₦airaland Forum

He ran into exile! Dora had her 'gele' shot by a bullet, she stayed here!

I will malign others as long as you call the only Pastor in this country who has screamed against all form of bad governance in this country Loud Mouth!

That I will not take

Gbawe

Do please keep calling him a loud mouth. At least his mouth was loud enough against Abacha when your Tinubu was, out of fear for his life, in exile. Bakare stayed here in his church and screamed against Abacha.

if that is what qualifies one for have a loud mouth so be it. Under democracy, your Ribadu ran into exile. it really shows courage my friend. while Bakare was matching every where and screaming 'Power Hijack' against Turai, we did not see a Ribadu or a Tinubu on the street.

Watch it Gbawe, by all standards, Bakare can stand where Tinubu and Ribadu will run. And his mouth was loud enough to send Abacha to Death!

Doja,

I dont have a problem with Ribadu becoming president, but you need to take your campaign to the Northern streets where Buhari holds the votes. South West votes, split with Jonathan and some for Buhari, will not do the magic.

While Buhari is looking for votes in the South West, ACN is still grabbing more votes in the south west, instead of focusing on other zones. and this will be ACN's undoing.

simply straight forward!

Gbawe,

For calling Pastor Tunde Bakare Loud mouth. I withdraw my hand shake.

Cheers and see you in April.

he is consulting with South West in preparation for the massive campaigns that will be unleashed there very soon. Just watch out!

Jaymanny,

that touched you? So alluding to Yar'adua's situation touched you? so all the other candidates choose their VPs to just sit in Aso Rock? and when they die, the VPs simply pack their bags and go home?

I tire ooo

polls indeed! April 9 is just some days away!

Keep bashing Buhari, while supporting a candidate with epileptic character. we remember his denial of ever judging tinubu and others, we remember him denying that he ever investigated Jonathan's wife

I will prefer by incorruptiblie 82 year old father to manage my resources rather than give it to my junior brother who has a question mark on his integrity. it is that simple

Where is Gbawe?

Now you see why we are at loggerheads over Ribadu & Tinubu.

Good one from Tinubu, expired leadership. that is fine, we rest our case. April 9 will soon be here

men, if there is any job i want to take up now and resign from my high paying job, it is to unravel the age of this clown called beaf.

I sign out before I smash my computer thinking i am slapping him to sanity.

we have done the knock out already, why bother to go round 2, which is what the defeated is trying to bring up

This BEAF is a disaster! and I cry for Nigeria when insane people like you are allowed to roam the streets.

count your luck though till May 29. after that, i advise you to run because we will take you to a rehab!

Odechukwu Beaf Jonathan

your Yoruba-man carried an hyphen so i assume you are an adulterated yoruba man.

as Usual

Propaganda from GEJ is always their reply to the truth. it is a shame!

can BEAF give his full name and address, so we know who to go after when BB2011 wins. A man who supports a corrupt man is absolutely corrupt and must be probed!

Pharaoh,

your name speaks volume.

you can answer the questions for clueless GEJ. At least we have answered ours.

who beat me to it on posting this!!!!!!!!!!!

This is total knock out. GEJ is finished. I hope this will be on front page of newspapers tomorrow!

Chai. Buhari has really made the best choice of his political life in Yinka Odumakin and Tunde Bakare. The propaganda are being killed with venoms from this duo.

Sai BB2011

Wadeoye,

you couldn't have said it better. but let's desist from bashing Buhari. Gbawe is a jolly good fellow

we will really need his wisdom and understanding on the BB2011 ticket.

Another endorsement for Buhari!


Home | Columnists | Sunday | Tola Adenle | Nigeria must be rid of cancer-like PDP!
Nigeria must be rid of cancer-like PDP!
Font size: Tola Adenle 20/03/2011 00:00:00

God willing, I will cast my presidential vote for retd. General Buhari and that is more than a personal quantum leap.

As recently as before the 2007 (s)elections sealed whatever shot retd. General Obasanjo (rGO) might have had at statesman-hood, I had wondered aloud in my rested weekly essays for this paper why General Buhari would not let Nigerians know what his feelings about democracy and religion were. I had a personal experience of the effort to force a state religion down Nigerians’ collective throat during his rulership. It was apparent that retd. General Babangida’s misadventure to turn Nigeria into a Muslim country was similar to Buhari’s. As I shopped at Old Gbagi, Ibadan, one afternoon in ‘84/85, a commotion suddenly developed as word went round that policemen were out arresting women who wore pants! I was a culprit and made for my car, unwilling to wait for verification in the then suffocating environment of religious fanaticism.

