₦airaland Forum

Wale Tinubu is the only sain person on the entourage capable of speaking and articulating properly at the summit ......in my opinion Jonathan should not bother going to Washington until his house is in order ...73 man delegation for what ........only him suppose waka

You are welcome in the name of The Lord. Wise decision Bolaji Abdullahi great minds think alike , your contributions to sports in nigeria during your tenure has not gone un noticed don't worry more opportunities will come as APC takes giant strides to salvage Nigeria from corruption nepotism cruelty dictatorship segregation and political misdirection . God bless you God bless nigeria

This analysis is conducted to serve the interest of some people and not the true conciense of mr Fani Kayode .....we all know Gen Buhari and what he stands for. He is a national figure a true Nigerian an elder statesman who has risked his life in the 30 month civil war to keep Nigeria one. We know he is firm and unshaken we know his life has been spent trying to put and make Iberia one. Mr Fani Kayode you have become a waste product for writing falsehood about a man of such stature . You are a disgrace to yourself. You hate us Igbos now u hate Buhari soon you will hate yourself them we will know it is finished .

If you don't contest yes and if it's free n fair yes be a use the world is expecting massive rigging and serious fraud and malpractice

If he had been killed we certainly will be at war now

Aribisala nobody wants to hear you again. There are policies to alleviate the masses in place since even when the Jargaban was governor. Lagos state is the most prosperous state in Nigeria and the fastest growing state. The migrant population sharing the resources are a burden on the resources . People r still grouping to lagos as the promised land . Your blindness cannot be cured by miracles coz your sight is intact but your brain tells you a different message so you cannot see. Okada koh okafor ni ......mopeds are regulated now and ply the least dangerous roads so we can save lives just as it was banned in Abuja because of the busy traffic and the inability of the road safety Marshall to implement a stricter regime of the operators. Tolls have alternate routes you idiot don't you have any sense .......lagos is APC the electorate can never risk voting People deceiving People (PDP) into power. They have started bombing APC leaders all over the country do you think the people are not watching them. You will see APC will win in osun if the conduct is free and fair.....you are a disgrace to your profession and I hope the law enforcing agents do more diligence on your taxes and rates and make sure your payments are up to date so we can get more legitimate funds to protect and improve lagos. Abi u no wan pay your bills u wey de shout plenty ....odensinia man writing articles inside toilet pls flush your thoughts if u have water and keep quiet ,,....opposite man showing clear clear

For having the courage to speak the truth to power, even though she herself was complicit, Senator Oluremi did not just speak her mind, she spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians. Over the years, millions of Nigerians have come to the realization that their redemption cannot come through a rubber stamp and castrated Senate. The Senate leadership, deeply partisan and selfish has effectively become part of the executive rubber stamping and finding an escape route for the Jonathan led executive each time the House of Representatives tries put their feet to the fire.
The reaction of the Senate leadership using Senator Udoma as their mouth piece can only be expected. Here is one of their members crying foul and exposing and sharing her frustration with Nigerians about a lame Senate leadership and what she gets is a rebuff and an attempt to rubbish her. For the records, our Senators feel too distinguished to even identify or speak with the problems of the common man. In this case, Senator Tinubu says the Senate Is depressing her because she continues to be frustrated. Thank you Senator and you need not say more. You have bell the cart. When you get to the ethics committee, let them have it. You stand to lose nothing.


But first, let’s look at her as someone that has paid her dues. Senator Oluremi Tinubu hails from a very strong political class, a progressive by nature inclination affiliation and marriage she represents the new awareness. She represents a generational class that this nation needs to move forward rapidly. She represents a generation that has experienced totalitarianism in the years preceding the fight for and the enthronement of democracy. She undoubtedly and evidently played a pivotal role leading in the birth of the present day democratic Nigeria. She is the wife of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a political colossus dogged fighter and visionary leader of the present day opposition party the All Progressives Congress.

Let no mistake be made in the analysis by the Senate , of her utterances, objection and criticism of the conduct of the Nigerian Senate leadership , for it is a call for improvement and not an unethical bias . First and foremost, a democratic house must allow for criticism outside and inside the chambers. Sanctioning a member for not first taking permission or not first airing her distinguished opinion to the chairman ethics committee is at worst dictatorial and contradicts all of what the Senate stands for. We will be dealing our Constitutional position a deadly blow, if we create a furor from her critique.

The Senate, our symbol of democracy should not be seen to contradict the very tenements from which its foundations were built. How then do we lead the people we purport to represent freely when we curtail such freedom amongst ourselves under unsavory guidelines? What has the distinguished lady said that is not already in the public glare? Her dissatisfaction is shared amongst her constituents alike. What secret is there to hide in a house divided, fraught with defections, compromise for the executive and a glaring lack of focus to play its Constitutional role by keeping the executive in check and ensuring the rule of law remains the anchor by which our freedoms are protected and our country is governed.

The activities of the Senate in past and recent times have been glaring and obvious to the novice. Nigerians are not happy. Why take punitive measures against a concerned distinguished member for sensitizing us through the right channels.

What would she be telling the ethics committee chairman that is necessary before she makes her opinion public? Why is she not free to discuss her personal dissatisfaction with the Senate and its processes during her present tenure? She has been sent there by voters and those she represents are owed a very serious obligation which is the truth as she sees it. Her stewardship must be accounted for. That is the beauty of Democracy the freedom it celebrates through accountability.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu has done no wrong. She has not brought the Senate into any disrepute. Rather she has held up a mirror and her colleagues are unwilling to look into that mirror. She has awakened them to their responsibilities to the nation. Responsibility rather than compromise. Let our distinguished ethics chairman not get carried away by regulations and rules fraught with mistake. So while I give great kudos to distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her bravery vision and thoughtfulness, I must add that the natural female intuition, maternal sensitivity and love for institutional strength and country led her to voice her deep resentment and heartfelt pain for the present state of affairs in the Senate leadership where a clear tyranny of the majority reigns.

My warning therefore is that let no irrevocable step be taken on this matter that will send the wrong signal to all observers including the international community as well. Nigeria is on the world forum right now ; Insurgency , corruption, insecurity, ineptitude , inaction by the executive and the culmination of several impeachable offences by the President which have been overlooked. The day the Senate starts to gag its own members, that’s when we can kiss goodbye to that institutional integrity and independence and Nigerians will know that they are also adversaries.

Phillip Nwogu writes from Lagos

Reuben Abati and the moronic defence of Jonathan Goodluck

It is a shame that Reuben Abati has chosen to be on the side of a sinking navy instead of calling a May Day warning. He has chosen not to be on the side of historical positivism when the drums of history start beating . What shall we say of shameful and pitiable attempt to lecture General Buhari. Abati's rethoric and wild swings are comical and silly. How hard can one fall off the wagon. We know no longer recognize him for what he has stood for or what he has written. Then, many of us read his page religiously in the Guardian and archived it for history to judge . Today we must burn our memories of him with our newspaper cuttings of his wonderful articles full of balanced arguments and political sensibilities in regret for a journalist who has sold his conscience for a bowl of porridge .

Yes you can balance your arguments and exonerate your President with intellectually sounding arguments of him sticking to his constitutional role as President. But Nigerians are no fools. No amount of lexical sophistry can free this President from the allegation before him. Let us however note this truth and ask ourselves honestly, is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan oblivious of the present developments in the states , did he have a hand in the impeachment of Nyako ? Is he oblivious of the Nasarawa impeachment saga moving with such speed and ill-purpose ? If he is, then we must also accept he is oblivious of the Chibok Kidnapping too . Sleeping Jonah does not know anything for he is inside a dead whales belly.

So much balderdash Reuben , from whence doth thou cometh ? Feed us no more with high faluting grammer. Same way you all decided in your kitchen cabinet to apply for $1bn dollar loan to fight insurgency that you refuse to audit . Why have you not advised your commander in chief to visit the zone. After all he controls all the instruments of violence in the country and the joint chiefs of staff will visit maiduguri with him. Even the old frail general Danjuma has volunteered to follow him as a shield and buckler, yet no response .

I swear Reuben if you and your boss go to Chibok I will vote and support the loan request because I, like many Nigerians will not have the liver to oppose because you have done an audit and know what is required. Please don't try to deceive Nigerians any further. Obasanjo has spoken and advised, Theo Danjuma has spoken, Atiku has pleaded with your boss, Young Vibrant APC leader in Kwara Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has warned you, Alh Maitama Sule recently warned you, Gowon has too, Chaiman of the APC Excellency John Oyegun has spoken, warned and opined, Asiwaju the Jargaban Borgu kingdom has warned. The list of well meaning concerned Nigerians warning you to cease and desist from using desperate unconstitutional despotic fascist draconian measures to propergate your self and party into power is growing by the miniute. Sleeping Jonah wake up, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Now that you have heeded the advice of the Pakistani teenager for the parents of the kidnap victims to visit you in your borrowed casle, please not the timing is wrong for you have no results to show. You could have visited them in their domain even then without results and retain your self esteem and respect .

