of the international watch dogs like the U.S , EU who confirmed the election was devoid of sharp practices before the commencement of result announcement by INEC. If the anti-Buhari group feel aggrieved on the ground of rigging, I think they should channel their grievances to the international bodies that observed the process and not my amiable president elect (Buhari).

As president Buhari whisks to Aso Rock with a landslide victory of 15, 191,847 votes, I here by plead with the opposition to exercise the spirit of sportsmanship and work with the president elect to take Nigeria to the next level and get the country working again, made possible through the already politically exile of our suppose godfathers from the polity.

*A WAKE UP CALL TO THE NIGERIAN YOUTH FOR THE AGITATED CHANGE OF THE POLITICAL VIBES & MUSIC.*

BY:
UWODE E.JOSEPHINE
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com
23/01/21019

The change Nigerians seek is not embedded in rocket science but a political reorientation. Nigerian youths are at their worse again, proving themselves as people who lack the political foresight to bail the nation from the political Summersault enmeshed In from decades past and in present times.

Rather than being change agents with a sense of responsibility and accountability, they have affirmatively lost their moral compass and sense of political judgement to give direction on the right route to drive the nation on the path of nation building.

At the expiration of every political season, they are too quick to play sanctimonious and exonerate themselves as catalyst of economic and political dilapidation .

Intellectual dwarfism describes better in excellent terms the attitude of the Nigerian youth in deciding whom to be entrusted with governance responsibilities. Following aggression and determination to get emancipated from the shackles of old recycled politicians and letter writing experts fondly called post masters, the "Not too Young to Run Bill" was birthed. The question begging for answers is how political willing and prepared are the Nigerian youths to take the bull by the horn and in essence make the bill reap pragmatic outcomes?.

Footages from the PDP and APC campaigns across the country unearth the statistical dominance of the youths, which resonates their misdemeanor and mischievousness of queueing behind and escorting politicians with wrinkled minds to the Ware House of Power while they remain at the gate begging for access. This puts them in the position of political Levite's rather than the tithers. They are still thrilled and fantasising over rhetoric promises of political appointments as a roadmap to taking leadership duties at the apex of affairs (Presidency). What a deceit!!!.

The application of the faulty political formular by Nigerian youths who ought to be the active players in the political scheme of things over time, have held the nation spell bound. Buttressing this point, drilling into history to explore some of the wrongs that need to be right becomes indispensable. The likes of Ken Sarowiwa, Nnamdi Azikiwe and their iconic achievements explains the vibrancy and intellectual capacity that young sharps possess to deliver efficiently and effectively. This translates the necessity and the fact that the country is overdue to produce another breed of vibrant and resourceful leaders.

Any one with a sense of rationality would have envisaged a calculated move by the young presidential aspirants Kingsley Moghale, Fela Durotoye and Omoyele Sowore to have merged to procreate a formidable third force. Who says its not possible?. The impossibility can only stem out of the youths thinking and acting impossible.

The disjointed state of the mission statement of the three affore stated young aspirants under perceived mushroom political parties , deters millions of Nigerian youths from having the confidence to risk their vote for perceived inconsequential candidates as further commonised by the attitude of the PDP and APC presidential hopefuls who see themselves as no people of equal stake with the three other aspirants, thus defining the presidential debate to be a contest of Buhari Versus Atiku rather than a presidential debate that captured other aspirants. That enough is insulting and condescending on the part of the Nigerian youths.

Amidst all odds, as a matter of alacrity, I write to appeal to the three presidential aspirants to form a consensus arrangement and throw their weight behind the most resourceful among them.

On the other hand, Nigerian youths who constitute the lager percentage of the voting population should not be threatened by the noisy campaign activities of the party weight and money bag politicians.

In reasoning tall, its better to waste a vote on resourceful hopefuls with the confidence of contributing quota to nation building than casting vote for old hacks whose political ideologies are obsolete and don't align with the perquisite of the 21st century politics. Voting anachronistic set of politicians is a continuous endorsement of the longevity of the suffering and smiling system of governance.

With the application of the presidential candidate merger formulae and the resolve of Nigerian youths to vote their counterparts, the parading of noisy and incompetent aspirants who parade themselves as masquerades that must be feared by all in the polity can be sent solo and exiled in order for Nigerians to sing a new song at the dawn of a new political era.

Political admonition in this sense requires the aforementioned modalities ; as a shortfall of this standard will amount to a leveraging of the nation on a money wakes up and conscience goes to sleep politics that continues to put the nation on a reverse gear and takes us back to our ugly root rather than reaching aspired collective destinations.

A post mortem into the chain of governance in Nigeria, reveals the unusual can be made usual with a sense of determination. If the PDP could be negated after 16years consecutive rule and the APC birthed , the birthing of a third force successor is attainable through the unflinching appetite to cause a change and decisive voting choice that is change driven rather than sentiments that entails sacrificing meritocracy on the altar of mediocrity.

Nigerian youths, it is time to unsubscribe to the hydra cabal mega party philosophy and hostage possession that can go battle cost if Nigerians are serious in playing politics with a sincerity of purpose and aggressive pursuit of course towards effecting positive change.

