₦airaland Forum

WILL Governor Chibuike
Amaechi of Rivers State
dump the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, for
the All Progressive
Congress, APC?
This is the one million
dollar question on the lips
of many after the national
leadership of the APC
visited the governor at the
Government House, Port
Harcourt on Tuesday.
Thousands of people had
turned up from the 23
local government areas of
the state that day to join
Amaechi at the Helipad
field in Government House,
Port Harcourt to welcome
the chieftains of the APC.
Protocol officers had
challenges controlling the
large crowd. It was a
similar situation at the Port
Harcourt International
Airport, Omagwa. As early
as 6am that day,
supporters of the governor
had stormed the airport in
their large numbers waiting
to cheer him up on arrival.
Amaechi had traveled out
of the state the previous
day; so he was expected
back that morning ahead
of the visit of the APC
chieftains. There was a
mild drama at the airport
as the crowd was not
allowed beyond a point,
three to four kilometers to
the airport premises by
security operatives. The
restriction did not dampen
their spirit as they kept
singing and chanting pro-
Amaechi songs.

The governor finally landed
and was heading to
Government House, Port
Harcourt when he noticed
thousands of his
supporters at the Port
Harcourt/ Elele road. On
inquiry, he was told that
security men did not allow
them beyond that point.
Amaechi had to alight from
his vehicle and led them
into the airport. They
trekked a distance of about
four kilometers. And
together, they received the
visiting chieftains of the
APC. In a very long convoy,
the governor and his
visitors drove to
Government House, Port
Harcourt where another
crowd of supporters had
been waiting to be part of
the event.
The National Deputy
Chairman of the PDP
splinter group to which
Amaechi and seven other
governors belonging, Mr
Sam Jaja, was the first to
mount therostrum. He
poured encomiums on the
governor before the
National Chairman of the
APC; Chief Bisi Akande,
was called to speak.
Akande described Amaechi
as a courageous leader
who had continually
resisted impunity. He said
they were in the state to
invite him to join the APC
because it is a party for
progressive minds like the
governor.
“This is another important
stop, because it allows us,
the APC leaders, not only
to invite Chibuike Amaechi,
the courageous governor
of Rivers, to join the
growing APC family, but to
show our solidarity with a
man who has succeeded in
battling anti-democratic
forces to a standstill,”
Akande said.
“Let us be clear. Our party
has stood shoulder-to-
shoulder with Gov.
Amaechi since the
beginning of his travails.
We have been unrelenting
in our support because
our party stands for
justice, fairness and
unfettered freedom. We
abhor dictatorship clad in
fake democratic garments.
“We believe that the
system of government that
we operate does not make
provision for an imperial
presidency, who can
neither be criticised nor
opposed. That is why we
told those who said the
APC is crying more than
the bereaved on the Rivers
State issue, that we are
indeed the bereaved
anytime the rule of law is
supplanted with the rule of
the jungle; and we are the
bereaved anytime a
democratically-elected
president thumbs his nose
at the Nigerian
Constitution. Or how else
do we explain a situation
in which a duly elected
governor, who is known to
the Constitution as the
Chief Security Officer of his
state, is now being made
to run his state side by
side with the state police
commissioner, who has
been elevated to the de
facto governor by the
presidency?”.
A former governor of
Lagos State and chieftain of
the APC, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, who also lauded
the courage of the
governor, said he was
impressed with the records
of the administration.
Tinubu said they were not
in the state to campaign
but to invite Amaechi to
join the APC. He further
moved a motion which
enjoyed overwhelming
endorsement from the
crowd calling on the
governor to cross over to
the APC.
General Muhammad Buhari
lauded the success of the
governor in the area of
education, saying he was
deeply impressed. “My
hope rose today when the
governor showed us his
education programme.
Education is the best
legacy anybody can
bequeath to any society.
Education will help the
people to look after
themselves, their country
and after the people.
Ladies and gentlemen, I
congratulate the governor
for this noble step taken to
liberate the people from
ignorance and want. I have
so much respect for the
governor. We can as well
see his effort in other
sectors of the economy.
Ladies and gentlemen, I
can assure you that there
will be hope for our
children and ourselves
come 2015. I thank you
very much for this honor
done us”, he said.
The 23 local government
chairmen in Rivers State
also came out to pledge
their unflinching loyalty to
Amaechi, describing him as
their political leader. They
said they would follow him
to any party of his choice.
In their separate
comments, spokesmen for
the 26 pro-Amaechi
members of the Rivers
State House of Assembly
and the governor’s loyalists
in the National Assembly
also reaffirmed the
unflinching support of the
lawmakers to him. Speaker
of the state House of
Assembly, Hon Otelemaba
Amachree , urged the
governor to speedily
decide on when he would
join the APC.
He said they were tired of
hearing about his rumored
romance with the APC,
adding that what they
would want to hear next
was the marriage between
him and the party.” What
we are saying is that he
should quickly hurry up
because this romance with
the APC is getting too long.
We now want marriage,”
Amachree said.. “He
(governor) has been having
nocturnal meetings with
you; I must say we are sick
and tired of these
nocturnal meetings. In fact,
what the people are now
saying is marriage. Your
Excellency, and of course,
you know that when a bill
is presented for assent and
the governor fails to sign it,
what happens? The House
will veto it”.
Senator Magnus Abe, who
spoke for the senators
behind the governor,
described him as their
leader even as he called on
political parties to
encourage internal
discipline.
On his part, Hon Andrew
Uchendu of the House of
Representatives pledged
the loyalty of the pro-
Amaechi members of the
House of Representatives
from the state to the
governor.
Amaechi was later called to
respond to the request by
the APC leadership to join
the party. The governor,
who looked visibly excited,
grabbed the microphone
and sang a popular Igbo
Christian song, celebrating
God in his life.
He said he had listened to
the various speakers but
he would want to consult
with President Goodluck
Jonathan and other
stakeholders in the political
sector before deciding on
whether to dump the PDP.
The governor described
himself as special in the
committee of the seven
governors of the ‘New PDP’
because he is from the
same South-south zone
with President Jonathan.
“I am peculiar in the group
of the seven governors.
The president comes from
our zone. I will consult our
leaders, the president; I
will consult you (referring
to the mammoth crowd). I
will consult all consultables.
I will come back to you.
The day we shall take a
decision, it will be at the
new stadium that can take
40,000 persons. If we are
staying (referring to the
PDP), we shall call the
president to the stadium to
address; us if we are going,
we shall call Tinubu and
Buhari to come and
address us”, he said.
Amaechi, who took on his
political foes, said the
political crisis in Rivers was
largely due to his refusal to
abuse public funds,
stressing that he was not a
corrupt governor.” They
don’t accuse me of being
corrupt. They only say I
don’t run an inclusive
government which is ‘chop
I chop’.” he said.
The governor said he
would continue to pray to
God to protect the state
from those he accused of
plotting to plunder its
resources.
Amaechi gave reasons why
he danced excitedly at the
funeral of the foster
mother of the wife of
President Jonathan in
Okrika.. “I was told I would
be stoned at Okrika if I
went there. I went there, I
raised my right hand, there
was applause and the left,
it was the same. I said
‘God I thank you’. “
He said those fighting him
in the state were corrupt,
adding that he was ready
to engage them publicly on
accountability and
transparency in
governance anytime he
was called to do so.
“Those on the other side
are corrupt. We shall reply
them one after the other.
They have served and now
are hungry. They are
desperate and hungry
politicians”.
The governor, who said he
would not compromise on
good governance,
dismissed the speculation
that he might be sacked by
a court verdict on Monday,
11 November. “” You have
been hearing ‘we will
remove him since’ 2007.
Have I been removed! They
talk as if they are God.
They said we will be
removed on the 11th which
is Monday. Come that day,
I will dance here”, he said
while singing, “There is
nobody greater than God.
There is no one greater
than the Lord divine”.
Amaechi said his
administration was
constructing roads, building
health centres, schools,
adding that he had also
commenced empowerment
scheme for youths in the
various wards in the state.
The governor called on the
people to resist acts of
impunity on the part of the
police command in the
state.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/amaechi-buhari-tinubu-wont-defect-pdp-without-consulting-jonathan/

