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 Politics › A President Without Balls- Femi Fani-kayode by Platform9ja(op): 12:43am On Jan 03, 2014 |
Permit me to begin this contribution by quoting from a portion of an essay that I wrote on 26 September 2011 which was titled ‘’On Goodluck Jonathan, David and Goliath’’. The portion reads as follows- ‘’A few days ago from the sacred pulpit of the hallowed chambers of the National Christian Centre in Abuja and in the presence of the entire leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan proclaimed as follows- ‘I am not David….I am not a general…..I am not a lion but I will defeat the Goliaths in our land’. These are deep and instructive words yet I do wonder whether Mr. President understands the spiritual and practical implications of what he is saying. I say this because if he says that he is not a David how can he then possibly slay the Goliaths in the land? If he says that he is not a general how can he be an effective Commander-in-Chief who commands the respect and confidence of his army and his officers? If he says that he is not a lion how can he overwhelm the animals in our jungle that seek to destroy and ravage our land? The lion is a noble and courageous animal that defends it’s territory, pride and family and protects it’s own. That is why it is known as the ‘king of the jungle’ and that is why our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself is reffered to in the bible as the ‘’Lion of the Tribe of Judah’’. Every king worth his salt must have the spirit of the lion and the warrior in him to a certain extent. It is a fundamental pre-qualification for good quality and inspirational leadership and that is what distinguishes the pretender and the usurper from a real king. May the spirit and weakness of the biblical King Ahab not be our President’s portion even though his words seem to have ensnared him. History proves that weak kings and weak leaders always end up pulling down and destroying their own empires and kingdoms simply because they are incapable of providing strong and decisive leadership. If you have any doubt about that consider what happened to the Roman Empire under Emperors Nero, Claudius and Caligula. They were not only weak but they were also slaves to their insatiable and uncontrollable passion and craving for pretty young boys, strange and controlling women and, in the case of Caligula, well-endowed and sexually active animals. If you still have any doubts about the dangers of weak and morally bankrupt leadership after that then study Russian history or watch an excellent film titled ‘Nicholas and Alexander’ which is about Tsar Nicholas 1st, the last Tsar of Russia and how his strong-willed wife and his consistent display of weakness shamed and brought down imperial Russia, destroyed the 300 year old royal dynasty of the Romanovs, led directly to the First World War (which in turn led to the Second World War and then later the Cold War), caused the communist revolution, led to the Russian civil war, resulted in the murder of his whole family and ended in the establishment and creation of the most evil and godless system that has ever ruled half of the world- the Soviet empire. That is what weakness, prevarication, inconsistency, cowardice, emotional slavery, inexplicable fear and the celebration of indecision can do. Worst still you don’t boast about such qualities because there is nothing to be proud of in them. Always remember, whether you are a king or a subject, that courage is the greatest of all the virtues. This is wisdom. Would someone please tell our President?’’ Once again please take note that the contribution that I quoted above was part of an essay that I wrote on 26th September 2011- approximately two years ago. Let us get back to today. With the killing of 91 children by Boko Haram in Damatru a few months ago, the slaughter of 140 Nigerian troops by Boko Haram in Borno state a few weeks back, the massacre of 41 school children in Borno state by Boko Haram four months ago, the mass murder of no less than 7000 thousand Nigerians by Boko Haram in the last 3 years, the burning to the ground of an army barracks with it’s attendant slaughter of the family members of army officers and military personnel in Bama a few days ago and the raging war that is going on in the north-eastern part of our country between Boko Haram and our military today those words and that counsel that was offered two years ago seem even more relevant today than they were even then. I believe that the carnage that we are witnessing in our country today has come as a direct result of the manifestation of weakness at the top. When a President tells the world that Boko Haram are his ‘’siblings’’ whom he ‘’cannot move against’’, as he did earlier this year, he is asking for trouble. When a President keeps offering Boko Haram amnesty even when they kept rejecting it and whilst they were murdering his people, as he has been doing for the last three years, he is asking for trouble. When a President installs and supports a party National Chairman, by the name of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who describes Boko Haram as ‘’freedom fighters’’, as he did earlier this year, he is asking for trouble. When a President announces to the world that he is ‘’not a lion or a David’’, as he did approximately two years ago, no-one should be surprised when his people are killed like flies before his very eyes. May God bring us a real leader that can save our nation and may He take away this one who feels no pain and has no empathy when Nigerian blood, nay even the blood of innocent children, is shed with impugnity. Under the tenure of our ‘’lamb’’ President more innocent Nigerians have been slaughtered by terrorists than at any other time in the history of our country except during the civil war. What a mess and what a record. I continue to ponder about one thing though- would the President have been so unperturbed and detached from the whole thing if the children that were killed in their school just a few weeks ago had been from his Niger Delta area. It appears to me that simply because those kids were northerners this President just ‘’doesn’t give a damn’’. What a tragedy. Whether Christian or Muslim, northern or southern these are only children and they are NIGERIAN children each of whom is entitled to the full protection of the Nigerian state. I have