₦airaland Forum

Benin - Ore expressway

08102865828.

This is a simple drill. no big deal.

Another terror group in the making. I hope they will not be worse than boko haram.

When Brian Froud, a British fantasy illustrator and Jessica Macbeth co-authored a strange work of fiction entitled ‘Faeries’ Oracle’, they knew they would ruffle many feathers in the literary world. This was because the book focused on magic, surrealism, divination, spiritism and extraordinary powers, in an era when modern religion and science have not only redefined our reality but have assuredly assumed a disposition that severely deprecates belief in mediums. It also didn’t help matters that the authors adopted an unusual genre in favour of accretion of texts, radiant cards, paintings, drawings and illustrations in one work of art. However, what it lacked in presumably wrong choice of form, theme and scheme, it made up for in its poignant portrayal of some human characters, especially that of the sage. Here, the authors venerably imbued the sage with all the attributes of power and wisdom, ostensibly arising from his capacity to “look into other worlds, other realms, and the wisdom buried deeply within each of us... having become more deeply immersed in the inner landscapes of knowledge, inner vision, contemplation, and spirit.” Going through this chapter titled, ‘The Sage’, and thoughts of all those rare attributes, automatically conjures the awesome larger-than-life image and profile of no other persona than that of Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s most visible literary giant and the only Nobel laureate in our firmament. In fact, no living mortal can successfully challenge the fact that his rare interventions on national discourse had so far been pointed, incisive, fair, rational, agenda setting and almost flawless. In a recent interview he granted Channels Television which focused on books and writing, Soyinka was voluptuously in his element and proved true to type. His eloquent dissection of the state of the book in Nigeria left all lovers of art and the written word enthralled, with many wondering how he alone, managed to amass that level of penetrating erudition and deep contemplation, having sat in the same classrooms and passed through the same teachers as the rest of us. Yet his attempt at assessing the last general elections and its outcomes, where he praised the Buhari administration to high heavens and concluded dogmatically that Nigeria would have collapsed if Jonathan had won the 2015 polls, obviously fell short of this elegant categorization, muddled up his own public record and left our own W.S. punching below his weight. It simply showed that every star has its skyline, every sprinter has his track and every sage, his sphere. And for an intellectual, it becomes even more lethal, to venture into an unknown turf without the benefit of rigor and diligent research. If that happens, any attempt to dominate spaces clearly outside one’s scope, easily betrays the true motive of the intrusion. He will either be struggling to maintain his standing on a strange ground or be fighting piteously to cover up his predisposition. Granted that the interviewer overreached himself by taking Soyinka out of the familiar terrain of literature and art to demand of him, on the spot analysis of politics. Even then the Nobel Laureate couldn’t have offended any soul if he had limited himself to the exercise his God-given freedom of judgement where he had quickly expressed his fondness for President Muhammadu Buhari, over former President Goodluck Jonathan. But it then became an act of hubris when Soyinka, apparently blinded by the bravura of his conviction, failed to rise to the occasion to dispassionately volunteer his views when challenged to assess the seven months of the Buhari Administration, even after he had glibly put a nail on the possibility of Jonathan continuing in office, without giving credible reasons for his strange conclusions. And for such error of judgement, Froud and Macbeth have the most acerbic words. For every sage that misapplies his wisdom, they have the following to say of him: “Twisted, the Sage’s accumulation of facts and information becomes unwisdom—knowledge misused and distorted, facts distorted for selfish purposes, information used to the detriment of others.” While comparing the two presidential candidates for the 2015 elections, Soyinka had said: “I became convinced that if this country underwent four more years under President Jonathan, the country would run aground completely.” Haba Professor! Where is the empirical evidence that supports such indiscreet generalization? Prodded on to justify his choice, amidst the worsening misery of the last six months and the dismal growth prognosis stemming from the new administration’s obvious lack of vision and economic direction, Soyinka simply affirmed that Buhari’s performance in office so far“ has proven that there is such a thing as a born again democrat.” And to think that this defence is coming not long after Soyinka described Buhari as a “devil for whom in my calculation, no spoon existed long enough to justify the risk even of an impromptu snack.” A friend who was reviewing this interview with me did not waste time in agreeing that Soyinka’s position didn’t add up and insisted that, for once, Soyinka has allowed his prejudice to colour his intervention on a burning national issue. He drew my attention to the fact that the Nobel laureate who placed a blanket condemnation on the last administration had on the same breath praised the outcome of Jonathan’s national conference as the best so far in the country’s history, and had even gone ahead to urge Buhari to implement its recommendations. If it was convenient for Soyinka to isolate the national conference as a plus why did he withhold from telling the nation that the few measures being implemented by this government are policies of the past administration? Beyond the on-going arrests of corrupt politicians the only far- reaching, sustainable anti-corruption measures so far adopted are the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the Intergrated Personnel & Payroll Information System (IPPIS)which tracks ghost workers and checks other leakages in public services. Incidentally these were programmes introduced by those Jonathan put in-charge at the finance ministry. Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, Agriculture Minister Chief Audu Ogbe and Power, Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola who are the only ministers in the new cabinet to have taken the lead in speaking about their programmes, have all indicated that they would go on with the Jonathan policies. While Amaechi had vowed to continue with the rail projects in continuation of Jonathan’s rail restoration programme, Ogbe did not pretend that this government has an alternative to the globally acclaimed Agriculture Transformation Agenda, which brought this country close to self-sufficiency in food production. On his part Fashola, a very practical and goal-oriented man in the corridors of power, who unfolded his plan only this week, had praises for Jonathan’s reforms in the power, and transport sectors. He even went ahead to boldly proclaim, against the run of public opinion, that Jonathan constructed more roads than any other administration. Soyinka will soon discover that he would be standing alone in praising the Buhari Government, especially as he deliberately failed to raise the red flag on obvious and avoidable sloppiness on the side of the new government. Is Soyinka happy with the excruciating but unending fuel situation, spiraling decline in naira value, prevarication and tardiness on the issue of subsidy, embarrassing lack of economic blueprint, constant demonisation and criminalisation of Nigeria and Nigerians at international fora, as well as Buhari’s abhorrent disdain for those he governs, who only get to hear about his plans and decisions from those he addresses while abroad? Juxtapose those with the method of the Jonathan era and please help spot the difference. It is within the boundaries of Soyinka’s rights to brand anybody a born again democrat. But any fair assessment should have admitted that this toga first belonged to Jonathan who organized world acclaimed free and fair general elections in both 2011 and 2015 and the isolated state government elections. I believe that Soyinka would have seen that Buhari’s INEC has failed in organising credible elections in just two states-tiny Bayelsa and Kogi- the results of which have remained inconclusive. It is a defect that even Buhari himself has admitted, supporting the position of local and international observers that the elections were flawed. And talking about Amaechi, we know that Soyinka had in the past understandably openly fraternized with him by attending almost all of the annual Portharcourt book events. But would the sage, in all honesty, be at ease to address him as an ‘honourable minister’, especially knowing that he was dully indicted by a judicial panel of enquiry on issues of massive corruption? Soyinka also waxed lyrical about the revelation of alleged diverted billions and huge sums we are told are already being recovered. However, being a sage whose word is almost law, he would have gone ahead to point out all that is wrong with the spirited anti-corruption war, especially as it now affects our disenchanted military. I have heard well informed people say that the on-gong deep exposure of the details of military spending in the name of anti- corruption war is ridiculing our military before the international community. An expatriate friend of mine with close links to the military of one of the advanced nations, while reviewing the emerging scandals in the office of the National Security Adviser, actually faulted the alleged diversion of the funds to causes other than security issues. But he was quick in faulting the current leaders who he accused of exposing Nigeria’s top security secrets to the whole world, because of political reasons. It is his considered view that the military worldwide hide money for such things as standard practice for intelligence gathering, payment to trouble makers or society bad boys under such innocuous sub-heads as stationeries and even toiletries. “How do you think America gets its top secret intelligence and keep their streets clean? We pay people! But you won’t find a budget sub-head reading bribe money or payment to bad boys,” he said. He then drew my attention to the heightened tension and uprising across the country which he attributed to the abandonment of pure military duties while focusing on probes and exposure of the military’s budget lines and unorthodox spending. Soyinka is so precious to us that we wouldn’t want him to be stained by the murky waters of politics. Next time he wants to run commentary on our leaders, he should be honest enough to state facts as they are, without allowing his preferences to alter his wisdom. Less he would be running the risk of reducing himself to the status of a lawyer, who otherwise would have been celebrated for his brilliance, but who is now only perceived from the prism of the client that hired him. -Mr Okpanachi, a public affairs analyst wrote from Makurdi, Benue State