With my critique I must proffer solutions. Jonathan, please sack Reuben Abati he is your enemy . Leave the politics and democracy to the umpire so he can do a good job . INEC must be free of inteferance . If the wrong man ascends the position let the ballot paper be solely responsible . Democracy must reflect the wish of the electorate. Reuben knows that and stood for that in the past. PRigging elections should be a thing of the past in Nigeria , Nigerians are crying to develop and improve economically , socially and morally. Let your name be written in our history book as a matyr of our freedoms and democracy . Don't you remember the humiliation you suffered as VP and acting President ? Why deploy so many troops in Ekiti the cradle of knowledge so you can secure a gangster motor car dealer from Ibadan, because he has relatives in Ekiti to return as governor after they impeached him .

Don't forget the people deserve the leader they elect but not one they did not. Fayose is an imposition and you will see how he will disgrace you and Ekiti state sooner than later. Leaders evolve from their society and if Reuben does not tell you I will. They are a natural phenomena in growth and processes in politics. Leaders spring from concepts and methods of a political society so that the people who elect them want them and that way peace development and harmony prevails. Look at Osun state and the appropriation chairman giving out kerosene to the people to buy their votes . He is actually givin conditions like their PVC and vin being exchanged for kerosene and rice. Poor masses . Where was Omisore last year and the year before , he has returned at election time to deceive the people. Four year itch .

For this to be happening in your era as President is a disgrace to you . But that is what you get from a desperate politician seeking power at all cost. Who does Omisore love , who is he trying to help or which people is he trying to save . The grassroot people are hungry starving and desperate to survive he knows this so he exploits them , rice in Ekiti kerosene in Osun .

Let the people decide freely who they want. You can never fix all of Nigeria's problems no leader has accomplished that feat in history. Great leaders like Magaret Thatcher were kicked out office by her own party when she got into this mode you are in or does Reuben not know that. Oga Jonna don't let us disgrace you out of office make a U turn on these animals in mad men's skin you have in the villa....let the people be on your side, seek advise from honest people ,not those who are yes men . The country is against you now because you are not doing your job , because you are stifling the opposition who's job it is to keep you in check and create a balanced and accountable government that will keep the people stable and peaceful .

The APC is the alternative to your government , they have evolved through constitutional means. Nigeria has no light , no water, no good schools the way you measure your educational system is by the type of graduates you have . The present PDP government has further destroyed Nigeria we are now at war internally with ourselves from household , to families , to extended families to ethnic tribes and country at large . When Asiwaju told you the confab was a hoax and a charade and will not produce anything concrete did you listen . Asiwaju knows Nigeria has the blue print of solutions to our problems because he has experience and he is tried and tested. You should always consult great leaders and proven achievers , it's nothing to be proud of being C-in C yet it's and elevated position of humility backed by honour. Gen Mohamadu Buhari very respected elder statesman who stabilised Nigeria beyond belief in the short time he was head of state was truly insulted . Reuben has the effrontery to say he kidnapped Umaru Dikko stupid Reuben he forgot he jubilated at the news and cried the moment he heard the attempt was foiled at stanstead airport or heathrow now today he us singing another tune I'm sure you Mr President rejoiced like a majority of Nigerians both at home and the diaspora at the abduction because he offended Nigerians and was part of those that led to the collapse of Alhaji Shehu Shagaris government purely because of his corrupt practices.
Reuben is a disgrace and he will surely pull you down just like Dikko pulled Shagari down . Reuben is compromised and a disgrace to his profession.

The opposition has risen to take Nigerian from the claws of a dangerous inept government .


Please take caution in understanding the process leading to your becoming the opposition in the New Democratic process that will evolve in 2015 . It is going to be a new class act an accountable government that is close to the people for the people and by the people. The APC is an amalgamation of very important experienced Nigerians who have decided to oust the PDP so the robbery of the will of the people can stop . The people deserve better because Nigeria is richly blessed and endowed and a few people cannot hijack the economic power and resources and manipulate the majority . They will speak through the ballot box on the 9th of August. Abati must tell Jonathan that the sun sets soon on the dictator and bad ruler.

Personality Interview

A former Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, spoke to Segun Awofadeji on the state of the nation. Excerpts:

Why are you interested in the governorship of Bauchi State?
I will declare for the governorship of Bauchi State. I have not done that but by God’s willing, I will very soon declare. And on declaring my candidature, I will unfold my programme of action. I have experts who are now working on my programme of action, and I will unfold that from the day I’m making my own declaration. The areas I’m going to focus are three or four. We are going to focus first of all on the issue of governance; I’m taking about the ability to really fall back on our institutions.


Our institutions of governance must be made to be functional, and once they are functional, we can address other issues. Issues of capacity to really deliver the goods, issue of capacity to really re-establish the institution of governance, issues of capacity to really make participatory democracy meaningful. This will be one of the most essential and critical area of what I will focus on, and the second area is the issue of the economy.


I believe the economy of Bauchi State is a very high area of potential where the people can be adequately and gainfully engaged to have an improved living; I believe we can do that. We have the potential and capacity to and I believe we can do that through many interventions, by first of all creating an environment for investments. You cannot rely on the government to do that, I believe we have the potential and capacity to provide each and every person of Bauchi, the entire Nigerians and outsiders to come and invest.


We have the capacity, we have the resources both human and material and we are wasting these resources. I can give you a few examples. In the area of agriculture, in the area of solid minerals, and in the most viable areas of sports and tourism, Bauchi State can make billions out of sports and tourism – billions of naira. So, these are issues that you see daily. This is where we think we should concentrate on the economy.


The third area and which is critical is on security. We believe security is a community issue, and being a community issue, we must involve the community in providing security. I assure you, I will pursue the goal of creating state police. I believe in state police; I believe we must constitutionally follow the case of state, because without state police, you cannot solve the problems of the community. If we succeed in getting that, I will also use the issue of community police. The community must be in a position to provide security for themselves; we must know who we are. In other words, we must know the data of our people.


I will conduct a census of the people of Bauchi State within the first one year if elected. We have to know who is in Bauchi State, what he is doing, how he is doing it, who comes into Bauchi State. We will register births and deaths; we will provide environment for data generation because without data, you cannot govern well, and that is the problem with Nigeria as a whole, we don’t have data for anything. That’s why you have ghost workers, you have everything ghost in Nigeria – everything. And with ghost this, ghost that, you cannot function; you cannot really do much. So, Bauchi State will be a case study of data stability when we come into government.
But how do you intend to actualise state police when it is not in the Constitution?


I told you I will pursue the issue of constitutional amendment to make sure that it is brought under the concurrent legislative list. And in any case, if we don’t have that structure, we can use the law to also provide some structure that will provide that kind of security. But ultimately, we should succeed, I believe, in creating a state police. Look at what is happening in the North-east, if we had state police in the North-east, I’m telling you the problem of insurgency wouldn’t have been at the level it is today. So whoever is talking to you that state police will be misused or abused; are the national police also not being abused?


The issue is not about abuse, the issue is doing the correct thing. Don’t always think of what people will do or the bad thing people have been doing, think of how you will improve. I believe by involving the community in securing its own environment, we will succeed in having a very vibrant, result-oriented security network. There is no way you can provide security without believing in what you are doing. If you belong to a community, you believe that you must secure them, and therefore, you will reduce some excesses and see to it that, that institution is guaranteed. And in any case, there is no legal provision that stops you from making a very vibrant community policing.


Community policing is actually being practised all over the world including the United States, including Island, including Britain, including Far East. They do community policing very effectively. Because if you rely on this number of police you have, you cannot achieve security. In the whole of Nigeria, we have only 376, 000 police and we have a population of about 178 million. So, you cannot adequately cover everywhere. So, you must introduce a lot of things; you must introduce electronic security. I believe in Bauchi, you can capture the entire state through electronic security.


We can do that, we don’t need the federal government to give us the authority to do that. If the Governor of Bauchi State wants to capture the state, he can do it and nobody will stop him from doing that. So the moment we come into government, we are going to assure the people that we will capture our entire state through technology, and through effective training, the local population will be conscious about this policing.


How do you see the ransacking of the media houses by the military under the guise of routine security checks?
It is the most dangerous thing to have in a democracy. You cannot gag the people, once you do that, you are showing some tendency of dictatorship and you can’t have dictatorship in a democracy. And dictatorship in a democracy is more dangerous than military dictatorship. What happened is a dangerous development and must be stopped by patriotic Nigerians. I believe Nigerians have the capacity to do something about it. It is not just enough for the people to think only politicians can solve problems, once this kind of things happened, every Nigerian should come out and condemn it including you journalists. So what happened must be condemned by everybody.


But what are your chances as an opposition when all the state machineries are in the hands of the ruling PDP?
Simply put, the people of Bauchi State will judge us by our actions. The people of Bauchi are capable of knowing who will deliver for them; the people of the state have demonstrated in the past that they can defend their own votes, so I have that belief and I also believe because of the message we are sending out – our commitments and our capacities are coming very clearly – people are now understanding who we are; people believe in what we are telling them, and people are getting committed in our cause because they believe our cause is their cause.


So it is negative thinking to always think because the government has the police, the security, no; times have changed. No security man who is worth his salt will allow himself to be used against the collective interest of the people. I’m telling you this; we have reached an age that the police, the military, the SSS, INEC and whichever force will never work against the people of Nigeria. I’m assuring you this; I’m not joking, they are all suffering from bad governance of the PDP.


The election of 2015 is an election that will make Nigeria or destroy Nigeria. And since that is the position, we believe that the people of Nigeria will defend their votes, and it is our belief that the people of Nigeria will do what is right, so we are confident we are going to win.


