Fellow Nigerians,

I'm not an expert on food and drugs. I'm also not an expert on manufacturing drinks
If I might add, I also have no legal experience whatsoever.
What I do have (and in excess, is common sense). I'm sure you have same too.

So.lets reason together.

They say fanta and sprite mixed with vitamin c will kill you.
You really don't believe this, do you?
I mean, remember when they said mango and beans would kill? Same with banana and egg? Today I even heard you should avoid smoked fish, roasted corn and plantain if you have plans to see your children's children.

That time, they even tried to stop us from eating indomie. Last year it was rice.
So what do they want us to eat and drink? At this rate, 'they' should kuku just kill us all.

I've heard and read both sides to this situation and both have their points.
Mr fijabi on one hand mourning his condemned products and NBC/NAFDAC being questioned on the integrity of their companies.

My people, at the end of this matter, no be we go suffer?
one thing I know is the NBC have too much to lose in this matter. After building a company for over 60 years, it's now they'll want to endanger the lives of people in their largest market. E no too join.

Do you know how many families are fed from the plants of NBC? Do you think their thousands of workers would stand by and poison themselves, their families and friends with "bad fanta and sprite?"

Every Rasheed, Chuks and Abu is screaming BENZOIC ACID. Do you know there's the same in your ketchup, sausages, yoghurts, geisha, toothpaste, Listerine and all that stuff? I know you're saying "but we don't take it with vitamin c"

Do you know ascorbic acid is found in citrus fruits like oranges? Ever had food with geisha and then an orange? Oya now.
My people, this thing is not maths like Fanta + Vitamin C = Poison.
It's not true. Far from it.

If you're in doubt, you could speak to experts in chemistry. And if you need more assurance, you can be sure that NAFDAC would not have cleared NBC if it had something to hide. Please we should not let ourselves be used to push the propaganda of people who seek to capitalise on the economic state of our nation.

Let's be wise. Let's not be easily deceived.

Mr X
Your fellow Nigerian

- Why was Mr Fijabi exporting Coca-cola products to the UK?
- Did he have the necessary approvals (specifically to export CocaCola ?
- If NBC had flouted any composition rules, how come it was declared not guilty by the court?
- How come the Benzoic levels in Fanta are even lower than the government limit? So how is it possible they are harmful?
- Are Fanta and Sprite the only soft drinks in Nigeria?
- Mr Fijabi is claiming the drinks are poisonous. Are these not the same drinks he was exporting? Was he exporting poison?
- If NBC is poisoning Nigerians, why did the Fed Min of Health come out to say the products are safe?

Let everyone ask the right questions. The answers are not far away.

Selah.

Text Of Press Conference By Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) On The Unholy Conspiracy Between The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) And The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) With Intent To Install A Northern President Though Rigging.

Gentlemen of the Press,

On behalf of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) we have invited you to brief you on the subversive, subterranean and dishonorable conspiracy which we discovered to exist between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), with the sole desire of enthroning a President of Northern extraction at all cost in the February 14, 2015 presidential election.

We authoritatively gathered with unassailable and incontrovertible evidence that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who was away in Lagos for an official engagement, through one of his National Commissioners that represented him, met with select leaders of the Northern Elders Forum led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi on the 20th August, 2014 where strategies and modalities for enthroning a President of Northern extraction through vote rigging were discussed and agreed upon.

The meeting was sequel to an earlier meeting of the Northern Elders Forum held on the 16th August, 2015 at Arewa House, Kaduna under the chairmanship of Amb. Yusuf Maitama Sule where it was resolved that “all avenues must be explored towards enthroning a President of Northern extraction in the forthcoming 2015 elections” and “a committee … put in place to liaise with the INEC Chairman and some States Resident Electoral Commissioners in order to favor the North in the creation of additional polling units”.

Other prominent members in attendance include Professor Ango Abdullahi, Prof. Idris Mohammed, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Alhaji Bashir Ibrahim Yusuf, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Kirfi, Amb. Shehu Malami and Dr. Tima Sani. Also in attendance were Alamin Dagash, Gen. Paul Tarfa, Gen. Saleh Maina, Alh. Bashir Tofa, Barr. Solomon Dalung, Barr. M. B. Wali, Barr. Rhoda Ako and Mohammed Sharif who served as Secretary.Since then we have noticed that Engr. Nuru Yakubu, a crony and ally of Prof. Jega in INEC has become the devious hatchet man.

Another meeting of Finance Committee of the Northern Elders Forum also took place on the 21st January, 2015 where further details of the detestable plans to impugn the integrity of the 2015 general elections were taken.

It will interest you, gentlemen of the press, to know that we have copies of minutes of these meetings. These meetings and plans were hatched in furtherance to the Northern Elders Forum’s obsession that there will be no Nigeria, if a Northerner does not emerge President of Nigeria in the 2015 general elections.

As part of the grand design, Prof. Jega agreed in the meeting to create astronomical number of additional polling units in the North, over and above what is desirable to ensure the election of a Northern Presidential candidate, that would emerge from the party primaries, in the general election. We now know that this was responsible for Prof. Jega’s whimsical creation of additional 30,000 polling units with intent to give unearned massive votes to the northern presidential candidate. These additional polling units were agreed to exist only on “sheet of papers” which would be used as votes mill to rig the election. This means therefore that the acclaimed suspension of the implementation of the additional 30,000 polling units by Prof. Jega is a grand deceit as same is reported to have continued in parts of the North under cover.

It is surprising that Prof. Jega, in consonance with the agreement with the leaders of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) had two sets of rules for the conduct of the continuous voters registration exercise. Whereas requirements for the registration of voters in the core north was agreed to be “loose “in order to encourage under-aged registration, the same was “stringently” enforced in the whole of Southern Nigeria so as to reduce the number of eligible voters where they believe President Jonathan has the strongest support base.

In furtherance of Professor Jega’s nepotistic bias and ethnocentrism, he reportedly advised the Northern Elders Forum leaders to compromise the State Resident Electoral Commissioners to assist him in perfecting the vote rigging to install a President of northern extraction. Whereas RECs who are willing to play ball are to be deliberately posted to core northern states, others who were considered recalcitrant were to be put under the surveillance of the National Commissioner in charge of Operations to achieve their desired results.

A close observation of some of the activities of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) show glaring collaboration between Prof. Jega’s INEC and the former. For instance, despite Prof. Jega’s public admission that the Commission has all the funds it requires to conduct the 2015 elections, we are aware that the Northern Elders Forum obtained and distributed 150 pieces of laptop computers to INEC for each of the Northern States. The laptop computers were used by INEC’s adhoc staff in collaboration with Northern Youth activists for the indiscriminate registration of voters during the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise. This strategy, which abetted and made possible massive registration of voters without restriction on the age, was part of the earlier agreement between INEC and the Northern Elders Forum, without prejudice to the fact that age is a prerequisite qualification for every eligible voter. The following curious questions beg for answers:

1) Is the Northern Elders Forum a government institution/agency or an NGO promoting good electoral conduct and governance that it would donate 150 laptop computers to INEC for each northern state? If yes, why was the donation not made public?

2) Is it for want of funds that INEC accepted the donation and distribution of 150 laptop computers to only each of the northern states?

3) Giving the known age-long uncompromising hatred against President Jonathan and stance that a northerner must become President at all cost by Northern Elders Forum, could the acceptance of these “Greek gifts” place Prof. Jega’s INEC on a pedestal of impartiality to supervise the 2015 elections?

4) Could this be the reason why Prof. Jega arbitrarily allocated 21,850 additional polling units (which gave a voting population of about 15 million extra votes) to the north and 8,150 additional polling units, which approximates 5 million extra votes to the entire south?

5) What was the experience and skill of the northern activist youths who were recruited for the registration exercise when specialized training always preceded field operations carried out by adhoc staff in all electoral processes?

In addition to the above and in clear contravention of procedure, Prof. Jega reportedly directed the release of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in their catchment states to Emirs, District Heads and top politicians and not necessarily to the voters themselves, a situation that culminated in some voters being in possession of 2 to 3 PVCs. This accounted for the nearly 100 percent PVC collection rate in especially the North West States as compared with the less than 50 percent collection rate in the Southern States.

This is the reason why Lagos state with a sophiscated voter population of over 5.2 million has not distributed more than 2.5 million PVCs; even the war ravaged states n the North East have collected more PVCs than most Southern states. Is this kind of selective treatment borne out of sheer nepotism and primordial bias deserving of a supposed impartial electoral umpire? Also as part of the nocturnal agenda, the Northern Elders Forum, the unrepentant group of ethno-bigots which only living penchant is that President Goodluck Jonathan must vacate the presidency for a northerner, has been given the sole responsibility to recruit all electoral officers, returning officers and polling clerks, in collaboration with their activist youths, for Prof. Jega’s absorption into INEC.

Contrary to Professor Jega’s public posturing and pronouncements, we have uncovered that in line with his firm promise to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), he is determined to announce General Buhari as the winner of the 2015 Presidential election irrespective of its outcome. And in preparation for the ensuing electoral tsunami that would engulf the country, the Northern Elders Forum has already retained the services of 34 Legal luminaries including 14 Seniors Advocates of Nigeria who shall be on standby for the Tribunal cases.

The Legal luminaries have already started their assignment by filing an action in court, challenging the eligibility of President Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election, an action that have been challenged and decided several times by the same Federal High Court. To make the judgment a fait accompli, a Committee of the National Elders Forum at Prof. Jega’s prompting, because of his desire to hide under the cloak of legal and judicial protection, is courting senior judges of Northern extraction to obtain judgment against President Jonathan and the PDP during and after the proclamation of Gen. Buhari as the winner.

Our investigations revealed that the funds for the entire Northern Elders Forum guided operations in INEC is being provided by APC governors in the north, who each contributed N100 million and few Hausa-Fulani irredentist PDP governors who also contributed N167million to perfect these invidious electoral fraud.

The impervious desire to orchestrate these agreements driven by eccentric parochialism has unfortunately guided Prof. Attahiru Jega’s internal actions in positioning INEC for the inexorable task of supervising the 2015 general elections. The recent deployment of National Commissioners essentially elected the philosophy of loyalty to Prof. Jega’s northern agenda and hence all critical and key electoral departments that will eventually decide the outcome of the 2015 general elections were given to those who have aligned with him.

We have also become aware that the recent redeployment of Resident Electoral Commissioners, contrary to public expectation, was based on the plan to secure and protect expected positive results in supposed catchment states while those sent to the South were given specific directive to comply with extant rules and regulations or be sacked. Prof. Jega’s disdainful verve to prosecute his hallowed task of rigging President Jonathan out of office at all cost is further noted from the movement of top Directors of Southern Nigeria origin. These officers who were hitherto occupying sensitive positions in INEC are now moved to obscure and redundant office such as the INEC Electoral Institute, which make them completely irrelevant with electoral processes.

There has been more forced voluntary retirement for senior staff of Southern origin even when they have up to three or more years in the service under Prof. Jega’s chairmanship. And to take over such sensitive positions of high electoral value, Prof. Jega in defiance of extant rules on federal character moved Directorate Cadre Staff from some Northern State Offices to Headquarters as replacement with a view to ensuring strict realization of the project.

