Comrade ayodele adewale on Dino melayo

DINO MALEYE GOES MAD AGAIN
 
“Ingratitude is treason to mankind”----James Thomson
 
At every given point in time, the Nigeria news cycle is certain to relay a particular tiding whose apparent purpose is to remind you that you are more of a participant in a comical "Awada keri keri" experiment than the citizen of a proper country.

That reminder is the very element that makes the day’s domestic news complete.

It serves to succinctly explain the context in which other headlines developed.

It encapsulates the grand existential lie that some Nigeria Senators purports not to be.

Just yesterday, a self-acclaimed "anti-corruption crusader", Dino Maleye threatened the revered Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Olurim Tinubu with fire and brimstone, calling her unprintable and unimaginable names, as well as, even daring to beat her up, until he was stopped by other progressive Senators.

It is rather unfortunate that Dino Malaye has forgotten so soon the hands that fed him.

A popular Yoruba adage says that, “ Odo to gba gbe orisun re, o ma gbe” literally anybody that forget his or her source, will dry up in self destruction.

The scheme of this political renegade, if not properly nip in the bud, then Nigeria and Nigerians should be ready for another round of surprises from an acute destroyer-Dino.

Dino has forgotten so soon, how he misled and corrupted and mortgaged the future of Amadu Bello University Students and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) into the hands of the university management led by Prof. Madi and Military dictatorship.

He was part of the student leaders that benefitted by collecting money from Nigeria’99 a.k.a COJA fraud; selling the rights of the students to the Nigeria Military and betraying the cause to re-in state students that had been politically expelled from school such as Gani Jnr, Victor Arokoyo et al from ABU Zaria and other campuses accross the country.

It is even more laughable that the self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusader could forget in a hurry how Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his dearling wife helped him to secure  his senatorial ticket and propelled him to speak at EVERY APC RALLY.

It should be stated here categorically and emphatically that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Jargaban Borgu, Governor Emeritus of Lagos State and National Leader of the  All Progressives Congress (APC)  and Senator Oluremi Tinubu  have contributed immensely to this democracy that we are enjoying today.

There doggedness and daring revolutionary moves during the dark days of jackboot military dictatorship are reminiscent of a true selfless leader, ready to sacrifice for the liberation of their people, and to free the collective resources from imperial grip for the advancement of our society.

To us, the destructive attitude of Dino Maleye is not new. It was this same attitude that led to him being beaten up on the floor of the House of Representatives during the 5th National Assembly, he has started again.

He could not fight his fellow men but he now has the strength to threaten to beat Asiwaju Tinubu’s wife and also impregnate her.

An Igbo adage says that, “he who the gods want to kill, they first of all make mad.

The little bird called Nza, after over feeding himself challenged his Chi to a wrestling contest.”

It is high time his constituency recall him back from the Senate beacause, truly, Dino Maleye has gone mad once more.

Dino is a shame to our generation as former students and youth leaders in this country.
 
Comrade Ayodele Adewale
Immediate past Executive Chairman,
Amuwo Odofin Local Government (2008-2014)

PRESS STATEMENT
JULY, 13TH,2016

LAGOS CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT LEADERS CONDEMN SEN. MELAYE'S ATTACK ON SENATOR OLUREMI TINUBU

We the leaders of the Lagos Central Senatorial district have monitored the developments in the Nigerian Senate closely for well over a year now.

We have kept abreast of the under currents of the issues and the political alignments within the red chamber.

We are mindful of the divisions that exist and thus we are in full support of those efforts to get all the Senators working for the larger interests of Nigeria and the reforms needed to give birth to a more just and prosperous nation.

Thus, we were taken aback and shocked by the events of tuesday July 12, 2016 during the closed executive session of the Senate when Senator Dino Malaye launched a derogatory attack against a ranking Senator, Oluremi Tinubu. We condemn in very strong terms Dino Malaye's attacks on our Distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

We demand an investigation of the incident and the motives of Senator Dino Malaye.The Senate must look into her laws and find appropriate sanctions to prevent future attacks.

We consider Senator Dino's behaviour as unbecoming of the exalted office he holds and want to remind him that he cannot muscle a colleague and a ranking Senator for that matter. The right of every Senator is guaranteed and Dino cannot seek to circumscribe it. The founding fathers of our democracy left behind a tradition of discipline, decorum and selfless patriotism. We hope the 8th Senate will uphold this tradition.

We stand behind Senator Oluremi Tinubu and firmly support her activities in the Senate. We salute her courage and consistent defence of democratic principles and the rule of law. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a ranking Senator has a tradition of speaking truth to power and never one to be cowed. Lagos State regard Senator Dino's attack as an affront on Lagosians and its political leadership.
Signed:
Chief Tajudeen Olusi
Mr. Fouad Oki. APC State Vice-Chairman (Lagos Central Senatorial District)
Hon. Hakeem Bamgbola. Acting State Secretary APC Lagos.

Tinubu Media Office
Lagos-July 4th, 2016

Eid El-Fitr Message

National leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian Muslims on the successful completion of this year's holy Ramadan month. According to him, the Ramadan period apart from providing a period of self examination and deep reflection has become a necessary tonic for both religious commitment and nationalistic revitalization.

In his Eid El-Fitr message to Nigerian Muslims, he urged Nigerians that after the Ramadan comes the big task of working for the betterment of our neighbors and of Nigeria. "Nigeria must feel the impact of the fasting and prayers in the new spirit of tolerance, good neighborliness, patriotism, compassion and forgiveness. Unless we reflect these both in our private and public conducts, the teachings and lessons of Ramadan will be of no effect".

Tinubu, who said no nation has progressed and survived the worst of times without prayers urged all the faithful not to relent in prayers for the leadership of the country and the country itself. "But beyond prayers, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Let us be builders and not destroyers. In our communities, our work places, on our assignments,let us work for this country towards making it a better place", Tinubu counseled.

Religion abhors laziness, it detests poverty, but promotes handwork, compassion and above all love for country. We muse as a nation move beyond being religious to practicing what faith demands of us. Nigeria needs everyone to be on the deck because the task at hand demands it.

Nigeria is on a journey that cannot be aborted but supported because therein lies our future and the future of our youth and children, Tinubu said.

Tinubu Media Office
Lagos-July 4th, 2016

Eid El-Fitr Message

National leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian Muslims on the successful completion of this year's holy Ramadan month. According to him, the Ramadan period apart from providing a period of self examination and deep reflection has become a necessary tonic for both religious commitment and nationalistic revitalization.

In his Eid El-Fitr message to Nigerian Muslims, he urged Nigerians that after the Ramadan comes the big task of working for the betterment of our neighbors and of Nigeria. "Nigeria must feel the impact of the fasting and prayers in the new spirit of tolerance, good neighborliness, patriotism, compassion and forgiveness. Unless we reflect these both in our private and public conducts, the teachings and lessons of Ramadan will be of no effect".

Tinubu, who said no nation has progressed and survived the worst of times without prayers urged all the faithful not to relent in prayers for the leadership of the country and the country itself. "But beyond prayers, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Let us be builders and not destroyers. In our communities, our work places, on our assignments,let us work for this country towards making it a better place", Tinubu counseled.

Religion abhors laziness, it detests poverty, but promotes handwork, compassion and above all love for country. We muse as a nation move beyond being religious to practicing what faith demands of us. Nigeria needs everyone to be on the deck because the task at hand demands it.

Nigeria is on a journey that cannot be aborted but supported because therein lies our future and the future of our youth and children, Tinubu said.

Stampede At Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's Annual Ramadan Outreach................

In his usual humanitarian gesture and a  bid to eliminate poverty, reducing the suffering of the masses and reaching out to the needy, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu hosted this year edition of its Bola Tinubu Ramadan Outreach amidst heavy crowd who were up and high in the quest to benefit from his Hands of Love! Unfortunately, the crowd went berserk and out of control, pulling down Onikan's gate and wanting to have extra package orders after receiving the first set of packages which  aroused stampede and caused some to sustain light Injuries

The silent voice behind Salient Actions! Celebrating an Icon in

Sunday Akin Dare!

Nigeria is blessed with amiable, intelligent and smart

people whose quota in making Nigeria great is of celestial

apogee. Some producers prefer to stay out of the spotlight and

instead work behind-the- scenes as helpers,fine tuning a track or

a video to make it the very best, Others choose to work for

others unaccredited when they are not producing for themselves,

among these great men whose sacrificial life's would leave an

indelible footprint on Nigeria and her Political geography,

between if any, is one of a Tweedledee and Tweedledum, little or

no difference with Alejandro González Iñárritu.If mother earth

permits,procuring the Chalcedony and Malachite stone for the

silent voice behind the Salient actions in person of Sunday Akin

Dare. Whose admonishing life is embelic to the following summary

"Do not waste a minute, not a second, in trying to demonstrate

to others the merit of your own performance. If your work does

not vindicate itself, you cannot vindicate it, but you can

labour steadily on to something which needs no advocate but

itself. He is an astute man with apt attention to detail, whose

presence might not charm you but his absence would intrigue you;

