₦airaland Forum

tomakint: Nigeria's problem is more than meet the eyes, this current system of government (pseudo-democracy) is too expensive and wasteful to move Nigeria forward not even Fashola will 'fix anything' if he emerges! We need a system that will stem the level of exuberance that is attached to this system of government, perhaps a "CONFAB" might be necessary as a major step to bring about this 'new system'!

and who will fix the System 4 us. who fixed the murital and buhari system that almost worked perfectly b4 it was cut short by thieves of d state...The failed Edo state system was fixed by who? The failed Ogun, Ondo, OYO, Akwa Ibom, Cross river etc dat are now working and are Models 4 other states and even d F.G to emulate are fixed by GOD? Abeg dis GEJ is really a clueless and unprofessional Mechanic..... Let us Make a Change.

ezedolar: Terorism is a branch of Islam it takes time to manifest soon the yuroba muslims will manifest

While kidnapping and militancy is a branch of christianity.... It does nt need to take time b4 it manifest as every christian is surely a potential kidnapper especially wen he is 4rm d East or South-South....

Alhaji Azeem Gbolarunmi
Ousted deputy governor of Oyo
State, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarunmi,
recently spoke to journalists on his
relationship with the late prominent
Ibadan politician, Alhaji Lamidi
Adedibu, the crisis in the state
chapter of the Peoples Democratic
Party and his 2015 governorship
ambition. Ademola Adeyemo was
there. Excerpts:
What do you think of politics in Oyo
State without your mentor, late Alhaji
Lamidi Adedibu?
It has been a bit difficult because we are
still missing him. When he was around,
Adedibu was a centre figure in Oyo and
Nigerian politics. He was my father,
mentor and everything. I belonged to his
camp. It has not been easy since his
demise; things have been difficult for
Oyo State PDP.
If he was around, things would not
have been like this for PDP. He was a
rallying figure, a mobiliser, a strategist,
father, leader and everything politics.
Everybody respected him. Now after his
exit, things fell apart. Everybody wants
to be leader and nobody wants to be a
follower. Even a councilor in the party
will tell you that he is also qualified to
lead the party. The political terrain has
not been all that easy in Oyo since the
exit of Adedibu, but I know things will
get better. It is just a matter of time;
water will find its level.
We don’t have anybody now that can
step into his shoes. He had his own
uniqueness and style and I doubt if
there is anybody who can step into his
shoes. Adedibu trained many people in
politics; he made many people in politics.
He also sponsored many people into high
posts such as governors, senators, House
members and so many political posts. He
made me a deputy governor and he was
like a father to me. I will always miss
him.
But it appears the Adedibu political
camp is now in shambles. There is no
cohesion, no unity of purpose again.
What is the situation now?
Yes, like I said earlier, everybody wants
to be a leader and you know if there are
many captains in a ship, it will run
aground. But the situation is not
hopeless, there is a concerted effort going
on to reinvigorate the camp. At the
appropriate time, we will unfold our
plan. We are one big political family and
we are going to remain one. I can assure
you that you will soon see us together
again.
What really is the problem with PDP in
Oyo State? The crisis seems intractable.
No, it is not insurmountable. We should
expect that! We are talking about the
largest party in Africa here, so we are
bound to disagree and agree; we cannot
run away from internal conflict within
the family. But I can assure you that
when the time comes, we will be back
together in the interest of the party.
Plans have reached an advanced stage
and very soon, you will see a united PDP
in Oyo State again. We have learnt our
lessons that there is nothing good in
crisis.
However, it should be noted that we did
not lose all the states through election,
but lost Ekiti and Osun to judicial
pronouncements and verdicts. We lost
Oyo state because of the internal
bickering in the party and we defeated
ourselves. The then governor stepped on
many toes and we paid for it. Also, the
former governor stepped on many shoes
and that affected our performance.
However, we are now ready to regain
our lost glory in the state.
Are you sure you’ve learnt any lesson?
Yes, l thinks so. As soon as we are able
to fix the problem of who will be our
leader, all other things will fall in place.
We know why and how we lost the
state to ACN and we are ready to make
amends. The problem we had in the past
was that some people wanted to be the
leader of the party and at the same
time, the leader of government and the
two cannot go together. You cannot
combine the two.
For instance, if you are the governor of
the state, you should be able to leave the
leadership of the party for another
leader. In the past, some people were the
governors and the leaders of the party
and whatever they said was final. That
is not democracy. If you concentrate too
much power in a human being, there is
the tendency for that person to be
autocratic. You cannot be the alpha and
omega of the party; you need to consult
others and carry everybody along. We
have to leave the operation of the party
to the grassroots people who know
everybody and their contributions.
Is it appropriate to then say that lack of
internal democracy in PDP was
responsible for losing the South-west
states?
No, it was beyond that. If there is a
party that has internal democracy today
within its fold, it is the PDP. Go and do
your research. We lost those states
particularly Oyo because of the internal
wrangling among us and nobody
wanted to see things from other person’s
perspective. We told the former governor
to leave the grassroots to the leaders
and not to impose candidates on them,
but he turned down the advice.
So we had a situation where some
members disrespected their wards and
local government leaders and ran to
Government House to obtain tickets. So,
we had a lot of impositions which bred
misgivings and protests and things fell
apart and the centre could not hold. As
far as I am concerned, we have learnt
our lessons. Former governor Alao-Akala
did well to the best of my knowledge. To
be honest, the people of the state like
Alao-Akala and he did his best. But it
was a different ball game at the party
level; some grassroots leader felt he did
not carry them along at the end of the
day and we all paid for it.
Do you feel that the South-west is
marginalised in the political
arrangement in Nigeria?
I am not comfortable with the position of
the South-west in the nation’s politics
now and I want to appeal to our leaders
to urgently address this issue. The fact is
that we are marginalized; there is no
two way about it and it can be
corrected.
As a grassroots politician, do you
support the scrapping of local
government councils?
No, local government councils are very
important and they play significant roles
in ensuring the deliverance of the
dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
They are the closest governments to the
people. Instead of scrapping them, they
should be strengthened financially.
What about granting them autonomy?
In my own candid view, autonomy
should not be given to the local
government. The reason is simple: it will
be abused. They have been given
autonomy before but it did not work. It
was abused. That was during
Babangida’s regime. It cannot work
because there will be clash of interests.
In a state, where there are many local
governments, there will be no checks
and balances which is the hallmark of
governance. If a particular council
belongs to another political party, it will
not be easy at all.
As a former deputy governor, what is
your political plan for 2015?
My political future is in the hands of
God and I will continue to follow his
dictates and be grateful to him for what
he has done for me. According to a wise
saying, ‘we are but like a pencil in the
hands of God’. However, I am consulting
with my people and whatever direction
we find suitable, we shall follow. I am
not desperate about anything; I am
waiting on God and my people and at
the appropriate time, we will unfold our
plans. One thing that is certain is that I
am in a good stead to serve my people
at any level and I am not over
ambitious. I will listen to God and the
leaders of my party.



