₦airaland Forum

Dear Nigerian students,

Unequivocally, you have been passionate about changing the narrative, especially with the systemic failure in the nooks and crannies of our political space, which of course, have bedevilled our educational sector over the years. Your strong desire to have a government devoid of mediocrity and sentiment is one that must be commended by all and sundry.

You can't make a change when you align with the power that brought us to where we are today. A revolutionary change can only be achieved by those who are determined to stand firm in face of the tyranny and intimidation of the power that be. The real change is not won on the streets but on the ballot.

Get ready for the revolution!

Your PVC is the weapon you need to make that change happen.

Vote wisely ✅

Millimann:
Mumu OP,

Can't you see degree there. Abi you don't know the meaning of degree.

You think he's your oga that submitted Nepa bill or the one below that submitted fake Chicago papers.

I'm sure Mr OP graduated from Agbado University

The Youth Coordinator for Tinubu/Shettima campaign organisation and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello says the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, and President Muhammadu Buhari are not responsible for the ongoing nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as widely speculated in the media.

Yahaya Bello made the submission while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Monday.

His words;

“The strike, agitations and the various menaces going on in our educational sector today are completely uncalled for.

“We (APC) shall tell them (Nigerian students) to be able to differentiate between street protest and political problems using this particular menace; those particularly holding them at home and why they are held at home.

“We are going to tell them those (responsible for the ongoing strike), not APC, Buhari, or Senator Bola Tinubu. Those who are responsible will be held accountable.”

https://www.thequesttimes.com/ASUU-strike-buhari-apc-not-responsible-for-your-woes-youth-coordinator-yahaya-bello-tells-angry-nigerian-students/

Established by social critic and leading banker Atedo Peterside, ANAP Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is committed to promoting good governance.

The foundation, in its recent poll released Thursday, September 15, said Peter Obi of Labour Party was in a strong lead over Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC and Atiku Abubakar of PDP, a development that has stirred controversies among the opposition.

In this article, Quest Times analyses five (5) times ANAP foundation correctly predicted election results in Nigeria:

2011
ANAP foundation poll in 2011 put Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP ahead of his top contenders.

The opinion poll was carried out from February 11th – February 28th, 2011 with a representative random sample of Nigerians drawn from Nigeria’s six major geo-political zones and reflecting the rural-urban split in population.

“46% of Nigerians were aware that Ibrahim Shekarau is running for president. 48% of respondents were aware that Nuhu Ribadu is running for president.

“73% of Nigerians were aware that Muhammed Buhari is running for president. 93% of respondents were aware that Goodluck Jonathan is running for president.

“For all other candidates, less than 20% of Nigerians knew that they were running for president. Majority (85%) of Nigerians feel very strongly about their choice for the presidential position.

“Most (53%) of the respondents think that Goodluck Jonathan will win the April presidential position. Most (68%) approve of Goodluck Jonathan’s performance as president,” the foundation revealed.

Verdict
Jonathan went on to win that election as the survey suggested.

2015
ANAP foundation also tipped APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari to win the 2015 presidential election.

In a statement issued on February 16, 2015, to announce the results of the polls, the foundation said, “from the results, when asked who respondents will be voting for in the coming 2015 presidential elections, the figures put General Muhammadu Buhari in a slight lead (32 percent) over President Goodluck Jonathan (30 percent); indicating a 2 percentage points lead. Interestingly, both candidates enjoy decent support across gender and age groups.

“Some key highlights to note – on average, Buhari enjoys groundswell support in the North-West and North-East geo-political zones; while Jonathan remains the beautiful bride of the South-South and South-East zones.

According to the statement, “the high PVC collection rates in the North-West and North-East Zones (above 80% in several states) appear to have given Buhari the slight advantage over the incumbent President Jonathan as much lower PVC collection rates of below 60% have been recorded in several states in the South-East and South-South zones (Jonathan’s area of strength) at the time of our survey.”

Verdict
Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 presidential election by more than 2.5 million votes. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat on 31 March, before the results from all 36 states had been announced. The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria.

2019
In its subsequent prediction, ANAP foundation released the results of a poll conducted for the 2019 presidential election. The foundation said Buhari of the APC was in the lead against the main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar.

According to a statement issued on the poll results by ANAP foundation, “from the results, when asked who respondents will be voting for in the coming 2019 Presidential elections, the figures put President Muhammadu Buhari in the lead (with roughly one-third of the votes) over Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (with approximately one-quarter of the votes). Interestingly, both candidates enjoy decent support across gender and age groups.

“Atiku also has a better spread across all six geopolitical zones. Buhari falls significantly short of 25% in the South East Zone and is also in danger of falling short of 25% in the South-South Zone.

“Buhari’s lead is sizeable but not unassailable because the largest concentration of Undecided voters reside in the South East Zone, where he is weakest. Voter turnout can also make a big difference on the day, especially if there is considerable disparity in turnout figures across the geopolitical zones. Buhari was always in the race as the front-runner.