No rocket science is required in getting Nigeria work again. The PVC and how it is transparently used is the fixer recommended to correct the party weight and money bag style of politics which stand as a killer syndrome to good governance.

The progress we seek as Nigerian youths must not produce expected outcomes instantaneously, but let's be partners in progress by sending signals to the old politicians that we are a tidal wave that will in no distant time sweep them off the polity. Do not be afraid to try but make a giant stride as the" journey of a million mile begins with a step". Its not too late to correct the anomalies as February 16, 2019 is around the corner and with a sense of ideological and attitudinal change we can surmount this mountain before us to become a mole hill.

As long as there is the consistent application of the the faulty political formular by voting incompetent elements into power, the governance equation can never be balanced.

*UR PVC UR LICENSE TO A GREATER NIGERIA. VOTE WISELY!!!*

SaiAtikuTill203:
truth be told this election is between buhari and Atiku. Others are just after once presidential candidate title.

this is the 21st century my brother. I want to remind you & millions of Nigerians like yourself that still subscribe to this kind of hydra cabal or dynasty hostage possession that the battle is lost already. The vast majority of Nigerians are now enlightened. No more mega party philosophy and incumbency at play in Nigeria. The most enlightened set of people in Africa today are Nigerians and the level of awareness & information at the average market woman disposal would marvel you. Nigerians now know the difference between blue and red. Don't over atikulate yourself yet until the battle is over. save your final speech until the ovation ebbs at its peak. The grinding teeth of the gods may grapple fast on the blade of change but believe me its a new dawn that would unmask the aced leave hidden away in the cap and armpit of the gods to bring the needed change.

Joromi12:
In conclusion, they are inconsequential and cannot get 100k votes combined

well the polls remains a final arbiter & holds the final verdict, your vote alone in not enough to bring in your candidate of choice

*LESSONS FROM THE 2019 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE.*

UWODE E.JOSEPHINE
19/01/2109
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com

Although it is largely argued that leadership is not a matter of semantics and verbal eloquence, the turnout of events at the presidential debate which held on 19/01/2019 could push one to fault or reason beyond the boundary of this school of thought.

The fundamental issue that caught ones attention in the debate is the absenteeism of the renowned presidential aspirants, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Atiku Abubakar under the auspices of the PDP, who would have used the envisaged absence of the incumbent present to prove his competence and strengthen his fan base. If he could travel to the U.S just to prove Mr president wrong on allegations of corruption, one begins to wonder why such a measure cannot be replicated in this case by appearing for the debate amidst all odd.

Present at the debate were candidates of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Kingsley Moghalu, Dr Obi Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) and Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN).

A very striking point connected to these three is their satisfactory performances deduced from their responses to critical questions that anchored on disturbing developmental theme. This depicts their consciousness and commitment to launch Nigerians to taking the pivotal role rather than maintaining the passengers seat in the political scheme of things (people oriented politics).

With reference to the duo absentees (candidates of the APC and PDP), they have succeeded in communicating and commissioning their gross incompetence to Nigerians and lack of manifesto which in turn downplays their mission statement in the presidential pursuit.

Their draconian and tyrannic tendencies have also been unveiled as people who can not play by the rules through their absence. Rulership rather than leadership defines their involvement in their already distorted presidential journey better described in the words Dr Obi Ezekwesili as "the subduing of the will of the people by the cap and caprices of political demagogues that operate a governance of salvagry without consequences".

In a nutshell, the turn out of the debate triggers an ideological switch of Nigerians , opening the eyes of the political blinds to see that there are more reliable and well abreast leaders to drive Nigerians on the path of development. This initiates a call for diversion from party weight and money bag politics to a more people oriented style of governance, displayed by the presence of the three aspirants at the debate, portraying them as carriers of the required antecedents to parachute the nation to greater height .
Its time to halt the continuous chorusing of the acronyms APC and PDP that stand as celebrities of the political season and pave way for candidature choicing beyond sentiments rather built on realistic considerations base on weighing intellect.

The time to bid the old hacks whose brain boxes have obviously been damaged by tiredness suffered from launching campaigns across the country and all manner of political acrimony is now or never. This can in brevity be described with the words of Farooq Kpogheri as "The alteration of the senility of intellect and a double jeopardy".

The choice Nigerians make devoid of sentiments in this election will salvage the nation from the consistent wallowing over ill governance they should be held accountable for and not the political class as generally assumed.

Hmmm

Hmmm

Do we have people with brains or just jar heads and Christians are the only occupant in Nigeria?? Church church church, christian christian christian just like the Muslims chants and promote their religious supremacy & relevants. I hope we dont plan to tear down the country on the ground of religious cultism.

