₦airaland Forum

Things just started getting messy. Nigerians are now taking the laws the Govt has failed to upheld in their hands. RIP Mr.Miyetti Chairman

I like the ARG stances on this one, the time of allowing these herdsmen act like loose Canon's is over.

michoim:
These judges are so corrupt that they now think whatever trash they utter, some gullible people will swallow it. DSS planted millions in your house and yet you are the owner of the house,and you did not raise alarm even in this age of social media. Ok. The 7 houses that one of the arrested judges is building at the same time, is it DSS that is building it for you Or the imported furniture from Brazil and other countries, is it DSS that is importing it for you Or some of the arrested judges that never touched their salaries in a very long time, is it DSS that is supplying you money from other sources? ?? I think corruption has so much make common sense to elude some of these so called elite judges. They need to be thought some bitter lessons of life.

Did you read the article at all? When I read comments like yours, it scares me everyday thinking of returning back home even for a week. I have never seen a group of folks this coldhearted in my life before. This is Federal Terrorism being carried out by a Dept of State Sec. It shouldn't be encouraged at all and to think you are praying to live in America such things can never be allowed to happen is amazing altogether. Have a good life

ceomike:
The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, yesterday blamed the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on ‘strangers’ around her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari.
In an interview she reportedly granted the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Aisha said the president is surrounded by people reaping where they did not sow. Many members of the party believe their contribution towards the president’s victory in the last general elections has not been rewarded, Aisha reportedly told the BBC in an interview that was aired yesterday. “This worries us a lot now, she said.
“Because they believe they are the ones who suffered, but are nowhere today. Those who didn’t do anything who don’t even have voters’ card are the ones in position, doing everything.”
The wife of the president was also quoted as saying: “What I am afraid for them is the rebellion of 15 million people,” in an allusion to the number of the people who voted the president into power last year.
Aisha’s spokesman, Mr. Zakari Yau Nadabo, in a telephone chat with The Guardian s last night confirmed that his principal spoke to the BBC on the matter.
http://guardian.ng/news/president-buhari-surrounded-by-strangers-says-wife/

Why not advice your husband to do the right thing?

sarrki:
Tinubu can't be humiliate

I know no one reign forever

But won't condone that for now

Children of hate and anger will soon troop in now

It's pure envies just because tinubu buried there hero

Politically

How old are you? Why spewing hatred all the time? I'm from Warri and my son is Yoruba. Can't you rally others for a common goal? Who hates the Yoruba's you think? This comment of yours is pathetic. I supported Tinubu and Buhari during the 2015 Election, I was up all night in N.Y counting the votes as they were being announced by INEC viz Channel's TV Online. This hatred I log on to Nairaland and read everyday, needs to stop and it begins with you.

blueAgent:
Total rubbish lies.

If what he said is a lie, then what is true? I live in New York, please Mr.Intellect and Integrity tell us what's true.

raphealolami:
There is a name that is above every other name.

JESUS is the name.

This is just an example of pure Ignorance. Did he went to see the bishop to seek Jesus? Why try to stir up your own type of religious controversy? Before the name Christianity was coined in Antoich, Syria. People were worshipping God in all manner of ways. Stop this religious supremacy, I'm a Christian from Warri, state of Delta and I say it's uncalled for... Your comment...

*SOME LAFFABLE WARRI PIDGIN PROVERBS!!!*
1. Na for old age ashawo dey know the value of pikin.
2. Woman wey never see problem... Na im
dey still hold breast run.
3. Woman wey dey find pikin no dey wear
pant sleep.
4. Rat wey follow lizard enter rain, Na later e go hear am.
5. Na for afternoon dem dey find black goat.
6. Weather hot!! É No mean say fowl go lay boiled egg.
7. EYE WEY DEY CRY DEY SEE ROAD.
8. Pikin wey him mama back cross water, wey say him march fish, wetin him mama go march?
9. Small pikin wey dem carry for back no
know say the journey far.
10. Person wey don faint before no be
stranger to death.
11. Person wey chop belle full, no know wetin hungry man dey see.
12. No be as woman dey close eye enjoy sex she dey enjoy labour pains.
13. Yansh no get teeth but e dey cut shit.
14. Lizard wey fall from tall iroko tree, if
nobody hail am!! é go hail hims
16. IF GIRL TAKE HUSBAND DO BOYFRIEND, SHE GO TAKE BOYFRIEND DO HUSBAND.
17. Cockroach wey jam fowl, jam bad luck.
18. Na cricket tell him children say, No
matter how ground strong, Them no go sleep outside.
19. Pikin wey say him mama no fine they use style call him papa blind man.
20. No be eye wey dem take chop eba dem take dey share meat.
21. Person wey use Elephant set trap, na him know wetin he wan Catch.
22. When Breeze Blow Fowl Yash Go Open.
23. STUDENT WEY READ NA HIM SERIOUS,BUT STUDENT WEY PASS NA HIM KNOW BOOK.
24. Dem no dey tell tortoise say race don start.
25. Dem no dey tell blind man say salt no dey for food.
26. Before you see monkey, monkey don see you.
27. Thief wey jump fence enter house where owner dey wait for am, no go jump again.
28. If pikin say he sabi die, him papa sef go tell am say him sabi bury.
29. Na wetin dey sweet for goat mouth, Na im dey kill am.
30. If e be like say everybody dey craze" na you dey craze.
31. Meat wey you dey forbid, no use your
teeth cut am.
32. My thing and our thing no be the same
oh.
33. Na happiness dey make prick stand.
34. Na as goat stand for market dem dey
price am.
35. Craze no hard to form, na the trekking be wahala.
36. Its a small world!! No mean say you fit
trek from Naija go London.
37. No matter how hot your temper be, e no fit boil beans.
38. Chicken wey run from Borno go Ibadan go still end up inside pot of soup.
39. Today’s newspaper na tomorrow Suya
wrap.
40. Akara and moin moin get the same
parent, na wetin dem pass through make
dem different.
*ABEG WHICH IS THE FUNNIEST. . .*
Copied from WHATSAPP.

Ikem11:
i smell arrest

Hahahahaha, men you're funny

ajalawole:
buhari why. Please if any of our parents dead or alive offend you in 1985. Please forgive us

Hahahaha. Jeez, this guy is funny as hell LOL.

Speechless!!! Wow

Please, provide me the contact of this Young boy's Parent. I want to help, I'm based in the U.S. I will rally my friends in Texas to raise the Money for them, please I beg you, don't turn a blind eye to this kid because of his religion or geo location. I'm very serious and will be checking this thread every hour.

Thank you all good Nairalanders.

Very true

[email][/email]

EverestdeBliu:
No its beautiful

*Former speaker House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’ Abba does not need introduction in the Nigerian polity especially for his being frank and vociferous in national issues not considering whose ox is gored. In this interview with The FCT Post, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Chieftain shares his thoughts on the upcoming National Political Summit in which he is serving as the National Chairman of the committee. He also bares his mind on the recent national issues and controversies. *

Excerpts:

*What is the reason behind your acceptance as the Chairman of the planning committee of the National Political Summit? *

Well, I have always tried to work for my country Nigeria and I thought that this is an opportunity for me and for us to re-position our democracy since the past 16 years. We thought we could use our old influence to generate ideas, that will galvanize political activists to come to terms with the fact that we are operating a democracy and that we are supposed to operate it the way it should, because it has come to a situation whereby people are rallying round democracy in the effect that today, we are only operating a pseudo democracy.