What with the agitation for power shift to either Bauchi Central or North?
You see some people don’t understand where we are coming from. Everybody is concerned about quality leadership; the APC is concerned about how to change this environment, and in any case, we are not PDP; we are a new party with new focus, new purpose, new ideas and fundamentally, our concern is to change our society and build the capacity of our own people; to build unity and prosperity among our people. You cannot continue to rule Nigeria based on negative issues like I’m from the North, I’m from the South, I’m from this, I’m a Muslim, I’m a Christian, no.


You cannot and in the case of Bauchi State, I’m coming to contest as a citizen of Bauchi and I’m going to be a governor for all. I’m not going to be a Governor for Bauchi South, I’m not going to be a Governor for Bauchi North, I intend to serve the people of Bauchi state to the best of my ability, and anybody from this state can do the same if he has the same ideas that I have or we have. The most logical thing is to bring out what you think you can offer and that will soon take off in Nigeria. We are not going to continue to say this part of the country or that part of the country; this religion or that religion, no. That must be stop. We must begin to understand that what we need most is the unity of this country, and you cannot have unity until you know it intends is to provide good governance.
What is the North doing to bring insurgency to an end?


Well, I believe much needs to be done. That is an area that is very sensitive. But I feel sad whenever I see our people being killed every day to no end, and nothing seems to be happening. That is a very serious dilemma we are – very serious.
But why is the PDP bent on pushing the blame of insecurity on the APC?


That is an abdication of responsibility. The PDP is abdicating its own responsibility. How could they say? What is the purpose of government? The purpose of government is to provide security of lives and property. And the federal government is the custodian of the instrument of security. And for them to say they are blaming the APC means they are failing in their job. Whether the APC is truly or not, they should be able to stop them from doing that. They should not abdicate their responsibility because of incapacity to do the correct thing.
As

Say he borrow money no be the issue the kook be say he take am do better ...Aregbesoladon spend serious money wisely. Urban renewal programme good roads housing education etc no stone will be left unturned , he is still spending and improving the system

Tinubu: we’re all marked people


All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu lamented yesterday that the country is in the grip of terror.
He also castigated the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration for its “bungling, back passing and blackmailing Presidency”.
Tinubu issued a statement, “Attack on Buhari and innocent Nigerians” to denounce the Kaduna explosions.
It said: “The multiple bomb attack today on General Buhari, one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and innocent Nigerians confirms that our county is in the grip of terror. Sadly, we are in the hands of a bungling, buck passing and blackmailing presidency.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on General Buhari and his convoy. And the innocent Nigerians that suffered untimely deaths. I thank God that Gen. Buhari’s life was spared for greater service to the fatherland. Under an increasingly incompetent and incoherent PDP- government, Nigeria slips into a low intensity war. We are all marked people under a government that prefers to label and attack opposition rather than apply itself to providing security and good governance.
“Today’s multiple attacks are a bad omen that signposts a future filled with danger and uncertainty. Unfortunately, Nigeria is saddled with a leadership totally intolerant of ideas, suggestions and advice that do not emanate from them. We in the APC has put forward concrete suggestions which have been consistently rejected and sneered at by the PDP-led Jonathan government.
“Instead of reaching out and paying attention to our suggestions, they have turned the guns on us and are manipulating and doctoring reports and stories to label us. It is a label that is false. It is a label that will not stick. We are patriots and stand united against anyone who wants to do this great country harm.
“This government has raised the art of scapegoating to a new level. Rather than govern, they have politicised everything to the detriment of Nigerians and Nigeria.
“There can be no justification for the continued loss of innocent lives and the unending attacks. I call upon those with the power, the resources and in charge of the security apparatus of this country to get up and do something before we all are consumed.”

May his soul Rest in peace

President Jonathan: A government by vows

By Azubuike Ishiekwene

The headline took me to another place. Not the title of this piece. In one of the front-page stories of this newspaper yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan was quoted to have said, "I cannot perform magic." A number of things immediately came to mind.
It's either the president thinks we expect too much of him or he is genuinely overwhelmed by the burden of office. But leadership is a choice. He became president by default in 2010. But he put himself forward for the office in 2011 and obviously wants to be re-elected in 2015. If voters needed a magician, they would have invoked Professor Peller.
The president does not need to worry about his magical impotence. What should worry him, instead, is that, nearly two years after Sonala Olumhense compiled a two-year list of the president's broken promises, nothing seems to have changed. A similar effort by the International Press Centre, Lagos, in partnership with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting produced 91 broken presidential vows in 2011, less than two years after Jonathan became president (www.ipcng.org).
This week, I invite you to re-read Olumhense's piece, first published on May 6, 2012, and judge whether the problem is a magic wand - or competence:

Jonathan Vows to Contain Jos Crisis (AllAfrica, Jan 19, 2010)
Jonathan vows to consolidate the gains of the (Niger Delta) amnesty (CNIELTS, February 15, 2010)
New Nigerian President Vows Electoral Reform Before Next Year's Vote (Voice of America, May 07, 2010) "...Our total commitment to good governance, electoral reform, and the fight against corruption will be pursued with greater vigor."
Jonathan Vows to Tackle Erosion in South-East (AllAfrica, 24 February 2011)
Jonathan Vows to Prosecute Those Behind Violence (AllAfrica, Apr 15, 2011);

Jonathan vows to end Boko Haram menace (AFP, April 19, 2012)
Jonathan vows 'major changes' for Nigeria (Dailymotion, April 20, 2011.
Jonathan Vows to Return Nation to Order (Vanguard, 21 April 2011.
Nigeria: President Jonathan vows to address falling education standard (West African Democracy Radio, May 18, 2011);

Nigerian President Vows to Strengthen Democratic Rule (Voice of America, May 30, 2011)
Corruption: No more sacred cows, Jonathan vows (Vanguard, July 26, 2011); would rid the nation's procurement process of all forms of corruption, he said at the Fourth National Procurement Forum.
Nigerian president vows to bring terrorism under control, go after group that bombed U.N. building (Associated Press, August 27, 2011)
Jonathan Vows To Crush Terror Groups, says sponsors of terror groups now unveiled (Nigeria Tribune, September 23, 2011)
Jonathan vows to fix public institutions, says strong institutions recipe for Nigeria's greatness (The Sun, Sep 28, 2011);

President Jonathan vows war on crime, saying he had put in place a new national security strategy, (Africa Review, October 2, 2011)
Jonathan vows war on crime as Nigeria turns 51 (Africa Review, October 3, 2011)
As Boko Haram changes gear, mars Eid-El-Kabir celebrations in North, Jonathan vows to protect Nigerians (National Daily newspaper, November 6, 2011)
President Jonathan Vows To Exterminate Boko Haram (Pointblanknewsonline, December 26, 2011);

Jonathan vows to "crush terrorists" (Reuters, Dec 31, 2011) who set off a series of bombs across Nigeria on Christmas Day. "We assure Nigerians that we will protect them... We will crush the terrorists. If there are institutions ... which are harbouring terrorists, we will deal with them."
Jonathan vows to protect Nigerians (National Daily, November 6, 2011)
...it's fight to the finish, Jonathan vows (The Punch, January 1, 2012)... he would not spare any effort aimed at fighting the sect, which he described as a "group of evil-minded people," to the end;

Jonathan vows to work for the welfare and wellbeing of all Nigerians (Newsdiary, January 16, 2012)
Jonathan Vows to Check Destabilisation Plot (ThisDay, January 17, 2012)
We'll wipe out Boko Haram - Jonathan (The Punch, January 23, 2012); vowed in Kano the federal government would soon wipe out the dreaded Boko Haram
Jonathan vows to increase petrol-refining capacity (The Moment, February 3, 2012)
Jonathan vows to sack appointees over 2015 campaign (ThisDay, Feb 21, 2012)
Jonathan vows justice (The Nation, January 23, 2012);

Jonathan vows to replicate Asian Tiger feat in Nigeria (Channels TV, March 26, 2012)
Jonathan vows to fast-track power master plan (News Diary Online, March 26, 2012).
Jonathan Vows To End Boko Haram Menace In June (March 28, 2012, Yonhap News Agency, South Korea)
Jonathan vows to end culture of favouritism (Premium Times, April 12, 2012): "You don't have to know somebody who knows somebody before you can be given any high office to serve in the new direction we want to chart for the country."

I will deal with Boko Haram, Jonathan vows (Apr 13, 2012)
Jonathan vows "to sack heads of departments and parastatals indicted for lobbying members of the National Assembly for upward review of their budget (The Nation, April 14, 2012)
Jonathan vows to correct structural defects in education (Vanguard, April 15, 2012), lamenting that the defects in the system were responsible for the failure of children.
Jonathan vows to end Boko Haram menace (AFP News, April 19, 2012)... "Security situation in Nigeria is not as gloomy as it is painted and the government 'is working very hard' and that we'll bring this under control... "

Jonathan vows to eradicate polio by 2015 (Channels Television, April 24, 2012): "One thing I promise the Nigerian child, and also the Nigerian father and mother is that if we cannot solve all the health problems in this country now, one thing this present administration is committed to is to eradicate polio by 2015."
Fuel subsidy report: Presidency vows to bring culprits to book (The Punch, April 26, 2012)...would punish all those found culpable in the N1.07tn fuel subsidy scam.
Jonathan Vows To Punish Oil Thieves (Nigerian Pilot, April 26, 2012)
"President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed that his administration will not shield any corrupt person from investigation or prosecution by the anti-graft agencies in the country (NewsDiary, May 4 2012)."

