₦airaland Forum

TRADELYN:
Since Saturday...where is Gov. Ambode na?

I don't think this would have dragged for too long under Fashola. That is why we need to build a strong system.
#RIP!

will the governor know everything going on, on the street

onatisi:
keep fooling urself. Yoruba entirely ko,yoruba totally ni. By the time oyo state is taken out of apc grips ,ur eyes go clear.

who will take it out? is it Pa. Ladoja or Akala

I pity Gorge....shabi name you wan tackle Tinubu, you never see anything

go on soun jagaban. u are man of the people we SW and Yoruba entirely love and respect your ambition

stop being a sycophant, just for Buhari to appoint you has minister

chesterlee:
U need a brain transplant.....

who is this scrap

PStacks:
They want Biafra, yet they want a Nigerian Bridge in Biafra, is that not confusion, is Confusion what the Biafrans stands for?

help me beg them to choose one

Igbo and there usual problem
1. today we want Biafra
2. tomorrow we want 2nd Niger bridge
3. next tomorrow we want to rule Lagos
how can you have all this three (3). why can't you just take one and settle with it

kazmanbanjoko:
How old is she, lemme know what i can do about it.

don't disturb your self as the girl has being booked for another politician

northerners and there mentality when they are rich shariah do not affect there daughters and son but this same rich politician make law against the poor once

fashoo2010:
It is called greediness by d ACN in APC bt the NEW PDP knows how how to play the national politics than them all...what goes around,come around..

how could u call it greediness when is very clear that this same ACN of the APC are main architect of the change they deserve total control over the party

