₦airaland Forum

Prof Corruption: ACN is the party. You can't just fault them. Valid points.

They should just remain a sectional party and leave the national politics for the matured people.

nep2ra: I support APC but ACN is wrong on this one. However, Lai Mohammed is free to express the opinion and position of his party on the recent State of Emergency imposed on these states. We are in a democracy.

Parties don't play politics with the lives of the people.

Freedom comes with responsibility.

AnanseK: My Solution for you to foward to authorities Sir;
President uses the 3 trillion Naira budget, his well trined intelligence officers in the army, SS and the police and the political advisors,the Ministers and the Governors to find specifically(not speculations) who is/are behind Boko Haram.He will then come on to National TV and announce the names of the suspects and they are tried in one week all their assets frozen and they are executed in Eagle Square Abuja.
Then we will praise him and love him and make him president for many more years, as an able an d intelligent leader. His stste of emergency will only increase bloodshed.This is my honest opinion.

We are in May 2013.

Check your calendar.

AnanseK: Explain to us how the state of emergency can bring peace and solve the BH problem. Logic and not emotions please.

The military is mandated to act within its rules of engagement.

Reptyle: Say we go with the SOE as declared, how does it change the situation on ground? I mean like, beyond giving it a high fallutin name like "State of Emergency" and increasing the number of soldiers on ground in the affected states, how is this move radically different from the former strategy?

If you ask me, this pronouncement is nothing but an expansion of the already existing JTF. I do not think any of the governors of the affected states has had a say in the security arrangement of their states in recent months. The JTF takes instructions from Abuja and not from the governors. The new military coordinators of the state will still take instructions from Abuja. So I ask again, what exactly has changed pre and post SOE?

Increase in the troops makes the difference, you said it yourself.

Plus they can now act within their rules of engagement.

They were merely keeping peace earlier.

This is another thing.

Let's wait and see.

godjohnson: These fools have started again.they are not concerned about the welfare of the people,all this [b]condemnation is a plot to draw voters away from jonathan to themselves;[/b]i agree that they have valid points but if they don't support jonathan's efforts they should come up with plans that would work instead of trying to reverse what the guy is doin.or should gej fold his hands and watch nigeria disintegrate?

They have succeeded in repelling voters.

This is most repulsive.

New crescent: I marvel at your comment, infact you need to read the write-up again, with open mind and not been partisan. In contrast, he said the MUMU at the top must disband the committee in place, retrace his step on the issue of pipeline protection "Chop-I-Chop" and curtail the excesses of some Bole-Kaja miscreants i.e. Dokubo. Finish, don't you get it? Without being partisan.

The pipeline protection and Dokubo issues are entirely different from Emergency declaration.

Lumping them together is bad politics.

AnanseK: ACN has explained how non functional and futile the Presidents prescription is and I agree with them fully.Instead of insulting Lai Mohammed, you intelligent Nigerians should tell us how more force and more violence by the state can bring peace to the country.

They call it surge in some other jurisdiction.

They used it in Iraq.

They used it in Afghanistan.

It was used in Niger Delta prior to Amnesty.

Force and violence are the main instruments of restraint of the state.

BarryX: We saw that coming so no biggie ! BTW that's why it's called Opposition

It's called antagonism.

[quote author=Neo-XVI]Love it or hate it, they have very valid points.[/quote]No, they don't.

What they have here are bunch of incoherent talking points.

"If the medicine given to a patient has not cured his or her illness, is it not futile to prescribe more of the same medicine for the patient? If the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in four states in 2011 has not curbed the activities of the insurgents, why extend such measure to other areas? If the use of force in the affected states have failed to curtail the activities of the insurgents, why send in more troops?"

This is pure fallacy being peddled by quacks.

Medicine has dosage, they are reviewed by doctors. That a medicine has not worked does not necessarily mean it would be changed immediately. The dosage could be increased or decreased as the case maybe.

"There is nothing new in the President’s action. It is more of the same: deployment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insurgents. In the first instance, this stepped-up militarization of the states amounts to an asymmetric use of force in an environment where the insurgents operate within a civilian population, hence it will ultimately be counterproductive as the death toll will continue to mount while the civilian population – who will be caught in the cross fire – will be alienated."

