₦airaland Forum

kopite:
I can't see ikwerre on the list. The biggest onshore field is on ikwerre land.... The Agbada field covering Obio Akpor and ikwerre LGA.

zlantanfan:
Is saraki no longer a member of the Nigeria government that can represent in official capacity, what is this pettiness about?

Pastorlarry:
Story for the gods,Rivers is APC.Wike is a gonner

ENUGU – PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, Vice presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday, lampooned the anti-corruption policy of the President Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government, saying the country has receded in attempt to frighten and muscle the opposition with anti-graft campaign.
Obi spoke at the 3rd South East Economic Summit with the theme, “South East Nigeria: An Investment Destination.”

He gave an instance that when peoples’ businesses that employ thousands of people and which render crucial services to the society are shut down in guise that they were established through corrupt means, the nation would lose more than the value of the looted money, if any.

He blamed the nation’s poverty on over dependence on oil revenue to the detriment of other resources, arguing that oil has become a declining asset which many nations are dumping.

Obi gave the example of Venezuela, which he noted has the largest deposit of oil in the world, with 23 million population but is economically a failed nation because it failed to adopt modern economic model like developed countries that run knowledge-based economy.

He said “Nigeria in the past three years actually came down from GDP of 520 billion to a GDP of less than 400 million, and that was why I was worried when people say we are doing well… fighting corruption is not an economic policy; it’s a disaster…”

The PDP presidential candidate said that South East and South South geopolitical zones of the country have the capacity to change Nigeria economically as they have the regions with the fastest growing cities in the country.

“Knowledge economy is the driver of the world today. Nobody is talking about baggage (oil) economy; in our own, its’ even a diminishing asset.

“People are now trying to build vehicles, they don’t need petroleum and we are still busy arguing everything, price of oil went up, price of oil went down; when we have talented young men that can change this place if supported, and this is what we need to look at and support them.

“Like I always said to people, your country in 2016 had 70 something million poor people and India had 76 million poor people. Within three years India pulled 102 million people out of poverty. They have no oil. Your country pulled 12 million into poverty and we became number one, they became number two. They have no oil.”

In a remark, first Republic Minister of Aviation and elder statesman, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi lambasted the present crop of Igbo politicians for always shouting that Ndigbo were marginalized in the country, declaring that nobody was marginalizing Ndigbo.

He enjoined the people of the zone to take advantage of their entrepreneurial acumen to build super economic structure within the region so that what they cannot get politically, they get economically.

“I told the present set of politicians whom I regard as opportunists, and careerists, people who are in politics for what they can get and not for what they can give; people who are in politics as surrogates of the rotten military that we have had in this country; if they do not give leadership, we can grab leadership and let us grab that economic leadership.

“If political power eludes us and we are economically powered in this country, politicians will respect us, they cannot do without us. Let us develop an Eastern Region, let us develop South East states that this country cannot do economically without.
“If we develop it people will respect us, even the so called governmental power will come to you, people will come to you begging you, come and take power, come and lead us and come and show us what you have done in your place.”

The economic summit chaired by founder of Diamond Bank, Dr. Pascal Dozie was supported by United Kingdom Department for International Development through Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL); and Ford Foundation.

The summit was attended by business and political leaders from Igboland, including Prof. Barth Nnaji.

ABUJA—WIFE of the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mrs Titi Atiku Abubakar, yesterday alleged that her husband, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, was victimised for insisting on inspecting the controversial 53 suitcases imported into the country by a first class northern traditional ruler during the military administration, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja when she paid a courtesy visit to the former Federal Commissioner for Information and Niger Delta leader, Chief Edwin Clark, and other leaders of the South South, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Middle Belt Forum, in his Asokoro residence, Titi said Atiku’s insistence provoked the government which then pressured him out of his post.

It would be recalled that Atiku was the Customs Officer in Charge of Murtala Muhammed Airport command when the suitcases were imported into the country in 1994.

Atiku’s wife said: “When Atiku was in Customs, there was one incident that happened in the 80’s when 53 suitcases were brought in by a traditional ruler during the administration of the present president and he (Atiku) insisted that those suitcases must be opened.
“But they were very angry with him and they called the then Minister of Finance, Onaolapo Soleye, and they said they should throw him out of the job.”

“But the minister said to them, this is one of the finest officers he had, that he would never throw Atiku out. That was what the man did. They said, ‘it’s ok, if you don’t want to throw the man out, transfer him immediately. Atiku was that day transferred to Kano.”

Speaking further, Mrs Atiku, who revealed that there was fear among party leaders and stakeholders when the venue of the recent PDP national convention was moved from Abuja to Port Harcourt, said many people believed it was a ploy to edge out Atiku and that there would be a fight.

She noted, however, that God had ordained that he would be the party’s flag bearer at the convention.
According to her, when Atiku emerged the candidate at the convention, he went to Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to thank him for letting the party use the venue.

She told Clark that she had come to thank him as an elder statesman, saying Nigerians were primed to elect Atiku because all their homes had become “Atikulated.”
Mrs Titi Atiku, who assured that as a successful private businessman, Atiku would bring his business sagacity to bear on creating a prosperous life for Nigerians, however, noted that the main opposition candidate was corrupt.

She said as someone who had been married to Atiku for nearly 40 years, she knew him better and could say he is a just man.

In his remarks, Chief Clark said the forum of elders interviewed 16 presidential aspirants, stressing that they were looking for a man with capacity and intelligence who would keep the country together.

Clark, who noted that the 1999 constitution encouraged division among Nigerians, unlike what obtained in the First Republic where Nigerians put the country first, said: “What is the reason for making one area of this country, North West, seven states; North East, six states ; North Central, six states; South South, six states but South East, five states?

“Is that fair? Is it equitable? That is one of the things not going on well in the country. If you ask for ministers, every zone brings six ministers, except South East. You ask for things to be shared according to states, they (South East) receive only five.

“So, when some boys say ‘we are not part of Nigeria,’ they are angry, and nobody should crucify them, no one should call them terrorists. They are fighting for their rights. They are Nigerians.

“So, we are now looking for somebody among the candidates who will say ‘am going to restructure his country and fairness will come to everybody and you will manage your own affairs.”

Clark assured that Atiku, who he said had been an advocate of restructuring since 1994, would do the bidding of Nigerians, if elected president.

GavelSlam:
What's your contribution to the advancement of Nigeria that makes you entitled to criticism?

BrokenTV:
If your brain is not leaking water you will know that Obi hardly wears cap, how many times have you seen him wearing Igbo cap on his head, tribal bigot, thank God he is wearing their native attire, na their you for concentrate.

SmartMindsFx:
Obi has access to public funds and he built a church but I only have my hard earned funds and I rented an office where I try as much as possible to empower people.

I think in a sane clime, I would be a better person compared to that man.

Countries are erecting structures to empower its citizens but ours is religious trash.