₦airaland Forum

Dead on arrival ,the famous Ali must go hated by all students now even more hated n rejected by the frowning populace Goodluck choose to meet him.. I don't believe he has pressed the self distruct button

He is an intelligent man ..the apple computer means he knows tech too, and it's a model too old to be newly acquired by Amechi or anybody you suspect. He is an intellectual , a professor , a senior advocate of nigeria so he must have some wealth of his own from his labour skills contacts and most important his blessings from the Almighty that he serves diligently. When you see a good man praise him

INEC, WAKE UP TO YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY NOW!



The governing board of Democracy Watch Group (DWG), a coalition of civil society organizations after exhaustive deliberations on the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) and the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercises in Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general, based on its field observations, reports monitored via the media and other sources, hereby state as follows:

1. The Distribution of PVC has been marred by inefficiency and poor distribution system by INEC all over the country which has resulted in millions of Nigerians not being able to possess their PVC and thus at the risk of being disenfranchised from performing their civic responsibility.

2. The Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise was poorly executed due to malfunctioning machines, inadequate personnel, short time frame which has resulted in millions of voters not yet being captured in INEC data.

3. The Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) for persons of voting age not previously captured in INEC data, which is supposed to be ongoing nationwide at the INEC offices in the Local Government Councils is yet to commence and this is another noted shortcoming of the electoral body in the discharge of its responsibility.

4. We are also aware that majority of those who have come into the 18 years old and above bracket since the last exercise in 2011, have not been captured in the present exercise and are thus likely to be unconstitutionally disenfranchised.

5. The status of some polling units has become unknown such that, at the last distribution of PVC nationwide, such polling units were not open to the electorates to access their PVC.

6. There is also the issue of some voters whose names appeared on the displayed INEC notices at the polling units but whose PVC could not be found.

7. We also observed that INEC personnel were deployed to polling units without provisions for power back up for their data machines which were going off intermittently as a result of low battery and had to be rescued by alternative power from generators provided by good spirited Nigerians.

8. Most of the adhoc staffs were not properly trained for the assignment, including those who were to sort and give out the PVC which led to chaos in the various polling units and made the whole exercise stressful and disorganized.

Based on the following and our general observations of the electorate eagerness to collect their PVC and be registered in the (CVR) so as to exercise their franchise, the DWG is afraid that the performance of INEC so far in the distribution of PVC and CVR is a source for concern, a threat to our democracy and so, INEC must wake up to its constitutional responsibility now!.



We hereby demand the following:

1. That INEC immediately recommence the distribution of PVC at polling units and local governments nationwide so that all registered voters get their PVC’s in order to be able to exercise their franchise.

2. That all registered voters who have changed location, get their PVC’s.

3. That all newly registered voters get their PVC’s before January 31st 2015

4. That the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise should commence for a specific period in publicly communicated designated points in the local governments so that persons who have come into the 18 years old bracket and above and persons not previously registered or who were unable to register as a result of the short time allotted in the last exercise, are obliged the opportunity of registering and obtaining their PVC to be able to exercise their franchise.

5. That all the personnel to be deployed for the extended period of PVC distribution and Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise should be properly trained.

6. That INEC should conduct a test run of the card reader to be deployed for the general election in the six geo political zones of the country.

7. That if INEC is unable to meet its statutory mandate as a result of shortage of funds, due to unfolding developments, Democracy Watch Group (DWG) will mobilize ad hoc and voluntary staff to assist INEC to prosecute this national assignment or in the alternative support the electoral body through the mobilization of its civil society partners to advocate an extra budgetary allocation for a proper prosecution of the 2015 general elections by the National Assembly.

Thanks,



Yours Sincerely,



Signed,



Barrister Wale Ogunade Nelson Ekujumi

Chairman Gen. Secretary

One king no one should defile is Oba Adedapo Tejuoso Karunwi 111 Osile Oke -Ona Egba for slow to anger as he is his wrath can be fatal. Why has Olusegun Osoba chosen to put a wedge in Dr Lanre Tejuosos political fortunes by fielding his younger brother for the same ogun central senatorial seat in his moribund Social Democratic Party. The party is clearly going nowhere, has little or no followership, established without any serious purpose or constitution. At best it is an amalgamation of disgruntled elements uncivilised elderly rascals, bent on reawakening their lost political fortunes at the expense well meaning south west Progressives . Osoba, as a former governor journalist political tactician and elder-statesman it is already clear to him that his fight with the Ibikunle Amosun administration is a battle he lost before it began. He has been advised by the Abubakar Atiku led APC reconciliatory team yet he is defiant. What does Olusegun Osoba want? What has he forgotten at oke -imosan that is so important . Why the vendetta with the Tejuosos .....why the vendetta with Otunba Gbenga Daniel ? Is it a crime to defeat you at an election ? Why must you disrupt a peaceful cohesive administration duly elected by the people of ogun state. Is it rocket science and so difficult for you to see you are costing the All Progressive Congress it's well orchestrated political fortunes a serious heartache. Everyone expects you to be a unifying force, a head and not a tail in this dispensation. You create an Augean stable with your childish tantrums and irresponsible vendetta with notable Egba leaders and Oba Tejuoso most especially. Akinrogun Egba your war should be against enemies of Egba your role is to bring peace into the land yet we are faced with terror within.
The battle for ogun state is lost and your cohorts like Gbenga Kaka , Segun Adesegun Obadara will betray you as soon as the see the handwriting on the wall clearly .
The APC machinery in ogun state will crush you. The incumbent governor is not a tool for your whims and caprices , he has fought many battles and won them to get to oke -imosan ...it would be wise of you to bury the hatchet bury your pride and reconcile with constituted authority so the peace can be won. You should also stop using naive Prince Kayode Tejuoso against his father and senior brother . Don't forget the damage you are causing in the Tejuoso has implication and dangerous consequences , for he is married to a senior member of the APC Hon Funmilayo Tejuoso former deputy speaker in the Lagos state house and a candidate in the upcoming elections. Quite spiritedly they can become enemies wife and husband . What God has joined together Osoba please don't try to put asunder. What political strategies can they now discuss when the husband is trying to dislodge the wife's party in another core state. Do you want to break their home and break his brothers fortunes and face the wrath of Oba Tejuoso. What advise as a father did you give Prince Kayode Tejuoso knowing the implication of his actions and political choice.
I think that Segun Osoba cannot survive the pending political Avalanche he is toying with but why take hostages along . My warning is to Gbenga kaka Obadara, Kayode Tejuoso, Segun Adesegun n co you are all perceived as donkeys in a horse race. You political careers will plummet with this blind followership of a retired old hand.
Caution reason and respectability must trail your actions. ogun state will prosper ogun state is iconic ogun state is moving forward under the constituted nauthority of Sen Ibikunle Amosun...neither Osoba or his cohorts can change that . Embrace peace and unity .

One king no one should defile is Oba Adedapo Tejuoso Karunwi 111 Osile Oke -Ona Egba for slow to anger as he is his wrath can be fatal. Why has Olusegun Osoba chosen to put a wedge in Dr Lanre Tejuosos political fortunes by fielding his younger brother for the same Ogun central senatorial seat in his moribund Social Democratic Party. The party is clearly going nowhere, has little or no followership, established without any serious purpose or constitution. At best it is an amalgamation of disgruntled elements uncivilised elderly rascals, bent on reawakening their lost political fortunes at the expense well meaning south west Progrssives . Osoba, as a former governor journalist political tactician and elder-statesman it is already clear to him that his fight with the Ibikunle Amosun administration is a battle he lost before it began. He has been advised by the Abubakar Atiku led APC reconciliatory team yet he is defiant. What does Olusegun Osoba want? What has he forgotten at oke -imosan that is so important . Why the vendetta with the Tejuosos .....why the vendetta with Otunba Gbenga Daniel ? Is it a crime to defeat you at an election ? Why must you disrupt a peaceful cohesive administration duly elected by the people of Ogun state. Is it rocket science and so difficult for you to see you are costing the All Progressive Congress it's well orchestrated political fortunes a serious heartache. Everyone expects you to be a unifying force, a head and not a tail in this dispensation. You create an Augean stable with your childish tantrums and irresponsible vendetta with notable Egba leaders and Oba Tejuoso most especially. Akinrogun Egba your war should be against enemies of Egba your role is to bring peace into the land yet we are faced with terror within.
The battle for Ogun state is lost and your cohorts like Gbenga Kaka , Segun Adesegun Obadara will betray you as soon as the see the handwriting on the wall clearly .
The APC machinery in Ogun state will crush you. The incumbent governor is not a tool for your whims and caprices , he has fought many battles and won them to get to oke -imosan ...it would be wise of you to bury the hatchet bury your pride and reconcile with constituted authority so the peace can be won. You should also stop using naive Prince Kayode Tejuoso against his father and senior brother . Don't forget the damage you are causing in the Tejuoso has implication and dangerous consequences , for he is married to a senior member of the APC Hon Funmilayo Tejuoso former deputy speaker in the Lagos state house and a candidate in the upcoming elections. Quite spiritedly they can become enemies wife and husband . What God has joined together Osoba please don't try to put asunder. What political strategies can they now discuss when the husband is trying to dislodge the wife's party in another core state. Do you want to break their home and break his brothers fortunes and face the wrath of Oba Tejuoso. What advise as a father did you give Prince Kayode Tejuoso knowing the implication of his actions and political choice.
I think that Segun Osoba cannot survive the pending political Avalanche he is toying with but why take hostages along . My warning is to Gbenga kaka Obadara, Kayode Tejuoso, Segun Adesegun n co you are all perceived as donkeys in a horse race. You political careers will plummet with this blind followership of a retired old hand.
Caution reason and respectability must trail your actions. Ogun state will prosper Ogun state is iconic Ogun state is moving forward under the constituted nauthority of Sen Ibikunle Amosun...neither Osoba or his cohorts can change that . Embrace peace and unity .

One king no one should defile is Oba Adedapo Tejuoso Karunwi 111 Osile Oke -Ona Egba for slow to anger as he is his wrath can be fatal. Why has Olusegun Osoba chosen to put a wedge in Dr Lanre Tejuosos political fortunes by fielding his younger brother for the same Ogun central senatorial seat in his moribund Social Democratic Party. The party is clearly going nowhere, has little or no followership, established without any serious purpose or constitution. At best it is an amalgamation of disgruntled elements uncivilised elderly rascals, bent on reawakening their lost political fortunes at the expense well meaning south west progressives . To Osoba, as a former governor journalist political tactician and elder-statesman it is already clear to that his fight with the Ibikunle Amosun led administration is a battle he lost before it began. He has been advised by the Abubakar Atiku led APC reconciliatory team to bury his sword , yet he is defiant. What does Olusegun Osoba want? What has he forgotten at oke -imosan that is so important . Why the vendetta with the Tejuosos .....why the vendetta with Otunba Gbenga Daniel ? Is it a crime to defeat you at an election ? Why must you disrupt a peaceful cohesive administration duly elected by the people of Ogun state. Is it rocket science and so difficult for you to see you are costing the All Progressive Congress it's well orchestrated political fortunes a serious heartache. Everyone expects you to be a unifying force, a head and not a tail in this dispensation. You create an Augean stable with your childish tantrums and irresponsible vendetta with notable Egba leaders and Oba Tejuoso most especially. Akinrogun Egba your war should be against enemies of Egba your role is to bring peace into the land yet we are faced with terror within.
The battle for Ogun state is lost and your cohorts like Gbenga Kaka , Segun Adesegun Obadara will betray you as soon as the see the handwriting on the wall clearly .
The APC machinery in Ogun state will crush you. The incumbent governor is not a tool for your whims and caprices , he has fought many battles and won them to get to oke -imosan ...it would be wise of you to bury the hatchet bury your pride and reconcile with constituted authority so the peace can be won. You should also stop using Prince Kayode Tejuoso against his father and senior brother . Don't forget the damage you are causing in the Tejuoso family has serious implications and dangerous consequences , for he is married to a senior member of the APC Hon Funmilayo Tejuoso former deputy speaker in the Lagos state house and a candidate in the upcoming elections. Quite spiritedly they can become enemies wife and husband . What God has joined together Osoba please don't try to put asunder. What political strategies can they now discuss when the husband is trying to dislodge the wife's party in another core state. Do you want to break their home and break his brothers fortunes and face the wrath of Oba Tejuoso. What advise as a father did you give Prince Kayode Tejuoso knowing the implication of his actions and political choice.
I think that Segun Osoba cannot survive the pending political Avalanche he is toying with but why take hostages along . My warning is to Gbenga kaka Obadara, Kayode Tejuoso, Segun Adesegun n co you are all perceived as donkeys in a horse race. You political careers will plummet with this blind followership of a retired old hand.
Caution reason and respectability must trail your actions. Ogun state will prosper Ogun state is iconic Ogun state is moving forward under the constituted authority of Sen Ibikunle Amosun...neither Osoba or his cohorts can change that . Embrace peace and unity .

The Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) has declared a manhunt for the Chief Executive of Heyden Petroleum, Mr Dapo Abiodun over a N594 million fraud allegedly committed by the oil marketer as part of on-going investigations into the controversial fuel subsidy payments.

Spokeswoman of the Police Fraud unit, Mrs Ngozi Agu-Isintume who confirmed the probe when contacted on the phone today explained that the investigation was based on a petition submitted against the oil marketer by a civil society group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL. “We have received a petition in that regard and we will look into it”, she disclosed when called to confirm the probe. Findings reveal that the ruling PDP government may be after Mr Abiodun for using the platform of the party to partake in the fuel subsidy bazaar only to dump same recently for the APC on which platform he is now seeking to contest the Ogun East senatorial seat election against a former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel who is favoured to pick the PDP ticket for the race.

Briefing journalists on the petition, Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr Debo Adeniran said “our group which is a civil-society, community-based non-governmental organization with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons by any means possible at all levels in Nigeria has monitored the fuel subsidy fraud saga from 2012 till date and we have discovered that out of about 25 oil marketers indicted by the federal government, only Mr Dapo Abiodun of Heyden Petroleum has not been made to refund the N594 million he fraudulently received from government, hence the need to get the police to visit the case and unravel how he has been able to escape from the searchlight of our law enforcement agencies.”

While commending the Commissioner of Police in charge of the PSFU “for your modest achievements since you assumed office as the CP in charge of SFU”, the group said “it is particularly happy that a few corrupt public officials and fraudsters who hitherto saw themselves as untouchables have not only been touched but prosecuted through the efforts of your unit. We are sure more could still be done to record monumental achievements if you will partner with other organizations like ours, which are committed to the same goal of ridding our society of bad eggs.”

The petitioner further said “It is against this backdrop that we draw your attention to and call for your urgent investigation of a fraud of N594 million allegedly perpetrated by one Mr Dapo Abiodun who is the Chief Executive Officer of Heyden Petroleum. From the information available to us, Mr Abiodun committed the fraud under the controversial fuel subsidy regime of the present federal government.

“It is on record that the federal government through the federal ministry of finance indicted 25 oil marketing firms for defrauding the government of a whooping N408 billion in fictitious subsidy claims. The indictment was contained in a statement by the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala through her Senior Special Assistant (Communications), Mr Paul Nwabuikwu on Wednesday August 22, 2012.

“Surprisingly, from our findings, virtually all the indicted companies have either been made to make refunds or are being prosecuted by the law enforcement agencies, yet no one has deemed it fit to question Mr Abiodun and his Heyden Petroleum.

“As a result, we are compelled by patriotic zeal to urge you to deploy your team of professional investigators to unravel how the huge sum of N594 million would have gone to an individual’s pocket and the same person is still walking the streets free despite a documented public indictment by the federal government.

We are counting on you to do the needful in this regard in the interest of Nigeria’s economy and the suffering poor masses.”

Following the exposure of Ali Modu Sheriff and Azubuike Ihejirika as sponsors of Boko haram by the international hostage negotiator employed by the Nigerian government Dr. Stephen Davis and the public outcry for the Nigerian authorities to quiz the duo, I was amazed and dumbfounded to listen to DSS spokesperson Ms. Marilyn Ogar on national TV this morning Saturday 6th September, 2014 exonerate Rtd. Gen. Ihejirika and going as far as telling us that it is absurd to link him with the scourge of boko haram just because in her words, he was a former army chief who mobilized troops to combat the terrorists. Yet, she said Ali Modu Sheriff would be invited for questioning with regards to his links to boko haram based on this allegation. What came to my mind, is that this statement by Ms Ogar cannot be true but since I listened to her myself, I was taken aback, that not Marilyn Ogar again, after her show of shame with regards DSS unconstitutional and partisan role in violating peoples fundamental rights in the conduct of the Osun state gubernatorial elections.

The questions that puzzled my mind and which should stun any right thinking person are, why this embarrassing double standard? Where is the intelligence sense of the DSS? How can the DSS spokesperson exonerate an alledged suspect based on the position he held in the past and not based on investigation? Whose script is the DSS playing with regards to the fight against terrorism? How can you question one person and leave out the other based on the same premise? If this is how the DSS as represented by Ms Ogar, conducts its operations, then the war against insurgency cannot be fought talk less won.

Based on present reality, every lead must be investigated thoroughly by the authorities if we are indeed serious and concerned about fighting terrorism. We are all living witness to how it has become public knowledge and awaiting official confirmation that there are moles within the government hierarchy providing support to insurgents which was even stated by Mr. President. We are also aware that when foreign support was obliged the Nigerian government to aid the recovery of the abducted Chibok school girls, some of the foreign intelligence publicly asserted that they cannot share information with Nigerian authorities because of lack of trust. We are also aware of news of disaffection within the military circles and which is evident in their campaign because of leakages of information to the insurgents that have compromised the security of their operation and lives of our troops.

With this latest show of shame by Ms. Marilyn Ogar, with regards to her statement of clean bill of health to Azubuike Ihejirika while inviting Ali Modu Sheriff for questioning with regards to sponsoring boko haram, it has become evident that the war against insurgency has been given ethnic colouration by the authorities and this is wicked, uncivilized, criminal, unprofessional, threat to national peace and security, unconstitutional and must be condemned.

Thus, there is urgent need by Nigerians and all lovers of peace and freedom to speak up now and demand that the international community come in to do a thorough investigation of the boko haram insurgency because the Nigerian authorities have shown that they cannot be trusted to execute this war sincerely and professionally which is responsible for the upsurge in the boko haram activities which is inimical to human existence.

Thanks,

Nelson Ekujumi

Amen

DISSECTING IKIMI’S BIKINI PROBLEM AND HIS HATRED FOR TINUBU

By- Edmund Otudeko

Any one attempting to write Tom’s surname on a smartphone or tablet will find that the in-built auto-correct feature will attempt to write the surname as ‘Bikini’-that flimsy, not-meant-for-high-occasion clothing worn by fun seekers on beaches.

While this gives good cause to LaughOutLoud, it isn’t really Tom’s fault but it is very telling in an ironic way. Tom has come to symbolize that typical ‘not-to-be-taken-serious’ Nigerian politician whose value at any gathering is, at best, comic, and at worst, disruptive. This is why, when Tom recently felt compelled to write an article justifying why he decided to renounce his membership of the only credible opposition party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC), many people were amused. This is because he didn’t have to offer any justification. No one was expecting any justification from him. After all, what is it to Nigerians that this Tom was decamping…once again…as usual and…as expected?

After reflecting on Tom’s flip flopping on the political stage over the years, his ignominious role in the dark days of Nigeria’s political history and his childish rant in the letter announcing his departure from the APC, one could not but understand how, in the minds of discerning citizens and keen political watchers, the reputation of Tom as one not to be entrusted with the important and consequential was fully earned.

Given his antecedents as the ‘sell out’ Chairman of the National Republican Convention, Tom is rightly regarded in political circles as the fun seeking beach goer in a bikini. While I won’t advise any one to conjure up the picture of Tom in a bikini in one’s mind, the metaphor explains why Tom will never be trusted with any office of consequence. No one invites the bikini wearer to the high table.

Tom continues to complain to any one who would listen that he was barred by certain forces from emerging as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress. The truth is that Tom keeps missing the point and breaking one of the fundamental rules of life inscribed in the Temple of Apollo in Delphi: Man, know thyself. Tom should look in the mirror and limit his ambitions and his opinion of himself. Tom was not barred by ‘certain forces’. Tom was barred by the will of the members of the party. And the members were right. No Nigerian would have taken the party seriously with Tom as its Chairman.

Only very exceptional men can manage the inherent weakness of man in failing to know himself. Tom does not appear to be one of such exceptional men. Tom needs to begin to see himself as he is seen and as he is:

• Tom cannot, even under the most twisted definition of the term, be counted as a true Nigerian Progressive. He is one of those of whom Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu spoke of in the Punch Newspapers of June 12, 2013: “Many who connived with the clique in those debasing and disenfranchising years are … today even masquerading as champions of democracy … Such people include those … who now today sit atop parties’ Boards of Trustees … Some reign at the pinnacle of the legislative arm of government in Abuja. There are numerous others in the arms of government and even among the progressives, who ought really to search their conscience, if the survival, well-being and progress of Nigeria is truly in their agenda.”

• Tom cannot live down his role in the scuttling of the aspirations of Nigerians in 1993. For, if one is revolted by the duplicitous politicians who, while heading political parties connived with the military to annul and waste the democratic gains of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections, one of one’s prime objects of anger should be Tom.

• If one is convinced-as are all independent observers and students of history-that most of our nation’s woes are the result of years of military misadventure in governance aided by self-serving and sycophantic civilian politicians, Tom should deservedly be one’s punching bag.

• Tom is one of the Nigerians who have helped the PDP design, oil and perfect its anti-democratic electoral fraud machine. One needs look no further than to Chief Tom Ikimi, the owner of the ‘Obasan-joooh….Obasan-jooh’ voice that, in 2003, manufactured the contraption that foisted even more years of PDP misrule on Nigeria. (In furtherance of that electoral fraud machine, the PDP stole the recent election in Ekiti and, even before formally declaring for the PDP, Tom is already helping that party spread the official lie by blaming APC’s loss in that state on the perception of APC’s leaders by the people of Ekiti.)

• Tom is one of the lead facilitators of that dark episode in Nigeria’s history when, 19 years ago, the respected playwright and activist, Mr. Ken Saro Wiwa and others were gruesomely murdered by the ruthless regime of General Sani Abacha which Tom enthusiastically, obediently and dutifully served as an adviser and foreign minister and who proudly and unapologetically defended gruesome murders and miscarriage of justice before the whole world.

• Tom is undoubtedly that imposing man who possesses fairly impressive oratory prowess. But it is largely for amusement as of those fun seekers in bikinis. However, people who know what is at stake should not be amused by it. We must begin to reject the culture and leaders that promote the use of empty words and phrases to disguise the issues or to disguise their own lack of understanding of the issues and lack of good will and intentions.

