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PoliticsRe: State Pardon For VIP Ex-convicts - A Worthy Step Or Not? by pheesayor(m): 9:29am On Mar 13, 2013
Buhari was NOT at this particular meeting
ITbomb: People need to understand that it is not the FG as per Executive arm of government that single handedly gave the pardon .
.
The pardon was made by the Council of State which include Buhari, it is an elders council not ministers' forum that GEJ can influence.
.
Anybody mentioning clueless here should know that that include Buhari , Gowon , IBB , Abubakar etc
PoliticsRe: Drainage Dead On Arrival (pictures), Attention Lagos State Government by pheesayor(op): 10:04am On Mar 06, 2013
Below are pictures of the ones stuffed with dirt.
Note: This is only at mile 2 bus stop

Source: http://www.watchinglagos.com/2013/03/drainage-dead-on-arrival-1-attention_6.html

PoliticsDrainage Dead On Arrival (pictures), Attention Lagos State Government by pheesayor(op): 10:01am On Mar 06, 2013
Pictures below are from drainages of the newly expanded Badagry expressway, mile 2 bus stop. The outlet meant for water has been taken over by sand and refuse. We call on the relevant agency to clear this and all others on that corridor but the rain comes with full force. Below is the size of the drainage

PoliticsJonathan Must Pay By Olugu Olugu Orji by pheesayor(op): 4:31pm On Mar 05, 2013
Jonathan Must Pay By Olugu Olugu Orji

Posted: March 5, 2013 - 13:53

By Olugu Olugu Orji

Judging from the frenzy of politics-related activities lately, one would think 2015 was just around the corner. But then, it has to be so since political power secures unfettered access to the almost limitless privileges public office affords. Obasanjo dubbed it a ‘do-or-die’ affair. You don’t get more accurate than that.

Ordinarily, I should by now be positioning myself strategically for what is ahead. As an enlightened stakeholder in Nigeria’s confectionery business (or is it project?), I deserve a commensurate piece of the nebulous national cake!

Sadly, this is one luxury I can barely afford at the moment. And the reason is simple, though grave: I have yet to balance the books for 2011. There’s a huge debt that remains embarrassingly outstanding, and until it is cleared, I’ll consider the issue of 2015 and those peddling it as irritant distractions.

I became eligible to vote in the 1983 general elections. With regards to presidential elections and with the notable exception of June 12 1993, I have never voted for a winning candidate. And I’ve never voted an incumbent. I state these as facts for which I feel neither shame nor regret.

This trend remained intact until the last presidential polls of April 16 2011. Two weeks before this date, precisely on the day the National Assembly polls held, something happened in my polling unit that compelled me to begin to give the candidature of the then President more than a passing glance.

I use the word ‘compelled’ advisedly because I had to employ plenty of reverse logic and cognitive dissonance to bring myself to the point where I even started toying with the idea of opting for ‘a breath of fresh air.’  In that two weeks window, a diagnosis of schizophrenia would have been definitive for me. Though the rains were already coming, so edgy was I that I pretended not to notice coloured umbrellas!

As intense as my psychological state was, the worst was yet ahead.
On Wednesday 13th April 2011, I left Abuja on a journey that took me to Anambra and Edo States for two funerals. By the time I returned to Abuja 72 hours later on Friday, I had spent at least 36 hours on the road with little sleep and scant digestion.

By 6pm on D-day, I was already up to ‘travel’ to cast my vote: no thanks to Jega’s data capture snafu. I had woken with abdominal discomfort, which my wife immediately noticed. If on account of my state I had aborted my ‘electoral journey,’ it would have made all the sense. But at this time, I was deliberately suppressing many of my senses, so when my missus craved assurance that I was up to it, I calmly dismissed her mounting sense of alarm.

But I’d lied to her, because even half-way on my over 10 km journey, I seriously contemplated turning back. Stubbornly though, I ploughed on. I had to leave my car about a kilometre from the polling point and how I managed to trek the distance remains a mystery to me. For the nine odd hours I spent in that polling unit, I remember very little. What I do recall is being accredited, laying on the grassy turf for most of the time, and voting at some point. So excruciating were the pains I actually thought I’d ruptured my appendix.

That I was able to drive myself back home that fateful day is the very stuff of the miraculous. And all these because I insisted on voting for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; though it was more like voting PDP since his name wasn’t actually on the ballot.