Whenever you pull out internal democracy from election, then you are inflicting heavy damage on the polity. But today that is what is going on, and that is why we have so many economic and social problems. Because the polity is not growing, the economy is not growing and the society is not growing. So this is why I thought this platform has provided us with this opportunity to look at these things and then try to bring succor to our democracy.

*What is the response so far from different parties is it all embracing or are some parties seeing it as a responsibility or activity of a particular party? *

This is supposed to be all embracing, the Save Democracy Group-Africa is responsible for the national summit and then partners other organizations including APC, PDP, APGA, LP, NGOs and other political parties and civil societies. The aim of the summit is to bring a political consensus in our polity, whatever political party we belong to, there must be a consensus that we must work for our democracy. And that winners and loser’s must always be recognized.

When someone looses or a party looses an election, we must acknowledge the existence of the losing party and carry it along. Whoever the looser is must accept defeat and we want a situation whereby winning and losing will be fairly and freely decided, so that whoever wins, we know that yes, it is on merit and whoever looses, we will be sure he is not deprived of one thing or the other. So this is one of the aims of the political summit.

*Apart from the Nigerian parties in the summit, what is the role of other African leaders that will be coming and what is their basis for coming? *

As an organization responsible for the summit, the Save Democracy Group-Africa extends beyond Nigeria. It is everyone’s wish that Africa be democratized and we thought that if we are free, we must not be indifferent
to another's freedom elsewhere particularly in our continent. In Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, there are growing challenges of democracy.

You see, when you leave people with no choice, they will resort to violence, and that is why there is violence in many African countries, because people are being deprived of their right to choose their leaders. So, the SDG is out and it’s not just set to work for democracy in Nigeria alone but in Africa.

*Conferences and summits have been held in the past, and its aim has not been far from fashioning modalities for a way forward in the country, so what’s the difference between this particular political summit and similar ones that have been in the past? *

Well, I believe that most of the conferences and summits that have held in the past must have been organized in good faith with the objective of making our society better. Our own summit is also organized in good faith
but the difference is the gap between our thoughts. We believe that effort must be contributed, financially and otherwise for sustaining a structure like this, a lot of time is required and a lot of finance must be committed, and that structure must be funded. And that is why in certain developed nations, they have endowments, these endowments are funded by their governments.

For example, in the United States, they have what is called National Endowment for Democracy-this is funded by the government and it’s a body under a state department and it’s responsible for funding political institutions to achieve their objectives. It is this body that funds institutions like the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. The role of these institutes in the political revolution of a lot of African countries cannot be overemphasized.

Even when we started this democracy in 1999, they use to come and put us in many aspects of democracy, from appropriation process to various ways of legislation. That continued until I made a personal effort to bring them to Nigeria on a more permanent base. That was when they established offices and had permanent bases in Nigeria. So, we would want the Federal Government to buy this idea of institute for democracy. It will be a means of examining some of this our programmes with a view to stabilizing and helping our polity.

*Looking at governance in our country today, many quarters have been crying foul over what they describe to be a threat to democracy, but do you really think our democracy is under threat? *

Well, my believe is that as long as there is no internal democracy in any polity, that polity is definitely at threat. People are underestimating the importance of internal democracy. It is within the structure of internal democracy that you know the souls. As long as we go about democracy disorderly, it has a way of hitting back and that is why we see that today, because of lack of internal democracy, we have many security issues such as insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and many others numerous to mention.

Whatever sector one is, ultimately, what determines whether you live at peace or war is good governance. Today, the premise within which people are recruited is faulty and out of sycophancy, so when people become sycophants, what happens is that the incentive is killed. Because when you are a sycophant and I see you are the only one making progress, I will convert myself into a sycophant too. I will not waste my time studying hard for me to be able to succeed. I will regress and come down to your level thereby killing my intellect. It is always unfortunate to see people that their intellect is questionable running the affairs of the government. We
are killing intellect in Nigeria through systematic subjugation of internal democracy.

*What is the assurance that the discussions and consensus reached in the summit will be implemented and what is the expected ‘Abuja declaration’ going to look like? *

Well, it depends on the level of cooperation we receive from the quarters that are supposed to use the materials that will emanate from the summit. After we collate, we intend to handover whatever we collate to the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative arms, even to the State Governments, so that at any given point, they know the state of democracy and how they will improve apparently. This is our idea; so long we receive the
cooperation required.

*The fight against corruption has been described by many quarters as witch hunting and vengeance against perceived political enemies and oppositions.
Please sir, what is your candid opinion on it? *

My take is that the institutions fighting corruption should be allowed to do their job independently, because a lot of times, the moment people begin to perceive politics in the prosecution of corruption cases, it weakens the institutions and I believe that with time, this must be addressed.

Secondly, the issue of fighting corruption, I believe must be carried along with the philosophy that emphasizes the fight against the things that bring about corruption. Because corruption is a social phenomenon, it doesn’t exist in isolation. When the majority of the people lack basic facilities needed for livelihood. Nigerians lack them because of institutional weaknesses and people resort to self help.

In a country where people have to own their own power source, own their personal water source and health source. People find it difficult to even own a roof of their own. I believe that fight against corruption must be
fought simultaneously against those things that bring about corruption.

Again, there is this thing about security. People want to be secure. During the Mohammed Murtala/Olusegun Obasanjo administration, a lot of civil servants were dismissed from service. This was a government that came out to say they are going to fight corruption.

They dismissed a lot of civil servants that were said to be corrupt. It was during that government that corruption became more entrenched because the remaining civil servants realizing what became of the civil servants, who were dismissed, tried to secure themselves against any eventuality.

So, this kind of things must be looked into, people must be made to be secure. In an environment of insecurity, people might resort to self help. Infrastructure must be provided as a means of nipping it in the bud and as the best source of fighting the root cause of corruption.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2016/01/28/efcc-should-be-independent-naabba/

Dare to Dream BIG...

Whatever struggles you’re facing in your life today, don’t be afraid to dream big. No matter what calamity or strife has stricken you, what obstacles have been thrown in your way, or how many people have doubted you can ever achieve what you set out to accomplish, dare to dream big. Across the world and through the annals of history, people have dreamt big dreams; they’ve had audacious hearts and unrelenting spirits. They’ve gone out there and pushed and pushed until that dream became a reality, and so can you.


I know what you’re thinking now – you’re asking yourself questions that start with “How,” “When,” and “Where.” You’re saying things like, “How am I ever supposed to achieve my dreams when I’m so far in debt?” or “When will I ever get the opportunity to truly succeed?” and, “Where will I ever find the money, time, or connections to accomplish what I want in life?”


We all ask ourselves these types of questions; we have a tendency to doubt our capabilities.

But, Dare to Dream BIG isn’t just a mantra that you should mindlessly chant to yourself; it’s a way of life. When you can dream something and envision it with all of your mind to see, and you pursue that dream with a wild spirit that doesn’t die or waver, you can accomplish anything.


There are so many people out there that have dared to dream big and have brought their dreams into reality, but I wanted to shed some light on some of the most notable that have done so.


Notable Dreamers Who Failed at First

There are loads of examples of notable people who’ve dared to dream big but failed at first. These “dreamers” are oftentimes household names – we know them because they’ve reached the pinnacle of success. But it wasn’t always that way for all of these folks. Why is this important? It provides perspective on the struggle that people have to face when they’re chasing their dreams; it’s not always going to be Easy Street for you as well.