“Atiku started from zero and has momentum on his side. Given the size of the Undecided vote and its unique and concentration in the 3 Southern geopolitical zones and the North Central Zone, Anap Foundation has concluded that the final outcome is deemed to be too close to call.”

Verdict
Incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari won his reelection bid, defeating his closest rival Atiku Abubakar by over 3 million votes.

Source: https://www.thequesttimes.com/5-times-anap-foundation-correctly-predicted-election-outcomes/

We said before now... Tinubu is Buhari's promax. Vote wisely!

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said any vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) or its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, meant more socio-economic hardship for Nigerians.

He noted that as the campaign period gets closer, there is the need for Nigerians to choose between freedom which he offers or more socio-economic hardship that the ruling APC represents during the 2023 elections.

Atiku made this known in a personally signed letter on Sunday.

He said, “It is very important that we use the remaining days to organise our base and establish our strength in all the 176,846 polling units across the country.

“I know that it is not an easy task. But it will be more worrisome to allow the APC remain in office one more day after May 29.

“The election that is ahead of us is a choice between the certainty of a better Nigeria and a promise of failures by the APC.

“It’s a choice between freedom and doom. And I trust that you will do your all in ensuring that Nigeria is free from socio-economic hardship,” Atiku said.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/2023-any-vote-for-tinubu-means-more-hardship-for-nigerians-atiku%ef%bf%bc/

lhordspy:
Insignificant politician with little or no more political value.

Coming from someone who has no electoral value

To address the current economic difficulties and challenges in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to wade into action.

Quest Times can reveal that the President is composing an Emergency Economic Committee that will proffer urgent solutions to the economic circumstances of the country.

The committee, to be led by the President himself, will have as members other important members of the Federal Executive Council and heads of important agencies like the Central Bank and the NNPC Ltd.

One or two State Governors will also be part of the committee which will get to work quickly and come up with practical solutions to the myriad economic challenges bedeviling the nation.

Presently, the Federal Government is dealing with fiscal challenges with a huge debt overhang taking a significant chunk of the revenue of the Federation.

Besides, there is also a serious foreign exchange problem occasioned by scarcity of forex and sliding value of the Naira, amidst other problems on the monetary side.

Similarly, inflationary trends in the economy have also worsened the economic situation, while the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol, is gulping trillions of Naira in what is said to be controversial claims regarding how much is the local fuel consumption in the country.

At the same time, the problem of oil theft and significantly reduced oil production output is yet another worrying situation further weakening the Nigerian economy.

Sources close to the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Prof. Doyin Salami, said the President has been briefed about the worsening economic conditions as the Adviser and the Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari frequently updates the President at least once a week.

Another source close to the Nigerian Governors Forum explained that the President became even more aware and very worried about the situation especially after some Governors visited him and the Vice President last week, complaining about the economic situation in the country.

Others say the President is expected to come up with measures that will offer immediate, mid and long term solutions.

The committee is expected to be inaugurated today Friday Sept 9, 2022 at the Presidential Villa.

Source: https://www.thequesttimes.com/exclusive-buhari-set-to-take-urgent-action-to-save-economy-sets-up-emergency-committee-today/

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 election, Bola Tinubu has been told to stop claiming glory for the successes recorded in government by his successors – including former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode.

Tunde Bank-Anthony, a Chieftain of the ruling party made the assertion on Wednesday when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.

The spokesperson for Concerned Nigerians, said Tinubu is not the founder of modern Lagos and his men should not trivialise the contributions of Ambode and Fashola in Lagos or make them inferior to Tinubu’s.

“I read something not too long ago, the chairman of the party in Lagos, said Ambode did not follow the blueprint of Lagos. What is the blueprint of Lagos? It should be online for people to see.

“The people that succeeded Asiwaju (Tinubu), BRF succeeded him and his eight years was more visible than Bola Tinubu’s eight years…He (Tinubu) cannot claim glory for what they did; it’s not possible,” Bank-Anthony was quoted as saying.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/fasholas-8-years-better-than-tinubus-says-apc-chieftain/

I wrote my first letter to you dated July 31, 2022, which was widely accepted by Nigerians (both home and abroad). As part of the recommendations, the Labour Party has started rebranding its identity through strategic campaigns aimed at revolutionising the minds of Nigerians to embrace its ideologies, a development that should translate to building a formidable structure for the party across the breadth and length of the country if the momentum can be sustained in earnest.

However, there are other areas that have not yet been visibly touched and as a matter of urgency should be given the utmost attention so as to achieve optimal success ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Sir, it is worthy of note that your emergence as Labour Party standard-bearer has transformed the party from its "lightweight" identity to a reference point where the heavyweight parties like APC and PDP can't but include in their political calculations and permutations. This is not an exaggeration as the two leading political parties, of course, who once tagged your party (Labour Party) as "party that has no structure" now seem perturbed by the momentum the party is gathering here and there.