BEIRUT(AFP) – A Syrian
lawmaker kidnapped by
opposition jihadist fighters
earlier this year was
executed last week, the
Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said on
Sunday.
A parliamentary source in
Damascus, on condition of
anonymity, confirmed that
Mujhem al-Sahu from Deir
Ezzor province in eastern
Syria had been executed,
without specifying who was
responsible.
The source said 50-year-
old Sahu was killed in Deir
Ezzor but gave no
additional details.
Last month, the
Observatory reported that
another Syrian lawmaker,
Mohanna Faisal al-Fayyad,
a Sunni, had been
kidnapped by Islamist and
jihadist opposition fighters.
The monitoring group said
Ahrar al-Sham rebel
fighters and jihadists from
the Al-Qaeda-affiliated
Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL) abducted
Fayyad on October 27.
He was kidnapped after
two days of clashes
between members of his
tribe, which supports the
regime of President Bashar
al-Assad, and rebel groups.



www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/syrian-mp-kidnapped-executed-jihadists/

caseless: Hmmm..when men think they can infuse words into d words of God, then confusion and contradiction erupts. The bible was edited more than 5000 times and we have various versions as listed by d writer of this article. This question the originality of d bible.
Permit me to say this; bible is a roman fabrication.
I jst de laff by shaking my legs.

wat is dis one saying?
u think dis is d quran dat u pple make a case for?
dis is d case of a failed out journalist who has a problem with comprehension, and u r here giving a blind support?
does islam also infest ur brain?
nawa o.

I really do not hav enof time to grow thru dis article. but i want whoever cares to read dis:
2 Samuel 21:19 "There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite's brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam".
the verse is refering to Goliath's brother.
for better understanding, read KJV. or d yoruba version.

dumb journalist!

Arosa: Is El-rufai Mad?

yes, he is an !diot 2.
dis pig has really gone too far.
let us see how a northerner will rule dis country again. wen dat happens, perharps dey will den understand wat ungovernability truly mean in a country like nigeria.

olatomiwa: Jegede, I absolutely disagree with you. Jegede is an average actress while Nelson is a very good actress. There is no comparing the two. AND Nelson is soooooo se**y, she is hot!

y all dos compliments?
na girl like u o.

Vivly: That Jegede girl is damn pretty. Black is beautiful jare

u can say dat again and ahain and again.
really, she's a temptaion

Hello Mod. can u move dis thread to d front page please.
an article like this shud be properly elucidated. who knows, it cud be read by those concerned.
Thank you.