I have found time since surviving that ordeal to attempt reconstructing the events of that scary day and I have tried to justify the monumental risks I undertook just to secure the destiny of another man.

What if I had expired that day? What would my missus have offered as explanation to my Ohafia kith and kin? And what would I have died for?

I voted Jonathan because I believed he would stay true to his promise to change the course of things in Nigeria. I believed he would fight corruption by rewarding good and punishing evil. He gave this impression that it wasn’t going to be business as usual, and I believed him; or more appropriately, willed myself to.

I’ve since summed up the psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual cost of what I did on Saturday 16th April 2011, and the amount is truly hefty. But then, Jonathan is credit-worthy and there’s no doubt he can pay.

He must pay. I kept my side of the bargain, now he must keep his. Until that happens, I counsel all 2015 political proselytizers to direct their crusade elsewhere. I have debts to collect. I have books to balance.   

Olugu Olugu Orji mnia
PoliticsRe: Fashola Inspects Ladipo Market, Insists On Clean-up Before Reopening (pics) by pheesayor(m): 11:09pm On Mar 03, 2013
Action governor working even on a Sunday. The only time we heard Goodluck worked on Sunday was when he approved Justice Salami's suspension
Car TalkJulius Berger Resumes Work On Apapa-oshodi Expressway (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 11:15am On Feb 28, 2013
Earlier in the year we reported that FERMA started the patching of some bad portion of oshodi expressway and people condemned the FG for abandoning the rebuilding which Julius Berger started and stopped.
However it has been noticed that Julius Berger plc has returned to the road to continue from where they stopped, whether it would be the whole stretch of the road which is already in bad shape, or just for another short distance, time will tell.
They initially stopped at Sanya and resumed from the service lane from Sanya, they are currently at Ijesha bus stop
http://www.watchinglagos.com/2013/02/juliu-berger-resumes-work-on-apapa.html

PoliticsRe: Christiane Amanpour And Our Stockholm Syndrome- By Reno Omokr by pheesayor(m): 9:26pm On Feb 19, 2013
Reno and other GEJ media guys are just out to justify their pay. I remember Abati's epistle some weeks ago tongue
Politics‘not Every Northerner Is A Trouble Maker’: A Youth Corper’s Diary by pheesayor(op): 1:54pm On Feb 15, 2013
I read an article titled "Not every northerner is a trouble maker by someone who served in the north, article is long but below are some key points

NOT EVERY NORTHERNER IS HAUSA AND NOT EVERY NORTHERNER IS A TROUBLE MAKER!

For some of us, everyone from the North is a Hausa man or woman. I used to think that the Fulanis were a group of Hausas who rear cattle. Little did I know that they were a tribe. Most of the people from Niger State are either Nupe or Gwari and other minor tribes. I once went to somewhere in this State (Maraba Guni) where I met people who neither spoke nor understood Hausa but only Gbagi (Gwari people’s dialect). Even my friend Ogiri Joel from Nasarawa State who would be tagged a ‘Hausa man’ in the East will always tell me he is not Hause but Alago.

I later researched, heard and read about more ethnic groups in the north that I never knew. They include; Kadara, Zuru, Koro, Baruba, Gana, Dibo, Kambari, Kamuka, Pangu, Dukkkawa, Gaada, Ingwal, Amo, Langtang, Mangu and many others. Also, northerners are not trouble makers as we often think they are. There will always be trouble makers everywhere in the world. Trouble making is not an exclusive preserve of one part of the country.
I NEVER NEEDED AN ALARM CLOCK TO WAKE-UP BY 5!

During my stay in Minna, I discovered that Moslems pray 5 times daily (though from my research, there’s a sixth one by 7am-Shurooq, which is not obligatory). The prayer hours are 5am –Fajr, 12noon- Dhuhr, 4pm – Asr, 6pm –Maghrib then 7pm – Ishaa. If you can remember, I said earlier that there is a mosque less than 15m from my window; the mosque has a horn speaker, so the Fajr prayer served as my 5am alarm.
WHO’S IN CHARGE OF TAXIS?

I noticed something about the Taxi drivers: 90% of these drivers are Yorubas. Did you notice that too?
VIGILS!

