₦airaland Forum

Whenever i think of the rot in Nigeria i blame Buhari who started the revolution in 1984 did not do it the Rawlings way, if he had killed all the corrupt leader the way rawlings did in Ghana Naija would have been better like Ghana by now. He just sent them on long jail terms and all of them were all relaesed by the corrupt IBB. And now we are are paying dearly because they came outand continued their evils ways and even recruited more people to join them.

What do you think ?

See how criminal PDP welcomed Bode George and they talk of fresh air, ' FRESH AIR" my foot. nonsense

What an irony for GEJ to say he will give 'fresh air' see the FRESH AIR he is referring to i.e, Obj, IBB, ANENIH,Alams,Jerry Gana, etc

ordinarily Buhari should be in the class of the Ex thiefs but he decided to be on the side of the masses so i enjoin all to support him

BB all the way

How Buhari will fix Nigeria By ‘Femi Meyungbe-Olufunmilade




Following the emergence of former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), on January 4, 2011, at the Eagle Square, Abuja, attention has fully shifted to the issue of what the no-nonsense General will do with power if elected president at the April 2011 presidential poll.

I recall sometime in 2006 when I met the General at his Kaduna residence – a very modest structure on Sultan Road – and teased him with a question: “Sir, I hope the fire that burned in you as Head of State is still there to fix Nigeria if you are elected president in 2007?” He kept mum, smiling, as he served me a juice drink. Weeks later, I got a call from his Special Assistant, Sarkin Abba, to come to a suite at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, where the General, who has neither a plot nor a house in Abuja, lodged.

There, I was presented with a copy of Buhari’s blueprint for Nigeria’s transformation. I am glad to announce that he is revising that comprehensive blueprint to fix Nigeria in 2011. It is unparalleled in terms of deep understanding of the problems of Nigeria and its self-evident capacity to fix those problems; not just during Buhari’s tenure of office, but for all time. The blueprint covers a wide range of subjects from power supply to security, topping the list is governance. Buhari believes governance has virtually collapsed in Nigeria or, at best, grossly ineffective under the ruling PDP government. Creating a framework for good governance is therefore a sine qua non for any administration that sets much store by performance.

To buttress his thesis of collapsed governance under the PDP, Gen. Buhari spoke in this vein at a recent event in Abuja: Sometime ago, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance who is presently a Managing Director with the World Bank, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, issued a document on Nigeria’s public finance from 1914 – 2010. The document shows that the revenue that accrued to the Nigerian government from 1914, when both the Northern and Southern Protectorates were amalgamated into a single administrative structure by Lord Lugard, till 1998, when the second military interregnum in government ended, is not up to accruals between 1999 when the present dispensation of civil rule commenced and 2010.

If you are in doubt, simply search the Internet for a database of global oil prices from the late 1960s when Nigeria began exporting oil on a significant scale, till 2010, and the volume of Nigerian oil exports over the period, and you would get your cue.

The import of this illustration of collapsed governance thesis is that the scale of corruption manifesting in diverse guises, ranging from contract inflation/abandonment to jumbo allowances/ under-priced auction of public estates to political leaders in the name of monetization under the PDP-led Federal Government within roughly a decade, is unparalleled in the history of Nigeria or indeed any country under heaven. More importantly, this illustration underscored the point that Nigeria’s problem is neither the lack of good blueprint nor paucity of funds. Nigeria has always had good blueprints. From independence we have had a series of Development Plans. In the late 1980s we switched to Rolling Plans. Vision 2010 soon followed. A few years after, the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) came on board.

Presently, the regime of Vision 20: 2020 is in vogue. Whatever their defects, had each of these series of blueprints been sincerely implemented in a series of budgets encapsulating their goals, objectives, and targets, Nigeria, in Gen. Buhari’s view, would have become an El-dorado.

A core element of the governance content of the Buhari blueprint, in its revised form, is an innovation called Budget Implementation Monitoring System (BIMS). As a quick summary, BIMS is an e-Governance strategy that will virtually wipe out corruption and budget failure in Nigeria’s federal government. It is a software to be uploaded on the internet to report, on a quarterly basis, details of public revenue allocation, and expenditure.In other words, each quarter, it furnishes the public with a breakdown of the budget in a given fiscal year, showing how much is allocated to each Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA), the projects and programmes the allocations are meant to execute, what progress has been made regarding actual execution of projects and programmes as at a given quarter, as well as remarks as to the cause of delay in execution or non-execution.In effect, both President Buhari and the Nigerian public can monitor the progress of budget implementation by the MDAs. On the president’s part, he would be able to correct unintended implementation lapses or outright attempt to sabotage his budget, timeously, and not when it is already too late.

If, for instance, a road project carries a remark of delayed execution due to non-release of funds, he could promptly summon both the Ministers of Finance and Works to explain why, and get the project on track promptly. On the part of the public who commute on that road, they would be in a position to cry out that somebody is lying if the road carries the remark of, say 50 percent execution, when nothing has been done.The vision undergirding BIMS transcends merely making budgets work, which is commendable enough, but to make governance a partnership of the governors and the governed: the quintessence Public-Private-Partnership (PPP). With anyone interested in budget implementation being able to monitor any aspect of the budget on the internet anywhere in the world, feedback ideas on how to post better service delivery with respect to items in the budget can be channeled to government by email or via the pages of newspapers.