The only thing worse than incompetence is government by vows.

In 1963, Awo and Zik warned Tafawa Balewa about the drifting country. They were ignored. Few years later, there was a coup and then a civil war. In 1983, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo warned the NPN government led by President Shehu Shagari that the country was drifting. Shagari, in manners similar to today's GEF, through the then Uba Ahmed, said Awolowo was a 'confused' politician. The Owelle of Onitsha, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe also warned Shagari, the NPN, through Dr Chuba Okadigbo said Zik's warning was like the 'ranting of an ant' Not too long, the democratic experience was scuttled on December 31, 1983. In 1993, Soyinka warned Ibrahim Babangida and his later-day rookie, Ernest Shonekan that Nigeria was hanging in the balance, he didn't listen. The country witnessed upheavals that lasted until 1999. We are passing through the same ugly path again. GEF should heed the voice of reason.

Reuben Abati and the moronic defence of Jonathan Goodluck

It is a shame that Reuben Abati has chosen to be on the side of a sinking navy instead of calling a May Day warning. He has chosen not to be on the side of historical positivism when the drums of history start beating . What shall we say of shameful and pitiable attempt to lecture General Buhari. Abati's rethoric and wild swings are comical and silly. How hard can one fall off the wagon. We know no longer recognize him for what he has stood for or what he has written. Then, many of us read his page religiously in the Guardian and archived it for history to judge . Today we must burn our memories of him with our newspaper cuttings of his wonderful articles full of balanced arguments and political sensibilities in regret for a journalist who has sold his conscience for a bowl of porridge .

Yes you can balance your arguments and exonerate your President with intellectually sounding arguments of him sticking to his constitutional role as President. But Nigerians are no fools. No amount of lexical sophistry can free this President from the allegation before him. Let us however note this truth and ask ourselves honestly, is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan oblivious of the present developments in the states , did he have a hand in the impeachment of Nyako ? Is he oblivious of the Nasarawa impeachment saga moving with such speed and ill-purpose ? If he is, then we must also accept he is oblivious of the Chibok Kidnapping too . Sleeping Jonah does not know anything for he is inside a dead whales belly.

So much balderdash Reuben , from whence doth thou cometh ? Feed us no more with high faluting grammer. Same way you all decided in your kitchen cabinet to apply for $1bn dollar loan to fight insurgency that you refuse to audit . Why have you not advised your commander in chief to visit the zone. After all he controls all the instruments of violence in the country and the joint chiefs of staff will visit maiduguri with him. Even the old frail general Danjuma has volunteered to follow him as a shield and buckler, yet no response .

I swear Reuben if you and your boss go to Chibok I will vote and support the loan request because I, like many Nigerians will not have the liver to oppose because you have done an audit and know what is required. Please don't try to deceive Nigerians any further. Obasanjo has spoken and advised, Theo Danjuma has spoken, Atiku has pleaded with your boss, Young Vibrant APC leader in Kwara Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has warned you, Alh Maitama Sule recently warned you, Gowon has too, Chaiman of the APC Excellency John Oyegun has spoken, warned and opined, Asiwaju the Jargaban Borgu kingdom has warned. The list of well meaning concerned Nigerians warning you to cease and desist from using desperate unconstitutional despotic fascist draconian measures to propergate your self and party into power is growing by the miniute. Sleeping Jonah wake up, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Now that you have heeded the advice of the Pakistani teenager for the parents of the kidnap victims to visit you in your borrowed casle, please not the timing is wrong for you have no results to show. You could have visited them in their domain even then without results and retain your self esteem and respect .

With my critique I must proffer solutions. Jonathan, please sack Reuben Abati he is your enemy . Leave the politics and democracy to the umpire so he can do a good job . INEC must be free of inteferance . If the wrong man ascends the position let the ballot paper be solely responsible . Democracy must reflect the wish of the electorate. Reuben knows that and stood for that in the past. PRigging elections should be a thing of the past in Nigeria , Nigerians are crying to develop and improve economically , socially and morally. Let your name be written in our history book as a matyr of our freedoms and democracy . Don't you remember the humiliation you suffered as VP and acting President ? Why deploy so many troops in Ekiti the cradle of knowledge so you can secure a gangster motor car dealer from Ibadan, because he has relatives in Ekiti to return as governor after they impeached him .

Don't forget the people deserve the leader they elect but not one they did not. Fayose is an imposition and you will see how he will disgrace you and Ekiti state sooner than later. Leaders evolve from their society and if Reuben does not tell you I will. They are a natural phenomena in growth and processes in politics. Leaders spring from concepts and methods of a political society so that the people who elect them want them and that way peace development and harmony prevails. Look at Osun state and the appropriation chairman giving out kerosene to the people to buy their votes . He is actually givin conditions like their PVC and vin being exchanged for kerosene and rice. Poor masses . Where was Omisore last year and the year before , he has returned at election time to deceive the people. Four year itch .

For this to be happening in your era as President is a disgrace to you . But that is what you get from a desperate politician seeking power at all cost. Who does Omisore love , who is he trying to help or which people is he trying to save . The grassroot people are hungry starving and desperate to survive he knows this so he exploits them , rice in Ekiti kerosene in Osun .

Let the people decide freely who they want. You can never fix all of Nigeria's problems no leader has accomplished that feat in history. Great leaders like Magaret Thatcher were kicked out office by her own party when she got into this mode you are in or does Reuben not know that. Oga Jonna don't let us disgrace you out of office make a U turn on these animals in mad men's skin you have in the villa....let the people be on your side, seek advise from honest people ,not those who are yes men . The country is against you now because you are not doing your job , because you are stifling the opposition who's job it is to keep you in check and create a balanced and accountable government that will keep the people stable and peaceful .

The APC is the alternative to your government , they have evolved through constitutional means. Nigeria has no light , no water, no good schools the way you measure your educational system is by the type of graduates you have . The present PDP government has further destroyed Nigeria we are now at war internally with ourselves from household , to families , to extended families to ethnic tribes and country at large . When Asiwaju told you the confab was a hoax and a charade and will not produce anything concrete did you listen . Asiwaju knows Nigeria has the blue print of solutions to our problems because he has experience and he is tried and tested. You should always consult great leaders and proven achievers , it's nothing to be proud of being C-in C yet it's and elevated position of humility backed by honour. Gen Mohamadu Buhari very respected elder statesman who stabilised Nigeria beyond belief in the short time he was head of state was truly insulted . Reuben has the effrontery to say he kidnapped Umaru Dikko stupid Reuben he forgot he jubilated at the news and cried the moment he heard the attempt was foiled at stanstead airport or heathrow now today he us singing another tune I'm sure you Mr President rejoiced like a majority of Nigerians both at home and the diaspora at the abduction because he offended Nigerians and was part of those that led to the collapse of Alhaji Shehu Shagaris government purely because of his corrupt practices.
Reuben is a disgrace and he will surely pull you down just like Dikko pulled Shagari down . Reuben is compromised and a disgrace to his profession.

The opposition has risen to take Nigerian from the claws of a dangerous inept government .


Please take caution in understanding the process leading to your becoming the opposition in the New Democratic process that will evolve in 2015 . It is going to be a new class act an accountable government that is close to the people for the people and by the people. The APC is an amalgamation of very important experienced Nigerians who have decided to oust the PDP so the robbery of the will of the people can stop . The people deserve better because Nigeria is richly blessed and endowed and a few people cannot hijack the economic power and resources and manipulate the majority . They will speak through the ballot box on the 9th of August. Abati must tell Jonathan that the sun sets soon on the dictator and bad ruler.

Jonathan knows he need not come back in 2015 that's number one , he is sure he will loose the election free and fair or otherwise . He is the most unpopular democratic president ever . He plummeted and derailed through negativity nativity and I'll advise. No proper channel to articulate truisms in his cabinet .
Policies have failed woefully through improper implementation and corruption on a level that tips the scales. The NASS is compromised the Judiciary is in shambles the rule of law thwarted and security in dire need of attention.
Why should he want to return? He is fed lies daily on the state of the nation by Reuben Abati and follow advisers so he is dubbed clueless Jonah ....the new style of impeachment and terrorising of opponents is so undemocratic he has lost the confidence of the international community . Yes he will loose the election truly I speak he will loose Igbo votes he never had the south west Ameachi and Oshiomole will defeat him in the south south and the north has and will reject him 100 percent . So we wait n see sleeping Jonah is in the belly of a dead whale so when he wakes up there is no exit the exit plan was not thought through just lime his recent political activities

Totally disappointed that such statement can be credited to the chairman of the ruling party ....I can believe he can't even think things through ....so infact they did rig the elections in Ekiti . Buying voters card is ridiculous

How the PDP-led FG aids, abets and benefits from Boko Haram insurgency - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of aiding, abetting and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the mismanagement of national resources, massive corruption under the PDP watch and the incompetent handling of what started as a localized insurgency have been responsible for the festering of the crisis.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also accused the federal government of using the fight against the insurgency as an excuse to punish and witch-hunt the opposition, trample on civil liberties and abuse national institutions on a scale that is unprecedented in the country's history.