Oma307:
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I no be kidnapper o

I'm a student of OAU, who needs a girl in OAU that is ready for love making pls call me on 08102865828.

The Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray Bruce,
yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop
blaming his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for
Nigeria’s problems, and urged the government to instead
focus on delivering democracy dividends.
He was reacting to an allegation made last Wednesday by
the president that the past administration was responsible
for the continuing insecurity as a result of widespread
diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms.
Writing on his twitter handle yesterday, Murray Bruce said:
“This is seven months in the life of this government. We
have heard that our problems were caused by the last
administration. Okay. Now let’s hear of solutions.
“If we keep driving this car called Nigeria by looking at our
rear-view mirror, it wont be long before we crash. Let’s
focus on the road ahead.”
Similarly, the claims by Buhari that the massive diversion of
the billions budgeted for ammunition during President
Jonathan administration brought about the resurgence of
insurgency in the North-east, may not have gone down well
with members of the last administration who insisted
yesterday that the Jonathan government recorded
considerable successes against Boko Haram terrorists.
A source close to the Office of the former National Security
Adviser (NSA), told THISDAY that the president may have
not been properly advised to have come to that conclusion.
While hosting members of the House of Representatives to
dinner on Wednesday at the the Presidential Villa in Abuja,
President Buhari had said there was an abuse of trust in the
management of the “billions of naira and hundreds of
millions of dollars that were supposed to be expended by
the previous government to acquire good equipment and
ammunition for the military.”
The president noted that the alleged mismanagement cost
Nigeria a lot of lives and goodwill, stating further that “it
reached a stage where the Nigerian military could not
secure 14 local government areas out of 774 local
government.
However, while reacting to the statement, the source
stressed that it was wrong for anybody to claim that
ammunition and military hardware were not bought for the
Nigerian Armed Forces during President Jonathan regime.
The source who served with the former NSA, Col. Sambo
Dasuki, who is currently facing trial, said: “Despite the
difficulties we faced in procuring arms from some western
nations over alleged human rights issues, we still managed
to source sizable quantities of platforms, weapons, bullets
and other ammunition for the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air
Force.
“The purchase of massive arms and ammunition in the last
one year of the Jonathan government made it possible for
the military to root out Boko Haram terrorists from all parts
of Yobe and Adamawa States, leaving only about three
local government areas in Borno State, partially under the
control of the insurgents.
“These are verifiable facts about the situation before the
last general elections. If the present government folds its
arms and loses control of already recoverd territories, it
should stop blaming Dasuki and Jonathan for its own
lapses.
“Let us also not forget that president inaugurated about
five warships three of which were inaugurated the same
day. It was the first time that number of war ships would be
inaugurated the same day.”
He challenged the Buhari government to deny the fact that
the Nigerian military was still using the arms and
ammunition procured by Jonathan to fight in those problem
areas, insisting that Buhari’s government has not bought
any new arms till date.
“If the region had been under dire Boko Haram threat as this
government claims, it wouldn’t have been possible for 2015
elections to hold in the three states, a feat Buhari cannot
achieve today if elections were to hold today in the zone,”
he also said.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/murray-bruce-others-ask-buhari-to-stop-blaming-jonathan-for-insecurity-in-north-east/227718/

worefa

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hakeem4:
I want to work as a civil engineer in the military even tho I'm still an undergraduate in a civilian university is it possible ?

it's possible. though NDA has civil engineering as an undergraduate course, applicants for the short service course who are civil engineers can apply. having a Masters Degree or any professional course wld be an advantage.

TRUTHTOPOWER:
The article is nothing but half truth. the test of superioty is not done by itemization of superior court but by the power conferred on the court.

CCT (unlike all inferior courts such as magistrate court) has the power to have its matter determined directly by the court of appeal. it has power to convict for contempt howsoever occurring.

"such other courts" is different from "every other court" and by rule of interpretation "ejusdem generis" you can only include courts with cognate powers under S6CFRN.

CCT cannot submit to the jurisdiction of FHC but CCB can. the reason is that appeal from CCT goes to court of Appeal. and CCT is a creation of the Constitution. CCT is a superior court of record by by the combined effect of section 6(5)(j) CFRN 1999 and Sec15, Fifth Schedule CFRN. To argue otherwise is to put election tribunal at the mercy of high court jurisdiction. if FHC is superior to CCT, appeals from CCT will not go to the court of appeal but to the FHC. the decision of CCT can only be quashed by court of appeal. The only way to challenge the jurisdiction of a court is to start from the court itself.

Any enactment that purports to limit the power of AGF officers as conferred on them by s174(2) CFRN is null and void. this is because the constitution is supreme.

A honest writer must ask himself why does the the constitution make appeal from CCT to Court of Appeal if a high court has power ab initio to supervise CCT?

Judgements of the CCT, just like that of Court Martial can only be taking to the court of appeal but their process is subject to Judicial review of the Federal High Court. Take a look at the case of the dismissed soldiers who fought in the North East, they went to the FHC to stop the court martial proceedings, citing a breach of their fundamental right of fair hearing

lolaxavier:
Thanks Op for the clarify. I actually didn't realize both bodies have equal power in the law scene.
Well, most importantly, the yeye man should just go and face his music. Thieves!!!

the CCB is not of equal jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.

tomakint:
It's a pity we have many naive-minded commentators lately on the cyberspace....this writer had forgotten that in the absence of an Attorney-General, the most Senior Officer in the CCB can act in the capacity of the AG. The issue at stake here demands urgency towards a staggering case (billions of dollars accrued to a single noble thief), even Tinubu appeared in the dock in this same CCT when he was served his notice. So who the hell is this spoilt brat forming one god against the Law of the Land?