It will further interest you to equally note that Prof. Jega’s posturing that card readers are to be used for authentication and verification of voters is already being circumvented by Prof. Jega’s INEC. INEC has suddenly realized for the first time that over 2million Nigerians mostly from the North are amputees. It has accordingly decided to introduce a “special verification” process different from the card reader for this class of Nigerians. But the real fact is that the entire process is being initiated as part of Prof. Jega’s hidden agenda to amass a whopping 2million votes for his preferred Northern candidate. This as well as the recently introduced IDPs voting are part of strategies of Prof. Jega’s vote mill to rig the election.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it’s both inexplicable and confounds commonsense that Prof. Jega has decided to conduct the 2015 general elections in February in the light of very glaring organizational, technical and operational deficiencies whereas in 2003, 2007 and 2011the same elections were conducted in April. We may wish to recall that even with the time leverage in 2011, Prof. Jega was compelled to postpone the conduct of elections to the National Assembly from April 2 to April 9 due to inadequate preparations. Such postponements did not in any affect the sacrosanctity of the 29th May swearing in date. Such postponements never deprecated the sanctity of our elections in the past and would not in any way compromise the integrity of the 2015 elections if postponed to sometime in April, 2015 insofar as it provides for the mandatory 30 days in consonance with the provisions of extant rules and regulations in our statutes.

What could therefore be responsible for Prof. Jega’s petulant haste to hold the elections in February 2015 even in the face of the following critically fundamental operational, technical and organizational challenges that could mar the integrity of the elections other than to deliver on the timetable he has promised the Northern Elders Forum:

Whereas Prof. Jega has premised the integrity of 2015 elections on the use of card readers, the caravans needed for storing them are yet to be delivered barely one week to the presidential election, a situation that has led those responsible to suspend the delivery of additional card readers. This means there may not be enough card readers to service all the 121,000 polling units all over the country.

There are reported polling units specific configuration problems for the card readers that have delivered which need yet-to-be-provided urgent resolution, particularly against the backdrop that some of the card readers have factory faults, thus requiring full scale audit to determine whether the available card readers can guarantee the integrity of the elections.

The late conclusion of party primaries and INEC’s deadline for substitution of candidates has grossly delayed the production of customized ballot papers and result sheets. This is an avoidable recipe for multiple post-election crises and litigation. We therefore doubt INEC’s competence and capability to conduct an impartial election.

Given the fact that a high preponderance of the 960,000 adhoc staff for the conduct of the election are yet to be properly trained on the use of the new technology barely 8 days to the election, how can Prof. Jega convince Nigerians and the international community that he is prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible elections?

Gentlemen of the Press, we have presented these facts to show that Prof. Jega is an ethnic and religious jingoist, an unrepentant Hausa-Fulani irredentist and a highly tribalised public administrator. We are not convinced that an INEC superintend by Prof. Attahiru Jega would have any iota of impartiality to conduct a free and fair elections in this country any more. Prof. Jega’s open romance, either directly or indirectly with elements of the opposition, has compromised his integrity, credibility and moral standing to conduct an impartial, free and fair 2015 presidential elections.

He has become a wolf in sheep’s clothing, who is not only deeply repugnantly clannish but also brazenly corrupt and fraudulent. Because Prof. Jega was gravely intent on perfecting the strategies to rig the elections in favor of the Northern candidate, he circumvented fundamental and critical requirements in the Public Procurement Act. We would therefore want Prof. Jega to tell the entire world:

At what meeting in INEC was the decision to award the contract for the procurement of the Permanent Voters Cards taken?

At what time and where were the contract documents forwarded to the Bureau of Public Procurement for consideration and approval?

And indeed where the PVCs being processed and printed? Are the PVCs being printed abroad with a reputable firm or they are being printed somewhere in Nigeria within the enclave of Maitama in Abuja?

What is the cost of the contract for the procurement of PVCs?

As a responsible government agency, it is only germane that Nigerians, whose tax monies are used to fund its operations, are properly informed on these critical aspects of INEC’s activities.

We make bold to say that Prof. Jega has betrayed public trust, respect and acceptance, sublime attributes that are necessary for an impartial electoral umpire.

Consequent upon the foregoing, the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) wish to make the following unequivocal demands, which if not complied forth with, would compel us to consider every necessary step to force compliance.

Professor Jega, should and must resign his appointment immediately as the Chairman of INEC because he has lost the requisite moral rectitude to organize a credible election devoid of the shenanigans of the Northern Elders Forum and their cohorts.

There should be immediate postponement of the February 14, 2015 presidential elections to allow for the reconstitution, repositioning and reprocessing of INEC to discharge its responsibility of conducting an impartial election.

We call for the immediate arrest of Prof. Attahiru Jega for criminally masterminding the procurement of PVCs for under-aged pupils in contravention of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) and the Electoral Act, 2010

Where the Federal Government fail to take decisive action on these demands we shall employ and mobilize with all ounce of energy at our disposal to ensure that there is no election in any part of Southern Nigeria.

We wish to remind Mr. President that the Federal Government has the sacrosanct duty to maintain peace and order, and to protect the lives and property of the citizens of this country. Therefore government must not allow itself to be intimidated by any group of persons to conduct the elections under these uncertain circumstances that could culminate in the breakdown of law and order in the country. The consequences may be too grave for Nigeria to bear.

Thank you.

Chief Edwin K. Clark, CON H. E. Dr. Alex Ekwueme, GCON

South South Leader Coordinating Chairman/South East Leader

ArchBishop Ayo Ladigbolu

South West Leader




http://nigeriapulse.com/jega-plots-with-northern-elders-to-install-buhari-southern-leaders/

A shocking video has emerged of Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly openly admitting that he refused to sign a resignation letter that would have seen him hand over his vice presidential position had General Buhari been successful in his presidential campaign in 2011.

In an interview with Kadaria Ahmed aired in July 2013, the firebrand pastor cum politician was queried as to whether his refusal to step down contributed to the breakdown of the proposed merger between CPC and ACN prior to the 2011 elections.

“It was not stepping down that was the issue,” Bakare responded. “It was resigning on paper with my signature, to sign as Vice President of Nigeria. I said, ‘No, I can’t do that. I can resign as Tunde Bakare, a candidate, but I cannot resign as Vice President, an office I have not occupied.’ That is illegal.”

“Are you saying they were willing to allow your name to go forward in the polls and then they expected that once you’d won the election, you would resign as Vice President?” queried Ahmed in the pilot edition of her show ‘Straight Talk With Kadaria’ currently airing on Channels Television.

“That is what they were asking for,” Bakare admitted. “But I was not ready to commit perjury, to sign an office I have not occupied.”

Clearly perplexed, Kadaria questioned as to why Bakare still chose to support a party that intentionally instructed him to be involved in perjury, adding that his position as a pastor puts him on an even higher moral pedestal in the eyes of the public.

“My moral code is simple – I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world,” Bakare retorted. “Light does not run away from darkness and salt does not run away from corruption. What you do is contact without contamination.”

The user who uploaded a short snippet of the interview on YouTube today opined that a similar agreement had been forged with current Vice presidential candidate, Pastor Yemi Osinbajo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) led by Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

“This is the same agreement their stooge, Pastor Yemi Osibanjo, has signed for Tinubu that will ensure APC’s dream for a Muslim/Muslim Ticket if Buhari wins,” the video description controversially reads.
SOURCE: http://www.theheraldng.com/bakare-bombshell-forced-sign-resignation-letter-vp-candidate-buhari-2011/

Why ”they” Want Jonathan to Leave By Any Means Necessary..and Why the Opposition Leaders Are Crying Out Loud

by Chidi Cali, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Notes and addenda by Henry Omoregie

Some of the decisions of President Goodluck Jonathan have not gone down well with some of the leaders and Moneybags of APC, as he closed lots of their sources of defrauding Nigeria.

READ AND BE WISE.

1] Majority of the Oil Blocks licenses in Nigeria will be expiring in few months and many of them are scared that President Jonathan might not renew their licenses. They want to vote him out by all means to retain the Oil blocks licenses.

NOTE: Some others also want a piece of the giant Nigerian pie.. and they believe the only way to ensure this is to bring back the same set of Nigerians known to be champions of nepotism and favouritism -the STAR attributes of CORRUPTION (Please look up the dictionary meaning of corruption)

Others in mostly the south who benefited largely from stolen crude are not happy with the 158% reduction in crude oil theft as announced by the CNS not long ago, and will prefer CHANGE back to the looting of the single largest source of dough for the Nigerian National Cake

Not many Nigerians are aware that the Northern Region paid custom duties to the Western Region until 1976, when Murtala Mohammed took over the reins of Government. Or that as at 1975 when Murtala Mohammed overthrew the Yakubu Gowon administration, the Niger Delta enjoyed 45% rents and royalties? Murtala Mohammed slashed it to 20% (Decree No. 6 of 1975) to assuage the Northern States, before Olusegun Obasanjo, through the Aboyade Technical Commission which recommended the removal of the remaining 20% of the rents and royalties, finally nailed the coffin of the Southern States without any protest from the people of the Niger Delta or other parts of the South.

“Many Hausa-Fulani told me that the North’s escalating poverty has resulted from its declining access to oil because of its loss of the presidency to Olusegun Obasanjo, a Southern Christian Yoruba, following the death of the Northern Muslim Kanuri, Sani Abacha. Their solution to Northern poverty was to recapture the federal government. This they did in the rigged elections of 2007 and the presidency of Umaru Yar’Adua. But, they lost it again when Yar’Adua died in May 2010 and the vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian Ijaw from Southern Nigeria, became president.” – John Campbell, Former US Ambassador to Nigeria.

http://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-dancing-brink/p22833?excerpt=1

2] They were hurt when President Jonathan ended their subsidy fraud. Govt reduced the payment from N1.4 Trillion in 2011 to less than N400 Billion in 2013 and yet there has been no scarcity of fuel in the last 3 years.

3] Jonathan sold off NEPA/PHCN and ended their fraudulent NEPA/PHCN contracts. Now local and International companies are building their power plants to stabilize Power. They will not use any NEPA staff to put SALT on our Power plants again to put everyone in darkness…

NOTE: Generator sellers/dealers will need CHANGE. Only committed and loyal power industry workers will obviously be re-employed by new power services owners. Just as we blame one mobile network provider for poor services and port to another, so we can pick holes in the service delivery of power companies and port to another. Millions of Ignorant Nigerians are unaware of this fact. The FG involvement in power services is now about 20%.

See Fashola boasting of Lagos being almost self-sufficient in power generation http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/lagos-almost-self-sufficient-power-generation-fashola/

4] Jonathan removed 73,000 ghost workers and 43,756 Ghost Pensioners from the civil service and reduced their corrupt wealth by over 2 billion US Dollars in just months. These rogues are using their ill-gotten wealth to pay newspapers, online media blogs to propagate LIES and FALSEHOOD, sharing negative propaganda against the President. The Ignorants joined them to shout CHANGE. Are they changing to re-employ the removed Ghost workers or re-include Ghost Pensioners in monthly benefits records? Be warned about the CHANGE they want you to Vote For.

5] The President handed NPA verification to a third party and eliminated port frauds. They do not benefit anymore, by dubiously seizing people’s goods and turning around to buy them in auctions. It is now 24 hours operation and surveillance, giving no room for their agents to be fraudulent or frustrate Importers. They want their evil reign to return. That is their CHANGE.
6] The cabals were hurt when Jonathan blocked their monopoly of fertilizer distribution and now supply straight to real farmers at discounted prices. Farmers do not go through Ward chairmen, Party Excos, Politicians or any ‘Timber and Caliber’ to get Fertilizers any longer.

