₦airaland Forum

AS the northern leaders get set to present a consensus candidate against President Goodluck Jonathan in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries, Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has advised former Military President Ibrahim Babangida and Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki to step down for one another.

Aliyu who gave this advice in Minna twice during the week.

He told the two presidential aspirants to sit down and agree between them who should step down to present a joint candidate to slug it out with President Jonathan for the PDP ticket.

The governor spoke during the centenary celebration of the modern Minna town, at the palace of Emir of Minna, where Saraki was a special guest of honour.

Addressing the crowd at the celebration, Aliyu told his guest, “I hope Governor Saraki knows that we have a presidential aspirant here in Minna. I will advice that you go and meet with him and discuss.

"Whether you will step down for him or you will plead with him to allow you go. You have to go and meet.”

Also during the third Niger State Merit Award and Honours night at the U.K Bello Arts Theatre in Minna, where the two presidential aspirants were present, Aliyu reiterated the need for the two aspirants whom he said are from the same area to meet and sort out who will contest for the PDP presidential ticket.

Recognising the dignitaries that graced the merit award night, at the mention of Saraki, the Niger Governor recalled his earlier advice for the two presidential aspirants.

“Like I said earlier in the day, I want to advise my Chairman and the governor of Kwara state, who is our neighbor that in Niger we have a presidential aspirant like him and there is need for the two of you to iron things out and negotiate.

Though Saraki never reacted General Babangida assured the governor that the advice was well taken.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/16131.html

There is palpable fear in Gusau, Zamfara State capital following a text message purportedly being circulated by members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that President Goodluck Jonathan should expect another bombing as he plans to commission electricity projects in the state.

The message was sent to a journalist with a national newspaper (not Daily Sun) and other prominent individuals in the state through the mobile number: +2348185474732 and reads unedited:

Attention, MEND being a strong body in the Niger Delta province and protesting against so called Jonathan …XE are ready die in the struggle at all cost the special message to d service is that we are very much aware of the Ebele visit to Zamfara possibly something will happen no body will stop it what happen on October 1, 2010 is real. Lets innocent shy away from d venue as we shall surprise Nigerians bomb is terrible innovation and we are afraid of it please advice people to distant themselves or lost life okey Sokoto airport Zamfara govt house Zamfara

The text message came on the eve of the President’s visit to the state and there is panic among the people, especially, top government officials and security personnel.

It was gathered that as at press time special bomb squad had been deployed in areas within the state capital and the venue for the commissioning of the electrification project at Talata Mafara, which would connect Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi States to the national grid.
It was further gathered that armed and plain clothes security personnel had been deployed in major streets in the state capital to provide adequate surveillance and security.

When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Zamfara command, ASP Sanusi Amiru said the command was aware of the security situation in the country and had drafted special squad on bomb disposal to ensure adequate security at the venue.
He advised the public to remain calm and not panic as policemen were on red alert.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/12/national-12-10-2010-001.htm

Mr president, Goodluck is coming to Anambra state on 15th of October 2010.

Academic activities in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, came to a standstill as the local branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called out their members for a three-day warning strike.
The striking lecturers, who marched peacefully through the university’s temporary campus carrying placards and singing solidarity songs, said they were in solidarity with their colleagues in state universities over the non-implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement.

The Chairman, ASUU-UUB, Dr. Ashong C. Ashong said ASUU was appealing to the conscience of the governing councils of all state universities whose lecturers are on strike to look into the plight of the lecturers by implementing the agreement reached in October 2009.

Ashong said it was disheartening to observe that some state governments had chosen not to even attempt to begin implementation of the agreement, noting that the excuse of not being a party to the negotiation was unnecessary.
He frowned at the attitude of some state governments over non-implementation of the agreement and stressed that, “for a viable and standard university system in the country, state governments are expected to adopt the agreement as a benchmark of achieving the same set of academic standard.
“It is for this reason that there is one National Universities Commission (NUC) that sets, monitors and enforces standards regardless of the proprietorship of universities in the country.

“We are by this warning strike urging and appealing to the conscience of Visitors of state-owned universities and their governing councils to allow good conscience dictate their actions. If they accede to the principle of having one university system, not several, in the country then they must, in all fairness, adopt this agreement and implement same as part of the minimum standards of which the NUC is custodian,” he said.
Some students who commented on the issue asked the affected state governors who are visitors to these institutions to have a rethink by bowing to the demand of the lecturers.