I actually thought vigils were only for Christians until the last ten days of the Ramadan fast. On the day, when the horn beside my window came on, I thought it was 5am only for my clock to say otherwise! I had to run to twitter to ask my twend @trueNija (he tweets Islamic stuff on twitter) if the time for prayers has been changed from 5am to 1am. He then told me that Moslems observe vigils everyday during the last days of the Ramadan fast. Those ten days were something else for me. I cannot forget them easily.
CONCLUSION

My phone contact list can now boast of names from all over Nigeria, thanks to NYSC. I also experienced how other tribes in Nigeria pronounce my name. Most times, it can be lovely, funny and annoying too. I was once called Elekwuu O. Elekwuu.

My service year was filled with loads of memories. It was a wonderful experience I will cherish for the rest of my life and I will miss so many people too. God will continue to bless my parents, siblings and friends who never relented in prayers and support all through this time. To God be the Glory for seeing us through this journey.
source: http://www.ekekeee.com/not-every-northerner-is-a-trouble-maker-a-youth-corpers-diary-by-elekwa-ochie/
Christianity EtcRe: The Christian Chatbox ( sticky) by pheesayor(m): 5:54pm On Feb 14, 2013
pheesayor: Good day everyone and happy valentines day. I need tips on how to fast this lent season and stay pure,I haven't done this before and I need to
Christianity EtcRe: The Christian Chatbox ( sticky) by pheesayor(m): 5:55am On Feb 14, 2013
Good day everyone and happy valentines day. I need tips on how to fast this lent season and stay pure,I haven't done this before and I need to
PhonesRe: Android, Anyone? Part II by pheesayor(m): 10:45pm On Feb 11, 2013
My galaxy tab p3100 running official jb4.1.1 reboots when I multitask, what might be the cause? It gets worse with Google Chrome
PoliticsIt Was Buhari Who Led The Battle Against Obj’s Third Term, Not Atiku – El-rufai by pheesayor(op): 10:30pm On Feb 11, 2013
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir el-Rufai has disclosed in his recently launched book, ‘The Accidental Public Servant‘ that the third term project said to have been pursued by former president Olusegun Obasanjo was fought to a halt by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

According to him, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar took credit for the defeat of the project but the battle was actually fought head-on by Buhari.

Others he listed as part of the fight against the third term project were Dr. Usman Bugaje, Farouk Aliyu, Bala Na’Allah and Femi Gbajabiamila.
Source: Ynaija
PoliticsRe: Pictures Of Governor Sullivan Chime In Enugu by pheesayor(m): 6:31am On Feb 09, 2013
Philolos: What apology? The so-called Governor, Chime, should be the one apologizing to both his constituents and the media. What nonsense. OP, if you have a job, try disappearing for a week talk less of months and see if your sorry behind still has a job. Just give it a try, even as a prank.
I’m sorry to say, but Nigerians like you are gullible fools.
Nairaland GeneralRe: Festac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 9:29pm On Feb 08, 2013
fynegurl: The solution is not moving them away from the spot but adressing the likely cause of the fire. I was born and bred in festac and that suya spot in well known. Why hasn't bn any fire harzard until now? Am sure somethg went wrong somewhere
the fire is not the problem, it is just an opportunity. The health hazard their suya spot causes have made residents complain over the years. Their large numbers also constituted nuisance until the Okada ban sent majority of them packing
Nairaland GeneralRe: Festac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 4:23pm On Feb 07, 2013
bocin500: Kai!....see my 'backyard'(as we fondly called it then).....
Thank God the fire was put out before it could affect Block 2(a close)....
People quickly shut their windows before it could affect the curtains
Nairaland GeneralRe: Festac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 4:19pm On Feb 07, 2013
oyb: I buy oranges there every other night. I was wondering what had happened.