NOTE: There are thousands of people who benefited directly.indirectly from the scams. But Jonathan busted a 40-year old fertilizer scam in 90 days #Fact

7] They want Jonathan out by all means – he blocked their hoarding of petroleum products and stopped Nigerians from sleeping at filling stations … and many roasted alive in any event of fire outbreak in filling stations. Their black market business have been destroyed by Jonathan’s proper management of the supply of these products and because of this, they ruled that he has failed.

Jonathan did not fail honest Nigerians, but he failed the Oil Profiteers and thieves.
.
8] Jonathan’s re-introduction of One-man-one-vote did not go down well with them. With Soldiers, Police, Secret Police, Civil Defense at Polling Units, Ballot box snatching and stuffing is now a thing of the past. They made you to believe that Jonathan has failed because Polling units are no more in people’s seating room. You forget that the President’s Party won only in 1 of the 4 governorship elections conducted when he started his tenure in 2011.
Imo – APGA, Anambra – APGA, Edo – APC, Osun – APC, Ekiti – PDP. This would NEVER have happened during OBJ’s government.

9] They want Jonathan out of office because they are aware that the 2016 Census will correct the Population lies imposed on Nigerians over 60 years ago. They are MAD that Jonathan will conduct electronic/scientific census, where only Human beings will be counted and near- zero chance of one person counted twice.

NOTE: No Credible Census in Nigeria Since 1816

No census has been credible in Nigeria since 1816. Even the one conducted in 2006 is not credible. I have the records and evidence produced by scholars and professors of repute.
This is not my report. If the current laws are not amended, the planned 2016 census will not succeed,” Odimegwu said. He recalled how staffers of NPC protested against commissioners during the 2006 census over alleged manipulation.
“During the 2006 census, workers locked out the commissioners over creation of new areas,” he said. Odimegwu further alleged that a former Lagos State governor (names withheld) falsified a census result some years ago.
“Nigeria has run on falsehood for too long. We must stop this falsehood and put a stop to all of these. The Boko Haram problem is partly as a result of that. Because the 2006 census was not correct, the former board of NPC was unable to publish the figures. “If they try it, there will be an uproar. We must make Nigeria work. We cannot do that unless we know the statistics. We cannot build infrastructure without demographic data. As long as the figures in Nigeria are wrong, corruption will continue to thrive. We must have an organised data before we can plan for Nigeria,” he stated.

He urged that Nigeria should either conduct a credible census exercise or forget about it. “It is either we do an accurate census or we will not do anything. We are committed to giving Nigerians a credible and reliable census. Nigerians are weeping up sentiments, but we have gone beyond ethnic sentiments. Nigerian children are suffering and many youths have no jobs,” Odimegwu said. http://www.punchng.com/news/no-credible-census-in-nigeria-since-1816-npc/

THIS IS THE ‘CHANGE’ THEY CRAVE

10] They want Jonathan out of office by all means because, in 2016, Jonathan will stop the situation where a child from Oyo state will be expected to score 129 Marks to get admitted into Federal Govt Colleges (Unity schools), while another child from Kebbi is expected to score only 2 Marks to enter the same school. A young man from Osun state is expected to score 190 In JAMB to have opportunity of University education, while his friends from Sokoto are sure of admission, even if they score zero. It is a SHAME that some of the young people that Jonathan is fighting for, and ensuring to bring a fair Nigeria for all of us, are now brainwashed, fed with lies and are attacking the man that is fighting for them and their generations to come.

USE YOUR HEAD AND THINK..

11] Nigeria now mostly grows its own food, trains are back running, our Airports are of international standards, our roads are safer and more motorable, university funding doubled and more built to admit more Jambites.

Our street children in the North (Almajiri) are given opportunity to learn and live in comfortable school hostels, eating good food, and not left-overs, 13 local Motor assembling and Manufacturing company relocated to Nigeria, 9 Local and International Power companies building their power plants since last year to improve of electricity need.

ONE WILL ASK, WHAT CHANGE ARE THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT?

Jonathan has shown Nigerians what real democracy is supposed to be. He is not killing or jailing his opponents or those that insulted him in the Media and that cannot be seen as a weakness, but his respect for the law and life. He never sent anyone to prison for a mere allegation of corruption without proof. He allowed them fair and independent hearing by those charged with this responsibility.

These show his meekness, empathy and unconditional postive regard, knowing that he cannot build a better Nigeria alone and that we need every hand on deck to achieve a bigger, better, prosperous and peaceful Nigeria.

God Bless Nigeria.

It is your Choice. #ForwardEver, or #BackNever. – Hope For Nigeria.

LASTWORD: Have you not wondered why one who has fallen foul of the laws of the land is still needed to ”fight corruption” when he is clearly a candidate for perjury and forgery, is still wanted by some people even if he presents a toilet paper as certificate after proving to the whole world that he is a slowpoke?

Don’t be surprised to know that lots of Buharists are forgers of certificates or age falsifiers like their idol

I WILL STABILIZE CRUDE OIL PRICES IF ELECTED NIGERIAN PRESIDENT – BUHARI

PIX
Date Published: 02/17/2010

I made $500 million from oil block – Gen. T. Y Danjuma

A former Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen Theophilus Danjuma, shocked his audience at a consultative meeting his Foundation and some Non-Governmental Organisations had in Abuja on Wednesday when he narrated how he made $500m from an oil business, and was in a fix on how to spend it.

The chief executives of the NGOs at the meeting could not believe their ears after hearing Danjuma’s narration.

The former Chief of Army Staff said the $500m, came as his profit from the total of $1bn he had realised from selling an oil block, which was allocated to him 12 years ago.

About $500m had been used to settle some pressing personal issues, pay his staff, and tax to the government.

He recalled that the story started 12 years ago when he was allocated an oil block by the regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha.

He said that the oil block which was in Port Harcourt, River State, however, took him about 10 years before his company first struck oil. Luckily for him, by this time, the price of oil had soared in the international market.

He said this made him to sell the block because he knew that “whatever goes up must come down,” stressing that the deal fetched him $1bn.

He also said that he was left with ‘just’ $500m after he had taken care of the essentials of life.

http://www.pointblanknews.com/os2911.html#.VMrfHUZ3gtc.facebook

Isn't GEJ's import ban scheduled to hold this 2015? What exactly is Buhari talking about then? SMH

Watch this flawless presentation by the Min of Agriculture. I promise you'll feel proud to be a Nigerian www.youtube.com/watch?v=3et6A8…

President Goodluck Jonathan has described as wicked, the allegations that he’s a supporter of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

While speaking to a large crowd at the Ribadu Square during the Presidential rally on Thursday, January 29, Jonathan said no leader would support insurgency in their country.

The president stated that his administration is totally committed to recapturing all the territories being occupied by Boko Haram terrorists in Adamawa State.

He said: “Some people have insinuated that I am behind Boko Haram and I say, may Allah forgive them. There is no human being that will be the leader of his country and instigate crisis. Why should I bring Boko Haram to Adamawa State?”

“In 2011, I got 65 per cent of the votes in Adamawa State. How can any mad person insinuate that I am in support of Boko Haram for political reasons? God willing, we will recover all the remaining local governments and join you in redeveloping Adamawa State again.”

No surprise here. Please let him lose on time. GEJ all the way

1. Major investments backing Nigeria’s new drive for agriculture development; US$8bn
commitments from local and international investors for the provision of strategic, financial and
technical support

2. Restructuring the Ministry for wider reach- with the decentralization of Ministry of Agriculture
and rural development to 36 states and 6 regions, each state and region now has a director
heading a directorate for greater effectiveness.

3. National Farmers’ database created to allow for better identification of farmers. Until 2012,
Nigeria did not have a farmers database. Today, over 10 million farmers have registered with
their bio-data captured, allowing banks and government support to target them directly.

4. Supporting genuine farmers and agro-dealers- a direct link to government benefits has been
created through the Ministry of Agriculture’s technology enabled Growth Enhancement Scheme
(GES).
A fertilizer trader from Sokoto affirmed: “I used to be a critic of the Minister of Agriculture’s policy. But
today I am one of your strongest supporters. I now sell 3 lorry loads of fertilizers daily to farmers, who are
buying them with their e-wallets”
Over 6 million farmers access subsidized seeds and fertilizers via the GES e-wallet system,
helping them produce better yields.

5. Value chains for nine commodity crops continue to be developed to promote import
substitution, food security and local job creation.

6. Improved irrigation from less than 90,000 hectares, to over 200,000 hectares of irrigated area
under President Jonathan. Irrigation has also enabled 10 Northern states to partake in dry
season farming, producing up to 1.07 million metric tonnes of food.

7. Larger scale food processing plants revived or created; two large-scale cassava processing
plants are back in business with double their initial capacity. Investment facility for 100 large
scale rice mills of 2 million metric tonne capacity has been concluded, while 13 private sector
rice mills are already producing 240,000 MT of paddy

8. Commercial scale exports to China secured as a result of improved value chains. Dried cassava
chips demand from China for 2.2 million metric tonnes

9. Establishment of a N10 billion cassava bread fund by President Jonathan using funds obtained
from the imposition of new levies on wheat imports for promotion of 20%cassava bread

10. Enhanced Training for farmers; one example is the training of 4,650 rice farmers in the North
East, North Central, South East and North West geo-political zones on modern agronomic
practices in rice production

1. President Jonanthan fulfilled his pledge on gender representation by making 35% of his
ministerial cabinet and ambassadorial appointments for women.

2. The first female Chief Justice – Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar (GCON) was appointed by
President Jonathan

3. The first female Petroleum Minister - Diezani Alison-Madueke was appointed by President
Jonathan. She recently became the first female OPEC President in 2014

4. He supports women participation in enterprise through the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in
Nigeria -YOUWIN! Women edition, providing seed grants for existing and new businesses
owned by women

5. In his quest for promoting girl child education, special girls schools have been constructed in 13
states

6. Maternal mortality dropped by 50% under President Jonathan

7. For the first time in history, Nigeria Defence Academy admits women to train as full time
professionals and combatant military officers

8. President Jonathan established the Female Teacher Trainee Scholarship Scheme for women
from marginalized, remote and rural areas to acquire skills and knowledge to become teachers

9. President Jonathan has called for Affirmative Finance Action for women during the centenary
celebration, urging banks to devote 30% of their lending in agriculture to women farmers and
women owned agribusiness

10. For the second time, Africa First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) elects Nigeria’s first lady –
Dame Patience Jonathan as president of the mission

he has no certificate please...can he be disqualified already?

1. President Jonanthan fulfilled his pledge on gender representation by making 35% of his
ministerial cabinet and ambassadorial appointments for women.

2. The first female Chief Justice – Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar (GCON) was appointed by
President Jonathan

3. The first female Petroleum Minister - Diezani Alison-Madueke was appointed by President
Jonathan. She recently became the first female OPEC President in 2014

4. He supports women participation in enterprise through the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in
Nigeria -YOUWIN! Women edition, providing seed grants for existing and new businesses
owned by women

5. In his quest for promoting girl child education, special girls schools have been constructed in 13
states

6. Maternal mortality dropped by 50% under President Jonathan

7. For the first time in history, Nigeria Defence Academy admits women to train as full time
professionals and combatant military officers

8. President Jonathan established the Female Teacher Trainee Scholarship Scheme for women
from marginalized, remote and rural areas to acquire skills and knowledge to become teachers

9. President Jonathan has called for Affirmative Finance Action for women during the centenary
celebration, urging banks to devote 30% of their lending in agriculture to women farmers and
women owned agribusiness

10. For the second time, Africa First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) elects Nigeria’s first lady –
Dame Patience Jonathan as president of the mission

10 Firsts, Biggest and Best achievements for Nigeria under President
Jonathan

1. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, the country has eradicated guinea worm disease.

