₦airaland Forum

LAGOS, Nigeria — The current Nigerian government is widely seen as the most corrupt since independence from Britain in 1960. Ordinarily, this would be a huge problem for President Goodluck Jonathan and his People’s Democratic Party, which has been continuously in power since the end of military rule in 1999. But things are unlikely to change. To many Nigerians, it sometimes seems as if we merely swapped military dictatorship for a one-party state.

Mr. Jonathan’s name will be on the ballot this February, when Nigerians, many of them fed up with government corruption and incompetence, go to the polls. Yet events percolating across the country that could come to a boil within the next three months might actually work to the president’s advantage. Two grave problems — the Boko Haram insurgency and tensions in the oil-rich Niger Delta — hang over the land. A third, West Africa’s Ebola crisis, seems to have been contained so far, and though this has little to do with Mr. Jonathan’s leadership, the people responsible for it are unlikely to gain any political capital at his expense.

The incompetence of Mr. Jonathan’s government is most clearly seen in its inability to rescue the 276 schoolgirls, most of them believed to be Christians, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in the largely Islamic north last April. Even at the time, the president, himself a Christian from the largely Christian south, didn’t seem much concerned about their fate. It took him almost three weeks to officially acknowledge what had happened, whereupon he belatedly invited their relatives to lunch at the presidential villa in Abuja, an event which one journalist likened to “a wedding reception,” complete with bunting and a band.

What Mr. Jonathan didn’t count upon was the international furor over the kidnappings or the powerful worldwide publicity, negative in his case, of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Seven months later, most of the girls are still missing (though dozens have managed to escape). A report by Human Rights Watch catalogued the “physical and psychological abuse they were subjected to: forced labor, forced participation in military operations, including carrying ammunition or luring men into ambush; forced marriage to their captors; and sexual abuse, including rape.”

Meanwhile, sporadic violence continues. Last week, a suicide bomber killed at least 48 students at a boys’ high school in the northeast. Rescuing the girls — or putting an end to the insurgency altogether — would certainly help Mr. Jonathan’s ambitions, but his government’s ability to do so seems most unlikely. Corruption and low morale have hobbled the military. Even so, the government announced last month that the extremists had agreed to a cease-fire, though Boko Haram has denied it.

Although the extremists have been widely condemned by leading Muslim clerics and politicians, the insurgency contributes to Christian suspicions of their Muslim compatriots, and this may well play into Mr. Jonathan’s hands come election time.

But in an effort to bridge sectarian divisions and garner votes across the religious divide, the country’s leading opposition parties, one from the largely Muslim northeast, the other from the mostly Christian southwest, have joined forces with other groups to form the All Progressives Congress. In theory, this gives the opposition a fighting chance of wresting control of the Senate and House of Representatives from the People’s Democratic Party.

Unfortunately, efforts to make common cause in Nigeria are invariably sacrificed upon the altars of religion and ethnicity. The alliance’s likely presidential candidate is a Muslim northerner, Muhammadu Buhari. He also happens to be a former dictator, who ruled Nigeria for 20 months in the mid-1980s. His administration came to an abrupt end in August 1985, when members of his cabinet, alienated by his efforts to root out corruption, forced him out. Though widely unpopular, many Nigerians feel he has the credentials to tackle corruption. Moreover, one potential running mate is Babatunde Raji Fashola, the two-term governor of Lagos State who has distinguished himself by successfully tackling the incipient Ebola crisis with the same energy and efficiency that he brought to modernizing the infrastructure of Lagos, the biggest port in West Africa. But there are also doubts about his commitment to clean government, fueled by the fact that he is a protègé of Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the same state and a founding member of the All Progressives Congress whose reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals, even though he has never been convicted of corruption.

Though Mr. Fashola is a Muslim with a Catholic wife, few Christians (or for that matter even the generally more-liberally minded Muslims of the south) would be inclined to vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Religious differences are a key factor in voting, but perhaps patronage plays a greater role, a lesson Mr. Jonathan learned in the Niger Delta, where he taught school and gained political prominence. Like any savvy politician, he knows that patronage is a two-way street, and he has been careful to keep the money flowing in a region plagued by resentment over oil rights, piracy and periodic unrest.

Oil is Nigeria’s greatest source of wealth, providing about 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, but many people among the delta’s diverse ethnic groups feel that the central government has seized control of their oil without adequate compensation. The government says it loses about $3 billion a year due to piracy, widely seen as aided and abetted by the military. Local gangs also take what they can by tapping pipelines. In the past, anger over corruption and the unfair redistribution of wealth has fueled a dangerous political militancy. Everyone knows that if the militants want to, they can easily stop oil production, which would bankrupt the country.