May God save Delta states & its residents

Hmm

Good one

Good onw

Good game

Na wa o

Another TKO & winning punch for mischief makers

u go fear My Naija brothers & sisters

na wa o

This na season film

ACTIVITIES OF THE POLITICAL LANDLORDS IN THE POLITICAL BLOODLETTING LANDSCAPE

BY: UWODE ESEOGHENE JOSEPHINE.
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com
01/11/2018

The ultimate search for a credible candidate with the Redeemer or consummate performer tendency as Nigerians sojourn into accomplishing the much talked about project 2019 ( 2019 general elections) assumes an enigmatic position. The feasibility of this initiative can be strictly questioned following the degree of melo- drama and perilous signal that accompany the trend of party primaries and outcomes.

The emergence of assumed deserving candidates from the recently concluded party primaries and speculations of which aspirant is to carpet or floor opponents at the echelon of power (presidency) have given birth to seductive arguments , robust debates, treacherous commentaries, adverse mimicking of opponents and other forms of political hullabaloo, thus portraying the power tussle to be between the the two political bigwigs I.e "Buhari Versus Atiku". This scenario can be idiomatically expressed as the fierce battle between two giant elephants (Buhari versus Atiku) of which the grasses (electorates/masses) are meant to bear the brunt, further described as a real case of political combatants flexing muscles in the open. This situation has generated a polemical and braggart breed of party and aspirants supporters. The development have brought to limelight the non fizzling position of the political landlords (godfathers and the megalomaniac politicians) who obviously control the political space and act as political oracles and diviners that predict and decide electoral outcomes.

The constant echoing of the slogan " Sai Baba" and "Artikulate" and other forms of lampooning of opponents leaves one pondering on the significance of the rationale behind the cocoon existence of the flood of other political parties whose voices seem mute over relegation suffered as a result of the amplified party activities of the two renowned political parties (PDP and APC) that have taken the centre stage of events.

The weighty and sensitive nature of the 2019 election and issues surrounding portrays a calamitous end if Nigerians don't put their mental arsenal to work by displaying a high political analytical skill that requires weighing with close analysis the consequences tied to electoral decisions. This prediction is built on the iron cast evidence, deduced from the public romance and braggart attitude of party supporters to their political darlings (aspirants). How can one explain the throwing of caution into the wind by some religious moguls publicly fighting dirty and throwing weight behind their perceived choice of candidates ?. One cannot also jettison the exhibition of political acrimony by top notch party supporters and archetypal of such is the attempted exchange of blows between Festus Keyamo the APC spokes person of the Buhari campaign Organisation and Segun Sawunmi of the Atiku campaign Organisation during a Live interview on Channels TV dated October 15th, 2018. These trends of events are crystal clear evidences of red flags and an eloquent manifestation of an unfolding of diverse episodes of political upheavals with the efficacy to truncate the smooth conduct of the forthcoming elections and impede the reaping of the long anticipated pleasing election end results.

In brevity, the degree of political conundrum overheating the polity in current times depicts the Nigeria politics as an avenue for demarcation of social class, building of fractious relationships and revengeful opportunities. Undoubtedly , the political atmosphere is saturated with the eminency of the best and worse candidates that requires only a rational application of reevaluated political decision to correct the heightened level of political bastardization that emanate from such anomalies. This is considered a political parameter for measuring success in contemporary politics. The Nigerian politics has been redefined to mean a subtle game of perceived aggression, nasty and cut throat competition among entities, a shortcoming born from attitudinal and ideological dichotomies.

The drum of war is being played and as usual Nigerians who suffer intellectual myopism are dancing to the rhythm. Nigerian youths have never stopped playing the role of the sacrificial lamb due to their gullible nature that cannot be divorced from their materialistic and mechanical frame of mind , enmeshed in poverty, religion and other forms of sentiments. This explains their ignorant queuing and escorting of incapacitated candidates into the power house and later vehemently express regrets ,thereby abating and aiding all manner of electoral insanity and sacrileges ranging from ballot snatching, assassinations e.t.c, a clear case of political notoriety. The emphasis here is on the Nigerian youths who will never stop being eyed by the political seducers (money bag politicians) and thus puppet at all cost to perpetuate electoral evils due to their (youths) supposed political productiveness distance from intellectual and political maturity as ingrained in the Nigerian political culture. The relevance of the Nigerian youths in Nigeria politics cannot be underestimated as a result of their gigantic numerical strength that reflects a larger percentage of the voting population and will continue to suffer manipulations by the ruling class unless they become resolute in becoming change Generals rather than being relegated to the position of political tenants and eunuchs who ought to have equal stake with the acclaimed political landlords (the politicians) in the political space.

The Sun Tzu strategy of war I.e winning the war without bloodshed reverberates at this juncture. Obviously, the debilitating political situation requires seeking a peaceful emergence of a political messiah that can help Joshua the nation from this day political Egypt and launch into the promise land and not the application of the crude tactics or a faux pas approach of character assassination of opponents, public display of ignominy e.t.c. with obvious catastrophic consequences .

The wave of threats from supporters and aspirants is a sure signal that if tempers are not put under check, the 2019 election will be a signalling of an abysmal failure that will perpetually launch the nation in a political wilderness with no exit route.