Tom, in his defection rant, claimed to have played a prominent role in the founding of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress and felt that entitled him to the Chairmanship of the APC. In light of the above, he should know that if he had been promoted ‘in his bikini’ to such a high office in the APC, which is Nigeria’s surest bet out of the doldrums, all progressives would have been part of those George Santayana referred to as “Those who do not remember history” and are, ipso facto, “condemned to repeat its mistakes.” If the military and the PDP would gladly treat Chief Tom Ikimi as a leader, the APC rightly cured itself of such malady. The APC must not been seen as suffering from collective amnesia.

The only problem with Tom’s rant and diatribe is his attempt to cast aspersions on otherwise principled politicians dedicated to the struggle to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of corrupt and inept leadership foisted on the nation by Tom’s natural family, the Peoples Democratic Party (“PDP”). In the same old, intellectually lazy fashion we have become accustomed to from PDP sympathizers and enemies of progressive politics, Tim joined the ranks of desperate detractors of the Asiwaju of Lagos, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in attempting to cast aspersions on his person and integrity.

It is a historical fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the visionary behind, and one of the principal architects involved in, the formation of the All Progressives Congress. It was the Asiwaju’s personal leadership that led the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria to unanimously support the vision to cast lot with the APC and it was his (and few others’) tireless and selfless investment of time and resources that built the APC into the formidable alternative party that it now is.

Long before the formation of the APC, the Asiwaju has since cemented his reputation as the leader of a new brand of politics and activism in Nigeria. The politics that vigorously promote the welfare of the electorate and activism that courageously and doggedly pursues the enthronement of the rule of law and the pursuit of business as unusual for the sake of the greater good.

In his first Inaugural Address as the Governor of Lagos State, he famously said, “As flag-bearers, we are not unmindful of the heavy burden and responsibility that we carry. We are not unmindful of the huge expectations of our people, young and old, man and woman, able and disabled. Nor are we unmindful of the misery and poverty that the generality of our people have had to endure almost forty years after Independence. … Our goal, as the Prophet of old commands, is to lighten the burden of our people, alleviating poverty by providing jobs for our youths, houses, secure homes, water, good roads and creating efficient mass transportation system, industrial development and providing life more abundant for our people.”

And long before his election into executive office, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu played key roles in Nigerian politics. He was elected to the Senate from Lagos West constituency with the highest votes in the country in the short-lived Third Republic. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Currency and Appropriations. In that capacity, he initiated a far-reaching probe of the finances of the National Assembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and the military regime at the helm of affairs at the time.

Asiwaju was also at the forefront of Chief MKO Abiola’s campaign for presidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the freest and fairest in the country’s history was annulled, he emerged as one of the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the struggle to actualize Abiola’s mandate, the military junta reached out to him severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered juicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his principled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election. Exasperated by Tinubu’s intransigence, the military viciously went after him. He was detained. His house was fire-bombed. He eventually had to flee the country for his dear life. His wife, now Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her children had to be smuggled out into exile. Tinubu, while in exile remained steadfast in his commitment to the pro-democracy struggle, making great personal and financial
sacrifices towards this effort. A pseudo democrat would rather enjoy the transient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his life fighting for truth and justice but not Tinubu who remained steadfast.

It is in the light of the Asiwaju’s indisputable record of service and sterling leadership that the attempts by some elements in and outside the APC to reduce the Asiwaju’s influence in the party raise red flags for many Nigerians who have anchored their hope of Nigerian redemption on the APC.

Do people like Tom think that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s claim to leadership is simply that he was once elected to the Senate of the Federal Republic or that he performed as one of the most conscientious Governors of Lagos State in recent years? No! It is because of his profile in courage! It is because of his sacrifice for the greater good in good times and bad times. Who was the rallying point and strategic voice for all the opposition figures in the dark days following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential elections? Who was in the forefront of the global assault on the regime of General Sani Abacha? Who was the governor that redefined governance after years of mismanagement by the military? Who was the governor with the courage and vision to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to establish the fiscal rights of States in the Federation? Who is the politician with acumen and endurance to organize the political opposition that our
democracy surely needs to survive? It is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Thus, to reduce the influence of such a leader or to discount the value of his guidance is the recipe for doom. The people perish when they lack vision, so the holy writ says. In the same way, the APC will lose its way if it forsakes the counsel, leadership and vision of its founders and, in particular, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Asiwaju has always sided with the aspirations of the people of Nigeria and his vision is, first, of leadership that is not about the spoils of office or ethnic loyalties but about ideas. The prime idea being that democratic governance must be transparently fair and must deliver tangible benefits to the people.

Also, the Asiwaju’s vision is of the promotion of leaders whose democratic credentials are unimpeachable, he himself having sacrificed greatly both during the struggle for the enthronement of democracy and now during this struggle for the enthronement of good governance. In the dark days of the June 12 struggle, was it not the Asiwaju who sacrificed greatly to mobilise and support the forces of democratic governance? Was it not the Asiwaju who successfully led the defence of the Constitution and the rights of states against an imperial presidency? Was he not the one who led democratic forces to ward off an onslaught of the might of the humongous and corruptly oiled political machinery of the PDP in the desperate effort to ‘capture’ the states of the South West? Was it not during his leadership that the winning electoral strategies that restored progressivism to most parts of the South West were successfully formulated and implemented?

Furthermore, the Asiwaju’s vision for the APC is of the elevation to leadership of persons who are not men of mere words but men who have toiled in office for the sake of the people and who have performed so exceptionally well that they can raise their heads up high and walk confidently among the people of this country. The Asiwaju himself was a popular Governor of the cosmopolitan state of Lagos for 8 years. It was the Asiwaju’s administration in Lagos that in 2001 became, perhaps, the first state administration to record 90% budget performance. In fact, for his excellent performance as the Executive Governor of Lagos State of Nigeria (1999 – 2007), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu received several awards. These include Best Governor in Nigeria for Y2000 by the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce; Y2002 Best Practices Prize in Improving the Living Environment, awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN Habitat Group; and the Y2000 Best
Computerized Government in Nigeria Award by the Computer Association of Nigeria.

In the Asiwaju’s vision, the APC should be a party of resolute leaders who are in the forefront of the fight for justice, for good governance, for the integrity of the ballot box, for real development and for change in a corrupt and dysfunctional polity. It should be a party of leaders who are echoing the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln who himself paid the supreme sacrifice in his leadership of his people by dedicating themselves to the unfinished work which heroes in the past have thus far so nobly advanced. The APC of the Asiwaju’s vision should be a party of leaders dedicated to the great task remaining before us: that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish.

The APC will also do well to take advantage of the Asiwaju’s wide, varied and rich experience of Nigeria. He has been priviledged to know Nigeria well from the perspective of an ordinary citizen living in a country struggling with developmental issues and every day infrastructural problems; from the perspective of a Nigerian living in the diaspora; from the perspective of a citizen making his first foray into the murky waters of politics; from the perspective of an activist-politician co-leading the often very dangerous struggle against military dictatorship; from the perspective of a public servant twice elected to serve as the governor of the largest, richest and most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria; and from the perspective of a political leader now seeking to put democracy on firmer footing by organizing a viable, coherent, and alternative political leadership for Nigeria

For the umpteenth time, people like Tom must surely be reminded that it is intellectually lazy to capitalize on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s relationship with the Managing Director of Oando Plc to create ridiculous conspiracy theories. Surely, the deal between Oando Plc and Conoco Phillips is one scrutinized by regulators in Nigeria, the United States and South Africa. To suggest that it was a front for some shady deal is lazy and also mischievous, uninformed and rash.

Tom referred to the number of defectors from the APC to justify his own defection. But he should be reminded that the struggle of the opposition is not one that can be endured by all. It is a natural phenomenon for the chaff to be separated from the grain. The wheel of the formidable machine of progressivism will continue to roll undeterred. When the battle is finally ended and the roll is called, we know those whose names will be missing.
Even the most ardent sympathizer and fan of the PDP or President Goodluck Jonathan now agrees that Nigeria is in desperate need of a breath of fresh air, longing for an influx of air that is not stale or smelly, a portion of air that is not "contaminated" with unpleasant people or situations and demanding a new, fresh, and imaginative approach to the Nigerian Project. Gladly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has, thanks to the vision of courage of selfless and indefatigable progressives, offered longsuffering Nigerians an alternative to the clueless and debilitating failed leadership offered the nation by the PDP over the last 15 years.
And as the year of battle draws close, there may be more defections but there also will be more people enlisting for the struggle. But even as the APC is seeking the help of all and sundry to defeat the cancerous monster that is the PDP, only men of sterling characters and reputation may apply. Beach goers and large men in Bikinis may keep amusing themselves.

DISSECTING IKIMI’S BIKINI PROBLEM AND HIS HATRED FOR TINUBU

By- Edmund Otudeko

Any one attempting to write Tom’s surname on a smartphone or tablet will find that the in-built auto-correct feature will attempt to write the surname as ‘Bikini’-that flimsy, not-meant-for-high-occasion clothing worn by fun seekers on beaches.

While this gives good cause to LaughOutLoud, it isn’t really Tom’s fault but it is very telling in an ironic way. Tom has come to symbolize that typical ‘not-to-be-taken-serious’ Nigerian politician whose value at any gathering is, at best, comic, and at worst, disruptive. This is why, when Tom recently felt compelled to write an article justifying why he decided to renounce his membership of the only credible opposition party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC), many people were amused. This is because he didn’t have to offer any justification. No one was expecting any justification from him. After all, what is it to Nigerians that this Tom was decamping…once again…as usual and…as expected?

After reflecting on Tom’s flip flopping on the political stage over the years, his ignominious role in the dark days of Nigeria’s political history and his childish rant in the letter announcing his departure from the APC, one could not but understand how, in the minds of discerning citizens and keen political watchers, the reputation of Tom as one not to be entrusted with the important and consequential was fully earned.

Given his antecedents as the ‘sell out’ Chairman of the National Republican Convention, Tom is rightly regarded in political circles as the fun seeking beach goer in a bikini. While I won’t advise any one to conjure up the picture of Tom in a bikini in one’s mind, the metaphor explains why Tom will never be trusted with any office of consequence. No one invites the bikini wearer to the high table.

Tom continues to complain to any one who would listen that he was barred by certain forces from emerging as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress. The truth is that Tom keeps missing the point and breaking one of the fundamental rules of life inscribed in the Temple of Apollo in Delphi: Man, know thyself. Tom should look in the mirror and limit his ambitions and his opinion of himself. Tom was not barred by ‘certain forces’. Tom was barred by the will of the members of the party. And the members were right. No Nigerian would have taken the party seriously with Tom as its Chairman.

Only very exceptional men can manage the inherent weakness of man in failing to know himself. Tom does not appear to be one of such exceptional men. Tom needs to begin to see himself as he is seen and as he is:

• Tom cannot, even under the most twisted definition of the term, be counted as a true Nigerian Progressive. He is one of those of whom Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu spoke of in the Punch Newspapers of June 12, 2013: “Many who connived with the clique in those debasing and disenfranchising years are … today even masquerading as champions of democracy … Such people include those … who now today sit atop parties’ Boards of Trustees … Some reign at the pinnacle of the legislative arm of government in Abuja. There are numerous others in the arms of government and even among the progressives, who ought really to search their conscience, if the survival, well-being and progress of Nigeria is truly in their agenda.”