Fellow Nigerians, please permit me to say right
away that the ways of politicians are never that
of ordinary mortals. Otherwise, we would not
have found ourselves in the present peculiar
mess which culminated in the virtual fiasco at
the National Assembly, last Tuesday, June 9,
2015. The emergence of Senator Abubakar
Bukola Saraki as Senate President has ignited an
unprecedented conundrum in the Upper
Legislative chamber for several reasons known
and unknown to the general public. What is clear
is that it was a high-wired game of political
chess which caught even the most politically-
savvy members of our society napping. It is a
tale full of sound and fury but signifying nothing
but plenty of intrigues and abracadabra.
But it wasn’t as if the outcome of that
combustive election had not been predicted and
foretold. The platform had been provided by the
inability of the amalgamation of different
political parties that made up the All
Progressives Congress (APC) to enter into a
prenuptial agreement, prior to sealing the union,
as to how to share power then and in the future.
It was similarly tantamount to a polygamist
failing to prepare a comprehensive Will ahead of
his death and then suddenly dropping dead
intestate. The hullabaloo would naturally
reverberate across the seas and to far-flung
places.
The APC had managed its multi-faceted
marriage well pre-2015 elections to the
admiration and adulation of most Nigerians who
had expected the unification to be scattered to
the winds after the primaries that produced
General Muhammadu Buhari as the APC flag-
bearer. But, mercifully, the cracks were ably
glued and even solidly cemented as the
Presidential aspirants came together in an
atmosphere of uncommon maturity and vowed to
work jointly with their Party’s candidate. Such
camaraderie was seen as indication of a new
political order and remarkable sagacity in our
clime. It was one of the reasons many Nigerian
first time voters got connected to the change
mantra of the APC and gave their unqualified
support to an opposition party that was fighting
for a life of its own.
Against all odds, including intimidation,
manipulations and near-bastardisation of the
electoral process, Nigerians went out with
renewed determination to exercise their voting
rights and stood stoutly to monitor and protect
their votes with anything and everything. The
burden of expectation would soon manifest its
ugly head after the monumental victory. I had
written articles about this and in particular the
inherent danger of ascribing talismanic powers
to President Buhari and his team. Unknown to
us, this was going to be the least of the
problems of APC. The lurking danger would turn
out to come surreptitiously from a different and
unexpected direction, in this case, power-sharing
formula.
The CPC had succeeded in producing the
President while the ACN got the Vice Presidential
slot. The third and very influential bride was the
New PDP. A not too distant party in the
wedding party was the ANPP. APGA also played
the role of bridesmaid. One would have assumed
the New PDP would get a sizable chunk of the
vast estate from the deal but this was not the
case. Outsiders like us had warned about the
danger of not taking good care of all interested
parties in this holy matrimony. In fact, I had
sermonised in my article titled Let’s Honour Our
Heroes (Thisday, May 2, 2015) about the need to
accommodate and compensate the New PDP in
the arrangement without any prevarication
whatsoever:
“The first point to note is that APC must resolve
all its power-sharing squabbles amicably and
equitably. The greed factor must be jettisoned
for fair-play. Every partner in the greatest
political merger ever in Nigeria must be treated
with respect and decorum. No attempt should be
made to treat anyone as an inferior member of
the union. Once that is taken into consideration
and settled pronto, the party would enjoy the
bliss it deserves after a most excruciating
campaign. What kills most amalgamations is
egocentricity. I already foresee a war of attrition
if APC does not immediately halt the present
macabre dance by some of its members. The
Party and the Government that it will establish at
executive and legislative level must not see itself
as a coalition of Parties with separate ideologies
and detrimental interests. Having fused into one
it must behave as such and cater to the core
doctrines embedded in its manifesto.
“Let me be more specific. The APC has been
locked in a logjam over the zoning of the highest
positions in the land. The way I see it is that
CPC has already produced the number one slot.
ACN has provided the number two. ANPP has
secured the boss of all bosses the National
Chairman of APC. The New PDP which came
into the union with five formidable Governors
and a multitude of National Assembly members
is yet to get any position. This appears to me as
grossly unfair and disproportionate. It is one of
the reasons many onlookers and non-party
members like me supported the candidacy of
Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as Senate
President. We must learn to honour our heroes.
Dr Saraki with Governors Rotimi Amaechi and
Rabiu Kwankwaso risked everything to make this
Change Movement possible. They and their other
colleagues took the bulls by the horns and took
the battle to the doorsteps of PDP. It is
unfathomable how anyone would say they don’t
deserve any chunky positions in the grand
alliance…”
Unfortunately, it seemed no one hearkened to my
admonitions. Obviously, Saraki was vehemently
opposed by some top guns and practically turned
into a pariah within his own party. Yet he was
the first to throw his hat into the ring for the
position of Senate President. It seemed that
other contestants were only put forward mainly
to thwart Saraki and not because of the added
value that they would bring to nation building.
Without any fear of contradictions, Dr Saraki is
one of the most cosmopolitan politicians in
Nigeria today. He is in the league of the El-
Rufais, Donald Dukes, Babatunde Fasholas,
Rotimi Amaechis, Adams Oshiomholes, Kayode
Fayemis, Pat Utomis, Godswill Akpabios, Rabiu
Kwankwasos, Tanko Al Makuras, Ibikunle
Amosuns, Abiola Ajimobis, Waziri Tambuwals
and many others who have shown enough
promise of a greater Nigeria. I will be proud to
showcase a Saraki in the gathering of world
leaders and wondered how anyone would seek to
suppress the obvious potentials of such an
urbane and confident politician.
I followed the shenanigans that ensued with rapt
attention and keen interest. Every obstacle was
placed in Saraki’s path to make sure he did not
emerge as the winning candidate for the post of
Senate President. Feeling rejected and dejected,