said it before and I shall say it again, Nigeria has become an abbatoir of human flesh and blood under the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and all those who support him should bury their heads in shame. The blood of all those innocent people is on his hands because he swore to an oath before God and the Nigerian people to protect them from such evil. Instead of getting on with his job and doing so he has spent the last few months boasting to the world about ringing the bell in the New York Stock Exchange and receiving irrelevant, illusionary, self-serving and absurd commendations for absolutely nothing from President Barack Obama. May God deliver us. Permit me to make a painful observation here. I was thoroughly appauled about the fact that when our lamb President was asked about the latest round of killings during his live ‘’Presidential Media Chat’’ programme a few weeks back he not only told a lie to the world by claiming that only ‘’21 or 22 students were killed’’ at a time when the BBC and CNN had confirmed that at least 45 bodies had been found (almost 100 were to be discovered later) but he also failed to express his condolences to the families of those that had lost their loved ones. He made the same omission when he failed to commiserate with or express his condolences to the families of the 140 soldiers that were killed in Borno state a few weeks back whilst fighting Boko Haram simply because they ran out of bullets during the course of the battle. By way of contrast not only was he quick to offer his condolences to the government and people of Kenya for the terrible carnage that was inflicted on them by Al Shabab just one day before when 68 people were killed at a Nairobi shopping mall but he was also quick to offer the Kenyan government military assistance. I guess that to him Nigerian blood is not as expensive or as important as foreign blood. If President Uhuru Kenyatta decides to accept his offer let us hope that our lamb President will give enough bullets to the soldiers that he will send. Our boys are deeply courageous fighters and they certainly deserve that much. They also deserve to have a commander in Chief that inspires them, that watches their back and that gives them the very best. May the souls of all those that have been killed by Boko Haram in the last three years rest in peace and may the Lord take the leadership of this nation from the lamb and give it to a lion king. Permit me to end this contribution with the following observations. As crude and as unpleasant as it may sound the question must be asked – does our President have any balls? And if he does just how big are they? Is he really a man? Does he have what it takes to fight a war against terror or is it that there is more to this than meets the eye? Is there a sinister and diabolical conspiracy and plan to ensure that elections do not hold in the north-east and the north-west in 2015 given the fact that those areas are very hostile to the suggestion that Jonathan should return to power that year? Is this whole thing planned and contrived or is it a case of chronic incompetence, ineptitude and weakness? Does Jonathan believe that it is in his interest for the north to burn and for northern blood to be spilt? Is the mindset of those that are pulling the strings of the view that since the problem has been (to use the President’s own words in his last media chat) ‘’localised’’ and ‘’contained in a certain area’’ the government can sit back and watch the locals slaughter themselves whilst they continue to drink champagne and kai-kai in the Villa and fantasise about 2015? If that is the case has it not occured to them that their fellow Nigerians live in those areas where the problem has supposedly been ‘’localised’’ and is the blood of those fellow Nigerians not red as well? Are they less Nigerian because of where they were born and who they are? Are the people that live in the villages and country side not as important as those who live in the towns and cities? SOURCE: http://www.platform9ja..co.uk/2014/01/a-president-without-balls-femi-fani.html?m=1 |
| Politics › 2013: President Jonathan Lows And Highs by Platform9ja(op): 3:07pm On Jan 02, 2014 |
The leadership of Africa’s most populous country is not for the faint hearted. And despite the misgivings of many Nigerians about the capacity and the capability of President Goodluck Jonathan, he has continued to demonstrate capabilities that belie his humble roots. SECURITY. Although he inherited the menace of the Boko Haram from his predecessor in office, the ferocity of the attacks increased exponentially during the Jonathan presidency. In 2013, the sect appeared to have gained competences that appeared to have taken the security services by surprise. Though the military’s capacity to contain the threat was significantly increased with more training and cooperation with other friendly countries, the brutal military tactics provoked an outcry from within and outside the country. In response to this, President Jonathan set up a committee headed by the minister of special duties, Tanimu Turaki to explore the possibility of granting amnesty to members of the sect. Though a faction of the sect accepted the amnesty proposal, the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau rejected the offer out rightly and continued with its attacks on many parts of the Northeast. The administration’s response was the proclamation of a state of emergency in the three states. Though pockets of attacks are still being carried out by the sect in Borno and Yobe States, its capacity to carry out attacks in other parts of the country has been seriously curtailed. POLITICS. Even within his party, the PDP, President Jonathan had maintained a topsy-turvy relationship with some of its key members. The mini-convention of the party which was held in response to the non-recognition of some officers of the party’s executive committee by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC provided the needed platform for the emergence of a splinter group led by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and seven dissident governors. The splinter group, which went with the name “New PDP,” had Governors Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers). The emergence of the group was partly a culmination of a bitter power struggle that began with the election of the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. Although