[quote author=Me_Aboki]Heard the children are adopted because the sheppopotamus can't bear any.[/quote]do u kno wat it means wen u r refered to as aboki in Lagos? they just called u an irredeemable fool.
sincerely u r in no way different.
ur !diocy is highly contagious.

Tolexander: Who is his mother?

The boy's physique looks like egg roll!

If he is placed on the scale for normal pikin of his age, the indicator will refuse to go back to the starting point due to elastic limit exceeded!

See how he dey look like pikin wey wan carry hen!

ya fada.

dis na OBJ younger broda o.

kennylawal: This confirms my earlier post that ilorins are sarakis slaves.

...and dat dey will remain for a very looong time.
"emancipate urself from political slavery, non but urselves can free ur minds.
Have no fear for sarakis atomic energy, cos non of dem can stop d tym....

CyberG: What is wrong with the statement? They are asking for EQUALITY but you disagree, what do you propose instead? INEQUALITY??

EQUALITY!
Yeah, ...and sincerity.
dey are d watchwords.
dey hav never been present in our govt, hence we are where we are today.
they must therefore be entrenched d system. on dem must d new Nigeria emerge (if we ever gonna hav it).

do u totally support Chief Mbagwu's position?
let's 'hear' ur take on dis pls.

Chief Cliff Mbagwu, a
chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),
management consultant
and chairman of Simeon
and Rose Associates, wants
Nigerians to embrace the
proposed national
conference with all their
might and shun acts that
could dismember the
country because having
lived together for 100
years, interrelated and
inter-mingled the pain of
separation would be more
severe now than that of
remaining together. Rather,
he said efforts should be
channelled on how to
make the union work in a
sustainable manner.
Excerpts:
His take on President
Goodluck Jonathan’s
turnaround on convening
of national conference
It is a good move. His
initial refusal was not well
thought out; he has done
the right thing now. In
1914, Lord Lugard
amalgamated and put
Nigerians together without
their consent.
After 100 years of
amalgamation, we have
stayed together and
interacted so much that
separation will be more
painful than staying
together. So, we have to
find out how to stay
together in an
economically sustainable
manner.
Therefore, the Senator
Femi Okurounmu advisory
committee on national
conference in doing its
work has to answer two
questions: Do we want to
live together? If yes, how?
The body language I see in
Nigerians is that we want
to live together. How can
we live together in a
peaceful and economically
sustainable manner?
To me, the current
structure is not
economically sustainable.
The cost of governance is
too high and it prevents
government from having
resources to drive
development and cater for
human welfare.
So, we have to decide on
whether or not to retain
the present structure or
revert to a six or seven
regional structure.

We have to reduce
monetisation of the
political process, which is
driving away credible
people from politics. We
have to make political
positions less attractive.
Now, government is the
largest industry offering
the highest reward, so it
attracts all manner of
people. The leadership
selection process needs to
be improved because there
are too many mediocre in
government. Most
positions appear to be
going to the highest
bidders.
We should find a way of
returning the country to
the path of merit because
our society is patronage-
driven and this is affecting
the quality of service
delivery, government and
institutions.
How he sees President
Jonathan’s declaration that
the outcome of the confab
would be sent to the
National Assembly for
consideration
I thought the decision of
the conference should
have been final; if you
begin to subject it to
National Assembly
consideration, it can lead
to politicisation of the
process. If we elect and
select people to the
conference, the outcome
should carry the weight of
law.
There are two sets of
mindsets that are
dysfunctional and not
helpful for nation-building.
One is the North sees
Nigeria as their patrimony
and have to continue to
rule or determine who will
rule. This mindset is not
compatible with nation-
building.
The other is the South sees
the North as parasitic,
does not bring anything to
the table and depends on
the South for survival. This
is also a bad mindset. I
believe that every part of
the country has resources
is contributing to nation-
building. If the oil fields are
attacked today by
foreigners, it is not only
the oil producing areas
that will defend the fields.
The sheer size of the
country and the diversity
are things that we should
hold dear. I don’t see any
part of Nigeria that will be
better off outside this
federation than inside it.
Most parts will be
ungovernable outside this
federation. It is in our
interest to ensure that
everybody is equal before
the law so that we can
build a nation out of
Nigeria.
We need to define the
issue of citizenship. Where
do we lay emphasis if we
want to build a nation? Is it
on indigeneship or
citizenship? How do you
treat an Hausa boy born in
Amausa, Owerri, who grew
up in Owerri, married in
Owerri and lived in Owerri
all his life? Can’t he contest
for the chairmanship of
Owerri? The same thing
applies to an Igbo boy
born in Abeokuta, Kano or
Maiduguri. We should be
honest about building
Nigeria. If not we should
go our separate ways but
that will be the blackest
day for the Black man.
On controversies trailing
President Jonathan’s
perceived second term
ambition
The two sets of mindsets
that are not compatible
with nation building are at
play here. How can
anybody ask the president
not to run when the
constitution allows him to
run for two terms of four
years each? If they say he
signed an agreement to do
one term, on what basis
will he reach that
agreement? Is he a second
class citizen? Elsewhere,
like the United States of
America, the Peoples
Democratic Party will not
hold presidential primaries
when a sitting president is
running but here they
don’t even want President
Jonathan to run for the
primaries. It amounts to
unmitigated arrogance for
any person or group of
persons to arrogate to
himself or themselves the
right to decide for the
president not to run.
Those asking Jonathan not
to run; will they do a single
term if they were in
power? To build a country,
all of us must agree to be
equal citizens. The nation
is not anybody’s personal
patrimony. President
Jonathan is the best
material for 2015 given his
experience and what he
has done so far.
On whether the economy is
working
This economy is not
creating jobs and economic
opportunities. Some
Nigerians are making
money because of their
connections and who they
know. In terms of
performance and
productive economic
activities, those managing
the economy will have to
work harder in terms of
erecting and enforcing
fiscal policies that will
encourage domestic
production.
This economy is too
import-dependent and
because of that a lot of
Nigerians are out of jobs. A
high percentage of the
population are not taking
active part in the economy
because they don’t have
income. We have to put
Nigerians to work through
manufacturing and
agriculture; stop
importation of things we
can produce locally even if
it amounts to short-term
hardship; make agriculture
more attractive in terms of
funding and access to land
so that we can produce
almost everything we need
domestically.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/nat-confab-disintegration-ll-painful-mbagwu/
Chief Cliff Mbagwu, a
chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),
management consultant
and chairman of Simeon
and Rose Associates, wants
Nigerians to embrace the
proposed national
conference with all their
might and shun acts that
could dismember the
country because having
lived together for 100
years, interrelated and
inter-mingled the pain of
separation would be more
severe now than that of
remaining together. Rather,
he said efforts should be
channelled on how to
make the union work in a
sustainable manner.
Excerpts:
His take on President
Goodluck Jonathan’s
turnaround on convening
of national conference
It is a good move. His
initial refusal was not well
thought out; he has done
the right thing now. In
1914, Lord Lugard
amalgamated and put
Nigerians together without
their consent.
After 100 years of
amalgamation, we have
stayed together and
interacted so much that
separation will be more
painful than staying
together. So, we have to
find out how to stay
together in an
economically sustainable
manner.
Therefore, the Senator
Femi Okurounmu advisory
committee on national
conference in doing its
work has to answer two
questions: Do we want to
live together? If yes, how?
The body language I see in
Nigerians is that we want
to live together. How can
we live together in a
peaceful and economically
sustainable manner?
To me, the current
structure is not
economically sustainable.
The cost of governance is
too high and it prevents
government from having
resources to drive
development and cater for
human welfare.
So, we have to decide on
whether or not to retain
the present structure or
revert to a six or seven
regional structure.