2. In 8 weeks, Ebola disease was contained and eradicated, making Nigeria the global example in
best practices for containing the spread of Ebola

3. History was made in Nigeria with the appointment of the first female Chief Justice – Justice
Aloma Mariam Mukhtar (GCON). She served a two year term before retirement in November
2014

4. In 2014 with Diezani Alison-Madueke elected as the first female President of the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

5. The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria -YOUWIN! continues to succeed as the flagship
program of this administration where government impacts on youth enterprises through direct
investment in business ideas

6. For active participation in the promotion of peace, security and political stability in Africa and
around the world, Nigeria was elected to the UN Security Council for the second time under
President Jonathan. The first time Nigeria has been elected twice to the Security Council under
the same President

7. With the privatization of power, Nigeria earned a whopping N350bn in proceeds. The country
made N100bn more from this single transaction than 122 previous government asset
privatizations

8. Nigerian ports operate 24hours for the first time since 1970

9. Nigeria’s first operational standard gauge rail line was completed under President Jonathan
from Kaduna to Abuja

10. Nigeria became the first country in Africa to launch the Electronic Wallet System enabling
farmers to get subsidized farm inputs direct from their mobile phones

1. Eradication of Guinea Worm Disease. Guinea worm disease, an infection that previously
affected over 800,000 Nigerians yearly has now been TOTALLY ERADICATED.

2. No New Polio Infections. For the first time in history, Nigeria has spent more than a year
without recording a new polio infection. Polio is now almost eradicated with only 6 existing
cases left from 388 in 2009.

3. Containment and Eradication of Ebola. 8 weeks after Patrick Sawyer brought the Ebola Virus
Disease (EVD) to Nigeria from Liberia, the disease was effectively contained. Nigeria’s effective
management of EVD has been hailed by many experts as “world class”.

4. 100% Increase in Immunization Coverage. National Immunization Coverage has increased to
82% from 38% in 2012.

5. 40% Reduction in Infant Mortality. Under-5 mortality rate down to 94/1000 live births from
157/1000.

6. 50% Reduction in Maternal Deaths. Maternal death during child bearing down by 50% over the
past 4 years

7. Open Heart Surgeries Resume in Nigeria. 10 years after losing the capacity to perform open
heart surgery, several Centers of Excellence with the capacity for cardio thoracic surgery have
been revived in Teaching Hospitals across the country. Since March 2013, over 50 successful
procedures have been performed by these centers. Nigerians spent $300m for open heart
surgeries in India in 2010 alone.

8. Curriculum for Training Paramedics Introduced. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a
standard curriculum has been introduced to for training and certifying Paramedics in tertiary
institutions across the country. This will increase the supply of skilled paramedics in Nigeria -
improving pre-hospital care for trauma patients and reducing preventable deaths.

9. Nationwide Restoration of Primary Healthcare Centers: Over 1,500 Primary Healthcare Centers
have been refurbished and supplied with essential drugs under President Jonathan

10. Frontline Health Workers for the Underserved. 11,300 Frontline health workers were recruited
in 2013 alone – deployed to rural and underserved communities to deliver primary healthcare
services.

10 Things Nigeria has Done Better under President Jonathan

1. Primary Education: Basic school enrollment grew from 20 million to 30 million under President
Jonathan

2. Conduct of Elections: All Federally supervised elections under President Jonathan have been
adjudged by local and international stakeholders as relatively free, fair and credible.

3. Road Infrastructure Development: Percentage of motorable Federal Roads has increased from
50% to 83% under President Jonathan. Approximately 2,000km of roads were either built or
rehabilitated in 2013 alone – the highest ever in a single year

4. Railway Infrastructure Development: Approximately 1,500 km of rail lines rehabilitated and put
into operation after 15 years of being moribund. First standard gauge (modern) inter-city rail
line between Kaduna and Abuja completed – ranked in the top 100 infrastructure projects in the
world.

5. Food Production: A reduction of 380 billion Naira in annual food import in just two years due to
increased domestic production of staple foods

6. Women Inclusion: Highest and most effective involvement of women in Governance in Nigeria’s
history.

7. Eradication of Endemic Diseases: Guinea worm, previously affecting over 800,000 Nigerians
yearly, eradicated. Polio has been all but eradicated in Nigeria with cases dropping from 388 to
6 in 5 years and no new Polio virus transmissions in more than a year.

8. Privatization of Government Assets: The privatization of the power sector that had posed an
insurmountable challenge to previous governments was completed transparently under
President Jonathan. 350 billion Naira proceeds from the sale is 100 billion Naira more than was
realized from the previous sales of 122 government assets put together.

9. Fighting Corruption: With a strategic focus on preventing corruption before it happens, the
technology-enabled implementation of smart policies under President Jonathan has eliminated
many avenues for wholesale corruption in Nigeria, saving hundreds of billions of Naira yearly.

10. Electronic Government: 9.6 million farmers can access government services direct from their
mobile phones. 50 government services including passport and driving license applications
available online. Technology being deployed to curb pension, wages and petroleum products
fraud. No wonder Nigeria was awarded 1st in Africa in Government-Wide Implementation of IT
by the UN.

GEJ for president

I address you today, not as the President elected four years ago, not as the president that steered the ship this past years but as a man who has looked back and realized that all I am is just that; a man.

My brothers and sisters,

Our nation is at a key point in its journey, a point where decisions have to be made and these decisions determine whether we reach our potential as an entity or spend the next 4 years trying to discover our identity.

I address you today, not as the President elected four years ago, not as the president that steered the ship this past years but as a man who has looked back and realized that all I am is just that; a man.

As we gear up for the coming elections, we have campaigned far and wide, we have shared manifestos and plans, and we have listed our goals and aspirations. I however do not have the luxury of being the novice as I have been in this position for some time. I deserve to be judged more harshly than my opponents but the first judgment comes from within.

It is quite sad that we have centered our campaign on issues that have involved the loss of lives and I take full responsibility for this. Terrorism is not a foreign occurrence and as C-in-C, the responsibility of securing the citizenry of this nation lies with me. The voices of all those lost in these attacks haunt me daily and their pain pierces me deeply. Sympathy is of no use as this would not bring them back, but we can ensure that they do not die in vain by bringing this menace to an end.

A lot of questions have risen regarding my stance on several issues; the frequent bombings, the abduction of the girls and more recently, the clashes in Baga. I did not close my eyes to these happenings, I rely on the information I receive and these are mostly security driven. These and other factors informed my decisions. Was I right to take these steps? No. Would I have acted differently? I really should have. Can I right this? The decision lies in your hands.

I can speak on the achievements of this tenure, I can list a lot of promises but all of these do not matter when my family have lost faith in my ability as a father to provide them the security they deserve. Leadership is not about not failing, it is about doing what is right to ensure it isn’t repeated. The mother in the ancient city of Benin doesn’t disown her son who fails in his academic pursuits but places more trust in him by still paying his fees. I failed in keeping your homes and fields safe, I failed to bring your girls back, I failed to kick out the scourge of Boko Haram but by God, I pledge to right these wrongs with the last drop of blood I have.

I will reach out to all who have combatted this plague, seek out their wisdom, tackle these issues head on and ensure that Nigeria becomes one of the most desirable places to live in

As you make a choice of your president, I will like to thank you for the confidence you placed on me the last election and request that you enable me payback that trust. If you choose otherwise, I will accept your choice and contribute my quota to the development of this nation in whatever way I can.

Thank you for not just giving me shoes but teaching me the importance of walking right.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

- @NotGoodluck

10 Ways President Jonathan is Empowering Our Youth

1. Access to higher education has increased under President Jonathan with the establishment of
12 new Universities across Nigeria

2. He has licensed approximately 100 Innovation Enterprise Institutions to provide Technical and
Vocational Education to young Nigerians as an alternative to formal Tertiary Education

3. He has awarded 101 Presidential Special Scholarships for Innovation and Development to
young Nigerians to receive training in the top 25 Universities in the world

4. He has doubled the Federal Allocation for Education

5. He has allocated 3 Billion Naira through the Project Advancing Creativity and Technology (PACT)
to provide business development grants to young people in the creative industry

6. Over 3,600 young Nigerian entrepreneurs have received up to N10 Million each in capital
grants to grow their business under President Jonathan’s YouWin Scheme. These young
entrepreneurs have created over 30,000 jobs.

7. Over 120,000 young Nigerians have been employed to engage in construction and
rehabilitation of social and economic infrastructure under the Community Service Scheme of
the SURE-P Programme.

8. The Graduate Internship Scheme, established under President Jonathan, has benefited over
7,000 young graduates providing placement with competent firms to enhance skills and
improve chances of employment.

9. 66,000 mortgage requests are currently being processed for young Nigerians as part of
President Jonathan’s Housing Sector revolution.

10. President Jonathan continues to connect with and listen to young people across multiple
online and traditional platforms ensuring that the voices of young Nigerians are incorporated in
policy formulation and governance.

10 Ways in Which President Jonathan is Making Transportation in
Nigeria Easier and Safer

1. Through extensive rehabilitation, he has increased the percentage of Federal roads that are
safe and motorable from 50% to 83%

2. He is fixing Nigeria’s roads faster than any government has ever done before! 2,000 km of
Federal roads were either built or rehabilitated in 2013 alone. That’s a record for a single year.

3. He is reconstructing and expanding key commercial arteries like the Benin-Ore-Shagamu,
Lagos-Ibadan, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Kano-Maiduguri and Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Highways

4. Under President Jonathan, approximately 90 Road Support Service locations have been
established to provide first response to road accidents and robbery

5. He has renovated 22 Federal Airports

6. Under President Jonathan, Nigeria has achieved and maintained US Federal Aviation
Administration Category-1 Certification – the highest standard for Air Safety

7. Under President Jonathan, 6 Airports strategically located close to Nigeria’s food baskets have
been established as Cargo Airports for air shipment of perishable goods.

8. He has rehabilitated and revived the Lagos-Kano Rail Service – enabling cheaper movement of
people and heavy freight between Lagos and Kano.

9. He has built the Kaduna-Abuja rail line from start to finish. It is the first phase of a 25-year
railway development plan that has been ranked among the top 100 infrastructure projects in
the world

10. The establishment of several inland ports and the dredging of key inland waterways has seen
waterways passenger traffic grow by 400% and inland waterways cargo volume grow by 100%

10 Things You Didn’t Know About President Jonathan and the Fight Against Corruption

1. He has chosen to fight corruption with good strategies and diligence, not brute force.

2. He will not abuse his powers in order to appear tough on corruption. He believes that following
due process while fighting corruption strengthens our institutions

3. He granted the EFCC independence from the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, so it can
pursue corruption in the public sector without interference.

4. With smart policies, he has decimated almost 4 decades of fertilizer subsidy fraud, saving
N50bn in a single year.

5. He revived the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to eliminate a major
avenue of corruption in the public sector. This has resulted in the elimination of 50,000 ghost
workers and N139bn in savings
6. Project Aquila, implemented under President Jonathan, has helped reduced up to 20 million
liters a day in PMS subsidy fraud by using technology to track the movement of petroleum
products around Nigeria

7. He approved the compulsory retirement of a judge that dismissed a grievous corruption case
against a Bank CEO before taking the defendant’s plea

8. He approved the sack of a judge that upheld the results of a fraudulent election in Osun State
even though the Judge’s decision had benefitted his own party, PDP.