majority of the governors (19) elected the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi as their leader, the leadership of the PDP and the presidency recognised Jonah Jang who was voted for by 16 of his colleagues. Despite the deep schism created by the action of the new PDP, the president made attempts to paper over the cracks. Series of meetings were held between the president and the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Party, Chief Tony Anenih, on the one hand and the nPDP on the other to find a common ground. The defection of five of the original seven governors from the PDP to the opposition APC represents the spectacular failure of the reconciliation efforts initiated by the chairman of the BOT of the party which at a point even co-opted former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida to intervene on behalf of the president and the party. But what perhaps shook watchers of the political terrain more than any other even in the preceding year was the 18-page letter written by Obasanjo to President Jonathan. In the letter which was devoid of niceties, the former president raised concerns about the state of the economy, especially the mismanagement of the oil and gas sector, corruption, security and the president’s yet-to-be declared second term bid. He urged Jonathan to strive to be a national leader instead of allowing himself to be held hostage to power by his clansmen. President Obasanjo noted in the letter that despite Jonathan’s assurances to him in 2011 and to other prominent Nigerians that he would only do one-term in office, there are indications that he is engaged in scheming for a second term. “Knowing what happens around you most of which you know of and condone or deny, this letter will provoke cacophony from hired and unhired attackers but I will maintain my serenity because by this letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria,” Obasanjo wrote. “I have passed the stage of being flattered, intimidated, threatened, frightened, induced or bought… Death is the end of all human beings and May it come when God wills it to come.” In a warning that was both foreboding and instructive, President Obasanjo told Jonathan pointedly that ”Nigeria is bleeding and the haemorrhage must be stopped, before it is too late.” Dr. Jonathan’s initial response was conveyed in a press statement issued by his media adviser, Dr. Rueben Abati who acknowledged the letter that had been leaked to the media. He said it was “highly unbecoming, mischievous and provocative that a letter written by a former head of state and respected elder statesman to President Jonathan has been deliberately leaked to the mass media in a deplorable effort to impugn the integrity of the president and denigrate his commitment to giving Nigeria the best possible leadership”. He however said because of the weighty nature of the allegations, the president was going to reply the letter personally. For a man who is known to have written letters to his successors in office the consequences of which have almost always been dire, Jonathan did not take the letter lightly. After a week or two of contemplation, the president who had urged his aides not to respond to his one time benefactor on the ground that he would personally respond, replied in kind. And in a reply that was both detailed and profound, President Jonathan gave ten reasons why he took the decision to reply to his benefactor turned adversary saying: “The third reason why I must reply you in writing is that your letter is clearly a threat to national security as it may deliberately or inadvertently set the stage for subversion.” Besides, Jonathan said: “The eighth reason is that it appears that your letter was designed to incite Nigerians from other geopolitical zones against me and also calculated to promote ethnic disharmony. Worse still, your letter was designed to instigate members of our party, the PDP, against me. He said the former president’s ‘letter conveys to me the feeling that landmines have been laid for me. Therefore, Nigerians need to have my response to the issues raised before the mines explode. “The tenth and final reason why my reply is inevitable is that you have written similar letters and made public comments in reference to all former presidents and heads of government starting from Alhaji Shehu Shagari and these have instigated different actions and reactions. The purpose and direction of your letter is distinctly ominous, and before it is too late, my clarifications on the issues need to be placed on record”. The president also challenged Obasanjo to provide proof that he (Jonathan) was training killers to hunt down his political opponents ahead of the 2015 election, just as he raised the alarm that criminally minded persons may use the unfounded allegation as an alibi to perpetrate evil in the country as the general election approaches. He also accused Obasanjo of having failed to resolve any of the politically motivated killings under his administration even as he pointed out that none of the perpetrators of several attempts on his life was arrested when his house was bombed by unknown men in Bayelsa. It was a reply that left no one in doubt that the otherwise cozy relationship that existed between the two men had gone irredeemably bad. CORRUPTION. One of the issues that stuck out as a sore point in the fight against corruption by the Jonathan presidency was the issue of the purchase of bullet proof cars by the minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah. The cars which were bought at a price of $1.2Million raised so much dust that the president was forced to set up an administrative committee to investigate the circumstances of the purchase of the cars. The failure of the president to act on the committee’s report has given his opponents the necessary ground to peddle the allegation that the setting up of the committee was a mere window dressing. The president was in the last year a target of relentless attacks from the opposition, who understandably played down much of the successes of the administration. The unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN which had remained almost unachievable was concluded last year, the airports have been modernised. SOURCE: www.vanguardngr.com/2014/01/2013jonathans-lows-highs/ |
| Politics › Jonathan Signed Single Tenure Agreement –nyako by Platform9ja(op): 10:11am On Jan 02, 2014 |
Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako on Tuesday said that despite several denials, President Goodluck Jonathan signed a document agreeing to serve for a single term. Nyako said this in an interview with journalists in Yola, the Adamawa State capital. He explained that genuine leaders were men of honour who would be sincere to their colleagues and the society in general, no matter the circumstance. The governor said, “In the first place, when that agreement was brought for me to sign, I told them that this President (Jonathan), in the agreement signed in the year 2003, he was number 73. “Did we not agree under (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo that the term 2007 and 2011 belong to the North? “He was number 73 as deputy governor of Bayelsa State, so when they came, they said I should sign, they said he had agreed that he would not contest in the year 2015. “In the first place, I said I did not believe him because he didn’t give his pledge for the agreement signed in the year 2003. They said ah, ah, Baba Maimangoro. I said ok, I will sign. So I signed.” When asked who brought the agreement for him to sign, he said his northern colleagues, including the Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu; and his Katsina State counterpart, Ibrahim Shema, among others. The Adamawa State governor noted that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo led Jonathan to ask him (Nyako) to support Jonathan, who he said had agreed to serve for only one term. “Obj (Obasanjo) will tell you, he came here and pleaded with me to support Jonathan in 2011. He came here and virtually took an oath to serve only one term,” Nyako said. Asked if Obasanjo came in company with Jonathan, Nyako replied “Absolutely! That he was going to serve for only one term.” He said that when Jonathan went to Obasanjo to seek for his support for 2015, the former President reminded him of the commitment he made. Nyako further said, “The Niger State governor has the agreement. We want to deal with people with honour, not people who want to drag us into civil war because of impunity, because of lawlessness, because of not fulfilling their pledges, that will only take us to civil war. “Leaders must be honest with their colleagues and the greater society. I have my craw craw from the first civil war and if there is need to develop another craw craw in another civil war I will stand by.” Aliyu’s spokesman, Danladi Ndayabo, could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing this report. A response to the text message sent to him was still being awaited as at the time of filing this report. The Presidency has denied in the past that the President signed any agreement not to seek reelection. Nyako also said the declaration of a state of emergency in Adamawa State was purely political because the state had the security situation under control. He explained that the state was not even among the first seven states, out of a list of 12, which had serious security challenges but that the President skipped several states to pick on his state for inexplicable political reasons. SOURCE: http:///hECiqvt8pJ |
| Politics › APC Chief Asks Obasanjo To Quit Politics by Platform9ja(op): 7:34pm On Jan 01, 2014 |
A leader of the All Progressives Party in Lagos State, Chief Ayo Akande, said on Tuesday that it was time for former President Olusegun Obasanjo to quit partisan politics and become an elder statesman. Akande said in a statement that Obasanjo needed to take the step immediately, in view of the courage he mustered in his December 2, 2013 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. Obasanjo had in the letter, which was widely published in the media, accused Jonathan of condoning corruption in his government. Akande said Obasanjo’s open criticism of Jonathan “speaks volume and goes a long way to give hope to the common man”. “In the light of this, it is better for Chief Obasanjo to quit partisan politics and become an elder statesman,” Akande said. The party chief, who described Obasanjo as a patriotic leader, said the bold step taken by the former President would help to bail Nigerians out of political and economic oppression. SOURCE: http:///8m8YGWMXy3 1 Like |
| Politics › PDP Members In Sambo’s Council Defect To APC by Platform9ja(op): 7:23pm On Jan 01, 2014 |
No fewer than 1,200 members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State, where Vice- President Namadi Sambo hails from, on Tuesday defected to the All Progressives Congress. This came barely a week after a former Chairman of the PDP in the state, Alhaji Yaro Makama, along with some former PDP commissioners in the state and 70 other party chiefs defected to the APC. Makama, who led the defectors, had cited injustice as one of the reasons for leaving the PDP. The new defectors were on Tuesday received by the APC’s Interim Chairman in the state, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, at the party’s secretariat on Ali Akilu Road in the Kaduna metropolis. Baba-Ahmed, a former secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, said the defectors had asked for forgiveness for stealing the party’s mandate in the previous elections in the state. “We have forgiven them and hope that together we shall work to defeat PDP in the state come 2015,” Baba-Ahmed said. He noted that if an unprecedented number of party chiefs could quit the PDP in the Vice- President’s local government area, it implied that the PDP was dead in the state. He described the defection as a political revolution, assuring the defectors of equal opportunity in the APC. “As of today, the original APC members and the defected PDP members are one and the same,” he said. Baba-Ahmed said the APC had been under pressure to receive more defectors since when the ex-PDP chairman, ex-commissioners and others abandoned their old parties to join the APC. He said, “We have been placed under tremendous pressure since the very day we received 75 leaders of the PDP and we have opened our doors to receive more and more PDP people. “This is the entire PDP leadership of the Kaduna North Local Government Area in Kaduna State that have decided to defect from the PDP to join the APC. Let me remind you that Kaduna North Local Government Area is the constituency of the Vice President Namadi Sambo. “Everybody that you see here is the root and the branch of PDP in Kaduna North Local Government Area, but they have decided to dump the party for APC.” SOURCE: http:///9e60TkAFIv |