Dousing the chaotic situation that may emanate from cut throat competition between aspirants, cases of candidate imposition in some states, threatened boycotting of elections by the IPOB, and other forms of political clueless ness requires a high measure of political tolerance from all political stakeholders (politicians and the electorates ) to avoid political brutality of great magnitude .

The raw fact here is that no election is worth the blood of any Nigerian. If reverse were to be the case, the thousands of lives lost in electoral violence over the years would have put Nigeria in a halt but the reality on ground spells otherwise. In order to detoxify the political shambles steering at our faces, Nigerians should disembark from succumbing to the antics of some political mischief makers who don't want to fade out of the political scene and have mastered the art of using schematic measure of spreading the sermon of hate, built on obscured lies, political witch hunting and persecution in a bid to gain exasperating responses from opponents thus almost tearing the polity apart.

Changing the narrative requires functioning under the ambit of the law by getting the Permanent Voter Card (PVC), cast vote devoid of sentiments considered a license to a greater nation and a better way of removing the cobwebs from the eyes of defiant electorates who have and want to make themselves the sacrificial lamb for cleansing electoral sins. This reminds one of the popular say "To whom Brain is given , Sense is expected". Remember in politics , amongst the politicians there are no permanent friends, neither permanent enemies but only among the electorates do we have permanent enemies.

The Potent way to play politics of safety devoid of bitterness by the electorates is to exercise civic responsibility that requires casting votes and not depriving themselves of their franchise believe to be a more of cooperative endeavours to surmount all forms of electoral pressure and misguided consistency that bedevils the Nigerian electoral system. A word they say is enough for the wise.
SEE US ALL AT THE POLLS COME 2019, the rendezvous of all form of effective political collaboration!!!

*2016 NPOWER BENEFICIARIES AND THE PROPOSED ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE.*

BY:Uwode Eseoghene Josephine
Email:jojoamaniarea@gmail.com
12/01/2019

The Npower programme is an initiative of the President Muhammadu Buhari's Administration. It was birthed in the year 2016, with employability capacity to accommodate 500,000 unemployed Nigerian Youths, placed on a monthly stipend of #30,000 and other enticing benefits accrue to beneficiaries of the scheme.

It is an all embracing scheme as it absorbs youths irrespective of academic qualifications and choice to get empowered in the areas of Teaching (N-teach), Health (N-Health), Agriculture (N-Agro), Taxation (N-Tax), N-build, N-Tech and N-creativity.

The beauty of the scheme is embedded in the transparency at the manner in which the recruitment process was and is being conducted. Its a breaking of history from the cultural High wire connection (Man-know-man) pattern of conducting recruitments from time immemorial

The attractiveness of the scheme can also be attributed to bringing succour to the hearts of many Nigerian graduates who before now had no meaningful source of livelihood but at present smile to the banks, being paid as at when due.The scheme is also viewed as a palliative measure, aiding in decongesting an already saturated labour market.

With the decay in the educational system that breeds unemployable graduates , conspicuously speaking, the Npower beneficiaries possess enhanced employability status through skills acquired in the programme. This makes them fit into parastatals in any capacity they may be called to serve in the future.
Currently, the level of impact created by Npower beneficiaries in various sectors is attested to have filled man power gaps, contrary to the unpopular speculation labelling the scheme as a mare waste of public coffer.

On the above premise, one can establish the fact that Mr President deserves an heavy weight applause for this life transforming Npower initiative with the cognomen N-Baba.

Having taken X-ray of the pluses that accompany the scheme, it becomes unequivocally necessary to address some shortcomings associated with the process, as there is always two sides to a coin.

A fundamental issue that has generated damning indictment and cess pool anger by the 2016 beneficiaries is the ambiguous and perceived non sustainability of the proposed "Enhancement Package" for 2016 beneficiaries whose 2year contract seem to have elapsed. The enhancement was initially defined to mean a continuity of the 2016 beneficiaries on the scheme to avert being retired to the labour market.

On October 2017, Npower through its Senior Special Assistance to the President on job creation, Mr.Afolabi Imoukhede reiterated Federal Government's commitment to retain such beneficiaries into government parastatal and the private sector base on state capacities. While this measure seems futuristic and not instantaneous, a 3month enhancement programme was proposed stretching from November 2018 which marks the official expiration date for such beneficiaries to February 2019, with a continued #30,000 monthly stipend.

The dwindling state of the enhancement package subjects beneficiaries to palpitations that the scheme may be short lived if the pendulum of power swings in the direction of the opposition come 2019 General elections.

Considering the state of the political season, characterised by proliferated menace of strike actions like the ASUU and the proposed NLC strike, the Npower beneficiaries considered a potent channel of vote garnering may be tempted to hold the government of the day to ransom by declining vote for Mr President come February 2019 Presidential Election.

The president at this point in time cannot afford to risk his 4+4=8 political formulae for any reason. Thus, it is advisable that if Mr president intends to seek support from beneficiaries, the enhancement package should be given a cut clear definition in no distant time , rather than promises of hearing from the federal government from weeks that has snowballed into months of non fulfilment.