“We don’t want any strike again, University is a place of learning where teachers are held in high esteem and if lecturers embarks on prolong strike it would definitely affect our studies ,the experience of 2009 is still very fresh in our
memory, we therefore plead with ASUU not to go on total strike as such
would not augur well for our future they stated.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/12/national-12-10-2010-024.htm

His arrival at Wadata Plaza was not heralded by any siren blaring vehicle, the stock -in -trade of leading gladiators in the Peoples Democratic Party, [PDP] but his presence was noticed by journalists.

What was his mission at PDP national secretariat, inquisitive journalists asked themselves?
They approached Onyekwere Modestus Anayo, Kanayo. Kanayo, his sobriquet in the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood. He told journalists that he is an aspirant for the House of Representatives and came to submit his nomination form.

He wants to represent, Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency in Imo State.
In this interview with Daily Sun, he justifies his foray in active politics as predicated on his mission to be an agent of change.
Excerpts:

This is a party secretariat; what is your mission here, or are you now a politician?
We are politicians, the only difference is our level of activism in politics. Just as I also tell people, we are all actors, it depends on the kind of acting where we provide service.

In the Law class, I was told that we are all agents no matter what you do. A lawyer, who stands before a judge and doesn’t present his case very well will lose and therefore, he has to act well to tell the judge that he knows the fact and a doctor who performs an operation, wrongly has acted wrongly and therefore, will have a problem in his hands.

Whatever you are doing here right now, you are acting. If you present the wrong side of this news, they will come for your head tomorrow, therefore, we are all actors. But in terms of what part we play in politics, I believe it is all service provision. We are providing service, but there are people who have taken it upon themselves that when they wake up they talk politics, they eat it and they sleep with it. Some go to do some other duties by the day, but it doesn’t make them less politician, but they haven’t taken an active interest in it.

So, when you ask why I am getting into politics I just answered that I am getting into the mainstream right now. Number one, represents the yearnings and aspirations of my people; this is as a result of the societal contributions I have made through my trade and therefore, I want to represent them at the legislative hierarchy and then begin to also, it would not be out of place for me to say that the industry where I come from will be adequately represented, because we have had people outside our industry barb our hair in our absence and I think it is unfortunate. With my candidature, I believe that the industry will be the better for it.

The legislature isn’t unlike the executive arm, where you can easily influence development for your community.
So, why the legislature?
There is always a starting point. I believe that you may see me as a green horn, but I am going to learn the ropes. Maybe also I have a game plan and that game plan may not be used up until 2015, but there has to be a starting point for me. This starting point isn’t just to test the waters, but to begin to be identified as somebody who has been able to do something as in group performance at the legislature and could be trusted at the Executive when he vies for it.

But why the PDP platform?
Well, I believe that the PDP has more structures and would provide a better pedestal for anybody who is a first timer. That’s one. I also believe that the PDP is the best, even with all the wrangling in PDP, it still remains the most organized political party—even with the wrangling. Thank God that the chairman, Dr Nwodo is trying to ensure internal democracy right now, but I still believe that the party still holds the ace in terms of organization, in terms of structure, in terms of spread, accessibility and I think that if they get their acts together with the Jonathan presidency, I think that the sky isn’t going to be the limit for the country.

Aren’t you worried over the incumbency factor and the money bags?
They should be afraid of me, because I am the most credible guy aspiring for this office.
This is now a new Nigeria, we are all craving and praying for generational shift. So, I am not in any way scared of any undertones, or leanings. But the fact still remains that I am coming into this isn’t a do-or-die- affair.

I am taking this thing like, it is life I am living. It isn’t something that is coming out of space. To me, it is a contest and in any contest, you have got to put in your best and my best would be tested when I get to my people, the constituents, they are the ones to decide there.
I thank God for what we are expecting with the electoral laws and so on—that we are all craving for one man, one vote and definitely that’s what is going to be sorted out. So, I am not intimidated by anybody cash value, or anybody tenure in the House of Representatives or Senate, but I am presenting myself for service and I believe that I have the qualities it takes to be voted into office.

You are ware that your party is heavily polarized in Imo State. Would it not undermine your chances and what faction do you belong?
Well, I wouldn’t, answer the second leg of your question, hundred percent. I was a son of Mbaise before PDP came and therefore, I see everybody who is contesting as a brother or as a sister . The polarization of the party in Imo State could spell doom, if we all begin to see it as a fight, taking advantage of who has been there and who hasn’t been there. The fact still remains that at the end of the day, water must find its level. With the kind of meetings they have been having at the National Working Committee level, I believe that they would come out and box everybody into shape.