In this connection, both the government and the general public have to share blame for budget failure, when either of them fails to do its part in budget implementation and monitoring, respectively.

This innovation, it should be pointed out, is a carry-over, albeit an improvement on the practice of Gen. Buhari, as military Head of State, of giving Weekly Statement of Account of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Buhari believes that corruption thrives more when issues of public revenues and expenditures are shrouded in secrecy. By the time BIMS takes off, it would make the much talked about Freedom of Information Bill gathering dust in the archives of an unwilling National Assembly superfluous.Beyond its obvious, immediate benefits, BIMS, ultimately, is targeted at institutionalising an irreversible culture of probity in Nigeria’s public service.

Buhari wants a new order in Nigeria where only those interested in rendering service would seek public office. His refrain at every public forum where he has dropped hints of what to expect in his presidency has been “zero-tolerance for corruption.”

I cannot here vouch that Buhari would not propose a bill stipulating capital punishment for thieves of public funds. As Head of State, we all saw how those who attempted to get rich by short cuts - hard drugs traffickers and armed robbers – were publicly executed. The latter category, if we may recall, got executed right in front of their family compounds. Buhari was that mad with thieves. Pen robbers may expect no less in the coming dispensation, starting 29 May, 2011. My sincerest advice to civil servants and politicians used to easy, unexplainable money is to retire from public service before General Nemesis catches up with them.

I wrote and published a satire titled “Barack Obama and the African Dreamers” to celebrate President Obama’s victory at the polls in November 2008 before he was sworn-in. I then got a couple of emails from President Obama himself and his Chief Strategist, David Axelrod, one of which was an alert to log into the Obama’s White House website as it made its debut. I promptly did and beheld a message atop the website so simple and yet so deep: “Change has come to America.

” Nigerians can say the same of their country from 29 May 2011, if they do their best to elect Buhari as their president this year. BIMS is only a tip of the iceberg. Within a year of Buhari presidency, oyinbo people would struggle to get the Nigerian visa as they now do with respect to China.




‘Femi Meyungbe-Olufunmilade teaches Political Science at Igbinedion University, Okada. Edo State. Mobile: +234-80-57345436; Email: femiology@yahoo.com

BB all the way

[quote author=na_so link=topic=607527.msg7755380#msg7755380 date=1298041496]All these e-voters sef dey make me laugh.

There is no state in the SOUTH i mean no state in the south where Buhari will come close to Jonathan. GEJ will win the NC and share NE votes. We dash Buhari NW. You already know the winner.[/quote]you will be shock this time, see the distribution from polls conducted

SS 7 Million voters= GEJ 75%, Buhari,10% Ribadu 10% and others 5%
SE 7 Million voters= GEJ 50%, Buhari,25%, Ribadu 20% and others 5%
SW 15 Million voters= GEJ 30% Buhari 30%,Ribadu 30% and Others 10%
NE 8 million voters= GEJ 20% Buhari 70% Ribadu 5% others 5 %
NC 8 Million voters= GEJ 30% Buhari 40% Ribadu 20% others 10%
NW 18 Million Voters GEJ 5% Buhari 85% Ribadu 5% Other 5%

BUhari/Bakare will surely win

PDP is popular but not GEJ in the north i still have not met a core northerner that say he will vote for GEJ.

In a free and fair election Buhari can take can 75 % votes in the north, he can get 30% from west ,20% from east and may be 5% in South south. Now the stategy is to allow Ribadu contest with Okonje iweala on the ACN platform , this conbination can get 40% of west, 40% of east ,20% of south south and 10% in the north, Jonathan can get 75% south south, 40% of east, 30% of west and 15%of north, with this you can see that Buhari will carry the day and going by the above analysis the decision not have one candidate by the opposition can work.

What do you think?

Ribadu is a mole planted by the PDP to reduce Buhari/bakares vote BUT HE AND HIS GODFATHER OBASANJO will not succeed NIGERIA SAI BUHARI.

Me too.

One can get to position by luck, but one cannot rule by luck, its either your competant or not. One yaer is enough to judge a government. same old ways and people. I will try another person with my vote

That means nigeria was mostly ruled by Youth and we are in our present situation of backwardness. To me age has nothing to do with governancce but competance.

Tell why any sensible person will not support Buhari for goodness sake see his records :

* He was a governor of Old Borno state
* He was Minister of petroleum Under general Obasanjo
*He was Major general
* He was Head of state
* He was PTF chairman

YET

*He doesn't have a house in Abuja infact he has only two houses one inherited from his father which locatedin Daura LGA and the other one is his present house in Kaduna which is a five bedroom flat in malali GRA gotten through owner occupier

* He doesn't have any flashy Car

* Nobody know his children yet he has plenty because they are all like you and i

* Nobody knows his wives despite being former president in fact in his regime there was nothing like office of the first lady

*When he was PTF chairman The late Abacha government was busy stealing and left all the work to PTF tell me which federal institution was not touched by PTF, tell me Which federal hospital was not touched by PTF, Constructed over 10,000 KM of road yet all PTF got was 300 Billion, what Aneni got for Nigerian roads only in the four years he spend as minister of works.