In a nut shell, the essence of the Npower scheme can only reap full potentials if beneficiaries are financially equipped to transfer skills acquired into being pragmatically resourceful. The word "Empower" simply connotes enablement. The enablement can only be actualised if beneficiaries are exited from the scheme with "Seed capital" ( start up monies) to get established. This is a more feasible and efficacious approach with the capacity to instigating a paradigm shift from reliance on white collar jobs to entrepreneurship that drives modern economies.

The proposal to absorb some beneficiaries into government parastals base on state capacities seem very euphoria. This assertion can be aligned with the economically inviability of some states to service salaries, coupled with claims of being financially incapacitated to implement the New national Minimum wage. Beneficiaries who reason to be compensated in this manner should renege from nursing such thoughts as the permanency drive is contrary to terms and conditions entered from the inception of the programme which requires an exit from the scheme, following the expiration of their two year service time frame.

Conclusively, the issuance of Seed Capital for beneficiaries and alternatively improved stipend and elongated stay period on the scheme implemented before the 2019 elections will better define the sincerity of purpose and the sustainability of the Npower scheme. A deviation from this proposed panacea will be a pitfall of the objectives of the scheme, thus retiring such beneficiaries to the labour market, and a return to the viscous circle of poverty that stems from unemployment debacle.

The outcome of the implementation of the proposed Enhancement package for the 2016 beneficiaries is a determinant of the fate of the 2017 batch on the scheme. If the enhancement drive is not actualised, it may undoubtedly kill the morale of the 2017 batch and impede their ability to deliver assigned responsibilities maximally due to lack of motivation.

PHOBIA FOR ELECTORAL DEFEAT AND THE NEED FOR BEHAVIOURAL SWITCH BY NIGERIAN POLITICIANS.

BY
Uwode Eseoghene Josephine
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com

06/12/2018

Stratospheric success at all spheres of national concern is what the Nigeria populace seek at this critical moment of political reformation that the 2019 election seems to be a deciding factor.

Naturally, humans have phobia for failure, but the undiluted truth remains that failure is part of human existence, thus better described as inevitable. This assertion can be buttressed with a few brainy quotes:
*success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is courage to continue that counts--Wiston Churchill.
*success is the result of imperfection, hardwork, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence... Collins Powell.
*Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm --Winston Churchill.

The above simply connote that success cannot be divorced from failure, as such it is not an anomaly losing an election. Nigeria politicians consider losing an election a social insipid which is a sign of ideological blockage.

Taking a cruise into the Nigerian political history, in conformity with the subject matter, unravels the fact that phobia for electoral defeat is the rationale behind the power drunk ambition exhibited by African politicians and their strong appetite to play politics as a "Do or Die " game. This is further characterised by the inability to exercise the spirit of sportsmanship that requires embracing election results in good fate.

Africa is a continent where power handover amidst obvious incompetencies is viewed from the prism of political sacrilege. This precipitates the transition of malnourished governance style from one generation to another; a political culture where an incumbent cannot concede defeat , not even under duress over displeasure expressed by the populace.

For instance, in developed societies where the wellbeing of the citizenry is the premium, issues of resignation from political offices even on the ground of average performances, is perceived an honourable strategy to socioeconomic and political prosperity rather than an ignominious move as translated in black nations like Libya, Liberia and with particular reference to Nigeria.

Affirming the above assertion, brings to mind the resignation of the one time U.S president Richard Nixon for his role in the 1974 Watergate scandal and the Japan's Prime Minister Naotokan after the Fukushima nuclear tragedy. Its a common practice in Africa that tyrants never let go power even when such leaders lack the required administrative capacity and grassroot followership. Archetypal of such is the case of Gaddafi of Libya, Samuel Doe of Liberia, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe amidst a non exhaustive list. This leaves an indelible footprint, the unflinching need to consistently glue to power for decades despite public disdain over anaemic leadership pattern. This further validates the reason why impeachment moves mostly enter a stalemate in the Nigeria scenario.

The political turmoil that emanate from vengeful and immigration politics (party mobility) and all forms of mindless hedonism, is an evidence of the Nigerian politicians wanting to perpetually and tenaciously hold unto power. This defines the political style to be a must win affair and the governance house as a "Power Dynasty".

A forensic analysis into the history of off-cycle elections in Nigeria , is a revealer that lack of circumspect displayed by politicians in terms of power acquisition and retainment is embedded in the cause and not the effect.

The fundamental cause of the phobia for electoral defeat is built on the premise that political offices have been politically architecture to be too attractive. The attractiveness is adjudged from the perspective of the juicy packages in terms of robust allowances that accompany political appointments. The most disturbing is the constitutional provision for pension for top notch political office holders whose allowances can carter for 10th generation unborn.

A contributory factor also is the exotic gifting I.e the brown envelope or money change hand politics. The severance package for pensioned politicians backed by the constitution, seem so ridiculous and deepens the quest to gain access to power at all cost.

Another perturbing issue is the exorbitant cost of obtaining the expression of interest/nomination forms. How does one explain the jumbo sum of #45million naira for nomination form for the seat of a Governor. Its so whooping to the extent that an incumbent president claimed not to possess the financial wherewithal to afford a nomination form, thus relied on the sponsorship of other stakeholders. With this development one begins to wonder how a grassroot politician can survive such a flamboyant escapade.