They all started as one and PDP still remains one. For me, just like the presidential declaration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, there was an Imo stand and I told them, that Imo stand doesn’t recognize an alliance or the new face. What was there was Imo State and that is still my stand.
So, you can see my stand: an Imo son belonging to the party of PDP and therefore, I would align with the PDP.

How prepared are you for the office?
Prepared in what sense? You are asking me a general question. I mean, do you have what it takes to be part of the team that would ensure quality legislations.
Ok. I got what you said. It may interest you to know that educationally I am equipped. I have a diploma in Mass Communications, I have a diploma in Law, I have a first degree in Philosophy and I have a Masters degree in Political Science. I think that should answer your question. So, I am not just the actor you see on TV, I am educationally equipped.

On a final and equally lighter note. I watched the film, Lost Kingdom; are we going to have the principal actor in that film, replicate what he did to the imaginary community in that film, or he would be an agent of change for Nigeria?
Well, it would be cumbersome to answer that question, because a lot of people here may not have watched the same film. But as a refresher,
Lost Kingdom is a microcosm of how people graduate from one crime to the other in the society. This guy from secondary school started stealing; he became an armed robber, dropped out and from armed robbery he went into drugs and from that he went into 419, Advanced Fee Fraud and he made a lot of money.
Now, to be important and relevant in the society where he was operating, he needed to have a chieftaincy title and that was cog in the wheel of wherever he was coming from: he was an outcast, but he had a lot of money and he went and bought a chieftaincy.

From buying a chieftaincy, he presented cars to the Igwe; along the line, the Igwe died and seeing that the stool was vacant, he said, ``no somebody must occupied this stool`` and then he insisted it should be him. He bought his way and became the Igwe and that’s why I described it as a microcosm of how people graduate from one crime to the other.

Now, if you look at this for me, it is very dangerous to deal with people who don’t have sense of humour. Just like I don’t deal with anybody who has no sense of shame and that’s one of my cardinal points here. I told them in my Mbaise constituency, I told them that we wouldn’t vote for anybody who has no sense of shame.
I am an actor and by the grace of God, I am one of Nigeria biggest brand. I am aware of that. So, whatever I do attract public interest.
So, that’s the same mind with which I am going to the National
Assembly. I have a sense of shame; I have the papers, even if I walked through here, it would be written by somebody that I came to the PDP national secretariat and that’s with the mind set which I am going to the National Assembly.
So, it can not be business as usual.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/12/national-12-10-2010-027.htm

The Police in Kaduna yesterday stopped the planned presidential campaign of former military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida for "security reasons."

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant was scheduled to open his campaign office at the Murtala Square and address a rally, but the event was cancelled at the last minute because the police declined to give its permission.

Kaduna State Commissioner of Police Tambari Yabo Mohammed said the law and not the police stopped the rally, adding that the organisers did not follow the rules.

"The Public Order Act states that the police should be given at least a 48-hour notice for political processions but the IBB people came to our office at about 10.00pm on Saturday to inform us about the rally billed for Sunday," the police chief said.

Besides, according to him, Vice President Namadi Sambo to was visiting the city.

"When we consider the proximity of the IBB campaign office to the Government Lodge on Alimi Road where the Vice President is staying, we decided not to allow them hold the rally to avoid a situation where there will be a clash between their supporters.

"We did that in the interest of the state and so, it will be wrong to say that the Commissioner of Police stopped the rally because I did not stop the rally. I cannot stop any rally that conforms to the provisions of the law."

The police boss explained how the request by the IBB campaign body could have been treated had the necessary steps been taken. "If they had complied with the law and given us 48 hours notice or even came to us early in the day, we could either have given them a new date or changed the venue if they insisted on going ahead with the rally.

"You can see that the Vice President is in town and we are heavily involved in his activities. Notwithstanding, we could have changed the venue and mobilized our men to the place; but they did not follow the rules", he said.

Asked whether he was under instruction to stop the rally, Mohammed said; "nobody asked me to stop any rally. I am the Police Commissioner here and I am here because I am capable of handling the state. Otherwise, I will not be here".

The IBB campaign organisation had in a letter dated Oct. 9 informed the police that the former President was visiting Kaduna in continuation of his campaigns and consultation with stakeholders in the state.

The letter signed by the state Coordinator of the IBB campaign team and former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Bashir Zubairu, reads "I write to inform you that His Excellency, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, and his National Campaign team will visit Kaduna State on Sunday, October 10, 2010 for consultation with politicians and other prominent citizens of the state. Above for your information".