My people age is nothing but a number, believe me all we need is the person that will bring the positive change either young or old.

for those who dont know Amos Adamu is a Yoruba man but grew up in kebbi

http://www.saharareporters.com/article/nigeria-cannot-trust-jonathan-aliyu-tilde



It seems the prophecy of CIA is becomin true from the look of things

I just got to know that the nff board has appointed samson siasia as the new super eagles coach. What are your wishes for him

Real politician are not with GEJ the people around him are Abuja politicians and those that are out to enrich themselves , If you really know the politics of nigeria you will know what am talking about.

na wao for nairaland commentators. well all i know is that anybody less than 40 years cannot talk of Buharis regime cos even if your 40 when Buhari became president your just 13 a MINOR, and i believe most of this blind commentators were never even sperm then.

Nigeria have never seen a weak president like Jonathan. No charisma, no carriage, not poised, zero grammer, etc

Whenever i hear people talk about we need a youthful president i just wonder, what are we actually looking for, unless we are looking for children to govern us. To me youthful age in governace should be thirty to fifty years old persons and from the Nigeria 50 years of independence we were ruled more by the youth than by elders for example Gowon was 31 when he became HOS, Obasanjo was 39 when he became HOS, Buhari was 42 when he became HOS, IBB was 43. Aguiyi ironsi was 44 , Balewa was 45 when he became PM, Azikiwe was 56, Shagari was 54, and yaradua was 56 Now if you look very carefully the only  person that ruled when he was above 60 is Obasanjo (second coming)

Going by the above  it is evident that Nigeria has been mostly ruled by 'youths'. To me when it come to governance  age is nothing but a number all we need is a credible leader either young or old that can take us to the promise land.