Also notable as a causal agent is the robust cost of running campaigns which amounts to nothing less than a fortune. Political subservience born from sponsorship of aspirants by Godfathers is a daunting cause of electoral disturbances. It has become a tradition for incumbents or aspirants to deliver their states for the sustainability of their party initiatives. A shortfall of this is soliciting for trouble, as such politicians are meant to suffer relegation of being placed in an inconsequential stance in their party affairs. This predicament is better described in the words of Robert Green, a Seasoned psychologist and master of strategy in the U.S as the masculine, elitists and repressive pursuit and a dangerous nonsense.

No doubt such whooping cost of servicing election and politics in general leads to sponsorship from Godfathers, responsible for political genuflections, loan securing from commercial banks, capable of plunging such banks into a state of distress, following heavy debts issued to such politicians with high interest bearing .

Considering the heavy debt hanging on the neck of such politicians, no sane politician would want to lose an election with the supposed potency to give them access to the power and financial house that can guarantee clearing their financial indebtedness.

Flexing financial muscle is seen as an election winning strategy. The conversion of public coffer into private fiefdom by incumbents for electioneering purposes, is also an offshoot from the fear of not wanting to lose out in an election. Election is now a game of the highest bidder, as the electioneering pattern has become the money induced one.
The current move by the INEC Chairman prof. Mahmood Yakubu calling for the INEC to monitor party finances through the use of tracking device further affirms the above point.

The act of political gangsterism, where politicians equip their acclaimed party faithfuls to form an armoury of thuggery Generals for the purpose of elimination of opponents, electorate intimidation are all functions of desperation by the Nigerian politicians to gain power either by hook or crook. This is sure a heightened state of anti-social behavioural gap.

Indeed, no volume of words and analysis can explain away the imperfection of successive politicians in this regard. Glaringly, such attitudinal and ideological default cannot be distanced from the unflinching desire to acquire and retain power at all cost , thus political goons forbid being defeated in any form of electoral contest.

The highlighted factors above account for the level of security decrepitude the nation is bedeviled with. Typified of this striking point, is the menace of political thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes and all forms of political conspirational actions, where issues of national concern such as the Boko Haram and Herdsmen plaque have been politicised to frustrate and stereotype political oppositions. This is considered the zenith of desecration of national security.

The disturbances born from this trend has become devastating that when a politician losses an election, he interprets it to mean election rigging. Rather than accept defeat in good fate and exercise the spirit of sportsmanship as required by law, or seek redress in a court of law, violence and other forms of political persecutions are resorted to as a reciprocity for a perceived bruised ego and access denial to the national treasury.

It is worth stating emphatically that resilience is a prerequisite in playing clean politics. Losing out in an election today is no impediment to future victory. After all President Muhammadu Buhari contested and won on the 4th attempt. This should be the watch word of any sane or rational politician.

With the 2019 election fast approaching, anarchy has seized the moment, deduced from blood buster campaigns contents where political pyromaniacs and Suffocators are prepared to set the polity ablaze , using envenoming speeches and vulgarian attitude to exhibit their penchant for violence.

The extent of non verbal hygiene in their speeches and body language is epitomised in the indiscriminate use of braggart commentaries which is on the increase and can be adjudged from the few threats captured below:
"I had rather die than lose the 2019election"
"We are ready to be taken to the graveyard tomorrow and if he knows his mother and father born him well he should..... and it's fight to finish"
"The APC in Rivers state challenge Governor..... to continue with the illegal militia training and go ahead to arm them. We will also train our own security. We promise we will not be at the complaining end again".

The above are pointers to the fact that politicians have become militicians as described in the words of the former INEC boss Prof. Attaihiru Jega, as encoded in a paper titled " Challenges and Prospects of Sustainable Credible elections in Nigeria".

The question craving for needful answer at this juncture, is why do Nigeria politicians have phobia for losing elections, knowing fully well that at every tier of governance, only a leader is expected to emerge a winner amidst the long list of aspirants?. Why don't Nigeria politicians harbour in their minds that politics is a game where you either win or lose?. The spirit of sportsmanship as exhibited by former president Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat in the 2015 election should be a role model to the many contestants warming up for the 2019 election. National interest is expected to be placed above egocentric and unscrupulous political ambitions.

Surmounting the x-rayed precipitating factors anchored on non acceptance of electoral defeat requires basically the reduction in the cost of nomination forms for aspirants to guarantee affordability, with little fear of indebtedness and abort the fear of how do I pay back my debts if I lose out of the election?.

Secondly, the enactment of enabling laws to discipline vulgarian politicians who specialise in the use of propaganda becomes vital at this point in time.
Obviously the immunity clause in the constitution allows for all forms of political rascality and recklessness for incumbents contesting elections. This is also an issue that requires constitutional correctness.