Who can forget the attempt by the Buhari’s government to introduce Soviet Russia-style exit visas for Nigerians who would want to travel outside the country? Or the callousness of the public executions of those drug couriers though it seemed to have stemmed the then growing menace? Thousands, mostly Christians have been killed since rGO’s presidency when a country’s supposed secular Constitution was p— upon by a governor whose Sharia declaration was an open challenge. I do not remember rGO’s government taking any legal action against this major assault on the country’s Constitution. Thereafter, the manageable national relationship between Christians and Moslems became a combustible situation that exploded anytime any event – even in far-off lands – displeases Northern Nigerian Muslims. To have Nigerians slaughtered because somebody in Scandinavia defaces Mohammed’s picture is unconscionable. Muslims and Christians have always coexisted peacefully in Southern Nigeria. Religion is not the cause but PDP-type politics.

The biggest problem confronting this country today, we are all agreed is corruption, and the ruling party has proved unable AND unwilling to fight the cancer nor enunciate a plan different from its eight messy years for a New Nigeria. An example of PDP’s governance style can be seen in the big Ogun mess with rGO reduced to less-than a tribal chieftain vs. Daniel as chief combatants. In the party’s typical style, luxe paint has been spread over structural damage; everybody is focused on the prize: PDP needs Daniel; so does he of the minority House members deliberating over the majority without any raised eyebrow at Abuja. PDP has amidst its ranks people with enough proverbial skeletons in various cupboards that would rival those of rested souls at Lagos’ Atan Cemetery. Those that hold the country by the jugular air these skeletons whenever upstart moneybags forget to remain in line. This "settlement" style, "we are one family

… eerily resembles the Italian Mafia’s "family". Did scenes from Ogun and Anambra shrines where grown men were stripped naked at oath-taking bring the Mafia’s omerta to mind?

As the PDP goes from crisis to crisis with in-our-face implication that it needs us NOT, Nigerians must be ready to fight what would be another great robbery by the same group I called "Nigeria, Inc., as in Murder, Inc" back in ’03. The Southwest, landscape has been left desolate with leaders whose governance style is chasing shadows. Even me, "an elderly lady" as this paper’s Kunle Abimbola once aptly referred to me in an essay about Osun’s illegal 7-year "governor" Oyinlola.

The two expended millions shadow-chasing, seeing an enemy in me.

Here is the opening of my "PDP is Nigeria’s worst nightmare" of May 4, 2008: "On March 9, this column carried … PDP is Nigeria’s greatest impediment to democracy and the country’s very survival."Every new day seems to show that a title that on the surface appeared hyperbolic might actually have been an understatement. While most Nigerians are beginning to realize that the massively-rigged retired General Obasanjo "election" was an evil…most had nevertheless hoped that Nigeria could rise from the ruins …if Alhaji Yar Adua was given the benefit of the doubt – in Nigerian-speak, if peace reigns in spite of the collective angst, democracy could somehow germinate …"

Buhari’s recent speech that implies he would condone his supporters going on rampage should the coming elections be rigged is not different from our own Late Uncle Bola’s colorful allusion to the 60’s conflagration. I do not remember his exact words but it was something like ki la ma nse s’eni t’o ba ji ibo? What does a vote rigger deserve? The masses in Ekiti chanted ‘rig and roast’ during rGO-selected Madam Ayoka Adebayo’s infamy in Ekiti; I’vealso seen a popular blogger’s moniker, rig2011electionanddie for well over a year on Sahara Reporters’ website. I believe in law and order but we cannot encourage people who are determined to stay in power through the barrel of the gun and other evil means to be confident of getting away with their crime again. As we have seen, the judiciary is as corrupt as the PDP to which most seem to owe allegiance. I’m not sure a wife and female daughters would be raped while the husband stands by and say prayers for God to forgive those destroying his family.