www.thisdaylive.com/articles/gbolarumi-adedibu-s-exit-affected-oyo-pdp/138011/?utm_medium=twitter

brownlord: Where is your sense my friend?

his sense is absolutely correct maybe u examine urs. I can believe the christian Arm of d PDP, CAN( corrupt association of nigeria) cud also join in politicising dis tweet. Now tell me what's d differences btw dis two Words

“If Jesus Christ could come to the world and be the chairman of INEC, any election he would conduct will be disputed" - Obasanjo, May 2010

"If Jesus had condemned GEJ regime, aids like Abati/okukpe wud av accuse him of sleeping with marry Mandalen.
For CAN to blow it to dis extent show hw stupid der are. If dis is wat it takes to serve God I rather worship Sango! Foolish Old Fools

[quote author=pretty_boi]By the constitution,yes Jonathan can still contest in 2015, no doubt, but the question's "DOES JONATHAN ACTUALLY THINK TO HIMSELF THAT MAJORITY OF NIGERIANS STILL LIKE HIM?" He should wake up to reality & realize that the answer's more likely to be a loud "NOW."[/quote]the constitution is faulty.. There is a clause in d constitution dat say u shud be sworn in just twice..... Anoda clause mentioned 2term of 8year with dis, if jonathan wins in 2015 he wud av been sworn in 3times and be spend 10years in government.......
The military pple dat gave us d constitution didn't consider a Head of state dying in office... So d constitution is confusing.

All am interested is 4 my south east brothers nt been fooled by this south-south deceit... Dey av a better chance of presidency if dey support d merger team dan PDP who will surely hand over power to the North after Goodlucks Administration. It is nt possible 4 goodluck to hand over to S.E member after his tenure... Ndigbo Wise up and don't sell ur Rite.

donpata: Is it possible 4 dia list 2 b out and am not notifyd by text (jst as dey did wen inviting me 4 dia xams) or 2ru my portal updates, or dia recommendatn list?
I mean, Am stayin in Abj so its quite impossible 4 me 2 get dia now..
Bt any 1 wit info abt Geography Dept abeg holla me; gennato@gmail.com. I applied MSc. Climatology.

it is very possible. All list are ready, just remaining to notify d students by d P.G school. So u can visit ur department to know if ur name is on d recommended list

I dis-agree with all those who say dis Keshi team is d worst eagle team ever produce. or that keshi, is d worst coach.
I want u all, to realise that keshi, is in dis tournament with 17new players, who are debutants, six of which are 4rm d home base..
Also, with eleven Man ethiopia side, we scored one goal and der didn't play anything at al.l.
Don't 4get dat a 10man ethiopia team equalise d 4rm d champion zambia 1-1 and equally lost a penalty.
Burkina faso defeated dis same Ethiopia side with 10man 4-0
Cape verde of all country qualified at d expense of Morocco and Angola while togo qualified at the expense of tunisia.
Let's nt 4get dat zambia defeated Ghana and CIV to win d last AFCON and dis year der are out. Dats football 4 u.
Chelsea in europe played ugly and Won d UCL defeating Barca and bayern Munich while arsenal full of sexy pattern has nt won a spoon in d past 8years now....As an arsenal fan am nt happy with dis. Football has changed as no team can be underrated.... Keshi is in a building process and shud be allow to Continue.

The leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday, in Enugu where the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly was meeting declared that no individual or group can stop President Jonathan from contesting the 2015 presidential election. Clark, who fielded questions from newsmen insisted that the meeting had nothing to do with the 2015 elections but expressed his personal view that nobody, not even the North, could prevent Jonathan from running in 2015.

This is coming just as most speakers at the conference spoke in favour of a national conference where issues of concern from various groups could be discussed. Leader of the Yoruba delegation, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Gbonigi, opened the call for a national conference when in an opening remark he said, “if it is acceptable to dialogue with Boko Haram why can’t we have a dialogue that embraces all Nigerians once and for all for all grievances to be expressed and mutual accommodation reached.”

Speaking further on the issue of Jonathan’s second term, Clark said, “if he wants to rule for eight years and Nigeria doesn’t want him because he did not perform, leave it for the people of Nigeria to decide; not one individual; not a group of people no matter where they come from. “My personal view is that this country belongs to all of us; in 1979 we all belonged to NPN; Shagari was not a better member than myself. We all gathered together at the cinema hall in Yaba where it was agreed that Shagari should be the presidential candidate. He took his second term. I also became a senator.

“But Buhari, for reasons best known to them, staged a coup and drove everybody away; who took over another northerner. Babangida said you’ve had enough and took over; Abacha took over from Babangida. MKO Abiola was driven away and not allowed to rule for even one day. “Obasanhjo came and he ruled for eight years; Yar’Adua was going to rule for eight years; why would Jonathan not be allowed to rule for eight years.

“They have no right; the constitution is very clear on two term of four years each for a president; all what he did before was that the president died and he stepped in and that cannot be counted as though he has contested election. “We are meeting because we believed that putting everything together in the South we have not performed very well due to our disunity. When the 19 northern states are meeting, we the 17 in the South will not be meeting. When the 19 governors in the North are meeting our 17 governors will never meet. It’s never too late; let’s also meet.”

In his remark, former vice president and Chairman of the conference, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, said his involvement at this time in the convening of a Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly would make it the second time he was involved in promoting a pan-Southern Nigeria organisation. He recalled that during the National Constitutional Conference, which held during the Abacha regime, he was forced to organise a Southern Delegates Caucus to devise a strategy that would prevent continuation of the status quo, “that is, continuing retention of political power by Northern Nigeria elements on return to civilian rule.”

He recalled that it was that coming together of the Southern delegates that yielded the fruit of power rotation, which made it possible for Obasanjo to become the presidential candidate of the PDP in 1999. In his remark, Chairman of the Sout5hn East Governors Forum Governor Peter Obi said it was time for Nigerian elders to speak out and defend the image of Nigeria; “we have no other country; help us to build a better country by standing firm on issues that are right.

“I agree the South should come together and work for a united Nigeria; we are one and will remain together. In your deliberations put our country Nigeria in the forefront. We need to fix the engine of the country Nigeria. Jonathan is a good man and has good intentions but the system, the institution is faulty and the ones celebrated are the wrong ones.”

Those at the Enugu meeting which was well attended were Edwin Clarke, Dr, Alex Ekwueme, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Gani Adams, Tony Graham Douglas, Dr. Sam Egwu, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Governor Gbenga Daniel, Mike Okiro, Sylvanus Ngene. Others were James Sekibo, Anthony Oguguo, Walter Ofonagoro, Senator Adolf Wabara, Mike Okiro, Ebitu Ukiwe, and Chief Olu Falae among several others.

dailypost.com.ng/2013/01/30/no-one-can-stop-jonathan-in-2015-clark/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=no-one-can-stop-jonathan-in-2015-clark

Dis Man ought to die by firing squared.
Let do little mathematical calculation of
hw much he stole.
With dat #23billion, and he decides to
spend #1million every day it will take
him 63years to finish d money... Let's
calculate
365days = 1year
365 days * 63years=22995days
22995 days * 1million per
day=22995000000(22billion nine
hundred and ninety-five million)
remaining 5million 4 his burial wen he
die.
So therefore, if he spends half a million
every day, it will take me 63years * 2 =
126year.
U can see hw devilish dis pple cud be.....
And u bail such a person with 750k
only dats ridiculous man.

Dis Man ought to die by firing squared. Let do little mathematical calculation of hw much he stole.
With dat #23billion, and he decides to spend #1million every day it will take him 63years to finish d money... Let's calculate
365days = 1year
365 days * 63years=22995days
22995 days * 1million per day=22995000000(22billion nine hundred and ninety-five million) remaining 5million 4 his burial wen he die.
So therefore, if he spends half a million every day, it will take me 63years * 2 = 126year.
U can see hw devilish dis pple cud be..... And u bail such a person with 750k only dats ridiculous man.