FRIDAY DISCOURSE BY DR. ALIYU U. TILDE
Discourse 307

Poor Northerners! (1)
aliyutilde@yahoo.com


“Why do they hate us so much?” was the text I received from someone who read the comments from some Nigerians of southern origin at the bottom of my article The Advancing Violence in Saharareporters last week. In the question, ‘they” connotes such Southerners that are fond of making hate comments whenever a view is contrary to theirs is expressed, while “us” means northerners. That was not the first time I received such an inquiry. Many northerners, if you will permit me use the term just for the purpose of this discussion, continue to wonder why they have been targets of hate speech by some people in the press, especially on the Internet where people can hide behind fake names and publish anything unfiltered.
Since the advent of Jonathan’s presidency, we have returned to the olden days where northerners are collectively lampooned and criticized for many things. The words “North” and “Northerners” are used at different times, by different authors and for different motives to mean geographical North, the so-called core North or the Muslim North. The victims also vary: some northerners like Christians and so called minorities are occasionally spared. Others – like the Hausa and Fulani Muslims – receive a full dose of the venom any time the North is mentioned. They bear the brunt whenever something goes wrong in the country. The last group also receives some ‘koboko’ from other northern whenever religion is involved. They are collectively described in such hate commentators as lazy, corrupt, inept, arrogant, illiterates, selfish, reactionary, retrogressive, beggars,parasites, incompetent, mumus, etc. Added to this, especially after 9/11, such commentators say they are Muslims who adhere to Islam, the religion of terrorism that calls for killing others and is against democracy, liberty of freedom. The South should break, wrote someone, “and become like India” while the North remains backward like Pakistan.”
I have tried for the purpose of balancing to find similar accusations of Southerners by northern writers in the conventional press or online but I cannot find any! That means if there are some, they must be very few. I cannot also remember any northerner saying Southerners are this bad thing or another even in the heat of the ongoing zoning debate. (Perhaps, it is for the lack of such labels from the North, in 2005, someone had to publish an abusive article against Southerners in Amanaonline website using my name at its author just to tarnish my name among them. That year, I also received some hate mails purported to originate from Mohammed Haruna using another fake email. Neither Mohammed nor I bothered to reply them.) I am, therefore, compelled to restrict myself in this article to only what is said against northerners. Interested readers can go to the comments posted at the bottom my last article in Saharareporters and other similar sites.
Let me start by handling the issue of corruption because it is the mother of all accusations. Take for instance what Sunday Kayode said in reaction to Discourse 305: “All leaders that came from the North are thieves. Where did you get your Dr from…University of Maiduguri? Idiot.” I assume that Mr. Kayode is an educated person since at least he knows there is a university in Maiduguri. If Kayode was abusive in his language, another reader was very civil, though he implied the same thing: “Are there no other better candidates from the North apart from IBB, Gusau, Atiku and Saraki?” Both readers were not fair to the North. The North did give Nigeria a number of credible people. It forwarded Tafawa Balewa during the First Republic as Prime Minister. No one has ever accused him of corruption. Then there were also Murtala and Buhari, none of them to the understanding of Nigerians exhibited any corrupt tendency during their brieftenures. Added to them are Gowon and Shagari, who are also saints by today’s standard. The two led Nigeria during periods of oil boom but they did not leave office with 10% of the wealth stolen by Cecilia Ibru. They were not strong rulers, agreed, as they allowed many to loot the treasury unchecked; yet, they cannot in their person be accused of corruption. Let us recall that all those who celebrated their first one billion naira during the Shagari era, people like Chief Akinloye, were southerners. On the other hand, the entire rice importation for which the much demonized Umaru Dikko was supposed to make his money was just about N200million.
Now let us come to those on whom corruption charges justifiably hang: Babangida, Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. I cannot defend any of these three. But if we look at the South, we realize that it did not produce many angels better than the three. Obasanjo was extremely corrupt, as we have seen during his eight years tenure. People speak of missing $12billion dollar gulf war windfall during Babangida but they hardly say anything today about the $16billion stolen during Obasanjo’s administration on electricity projects alone. Members of various southern discussion groups must have read the recent damning article on Babangida written by the veteran journalist, Naiwu Isahon. He conceded that Obasanjo was worse than Babangida when he opened his latest article by saying, “Apart from Obasanjo, Babangida is the greatest evil ever to befall any country in the world.”
The scion of Obasanjo, Jonathan, is now proving to be like father like son. The corruption tales of his short tenure so far are damning, that is not to mention his brief tenure as the Governor of Bayelsa State from which his wife is investigated for. Now that the PDP – the largest corruption machine in the country – is in crisis, its members who are opposed to Jonathan are telling us how our foreign reserves have been depleted by more than $30 billion in the last few months, in addition to diversion of several billions from ministerial coffers to finance projects and not to mention the corruption regarding contracts in the NNPC. I am sure we will learn more about these shortly. Some like Ojiji Omo have already reached their conclusion: “The making of a tyrant. That man in bowler hat (Azikwe Jonathan) will be worse than Abacha, IBB and OBJ put together”, he said via an email published in Naijaobserver group. I hope we are not heading for the days where IBB, Abacha and Abdulsalami will be promoted to the position of angels by the sheer quantum of corruption under Obasanjo and Jonathan.
On candidates, it will be fair to say that the North has forwarded all sorts of candidates, fitting whatever inclination a Nigerian voter may have – for or against corruption. Of course, if you are for corruption, the PDP candidates from the North are there. Safe journey. If you are for transparency, you are welcome. Buhari is here. As Simon Kolawole of Thisday said recently, to his knowledge, no one has so far accused him of corruption. What would prevent majority of Southerners from voting for him instead of any corrupt candidate in 2011? Did their majority do that when he contested against Obasanjo in 2003 or against ‘Yaradua in 2007? I have read some saying Buhari is old and has military background. Good. Nuhu Ribadu is here. Oya now. He is young, handsome, honest and civilian. But would the majority of the South abandon Jonathan and vote for him? Even if you say you want an honest woman President that is decent, we fit produce am. Mama Sarah Jibril is here. Ngwano, biko. Some say Buhari is ‘shariatist.’ Okay. Take Atiku. He has since 2001 declared himself ‘shariah non-compliant’ at a party in Lagos. What prevents these commentators from seeing these aspirants? I salute people like Pastor Tunde Bakare and many others who are not given to sentiments in choosing the candidates they will support in 2011.
Now, let us move to the general public. Is it true that northerners are corrupt, more than their Southern counterparts? I would not like to resort to guess work. There is an anti-corruption commission, the EFCC. Let us consult it and find out the distribution of corruption among Nigerians. It presents us with a list of fifty-four ongoing corruption cases that it is prosecuting before various high courts in the country as at this morning. I have presented 49 of them that are Nigerian in the table below, giving the amounts involved and the side of the country from which each of the accused persons hails.
EFCC, ONGOING HIGH PROFILE CASES 2007-2010