What surprises many is your level of wisdom in winning the hearts of your antagonists through non-violent politicking that is cleverly done to convince them in subscribing to your school of politics, despite the high level of propaganda to dissuade Nigerians from the real substance. No doubt, the Labour Party is like a smoke in the eyes of Nigerians that can't be covered, no matter how hard the politicking may turn out to be.

On this note, it is important to seize the opportunity to reach out to more Nigerians (the information poor) who have no access to the internet or social media, hence, the reason for writing you this letter to be able to accommodate more of these recommendations which are germane to having a resounding victory, even as we prepare for the campaign proper starting later this month.

Your Excellency, there is more ground work to be done to ensure that the three major tribes - Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo are all captured in your campaign. It is also essential that the needs of all the electorates–irrespective of their ethnic nationalities or religious affiliations–are also taken into cognizance if the Labour Party must win come 2023.

For instance, the Hausas (the semi-illiterate among them) are more radio-friendly than surfing through the net for information. The Labour Party can reach out to this category of audience by designing a radio jingle in their indigenous language, explaining in clear terms why they should consider the Labour Party before other parties. It is a cost-effective way of reaching out to more heterogeneous audiences scattered in space and time.

Going forward, the national executives must also focus on the internal crisis in some states of the federation, especially Lagos where there is still pockets of contentions to the candidacy of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who is considered to be sitting on a keg of gunpowder, following the controversies surrounding his emergence as the party's flag-bearer. The party leadership should visit the State and see things from the eyes of the eagle rather than through a third party.

Sir, another area you should focus more attention on is the synergy between your support group (PONSG) and the Labour Party. The relationship between the duo has not been really encouraging in recent times as some of these so-called groups haven't been aligning with the existing structure of the Labour Party at the State, Local Government, and Ward level. For instance, Alimosho, being home to the largest polling units in Lagos, still has some support groups who have not yet deemed it fit to align to the Labour Party structure in the area. A support group cannot be greater than the political party that it is fronting for, hence, there is a lacuna when it is vise-versa. This is just one example out of the myriad other local governments in the country where such defects persist and it is a serious threat to the overall performance of the party come 2023. The Labour Party is the vehicle for other support groups and the latter must stoop low to subscribe to its ideologies if the Obi-Datti train must have a safe landing in the forthcoming presidential election. A word, they say, is enough for the wise!

Arogbonlo Israel wrote from Lagos and can be reached via gemid931@gmail.com

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2022/09/open-letter-to-peter-obi-part-2/amp/

Who are those still fronting for these political parasites parading as saints? What a hell of a party!

The crisis rocking the ruling APC has taken another dimension.

This is as major presidential aspirants who contested against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday snubbed a well publicised strategic meeting slated for Abuja.

The Wednesday cancelled meeting, was meant to bring all the stakeholders on board, brainstorm and “adopting winning campaign strategies for APC, Tinubu in 2023.

Source: https://www.legit.ng/politics/1489369-tinubu-trouble-osinbajo-ameachi-lawan-apc-presidential-aspirants-shun-strategic-meeting/

drlateef:
I know IPOB terrorists and yahoo boys supporters of Obituary do not understand what that means. That’s why they think Obasanjo supports Obi.

They understand the message clearly and stop fooling yourselves. E go clear for your eyes come 2023.

blamingthedevil:
BABA OBASANJO CONFIRMED TO CHARLY BOY THAT, " OMO ENI KIISE IDI BEBERE KAFI SI IDI OMO ELOMI".

AWA LO'KAN...


Video here:

Watch! 😂😂😂
BABA OBASANJO CONFIRMED TO CHARLY BOY THAT, " OMO ENI KIISE IDI BEBERE KAFI SI IDI OMO ELOMI".

AWA LO'KAN...♾♾♾🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬❤❤❤@officialABAT @Qdpaper2 @Fattylincornn @MoSmartBabe @coollarryj @lanrehussain @dipoaina1 @De_Moshood @Mz_Tosyn @Medahunsi9 @OmoIyaRisi pic.twitter.com/2nHRrZKMc5

— Ayinde (@Ayinde2007) August 20, 2022

Continue fooling yourselves. Baba has stated it clealy in his recent statement: "2023 is not a time for ethnic politics". Nigerians lo kan!

Deluxewize:
I don't know how you desperate urchins and zombies live with yourself after spreading propaganda and falsehoods.

Obasanjo was very clear interpreting his parable "that the robust buttock is Nigeria, and not individual's". He maintained that he would only support the interest of Nigeria and not someone you and your ilks would wish it to be.

Stop spreading lies!

What do you expect from data boys who are only working for their pay. He go shock them laslas.