• Tom cannot live down his role in the scuttling of the aspirations of Nigerians in 1993. For, if one is revolted by the duplicitous politicians who, while heading political parties connived with the military to annul and waste the democratic gains of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections, one of one’s prime objects of anger should be Tom.

• If one is convinced-as are all independent observers and students of history-that most of our nation’s woes are the result of years of military misadventure in governance aided by self-serving and sycophantic civilian politicians, Tom should deservedly be one’s punching bag.

• Tom is one of the Nigerians who have helped the PDP design, oil and perfect its anti-democratic electoral fraud machine. One needs look no further than to Chief Tom Ikimi, the owner of the ‘Obasan-joooh….Obasan-jooh’ voice that, in 2003, manufactured the contraption that foisted even more years of PDP misrule on Nigeria. (In furtherance of that electoral fraud machine, the PDP stole the recent election in Ekiti and, even before formally declaring for the PDP, Tom is already helping that party spread the official lie by blaming APC’s loss in that state on the perception of APC’s leaders by the people of Ekiti.)

• Tom is one of the lead facilitators of that dark episode in Nigeria’s history when, 19 years ago, the respected playwright and activist, Mr. Ken Saro Wiwa and others were gruesomely murdered by the ruthless regime of General Sani Abacha which Tom enthusiastically, obediently and dutifully served as an adviser and foreign minister and who proudly and unapologetically defended gruesome murders and miscarriage of justice before the whole world.

• Tom is undoubtedly that imposing man who possesses fairly impressive oratory prowess. But it is largely for amusement as of those fun seekers in bikinis. However, people who know what is at stake should not be amused by it. We must begin to reject the culture and leaders that promote the use of empty words and phrases to disguise the issues or to disguise their own lack of understanding of the issues and lack of good will and intentions.

Tom, in his defection rant, claimed to have played a prominent role in the founding of the Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress and felt that entitled him to the Chairmanship of the APC. In light of the above, he should know that if he had been promoted ‘in his bikini’ to such a high office in the APC, which is Nigeria’s surest bet out of the doldrums, all progressives would have been part of those George Santayana referred to as “Those who do not remember history” and are, ipso facto, “condemned to repeat its mistakes.” If the military and the PDP would gladly treat Chief Tom Ikimi as a leader, the APC rightly cured itself of such malady. The APC must not been seen as suffering from collective amnesia.

The only problem with Tom’s rant and diatribe is his attempt to cast aspersions on otherwise principled politicians dedicated to the struggle to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of corrupt and inept leadership foisted on the nation by Tom’s natural family, the Peoples Democratic Party (“PDP”). In the same old, intellectually lazy fashion we have become accustomed to from PDP sympathizers and enemies of progressive politics, Tim joined the ranks of desperate detractors of the Asiwaju of Lagos, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in attempting to cast aspersions on his person and integrity.

It is a historical fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the visionary behind, and one of the principal architects involved in, the formation of the All Progressives Congress. It was the Asiwaju’s personal leadership that led the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria to unanimously support the vision to cast lot with the APC and it was his (and few others’) tireless and selfless investment of time and resources that built the APC into the formidable alternative party that it now is.

Long before the formation of the APC, the Asiwaju has since cemented his reputation as the leader of a new brand of politics and activism in Nigeria. The politics that vigorously promote the welfare of the electorate and activism that courageously and doggedly pursues the enthronement of the rule of law and the pursuit of business as unusual for the sake of the greater good.

In his first Inaugural Address as the Governor of Lagos State, he famously said, “As flag-bearers, we are not unmindful of the heavy burden and responsibility that we carry. We are not unmindful of the huge expectations of our people, young and old, man and woman, able and disabled. Nor are we unmindful of the misery and poverty that the generality of our people have had to endure almost forty years after Independence. … Our goal, as the Prophet of old commands, is to lighten the burden of our people, alleviating poverty by providing jobs for our youths, houses, secure homes, water, good roads and creating efficient mass transportation system, industrial development and providing life more abundant for our people.”

And long before his election into executive office, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu played key roles in Nigerian politics. He was elected to the Senate from Lagos West constituency with the highest votes in the country in the short-lived Third Republic. In the Senate he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Currency and Appropriations. In that capacity, he initiated a far-reaching probe of the finances of the National Assembly that set him at loggerheads with the legislative bureaucracy and the military regime at the helm of affairs at the time.

Asiwaju was also at the forefront of Chief MKO Abiola’s campaign for presidency in 1993. When the June 12, 1993 election, described as the freest and fairest in the country’s history was annulled, he emerged as one of the fiercest opponents of the annulment. As the arrowhead of the struggle to actualize Abiola’s mandate, the military junta reached out to him severally to jump ship and come over to their side. He was offered juicy appointments and contracts to no avail. He refused to betray his principled commitment to the sanctity of a free and fair election. Exasperated by Tinubu’s intransigence, the military viciously went after him. He was detained. His house was fire-bombed. He eventually had to flee the country for his dear life. His wife, now Senator Oluremi Tinubu and her children had to be smuggled out into exile. Tinubu, while in exile remained steadfast in his commitment to the pro-democracy struggle, making great personal and financial
sacrifices towards this effort. A pseudo democrat would rather enjoy the transient benefits of economic and political power rather than risk his life fighting for truth and justice but not Tinubu who remained steadfast.

It is in the light of the Asiwaju’s indisputable record of service and sterling leadership that the attempts by some elements in and outside the APC to reduce the Asiwaju’s influence in the party raise red flags for many Nigerians who have anchored their hope of Nigerian redemption on the APC.

Do people like Tom think that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s claim to leadership is simply that he was once elected to the Senate of the Federal Republic or that he performed as one of the most conscientious Governors of Lagos State in recent years? No! It is because of his profile in courage! It is because of his sacrifice for the greater good in good times and bad times. Who was the rallying point and strategic voice for all the opposition figures in the dark days following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential elections? Who was in the forefront of the global assault on the regime of General Sani Abacha? Who was the governor that redefined governance after years of mismanagement by the military? Who was the governor with the courage and vision to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to establish the fiscal rights of States in the Federation? Who is the politician with acumen and endurance to organize the political opposition that our
democracy surely needs to survive? It is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Thus, to reduce the influence of such a leader or to discount the value of his guidance is the recipe for doom. The people perish when they lack vision, so the holy writ says. In the same way, the APC will lose its way if it forsakes the counsel, leadership and vision of its founders and, in particular, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Asiwaju has always sided with the aspirations of the people of Nigeria and his vision is, first, of leadership that is not about the spoils of office or ethnic loyalties but about ideas. The prime idea being that democratic governance must be transparently fair and must deliver tangible benefits to the people.

Also, the Asiwaju’s vision is of the promotion of leaders whose democratic credentials are unimpeachable, he himself having sacrificed greatly both during the struggle for the enthronement of democracy and now during this struggle for the enthronement of good governance. In the dark days of the June 12 struggle, was it not the Asiwaju who sacrificed greatly to mobilise and support the forces of democratic governance? Was it not the Asiwaju who successfully led the defence of the Constitution and the rights of states against an imperial presidency? Was he not the one who led democratic forces to ward off an onslaught of the might of the humongous and corruptly oiled political machinery of the PDP in the desperate effort to ‘capture’ the states of the South West? Was it not during his leadership that the winning electoral strategies that restored progressivism to most parts of the South West were successfully formulated and implemented?

Furthermore, the Asiwaju’s vision for the APC is of the elevation to leadership of persons who are not men of mere words but men who have toiled in office for the sake of the people and who have performed so exceptionally well that they can raise their heads up high and walk confidently among the people of this country. The Asiwaju himself was a popular Governor of the cosmopolitan state of Lagos for 8 years. It was the Asiwaju’s administration in Lagos that in 2001 became, perhaps, the first state administration to record 90% budget performance. In fact, for his excellent performance as the Executive Governor of Lagos State of Nigeria (1999 – 2007), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu received several awards. These include Best Governor in Nigeria for Y2000 by the Nigerian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce; Y2002 Best Practices Prize in Improving the Living Environment, awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works and the UN Habitat Group; and the Y2000 Best
Computerized Government in Nigeria Award by the Computer Association of Nigeria.

In the Asiwaju’s vision, the APC should be a party of resolute leaders who are in the forefront of the fight for justice, for good governance, for the integrity of the ballot box, for real development and for change in a corrupt and dysfunctional polity. It should be a party of leaders who are echoing the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln who himself paid the supreme sacrifice in his leadership of his people by dedicating themselves to the unfinished work which heroes in the past have thus far so nobly advanced. The APC of the Asiwaju’s vision should be a party of leaders dedicated to the great task remaining before us: that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish.

The APC will also do well to take advantage of the Asiwaju’s wide, varied and rich experience of Nigeria. He has been priviledged to know Nigeria well from the perspective of an ordinary citizen living in a country struggling with developmental issues and every day infrastructural problems; from the perspective of a Nigerian living in the diaspora; from the perspective of a citizen making his first foray into the murky waters of politics; from the perspective of an activist-politician co-leading the often very dangerous struggle against military dictatorship; from the perspective of a public servant twice elected to serve as the governor of the largest, richest and most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria; and from the perspective of a political leader now seeking to put democracy on firmer footing by organizing a viable, coherent, and alternative political leadership for Nigeria

For the umpteenth time, people like Tom must surely be reminded that it is intellectually lazy to capitalize on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s relationship with the Managing Director of Oando Plc to create ridiculous conspiracy theories. Surely, the deal between Oando Plc and Conoco Phillips is one scrutinized by regulators in Nigeria, the United States and South Africa. To suggest that it was a front for some shady deal is lazy and also mischievous, uninformed and rash.

Tom referred to the number of defectors from the APC to justify his own defection. But he should be reminded that the struggle of the opposition is not one that can be endured by all. It is a natural phenomenon for the chaff to be separated from the grain. The wheel of the formidable machine of progressivism will continue to roll undeterred. When the battle is finally ended and the roll is called, we know those whose names will be missing.
Even the most ardent sympathizer and fan of the PDP or President Goodluck Jonathan now agrees that Nigeria is in desperate need of a breath of fresh air, longing for an influx of air that is not stale or smelly, a portion of air that is not "contaminated" with unpleasant people or situations and demanding a new, fresh, and imaginative approach to the Nigerian Project. Gladly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has, thanks to the vision of courage of selfless and indefatigable progressives, offered longsuffering Nigerians an alternative to the clueless and debilitating failed leadership offered the nation by the PDP over the last 15 years.
And as the year of battle draws close, there may be more defections but there also will be more people enlisting for the struggle. But even as the APC is seeking the help of all and sundry to defeat the cancerous monster that is the PDP, only men of sterling characters and reputation may apply. Beach goers and large men in Bikinis may keep amusing themselves.

Edmund Otudeko is a political analyst and member of the APC

DORA ALL THE WAY.