I think the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), must return to negotiations. The party’s presidential candidate is worthy like Buhari but we cannot take Nigeria back from despoliation having two worthy combatants with near-similar ideologies in opposing camps. The experience of Buhari matters. The youth of this country, surprisingly, is ready for Buhari. I’m conducting a very informal and unscientific poll among young professionals, all Christians, all Odua descendants and in two months, only two of forty-eight have repeated the time-worn ‘he’s a Muslim fanatic’; he’s not a democrat; he’s this, he’s that cliché. Hardly any of the contestants can sail through a rigorous examination. Who will provide the best leadership and who can steer the corruption-artists in the face and not blink? Those interviewed, all late 20s to early 40s, say they’ll checkmark the retired General’s name in April. Like thousands and thousands of families, I have accepted a life of semi-exile for me and perhaps, permanent exile for my kids but most Nigerians cannot even afford what is, at best, a life hardly worth living: exile by necessity to start, no matter how later comfortable, is awful. We therefore all owe a lot to make Nigeria work.

Buhari’s gave General Tunde Idiagbon of very blessed memory more than elbow room. We cannot doubt he would do the same with Pastor Tunde Bakare. The PDP is too large a monster to be left to continue to roam the land, and must be stopped.

Gbawe!

We need you on the BB2011 ticket!

But we can wait for April 9, 2011 if you refuse.


I think we are on same page, but a thin line dividing us. Like say, If Buhari suddenly withraws, Ribadu I will vote for, but based on prospects now, Buhari has it.


Thanks for being an objective contributor here.

sorry, you are running mad!

Is this Autolord sane?

how come I entered this useless thread. People will soon run made because of anti-buhari bakare hatred.

do you sleep again?

sagamite,

I don tire ooo. not ready to discuss this matter again. Thanks.

handshakes Gbawe, am sure we will be on same page after April 9, whether to campaign more to oust PDP or to celebrate PDP is out.

Bakare and Ribadu can take on each other, they are are peer group, but why take on an elder statesman who has never in history spoken anything bad about Ribadu, who even invited Ribadu to his house for a dialogue?

I look at Buhari that day as Ribadu jabbed at him, and I got angry because it could have been my father!

if he is a corrupt father, that is fine, but not Buhari.

We the supporters are different from the candidates and they can't control what we say.

I rest my case as I watch and read those again, and even an average Nigerian knows that was bad! The room of the debate felt it as well.

But I think we can move on. Best of Luck to Ribadu!

Gbawe!

You keep attacking Buhari, while you frown at us when we go for Ribadu's jugular. and I have said I am not ready for any long talk again, that is the reason I asked a simple question

Considering the political prospects of all the candidates againt our common enemy, PDP, who has the best chance for us to support. Buhari is clearly ahead of Ribadu on this. And this is the basis of our support.

I know Buhari as a man who delegates a lot, hence the choice of a Vice President kills that claim of yours that he has lost steam. Bakare has proved from the time of babangida, Abacha, that he abhors any form of bad governance, risking his life in the process and getting to be arrested at some point. the drive for Buhari's integrity lies in his Vice President.

And when you mentioned I dodged my claim on Ribadu's arrogance, you simply missed the point that I just dont want to keep talking of the perception I have on him. But I will just reply you with what Simeon Kolawole wrote today on the NN24:

Ribadu’s ‘Yabis’
Ribadu, in trying to market his credentials, threw a few stones at Buhari. He said he is “modern” and “current” and has been in the service of the government in the last 25 years while some have been in retirement during the same period. This is a veiled attack on Buhari who is being criticised in some corners as “old” and not in touch with modern governance. Buhari, instructively, was retired a little over 25 years ago (1985). Ribadu said he is an international figure and not a “state” person, a veiled reference to the impression that Buhari’s support is limited to a few states in the North. Given the fact that there is still a faint possibility that Ribadu’s ACN and Buhari’s CPC could work together during the elections, I think Ribadu did not have to throw those jibes at Buhari. It was absolutely unnecessary and added nothing to his case.

This is what I mean by arrogance. You can have passion to abuse the hardened criminals, but you must always pause to acknowledge those who have gone before you in fighting these criminals.

In those school days, that is what we call 'I too know'

If you are a Nigeria watcher, but do not know that one Patience Jonathan is working extremely hard to ensure victory for her husband at next month’s presidential polls, you are paying insufficient attention. I have just spent three weeks in Nigeria, and I can testify to the sense of mission of this woman. Her husband ought to be very proud.