There is also the need to slash allowances of political office holders to make such offices less attractive. Nigeria is one of the countries in the world that allocate whooping sums to political office holders as allowances but with one of the appalling minimum wage for her workers.

Constitutional amendments in the area of severance package at the expiration of tenure of political office holders is considered indispensable at this point. Pension ought to be for those who have meritoriously served in various capacities. How many politicians have meritoriously served to deserve a pension ?.

The resuscitation of the Nigeria's decadent predicament and attainment of a paragon of rationality, calls for an alignment with the proposed open sesame as horoscope above. This is geared towards causing a behavioural switch (attitudinal change) in the line of reasoning of politicians /aspirants (ideological transformation) and also to necessitate a positive influence in their acceptability of election outcomes. This will in no small measure instigate an humongous boost in a distraught polity portrayed as a shark infested water.

Losing an election doesn't signify failure. Sometimes by losing a battle, you find a new way to win the war...Donald Trump.
Politics is not a dirty game as speculated, rather politicians who play politics of bitterness portray it as filthy.

The line of advocacy is a call for Nigerian politicians to turn a new leaf in order to engineer a revamped electoral system with their conduct in preparation for the 2019 election as a litmus test. This will also help disappoint and seal the lips of acclaimed International watchdogs who take advantage of the porous polity to make their secession/national divide prediction, which Nigerians with a sense of patriotism wish it assumes a menopausal state.

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*MANIFESTO ANCHORED POLITICS:* A Season Film with Suspense.
By: Uwode Josephine. E 30/09/2018.
jojoamaniarea@gmail.com

Manifesto is a political script/ document characterised by policies and programmes that give a clear direction on the objectives of a political aspirant as it affiliates to the ideology of political party under which auspices an aspirant flags off. It is an offshoot for defining a constituent ambition of political hopefuls, party ideologies, e.t.c which indirectly serves as a scorecard for political aspirants as it mirrors the personality, noble status and a personality appraisal instrument for evaluating the leadership qualities of a candidate.

Manifestos can be literary, visual, audio, largely dependent on the desired medium of communication, determined by frequency and reach.

It is a Democratic tandem in concordance with the political culture of Nigeria for aspirants to draft and present manifestoes as a political viable advertising tool with persuasive marketing techniques, geared towards vote mustering when vying for top notch political offices.

The feasibility of actualising the manifesto content is astronomically vested on the potency of the rhetorics inherent (statement of objectives) and the pragmatic implementation of content determined by the actors (aspirants) behind the script (manifesto).

Faulty choice of candidature which can be said to be accountable for the pathetic state of the Nigeria politics, is a function of fluid manifesto packages that lack sympathy for the plight of the masses. The toxic nature of party manifestos seem more of an ostensible perjury, a cold murder of vaunted preeminence of government safety net for the needy.

The manifesto gap precipitates the continued malnourished leadership and all appendages of mediocrity governance that the nation is confronted with after solid 58years of independence and 19years of Democratic reign. The manifesto is nothing but a script to be accentuated by political actors and in the Nigeria context, all that have been achieved from manifesto application are intrigues and suspense from our so called political Directors, producers (political parties and godfathers ), actors (aspirants) behind the scene(manifesto) simply because the politicians talk the work rather than work the talk.

The suspense however can be deduced from the political charade defined by the act of political manifesto coloration, a pervasion of a supposed potent political instrument (manifesto) to mean a projection of an embodiment of failure and political skirmishes. This is made more pronounced in the use of seasonal manifesto(every four years) to redefine the electorates into becoming political zombies who are brainwashed by the ostensible , mouth watery promises, deceptive antics of paying lip service. This is enabled by preying on the vulnerability state of the electorates, characterised by their impoverished state that beclouds their sense of reasoning. A notable example born out of this menace is the plaque of vote buying ravaging the Nigerian polity that plunges the voters to ticking a Yes in places where they are suppose to give a No for an answer.

One does not require a mercury bulb to detect the counterfeit state of party manifestos which are affirmatively non ideological based and propaganda infested which characterises the politicking strategy of aspirants and as such can be said to be accountable for the consistent failures of these seasoned politicians to deliver to expectations.

The most perturbing issue associated with manifesto integrity is that it has become a political ritual to anchor content on promises on infrastructure with less premium on economic transformation agenda embedded in Human Capital Development. It is appalling and ignominious to think that Nigerians applaud, embrace, over rate and concede to manifesto objectives hinged on infrastructural development with lineaments as road construction, building bridges, schools e.t.c. and to get matters aggravated, the so called political gladiators flood the social media with video clips that capture such infrastructural features as strategy for electioneering campaigns. This is laughable as no aspirant or serving government deserves an endorsement or applause for promises built largely on the premise of infrastructural development, as such projects are core government responsibilities, expected to be financed with tax payers money.