but nevertheless determined to succeed, he must
have turned to his former friends at PDP for
support. At any rate, it should have been obvious
to any discerning mind that it would be difficult
to win the election without the co-operation of
PDP Senators. The numerical strength of the
PDP, with more than 40% of the Senators, made
this a matter of stark fact. Since it did not
appear some powerful members of his party
favoured him, Saraki was buoyed by the support
that he would get from the PDP. This was the
beginning of the chaos that would explode and
engulf the House of APC.
What happened when the APC leadership decided
to shoot itself in the foot by summoning a Party
conference with the President at the same time
the Senate was being inaugurated is now the
subject of intense speculation as to who, how,
and why? What is clear is that this opening
gambit played spectacularly into the hands of
the Saraki faction. Call it what you want, a
coup, double cross, ambush, outflanking,
outsmarting, or any other nomenclature; this was
surely a great military strategy at work. It is
interesting that some of those in the forefront of
the denouement are all military, from Senator
David Mark to President Buhari. The deft move
cut the opponents dead in their tracks. Whislt
they were scurrying back to the Senate, having
been left in the lurch by a President who had
earlier stated in no uncertain terms that he was
not going to interfere in the matter, Senator
Saraki was being returned unopposed as Senate
President by 57 Senators elect out of 108.
The PDP which had co-operated in securing the
Senate Presidency for one of their former
colleagues suddenly saw a wind of opportunity
as there were still not enough APC members to
elect a Deputy Senate President from the ranks
of APC. Seizing the moment they immediately
put up Senator Ike Ekweremadu as thier
candidate for Deputy Senate President. He duly
won. I believe there was nothing Saraki could
have done about this even if many feel he should
have waited for his late-coming colleagues. APC
simply did not have the numbers at the time and
there is nothing in the Constitution stopping the
PDP from doing this.
Indeed, given the disunity in the APC it is a
wonder that PDP did not decide to go for the
Senate Presidency itself. With its block of 49
solid votes it would only take Senators Lawan or
Saraki to split the APC vote for a PDP candidate
to win by default. There would have been
nothing wrong with this, as the Constitution
does not stipulate that it is the sole prerogative
of the ruling party to present the Senate
President or indeed the Deputy Senate President.
There is no doubt that the Constitution expects
some sort of democratic input into the selection
of the Senate President and his Deputy. It
envisages that all shades represented in the
Senate must participate in this process. If it
wanted only the majority party to present a
candidate or candidates it would have said so.
In any event this country had just come from
witnessing the glorious feeling of what true
democracy can bring about. Why should APC
which is the prime beneficiary of that spirit of
democracy seek to egregiously deprive one of its
own from engaging or enjoying this kind of
spirit?
It is also instructive that ACN, one of the
integral parties of the APC spearheaded the PDP
revolt which led to His Excellency Aminu
Tambuwal of Sokoto State becoming Speaker of
the House of Representatives in 2011 over
Honourable Mulikat Adeola who was the
anointed candidate of the PDP. PDP cried foul
at the time but APC blew the trumpet of
democracy and the constitutional right of
members to elect their leader. The PDP realising
the truism in this position sheathed their swords
and embraced Tambuwal thereafter. The Party
closed ranks and worked together. It is not clear
what the difference is now and why APC should
be complaining when what is sauce for the
goose should be sauce for the gander. What
goes round comes round. For PDP it was
certainly payback time. And they did so real
good. At least, APC should have pretended that it
was not pained at all. After-all, our dear Brother,
Tambuwal remained The Speaker to the very end
despite picking the gubernatorial mandate of
APC and PDP bore its anguish with equanimity.
Now APC must, like PDP in 2011, must close
ranks and move forward. It is gratifying that the
number one father of the nation and the
quintessential leader of APC, President Buhari,
immediately congratulated the new leaders of the
National Assembly and pledged to work with
them. Other national leaders including the
Chairman of the APC, Dr John Oyegun, and the
projected Chairman of the Party’s Board of
Trustees, former Vice-President Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, also did the same. This is what
Nigerians need in this climate of change and I
know that my dear brother and Publicity
Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
would now have the chance to join his fellow
Kwarans in jubilating a rare feat by Oloye Saraki.
I must again single out for praise Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu for the stoic way he has handled
the smashing of his carefully laid plans. Like the
statesman that he is, Asiwaju has refrained from
pouring oil onto the raging fire even though he is
obviously piqued and miffed. That is as it
should be. At the end of the day it is Nigeria’s
interest that is paramount and not personal
interests. Tinubu has the culture of bowing to
superior logic and I’m he has risen above
unproductive altercations. I’m looking forward to
seeing that special photograph of reuniting with
his dear Aburo in the next few days. Nobody
wants a divided ruling party because that cannot
augur well for the much sought progress that the
country and its long-suffering citizens are
clamouring for.
These are momentous times for Nigeria.
Everyone agrees that Dr Bukola Saraki has the
qualities for making a good Senate President
who will work in grand collaboration with the
Executive led by President Muhammadu Buhari
to stop the rot in our polity. Like the President,
Saraki wanted this position and worked for it.
He is not a reluctant candidate who simply
contested or was drafted for the sake of it. The
problem he faces currently is the strong
suspicion that he may enter the Presidential race
in 2019. We shall elaborate more on this
speculation, sooner than later.
But whether true or false, this is no justification
for throwing away this charming baby with the
bathwater. God bless President Buhari for
dousing this volatile tension.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/saraki-and-the-battle-for-2019/211856/#.VXuuFvO9BdA.twitter