In my view, though, this lady, whom I described in an article on October 27, 2007 as “Nigeria’s Most Powerful Woman,” is receiving the wrong advice to appear at campaign rallies and work the crowds. I do not make this comment in allusion to the quality of her spoken English, about which I have noticed some comedic interest.

The correct advice, if you asked me, would be to deploy herself as a character witness by providing a pungent personal testimony about the events of August and September 2011.

As offered by the practicing religious, the most profound testimonies are difficult, but that is where their power to convince and motivate others comes from. Mrs. Jonathan can boost her husband’s quest for the votes of the Nigerian people next month by telling the truth about her outstanding money-laundering cases. This would be in tune with her husband’s avowal to combat corruption, and will sing more eloquently than a thousand choirs at campaign rallies.

Here is what we know: In August 2006, when Mr. Jonathan was the Governor of Bayelsa State, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seized from one Mrs. Nancy Ebere Nwosu the sum of one hundred and four million Naira (N104m). The money, she said on oath, belonged to Mrs. Jonathan, and the EFCC demonstrated how the Bayelsa First Lady had tried to launder it.
The commission sought a court order to freeze the money, as it said it had reason to believe that they were looted from the public till. Mrs. Jonathan, her staff and her husband’s government, all vociferously denied all the allegations, describing them as the work of political opponents of the governor.

Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the authority the EFCC sought, and froze the money “pending the conclusion of the investigation of the activities of the said persons in connection with their involvement in the acts of money laundering and other economic and financial crimes related offences.”

The cacophony over that matter was still shaking the very rafters when, the following month, the EFCC announced yet another incident involving Mrs. Jonathan. It said it had seized an incredible $13.5 million dollars (US) the governor’s wife had also tried to launder.

Again, that story hit the international news with the force of a terrorist attack. It was on September 11, 2006, and the EFCC was widely quoted worldwide.

Not much was heard about the matter again until last October. By then, a lot had changed. Nuhu Ribadu, having been forced out of the EFCC and sent to a training course in Kuru in 2007, had subsequently fled into exile. From those distant climes, he had returned to the country, courtesy of Mr. Jonathan, to begin a legitimate quest to win the presidency, a job being held by Jonathan.

But if Mr. Ribadu’s presidential campaign is in trouble in the months leading up to the event, it is largely because of the contradictions in character that have appeared about him concerning the Jonathans. Appearing before the Senate on September 27, 2006 to present the Annual Report of the EFCC, he had said of the nation’s corruption picture, “There is s also a petition against the Governor of Bayelsa's wife. She was involved in laundering the sum of one hundred and four million into foreign account. She is also being investigated.”
He meant Patience Jonathan.



But four years later, in his 13 October 2010 Hot Seat interview with Nigeria Village Square, Ribadu told a bewildering story: “There was never a time when I was in the EFCC when we ever invited [Mrs. Jonathan] to come and make a statement,” he said. “Why should I come out now simply because it is easy and convenient for one to say so? When I was in EFCC I never I never I never invited Mrs. Jonathan for questioning or take her statement.”
The statement implied she did not have a case, but he did not specifically say so. Swiveling around to Mrs. Jonathan’s dollar-denominated case, however, he said, “There was a time they said she was caught with 13million dollars. Financial Times reported International Media reported this and that. This was so unfair I decided to keep quiet that time because if I spoke, people will say it was because I was looking for a job with the Jonathan Government. I have got to a point where I have nothing against them.”

This was decisive proof that Mr. Ribadu had developed some problems of recall. The $13.5 million scandal carries a date-stamp of 2006, not 2010. At that time, Jonathan had not even become a candidate for the vice-presidency, and Ribadu had not left the EFCC. A “Jonathan Government” in Abuja from which anyone could have been seeking favours did not materialize until May 2010. It is difficult to reconcile how the former EFCC boss could have mixed up both critical issues.

Let me be clear: Mrs. Jonathan is quite conceivably innocent of each of the money-laundering scenarios in which she was cited, and I believe every citizen is innocent until proven guilty. On the basis of the history of this matter, however, she clearly seems to have tried to launder vast sums of money on at least two occasions. The evidence suggests that there has been a grand cover up that has taken advantage of the good political fortunes the Jonathans have enjoyed since late 2006 when Mr. Jonathan found himself on the Umaru Yar’Adua presidential ticket.