So, don’t be afraid to dream big. Don’t be afraid when someone tells you that something can’t be done; it can be done. Don’t cower down due to some underlying fear that’s buried deep within you. Dare to dream big. Chase your dreams. Run your dreams down until they don’t elude you any longer. And, even though no one said that life was going to be easy, through perseverance, over time, it does get easier. But before you reach there, you’ll have to cross the dreaded oceans of struggle in stormy waters.


#1 – Oprah Winfrey

One of the best examples of a person who dared to dream big is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah was fired from one of her first TV jobs because the producer said that she was “unfit for television.” Oprah Winfrey has gone on to become one of the richest women in the world, and it was all because she dared to dream big.


#2 – J.K. Rowling

While working a secretarial job, Rowling, now famous for the Harry Potter series of books, was fired because she was spending more time working on the book at work than she was with her secretarial duties. Rowling spent 7 years toiling away at the book, suffered through the death of her mother, a divorce, and living on government assistance. But she dared to dream big and is now the wealthiest author in the world.


#3 – Walt Disney

Disney was a dreamer from an early age. But, his reality didn’t catch up with his dreams that quickly. Walt Disney was fired from his job as a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After leaving that job, Disney formed an animation company in 1921, which ultimately went bankrupt, leaving him unable to pay his rent and reportedly forcing him to survive only on dog food.


#4 – Jerry Seinfeld

One of the most successful comedians of all time learned to dream big. But success didn’t come easy for him. In fact, the first time Seinfeld stepped on stage to do his act he was booed off. But that didn’t deter him. Seinfeld was a dreamer and he kept at it. Even though he failed and was embarrassed and humiliated, he kept at his dreams; he kept them alive in his mind’s eye.


#5 – Colonel Sanders

The founder of KFC, Colonel Sanders, dared to dream big. But it wasn’t until late in his life that he was able to achieve those dreams. The story goes that Sanders, then 65, took to the road after his chicken restaurant was shut down due to a highway impasse project, with a $105 Social Security check and a single chicken recipe to his name. He suffered through 1,009 rejections from restaurants who refused the franchising-model he proposed with his chicken recipe. But it only took one “yes” to eventually make those dreams come true.


#6 – Henry Ford

We all know the name Henry Ford, the founder of the illustrative automotive group, Ford Motor Company. But, we don’t all know the story of this remarkable individual who dared to dream big. You see, Ford’s first company, founded in 1899, went bankrupt. It was later reorganized under a different name, but he ended up walking away due to a dispute with his financial backers. But he didn’t give up. In 1903, his third time was a charm, and it’s now one of the largest and most profitable privately-held companies in the world.


#7 – Elvis Presley

We all know the name of the King of Rock & Roll, but did you know that Elvis Presley was fired after his first gig? He was told that he should go back to driving trucks and that his career as a singer was heading nowhere. Estimated to have sold more than one billion records worldwide, could you imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t dared to dream big?


#8 – Stephen King

One of the most popular authors of all time most certainly dared to dream big. But, his beginnings were no walk in the park. Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 separate times by publishers. He worked a part-time job as an English teacher just to make ends meet before he tossed the manuscript in the garbage. But, due to his wife begging and pleading him, King resubmitted the manuscript to Double Day, who later offered him his first book deal.


#9 – Katy Perry

A successful singer who dared to dream big, Perry had a rocky start. She was first signed to the Christian music label, Red Hill Records, and released her debut album in 2001, which only sold an estimated 200 copies. That label later went out of business. Her second attempt, with Island Def Jam, was also a failure, as she was dropped by that label; and, her third attempt with Columbia Records went bust as well. It wasn’t until she went on board with Virgin Records in 2008 did she finally succeed commercially speaking.


#10 – Oliver Stone

One of the most celebrated directors of our time, Oliver Stone, dropped out of Yale to pursue a career in writing. His novel, published in 1998, wasn’t well-received. He subsequently moved to Vietnam to teach English, and later enrolled in the military, winning two Purple Hearts. Stone went on to to write and direct some of the most iconic films of all time, including Platoon and Natural Born Killers.


Overcoming Obstacles

We all have obstacles in our lives. We all have stumbling blocks that tend to sidetrack us, get us down, deter us, help us to procrastinate and avoid our dreams, and overwhelm us. Most people allow those obstacles to get in the way of their goals; they’re overpowered and their hopes are snuffed out. But you can overcome your obstacles; anyone can overcome their obstacles.


Oftentimes, failure is hard. It’s hard to fail, especially in the face of others. When others see us fail we take it as the biggest blow to our egos. We don’t want to fail; no one wants to. But failure is a part of life; it’s a springboard for achieving anything you want in your life. There will always be negativity. People will try to dismiss you, insult you, and dissuade you from achieving your dreams, but you can’t let it stop you.


In the past, if you allowed obstacles to stop you and you gave up on your goals, just realize that you can start anew any day you want. No matter how many failures or setbacks you had to dredge through, you can still achieve your hopes and your dreams, it just depends on how badly you want it.


If you set some goals that you’re looking to accomplish in life, then as long as those goals are meaningful enough to you, then you can do anything. But they have to have a strong enough meaning.

Please Note: Saw this on someone's blog in the U.S and thought this would be an inspirational way to kick off the new year...

Former President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan has been named by The Commonwealth of Nations to lead a 33-nation observer mission to the Sunday, October 25, 2015 General Election in Tanzania.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Yahya Simba, who disclosed this in Tazanian Capital, Dar es Salaam, said that the mission will comprise observers from Africa, Asia, the America, Europe and the Pacific.

Simba maintained that while former Nigerian President Jonathan will lead the Commonwealth observer team, former President of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza will lead the observer team of the African Union, AU

“Tanzania is pleased to note that the Post-2015 Development Agenda, inter alia, has taken on board the unfinished business of the MDGs, focusing on trans-formative change, and endeavoring to eradicate poverty in all its forms by 2030,” Yahya says.

The UN Resident Coordinator for Tanzania, Alvaro Rodriguez said: “Men and women in Tanzania look forward to peaceful and credible general elections and their voices to be heard on October 25, the date of the elections.

“They view the future with optimism and continue to rely extensively on community radios, local administration, the media fraternity and civil society organizations for information on political events and changes facing the nation.”

“Tanzanians are more aware than ever before about the MDGs and the upcoming transition to the SDGs, while the details of the goals and the targets may be unclear, they know there is a concerted attempt to assists in ending child stunting, ending discrimination and enhancing the overall quality of social services.

“The 70 years’ anniversary of the United Nations is a call for a reflection on lessons learnt over the decades and focus on how to eradicate extreme poverty in Tanzania and the world at large,” Rodriguez added.

Tanzania has been on international news headline lately for the allege accusation of some witch doctors that were on killing spree of the country vast majority of Albino’s for traditional money making rituals according to sources in the country.


Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/10/10/president-goodluck-jonathan-now-an-election-czar/

Interesting World Military Analysis. Brave guys, keep it up @all.

Hi KanwulaJara, how are you? What part of the States are you? I'm in Upstate New York. Let's talk and possibly connect

Four days into a six week countdown for sierra Leone to be officially declared Ebola free, a village of nearly 1,000 people have been put under quarantine following the death of a 67 year-old woman who tested positive for Ebola on Tuesday. the woman, a food trader had died after being sick for up to 10 days without the knowledge of the authorities.

The quarantine will last for three weeks, provided no new cases are recorded. The quarantine is said to be stricter than the previous ones. It includes a curfew in which people will not be allowed to move from one house to another. Soldiers and police have been deployed to keep the quarantine.