Never knew dis kind of trend existed.... Please I applied 4 d department of peace and conflict studies under d institution of african studies.... I have nt heard anything 4rm dem. Please anybody with info on dis.
Equally I need info abt psychology department under social science..... Thanks. Naira land is d Best forum.

Dis pple are confuse. Must der wait 4 jonathan to finish dia tenure b4 dey contest 4 presidency.... Either 2015 or 2019.. Abi dey want jonathan to give dem d ticket as Val Gift after his tenure under PDP... I laff dis lazy pple who don't av plan. Very inconsistent pple.

Dis pple are confuse. Must der wait 4 jonathan to finish dia tenure b4 dey contest 4 presidency.... Either 2015 or 2019.. Very inconsistent pple.

The Nigeria Judiciary is a Proud sponsor of Corruption, terrorism and vandalism in nigeria. Bloody fools!!

Very evident now dat some pple are hell bent on tarnishing d image of dis Man 2wards 2015. Yet we av seen a jonathan who is a christian climb d altar to lie blatantly to nigeria... We av seen Pastors of CAN abuse the teaching of d bible, those one's did nt appologies and dey was no noice..... If we claim muslims are blood thirsty, and we condemn it, den we shud nt act like dem. Not until u kill somebody physically b4 u commit suicide. Let 4get it. All I know is dat d Jonathanian will fail in dia Plot.

NSNA: [size=18pt]100 billion?[/size]

It is better that they give each adult Nigerian $1000 each and we should not expect anything from them

Poverty at its Peak... What will 160,000 do 4 u in dis harsh time........ GOD will deliver u 4rm ur Poor Life

otondo55: FG = GEJ is not only reckless but selfish, vision-less, clueless and hopeless !
A bunch of disappointment !

Maku in one of his response said d initial amount left was $43.13billion and it money rose to $60billion a year after under yar'Adua and in 2011 under GEJ the Money fell to $30billion due to the Economic crisis witness by d World........
Now my Question is how did d money fell so Badly abt 50% under GEJ administration in 2011 and av nt risen up again since den... If yaradua Cud achieve Over 35% increament in a Year, what is GEJ doing.... Dis Ppple are confirm Mad men and selfish pple.

Good one Sir.

Sincere 9gerian: "and how the former president
worked to undermine the chances of the
then acting President Goodluck Jonathan
in being elected president in the 2011
general election"

How can the above quote from the report be true?

Maybe wen u read the book written by Peter Odili and Olusegun adeniyi u will understand politics better at d villa.
Dis are pple in d game.

Eneze1: El-rufai shouldn't have retweeted that if truly he's not a religious bigot, but thank God for the Spirit of tolerance in Christians.

It so painful dat friends here didn't get what happen and d purpose of d tweet... D tweet was just to condemn bully attitude of PDP led Govt to quick attack those that attacks his government regardless of dia righteousness... Dat was y @zeebook had said "IF" pls mind dat clause "IF Jesus christ shud attack dis PDP govt Aids like Abati/Maku/Okupe wud av accuse Jesus christ of ......................
He futher say to express himself(@zeebook) that IF jesus had attack d PDP govt dey wud av accuse him of Stealing d Donkey he Used 4 his triumphant journey....... Please let's get dis Msg right and stop being sentimental.

babyosisi: You are not talking to babies who cannot read tweets
Imagine a situation where someone said a similar thing about Mohammed and a prostitute and a Nigerian public figure retweets and says LWKMD?
It makes it no less offensive
LWKMD there is an affirmation and recognition of what was said
Don't teach us nonsense biko

Bt a christian Made d comment on tweeter and was re-tweeted by thousand of christians on tweeter with same comment like Lol LWKM and so on.
So y is d concentration on Elrufai simply because he is a Muslim or what! Atleast u shud Mind d message and nt d messenger......... Y not attack d person who originated d tweet who is a redeem Member.

Igbo socio-
cultural
organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
weekend warned that any attempt
to deprive South East geopolitical
zone of its only opportunity to rule
after Jonathan’s tenure as president
would be resisted, saying that it is
high time the Igbo nation ruled
Nigeria.
This came following a recent
statement by the former Governor of
old Anambra State, Dr.
Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who insisted
that it was the turn of Ndigbo to
produce the president of country
come 2015, urging the people to work
hard to make the dream a reality.
Addressing newsmen at a press
briefing in Lagos, the newly elected
National Secretary of Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, Prince Osita Oganah, declared
that Igbo Presidency was not
negotiable and, therefore, called on
the Igbos to begin to make
preparations ahead of 2015.
He said: “As soon as
President Goodluck Jonathan leaves
office, be it 2015 or 2019, it is the turn
of Ndigbo to take over power. Every
part of the region has had its slot in
government except the South East. It
is only fair to ensure a level playing
field for all regions.
“After the South East might have
had its slot at the Presidency, we can
then begin to vote on merit. It is
unfortunate that politics in Nigeria is
run on tribal tripod. However, since
that is the exigency of the moment,
there is nothing we can do but to get
our share for the sake of justice and
equity. For the Igbo, we must sit
down and organise ourselves to
know who will represent us.”
While calling on aggrieved members
of the group who might have been
provoked by actions of the group’s
past leaderships to forget about the
past for the common interest of the
Igbo’s and support the newly elected
Chief Garry Igariwey- led executives,
Osita urged them to get ready for the
big task ahead.