| Politics › APC Will Never Take Over Nigeria From PDP- Metuh by Platform9ja(op): 7:10pm On Jan 01, 2014 |
Despite its dwindling political fortunes in the north-west zone, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party boasted on Tuesday that it would be impossible for the All Progressive Congress to win the 2015 presidency. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisah Metu, stated this in Kaduna on Tuesday. Metu was at the meeting convened by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, to deliberate on the lingering crisis in the party in the zone. Metuh, who breezed into Kaduna apparently on directives of PDP National Secretariat to assess the political situation in the state and other north-west states, said the PDP remained the party to beat regardless of the current crisis threatening the party. He said, “APC is not a party that will take over Nigeria in 2015 and even beyond because the party is built along ethnic, religious lines. “It will be impossible for them to win any elections. PDP remains the party for Nigeria, a truly national party” It was learnt that Sambo had practically relocated to Kaduna following the gale of defections from the PDP to the APC and had met stakeholders of the party from Sokoto, Kano and Zamfara states at the late Gen. Hassan Katsina House, Kawo, Kaduna on Tuesday. Sources at the meeting told our correspondent that the stakeholders reviewed the challenges and prospects of the ruling party in the Northern states, such as Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara that had been taken over by the APC. It was gathered that the tension-soaked meeting, which had in attendance former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’aba, son of late Head of State, Mohammed Abacha, and other prominent party chiefs from Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara states, deliberated extensively on how to win back those states that had gone to the opposition in the 2015 elections. Also, at the end of the meeting at 3.30pm, Ambassador Aminu Wali, told journalists that former governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau would soon defect to the ruling party from the APC. He said the party in the state had contacted Shekarau and that soon, he and his teeming supporters in the state would join the PDP. Source:http:///CPiHsBv6sR |
| Politics › APC Reps Set To Take Over House Leadership by Platform9ja(op): 12:46pm On Jan 01, 2014 |
APC Reps set to take over House leadership The the All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives has shared out the leadership positions in the House to its members as part of plans to assume full control of the legislature in the New Year. The APC, formerly in the minority, outgrew the majority strength of the Peoples Democratic Party after 37 PDP lawmakers defected to it on December 18. The development gave the country’s main opposition party a slim majority advantage of 172 members over PDP’s 171 in the House that has 360 legislators. Findings indicated on Tuesday that with about 40 more PDP lawmakers expected to join the APC before the end of this month (January), the opposition party would be in a comfortable majority (212) to assume the leadership of the House. “The only principal officer whose seat is guaranteed for now is the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal,” said a reliable House source in Abuja on Tuesday. According to the source, the APC members collectively resolved that Tambuwal would continue to lead the House. He said, “We have long resolved that Tambuwal will remain the speaker even in an APC dominated House until he decides to dump the PDP for the APC. For the other positions, we are taking over. We are electing a new deputy speaker also.” Investigations showed that until now, the APC caucus had resolved that its Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, would become the Majority Leader. The current majority leader, Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, a PDP member, is expected to relinquish her seat. However, The PUNCH gathered that of late, Gbajabiamila had come under pressure to “step up and become the deputy speaker instead of being the majority leader.” The lawmaker from Lagos State was said to be resisting the pressure and had urged members to allow the current Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, retain his seat like Tambuwal. “The confusion now is that Gbajabiamila is caught between being the majority leader and the deputy speaker”, another source in the House informed The PUNCH. It was learnt that in the event he succumbed to pressure to become the deputy speaker, the post of majority leader might be assigned to one of the 37 PDP defectors. “That is the thinking of the caucus; the idea is to give the ex-PDP members a sense of belonging. “They should have something to benefit from supporting the APC”, the source added. Other positions the APC had decided on are Majority Whip, Mr. Samson Osagie (Edo State); Deputy Majority Leader, Mr. Sumaila Kawu (Kano State); and Deputy Majority Whip, Mr. Garba Datti (Kaduna State). The PUNCH gathered that in a bid to save Ihedioha, Tambuwal had reportedly intensified lobbying his colleagues to extend the same gesture of retaining him to Ihedioha. Another source in the House said, “The speaker has been talking to members to consider his appeal. Many of them are bent on asking Ihedioha to go because they claim not to be comfortable with his leadership style. “There are those who are giving him the option of joining the APC to remain the deputy speaker. “This latter group is certain that Tambuwal too has little choice but to join the APC by the end of this month.” But, Ihedioha, has stated categorically that he will not abandon the PDP, a party he said did so much for him by returning him to the National Assembly for the third time. When contacted, Gbajabiamila said there were “unresolved issues being discussed by members.” Asked whether one of the issues was his being tipped for the position of the deputy speaker, he said that “members are the ones discussing to take decisions.” When our correspondent probed further, Gbajabiamila said he would have wished to be majority leader. SOURCE: http:///ySDpAtIOGw |