We have to reduce
monetisation of the
political process, which is
driving away credible
people from politics. We
have to make political
positions less attractive.
Now, government is the
largest industry offering
the highest reward, so it
attracts all manner of
people. The leadership
selection process needs to
be improved because there
are too many mediocre in
government. Most
positions appear to be
going to the highest
bidders.
We should find a way of
returning the country to
the path of merit because
our society is patronage-
driven and this is affecting
the quality of service
delivery, government and
institutions.
How he sees President
Jonathan’s declaration that
the outcome of the confab
would be sent to the
National Assembly for
consideration
I thought the decision of
the conference should
have been final; if you
begin to subject it to
National Assembly
consideration, it can lead
to politicisation of the
process. If we elect and
select people to the
conference, the outcome
should carry the weight of
law.
There are two sets of
mindsets that are
dysfunctional and not
helpful for nation-building.
One is the North sees
Nigeria as their patrimony
and have to continue to
rule or determine who will
rule. This mindset is not
compatible with nation-
building.
The other is the South sees
the North as parasitic,
does not bring anything to
the table and depends on
the South for survival. This
is also a bad mindset. I
believe that every part of
the country has resources
is contributing to nation-
building. If the oil fields are
attacked today by
foreigners, it is not only
the oil producing areas
that will defend the fields.
The sheer size of the
country and the diversity
are things that we should
hold dear. I don’t see any
part of Nigeria that will be
better off outside this
federation than inside it.
Most parts will be
ungovernable outside this
federation. It is in our
interest to ensure that
everybody is equal before
the law so that we can
build a nation out of
Nigeria.
We need to define the
issue of citizenship. Where
do we lay emphasis if we
want to build a nation? Is it
on indigeneship or
citizenship? How do you
treat an Hausa boy born in
Amausa, Owerri, who grew
up in Owerri, married in
Owerri and lived in Owerri
all his life? Can’t he contest
for the chairmanship of
Owerri? The same thing
applies to an Igbo boy
born in Abeokuta, Kano or
Maiduguri. We should be
honest about building
Nigeria. If not we should
go our separate ways but
that will be the blackest
day for the Black man.
On controversies trailing
President Jonathan’s
perceived second term
ambition
The two sets of mindsets
that are not compatible
with nation building are at
play here. How can
anybody ask the president
not to run when the
constitution allows him to
run for two terms of four
years each? If they say he
signed an agreement to do
one term, on what basis
will he reach that
agreement? Is he a second
class citizen? Elsewhere,
like the United States of
America, the Peoples
Democratic Party will not
hold presidential primaries
when a sitting president is
running but here they
don’t even want President
Jonathan to run for the
primaries. It amounts to
unmitigated arrogance for
any person or group of
persons to arrogate to
himself or themselves the
right to decide for the
president not to run.
Those asking Jonathan not
to run; will they do a single
term if they were in
power? To build a country,
all of us must agree to be
equal citizens. The nation
is not anybody’s personal
patrimony. President
Jonathan is the best
material for 2015 given his
experience and what he
has done so far.
On whether the economy is
working
This economy is not
creating jobs and economic
opportunities. Some
Nigerians are making
money because of their
connections and who they
know. In terms of
performance and
productive economic
activities, those managing
the economy will have to
work harder in terms of
erecting and enforcing
fiscal policies that will
encourage domestic
production.
This economy is too
import-dependent and
because of that a lot of
Nigerians are out of jobs. A
high percentage of the
population are not taking
active part in the economy
because they don’t have
income. We have to put
Nigerians to work through
manufacturing and
agriculture; stop
importation of things we
can produce locally even if
it amounts to short-term
hardship; make agriculture
more attractive in terms of
funding and access to land
so that we can produce
almost everything we need
domestically.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/nat-confab-disintegration-ll-painful-mbagwu/
Chief Cliff Mbagwu, a
chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),
management consultant
and chairman of Simeon
and Rose Associates, wants
Nigerians to embrace the
proposed national
conference with all their
might and shun acts that
could dismember the
country because having
lived together for 100
years, interrelated and
inter-mingled the pain of
separation would be more
severe now than that of
remaining together. Rather,
he said efforts should be
channelled on how to
make the union work in a
sustainable manner.
Excerpts:
His take on President
Goodluck Jonathan’s
turnaround on convening
of national conference
It is a good move. His
initial refusal was not well
thought out; he has done
the right thing now. In
1914, Lord Lugard
amalgamated and put
Nigerians together without
their consent.
After 100 years of
amalgamation, we have
stayed together and
interacted so much that
separation will be more
painful than staying
together. So, we have to
find out how to stay
together in an
economically sustainable
manner.
Therefore, the Senator
Femi Okurounmu advisory
committee on national
conference in doing its
work has to answer two
questions: Do we want to
live together? If yes, how?
The body language I see in
Nigerians is that we want
to live together. How can
we live together in a
peaceful and economically
sustainable manner?
To me, the current
structure is not
economically sustainable.
The cost of governance is
too high and it prevents
government from having
resources to drive
development and cater for
human welfare.
So, we have to decide on
whether or not to retain
the present structure or
revert to a six or seven
regional structure.