The world health organization (WHO) and Sierra Leone's health ministry says the "Guinea ring Vaccine" that has been administered since the new outbreak is progressing very well.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/09/11/ebola-back-in-sierra-leona/

I couldn't watch the live proceedings of the court session in which the former National Security Adviser(NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki, was arrainged on charges of illegal possession of arms because I was busy at work. Getting back from work after a stressful day and going through the Internet to get up to date information on the happenings around the world, I was hit by a puzzling picture.

The former NSA boss sitting calmly in an obviously specially placed cushioned Seat (noticeably different from other seats used by lawyers close by), grossly engrossed in whatever he was reading on his newspaper. I shook my head in amazement, a giggle I am sure must have unintentionally being expressed by me. On a closer look at his composure, I laughed heartily. That is not all, as I scrolled down the news item on my phone from the news site, I came across an equally interesting statement that he was given bail on self recognition.

Ordinary, it would have been just a normal news for me, knowing how our judiciary works and being aware that our constitutionally guaranteed laws of the land assumes you are innocent until proven otherwise guilty, I expected nothing less. However, the social storm created by the invasion of his house by men of the Department of state security service (DSS) on the social media in the weeks and days prior to his arraignment made it different. A significant number of people assumed and clamored that he be arraigned prosecuted, jailed and not released in a long while having listened to the “media prosecution” being run by this administration.

I know things don't work like that, at least not in Nigeria. I am aware that Nigerians want someone, anyone to be punished immediately but that is not how our justice system works. My attempts to correct this anomaly on various social forums led to severe antagonism, abuse and maybe hatred. I cared less, knowing I was right and would soon be proven so in a not too distant future.

Well, it happened and not only was he granted bail, it was given to him on self recognition (I expected surety and large sums of money deposited in court). Do not put much emphasis on the fact that his passport was surrendered to the authorities. I am sure he will be granted permission very soon to go abroad for medical check up, and being a private citizen with means to afford his medical treatment, he will be given the permission and his passport released.

Please note that this piece is not saying that the Retired Colonel is guilty of the charges labeled against him neither is it saying that he is innocent. In fact, I really don't know the guiltiness or otherwise of the ex-NSA scribe. However, that is how the system works. Innocent until proven otherwise guilty. This trial will likely take long before it reaches a logical conclusion. The Constitution guarantees a two level appeal system. Thereby potentially adding more years to a final verdict. I won't be surprised if the judgment is given in favor of the colonel due to reason of botched prosecution or some form of technicalities not purely on the merit of the case.

In larger contest, if the present administration actually wants to get things done in Nigeria, especially in their war against corruption, they need to focus on judicial reforms. This reform must focus on the timing, duration, and character of cases in the court. It must also look into the quality and welfare of staff as well as protection for judiciary staff that should be encouraged to maintain their integrity in our nation of very corrupt actors.

Until this is done we should always expect this kind of outcome in every case involving an exposed Nigerian with means. And yes, before you ask me of my prediction on the outcome of the State's case against Col Sambo Dasuki, I predict he will be acquitted of all charges. It is just how the system works, at least for now.


Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/09/11/colonel-dasuki-s-arraignment-much-ado-about-what-exactly/

Alas, President Buhari’s first 100 days as president of modern day Nigeria came too soon. It is now history; a figment of yesterday’s paper. It is hard to say if it came with a mournful air or a copious reverie. We may not find common lines of agreement on it being a success, failure or something in between, but we’ll sure agree on this one thing: some things happened between PMB’s 1st and 100th day in office and there is still no economic policy or framework on what he intends to do for us and how he intends to do it.

The other day, Mallam Shehu Garba, one of PMB’s media handlers almost bored us to death with his verbose and poorly written and proofread “Understanding President Buhari in 100 Days” article. A few days after, another of President Buhari’s lying machine – as they have turned out to be – regaled us with yet another 100-day rant. Rather than win sympathy for his principal, his “New Sheriff in Town” article reminds us of the need to tender hearty apologies to our immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Yes, the new Sheriff in town is a miracle worker. He hasn’t invested a dime, let alone wave his magic wand, and our power woes are beginning to “abracadabra style” disappear. This mystery disappearance – the reason why our power Generation Companies(GENCOs) now have an output of close to 5000mw, has been said to be due to this new Sheriff’s body language. In the words of Mr. Adesina, “Some call it the Buhari bounce, others describe it as the Buhari effect… A new Sheriff has come to town.”

But that isn’t only crass, it is idiotic. It isn’t only idiotic, it betrays zilch understanding of simple logic and makes little children sneeze derisively because of its distortedness. Come to think of it; what if the previous administration didn’t invest in the power sector? What if the Power Holding Company of Nigeria wasn’t unbundled into 18 companies for greater efficiency and effectiveness? What if GEJ didn’t create the Nigerian Bank Electricity Trading Plc(NBET)? What if GEJ didn’t launch the Roadmap for Power Sector Reform?

Will the Buhari bounce still be bouncy? Will the Buhari effect be effective enough to boost power generation from the 2200mw bequeathed to GEJ in 2012? Will it? Can it? If it will, why didn’t it stop unemployment from rising from7.5% to 8.2%? If it can, why couldn’t it stop Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) from reducing by 0.20 percent? Why didn’t it stop our Gross Domestic Product(GDP) from plummeting by 40 percent to 2.35 under the very watchful eyes of President Buhari?

He didn’t stop there. He went further to say; “even our foreign reserves know that a new Sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June, just one month into office, … our foreign reserves surged from 29 billion USD to 31.89 USD. Holy Moses!” This reveals more than you think. It is worse than you imagine.

If I were cultured to be an abusive dude, his Holy Moses crap would have made me call Mr. Adesina the Yoruba brainless name; Olodo. But I wouldn’t. Still, I strongly believe he is. If not, how will he not know that our foreign reserve rose by 10 percent to 35 billion USD, while our power generation capacity rose to a record breaking 4000mw – its highest level ever – when GEJ marked his first 100 days as a president in 2011? It beats my imagination that this “self acclaimed” veteran journalist, who also won Nigeria Media Merit Awards Editor of the year in 2007 is gifted with poor research skills and a dwarf knowledge of history. Or could he have conveniently chosen not to include it in his article? Did he forget that it behooves media practitioners to give out fair and balance reportage?

This brings his English degree from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University under question. It also makes one wonder how he got to become the Managing Director and an Editor-in-Chief of Sun Newspapers.

He still didn’t stop there. He went further to make the most ludicrous statement of the century; “another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the faith that Nigerians now have in their leader.” Are you kidding me? Please, tell me this is a joke. Oh, it must be a typographical error. He must have meant “fate,” not faith. It can’t be faith. It just can’t be.

Before May 29, yes, there was a reasonable amount of faith in candidate Buhari. But in President Buhari? No. I’m not sure. How can we have faith in a man who, just a few days after he was sworn in as president, reneged on his promise and obligation to publicly declaring his assets? What faith should we have in a man who promised to lead the war against Boko Haram, not from the lush posh of Aso Rock, but from Borno, the war front? What faith is to be reposed in a man who denies the covenant and promises that landed him the presidency gig? What of the 20, 000 jobs he promised each state? What of his promise of making 1 USD equal 1 Naira?

Or could Mr. Adesina be disconnected from reality? Could he’s be a case of self delusion? Is there a chance he missed the #100WastedDays campaign that almost broke the internet?