Thought it was another task force wahala
bros na Festac u dey? The shops around there have been marked for demolition, our fear now is the shops will donate money to government and they will let them be. The residents are insisting they must leave though because the land was illegally taken from us during military rule and now is the time to claim it back
Nairaland GeneralRe: Festac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 4:11pm On Feb 07, 2013
bocin500: Kai!....see my 'backyard'(as we fondly called it then).....
Thank God the fire was put out before it could affect Block 2(a close)....
you once stayed in that close? What block?
PoliticsRe: What Is Fashola's Problem With Jonathan by pheesayor(m): 10:07pm On Feb 06, 2013
PDP calls Fashola a failure? Roflmao cheesy cheesy cheesy
Nairaland GeneralRe: Festac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 9:32pm On Feb 06, 2013
The shop and others around that area have been marked by the state government, maybe they will demolish them, and time will tell.
Nairaland GeneralFestac Suya-Spot 2nd Gate Burnt (pictures) by pheesayor(op): 2:31pm On Feb 06, 2013
It was few minutes before 6 am yesterday morning when we heard the scream of "fire", I was on the balcony polishing my shoe and getting ready for work. I looked behind and saw the fire, quickly everyone rushed downstairs for safety, guys in hood were already out arranging soapy water. I went quickly dashed to the Festac Fire station with a friend, some peeps were there already so together we were able to get them to respond swiftly. By the time they got there the residents has reduced the fire. Federal fire service weren't so eager to to work before they didn't have enough water. Boys in the hood continued with soapy water, some others were using sewage water from the nearby underground drainage.
By the time the fire was put off, damage had been done, hundred of thousands of naira from the previous day's sales and savings completely burnt, nearby NET pharmacy also partly affected. Lagos fire service arrived about 40 mins after the fire started (I personally called 767), no life was lost as the hausas were in the mosque on the other side of the road observing morning prayers when it started. However the owner, Alhaji Biu fainted immediately and was rushed to the hospital.

The festac 2nd gate suya spot is known by everyone who grew up in festac as they have been in business there for over 20 years living peacefully with the residents of 22 rd A close in Festac, this fire incident however has made majority of the residents insist that they won't operate there anymore, but for timely intervention it would have spread into flats, some have suggested they move to the other side of the road, beside 2nd gate market.

PoliticsRe: ACN, CPC, ANPP And APGA Merged Officially? by pheesayor(m): 7:40am On Feb 06, 2013
GenBuhari: Assuming Buhari is head of the new party?

They need to get straight to work!

They need to immediately pencil a new bill to reduce the cost of government. immediate 80% reduction in in salaries of reps and senators both on federal and state levels, a cap to amount of expenses that could be claimed.
PoliticsRe: Tunde Bakare Is A Confused Man- CAN by pheesayor(m): 6:22am On Feb 06, 2013
Before Bakare said it we already knew, " CAN saying all these now simply confirms what we've been saying. Laughing to a tweet doesn't necessarily mean an endorsement to that tweet
PhonesRe: Android, Anyone? Part II by pheesayor(m): 6:16am On Feb 06, 2013
pheesayor: Good day peeps, watching dstv or any other satellite tv on my Samsung galaxy tab, any possibility?
PhonesRe: Android, Anyone? Part II by pheesayor(m): 6:49pm On Feb 04, 2013
Good day peeps, watching dstv or any other satellite tv on my Samsung galaxy tab, any possibility?
PoliticsRe: Observations & Questions For Today’s Emergency Activists – By Reno Omokri by pheesayor(op): 3:56pm On Feb 04, 2013
Some emergency activist DID NOT leave the PDP until they failed to get what they wanted. Being frustrated doesn’t make you a progressive!
When El-rufai was in the PDP, he was a performer, ask Abuja residents

They claim to be critics but their intolerance comes to light when others criticize them as their paid social media activists go on overdrive to attack you.
They know what they are doing to the future of youths desperate for attention. Their own children are there but won’t be used for such attacks.
Look at the Timelines of their kids and that of their paid attack dogs. They reserve slave work for their hired hands and the honorable for their kids
After sending other people’s kids on blasphemous errands they shift the blame on them when the stuff hits the fan.
Those kids blinded by acceptance they may never have gotten at home don’t realize their futures are tainted by the voice of Jacob and hand of Esau show they put up.
They use desperate for attention kids to insult religious leaders/political enemies while their own kids show respect in preparation for honorable future roles.
Watch their language out of power. It is so intemperate that the unbiased objective bystander wonders what they will do if given power.
Why wait until they lost out in power to come and say the ‘truth’?
If there's no crack in the wall, the lizard will not be able to gain entry. If the government is meeting the yearnings of the people then those being referred to above won't have anything tangible to say and even if they do, the masses will simply ignore them but in the normal Abati/Okupe/Omokri pattern, they are out to discredit and attack their person instead of tackling them with facts and figures

Patriots don’t wait until they are out of power before speaking the truth. Truth is constant. It doesn’t become truth only when you lose out.
Reno himself escapes from saying the truth except it favours the FG, there are many instances of this on twitter
PoliticsRe: Observations & Questions For Today’s Emergency Activists – By Reno Omokri by pheesayor(op): 3:02pm On Feb 04, 2013
coming back with my comments on this, Oby's confrontation might have seriously shaken the GEJ camp
PoliticsObservations & Questions For Today’s Emergency Activists – By Reno Omokri by pheesayor(op): 3:01pm On Feb 04, 2013
Some emergency activist DID NOT leave the PDP until they failed to get what they wanted. Being frustrated doesn’t make you a progressive!