S/N Name
Amount (N) (‘000,000)
North
South
1 Ayo Fayose 1,200 X
2 Adenike Grange 300 X
3 Joshua Dariye 700 x
4 Saminu Turaki 36,000 x
5 Orji Uzor Kalu 5,000 x
6 James Ibori 9,200 x
7 Iyabo Obasanjo 10 x
8 Lucky Igbenidion 4,300 x
9 Gabriel Aduku 300 x
10 Jolly Nyame 1,300 x
11 Chimaroke Nnamani 5,300 x
12 Michael Botmang 1,500 x
13 Roland Iyayi 5,600 x
14 Nyeson Wike 4,467 x
15 Kenny Martins 774 x
16 Babalola Borishade 5,600 x
17 Boni Haruna 254 x
18 Femi Fani-Kayode 250 x
19 Ibrahim Dumuje 774 x
20 Bode George 100 x
21 Rasheed Ladoja 6,000 x
22 4 Zenith Bank Managers 3,600 x
23 Nicholas Ugbade & Co 5,200 *
24 B. Sokan & co 636 x
25 Ransome Owan & co 1,500 *
26 Tom Itseghoghi & co 15,000 *
27 Albert Ikomi 43 x
28 Yuguda Manu Kaigama 17 x
29 Chief Joe Musa 1,012 x
30 Dayo Olagunju 479 *
31 Hamman Bello & Co 2,500 *
32 Innocent Chuka Okwonkwo 145 x
33 Ceciia Ibru 160,200 x
34 Dr. Bartholomew & 4 others 187,000 x
35 Raymong Obieri 131,800 *
36 Sabastian Adigwe 277,300 x
37 Okey Nwosu 95,000 x
38 Francis Atuche 80,000 x
39 Adamu Abduallahi 15,000 x
40 Attahiru Bafarawa 15,000 x
41 Francis Okokuro 2,400 x
42 Charles Sylva Opuala 2,400 x
43 Osa Osunde 55,000 *
44 Oladele Shitu 139 x
45 Sunday Akinyemi 90 x
46 T. Taniyi & Co 3,000 x
47 Adeniyi Elumaro &Rakiya 405 *
48 Erastus Akingbola 27,000 x
49 Sani & co 1,500 *
Total number of cases 10 39

Total amount (in Naira) due to North = 73,771,000,000
Total amount (in Naira) due to South = 1,098,524,000,000
Total amount (in Naira) under prosecution for Nigeria = 1,172,295,000,000
Percentage amount due to North = 6.29%
Percentage amount due to South = 93.71%
Totals = 100%
Source: www.efccnigeria.org

Note:
1. The list above does not include four expatriate cases.
2. Cases with asterisks involve both Northerners and Southerners but each is
allocated to the side from which the principal accused person hails from.
3. I did not include the name of Nasir El-Rufai because no amount was assigned by the body against his name.
___________________________________________________________________________
The table clearly shows that Northerners do not have monopoly over corruption, to put it modestly. We can safely conclude that Northern thieves are just small rats, accounting for only 6.29% of the total sum under prosecution compared to Southerners who account for 93.71%. The figures clearly show in whose hand the economy is. I have always held that northerners do not account for up to 10% of the Nigerian economy. That is why southerners account for 74% of the cases under prosecution by the anti-corruption agency and 93.71% of the total amount involved. Poor northerners! Despite their sad state of poverty andtheir poor acumen for stealing they are constantly accused of holding Nigeriaback. Truly, they are lazy. But from the table above, one can see the cause of their high level of poverty. I hereby suggest a solution to them.
To ensure that they do not hold this country backward anymore, Northerners should protest their marginalization in corruption. They should demand that from Jonathan after 2011 election since he has pledged to emancipate them from the stranglehold of their corrupt elders. Mhm. He must see to it that there is an egalitarian balance of corruption across the country. As I concluded this article, another Southerner, a young chap and former adviser to Obasanjo, Mr. Adeyanju Bodunde, was arraigned by the EFCC before a high court for laundering N750million. Last week, the world was shocked at the conviction of Cecilia Ibru who agreed to return over a billion dollars worth of cash and assets. She and others did it under the tenures of the erudite Charles Soludo as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and born-again Obasanjo as President. Even under Babangida when late Abdulkadir Ahmed was the CBN governor no bank director could steal so much.
I am not saying that there are no thieves among northerners wo. Don’t misquote me. Aha. I am just saying that northerners do not have monopoly over corruption, as the authors of hate speech and advocates of a divided Nigeria would like us to believe. I am though angry that the EFCC data has proved that most northerners are small thieves. Mts. If they should eat a frog, they should look for a fat and juicy one. If they do not know how to do it, they should learnfrom experts like Cecilia Ibru such that the North can also be rich and northerners can own many banks and houses overseas.
(To be continued)

FRIDAY DISCOURSE BY DR. ALIYU U. TILDE

Discourse 307



Poor Northerners! (1)

aliyutilde@yahoo.com





“Why do they hate us so much?” was the text I received from someone who read the comments from some Nigerians of southern origin at the bottom of my article The Advancing Violence in Saharareporters last week. In the question, ‘they” connotes such Southerners that are fond of making hate comments whenever a view is contrary to theirs is expressed, while “us” means northerners. That was not the first time I received such an inquiry. Many northerners, if you will permit me use the term just for the purpose of this discussion, continue to wonder why they have been targets of hate speech by some people in the press, especially on the Internet where people can hide behind fake names and publish anything unfiltered.