dailypost.com.ng/2013/01/28/no-one-can-deprive-us-of-presidency-in-2015-ndigbo/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=no-one-can-deprive-us-of-presidency-in-2015-ndigbo

[quote author=Rhino.5dm]Even though he wasn't the originator of the tweet, he simply retweeted @Zebbook's tweets.

But then can he do same if this was about Mohamed or other revered Islamic icons? This is height of stuupidity from El-rufai and am very disappointed in him . . can he LWKMD on any joke about mohamed sleeping with a prostitutee? . . . But where is the original source of this tweet? I need the png or jpeg of this to independently verify, cos running on any thread littered with 40 laptop crew members is akin to dancing azonto on a mine field. They are paid to deceive people with lies.

By the way, who da fucck is @Zeebook to be making inflammatory statements carelessly?[/quote]Yes u may want to fault him 4 retweeting Such comment about our lord Jesus christ and d fact dat he may nt have done dat if it was mohamed bt u must not 4get dat a Christian Wud av retweeted Such tweet about mohamed...
Moreover we shud nt 4get d Msg of d tweet, it was to prove dat d PDP led govt will always look 4 ways to condemn you no matter who u are. Don 4get d PDP led Govt call Chief Bisi Akande an Ex-convit during his birthday celebration just because he was politically detained by buhari....
Pls let's not be too emotional abt things here.
He Think with REASON and nt EMOTIONS.

Dis is durely an attempt to discredit d person of elrufai and I find it very appaling dat some of us fell 4 dis cheap lie.
Dat tweet was 4rm @zeebook and was actually retweeted by @elrulfai. I follow both of dem on tweeter. What elrufai did was to add d LWKM....
Also at @zeebook who is also a Good christian said " If Jesus christ had opposed the government of GEJ Aids like Maku/Abati/Doyin who av said afterall Jesus equally Stole someone Donkey to embark on d triumphant journey.
D essence of it is to prove dat nobody can actually condemn d GEJ administration without been Attacked. Please let us follow these two pple to Confirm thanks.