a delightful characteristic: A man whose Journalistic expertise

is of international apsis,It is familiar to him and once you are

emancipated into the muances of social discourse and disco bolus

it follows therefore that you cannot succeed as a Journalist if

you are not an innate mystery unraveler, an investigative

reporter, academic researcher,possess Analytical skills,

Exceptional leadership skills, Adaptable communication, Humble

confidence, Unwavering professionalism, Self-management, Ease

with technology, Intellectual curiosity, and Compatibility for

both independent and team work. You must be prepared to immerse

yourself in utopian-societal dialectics for you to be able to

contribute efficaciously in a utilitarian modus.In the course of

this write-up, “heaven and hell” was consulted so as to get a

Sunday Akin Dare is, and in the process it is amazing to note

that he had gone through the nitty-gritty and hurdles of life to

become the man he is today. Having spent 26 years of his life as

a journalist, author, journalism trainer, academic researcher

and a media mentor.A man whose media skills was instrumental to

unseat the clueless government and brought forth the change we

celebrate today . Dare has worked In many international

clue as to whom

organisation such as voice of America , news and tempo magazines

.His dreams for democracy was firm even before the military

regime ,as a pioneer member and General Editor of The News and

Tempo magazines in Nigeria in the early nineties, his work was

pivotal to the overthrow of military rule in Nigeria.His

experience spans the print, radio and television journalism. A

multi-media skilled professional, Dare served as the Head of the

Hausa Service of the Voice of America in Washington DC for 8

years. He is the founder and Publisher of News Digest

International magazine based in Lagos and Editor-In- Chief of

Newsbreaksnow.com, an online news website. Dare is also a

Management member of the NN24 Television led by UK based Tony

Dara. NN24 cable Television is the first 24-hour all news

channel in Nigeria and a full- fledged CNN Affiliate station.In

Life, the one thing that matters is the effort. It continues,

whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the

climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the

goal is reached it has no meaning. Thus,In 1997 Dare was

awarded the Freedom Forum Journalism Fellowship to study at New

York University in New York City. And in 2000, he became the

third Nigerian journalist to be awarded the Nieman Journalism

Fellowship to study at Harvard University in Boston. In 2000

Dare received a special citation for Courage in Journalism from

the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York for his

work in Nigeria.Dare holds a baccalaureate degree in

International Relation and a Master’s degree in International

Law and Diplomacy. He is a member of several international

journalism groups including the Washington based International

Consortium of Investigative Journalists, ICIJ, Investigative

Reporters’ and Editors, IRE, and Reporters Beyond Borders, RSF,

based in Paris.Dare co-authored the award winning book, "Making

a Killing-The Business of War" which won the 2003 Sigma Delta

Chi Awards for excellence in Journalism and Independent

Investigative Reporting.The heights great men reached and

kept,were not attained by sudden flight,but they, while their

companions slept,were toiling upward in the night. Same applies

to Sunday Dare the former chief of staff to the former minister

of information and currently the chief of staff and media

advisor to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of lagos

state and APC chieftain, the Oxford and harvard fellow with many

awards in the media sphere has been behind the scene to ensure

efficient running of his principal ' s activities whereas

providing outstanding result in the discharge of his duty.I

think by now, it’s important for you sir to count your

blessings and not your failures, the rest of your life is still

pregnant with activities, you still possess what it takes to

change the race of humanity. I think it is time to dare to act

to change and envelope yourself with the quest to discover the

next Sunday Dare in the race of life,Men of valour whose silent

voices from behind the scene would produce salient results just

like yours.We wish you a happy birthday hoping you have a long,

fulfilling career with all the success you can handle…and more!

You’ve earned it! Your dedication and determination inspire us

to be dedicated and determined. You make us better at what we

do. It would not worth the stress if reference is not made to

the team alongside the top notch luxury event planner from the

UK , kunbi Olorode whose effort are but serious tidings to

ensure that your 50th birthday celebration is of huge success

and to all men and women of great calibre who joins in this

Golden Jubilee.Happy 50th birthday Sir! May your days be

long,productive and relevant! Igba odun odun kan ni o!


Gbolahan Bakare

@gbollybakare

Tinubu Media Office
Release
Lagos Nigeria

" The Oba of Benin imbued the throne with the steadfast dignity and moral force that bestowed honor and glory to his forbears."-Tinubu


National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu condoled with the Benin Traditional Council, the governor of Edo State and the entire people of the renowned Benin Kingdom over the passing of their Paramount traditional ruler, Oba of Benin Kingdom, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolopkolo Erediauwa .

The national leader described the departure of the revered Oba of Benin as a great loss, coming at a time when his ethics, wisdom and political astuteness would be of great service serve to building a virile and durable Nigeria.

The Oba of Benin was a sterling example of royalty by virtue of both the position he held and by the excellent personality of this great man. The most enduring kingdoms of all kingdoms with a history rooted in time and achievement. The kingdom has brought great honor to Nigeria and I believe it will continue to even after his demise.

With his passing away, we must strive to live by his legacy of honesty, justice, fairness and respect for tradition and culture. He imbued the throne with the steadfast dignity and moral force that bestowed honor and .glory of his forbears.

Bukola Saraki flags off Operation Attack Tinubu, OAT, on the social media
> By VineReporters Correspondent

> Bukola Saraki, Senate President presently undergoing corruption trial has made true his threat to fund and unleash a barrage of negative media campaign against Bola
> Tinubu and also the APC. His most recent back page column piece on Thisday on saturday shows Saraki taking the lead in the media onslaught against Tinubu and some leaders of the APC.

> This offensive started in earnest about a week ago with one of the online sites being used as the dumping sites for the sliced up old and falsified stories against Tinubu.
> Old, unproven, falacious and frivolous allegations against Tinubu in some stories as old as 10 years are been recycled and presented to the unsuspecting internet readers an social media users as new stories or allegations against Tinubu.
>
> Bukola In his back page column in ThisDay on Saturday blamed everyone else but himself for his travails. The most ridiculous and laughable one was the excuse given that he is being dragged through a trial because he stood against a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The Senate president without mentioning names clearly pointed accusing fingers at Tinubu as being the person behind his travails.
> Against the gale of revelations and the different angles of the unfolding heist of Saraki it is incomprehensible why he believes that his present predicament is because he stood against Muslim-Muslim ticket. Saraki is not the heroe here.The heroe here is the candidate who withdrew his candidacy and sarificed ambition for natonal unity and party success.
> Did Saraki do the same thing when it came to his turn or did he not simply disobey the party all the way in a most bullish manner to achieve his ambition to become Senate President which he had bragged about even before APC won the national elections. Lets back up a bit.Saraki's opposition to the Muslim -Muslim ticket was selfish and calculative.It was far from patriotic and here is why. He knew the President is Muslim. If the Vice President is Muslim, it will be impossible to have a Muslim Senate President. That means his ambition was buried. Upon realization, Saraki went to work joining up with some now former governors to assail the Muslim-Muslim Ticket.
> The game is up. No amount is re-writes and misleading headlines can cover up Saraki's cold and calculated moves. Saraki's media team are working overtime in the social media and now on private radio stations to attack APC leadership, particularly Tinubu. Already about 200 million has been approved by Saraki for the Operation Against Tinubu, OAT. several social media boys are getting paid to write and post any material they are given.

Tinubu Media office.
Lagos. March 26th.
Former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu has called on all Nigerians to use the Easter season to intercede on behalf of Nigeria so that the hand of calamity will be turned away and peace and prosperity will Reign in the land. Tinubu particularly urged all Christians to pray for the President and the present administration in obedience to the biblical injunction that prayers would be offered for all those in the position of authority.
" Nigeria is at a point of redemption and we all as a people must hold steady. In our prayers, contributions and sacrifices all Nigerians must remain focussed in building a Nigeria we can all be proud of.
The message of Easter is that of peace and compassionate. A message that the impossible can become possible. That what is dead can be made to live again. Nigerians can learn from this. May all that is dead in our national life begin to work again because it is the people that are the engine of development"
Tinubu prayed for peace to reign in all homes and in Nigeria.

Tinubu Media office.
Lagos. March 26th.
Former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu has called on all Nigerians to use the Easter season to intercede on behalf of Nigeria so that the hand of calamity will be turned away and peace and prosperity will Reign in the land. Tinubu particularly urged all Christians to pray for the President and the present administration in obedience to the biblical injunction that prayers would be offered for all those in the position of authority.
" Nigeria is at a point of redemption and we all as a people must hold steady. In our prayers, contributions and sacrifices all Nigerians must remain focussed in building a Nigeria we can all be proud of.
The message of Easter is that of peace and compassionate. A message that the impossible can become possible. That what is dead can be made to live again. Nigerians can learn from this. May all that is dead in our national life begin to work again because it is the people that are the engine of development"
Tinubu prayed for peace to reign in all homes and in Nigeria.

You have no choice but to feel sorry for Mr Remi Oyeyemi. An active mind languishing in the recesses of great men. A patriot nonetheless battling with his beliefs and obsessions. It’s quite early in the year for front and back word trading but we must take time to put a few words in for our straying compatriots and kin. Mr. Remi Oyewole’s posts recently made in the Sahara Reporters on the "Pains Of a Godfather: Tinubu" is like that of a child who was taken to see a movie that changed his entire being and aspirations. He marveled at the man that took the leading role, so much so that anytime he told a narrative on the movie to his friends he began to blow out of proportion the magnitude and finesse of the “actor”. Make no mistakes this is not to castigate anyone for airing their opinion [even though it intrudes another man’s reputation] no, no its not – Mr Oyeyemi is obviously a fan of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In fact it is the exaggerated accomplishments he heaped on the chief that piqued my concern.

He referred to chief Bola Tinubu as the man that put the President and almost all governors and ministers of Nigeria in office! He called Tinubu kingmaker and a king. He even called him a lion; in fact he called him God! Haba. So, this not an “in the defense of BOLA TINUBU write up, no its not. This about showing concern for the good of showing concern to someone that might be in need of our concern.

This is worrisome because the “Tinubu obsession” is being noticed to be a fast growing epidemic among wannabe political ladder seekers and pundits like Remi Oyeyemi – if they aren't pestering at his gate, they are right here online, pestering with all sorts of comments and “notice me” analysis. But of course yes you can climb a man to fame, but come on do it with some class. Don’t sit in your house and claim to know by some bizarre calculation the feelings and pains of a man you read about in the news papers. It’s a fixation, unhealthy and harmful. such scrawls illustrates severe obsessive afflictions.

I urge every caring Nigerian to join us as we take Oyeyemi’s write up [along with him] as our evidence on the symptoms of his prolonged intellectual [I never said mental] ill health and show both to a competent psychiatrist. Portions of his write up where he said the home of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now deserted and the man lonely and sad should be areas of serious interest to the diagnosis of our ailing brother. Idle, he displays tendency of attention deficiency sydrome.

Though we must stay caution ourselves not to laugh because even the average Lagos street passerby knows that solitude and quiet is a luxury chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot afford in his Bourdillon home - constantly swamped with by dignitaries and masses alike. For someone to sit sweating in dark isolation and scripting from a disturbed imagination as Oyeyemi has done is a thought for grave concern. We must show love and attention that’s all that is missing in the life of the man. Dr Sigmund Freud explained one of the reasons for outrageous behavioral patterns common in obsessive compulsive patients is actually to seek love and attention. The more the merrier, I urge all well meaning friends and family to join in the excursion of Mr Oyeyemi and his write up to” Yaba left”.