this man is very very daft

PhockPhockMan:
You people praised him and Amaechi for their infamous behaviors in PDP, now why are you crying?


Hypocrites.

don't worry we know how to treat them

I wonder when. this our politicians will start having sense am so disappointed in saraki he was part of those who destroy PDP now he want to bring that devilish character here

Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, Dan Masanin
Bade and Commander of the Order of the Niger,
CON, is a delightful humanist, seasoned
educationist, erudite scholar, pragmatic realist,
prodigious legislator and a devout Muslim, whose
entire life is propelled by the existential zest to
celebrate and propagate the advancement of
humanity, while simultaneously abhorring and
opposing the forces that disparage our collective
good as human persons.
Born into the humble and peace-loving family of
Late Mallam Ibrahim Lawan and Hajia Halima Ali
in Gashua on the 12thof January, 1959, this
gentle and people-oriented Senator commenced
his formal education at Sabon Gari Primary
School, Gashua , in 1967 and proceeded to
Government Secondary School, Gashua in 1974.
In January, 1980, he gained admission into the
University of Maiduguri, Borno State to undertake
a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography. Upon
graduation in 1984, he proceeded to Benue State
to serve his country forthe mandatory National
Youth Service Programme (NYSC). It was indeed
a time well spent as the programme broadened
his horizon on the multicultural realities of Nigeria
and further helped him to appreciate our strength
in our diversity.
Fresh from his NYSC programme, the ebullient
and youthful Senator Lawan gained employment
into the Borno State Ministry of Education as an
Education Officer III in 1985, and moved on to the
newly established Advanced Teacher’s College
and now College of Education, Gashua in 1986,
where he served as Assistant Lecturer I as well
as, Head of Social Sciences Division. His
insatiable zeal for grooming young minds inspired
him to transfer his services to the University of
Maiduguri in 1987 as a graduate assistant. But
his love with the academia did not end there, as
it soon took him to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
in 1989 where he bagged a postgraduate diploma
in Land Survey and then to Cranfield University,
United Kingdom where he obtained both Master
of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
degrees in Remote Sensing and Geographic
Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing in
1991 and 1996 respectively.
However, his voyage in the academia did not turn
him into an esoteric idealist, but to a pragmatic
realist who is perennially conscious of the
realities around him. He found a good deal of
these realities appalling, as they were not in line
with his self-governing creed of service to
humanity. Hence, he journeyed into partisan
politics in order to offer his service for the
betterment of the lives of many vulnerable but
valuable people in society.
In 1998, he was elected the pioneer Vice
Chairman of All Peoples Party (APP), Yobe State
Chapter and in 1999, he served as the Secretary
of the Electoral Committee of APP National
Convention in Abuja. His foray in the realm of
politics coupled with his amicable proximity to the
grassroots helped him to contest and win a seat
in the Federal House of Representatives, as a
member representing Bade/Jakusko Federal
Constituency in 1999—a position to which he got
re-elected in 2003. In the House of
Representatives, he served in various capacities,
including: Deputy Chairman, Committee on
Environment; Deputy Chairman, Committee on
Gas Resources; Chairman, House Committee on
Agriculture; Chairman, House Committee on
Education; and representative for the House of
Representatives in the Joint Parliamentary
Assembly, ACP/EU.
Not resting on his oars, Dr. Lawan contested and
won election in 2007 into the Senate of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a representative of
Yobe North Senatorial District. In 2011, the
people of his senatorial zone re-elected him for
another four-year term after a fruitful service. In
the Sixth Senate, he served as: Chairman, Senate
Committee on Public Accounts; Member,
Constitutional Review Committee; President, West
African Association of Public Accounts
Committees (WAAPAC); and a member of five
other standing Committees of the Senate.
In the Seventh Senate, he was re-appointed as
Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts
and also appointed Chairman, Ad-Hoc Committee
to Investigate the Privatisation and
Commercialisation Activities of the Bureau of
Public Enterprises (BPE) from 1999 to 2011. A
task he discharged patriotically and excellently
well.
In his illustrious career as a scholar, educationist,
philanthropist and politician, Senator Lawan has
immensely impacted on the lives of many a
people, and this multifaceted impact he has had
on people’s lives has fetched him enormous
plaudits among his peers and those he has
generously served. His selfless service has also
earned him the following awards: National
Honours Award of the Commander of the Order of
the Niger (CON); Fellow of the Institute for
Government Research and Leadership Technology
(2012); Best Performing Senator in Yobe State in
2009 by Yobe State Students’ Association,
University of Abuja Chapter; Best Senator in 2011
by Baseline Global Ventures; and the Sardauna
Legendary Pillar of Exemplary Leadership Award
by Leadership and Role Model Foundation of
Nigeria.
Senator Dr. Ahmed Lawan (PhD, CON) is married
and blessed with children.

I believe in APC.......PDP with there so called form of zoning formula run the nation with run candidate for 8 years

guys....Tinubu is not Bamanga tukur, Mulikat is not Femi and Dogora can never be Tambuwal. we know how to do the election. trust the west