If by "asymmetric use of force" Alhaji is saying that the BH unconventional tactics will cause collateral damage then what about the same civilians being killed by BH? What is the military supposed to do? Stay in Abuja, fold hands and wait till BH decides not to "operate within a civilian population" or what? Or allow BH to continue to MURDER the same civilian population?

"Secondly, the President should go ahead and disband the committee he recently inaugurated and saddled with reaching out to the insurgents, because by opting to flood the states with more troops under an ill-advised emergency rule, he has succeeded in pulling the carpet from under the Committee’s feet. Who negotiates genuinely with a gun to his head? The committee’s job is over, the members can as well pack up and go home."

Alhaji, it's called CARROT and STICK.

All conflicts will end in dialog somehow, a window has been opened for those who want peace and dialog, while beating the rogues into line.

"Thirdly, one hopes the President’s action is not linked to the politics of 2015. With the three states militarized, there can neither be electioneering campaign nor voting there. We had warned earlier that as 2015 approaches, the Jonathan Administration will increasingly take measures that will make it impossible to hold election in many states The over militarization of some states in the north, the plan to destabilise the South-west using slush funds from the so-called oil pipeline protection contract and the infantile threats from some Niger Delta militants seem to be part of this plan."

This is where Alhaji did the most damage to his career and his party's reputation.

Mr Lai Mohammed are you expecting elections to hold in Borno or Yobe in 2015 under the pre-Emergency state? That is most wicked and diabolical of you. Do you expect ad-hoc INEC staff to be murdered in cold blood like the Youth Corps members in 2011? This is very sad indeed. Is it not in the best interest of the president, politically, to leave things as they were, whereby INEC will not be able to mobilize and voters are too scared to come out to vote? He would still have satisfied the provisions of the constitution if he did that. Alhaji Lai Mohammed should ask one of his ACN party's governor in Edo State how the presence of security men (Armed Troops) helped curbed the looming violence during elections in that state. He should ask the Ondo State people how they called for ARMED TROOPS similar to Edo State. Mr Lai Mohammed, this is shameful!

"Fourthly, what happens if and when the declaration of emergency rule fails to stem the violence, now that the President has gone for broke and played his last card? "

This is hypothetical. It's an if situation. It has only just been pronounced.

Or are you saying it will not work?

What other information do you have to feel it won't work?

Are you saying there's no single trust in the our military to carry-out their given assignments?

They've done much more before.

Are you saying the military lacks strategy to have a back-up plan?

How much innocent people do you want killed before you recommend the president "go for broke"?

AND WHAT IF IT WORKS? The surge in Iraq worked, to the utter shame of the opponents.

"In view of the reasons stated above, we hereby reject the declaration of emergency rule in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, and we call on the National Assembly to also reject it and not allow itself to be used to rubber stamp a declaration that is largely cosmetic."


Well, you are in clear minority in this. May be you've not bothered to gauge the mood of majority of Nigerians.

May be you should start doing that henceforth. It will save you this serious embarrassment and serious low rating of your brands - LAI MOHAMMED AND ACN.

The national assembly members are well meaning people (presumably), they won't swim against the tide.

It is in the interest of everyone to support Mr President and our Armed Forces in this difficult times.

Difficult because our brothers are in armed conflict with us. It is not a thing to politicize.

”We reiterate our earlier statements that the Boko Haram crisis has its roots in years of bad governance that have produced an army of unemployed, unemployable, disenchanted and demoralized youths who are now ready hands and willing tools for those seeking to perpetrate violence. The unprecedented corruption across the land, as well as injustice and extra-judicial killings are also fuelling this crisis"

Hello sir, is their any other roots you know that is different from the public declaration of BH itself, i.e. to institute total Islamic Legal code (Sharia) in Northern Nigeria? How come they are not mentioning bad governance in their proclamation. Plus, you seem to know the people using these youths, could you share with Nigerians how your party has been able to deal with them (the masterminds) with your EXTRAORDINARY good governance that produces EMPLOYED, EMPLOYABLE, HAPPY and MOTIVATED youths deprived of their daily means of livelihood as the Lagos government did to the Okada riders recently? We have so far not heard that any of them has manufactured bombs to mass murder Lagos residents. One would imagine that they would have carried out multiple attacks on the population by now, going by your logic. So much with good governance!