| Nairaland General › Jonathan Lists Achievements, Pledges To Make Nigeria Greater In 2014. by Platform9ja(op): 8:58am On Jan 01, 2014 |
The president also reeled out some of his achievements in 2013. President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to build on the achievements recorded by his administration in 2013 to make Nigeria even greater. The President said in his New Year message to Nigerians that despite several continuing domestic and global challenges, the year 2013 witnessed many positive developments, which the country must strive to build on in 2014. Reviewing the various achievements, the President said his administration diligently implemented its agenda for national transformation in priority areas, including power, rehabilitation and expansion of national infrastructure, agricultural development, education and employment generation. In spite of the estimated 1.6 million new jobs he said were created in the country in 2013 as a result of his government’s policies and actions, the President said more jobs are still needed to support the country’s growing population. “Our economic priorities will be stability and equitable growth, building on the diverse sectors of our economy,” the President said. In 2013, he said government commenced the implementation of the National Industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP, aimed at industrializing Nigeria and diversifying the economy into sectors such as agro-processing, light manufacturing, and petrochemicals. In addition, he said Nigeria also successfully negotiated a strong Common External Tariff, CET, agreement with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, partners on the need to protect the country’s strategic industries from foreign domination. As a result of his administration’s backward integration policies, Mr. Jonathan said Nigeria moved from being a net importer to a net exporter of cement, with its production capacity growing from just 2 million metric tonnes in 2002 to about 28.5 million metric tonnes today. “For the first time in our history, we have Foreign direct investment into Nigeria has also been strong. In fact, for the second year running, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, has named Nigeria as the No.1 destination for investments in Africa,” he said. He noted the revolution in the agricultural sector, saying his administration successfully tackled corruption in the input distribution system during the year, as farmers now obtain their fertilizers and seeds directly through an e-wallet system. About 4.2 million farmers, he said, received subsidized inputs through the programme in 2013; a scheme, he said, has restored dignity to our farmers. Apart from the production of over 8 million metric tonnes of additional food during the year, the President said his administration was able to bring inflation down to its lowest level since 2008 partly due to higher domestic food production. The country’s food import bill, he said, was reduced from N1.1 trillion in 2011, to N648 billion in 2012, pointing out that this has now placed Nigeria firmly on the path to food self-sufficiency. On achievements in other sectors of the economy, the President said between 2007 and 2013, allocation for education almost tripled from N224 billion to N634 billion, apart from additional efforts towards improved access to education in the country. These included the construction of 125 Almajiri schools, and the establishment of three additional Federal Universities in the North, bringing to 12, the number of universities established by the present administration. Also, about 352 laboratories were rehabilitated, while 72 new libraries were constructed in the Federal Unity Schools and laboratories rehabilitated in all the 51 Federal and State polytechnics across the country. Mr. Jonathan also assured that his administration would continue to prioritize investments in key sectors such as infrastructure development, power, roads, rail transportation and aviation. Apart from the completion of the privatization of four power generation companies and 10 power distribution companies, Mr. Jonathan said government was also in the process of privatizing 10 power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects, NIPP. To ensure effective evacuation and distribution of power generated, he said an additional $1.5 billion was advanced for the upgrade of the transmission network to boost electricity delivery to beyond 18 hours per day. To cut down on public expenditure and wastage, the president said foreign travels by government personnel in all ministries, departments and agencies would be curtailed. He said government would complete the deployment of the three electronic platforms- namely, the Treasury Single Account, TSA; the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS; and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS- to curb leakages in the system. SOURCE: http://premiumtimesng.com/news/152451-jonathan-lists-achievements-pledges-make-nigeria-greater-2014.html |
| Phones › Re: Nigerian Twitter Users (Tweeps) Thread - Let's Follow Each Other by Platform9ja: 7:54am On Jan 01, 2014 |
@Platform9ja ....tweet for a follow back |
| Politics › Re: APC Drops Buhari & Picks Tambuwal As Presidential Candidate? by Platform9ja(op): 4:58pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
While on this thread tambuwal is getting prepared --https://www.nairaland.com/1575518/tambuwal-charges-inec-put-act |
| Politics › Tambuwal Charges INEC To Put Act Together. by Platform9ja(op): 4:48pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal on Tuesday, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to get its acts together ahead of the 2015 polls. Tambuwal gave the advice in his New Year message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam. He commended Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission for conducting a peaceful and credible election worthy of emulation. “The lesson in what happened in Yobe should not be lost on all of us in spite of the security situation in the state and operating under the State of Emergency,” he said. He appreciated the role played by the government and people of the state as well as security agencies to ensure that the election witnessed massive turn out and was concluded peacefully “The determination of the government and people of Yobe State to have democratic structures at the grassroots played a huge part in