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/15739.html

Convicted former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank PLC, Mrs Cecilia Ibru,is seriously ill and might need a miracle to survive the 18-month jail term slammed on her last Friday, without urgent medical assistance.

Justice Dan Abutu of Federal High Court, Lagos, convicted Mrs Ibru, who was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 25-count charge, after she pleaded guilty to three of the charges.

She is also to forfeit assets worth N191billion comprising of 49 properties located in Nigeria, United States, Dubai, and the United Arab Emirate.

But an EFCC source told Sunday Sun that the former bank chief “ would need a miracle to complete her jail term and come out alive because of her health challenges and that was perhaps why the judge ordered that she be taken to highbrow Reddington Hospital, Lagos, for continuation of her treatment.”

He disclosed, “she is seriously ill and she actually collapsed three times in the course of her trial. The first time was in August 2009 when she collapsed in the dock, the second time was on September 13, 2010 in Lagos while signing some documents and again on Friday after she was convicted.” The source revealed, “We have reason to believe that she has cardiac problems and might need the assistance of a surgeon to be able to live healthy again.”

Indeed, a source that visited her in detention added, “She once held my hand while in detention and her skin was burning hot. Her temperature of her hands was like the inside of an oven and she looked very pale with swollen legs. If you see her you will know she surely needs medical help.”

The EFCC source noted, “with the present condition of the woman, I doubt if she can withstand the rigours of prison life. She will need a miracle; our detention condition is far better than what she will discover in prison and my guess is she is not likely to be able to go through a week in prison without collapsing. How the prisons authorities would handle her health challenge is up to them, but surely she will need an elaborate medical attention.”

Another EFCC sources claimed it was because of the health challenges that Mrs Ibru did not allow her lawyers to use technicalities to delay the case. “She just wanted to get the case over with and face the music. She refused the long route that her lawyers gave her to delay the case. Apparently she wanted to get over this phase of her life as quickly as possible so that she can treat herself properly. Even the Commission was amazed at the way she decided to go for the trial promptly and even pleaded guilty to some of the charges. We were expecting her to deploy the usual delay tactics and stunts lawyers pull on EFCC.”

The source also added that the EFCC was amazed at the magnitude of the asset of the former bank chief. “Those assets are far too much for one person and you will ask yourself how she could have amassed all that as assets and yet the bank she headed did not collapse. And she was not in custody of the wealth of the entire Ibru family? The only plausible answer is that she was probably a conduit pipe for some people involved in money laundering and she just ploughed the money into assets.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2010/oct/10/newsbreak-10-10-2010-001.htm

Bishop Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi, 80, is a retired clergyman of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. In spite of his clerical calling, the man, up to a few years ago, engaged the authorities, calling them to account. In the tempestuous days of the June 12, 1993 struggle,

he was nicknamed NADECO Bishop. He was harassed and hounded by the power that be. It got so bad that he was later marked for
assassination. Well, it didn’t happen because, according to the Bishop, Abacha died few days before he was to be assassinated. In all of this,
the man says he is not a radical; just doing what God asks him to do. He speaks on 50 years of Nigeria

as an independent nation. Excerpts…

Nigeria is 50. Looking at the country and all that we have gone through, what do you think we should be celebrating?
Really, we should be celebrating firm establishment of democracy. That is what we should be celebrating. We should be celebrating that we can see and we know for certain that democracy has been well established among us. A lot of things are connected to that because wherever there is true democracy there would be justice, and wherever there is justice there will be peace. and wherever there is peace, then working together for strong economy will be possible. If there is no peace, people cannot work together in order to have a strong economy.

So, we ought to have established true democracy, which would make other things possible. But unfortunately that has not been the case. We thank God for people in this country, Nigerians who cherish democracy, who fought for democracy. Those who have passed on like Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Aminu Kano and the rest of them; those who are still alive, who really love democracy and know the value of democracy and are fighting for it; people like Professor Wole Soyinka and the rest of them. We thank God for men and women like them.

But it is obvious majority of Nigerians do not even understand what democracy is and more unfortunate is the fact that many who know what it is, including the lawyers who should be educating the rest of us about what it really means, are not practising it. Democracy really means power belonging to the people and people now give the power that belongs to them to their elected leaders to exercise on their behalf. But that is not what is happening in Nigeria.

What role have the Nigerian electorate played in the way they are being governed? Do we deserve the government that we have had?
Yes, we deserve it, to a considerable extent, the kind of government we have had, as many of our people sell their votes for money. Like Esau who sold his birthright to his brother for Porridge – small food. “I am hungry now and I want food. You just give me food now. Birthright, you can take care of that.”