It said had the PDP-led Federal Government not misgoverned Nigeria since 1999, perhaps the country could have been spared the canker worm of terrorism, epitomized more than anything else by the Boko Haram insurgency.

APC said the international community is not unaware that the FG has been the biggest cog in the wheel of efforts to tackle Boko Haram, apparently because the Jonathan Administration has seen the insurgency as its surest ticket to re-election and international acceptance.

''Far from the baseless and irresponsible accusations and finger-pointing by the PDP and the government it controls at the centre, it is time to tell Nigerians that the only reason the insurgency has continued unabated is because the PDP and the Jonathan Administration are benefitting massively from it.

''That explains their quick dismissal of our call for an international inquiry to unravel the sponsors and modus operandi of the terror group, while latching on to what remains a mere conjecture on the probe of Boko Haram links by the British Parliament. Pray, which is bigger and more authentic, a probe by the British Parliament or an international inquiry? If the PDP and its cohorts have nothing to hide, they would have embraced that call. We maintain that only an international inquiry can unravel those behind Boko Haram, and we thank Nigerians for their favourable response to our call,'' APC said.

The party called the attention of Nigerians to the testimony given by a US official, at the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa's hearing last Thursday in Washington, identifying the human rights abuse record and uncooperative attitude of the Nigerian government and its military authorities as factors hindering the security assistance offered to Nigeria by the US to tackle Boko Haram.

''The Congress was told, by the Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service Lauren Blanchard, that the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions; that the main impediment to America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader response to Boko Haram is 'gross violations committed by the Nigerian forces, the Nigerian government’s resistance to adopting a more comprehensive approach to Boko Haram and the continued lack of political will'.

“The Congress also heard that the he Nigerian government has appeared reticent in some cases to allow its security forces to participate in US training programmes, adding: 'Multiple systemic factors further constrain the effectiveness of the Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram, notably security sector corruption and mismanagement, and some of these factors impede US support even for units that have been cleared for assistance'.

''Does anyone need any more evidence of whose cluelessness and incompetence have allowed Boko Haram to fester to such a level that it has killed over 3,000 people since the beginning of this year alone? Does anyone need further evidence of whose non-cooperative attitude with the US and other foreign friends of Nigeria has been responsible for the failed and tepid efforts to tackle Boko Haram?'' it queried.

APC said it is an undisputed fact that Boko Haram emerged against the backdrop of intense poverty and political misrule by the PDP since 1999.

''Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the PDP has ruled Nigeria till date, and has been responsible for mismanaging over 60 percent of national revenue. Still, very little has changed in terms of progressive improvement in the socio-economic
conditions of most Nigerians. It is hardly a coincidence that Boko Haram emerged in the North-east region of Nigeria, given that it is the poorest region with higher than national average rates of poverty, illiteracy, mortality rates, youth unemployment and social immobility.

''Moreover, states in the North-east receive some of the least allocations from the national treasury individually and collectively. The North-east region, reflecting broader national and even African patterns, is experiencing a 'youth bulge' that accentuates the socio-economic deprivations across the region. Given the poor literacy rates of the region, there are millions of young people with neither formal nor Arabic education, not to talk of even vocational skills. Indeed, a majority of youth in the North-east region are unemployable, thus providing a fertile ground for the recruitment of idle youths into groups that engage in criminal acts.

''In short, the PDP’s failure to deliver credible democratic dividends, specifically socio-economic progress (employment, social infrastructure, quality of life initiatives, regular power supply etc) and its obsession with retaining political power at all cost, a la 'do or die politics', provide logical grounds for the horde of security challenges witnessed across Nigeria since 1999,'' the party said.

APC accused the PDP of profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, hence the ruling party has always been dismissive of any genuine efforts to end the crisis, preferring to continually demonize the APC as the sponsors of Boko Haram even when there is no scintilla of evidence to back this up.

''Fortunately, US officials interviewed by the international wire service Reuters for a recent story said there is little or no evidence to back up the claims by the Nigerian government that some prominent northerners or politicians are sponsoring Boko Haram. Now, the Jonathan Administration has been hoisted by its own petard,'' the party said.

Backing up its claims that the Jonathan Administration is profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, it said the PDP is using the crisis to launder the image of the Jonathan presidency by securing attendance and participation for President Jonathan at important international summits and meetings.

''Curiously, Boko Haram has become a way of getting the international community to talk and meet with President Jonathan and gain international media coverage. The PDP-federal government is also using the Boko Haram crisis, especially the #Bringbackourgirls campaign, to blackmail the main opposition party and the Civil Society, impose emergency rule in states and areas controlled by opposition political parties, harass and restrict media freedom (through military clampdowns), and to justify other illegal activities.

''The Boko Haram crisis is readily used by the PDP to rationalize the Jonathan Administration's abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, including visits and assistance to areas affected and effective response to kidnappings and abductions (e.g. the Administration was silent over the Chibok girls kidnaps for over 15 days). Little wonder that it took the visit of the Pakistani girl education campaigner Malala to Nigeria to force President Jonathan to now promise to meet the parents of the over 200 school girls who were abducted over three months ago in Chibok.

''Under the guise of ensuring security, the Maiduguri Airport has been closed, hence the Borno Governor and the people of the state, including the pilgrims heading to less Hajj, have been forced to travel by road to Kano to board their flights. However, the reason for shutting the airport has suddenly vanished as the private plane bearing Ali Modu Sheriff was allowed to land at the airport on Monday, the same day the Governor had to travel by road to Kano to see his brother who was involved in an accident on the same road!

''It is also not a secret that billions of Naira have been allocated to security in order to tackle the Boko Haram menace, yet our troops have not been adequately equipped to confront the insurgency. One wonders what happened to the huge funds allocated to the anti-terror fight. Against the backdrop of the huge war-chest that the Jonathan Administration has amassed ahead of the 2015 elections, one can easily understand who such funds have evaporated into thin air.

''Also, the Boko Haram crisis and the Jonathan Administration's response to it must be seen in the context of 2015 elections. The status quo favours the PDP and President Jonathan. Why? Because Boko Haram affected areas and indeed the Northern region are opposition strongholds, hence the Administration is hoping that the Boko Haram crisis, the declaration of emergency rule and general atmosphere of insecurity in the North will lead to the cancellation of voting in some areas and limit voters’ turnout in general, a development which the PDP believes will minimize its electoral losses in the North and enhance the likelihood of a PDP victory,'' APC said.

The party reiterated its position on the Boko Haram crisis, saying it has no links whatsoever to the terror group and challenged anyone with contrary information and proof to present such to Nigerians without delay.

It also restated its earlier recommendations for resolving the crisis, saying any solution that will be effective must be multi-faceted, since scorched-earth military tactics alone have failed to quell the insurgency

''The Nigerian government, if indeed it is interested in ending the Boko Haram insurgency, must integrate military action with a clear political strategy as well as socio-economic initiatives.

''In the short-term, law enforcement and security action must bring violent situations under control. Then a clear political strategy must be integrated with law enforcement and security operations with an unambiguous intent of political dialogue and negotiation as the basis for sustainable peace and security. Finally, socio-economic initiatives that align with security and political components must be integrated into the efforts

''The structural conditions (undercurrents) of sub-national violence in Nigeria must be tackled holistically through credible policies, programmes and investments in youth-related services such as employment, vocational skills training, education, agriculture, electricity supply, roads and micro-credit,'' APC said

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, July 15th 2014

How the PDP-led FG aids, abets and benefits from Boko Haram insurgency - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of aiding, abetting and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the mismanagement of national resources, massive corruption under the PDP watch and the incompetent handling of what started as a localized insurgency have been responsible for the festering of the crisis.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also accused the federal government of using the fight against the insurgency as an excuse to punish and witch-hunt the opposition, trample on civil liberties and abuse national institutions on a scale that is unprecedented in the country's history.

It said had the PDP-led Federal Government not misgoverned Nigeria since 1999, perhaps the country could have been spared the canker worm of terrorism, epitomized more than anything else by the Boko Haram insurgency.

APC said the international community is not unaware that the FG has been the biggest cog in the wheel of efforts to tackle Boko Haram, apparently because the Jonathan Administration has seen the insurgency as its surest ticket to re-election and international acceptance.

''Far from the baseless and irresponsible accusations and finger-pointing by the PDP and the government it controls at the centre, it is time to tell Nigerians that the only reason the insurgency has continued unabated is because the PDP and the Jonathan Administration are benefitting massively from it.

''That explains their quick dismissal of our call for an international inquiry to unravel the sponsors and modus operandi of the terror group, while latching on to what remains a mere conjecture on the probe of Boko Haram links by the British Parliament. Pray, which is bigger and more authentic, a probe by the British Parliament or an international inquiry? If the PDP and its cohorts have nothing to hide, they would have embraced that call. We maintain that only an international inquiry can unravel those behind Boko Haram, and we thank Nigerians for their favourable response to our call,'' APC said.

The party called the attention of Nigerians to the testimony given by a US official, at the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa's hearing last Thursday in Washington, identifying the human rights abuse record and uncooperative attitude of the Nigerian government and its military authorities as factors hindering the security assistance offered to Nigeria by the US to tackle Boko Haram.