We have to reduce
monetisation of the
political process, which is
driving away credible
people from politics. We
have to make political
positions less attractive.
Now, government is the
largest industry offering
the highest reward, so it
attracts all manner of
people. The leadership
selection process needs to
be improved because there
are too many mediocre in
government. Most
positions appear to be
going to the highest
bidders.
We should find a way of
returning the country to
the path of merit because
our society is patronage-
driven and this is affecting
the quality of service
delivery, government and
institutions.
How he sees President
Jonathan’s declaration that
the outcome of the confab
would be sent to the
National Assembly for
consideration
I thought the decision of
the conference should
have been final; if you
begin to subject it to
National Assembly
consideration, it can lead
to politicisation of the
process. If we elect and
select people to the
conference, the outcome
should carry the weight of
law.
There are two sets of
mindsets that are
dysfunctional and not
helpful for nation-building.
One is the North sees
Nigeria as their patrimony
and have to continue to
rule or determine who will
rule. This mindset is not
compatible with nation-
building.
The other is the South sees
the North as parasitic,
does not bring anything to
the table and depends on
the South for survival. This
is also a bad mindset. I
believe that every part of
the country has resources
is contributing to nation-
building. If the oil fields are
attacked today by
foreigners, it is not only
the oil producing areas
that will defend the fields.
The sheer size of the
country and the diversity
are things that we should
hold dear. I don’t see any
part of Nigeria that will be
better off outside this
federation than inside it.
Most parts will be
ungovernable outside this
federation. It is in our
interest to ensure that
everybody is equal before
the law so that we can
build a nation out of
Nigeria.
We need to define the
issue of citizenship. Where
do we lay emphasis if we
want to build a nation? Is it
on indigeneship or
citizenship? How do you
treat an Hausa boy born in
Amausa, Owerri, who grew
up in Owerri, married in
Owerri and lived in Owerri
all his life? Can’t he contest
for the chairmanship of
Owerri? The same thing
applies to an Igbo boy
born in Abeokuta, Kano or
Maiduguri. We should be
honest about building
Nigeria. If not we should
go our separate ways but
that will be the blackest
day for the Black man.
On controversies trailing
President Jonathan’s
perceived second term
ambition
The two sets of mindsets
that are not compatible
with nation building are at
play here. How can
anybody ask the president
not to run when the
constitution allows him to
run for two terms of four
years each? If they say he
signed an agreement to do
one term, on what basis
will he reach that
agreement? Is he a second
class citizen? Elsewhere,
like the United States of
America, the Peoples
Democratic Party will not
hold presidential primaries
when a sitting president is
running but here they
don’t even want President
Jonathan to run for the
primaries. It amounts to
unmitigated arrogance for
any person or group of
persons to arrogate to
himself or themselves the
right to decide for the
president not to run.
Those asking Jonathan not
to run; will they do a single
term if they were in
power? To build a country,
all of us must agree to be
equal citizens. The nation
is not anybody’s personal
patrimony. President
Jonathan is the best
material for 2015 given his
experience and what he
has done so far.
On whether the economy is
working
This economy is not
creating jobs and economic
opportunities. Some
Nigerians are making
money because of their
connections and who they
know. In terms of
performance and
productive economic
activities, those managing
the economy will have to
work harder in terms of
erecting and enforcing
fiscal policies that will
encourage domestic
production.
This economy is too
import-dependent and
because of that a lot of
Nigerians are out of jobs. A
high percentage of the
population are not taking
active part in the economy
because they don’t have
income. We have to put
Nigerians to work through
manufacturing and
agriculture; stop
importation of things we
can produce locally even if
it amounts to short-term
hardship; make agriculture
more attractive in terms of
funding and access to land
so that we can produce
almost everything we need
domestically.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/nat-confab-disintegration-ll-painful-mbagwu/