guy go call police or u decamp to PDP

Buhari and the desire of the youth
I returned back to school three weeks ago after the long break.
Why speaking with some of my old friends, I realize that the expectation of those who do not support President Buhari during the campaign is higher than those of us who devote our time and energy to campaign as well as to vote to for him.
The first person I spoke with ask that “as a final year student are we going to enjoy 38,500 naira allowee”
Fellow Nigerians the genre of government run by Peoples Democratic Government (PDP) for the past sixteen years have entrain our youth into epidemic of hopelessness, persuasion toward impoverishment and total lost of hope
There have being diminution in job opportunity, and those that are advantageous are poorly paid, if by any means they are paid
Nigeria have being running system of government where have being tag as irrelevant and only when the attention is needed is during campaign for rally and rampage.
Has new government have depose the incumbent, many excitation, optimisms has high as the hill of idanre and expectation has large as the Lagoon.
In a practical sense many youth has lost hope of affluent and prosperous in the government.
Which resulted to majority of our youth seeking for visa in South Africa or other countries.
Buhari government is expected to restore the lost hope, by immediately resurrecting the crippled and paralyzed industriesas
Our textile industries can best be described inoperative
The steel company are forgotten treasures
All our refinery are simpleton
The so much dependent on oil production have perhaps chased away what should have being hope for all the youth.
If there could be ways these inert sector could be resurrected the chances of both undergraduate and the jobless graduate will be elevated.
Majority of us (the youth) have being sidelined away from politics and are need become relevant only for rally or rampage has said earlier.
The Nigeria constitution allow 18 years old to contest councilor but you still find out that, the chairman or councilor of some ward will be 50 years of age.
If the constitution could be revisited to favour the youths who are endowed and willing to actively participate in politics of this nation
Thanks
Green white am proud

The leadership of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, is
currently holding an election to
select who will be nominated as
the party’s candidate for the
office of Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
The election is holding at the
International Conference Centre,
Abuja.
Femi Gbajabiamila is expected to
pick the ticket after his main
rival, Dogara Yakubu, stormed
out of the venue with his
supporters alleging irregularities.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that
the Consolidation Group,
comprising members loyal to Mr.
Dogara would also carry out a
parallel primary at a different
venue.
We cannot confirm if the rival
election is taking place presently.
However, the spokesperson of the
APC, Lai Mohammed, informed us
that the party is just trying to be
democratic by allowing the
members select their speaker on
their own.
“Out of 218 members, 160 are
already here and minority cannot
hold majority to ransom,” he
said.
On why Mr. Dogara and his
group left, Mr. Mohammed said
the argument of the group was
that they were not given notice
of election.
The party is expected to carry out
the same nomination for the
Senate. It is not clear yet whether
that vote will hold Saturday.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/184446-breaking-apc-conducts-mock-election-to-pick-candidate-for-house-of-reps-speakership.html

INTROVERT:
Sadly, it is no longer hidden that the new
governing party is being torn apart by this self-
immolating fiasco over who controls what. That
itself is affecting the polity and stoking up
disaffection.

The Judiciary is supposed to be the last hope of
the common man but it has not been accorded
the importance it deserves. Without justice, we
live in the jungle where might is right all the
time. We shall be ruled by kangaroos and mad
dogs instead of men and women of conscience
and decorum. A nation where justice and equity
are for sale, and readily available to the highest
bidder is living a calamitous existence. The much
touted independence of the judiciary must be
made a reality.