''The Congress was told, by the Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service Lauren Blanchard, that the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions; that the main impediment to America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader response to Boko Haram is 'gross violations committed by the Nigerian forces, the Nigerian government’s resistance to adopting a more comprehensive approach to Boko Haram and the continued lack of political will'.

“The Congress also heard that the he Nigerian government has appeared reticent in some cases to allow its security forces to participate in US training programmes, adding: 'Multiple systemic factors further constrain the effectiveness of the Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram, notably security sector corruption and mismanagement, and some of these factors impede US support even for units that have been cleared for assistance'.

''Does anyone need any more evidence of whose cluelessness and incompetence have allowed Boko Haram to fester to such a level that it has killed over 3,000 people since the beginning of this year alone? Does anyone need further evidence of whose non-cooperative attitude with the US and other foreign friends of Nigeria has been responsible for the failed and tepid efforts to tackle Boko Haram?'' it queried.

APC said it is an undisputed fact that Boko Haram emerged against the backdrop of intense poverty and political misrule by the PDP since 1999.

''Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the PDP has ruled Nigeria till date, and has been responsible for mismanaging over 60 percent of national revenue. Still, very little has changed in terms of progressive improvement in the socio-economic
conditions of most Nigerians. It is hardly a coincidence that Boko Haram emerged in the North-east region of Nigeria, given that it is the poorest region with higher than national average rates of poverty, illiteracy, mortality rates, youth unemployment and social immobility.

''Moreover, states in the North-east receive some of the least allocations from the national treasury individually and collectively. The North-east region, reflecting broader national and even African patterns, is experiencing a 'youth bulge' that accentuates the socio-economic deprivations across the region. Given the poor literacy rates of the region, there are millions of young people with neither formal nor Arabic education, not to talk of even vocational skills. Indeed, a majority of youth in the North-east region are unemployable, thus providing a fertile ground for the recruitment of idle youths into groups that engage in criminal acts.

''In short, the PDP’s failure to deliver credible democratic dividends, specifically socio-economic progress (employment, social infrastructure, quality of life initiatives, regular power supply etc) and its obsession with retaining political power at all cost, a la 'do or die politics', provide logical grounds for the horde of security challenges witnessed across Nigeria since 1999,'' the party said.

APC accused the PDP of profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, hence the ruling party has always been dismissive of any genuine efforts to end the crisis, preferring to continually demonize the APC as the sponsors of Boko Haram even when there is no scintilla of evidence to back this up.

''Fortunately, US officials interviewed by the international wire service Reuters for a recent story said there is little or no evidence to back up the claims by the Nigerian government that some prominent northerners or politicians are sponsoring Boko Haram. Now, the Jonathan Administration has been hoisted by its own petard,'' the party said.

Backing up its claims that the Jonathan Administration is profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, it said the PDP is using the crisis to launder the image of the Jonathan presidency by securing attendance and participation for President Jonathan at important international summits and meetings.

''Curiously, Boko Haram has become a way of getting the international community to talk and meet with President Jonathan and gain international media coverage. The PDP-federal government is also using the Boko Haram crisis, especially the #Bringbackourgirls campaign, to blackmail the main opposition party and the Civil Society, impose emergency rule in states and areas controlled by opposition political parties, harass and restrict media freedom (through military clampdowns), and to justify other illegal activities.

''The Boko Haram crisis is readily used by the PDP to rationalize the Jonathan Administration's abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, including visits and assistance to areas affected and effective response to kidnappings and abductions (e.g. the Administration was silent over the Chibok girls kidnaps for over 15 days). Little wonder that it took the visit of the Pakistani girl education campaigner Malala to Nigeria to force President Jonathan to now promise to meet the parents of the over 200 school girls who were abducted over three months ago in Chibok.

''Under the guise of ensuring security, the Maiduguri Airport has been closed, hence the Borno Governor and the people of the state, including the pilgrims heading to less Hajj, have been forced to travel by road to Kano to board their flights. However, the reason for shutting the airport has suddenly vanished as the private plane bearing Ali Modu Sheriff was allowed to land at the airport on Monday, the same day the Governor had to travel by road to Kano to see his brother who was involved in an accident on the same road!

''It is also not a secret that billions of Naira have been allocated to security in order to tackle the Boko Haram menace, yet our troops have not been adequately equipped to confront the insurgency. One wonders what happened to the huge funds allocated to the anti-terror fight. Against the backdrop of the huge war-chest that the Jonathan Administration has amassed ahead of the 2015 elections, one can easily understand who such funds have evaporated into thin air.

''Also, the Boko Haram crisis and the Jonathan Administration's response to it must be seen in the context of 2015 elections. The status quo favours the PDP and President Jonathan. Why? Because Boko Haram affected areas and indeed the Northern region are opposition strongholds, hence the Administration is hoping that the Boko Haram crisis, the declaration of emergency rule and general atmosphere of insecurity in the North will lead to the cancellation of voting in some areas and limit voters’ turnout in general, a development which the PDP believes will minimize its electoral losses in the North and enhance the likelihood of a PDP victory,'' APC said.

The party reiterated its position on the Boko Haram crisis, saying it has no links whatsoever to the terror group and challenged anyone with contrary information and proof to present such to Nigerians without delay.

It also restated its earlier recommendations for resolving the crisis, saying any solution that will be effective must be multi-faceted, since scorched-earth military tactics alone have failed to quell the insurgency

''The Nigerian government, if indeed it is interested in ending the Boko Haram insurgency, must integrate military action with a clear political strategy as well as socio-economic initiatives.

''In the short-term, law enforcement and security action must bring violent situations under control. Then a clear political strategy must be integrated with law enforcement and security operations with an unambiguous intent of political dialogue and negotiation as the basis for sustainable peace and security. Finally, socio-economic initiatives that align with security and political components must be integrated into the efforts

''The structural conditions (undercurrents) of sub-national violence in Nigeria must be tackled holistically through credible policies, programmes and investments in youth-related services such as employment, vocational skills training, education, agriculture, electricity supply, roads and micro-credit,'' APC said

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, July 15th 2014

Jonathan,PDP insist in unconstitutional impeachment of Gov. Nyako

The deputy governor of Adamawa state, Ngilari (check his full name) has resigned to pave for for the eventual impeachment of Governor Nyako anytime this week. In a script by the Presidency, the deputy governor is expected to have resigned a few hours ago to pave for the heavily money induced Jonathan impeachment of Nyako.

The impeachment process has failed to meet legally stipulated requirements of law and the Governor was never given fair hearing. In what is clearly a victimization of the Government, the PDP has employed every illegal and desperate means to remove the APC governor. Each lawmaker is said to have been paid $250,000 thousand dollars by the Presidency to sign the impeachment notice. This is a quarter of a million naira.


Mr Osita Okechukwu,National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP captures it perfectly, " Yesterday it was Governor Murtala Nyako, today Tanko Almakura, tomorrow another APC governor to be impeached, so no PDP Governor is corrupt?
In sum, we wish to advise President Jonathan to always adhere to the rule of law and hard core democratic tenets; for we could notice signs of dictatorship creeping into the political landscape, as he tends to be playing Chief Olusegun Obasanjo's script of hunting opposition governors and recruiting corrupt and discredited politicians into his fold. For instance the Maiduguri airport which was closed to pilgrims because of Boko Haram was opened for the man who nurtured the monster, what an irony.



Mr Osita Okechukwu
National Publicity Secretary
CNPP

Where on earth did this come from ....murder threat to life accusations all unfounded baseless and without cause. Tinubu is just in all your eyes because of his larger than life image ...Tinubu made Obanikoro who he is today ..biting the hand that feeds you has it's repercussions ....he will meet his Waterloo eventually but not by Tinubu but by his pdp mates when he fails them woefully in 2015. He has lost many elections since he departed from his mentor overseer master and Lord all he lives on is the past glory he obtained on Asiwajus back as Senator .....I rest my case because Obanikoro is a waste of time a complete wanna be illiterate .......he will kill himself eventually no one has to touch him ...he has all the guns at his disposal ....

REJOINDER TO FEMI ARIBISALA
THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF ARIBISALA’S FICTION
By Sunday Dare

Dr. Femi Aribisala’s recent article “The beginning of the end of the Bola Tinubu Dynasty” should not have appeared in the Vanguard or in any newspaper for that matter. What this piece represented was a contribution to fiction writing, not responsible journalism. Even there, it was bad fiction. Aribisala is so obsessed with his animus toward Asiwaju Tinubu that Aribisala cannot see or think straight. Thus, his writing is crooked. If one did not know better, one would think Aribisala does not hate Tinubu as much as he envies the man. Aribisala wishes he were Tinubu. Instead, Aribisala is relegated to being the Asiwaju of his own imagination.
The article is presented as an objective news analysis and commentary. In doing so, the writer does injury to the newspaper, the truth and to the reading public. The piece begins with a purported quotation from Bola Tinubu himself used to paint him in an unsavory light. The problem is that this quotation never occurred. It was figment of the author’s dire, envious imagination. What was presented as fact is fantasy. The man has the freedom to write whatever he pleases be it fact or fiction. However, it is unethical for him to portray as incisive journalism what are nothing but the fruits of personal hatred translated into paper and ink. When the truth does not prove the point he wants to make, Aribisala invents his own truth. While this might be an asset for a fiction writer, for a public commentator, it is a serious trespass against the tenets of responsible journalism. Aribisala may well be jumping through these unethical hoops to currying the favor of the monarch of Aso Villa. But he should not be so hypocritical as to try to confuse us that his efforts are done as a public service.