BOKO HARAM is ideological, period!

Mcleo007: In what ways have our graduates outshined those of Western origin? Name one please! Let's face it, the system is bad. WE (THE MASSES) are not as handicapped as we assume. Our problem is understanding our capacity as a people. Look through history, especially with we black Africans; it was just a handful of Europeans that conquered our entire continent. That tells you something about the way we think as Africans. If care is not taking, we Africans will continue to be inferior to the whites. We are just too emotional to be reasonable for once. We seek succour in spiritism; praying to gods and resting on them to do things we normally can do by ourselves. God will not fight corruption in Nigeria, we can. God will not try corrupt leaders, it is up to us to do. God will not make Nigeria great, greatness lies within us as a people. We only have to realise it.

That's a different topic entirely.

It is a fundamental problem with we black people all over the world, no matter where you trained.

Africans who studied in the best and most sophisticated Western institutions might still practice spiritism.

There are many foreign trained doctors (medicine and surgery) who still believe in aye in cases like bacteria infections or sickle cell anemia.

Many foreign trained economists still subscribe to "money ritual" concept or belief.

Several foreign educated physicists still believe in "spiritual bullet proof"

Doesn't mean African students will not best their white counterparts in class.

Doesn't mean African foreign graduate students will not best their white counterparts.

ebosed: I am glad I was never a fan of ACN, Senator Tinubu or Governor Fashola. Its sad these Superior lunatics would never learn, be that as it may, I bother-less about them and their rich but poor drifting minds. However, lets think about this, what is the difference between this girl and a graduate from any of our institutions? The Skill acquired, isn't it? it is often believed that studying abroad helps to acquire better skills and competence. If our children can understand the content of their history and consistently crave the negligence required who says they cant acquire same skills? I hate to admit this, but even Karl Max and Lenin couldn't prove this wrong, ALL MEN CANT BE EQUAL! Few would lead many. Its your choice to choose the line of the divide you want to belong. For all I care I wish her good luck and would only commend or condemn her based on the content of her character and not the incident of her birth. But for Senator Tinubu, Governor Fashola and their Cohort, we are watching! This insanity would certain not last forever, even the empire of FAMOUS ALEXANDER THE GREAT collapsed. So shall your kingdom fall down if you refuse to serve us as they promised.

You consider someone's daughter's graduation insanity or what?

Mcleo007: 3 of my siblings did school abroad. And yes, my parents are not politicians. They simply struggled to raise us the way they could afford to. My siblings who schooled abroad do not in any way feel they are better than i am, nor consider me inferior to them. We live our lives for ourselves. There is no problem schooling abroad, afterall, there are many
british people who school in the US and other European countries. What we are simply outlining borders on leadership by example. These people are aware of the rot in the system and do not see any need to address them. They let it be, despite it being their duty to cob. Why then should they exempt their own children? Practice what you preach IS THE GOLDEN RULE.

Oga, you said three of your siblings schooled abroad and you don't want Tinubu's daughter to school abroad?

Did he prevent anybody from sending his/her daughter/son to school abroad?

Schooling abroad (or anywhere) is a private choice.

Fashola's son was reportedly training in a local carpentry shop.

How has that improved the level of carpentry/masonry in Lagos?

Mcleo007: Dad is a former governor of the nation's foremost state (served 2 terms = 8yrs) and a leading politician; Mum is a serving Senator of the republic. Child schooled in far away United States. And yet, you tell me this god damned country will ever be good! I must be cursed to be believe in a future Nigeria. Our education is wallowing in continous rot and filth, yet this polithiefcians are staking claim to our collective intelligence. Shame on every Nigerian. All we ever do is pray and hope. How a few people can hold an entire country into captivity still beats my wonder.