August 28th
By Sunday Dare
I have struggled with writing a befitting piece for Dora AKunyili since her cruel demise. And this is why. In less than six months that I worked closely with her in Abuja at the Ministry of information and communications I was unable to come to terms with her undying believe that Nigeria was still the greatest country in the world. For her, no country had all of God's blessings together in one piece like Nigeria. Nigeria to her had the ingredients to attain greatness. It was only a matter of time.
If I shared her faith, I could not share her optimism about Nigeria. Where she saw greatness, I saw something different. Where she saw hope for a better country, I saw a bleak future. But no one could stop her or change her passion for Nigeria. Consummate in her endeavors and committed to achieving set goals, Dora AKunyili had no comparison. Even from a distance, one could sense her commitment and share In her dream.
I became part of that dream as I worked with her to see how best to change the Nigerian narrative through the Great Nation, Great People mantra. If that effort came short it was not that she did not put in her all. It was due to the fact that millions of Nigerians have lost hope that Nigeria can be redeemed. Yet, I saw her many times climb down from the mountain of optimism and faith for a better country to the valley of despair and angst. It was at such moments that I saw the innermost pains of her soul. She agonized about how key people in key positions sabotaged Nigeriaminstead of bandaging her up to heal. I saw her many times working the phones at a frenetic pace to rally all she knew to make sure certain injustice was redressed or a key decision was taken. She was unstoppable even at moments when her faith confronts the Stoney ground and Nigeria disappoints her. Dora never disappointed Nigeria.
Now you know a bit of why I struggled with what to write. Not because the words and poetry will fail me. No. It is simply because words,mere words could not do justice to who she was, what she stood for and why there will be only one Dora.
Her public service career though like a fairy tale has no equal. She was made for Nigeria. She was placed in places and times in our history to lift up our country and our spirits. Like a star in the dark firmament she was the shining star never to be shut out. Her stint at NAFDAC had no equal and with that singular act, she brought the world to Nigeria. She chalked up points for Nigeria globally and redeemed our image. She lifted up the spirits of millions who realized that some good could come out of Israel. Dora became a sensation. She provided a rare excitement about a Nigeria that is possible. She gave true meaning to the fact that only through building institutions can a nation progress and serve the people. Dora herself was an institution.
Sadly, when she positioned to build on a solid foundation of public service, the very nation she served let her down. Her bold foray into politics by seeking elective office came under uncommon challenge. Her friends in the corridors of power deserted her. But she was one never to be put down. She once told me, " Chief, you must fight and stand for what you believe in. People will not always be kind to you, but you must be kind to yourself by staying true to yourself". Indeed, that was the way she lived her last years even as she sought for a place to best continue to serve Nigeria.
Dora we will never forget. She was the amazon. She was the leader of our team. She was an embodiment of grace, brilliance and devotion to humanity.
When I first encountered her at an international conference in Dakar, Senegal sometime in 2007, little did I know that she would one day convince me to resign my prestigious job with the Voice of America in Washington DC to come work with her. I had no reason to leave my job. I was not in search of a job. But no one could say no to Dora. She hardly took no for an answer. Her argument was unassailable and her plea for me to join her to make Nigeria better was unignorable . She was willing to seek out those that shared in her dream. And even though I moved on, she left an impression never to be forgotten. She worked hard. Committed with focus.
Though cut off so soon, she has left behind a legacy like no other. She would never be forgotten. Adieu Dora Akunyili. You lived and worked like no mere mortal, but mortals we all are. You have ran the race faithfully and may the crown sit fittingly on your head. No better words will do as an epitaph on her grave that these words, " Here lies a soul that touched other souls and gave humanity her best". Sun re o!
-Sunday Dare, was former Senior Special Assistant to Dora Akunyili at the Information Ministry.

DORA ALL THE WAY.

August 28th
By Sunday Dare
I have struggled with writing a befitting piece for Dora AKunyili since her cruel demise. And this is why. In less than six months that I worked closely with her in Abuja at the Ministry of information and communications I was unable to come to terms with her undying believe that Nigeria was still the greatest country in the world. For her, no country had all of God's blessings together in one piece like Nigeria. Nigeria to her had the ingredients to attain greatness. It was only a matter of time.
If I shared her faith, I could not share her optimism about Nigeria. Where she saw greatness, I saw something different. Where she saw hope for a better country, I saw a bleak future. But no one could stop her or change her passion for Nigeria. Consummate in her endeavors and committed to achieving set goals, Dora AKunyili had no comparison. Even from a distance, one could sense her commitment and share In her dream.
I became part of that dream as I worked with her to see how best to change the Nigerian narrative through the Great Nation, Great People mantra. If that effort came short it was not that she did not put in her all. It was due to the fact that millions of Nigerians have lost hope that Nigeria can be redeemed. Yet, I saw her many times climb down from the mountain of optimism and faith for a better country to the valley of despair and angst. It was at such moments that I saw the innermost pains of her soul. She agonized about how key people in key positions sabotaged Nigeriaminstead of bandaging her up to heal. I saw her many times working the phones at a frenetic pace to rally all she knew to make sure certain injustice was redressed or a key decision was taken. She was unstoppable even at moments when her faith confronts the Stoney ground and Nigeria disappoints her. Dora never disappointed Nigeria.
Now you know a bit of why I struggled with what to write. Not because the words and poetry will fail me. No. It is simply because words,mere words could not do justice to who she was, what she stood for and why there will be only one Dora.
Her public service career though like a fairy tale has no equal. She was made for Nigeria. She was placed in places and times in our history to lift up our country and our spirits. Like a star in the dark firmament she was the shining star never to be shut out. Her stint at NAFDAC had no equal and with that singular act, she brought the world to Nigeria. She chalked up points for Nigeria globally and redeemed our image. She lifted up the spirits of millions who realized that some good could come out of Israel. Dora became a sensation. She provided a rare excitement about a Nigeria that is possible. She gave true meaning to the fact that only through building institutions can a nation progress and serve the people. Dora herself was an institution.
Sadly, when she positioned to build on a solid foundation of public service, the very nation she served let her down. Her bold foray into politics by seeking elective office came under uncommon challenge. Her friends in the corridors of power deserted her. But she was one never to be put down. She once told me, " Chief, you must fight and stand for what you believe in. People will not always be kind to you, but you must be kind to yourself by staying true to yourself". Indeed, that was the way she lived her last years even as she sought for a place to best continue to serve Nigeria.
Dora we will never forget. She was the amazon. She was the leader of our team. She was an embodiment of grace, brilliance and devotion to humanity.
When I first encountered her at an international conference in Dakar, Senegal sometime in 2007, little did I know that she would one day convince me to resign my prestigious job with the Voice of America in Washington DC to come work with her. I had no reason to leave my job. I was not in search of a job. But no one could say no to Dora. She hardly took no for an answer. Her argument was unassailable and her plea for me to join her to make Nigeria better was unignorable . She was willing to seek out those that shared in her dream. And even though I moved on, she left an impression never to be forgotten. She worked hard. Committed with focus.
Though cut off so soon, she has left behind a legacy like no other. She would never be forgotten. Adieu Dora Akunyili. You lived and worked like no mere mortal, but mortals we all are. You have ran the race faithfully and may the crown sit fittingly on your head. No better words will do as an epitaph on her grave that these words, " Here lies a soul that touched other souls and gave humanity her best". Sun re o!
-Sunday Dare, was former Senior Special Assistant to Dora Akunyili at the Information Ministry.

Pure speculation Tom Tom what's wrong with you ....wale Tinubu is more than capable as md n CEO of Oando to resolve his issues without Asiwaju who has no business ties with Oando as the structure of Oando board portrays. Wale Tinubu is not involved in politics and is not a Politician and has very good relationship with nnpc being a very competent business man helping to boost the national economy . Uncivilised as Abiola called you is why you cannot see clearly to understand the link is not the way you see it. Do you not know the chairman of Oando have uyou not seen the constitution of the board are the board members not capable enough, why must you always mention Tinubu you are so caught up in envy and admiration you cannot even decipher what is important or feasible in this situation. Go and rest at 70 you have tried.. Enibonafe Joro mi JoMiri jo

I don't blame you shina you de chop abi so u believe all Nigerians are eating and benefiting from your agric programme...I'll tell you it's a lie everybody is hungry even the farmers ...the state has failed Niigeria is a failed state check world ratings.....food is d most expensive scarce commodity in the world....nutritional content nil oranges dry as ever ......we need a revolution in agriculture not speeches and artificial flavouring of produce in an era where the world is reverting to organic healthy food. It's a shame u r serving a PDP govt but by 2015 when APC becomes Nigeria's main party we will look at your cv

By tomorrow, Friday, August 22, the kidnapped girls of Chibok would have been unwitting ”guests” of Boko Haram for 130 days. Between their kidnap and frightful escapes, the recurring line from the relevant security agencies has been, “We know where they are”! Ironically, every Nigerian knows where they are too: With Boko Haram!
The Department of State Security, formerly known as the State Security Service is primarily charged with intelligence gathering within Nigeria. Perhaps, bereft of adequate intelligence and tactics to take on bigger opponents like the abductors of the Chibok girls, it resorts to chasing shadowy ones.
Ms. Marilyn Ogar, the public persona of the agency, has taken a fancy to mundane stridency. She is a civil servant; a high ranking one who should know better than the pedestrianism she has bedevilled Nigerians with of late. Watching her on TV talking about the governorship Osun election was perhaps one of the most embarrassing outings by any Nigerian public official ever. If Ogar is the best the DSS has in its ranks, it is probably not too much to ask them to rethink their staffing parameters.
Given that Nigeria is no longer under the military -where any and every nonsense was foisted on the populace – it stretches one’s imagination that the deleterious propaganda of Ogar is allowed to stand. It makes one wonder if she is the ventriloquist or just the puppet on its lap. Even more importantly, one needs ask if there is not a tacit approval of her annoying and unceasing public oration by her superiors. At the rate at which she is letting on important information to the public in a poorly thought-out yet gossipy manner, it seems the DSS is not taking itself seriously enough.
It is not clear whose voice Ogar sprouts but clearly she seems to think that being the spokesperson of an organisation gives her the licene to prattle even streamside gossip. One can deduce from her recent bluster and blunder that she lacks the self-restraint that should come with being involved with intelligence gathering.
Some months back, she dumped on doubters who questioned her assertion that the “real” Abubakar Shekau was dead. She responded that questioners ought to uncritically believe whatever the DSS tells them. Some weeks after, she sprayed a similar zealous uncouthness on the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners. She termed the protesters a “franchise” even without linking them to any parent organisation or presenting proof of its affiliation to any sponsor.
Still not done, Ogar, a week ago, resumed her exerting nuances when she alleged that a “certain political party” had attempted to bribe the DSS officials during the Osun election. Given that there were two main political parties that tussled in that election and Ogar already works for one, or seemingly so, given that one controls the central government, it does not take much effort to know which she was indiscreetly accusing. Worse, if a security official can openly boast about being offered a bribe (knowing there is an extant law against such practices), then it shows the level the Nigerian society has degenerated. Even more shocking is the glaring reality that her words have not attracted enough outrage to compel any decisive action from appropriate quarters.
As if that was not enough, she went further to allege that any loss the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, records at the polls is usually accompanied by bombing attacks. This should have been classified as another one of Ogar’s rants except some weeks ago, a similar line of thought had been offered by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku. Maku claimed that about every milestone recorded by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has been followed by a terror attack. He cited several instances – the rebasing of the Nigerian GDP, the World Economic Forum summit that took place in Abuja and, even the Ekiti election. I shudder to imagine that this sort of stringing what might as well be happenstance together is what now passes for “intelligence gathering” in Nigeria.
It remains unclear who is echoing who and whether these unsubstantiated tales are not even endorsed in government quarters; and whether huge sums of money are not allocated for security officials to further pursue this line of reasoning.
But suppose there is some sense in the claim that some disgruntled elements throw a bomb each time they cannot have their way so as to undermine the never-seen-before-in-this-world achievements of Mr. President, is simply making the accusation the best Ogar’s organisation can offer? What is the relevance of the DSS then if it cannot accompany its theories with indisputable facts and a decisive course of action?
If a whole secret service agency should degenerate to putting two and two together and arriving at wild figures that suits them, then how are they different from the countless conspiracy theorists who more or less abuse their privilege of possessing a laptop, Internet connection and an opportunity of a discourse when they concoct similar mindless fiction on virtually every national issue? We might as well save the nation some much needed money by closing down the DSS offices and let the public generate its own insinuations.
There have been several calls for Ogar’s sacking but what we are dealing with here is beyond a lone personality who will not just stop talking. The DSS has a chequered history and Ogar is a reflection of an organisation that urgently needs to clean itself. Like all public bodies, due process is often thrown to the dogs whilst nepotism, tribalism and religious affiliation are exploited, building up a burdensome cult of personalities. And, given that the infamous National Security Organisation of Umaru Shinkafi, Mohammed Rafindadi and, Mohammed Gusau is the DSS fore-runner, Ogar’s shortcoming is more of a continuation of an institutional deficiency, rather than an isolated incident.
However, Ogar should neither be condoned nor tolerated. She should understand that her words go a long way. History is sated with misguided officials who did their pay-masters bidding to calamitous consequences. People like Sani Abacha, Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Augusto Pinochet and, Nicolae Ceausescu suffer labelling for their activities in office. Yet, what are sometimes overlooked in their historical narratives are stories of their foot-soldiers who facilitate their destructive tendencies through words. If Ogar thinks her words are mere words, ask the Tutsi who died in the Rwandan genocide all about the power of rhetoric. The instigation by various spokespersons fuelled the mayhem. That is why Ogar needs to be reminded that while she might be working for her ultimate self-interest, (and is likely to be noticed and rewarded for her relentless efforts), she is largely working against the nation’s collective interest.