9. He approved the suspension of a judge that had sentenced a man, convicted of stealing pension
funds, to a paltry fine instead of prison.

10. He doesn’t like to make a big show of it, because there is a lot more work to be done, but he is
winning the war on corruption.

It is generally said that the GEJ government has done NOTHING while in office. This document goes a long way to refute that. This is even a mid term report and the facts and figures are glaring for all who care to see.

READ

http://www.fmf.gov.ng/images/Downloads/PRESIDENTI.pdf

Apparently, his advisers are very bad at math. He probably is just saying things he thinks the people want to hear. My question has remained HOW?, Stop telling us plans and tell us how you intend to make them happen. till then, he should take a seat.

By Olayinka Ajayi

Mr Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra State, is a honorary adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan. Obi shares his perspective on the 2015 polls in this interview.

We overheard the Vice President introduce you as the Deputy Director General (South), comprising the South West, South East and South South of the presidential campaign organisation, which is why you are here as part of the reconciliation team of the PDP for Lagos.

Are you satisfied with the outcome of the reconciliation meeting?

Yes I am. I thank Vice President Namadi Sambo, who led the peace talks and also thank and congratulate the people of the state for their maturity. Mr Vice Vice President spoke to the party members like a father, and everybody in the PDP family agreed with him on the need to close ranks and work together.

What is your reaction to the the statement of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Director General of Gen Buhari’s campaign, that the APC supports mutiny?

The statement, if it is true, is unfortunate and least expected of a public officer of his status. I have always maintained that leaders in corporate and public life should strive to maintain exemplary character and behaviour that is worthy of emulation. Their pronouncements and disposition must be responsible, devoid of abusive, or inciting words that could undermine the moral fabric of the society.

On this same issue of security in particular, lives have been lost by the civilian populace and military personnel. That is why public figures must be sensitive to these things and show signs of serious social responsibility at all times. We are expected to speak with restraint and decorum, knowing that we can make or mar society. At all times and in all climes, issues of security are left in the hands of security agents and we must show utmost understanding of the dynamics of security.

Do you agree that Buhari has the capacity to stop Boko Haram if elected?

Buhari-declaresGen. Buhari, as a respected, retired general and as an elder statesman, does not need an invitation, an appointment or an elective office to intervene on any national issue, especially issues of national security like the one facing the country at the moment. Elder statesmen all over the world do not wait to be invited before they step forward on matters of grave concern to their fatherland.

President Jonathan is running round sleeplessly and working with security agencies, in addition to forging bilateral ties to solve these problems. He will certainly be very glad to receive any suggestions from Buhari and I can assure you that Nigerians will be glad if he helps solve the problem as an elder statesman. He has said that he will summon a meeting of serving and retired generals to help solve the problem if elected, but he does not need to be elected to do so.

But some people are saying that he can deal with Boko Haram, the way he dealt with the Maitatsine unrest decades ago.

I have read in some places where the APC said that because Buhari stopped Maitaitsine in the 80s, he will also stop Boko today. I disagree entirely with this claim, because the stable global environment of the 80s cannot be compared with the volatile and terror-enveloped global environment of today. The socio-religious realities that threw up the Maitaisine group are different from the realities that threw up Boko Haram.

In the 80s, most countries were stable, but today the global instability, cutting across nations like Iraq, Syria and the Middle East, has created a labyrinth of terror. This is in addition to our African neighbours, , like Libya, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tunisia and others, which are all facing various forms of instability and terrorist activities. The level of sophistication in technology and military hardware is also totally different today. No one would have ever imagined in the 80s that terrorists would go into the US and bomb the World Trade Centre, or attack the Pentagon. But we all saw it happen.

These are realities that need to shape our understanding of the world of today. What is happening has a global coloration, because the ISIS flag is the flag you see with Alshaba in Somalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria. You can now see why we cannot compare yesterday with what we are seeing today. Who would have thought that Nigerians would turn into suicide bombers?

What do you say about the fate of the Naira?

Most comments about the condition of the Naira are made out of ignorance. It needs the understanding of macro-economic realities to understand what is happening in the world today. The depreciation in the exchange rate is a worldwide phenomenon, fueled by the fall in oil prices and other elements of the increasing global economic and security challenges. Hardest hit are countries that export petroleum products.

Talking about the fall in the value of the Naira, look at what is happening in Russia and other places. In just a year, the Russian rouble lost 40% of its value. The Venezuelan currency even lost more than that. The interesting thing about these countries is that they are not calling for the crucifixion of their leaders, rather, they are supporting them with an understanding that the problem will pass away.

The APC has said that Buhari is the best Nigerian leader ever, that he did it once and can do it again. What do you say about this?

Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan (L) and vice president Namadi Sambo wave to supporters during a presidential primary in Abuja, on December 10, 2014. Jonathan is expected to be formally endorsed as the PDP candidate, with no other challengers, for the next year presidential elections. AFP PHOTO
FILE PHOTO: Nigeria’s president Goodluck Jonathan (L) and vice president Namadi Sambo wave to supporters during a presidential primary in Abuja, on December 10, 2014. AFP PHOTO
At the age of 41, which was 31 years ago, Buhari staged a coup d’état and removed the democratically elected government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari and tried visibly to instil discipline and order in our society. This was both commendable and his greatest achievement. But the economic policies and actions of that government were disastrous, as Nigeria nearly turned into a pariah nation that no one wanted to deal with globally.

At the time, under the Buhari’s government, confirmed Letters of Credit were rejected, because no one wanted to deal with Nigeria. Though I disagree that he was one of the best Nigerian leaders, even if we assume that he was the best 31 years ago, that is not the reason we should clone him back today at 72. The Singaporeans are not asking Lee Kwuan Yu to come back. Malaysians are not asking Mohamad to come back.

The Americans are also not asking Bill Clinton, who came to office ten years after Buhari’s first outing and who had the best economic performance in the 21st century, to come back. Are we saying that Nigeria has not produced anyone who can do the job today?

What exactly are you saying?

All I am saying is that no progressive country of the world, especially those we are trying to emulate, like the US, the UK, etc, have ever elected anybody above 70 years of age since the inception of democracy in their countries.

The oldest person ever elected in the US was President Reagan, who became president at 68. At that time, Americans were particular about his age. This is a nation with a life expectancy of over 100 years, as against Nigeria, with a life expectancy of about 60 years.

Towards the end of Reagan’s presidency, there were serious issues of stress and his ability to continue with the job. Few months after he left office, he could no longer recognise his wife. Let us cite examples of presidents of these countries I mentioned, all of whom came to power at least ten years after Buhari’s leadership of the country as Head of State. President Barack Obama was 47 when he took over, while George W. Bush was 54 and Bill Clinton 46.

It is almost the same for the UK where the current Prime Minister was 43 when he took over, while Gordon Brown was 56, Tony Blair 43 and John Major 47. To bring this closer home, our neighbouring Ghana has President John Mahama who started at 53. One can understand if he is in his 60s today. To further elucidate this, why do we have to retire our top military personnel and civil servants at 60, university lecturers at 65 and Supreme Court judges at 75.

Even the religious bodies now retire their leaders at the age of 70. Which is why the highly celebrated primate of the Church of Nigeria, Sunday Mbang, and Ola Makinde of the Methodist Church, as well as Cardinal Okojie of the Catholic Church, are now retired. These are people who are managing smaller segments of civil society.

In a world where a life-changing protest for democratic change, demanding for free and fair democracy without Chinese interference, was led by a 17-year-old boy in Hong Kong, APC is threatening to inflict a 72-year-old grandfather on Nigeria as president. Do you realise that the major companies of the world like doogle (1998), Yahoo (1994), Ebay (1995), Facebook (2004) and Alibaba (1999), were all founded by people under 40 years of age. Most of the captains of industry in Nigeria today are led by men and women who were in not yet in primary school 31 years ago, when Buhari’s was Head of State.

Gov. Amaechi also complained about Jonathan being responsible for the depreciation of the Naira

Again, this is case of people speaking either out of mischief or ignorance, or both. I speak of mischief here because even those with no knowledge of macroeconomics know why the Naira is depreciating. Currencies depreciate for a number of fundamental reasons, other than the actions of governments. The recent depreciation of major currencies of the world was more pronounced in countries with heavy dependence on oil.

The Russian rouble, for instance, lost over 45% of its value in four months and no one is blaming Putin for it, or asking that he should leave. Ours would have been much worse, but for President Jonathan’s diversification of the economy, especially in the area of agriculture which has saved a lot of savings in food importation.

Furthermore, the currencies of better or similar similar economies, like the Brazilian real, Argentina’s peso, Soth African rand and more have all depreciated by over 12 and 15% in the last one year. This is similar to what we have witnessed here and the people are not calling for the heads of their leaders. Coming nearer home, the Ghanaian cedi has equally depreciated by over 35%and no one has called for an end to the incumbent government.

The opposition also said Jonathan is incapable of fighting corruption and I need to hear your views on that allegation.

Well, everyone in Nigeria claims to be a saint and accuses others of being corrupt. We all read and also heard from those who were there what transpired at the APC presidential primary in Lagos. That is not corruption, right? While I agree that there is the need to strengthen institutions like the ICPC and EFCC, to fight the physical and more tangible forms of administrative corruption, there is also the far more fundamental need to fight corruption from its very roots.

What I mean here is the distortion of societal values, as can be seen for example where those who are role models are mostly some of worst among us. Honours and titles are often given to persons whose conduct and obscene exhibition of wealth set a bad example for the leaders of tomorrow. The best way to fight corruption realistically is to institutionalize the processes of governance.

You only need to look at how the reforms in the procurement and distribution of fertiliser have totally transformed everything, making fertiliser directly available to farmers and disbanding the cartel that held the system hostage before the Jonathan administration. It is the same with the pension reforms and the Sovereign Wealth Fund which have, respectively, created a more sustainable financial fall back position and blocked leakages in pension fund administration.

What is you take on who Nigerians should vote for in 2015?

The answer to that question is fairly obvious: Jonathan, Jonathan, and Jonathan. He has put the right policies in place and set the right processes in motion. He needs to continue and finish the good work he is doing now and that is why he should be voted in.

The reason you are asking this question is simply because his performance is under reported and even sometimes distorted by mischief makers. He will be a stronger and better candidate, when re-elected, as he follows through what he has started. Whatever challenges are on the ground today are being progressively overcome and will soon become things of the past.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/nigeria-not-need-72-yr-old-grandfather-president-peter-obi-2/#sthash.eHd1AfTK.dpuf

“Jonathan Has Delivered On Education” PDP Lists Achievements’ Of The Current Govt



The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is proud of its numerous achievements in the education sector, particularly the record performance of President Goodluck Jonathan in the sector in the last four years.

The party, which reviewed the gains and challenges of the sector against the performance of the present administration, urged Nigerians to vote for President Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election to guarantee the future of education in the country.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Monday said the PDP has in the last 15 years, progressively grown the education sector as a social instrument for national development and integration through vigorous implementation of broad-based policies in keeping with its manifesto and ideology.

The PDP saluted the President for accelerating the development of education at all levels in the last four years, noting, that “President Jonathan has not only repositioned the public school system but has also provided the enabling environment for greater participation of private individuals and agencies in the delivery of education services under government regulation.