There's no law that prevents anybody from schooling anywhere.

Nigerians have been schooling abroad for more than a century.

Many state governments still send their citizens abroad to study.

Many average people also send their children/wards to school abroad.

There are also many successful (including governors) people's wards in Nigerian schools.

Our education is not "wallowing in continuous rot and filth".

You are one of the reasons it is not.

Except you are saying yours is sub-per.

[quote author=eagle,eye]Please, you that have the benefit of hindsight.: have you forgottn so soon that Dame Patience Jonathan was among those who EFCC beamed their seearchlight on and that the husband GEJ was among thee 31 govornors who EFCC said that they were tainted with corruption and stealing of public funds during the hay days of OBJ's third term agenda.
Have you forgotten so soon?[/quote]Yeah!

We remember.

We remember also the same EFCC said Tinubu's own was of 'international dimension'.

They said his case came from international jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the same EFCC has cleared the two of those allegations.

Elueme: Tambuwal is a nobody why the party( PDP ) has ignored his anti-party activities all along. He should honourable declare his stand and join the APC, PDP doesn't need traitors and saboteurs like Tambuwal. Amaechi even has a better market value, who the heck is Tambuwal?

Well, may be because he defeated the (wrongly) anointed candidate for Speaker.

He's not such a party-man like that.

More of a self-interest politician.

Started with ANPP, then DPP, then PDP.

APC may not be his last if he (when) he decides to jump ship.

Will find ally in some folks in APC though.

Those ones started off in APP, then AD, then AC, then ACN... now APC

Demdem: The Killer party is getting jittery no doubt.

Killer and jittery in the same sentence?

nijanigga: Instead,pray that God should dissolve this illegal union that is heading down the cliff,it's clear that the forceful union is not working,let's try something new.

You can control your emotion.

You've probably been saying the same thing for decades.

The Union is still there.

Doesn't look like its going anywhere too.

Might be time to say (think of) something else.

ojjp: NO. It's a strategy 2 distablize pdp. They re tryin 2 put a knife on d thing that holds pdp 2gether, so dat it ll fall apart.

It's legitimate.

It's politics.

Let PDP do its own.

OdionOdion: Nigeria has changed politically,the fact that one is born in the Caliphate state of Sokoto claiming the toga of "born to rule" will not work. Anyone that wants to contest for the position of the PRESIDENT of the Country must do so by first telling NIGERIANS WHAT his part of the country contribute to the national purse. TAMBUWAL wants to become a President by first pulling down GEJ. I dey laugh at AMAECHI, TAMBUWAL, ROCHAS, OSHIOMOLE, TINUBU. When the chips are down Nigerians will know better

Nigeria is a democracy, sir.

They all have a right (within the law) to aspire to ANY position.

Everyone is entitled to his/her strategy.

Everyone is responsible for his/her result.

OdionOdion: The Political Golaiths of the North: ATIKU, IBB, GUSUA, BUHARI and others (Ciroma) were taught how not to play politics of arrogance and royalty by GEJ. Tambuwal should take their old lesson notes

I was wondering too.

Even with the grand coalition the other time, we didn't see any significant result.

Much less a Tambuwal from somewhere (nowhere).

texazzpete: So let me get this straight...the PDP Sokoto are happily telling the world that they are stalking a private citizen all in the name of 'putting his activities under surveillance' and you people are babbling about Tambuwal?

Is it now a crime to meet opposition politicians? Is there any law against that? Are we supposed to call the cops if Wayne Rooney and Lampard are spotted having a drink? Should we impeach Jonathan for meeting with Tinubu for discussions?

Anybody tell me they are carrying out surveillance on me and they aren't Nigerian police or SSS, I'll remove some excess teeth with my fist.

Take it easy my brother.

It's all politics not soccer.

The opposition too is monitoring/stalking PDP.

Ask Lai Mohammed if you are in doubt.

olatunji21: nw na Tambuwal turn dats gud oga GEJ....bt remember dat dere seems to b unity in d lower chamber among all party member's irrespective of party affiliation....so dat is to say...tampa with Tambuwal and face impeachment....