REMI OYEYEMI’S PUNDITRY GONE AWRY- AN OVER OBSESSION WITH TINUBU – BY RAZAQ BABATUNDE

You have no choice but to feel sorry for Mr Remi Oyeyemi. An active mind languishing in the recesses of great men. A patriot nonetheless battling with his beliefs and obsessions. It’s quite early in the year for front and back word trading but we must take time to put a few words in for our straying compatriots and kin. Mr. Remi Oyewole’s posts recently made in the Sahara Reporters on the "Pains Of a Godfather: Tinubu" is like that of a child who was taken to see a movie that changed his entire being and aspirations. He marveled at the man that took the leading role, so much so that anytime he told a narrative on the movie to his friends he began to blow out of proportion the magnitude and finesse of the “actor”. Make no mistakes this is not to castigate anyone for airing their opinion [even though it intrudes another man’s reputation] no, no its not – Mr Oyeyemi is obviously a fan of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In fact it is the exaggerated accomplishments he heaped on the chief that piqued my concern.

He referred to chief Bola Tinubu as the man that put the President and almost all governors and ministers of Nigeria in office! He called Tinubu kingmaker and a king. He even called him a lion; in fact he called him god! Haba. So, this not an “in the defense of BOLA TINUBU write up, no its not. This about showing concern for the good of showing concern to someone that might be in need of our concern.

This is worrisome because the “Tinubu obsession” is being noticed to be a fast growing epidemic among wannabe political ladder seekers and pundits like Remi Oyeyemi – if they aren't pestering at his gate, they are right here online, pestering with all sorts of comments and “notice me” analysis. But of course yes you can climb a man to fame, but come on do it with some class. Don’t sit in your house and claim to know by some bizarre calculation the feelings and pains of a man you read about in the news papers. It’s a fixation, unhealthy and harmful. such scrawls illustrates severe obsessive afflictions.

. I urge every caring Nigerian to join us as we take Oyeyemi’s write up [along with him] as our evidence on the symptoms of his prolonged intellectual [I never said mental] ill health and show it to a competent psychiatrist. Portions of his write up where he said the home of Chief Bolo Ahmed Tinubu is now deserted and the man lonely and sad should be areas of serious interest to the diagnosis of our ailing brother. Idle, he displays tendency of attention deficiency sydrome.

Though we must stay caution ourselves not to laugh because even the average Lagos street passerby knows that solitude and quiet is a luxury chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot afford in his Bourdillon home - constantly swamped with by dignitaries and masses alike. For someone to sit sweating in dark isolation and scripting from a disturbed imagination as Oyeyemi has done is a thought for grave concern. We must show love and attention that’s all that is missing in the life of the man. Dr Sigmund Freud explained one of the reasons for outrageous behavioral patterns common in obsessive compulsive patients is actually to seek love and attention. The more the merrier, I urge all well meaning friends and family to join in the excursion of Mr Oyeyemi and his write up to” Yaba left”.










[i][/i]

‎Read the settlement below:

“Further to the terms of settlement in Suit No: ID/196GCMW/2015 between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Daar Communications Plc filed as a result of the broadcast of a documentary titled ‘Lion of Bourdilon’ and which terms were adopted at the High Court of Lagos State on 5th February, 2016 as the judgment of the court, the defendant, Daar. Communication Plc, hereby retract and apologies to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as follows;

1. Daar Communications Plc, acknowledges that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is an outstanding. Political leader of unblemished character and integrity, as well as a leading public figure and opinion moulder who has made and continues to make immense, colossal and gargantuan contributions to the progress and development of the nation in general. And Lagos State in particular.

2. Daar Communication Plc admits that in airing the said documentary, it had no intention whatsoever to embarrass or diminish the high reputation of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu which it respects and attests to.

3. Daar Communications Plc hereby makes a public and unequivocal retraction of the said documentary titled ‘Lion of Bourdilon’, which was broadcast on its television station, AIT.

4. Daar Communications Plc hereby tenders unreserved apology to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the broadcast of the documentary on its television station, AIT.

5. Daar Communications Plc prays that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will live long to make more enormous contributions to the advancement of our nation, Nigeria, Lagos State and the world at large.”

The film was aired in the peak of the presidential campaign. The television company of Dokpesi was then supporting the re-election bid of the ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, while Tinubu’s party, the APC was vigorously campaigning for Muhammadu Buhari, who won the poll.

READ ALSO: NTA, AIT reveal why they aired Tinubu documentary

Wole Olanipekun, Tinubu’s lawyer, and Dokpesi’s counsel Mike Ozekhome Friday presented the terms of settlement reached on 29 January, 2016 before the trial court judge, Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe.

The terms of the deal comprise among other things, a retraction of the broadcast by AIT, an apology by AIT, which should be aired daily for a quarter.

The court then adopted the terms of settlement.

Tinubu had instituted the N150 billion suit against Daar Communications Plc, owners of AIT, over the documentary titled “Lion of Bourdilion’’.

Tinubu Media Office
Tuesday, 26 January, 2016 4:31
Press Statement-Tinubu Media Office Warns Against Foul Media Repo

In the last 6 weeks, the Tinubu Media Office has monitored the stream of false, distorted media accounts written against Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We have learned that there is a concerted, willful campaign tagged, "Destroy the reputation of Tinubu and his relationship with Buhari." As part of this ugly plot to cultivate the worst of lies against the national leader of the APC, several blogs and online sites recruited to launch this smear campaign have manufactured stories to advance this sinister plan to taint the public mind with gross lies disguised as news reports and interviews.

This campaign, now in full and desperate swing involves a blatant violation of the minimal standards of journalism and social media ethics. Without conscience or any hint of a sense of morality, the lie in the most outlandish fashion by attributing statements to Tinubu which he never made. They concoct interviews that were never given and assert positions that he would never hold or endorse. They go about putting words in his mouth, contending that he was in places that he never was, and reporting falsely his movements and meetings.

They recently have trespassed another boundary of proper behavior by engaging in by cloning letterhead of the Tinubu Media Office and issues their libelous statements under such letterhead. This filth is now being circulated in the social media in a malicious attempt to tie him to the Dasuki money. The writers of these lies willfully seek to mislead, confuse and deceive the public.

Such fallacious headlines such as “Reasons Why I collected N9 million-Tinubu” and “I will not return N9 million –Tinubu”. “I am afraid PDP will stop Buhari in 2009 – Tinubu,” are being paraded. Try as hard as they can, the creators of these false tales and misleading headlines will fail miserably. Their stories cannot stand up to the slightest scrutiny. They are patently false and we condemn in the strongest terms those involved in this anti-Tinubu racket. While these fellows may think themselves cunning, they might have outwitted their very selves. In writing these stories, they have committed clear libel. In abusing the media office letterhead and name, their misrepresentations amount to forgery. They laugh now but walk on thin ice. Soon, that ice will break and they shall have nothing but the weight of their wrongdoing to blame for their predicament that will soon come.


None of these reports don’t check out.
The individuals behind the plot are mostly scared PDP elements made frightened by the Buhari Anti-corruption campaign. They direct these falsehoods at Tinubu in the futile mission of trying to drive a wedge between the president and Tinubu, to disrupt the progress being made against corruption and to destabilize the APC. But their PDP is already something by-gone, buried under the mass of its corruption and wrongdoing. They fight for a cause that has no cause. They are mercenaries of all the ills and defects that the people want excised from our body politic. Thus, we must do the people a public service.

After identifying the bloggers and paid hatchet writers perpetrating these wrongs, the Tinubu Media Office is taken the step to alert the public to beware and be weary of hatchet writers, false prophets and paid bloggers. The Tinubu Media Office has the names and online sites recruited for this campaign and will not hesitate to make them know if they do not desist from their negative mission.
Signed:
Sunday Akin Dare


http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/01/tinubu-media-office-alerts-on-fake-media-reports/

Kogi: Inaugurating Bello as governor’ll be unconstitutional
Posted By: Our Reporteron: January 21, 2016In: NewsNo Comments Print Email
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Kogi: Inaugurating Bello as governor’ll be unconstitutional
The tenancy of Kogi State Governor Idris Wada at the Lugard House, Lokoja will end in seven days. But, Olarinde Yesufu, a legal analyst with The Nation, says Yahaya Bello, who is taking the mantle of leadership, is a stranger and an interloper

In a few days from now, the tenure of Captain Idris Wada, Governor of Kogi State, will come to an end. By effluxion of time and in line with the provision of Section 180(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), he shall vacate his office as governor of Kogi State on January 27.

One distinguishing feature of democracy as a form of government is the platform it provides to render those who govern accountable to the electorate. Accountability in this sense is secured through regular elections. The head of government is elected by popular votes. He is invested with authority and power in order that he may try to achieve those goals which he commits himself to the people. At the end of his term of office, the electorate has the opportunity to judge his performance and re-elect him or dismiss him from office through voting. It follows that the will of the people, expressed through credible electoral process, forms the substratum of authority and legitimacy of democratic governments.

On November 21, 2015, the electorate in Kogi State exercised their franchise, spoke through the power of their thumbs and roundly rejected Captain Idris Wada, who is adjudged a non-performer from continuing as the governor of the state. His power of incumbency could not deliver him from outright rejection. At the election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) featured Prince Abubakar Audu and Hon. James Abiodun Faleke as its governorship and deputy governorship candidates respectively. Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), featured Captain Idris Wada and Arc. Yomi Awoniyi. Twenty other political parties participated in the election.