Chief Cliff Mbagwu, a
chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP),
management consultant
and chairman of Simeon
and Rose Associates, wants
Nigerians to embrace the
proposed national
conference with all their
might and shun acts that
could dismember the
country because having
lived together for 100
years, interrelated and
inter-mingled the pain of
separation would be more
severe now than that of
remaining together. Rather,
he said efforts should be
channelled on how to
make the union work in a
sustainable manner.
Excerpts:
His take on President
Goodluck Jonathan’s
turnaround on convening
of national conference
It is a good move. His
initial refusal was not well
thought out; he has done
the right thing now. In
1914, Lord Lugard
amalgamated and put
Nigerians together without
their consent.
After 100 years of
amalgamation, we have
stayed together and
interacted so much that
separation will be more
painful than staying
together. So, we have to
find out how to stay
together in an
economically sustainable
manner.
Therefore, the Senator
Femi Okurounmu advisory
committee on national
conference in doing its
work has to answer two
questions: Do we want to
live together? If yes, how?
The body language I see in
Nigerians is that we want
to live together. How can
we live together in a
peaceful and economically
sustainable manner?
To me, the current
structure is not
economically sustainable.
The cost of governance is
too high and it prevents
government from having
resources to drive
development and cater for
human welfare.
So, we have to decide on
whether or not to retain
the present structure or
revert to a six or seven
regional structure.

We have to reduce
monetisation of the
political process, which is
driving away credible
people from politics. We
have to make political
positions less attractive.
Now, government is the
largest industry offering
the highest reward, so it
attracts all manner of
people. The leadership
selection process needs to
be improved because there
are too many mediocre in
government. Most
positions appear to be
going to the highest
bidders.
We should find a way of
returning the country to
the path of merit because
our society is patronage-
driven and this is affecting
the quality of service
delivery, government and
institutions.
How he sees President
Jonathan’s declaration that
the outcome of the confab
would be sent to the
National Assembly for
consideration
I thought the decision of
the conference should
have been final; if you
begin to subject it to
National Assembly
consideration, it can lead
to politicisation of the
process. If we elect and
select people to the
conference, the outcome
should carry the weight of
law.
There are two sets of
mindsets that are
dysfunctional and not
helpful for nation-building.
One is the North sees
Nigeria as their patrimony
and have to continue to
rule or determine who will
rule. This mindset is not
compatible with nation-
building.
The other is the South sees
the North as parasitic,
does not bring anything to
the table and depends on
the South for survival. This
is also a bad mindset. I
believe that every part of
the country has resources
is contributing to nation-
building. If the oil fields are
attacked today by
foreigners, it is not only
the oil producing areas
that will defend the fields.
The sheer size of the
country and the diversity
are things that we should
hold dear. I don’t see any
part of Nigeria that will be
better off outside this
federation than inside it.
Most parts will be
ungovernable outside this
federation. It is in our
interest to ensure that
everybody is equal before
the law so that we can
build a nation out of
Nigeria.
We need to define the
issue of citizenship. Where
do we lay emphasis if we
want to build a nation? Is it
on indigeneship or
citizenship? How do you
treat an Hausa boy born in
Amausa, Owerri, who grew
up in Owerri, married in
Owerri and lived in Owerri
all his life? Can’t he contest
for the chairmanship of
Owerri? The same thing
applies to an Igbo boy
born in Abeokuta, Kano or
Maiduguri. We should be
honest about building
Nigeria. If not we should
go our separate ways but
that will be the blackest
day for the Black man.
On controversies trailing
President Jonathan’s
perceived second term
ambition
The two sets of mindsets
that are not compatible
with nation building are at
play here. How can
anybody ask the president
not to run when the
constitution allows him to
run for two terms of four
years each? If they say he
signed an agreement to do
one term, on what basis
will he reach that
agreement? Is he a second
class citizen? Elsewhere,
like the United States of
America, the Peoples
Democratic Party will not
hold presidential primaries
when a sitting president is
running but here they
don’t even want President
Jonathan to run for the
primaries. It amounts to
unmitigated arrogance for
any person or group of
persons to arrogate to
himself or themselves the
right to decide for the
president not to run.
Those asking Jonathan not
to run; will they do a single
term if they were in
power? To build a country,
all of us must agree to be
equal citizens. The nation
is not anybody’s personal
patrimony. President
Jonathan is the best
material for 2015 given his
experience and what he
has done so far.
On whether the economy is
working
This economy is not
creating jobs and economic
opportunities. Some
Nigerians are making
money because of their
connections and who they
know. In terms of
performance and
productive economic
activities, those managing
the economy will have to
work harder in terms of
erecting and enforcing
fiscal policies that will
encourage domestic
production.
This economy is too
import-dependent and
because of that a lot of
Nigerians are out of jobs. A
high percentage of the
population are not taking
active part in the economy
because they don’t have
income. We have to put
Nigerians to work through
manufacturing and
agriculture; stop
importation of things we
can produce locally even if
it amounts to short-term
hardship; make agriculture
more attractive in terms of
funding and access to land
so that we can produce
almost everything we need
domestically.

xrisdon: negativity runs in your vain

he is right while u r wrong.
we must all arise and face d realities stirring us at d face.