. The constitution is very clear on the office of the Attorney General. it did not empower anybody to act in the capacity of the A-G. the A-G can can only empower any legal practioner personally.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has berated
President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Col. Hameed
Ali (retd.) as the new Comptroller-General of the Nigeria
Customs Service.
This is just as the Ijaw National Congress accused the
President of pursuing a northern agenda through his
“lopsided” appointments.
Ozekhome said in a statement that Buhari’s appointment of
a retired soldier to head a paramilitary institution was
illegal.
The senior advocate described as nonsensical claims that
Buhari appointed a former soldier to head the Customs
because he could not find any Customs officer with integrity
to head the service.

He said, “The appointment of Hameed Ali has, particularly,
raised serious issues of propriety, having been brought in
from outside the customs service. By Section 3:11:1 of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria official gazette No 24, vol 89,
dated March 25, 2002, the choice of the CG of Customs shall
be by appointment of a suitable Deputy Comptroller-General
of Customs.
“Some unrepentant apologists have already argued,
surprisingly, that a gazette is not a law, and so President
Buhari was not obliged to follow the extant gazette in
appointing one of the six serving Deputy Comptrollers-
General of Customs as the CG.
“They even argue, tongue in cheek, that he could not find an
officer amongst the six DCGs that is incorruptible. Jesus!
Why not dissolve the entire Customs then and set up a fresh
one?”
He said such an appointment was synonymous with military
rule and called on Buhari to realise that Nigeria is now
practising democracy.
Ozekhome, who was a delegate to the last National
Conference, said Buhari would be setting a bad precedence
if he did not reverse the appointment.
He added, “In any event, even if past governments did
wrong in bringing in ‘outsiders’ to head Customs, thus
demoralising the psyche of career officers, who have spent
their lives serving the nation, hoping to rise to the zenith of
their careers, why should President Buhari’s government
which promised change, repeat same?
“Is it not meant to be change from past bad habits, actions,
inactions, maladministration, etc? Was that not why
Nigerians voted for him and against Goodluck Jonathan’s
government?”
Meanwhile, the Ijaw National Congress has expressed deep
concerns over the leadership style of Buhari, which
according to them, confers undue advantages to a particular
section of the country at the expense of other regions,
especially in the areas of appointments as well as the war
against corruption.
The acting president of the association, Mr. Charles
Ambaiowei, while commenting on the state of the nation,
noted that Buhari’s appointments so far showed a brazen
breach of the federal character.
The group alleged that Buhari appointed an ‘outsider’ to
head Customs to prevent a Niger Delta man, who was next
in line, to assume the office of CG.
www.punchng.com/politics/ozekhome-group-slam-buhari-over-customs-boss-appointment/