The electorate in Kogi overwhelmingly voted Prince Abubakar Audu/Faleke in an election that has been acknowledged as generally peaceful, free and fair. Unfortunately, tragedy struck, as the cold hands of death caught up with Prince Audu. He died shortly after the conclusion of the election. Since the demise of Prince Audu, things have not remained the same in the political arena of Kogi State. What started as a simple and straightforward issue has been made unnecessarily complicated by the sheer ineptitude of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Surely, INEC must bear the brunt of the blame of the crisis in Kogi that has arisen as a result of Prince Audu’s death. As the constitutional body set up to organize credible elections in Nigeria, the bulk stops at the table of INEC. In the performance of its sacred responsibility, it owes Nigerians, (Kogites inclusive), the duty of independence and competence, which must be demonstrated transparently. What we are witnessing in Kogi State, regrettably, falls short of this expectation. The general impression is that we now have an INEC that is spineless and lacking in capacity; an INEC that is manipulatable and has indeed, within a short time of its new leadership, lent itself to political manipulations at the expense of the constitution of the Federal Republic, the Grundnorm. The way INEC mishandled Audu’s death is unfortunate. The dubious and insincere approach it adopted in ‘resolving’ the issue has engendered political and constitutional imbroglio of a frightening proportion in the state. As the date for inauguration of a new government approaches, an atmosphere of fear, tension and anxiety has enveloped the entire state. Series of applications are now pending before the Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Lokoja, seeking to stop the inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as governor. The first misstep of INEC in declaring the election of November 21, 2015 inconclusive has led it to commit one error after another, such that, a spectacle of comedy of errors is now created, with Kogi State, nay, Nigeria, becoming an object of ridicule in the eyes of the civilised world. A review of these errors is apposite at this point.



Wrong declaration of election of November 21, 2015 as inconclusive

INEC has a statutory duty to declare winners at elections it organises. Section 69 of the Electoral Act (2010) imposes this duty. It provides:

In an election to the office of the President or Governor, whether contested or not contested, and in any contested election to any other elective office, the result shall be ascertained by counting the votes for each candidate and subject to the provisions of section 133, 134 and 179 of the Constitution, the candidate that receives the highest number of votes shall be declared elected by the appropriate Returning Officer.
It is important to note here that Sections 133 and 134 of the Constitution, referred to above, apply to election of the president, while section 179 applies to governorship election. The applicable provision in respect of a governorship election is section 179(2) of the Constitution. For purposes of clarity, it is quoted hereunder:

179(2). A candidate for an election to the office of governor of a state shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being two or more candidates —

He has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and
He has not less than one-quarter of all the votes cast at each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the state.
The undisputed scores announced and declared by the Returning Officer of Kogi State governorship election shows that Prince Abubakar Audu and Hon. James Faleke polled 240,867 votes and Captain Idris Wada and Yomi Awoniyi scored 199,514 votes. There was a margin of 41,353 votes between them. With these scores duly recorded, announced and declared by the returning officer, the operation of sections 69 of the Electoral Act and 179(2) of the Constitution comes into effect. Accordingly, the returning officer ought to have performed its constitutional responsibility by announcing Prince Audu and Hon. Faleke winners. At the point when the returning officer ought to do this, he, incomprehensibly, declared the election “inconclusive”. He then went ahead to fix a date for a ‘supplementary’ election in 91 polling units around the state. The position of INEC was that votes of some 49,000 registered voters were pending and it was still possible for the outstanding votes to have effect on the overall result.

INEC was not truthful on this point. INEC knew that a supplementary election was unnecessary in the circumstances. The electoral body was and is still in possession of records which show that in the affected 91 polling units, there were only 38,000 permanent voters cards (PVCs) issued. From the said 38,000 PVCs, only 25,000 voters collected the cards. And, at the November 21, 2015 election, only 19,000 persons were accredited in the affected units. The margin of win by Audu/Faleke ticket would, undoubtedly, have accommodated any of the figures with Audu/Faleke still leading by majority of votes. It can, therefore, be rightly concluded that the phony ‘supplementary’ election was falsely devised to hoodwink the people of Kogi State and play the script of some powerful political interests at the expense of the will of the people of Kogi freely expressed.

Was the election

conclusive or inconclusive?

The verdict of INEC that the November 21, 2015 election was inconclusive is baffling. It is a grave error. INEC and its officials at the end of the election announced the results of all the polling units, wards and local government areas in Kogi State. The returning officer of the election has also declared the overall scores of the candidates. It is, therefore, incongruous that an electoral body would announce all the results of the local governments of a state and turn around to declare same inconclusive. If INEC knew what it was doing, it should have demonstrated the ‘inconclusiveness’ of the election by leaving out unannounced, the results of the units, wards and local government areas where votes were outstanding.

The well-established principle of electoral law presumes the result declared by INEC as correct and authentic. INEC is, accordingly, bound by the result of Kogi State governorship election announced and declared by its returning officer on November 22, 2015. (See: Buhari v. Obasanjo (2005) 13 NWLR (Pt. 941)1. The onus is now on the electoral body to establish that the 13,000 votes cast at its phony ‘supplementary’ election has any effect on the declared result. In so far as the 13,000 votes cannot tilt the scale of victory, one way or the other, it becomes irresistible to conclude that the election was conclusive on November 21, 2015, contrary to the claim or assertion of INEC.

Prince Audu’s replacement and Bello’s emergence

It was under the guise of the “supplementary” election conducted by INEC on December 5, 2015, that Alhaji Yahaya Bello emerged as the APC candidate. INEC had earlier requested APC to replace the late Prince Audu and the party forwarded his name. At the end of the ‘supplementary’ election, Alhaji Bello scored 6,000 votes and was curiously declared winner and governor-elect of Kogi State. This declaration is surely without any constitutional foundation a fortiori after discovering that all the votes cast at the “supplementary” election amounted to only 13,000 which if added to the existing scores still put Audu/Faleke ticket at the forefront and winner of the election.

The root of the substitution of the late Prince Abubakar Audu with Alhaji Yahaya Bello can be traced to the gratuitous advice offered by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, directing INEC to allow APC to substitute its deceased candidate. INEC keyed into the counsel and fell into error. In a way, the AGF misled INEC to arrive at an unconstitutional decision.

It was clearly not part of the responsibilities of the AGF to offer legal advice to INEC or any directive for that matter. INEC has its own consortium of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) that provide counsel to the commission and defend its cases. INEC also has a very vibrant legal services department, headed by another SAN. It is not unlikely that INEC lawyers offered their professional advice to INEC which must have been ignored on an altar of political expediency.

The theory of substitution of a candidate after the conclusion of an election propounded or advocated by Malami and enforced by INEC is strange to our electoral law and the constitution. The fact is well established that Prince Audu did not die before or during the November 21, 2015 election. He died after the election. The evidence for this assertion is not far-fetched. He was seen in the full glare of television cameras as he cast his vote on that day. He also made some remarks over the conduct of the election. INEC also buttressed this fact when it widely published a statement that it officially got to know about Prince Audu’s death on November 23, 2015.

The notion of substitution of candidates is a pre-election and not a post-election matter. The event of Prince Audu’s death is a post and not a pre-election matter. The right of a political party to substitute a candidate abates before the commencement of an election. Section 36 of the Electoral Act is explicit on this as it states:

“If after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidates dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner shall, being satisfied of the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the commission shall appoint some other convenient day for the election within 14 days.

From the foregoing since Prince Audu died after the election of November 21, 2015, it was wrong for APC and INEC to have substituted him with Alhaji Bello. There is no known law or constitutional provision that allows for the substitution of a candidate after the commencement or conclusion of an election. The APC clearly over-exaggerated its powers and ascribed to itself the authority it does not possess in arbitrarily, illegally and unconstitutionally by-passing Hon. James Abiodun Faleke and picking Alhaji Yahaya Bello to substitute Prince Audu in a most undemocratic and crude manner.

If for the purposes of arguments, it is agreed (not conceded) that a supplementary election was necessary in the circumstances of Kogi election, APC committed an unpardonable blunder by not presenting Hon. James Abiodun Faleke as its governorship candidate after the death of Prince Audu. It is inconceivable that APC and INEC could not appreciate that in the election of November 21, 2015, there was the joint ticket of Audu/Faleke and APC. The votes cast at the election were for the trio. None of the three can take anyone in the ticket for granted. None of them can trade away the votes. And, because the votes are indivisible, they are also not transferable. Accordingly, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for all practical, legal and constitutional purposes, is a stranger and an interloper to the 240,867 votes scored by Audu/Faleke and APC ticket on November 21, 2015. It is important to stress, for the umpteenth time, that the Kogi State governorship election held on that day was won upon those scores unequivocally and without any quibbling.

The pungent point has to be made, by way of education, for the benefit of INEC and APC that the era in which votes were said to be won by political parties has gone. Political parties are inanimate entities that can neither canvass for nor win votes on their own. In recent times, the Supreme Court has handed down decisions that over-ruled its earlier decision in Amaechi v. INEC (2008) 5 NWLR (Pt 1080) 227. The current position as adumbrated in CPC & Anor v. Ombugadu & Anor (2013) LPEL-21007 (SC), by the apex court is that: “Contrary to the decision of this Court in Amaechi’s case, the implication of section 141 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) is that while a candidate at an election must be sponsored by a political party, the candidate who stands to win or lose the election is the candidate and not the political party that sponsored him. In other words, parties do not contest, win or lose election directly; they do so by the candidates they sponsored”. (P. 51).See also Jev. & Anor v. Iyortom& Ors (2014) LEPELR-23000. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that these two cases also establish the principle that before a person can be returned as elected, that person must have fully participated in all the stages of the election.

Simon Achuba as

deputy-governor elect?

The comedy of errors in Kogi has now been carried to a point of unmitigated absurdity, with the surreptitious approval of Hon. Simon Achuba as deputy governor-elect of Kogi State. This is simply scandalous! The criminal act which must necessarily involve some elements of forgery and falsification raises some fundamental questions.

In which election did Achuba participate?
When did he complete his nomination form?
Has the position of deputy-governor of Kogi State become so cheap that it can be picked by the road side or at a market?
When was Achuba announced to have won any election along with anybody?
Since this is a post-election matter, the House Assembly of the State is required to approve such a nomination or selection. When did the House approve same?
Conclusion

There is no doubt, if INEC had approached and handled the election in Kogi State with sincerity of purpose and astuteness required of an independent and unbiased umpire, as INEC is established to be, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke should by now have been warming up for his inauguration as the governor-elect to take over from the non-performing Wada, in accordance with the mandate that the electorate of Kogi State gave to Audu/Faleke and APC ticket. This is in consonance with the combined effect of the provisions of sections 179 (2) and 181 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The way out, therefore, is the path of constitutionality. The path of constitutionality is the path that guarantees peace, equity and justice. It is the only path that will strengthen our nascent democracy and rekindle the faith of Nigerians and the world at large, that democracy can work in this country.