Since the advent of Jonathan’s presidency, we have returned to the olden days where northerners are collectively lampooned and criticized for many things. The words “North” and “Northerners” are used at different times, by different authors and for different motives to mean geographical North, the so-called core North or the Muslim North. The victims also vary: some northerners like Christians and so called minorities are occasionally spared. Others – like the Hausa and Fulani Muslims – receive a full dose of the venom any time the North is mentioned. They bear the brunt whenever something goes wrong in the country. The last group also receives some ‘koboko’ from other northern whenever religion is involved. They are collectively described in such hate commentators as lazy, corrupt, inept, arrogant, illiterates, selfish, reactionary, retrogressive, beggars,parasites, incompetent, mumus, etc. Added to this, especially after 9/11, such commentators say they are Muslims who adhere to Islam, the religion of terrorism that calls for killing others and is against democracy, liberty of freedom. The South should break, wrote someone, “and become like India” while the North remains backward like Pakistan.”

I have tried for the purpose of balancing to find similar accusations of Southerners by northern writers in the conventional press or online but I cannot find any! That means if there are some, they must be very few. I cannot also remember any northerner saying Southerners are this bad thing or another even in the heat of the ongoing zoning debate. (Perhaps, it is for the lack of such labels from the North, in 2005, someone had to publish an abusive article against Southerners in Amanaonline website using my name at its author just to tarnish my name among them. That year, I also received some hate mails purported to originate from Mohammed Haruna using another fake email. Neither Mohammed nor I bothered to reply them.) I am, therefore, compelled to restrict myself in this article to only what is said against northerners. Interested readers can go to the comments posted at the bottom my last article in Saharareporters and other similar sites.

Let me start by handling the issue of corruption because it is the mother of all accusations. Take for instance what Sunday Kayode said in reaction to Discourse 305: “All leaders that came from the North are thieves. Where did you get your Dr from…University of Maiduguri? Idiot.” I assume that Mr. Kayode is an educated person since at least he knows there is a university in Maiduguri. If Kayode was abusive in his language, another reader was very civil, though he implied the same thing: “Are there no other better candidates from the North apart from IBB, Gusau, Atiku and Saraki?” Both readers were not fair to the North. The North did give Nigeria a number of credible people. It forwarded Tafawa Balewa during the First Republic as Prime Minister. No one has ever accused him of corruption. Then there were also Murtala and Buhari, none of them to the understanding of Nigerians exhibited any corrupt tendency during their brieftenures. Added to them are Gowon and Shagari, who are also saints by today’s standard. The two led Nigeria during periods of oil boom but they did not leave office with 10% of the wealth stolen by Cecilia Ibru. They were not strong rulers, agreed, as they allowed many to loot the treasury unchecked; yet, they cannot in their person be accused of corruption. Let us recall that all those who celebrated their first one billion naira during the Shagari era, people like Chief Akinloye, were southerners. On the other hand, the entire rice importation for which the much demonized Umaru Dikko was supposed to make his money was just about N200million.

Now let us come to those on whom corruption charges justifiably hang: Babangida, Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. I cannot defend any of these three. But if we look at the South, we realize that it did not produce many angels better than the three. Obasanjo was extremely corrupt, as we have seen during his eight years tenure. People speak of missing $12billion dollar gulf war windfall during Babangida but they hardly say anything today about the $16billion stolen during Obasanjo’s administration on electricity projects alone. Members of various southern discussion groups must have read the recent damning article on Babangida written by the veteran journalist, Naiwu Isahon. He conceded that Obasanjo was worse than Babangida when he opened his latest article by saying, “Apart from Obasanjo, Babangida is the greatest evil ever to befall any country in the world.”

The scion of Obasanjo, Jonathan, is now proving to be like father like son. The corruption tales of his short tenure so far are damning, that is not to mention his brief tenure as the Governor of Bayelsa State from which his wife is investigated for. Now that the PDP – the largest corruption machine in the country – is in crisis, its members who are opposed to Jonathan are telling us how our foreign reserves have been depleted by more than $30 billion in the last few months, in addition to diversion of several billions from ministerial coffers to finance projects and not to mention the corruption regarding contracts in the NNPC. I am sure we will learn more about these shortly. Some like Ojiji Omo have already reached their conclusion: “The making of a tyrant. That man in bowler hat (Azikwe Jonathan) will be worse than Abacha, IBB and OBJ put together”, he said via an email published in Naijaobserver group. I hope we are not heading for the days where IBB, Abacha and Abdulsalami will be promoted to the position of angels by the sheer quantum of corruption under Obasanjo and Jonathan.

On candidates, it will be fair to say that the North has forwarded all sorts of candidates, fitting whatever inclination a Nigerian voter may have – for or against corruption. Of course, if you are for corruption, the PDP candidates from the North are there. Safe journey. If you are for transparency, you are welcome. Buhari is here. As Simon Kolawole of Thisday said recently, to his knowledge, no one has so far accused him of corruption. What would prevent majority of Southerners from voting for him instead of any corrupt candidate in 2011? Did their majority do that when he contested against Obasanjo in 2003 or against ‘Yaradua in 2007? I have read some saying Buhari is old and has military background. Good. Nuhu Ribadu is here. Oya now. He is young, handsome, honest and civilian. But would the majority of the South abandon Jonathan and vote for him? Even if you say you want an honest woman President that is decent, we fit produce am. Mama Sarah Jibril is here. Ngwano, biko. Some say Buhari is ‘shariatist.’ Okay. Take Atiku. He has since 2001 declared himself ‘shariah non-compliant’ at a party in Lagos. What prevents these commentators from seeing these aspirants? I salute people like Pastor Tunde Bakare and many others who are not given to sentiments in choosing the candidates they will support in 2011.