where are those who were shouting that the appointments were based on merit

Ihave lived in Port Harcourt for many years; but, until recently, I did not know the richest address in this capital city of our oil-rich Rivers State. I only got the information by happenstance - while reading a petition, and the rejoinder thereto, that were published in the newspapers. The richest address in Port Harcourt, in case you do not know, is situated somewhere on Trans Amadi Road, where three companies, co-located at the same address either received (according to the petitioners) or (according to the rebuttal) bought the hard currency equivalent of not less than N17 billion, all within a matter of days in December, 2014. Usually, in claims and counterclaims, different sets of facts are marshalled. Now, according to the published petition, which was addressed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Rivers State Government sold its electric power plants, and the monies, or at least a chunk of the proceeds, were then allegedly paid to the three companies located at the same address on Trans Amadi Road. How much each company got and on what date (between December 1, 2014 and December 8, 2014) are part of the details of the petition. However, in the rejoinder which was also widely published with appendices, the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and former Commissioner for Finance, both of whom served under the administration of Rotimi Amaechi as governor, refuted the allegation that the monies were simply paid to the three companies for doing nothing. Instead, they argue, part of the proceeds of the sale of power plants was in US dollars, which the companies bought and paid the state government the naira equivalent. My first observation is as follows: whereas, in the petition, the three companies are named and their address given as the same location on Trans Amadi Road, the rejoinder lists the companies but without their addresses. I must admit straightaway that my interest in the matter was stirred by the curious coincidence of the three companies having the same address and dealing in such huge sums within a short space of time, hence my coinage of the title for this article. Yet, I note that the rejoinder did not refute the co-location of the three companies at the same address. Even to the untrained eye, the fact that such monies as aforementioned went to the same address, and within a week or so, should trigger an alarm. Forget for now that, in law, companies are regarded as separate and distinct entities, from their human owners. Companies have a life of their own. Thus, a hundred or more companies can operate from the same address; they can share the same office. But the law also recognises that companies are potent vehicles for perpetrating fraud, which is why the history of company law is replete with pieces of legislation aimed at blunting the capacity of companies being used as avenues of fraud. The rebuttal to the petition provides a background to the sale of the state’s power projects; it also indicates that proceeds came in various tranches between 2012 and 2014, and that there were US Dollar components of the proceeds of sale. Subsequently, according to the former SSG and former Commissioner for Finance, the US Dollar “proceeds were sold to willing buyers”. But why does it appear to be the case that those three companies located at the same address were the “only willing buyers” of the forex proceeds? Was the sale advertised, or was it insider dealing? The rejoinder is silent on that. The rate at which the three companies bought the forex was stated at N175 to US$1. Yet, by December 2014, with falling crude oil prices, and the Central Bank of Nigeria battling to shore up the country’s external reserves, the Naira was already taking a beating in the exchange market. The Rivers State Government had Dollars, so why the rush to sell off? Did the three companies, in contravention of extant regulations, buy the forex for speculative purposes? That question may be unnecessary after all, because the rejoinder asserts that, “Once the funds (that is, Naira equivalent of the forex sales) were received into Rivers State Government revenue account…they were used alongside others from other revenue sources to finance various government projects and activities.” Certainly, those “government projects and activities” did not include the remittance of funds for the payment of scholarships for Rivers students studying abroad, who had regularly besieged Nigerian embassies in anxious expectation of funds. The “government projects and activities” did not also include the payment of garbage collection companies which downed tools and turned Port Harcourt into a sprawling garbage dumpsite, stinking and repulsive for several months before the exit of the Amaechi administration. Workers and pensioners were owed, and Rivers State did not pay, until after May 29, examination fees for its students who were to write the NECO for 2015. And, of course, the “government projects and activities” did not include the Port Harcourt mono-rail, which is the abandoned poster project of an administration that lost its way. But, let me return to the richest address in Port Harcourt. It is interesting that, as disclosed in the rejoinder, the proceeds from the sale of power assets were identified as one of the revenue sources under the state’s 2014 Appropriation Law. Such proceeds were projected at N33 billion. But why did the state government under Amaechi have to wait until December 1st to begin off-loading the US Dollars it received for the sale of the power plants? And the off-loading continued right up to December 22nd . Does Rivers State accounting system forbid carrying over credit balances to the following year? Would the state not have had more Naira in its kitty, if the Dollars were sold early this year? Still, if within three weeks, according to the facts supplied by the erstwhile SSG and former Commissioner for Finance, in contradistinction to one week as alleged in the original petition, three companies shelled out at least N17.1 billion to buy forex, it buttresses my assertion that where the three companies are located is the richest address in Port Harcourt. Just by their names, the companies are not any of the oil majors, nor do their names ring familiar as among the well-known service provider companies for multinational oil firms. It may help then to, as lawyers say, lift the veil of the three companies, so the real identities of the wealthy folks behind the companies are known. There is perhaps no better forum to lift the veil of the companies than at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Rivers State Government, and which has been given the all-clear by a High Court, to proceed with its assignment. In lifting the veil, some useful questions to ask include: when were the companies incorporated? What has been their respective turnover in the last three years, or less, if they were set up only recently? What were their annual returns to the Corporate Affairs Commission? How much have they paid in company tax to the authorities over the last three years or so? Answers to these questions may help lay to rest any further suspicion of graft or abuse of office. ––Nimi George writes from Port Harcourt