Before his death in 2010, President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was planning to
serve a single term in office in view of
his debilitating health, a new book by
former Minister of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai,
has revealed.
The book, titled “The Accidental Public
Servant”, detailed how the late president
in September 2009 consulted a
prominent and influential emir from the
North to assist him in finding a
successor since he would not be able to
run for office again because of his
failing health.
When asked those he would want to
succeed him, the book revealed that the
late Yar’Adua wrote a list containing
four names: First Lady, Turai Yar’Adua;
the then Kwara State Governor and
Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum
(NGF), Dr. Bukola Saraki, as well as Kebbi
State Governor, Alhaji Saidu Dakingari,
and his Bauchi State counterpart,
Mallam Isa Yuguda. Both Dankigari and
Yuguda are married to the late
Yar’Adua’s daughters.
The book also uncovered the third term
plot executed to get former President
Olusegun Obasanjo another four-year
tenure in office by amending the 1999
Constitution to remove the two-term
limit and how the former president
worked to undermine the chances of the
then acting President Goodluck Jonathan
in being elected president in the 2011
general election.
Despite his serial denials that he was
not interested in tenure extension, the
book noted that Obasanjo actively
worked behind the scene for a third
term agenda that would have made him
spend 12 years in power.
el-Rufai, a key member of Obasanjo’s
inner cabinet, in the book detailing his
experience in government, revealed how
the idea of the third term agenda came
about and the manoeuvrings by both
the supporters and the antagonists of
the plot.
el-Rufai, who was the Director-General
of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)
before he was appointed minister during
Obasanjo’s second term, in the book also
revealed the scheming by top
government officials as well as their
friends and associates in cornering the
nation’s patrimony during the
privatisation of public enterprises under
his watch.
The book, which he described as neither
his autobiography nor a memoir,
uncovers the shenanigans of those
entrusted with the nation’s resources
and why corruption thrives in the
public sector.
It also detailed the emergence of
Yar’Adua and his Bayelsa State
counterpart, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as
Obasanjo’s successor and deputy
respectively, and how the former
president’s plan turned awry as he and
Yar’Adua fell out. As such, he was in
constant fear that his successor could
order his arrest to answer for his
stewardship.
In recounting the meeting between
Yar’Adua and the unnamed emir, el-
Rufai wrote: “On his way out, the emir
was ambushed by Turai who wanted to
know if Yar’Adua had included her on
the list of potential successors.
“The emir was a little shocked, but went
on to confirm that. Turai thanked him
and suggested that she was the only
person that could be trusted with
Umaru’s legacy, as the mother of his
children.”
On the third term plot, el-Rufai wrote
that Obasanjo while denying that he
was interested in tenure extension to
others, had another group working for
the actualisation of the agenda and who
periodically briefed him on developments.
It was a grand plot, with foot soldiers
such as former Chairman, Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) Board of
Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih;
former PDP National Chairman, Dr.
Ahmadu Ali; former PDP National
Secretary, Chief Ojo Maduekwe; former
Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu;
and Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, ready to do
the dirty work.
Funds for the execution of the project,
which included bribing lawmakers, were
to be sourced from ministries,
government parastatals, governors and
Lagos-based businessmen with
Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Domestic
Affairs, Andy Ubah, acting as the
conduit. Each senator was to receive N75
million and each member of the House of
Representatives N50 million.
The former president on several
occasions had denied that he had any
intention to stay beyond the two-term
tenure of eight years for presidents and
governors guaranteed by the 1999
Constitution.
In an interview with Channels
Television in April last year, Obasanjo
had said the idea generated from the
National Assembly and not him,
stressing that he would have succeeded
with the idea if he wanted a third term.
He said there was nothing he ever
wanted that God did not do for him, as
such, if he truly wanted the third term,
he knew how he would have gone
about it and would have secured it
because God has never failed him.
But el-Rufai in his book, detailed the
covert plans by Obasanjo to actualise his
ambition and how he and members of
the Economic Team, which included the
then Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, the then Chairman,
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu, the then Special Assistant to the
President on Budget Monitoring, Mrs.
Oby Ezekwesili, and Dr. Aliyu Modibbo
had tried to ferret out the truth from
him.
He wrote about emissaries sent to him
to get him on board and his vehement
opposition to the idea, which he said was
not in Nigeria’s interest.
According to him, Obasanjo started
nursing the ambition of a third term in
office, which could only be possible by
amending the 1999 Constitution, two
years into the last lap of his
administration.
el-Rufai said the former president must
have been in a quandary on who would
be better placed to manage the vast
resources his administration would be
leaving behind when it exited power in
2007 after he had briefed him on the
concern raised by the Economic
Intelligence Unit (EIU) Senior Economist
covering Nigeria, Mr. David Cowan, on
the possibility of frittering away the
projected $40 billion in foreign reserves
and about $20 billion in Excess Crude
Account (ECA) by 2007.
el-Rufai recalled that Cowan, during a
private dinner with him, after the EIU
held its first roundtable with the Federal
Government in January 2005, said: “But
you know something? I am an
economist. I run these numbers, I
conduct these scenarios and I see this.
But you know someone else that knows?
Your potential successors. They can
smell the money.
“They know that the way you are going,
by the middle of 2007, there will be a
large amount of money in the bank.
They are not economists, they do not
know the numbers, but like dogs with
raw meat, they can smell it.
“If your boss (Obasanjo) has not done so
already, you guys have to start thinking
about who is going to succeed you,
because the guys that want to steal
already know there is a huge bank
account in the future and they will
start planning now.
“I have not seen anything indicative of a
succession plan. You tell Obasanjo to
start planning.”
Based on the request, el-Rufai booked an
appointment to see Obasanjo who was
spending the New Year holiday at his
Ota farm and after briefing him on his
discussion with Cowan, he said the then
president asked him what to do.
“Mr. President, I am just a messenger.
My job is to give you the information.
You are the president; it is up to you to
figure out what to do with it,” he wrote
as his response to Obasanjo’s poser.
“No Nasir, this is a problem for the
country. What are we going to do? None
of my prospective successors will make
good use of this,” el-Rufai quoted
Obasanjo as saying.
On who were the serious aspirants for
the office, Obasanjo said: “(Vice-President)
Atiku is obviously interested, but you
know I will never hand this over to him.
Babangida is interested and you know
very well what he will do with these
levels of financial resources, he already
showed his hand the last time he had
the chance.”
According to the book, the discussion
between Obasanjo and el-Rufai set the
stage for the scheming and
manoeuvring on how to give the then
president enough time to consolidate in
the “national interest”, which included
the convocation of a national political
conference to recommend which areas of
the 1999 Constitution needed to be
amended to strengthen Nigeria’s
fledgling democracy.
However, the ultimate aim of the
conference was to propose some
amendments to the constitution,
including one that would move the
tenure of the president from two terms
to three.
el-Rufai wrote on his confrontations
with the former president to make him
come clean with him on the third term
agenda, including a meeting of the
Economic Team with Obasanjo’s Chief of
Staff, Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed, to
warn him that he would be risking all
he had laboured for if he failed to
backtrack from the third term agenda
as the National Assembly would not
pass any constitution amendment bill
that would extend Obasanjo’s tenure.
Obasanjo, el-Rufai recalled, was incensed
by their audacity that he had to dress
them down.
“The following morning Obasanjo called
Oby and Ngozi aside directly and dressed
them down. They had gone to worship,
as usual, at the morning church service
at the State House chapel.
‘You are of weak faith and do not
believe we can build a modern Nigeria.
We are going to achieve what you do
not think is possible,’” he rebuked them.
It was el-Rufai’s turn to be rebuked the
day after as the former president, who
was quoted as often saying to his aides
and close associates that “no third term,
no Nigeria,” labelled him “the leader of
the coup plotters” for going to see his
chief of staff to express their concern
over the third term agenda.
However, the attack rather than cower
them, spurred them on the more. el-
Rufai subsequently gained Obasanjo’s
confidence for him to divulge some of
the tactics they were going to employ in
getting the National Assembly to pass
the constitution amendment bill and also
in reaching out to Northern leaders such
as former Head of State, Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari, former President
Shehu Shagari and the then Sultan of
Sokoto, Muhammadu Maccido.
Although the defeat of the term third
agenda, following the Senate’s rejection
of the motion to further consider the
constitution amendment bill, brought the
chapter to a close, some of those who
worked against Obasanjo, including
Okonjo-Iweala, who was redeployed as
Minister of Foreign Affairs, were
“punished” for their roles.
With his loss of the third term bid,
Obasanjo zeroed in on Yar’Adua as his
successor with the hope that he would
make him to retain his coterie of aides
in the late president’s government while
he, from his Ota farm, would be
influencing events in government with
Yar’Adua as a figurehead.
However, Obasanjo’s selection of
Yar’Adua as his successor did not go
down well with Ribadu, who thought el-
Rufai was better suited for the position.
Ribadu not only queried Obasanjo’s
choice, he embarked on a hostile
investigation of the then governor with
the hope of forcing him out of the race
and had to back down following the
intervention of top government officials,
among others.
According to el-Rufai, Ribadu’s opposition
to Yar’Adua’s nomination might have
been responsible for his problem with
his administration that eventually led to
his removal as EFCC chairman and
demotion from the rank of Assistant
Inspector General of Police.
On his activities in BPE, el-Rufai, who
once threatened to resign his
appointment, following his disagreement
with the then Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar, who was the chairman of
the privatisation council, wrote on
pressure from Atiku and businessmen
to ensure that they or their friends
emerged buyers of some of the
privatised companies.
He recounted how he was approached
with N25 million and another $100,000
as “thank you gifts” for selling one of
the companies to a leading entrepreneur
and how his rejection of the money
eventually led to the sack of a BPE
Deputy Director, Mr. Charles Osuji,
through whom the money was offered
to him.