Thus Mr. Jonathan takes care to ensure that the region is well looked after, and this contributes to his enormous popularity there. Indeed, he is widely seen as crucial to keeping the lid on potential unrest. In the words of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a former leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force who is now a key supporter, if Mr. Jonathan is not re-elected next year, there will be “blood in the streets.”

Adewale Maja-Pearce is a writer and critic, and the author, most recently, of the memoir “The House My Father Built

link: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/opinion/the-nigerian-status-quo.html?_r=1

Protest over Delta Epz groundbreaking ceremony: Itsekiri accuse Jonathan of ethnic bigotry

By Egufe Yafugborhi

ITSEKIRIS in Delta state have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of encouraging Ijaw agenda to exterminate them following the violent threats from Ijaws of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Area of Delta state which aborted the Tuesday’s scheduled groundbreaking ceremony for the $16bn Ogidigben EPZ project by the President.

President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan
In a briefing yesterday in Warri by Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, the ethnic group in Delta said they were ready to approach the United Nations to seek secession and opt for protection under the United Kingdom or United States in line with treaties signed with these foreign powers long before Nigeria’s independence which they claim have not been abrogated.

The decision read by Secretary to the ILT, Edward Ekpoko noted, “Itsekiri and other well meaning Nigerians are surprised at the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to commission the groundbreaking for the EPZ at Ogidigben, Ugborodo in Warri South West Local Government area due to threats of Ijaw militants mostly of Gbaramatu kingdom.

“The EPZ is completely cited in Ogidigben, an Itsekiri town. The closest Ijaw enclave lying to the South, Yokiri, is about 14km from Ogidigben. The other town to the North is Kpokpo. This Kpokpo has no geographical contiguity with Ogidigben.’’.

Pa J. O.S Ayomike, Chairman of the ILT, in their remarks said various court injunctions by courts of competent jurisdiction held on the land ownership tussle in the area support the fact that the entire land space currently occupied by the Ijaw of Gbaramatu is owned by Itsekiris of Ugborodo.

“President Jonathan’s refusal to perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the project as fixed for Friday was a show of cowardice unexpected of his office which should stand for the rule of law. He has shown that he has joined the Ijaw militants in building fences among the ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

“Jonathan should know that Itsekiri the world over will go to the UN to request for secession if Jonathan and Ijaw want to pursue the extermination of the Itsekiri people. We will ask for the protection of the Britain and USA and the United Nations”, Ayomike, an octogenarian screamed.

Ekpoko added that, “Jonathan is pursuing an Ijaw agenda. We will resist it and will never be intimidated by threats of war and genocide against the Itsekiri.”

The Itsekiri leaders also took a swipe at Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, calling him to resign as Governor following his failed boast that nobody can stop Jonathan from coming for the EPZ groundbreaking.

Ayomike said, “Jonathan has been stopped by the Ijaw. They have belittled Uduaghan . Uduaghan boasted that he was governor and that nobody could stop the president from coming. Now that his boasting did not yield any result, he should resign like President Nixon did.

“Jonathan has been intimidated by the militants, and the Ijaws have grown in fame and importance so they can control everything, including the president of Nigeria.’’.

Meanwhile, the Ijaws of Gbaramatu speaking through Paul Bebenimibo have maintained their position to see that the EPZ never materialises until Gbaramatu stakes are as defineds.

Bebenimibo in a phone reaction yesterday said, “Gbaramatu Ijaws are not at war with their Itsekiri neighbors. Our leaders are simply saying what is good for the goose is good for the gander. We own a large proportion of the EPZ. We do not deserve to be shut out. Equity is the password to a successful EPZ. Equity begets peace. You cannot talk peace in the atmosphere of injustice and oppression.

source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/protest-delta-epz-groundbreaking-ceremony-itsekiri-accuse-jonathan-ethnic-bigotry/

WARRI—President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called off the commissioning of the $16bn Delta Gas City project in Delta State scheduled for today following a threat by the Ijaw of Gbaramatu kingdom to unleash violence if he went ahead.

Reports that the President, indeed, suspended the groundbreaking, the second time in six months, having deferred it earlier in June, ignited fresh controversy in the state, with many wondering what was really going on.

President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan
This came as Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, warned against bloodshed between the Ijaw and Itsekiri in Delta State over the Federal Government-owned Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project, now renamed Delta Gas City.