SINCE the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, one word that has literally remained a recurring decimal is ‘Probe’. From the inception of his administration, he did not hide his determination to make those who had shortchanged Nigerians to account for their misdeeds. For many, it did not come as a surprise when President Buhari said he would probe the admin­ istration of his predecessor, Dr Gooduck Jonathan. During the 2015 electioneering campaign, President Buhari had assured that his government would be interested in looking at the past administration and immediately after the March 28 presidential election, there were calls in several quarters for him to probe Jonathan’s five-year tenure. So, given the anti-corruption stance of the President, many are in agreement on the need for him to beam his searchlight on previous administrations in the country. The thinking of those in this school of thought is for the government to have a holistic approach in the fight against corruption. However, in all of these, what came as a surprise to many was the declaration by the federal government that the probe will be restricted only to the immediate past administration headed by Dr Jonathan. The Presidency had in a statement issued by presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina stated that the new administration will only probe its predecessor. Adesina, who is the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity had stated that: “If you recall, that was already settled before he got inaugurated as president. He has said he will not waste time digging into the far past. “The far past includes Obasanjo and others. But the president has said he will not waste time to go that far.” Since the government declared its stance on the probe of Jonathan’s administration, there have been a flurry of reactions, with various stakeholders taking divergent stands on the issues. While a school of thought, especially members of the ruing All Progressives Congress (APC) think there is nothing wrong in probing only the Jonathan administration, another school of thought says the government must be able to draw a line between a probe and a witch-hunt. Those in this school of thought believe that limiting the probe to Jonathan will be nothing but a witch hunt and Dr Jonathan corroborated their position in one of his speeches after the election. Many insist that Buhari should extend the probe as far back as 1985, when he was ousted by General Ibrahim Babangida in a coup d’etat or at least begin his probe from the inception of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. Since 1984 when the Buhari military junta was toppled, seven persons have ruled Nigeria. They include: Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, Sani Abacha, Abdusalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua and Jonathan. Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan governed the country from 1999 to May 29, 2015. It is almost a national consensus that those who piloted the affairs of previous governments in the country have lots of questions to answer about the way and manner they managed the nation’s resources. That being the case, many wonder why President Buhari would be interested in probing five years of Jonathan and leave out eight years of Obasanjo and barely three years of late Yar’Adua. Some people also wonder why President Buhari would ignore the military regimes which succeeded him as head of state, especially as those periods have been variously described as the years of the locust. Although the Jonathan administration had been described as “ very corrupt”, with some of his ministers accused of corruptly enriching themselves, analysts argue that the same charge has also been made against past administrations, particularly the Obasanjo-led government. In fact, former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu had in a letter to Obasanjo dated September 25, 2005 catalogued corrupt practices under his administra­ tion. Kalu in that letter had said the following among others: “The Abuja National Stadium, why was the original design for the stadium which had a five star hotel and which contract was won by a Chinese firm discarded and re-awarded to another foreign construction company based in Nigeria without the component of a five star hotel but at five times the price originally quoted by the Chinese firm? There is unquestionable evidence at my disposal pointing to the fact that mega corruption lies at the base of this dramatic turnabout. “Why have the operations of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) remained so murky? Who collected the commissions for the sale of Ajaokuta Steel Company and Delta Steel Rolling Mill, Aladja? To what degree would you, Mr President, defend those transactions as transparent? “Why have you found it difficult, Your Excellency, to probe the activities of the Federal Ministry of Works in spite of my subsisting allegation that the ministry stinks? It is an open secret that the operations of the ministry between 1999 and 2003 were mired in monumental fraud. “The most pressing question I wish to put to you, Sir, revolves around your long tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources since 1999. Why has there not been a properly audited account of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources since then despite the outcries by the people for this to be done? There is indisputable evidence that all the major deals in the nation’s oil sector are being handled by you, through your cronies and agents. What about the leakages and the fraud at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), with particular reference to crude oil sales and the accrued commissions? What have you done to check the malfeasance?” Analysts believe that any meaningful probe of past administrations by President Buhari must include the Obasanjo and Yar’Adua era, if the president is not interested in what happened during the military regimes. This is because there are still unexplained issues about the Obasanjo years. There is the issue of $180million Halliburton bribery scam, $16million power project of the Obasanjo administration and many others. The Lead Director of Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Oyekpere agrees that there is need for probe administrations by Buhari to be all embracing. He told journalists recently that there are a lot of things that happened before Jonathan that the government equally needs to beam searchlight on. “ For instance, the Halliburton issue, the Siemens scandal did not just come up under the last administration. And those things are too recent for us to forget them. So, I believe that he (Buhari) shouldn’t simply draw a line and say it is going to be from 2011 or from 2010, no. “He should go back a little bit, even the power scandal that involves an expenditure of over $15bn where we can’t see the results up till today. He should go back a little bit, it shouldn’t be about Jonathan’s administration viz-a-viz PDP, APC, no. It should have been about our national interest and some of these issues are too recent in our memories for us to sweep them under the carpet.” Even the man in the eyes of the storm, former President Jonathan would want the government to look beyond his administration if it must do any probe. Prior to his exit from office, the former president had counseled his successor not to single him out for probe, noting that those advising Buhari to probe him, must equally advise him to probe others before him. According to the former president, “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree that in Nigeria, there are a number of things that we will probe, very many things. “Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time, they are saying it is Jonathan’s administration that owes all the debts. “I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be a witch- hunt.” He added: “If you are very sincere, then it is not just the Jonathan’s administration that should be probed. A number of things have gone wrong and we have done our best to fix them. The Attorney-General is aware of massive judgment debts, if we aggregate all of them, it is about $1bn. “How did we come to this kind of huge judgment debts? These issues should be probed. “How do you allocate our oil wells, oil fields, marginal wells and others? Do we follow our laws? All these should be probed. I believe all these and many more areas should be looked into.” Elders stateman and Second Republic politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai agrees with Jonathan. He said the Buhari probe should begin from 1975, noting that the only administration that should be exempted from the probe are those that have been investigated before now. Yakassai told Daily Sun in a recent interview that:” The administration of Gowon had been investigated by Obasanjo and the administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari was investigated by General Buhari when he took over power. The administration of Sani Abacha, one way or the other had been investigated and a lot of money had been recovered. But so far, we can say that the only administrations that have not be investigated are Murtala\Obasanjo, the Buhari administration, Babangida and the Abdulsalami administrations. And I think that if we are going to deal with the root of corruption as a deterrent against the future, then we should spare nobody and have no limitation of time.” He says anything short of that will be sending a very wrong signal about the anti-corruption war of the government. So, as Nigerians await the commencement of the probe, the question begging for answer is should an administration that is desirous of cleaning the Augean stable ignore the glaring infractions of the past, because it would be time consuming.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/probe-of-controversies/