So, that is a problem. And involved in that is the problem of poverty. Wherever there is poverty, it is easier to manipulate people and either force the power from them or make them sell it. So there is so much poverty in the country. And closely related to that is ignorance. Many people in Nigeria are still illiterate. They cannot read and write. They cannot even read in our own indigenous language.

They know little or nothing about what is going on and the little they know, even much of that is deceit that what they hear from those who are called educated people. They deceive them. And when people don’t have knowledge, they can easily be deceived. That is why people like late Chief Awolowo emphasized the need for education. An educated person cannot be easily deceived. An educated person will know his or her rights and claim them.

They will say, ‘this is my right and I am not asking you for favour.’ Lack of education goes along with poverty. So the civil servant, the politician who manipulate and deceive our people know about these factors of ignorance and poverty and they use it to deceive the people and wrest from them the power without the people giving them their mandate. They force it from them and use it the way they like. That is why I say that the democracy we have is counterfeit, spurious democracy.

You agree that we cannot continue in this manner, but what do we do?
What we should do is, well, as a Christian leader, we should continue to pray. But in addition to praying we should work. And what do I mean by work? We should claim our rights. By doing that, what would result is strong public opinion, people rising up and saying no to whatever people representing them are doing that they know to be wrong. They should rise and say no and unless you do what we want, will not give you our mandate to be our representative.

Unfortunately, we still have uneducated people in this country. Those of us who have had the opportunity of education in this country should be the voices that should fight their cause. We should say no when some people want to cheat them and take away their rights from them. We should stand behind them and be ready to suffer the consequences because people who stand for what is right will suffer one kind of insult or even attack or the other.
Sometimes even the people you are fighting for will misunderstand you because of their lack of education. They will behave in a way that says: “Well, we don’t want you to do that.

You just let them give me something. I am hungry. What I need is immediate.” They are not mindful about what happens the day after. It is the responsibility of the people who have education to say, “my brothers, we know your immediate needs. We know you are suffering from abject poverty and therefore you want immediate gratification for your needs, but let us also think about the future because you may have something for now but next year you may find out that you lack things that are even more basic than what you are asking now.” That is Esau. He asked for porridge for now but after eating it and filling his belly, he became conscious of what he did.

So, strong public opinion is very necessary in our country. In addition to that, we must be ready to suffer for righteousness sake, for justice sake. There is no way we can win justice for people without suffering. We will suffer one way or the other. People will call us names, we will be persecuted and people who fight for what is just are sometimes denied their rights and certain things they ought to have enjoyed will be denied them. But we should be ready to make sacrifices.

It is said that one of the worst things the military did was to take away schools from missionaries and given to government to handle. How true is this?
I think there is much truth in that. When we were children, we went to primary and secondary schools, teachers colleges established by churches and a few by Muslims with strong emphasis on religious and moral education. This influenced our minds and the way we think. It influenced our hearts and the way we feel. It influenced our human relationship that we should be fair and just to other people. I may have my rights but I should realize that other people have their rights also. I should not be selfish.

So emphasis was on moral education. But when the military came and took away the schools from the missionary bodies, called voluntary organizations, because they were doing education voluntarily for the welfare of the country, and gave them to government where they didn’t emphasize on moral education, immorality took the place of morality. That is the result we see now.

So all citizens of Nigeria who are about 40 years – maybe about 45 years and below to about 30 to 25 years – were born during the military era when the schools were taken over and the moral education was de-emphasized. We therefore produced, reared and nurtured boys and girls who became men and women, citizens of Nigeria, with very little moral education. And we are seeing the results affecting us in every way, in politics, in our social life, in education, in our economy, in every aspect of our life as human beings.

A sequel to that is corruption, because we can’t divorce this from what you have said. How deep is it and what do we do?
As you have said, you can’t separate corruption from the moral situation that came as a consequence of taking the schools from the voluntary organizations and giving them to government without emphasis on moral education. Corruption is not just a matter of stealing or embezzling money. It relates to every facet of our lives. It includes telling lies, living lies and deceit and every aspect of life contrary to the kind of life that God wants us to live. That is corruption.

Greed, selfishness; just wanting things for me alone, not minding what happens to other people and so on. So it is an aspect of it. Whereas in those days when moral education was emphasized, children who went to school were taught the bible and what God says in the bible, the kind of persons He wants us to be and the kind of life He wants us to live as well as the things that are contrary to His will. If you are disobedient to God, you will receive curse. By and large, we have been very disobedient to God, which has led to curses.