Their narcissism is evident when they make an article that probably refers to them in passing all about them.

Their vanity is evident when they criticize everything in government and the past as bad except what they achieved.

They claim to be critics but their intolerance comes to light when others criticize them as their paid social media activists go on overdrive to attack you.
They know what they are doing to the future of youths desperate for attention. Their own children are there but won’t be used for such attacks.
Look at the Timelines of their kids and that of their paid attack dogs. They reserve slave work for their hired hands and the honorable for their kids
After sending other people’s kids on blasphemous errands they shift the blame on them when the stuff hits the fan.
Those kids blinded by acceptance they may never have gotten at home don’t realize their futures are tainted by the voice of Jacob and hand of Esau show they put up.
They use desperate for attention kids to insult religious leaders/political enemies while their own kids show respect in preparation for honorable future roles.
Watch their language out of power. It is so intemperate that the unbiased objective bystander wonders what they will do if given power.
Why wait until they lost out in power to come and say the ‘truth’?

Patriots don’t wait until they are out of power before speaking the truth. Truth is constant. It doesn’t become truth only when you lose out.

Omokri is Special assistant to the President on New Media. He can be reached at @renoomokri

http://citizensplatform.net/2013/02/observations-questions-for-todays-emergency-activists-by-reno-omokri/
CelebritiesRe: Wole Soyinka And Sister In 1940 (Picture) by pheesayor(m): 2:31pm On Feb 04, 2013
baba dey: The end justifies the means always,you need to hear from his mates who went to university of ibadan with him,who he really was. He graduated from UI with a 3rd class,wasn't the brightest @ all then but was known for his fearless,selfless protests he started,per took. The first protest/riot that ever happened started by him and *forgotten his partner name*. They protested,when a full chicken that was meant for two was now meant for 6,7 or so sha. He is also the originator and initiator of the first fraternity but was for a good cause( helping each other academically,anything relating to studies),he was just like an activist,freedom fighter then but wasn't that a prowess academically. It was when he went to England,he restructured,refashioned himself and came out with a first class. So if you think he was born genius have a rethink.

Great men are not born great,they are made.
Please don't mis-educate us.
He was a bright student, a dull person couldn't have started the pyrates confraternity which other confraternities are trying to emulate . His fearless attitude made the authorities witch haunt him hereby making him graduate with a third class degree which he rubbished when he went to study abroad.
Technology MarketRe: Mhl Hdmi Adapter To Micro Usb - Connect Your Galaxy Sii, Note, Htc Phone To Hdtv by pheesayor(m): 10:56pm On Feb 03, 2013
Which of the cables will work for a Samsung galaxy tab p3100?
PoliticsRe: OBJ Wanted A Buhari/Okonjo-Iweala Ticket In 2011 Polls-- El Rufai. by pheesayor(m): 10:13pm On Feb 03, 2013
Wadeoye: They are hypocrites and the earlier we isolate them the better for this country. When Buhari says something, they twist the meaning - see the worthless goat saying people should protect their vote. If it were Buhari that made that statement, the goat will say incitement. See how the agents of devil twisted the innocent tweet from el rufai - no fear of God in them.
they have really taken advantage of fall off the education system, the good news is, Nigerians are getting wiser
PoliticsThe Delusions Of Today’s Men: Femi Fani-Kayode Replies Reuben Abati by pheesayor(op): 12:19pm On Feb 03, 2013
THE DELUSIONS OF TODAY'S MEN

[img]http://thewillnigeria.com/thumbnail.php?file=fani_kayode__405556429.jpg&size=article_medium[/img]

FEMI FANI-KAYODE

I read Dr. Reuben Abati's article titled 'The Hypocrisy Of Yesterday's Men'' (3rd Feb.2013) which was published in virtually every newspaper in the country with amusement. He sought to ridicule and demean those of us that served President Olusegun Obasanjo's government and that are not very impressed with the performance of his boss. The fact that we asked President Goodluck Jonathan to account for the 67 billion USD that he squandered from our foreign reserves has clearly upset him. We dared to ask about the money and so we were singled out and targetted for a tongue-lashing and a long lecture from the Presidency. Yet we remain undeterred.