In this interview, Amaka Onusiriuka, mother of an 11-year-old Nigerian Gold medalist and gymnast, Stephanie, shares the untold story of how her daughter became an African Champion, with Quest Times’ AROGBONLO ISRAEL.

How would you describe your daughter Stephanie flying Nigeria's flag at the Africa Gymnastics Championships in Pretoria, South Africa?

Stephanie is born ready for Gymnastics. I am so happy she represented Nigeria well at the Championships in Pretoria.

What makes her victory unique?

Her victory at the just-concluded Africa Gymnastics Championships is unique because of her age. She is 11 and can do all the amazing skills.

It is believed that a number of Nigerian parents would rather want their children to be doctors or lawyers than see them venture into sports. Did you and your husband ever kick against Stephanie's dream of becoming a gymnast?

Stephanie actually started gymnastics on her own when she was 2. We noticed her unique way of doing things differently, and we nurtured her talent by encouraging her because gymnastics is what she wants to do.

How were you able to raise funds for her?

The Minister of Sports Sunday Dare supported her with some funds. Allen Onyema, the CEO of Airpeace, also sponsored our tickets to South Africa. We (the parents) also supported her massively.

Is Stephanie your only child who took to sports in the family?

I have Four (4) children and they are all into Sports. Stephanie is the first child. The second is Victor, who plays football; the third Valerie is a sprinter (track and field) while the fourth David (the baby of the house) is also into football. The BBC did a documentary on them as a sports family.

The Sports Minister Sunday Dare in his congratulatory message, commended your laudable contributions towards Stephanie's growth. Tell us more about Stephanie's career.

Stephanie has grown so fast in her gymnastics career. She started gymnastics as a professional career 3 years ago. She got her first Gold medal in South Africa when she was 8 years old. She also competed at the Youth Games Ilorin 2019 where she got a Bronze. And competed at the National Sports Festival Edo where she got 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 bronze, and was named the second-best all-round gymnast in Nigeria. Recently, she got another Gold medal in South Africa. She has another competition this Saturday, August 20th in South Africa and I believe she will get Nigeria another Gold medal.

Your advice to Nigerian parents who have kids like Stephanie but would rather want them to be doctors or lawyers than pursue their dreams in sports?

I advise Nigerian parents to encourage their kids when they notice any sporty behaviour in them. I am a living example. I did sports in school, no one told me I could continue with sports, instead I was told to go study Banking and Finance. I noticed all my kids like different types of sports; all we did was to encourage them full time.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/exclusive-why-stephanies-feat-is-unique-mother/

Great move by Mr Datti ✊

The Vice Presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has raised alarm over fake social media accounts opened in his name to spread fake news.

He made the clarification during the Public Unveiling of Clean Up Nigeria, a programme created for the productive and collaborative engagement of OBIdients & other Nigerians on social issues which was covered by Quest Times on Sunday.

“They are being faking for a very long time. I’m not on any social media for now.

“I don’t know who the imposters are but this will be addressed soon. The public should disregard all the social media accounts bearing my name. They are all fake,” he stated.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/all-social-media-accounts-in-my-name-are-fake-baba-ahmed/

Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, the Lagos Labour Party guber candidate became a social media sensation after his campaign fliers were all over Twitter in the first quartre of 2022.

Based on unpopular opinion, the politician has been entering the eyes of Nigerian ladies, especially on Twitter since then.

Gbadebo, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the Labour Party emerged winner of the latter’s substitution primary, which took place in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday.

In this article, QUEST TIMES shines a spotlight on the Lagos Labour Party guber candidate:

Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes Vivour was born in March 8, 1983, in Lagos, Nigeria.

He is 39 years old.

Advocacy activities

Gbadebo is the convener of Nigerians Against GMOs (NAG), an organisation that advocates against the authorisation or introduction of Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) into Nigeria.

He has also been a frontrunner in advocating for the restoration of history in the school curriculum.

He was also instrumental in the ENDSARS movement in 2020.

Educational background

The Lagos-born politician attended Nottingham University, where he bagged a degree in Architecture before proceeding for his master’s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston.

The university awarded him a distinction for his master’s degree thesis, “Traditional revolution: formalising the informal: a proposal for the “periphery urbanite” Lagos, Abuja & Port-Harcourt,” which focused on building a network of recycling facilities and garbage collectors in those cities to turn waste into a significant source of income and employment.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/rhodes-vivour-meet-lagos-labour-party-guber-candidate/

The president and founder of Christ Embassy, aka Believers Love World, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome has relieved his nephew, Dr Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren, of his position as the president of Loveworld Next and Loveworld Innovation.

The clergy made the announcement during a communion service on Sunday, August 7.

The video of the announcement is already circulating on social media.

It was rumoured the suspension of Dr Woghiren came on the heels of a poster, where he was allegedly to be appointed by the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, surfaced online.

According to the video, he is to undergo spiritual rehabilitation while serving his punishment.