So how do we begin moral rejuvenation as a nation?
Now, those who realize that this sad situation we are in is wrong should remain in their position. They should not shift ground to join the majority. They should not say, “that is what people are doing, let us join them.” People who do the right things are always in the minority and, indeed, will always be in the minority. But if they remain faithful in their position and live, as they ought to live, and be what God wants them to be, unknown to them, they will be influencing people little by little.

The other way is, we have to go back to what we were saying - strong public opinion, to cry out and shout. As the Old Testament prophets cried out and shouted against immorality, against corruption, against selfishness, against greed and against living in luxury while some people were dying in poverty. Some of them were arrested and imprisoned, some of them were killed by kings because they had the power to kill, but others rose up and continued the struggle. So people doing the right thing and the will of God should not give up, as they will gradually influence other people.

One thing we have to remember is that God is in heaven and He sees all the things that are happening and He is very sorry that they are happening because these are not the things He wants to happen in the world that He created. In His own ways He has been warning us by allowing our sins to bring suffering to us, so that we should reject sin and choose righteousness. God has been very patient, hoping that we will repent. The word repent means to make a right about turn, to change from sin to righteousness, from what is bad to what is good. If we persist in what is bad and we refuse to change, then God will come in judgement.

In the case of Nigeria, there will be revolution. I have been saying for some time that we have been moving gradually to a dangerous point in life where we can go into perdition. I think we have moved very close to the precipice and the next thing is that we will fall over. There will be serious revolution, a very bloody one that will strike people who revel in doing evil; to teach them evil has its own reward and the reward is terrible. So, I feel that very soon, God will bring about that revolution that will teach us that lesson; that will make us to stop, to think and change.

Isn’t there a big irony here as this is a country that is populated by Christians and Muslims, churches and mosques sprouting like mushroom yet, we are talking about the phenomenal rate of immorality, perversion, corruption the manner we never had it in the past when we had less of Christians and Muslims?
There is a portion in the bible, which says: “These people call me Lord, Lord but their minds are far from me.” They are just fake Christians and Muslims. They read the bible and Qur’an but they don’t put the lessons to practise. They are very many. That is why we have this situation. But remember, but for the influence of the churches and their prayers and their vigils and their fasts, the situation could have been worse than this. So we should not talk as if the churches and the mosques have not had any good influence on our society at all. They certainly have had some influence for good. What we are saying is that it is not enough.

We expect it to be more because the number of Christians and Muslims has been increasing. And so, if we have had more of them and they have been reading the Qur’an, then there ought to be more people who practise morality, good living than we have.
Let’s come back to political Nigeria. Nigerians still have not learnt to live as one. Gowon preached it during the civil war. He said: “To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.” When the war ended, he said: “No victor, no vanquished.” And, of course, our first national anthem said: “Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.” Are we still standing in brotherhood?

Yes and no. Thank God the situation is not hopeless. But for the grace of God and the fact that by and large, we have been brothers and sisters to one another in this country, we would have been finished. Look at what is happening in places like Somalia, Southern Sudan, Darfur and other areas where they have been fighting endless wars for decades. But in our case, God has been so gracious and that is due partly to the influence of Christianity and Islam; that preach and teach brotherhood. And look at the different methods that we have adopted for growing together as a country, because we were not one country originally.

The British colonial masters merged us together through what they called amalgamation of 1914 by Lord Lugard. We don’t speak the same language; we don’t have the same culture and so on, but the fact that they merged us and we had this amalgamation, we have been forced to listen to one another and to become brothers and sisters to a considerable extent. But the old differences are there. If you notice over the years, gradually it is becoming less pronounced than it used to be because of the influence of religion and education; because we have all these national schools and colleges, federal unity schools and so on, federal universities so that people move from their own areas to universities in another area. And then the NYSC, people are not allowed to serve in their own area. So the Yoruba goes to the East, to the North or somewhere and he or she gets to meet people in those areas where he or she has never been before.

And then, some of them get married. That is what we are saying.
So, we should not allow the feeling that everything is bad to weigh us down. We should remember that there are instances of goodness in all of it. Gradually, God is using all these devices and plans to ameliorate the seriousness of our national situation and helping us to grow together.

However, what has affected the growth of our brotherhood is that soon after we became independent in 1960, we ought to have sat down and said, ‘okay it is the Europeans that forced us together. They did it for their selfish reasons. But now, this is where we have found ourselves. Let us now think together, plan together and find out how we are going to be really one.’ We didn’t do it. Then the war came, but by the grace of God, it did not divide us completely. We ought to have sat down to say, ‘look at what has happened to us.

