₦airaland Forum

I'm making a list of 10 things that I would want to see the next president of Nigeria to change/improve upon come 2015. My list of 10 areas I want to see changes includes the following:

1. Youth Employment
2. University education
3. Electricity
4. Security
5. Access to loans for SMEs
6. Good roads
7. Railway network
8. Tourism
9. Healthcare
10. Sanitation

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu announced days ago that Nigeria has only one case of Ebola left. But barely 24 hours later, reports revealed that two other persons in Port-Harcourt had contracted the disease. One of them died. Latest reports also revealed that 100 persons have been quarantined in Rivers State.
Do you think President Goodluck Jonathan has been responsive to the Ebola scourge? I'm not sure I can score him well on the issue even though there are people that think he has been active on the issue.

Manchester United's performance over the weekend was very poor. Do you think the party is on course to relegation?

Tom Ikimi was a one-time Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Gen. Sani Abacha regime. He recently quit the All Progressives Congress to join his old party that he defected from 10 years ago. Nigerian politics is mostly criticised for lacking ideologies which is the reason politicians are constantly defecting from one party to another. As such, politicians excuse their actions easily, citing the need to join the party that aligns with their vision. Do you think Tom Ikimi's move is moral? What is your opinion of Tom Ikimi?

Mallam Nasir El Rufai, a staunch member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and number 1 critic of the Jonathan administration has been conspicuously silent regarding the wranglings in the APC. Even more deafening was his silence on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi's visit to Aso Rock in July at the end of the Ramadan fast. He was also silent on the defection of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu from APC to PDP. El Rufai's silence is giving credence that he may also leave the APC soon. Remember El Rufai, Sanusi and Ribadu used to be three radical amigos. If he makes the move to the PDP, it would be a thunderous bombshell on the political scene.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be collapsing with the recent wave of defections across the country by party members, many of whom are joining the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The recent defection of Tom Ikimi to join his former party, PDP, speaks volumes about the internal politics of the party as he cited high-handedness by Bola Tinubu among one of the reasons for his exit. The presidential election is coming up in a few months and there is no clear indication of whom the APC intends to field as its candidate. Is the APC now collapsing or is it making a 'tactical maneuver'?

I started a post recently that posed a question regarding the power of state governors to influence people in their states to on whom to vote at the Presidential Elections in 2015. There were varying responses with extreme views. A significant issue that was raised is that state governors, and the president, do not wield influence on the electorates as it was in the past. Their powers have been whittled down, according to most responses. Instead, some of the comments opined that the factors that would determine the outcome of elections in 2015 are Ethnicity and Religion.
As we know, ethnicity and religion are sensitive issues in Nigeria, but one that we cannot shy away from. They cannot be ignored. Truth be told, Nigerians make decisions based on kindred spirit. Even though every man has a right to vote for whom he deems fit, is it in the best interest of our country and for us as a people to make decisions of national impact based on ethnic or religious bias?

One of the prime challenges facing Nigerian youths today is that of unemployment. We know that he has set up programmes such as YouWin to help youths create jobs and employ other youths, but there are indications that the effect of such programme isn't broadly felt. What can the president do to solve this problem and others facing youths of the nation?

I agree with your last post but I agree mostly with what Chukwudi44 said. The point here is that INEC has become very credible and reliable and as such the electorates are more empowered now than ever before. Maybe we can be thankful at least that we have a president that has integrity not to interfere in the affairs of the electoral body. State governors are no longer as powerful as they once was. The same goes for the political parties. The people are more powerful now than at any other time in the history of this country.

LFJ: Continue to dream, if it is that easy there won't have been any reason for Jonathan to campaign again. This coming election will be tough for both parties. Those who understand the game of politics know that oga Jonathan is not finding it easy. Ask Obj the reason why he remain political slave to the northerner and begger to his ppl to get their favor for his 2nd term election.
If things continue like this, I won't be surprise to see even the so call the friends of Mr president to leave him at the last minute.

Statesmen in Nigeria are a big influence on who becomes the president of the country. The 2015 presidential election is a few months away and while several factors such as region, ethnicity and party affiliation are key factors that would determine who is elected, the influence of statesmen is also crucial.

Below are some of the statesmen in Nigeria and how they stand.

Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida – Goodluck Jonathan
Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar - Jonathan
Chief Alex Ekwueme - Jonathan
Chief Olu Falae - Undecided
Gen. Alani Akinrinade - any APC candidate
Alh. Maitama Sule - any APC or northern candidate
Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi - Jonathan
Chief Ernest Shonekan - Jonathan
Emeka Anyaoku - Jonathan
Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo – Undecided

I'm glad somebody sees the perspective I'm putting out here. Yorubas have a say; Igbos have a say; Hausas have a say. But power and who wields power has always been a national issue. It was what led to the Civil War. It has not stopped and it won't stop even if we try to play the ostrich. We all have a common language, which isn't our native tongue; the English language you and I are using to communicate across different media was inherited from our colonial overlords. When it comes to our native mother tongue, the Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba are different. We are also different in how we organise our lives. Our cultures are unique. We can't keep shying away from bringing these issues to the fore to discuss them. If left unadressed, they'll only brew stronger and implode from pent-up emotions. A presidential election that affects us all is coming up in 2015 and you act like ethnicity does not matter? Here's a fact, ethnicity and religion will always be influential factors in Nigerian politics the same way racial background and religion will always influence American politics or anywhere else in the world. We are human beings and this is how we react to life. It's the kindred spirit at work and you can't ignore it even if you state otherwise here.

Unemadu: Abeg olusolawarrior has a point. the point being that Nigeria is still strongly tribal/religious whether you admit it or not. besides most Nigerians are hypocrites only paying lip service to issues like these.
For example suggest that an easterner become governor of lagos state and all hell will let loose. Typical

This isn't about Lagos but about the Nigeria that we all own. I didn't say that Easterners will determine who becomes governor of Lagos even though that in itself is arguable. I'm talking about the presidential election which is the collective and we cannot ignore the fact that regional powers play a significant role. But we can't just look at regions alone since every region has autonomous states. The basis for bringing this topic to the table is to get us Nigerians thinking as our destiny is in our votes and we need to use it wisely. Let us address the issues to understand what every candidate brings to the table. If you are in support of the APC no matter the candidate they bring to the table you should look at the facts and analyse the weaknesses of your candidate or party so that you know your fate before election day. No man goes to battle without understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent.

ola6: Dude, I know you love GEJ. So do I. But don't make it sound like we Lagosians are not in-charge of our political destiny. It's insulting. Are you saying Easterners will dictate what happens in Lagos? What about other Yorubas from other states?! Are you saying their sensibilities don't matter?! Please watch it. It's annoying and insulting.

There's no tribal sentiment in this. Look at the issue objectively and stop being rhetorical. I merely asked you a logical question when you insinuated that it would be impossible for President Jonathan to win in Lagos, Kano, and Rivers States due to the fact that those states, which are significant in terms of population, are controlled by the opposition APC. I asked you that question hoping you'd be able to reflect the thinking of the average man on the street. You may not be tribal. As a matter of fact, you don't need to be tribal. I don't encourage it either. Being Nigerians, we are all one, but at the end of the day, everyone would want to vote for the candidate that has their interest most at heart. If you live in Ojota (Kosofe Local Goverment) and a candidate that was born and bred on Lagos Island and has houses and businesses in Lagos Island or Epe LG decides to contest for Local Goverment Chairmanship in Kosofe, would you really vote for him when you have an alternative candidate emerging from Ikeja or Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government?
I'm merely trying to be logical here and not sentimental.

whatlyf: Your argument is based on tribal sentiment-which I won't continue the conversation with you.

Enjoy

What is your basis for these figures (percentages)? Please, expatiate further.

OKKO: Don't you think the President will win in APC states like:
Imo - 80%
Lagos- 60%
Nassarawa- 60%
Edo- 70%
Rivers- 60%
Etc

State governors in Nigeria wield enormous power to influence electorates in their state during elections. Incumbent presidents understand this and try to cultivate cordial relationships with governors besides the need for good governance and

Presently, President Goodluck Jonathan has a number of advantages going into the polls in 2015. One is the power of incumbency. Another is the number of state governors that belong to the same party as the president. Among the 36 states of the federation, those belonging to the opposition, mostly All Progressives Congress members, make up 40 percent of the governors.

Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, shares 2% of that 40% being the only governor belonging to neither PDP nor APC in the entire country. The remaining 35 states are made up of 14 APC controlled states and 22 PDP controlled states.

The PDP governors make up 60% of the governors in the country, thus tipping the scales in favour of the President who is also a member of the same party.