all this your unrealistic comment

Fellow Nigerians, you must be wondering from
the title of my Column this week if I am missing
Madam Patience Faka Jonathan, our erstwhile
indefatigable First Lady, less than two weeks
after she left office alongside her husband. Your
guess would definitely be wrong, if you think so.
This article is not about any human being called
Patience. It is on that inner attribute which
makes it possible for people to calm down and
look deep before hurrying to nowhere.
I’ve been visibly disturbed by the spate of
unnecessary and unwarranted attacks on the
leadership style of our dear President
Muhammadu Buhari who was sworn in barely a
week ago. What is his offence? He’s said to
have been slow in announcing his cabinet,
Special Advisers and personal aides as well as
formulating policies that his government intends
to follow. I read this firstly on social media, as
early as last Sunday, just 48 hours after the
President received the baton of power from
former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
I was totally flabbergasted because some
Nigerians did not realise that President Buhari’s
first official working day should be June 1, 2015
even though the business of governance started
immediately the President was sworn in on 29
May. Those castigating President Buhari also
failed to appreciate the fact that he would need
some time to settle in and examine the realistic
state of things as opposed to the guess work
that electioneering campaigns engender, since
the opposition did not have access to raw
government data before assuming office.
Back to my discourse, while I agree that certain
offices could have been immediately allocated
and announced such as media team (which was
the first to be announced) alongside State Chief
of Protocol, Principal Private Secretary, National
Security Adviser, Secretary to the Federal
Government and Chief of Staff, there are always
processes and procedures to be followed and
complied with. If the President had woken up the
day after May 29 to roll out names of all his
appointees, I’m sure many would still have
challenged the reasons for unilateral decisions
without constitutional adherence, due process or
enough consultation. His political party in
particular and the cynics in general would have
frowned at his “dictatorial” tendencies and find
an excuse to snooker him. The Nigerian
Constitution requires the President to obtain the
approval of the National Assembly before
appointing Special Advisers. More
fundamentally, his Cabinet must be approved by
the Senate and there is therefore no point
announcing names until the National Assembly
has been inaugurated.
As a matter of fact, we need to appeal most
passionately to members of the APC, to take it
easy with President Buhari and have mercy on
Nigerians by reducing the palpable tension in the
land as a result of the battle for political posts
and party supremacy. If Buhari is put under too
much pressure, it may turn out to be an
invitation to unmitigated disaster because he is
bound to make appointments based on pure
sentiments rather than unadulterated merit.
Sadly, it is no longer hidden that the new
governing party is being torn apart by this self-
immolating fiasco over who controls what. That
itself is affecting the polity and stoking up
disaffection. An average Nigerian would hold
only one man responsible for the action or
inaction of this government and that is Mr
President.
The impatience being displayed from Day One by
Nigerians should be instructive. It is not going to
be an easy ride for the President and his Vice
President, Professor Osinbajo. All eyes are on
them and the expectations are very high. As I
mentioned last week, we are dealing with a
generation of impatient and temperamental
youths who won’t listen to, or take, lame
excuses. All they want is positive action that can
change Nigeria for the better. And they want this
change sooner than later. It is certain, therefore,
that the honeymoon is going to be brief if this
affair is not carefully managed.
My prayer is that the President is able to build a
team that would be largely acceptable to the
generality of the people for its credibility and
competence. Once that is settled, the rest should
be easy to deal with. I will suggest a mass
attack approach in handling our myriad of
problems. The team must work together, strike
together and defend together. In short they must
speak with one voice. Let me break it down.
They must not operate at a tangent. The
challenges are intertwined and can only be jointly
disentangled.
The first sign of seriousness would be when this
government comes up with its plans to cut down
on the atrocious costs of running government
whilst pledging to ensure that ordinary public
servants are regularly paid their salaries. I
believe that Government has a duty to pay its
workers regularly each month. Even if they
cannot do so, for reasons beyond their control,
one would expect that they pay those workers at
least half of their salary every month, until
situations normalise and the accumulated
arrears can be settled. I salute the resilience of
all our longsuffering public servants. I never
cease to marvel about their selflessness in
turning up at work, day in day out, despite not
being paid for many months. If our political
office holders could demonstrate the same
diligence and discipline, our country would be
well on the way to recovery.
The days of leaders living large and going on a
binge should be over. Salaries are never the
issue but the allowances and perks of office. The
tradition of going around in a long convoy of
official cars together with employing a large
retinue of aides must be stopped in order to
reduce and discourage profligacy. Every effort
must be made to convince the people that this is
not going to be the typical way of running
government in Nigeria where leaders have lived
outlandishly while the people wallow in abject
poverty and squalid conditions.
The second priority should be to have the right
people in the right positions by bringing on board
people with veracity and expertise business and
leadership. Those privileged to serve their nation
should begin to see beyond the glamour and
appurtenances of power. Power has become too
psychedelic in our clime and this does not augur
well for growth and development. It distracts
from the serious business of governance. The
flamboyance of politicians should be curtailed as
much as possible. There is no reason why any
soul should travel around with a battalion of
government security personnel while an entire
region of Nigeria is absolutely abandoned to the