“Dr Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren, the president of Loveworld Next and Loveworld Innovation, is hereby removed from being president of Loveworld Next and Loveword Innovation and also suspended from all official roles for act of gross misconduct.

“So he no longer handles any of that and I am placing him under spiritual rehabilitation. He has to go through spiritual rehabilitation programme from now with immediate effect”, Oyakhilome stated.

Verification

This reporter obtained the video clip where Pastor Chris made the announcement and there was no where the cleric mentioned suspending his nephew for either supporting Tinubu or based on any political reason.

Further checks by Quest Times revealed the Believers Love World founder have not stated out in details the real reason for suspending his nephew. He only suspended the latter over "gross misconduct".

A reliable source who spoke to Quest Times via telephone also confirmed the cleric's nephew was not suspended for supporting Tinubu.

Conclusion

There is no evidence that Pastor Chris Oyakhilome suspended his nephew, Dr Daysman for supporting Tinubu.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/fact-check-did-pastor-chris-suspend-his-nephew-for-supporting-tinubu/

Nigerians went berserk on Wednesday, August 3, when the news of Mr President's N1.4 billion giveaway to a neigbouring country, Niger Republic, set the internet ablaze.

Bubu came under heavy criticism over the approval of N1,145,000,000 for the purchase and supply of 10 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to Niger Republic. This is just as Nigerian students have been at home for over 5 months, following the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), amongst other challenges ranging from insecurity, economic crisis, corruption cases etc.

However, this is not a surprise for those who understand the 'unholy' romance between Mr President and his 'ancestral homeland'. The president once claimed to have some relatives in Niger, according to an interview he granted Arise TV.

Recall that in 2018, Nigeria and Niger Republic also signed a $2bn deal to build an oil pipeline and a refinery, a development that triggered heavy criticisms from economic experts.

“Niger has discovered oil, as you know. We hope they will be fine when we take the rail to Maradi and take all their exports through Maradi rather than through the Benin Republic,” Buhari said in response to why he was investing so heavily on ties with Niger.

But many still question Bubu's alliance with the landlocked country in West Africa, leaving us with the big question; what is it about Bubu's passion for his northern neighbour, the Niger Republic? Is it economic and commercial logic, altruism, or just family and ethnic ties?

In 2015, when Buhari was sworn in as Nigeria's elected president, reports have it that he went to Mamadou Issoufou’s presidential palace in Niamey, Niger Republic, to celebrate. The reception was like a "conquering Fulani warlord" as the great writer Ochereome Nnanna rightly put it.

Then one begins to wonder why a Nigerian president who is from Daura, his supposed hometown in Katsina, Northern Nigeria, chose to celebrate his electoral victory in another man's land. This is the same president who also flagged off a $1.9 billion rail project connecting Kano in Nigeria to Maradi in Niger Republic in 2019. “I have cousins, family members, etc., in Niger Republic. I shouldn’t just cut them off,” Buhari said when challenged on the project.

However, the Russian-based financial institution, Renaissance Capital (Rencap), described the Kano-Maradi railway project as a wasteful investment.

Charlie Robertson, the chief economist at the emerging markets investment firm, also said the $1.9billion standard gauge rail project designed to link Nigeria with Niger, was unlikely to yield any profit. Yet, the President saw no wrong in embarking on the project.

This unholy romance seems to be a welcome idea for Mr President, who amid the pressing issues in his country (Nigeria) sees giveaways to a self-sufficient neighbouring country as the ultimate solution to addressing the myriad problems on his table. Why is Mr President showing 'I care' for another man's headache while still struggling to fulfill his three-point agenda (Ending insecurity, making the economy better, and fighting corruption) to the millions of Nigerians that elected him into office?

But for Bubu, approving N1, 145,000,000 for the purchase and supply of 10 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to Niger Republic is the best he has to offer at this critical time when Nigerians are in dire need of succour from the hardship in the land due to the negligence and inaction of the government who can best be described as "zombies in the corridors of power.”

How can a president's interest supersede the national interest of over 200 million Nigerians? There is more to this than meets the eyes. Time, they say, shall tell.

Arogbonlo Israel, a good governance advocate and media strategist, can be contacted via gemid931@gmail.com.

My dear presidential candidate, it is expedient I write to you, especially at this time when Nigerians are in dire need of a leader who can unify the country and restore the hope of the masses. Since your emergence as the Labour Party standard-bearer, there has been a reawakening and re-conscientisation of the minds of Nigerians, especially the young people, from the primitive 'insult-based politics' to 'issue-based politics'.

However, it is a fact that "Nigerians now vote personality and not party" but it is undeniable to say a party is sacrosanct in winning a presidential race, hence, the essence of writing this open letter.

Your excellency, you must re-strategise your campaign to accommodate what can be best described as "party-branding" rather than just focusing on the product (ObiDatt). To succinctly put, it is difficult to sell a brand like Labour Party in the eyes of an average Nigerian who over time is used to the likes of PDP and APC as household names in Nigeria's political landscape. Hence, a party must be built alongside its candidates and should not leave one for the other.