Words they say are cheap and nothing is as sweet as
beating up the weeping boy as all, including weaklings
suddenly gain strength and bury their own weaknesses in
the collective attack. Unfortunately, it bellies current
failures and provide a ready platform for discuss even when
we know the lie in it.
No situation affords the above assertion better expression
than what has become the order of the day in casting former
President Goodluck Jonathan in bad light; selling him as a
total failure even in the face of realities. We know that the
heart does not lie but the tongue is deceitful; so one
wonders why even respected men choose to live the lie
because that is the vogue.
Examples to prove the point are legion and glaring for which
one would have been tempted to gloss over them except for
the fact that Nigerians have started acting too early as if we
are suffering from collective amnesia on the issue of
Jonathan’s performance given the circumstances.
Most painful is the fact that we have soon forgotten the
accolades that attended the reformation of our international
gateways and the advertorials that graced newspapers
showering praises on how things had changed. The
question that rushes to ones lips is “Are we being fair to
Jonathan by painting him with the tar of general lack of
performance? Can we stand the pricking of our conscience
over the issue of realities of crediting one man with the
success of another just to scurry favour?
There were certain things that had left our memories which
the Jonathan administration restored to our collective
psyche and never in the annals of the country’s history was
freedom of expression given such a handle as under his
regime. He paid dearly for it with the abuses which it
appears people have been fixated on long after he gracefully
left the stage.
It is incontrovertible that in every sense of it, his
transformation agenda really transformed the country in all
sectors though the rot in the system which had endured
over the years seemed to taint his efforts; but if truth be
told, he left giant marks which his traducers have been
working assiduously to rubbish without success and in the
process; celebrate their own ignorance and lack of
direction.
Rather than fall into the common mistake of attacking ideas
and people, it is more honourable and respectable to take
some issues and address them to prove that Nigerians will
be lucky to have President Muhammadu Buhari leave marks
on the political and developmental space like Jonathan did.
Without even starting, cries are all Nigerians are getting
from the present regime which unknown to them, is
preparing grounds for the explanation of its would be
failures.
Jonathan approached governance with a developmental
mind with the best intentions for the country. He placed
national interest above self, a reason he chose a different
path by conceding victory no matter how it was won just for
the country to be at peace. A retrospective look will reveal
how his opponents in no distant past took their losses at
the polls and the hundreds of Nigerian lives, property and
animosities that went into it. That alone places him head
above all Nigerian politicians and bellied his considerations
for the country. Simply put, he transformed the Nigerian
psyche, giving us an opportunity to think straight once
more.
Another funny thing that has become the order of the day for
example is the praises being showered on President Buhari
over the improvement of power supply across the country.
Yes, power generation and distribution have generally
improved but it was not a feat that was achieved overnight
because it is not like putting on your generator at home and
getting light immediately. Power involves intricate
processes that include building of infrastructure, the
turbines, gas supply, the generation, wheeling, transmission
and distribution before Nigerians get the power in their
homes. The question is what has the present administration
done from May till now to have put those things in place? It
is simply the result of what Jonathan did that Buhari is
getting the praises for. It is like a hunter who shot a game
that in the thrashing of death goes somewhere else to die
and picked by a nursing mother and everyone starts to sing
her praise for killing a big game. Jonathan updated the
transmission backbone of the country which was unable to
carry above 3000 megawatts; built substations, massively
brought in transformers and completed generating stations
across the country that radically increased the generation
capacity of the country.
At a point, notwithstanding that gas is not like crude oil that
thieves could puncture the pipelines to steal, yet each time
power peaked within his tenure, saboteurs would cut the
gas supply and power will drop. What has the present
regime done to stop that other than those who were doing it
have simply stopped because power has changed hands?
Anything that is seen in improvement of power in the coming
years remains a credit to Jonathan; even Buhari knows
that.
Another funny assertion is that refineries in the country
coming back on stream three months after the new regime
took over were the handiwork of Buhari. The simple
question to ask is how long does Turn Around Maintenance
(TAM) of a refinery take? What for example is the average
time and process of replacing the Catalytic Cracking Unit
(CCU) of a refinery like happened with the Port Harcourt
refinery? Answers to these questions would show that it
takes an average of 18 months for TAM and even longer to
procure and install CCU since it is not an on-the-shelf part;
yet gullible Nigerians are plied with sweet stories of what is
not. The fact again is that Jonathan’s regime turned around
the refineries and any result coming in that sector goes to
only one person, Jonathan.
Prior to the coming of the Jonathan administration, road
travel had but died across the country. How many