rarefied savagery of terror gangs from far and
near. Every Nigerian needs protection, not just
the leaders and their families. When leaders
downgrade their ribaldry, the citizens would
gladly take a cue from them and begin to
emulate the right and edifying attitudes they
evince. For now, everyone is his own government
until the change we craved and fought for
materialises.
The third is to fortify our institutions.
Institutions make a society. The different arms
of government must respect one another. The
executive must recognise the sanctity of the
legislature. The legislature must respect their
constitutional role and engage only in laws that
can make our nation more virile and respectable.
The Federal Government, State and Local
Governments should co-exist as Federating units
and eschew the present master/servant
relationships Each must get its allocations
independently and as at when due instead of the
beggarly arrangement at the moment. The
interference from Federal to State and from
State to Local is reprehensible.
The Judiciary is supposed to be the last hope of
the common man but it has not been accorded
the importance it deserves. Without justice, we
live in the jungle where might is right all the
time. We shall be ruled by kangaroos and mad
dogs instead of men and women of conscience
and decorum. A nation where justice and equity
are for sale, and readily available to the highest
bidder is living a calamitous existence. The much
touted independence of the judiciary must be
made a reality. A situation where civil servants
who work under Judges are paid more than the
Judges themselves must stop. The Judiciary
must control its own budget. No more should
there be the need for Presiding Judges to go cap
in hand to the Executive for solace and succour.
In most civilised countries, Judges earn more
than any other public office holder or politician.
The rationale is simply to provide them with
enough to ensure their independence and
impartiality. Any errant, greedy Judge can then
feel the full weight of the law.
The Police as the law enforcer must be properly
empowered to do its job well. All the noise about
power and energy, infrastructure, education,
health, agriculture, and others are desirable but
nothing could be more important than the rule of
Law and there can be no Law without an
enforcer. The almost incurable inferiority
complex being suffered by our Police must be
exorcised urgently. They have been subjected to
so much indignity that has rendered them
rudderless and ineffective. A lot of the big or
petty crimes in our society would have been
better tackled if the Police was allowed to do its
job without undue interference from the top. The
personnel, resources and training necessary to
improve our police must be speedily
implemented.
Once we strengthen our institutions, we shall
then be able to concentrate on physical
development. The fortification of these
institutions doesn’t require much money but only
the will to protect their sanctity as it is done
elsewhere. If the Commander-in-Chief can set
this in motion swiftly and explicitly, we would
have started the journey towards our restoration
and beatification as a people. The President is
fortunate to have a Vice President who is well
grounded in most of those sectors and he should
seize that uncommon opportunity to hand him
the task of spearheading that restoration.
It is a job that must be done.
DANGOTE’S GLORIOUS DAY IN ETHIOPIA
When I got a call from Alhaji Aliko Dangote last
week, I thought it was for our occasional chit-
chat on politics and the state of the nation. I
was dead wrong. In his usually calm voice, Alhaji
simply said “my brother, can you please join us
on a trip to Ethiopia for the launch of our cement
plant?”. I felt honoured by the personal invitation
extended to me and accepted it immediately.
Working out the logistics was handled
professionally and pleasantly by Mr Anthony
Chiejina, the energetic Group Head, Corporate
Communications at Dangote Group. Alhaji had
instructed that I should be flown to Addis Ababa,
with his family members and friends, on his
Bombardier Global XRS Business Jet, on June 3.
That was it.
As arranged, we took off from Lagos on a five
hour journey. The assemblage at Sam Iwuajoku’s
Quits Aviation’s private hangar was a who’s who
in the Nigerian business world. Different planes
took off heading towards Ethiopia for one man,
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, whose rapid expansion is
now felt in about 16 African countries.
After landing in the early hours of June 4, 2015,
we headed straight to the Sheraton Addis hotel
where we spent less than three hours before
rushing down for breakfast and driving on a two-
hour journey to the Dangote 2.5 Million Metric
Tonnes Cement Plant, situated at Mugher,
Ethiopia. It was such a wonder to behold.
The $600 million Plant lived up to its billing in
physical structure and environmental splendour.
Security was good but not over the top. The
presence of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, His
Excellency Ato Hailemariam Desalegn and the
President of The Oromia National Regional State,
His Excellency Ato Muktar Kedir, made it
mandatory. Otherwise, we travelled that long
distance without a single security escort.
Considering the number of distinguished
personalities from Nigeria, I couldn’t believe
there was no Police or military on the buses that
took us to and fro.
Another startling discovery was that there was
no generator on standby to power the plant
because I was told this was an unnecessary
item. That is virtually impossible in most African
countries. After the ceremonies were over we
took a breath-taking tour of the massive Plant
that has stretched the limit of science and
technology.
The event attracted amongst others, my
Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who
breezed in with his beautiful wife, Lara. The
Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin
Emefiele, who has such a gentle mien, surprised
me by chatting with me in impeccable Yoruba.
Former Governors, Niyi Adebayo, Donald Duke
and Yisa Yuguda were present. Alhaji’s friends,
Col Sani Bello, Femi Otedola, Muyiwa Bakare,
Oscar Onyeama, Stephen Oronsaye, Haruna Jalo-
Waziri, Hon. Farouk Adamu Aliyu, the Daggash
Brothers, Kunle Elebute, Mrs Mairo Bashir, Segun
Adeniyi, and many others were present. The top
bankers came in droves and included Jim Ovia,
Emmanuel Ikazoboh, Bisi Onasanya, Ladi
Balogun, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Herbert Wigwe,
Oladele Sotubo, and astute lawyer, Asue
Ighodalo, also came.
It was an awesome experience to say the leas