We have killed ourselves; we have destroyed many of our young people. Part of it is because you are Yoruba, you are Hausa, you are Igbo, you are Efik, you are Edo, you are Fulani and so on. Now what lessons do we need to learn from what happened? How do we avoid this kind of thing in the future?’ We did not do that, and then the military takeovers, the coups, when Aguiyi Ironsi, Fajuyi and others were killed and so on. If we had at sat down and do what we are asking for in 2002 to 2006, the Sovereign National Conference that Obasanjo refused, but at last, because of the pressure he organized a conference. But the way it was organized, we knew that nothing would come out of it, and you can see that nothing came out of it. But by God’s grace we have not disintegrated. We are still one country.

Do we still need that conference, call it whatever you want to call it?
I believe that it is what we need now and not elections. I am convinced about that. We ought to hold this Sovereign National Conference now. That is what PRONACO is saying. And I am a member of PRONACO led by Chief Enahoro. This presidential system of government cannot pay us. It is too expensive.

Are you saying that democracy must be homegrown? Is it one of PRONACO’s recommendations?
Yes, we can learn from the British system or the American or Japanese system and others, put everything together and come out with our own homegrown democracy, and it will be part of our culture - the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Efik or Igala culture. We put everything together so that we will look at it and say even though we have borrowed from here and there, at least we can see our different cultures. Nigeria is made up of many nations. It is a country made up of many nations and that is why PRONACO came up, suggesting 18 regions. That could be increased or reduced, depending on what the conference decides to do.

But let us have a conference to listen to one another and each area. And each nation be given the opportunity to voice its own desire. For instance, let the Yoruba come out and say, this is what we want in order to continue to be a part of the geographical entity called Nigeria, Then go to the East, listen to the Igbo, listen to the Efik and others. After that, go to the North. Listen to the Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, Berom and others. Listen to them carefully, not just hear them. In counseling we call it listening with care.

After we have listened to everybody, you will say, for instance, people from Gwari in the North, you can have this much without it jeopardizing other interests, but as for other demands are you ready to sacrifice them? And then they go round. It will take sometime, but if they do it carefully and with active concern for the welfare of each nation, it will not be easy, nothing good comes easy. But if we do it and by the time we finish, it will be mutual agreement. And every nation in Nigeria will be satisfied that they had the opportunity to say what they want. That will be homegrown. You can’t find that kind of thing anywhere in the world –mutual agreement.

But we need to do away with this presidential system. It is too expensive. America’s economy can bear it but our economy cannot. Unfortunately, some people like it because it helps them satisfy their greed. For instance, look at what the Senators and House of Representatives members are taking for themselves. For goodness sakes, how can they sit and make laws and allot to themselves such moneys?

The salary itself is not much but when you see the kind of allowance they appropriate for themselves in different guise…to say they have quarterly allowance amounting to N27.5 million each. Meaning each of them will earn it four times and then to complain that it is not enough and should be increased to N42 million quarterly; four times a year! And this is in addition to the million that they take home. That is why people are saying it is outrageous; it is unimaginable and sinful, very sinful.

What do you do with this kind of money when millions are dying of hunger? When our children are coming out of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and there is no work for them to do? Because they find nothing to do, Satan finds job for them. They are easily lured into crime and when they are caught they are taken to court. They hire other people’s sons and daughters as thugs but don’t use their own children.

So, we should drop the presidential system for genuine federal system, in which each federating unit, each nation in Nigeria will have its autonomy. That was how we started when we became independent in 1960. There were three regions - Eastern, Western and the Northern regions, and then the Mid-West Region was added. I think we had four subjects that were on the federal list. The rest were on the concurrent list. Each region organized its own economic system. That was why during the time of Awolowo, we had full free primary education and the other regions didn’t have it.

The East said its economy cannot sustain it because then the Western region was using cocoa money, and Awolowo was saying to his friend, Michael Okpara, why don’t you use palm produce and rubber? But Okpara said they couldn’t go the whole hog at once. So in the East they started from primary one to primary three and then I think they did it for one year and increased it to primary four. So they were doing it gradually until the military took over. Each region had considerable autonomy in those days and it helped.

We must go back to that so that we will spend much less of the money on overheads, salaries and allowances and buying cars and the rest. We should spend at least 75 per cent of the total income on capital projects, education, health, roads and industries and 25 per cent for paying salaries. I have been reliably told by people who know that we are today spending 88 per cent on recurrent expenditure. It is terrible and very, very bad.

