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IBB lectures Jonathan on governance

On July 3, 2011 · In Headlines

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By EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor & HENRY UMORU
ABUJA—FORMER Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, weekend, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to shed sentiments and imbibe statesmanlike traits in his handling of the increasing challenges against his government.

Babangida said in a statement that the caution became necessary in the face of unnecessary distractions which aides and those he termed sycophants were causing for the President.



President Goodluck Jonathan and Ibrahim Babangida

Babangida who described weekend’s arrest of erstwhile Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as one of those distractions urged the President to increase his level of tolerance for the opposition stressing that he must, as leader cross bridges to engage those who may not necessarily agree with him on issues.

He warned that reckless application of power and the absence of other ingredients of democracy made nations to be described as failed states.

In the statement issued on his behalf by his media adviser, Prince Kassim Afegbua, the former head of state said that it was not his practice to advise an incumbent President in the open but had to resort otherwise “to allow Nigerians the opportunity to appreciate the challenges that President Jonathan is facing.”

Expressing concern on the situation in the country even as he frowned against the arrest of El-Rufai, Babangida said: “The happenings in the country in recent times call for worry if we must be sincere with ourselves.

Every day, the nation is treated with one form of political issue or the other. From security challenges to economic challenges, Nigerians are asking several questions that deserve responses from government at the various levels.

That is the beauty of democracy; a people-driven government with its fundamental principles of freedom of expression, freedom of association, rule of law, accountability, probity and equal representation amongst others.”

Charging the President to beware of sycophants around him who may have prompted the distraction away from serious governance issues with the arrest of El-Rufai, he said: “It is against this background that I will like to advise President Goodluck Jonathan to tread cautiously so that those sycophants in, and out of government will not derail his focus.

Resilience and perseverance

“He needs all the comportment, resilience, perseverance, introspection and determination to be able to take the right decisions for the good of the country. The arrest and release of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is a deliberate distraction which the President must run away from. He must avoid gambling with decisions and he must be willing to seek a third opinion on issues before he takes his decision.

“President Goodluck Jonathan must understand that there is a whole body of people out there who are not happy with happenings in the country. It is his responsibility as President of the country to reach out to them and make his mission understandable to the common man on the street so that they can buy into his government.

If his body of advisers do not understand the temperament in the country and decide to embark on arresting and releasing people on very questionable allegations, they will be making enemies for the President instead of friends. The prerogative is that of the President and no one else.”

While urging the President to grow tolerance for criticism, he said:“President Jonathan should as a matter of responsibility listen to voices of the opposition and or dissent, as he stands to gain experience and knowledge from their well-informed criticisms rather than build hostilities around them. He has to ensure that he minimizes and maximizes his discretionary powers in a manner that will not be subject of abuse.”

Giving his lessons on governance the former ruler said: “President Goodluck Jonathan must sit back, collect himself and carry out a critical self-appraisal before he takes his decisions. He is aware without mention, that the country is presently faced with several developmental challenges.

The nation’s security agencies must avoid getting involved in political issues. Modern day security has evolved to a point where you do not require seeing gun-wielding Policemen on the streets.

“The ability to collate information and analyse same in a proactive manner will help improve the security situation in the country. We must carry out moral healing as well as political healing in the land.

The President must make it a point of duty to reach out to people, groups and individuals with the sole purpose of selling his presidency. It is becoming instructive that the concept of winner-takes-all which has pervaded the system for so long may not flourish as such again.nominees, Islamic banking, and several other issues. “

"a new Senator held a different view saying it was a ploy by old Senators to deprive them the money to service their constituencies."
Which work is it going to deprive them from doing?greedy old hag, mtshwwww

Pay cut divides senators

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June 25, 2011

Politics

By Inalegwu Shaibu
ABUJA-The proposal by the National Assembly to reduce allocations of legislators by 40 percent has been received with mixed feelings by Senators, with some affirming that it was a deliberate plan to frustrate them.

The planned pay- cut which has already been inserted into the 2011 budget of the National Assembly has pitched the new Senators against old Senators, as most of the first term Senators claim that it was targeted at undermining their performances in their constituencies.

But the old Senators are in support of the proposal, as most of them are confident that it will improve the economy of the nation.
Senator Smart Adeyemi, PDP, Kogi West while commenting on the pay reduction for legislators observed that the cost of running the National Assembly is too high. He advocated for a part time National Assembly to reduce cost of governance.

He said, “It is a good development that will help reduce the plight of the suffering masses of Nigeria. I commend the Chairman of the National Assembly for coming up with the proposal because the welfare of the people must be paramount. They said power belongs to the people, so the aspirations of the people must be met.

“I support it. We even need to go down further, leadership is about sacrifice, and we must be ready to sacrifice any time we are called upon. There was a time I proposed that the National Assembly should be on a part time bases to reduce cost of governance, this will enable us meet the aspiration of our people. I think that is the line we should go. I support it.”