PDP-controlled states

Abia – T.A. Orji

Adamawa – Ahmadu Fintiri

Akwa Ibom – Godswill Akpabio

Bauchi – Isa Yuguda

Bayelsa – Seriake Dickson

Benue – Gabriel Suswam

Cross River – Liyel Imoke

Delta – Emmanuel Uduaghan

Ebonyi – Martin Elechi

Ekiti – Ayo Fayose

Enugu – Sullivan Chime

Gombe – Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo

Jigawa – Sule Lamido

Kaduna – Mukhtar Yero

Katsina – Ibrahim Shema

Kebbi – Usman Dankingari

Kogi – Idris Wada

Niger – Babangida Aliyu

Ondo – Olusegun Mimiko

Plateau – Jonah Jang

Taraba – Danbaba Suntai

* Anambra – Willie Obiano (APGA)

APC-controlled states

Borno – Kashim Shettima

Edo – Adams Oshiomole

Imo – Rochas Okorocha

Kano – Rabiu Kwankwaso

Kwara – Abdul Fata Ahmed

Lagos – Babatunde Fashola

Nassarawa – Umaru Tanko Almakura

Ogun – Ibikunle Amosun

Osun – Rauf Aregbesola

Oyo – Isiaka Ajimobi

Rivers – Rotimi Amaechi

Sokoto Aliyu Wamakko

Yobe – Ibrahim Geidam

Zamfara – Abdul Aziz Abubakar

Fashola and his godfather Tinubu have succeeded in pocketing Lagos State. We are all slaves in their hands. The problem is that we haven't realised it yet. They would be long gone and done by the time most people wake up to the fact.

nigerianvenom: a state government that recieves IGR in excess of 17billion naira shouldnt be spoon fed,but unfortunately,tinubu and fashola has turned the state to a perpetual beggar with so much debt.no good hospital built with such funds,no good school and just nothing to point at.may God have mercy!

This is blatant lie! This is 2014. You should at least have a visual evidence of it. A screenshot of the said thread on twitter would do if you can't produce pictures of the rice. Stop fabricating lies, biko!!!

Talk is cheap. Can the president be everywhere at the same time? He should be in Gwoza, he should be in Sambisa, he should be in Chibok, he should be in Aso Rock, he should be in Ebola centres. What do we have military chiefs for? And in case you don't know, the military are on top of the situation. It's just that you are too scared to visit Gwoza to know that the military are battling to take over the place. You think say e easy? Why don't you raise someone from your household to be president for a day?

Lagos State is the most indebted state in the country. Even though the state generates N17 billion a month, which amounts to N204 billion annually, besides the allocation it gets from the FG, the state has a debt profile of about N450 billion. What exactly is the governor doing with the state's funds? How did it get this bad? It is important we ask these questions in order to prevent the next governor from inheriting problems that are beyond normal.

Truly the Leopard can hardly change its spots! As was expected, Orji Kalu, the self acclaimed Messiah of Abia State whose perfidy in Abia State was recently exposed to the world in an open letter by Prince Emeka Obasi, is fighting back. He has unleashed his goons, faceless hackers and on-line hawkers of filth, to attack Prince Emeka Obasi. One particular goon, writing under the synonym of Ahmed Yusuf, but whose pedigree is well known as a squatter in a “Face me i Face you” house in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, has launched an attack on Obasi’s morality. Ha, Ha, Ha! So T.A. Orji is no longer the issue? Now it’s Prince Emeka Obasi? Ok, if Kalu wants a debate on morality and integrity, we say, “bring it on!”This is one debate we are happy to engage in. Now, Nigerians will know who is a serial philanderer, who has how many wives and how many children outside wedlock? And by the way, where the wives are. We will open a can of worms on who forged certificates, whose special Assistant wrote exams for him at Abia State University including his graduating thesis. We shall also name the former S.A. who writes columns for him and in which Newspaper. We will open up on which of his friends’ wives he has slept with and how many of his female appointees fell prey to his policy of “sleeping with your female appointees is the best strategy of control”. Then of course, we will tell the world which former governor cut pieces of paper and packed in a carton for a donation in the Borno State Appeal fund launching in the mid 80’s, and who later forged certificates from Catholic University and submitted to INEC. Finally, we will open the lid on the former INEC official, who is today a state Governor, and who saved who, by removing those certificates from INEC file, leaving only the GCE Attempted, to enable him become governor in 1999.
Hurray, Nigerians, welcome to the debate!!
Now we dare Kalu or – his online hackers, to open their mouths again. Let he who lives in glass houses cast the first stone. We are waiting.


Odimegwu Kalu
Portharcourt,
Rivers State.

Some Nigerians have been canvassing for President Jonathan to declare his intention to run for presidenty in 2015. Do you think GEJ should make his declaration now?

Corruption is often said to be Nigeria's problem. All man-made problems have an actor behind it.

1. Who (living or dead) do you consider to be Nigeria's biggest problem?
2. Why hasn't anything been done to apprehend/prosecute the person(s) behind Nigeria's problem?

Please include names and give reasons why you think so and so person(s) are the cause of Nigeria's myriad of problems.