Now, let us move to the general public. Is it true that northerners are corrupt, more than their Southern counterparts? I would not like to resort to guess work. There is an anti-corruption commission, the EFCC. Let us consult it and find out the distribution of corruption among Nigerians. It presents us with a list of fifty-four ongoing corruption cases that it is prosecuting before various high courts in the country as at this morning. I have presented 49 of them that are Nigerian in the table below, giving the amounts involved and the side of the country from which each of the accused persons hails.

EFCC, ONGOING HIGH PROFILE CASES 2007-2010




Name
 S/N Amount (N) (‘000,000) North South
1 Ayo Fayose 1,200 X
2 Adenike Grange 300 X
3 Joshua Dariye 700 x
4 Saminu Turaki 36,000 x
5 Orji Uzor Kalu 5,000 x
6 James Ibori 9,200 x
7 Iyabo Obasanjo 10 x
8 Lucky Igbenidion 4,300 x
9 Gabriel Aduku 300 x
10 Jolly Nyame 1,300 x
11 Chimaroke Nnamani 5,300 x
12 Michael Botmang 1,500 x
13 Roland Iyayi 5,600 x
14 Nyeson Wike 4,467 x
15 Kenny Martins 774 x
16 Babalola Borishade 5,600 x
17 Boni Haruna 254 x
18 Femi Fani-Kayode 250 x
19 Ibrahim Dumuje 774 x
20 Bode George 100 x
21 Rasheed Ladoja 6,000 x
22 4 Zenith Bank Managers 3,600 x
23 Nicholas Ugbade & Co 5,200 *
24 B. Sokan & co 636 x
25 Ransome Owan & co 1,500 *
26 Tom Itseghoghi & co 15,000 *
27 Albert Ikomi 43 x
28 Yuguda Manu Kaigama 17 x
29 Chief Joe Musa 1,012 x
30 Dayo Olagunju 479 *
31 Hamman Bello & Co 2,500 *
32 Innocent Chuka Okwonkwo 145 x
33 Ceciia Ibru 160,200 x
34 Dr. Bartholomew & 4 others 187,000 x
35 Raymong Obieri 131,800 *
36 Sabastian Adigwe 277,300 x
37 Okey Nwosu 95,000 x
38 Francis Atuche 80,000 x
39 Adamu Abduallahi 15,000 x
40 Attahiru Bafarawa 15,000 x
41 Francis Okokuro 2,400 x
42 Charles Sylva Opuala 2,400 x
43 Osa Osunde 55,000 *
44 Oladele Shitu 139 x
45 Sunday Akinyemi 90 x
46 T. Taniyi & Co 3,000 x
47 Adeniyi Elumaro &Rakiya 405 *
48 Erastus Akingbola 27,000 x
49 Sani & co 1,500 *
 Total number of cases 10 39

 Total amount (in Naira) due to North = 73,771,000,000
 Total amount (in Naira) due to South = 1,098,524,000,000
 Total amount (in Naira) under prosecution for Nigeria = 1,172,295,000,000
 Percentage amount due to North = 6.29%
 Percentage amount due to South = 93.71%
 Totals = 100%
Source: www.efccnigeria.org

Note:
1. The list above does not include four expatriate cases.
2. Cases with asterisks involve both Northerners and Southerners but each is
allocated to the side from which the principal accused person hails from.
3. I did not include the name of Nasir El-Rufai because no amount was assigned by the body against his name.

___________________________________________________________________________

The table clearly shows that Northerners do not have monopoly over corruption, to put it modestly. We can safely conclude that Northern thieves are just small rats, accounting for only 6.29% of the total sum under prosecution compared to Southerners who account for 93.71%. The figures clearly show in whose hand the economy is. I have always held that northerners do not account for up to 10% of the Nigerian economy. That is why southerners account for 74% of the cases under prosecution by the anti-corruption agency and 93.71% of the total amount involved. Poor northerners! Despite their sad state of poverty andtheir poor acumen for stealing they are constantly accused of holding Nigeriaback. Truly, they are lazy. But from the table above, one can see the cause of their high level of poverty. I hereby suggest a solution to them.

To ensure that they do not hold this country backward anymore, Northerners should protest their marginalization in corruption. They should demand that from Jonathan after 2011 election since he has pledged to emancipate them from the stranglehold of their corrupt elders. Mhm. He must see to it that there is an egalitarian balance of corruption across the country. As I concluded this article, another Southerner, a young chap and former adviser to Obasanjo, Mr. Adeyanju Bodunde, was arraigned by the EFCC before a high court for laundering N750million. Last week, the world was shocked at the conviction of Cecilia Ibru who agreed to return over a billion dollars worth of cash and assets. She and others did it under the tenures of the erudite Charles Soludo as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and born-again Obasanjo as President. Even under Babangida when late Abdulkadir Ahmed was the CBN governor no bank director could steal so much.