“This is in addition to the massive rehabilitation and upgrade of federal government-owned schools as well as the three-pronged programmes of the Almajiri Education System, the first of its kind; the Girl-Child Education and Back-to-School programmes, all of which have drastically reduced the out-of-school children profile in the country, particularly in the north.

“The 150 Almajiri schools across the Northern states and the Out-of-School-Children Programme including Specialised Boys and Girls Schools across the country have given meaning to the lives of hitherto despaired children.

“Under Jonathan’s watch, enrollment in basic schools has increased from 23 million in 2010 to 29 million in 2012 and still growing. In the same vein, enrollment in colleges of education has increased from 620, 000 in 2011 to 750,000 in 2013. Also the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) established by the PDP is expanding to 250, 000 enrollment annually.

“To guarantee enhanced access to university education, President Jonathan established 14 new universities, (9 in the northern states of Kogi, Taraba, Jigawa, Gombe, Nasarawa, Katsina, Yobe, Kebbi and Zamfara States and 3 in the southern states of Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Ekiti) including two specialized Police and Maritime universities, thereby ensuring that all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory have a federal university.

“Of course, the number of private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions has also doubled as a result of the education-friendly environment created by the PDP-led Federal Government. This is in addition to the establishment of new NCE awarding institutions and upgrade of strategic polytechnics for enhanced service delivery in the country.

“Again, in line with its commitment to the proper funding of the sector, the Federal Government has almost tripled education allocation from N224 billion in 2007 to 634 billion in 2013.

“This has been complemented with the creation of special intervention agencies such as TETFund and the special NEEDS assessment fund through which over N500 billion has been spent on various projects to increase access and improve the quality of infrastructure at the tertiary level of our education system.

“To guarantee quality education, the Jonathan administration has also sponsored over 5, 867 lecturers of federal and state tertiary institutions for post-graduate studies, out of which 1,375 were sponsored overseas.

“School curriculum was also reviewed in line with national development objectives while public-private partnership was strengthened with major publishers for the development of basic and senior secondary school textbooks.”

Stating that President Jonathan’s performance in the sector cuts across the entire spectrum of education in the country, the PDP said the record of achievements would not have been possible if not for the meticulous implementation of policies by the administration and the support of well-meaning Nigerians.

The PDP therefore charged Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan and ensure that the gains already recorded in the sector are consolidated by voting en-masse for the PDP in the 2015 general elections.


Read more http://newswirengr.com/2014/12/30/jonathan-has-delivered-on-education-pdp-lists-achievements-of-the-current-govt/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Sir Celestine Omehia is the former Governor of Rivers State. In this interview with journalists in Abuja, he gave reasons why Buhari should not be voted in as President. In his view, if General Muhammadu Buhari is elected president in 2015, his election would be tantamount to retrogressing the country. Excerpts:
By Chioma Obinna
DO you think that President Goodluck Jonathan is a match for Buhari in the coming 2015 election?
I don’t have any fear about Buhari being the APC presidential
candidate. People are rating Buhari from his military achievements, but we are now talking about the democratic government of Nigeria.
If Buhari achieved anything, it was by the force of arms – the use of the army, the use of gun and so on. If you put Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan in the same environment, you will see that their behaviour would be different. One was democratically brought up. The democratic ideologies in him are different from the military ideologies in Buhari.

Buhari has not learnt anything about democracy and more so, Buhari’s so called achievements in administration were not piloted by him. They were practically piloted by his second-in-command and the second-in-command unfortunately, is not his second-in-command now. He has a professor as his running mate. And we are not talking of academic work; we are talking of practical politics.

We are not talking of who will be tested in the laboratory, we are not talking about who will be tested in the farmyard; we are talking of democracy in politics. So, if the two second-in-commands are not the same, it then means that Buhari cannot do better than Jonathan.
But one thing is basic: Jonathan has had democratic experience from being deputy governor to governor, from being governor to vice president, being vice president to president. You cannot compare their experience in life in terms of democratic experience. You cannot compare their achievements. Put on the same scale, Jonathan will score 80 percent, while Buhari will score 20 percent in democratic achievements.

If you put them on the same scale, the vice presidential candidate of the PDP who was once a governor and vice president for some number of years will score much more than the intimidated vice presidential candidate of the APC. So, put the two together, Nigerians are matured enough and reasonable enough to think and know that Jonathan stands a better chance to give Nigerians what they need. Again, don’t forget that being the president for four years running; Jonathan has set several things in motion: several projects, several principles, and several ideologies that could keep Nigeria moving.

On the other hand, if Buhari is given the opportunity, he will set Nigeria ten years backward because we will start a new idea not from where Jonathan has started. He will go back and draw a plan that is different from what Jonathan has started. And in that case, Nigeria will be taken ten years behind the schedule. So, the issue of continuity comes to play.

I have always said the issue of continuity is important in Nigerian politics and in the Nigerian administrative system. Mind you, APC is only coming up with vendetta. APC has never said anything good about any other party. So, when they talk about what they can do for Nigeria, APC would always think of how to destroy what the PDP has set up to do and in that case, there would be a lot of abandoned projects, there would be a lot of wastage of our resources, there would be a lot of acrimony between the two parties. So, there would be no need creating such things.


Nigerians are not good with continuity and that is what we want to avoid.
The APC has always talked of change. That takes me to the idea of APC – change, APC – change. What is there to change? They have never told you what they want to change. They will never come out to say these are the programmes they want to change.
In any case, who are the members of the APC now, properly so called members APC? They are all members of the PDP who abandoned the project and ran into the APC. And what are they going to change? Changing what they had already done? Take for instance, the campaign director of APC is a former PDP person. What is he going to change? He is going to change what he started in PDP. What it means is that ab initio, he was wrong in all he did in the PDP.

Masari is the governorship candidate in Katsina and he was a Speaker in the PDP. What is he going to change? Look at the former PDP chairman from Kwara, Baraje, what is he going to change?
Audu Ogbeh was chairman of the PDP, what is he going to change? Does it mean that all these PDP members who are in APC were failures and they now realise that they were failures and they want to make a change? It is never easy to change what you have done unless somebody else will change it. So, APC cannot change what they have done.

One major issue that would remain a problem for President Jonathan is the issue of insecurity, what is your take on this?
The issue of insecurity is a common global phenomenon. Criminals are born every day. There are criminals all over the world and Nigeria is no exemption. What we must understand is that Jonathan did not create the insecurity in the north eastern part of Nigeria; therefore, it is the problem of Nigerians and not only Jonathan’s.

For Buhari to say he will end the insecurity immediately he takes over power, it then means that he is the creator of the situation. He knows the origin, he knows where it started and more so, he is from the north. Although he is from the North West, he is from the North; therefore, he created it to destabilize the administration of Jonathan.
Talking about insecurity, the people that are affected are Nigerians, therefore, he owes it a duty to help Nigerians and save their lives whether or not he is in power, whether or not the APC is in power. If they have the antidote to it, this is the time they should help instead of looking at
Nigerians suffering and dying.

This is the time they should play their role in one way or the other. But the question is, what role have they played to end insecurity in Nigeria?
So, if they cannot proffer solution now, they have no solution at all even if they are in power.
The dust raised in Rivers state following the conduct of the governorship primary election is yet to settle. Are you confident that the PDP would have the day in the forthcoming election?

I am very sure of PDP winning Rivers state. I am very sure of that because primaries are always in this form. No primary election in Nigeria has ended and the loser agreed that it has ended.
There has always been the belief that the last is yet to be heard. Even till names are submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and even after that, people are still going to protest. So, it is natural in Nigeria. It is not the same thing when compared to other parts of the world where there are gallant losers.

In Nigeria, there are gallant winners, but there are no gallant losers. But one basic thing about Rivers state is that it is a PDP state. It has always been like that. People in Rivers state don’t really like going to opposition except the individuals.
When I left the PDP and joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), people joined me massively because of my personality as Celestine Omehia, because of their beliefs in my programmes, my ideologies and what I can afford them. So, people followed me and I still believe that the 2011 election was won in Rivers state by APGA led by me.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/buhari-ll-take-nigeria-10-years-back-omehia/#sthash.wTcI0QMC.dpuf

Remember in 2012, the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram indicated its readiness to end its campaign of violence but on the conditions that ex-Borno State Governor Modu Sheriff was arrested and peace talks held in Saudi Arabia.

Also, the sect asked for compensation for families of its members killed in the course of its terrorist acts and the rebuilding of its mosques by the Federal Government.

It also demanded the release of all its members in the custody of security agencies.

Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, the second-in-command to the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, gave the conditions on during a radio conference with journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Abdulaziz did not explain why the group wanted Sheriff arrested.

Just on Wednesday, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, said Sheriff and Senators Ali Ndume and Ahmed Zanna had been put under surveillance to determine their alleged links with the sect.

The three have been variously manipulated as financiers of the group

Abdulaziz named a former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari; Dr. Shettima Monguno; a former Yobe State Governor, Bukar Ibrahim; Ambassador Gaji Galtimari; and Aisha Alkali Wakil, and her husband, Alkali as “trusted” Nigerians it would be ready to negotiate with in Saudi Arabia.

On the sect’s team would be Abdulaziz, Abu Abbas, Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf, Sheikh Sani Kontogora and Mamman Nur.

Abdulaziz said, “We are not actually challenging the state, as people are saying, but the security (forces) that are killing our members, children and wives.

“We are highly offended but if this government is sincere, everything (the attacks) will come to an end. We want to dialogue but government must show sincerity in its handling of the situation.”

More than 1,000 persons have been killed in attacks on places of worship, military and police facilities as well as drinking joints since the sect launched its war against the government in 2009.

Last year, suicide bombers from the sect attacked the Police headquarters and the UN Building, in Abuja, killing 44 persons. On last Christmas Day, Boko Haram also attacked St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, killing at least 46 parishioners.

It has subsequently attacked several other worship centres, including the St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Kaduna last Sunday.

Before now, the Federal Government had made several claims that it was in dialogue with the sect but Abdulaziz said there had been no contact between Boko Haram and the government. He said the sect wants the talk outside the country because the government had proved not to be trustworthy.

The PUNCH could not verify the identity of the man , who claimed to be Abdulaziz even as there were minor inconsistencies in the communication between him and the journalists on Thursday.

Apart from the fact that Abdulaziz is not the usual official spokesman for the sect, he spoke in English Language instead of the Hausa/Arabic that the sect is known for .

But, the Presidency on Thursday said the proposed ceasefire by Boko Haram was a welcome development, if it was intended to achieve the objectives of peace and security.

Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, said the position of President Goodluck Jonathan had been that he was ready for dialogue if members of the sect could come forward.

He said, “Yes, I have seen the story in which the Boko Haram is reportedly declaring a ceasefire and the opening of dialogue. I think it is important to restate the position of government in this matter.

“The Federal Government is committed to peace and security for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“ If what the proposed ceasefire is intended to achieve are the objectives of peace and security, then it is a welcome development.

“Don’t forget that President Jonathan made it clear that if the people behind Boko Haram are ready to come forward, and table their grievances, then government will be willing to listen to those grievances.

“There have been attempts before now, by concerned persons to reach out to the Boko Haram through back channels, in response to government’s call that all efforts should be made to resolve the problem. I suspect that this latest development may be related to that.”