Sir, you must rejig your strategies to sell the project (Labour Party) if you must win come 2023, as this will also help to get more people onboard and support the movement for a better Nigeria. The party as an entity is more supreme than a candidate who is just a part of the whole. Thus, more effort should be put into branding rather than just selling the "ObiDatt" as a product in 2023.

Sincerely sir, Labour Party needs visibility, and your publicity must be refocused to ensure that all Nigerians identify with the party going forward.

Sir, another area I would like to draw your attention to is the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an unbiased umpire, would not include the photographs of candidates in the ballot papers as rightly suggested owing to its guidelines and modus operandi, hence, the need to sell the Labour Party brand, which of course, will be impressed on the ballot.

For the Labour Party to win as a third-force party in 2023, your campaign strategies should be refocused on the party side-by-side the candidacy. The strategy should be "party first before candidacy". An electorate will only see the Labour Party logo on the ballot papers and it is practically impossible to vote for Peter Obi if such a voter doesn't know the Labour Party as the platform.

Finally, having a structure as opined is necessary to achieve a paradigm shift in the face of the 2023 general election and that must start with the brand visibility of the Labour Party.

With all the aforementioned put into consideration, I see the possibility of Labour Party taking over the mantle of leadership come 2023.

Arogbonlo Israel is a political communicator and can be contacted via gemid931@gmail.com

Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central Senator has called out President Muhammadu Buhari over the heightened security challenges in the country.

Sani, who featured on Quest Times Twitter Spaces on Wednesday, blamed Mr President for being “negligent and not taking action on the state of the nation”.

His words; “Why is the security challenges in Nigeria so worst? This is the question we need to ask ourselves. Secondly, why was it that after pumping all these trillions of naira in our defence and security apparatus, we are still unable to curtail these problems? And the bulk stops on the table of the Commander-in-Chief (Buhari).

“The Nigeria Defence Academy was at a time attacked and nobody resign or was even sacked. So, who do you want to blame?

“A country is being run in such a way that the president does not take an action as when the time demands him to take an action.

“All his (Buhari) ministers are spending their 8 years in service; never has this happened in the history of Nigeria. What kind of country is this? How can you keep minsters in office for 8 years? That’s an issue.

“For instance, Mozambique in the face of its crisis, did not call the president of America to come help them, the reached out to Paul Kagame of Uganda and over 2,000 troops were deployed to the Northern Mozambique with a clear instruction — End this insurgency! And they did it!

“It is so worst that farmers in part of Kaduna now pay levies to bandits to go to farms. Recently, in Birnin Gwari (Local Government Area in Kaduna), about 40 million was given to terrorists for them to go and farm and raise their crops.

“When you talk now, they will tell you security agencies are monitoring the camps of the terrorists. Why can’t you storm the place?

“We have reached a point that what need to be done must be done to save us from this problem. We can’t be held hostage by a gang of criminals who are taking advantage of our weaknesses.

“If it requires the president to sack the service chiefs regularly to get things right, he should do so. People who are holding positions need to know that there is a price to pay.

“Nobody could have imagined in 2015 that Buhari who people had hope and faith him, can lead a country today where even Abuja is not safe. Leadership is about taking decisions, actions and resolving to do what you need to do in order to protect your people. This is not what is happening in the country today.

“What Nigeria is doing today is to wait for attack before sending soldiers to defend the country.

“For me, nobody is at fault, it is the Commander-in-Chief (Buhari) because you’re the person who filled the forms and expressed desire to contest for the presidential seat. So, the ball stops on his table.

“We hope that actions will be taken by the president as part of his last attempt to save this country. After all, he (Buhari) said is going to leave Nigeria than the way he met it”.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/blame-buhari-for-the-insecurity-in-nigeria-says-shehu-sani/

Admin will not put the story on Front Page now because is Peter Obi... I'm OBIdient anyways

Many Nigerians, especially those not comfortable with the choice of Kashim Shettima as running mate to the APC standard-bearer for the 2023 presidential election, would have thought the 'Jagaban of Nigerian politics' made a bad choice of opting for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a secular state as ours.

For Tinubu, the mission to make his 'lifelong ambition' a reality is not child's play, but one that requires a lot of political calculations and risks to achieve.

When the APC candidate announced his choice of Ex-Borno governor as running mate, some political analysts might have just been proved wrong for their miscalculation in terms of the region the former would favour in his journey to Aso Villa; as some probably believed he would be considering someone from the Northwestern origin. Guess what? It was a well-calculated risk by Nigeria's political strategist who many believed to be obsessed with a Muslim-Muslim ticket from the outset.