The trend of development has brought about a paradigm shift from emphasis on infrastructural development to Human Capacity Building (HCB) as rated by the Amnesty International , the foreign watchdog to Third World nations that thrive to achieve economic and political prosperity of great magnitude . The template thus for measuring the credibility and feasibility of a manifesto geared towards infusing innovation and adding flesh to the usual skeletal manifesto drafting and execution pattern, should be nailed on the scrutiny of the worrisome issues as addressed below:

*Flooding manifestos with heterogeneous agenda (policies and programmes): manifestoes trafficked by ambiguous and legions of expectations should not be taken to heart by the electorates. The reason not farfetched is that a four year rule (single term) is never considered enough for any government in Nigeria to actualise a single programme let alone a basket full of it. This trend explains better the rationale behind the second term initiative, excused on the premise that an unfinished business remains that only a call for tenure elongation can secure the actualisation of multiple objectives. The legend of the seeker of a second term politics the country is bedeviled with is a product of this political loophole. An example here is an aspirant trying to convince the masses that he can actualise a naira becoming a dollar in a single term, seems more of a Chimera because it interpretatively means Nigeria becoming the United States in four years. No economic formulae applied in this direction with the current state of the nation will produce a realistic outcome in this regard.

*Assessing the antecedents and precedents of the political actors(aspirants) behind the Scene(manifesto): The essence of scanning the aspirants is to unmask the integrity and leadership qualities to avoid "the promise and fail syndrome" that afflicts majority of the Nigerian politicians. To disallow the uncultured breed of politicians taking the centre stage of events , the scrutiny of their precedents is imperative due to the fact that the past is believed to be an extrapolation of the present and the future. This is necessary as manifestos can be drafted and designed by political nuisance to suit lobbying groups, party patrons at the expense of the poor masses. *paradigm shift from infrastructural development to Human capacity Building (HCB): in terms of HCB, political aspirants should be able to explicitly convince the electorates on defined modalities in achieving development which can be measured using two distinct indices: I) job creation (minimum wage and conducive working conditions). 2) Empowerment programmes to encourage entrepreneurship (A shift from the white collar job). *Timing: the lifespan of every proposed program encapsulated in a manifesto must have a defined time allocation for goal actualisation. For example an aspirant tells you he is to provide jobs, he should be able to provide answers to the 3WH questions I.e What to achieve, Why to achieve , When to achieve and How to achieve stated goals in order to guarantee accountability in the scheme of things.

*Non ideological based manifesto : most manifestoes fronted by political parties lack ingredients. Nigeria is confronted with manifestoes that capture the weaknesses of perceived political party rivals thus leading to cut throat competition and verbal war between contestants. This explains the simulacrum between party manifestos without any distinguishing factors encoded in exclusiveness and innovations. Buttressing this point is the emphasis of contestants on the highlighting of the weakness of opponents or an incumbent government without concentration on unveiling strategies on how to pragmatically surmount such identified lapses.

Guarantor Syndrome : obviously there are political godfathers who decide the fate of some political puppets (aspirants). Any political hopeful that seem subservient to political big wigs should not be trusted by Nigerians. The reason being that such a candidate's manifesto will only possess an aesthetic value that lacks depth. No matter how captivating and enticing such a manifesto may sound in rhetorics, if allowed access to power, will undoubtedly exhibit some loyalist tendencies by bowing to the wishes of their heavy weight political Lord who decide what policies and programmes to indulge in by such puppets. This is evident in the issues of political rebelling, party migration, public coffer embezzlement thwarting the development process of the nation and also serves as a comeuppance to the electorates for making the wrong choice of candidature for failure to carry out a reality check on weighty political considerations of this kind.

*Egocentricity: this happens to be a blindfold to the choosing of rightful candidates. In this part of the world, we are still faced with this stiff taciturn perception of paper meal ticket or certification as a criterion for making the choice of candidates vying for electoral positions. This is a faulty approach as politics should not be considered a game of pedigree or plutocracy rather issues of performance rooted on the administrative competence of the aspirants and not the regular strategy of trumpet blowing and self accolade.

The success formula behind any political structure is largely anchored on the right choice making of candidature by the electorates looking beyond the surface of party manifesto but concentrate on basic ingredients that justify the feasibility of such a political document.

In order to prevent a repeat of the continuous voting into power of egocentric and sordid representatives, the manifesto which serves as a selling point of aspirants should be holistically X-rayed to avoid the bubble bursting and consistent lamentation of the "I thy know Chorus" born from the transition of power from one set of political infidels to another.

Conclusively, it is worthy to state that Nigeria's greatest malady is not limited to resource management gaps, rather faulty and regrettable choice making that gives political infidels access to the power house of governance. The political terrain seem very tensed with stiff neck competitions among contestants and as such the political consciousness of the electorates should be awakened by taking into cognisance the enumerated points, as an expo to the sagacity of manifestos especially with regards to the 2019 elections that stand as a deciding factor to the future of our great country Nigeria . This will in no doubt salvage the present day politics from total collapse.

I implore all Nigerians of votable age to display a high sense of patriotism through participatory politics (voting) and being vigilant of some political actors (aspirants) that have come to act the script again(manifesto), leaving millions of Nigerians with so much suspense and intrigues of this every four year season film (elections) of which outcome can not be predetermined at this stage. Let's not be caught unawares again and again.

"SEE U All At the Polls Come 2019".