Where did you get that from?

[quote author=Ricky_Ross]While Dangote is busy thinking deep and investing massively, foolz are lazing about. Tomorrow they will claim he is devil, monopolistic etc. At the rate at which this guy is investing, he may become the richest man in the world someday.

From experience, it is mostly lazy and unsuccessful people that will have time to gossip about others. Go to our numerous villages, the poor rats are the ones that will call you kidnapper, 419 or drug dealer once they see you in a flashy car, without even knowing what you do and how long you have been working very hard. For their mind, you can never be successful unless you carry drugs or do illegal business. Ndi Ara...

Same thing Ghanaians do. They lazy about, or at most they sell recharge cards since they cannot think big. When they see any Nigerian driving flashy cars they will automatically label you 419 or drug dealer without even knowing who you are, just because you are a Nigerian.[/quote]You must like flashy cars so much.

mikeapollo: People would be begging for visa to a country that cannot provide unintterrupted power supply? You think eveybody is as primitive as Nigeria's condition?


Nothing meaningful will happen in this country untill we have constant power supply

My man! Don't just sit there waiting for an uninterrupted power supply, do something. Strategize.

Otherwise, you'll not meet up later.

Banks are run on generators.

Telecoms masts/towers are powered with generators.

Not ideal, but they are not waiting like you.

It may be too late.

My two cents.

sammhi: Sir soludo,
i dont agree with you . i have read the book and i cant sse your points.Definitely h.e has some impression of you written in the book, but i dont see him praisng himself alone . After reding the book, i saw that OBJ did well in his tenure contrary to popular opinion.
am an ordinary nigerian so i dont know both you and El rufai persoanlly.. but what i also deduced from his book was that OBJ has good reasons for a third term but did not market it well.
if there was one person , the book praised, it was OBJ. infact the book changed all my impression of the former president.
it also praised the ec onomic team and the EFCC . The book showed in details that nigerians are not ready for good governance but it also higlights the fact that a few good nigerians were in the OBJ government and was responsible for the twig of improved econnomy seen in OBJ years.
no doubt some of his points may not be acurate but are not a fraud

That's contradictory.

Inaccurate statements (points) are fraudulent.

They render the entire work useless.

People take their time to write books.

We can debate opinions, everyone is entitled to his or hers.

But facts are sacrosanct.

How could el-Rufai have missed the fact that Soludo was not appointed as CBN governor in 2005?

Why the rush to publish a book when your dates are not verified?

Gross inconsistencies there.

The same Obama said his daughters' views influenced his change of opinion on homosexual marriage.

Before that apparent admission of failure as a parent by Obama, it's doubtful if there has ever been any leader whose 14 and 11 year old change their opinion.

Why didn't he protest becoming a homosexual when his daughters were influencing him instead of endorsing homosexual marriage.

He is simply an example of a poor parent who stands for nothing.

Real parents teach their kids what they believe.

Kids form their own opinion when they are grown.

Obama is overrated.

Akshow: London is a second lagos to most Nigerians

Most Nigerians?

That's an outrageous statement.

van bonattel: These osun people dey make me laugh, how can anybody name an airport after Nigeria's grand patron of cowards? Next they will build a seaport in Oshogbo and name it after Diya

Are you saying MKO Abiola was a coward?

Please check your dictionary for the definition of coward.

boron10: MKO Abiola stadium, MKO Abiola road, MKO Abiola Polytechnic, MKO Abiola University and now MKO Abiola airport.

Seriously wondering what he contributed to development of this nation to warrant this recognition. Is he Nelson Mandela?

How old are you?

Please google MKO Abiola and get answers to your curiosity.

haryhorku: 2015: Pressure on Tambuwal to challenge Jonathan

https://punch.iwayafricanigeri.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Aminu-Tambuwal-big-360x270.jpg


Multiple sources told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that the region’s powerbrokers are rooting for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, to run for President.


Some leaders of the North, in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday, described Tambuwal as a credible alternative to Jonathan, stating that he would get their support, whether as the flag bearer of the PDP or APC. However, they stopped short of declaring the Speaker as the consensus presidential candidate of the region.