By tomorrow, Friday, August 22, the kidnapped girls of Chibok would have been unwitting ”guests” of Boko Haram for 130 days. Between their kidnap and frightful escapes, the recurring line from the relevant security agencies has been, “We know where they are”! Ironically, every Nigerian knows where they are too: With Boko Haram!
The Department of State Security, formerly known as the State Security Service is primarily charged with intelligence gathering within Nigeria. Perhaps, bereft of adequate intelligence and tactics to take on bigger opponents like the abductors of the Chibok girls, it resorts to chasing shadowy ones.
Ms. Marilyn Ogar, the public persona of the agency, has taken a fancy to mundane stridency. She is a civil servant; a high ranking one who should know better than the pedestrianism she has bedevilled Nigerians with of late. Watching her on TV talking about the governorship Osun election was perhaps one of the most embarrassing outings by any Nigerian public official ever. If Ogar is the best the DSS has in its ranks, it is probably not too much to ask them to rethink their staffing parameters.
Given that Nigeria is no longer under the military -where any and every nonsense was foisted on the populace – it stretches one’s imagination that the deleterious propaganda of Ogar is allowed to stand. It makes one wonder if she is the ventriloquist or just the puppet on its lap. Even more importantly, one needs ask if there is not a tacit approval of her annoying and unceasing public oration by her superiors. At the rate at which she is letting on important information to the public in a poorly thought-out yet gossipy manner, it seems the DSS is not taking itself seriously enough.
It is not clear whose voice Ogar sprouts but clearly she seems to think that being the spokesperson of an organisation gives her the licene to prattle even streamside gossip. One can deduce from her recent bluster and blunder that she lacks the self-restraint that should come with being involved with intelligence gathering.
Some months back, she dumped on doubters who questioned her assertion that the “real” Abubakar Shekau was dead. She responded that questioners ought to uncritically believe whatever the DSS tells them. Some weeks after, she sprayed a similar zealous uncouthness on the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners. She termed the protesters a “franchise” even without linking them to any parent organisation or presenting proof of its affiliation to any sponsor.
Still not done, Ogar, a week ago, resumed her exerting nuances when she alleged that a “certain political party” had attempted to bribe the DSS officials during the Osun election. Given that there were two main political parties that tussled in that election and Ogar already works for one, or seemingly so, given that one controls the central government, it does not take much effort to know which she was indiscreetly accusing. Worse, if a security official can openly boast about being offered a bribe (knowing there is an extant law against such practices), then it shows the level the Nigerian society has degenerated. Even more shocking is the glaring reality that her words have not attracted enough outrage to compel any decisive action from appropriate quarters.
As if that was not enough, she went further to allege that any loss the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, records at the polls is usually accompanied by bombing attacks. This should have been classified as another one of Ogar’s rants except some weeks ago, a similar line of thought had been offered by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku. Maku claimed that about every milestone recorded by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has been followed by a terror attack. He cited several instances – the rebasing of the Nigerian GDP, the World Economic Forum summit that took place in Abuja and, even the Ekiti election. I shudder to imagine that this sort of stringing what might as well be happenstance together is what now passes for “intelligence gathering” in Nigeria.
It remains unclear who is echoing who and whether these unsubstantiated tales are not even endorsed in government quarters; and whether huge sums of money are not allocated for security officials to further pursue this line of reasoning.
But suppose there is some sense in the claim that some disgruntled elements throw a bomb each time they cannot have their way so as to undermine the never-seen-before-in-this-world achievements of Mr. President, is simply making the accusation the best Ogar’s organisation can offer? What is the relevance of the DSS then if it cannot accompany its theories with indisputable facts and a decisive course of action?
If a whole secret service agency should degenerate to putting two and two together and arriving at wild figures that suits them, then how are they different from the countless conspiracy theorists who more or less abuse their privilege of possessing a laptop, Internet connection and an opportunity of a discourse when they concoct similar mindless fiction on virtually every national issue? We might as well save the nation some much needed money by closing down the DSS offices and let the public generate its own insinuations.
There have been several calls for Ogar’s sacking but what we are dealing with here is beyond a lone personality who will not just stop talking. The DSS has a chequered history and Ogar is a reflection of an organisation that urgently needs to clean itself. Like all public bodies, due process is often thrown to the dogs whilst nepotism, tribalism and religious affiliation are exploited, building up a burdensome cult of personalities. And, given that the infamous National Security Organisation of Umaru Shinkafi, Mohammed Rafindadi and, Mohammed Gusau is the DSS fore-runner, Ogar’s shortcoming is more of a continuation of an institutional deficiency, rather than an isolated incident.
However, Ogar should neither be condoned nor tolerated. She should understand that her words go a long way. History is sated with misguided officials who did their pay-masters bidding to calamitous consequences. People like Sani Abacha, Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Augusto Pinochet and, Nicolae Ceausescu suffer labelling for their activities in office. Yet, what are sometimes overlooked in their historical narratives are stories of their foot-soldiers who facilitate their destructive tendencies through words. If Ogar thinks her words are mere words, ask the Tutsi who died in the Rwandan genocide all about the power of rhetoric. The instigation by various spokespersons fuelled the mayhem. That is why Ogar needs to be reminded that while she might be working for her ultimate self-interest, (and is likely to be noticed and rewarded for her relentless efforts), she is largely working against the nation’s collective interest.

I have never stopped being amazed at how fast we are going down as a people with the way,we have developed thick skin to abnormalities and carry on as if its normal. Too many things are wrong with our land and how we all seemed unconcerned to societal issues is a source of worry.

My Bible tells me that " Can we continue in sin and the glory of God abounds?" Definitely No.

We seem to live our life in this land in crisis, seeking answers to pertinent questions from our rulers who always bid time in order to shut out answers to our questions, but we must not despair if we sincerely hope to recover our land for posterity to speak well of us when we are gone.

We are yet to get answers to our missing 20 billion dollars oil money despite assurances to this effect from Mr. President? Our daughters in Chibok, who were abducted over 110 days ago are yet to be rescued despite assurances from Mr. President and the chief of defense staff, who even told us that the abducted girls location have been found? What is the next step forward for our medical care with the recent sack of resident doctors? We must also not shy away from asking when did the DSS become an appendage of the PDP as attested to by its unprofessional and partisan conduct in the Ekiti and Osun states governorship election and confirmed by its spokesperson Mrs. Marilyn Ogar who has turned the DSS which is our country's secret police in the mould of KGB, FBI, Mi6, CIA, etc into an object of public ridicule by her public misconduct via a press conference lately? Questions requiring response from the authorities abounds in all aspects of our national life and we must not keep quiet because like our people use to say, "If you don't say here I am, nobody will say, where art thou?" So, speak out.

Until we all do the needful, our land will continue to be what it is, as a theatre of the absurd because our people say that, the child who says the mother will not sleep, must also be deprived of sleep too. We need urgent, sincere and patriotic actions to reclaim the land so that it will be green again.