Olaolufred: May be they are partly supporting Tinubu's stand.

who cares whose stand u call it. wat we all want is for d govt to do d right thing.

Let d progressive blows progress.

wirinet: Good suggestion in theory, but impracticable in reality when applied to the Nigerian situation. First of all, the Nigerian constiution (which is the highest law of the land) does not make provision for referendums, so unless the national assemby change the constitution to reflect the use of referendums, the whole exercise would be an exercise in frutility. Secondly even a referendum cannot help the igbos or other minorities realize their goals, a nationwide referendum would suffer the same fate as regular elections, which gives the north and the south west at an undue advantage as a result of inflated population figures and skewed political arrangements. The votes of the north and the south west is enough to defeat any referendum not in their interest. So unless we correct the huge structural imbalances in the nigerian federation and have accurate cencus figures, a referendum cannot change the status quo.

i think u hav a point here.
come to think of dis, wat if after d "dialogue", d easterners unanimously agreed to secede, wud nigeria still hav any reason to compel dem not to?
To some extent, d whole south hav some common grounds, for instance on d true federal system of govt.,
Regional autonomy/decentralisation of powers at d centre. etc.
shud d north also go against dat, do u tink d center cud still hold?
shed light into dese pls.

[quote author=re@lchange]great news.
from here we can aim for the ultimate truth.[/quote]u r damn right, bro.

Ola one: Giving Chinkos a run for their Yuan. With love from France


The world's cheapest phone goes on sale: Asda launches a £5 Alcatel mobile - and it doesn't even need a minimum credit top-up

Alcatel's 1010 phone costs just £5 from Asda on the T-Mobile network
It can make and receive calls and texts but cannot use apps
Customers do not need to top up a minimum of credit to buy the handset
It is available in black or red and is half the weight of Apple's iPhone 5S


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2488362/Worlds-cheapest-phone-goes-sale-Asda-launches-5-Alcatel-1010-mobile.html#ixzz2jvEk52nV

hope its not meant for 9ja market.
let is go back to where its coming from.

can't we replicate same tin here?
dont we already hav enof reasons to indict d indians among us?
just asking o.

this SaharaReporters sha.
small time now, una go dey study, read and post Gej mind.

i think uncle Gej shud listen to these well- meaning Nigerians and grant their request. afterall, our northern elders also want it dat way.

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA— AHEAD of the convocation of the proposed national conference by President Goodluck Jonathan, prominent leaders of the three zones in the southern part of the country under the aegis of Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, SNPA, yesterday, said that decisions of the conference must be subjected to a national referendum, just as it gave a time frame of nine months for the conference to be concluded.

According to leaders of the assembly, delegates to the conference must not be more than 600, with each geo-political zone of the country producing 100 delegates each.

They added that representation should be on the basis of equality of the geo-political zones — North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-West, South-East and South-South.

Rising from a two-day meeting held at the Cross River Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, the leaders from South-South, South-West and South-East geo-political zones, however, warned that the outcome of decisions from the dialogue must not be subjected to a review or debate by both the National Assembly and the executive.

In a communique signed by former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, former Federal Commissioner for Information and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, and retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, who is also the current Coordinating Chairman, SNPA, Rev. Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi, SNPA said: “The decisions of the conference shall be subjected to a national referendum and shall not be subjected to a review or debate by the National Assembly or any other body including the executives.

“Upon approval by the people of Nigeria, the outcome becomes the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to SNPA, the entire process should end June 30, 2014. It said processing and work of conference, December 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014; preparation of a draft constitution May 1 to 31, 2014; and the referendum on new constitution will be from June 1 to 30, 2014.

Roll call

South-South representatives at the meeting were Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, Senator Bassey Henshaw, Air Vice Marshal Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), Alabo Graham Douglas, Dr. Bolere-Ketebu, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Nella Ewa and Ambassador Lawrence.

From the South-East were Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Senator Chris Ukpabio, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Sylvanus Ngele, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, Dr. Ifedi Okewnna, and Chief Edozie Ezeugwa.

South-West was represented by Bishop Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi, Senator Tony Adefu-ye, Emmanuel Adelano, Chief Dipo Jimilehin, Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, Professor Ope Adekunle, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi and Moshood Salvador.