Any step taken outside the path of constitutionality can neither last nor stand. The path of constitutionality is a path that demands courage and strength of character. May the Almighty God grant the judiciary the courage and strength needed to do justice at these trying times, to save Kogi from underserved disparagement and mockery.

Corruption, threat to democracy - Minister
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has identified corruption as the biggest threat to the survival of democracy in Nigeria, hence the need to fight the vice to a standstill.
The Minister made the remarks in Abuja on Tuesday when he received the Save Democracy Group Africa in his office, saying corruption must be tackled for the people to appreciate and reap the dividends of democracy.
“I believe that the greatest danger today to our democracy is corruption. This is where I would want the Save Democracy Group Africa to partner with government. I know one of the sessions you are holding (during the forthcoming National Political Summit) will be about good governance, but I think the group should devote a whole plenary secession to address the issue of corruption.
''Whether you are talking about the First Republic or the Second Republic, every republic has been brought down by corruption, pure and simple,'' he said.
The Minister told the visiting members of the group that the rationale behind the National Sensitization Campaign against Corruption, which was launched by his ministry on Monday
, was not to vilify anybody but to let Nigerians know the damage that corruption has done to their well being.
Alhaji Mohammed further explained that his recent revelation about how 55 people allegedly stole N1.34 trillion in eight years was aimed at bringing to the fore the nefarious activities of a few individuals, which have in turn negatively impacted on the lives of the citizenry.
“As I have tried to explain in that statement, if only one-third of those funds could come back to the system, it would build 600 kilometres of double-carriage way using the World Bank figures and costs. In addition, that same money would build us 2,062 units of two-bedroom flats, it would give us 36 ultra-modern hospitals. It would be enough also to educate 3,974 students from primary school to tertiary level.
In his remarks, a leader of the Group and former Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ibrahim Mantu, said the Group was formed in 2014 to promote politics without bitterness in the country.
He said the Group was leveraging on the seamless transfer of power from the ruling party to the opposition in 2015 to strengthen democracy in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Chairman Board of Governors of the Group, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba, said the maiden National Political Summit would come up 25-26 January 2016 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
He said the Summit would, among other things, unite the political class and other stakeholders to build a platform that promotes an enduring democracy, stabilizes the polity and promotes internal democracy in the political parties.

Segun Adeyemi
SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture
Abuja
Jan. 20th 2016

It is with amused interest that we notice the sick nature with which the post Nigeria an online news blog, continues to heap trash after trash on APC elder statesmen particularly Cheif Ashiwaju Ahmed Tinubu. Followers of the APC chieftain are continuously alarmed to find headline after headlines of total rubbish being printed as news for the Nigerian masses to digest. If the Post Nigeria wishes to be in the fictional print series they are most welcome. The profession of journalism entails the hard work that is demanded of serious investigation and research.
Headlines like “Ashiwaju Tinubu says i will not release my share of dasuki funds” or “President Buhari cannot touch me even though i am corrupt” might be laughable but quite annoying especially when these set of impromptu journalists begin to phantom interviews with the APC national leader and actually quoting their imagination as his own words!.
Yes we all want to get rich but if you are actually paid anything substantial for such trash by the PDP why not do them a favor by doing some worthwhile investigations?
Saddest is when responsible people in the society begin to press charges and they are made to look like they are muffling the press. But then it is most important that the youth who are the brains behind such crap realize that we are destroying a serious and important medium which all of us, youth alike, use in communicating proper and important plights that we face in the country. My question is what happens when social media becomes a rubbished medium degenerated to a point of not worth being read by even the worst of gossips? Is it back to the old days when we could hardly speak up to the ills of the society? This write up urges Nigerians alike to begin to sifter through the information provided by blogs like Post Nigeria and reserve our angry comments for when we have used our discretion intuitively to see their filth for what it truly is – filth!

TINUBU DID NOT GRANT ANY INTERVIEW
JOURNALISM OF FICTION

Once again, a claque of fiction and fantasy writers work to commit severe fraud against the body politic. The fiction factory, posing as newsroom now thrives. In an article published in Post Nigeria online dated 14 and titled “I am afraid PDP will stop Buhari in 2009 – Tinubu,” the writer, Amako Nneji concocted the latest work of political deceit. No sane reporter would dare put their true name to this screed; it is pure libel. If the disciple of this libel truly believes in this account, we challenge him to visit Tinubu’s office or to announce where he can be found. Tinubu’s attorney will serve the writer with a complaint for libel. The writer will then have a chance to defend and explain himself in open court and before the public. If he is so sure of the fidelity of his tale, let him speak openly before us as to what he wants us to belief is the truth instead slinking about writing lies in the anonymous dark.
The falsity of the article is patently clear in that it does not even comport with the minimal standards of journalism. The writer fails to divulge the date or the place the alleged statement. This omission is willful. The writer does not state these basic facts because the meeting never happened; to give such information would make it even easier to prove his work is a lie. The writer has not seen Tinubu and has no idea where Tinubu was on any given day.
Worse, the writer says Tinubu was speaking to newsmen. If so, why have no other newspapers carried this story? The answer is simple. There was no such meeting between Tinubu and several newsmen. Because the story is the figment of one awfully wounded.
The story contains a long quote supposedly from Tinubu. There is no way a true journalist would have tried to transcribe this by hand. He would have taped it. We dare this journalist to produce the tape.

The story falls in the genre of the hitman tactics of the politically desperate. Clearly, the schemers behind this are minions of the collapsing PDP. Their party is falling apart before our eyes, with multiple defections by the day. They fabricated this story to discourage further defections and to sow discord in the APC. However, the discord will remain where it belongs: the PDP.
Tinubu has never publicly commented on the defections of people from the PDP, much less making derogatory remarks about the phenomenon. In fact, if you check, he has welcomed many former PDP members into the APC. Tinubu is a democrat and a progressive. He believes that the APC is and shall always be opened to those who share its progressive beliefs and who are committed to a better Nigeria. The more people of like minds gather, the stronger the party and the more likely it is to achieve the objective of building Nigeria anew.

The writer of this fable tries to bring discord between Tinubu and Buhari regarding 2019 election and the budget. The attempt will fail. President Buhari was elected less than a year ago. The challenges he inherited are many. We must all seek to help him do the great things he envisions. 2019 is such a long, far road away. Let 2019 take care of itself. Today presents enough challenges of its own. Those who want Nigeria to succeed should be more concerned with tackling the difficulties of today and not stirring up trouble based on what might happen tomorrow.
For the record, Tinubu supports the government’s expansionary budget and has no qualms with its objectives and programs. For the writer to say Tinubu complained about the figures is to pile lie upon lie.
Whosoever wrote the story is serpentine. But their venom will not hurt Tinubu, Buhari or the APC. They are like the mad snake that mediated its own demise by biting itself.

VINTAGE PRESS NOT TINUBU.
These days when your enemies can’t get to you they get someone or something to rub off on you. The going trend these days is to march every targeted business man or politician with the #Dasukigate saga.  Once you are targeted, be it that your best friend went to an occasion the former NSA boss Dasuki was also invited you will be tagged a #Dasukigate money collector. I am reacting [and laughing] at the mischief makers once again associating the supposed 9 million naira returned by Vintage press Nigeria limited to the federal government, which was paid them by the Federal government as compensation for thousands of seized copies of their newspapers and vehicles nationwide.  247 an online blog recently captioned this “Why I collected N9 million from Dasuki- Tinubu”.  It wasn’t funny at first because I had to read through line after line of the painstakingly long write-up earnestly searching for how much Chief Bola Tinubu collected and why? To my disappointment noting like that was mentioned and not even a lie was fabricated. Talk about lazy liars! Why would you even give a caption like that if you are not going to bother with backing it up with some content? Then I remembered that I was one of the few Nigerians that actually bother to see an online news link, and click on it to read the full article. Most people due to weak data strength or data charges are just okay with the headlines.  And I think I should drop a word of caution right here – gone are the days the news can be counted on to be entirely true. We now have a modern system called the internet that can spread utter trash in minutes. Which could be really damaging especially since a lot of quiet law abiding statesmen would rather continue peacefully with their lives and not bother with a refuting comment. Well as for me, I am reacting and not laughing [now upset] because I was made to read a lengthy piece of trash having being tricked by the silliest caption of the New Year

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday December 18th will deliver the key note address at the 10th anniversary remembrance lecture of late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman at the Arewa House in Kaduna. The lecture is organized by the CENTRE FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT, RESEARCH AND TRAINING, ZARIA.

Asiwaju will explore key eleents of the APC change agenda in relation to the liberation theology of the late Bala Usman and within the context of the present political and economic challenges facing Nigeria.

In a defining keynote speech, Tinubu is expected to offer a lucid economic analysis of what confronts Nigeria and suggest innovative ways to move the political economy forward.

"For decades, Nigeria has danced in close confines with economic disaster. In the past, higher oil prices allowed us to dodge the worst. We have survived but not thrived. Improvised but not planned. Spent but not invested. Laughed, drank and feasted but did not build, construct or maintain. Now, Nigeria has collided into a wall, merciless and immovable. The present downturn in oil prices may be more than just a transient slump in the business cycle."

Tinubu seeks a new economic paradigm. Nigeria needs economic liberation. Before we can free our economy, we must free ourselves of the economic myths consigning us to our current predicament.To achieve this objective we must return to the ideals and concepts of Dr. Bala Usman.

He will offer fresh thinking on the way forward. The welfare of the people must be the anchor of public policy. For this is constant with all that Bala Usman taught and practiced.


Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, Governor of kaduna, Ahmed El-rufai and a large number of northern intellectuals are expected to also attend the lecture.

Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been tried and given a clean slate by a federal inquiry under a government he was seriously embattled. The rest remains a total distraction. For now let's concentrate on the current trials at hand my brother.

t is quite tiring to have mediocrity displaying itself and getting shady attention in these dire times for country and people. One can learn so much from Comments on social media these days people are showing so much awareness in the areas of nationalistic pride and ideology. Yet the negative ones remain. The comments and statements that like to distract the populance from the popular issues, issues of national concern and importance.
Sometime recently I wrote an article about nuisances on the social web and how they discredit and distract targeted individuals by posting and pasting contents whose only authenticity is the cash they were paid to be written.
My appeal to our young and vibrant OAPs is please don't be distracted, please use your following as news conveyancer's to showcase the truth as much as possible.
The president is facing serious opposition in the heaviest cases of mismanagement in the history of our country. Yet, day after day some set people keep clogging this forum and our other avenues of social expression with rubbish like: why can't the president start with ashiwaju tinubu? Why can't they probe Chief ashiwaju Tinubu too? Is Amechi not corrupt etc. Hilarious! Please we the serious minded people who wish to see the current trial of war against corruption come to a positive conclusion wish not to be distracted from the current trend of informative and courageous stream of such media. Good Radiance!