Looking back, Goodluck Jonathan isn’t a kettle, after all. What has simply been playing out is simply a legendary case of pot calling kettle black. It is a typical example of a politician calling a lawyer dishonest. But sadly, we fell for it. We made our eyes gullible for them to pull the wool over. The die is however cast and the deed is done.

Last Saturday, the only urge I felt was to tender an apology – with the urgency which an Usain Bolt races to the finish line – to Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. For shaming doomsayers and giving potency to PMB’s bounce or effect. For choosing not to go the way of Burundi’s Pierre Nkuruniziza. For making this bequest called Nigeria still inhabitable. For affording wailing wailers, the opportunity to wail, Facebookers the opportunity to Facebook, writers the opportunity to write, and readers the opportunity to read.

Or who writes when the next rocket launcher might be landing on his roof? Who uses Facebook when his above is eclipsed by sadness? Who reads when all he has around him is a bleak hill of war and an accompanying congregation of displaced persons? Who tweets when his ears are filled with rhythms that tickle sorrow? Who wails when the sporadic hoots and ratatata of gunshots rents the air like a tenant, becoming his oxygen.

Joel Pereyi is an award winning essayist and freelance writer. He maintains a bimonthly column for the Abuja-based FCT Post.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/09/10/apologies-to-gej-by-joel-pereyi/

Construction works ongoing at the 2nd Niger bridge were reportedly stopped few weeks ago due to directives from the federal government.

The bridge which connects the south east to the south west was flagged off on March 10, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to be completed in 48 months (March 2018). The major aim is to reduce the burden on the first bridge and to alleviate the transportation stress on Nigerians plying the route.

According to reports, the federal government had called for a halt in construction of the bridge because of concerns expressed in some quarters about possible over inflation of contracts and alleged misappropriation of funds and also because of ongoing scuffles in the area by youths due to complaints of non compensation by government despite earlier promising to do so.

Mixed reports have since trailed work at the bridge as regards to state and stage of the project. The FCT Post can EXCLUSIVELY report on state of work on the second Niger bridge and more importantly on the stage of work.

Our correspondent was not allowed to travel further into areas of bridge location to get a more close up view, due to the heavy presence of Security operatives deployed as a result youth agitations and general restiveness in the area. Below are videos and photos that were taken on the project yesterday by one of the FCT Post correspondents, Tochi.



Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/09/08/fctpost-exclusive-state-of-2nd-niger-bridge-photosvideo/

Note: Click on the source link to see more videos and photos.

Its not mere extremism that makes folks at the fringes so troubling; it’s extremism
wedded to false beliefs. Humans have long been dupes, easily gulled by rumors and flat-out lies.

~Jeffrey Kluger

The political extremist just like the religious counterpart is an interesting fellow. He is irrational, self conceited, crude, a liar, uncompromising, emotionally subjective and an irredeemable hypocrite. You must view opinions from the narrow prism of his affiliation or you become the enemy. His political god/party is the alpha and omega and you must bow to their whims and caprices. Any divergent view about him or his tin god must be strongly resisted and condemned. A “fatwa” is immediately passed on you if you call his political god out to scrutiny. Outright lies and propaganda’s are used to promote his political god image and also rubbish the opposing camp.

A regular and observant user of the social media especially in the last few years will notice the emergence of this new brand of cyber extremist. However, between the extremes are a group of objective and patriotic Nigerians who say the truth no matter whose ox is gored nor the political divide they belong. However, the extremist continue to devise means especially subtle blackmail and mind games to draw members of this group to their camp. Before the inauguration of this new govt, I already knew the change direction in the social media. The “defend anything the govt does” extremist will change to “criticize anything the govt does” and vice versa.

I expected celebration of mediocrity which is consistent with many political extremists in Nigeria. I was shocked when those who were very vocal against celebrating mediocrity suddenly turned to champions of mediocrity. I was disappointed when I saw friends who set high standards for politicians, now pointing to frivolities for us to celebrate: Partisanship is an ass. I believe the most stupid thing I have seen so far was the use of Jonathan’s antecedents (good and bad) to justify Buhari’s decision in govt especially by those who called the last administration clueless, corrupt, inept and a disaster. Walahi! Hypocrisy is a Nigerian.

At the twilight of the Jonathan administration, the nation suffered epileptic power supply and nationwide fuel scarcity. The epileptic power supply was attributed to drop in power generation due to sabotage of facilities while the fuel scarcity was due to oil marketers holding the nation to ransom over non-payment of forex balance on fuel subsidy. Few weeks after the new govt was inaugurated, there was increase in power supply in most parts of the country. The NNPC also announced that two of Nigeria’s refineries will begin operation in July.

The news broke the Nigeria sphere of internet. The political extremist had a field day celebrating/defending/rationalizing/undermining the new development according to political divide. The Buhari supporters attributed the changes to the new govt while the Jonathan’s supporters countered the claims that how can a govt who claimed they met an empty treasury, yet to form a cabinet nor approved any contract to buy even spanner take credit for increased power and our crude oil refinery coming back to life.

They attributed the changes to Jonathan’s transformation legacy in the petroleum sector and gains of power privatization. The Buhari supporters again countered these claims wondering why the changes are manifesting after Jonathan left office hence attributing the changes to Buhari’s Body Language. Interestingly the ruling APC has adopted the Body Language Theory. You dare not ask why the body language and legacies phenomenon is only effective in areas where there is positive outcome but blame shifted when the outcome is negative.

Two news item caught my attention this week. Warri refinery shut down due to lack of maintenance and vandalism. In another news, power generation reduced by over 1000 megawatts due to maintenance, vandalism and shut down of some power plants. And guess what? The Body Language and Transformation Legacies ambassadors are nowhere to be found. If Body Language and legacies were responsible for increased power supply and revival of our refinery, what then is responsible for the shutdown of Warri refinery and decrease in power generation?

Political extremist are the greatest enemies to their principals, they tell lies and spread propaganda which will later catch up with their principals, they create unnecessary enemies for their principal by their disgusting behavior and extreme views and make governance look like a child’s play by making headlines and hyping so called achievements of their principal. Governance will continue to look like a joke if they continue to hold sway, the nation will continue to be on a jolly ride to nowhere as long as they continue to to have the ears of their principal.

Only the unblemished truth can set a people free and bring true change. It is high time men of reason, truth and those who have the nation at heart picked the gauntlet and determine the narratives especially in the social media and send the extremist to oblivion. If you doubt me, engage the political extremist in an intellectual discourse and be vigilant not to be lured into his pig fight, he will get bored and scamper tail between his legs.

Source: http://www.fctpost.com/2015/09/05/of-buharis-body-language-and-jonathans-legacies/

CC: Lalasticlala - Front Page please

“If you fight corruption, corruption will fight back”

~Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

In my last two columns, I have been writing about the need for the present government to expedite effort in his anti-corruption crusade instead of the overused “I will probe this; we will probe that” rhetoric. The reasons are not far fetched. Nigeria is like a criminal enterprise piloted by a cabal more powerful than the president. A cursory look at our chequered history gives credence to this fact.

These group of Nigerians and Non-Nigerian counterpart have held the nation to its jugular for years, amassed unimaginable wealth at the expense of the masses who continue to wallow in abject poverty and perpetual agony. Nigeria is their cash cow; any attempt to dislodge them from the udder of our collective wealth must be resisted. Any attempt to reveal their past deeds must be prevented at all cost by them.