It is this confusion that Mrs. Jonathan can profitably clear up to the benefit of her husband. We live in a country where the rich and the influential often loot the treasury for sport. Mrs. Jonathan can separate herself from that gang of criminals by demonstrating to Nigeria she never tried to launder any funds.

That was what Justice Anwuli had in mind: that the N104m cash of August 2006 be kept away until a full investigation had been concluded. It is too late to say there was neither a N104 million case, nor an investigation. It is too convenient simply to say that the $13.5 million dollar case that was reported by the EFCC under Mr. Ribadu in 2006 was simply “unfair” without anyone being held responsible for such mischief against someone so powerful.

It is also beyond one individual to dismiss, orally and casually, a federal investigation, as though it were simply a market disagreement between two women. Nigerians deserve to see the report of that investigation, whether it leads to charges being filed or not.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Mrs. Jonathan to exploit in her husband’s favour. Let her make a statement, complete with all the facts, to demonstrate her innocence. Let her cause to be published the report of the investigation which has allegedly cleared her. It will solidify her image, and yield her husband his first electoral triumph.

Unless she is willing to do this, Mrs. Jonathan is simply another privileged Nigerian trying to play football with basketball rules. It is these ruthless ethical violations that have made Nigeria an ungovernable nation run by super-citizens to whom the rules do not apply. Such Nigerians, unwilling to subject themselves to the rigor of personal example, preach lavishly when they face the greedy and the ignorant, and when they are desperate to get a vote.

Regrettably, Mrs. Jonathan is currently their tallest spokesperson at campaign rallies. That is because, when she rises to ask Nigerians to vote “umblerra” next month, she is standing on stacks of those Naira and dollar bills from 2006. But Nigerians know a really tall woman when they see one. They also know when she is merely standing on their hopes and dreams and insulting their intelligence.
• sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

This is the most objective analysis of the NN24 debate. Afterall, all had their blunders and good points!


Shekarau Sparkles, But Then,
20 Mar 2011
Views: 71

Font Size: a / A

Simon Kolawole Live!: Email: simonkolawole@thisdayonline.com


Thank God I did not boycott the presidential TV debate last Friday. Somehow, it was not much of a debate. It was more of a gruelling question-and-answer session, ably moderated by Kadaria Ahmed, a seasoned newspaper editor who handled her job in a no-nonsense manner. I was a bit relieved that CNN’s Jonathan Mann was not on the panel questioning our presidential candidates as was originally planned. I would only accept such an arrangement the day our own Diran Onifade or Chukwuma Onuekwusi is allowed to question American presidential candidates during their own debates. Fair deal? Fair deal.

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the Congress for Progressive Change, Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party were taken to task, although the opening salvos were a bit unsettling (I guess that was the intention). Ribadu was asked to defend a statement credited to him four years ago that the corruption case involving Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leader of his party, had an “international dimension”. That was a tough one. Buhari was asked to explain his “autocratic” past and how he could blend into a democratic system. That was tricky. Shekarau was asked to explain the oppressive activities of his Sharia police, the Hisbah, which bordered on the trampling on human rights in Kano State which he currently governs. That was discomfiting as well

Ribadu bypassed the issue of corruption and dwelt on Tinubu’s democratic credentials (“He fought PDP. He’s a hero of this democracy,” Ribadu said, quite correctly). He, inaccurately, suggested he had never declared anybody corrupt without a court pronouncement. I think Ribadu should just have maintained the line that Tinubu has neither been charged to court nor convicted of corruption; therefore, suspicion remains suspicion, no matter how strong. That would be an honest answer, even if not satisfactory. Buhari unveiled his democratic credentials, explaining that when he lost elections in 2003 and 2007, he went to court to show his faith in a democratically sanctioned way of seeking redress. By running for office, he is exercising his constitutional rights—which means he now believes in democracy. Therefore, the past is history; he is a new man. Fair deal.

Shekarau was very slick like Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky case—he deftly defended Hisbah, even when we know people’s rights have actually been trampled upon by the body. He quite expertly described Hisbah as a creation of the law and a complementary body to the police to enforce law and order in the state. He, in fact, described Hisbah as “community policing”. Anyone who is not satisfied has been asked to go to court to challenge the legality of the body and no one has done that yet, Shekarau said. Now you cannot fault that. In my opinion, Shekarau handled the “smoking gun” question the best among the three participants. However, what would Ahmed have asked President Goodluck Jonathan? I tried to guess. I suspected it would have been: “Why did you not abide by the zoning principle of your party? Why did you violate the gentleman’s agreement?” I also tried to guess Jonathan’s response: “Zoning is dead, Madam.” We would never know.