Thanks,

Nelson Ekujumi

I remember I used this quotation from Dr Edwin Madunagu when a certain leader from the South East Nigeria decided to abandoned all the things he stood for in his prime to embrace the ideology of his oppressors because of hate and politics of the stomach. I took time to remind the leader in Igboland all the things he spent his life fighting for and only to dump them for selfish reasons when it mattered most. I cannot disclose who that leader was because he is no longer alive to defend himself.
Before settling down to put these words on paper, I tried to dig into the background of this character and Political bigot called Mr Femi Aribisala. I wanted to find out if his name is attached to a single achievement in advancing the cause of this country for the better. I wanted to find out if he has taken any risk at all in his life to achieve a cause. I wanted to find out if Femi Aribisala has given leadership to his family, community and Nigeria. I wanted to find out if he has any pedigree at all. My aim of doing this is this: If Femi Aribisala had been a great man or an achiever he would have no need to try to pull down a great man. This is because nobody who aspires to be a great man will seek to bring down another great man. In fact, the only way you can become a great man is to admire great men. I could only find little achievement to ascribe to Femi Aribisala’s name in my search.
Femi Aribisala has been trying without success to pull our leaders and our great party down with his scurrilous drivels every Tuesday in his column in one of Nigeria’s leading Newspapers thinking that he will succeed probably by chance. But this wind chaser of our time has always failed in this ugly mission. Femi Aribisala must have read the book: 48 Laws of Power. One of the laws in that book says the only way to destroy a great followership is to bring down the leader. This ugly man with his ugly project has been trying to tarnish the reputation of our great leader ,Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This wind chaser thinks he can sway the tide of public opinion against our leader with his useless postulations and renditions. This man who lives in the past has been applying a 10th century solution to a 21st century problem. Femi Aribisala has failed and failed woefully.
The problem with Femi Aribisala is that he wasted his youth without achieving anything. What he did not achieve in his youth is what he is trying to achieve at more than 70. No, you cannot reverse the hands of the Clock. Time lost can never be recovered. Sycophancy is not a trade. Nobody goes to the university to learn sycophancy and praise singing as a course. If you cannot make it in your 40s and 50s forget it. The truth is that Femi Aribisala works for PDP just to make up the lost glories and opportunities of the past. But must you earn a living by shooting others down? Must you ride on the back of great men? No, success is not an event? It is a result of years of hard work and commitment to the welfare of the common people.
Femi Aribisala may not know this man called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and why he is what he is today. When the likes of Femi Aribisala are sleeping, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working. This man is trying to cut an Iroko tree with a kitchen knife. Femi is trying to dig 20 meters well with bare hands. I want to throw these questions to Femi Aribisala: Do you know the man you want to bring down? Do you know his level? Do you know his followers, his friends and associates around the world? Do you know his capacity? Do you know his network and contacts? Do you know what he controls? Do you know the thousands he has groomed and established? Do you know how many leaders he has brought up? When will you ever know the capacity and the strength of the man you are fighting? Eniti o mo Oba lo nfi Oba sere (Is he who does not know the real king that toys with him). I advise this noise maker to stop the noise and go back to do the real work that will make him get to the level of Asiwaju BAT.
This man who invests in the wind has been talking about the outcome of Ekiti and Osun elections. He and his gang in PDP stole Ekiti while we slept. When thieves at our gates got to Osun they met us awake even at 3am in the morning of August 10, 2014. In Osun Femi and his robbery gang came with helicopters, guns, bombs, jackbooths, tanks, etc but ordinary people with bare hands stopped their open robbery. Iyiola Omisore, a fake and bad product could not have gotten 50,000 votes if not because of Femi Aribisala’s gangsters and vote robbers. In the State of Osun Femi Aribisala and his forty thieves came to steal and to destroy but were stopped by the rugged will of a determined people. They shut in the air, marched on the streets, bought votes in thousands, scared APC supporters to their homes and oppressed the poor but they were not enough to stop the courage of the people of the state of Osun.
Femi Aribisala has turned a blind eye on the excesses of PDP in the past 15 years in Nigeria, he cannot see the rot in Nigeria, he cannot see that PDP wants to turn Nigeria into a one party state; he does not see the changes everybody sees in his South West and beyond where APC is holding forte. Aribisala, choked in his petty jealousy, hate and greed cannot see that he has a long way to go to join the class of Asiwaju BAT. The articulation of the breath and depth of his pretty politics, and mediocrity tells us at once that Femi has no respect successful people. Your intelligent and duplicitous lies lacked elementary norms of decency in every aspect of life. I am at a loss why you are fighting and judging our great leader and APC by innuendo, speculations and gossips. When Femi Aribisala wrote about how APC lost Osun, I ran away with the thinking that he is still displaying his imbecilic sense of articulation once again. We are still investigating how this political leper got 292,000 votes in the land of the late Chief Bola Ige.
Great men discuss ideas, average men discuss events and little minds discuss people. Femi Aribisala is no longer a young man. I guess he should be in his 70s. When a man in his 70s behaves like a 15 year old boy, my people call that person, Efulefu. Is Femi Aribisala an efulefu? Time will tell.
>
> Behold The Wind Chaser called Femi Aribisala
> I remember I used this quotation from Dr Edwin Madunagu when a certain leader from the South East Nigeria decided to abandoned all the things he stood for in his prime to embrace the ideology of his oppressors because of hate and politics of the stomach. I took time to remind the leader in Igboland all the things he spent his life fighting for and only to dump them for selfish reasons when it mattered most. I cannot disclose who that leader was because he is no longer alive to defend himself.
> Before settling down to put these words on paper, I tried to dig into the background of this character and Political bigot called Mr Femi Aribisala. I wanted to find out if his name is attached to a single achievement in advancing the cause of this country for the better. I wanted to find out if he has taken any risk at all in his life to achieve a cause. I wanted to find out if Femi Aribisala has given leadership to his family, community and Nigeria. I wanted to find out if he has any pedigree at all. My aim of doing this is this: If Femi Aribisala had been a great man or an achiever he would have no need to try to pull down a great man. This is because nobody who aspires to be a great man will seek to bring down another great man. In fact, the only way you can become a great man is to admire great men. I could only find little achievement to ascribe to Femi Aribisala’s name in my search.
> Femi Aribisala has been trying without success to pull our leaders and our great party down with his scurrilous drivels every Tuesday in his column in one of Nigeria’s leading Newspapers thinking that he will succeed probably by chance. But this wind chaser of our time has always failed in this ugly mission. Femi Aribisala must have read the book: 48 Laws of Power. One of the laws in that book says the only way to destroy a great followership is to bring down the leader. This ugly man with his ugly project has been trying to tarnish the reputation of our great leader ,Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This wind chaser thinks he can sway the tide of public opinion against our leader with his useless postulations and renditions. This man who lives in the past has been applying a 10th century solution to a 21st century problem. Femi Aribisala has failed and failed woefully.
> The problem with Femi Aribisala is that he wasted his youth without achieving anything. What he did not achieve in his youth is what he is trying to achieve at more than 70. No, you cannot reverse the hands of the Clock. Time lost can never be recovered. Sycophancy is not a trade. Nobody goes to the university to learn sycophancy and praise singing as a course. If you cannot make it in your 40s and 50s forget it. The truth is that Femi Aribisala works for PDP just to make up the lost glories and opportunities of the past. But must you earn a living by shooting others down? Must you ride on the back of great men? No, success is not an event? It is a result of years of hard work and commitment to the welfare of the common people.
> Femi Aribisala may not know this man called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and why he is what he is today. When the likes of Femi Aribisala are sleeping, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working. This man is trying to cut an Iroko tree with a kitchen knife. Femi is trying to dig 20 meters well with bare hands. I want to throw these questions to Femi Aribisala: Do you know the man you want to bring down? Do you know his level? Do you know his followers, his friends and associates around the world? Do you know his capacity? Do you know his network and contacts? Do you know what he controls? Do you know the thousands he has groomed and established? Do you know how many leaders he has brought up? When will you ever know the capacity and the strength of the man you are fighting? Eniti o mo Oba lo nfi Oba sere (Is he who does not know the real king that toys with him). I advise this noise maker to stop the noise and go back to do the real work that will make him get to the level of Asiwaju BAT.
> This man who invests in the wind has been talking about the outcome of Ekiti and Osun elections. He and his gang in PDP stole Ekiti while we slept. When thieves at our gates got to Osun they met us awake even at 3am in the morning of August 10, 2014. In Osun Femi and his robbery gang came with helicopters, guns, bombs, jackbooths, tanks, etc but ordinary people with bare hands stopped their open robbery. Iyiola Omisore, a fake and bad product could not have gotten 50,000 votes if not because of Femi Aribisala’s gangsters and vote robbers. In the State of Osun Femi Aribisala and his forty thieves came to steal and to destroy but were stopped by the rugged will of a determined people. They shut in the air, marched on the streets, bought votes in thousands, scared APC supporters to their homes and oppressed the poor but they were not enough to stop the courage of the people of the state of Osun.
> Femi Aribisala has turned a blind eye on the excesses of PDP in the past 15 years in Nigeria, he cannot see the rot in Nigeria, he cannot see that PDP wants to turn Nigeria into a one party state; he does not see the changes everybody sees in his South West and beyond where APC is holding forte. Aribisala, choked in his petty jealousy, hate and greed cannot see that he has a long way to go to join the class of Asiwaju BAT. The articulation of the breath and depth of his pretty politics, and mediocrity tells us at once that Femi has no respect successful people. Your intelligent and duplicitous lies lacked elementary norms of decency in every aspect of life. I am at a loss why you are fighting and judging our great leader and APC by innuendo, speculations and gossips. When Femi Aribisala wrote about how APC lost Osun, I ran away with the thinking that he is still displaying his imbecilic sense of articulation once again. We are still investigating how this political leper got 292,000 votes in the land of the late Chief Bola Ige.
> Great men discuss ideas, average men discuss events and little minds discuss people. Femi Aribisala is no longer a young man. I guess he should be in his 70s. When a man in his 70s behaves like a 15 year old boy, my people call that person, Efulefu. Is Femi Aribisala an efulefu? Time will tell.
> Joe Igbokwe Lagos. — with Femi Hamzat, Adekunle Alli, Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro and 12 others.

“It’s an intolerable abuse of power to have employees who are supposed to be advancing the public interest, actually working on political campaigns.”
– Sal Albanese

I arrived Osogbo, the capital of the state of Osun on Sunday 3rd of August, 2014 and one thing that immediately struck me was the ominous signs of tension in the air. Please bear in mind that I have been shuttling between Lagos and Osun for over two months, therefore I am quite familiar with the state long before this last visit and I can confidently say that Osun is quite a peaceful and serene state. But as my friends and I drove into Osogbo, we noticed that the atmosphere was unusually charged.

Our problem started as soon as we got to the hotel where we had always lodged on previous visits to the State and having earlier made reservations, we were scared away by the presence of heavily armed and mostly masked security operatives. There are lots of hotels in Osogbo but Ideal Nest and Regina Suites were the creme of the pick, followed by others such as Ripples etc…To cut a long story short, we were forced to make other arrangements as we were told that our reservations had been canceled.

One other thing I noticed was the sudden abuse of sirens and the attendant noise. Note that the governor of the state of Osun does not, as a matter of principle, use a siren while driving around and no member of his cabinet does. But the soldiers, police officers, DSS and a battery of security operatives were intent on making their presence felt with their constant blaring of sirens, and boy, did we feel their presence?!

By Wednesday, we had begun to understand that the election in Osun was not going to be a walk in the park. So many incidents were panning out but let me state one of those here. My friend, the honorable Ayodeji Joseph was forcefully evicted from his hotel, alongside his aides. He was lodged at the Ideal nest, the same hotel Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro was lodged in. Ostensibly, the place had become a sort of ad hoc HQ of the defence ministry and APC members were no longer welcome here, thank you.

It took the combined efforts of myself and a lot of other well wishers to get him another place to put up. We knew the die was cast and by Friday it got worse as some hotels were raided by heavily armed security men, ostensibly to deal with APC supporters and sympathizers. Journalists were not spared as Simon Ateba, a reporter for Ynaija was one of those who got busted and harassed in their hotel rooms.

Before then, by Thursday, I had few NYSC members speak to me on condition of anonymity. They were being offered N30,000 (thirty thousand naira) to cooperate and look away especially in Ife and Ede areas. Fortunately one or two of them are Twitter users and will likely read this. And if they feel they are up to it, maybe they will corroborate this assertion.

Later on Friday night before the election, the home of Isiaka Faramade, the executive secretary of Osogbo local government, was surrounded by masked men who threatened to shoot him if he didn’t emerge. While we were communicating and looking for ways out for him, the same scenario was playing out at the Ede country home of Senator Isiaka Adeleke. His personal security men had to engage the marauders while he was ferreted away to safety in the dead of the night. It was so bad that he eventually could not cast his vote.

The governor himself was holed up in the government house as he had been forewarned not to venture out of Osogbo to Ilesha, his country home where he was going to cast his ballot, until the dawn of the next day.

So many other acts of intimidation were being perpetrated by security operatives, most of whom were masked. The final straw occurred when Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Sunday Dare (for no other reason than the fact that they were APC members) were held incommunicado without any charge brought against them and were released the next day.

All of these brigandage and executive rascality were ostensibly carried out to ensure a free and fair election in line with the transformation agenda of our dear president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. But surprisingly, not one PDP member was harassed. Indeed it was a level playing field, did I hear you say?

On the Election Day proper, so many shenanigans went down but I won’t regale you with too much tales. Let me just state a few cases.

First off, the APC had 277 party agents in Osogbo, but the INEC in its wisdom only gave the party 60 official tags. Cue Bedlam!

So many people were disenfranchised and were refused the right to vote. For instance a young man named Adeyeye Ademola Andrew, who duly registered and had his PVC was not allowed to vote and up till this moment, INEC is yet to give us reasons why they forcefully refused him accreditation and subsequently denied him the right to exercise his civic right.

NYSC members in Ife and environs who were officially on duty with their names stamped and pasted on INEC office boards, were suddenly substituted illegally. One of the NYSC members who was prevented from doing their jobs and substituted with fake corp members is on Twitter with the handle @S_hakur.