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/el-rufai-yar-adua-considered-saraki-dakingari-as-successor/137677/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

LAGOS — THE sum of N8.8 trillion was
disbursed to the three tiers of
government from the Federation
Account between January and
December 2012 from the statutory and
Value Added Tax, VAT, allocations.
The receipt came mostly from oil
revenue, customs duties and VAT.
According to a table compiled by
Economic Confidential, this amount
excludes other allocations that were
occasionally made to the states from
the excess crude account, domestic
crude account, SURE-P, NNPC refund
and foreign exchange differentials. It
also excludes states and councils’
internally generated revenue.
This came as outrage trailed the
squandering of N80 trillion by the
three tiers of government between
2005 and 2013 going by their budget
appropriations and allocations to the
local councils.
A careful scrutiny of the N8.8 trillion
disbursements showed that the states
can be conveniently categorized into
the ‘boys and men’s clubs’ with a few
of the states taking hundreds of
billions, others taking a little less and
the majority going home with ‘paltry’
amounts.
Akwa Ibom State appears to be the
‘king of boys’, coasting home with a
princely N217 billion followed by Rivers
which received N177 billion and Lagos
N168 billion in the 12 months of 2012.
States like Ebonyi (N45 billion), Gombe
(N48 billion) and Nas arawa (N49billion)
emerged as the poorest states. The
allocation to the states included the
share of their respective local
government councils which they
cornered since almost all the funds to
the councils are controlled by
governors who determine the
administrators at the third tier of
government.
The disparity in the allocations to the
states came as a result of the indices
developed by the Revenue Mobilisation,
Allocation and Fiscal Commission,
RMAFC, upon which the monthly
disbursements are made by the
Federation Accounts Allocation
Committee, FAAC, chaired by the
Minister of State for Finance. The
indices include population, land mass,
derivation, equality, internally
generated revenue and other social
development factors like school
enrolment, hospital beds and road
networks.
Outrage greets squandering of
N80trn
Director, League for Human Rights, Jos,
Mr. Nankin Bagudu, said it was sad
that after spending such a huge sum,
most of the citizenry were still
swimming in poverty.
He said: “If the figures are correct, then
they are mind-blowing. There is no
way we can spend such huge amount
and remain how and where we are
today. The challenge then is not the
lack of money but using it prudently
and creatively.”
First civilian Governor of Edo State,
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun spoke in like
manner, lamenting that the three tiers
of government had not provided the
much-sought democracy dividends to
Nigerians.
His words: “Only a few states are
beginning to show that they are trying
to put in place democratic dividends for
their people. But for the Federal
Government, it has not been a success
story on the use of its share of the
resources to provide democracy
dividends for the people. We always
raise issues in this country, but we
never follow up. So, we always give
them the licence to do what they like.
It is a sad commentary and one day,
the people will rise either with their
votes or something. All these nonsense
will stop.”
On his part, Minority Whip in the
House of Representatives, Mr. Samson
Osagie, while noting that N80trillion
allocation also included funds for
personnel cost, however, agreed that
not much had been achieved in the
provision of democracy dividends to
Nigerians in the last nine years.
He said: “I agreed with the principle
that not much has been achieved in
terms of development. This has been
underpinned by corruption cases by
the various individuals and people that
have managed the resources in the
last nine years. Virtually, all the
resource managers, since 2007, are
facing one form of corruption charges
or the other. We also run an expensive
government and bureaucracy and that
has affected our level of spending in
the country.”
It has not impacted positively on
Nigerian s
Chairman, Board of Trustees of
International Society for Civil Liberties
and the Rule of Law, INTERSOCIETY,
said the N80 trillion spent by the three
tiers of government in the past nine
years had not impacted on the lives of
majority of Nigerians.
Speaking with Vanguard in Onitsha,
Umeagbalasi regretted that the chunk
of the money was borrowed from local
and foreign creditors, adding that even
as the country’s debt profile continues
to rise, the people have continued to
wallow in abject poverty.
He said: “This staggering amount ought
to have boosted the infrastructure in
the country, including power, but the
reverse is the case. Every year,
Nigerians are given reasons for non-
functioning of basic things of life in
spite of the enormous resources the
country has.
Relatedly, Bauchi State Chairman of
the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN,
Alhaji Bappa Mohammed Dafida,
regretted that the N80 trillion was not
channelled towards laudable projects
that would change the lives of the
masses.
According to him, “N80 trillion in nine
years is more than enough to take
Nigeria out of the woods. But up till
now, there is still abject poverty among
the people. The question is: Can the
federal, state and local governments
actually account for the money
allocated to them?”
Also, Adamawa State Chairman of the
Congress for Progressive Change, CPC
Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri, said he would
not be surprised if 60 to 70 per cent
of the N80 trillion went into private
pockets as there is nothing on ground
to show that such amount was spent
on developmental projects.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/01/fg-states-lgas-shared-n8-8trn-in-2012/