In what ways did military rule help to sustain the oneness and cohesiveness of this country?
Well, I may be wrong but as a person and as a citizen of Nigeria, I cannot say in what way the military helped to unite this country, to make it one and to work together for justice. The main emphasis is justice. Whenever they stage a coup, they will announce that they have come in to right the wrongs that the civilians have been doing. But when they get there, they did worse than the civilians. One of the reasons for that is because of the civil servants. Do you know that the civil servants have done worse in destroying the unity and the democracy in Nigeria than the politicians? And they are still doing things. Well, not all of them, but majority of them are doing it. The military will come in and the civil servants will tell them how administration is done and they taught them how to steal money from the treasury.

What do you envision for Nigeria, say in another 50 years?
My vision for this country 50 years from now is that, by the grace of God, it would have become so good that it would have become an example for other countries in Africa, including South Africa and Ghana. So my vision is that Nigeria will be so well organized, so peaceful and so good that we will be a model. Even in our poor condition, look at the roles we have been playing in other countries – in the Congo, in Liberia. So we have the human and material resources to be a great country and by the grace of God, we are going to be a great country. We should not lose hope. Nigeria is going to be good.

I repeat it; by the grace of God we are going to see that Nigeria will be good. But we should take some certain steps like jettisoning the presidential system and go for genuine federal system - the parliamentary system. So that way, we will make politics less attractive and people who go into politics will know that they are not there to enrich themselves but to serve and even make personal sacrifices.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/10/national-10-10-2010-001.htm

Soldiers in Abia have killed some kidnappers attempting to escape to the neighbouring Rivers State, the Special Adviser to Abia state governor, Captain Awa Udonsi has said.

He said the soldiers shot the kidnappers who were trying to flee in to Rivers state from Ukwa West area of the state through Eberi Omuma river.

Speaking with journalists in Umuahia while receiving the keys of 20 vehicles given to the police and the army who are now based in the state for their operation, Udonsi said that most of the kidnappers have been arrested and handed over to the police.

Udonsi said that the security situation in the state has improved especially in Aba as the city is now calm, adding that the Ukwa West, Ugwunagbo, Osisioma areas have been locked up by the military. 　

He assured that the in no distant time that all the areas in the entire Ngwa zone will be cleared of all forms of criminality, "in the next one week the entire Ukwa/Ngwa area of the state will be cleared of all criminal activities in the state".　

The security adviser to the governor also said that the GOC, 82 Div, Enugu who is the leader of the military team,　is on the trail of the kidnapping kingpins and has established links with the Interpol should they escape from the country.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/15654.html

Students of Anambra State University (ANSU), yesterday, disassociated themselves from the bomb scare presently rocking the state. The state government had on Sunday raised an alarm over a text message by unknown persons threatening to bomb the Government House, Awka, within 60 hours over the continued closure of Anambra State University following the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in state-owned universities in the South-east.

The text message reads: “The bomb blast that happened at Abuja yesterday will explode in Government House Complex, Awka, in the next 60 hours from now if ANSU strike is not called off. Tell Pita Obi.”

Following the alarm, many have pointed fingers at the students who had planned a mourning protest on October 1, to press home their call on the Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to settle with their teachers and get them back to the classrooms.
They also warned parents to keep their children indoors on the independence day in order not to have them harmed should police attack them during their first protest, but, however, shelved the protest following the appeal by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Mike Udah, for them to respect their fatherland and join in the independence celebration.

But speaking to Daily Sun, yesterday, the ANSU Student Union Government (SUG) President, Mr. Paul Okafor, said they were not in any way associated with the alleged text message or plot to bomb the state.
He said, “we are worried about the news going around the state that we students want to bomb the Government House and we want to categorically disassociate ourselves from any person or group of persons planning to bomb the state.

“We have no intention and have never intended to bomb Government House or cause any problem for the state, knowing full well that bombing or causing trouble cannot solve the problem we are already in as two wrongs cannot make a right.
“We students here are not militants. I have not even seen bomb before and have no need to see or do anything with it. All we have been doing is to talk to the government to see the need to quickly return us to school. The state belongs to all of us, so how can we destroy our future?”

Okafor said, “we do not in any way have anything to do with the text message sent to the CP over the bomb issue. We hereby call on security operatives in the state to use every machinery to fish out the perpetrators of this unholy act.”
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Awka, the state capital as bomb experts were seen everywhere especially at the Government House, where they search and screen people and vehicles coming into the government house.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/05/national-05-10-2010-003.htm