Meanwhile, Governor Ibrahim Shettima of Borno State on Thursday said security agencies must be alive to their responsibilities by probing the alleged involvement of politicians in the state in the activities of Boko Haram.

Shettima gave the charge while speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja.

Borno State is considered to be the hotbed of activities of the fundamental.

He said, “On the issue of the involvement of politicians, I think is within the realm and the responsibility of the security agencies to unearth the truth.

“I am more of a developmental politician and I am more interested in addressing the core issues that makes our society vulnerable to the antics of religious bigots and all sorts of misfits that are inducting our young ones to these things.

“So, I don’t want to dabble into of the work of security agencies neither do I want to respond to allegations and accusations from any quarter. But it is the responsibility of security agencies to unearth those behind Boko Haram.”

It is not my desire to join issues or engage any of my colleagues in an open debate in the media. This article should therefore be seen as an exception. After reading Waziri Adio’s article on the back page of THISDAY 15th December titled, “Is This, Finally, The Buhari Moment?” I came to the inescapable conclusion that there were obvious gaps that needed to be filled. For the records, Mr Adio was spot on and I largely agree with the analysis except for the phrase ‘contrived handicaps’ which is suggestive of falsehood sold as truth.


I therefore find the urge to correct some misrepresentations too strong to resist. It is particularly expedient to fill the missing years between 1984 (about 30 years) ago when Buhari entered the consciousness of Nigerians with those immortal and awe inspiring words which Waziri heralded his article, “This generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no country other than Nigeria, we shall remain here and salvage it together” and his 2014 speech preceding his nomination when he stated thus, “We seek a new Nigeria. It starts with us, it starts today…. Nigeria is our home. Let us now turn it into the great Nation we know it can and should be.’’


Of truth, that statement in 1984 captivated and galvanised Nigerians across the country into looking inward and believing our situation was not beyond redemption. But the succeeding years have seen Buhari morphing into something of a caricature image far less noble than the vision encapsulated in that powerful summation of 1984.

These years have been very revealing of the Buhari personae. So much water has passed under the bridge such that it would be wrong to condense and analyse Buhari on just two inspiring quotes 30 years apart and attempt to sell his candidature as a viable alternative. I find this unhelpful for a society yearning for direction.


What about the intervening years that have thrown up a deeply partisan, sectional and religious irredentist that I am sure, many Nigerians would find different from the man who spoke those words 30 years ago? The truth here is that from when he spoke his first words to Nigerians and became a fixture of sorts in our psyche, Buhari has evolved severally; he has become a convoluted and conflicted brand. From an inspirational national leader, he withdrew into the conclave of an ethno-religious champion and a fanatical extremist who has sought without apologies to anyone, to undermine everything the Nigeria nation stands for.

We will be guilty of extreme naivety to wave off these tendencies that are so manifestly glaring in the APC presidential candidate as figment of our imagination or merely “contrived handicaps” by Buhari haters to undermined him like my Egbon Waziri has done.
While Mr Adio will have us believe that the well deserved appellation is “contrived handicaps”, the facts and records of history speak to the contrary. As I said, Buhari has become deeply conflicted and I say it without mincing words and that contrary to Waziri Adio’s position, Buhari is an ethno-religious fundamentalist. The ark of history is on my side here. The fact that Buhari is being rebranded by the APC apparatchiks and has consequently toned down his extremist views about North/South and Muslims/Christians of the country, for political correctness does not make him any less a religious extremist. I even find the whole rebranding project pretentious, deceitful, and unflattering to the iron-cast inscrutable image of the General. My admonition to those behind it is that you cannot change a man from who he is to who he is not.

The proof of Buhari’s ethno-religious leaning is stated here in his own words and recorded position on issues pertaining to Sharia and the interest of the North as against the overriding interest of Nigeria. If Waziri Adio so fervently believes that Buhari is not a fundamentalist, what does he make of Buhari’s statement 27 August 2001,“I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we’ll not stop the agitation for the total implementation of Sharia in the country.’’

As if that was not enough, Buhari stated further, “Muslims should vote for fellow Muslims who can defend their faith”. If Waziri Adio so strongly believes that the fundamentalist toga was ‘contrived,’ what does he make of the above?
Just a few weeks ago, Atiku Abubarkar called Buhari a religious bigot and warned that Nigeria doesn’t need a religious bigot as president. I believe Atiku played that up for his own political advantage because of the primary that was coming up where he alongside other contestants squared against Buhari, but even at that, he was merely stating a self evident fact.


Recall also that during Governor Lam Adesina’s time as governor of Oyo state, Buhari travelled all the way from Daura in Katsina to visit Governor Adesina in Ibadan. It was no ordinary visit, but a protest visit that Adesina’s people were killing his (Buhari’s) people. Still wondering what all that means? Well, you don’t have to wait for long. Here it is. It was all about the clashes between Hausa-Fulani herdsmen grazing with their cattle in indigenes’ farmland and destroying their crops. Buhari’s exact words were: “Your people are killing my people.” If this is not a sufficient proof of this man’s sectional-ethnic affinity and inclination then, someone will have to tell me what is. Governor Adesina was so disappointed in Buhari, that he issued him a rebuke, urging him to play the statesman instead of narrow ethnic interest that chips away at his position as a former head of state.


Just last year, when the state of emergency was declared in parts of the North-east to tame the menace of the devilish and blood-thirsty Boko Haram which has severally broken its own worst record of human carnage, Buhari stated in an interview that he was against the state of emergency and military action against sect, which he described as a grave injustice to the North. According to him in his lamentation, “unlike the special treatment the federal government gave to the Niger Delta militants, the Boko Haram members were being killed and their houses demolished.”

Waziri Adio should tell Nigerians what Buhari meant by that statement. If it was not supportive of Boko Haram and at the same time playing the ethno-religious card, then half the world is not enough as a gift to me. Now, how can a former head of state even make such a statement? What was it meant to achieve? Any objective deductions from Buhari’s statements will inevitably come to the sane conclusion that many Nigerians have come to - a religious fundamentalist who wants to right the perceived ‘wrongs’ done to the north.
Lest we forget, The same Buhari was once nominated by Boko Haram as their chief negotiator even though he reluctantly declined. But why did the murderous terror sect choose Buhari of all people, a former head of state of Nigeria, as their negotiator from a motley crowd of qualified ethno-religious champions who believe that power belongs to the north or “northerners are born to rule”? I am unable to find an answer to this question except to think that perhaps, Boko Haram trusted him more to represent their interest. Was this also ‘contrived’?
It is easy to rebuke those who call Buhari a religious fundamentalist or an extremist, but Buhari’s character portrait and utterances over the years speak to the answer. I was once a big fan of Buhari in the 80s, and for the life of me, I agonised over many sleepless nights when my ‘hero’ started to unravel before my very eyes. His war against indiscipline endeared him to me. It was good for society and it remains an enduring legacy in the country today.
While this write-up is not an assessment of the failings of Buhari’s regime from 1984, I am of the belief that a man who executed three young Nigerians with a law retroactively implemented and has remained unrepentant, unremorseful and still believes in the rightness of that action, his sense of morality and righteousness must be deeply flawed. And for those who think Buhari’s views have matured over time, I say, I wish. We seem to have forgotten so soon how innocent youth corp members serving in parts of the north were killed just because Buhari lost the 2011 presidential election? And I dare say the language of his campaign was largely responsible for those killings.

I am also not impressed with the narrative out there that Buhari believes in fighting corruption with total commitment, even though he may not be personally corrupt and I dare say, he is not. He allows certain things under table and in some cases, negligently aids and abets corrupt acts. Remember the 53 suit cases? What about his stewardship at PTF? It is not as flattering as some would want us to believe. And before I forget, in 2008, at the 10th anniversary of the death of Abacha, Buhari declared to the consternation of all Nigerians that Abacha was neither corrupt nor a thief. “He did not steal Nigeria’s money,” he declared sternly with military fiat. This is despite the fact that several countries had returned hundreds of millions of dollars to Nigeria as part of Abacha’s recovered loot. I don’t know if this position was also ‘contrived’ by Buhari’s hate club. If not, I don’t know how much good this does to the General’s image as an anti-corruption leader that is being daily burnished in the media. Anyone who denies this fact of history that Abacha did not loot the treasury cannot be an honest person and for Buhari to do that speak powerfully to the charge against him. It is an eloquent testimony that tells a lot about what his promoters would not want to talk about.


The harrowing traffic chaos that we all suffer and agonise over today in Lagos is a direct result of Buhari’s narrow and parochial minded view of economic affairs of this country. The cancellation of the Lagos Metro Line project after commencement of work remains a sad reminder of Buhari’s lack of vision and foresight. Tragically, those who have borne the brunt of that unfortunate action are today the very people packaging, marketing and promoting him to be president partly with the resources of the Lagos state. Thankfully, our memories are not like architecture that is often described as frozen music.

This is Professor Wole Soyinka’s take away on Buhari in 2007. It is like he just wrote it yesterday, “The grounds on which General Buhari is being promoted as the alternate choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naïve. History matters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-the-scenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a polity, must be answered in the public space, not caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evidence suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order. Need one remind anyone he was one of the Generals who treated a Commission of Enquiry, the Oputa Panel, with unconcealed disdain. Like Babaginda and Abdusalami, he refused to put in appearance even though complaints that were tabled against him involved a career of gross abuses of power and blatant assault on the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizenry. Prominent against these charges was an act that amounted to nothing less than judicial murder, the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. Does Decree 20 ring a bell? If not, then, perhaps the names of three youths-Lawal Ojuolape(30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26) do. To put it quite plainly, one of those three-Ogedengbe-was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital forfeiture at the time it was committed. This was an unconscionable crime, carried out in defiance of the pleas and protests of nearly every sector of the Nigerian and international community, religious, civil rights, political, trade unions etc.”

It is a tragic irony that some of those rooting for and shouting sai Buhari! sai Buhari!! are members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm who suffered terribly under the General’s jackboot. Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor must be pinching themselves and wondering what has happened to society’s gatekeepers’ memories.

Calls for ‘Total’ Sharia in Nigeria
2001-08-27 21:32
Lagos – A former military ruler of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has called for the introduction of ‘total’ Islamic law across the country, reports said on Monday.

Buhari, who ruled Nigeria from a coup in December 1983 to his ouster in 1985, told a seminar in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, at the weekend that the strict Islamic law code known as the Sharia should be introduced in full across Nigeria. “I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria,” Buhari said, quoted in press reports.

“God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country,” Buhari said.

Africa’s most populous country has been shaken repeatedly in the past by religious unrest. In February 2000 between 2 000 and 3 000 people were killed by Christian-Muslim riots in Kaduna over the introduction of Sharia.

Buhari’s comments were interpreted by the southern-based papers as a call for the imposition of Sharia all across the country, even in the mainly Christian south. “Buhari calls for Sharia in all states,” was the headline of the respected newspaper The Guardian.

Buhari’s comments were defended by supporters as simply a call for the full implementation of Sharia in areas where Muslims predominated.But the comments are the second by Buhari that have courted controversy after he called earlier this year for Muslims to vote at the next presidential elections only for someone who would defend their faith.

This was criticised by the press as a call for voting along religious lines, as well as an attack on the current president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a Christian. Buhari made the latest comments at a seminar organised by the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, a newly set up body attended by northern state governments and Islamic scholars.