ensuring the success of the exercise. It should not be lost on all of us that when all hands are on deck, and with sincerity of purpose, we can achieve success together. “I commend the security agencies, the government and people of Yobe State for setting an example worthy of emulation,” the Speaker said. He urged Nigerians to remain positive about the country, and prayed to God for a prosperous and peaceful 2014. Similarly, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, enjoined Nigerians to remain optimistic for better days ahead. He stated this in a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Oke Epia to mark the start of the new year. Ihedioha said the challenges of security, growth and development in the country require greater resilience and optimism from Nigerians. He noted that developed countries of the world had passed through similar tough challenges, assuring that Nigeria would also overcome the situation. The deputy speaker called on those in leadership positions to renew their commitment to nation building, and to always place national interest above personal pursuits in the discharge of their duties. Source: http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/12/31/tambuwal-charges-inec-to-get-acts-together/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PmNewsNigeriaFeed+%28PM+News+Nigeria%29 |
| Politics › Re: Breaking News: Finally APC Gives Tambuwal The Presidential Ticket Ahead Of 2015? by Platform9ja: 2:08pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
| Politics › President Jonathan Cuts Down On Feeding Bill By N494 Million by Platform9ja(op): 12:59pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
Premium Times reports that President Goodluck Jonathan has made a hug decision to spend less on food and consumables at the presidential villa in 2014. The budget has come under an intense media scrutiny, President Jonathan has given up nearly half of the presidency’s giant feeding bill of N1 billion, a proposal, two years ago, that shocked Nigerians and stirred public anger. The feeding cost has been lowered by N494 million or 45.5 percent in the 2014 budget proposal sent to the National Assembly by the president. The 2014 request, if approved by lawmakers, will be the lowest amount of naira spent by the State House on feeding and allied costs in two years. The government has also lowered the feeding bill for the first and second families and their offices, raising the question how the huge 2012 bill may have been utilized, since the same purpose is now being served at a cheaper rate. In 2013, the presidency’s feeding was put at N717.3 million. For 2014, the figure has been scaled downward to N542.8 million, the new budget shows. SOURCE: http://newswirengr.com/2013/12/31/president-jonathan-cuts-down-on-feeding-bill-by-n494-million/ |
| Politics › APC Drops Buhari & Picks Tambuwal As Presidential Candidate? by Platform9ja(op): 12:38pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
2015 election: APC gives Tambuwal Presidential ticket - National Mirror VP zoned to South-West, [size=13pt]Buhari, others dropped[/size]http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/2015-election-apc-gives-tambuwal-presidential-ticket/ 12 Likes |
| Politics › Apc's New Year Message To Nigerians: Change Is Imminent! - By Lai Mohammed by Platform9ja(op): 12:25pm On Dec 31, 2013 |
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians that the party is ready, willing and determined to make all the necessary sacrifices to reverse the prevailing gloomy situation in the country and bring about the much-needed change for the better in the interest of the long-suffering citizens. In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Nigerians should go into the New Year with an unyielding commitment to be part of ongoing efforts to set the country on the path of growth and development, rather than get into a state of funk on the basis of the cumulative mis-governance of the past 14 years by the PDP-led Federal Government. ''While wishing all Nigerians a great 2014, we hereby solicit their unalloyed support for our efforts to reshape the country's political landscape, shake off the heavy yoke imposed on them by their selfish, self-serving and clueless leaders and make the country a source of pride not only to its citizens but to all black people in the world,'' it said. APC said the first step in what will be a tough but final battle to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of rapacious leaders will be to bring the citizenry on board the train of change that is barrelling through the country, and to ensure that elections in the country are free, fair and credible. ''As we wrote in the preamble to our manifesto, 'democracy, to be stable and meaningful, must be anchored on the principle that government derives its powers from the consent of the governed....This means that governments are instituted on the basis of free, fair and credible elections, and are maintained through responsiveness to public opinion. '''In addition, the exercise of political authority is rooted in the rule of law. APC believes in the doctrine of social contract between the leaders and the led; which means that the public office holder is a trustee of the people and that power must be used in the interest of the people rather than in the interest of the public office holder','' the party said. It said in order to ensure that as many Nigerians as possible are brought aboard the APC train of change, the party will kick-start its membership registration drive early in the year, targeting in particular the youth who are indispensable in any effort to bring about change. ''We ask all those who are yearning for genuine change to seize the moment and embrace the engine of change, which the APC represents! Our compatriots who have lost faith in our dear country because of inefficient and corrupt leadership can count on us, because we represent committed, transparent and focused leadership,'' APC said. The party pledged to halt the country's drift towards a failed state with a conscious plan for a post-oil economy in Nigeria, details of which will be outlined in the weeks and months ahead; and to make the welfare and security of the citizenry, which is the raison d'etre of any government, its top priority; APC said that in order to extricate Nigeria from the dire straits in which it has been plunged by the successive PDP