Of the lot, Tinubu is not a baby-weight politician as some schools of thought might have alluded to, but a political juggernaut as far as Nigeria’s politics is concerned. His choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket might not be farfetched from his postulation that a Muslim/Muslim ticket “can work; competence is all that matters”. This is someone who in the recent past, forfeited the opportunity of becoming President Muhammadu Buhari's running mate in 2015 for a student in his school of politics, Yemi Osinbajo.

"Tinubu as a seasoned political leader does not operate with logic or political niceties when looking for power. He goes for the expedient. Whatever produces results he will deploy it. Know this about Tinubu’s politics and know peace. Tinubu is not a Muslim fanatic. He is a typical Yoruba Muslim to whom Islam is a religion, unlike the Northern Muslim to whom Islam is life," as quoted by Ochereome Nnanna in one of his columns titled Tinubu's Muslim/Muslim ticket.

Yes, Tinubu might have just gone for the expedient by picking Shettima, a Muslim from the Northeast of the country as his running mate, but afterwards he cares more about his 'lifelong ambition' than 'fairness and equity'. He is never bothered about what people say as long as he is coasting to victory in 2023. What really matters most is getting a strong VP candidate of Muslim background to be able to withstand the likes of Abubakar Atiku and Rabiu Kwankwaso of PDP and NNPP respectively. These qualities Tinubu found in the person of Shettima, who of course, is also a household name as far as regional politics is concerned in the Northern part of the country.

By and large, Tinubu understands the popular maxim 'the majority carries the vote,' meaning for him to win in 2023, he must consider available indices in terms of number. In this stance, the Muslims who dominate Northern Nigeria are believed to be more motivated than their Christian counterparts when it comes to electioneering. Also, Muslims constitute about 50% of Nigeria's total population and will be a great decider in terms of who to vote for and who not to be voted for. Though voter's behaviour changes over time based on some factors and it is not sound reasoning to say a candidate will win the 2023 presidential candidate for picking a Muslim as running mate, however, Tinubu's decision is considered to be one of his strategies to make a good bargain as far as the buildup to the presidential election is concerned. On this note, one can only watch like the watchman and wait patiently for the interesting political days ahead.

Arogbonlo Israel, a journalist and media strategist, wrote from Lagos.

Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed on Thursday emerged as the running mate of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

Quest Times reports the unveiling of the vice-presidential candidate has been rescheduled for Friday, July 8 at the party’s headquarters, Abuja.

Here are 7 facts you may not know about Baba-Ahmed;

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed was born to the Baba-Ahmed family in Zaria, Kaduna on July 7, 1969.

He is among the thirty-three children of his father, Baba Ahmed, who was an Arab cattle-trader from modern-day Mauritania who later became a notable professor and expert on Islamic jurisprudence.

The 53-year-old is an academic and businessman and was once a presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019.

He was a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007 and was elected Senator for Kaduna North, in Kaduna State, Nigeria in April 2011 running on the Congress for Progressive Change ticket, with a remarkable record of the credit of sponsoring important legislation within a short time.

Baba-Ahmed has four degrees; a BSc and MSc in Economics from the University of Maiduguri, an MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and in 2006, he completed his PhD studies, earning the title of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Westminster. He is also the Proprietor and Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja, and Baba-Ahmed University, Kano.

Sen. Baba-Ahmed is a well-accomplished philanthropist. Among many of his corporate social responsibility projects; he built and donated two junior secondary schools with a total capacity of 4,000 students. It is worthy of note that the schools have graduated over 6,000 students to date.

In 2015, Sen. Baba-Ahmed was appointed as Chairman of, the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Hope Alive Foundation – which campaigns for the post-service economic survival of corps members who suffered permanent disability during service.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/baba-ahmed-7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-obis-running-mate/

The fear of Peter Obi is the beginning of wisdom

A 21-year-old Nigerian foreign student, Hameedat Busari, recently emerged as the best graduating student in her class with a total of 91 points out of the 100 percent Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).

She graduated with Dean’s Honours (equivalent to First Class in Nigeria) at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

The Oyo-born graduate also clinched the 2021/2022 Academic Achievement Award for Honours in Economics, which recognises the student with the highest outstanding achievement. She spoke to AROGBONLO ISRAEL in an exclusive interview with Quest Times.