The Ijaw, claiming that the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project was named after an Itsekiri community, Ogidigben, whereas it was not exclusively located on an Itsekiri land, had severally sworn to disrupt the groundbreaking process, except the name was appropriately changed and acquisition formalities perfected with Ijaw co-owners of the land where the project is located.

President Jonathan, who announced his fresh intention to officially flag off the project at his declaration ceremony, Monday, in Abuja, surprisingly, reversed himself on Wednesday, despite re-assurance by the state government.

It was gathered that the Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom renewed their objection to the groundbreaking between the time Jonathan announced his intention on Monday and Wednesday afternoon, prompting the president to shelve the plan.

Meanwhile, an Itsekiri leader and Ajuwaoyiboyami of Warri Kingdom, Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, has slammed President Jonathan for suspending the project. Chief Ayiri Emami, who was clearly disillusioned at the President’s action, said: “It is disheartening that President Jonathan is pandering to the selfish and clannish interest of some group of Ijaw persons in Gbaramtu Kingdom against the wider interest of the nation.”

However, an Ijaw youth activist in the forefront of the crusade for Jonathan not to perform the groundbreaking now, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, disagreed with Emami, saying the President needs to be commended for listening to the voice of the oppressed people of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

Emami told Vanguard that “this project has been on for almost a year without distraction. The Ijaw were carried along by Julius Berger of Nigeria, JBN, but because of the selfish interest of one person, Jonathan succumbed to threats to abort the groundbreaking again. The question I am asking is: ‘Are we safe under Jonathan if a project of such magnitude and importance to the nation will be toyed with because of the interests of few persons.’”

He accused ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, of using his influence to blackmail and intimidate people, warning that the continuous plan by Tompolo and his Ijaw brothers to deprive Itsekiri nation of what rightfully belongs to it was getting out of control.

Bebenimibo said: “I commend President Jonathan for listening to the voice of the oppressed people. Having postponed the groundbreaking again, my advice is that government should do the needful. It is not enough to say that the name has now been changed to Delta Gas City. The name of the project should be complete with the location of the project boldly proclaimed, and which we maintain should be Delta Gas City, Gbaramatu/Ogidigben.

“Besides, government should formally acquire the land from Gbaramatu people just as it did with the Itsekiri people. Mr. President should not come for the groundbreaking at all until all these issues are resolved. The project is also in our land and they should not act as if we are strangers. Jonathan should set up a high-powered committee to resolve the issues.”

After all, the Ijaw and Itsekiri have a common destiny, they are the ones laying the golden eggs and have been deprived of the benefits. I appeal to my Itsekiri brothers to understand our struggle. We should not kill ourselves before we forge a united front to fight our joint enemy.

source : http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/ijaws-threaten-jonathan-calls-epz-commissioning/

The NA should have,at the very least seen the video FIRST! before rushing a statement on it to the general public... how on earth do you analyse a video just based on hearsay? ...this is very unprofessional indeed and is slowly becoming the hallmark of the NA PR team..

@ OP the President is currently in CHAD and not SA... the image is from a meeting yesterday, please edit the thread Title

the article quoted by OP was published in may...circumstances may have since changed.

doyin, rueben, ffk , metuh ... busy unifying their position on this so they can all sing from the same script, the PDP has been broadsided by this turn of events... before the day is over we will surely hear from them.

Oddly enough... no word from olisah,reuben or doyin...yet

The Article failed to state the exact amount to be released, when the balance will be paid etc etc.this bridge issue is a monumental embarrassment to the entire nation,..that a vital infrastructural project is used as political and ethnic ping-ponging for decades is a crying shame...just build the damn bridge already!

someone suffered a serious melt down on this thread.... fackin' hilarious to watch.

placing the cart before the Ox again in yet another poorly thought out policy.

why not give incentives and tax holidays to automobile manufacturers?, make entry requirements low and favorable, provide the land and basic infrastructure for production like POWER, then allow market forces determine where Nigerians spend their car money....replicate this in other sectors and see if Nigeria wont achieve Industrial Lift off!... FG policy makers are clearly not in touch with reality and the President consistently fails to apply independent thinking to these policy suggestions.

cotonu,customs, smugglers and police will benefit from this way more than Nigeria.

superstar1: Ordinary state matters, the Mandela of otuoke is having an herculean task keeping up, how muche ore the confab.

It's good. Some economic burdensome, ingrates, greedy and covetous people on our prosperous land can leave for their red mud "cities" by 2015.

Outright splitting of the damn country.

We already know the people that will be foot dragging, whining and grumbling against division, telling us others are,eyeing their properties, that is why they want the country to break. Just carry whatever is yours and leave by 2015.