Emeka Chukwudi

Tinubu, VP Osinbajo in Guinea for second term swearing in of President Conde.
-Tinubu attends the swearing in of President Alpha Conde of Guinea for a second term in office for the West African country.
Tinubu who is a very close friend of the President of Guinea with whom he shares Pan Africanist ideas and the need to have Africans develop Africa played a decisively role in the electoral victory secured in October 2015
Professor Conde of Guinea won a commanding first round victory of 57 per cent of total votes cast after a tough election year. With 5 years in the saddle for a second term he is expected to bring greater development to Guinea. With Tinubu and a few brilliant Africans close by he is expected to succeed.

Tinubu, VP Osinbajo in Guinea for second term swearing in of President Conde.
-Tinubu attends the swearing in of President Alpha Conde of Guinea for a second term in office for the West African country.
Tinubu who is a very close friend of the President of Guinea with whom he shares Pan Africanist ideas and the need to have Africans develop Africa played a decisively role in the electoral victory secured in October 2015
Professor Conde of Guinea won a commanding first round victory of 57 per cent of total votes cast after a tough election year. With 5 years in the saddle for a second term he is expected to bring greater development to Guinea. With Tinubu and a few brilliant Africans close by he is expected to succeed.

Engage Osun state speaker the person of Rt.Hon Najeem Folasayo Salaam in a chat with @jag_bros on Saturday 12th December 2015. 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Don't miss it

The latest fabricated news making rounds on social media is the one about chief Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu lambasting the president for addressing Nigerian issues outside the shores of the country. Its both malicious and hateful that someone will be trying hard to destroy a friendship amongst two men that has brought so much hope to Nigerians.

Now the elections have been won and a new government in place, the insidious battle of hatred continues as opposition use every tool in their power to tarnish the image of ruling opponents. The latest on their agenda is to create bifurcations amongst party chieftains and the government. their latest case  - president Buhari and his party chieftain Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Why would chief Bola Tinubu not simply reach the president if he needed to lend a word of advice? why would Ashiwaju come on social media to say something to the president when he could simply use other respectable means that would bring a positive result? Was that how the APC won its resounding victory over PDP? by coming on social media to battle with themselves. it is so sad that the opposition are yet to learn from their mistakes that the days of impunity and mediocre are past and gone. Nigerians need authentic news and valid criticism from aspiring parties. The days of voting in rumor mongers are past.

Nigerian people are becoming SUSPICIOUS OF ONLINE NEWS these days. Certain characters have evaded the cyberspace with all sorts of lies and rumors against the ruling party APC. it seems the PDP are yet to get accustomed to being behind the buck.

But one would think that the smartest thing to do was criticize objectively. Nigerians would surly welcome a positive social media environment where the opposition writes progressive statements or articles that would rather encourage government to repair or arrange poorly observed shortcomings as no one is perfect. 

the slander campaign is becoming risky as this hits up the polity that is already tensed with so many social factors.

EMEKA CHKWUMA

the article is nothing but jargoons that contains lies. I don't just understand the reason paid-hungry- writers won't find better things to do than say what's not just to get cheap fame and to see if you can get crumbs from it. Tinubu didn't say all the jargoons you wrote, he respect buhari and he will never say such word against the president of the federal republic. All this stupid write ups of yours will never break the bond between Tinubu and Buhari, as they are on a mission to change Nigeria for good.

Remarks of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the occasion of the formal launch of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CAEL) and his Investiture as the Patron at the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
30th November, 2015
My Right Worshipful The Mayor of Wolverhampton,
Councillor Ian Brookfield
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer OBE
Members of the University’s Governing Board,
Excellencies, both sitting and former Governors and Honourable Members
Distinguished Senators from Nigeria and Hon. Members of the House of Representatives
Distinguished Member of the Business Community and Vice Chancellors
Ladies and gentlemen
(Offer of Apologies on behalf of my husband and National Leader of Nigeria’s governing Party, APC. Unavoidably absent because of the death of a gubernatorial candidate on election day and the unprecedented complex of legal and political considerations arising from this sad occurrence)

1. I am delighted to be here for the formal launch of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership at the University of Wolverhampton set as they are in the heart of the England. Yet , I can tell by your commitment and sincerity in establishing this Centre that your hearts and minds are with Africa and the betterment of its people. The Centre’s initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and democratic governance in Africa are laudable and much needed.
Your present contributions to Africa persuaded me that we can work together for the good of the future. We are fellow travellers on the same road for we head to the same objective – the development of Africa for the benefit of Africans. As fate would have it, that road has led me to the fine city of Wolverhampton and to the halls of this esteemed institution. That is why I am here today.
For too long and by too many people, Africa had been viewed as a hapless continent marred by poverty and trapped in conflicts spawned by decades of dictatorship and poor governance. Africa was depicted as an orphaned place, abandoned by progress, peace and prosperity. The continent was alternatively viewed as an object of pity and scorn. Often, Africans were treated as passive, unthinking players in our own lives if not squatters on our own land.

Those foreign governments, companies and organizations fixated as they were solely on their own self interests felt no compunction in doing things “to” Africa. Even those organisations and governments with good intentions were often guilty of trying to do things for Africa, without due consideration and discourse with Africans about what we wanted and how we wanted to go about achieving it.
This later approach was a marked improvement over the malign indifference and often outright repression of previous eras. This more benign policy yielded some results, especially during humanitarian crises where urgent and short-term assistance have made significant difference. However, history and empirical evidence reveal that these top-down bilateral and multi-lateral assistance approaches did not live up to their advanced billing. They fell far short of what they promised and definitely do not address the best aspirations of a new generation in an emergent Africa.

2. Today, poverty and conflict continue to impede our way forward. We see the effect of terrorist conflicts in Africa; in my very own country, the evil of Boko Haram has scarred the social and economic landscape of our northeastern region. The no-nonsense policies of President Buhari have placed boko haram on the defensive and our new government is committed to ending this vile scourge. However, we must do more than rid our nation of this horrid enterprise. We must repair what has been broken. Return home and rebuild homes for the now displaced. Rebuild schools for the children and bring economic activity and the chance for prosperity where there has only been poverty and despair. Your Centre has done significant entrepreneurship work in this troubled region. This is bold and commendable. I am here to applaud this work but to encourage you to expand and broaden it that it touches the lives of many more of our youth who simply want a chance at a decent life and livelihood.
The recent events in Paris remind us that boko haram is an aspect of a violent global phenomenon. All who believe in the enlightened progress of mankind must unite in partnership to tackle the root causes of violent extremism. We must battle poverty, intolerance, illiteracy and the alienation born of the lack of access to opportunity.
3. In recent years, I can see a discernible shift in the paradigm of engagement with Africa. The language of paternalism now yields to the spirit of partnership. Governments and organizations turn from what they can do “to” and “for” Africa to what they can do “with” Africa.
With the right partnerships, Africans can bring unprecedented progress to the Continent. As recent elections in places like Nigeria electing president Buhari and in guinea with eh re-election of professor Alpha Conde, visionary Africans are spearheading progressive reform founded on democratic values and equitable economic principles. We have the ability to lift millions from poverty, establish peace in the region, and propel the continent to its proper seat in the council of nations.

4. As the ‘University of Opportunity’, the University of Wolverhampton has commendably lent itself to this new era of partnership. Wolverhampton has established knowledge exchange partnerships with institutions and governments in Africa. Through the Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership, the university has invested in the vital area of entrepreneurship education. The centre now provides executive training for senior executives in the African Higher Education sector. It is also engaged with numerous African universities with entrepreneurship centres, teaching thousands of students the skills needed to make their own way in society. The centre’s work in research and doctoral training will continue to impact communities in Africa for years to come. Its vision and focus on entrepreneurship and good governance in Africa are timely and worthy of support.
5. Historically, enterprise and creative economic activity is nothing new to Africans. Over the millennia between the 5th and 15th century, a succession of powerful kingdoms in West Africa created great wealth and prosperity by means of trade and cooperation rather than a focus on conquest . Similarly, ancient Ethiopia bordered one of that era’s great centres of commerce, the Red Sea, engaging actively in trade with countries as far as Persia, Saudi Arabia, India and China . Today, even amid the struggle against poverty, the distress of wars, and the challenge of geography and climate change, African entrepreneurs are trying to make things happen. Against the odds, the farmer is trying to produce more and make profit, the artisan is trying to create new products with improved methods, and the trader is trying to locate new markets and opportunities.
6. However, the African entrepreneur must now function in a globalised economy, under acutely competitive terms of engagement. In technology and innovation, African entrepreneurs must play a quick game of catch up. They are not on equal footing with Western counterparts who have attained competitive advantages through innovative methods and processes. In terms of generation of knowledge and skills, the African entrepreneur is operating from a point of disadvantage. They must embrace new knowledge and acquire innovative skills to organise and manage their enterprise in the 21st century. To achieve these objectives, Africans need entrepreneurship education suited to the times and terms of the twenty first century. They must move from entrepreneurship of bare necessity and abject survival to a more productive form. Entrepreneurship education is a critical pillar in the strategy for poverty alleviation and wealth creation in Africa. It is the instrument by which the petty trader can be transformed into dynamic and well informed venture owner. It is the channel by which the self-employed can become employers of labour. It is the means by which those seeking to eke out the barest livelihood for themselves can became catalysts of prosperity, jobs and sustainable economic activity in their communities.
7. It is important to recognise that none of this is possible without the solid foundations of democracy and the rule of law. For many years, Africa’s progress was abbreviated by the lack of democratic, responsive governance. In such environments, no form of innovation, entrepreneurial or otherwise, could thrive. In the absence of democratic institutions and democratic values of freedom, association and opposition, Africa risked being tethered to poverty, conflict and despair.
8. Thankfully, today we can celebrate the steady advance of progressive democracy and economic reform in Africa. The momentum may not be linear and may come in fits and starts but it is unstoppable. Many African countries operate multi-party democracies, elections are becoming fairer and economies more robust and providing more chances for the average person.
9. As a democrat who fought against military dictatorships, I appreciate the precious still fragile gains of democratic governance. Because of the momentum of democracy and rule of law, Africa is now, more than ever, primed for economic growth and productive partnerships. Citizens have become more aware and more engaged in the process of choosing their own leaders. They are dismantling undemocratic structures that have held them back far too long. African economies are increasingly becoming more rational and focused on identifying what shall be their critical path to development. They are seeking to be integrated into the global economy but according to their own definitions of their own benefit and interests. This will provide opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish and for those investors willing to harmonize their interests with those of a more independently-minded Africa.
10. Visionary yet practical leadership is essential to this process. National leadership must establish the right policies, provide the necessary infrastructure and create the enabling institutional environment under which ambitious entrepreneurs can become productive. Without economically astute leaders, entrepreneurial development is significantly hindered and limited. And without democracy, responsive leadership is a rarity almost impossible to come by.
Visionary and disciplined leadership in Africa is one thing I am passionate about. I have invested much of my adult life to mentoring new leaders who can create opportunities for citizens to exercise and actualise their full potentials. I am gratified to see how many of those whom I have worked with have excelled and have gone on to inspire others to embrace the model of selfless, result-oriented leadership. I am inspired by how democratic values and principles create the condition for individuals to access opportunities to better their lives and the lives of others.
11. In conclusion, African progress hinges on our ability to wed democratic good governance with innovative entrepreneurship in Africa. Entrepreneurs are very important any economy, to the growth of African economies especially. They own the small to medium scale businesses that employ the bulk of the work force. They create wealth and provide essential goods and services. They can also form the cutting edge of innovative. They are the major agents leading us from poverty alleviation to poverty eradication and toward economic growth.
The Centre for African Entrepreneurship and Leadership has affixed itself to this objective, focusing on the critical issues of leadership and entrepreneurship. Given my antecedents, I have no choice but to support the Centre for it is doing what I believe it should do. Thus, I have no reservation accepting my nomination as the Patron of the Centre. I am honoured to do so. I thank the University for nominating me. I am confident that the University through the Centre can achieve greater things through the vision of its founders - ‘with Africans and for the true benefit of Africa. When history rights its final account, may it be that this university and this Centre played an important and proper role in the revival of entrepreneurship, democracy, prosperity and development of the African continent.
Thank you all!