This is how weak governments that have nothing to offer and something to hide always behave. They come after their perceived enemies with full force and they are petty and oversensitive. This is all the more so when they lack experienced hands and when they do not have anyone with deep insight or wisdom about the art of governance or politics within their ranks. In his response instead of answering our questions, addressing the issues or making any pertinent and sensible points about the numerous allegations against his principal, Abati chose to go on a delusional and self-serving joy ride. He simply refused to address any of our numerous concerns but instead indulged vainly in what can only be described as an utterly vulgar and distasteful form of intellectual, spiritual and psychological masturbation by telling us that he and his master were ''today's men'' who needed no lessons from the ''men of yesterday''.

The essay was nothing but the usual smear campaign and a crude attempt to intimidate which has been the hallmark of this Government whenever they are faced with even the mildest form of criticism. I will not dignify most of the insulting and childish submissions that Abati indulged in with a response other than to say that he told a shameless and pernicious lie when he wrote that as Minister of Aviation I ''shut down Port Harcourt Airport for two years'' and ''allowed grass to grow all over it''. This is false. It is a classic case of disinformation coming from a man that is obviously suffering from a very low self-esteem. It is clear that Abati, who is a journalist, has forgotten the most important tenet of his profession which is that ''facts are sacred and opinion is cheap''. Ordinarily one would have ignored his bitter rant but it is important that I set the record straight for the sake of posterity. The facts are as follows.

Port Harcourt International Airport was closed on Dec.10 2005 after the Sossolisso Air crash in which 100 people were killed. The crash affected the runway of the airport very badly and consequently the then Minister of Aviation, Professor Babalola Borishade closed it. I was redeployed from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the Ministry of Aviation in November 2006. This was 11 months after the Sossolisso crash took place and that Port Harcourt Airport had been closed. It is clear from the foregoing that I was not the one that shut down Port Harcourt Airport. When I took over at Aviation my priority was to carry out all the necessary repairs at Port Harcourt Airport and to open it as quickly as possible. I was saddened to discover that in the previous 11 months before I got there nothing had been done and the contract to repair the runway had not even been awarded. Consequently within a month of my being appointed Minister of Aviation we set to work and awarded the contract to Julius Berger at the cost of 3 billion naira. 50 per cent of the money was paid up front and Julius Berger set to work immediately. The runway was fully completed and the airport in pristine condition before I left office on May 29th 2007 just 6 months after I awarded the contract. However despite this the airport could not be opened before we left because the runway lighting system was still in the process of being installed.

The Yar'adua government went ahead and opened the airport a few months after we left office even though the runway lights had still not been installed. The record shows that from the day that I was appointed Minister of Aviation and the time that our mandate ran out 7 months later my staff at the Ministry and Julius Berger worked night and day on the runway project at Port Harcourt International Airport in order to ensure that we finished it in record time. And this we managed to do. It was my project. I sourced the money for it, I paid for it, I forced the contractor to move fast on it and I finished it. The fact that the Yar'adua administration did not complete the lighting system and open the airport for another few months after we left office, even though the runway was ready, is for them to explain and not for me.

Even though nothing was done at that airport for 11 months before I got to Aviation, once I was appointed we swung into action immediately. I repeat that it was under my watch that work commenced, that it was rebuilt, that it was completed and that it was fully restored and after that the airport was ready to be fully utilised. Given these facts how Abati can peddle the lie that I was the one that not only closed the airport but that I also kept it shut for two years, did nothing there, caused it to remain idle and allowed ''grass to grow all over it'' honestly baffles me. I was Minister of Aviation for only 7 months and not 2 years and within those seven months, from scratch, I did all the work that needed to be done in order to make the airport functional again. I am proud of the fact that we succeeded in meeting our target and completing the job.

Abati also so asserted that I closed down ''other major airports'' whilst I was Minister of Aviation ''for the purposes of renovation''. Again this is not true. Not one of the four major airports in the country were closed down for renovation works or any other reason whilst I was Minister of Aviation. And neither, to the best of my recollection, did I close or suspend the operations of any of the smaller airports except perhaps for safety reasons. As a matter of fact the opposite was the case. I actually installed and completed the sophisticated Safe Tower Project in three of the four major airports in the country, resurrected and funded the Tracon Radar System which is operational in our country today and which gives us full radar coverage in our airspace, upgraded the facilities in many of the old smaller airports and granted permission for the establishment of new airports in places like Gombe.