“What remains for Muslims in Nigeria is for them to redouble their efforts, educate Muslims on the need to promote the full implementation of Sharia law,” he went on. – AFP

In the main, Nigerians have been encouraged not to know their history. Often this is at the root of the poorly thought through decisions that are made by the citizens. My people suffer for lack of knowledge says the holy book. The saying that half knowledge can be worse than no knowledge at all equally speaks to the self-destructive perfunctory knowledge of the history of Nigeria exhibited by many Nigerians.

This impoverished background accounts for the superficiality generally exhibited in the appraisal of contemporary Nigeria. Understandably this trait is mostly discernable in the post-civil war generation of Nigerians-for a number of reasons.

First is the spatial-temporal cognition distance from what took place in Nigeria prior to 1970. Second is the social instability and discontinuity that ensued from the latter part of the 1980-1990 decade including a dramatic fall in the standard of education, the institutionalisation of corruption, precipitous decline in family values and moral upbringing, frenetic acceleration of the culture of get rich quick and corresponding lack of positive correlation between productivity and reward, distinct lack in the appreciation of education as intrinsic to self-actualisation and social development.

If it is not too late I will urge as many Nigerians as possible and who are in a position to do so-to avail themselves the opportunity of acquiring a working familiarity with critical phases of Nigeria’s history especially the civil war (1966-1970) phase, the annulment of the 1993 presidential election crisis (1993-1998) and the fourth republic-from 1999-.

In 1999 Olusegun Obasanjo was elected as President of Nigeria-in response to the pressure mounted largely by the South-West of Nigeria against the philosophy that the political leadership of Nigeria is vested in the custodial beck and call of the conservative wing of the ‘Northern’ Nigeria political establishment-to bestow or denied as it wishes.

I will not be able to characterise this interpretation here in view of the space available and I do not believe it is necessary to do so. The interpretation has been stated and restated repeatedly in prior write-ups, which were not by any means limited to my pen.

In august 2002 I was appointed the Director of media and publicity of President Obasanjo’s re-election campaign of 2002-2003. I interpreted my appointment and role as providing intellectual leadership to the campaign-in which capacity I was required to have an expert understanding of his stewardship as President and complement this with versatile knowledge of opposition candidates and platforms.

The most tasking crisis of his presidency was the violent upheaval instigated by the introduction and incorporation of the Sharia penal code into the jurisprudence of the Moslem dominated states of Northern Nigeria. In acknowledgement and discernment of the crisis as orchestrated and directed against him by disaffected members of Northern political elite, Obasanjo did not swallow the bait of being lured into a divisive political confrontation.

He rightly formulated the purported Sharia religious fervour as political ruse-he coined it political sharia; and predicted that if it was not truly of Allah, the movement would fade away and it did. The two personalities who personified the avant-garde of the Sharia crisis were the Zamfara state Governor, Ahmed Sani Yerima and former military head of state General Mohammadu Buhari.

From the Zamfara state localized ambition of the Governor, Buhari took the baton and spearheaded its generalization and spread over the far North Moslem sub-region. In the process, he rose to fill an apparent leadership vacuum within the hierarchy of the Northern Political elite. For someone of this background and given his utterances on the Boko-Haram insurgency crisis (until political correctness dictated otherwise) the logical observation that can be made is that Buhari has acted true to type.

The enthusiasm to assume the regional warlord role was originally motivated by the animus generated by the decision of Obasanjo to institute an inquiry into the books of the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, established by the late General Sani Abacha and presided over by Buhari.

Between former President Obasanjo and Malam Haroun Adamu the story of this inquiry will be better told, suffice to say that the newly inaugurated Obasanjo was sufficiently dissatisfied as to deem it necessary to invite his erstwhile junior colleague to give clarification and explanation. And most certainly, the encounter did not end on a cordial note.

In characteristic sour humour and negative symbolism, Obasanjo pointedly proceeded to reassign the PTF premises to the newly established Independent Corruption Practises Commission, ICPC. This may be an inconvenient reminder but I have certainly not said anything that was not out in the public domain at the material time.

My personal opinion of Buhari is that he is a relatively corruption free Nigerian leader but nobody should go around contrasting him with his successors and predecessors as an isolated oasis of integrity in an expansive dessert crawling with king termites of wanton corruption.

The novelty in my first encounter with one of his much pilloried successors was the revelation that he (the successor) secreted away boxes of the reports of an inquiry into the countertrade policies of his predecessor. In the generosity of his heart he would not be party to washing the dirty linen of any of his colleagues in the public.

Again the successor military president is still alive and those who feel rubbed the wrong way by this recall may want to have a word with him. You see, fair is fair, and Nigerians are entitled to the consciousness of all available records and information on their leaders especially those trumpeting themselves and being trumpeted as a cut apart from the rest.

The tiff over the PTF inquiry was the backdrop to what then followed as nothing short of Buhari’s personal campaign of destabilisation of the Obasanjo presidency. He did this by channelling the embers of an ostensible Sharia fervour into a regional casus belli against the newly installed president.

In the fullness of the insurrection and all too predictably he emerged the regional hero and went on to nurture this status with intermittent parochial outbursts pandering to the persecution complex of untutored and religion-obsessed minds of a teeming almajiri and talakawa populace.

And here lies my fundamental objection to the presidential ambition of the APC candidate-any leader who attains to political prominence through the instrumentality of dividing and polarising the peoples of Nigeria should never be rewarded with the presidency of this country.

And it is in this respect that a no less historical figure than the late Ahmadu Bello was basically a much more honest leader than Buhari. An avowed Northern irredentist, Bello did not make political virtue of moral equivocation by claiming entitlement to the office of the prime-minister of Nigeria (as expected of the leader of the majority party by the norms of Westminister-parliamentary model). He delegated that honour and responsibility to his more temperamentally suited deputy, Tafawa Balewa.

The in-house argument within the Afenife-AD caucus against the preferment of the late Chief Bola Ige for the national office of the President rested on a similar plank-that the legitimate perception of him as a parochial Yoruba champion is non-sequitur to Nigerian presidential aspiration-hence the preference for his more cosmopolitan rival, Olu Falae. Even though the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not as explicit as Buhari in cultivating recognition as sectional champion yet he was proportionately made to pay for his national non-inclusiveness.

One area I am in accord with general Buhari is that he is not a fundamentalist. The ascription of fundamentalism presupposes the element of honest and sincere commitment to ‘the belief or advocating of a conservative adherence to literal or traditional interpretations of the Qu’ran and the Sunnah’-whereas a demagogue is ‘a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people’.

All manners of mindless claims of Buhari’s sainthood are being circulated on the social media including a particular character reference purportedly by Obasanjo-making the most improbable claim that he and Buhari are the only two honest Nigerians! Stupefied by callers wondering whether this could be possible true I averted the attention of the former president to the hoax. He promptly and angrily disavowed the attribution. Nigerians please shine your eyes well – lest you get sold a counterfeit.

- Akin Osuntokun

On the 16th of April 2011, there l stood at the receiving end of the treacherous blaze of the Lagos mid-day sunshine. As l looked on in clear contempt for the literally unending snaky line of people on the queue opposite me; enduring the endless jibes thrown at those of us on the other queue, a number of things piqued my mind. My contempt was hinged on one fundamental issue: here we were as a nation, with a chance to for once make a detour from the perilous path we had trod since the new democratic dispensation, and we were on the verge of throwing it all away.

We had a choice to make between Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and General Muhammadu Buhari who was the standard bearer of the CPC. The battle cry then was ‘’l am voting for Goodluck and not PDP’’. The General had a few days earlier shed tears on national TV and that for me was as bad as it could get. It was a testament to how badly he wanted to right the wrongs that had brought a once great nation to its knees. As l cast my vote for the General, and left the polling booth, l knew it was a tall order expecting the General to win, but l was satisfied that even as a Rivers man from the same South-South geopolitical zone as his opponent, l had voted with my conscience. That alone was good enough for me.

Four years on, we are yet again faced with a similar scenario; with a choice to decide who would lead our great nation for another four years and ironically the gladiators are the same. However, this time, General Buhari as against running on the platform of the CPC is the flag bearer of the APC; a coalition of opposition parties who have made the occupation of Aso Rock their primary objective. To achieve this purpose, they are leveraging on the mantra of ‘’CHANGE’’ as their value proposition. A cardinal linchpin of this mantra is the fight against corruption; yes, that hydra headed monster that has eaten so deep into every facet of our national lives. And who is best suited to be the fulcrum of this proposition than General Buhari, the one man who is touted to be the embodiment of honesty, integrity and incorruptibility.

To be certain, these were the very same virtues on which my voting for Buhari in 2011 was premised. However, like they say, a day in politics is a long time. If we are to do an extrapolation based on this wise saying, you can imagine what four years translates to. Well, the materialization of that can clearly be seen in the calibre of characters the General has surrounded himself with in the APC.

Amongst these are two of the most corrupt individuals to have ever trodden the Nigerian political landscape. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs no introduction in contemporary Nigeria. Like a colossus, he has bestrodden this landscape for as long as our memories can take us. Actively participating in the opposition NADECO during the despotic terror reign of Sani Abacha, he became governor of Lagos State during the fourth republic. As compensation for his activism, Tinubu helped himself in no small measure to the Lagos State treasury, a skill he still exhibits masterfully by proxy, under the Fashola administration.

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the other hand has earned his corruption stripes. If corruption were an army, he would easily be a five star General. As speaker of the Rivers State House Assembly, he was the quintessential rubber stamp that sealed the financial debauchery and recklessness that was the hallmark of Dr. Peter Odili’s eight year reign. If there was any doubt about the ridiculous levels of looting perpetuated by the Odili government, the interminable injunction against his being investigated by the EFCC, granted by an Abuja High Court, tells the whole story. As Governor, Amaechi has simply exploited all the ‘’lootocracy’’ skills he acquired under the tutelage of his principal. Between them, these two men; Tinubu and Amaechi, are the biggest financiers of the Buhari candidacy.

The question any discerning mind should then ask is, what really is this ‘’change’’ that continues to be mouthed all about? If Buhari is the epitome of all that is incorruptible, how come he is comfortable in the gathering of people who personify corruption in its rawest form? The unambiguous answer lies in the words of the great philosopher who once said ‘’show me your friends and l would tell you who you are’’. This characteristic blowing hot and cold is only a manifestation of the political ambivalence of the General towards an issue that we are made to believe he stands against. It therefore seems that while this legend of incorruptibility around Buhari has taken on a mythical dimension, when critically analysed based on current evidence; it is just an escapist sophistry leveraged on by his supporters to cover their ideological emptiness.

In the final analysis, it is simply the height of hypocrisy for anyone to say Buhari and the APC represent any semblance of the kind of change Nigerians deserve. I need to be schooled on how Buhari is expected to fight corruption when the very people who are financing him are an embodiment of the very thing. It is becoming clearer that the change mantra is only about the interests of certain individuals as against the generality of Nigerians. Certainly, this variant of change is a Greek gift nicely wrapped in a box of hypocrisy; one that is tempting enough to force a change in the hands that hold the knife slicing off the Nigerian national cake. However, it is one gift that ought to repulse every right thinking Nigerian. As William Hazlitt once surmised, hypocrisy is the only vice that cannot be forgiven. If corruption is defined as a failure of systems, l completely consent that it is a national malaise and its resolution is non-negotiable. However, what l oppose is change for the sake of it ; in this case swapping one corrupt administration with another, without a deliberate attempt to address the fundamental issues that would make a definite difference.

If this is the kind of change we clamour for and deserve, I’d leave us to our consciences.

Let that be the judge.