The man actually criticizes Asiwaju for being a successful political leader as if doing so were some type of sin when , in fact, Nigeria is in great need of more far-sighted politician leaders not fewer. Aribisala claims Asiwaju wants to be another Awolowo. Here, why did not he quote Tinubu who has rebuked this charge many times? Repeatedly, he has stated there can only be Awolowo and to try to fit into his shoes is to lace yourself to failure. We must learn from the great one and the principles he espoused so that we meet the challenges of our time as our legendary mentor and leader would have us do. This Tinubu’s position regarding Awo. If you want to accuse Tinubu of believing that Awolowo is the father of progressive politics in Nigeria, he would plead guilty. But Aribisala accuses him of trying to supplant Awolowo. The accusation is wrong and mean-spirited.
Again, at one point, Aribisala invents a Tinubu quote to as proof for his lies. Then at this point, the writer ignores Tinubu’s public statements because those statements rebuff the lie Aribisala seeks to perpetrate in the public mind.
This comes to the meat of the matter. This hack writer asserts that Tinubu seeks a dynasty. He cannot be more incorrect. Tinubu is a leader of a political reform movement along with other patriotic Nigerians. When Tinubu held fast against the tyranny of the PDP and its attempt to capture all states by any means necessary that was the work of a man committed to democracy. If he had not stood against the great odds against him and his party, the PDP would likely have turned Nigeria into a one-party state by now. Instead, the APC has come about and now challenges the PDP in an unprecedented manner. Any objective person would conclude that this competition is beneficial for the public and for the growth of Nigerian democracy. It begs the question why Aribisala seems not to see this enormous contribution. He does not see it because those whose favor he seeks do not want him to expose this truth to the wider public.
Take a look at the men Tinubu has helped in their quest for public office. Fashola, Fayemi, Aregbesola, Oshiohmole, Ajimobi, Amosun, etc. These men are not non performing “yes men”. They are all dynamic and outstanding performers in their own right. Each is different than the other and each state government excels in its own unique way. This means that Tinubu is not orchestrating them into some limited uniformity but stands out of the way for them to lead as they believe. No major politician in Nigeria has a track record as good as Tinubu’s when it comes to supporting able people for office then leaving them to perform as they believe. Nowhere in the PDP does this happen. If Aribisala wants to see and criticize something with dynastic pretense, he should do an expose on the PDP. In barking at Tinubu, he is barking at the wrong house.
This brings us to the Ekiti election. The vote count is in and the PDP has been named the winner. Because there were few overt instances of violence, people have lauded the election as free and fair. I caution you not to be too hasty in drawing that conclusion. Slowly, the truth is coming out about how the military blanketed the state and intimidated APC members and office holders, including the governor himself. A new, subtler form of voter and opposition intimidation took place. We have taken note and shall be prepared to outwit it the next time.
On a larger note, Bola Tinubu is one of the leaders of a reformist national opposition party contesting against a behemoth, immoral ruling party that will use any all measures to keep power. This is a long marathon we run. There will be obstacles and pitfalls along the way. Ekiti was one but we are not deterred. Our objective is good and right. We seek democratic good governance for the people. We are not ashamed about that. If seeking to make the people’s vote count and to make government care for the people is wrong, then let us be wrong. For we know that we will only be in the wrong to people with jaded vision such as Aribisala. History shall prove us right. Long after Aribisala’s efforts find their way to the bottom of the wastebasket, the APC shall stand as having pulled Nigeria from the precipice. And history will score Tinubu with high marks for ever remaining the one man standing.
Sunday Dare, former General Editor of The News/Tempo magazine and former Supervisor at the Voice of America, Washington D.C. is the Special Adviser Media to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

REJOINDER TO FEMI ARIBISALA
THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF ARIBISALA’S FICTION
By Sunday Dare

Dr. Femi Aribisala’s recent article “The beginning of the end of the Bola Tinubu Dynasty” should not have appeared in the Vanguard or in any newspaper for that matter. What this piece represented was a contribution to fiction writing, not responsible journalism. Even there, it was bad fiction. Aribisala is so obsessed with his animus toward Asiwaju Tinubu that Aribisala cannot see or think straight. Thus, his writing is crooked. If one did not know better, one would think Aribisala does not hate Tinubu as much as he envies the man. Aribisala wishes he were Tinubu. Instead, Aribisala is relegated to being the Asiwaju of his own imagination.
The article is presented as an objective news analysis and commentary. In doing so, the writer does injury to the newspaper, the truth and to the reading public. The piece begins with a purported quotation from Bola Tinubu himself used to paint him in an unsavory light. The problem is that this quotation never occurred. It was figment of the author’s dire, envious imagination. What was presented as fact is fantasy. The man has the freedom to write whatever he pleases be it fact or fiction. However, it is unethical for him to portray as incisive journalism what are nothing but the fruits of personal hatred translated into paper and ink. When the truth does not prove the point he wants to make, Aribisala invents his own truth. While this might be an asset for a fiction writer, for a public commentator, it is a serious trespass against the tenets of responsible journalism. Aribisala may well be jumping through these unethical hoops to currying the favor of the monarch of Aso Villa. But he should not be so hypocritical as to try to confuse us that his efforts are done as a public service.

The man actually criticizes Asiwaju for being a successful political leader as if doing so were some type of sin when , in fact, Nigeria is in great need of more far-sighted politician leaders not fewer. Aribisala claims Asiwaju wants to be another Awolowo. Here, why did not he quote Tinubu who has rebuked this charge many times? Repeatedly, he has stated there can only be Awolowo and to try to fit into his shoes is to lace yourself to failure. We must learn from the great one and the principles he espoused so that we meet the challenges of our time as our legendary mentor and leader would have us do. This Tinubu’s position regarding Awo. If you want to accuse Tinubu of believing that Awolowo is the father of progressive politics in Nigeria, he would plead guilty. But Aribisala accuses him of trying to supplant Awolowo. The accusation is wrong and mean-spirited.
Again, at one point, Aribisala invents a Tinubu quote to as proof for his lies. Then at this point, the writer ignores Tinubu’s public statements because those statements rebuff the lie Aribisala seeks to perpetrate in the public mind.
This comes to the meat of the matter. This hack writer asserts that Tinubu seeks a dynasty. He cannot be more incorrect. Tinubu is a leader of a political reform movement along with other patriotic Nigerians. When Tinubu held fast against the tyranny of the PDP and its attempt to capture all states by any means necessary that was the work of a man committed to democracy. If he had not stood against the great odds against him and his party, the PDP would likely have turned Nigeria into a one-party state by now. Instead, the APC has come about and now challenges the PDP in an unprecedented manner. Any objective person would conclude that this competition is beneficial for the public and for the growth of Nigerian democracy. It begs the question why Aribisala seems not to see this enormous contribution. He does not see it because those whose favor he seeks do not want him to expose this truth to the wider public.
Take a look at the men Tinubu has helped in their quest for public office. Fashola, Fayemi, Aregbesola, Oshiohmole, Ajimobi, Amosun, etc. These men are not non performing “yes men”. They are all dynamic and outstanding performers in their own right. Each is different than the other and each state government excels in its own unique way. This means that Tinubu is not orchestrating them into some limited uniformity but stands out of the way for them to lead as they believe. No major politician in Nigeria has a track record as good as Tinubu’s when it comes to supporting able people for office then leaving them to perform as they believe. Nowhere in the PDP does this happen. If Aribisala wants to see and criticize something with dynastic pretense, he should do an expose on the PDP. In barking at Tinubu, he is barking at the wrong house.
This brings us to the Ekiti election. The vote count is in and the PDP has been named the winner. Because there were few overt instances of violence, people have lauded the election as free and fair. I caution you not to be too hasty in drawing that conclusion. Slowly, the truth is coming out about how the military blanketed the state and intimidated APC members and office holders, including the governor himself. A new, subtler form of voter and opposition intimidation took place. We have taken note and shall be prepared to outwit it the next time.
On a larger note, Bola Tinubu is one of the leaders of a reformist national opposition party contesting against a behemoth, immoral ruling party that will use any all measures to keep power. This is a long marathon we run. There will be obstacles and pitfalls along the way. Ekiti was one but we are not deterred. Our objective is good and right. We seek democratic good governance for the people. We are not ashamed about that. If seeking to make the people’s vote count and to make government care for the people is wrong, then let us be wrong. For we know that we will only be in the wrong to people with jaded vision such as Aribisala. History shall prove us right. Long after Aribisala’s efforts find their way to the bottom of the wastebasket, the APC shall stand as having pulled Nigeria from the precipice. And history will score Tinubu with high marks for ever remaining the one man standing.
Sunday Dare, former General Editor of The News/Tempo magazine and former Supervisor at the Voice of America, Washington D.C. is the Special Adviser Media to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