Quite apart from that we not only stopped the terrible cycle of plane crashes that was prevalent at that time but there was not one aircraft that crashed under my watch and no loss of life from the air under my tenure. I am the only Minister of Aviation in the last 10 years of our country that can boast of that and yet Abati seeks to tarnish my name, stain my record and rubbish my efforts with his lies. All this and far more and Abati accuses me of ''running the aviation sector down to a state of near collapse''. For that I commit him to God's judgement. It is obvious that he is just being malicious and dishonest. I take strong objection to his specious lies, his brazen falsehood and his distortions of fact. The suggestion that I closed Port Harcourt Airport and neglected it for two years, that I closed other airports for renovations and that I ran the aviation sector down to the ground is what I would refer to as a figment of his malicious, overactive and fertile imagination. It is a glaring mendacity, a brutal assault on truth and an affront to my sensiblities. I find it utterly reprehensible and repugnant that a man that is entrusted to speak for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can indulge in such petty lies.

Let me end this contribution by pointing out the fact that being ''yesterday's men'' does not mean that some of us cannot be ''tomorrows men'' as well. Only God knows what lies ahead for each and everyone of us. So when Abati glibly writes people off as if they will never be in power again it is a sad reflection of his lack of experience and naivety. It is God that determines our tomorrow. It is He that lifts men up, that pulls them down and, sometimes if it be His will, lifts them up again. There are countless examples of that in our history. Finally I have a few questions for President Jonathan and his ''todays men''. When will they take President Obasanjo's advice and finally do something concrete about Boko Haram and our security situation? Does the fact that at least 4000 Nigerians have been killed by these terrorists in the last two years under their watch not bother them?

How can they sleep well at night with all that innocent blood that has flowed and precious lives cut short whilst they were at the helm of affairs of our nation? More innocent souls have been killed in the last 2 years by terrorists than at any time in the history of Nigeria outside the civil war. How does President Jonathan and his ''today's men'' feel about winning such a dubious and dishonorable title? Does he still regard Boko Haram as ''his siblings'' who he ''cannot hurt''? Why has the President refused to visit the good people of the north east despite the fact that dozens of people are still being slaughtered there by Boko Haram every day? Moving to the issue of corruption and the economy when will our President and ''today's men'' answer the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron's question and tell him what they did with the 100 billion USD that they made from oil sales in the last two years?

When will they answer Obi Ezekwsile's question about how they squandered 67 billion USD of our foreign reserves? When will they answer the question that Nasir El Rufai asked sometime back about how they spent over 350 billion naira on security vote in one year alone? When will they answer the many questions that Dr. Pat Utomi and many other distinguished and courageous leaders and ''yesterday's men'' have raised about the trillions of naira that have been supposedly spent on oil subsidy payments in the last two years? When will they implement the findings and recommendations of the Nuhu Ribadu report on the thivery that has gone on in the oil sector? When will they cultivate the guts and find the courage to respond to a call for a public debate to defend their abysmal record? When will these ''today's men'' stop being so reckless with our money?

Why would our ''today's man'' FCT Minister budget 5 billion for the ''rehabilitatioin of prostitues in the Abuja''? Why would he budget 7.5 billion naira for a new ''FCT city gate''? Why would he budget 4 billion naira for a house for the First Lady? Why would the Federal Government of ''todays men'' budget 1 billion naira for food in the Villa? Are these the priorities of ''today's men and women''? And all this when Nigeria is back in foreign debt to the tune of 9 billion USD and is still borrowing, when local debt has hit almost 50 billion USD, when graduate unemployment has hit 80 per cent, when 40 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to good food and ''are hungry'' and when 70 per cent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line? Is this the vision of ''today's men and women''? If so may God deliver Nigeria.


Written By Femi Fani-Kayode

http://www.thewillnigeria.com/opinion/18592.html
PoliticsRe: OBJ Wanted A Buhari/Okonjo-Iweala Ticket In 2011 Polls-- El Rufai. by pheesayor(m): 10:22am On Feb 03, 2013
chiover: This malan just became a born again without confessing his own sins and plead for atonement !!!! He seems to be a "super joker". I remb vividly the years when he was always seen on NTA licking Papa M.A. OBJ's butt but today they bottom from which he obtain protein and sufficient energy for more than half a decade is now black in his eyes. Pls Malam El-rufia,return your looths and beg us for forgiveness so that we can believe your sir
did he loot from you?

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