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/confab-outcome-must-subject-referendum-ekwueme/

The Edo State Government
has described the removal of
Col. Tony Nyiam (retd.) from
the Presidential Advisory
Committee on National
Dialogue as a welcome
development.
Special Adviser to Governor
Adams Oshiomhole on Media
and Public Affairs, Kassim
Afegbua, in a statement
issued on Wednesday,
further described the
development as good
riddance.
It however said Nyiam’s
purported letter of
resignation was full of
inconsistencies.
Nyiam had, during the
committees sitting in Benin
on Monday last week, almost
brought proceedings to a
halt as he started shouting
down the governor midway
into his presentation.
The government, in a
statement on Wednesday
said Nyiam only tendered a
letter of resignation after he
had been sacked.
The statement read in part,
“Our attention has been
drawn to the face-saving
resignation letter
hurriedly tendered by Lt.
Col. Tony Nyiam (retd.) after
his sacking as member of the
Presidential Advisory
Committee on National
Dialogue, following his
unruly outburst at the
committee’s sitting in Benin
City on Monday, October 28,
2013.
“While we welcome Nyiam’s
sacking as good riddance to
bad rubbish, we note that
his purported resignation
letter is filled with half-truths
and outright lies. We are
however not surprised by
this, as it is consistent with
his inconsistent character.
“In his confusion, Nyiam in
paragraph seven of the
resignation letter said
Governor Adams Oshiomhole
spoke for 40 minutes but he
contradicted himself in
paragraph 10, when he said
the governor spoke for an
hour. We make bold to say
that Governor Oshiomhole
spoke for less than 25
minutes during the courtesy
visit of the committee to him
in his office and he spoke for
less than seven minutes at
the sitting at Imaguero
College Hall.”

www.punchng.com/news/national-dialogue-edo-hails-nyiams-sacking/

.

nagoma: the north may have more people ( in your imagination ) in the federal service but with the like of Oduahs who buys 225 million Naira cars every 3 months and Ngozi Chinyere ( formerly of immigration ) who believed she was the Comptroller General of Biafra immigration Service and would employ only biafrans in thousands , how could that be a country for all citizens?

Wat do we hav today in our FCSC? a majority of uneducated !diots who were brought in at d expence of d more qualified ones. a civil service dat makes one want to shed tears wen compared to some smaller and less relevant countries like Ghana or even Republic of Benin.

Madam Ngozi was only trying to correct d lopsidedness as created by ur pple in d north in deir quest to feed deir greed, wit d guise of federal character.
Madam Stella has not been proven guilty of dos charges like u refered to, ok?
Hav u forgotten d much celebrated fuel subsidy probe as involved ur brother, Farouk Lawal? wat abt d pension scam? ur pple are still behind it. d list is endless.
u see, in a sane country, d likes of farouk and Alhaji
Abdulrasheed Maina shud be hunged in d gallows or more leniently, made to rot in jail.

lygn19: ....I ve said it so many times that if the oil was in the north, by now Nigeria wud be history.

contrarily, maybe d south will never produce a president.
dat may be d basis of one nigeria.
Anyway, Gej shud pls ensure dat dos threats coming from some quaters are revoked before d "Dialogue" commences.

lygn19: Here is d reason...
.
.
.Bauchi Will Cease to Exist as a State Without Oil-Yuguda
Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, on Monday, said the state
internally generates only N250 million monthly.
The governor made the disclosure in Bauchi when members of
the Ningi Emirate Council, led by the Emir, Alhaji Yunusa
Danyaya, paid him sallah homage.
He stressed the need for the state to increase its revenue
generation by 95 per cent.
Yuguda said the monthly allocation to Bauchi from the
Federation Account was between N3.2 to N3.3 billion, with
workers salary alone taking more than N2billion.
“It is our desire to bring development to the door step of the
people, but we are constrained by lack of reasonable internally
generated revenue.
“As a result, we have to rely solely on the federal government
for allocation if not; we will not survive as a state.
“What we generate monthly is so little that we cannot even pay
our workers salaries not to talk of (embarking on) capital
projects.
“We must devise ways of improving the situation otherwise,
when Nigerian oil, which every state is looking up to, is
finished or its market falls, Bauchi will cease to exist as a
state’’, he said.
Yuguda blamed the state’s poor revenue generation to absence
of industries and high rate unemployment.
“How can any government generate revenue when there is
nobody to tax?
“You cannot tax people that are not working and business is
not booming in the state. No industries to tax, no worker to
tax; how can we survive?’’
Yuguda, however, said that in spite of the low revenue profile
of the state, his administration had achieved a lot in terms of
infrastructure development.
He said that positive development had been recorded in the
areas of health care delivery, education, agriculture and other
sectors of the economy.
Yuguda called on the people of the state to be law-abiding and
maintain peace so as to attract investors for business to
thrive and create employment.
Earlier, Danyaya said the visit was to pay homage to the
governor and to felicitate with him on the peaceful
celebration of Eid-El-Kabir.
He appealed to the governor to include Ningi in his urban
development plans, adding that the town had a lot to offer if
upgraded to an urban settlement.
Danyaya also appealed to the governor to complete all ongoing
projects in the emirate which included roads and rural
electrification. (NAN)
.
.
.
That's y dz same set of Ediots keep saying Nigeria must remain one at all COST

dis is quite pathetic.
dont he think d solution to his problem lies within him and his pple?
y wud a govt hav more staff on its payroll dan it can actually cater for?
wat are the duties of these staff?
of wat economic or social importance are such services dey render?
little wonder y we hav more pple in d federal civil service from some quaters.
It goes to show how underious we are as a pple.
if we must truly remain together, all these parasitic attitude must stop.
each state must be able to stand on its feet.
each people must stop being spoonfed by others in d name of federal allocation. each region must begin to think of how to contribute meaningfully to d development of its region and pple.
if dis is done, i can put it to u dat Nigeria will be greater and better for it.