The Northern Elders’ Forum [/b]said although it had not decided on a consensus northern candidate for the presidency in 2015, Tambuwal’s “youthfulness and performance” as the Speaker made him an attractive option in the region’s bid to reclaim the presidency.

The spokesman for the forum, Dr. Paul Unongo, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said Tambuwal would get the support of many Nigerians, [b]especially northerners, should he emerge the presidential candidate of any political party.

He said, “I have a very deep respect for the Speaker. He is an amiable and courageous young man who, I believe, has served his country well. He is somebody that I know that will enjoy the support of a lot of Nigerians.

“The Northern Elders Forum will support a candidate from the North. But we have yet to zero in on anybody, whether Christian or Muslim. However, with what Tambuwal has done as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he looks quite attractive. If Tambuwal emerges as the candidate of any party he associates with, whether PDP or APC, we will be happy to discuss with him. And I’m sure he will enjoy the support of some of us.”

Another influential group in the North, the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, noted that supporting Tambuwal was not based only on the preferences of the people of the region.

The coordinator of the group, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, told one of our correspondents that Tambuwal had the potential to turn the fortunes of the country around.

He said, “It’s not a question of a northerner throwing a challenge to Jonathan, it’s a question of what is good for Nigeria. Looking at the prospects, Tambuwal is good for Nigeria. What he did during the election that made him the Speaker was a very positive development for democracy in the nation and also a sobering warning to all the parties to be more internally democratic.

“Goodluck Jonathan and the gangs around him pose a very serious threat to us in this country by their sheer incompetence and irresponsibility. Competence and integrity are clearly lacking in the government and the Presidency, which Jonathan leads. I’m sure Nigerians will be more than happy to have an opportunity to support Tambuwal.”

Mohammed further described Tambuwal as a credible alternative to Jonathan.

Similarly, the National President, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettimah, said Tambuwal could win the hearts of youths in the North but only if he was not sponsored by “northern politicians who contributed to the woes of the region.”

Shettimah said, “We saw Jonathan as a young man and we felt he came from a poor background like some of us. We felt that he was going to come up with our aspirations. At the end of the day, what happened? We want a young leader but not one that is being used by older politicians.”

The Arewa Consultative Forum, however, stated that it was too early to crown North’s consensus candidate, since all the northern aspirants had yet to declare their intention to run.

North, Arewa, Northerner,

Northern Elders... bla bla bla

These people have come again.

Regionalizing a National Office.

Trying to end this young man's career abruptly like they did to 'Northern Candidates' before him.

IBB, Atiku Abubakar and others were 'Northern Candidates' before him.

They have been reduced to mere regional (or clan) candidates now, courtesy of this same scary message of Northern this Arewa that.

Is there anything like lesson in their dictionary?

maclatunji: His track record is plain to see. He has demonstrated a high level of understanding of how democracy works and what separation of powers mean. If you are in doubt of his leadership credentials, go and read his speech when GEJ presented the 2013 budget to the National Assembly.

He is primarily responsible for the National Assembly not being the Executive's 'poodle' anymore. The Senate and David Mark have had to follow him in this regard to avoid total embarrassment. His actions during the fuel subsidy debacle induced by GEJ prove that he is a man of great courage and conviction.

Taharqa is being dubious as always. A legislator that Tambuwal is does not build infrastructure or make economic policy talkless of implementing it.

As Speaker, Tambuwal is excelling. Let me ask, what were GEJ's achievements as governor of Bayelsa that we can say inspired confidence in his leadership ability?

I repeat without hesitation, people should do research on Tambuwal, he has better leadership qualities than GEJ by a mile.

What is this Oh Man?

What is this you have written?

You used your own hands to type an affirmation of ABSOLUTE INEXPERIENCE of your BEST candidate?

How can someone's TOTAL INEXPERIENCE in economic policy issues (both formulation and implementation) pass for qualification for the job he's seeking (or that they are pushing him to seek)?

What is this?

What has he achieved to qualify him for the post of president?