Excerpts…

QT: Who is Hameedat Busari?
Hameedat: I was born in Oyo, Southern Nigeria in 2001. I’m the second child of Mr Kazeem Busari and Mrs Ismat Busari. I moved to Canada in 2016 after completing my secondary education at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Ikeja, Lagos. I recently graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honours Economics – Finance specialisation (Deans Honours, equivalent to First Class in Nigeria). I was also the recipient of the 2021/2022 Academic Achievement Award for Honours in Economics, which recognises the student with the highest outstanding achievement. I am also starting my career as a Corporate Banker in one of the top banks in the world

QT: How has your educational journey been?
Hameedat: My educational journey has been very adventurous – the education system in Canada is very different from that of Nigeria. Growing up in Nigeria, I mostly memorised concepts and restated them during examinations. However, in Canada, there is a higher focus on understanding and the ability to utilise concepts and theories in new scenarios not covered in lectures. I often had to think outside the box to pass my examinations. These skills improved my retention of concepts and were one of my keys to succe

QT: Who were your role models while growing up?
Hameedat: My parents are my role models — they are very hardworking and resilient. I have always admired their determination, even in the face of challenges, and their work ethic and dedication to their different businesses. I am also very grateful that they instilled these skills in me and my siblings at a very tender age

QT: On your academic achievements, what would you say is your motivation strategy for breaking grounds?
Hameedat: My biggest motivation is my drive to achieve my goals. I am very goal-oriented and at the beginning of my undergraduate journey, my biggest goal was to do exceptionally well in school and make my parents proud. This goal motivated me to continue pushing even after the challenges I faced during my five years at Waterloo.

QT: Any challenges experienced during the course of your career pursuit?
Hameedat: The biggest challenge I faced was the difficulty in finding my first job. For my undergraduate programme, I had the opportunity to complete five 4-month work terms in different companies. Finding my first work term was very challenging because of my minimal Canadian work experience, and most employers were looking for students with Canadian experience. This made the process very long and excruciating for me in comparison to my Canadian counterparts. I believe this is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about moving to Canada. They think life is easy once you move, but it really is not, you have to work very hard to build the life that you want, and you have to never give up.

QT: Have you ever been a victim of racism during your stay in school?
Hameedat: No, I have not directly experienced racism, however, I have friends who have. Unfortunately, racism continues to exist in schools.

QT: What is your recommendation for eradicating racism in schools?
Hameedat: Education (pauses). Most racists develop their racist opinions and thoughts at a young age and by the time they get to school, they have normalised these thoughts and opinions. It is very important for schools to educate all students on racism so they can recognise these normalised racist thoughts and correct them.

QT: How would you describe your stay in Nigeria before moving to Canada in 2016?
Hameedat: It was alright – I went to boarding school for the most part so I never explored Nigeria before leaving.

QT: Any regret in life?
Hameedat: No, I have not lived life long enough to have any regrets.

QT: Your advice to young people looking after you for a successful career?
Hameedat: I am just starting my career, so I am not in the place to advise about careers. However, my advice to young people considering moving to Canada for school is to start strong and be focused. To be honest, it is very easy to get distracted when you move, specifically if you lived with your parents all your life. You feel an undeniable sense of freedom but you need to always remember why you moved and your goals. You also need to start strong, working very hard from the beginning reduces the burden at the end. A strong start allows you to breathe in your final year because you have a better understanding of your capabilities. Also, please always consider an undergraduate/graduate program that has co-op (work experience), it enables you to acquire industry experience while still in school. It is an absolute game changer and I highly recommend it.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/life-in-canada-not-as-easy-as-people-think-21-year-old-1st-class-graduate/

Embattled lawmaker representing Kogi West at the Red Chamber, Smart Adeyemi has accused his State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and the State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, of working against his return to the National Assembly.

Adeyemi lost his bid to retain his seat in the Senate to Sunday Karimi at the APC primary held on May 28, 2022, in Kabba.

Karimi scored 288 votes while Muyiwa Aina came second with 73 votes. Adeyemi polled 43, while the only woman in the race, Doyin Eshanumi, scored one vote.

He described the election as day-light robbery and an extremely manipulated exercise.

When asked if it’s true that governor Yahaya Bello worked against his reelection bid, Adeyemi answered; “In winning any primary election, the governor (Yahaya Bello in this stance) of a State is in control of 85% of the process.

“How do you explain when the returning officer of the election I participated was once somebody who aspired to be a senator for Kogi West and this is the same guy who is a serving commissioner and also the returning officer. So, from who will he take instruction?

“But is now past tense, have already filed my petition for it to be on record that this was what they did to me.

“I’m convinced quite that a number of Nigerians were surprised that I was not reelected, which of course gives me satisfaction since it was as a result of failure on path.”

According to him, he lost the election because of the power that be who felt that he was too outspoken for them.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/how-yahaya-bello-rigged-me-out-of-senatorial-race-smart-adeyemi/

Congratulations � Wahala for Labour Party o�

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, has been declared winner of the Ekiti governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Returning Officer of the Ekiti Governorship Election, Adeniran Tella, announced the result on Sunday morning at the INEC office in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti capital city.

The former Chief of Staff polled a total of 187, 057 votes to defeat his closest rival, Segun Oni of Social Democratic Party (SDP) who bagged 82, 211 votes to emerge 2nd while Bisi Kolawole of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came a distant third with 67, 457 votes.

https://www.thequesttimes.com/breaking-fayemis-anointed-candidate-oyebanji-wins-ekiti-governorship-election/