They are the untouchables. So when the new govt started the probe theatrics, I advised they concentrated in gathering evidence in order to present a good case in court. The element of surprise is very important in fighting corruption hence I advocated less talk, more action. At some point, I opined that maybe the probe hype was just to scare looters to come forward to return looted funds and cut a deal.

This is not unrelated to the tortuous path and most times unpredictable outcomes many corruption cases have ended. The govt seem to understand this reality with recent statement credited to it like telling lawyers not to defend corrupt politicians, proposal for special courts to try corruption cases and shopping for fearless judges to handle corruption cases. The fight against corruption “no be beans” as it is a malignant cancer that has spread all over the cells of the Nation called Nigeria. In keeping the cancer, you must be surgical in order not to kill the whole country with it.

The Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) came under scrutiny this week when the senate committee on Ethics invited its chairman over a petition by one George Uboh accusing the agency of embezzling over 1trn naira recovered from convicted persons. I watched with dismay excerpts of the senate proceeding with the head of EFCC legal team. How they were put on the spot and subsequently walked out from the sitting. It was a case of the hunter becoming the hunted. Many may not understand the enormity of this development if at the end there is any substance to it.

The EFCC is supposed to be the “thief catcher” and sanitizer of the system. The EFCC is now being accused of stealing what the thief stole from the hapless masses; it is not only despicable but a crime against humanity and the highest form of corruption. The much hyped probe, is only a means of checking the records to ascertain if there was any wrongdoing or if our collective wealth was stolen. If yes, evidence gathered will be used by the EFCC to charge defaulters to court. If there is an iota of truth in the allegations against the EFCC, then the people will lose confidence in the agency’s ability to prosecute corrupt persons and will
ultimately undermine the present anti-corruption crusade.

According to the whistleblower who claims to have boxes of evidence both forensic and otherwise, the EFCC intimidated the Bayelsa state government from further pursuing the case of recovered loots from its convicted governor. He also claimed the EFCC over a period of 7yrs (2004-2011) report showed it had recovered about 1trn from convicted persons, but his findings showed 1.9trn. However, a report in 2013 covering a period from (2003-2013) quoted about 500bn naira: a huge disparity from earlier report which covered a shorter period hence the assertion that the discrepancy was due to the fact that the agency has looted the recovered loots.

The EFCC spokesman argument in describing the allegations as unfounded, that George shouldn’t be taken seriously because of his questionable character (story for another day) is weak. The head of EFCC team state that Lamorde wasn’t chairman the period the petitioner was referring and his accusation to is also watery. Lamorde has always been in the EFCC. He was even acting chairman in 2008 so he can’t be oblivious of some of these issues. These allegations are weighty and the EFCC should be doing all it can to disabuse the minds of Nigerians before they lose confidence in them, if indeed they are certain these allegations are unfounded and a distraction. We want facts and figures not just denials in order not to derail the present anti-corruption campaign. The EFCC should start telling us their side of the story ASAP.

Finally, the federal government should use the opportunity of this imbroglio to overhaul the EFCC by covering loopholes, exploring grey areas towards re-positioning the agency to effectively carry out its statutory duties with ease. This new development is a further testament to the endemic corruption in this nation and an affirmation to the fact that when you fight corruption, corruption will fight back hence its time to quit the drama by talking less and acting more.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/31/probing-the-prober-by-harry-slim-omoakhia/

Following the criticisms that have been hurled at the President, sources close to the presidency has defended the president, assuring Nigerians that moves are already in place to make sure every state is duly represented in the present administration.

The sources who pleaded anonymity with a correspondent said, the south east which is yet to be given any appointment so far will surely be compensated. The source which is a top gun in APC said the president is fully aware of the criticisms his appointments so far has attracted.

He said, “The President has assured us that all zones that have not been represented in the appointments he has made so far will be compensated.

“For example, some states in the South-East may get more than one ministerial slots. The President is going to make board and ambassadorial appointments. All zones, including the South-East, will be represented in this government.”

On justifying the alleged lopsided appointments made by Buhari so far, the source said there is every need for the president to be careful in his appointment especially when it comes to positions like the SGF and Chief of staff, adding that even within the APC, there are factions and trust-levels.

“Although the President is a loyal member of the party, the levels of trust he has in the members differ. There are various blocks in the APC.

“You don’t give appointments such as chief of staff and the SGF to your rival or his loyalists; you give them to those you can vouch for. Those posts are ears and eyes of the President and they are not subjected to the party’s ratification.” The source said.

Sources: http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/31/the-south-east-will-be-duly-compensated-in-the-appointments-to-come-presidency/

The same Agbadas that perpetually and saliently loot our funds are the same ones that are placed at the far end of the table to probe looters that have run out of luck.

It is simply a game of playing at the winning side. Join the winning side and continue to enjoy the loots with your family. Stay on the opposing side and get probed and punished. No wonder there is an influx of ‘political prostitutes’, unstable political heads, to the newly crowned APC. It is a nonpartisan and clear fact. The court is in no way needed to justify this fact. Otherwise, by now I am visually impaired to some axiomatically outstanding looters, even the new-born is aware of, as the threat of probe would chase them into hiding. Their loot-piquant feet still ravage the streets, probably to pack home more spoils. because they know the game has rolled to their favour.

Nearly three months into the new General Muhammadu Buhari administration, the most popular word that has found value in the media is ‘Probe’. The word has accompanied a host of other words almost every week. Is there any news of another probe? That is the question every media persona has asked his counterpart. Well, let’s cross our hands and be hopeful that a ‘true change’ is birthed from these uncompromisingly persistent threats.

Meanwhile, let’s zoom our binoculars to the Agbadas and the depth of the pockets that are concealed at the inner sides of these Agbadas. If our visions are clear enough to see the nature of the game that is played at the table of the ‘probe’, perhaps we could upturn the dicey and yet transpicuous truth from afar, even before the probe is finished.

The body-itching and irritating truth is that I or rather we do not know the fate of the loots that will be recovered, if at all they would be. But a coup d’oeil of hope surfaces as we do know who has the Agbada that bears the uncertain opening. I do hope that the change I personally anticipate is not a detrimental change, however, a worrying thought that lingers in my occipital is, how well do you trust the pockets that clusters Mr. President. That is if you trust Mr. President himself.

Men that eats and dine with the President, men that were ready to swallow a bullet for Buhari, just to see him win the election, most of them for their selfishly reward-seeking reasons, are definitely the men placed at the far end of the table to probe unlucky looters. Part of the expected recovery will definitely be used to pay this ‘probe committee’ men.

Will the pockets of these men with uncertain money-gluing characters resist the remaining part? Will they tell Mr. President the truth of the game that played out on the ‘probe table’?

I hope the whole tenure will not be spent probing opposition party looters.

I hope the probing Agbadas will not swallow the expected recovery.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/29/the-probe-is-a-deceit-by-funge-owei-michael/

Hungary- A lorry belonging to a Romanian citizen from the central city of kecskemet was found to have been discovered with 71 dead bodies along Austria’s A4 motorway between Neusiedl and Parndorf.

The lorry which according to the police set off from Budapest in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and reached the Hungarian-Austrian border by 9am, before crossing into Austria that night and was spotted on the A4 at 5am or 6am, used to belong to the Slovak chicken meat company Hyza and still has the slogan “Honest chicken” on the side. However, the company said it sold the lorry in 2014.

According to road officials, the discovery was made after an employee who noticed the decayed liquid dripping from the vehicle alerted the police.

According to the Austrian police, the victims who are believed to be migrants had already died out of suffocation before they entered the country.