Afam4eva: I disagree with him being expelled because he erred and did not do it intentionally. Referees are humans and are bound to make mistakes.

That mistake was dead too Costly and unprofessional. It is like a banker paying 100,000 to a person who wanted to withdraw 10,000.... He deserves it.

I heard d man has Done well... God bless u Sir. What is just remaining is d issue of security which we all know is beyound ur power and GEJ will not Give those who can handle things... Anyway Good Work.

AFCON 2013: Egyptian referee who gave
Zambia dubious penalty against Nigeria to be expelled
Grisha
Ghead,
the
Egyptian
referee,
who
denied
Nigeria
their first
victory at the ongoing AFCON 2013,
by awarding Zambia a controversial 85th minute spot-kick, has been
expelled from the tournament.
A report published on Goal.com this
evening read: “Egyptian referee
Grisha Ghead, who officiated the
controversial second Group C match
between defending champions
Zambia and Nigeria on Friday, may
be dismissed from the Africa Nations
Cup by the Confederation of Africa
Football (Caf) as a result of poor
officiating, Goal.com has learnt.
Ghead gave Zambia a controversial
penalty late in the game which
ensured that the match ended 1-1. The
Nigeria Football Federation lodged a
complaint with Caf after the match.
Goal.com learnt that Caf
president Issa Hayatou assured
Nigeria’s minister of sport Bolaji
Abdullahi that prompt action has
been taken against the referee and
that the official will be sent home.
Caf is yet to react officially.
The last Group C matches are now
expected to generate great concern to
Caf as they have prepared to monitor
the two matches alongside the other
groups to forestall a repeat of such
scandalous mistakes and biases as
alleged by the NFF.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria need a
win against Ethiopia, to qualify to the
next round of the competition.

dailypost.com.ng/2013/01/27/afcon-2013-egyptian-referee-who-gave-zambians-controversial-penalty-against-nigeria-expelled/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=afcon-2013-egyptian-referee-who-gave-zambians-controversial-penalty-against-nigeria-expelled

What an Insult on d imagine and achievement of Nelson Mandela. D commisioner also saying d present condition of d state shud be associated to d fmr Gover kalu and his mother is so foolish of a Government office holder. #Rubbish

Nightshift: The company must not rely on government patronage alone. A smart marketing strategy with juicy offers(e.g.longer financing period) to private users must be adopted . Hoping mainly for government patronage nearly killed ANAMCO.

bt sincerely it is only Govt officials, Private giant and agencies that can promote dis vehicles. Dey use more of dia and by so doing pple will tend to av faith in dem wen a big organisation uses it. Nigeria Govt shud do sometin fast.