News:Press React.
Obanikoro and PDP are aiding and abetting Boko Haram.
Obanikoro (aka Onikoro) and this shameless PDP government should step forward and explain to Nigerians why the over 200 girls kidnapped in Chibok are yet to be rescued. They should explain why the Boko Haram insurgency continues unabated despite billions that is being voted for security.
The defence budget to fight Boko Haram and Terrorism has become a conduit pipe for the ruling party PDP just as the likes of Obanikoro continue to use Boko Haram as a tool of blackmail against the opposition. This time , just like it failed in the past, it will not stick. It will not stand. It is the PDP led government in which Obanikoro is an active and pliable agent that is perpetrating the insurgency for pecuniary benefits. This government has no shame. It lacks the moral authority to point fingers at individuals or the opposition. The country is literarily on tenterhooks and all the PDP can do is lie to Nigerians in order to cover up its failures.
Obanikoro’s allegation that Tinubu and his friends in the opposition created Boko Haram is both fallacious and untenable. It is the kind of fable that can only come out of the mouth of someone who is delusional. One whose intoxication with power is not in doubt. This allegation is both unreasonable and unsustainable, but not surprising coming from the person it came from. Bola Tinubu and the APC have been on record repeatedly condemning killings and bombings by Boko Haram and proffering solutions to the menace.
The PDP is preparing the grounds for its next round of hounding opposition leaders, militarizing our cities and violating the democratic rights of Nigerians to move freely. This is political Boko Haram of which the PDP is the Chief Architect.
In Ekiti we saw a dress rehearsal of the impunity and near brigandage of this government and its agents. Nigerians are urged to be vigilant before a few desperate persons steal our voices, our rights, our liberties and freedoms.
Signed
Sunday Dare, Media Adviser to former Governor Tinubu
July 2nd, 2014

Femi Aribisala hallucinates about the end of the Bola Tinubu dynasty

By Phillip Nwogu

Femi Aribisala’s recent piece in the Vanguard about the beginning of the end of Bola Tinubu dynasty took his diatribe and obsession against Tinubu to a disturbing height. Aribisala ascribes to himself the power of prophecy he does not possess and reveals in that process the vacuity of his mind.

Tinubu did not set out to build a dynasty. So, Aribisala’s hallucination begins about a dynasty in retreat. He is disconnected in thought and empty in comprehension. Tinubu is not about a dynasty. He is about the political school that empowers the best and that is courageous to protect and save the weak.


Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a colossus, an achiever of repute a seasoned politician and an honourable man. The theme of Aribisala’s retrogressive piece albeit derogatory remarks is shameful and very uninspiring. Besides its unintellectual and irrational.

Losing an election by a political party Mr. Aribisala does not spell doom for its members or leaders it only sensitizes you to their grievance or rejection and gives you a chance to regroup and correct the wrongs or gives the electorate a chance to see they made a wrong choice.

Even the PDP lost in some states at the last election. Why must the APC loss spell doom? What draconian percepts rule your mind and opinion? That is the whole essence of democracy, speaking through the ballot box. Asiwaju is a democrat, a progressive, a leader and a gentleman . Please depart from the view that APC is all about Asiwaju . There are many leaders in the party national figures. I am aware you are in awe of Asiwaju and just can't contend with his vision, strength, doggedness and skills so you strive to bring him down by your pen power. I implore to not to try to bring a house God is building down for your downfall looms in the process.


We are getting to an era in Nigerian politics where defeat is acceptable and not a doom era as your myopic short sighted ness tells you. Papa Awolowo never became President even though it was his life long ambition. He lost many bids for the office of President yet he has accomplished a feat in yorubaland and Nigerian political sphere that our children and generations unborn will read about in history books. So it is with Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu , you will notice I referred to him here as senator. All you have said and critiqued in your shameful article is evidence of your resentment born out of sheer misconceptions and perhaps you are bring hoodwinked or encouraged to defame an honourable man. He has made many sacrifices for the south west including risking his life why not eulogize him. No man is perfect only God but you blame him for loosing Ondo and Ekiti yet you critisize him as being a dictator. Have you cared to opine if the loss of those southwest states was down to his not playing an active role on the governance and leaving it to the governors to run their states . His mistake might have been just that, yet you happen to take the opposite view.

I can't imagine what dynasty you speak of if a man and his family follow a certain calling. Is Fani-Kayode not in politics after his father are the Wallows not in politics government and journalism , like their father and grandfather, is Femi Anikulapo-Kuti and his son Made and other siblings not holding on to their fathers dream. I have a problem with your thought process every good thing or positive step by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is wrong to you and instead of holding your thoughts you care to print them in the newspapers.

Nigeria is at crossroads and nationalistic ideals to move the country forward is required from everyone. We shall all participate where relevant. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the Jargaban Borgu kingdom is certainly playing a pivotal role in nation building. He has a captive audience of loyalist that will never fail him. The structures he has put in place has been the panacea for growth , industrial development , improved infrastructure , creation of wealth , educational advancement , shelter, security improvement to mention a few. We have entered a new era called stomach infrastructure which we learnt was the key to Fayose's suspicious victory in Ekiti. Did Brutus not speak to the people about Caesars ambition to justify the conspiracy to kill him , where the people not convinced till Mark Anthony relayed some home truths ......so let it be with Ekiti. Fayose has conspired with PDP to fool the people but the time is coming when they shall realize their saviour is APC. You can fool the people sometime but you can't fool them all the time.
This is an epic era in Nigerian history when we must abhor negativity. Femi Aribisala you are becoming very unpopular with your articles.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Point

By Phillip Nwogu

For having the courage to speak the truth to power, even though she herself was complicit, Senator Oluremi did not just speak her mind, she spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians. Over the years, millions of Nigerians have come to the realization that their redemption cannot come through a rubber stamp and castrated Senate. The Senate leadership, deeply partisan and selfish has effectively become part of the executive rubber stamping and finding an escape route for the Jonathan led executive each time the House of Representatives tries put their feet to the fire.
The reaction of the Senate leadership using Senator Udoma as their mouth piece can only be expected. Here is one of their members crying foul and exposing and sharing her frustration with Nigerians about a lame Senate leadership and what she gets is a rebuff and an attempt to rubbish her. For the records, our Senators feel too distinguished to even identify or speak with the problems of the common man. In this case, Senator Tinubu says the Senate Is depressing her because she continues to be frustrated. Thank you Senator and you need not say more. You have bell the cart. When you get to the ethics committee, let them have it. You stand to lose nothing.


But first, let’s look at her as someone that has paid her dues. Senator Oluremi Tinubu hails from a very strong political class, a progressive by nature inclination affiliation and marriage she represents the new awareness. She represents a generational class that this nation needs to move forward rapidly. She represents a generation that has experienced totalitarianism in the years preceding the fight for and the enthronement of democracy. She undoubtedly and evidently played a pivotal role leading in the birth of the present day democratic Nigeria. She is the wife of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a political colossus dogged fighter and visionary leader of the present day opposition party the All Progressives Congress.

Let no mistake be made in the analysis by the Senate , of her utterances, objection and criticism of the conduct of the Nigerian Senate leadership , for it is a call for improvement and not an unethical bias . First and foremost, a democratic house must allow for criticism outside and inside the chambers. Sanctioning a member for not first taking permission or not first airing her distinguished opinion to the chairman ethics committee is at worst dictatorial and contradicts all of what the Senate stands for. We will be dealing our Constitutional position a deadly blow, if we create a furor from her critique.

The Senate, our symbol of democracy should not be seen to contradict the very tenements from which its foundations were built. How then do we lead the people we purport to represent freely when we curtail such freedom amongst ourselves under unsavory guidelines? What has the distinguished lady said that is not already in the public glare? Her dissatisfaction is shared amongst her constituents alike. What secret is there to hide in a house divided, fraught with defections, compromise for the executive and a glaring lack of focus to play its Constitutional role by keeping the executive in check and ensuring the rule of law remains the anchor by which our freedoms are protected and our country is governed.

The activities of the Senate in past and recent times have been glaring and obvious to the novice. Nigerians are not happy. Why take punitive measures against a concerned distinguished member for sensitizing us through the right channels.

What would she be telling the ethics committee chairman that is necessary before she makes her opinion public? Why is she not free to discuss her personal dissatisfaction with the Senate and its processes during her present tenure? She has been sent there by voters and those she represents are owed a very serious obligation which is the truth as she sees it. Her stewardship must be accounted for. That is the beauty of Democracy the freedom it celebrates through accountability.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu has done no wrong. She has not brought the Senate into any disrepute. Rather she has held up a mirror and her colleagues are unwilling to look into that mirror. She has awakened them to their responsibilities to the nation. Responsibility rather than compromise. Let our distinguished ethics chairman not get carried away by regulations and rules fraught with mistake. So while I give great kudos to distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her bravery vision and thoughtfulness, I must add that the natural female intuition, maternal sensitivity and love for institutional strength and country led her to voice her deep resentment and heartfelt pain for the present state of affairs in the Senate leadership where a clear tyranny of the majority reigns.

My warning therefore is that let no irrevocable step be taken on this matter that will send the wrong signal to all observers including the international community as well. Nigeria is on the world forum right now ; Insurgency , corruption, insecurity, ineptitude , inaction by the executive and the culmination of several impeachable offences by the President which have been overlooked. The day the Senate starts to gag its own members, that’s when we can kiss goodbye to that institutional integrity and independence and Nigerians will know that they are also adversaries.