Kogi Political Movement. KPM. Press Release. The recent call for the arrest of Tinubu by a relatively unknown group called the Kogi United Forum is reckless and condemnable. Infact it flies in the face of reason and all those behind such a blantant and inciteful allegation should be apprehended pronto. We in the Kogi Political Movement deplore such brainless accusation that puts the people of Kogi in bad light. The person being accused here remains perhaps the longest standing political ally of the late Audu. Asiwaju Tinubu . Equally Tinubu’s political reputation and credibility remains intact. Audu Abubakar"s death as regretable as it is must not be used to either to score or settle cheap political points. The police must unmask these fake accussers and ignore the provocative and unsubtantiated statement they have put out. We in the Kogi Political Movement. KPM are solidly behind Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC as they chart the path to victory.
Signed. Olufade Igbalode
President, Kogi Political Movement

ALLEGATION AGAINST TINUBU IS A TALE FULL OF THRASH- Rochas Okorocha

The Special assistant to the Imo state governor on information and communications technology Ik Ogbonna denied what he called “tale full of thrash.”

The statement reads in part: “The story which is written in poor English purported that Gov Rochas Okorocha, the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum gave an interview where he accused Tinubu of being behind the death of Kogi state APC candidate, late Prince Abubakar Audu.

“Firstly Gov Rochas Okorocha spent the better part of yesterday, Sunday 22nd November, 2015 till about 7 pm chairing a stakeholders forum of South-East Leaders and returned to Owerri same night, it is bewildering where and when he gave the interview which thrended same night on social media?

“Secondly, Prince Abubakar Audu is not yet a member of APC Governors Forum and Okorocha could not have granted the interview on that score.

READ ALSO: “Audu’s Running Mate Should Become APC Governorship Candidate”

“The family of Prince Abubakar Audu has not blamed anyone for the death of their son neither is Gov Okorocha a member of the Audu family.

“The story was written as an interview Governor Okorocha granted yet no medium was mentioned. Can one grant interview to thin air?

“The purported interview is a wicked machination of people who are envious of the towering profile of Gov Rochas Okorocha and aim at bringing him at loggerheads with leaders of the Party especially Sen Bola Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State and a man Gov Okorocha holds in very high esteem.

“It is also remarkable that the story has no source but emanated from the Facebook wall of a PDP apologist who must have been paid by her handlers to cause disaffection within APC family.”