On the Niger Delta, Ribadu and Buhari spoke out against the mismanagement of the resources going into the region. Buhari blamed militancy on politicians who armed youths for election purposes (which, I think, is part of the problem) while Ribadu said government agencies in the region had done little to solve the problem but had benefitted only a few individuals (which, again, is the indisputable truth). Shekarau said some local conditions made militancy possible in the first place. The political manipulation and creation of economic patronage are products of a pre-existing condition in the region, the Kano governor said. I agree with him. I have always argued that something made militancy possible in the first place. Until we rebuild trust in the oil communities, other measures will not work effectively and sustainably.

The way forward, according to Buhari, is to sit down with the leaders in the region—militant, traditional and business (oil companies)—and discuss these grievances. That way, we can fashion out a lasting solution to the crisis. Ribadu proposed a Marshall Plan (why not a Ribadu Plan?) to create jobs, build infrastructure, protect the environment and fund SMEs. He also said he would make sure money meant for the development of the region gets spent judiciously (he is likely to face an obstacle on the 13 per cent derivation since it goes directly to the states and they may say they are not accountable to him). Shekarau said he was trained in guidance and counselling and would seek to deal with the root causes of the discontent in the communities. He spoke about loss of confidence and the need to regain it. In all, both Buhari and Shekarau spoke about the need to engage with all the stakeholders in the communities. Ribadu emphasised judicious management of resources.


On power, Buhari said he would probe the way $16 billion or so has been spent by the PDP government in the last 12 years without any result. He also promised to refurbish the existing thermal and hydro plants and complete the Mambilla hydro project in Taraba State (which was initiated by the federal government over 28 years ago and which has the capacity to generate 2600mw). He promised to build new plants “because the government has the resources to do so”. Ribadu offered a broader view on this. He said currently, there is confusion on who is really in charge of the power sector: Is it President Jonathan (who holds the power portfolio)? Is it the presidential adviser on power (Professor Barth Nnaji)? Is it PHCN? Is it Mr. Nuhu Wya, the Minister of State for Power? He aid he would sort this out, probe past expenditure, tackle distribution and transmission issues (Buhari spoke on only power generation), provide security for power infrastructure across the nation and diversify sources of power—coal, ethanol, hydro, thermal, solar, etc.

The question on power was actually tricky—what do you want to promise that the government has not tried to do in the last 12 years? The government has been rehabilitating plants; it has injected more money into Mambilla since last year; it has been building new plants (Omotosho, Geregu, Alaoji, Papalanto etc) alongside private sector involvement (Afam, AES); it is diversifying sources (coal). Over all, Buhari and Ribadu did not offer anything new (even the House of Representatives probed the power sector expenditure and nothing has come out of it). Shekarau however offered something extra: sincerity of purpose is the key. The PDP government has done a lot, spoken a lot and spent a lot on the power sector for ages, but where is the result? Shekarau said it was not enough to speak; action is all that is needed now (Ribadu said as much too).

I would touch on two other critical issues they discussed: recurrent expenditure and anti-graft war. Buhari echoed the popular sentiment that the legislators are earning too much and said he would persuade them to reduce their allowances (note the word “persuade”); Ribadu said there are too many agencies, over 500 of them, which need to be rationalised or dissolved with a concessioning agreement put in place (Public Private Partnership); Shekarau said EFCC (once headed by Ribadu) and ICPC are “glorified police stations” because if well funded like EFCC, the Nigerian police can perform; he supported reducing the number of agencies but he added that wastages in the system need to be blocked. They all talked about the need to fight corruption and indiscipline, but yet again Shekarau offered something extra when he spoke about combining coercive processes (advanced by his two rivals) with re-orientation so that Nigerians can do the right things “willingly”. He said coercion—the type adopted by Buhari as military head of state—does not last.