governments, the party has decided to make as its priority the War Against Corruption; Food security; Accelerated Power Supply; Integrated Transport Network; Free Education; Devolution of Power; Accelerated Economic Growth and Affordable Health Care. ''We know skeptics will sneer at these and deride them as mere sloganeering. After all, Nigerians have been taken for a ride for the past 14 years by those who have mistaken transmogrification for transformation, and those who have relentless pursued power for the sake of power, rather than to use it to harness the country's abundant human resources. ''But most things look impossible until they have been achieved, and the impressive record of performance in the states under our control, from Kano to Imo states and from Lagos to Edo, testifies to our ability, determination and willingness to make things happen for the benefit of our people,'' the party said. Meanwhile, the party has said the year 2013 is among the worst, if not the worst, for the citizenry, who have been pauperized and dehumanized by a government that keeps touting favourable economic statistics in the face of an unprecedented fall in the standard of living of its people. ''They say President Jonathan's achievement in 2013 is unprecedented, yet Nigerians celebrated the Christmas and New Year holidays in unprecedented pitch darkness and an unprecedented number of our youths are unemployed; They say they are winning the war against corruption, yet key government officials, including the so-called Coordinating Minister of the Economy, do not even know how much Nigeria earns from crude oil and gas sales, and what happened to 12 billion dollars earned from domestic crude lifting; They are so eager to cling to any straw of 'achievement' that they are celebrating the revival of the locomotive engine in the 21st century! ''Such is their insensitivity and total lack of compassion for human beings that the Jonathan administration will rather spend the nation's scarce resources on importing animals for the villa zoo and on purchasing presidential jets that they do not need. ''Because this government has become numb to reason, because this government has deteriorated from cluelessness to hopelessness and because this government has totally lost any sense of direction, we say it is time for Nigerians to gird their loins and join hands with all those who are seeking genuine change. To adapt Mahatma Gandhi's timeless quote, Nigerians must be the change they wish to see in their country, and the year 2014 must be our Year of Change!'' APC said. Alhaji Lai Mohammed Interim National Publicity Secretary All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos, Dec. 31st 2013 |
| Politics › Re: Todays Political Headline... by Platform9ja(op): 9:21am On Dec 31, 2013 |
So you can use any for a new thread. You can also follow us on twitter: @9japlatform |
| Politics › Todays Political Headline... by Platform9ja(op): 8:39am On Dec 31, 2013*. Modified: 8:59am On Dec 31, 2013 |
From Platform9ja, we officially congratulate you on seeing the last day of the year 2013. *Todays Headline* Click the links to view. *Rep predicts mass defections to APC in 2014 http:///Wk3K7lbnKv" *Jonathan’s cow gift to Bakare stirs debate http:///v3e6v1jfgF" *APC members dump party for PDP in Benue http:///hyqycwKBHq" *Lagos Assembly delays passage of budget: EROMOSELE EBHOMELE Members of the Lagos State House… http:///5BXvPXPz2F" *Has Success Ruined Gov. Adams Oshiomhole? By Jude Collins http:///hzkn2FbqZn" *Enenim Ubon: Neither APC Or PDP Is Nigeria’s Problem http:///DTR2ACCauu" *Nyesom Wike Betrayed Me’—Gov Amaechi Knows Exactly Who To Blame For His 2013 Woes http:///tIpi6Bp33C" *PDP urges Governor Oshiomhole to declare Edo’s debt profile http:///sm6YKBsE17 *Those who defected from PDP will regret their actions – Governor Yero http:///CJ7gTcuBXo * PDP NWC cautions aides of elected officials on issuing of statements http:///sjqNF3mgJo *Fayemi Signs N103 Billion 2014 Budget. Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Monday, signed... http:///WM5wtLIt17 *We Have No Plan To Ban Okada In Ekiti’, Says Fayemi. Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has... http:///ESxGALGtO5 *INEC plans presidential poll, others for Jan. 2015. Commission to lift ban on... http:///m8tdGjZiI2 * Controversial letter: Chukwumerije flays Obasanjo http:///2bg7hIttNO *Dear Goodluck Jonathan - I have decided to write you this 18-page letter BEFORE IT IS TOO... http:///ssfsuXClUp" :Femi Aribisala *Forget nat’l confab, Nyako tells Jonathan http:///vghSbcSqIl" *Mixed reactions greet rating of Jonathan’s performance http:///QChxs3VvUy" *Lagos PDP chides Fashola over ‘Humpty Dumpty’ comment http:///tDS83XYufO" *The Politics of Political Loyalty http:///2nxaUiNmuy *Presidency moves to stop PDP senators’ defection: The Presidency has mounted pressure on the leadership of th... http:///QNZZ0BO5Zg" *Nigerians, not Obasanjo, should decide Jonathan’s 2015 fate’ http:///lxh7DgXUSG http:///Ate51E6l7j" *OBJ’s love-hate letter: An unpresidential tone and fury http:///nCA9QsgzNt *I will not contest for Governor in 2015 – Ekweremadu http:///mVmqRMo5wN" *Jonathan commiserates with Soyinka over daughter’s death http:///DCxQAcCki9" *Will Nigeria expire legally today?…lawyers tackle ethnic nationalities http:///6Wqdx2J9Hl *‘Nat'l Assembly has no power to make constitution’ http:///Ik3vfkZpN0" *NHRC to Set Up C’ttee to Probe Obasanjo’s Allegations: http:///z9Mvp7xTKR *Rivers Chides NJC for Dabbling into Local Politics http:///aCHLJwZTcu" *Almost 500 PDP Chieftains In Sambo’s LGA Decamps To APC | Sahara Reporters http://mobile.saharareporters.com/news-page/almost-500-pdp-chieftains-sambo%E2%80%99s-lga-decamps-apc *"Dear Mr. President, The NNPC Has Stolen $50 billion Of Crude Oil Earnings"- Transcript of The Letter From The CBN Gov To President Jonathan http://mobile.saharareporters.com/report/dear-mr-president-nnpc-has-stolen-50-billion-crude-oil-earnings-transcript-letter-cbn-gov-pre *Pressure Mounts on Tukur, PDP NWC to Hold NEC meeting Pressure from all quarters of the Peoples Democratic Party... http:///s2GwiLHP3R" *S-W PDP chieftain challenges Obasanjo over his letter http:///9NmitUag8p" *Nobody can dictate to Amaechi on CHIEF JUDGEs job’ Posted by: Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt in News 4 hours ago... http:///fruR3hmodS |
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