“The deaths already occurred some time ago,” he added. “We can make no concrete assumptions about the origin or cause [of death]. We can assume, however, that they are refugees.” said the police.

It was revealed that of the 71 dead, 59 were men, eight women and four children, including a baby girl. The girl was between one and two. The three other children were boys, aged between eight and ten.

Hungarian police have arrested the driver of the lorry. Three Bulgarians and an Afghan man have also been detained, police said.

Sources: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/28/hungary-71-immigrant-dead-police-make-arrests/

The Department of State Services (DSS) has dropped the treasonable felony charge against immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA) Col.Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for lack of credible evidence. The Asokoro residence of Dasuki was "raided" by agents of the Nigerian secret police on 16 July, 2015, 48hours after he was relieved of his duty by President Muhammadu Buhari.

There was an initial standoff between the agents and soldiers guiding the house before they backed down. The operation which lasted about 12hrs led to seizure of firearms and bulletproof vehicles found in the house with the agency releasing a statement that the house was raided due to credible intelligence it got that Dasuki was planning to commit treasonable felony.
However 39 days after the "raid", the DSS has not been able to prove this charge. In a statement yesterday through its acting spokesman Mr Tony Opuiyo, said:

" You may recall that on 16 July, 2015, the Department of State Services (DSS), carried out a search operation on properties belonging to the immediate past national security adviser, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (Col/rtd), in Abuja and Sokoto.

“This action was necessitated by credible intelligence which linked him to acts capable of undermining national security. The search operation led to the recovery of large cache of arms and ammunition among other things and for which further investigation was conducted.

“Consequently, on Monday 24 August, 2015, he was charged to court based on evidence so far obtained, but which relates to possession of fire arms without license punishable under section 27(i)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004. This is in line with democratic practice and our avowed commitment to the rule of law, in which nobody is deemed to be above the law no matter how highly placed in the society. Accordingly, the general public will be duly informed as the matter progresses.

“Meanwhile, the service recommits itself to the fundamental role of providing adequate security for all Nigerians to enable them pursue their legitimate aspirations and businesses.”

It will be recalled that after Dasuki's house was raided, a statement was made available to the press on 18 July, 2015 titled "My 24hours Ordeal with the DSS" where he termed the DSS operation as mere witchhunt by those who were not happy with him when he was in office. On the possession of firearms, the statement read;

"They retrieved three rifles which were being used by members of the protective team while in office.
The disengagement of the Protective team was yet to be completed yesterday(16th July 2015) but the SSS asked him to explain how he came about the rifles"

According to the DSS statement yesterday a "large cache" of arms and ammunition was retrieved from Dasuki's house during their operation on 16th July but in a press statement after the raid, the DSS said 7 rifles ( as against three earlier stated by Dasuki) were retrieved from the house. As at press time, there is no official statement from the ex-NSA on the new charge.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/25/dss-backtracks-drops-treasonable-felony-charge-against-dasuki-due-to-lack-of-evidence/

Despite a string of denials by the Presidency to debunk rumors that Aisha Buhari has been given any portfolio and refuting reports that she has started operating from the former First Lady's office, investigations by FCT Post have discovered otherwise.

A source has revealed that 7 aides have been appointed to work for the office of the wife of the president. "What changed was just the name from Office of the First Lady to Office of the Wife of the President; but the activities of the office still remain the same", the source revealed.

Although the full names of the aides remain sketchy as at press time, the source further disclosed that Dr Hajo Sani has been named as Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to the Office of the Wife of the President which invariably makes her the Head of Administration to Aisha Buhari.

This was initially revealed from a congratulatory message on her appointment in Daily Trust by her friends and classmates. The uproar generated by that congratulatory message among Nigerians, who felt the President has again reneged on one of his campaign promises, led to the hurriedly released press statement that the Office of the First Lady has been scrapped and that the new Office of the Wife of the President will not be like the former.

However, a preview of the activities of Aisha Buhari in recent past proved otherwise. The appointment of Dr Hajo Sani as Head of Administration to the Office of the Wife of the President gives credence to this fact. Hajo is an expert in First Lady affairs. She was a close ally to former First Lady Late Maryam Babangida. In 1997, the Sani Abacha military junta appointed her as Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development.

She is the author of the book "FIRST LADYSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA" which chronicles the activities of all former first ladies in Nigeria and some in the western world. She is also the founder of the Non-government organization, Women and National Development (WAND). Hajo Sani holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a Masters' degree in Guidance and Counselling and a PhD in Public Administration and Policy Analysis.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/24/presidency-appoints-expert-in-first-lady-affairs-to-help-aisha-buharis-office/

By Paul Nweke

Firstly, what is a State? A State, in my opinion can be defined as a Territorial location or expanse of land, that has a defined population, a

Government and has international sovereignty (that is the ability to conduct it’s internal affairs without external involvement or interference). Thus, the definite features of a State include: territory, population, government and sovereignty.

There are various theories for explaining the creation of the state. Some of them are: Divine theory, Social Contract theory, Force theory, etc.

Divine theory simply states that States originated from God. The moment He decided to create Man, the state was created. Another aspect of divine theory argues that, leaders of states are divinely appointed by God and resisting leaders is tantamount to resisting God. Holy books like the Bible, Quran, etc. are sources for the explanation of Divine theory of State creation.

Social contract theory suggests that states were created after people got fed up of living in the Hobbesian “state of nature” where life was solitary, nasty, brutish and short. So they came together to create a contract that would govern how man relates to man, and how communities would relate to communities and how some powers and functions of Man was delegated to institutions and agencies which later became arms and structures of the state. Thus, the State came to be Proponents of the Force theory, which posit that most states arose out of force.

This theory was used to explain the imperial conquest of those parts of the world known today as the Third World. During that period (between the 18th and 19th centuries), peoples were conquered, divided into colonies; some were later amalgamated (like Nigeria), and were subsequently granted flag independence to govern themselves. By this way, states were created.

There are other theories on the origin of the State; however, I think these theories would suffice for the rest of the write up, especially the force theory. So at this juncture, the lecture on theories of the state is suspended.

Obviously, Nigeria wasn’t created out of a social contract. Some may argue that Nigeria came by divine theory but there is no empirical evidence to support their stance. This leaves one theory open to explaining the creation of Nigeria – the Force theory. The current 250+ ethnic groups that make up this country never agreed to co-exist never signed up for one Nigeria. The former British colonial masters foisted it on us.

Thus, by every measure, the force theory is the ideal theory that depicts how the Nigerian State was created.

Our founding fathers aptly captured the scenario that led to the creation of the Nigerian state as nothing more than a reluctant union. For instance, Chief Awolowo, in 1947, referred to Nigeria as “a mere geographical expression” by which the people living in the country are called Nigerians simply “to distinguish those that live between the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not”. In other words, Nigeria is an artificial force field, whereupon if you so fortunately or unfortunately happen to find yourself birthed within, you get a Nigerian tag, and that’s all.

It however, seemed as if late Sir Tafawa Balewa, was very much applying the force theory in explaining the emergence of Nigeria by the colonial misadventure when he in 1948, voiced out that: “Since 1914 the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs and do not show themselves any sign of willingness to unite… Nigerian unity is only a British intention for the country.”