I am not saying that there are no thieves among northerners wo. Don’t misquote me. Aha. I am just saying that northerners do not have monopoly over corruption, as the authors of hate speech and advocates of a divided Nigeria would like us to believe. I am though angry that the EFCC data has proved that most northerners are small thieves. Mts. If they should eat a frog, they should look for a fat and juicy one. If they do not know how to do it, they should learnfrom experts like Cecilia Ibru such that the North can also be rich and northerners can own many banks and houses overseas.

(To be continued)

Tell why any sensible person will not support Buhari for goodness sake see his records :

* He was a governor of Old Borno state
* He was Minister of petroleum Under general Obasanjo
*He was Major general
* He was Head of state
* He was PTF chairman

YET

*He doesn't have a house in Abuja infact he has only two houses one inherited from his father which locatedin Daura LGA and the other one is his present house in Kaduna which is a five bedroom flat in malali GRA gotten through owner occupier

* He doesn't have any flashy Car

* Nobody know his children yet he has plenty because they are all like you and i

* Nobody knows his wives despite being former president in fact in his regime there was nothing like office of the first lady

*When he was PTF chairman The late Abacha government was busy stealing and left all the work to PTF tell me which federal institution was not touched by PTF, tell me Which federal hospital was not touched by PTF, Constructed over 10,000 KM of road yet all PTF got was 300 Billion, what Aneni got for Nigerian roads only in the four years he spend as minister of works.


My people age is nothing but a number, believe me all we need is the person that will bring the positive change either young or old.

@btlasisi may Allah answer your prayers. and also the prayers of the entire ummah.

GEJ has lost it . if this poll was done like three week ago he might get like 95% but he is presently doing 42%. Na wao

sayso:
not good enough,but trying sha

Please can you tell us where he is trying apart from propaganda

Goddex:
Jomo Gbomo is an email user ID, not a person.
Henry Okah was the most educated of the group and kept
the password. GEJ knows this and that's why he is after him.

Asari, Tompolo, Boyloaf, Ateke Tom, Dagogo, Shoot At Sight and
others were fighters who have embraced amnesty.

So if Okah is the only one having the Jomo Gbomo password how comes Jomo gbomo was sending mails even when okah was in jail. Tompolo and boyloaf are illitrate criminals and cannot organise any formidable organisation, and we all knew they were foot soldiers of mend and Okah. So if boyloaf and Tompolo are the owners of mend let them use their own password and retract all email sent by jomo gbomo

You are nothing but a conspiracy theorist

ayo84:
Has anyone noticed nairaland has come under attack from IBB loyalists,IBB bloggers,online PR people and conspiracy theorists all in a bid to bring down jonathan.
They keep writing new posts ,and they are plenty,you will even see them making multiple comments not just on nairaland,but on sahara reporters website comments.
This is typical of IBB ,he did it during his time,taing control of media to propagate his own news,stories and media,its all a grand plot and strategy

It is very obvious that jonathan and his supporters are drowning for you to make this statement, let me tell you am not IBB supporter but with recent happenings people with free minds are analysing situations based on unfolding events and from the steps taken by GEJ alot of objective minds are now doubtful about his competence, this is the truth take it or leave it

If Boyloaf as he claims is the owner of MEND since we all know that Jomo Gbomo is a character and anybody that has the password can be Jomo Gbomo, let Boyloaf use his password to retract the statement. Useless opportunist

I dont know why some people are against FIFA the issues they based there banning are:

1, Court action by an association that is not registered with NFF
2, The government deciding that no team will be relagated from our league and promoting four other teams to join the elite league making the league to 24 teams and 8 teams will be relegated next season

NOW

1, The association that took the duely elected NFF to court is not registered by NFF as such they are not party to anything that has to do with NFF, Lawyers can testify to this fact

2, why will the minister decide that we will have 24 teams instead of 20, just because some teams were relagated un duely , Now in the EPL even if you take the ball with your hand and score glaringly and the referee said is a goal the score remains, then the FA penalise the offcial but not award the game to opponent, but in nigeria because we have politician that need to protect their interest they went ahead to say no team will be relagated because they were cheated and we will have 24 teams and next year 8 team will be relagated. THIS IS HYPOCRACY

QOUTE

''Believe this cock and bull story and then submit your head for examination.This is an insult to the collective intellect of Nigerians to say the least.They should devise another strategy to stop IBB instead of this tactics that has gone out,  of fashion.The questions are:
1.How did the president exonerate MEND few hours after the blasts?
2.If they got early warnings why didn't they prevent the blasts?
3.If a highly placed member of IBB team went to South Africa, what is his name?
4.Who did he meet in South Africa?
5.How come they were able to arrests the 'suspects' a few hours after the explosion but failed to prevent the bombings?
6.Or is there anything about the bombings they are not telling Nigerians?
7.Is this the implementation of Gwadabe's therapy''