THE CHANGE PROJECT: ENDING CORRUPTION AND ENSURING PROSPERITY IN NIGERIA
By
Rt. Hon. Salaam Najeem Folasayo
Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Osogbo, Osun State
Being a Distinguished Public Lecture organized by The Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), Kwara State Wing, held at NUJ Press Centre, Ilorin, Kwara State on November 19, 2015
Let me begin this lecture by first and foremost thanking almighty God for strength and good health to be physically present here today. Secondly, I must humbly and sincerely thank the President and entire leadership crew of NUJ Kwara State for deeming me fit to be given the opportunity and the privilege to deliver this year’s Distinguished Public Lecture. Let me confess that when I received the invitation to deliver this lecture on the chosen topic, I was initially reluctant to accept for three obvious reasons: one, the fright that I will be addressing a well-informed audience, the journalists, the mouth-piece of the society and
conscience of nation whose professional power, skill and influence made former American President Thomas Jefferson to admit that he would preferred a society without government but mass media, ‘the fourth realm of the estate’ than the one with government without it. My second panic arose from the first one, that is, fitting into the billing of having as part of my audience those with vast expertise and ably much more qualified to be standing here than sitting down there listening to me ‘stealing their own show’. The third constraint I felt was whether I will do justice to the topic: The Change Project: Ending Corruption and Ensuring Prosperity in Nigeria. Particularly, ‘the change project’ mantra which has sanctimoniously take life of its own in Nigeria today, all thanks to my party, the All Progressives Party (APC), which has christened a hitherto ‘mere’ verb and/or noun that CHANGE represent to something that today becomes a torrent whose current provides wings of hope, optimism, confident expectation, ‘common-sense revolution’ (thanks to Asiwaju Tinubu) and indeed, audacious change, that the party cruised into power across our clime in this year’s general elections. For many, the APC’s motto: ‘Change’ was (and in my mind, still) a moving train that make the locomotion of the wind of change that the APC represent too difficult for any force to stop. So, the topic adequately captured the mood of not only our auspicious listeners here but the nation at large.
It is interesting to note however, that these same fears earlier exhibited are actually the tonics that spurred me not only to be in the ancient city of Ilorin but to be here in this gratifying, historic and epoch-making gathering of distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen!
Permit me to begin this lecture by admitting that Nigeria is a country of contrasting fate. On one hand is a country with abundant human, mineral and material resources that make it a source of envy to all and sundry; a country that once upon a time occupied enviable position in the comity of nations and one that carried itself with prestige and dignity of the black race on the world stage; the country that the international community was courting and taken very seriously. I am talking about Nigeria, a country that never shied away from accepting that it was naturally bestowed with the mandate of carrying on its shoulders, the dignity of Nigerians and Africans at home and in diaspora with qualm and magnanimity. No wonder at independence, the Nigeria I am referring to here, volunteered one of its cardinal foreign policy principles to be ‘African-centred piece’ or simply ‘afro-centricism’ with the belief that in view of the preponderance of its vantage demography as the most populous black country of the world, and on the presumption that one in every five black persons in the world is a Nigerian, has manifest destiny to bear the burden of the black race. It was called and treated as the giant of Africa.
On the other hand and more embarrassing, is a country which is later projected to be where everything odd is not only on the increase but there appeared to be no silver lining in the darkest cloud. It declined to become a ‘giant with clay feet’, battling with virulent terrorist fury with attendant insecurity of lives and property of citizens and residents alike posing unprecedented humanitarian tragedies. Suddenly, Nigeria became a country topping the list of most corrupt nation of the world, a nation of 419ners, a place with intermittent inter and intra-ethnic conflicts conflagrations, and a state with strong and so called ‘big men’ yet with weak state institutions and unstable polity. In other words, Nigeria precipitously descend to become a society where political space for citizens’ participation is either totally unavailable, limited, or subverted through fraudulent electoral process, a political community where impunity reigns supreme, a clime with millions of jobless youths/graduates and corresponding high illiteracy rate, and one of hopeless populations with ascendant poverty figure amongst others. Unfortunately, these incidences have flared up emotional outbursts in many who believed and concluded that ‘nothing good can never come out of Nigeria’. Indeed and interestingly, this dual-identity that Nigeria represents make it perhaps, one of the most fascinating countries in Africa in particular and the world in general.
Recall, that when Hillary Clinton, the immediate past U.S. Secretary of State visited Nigeria in August 2009, she squarely blamed the leadership and governance failure vis-à-vis corruption in the country as a source of disconnect and discontent of the people with their government. In her words (quoted in The Nation, Friday, August 14, 2009, p.1), she remarked that:
The most immediate source of disconnect between Nigeria’s wealth and its poverty is the failure of governance at the federal, state and local levels…. Lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state”.
Undoubtedly, Clinton’s assertion is a validation of Chinua Achebe’s (Achebe, 1983) who strongly blamed leadership for ‘the trouble with Nigeria’, the caption that was coincidentally chosen as the title of his book. Therefore, to Achebe,
The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are (sic) the hallmarks of true leadership…
Therefore, the questions worth asking are these: what are the values that make Nigeria once enviable and courted by many? What went wrong with these noble ideals? Why do Nigeria condescend too low to where it is today? To what extent can it be said that Nigeria and Nigerians have been battered and short-changed by corruption? Who and what are to be blamed for the country’s woes and dismal performance? Is there any hope in the horizon? In what practical ways can solutions to these myriad of challenges posed to the nation and its people be confronted and overcome, among others? These are some of the issues I will share my thoughts on in the course of this lecture today believing that I will make some hopefully useful contributions even though I claim no expertise. Looking intently at the topic, it is discernible that the framers of the topic know that there is a problem with our country and believed that there are possible ways out. Therefore I form the strong impression that I am expected to look at the problems in the system and probable solutions that will take us to the desired promised land. Albeit, before we launch into that, there are some preliminary issues that must be cleared so that the paper will be understood in the context in which it is written.
Sincerely, I need not remind us that in many fora, academics and commentators alike have treated this hydra-headed monster called corruption as if it has become not only the lot of Nigeria but that the country and corruption are like Siamese twins coupling together un-sundered. While I am not here to fault this line of debate, I believe that yes, it may be difficult to achieve 100% success in eradicating corruption from Nigeria just as no country has succeeded in doing, but it is a possible task making corruption and corrupt people unattractive and incidentally, make the full weight of the law takes its course whenever it occur by making sure that those involved get punished to deter others. It is in view of preponderance and pervasiveness of corruption that Shola Omotola poignantly queried: “Is corruption decipherable in Nigeria?” This is because, to him, “corruption has almost become a way of life that one finds it difficult to differentiate between what is, and what is not corruption”.
In fact, in his acceptance speech after being declared winner of the March 28, 2015 presidential election by the electoral umpire, our president, Muhammadu Buhari (then President-Elect) have this to say about corruption and Nigeria
… We shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism – the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character. By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people… I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monument in this nation.
Indeed, for too long, corruption was seen and been treated as ‘if it is a respected national monument’ in Nigeria. Again, it is in realization of this image-battering that corruption has done Nigeria that former President Olusegun Obasanjo said in 1998 while campaigning for the office of the president that anti-corruption bill was brewing in his pocket. And truly, upon assumption of power, the first bill the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo sent to the National Assembly was the bill that established the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act 2000. Therefore, to Chief Obasanjo, he lamented that “Corruption is a hydra-headed monster and unlike a conventional war, you don’t know the enemy. It is a war that is worse than any other wars”. In view of the collateral damage done to this country both domestically and before the international community, the then new administration of Chief Obasanjo declared war on corruption.
In his May 29, 1999 inaugural speech, the former President Obasanjo said and I quote: “Corruption, the greatest bane of society today, will be tackled head-on… No society can achieve anything near its full potential if it allows corruption to become full blown cancer as it has become in Nigeria”. Similar concern on corruption was again expressed by Obasanjo at the inauguration of the ICPC in Abuja on September 29, 2000 with Justice Mustapha Akanbi (retire) made to head the new commission, by admitting that “with corruption, there can be no sustainable development or political stability. By breeding and feeding on inefficiency, corruption invariably strangles the system of social organization. In fact, corruption is the anti-thesis of development and of progress”.
Literature is replete with various definitions of the concept of corruption. While there are differences and divergent opinions, there seems to be somewhat consensus about what corruption is. For instance, Salisu, said ‘it is the misapplication of public resources to private ends’. In this respect corruption is conceived when public officials for instance, collect bribes for issuing passports or visa, for providing permits and licenses, for authorising passage of goods at sea/airport, for awarding contracts or for enacting regulations designed to create artificial scarcity. Better still, Ninsin viewed “any form of behaviour that generate private self-serving gains, which are not sanctioned by law, or the prevailing norms of society” to be an act of corruption. Yet, Jain simply said corruption is “the abuse of public office for private gains”. To Chief Obasanjo, corruption is when any of these or combination of them occur (a) use of one’s office for pecuniary gains/advantage; (b) gratification; (c) influence peddling; (d) insincerity in advice with the aim of gaining advantage; (e) putting in less than a full day’s work for a full day’s pay; and (f) tardiness and slovenliness.
Going further, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act 2004 broadened the definition of corruption by authorizing the Commission to investigate, prevent, and prosecute offenders who engage in:
Money laundering, embezzlement, bribery, looting and any form of corrupt practices, illegal arms deal, smuggling, human trafficking and child labour, illegal oil bunkering, illegal mining, tax evasion, foreign exchange malpractices including counterfeiting of currency, theft of intellectual property and piracy, open market abuse, dumping of toxic, wastes, and prohibited goods.
For our purpose here, we consider corruption as a deliberate and intended action (and sometimes inaction) of a person who uses his official position and influence to illegally accept or give bribes or acquire property using public resources knowing fully well that such action (or inaction) serve selfish and narrow interest other than that of the generality of the people (the public). Thus, a corrupt person is an individual who engaged himself or herself in the misapplication of the commonly owned resources be it financial and otherwise of the society either directly or through a proxy as a result of his/her official position.
Ending Corruption
Permit me at this juncture to remind you that it will be very prejudicial for me not to acknowledge that there have not been various attempts to fight and check corruption by various administrations in this country at all levels of government, particularly by the federal government. Of course, several times war has been declared on corruption in Nigeria but as Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC Chairman, once remarked, when you fight corruption, it fights back. So, make no mistake, Nigeria has never been in want of policies of government deliberately fashioned to take the war to corruption. The views of Omotola (2005: 10) are apt here again. According to him, “the country has never been in want as regards policy measures to combat corruption. For instance, the Penal Code (applicable in the North) and the Criminal Code in the South were part of earliest legal instruments designed to deal with cases of official corruption by public officers”.
If corruption is attitudinal, attitude is a mental product of norm subject-called human person, then we can say that corruption can be terminated? Yes, because a person can be made to change attitude by rejecting an idea that is considered as wrong in a given society with either the instrument of persuasion or coercion.
In that wise, if persuasive instrument is to be used, then the government of President Buhari needs a massive media campaign with a cleverly coached watchword that would demonize corruption, and I think the body language of the President is doing the magic already. Even, the suspected corrupt ones are denouncing corruption now. Good or bad, that is a positive direction. For the sake if the non-conformists who have vowed to live and die in corruption, because of its huge reward, instrument of coercion is equally needed.
So, if coercion in the value of rule of law is deployed, the people who profit from corruption and those who live on the proceeds of corruption must be made to suffer and lose their reward, but how can that be achieved when the enforcers of the laws are corrupt themselves? This is another academic exercise on its own.
Come with me, you can make laws on how the education must be run, on how students must not be exploited by the teachers, how best we think the teachers must conduct themselves, but you cannot make law on how the teachers teach, and by not coming to the class regularly when one is paid adequately, corruption has been unveiled.
At the House of Assembly of Osun, we have all the laws and we are still creating more to make life meaningful for an average person on the street, but when it gets to the stage of implementation, you will begin to witness adulterated implementation. Take for instance, a law was made for security trust fund, but can we say that corruption was not in the arrangement of the security equipment for the people who would implement the law? Can we say that somebody was not making corrupt proceeds from the purchase that would be done? The answers are in the wind.
I recalled that pension law was enacted by the National Assembly and the Committee was inaugurated to implement the laws, but later we heard on how the same committee diverted the pension fund, and how the anti-graft body charged to investigate bungled the investigation at the request of the then power-that-be. So it is one corrupt practice after the other.
Retooling the question: How to End Corruption? I am of the opinion that political will on the part of leaders at all levels is demanded. This is the only potent weapon that has worked in all developed nations and some other saner climes, and it can work here too. And I am confident that with the disposition of President Mohammadu Buhari, corruption is in big trouble. However, what is your take of the governors and Local Government leaderships? The answer is in the air.
Conclusion
The change project is desirable and badly needed because it is the credible alternative now, but what must change must be made to change by the leadership at all levels of government, our economy must be rolled back from the precipice by being imaginative and innovative; our infrastructure must be radically overhauled, not stomach infrastructure, because Bible says, men are not created for bread alone; our education must be completely restructured in line with the reality on ground, our youth must be seriously engaged, and the civil service must be dissected, deconstructed and rebuilt; the poor must be provided with safety nets and the informal sector of the economy must energized through a deliberate action plans with a view to enhancing the market drive.
If the highlighted conditions are met, I assure you that the prosperity basket would be expanded, and the change project would be celebrated.
I thank you for listening.
Rt. Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salaam

The Man Tinubu: An Epitome of a true leader
In 1999, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected Governor of Lagos State. His then party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) produced all the governors of the South West.
By 2003, Tinubu was the onl y governor left in the AD. He was under pressure to decamp but he stayed. He built the party and it became stronger.
For the eight years that he ruled Lagos, he hired several guys to work with him. I think he carefully picked them.
Apart from using them to work in his government, he also groomed them for the future.
Eight years down the line, see where those Tinubu guys are today -
1. Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN was Tinubu's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. He is today, Nigeria's Vice President.
2. Rauf Aregbesola was Tinubu's Commissioner for Works. Today he is serving his second tenure as Governor of Osun State.

3. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN was Tinubu's Chief of Staff and successor in office. He is today Nigeria's Minister of Power, Works and Housing.
4. Alhaji Lai Mohammed was Tinubu's first Chief of Staff. He is today, Nigeria's Minister of Information.
5. Babatunde Fowler was appointed by Tinubu as Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. Today, he is the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
At the National Assembly, there are countless "Tinubu
boys" who have occupied and are still occupying seats till today.
Since 1999, the Tinubu camp has produced almost 98% of the members of the National Assembly from Lagos State.
Forget politics, this man is a political enigma.
Rewind to 1999, I am sure most of us have forgotten the names of the People who were elected Governors then.
Some of them have gone out of circulation. Some are
gasping for breath politically. Indeed, most of them are no longer relevant today.
Who still remembers Mbadinuju of Anambra State, Jolly Nyame of Taraba, Mohammed Lawal of Kwara, Segun Osoba of Ogun, Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto, Achike Udenwa of Imo, Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom, Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia? That one has lost two consecutive senatorial elections.
But Tinubu has not only managed to remain extremely
relevant, he has continued to control Lagos politics 100%.
Not only that, he manages to carry his boys along and today they occupy critical positions in our national life.
Take it or leave it, Tinubu is today, Nigeria's most powerful politician. It didn't just happen by chance. He worked very hard for it. Very very hard.
The hallmark of a true leader is not just the ability to rule well but also the ability to nurture and groom his
associates.

Oga Tinubu, TUALE SIR!!!

Written by Onyebuchi Ememanka chief

Ejanafish

“A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.
The truth is the truth even if nobody believes it.”
- David Stevens.