kilometers of motorable roads did we have before then?
Travelers between Lagos and Benin, Edo State slept more
on the road than the days they made the journey in a day.
The Ore axis if it had mouth, would have testified to how
many travelers it swallowed through accidents, not to talk
of those it hosted in traffic snarls while armed robbers had
field days. Yet those who ply the route now can attest to the
difference. Soon too, maybe, those would be credited to the
vaunted “change”. Roads across the northern parts of the
country are even better now as more works were done
there. Some bridges conceived in the 70s and left in the
drawing board breathed the air of realisation under
Jonathan while the South East which has the worst roads
also got some relief. There is no part of the country that did
not feel the road rehabilitation and construction. We await
Buhari to surpass those records.
Airports across the country could be said to have had the
best of it as modernisation spread evenly for the first time
since our independence under Stella Oduah as Minister.
Even today, no one can without covering his face in shame;
say Jonathan did not reform our airports from Lagos to
Kano, Sokoto to Kaduna, Calabar to Owerri, Benin to Abuja
and Enugu airport which started enjoying international
flights. Jonathan had a fair mind so much that
developments other heads of State had vowed would be
executed over their dead bodies are now functional when
they are still alive.
Rail transportation which is supposed to take pressure off
our roads died long time ago. Also, the political and military
class used it as the worst conduit pipe to drain resources
for years without anything to show for it. Infact, rather than
shop for tar list to nail Jonathan with, one thought that the
present regime would probe the rail contracts prior to the
time Jonathan revived it. Today, Lagos to Kaduna, Kano
route is back on stream, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri is also
back on stream among many long hauls. The speed rail
between Kaduna and Abuja is nearing completion while
modern coaches and heads have been brought into the
country, yet people are behaving as if they are not seeing.
Can one remember the amount the country lost to food
importation even with the land mass that it is blessed with?
Have we forgotten that fertilizer importation, allocation and
distribution created emergency billionaires while the real
farmers that needed them never had access to that
necessary farm input? Can we remember how rice farmers
craved for patronage and milling machines without getting
positive response from the required quarters? Do we not
know now that we are inching towards self-sufficiency in
rice productions? How many people know that Nigeria is the
highest cassava producer in the world? So many milestones
the mind could not fathom in the past were achieved in
agriculture under Jonathan. We thank God that Buhari is a
farmer; we shall see how far he would consolidate on what
Jonathan did.
One thing that needs be said is that even though the
achievements are like work in progress, the effect of those
projects are going to be positively felt decades from now
and therefore beyond Buhari’s tenure, so posterity should
be kind enough to credit Jonathan with his good works.
Coming to the issue of statesmanship, he still stands head
above everyone which has lionised Jonathan in the African
continent and beyond. How many sitting heads of state ever
conceded defeat at a poll they superintended? What would
have happened if he decided to contest the results with all
the proof of underage voting and the lopsided distribution of
permanent voters cards? Have we forgotten the assertion of
the “baboon and the monkey to be soaked in blood” should
a particular candidate lose the elections? He is not in the
category of desperate politician who wants to be in power
by all means. We can remember not in the distant past, the
sharing of the treasury to elongate constitutional given days
in power by some who today are masquerading as political
saints, yet Jonathan sacrificed the office for peace.
He had the army, police and other security apparatchik at
his control to have foisted himself in power or even put up
credible challenge to the election results but refrained from
doing so because of the thousands that would have died
from the aftermath. Putting the nation first, he saved lives.
From the foregoing, should we attack a man because he
refused to pull punches? Should his peaceful disposition be
taken for weakness and therefore pummeled with the notion
that he lacks power to go into an offensive or defend
himself? Caution should be exercised when aiming a sledge
hammer on the skulls of the innocent.
Every Nigerian has been a victim of the fraud in government;
while some looted the treasury within very short periods of
time and are answering statesmen today, others try to hide
theirs in bantes and aso oke, casting the impression of piety
and modesty but we know that their worth when they
assumed power is not what it is today after selling our
common patrimony to themselves and cronies in the name
of privatization and yet they bask in the euphoria of being
protected from probes.
Probe is good but why not being fair to all and probe every
regime, at least within the era of democratic rule? It appears
the probe is just another name for going after Jonathan who
pre-scientifically had warned his ministers to brace up for
persecution. Apply the golden rule and probe all instead of
picking and choosing
In the event the suspicions of reasonable minds that
Jonathan is the target hold true, know that the seed of
discord has been sown unless the plot is to tar a certain
section of the country in order to exclude them from power
in the future. Humiliating Jonathan is humiliating the office
of the President and the consequences can be dire after all,
there had been probes without consequences in the past.