God lord! that line is still crackin me up

for me the one phrase i have come to absolutely despise because of its repetitive abuse and over use is "overheating the polity"....followed by the word "massive" as an adjective used by supporters and opposition to government alike, in describing activities like construction, protests, rallies,support. eg

massive construction of roads on bla bla bla.
massive protest at bla bla bla
massive rally for bla bla.

fackin annoying,

what?....no pictures?

... Begs the question, if she was not implicated in any wrong doing as the report suggests, why the recommendation for caution?...soft landing? slap on the wrist?... Nigeria is a circus

i am currently on vacation with my family,we had the misfortune of using the MMIA on monday 11th when we departed, since its been at least two years since i last traveled i had expected that with all the talk of Renovations, upgrades and what not there would be improvements, so i went with an open mind hoping to asses for my self the true situation on ground,.i was disappointed to the point of exclaiming out loud, "what the hell!" not only is the infrastructure including all completed an on going renovations abysmal and shoddy, but the attitude of the staff and attendants is atrocious! they can BEG FOR AFRICA! right from the entrance to customs,immigration, baggage handlers they are all beggars... no shame what so ever, landing at the destination airport the difference was clear as day and night and for the first time in a long time i felt real and true shame as a Nigerian,...something has to be done,we all have a part to play

Ignorance...Ignorance everywhere...Shocking.

...Speculation

At best,his performance was mediocre...but no surprises there i guess.

if Ruben denies it...then the story must be true

Kei144: With their lips Igbos say that they are Jews and they are right about that. But they do not know the implications of being a Jew. Many haven't read Deutronomy 15:16-62. It was Jewish chancellorship of Germany during World War II that led to the holocaust. It was Igbos domination of Nigeria just after independence that caused pogrom and eventually Biafran war. Igbos should keep off Nigeria's presidency. Igbos cannot have any other nation other than Nigeria; the next nation they will have is Israel!

Igbos have an extraordinary role to play for the world during the end-time tribulation. They are the people described in Zephaniah 3:10. Biblial end time tribulations will begin in April 2014, but the spiritual giants of end time will begin to arise by the end of this month. Igbos will feature prominently among the spiritual giants.

http://www.unsealed.org/2013/02/tribulation-2014-2021-rapture-this-year.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3yPBl4X308

...Drugs are Bad

many here obviously did not read the article....

first Anambra in november then...The WORLD yay!!!

dear OP: look at it this way, if you drop dead today from work related exertions, will your job spot be filled immediately or not? will life as we know it continue or not? will your employers compensate your family or not? if your answer is yes,yes, no in that order,then i guess you know what you should do...

@ Op i thoroughly enjoyed the read, your amusing innuendos and side comments make it very pleasant, your writing style is quite unique,you should write for children, reading is a dying culture especially in this present generation.

atrocious reporting.

Barth nnaji

GoodLuck jonathan.

Mediocre.

Hall Of Fame: Babatunde Raji Fashola- for pushing forward with the herculean task of developing lagos state in spite of critisism of elitism and unfairness, he has held the craft of state very steady, also fro his exemplary and visionary approach to governance, plus his policies affect me directly in an altogether positive way.


Hall Of Shame: Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan- largely for being a bare faced liar, and the new acronym (GEJ) for corruption and paddyism in government, also for single handedly becommming the poster boy of division in nigeria, we have never been this divided as a people and a nation be it tribal or religious. a leader should inspire, a leader should unite.unfortunately he possesses none of these attributes.

Sincere 9gerian: The power improvement the last time was neither phantom nor due to excessive rain fall. The truth is that power generation peaked at above 4,300megawatts recently, an unprecedented high. But even as power generation peaks, so also are new buildings sprouting here and there daily, connecting to the national grid and sucking up power. What has happened is that the demand has caught up with the new power generation peak of 4,300MW. Also the distribution system(transformers and all that) is still in a mess. For there to be sustainable improvement in power supply, our power generation must peak at above 10,000MW. Also the distribution networks must be seriously overhauled. Yes there has been some depreciation in power supply in Enugu where I reside but not as bad as last yr or the yr before. But ANY area that reports lack of power supply for more than 24hrs MUST definitely have local issues, eg TRANSFORMER fault. But the good news is that power sector reforms are still on course. We expect more megawatts to be added to the national grid as the NIPP and IPP power projects come on stream. Also the privatisation, which is almost being concluded, is expected to overhaul the distribution system, which is presently in a MESS.

nice try hombre...nice try

...Staged.