So many other infractions too numerous and some times extremely ridiculous, were carried out. Waheed Saka, the Director of CEDI and Ag. National Coordinator CDRP, Nigeria reported that voters were openly induced with N2,000 each to vote for the PDP while the police officers posted to the area looked on. His exact tweet reads: “PDP MAN named OROBO is giving out #2000 each on the queue at ilare ward 2 unit 4, Ife central LG in the presence of police, NSCDC and Soldiers”.

Credible election is the bedrock of any democracy. The Osun election was won by the APC flagbearer not because the federal government wanted a free and fair contest, but because the people of Osun decided to make their voices heard and their votes count in the face of illegal and strong arm tactics, intimidation and executive rascality. We can’t regard an election as free and fair just because lives were not lost. A free and fair contest means that the rules are obeyed to the letter and security officials are not deployed to aid the emergence of favoured candidates over others.

This current democratic experience was not bestowed on us, it was won from the blood and sweat of martyrs of democracy. The PDP led federal government should understand that history will judge whatever actions are taken today. With a total of 15,000 soldiers, 30,000 policemen, 8,000 SSS officers and 20,000 NSCDC personnel deployed to Osun for an election, one will ask, why isn’t the same show of force used to reclaim Gwoza and other Nigerian territories that are now in the firm grip of terrorists?

Elections should never be seen as a war or some do or die affair, if sincere service to humanity is the driving force. Why all the executive rascality and shenanigans in Osun? President Jonathan may not know it, but his junior minister of defence is making a mess of the defence ministry as he has effectively turned our soldiers to political thugs to be deployed to rig elections in the southwest. For a man who has two different dates of births, two different surnames, who had committed arson and destroyed the Lagos mainland city hall after looting the treasury of Lagos local government and was still made a junior minister; who before all these was an ambassador, much should not really be expected of him, nor should one be surprised.

Osun inhabitants have spoken, not because it was a free and fair polling exercise but because they were determined that the will of the people must prevail. I congratulate them and their governor and I hope the larger Nigerian population will learn from this experience.

This democracy may be imperfect but we must not lose it. It is our sacred duty to do what is best at all times. History will judge all our actions. May we be found on the positive side of history.

I am Ayobami Oyalowo, follow me on twitter @Ayourb


Sent from my iPad

“It’s an intolerable abuse of power to have employees who are supposed to be advancing the public interest, actually working on political campaigns.”
– Sal Albanese

I arrived Osogbo, the capital of the state of Osun on Sunday 3rd of August, 2014 and one thing that immediately struck me was the ominous signs of tension in the air. Please bear in mind that I have been shuttling between Lagos and Osun for over two months, therefore I am quite familiar with the state long before this last visit and I can confidently say that Osun is quite a peaceful and serene state. But as my friends and I drove into Osogbo, we noticed that the atmosphere was unusually charged.

Our problem started as soon as we got to the hotel where we had always lodged on previous visits to the State and having earlier made reservations, we were scared away by the presence of heavily armed and mostly masked security operatives. There are lots of hotels in Osogbo but Ideal Nest and Regina Suites were the creme of the pick, followed by others such as Ripples etc…To cut a long story short, we were forced to make other arrangements as we were told that our reservations had been canceled.

One other thing I noticed was the sudden abuse of sirens and the attendant noise. Note that the governor of the state of Osun does not, as a matter of principle, use a siren while driving around and no member of his cabinet does. But the soldiers, police officers, DSS and a battery of security operatives were intent on making their presence felt with their constant blaring of sirens, and boy, did we feel their presence?!

By Wednesday, we had begun to understand that the election in Osun was not going to be a walk in the park. So many incidents were panning out but let me state one of those here. My friend, the honorable Ayodeji Joseph was forcefully evicted from his hotel, alongside his aides. He was lodged at the Ideal nest, the same hotel Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro was lodged in. Ostensibly, the place had become a sort of ad hoc HQ of the defence ministry and APC members were no longer welcome here, thank you.

It took the combined efforts of myself and a lot of other well wishers to get him another place to put up. We knew the die was cast and by Friday it got worse as some hotels were raided by heavily armed security men, ostensibly to deal with APC supporters and sympathizers. Journalists were not spared as Simon Ateba, a reporter for Ynaija was one of those who got busted and harassed in their hotel rooms.

Before then, by Thursday, I had few NYSC members speak to me on condition of anonymity. They were being offered N30,000 (thirty thousand naira) to cooperate and look away especially in Ife and Ede areas. Fortunately one or two of them are Twitter users and will likely read this. And if they feel they are up to it, maybe they will corroborate this assertion.

Later on Friday night before the election, the home of Isiaka Faramade, the executive secretary of Osogbo local government, was surrounded by masked men who threatened to shoot him if he didn’t emerge. While we were communicating and looking for ways out for him, the same scenario was playing out at the Ede country home of Senator Isiaka Adeleke. His personal security men had to engage the marauders while he was ferreted away to safety in the dead of the night. It was so bad that he eventually could not cast his vote.

The governor himself was holed up in the government house as he had been forewarned not to venture out of Osogbo to Ilesha, his country home where he was going to cast his ballot, until the dawn of the next day.

So many other acts of intimidation were being perpetrated by security operatives, most of whom were masked. The final straw occurred when Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Sunday Dare (for no other reason than the fact that they were APC members) were held incommunicado without any charge brought against them and were released the next day.

All of these brigandage and executive rascality were ostensibly carried out to ensure a free and fair election in line with the transformation agenda of our dear president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. But surprisingly, not one PDP member was harassed. Indeed it was a level playing field, did I hear you say?

On the Election Day proper, so many shenanigans went down but I won’t regale you with too much tales. Let me just state a few cases.

First off, the APC had 277 party agents in Osogbo, but the INEC in its wisdom only gave the party 60 official tags. Cue Bedlam!

So many people were disenfranchised and were refused the right to vote. For instance a young man named Adeyeye Ademola Andrew, who duly registered and had his PVC was not allowed to vote and up till this moment, INEC is yet to give us reasons why they forcefully refused him accreditation and subsequently denied him the right to exercise his civic right.

NYSC members in Ife and environs who were officially on duty with their names stamped and pasted on INEC office boards, were suddenly substituted illegally. One of the NYSC members who was prevented from doing their jobs and substituted with fake corp members is on Twitter with the handle @S_hakur.

So many other infractions too numerous and some times extremely ridiculous, were carried out. Waheed Saka, the Director of CEDI and Ag. National Coordinator CDRP, Nigeria reported that voters were openly induced with N2,000 each to vote for the PDP while the police officers posted to the area looked on. His exact tweet reads: “PDP MAN named OROBO is giving out #2000 each on the queue at ilare ward 2 unit 4, Ife central LG in the presence of police, NSCDC and Soldiers”.

Credible election is the bedrock of any democracy. The Osun election was won by the APC flagbearer not because the federal government wanted a free and fair contest, but because the people of Osun decided to make their voices heard and their votes count in the face of illegal and strong arm tactics, intimidation and executive rascality. We can’t regard an election as free and fair just because lives were not lost. A free and fair contest means that the rules are obeyed to the letter and security officials are not deployed to aid the emergence of favoured candidates over others.

This current democratic experience was not bestowed on us, it was won from the blood and sweat of martyrs of democracy. The PDP led federal government should understand that history will judge whatever actions are taken today. With a total of 15,000 soldiers, 30,000 policemen, 8,000 SSS officers and 20,000 NSCDC personnel deployed to Osun for an election, one will ask, why isn’t the same show of force used to reclaim Gwoza and other Nigerian territories that are now in the firm grip of terrorists?

Elections should never be seen as a war or some do or die affair, if sincere service to humanity is the driving force. Why all the executive rascality and shenanigans in Osun? President Jonathan may not know it, but his junior minister of defence is making a mess of the defence ministry as he has effectively turned our soldiers to political thugs to be deployed to rig elections in the southwest. For a man who has two different dates of births, two different surnames, who had committed arson and destroyed the Lagos mainland city hall after looting the treasury of Lagos local government and was still made a junior minister; who before all these was an ambassador, much should not really be expected of him, nor should one be surprised.

Osun inhabitants have spoken, not because it was a free and fair polling exercise but because they were determined that the will of the people must prevail. I congratulate them and their governor and I hope the larger Nigerian population will learn from this experience.

This democracy may be imperfect but we must not lose it. It is our sacred duty to do what is best at all times. History will judge all our actions. May we be found on the positive side of history.

I am Ayobami Oyalowo, follow me on twitter @Ayourb


Sent from my iPad

Aribisala is a failed journalist he cannot see his left from his right I have tried to persuade him to choose objectivism but his stomach infrastructure will not let him jump to being balanced in his arguments. He has moved so far right he has written off his sense of nationhood honesty, truth, and the very essence of being a journalist gone . A bowl of pap now rules his head .......

This is one mistake too many , should this President not resign due to incompetence must he be allowed to endanger our likes ...Chibok girls are still no where to be found now Ebola is threatening our very existence and he is here talking rubbish and pre occupied with rigging elections to continue his crusade of ruining Nigerians .....please let us use this opportunity to speak our and clamour for his resignation we need PDP out of government ..the handwriting is on the wall........

Now let real development continue ...building planning n progress in the state of osun

They are wasting their time by intimidating the opposition and un warranted arrests of senior party members

They are trying to cheat APC but they will fail today Omisore is not that popular to deceive the electorate ...Aregbesola is d peoples choice everywhere so rigging even though easy for them at the ballot will be difficult to sustain the mandate not given by the people

God is in control that crowd at the mega rally will not allow any police n thieves in the street steal their votes ......from genesis to revelation yes. Police n thieves scaring the nation with their guns and ammunitions......

No intimidation will work all the hoax news confrence by the IG n Jega is to pull wool over our faces they are not sincere honest or trust worthy ..the are working to a script we know their way...the deceived and cheated us in Ekiti with technology solders brutality and might now they are subtle in Ekiti and behaving like we are working for peace tranquility and smooth elections but it's a lie ...they r contemptible and insensitive to the peoples wishes..their quest for power is why such machinery is in place so beware osun people vote n guard your votes till announced . Nobody is going anywhere in osun to wait for announcements of a rigged election we must wait at the wards n hear the announcement then we know our left from our right there and then. End off God bless the honest n faithful for he is worthy . Amen

All a waste of time Joe Biden knows he is corrupt inept and clueless....the American embassy in Abuja have already briefed him of all the nonsense going on in the villa so no solution ...Protocol is why they r meeting ......we have been let down again by a useless govt stealing money to keep in foreign accounts. Joe Biden knows all the fronts and foreign accounts they are using ..he us a former intelligence chief so he just de look n laugh because they are using the stolen wealth go balance their liquidity issues since the Nigerians just stash the money in the accounts for safe keeping .i shake my head violently ....a God save nigeria

A very wise move at the eve of the elections twill help Aregbesola who is doing a great job at the miniute...see www.hundredreasonsaregbe.com

Thank you sir for sensitising us further despite this the PDP will not budge , they have to be met on the same level .......we must vote and guard our votes , no intimidation in osun will make us bend...the Ekiti experience is an eye opener. Imagine announcing results that is not a reflection of what happened in the wards is a crime unpardonable. Thwarting the will of the people is a crime on earth heaven n hell.

What the PDP are planning has failed indigenes are wiser now from the fall out of Ekiti.....they will take the gifts n vote APC party they can trust