Overall, Shekarau impressed me the most. He was composed, appeared very knowledgeable and quite intelligent. Perhaps he enjoyed the advantage of being underrated, of not being a national figure all along. It also helped that he has been holding executive power for nearly eight years—he is therefore very current and practical in his understanding and discussion of issues. But then, talking well and governing well are different propositions. That tempered my enthusiasm about Shekarau a bit. Ribadu and Buhari, on the other hand, were very passionate and, like activists, echoed a lot of public sentiments with their anti-PDP tirades. But then it would take more than anti-PDP vituperations to turn Nigeria around. There is a lot of work to be done—with sincerity and tenacity.

And Four Other Things,
‘Zoning’ Sentiments
Still on the presidential debate, I find it quite instructive that the three contestants said “zoning” does not matter. Nuhu Ribadu said poverty and insecurity do not know any region. He wants to be President of Nigeria, not of a particular region. He added that what Nigeria needs is an honest, competent and trustworthy leader. Excellent. Muhammadu Buhari said his party recognises the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not one region. Great. Shekarau echoed a similar line but added something extra again: there is nothing wrong with geo-political balancing and equitable sharing of offices. “I’m from Kano State,” he said. “It would be wrong for me to pick my running mate from Katsina.” He said the PDP bastardised this simple logic by the way it went about its zoning controversy. This aligns with my position too: that we must accommodate all interests and groups in government, irrespective of where the president comes from. Merit and power sharing are not mutually exclusive!

Ribadu’s ‘Yabis’
Ribadu, in trying to market his credentials, threw a few stones at Buhari. He said he is “modern” and “current” and has been in the service of the government in the last 25 years while some have been in retirement during the same period. This is a veiled attack on Buhari who is being criticised in some corners as “old” and not in touch with modern governance. Buhari, instructively, was retired a little over 25 years ago (1985). Ribadu said he is an international figure and not a “state” person, a veiled reference to the impression that Buhari’s support is limited to a few states in the North. Given the fact that there is still a faint possibility that Ribadu’s ACN and Buhari’s CPC could work together during the elections, I think Ribadu did not have to throw those jibes at Buhari. It was absolutely unnecessary and added nothing to his case.

A Few Gaffes
While responding to a question on his romance with democracy, Buhari blundered by saying the constitution allows anyone from the age of 18 to seek elective positions “from councillorship to presidency”. No, General. We can never have an 18-year-old president. The constitution says minimum of 40 years to be president or governor, 35 to be a senator and 30 to be a member of House of Representatives. Ribadu, on his part, said the North-west had never produced the president. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the first chief executive of the independent Nigeria, was Prime Minister from 1960 to 1966. Can’t remember any gaffe from Shekarau.

Waiting for Jonathan
All said and done, the impression I get is that many Nigerians are annoyed that President Goodluck Jonathan did not participate in the NN24 TV debate. His VP, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, was also absent the previous week at the debate for running mates. The PDP has come up with various excuses, but the fact is that none is acceptable. It is just two hours of debate. Two out of 24 hours in a day! However, the president has finally agreed to submit himself to the one organised by Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2011. It is only fair for the president to defend his actions and policies as well as tell us what he has in store for us. That’s not asking for too much!

Tags: Backpage

From wikileak's most influential Nigerians, Buhari appeared on Number 29 with this description

29. (C) Former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari: The new and improved Buhari showed principled positions on anti-corruption and electoral issues which earned him reasonable grassroots support in north during the last election.

Gbawe!

I can see your passion for Ribadu, but to cut our discussion short, if you think Buhari and Ribadu are what the country needs to tackle corruption, who among the 2 has a better chance against Jonathan in this election? Do you think if Buhari drops dead today (God forbid), I will not vote for Ribadu? I will definitely place him over Jonathan!

Even Bola Tinubu knows Buhari's massive appeal in the north coupled with zoning sentiments will do the magic. But your man will not just accept that! and that is my headache!

I went for the best chance of having a change! And Buhari, with our little votes here and there (it could have been a block vote from south west if Ribadu is not in the picture) and the block votes in North West and North East can do the magic.

Some people might say why not Buhari endorsing Ribadu. Well, Endorsing something with your brand is completely different in owning the brand. Buhari Brand is not transferable at the National Level. An average Northerner will always scream 'Sai Buhari Sai Nigeria'

Next! Keep it coming

thanks you mentioned the future because Ribadu's temperament I witnessed yesterday is not read for a complex Nigeria yet. he needs to learn his lesson. you cannot be so arrogant to say you have worked with the federal government and international organisations hence you are more capable than someone wo has led the most populous state in this country for 8 years!