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/in-search-of-patience/211239/#.VXJ2r8VIG1w.twitter

Days after his inauguration,
President Muhammadu
Buhari is yet to name
appoint the Secretary to the
Government of the
federation and other cabinet
members which do not
require senate approval.
While President Buhari
stays silent on important
cabinet positions, recent
political events suggest that
the President may pick a
former governor as SGF.
Former Governor Babatunde
Fashola of Lagos and Former
Governor Kayode Fayemi of
Ekiti.
Both men stand a chance for
similar reasons:
They are both level
headed
They both hail from
the same region
Ardent supporters of
the Muhammadu
Buhari presidency
They're both highly
efficient
Fashola or Fayemi, who will
Buhari pick?
http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/nigeria-2-former-governors-buhari-may-pick-as-sgf.112631/

By Kaitafa Ahmed Sani
— Jun 4, 2015 11:41 am | 4 Comments
With the swearing-in of President
Muhammadu Buhari and the curtains
drawn on the 7th National Assembly,
attention has duly shifted to the
leadership of the 8th National Assembly.
Needless to state that the most focused
of the two chambers is the Senate.
The Senate comprising 109 distinguished
senior citizens is expected to select or
elect a new leader come Tuesday, 9th
July, 2015.Two major contenders for the
leadership of the Senate; Senator Bukola
Saraki from Kwara State and Senator
Ahmad Lawan from Yobe have thus
emerged for the top seat.
While not delving into the usual
complimentary remarks in support of a
particular candidate, it is, however,
pertinent that as a card-carrying member
of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
one implored on the party, its senators
and other distinguished senators to make
the best choice of the two, especially as
it regards experience, party loyalty and of
course the question of the moral burden.
If Nigeria must be the winner and seen to
be the ultimate beneficiary of the gift of a
most qualified Senate president, then the
perfect choice in my candid opinion for
the job at hand is Senator Ahmed Lawan
( Dan Masanin bade). And the reasons are
not far-fetched.
The first issue I would like to look at is
the years of ranking and, indeed,
experience in law-making, especially at
the level of the national assembly.
Lawan is the longest serving APC
legislator in the National Assembly,
having been there since 1999. If ever
there is a reward for experience in the
promulgation and act of lawmaking he
should be granted that reward.
Following suit is the issue of loyalty to
the party, which is and should be very
paramount to the APC. Unlike his major
contestant who left for the PDP in 2003
to wrest power from an ANPP governor
and later jumped back to the APC,
Senator Lawan has never left the
opposition. Even after the huge pressure
mounted on him from 2007-2010 when
the party had major issues in Yobe state,
he resisted that allure and remained in
the opposition till date – ensuring that
ANPP which joined to berth APC remained
intact and the winning party in Yobe State
and the northeast at large. His conviction
and vision has come to be manifest in the
emergence of President Muhammadu
Buhari today under the APC’s banner.
Thirdly, I would love to see a senate
president that inspires the down trodden
to aspire for the highest seat in the land.
It is my humble opinion that Lawan’s
emergence will instantly inspire millions
of Nigerians who are the ‘children of
nobody’ and further drive home the
message that surnames cannot serve as
privileges and be recognized by mere
mentions. This will give each and every
Nigerian the opportunity to thrive in the
country we collectively own.
In- addition, it is pertinent that for the
sake of stability, that credibility and
credence be highly considered a factor as
ascending to a post as sensitive as the
Senate presidency necessitates that one
should not have any excess baggage with
him or her. As proven in the past, these
are usually booby traps used to achieve
peculiar interest, albeit politically most
times.
For Lawan, who has never been indicted
or faced any criminal or civil charge, this
says millions of his persona and
character. The fact that of the five
elections that he has won, only once has
he been dragged to a tribunal (in 2011,
where he won against PDP) says volume
of his electoral conduct also. The added
advantage of this is that the Senate
President upon election would
immediately hit the ground running and
not be distracted by summons and
lawyers but squarely aid in giving
Nigerians the real change in governance
as it relates to meaningful life.
Nigerians would not all vote but be
represented by their senators. I believe
that in electing a Senate president, the
interest of Nigerians as well as continued
stability of our democracy must be taken
into consideration and held utmost in the
minds of our distinguished citizens.
Having served as the House committee
chairman on Education and Agriculture
before his present appointment as the
chairman Senate committee on Public
Accounts, Lawan who is happily married
blessed with children cuts the picture of
the perfect senate president.
The Senate will surely strive under his
leadership with his envisaged deputy, Sen.
George Akume, as well as with the
support of all other loyal party members
across geo-political divides. Nigerians
indeed look forward to his swearing in on
Tuesday.

http://leadership.ng/opinions/438344/senate-presidency-lawan-on-the-threshold-of-history

God go punish anybody who compare Lagos with Uyo