There are strong indications that Kayode Fayemi, outgoing governor of Ekiti State, may be gearing up as vice presidential candidate for the All Progressive Congress (APC). A newly formed group known as the Advocates for Development and Greater Nigeria (ADGN), which is believed to be made up largely of staunch supporters of the governor within the APC are said to be canvassing strongly for him to run for the office of the VP.

Dr. Stella Adadevoh was a true professional. She was committed to her calling even though it meant risking her life. Do you think the Nigerian government should immortalize her? If yes, how best do you think she can be remembered/immortalized?

There are speculations that Senator Olubokola Saraki, former governor of Kwara State and now Senator at the National Assembly on the APC platform, may be gearing up to run for presidency. Do you think this man has the clout and experience necessary to lead Nigeria? Do you think someone from Kwara State can be allowed to lead Nigeria?

Have you wondered if APGA is on the brink of collapse and eventual extinction? The party has lost virtually all its members save for Governor Peter Obi. Recently, a number of legislators in the National Assembly belonging to the party defected to the People's Democratic Party. What can be done to save this sinking ship? Or is this the end?

As Diamond Bank boss Alex Otti declaring his intention to vie for the gubernatorial seat in Abia State, do you think he should ditch such a prestigious job/career for a thankless one that like being a governor? Of course it is expected that he would bring his experience and financial expertise to bear upon the state, but do you think it is worth it?

For quite some years, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was seen as the leaders of the Yorubas. There was a time when the likes of Late Sen. Abraham Adesanya was the voice and image of the Yoruba people. Bola Tinubu, a political stalwart assumed that position even while he was the governor of Lagos State. He was embraced by almost every Yoruba who saw him as the Moses to lead the region to a new glory reminiscent of that created by Awolowo. Recently, there are people - even in Yorubaland - that see Tinubu, the Messiah, as an obstacle to the progress of the Yoruba nation. While this position is arguable, one cannot deny that Tinubu no longer enjoys the broad appeal he once had among his people. Governor Rauf Aregbesola's rise to stardom in the South-West began while he was a commissioner in Lagos State in Tinubu's regime. His victory in getting the courts to reverse the electoral outcome that produced Olagunsoye Oyinlola as Governor of Osun State was seen as a remarkable point in his political career. People saw him as a triumphant and relentless warrior - one who would not allow injustice to be meted out to the people. His passion to see to it that justice was done and his valiant efforts in that regard was no doubt admired. Gradually, he won the hearts of Osun indigenes in his first term of office. The people thought it befitting to cast their votes for him a second time, which saw to it that he was victorious at an electoral process that could be described as free and fair. With Tinubu's gradual decline and Aregbesola's gradual climb, can the Yoruba people accept Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the leader of the region?

Remember when Nuhu Ribadu, as the EFCC Chairman, went hunting for the likes of Bola Tinubu over allegations of corruption? But once he was booted out of office and needed a job, he turned to politics and embraced the same people he called thieves and rouges. Show me your friend and I'll tell you who you are. Isn't Ribadu, by his very actions of camping with thieves, also a thief? And when he could not realise his political ambition of becoming president under the ACN and anticipating a bleak political future, what did he do? Like a prostitute, he changed partners in the middle of the night. Choosing to sleep with the People's Democratic Party, PDP, and praising President Goodluck Jonathan. Does he think Nigerians have a short memory? Has he forgotten so soon how he brought up allegations on Governor Goodluck Jonathan and his wife for looting Bayelsa State's treasury at the time the president was governor of the state? Indeed, Nuhu Ribadu is shameless. Perhaps, he has forgotten; we Nigerians haven't forgotten.

Nairalanders, of the 36 governors in Nigeria (FCT Minister inclusive), which do you consider the worst performing? Please do not deviate from the thrust of this post which is "the WORST performing governor" and not "best" as I anticipate some users may be wont to talk about. Here are certain key areas that can help us to ascertain how poorly a particular governor has performed:

* Education
* Health
* Security
* Social/welfare
* Infrastructure and Utility (roads, water, etc)
* Sanitation/environment
* Tourism
* Economic-friendliness/Investor-friendliness

Please identify the governor's name and state your reasons why you think he's the worst performing governor of the 36 in the country.

Jonathan pays people to support him on social media. So what? And so effing what? The man is the president and he's doing the best he can; so do you say it is wrong for him to ward off all the distractions being caused by the opposition APC which is also paying people like you to assassinate his character? Abeg, find another topic discuss. You don't like Jonathan, then do yourself a favour by voting him out of office in 2015 and vote in your 73 year old Buhari and eBola Tinubu. Odeh.