Senator Dahiru Kuta, PDP, Niger East was also in support of the pay reduction, adding that the reduction in governance will boast infrastructural and economic development of Nigeria.

According to him, “I believe it was agreed right from the beginning that because of the economic condition, we should reduce our allocation by 40 percent. We are of the thinking that it is good. It was an agreement between the executive and legislature that we need to do a lot of sacrifice for the people.

“There are many competing issues in terms of infrastructure, power, wealth creation, and poverty. We agreed that it is not a big sacrifice that is too much in order to move the nation forward.

“It has already been captured in the budget to cut running cost by 40 percent. We are happy to do it. It will go a long way in improving the quality of life of our people. I believe the amount realised from the pay cut will be put into good use.”
But Senator Babayo Gamawa, PDP, Bauchi a new Senator held a different view saying it was a ploy by old Senators to deprive them the money to service their constituencies.

His words, “By the time we came to know about it, we felt very sad, the entire new comers are not happy. It was decided by the out going Senators without our input. They did it because they are going, had it been they did it while coming to continue, everybody would have known that they are doing a sacrifice for the nation. It was done deliberately to affect the performance of the Senators in the constituencies.

“The decision was taken before our resumption and it was supported by the losers of election. It was a deliberate policy so that the new Senators will not have money to carry out his duties in his constituency.

“Therefore cutting 40 percent of allocation does not go down well with us.”

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP Delta North and Datti Ahmed, CPC Kaduna North both were unable to comment on the pay cut.
Senator Okowa in his comment said, “I do not have any details on the pay cut. It is difficult to make any useful comments at the time. I will like to comment when I have full details on it.”

Senator Ahmed on the other hand said, “Until I come to the Senate, then we can talk.”

A New York University professor is now closer to that reality, having had a camera surgically implanted into the back of his cranium.Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi born photography professor at the university's Tisch School of the Arts, had the procedure done at a piercing studio last month for an art project commissioned by a museum in Doha, Qatar, he said."This will expose the unspoken conditions we face," Bilal said Thursday. "A project like this is meant to establish a dialogue about surveillance."The project is called "The 3rd I," and will make use of the posterior camera by taking a snap-shot photographs each minute of Bilal's everyday activities for one year, he said. The images will then be transmitted to Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, he said, featuring an exhibit entitled "Told/Untold/Retold" in time for the museum's December 30 opening, according to a museum statement. The thumb-sized camera is mounted on a titanium plate inserted inside the back of
his head, Bilal said.A cable runs from the camera to a computer that he carries in a custom-made shoulder bag, providing a real-time global positioning signal of his location -- viewable on a website: www.3rdi.me."I wanted to lose that subjectivity [of knowingly taking photographs]," Bilal said. "At the same time I wanted to capture everyday mundane images."But the project has also raised privacy questions about the constant presence of cameras in a classroom.University authorities have tried to allay those concerns by requiring a cover over the lens while Bilal is teaching on campus. "We place a high value on his right to free expression in his creative work as an artist," said university spokesman John Beckman. "But as a school of the arts, we also take seriously the privacy issues his project raises.""The 3rd I" is not Bilal's first venture into the controversial and unusual.A 2007 project called "Domestic Tension" allowed virtual users to fire paintballs at him for an exhibit that prompted The Chicago Tribune to name Bilal artist of the year, calling it "one of the sharpest works of political art to be seen in a long time."Bilal has said that he wants his artwork to examine broader ideas and realities."I see myself as a mirror reflecting some of the social conditions that we ignore," he said.


I dnt blame 2face, 4 those of u running ur mouth,u dnt understand d pressure of being handsome alone,nt to top it wif fame,

Ya dnt know what gals can do,

Chilee, I like wat u'r doin bruv, Itz Nas.

Yes,we know he is not a prof in English,but that is the reason why he should stick with his notes from the beginning to save himself of the embarassment.

Why did our amiable president decide to start what he cannot finish.
I was stunned,at the same time impressed when he started the speech without consulting notes, I applauded the effort,trying to copy the famous Obama, but lo! Mid-way through,he began to stutter and scramble for words,and he then requested for his notes.
That wasn't a good site at all, At least he should have made use of micro-chip notes.
That performance from the number one citizen nearly marred the day,
What do you think?

So you are among those who ply d one way 2 beat traffic,
This aint funny, but itz risky tho, i usually take d 3rd lane,
I saw those fence builders grading d road today,i hope they dont constitute more harm than good.

Ajah-lekki traffic is getting out of hand,
Can the hitech guyz do something better?

Ochuko waz the greatest upset of d show, no 1,nt even him could bliv he could go home empty handed,
Gosh, dis show suckz nd shockz,