Yet by 1960, this same Nigeria created out of force by the British departing colonial masters got nominal independence, and was handed over to the very leaders who had expressed their misgivings over the way Nigeria was created. And they did govern it the best way they could until all the booby traps and mines of the newly created State of Nigeria exploded in their faces, and the Pandora box of the forced marriage of Nigeria was opened in 1967 through the secession of the old Eastern Nigeria, under the name the Republic of Biafra, which eventually culminated to a civil war between the Nigerian State and the seceded Old Eastern Region. I don’t need to bore you on the details of the war, as we might all know how it ended. It was a very bitter war that no one prays to ever witness again.

From 1970 to date, one would have thought that the idea of breaking away from Nigeria would never arise again. But it would be purely naive to think so. Why? It’s simple. It’s all about the origin of the Nigerian State. It was a State created out of force, not out of social agreement and to repeat the words of the late first and only Prime minister Nigeria ever had in person of Sir Tafawa Balewa, the people who are called Nigerians “do not show themselves any sign of willingness to unite”. There you have it, the people are unwilling to unite, yet they must be forced to unite because the State called Nigeria was created out of force.

To my mind, the re-occurrence of the Biafra outcry is not just a sectional thing; it is the ghost of our collective past. It is the crying spirit, the muffled screams of the voice of liberation. It is a symbolic part of all of us that want a Nigeria, not this Nigeria that is created and sustained with force, but a Nigeria penned on a social contract and appended by the multitude of ethnic groups that make up this part of the world.

But if indeed, some feel that the Biafra outcry is a sectional nuisance and divisive annoyance, then there can only be one solution to it: a referendum for Igbos to determine if they want to stay in Nigeria or not.

If it is a regional thing, then the best approach to putting paid attention to the Biafra issue that keeps resurfacing over almost five decades of the death of the ill fated Biafra republic, and it’s ghost which is still haunting Nigeria is to get the Southeastern people to vote YES or NO to the question of whether they want to remain in Nigeria.

To suggest that the only means of resolving any issue in Nigeria is through the use of force is a fatal mistake. In Nigeria, we always believe the use of force is the only way to get things done. This was the way the colonial masters taught us for the time being while we were yet their colonial slaves and servants. It has become the colonial mentality of our public servants and political office holders. That’s why even as our leaders claimed to be democratically elected, they use the sheer brutish force of the State to whip us the masses in line, and get things done.

Even among Nigerian masses, unless you’re a “gra-gra” person, you can’t make headway in the jungle of struggles and hustles. Force is the Almighty formula used to get things done in this part of the world. That was why for years, the government engaged the Niger Delta militants in a war without an ending, until the Yaradua administration thought it was better to talk instead of fight. And there was relative peace in the Niger Delta. Then came Boko Haram and their clamour for an Islamic state. If men could see the future, I’m sure the then government would have preferred to engage in discussions with the progenitor of the group for a peaceful resolution than apply force and kill him, thinking force is the only way to go.

In today’s world of combating terrorism and insurgency as well as resolving international impasse, the approach now is the use of “Smart Power”, which includes both soft power and hard power. Soft power includes using talks and every peaceful means of Conflict resolution while hard power is the use of guns and bombs to solve problems.

Having seen how the application of force alone couldn’t solve the Boko Haram problem, rather it exacerbated it, I think it is high time the Government starts adopting soft power as an approach with hard power as last resort in solving issues in Nigeria, such as the Biafra issue.

With the emergence of Radio Biafra pioneered by Nnamdi Kanu, which has become a huge thorn in the flesh of the Nigerian State, I expect the State to employ all it’s instruments of force in dealing with this threat. My fear is that in war, nothing is more harmful than propaganda. Propaganda can do more damage than bullets and bombs. And sometimes bullets and bombs can work in favour of the propaganda machine it was meant to destroy and even end up awaken a bigger monster.

If the use of force could have crushed the Biafra idea, it would have been dead in 1970. This is 2015, yet the apparition of Biafra is still hovering over the country Nigeria. It is like the spirit of a dead man that has possessed another man to torment him. Even when some folks say Biafra is dead, you know they don’t believe it in their hearts because if they do, they wouldn’t be so offended at the mention of the name Biafra.

In the final analysis, the ghost of Biafra will keep haunting Nigeria because Nigeria itself is a creation that fuels the very thing that causes rebellion. It is a creation of force, and thus, must be ruled by force and sustained by force. And force begets resistance. It is a simple law of nature. The only way to put an end to this matter is to recreate a new Nigeria based on social contract, or allow the southeastern people do a referendum if you feel Nigeria’s problem is a regional thing…

As for me, I support one Nigeria, but not this Nigeria where every one would like to pretend that we don’t have a problem with the way the State was created, but a Nigeria based on social contract, a Nigeria where there won’t be any question as to the willingness of all the ethnic groups to live as one.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/23/nigerian-state-use-force-solving-inherent-problems-will-answer-biafra-recurring-question/

By Pablo Picasso

The most ab(used) word today, which is fast becoming a cliche in Nigeria is Probe. This definitely is not unrelated to the decision of the Buhari-led Government to probe activities of past Government, especially the immediate past administration. The growing number of dramatic personae echoing the probe hysteria really beggars belief. Well, let us just ignore the messengers and concentrate on the message. The probe of the past government within the confines of the law is a welcome development every patriotic Nigerian should embrace. These measures are needed to check those who take political office as their personal estate rather than public trust. However the theatrics associated with it in recent past is becoming worrisome.

Is the Government really serious about an actual probe or just bluffing? If the threat of probe is hyped, culpable politicians may become scared and try to strike a deal by returning looted funds. It could turn out to be a win-win situation for both the Government and the culprits. The culprits is spared a long trial and possibly time in jail, while the Government will be spared the resources of long court case which may later end in a plea bargain or outright acquittal, due to a weak evidence as we have seen in the past. The presidency is not oblivious of these realities/possibilities. The Presidential advisory committee on Anti-corruption had given an olive branch to those who know that their ‘hands are dirty’’ to come forward in other to negotiate lenient terms. Plateau and Ebonyi state Government gave same olive branch to those who may have looted public funds in the state.

The punch reported this week that President Buhari needed courageous judges who would expedite action on corruption cases and fearless in prosecuting looters of public funds. Although the news was received with mixed reactions as some saw it as an interference with the judiciary, it is a clear testament that probe is not an end itself, neither is it a guarantee that those suspected of corrupt practices will end up in jail or looted funds recovered. The “prove beyond reasonable doubt’’ remain sacrosanct in a democracy. It is therefore surprising that we are still caught up in the probe euphoria. Since the presidency has reiterated that there will be no going back on the probe, they should get back to work and articulate their strategies so that the end in mind will become a reality.

At this stage, what we want to hear is results, we need less talk; more work. Interestingly, those who may likely be probed are also ready for the probe. The PDP House of Reps caucus on Wednesday, endorsed the Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign on the condition that it should be within the law and not selective. It seems to be a season of “I am ready for probe’’ as some aides who served in the last administration have openly declared that they are ready for any questioning or probe of their activities in office. The former head of NHIS whom the EFCC had earlier declared to be on the run has openly denied being on the run, saying as a patriotic Nigerian who has nothing to hide, he is ready for probe of the alleged laundering of 2.1M dollars found with one of his aides. Earlier in the week, the chronic salary defaulter Ex-Gov. Gabriel Suswan joined the “I am ready for probe’’ group. Even the immediate past comptroller General of the Nigerian Custom who resigned under questionable circumstance, openly declared that he was ready for probe. Those to be probed have stated that they are ready for probe, the next thing should be results of the probe if any and not this never ending drama of bandying unverified claims and repetition of the probe cliche. Let the probe start Now!

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/21/let-the-probe-begin-ii/