The economic hardship faced by Nigerians heightened over the last couple of weeks, as the prices of some petroleum products, such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas; kerosene and Automotive gasoline Oil (AGO) also known as diesel, recorded significant increase, forcing Nigerians to spend a huge chunk of their earnings on the essential commodities. In spite of several complaints and cries, the Federal Government and its agencies in charge of the sector, had refused to provide any explanation for the rise in the prices of the commodity, especially in the face of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new foreign exchange policy which had helped narrow down the official and the parallel markets exchange rates. However, only kerosene and sometimes, diesel, are imported into the country, while LPG is produced locally and to a large extent, not traded in foreign currency. The price of diesel rose from about N130 per litre, a price it had been selling for about three years, to over N200 this week, while the price of cooking gas and kerosene, two important commodities used by almost every home in Nigeria, rose from about N2,500 for a 12.5 kilogramme cylinder and N83 per litre to N4,000 and N230 per litre respectively. The hike had jerked up the price paid by households and businesses on the commodities, taking a toll on their savings and income. While nothing had been said to be responsible for the increase in the prices of kerosene and diesel, the Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM) had accused the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company PPMC, a subsidiary of the NNPC and NAVGAS, a major LPG marketer, of conspiring to hike the price of LPG artificially. The marketers accused the PPMC of diverting LPG vessels belonging to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to NAVGAS terminal, instead of allowing it to discharge at PPMC jetty for all the marketers to receive supply. NALPGAM said, “Gas is supposed to be readily available in all the major terminals in Lagos but today, only one company has gas because some people have hijacked the NLNG domestic supply scheme. They increased the price from N2.4 million per 20 metric tonnes (MT) to N2.6 million. It was later increased to N3 million and N3.5 million.” To worsen the issue, Nigerians had been left at the mercy of marketers of these commodities who fix prices arbitrarily and without recourse to the economic situation in the country. Also, the major agency in charge of petroleum products pricing, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, had since May 2016, when the new price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, was announced, stopped updating the pricing template for kerosene, diesel and other petroleum products. Also various text messages and calls made to the spokesperson of the PPPRA, Mr. Lanre Oladele, over the hike in the prices of the commodities, were ignored. The NNPC also failed to respond to enquiries regarding the issue. The PPPRA had in January announced the hike in the prices of kerosene to N83 per litre, from N50 per litre, without giving any reasons for the hike. The hike came at a time when the prices of crude oil in the international market dropped to significant lows, with other countries cutting down the prices of the commodities. The rising price of major commodities in the country over the last couple of months have put Nigerians in dire straits, especially as nothing has been heard of discussions of increment in wages. Some people who spoke to Saturday Vanguard are worried over the hikes and the Federal Government’s seeming insensibility to the plight of Nigerians. Specifically, Mr. Kayode Oluwole, who said he bought cooking gas at N3,500 for a 12.5 kilogramme cylinder, from N3,000 previously, lamented the hike, saying it is negatively affecting his finances. Also, another aggrieved customer, who chose not to be named, called on the Federal Government to come out with reasonable explanations for the hike and take urgent steps to address the situation and call the marketers to order before its gets out of hand.
www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/fg-keeps-mum-lpg-kerosene-diesel-prices-soar/

Stocks: Hopes Fizzle over Buhari’s Leadership



When Muhammadu Buhari clinched victory in Nigeria’s presidential elections in March, stocks soared as investors looked to the former military ruler to reverse decades of economic mismanagement and policy inertia. Now hopes have fizzled in his ability to turn around Africa’s largest economy and oil producer. Money that flowed into stocks and bonds in the West African nation, which McKinsey & Co. says could become one of the world’s 20 biggest economies by 2030, is now fleeing as growth prospects diminish along with oil prices. While Buhari, 72, has prioritized stamping out the graft that has plagued Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960, policy-making appears as uncertain and haphazard as ever. “After the initial euphoria, people have become disillusioned,” Ayodele Salami, who oversees about $500 million of African equities as chief investment officer of London-based Duet Asset Management Ltd., said by phone. “He would probably say that he’s being deliberative and cautious.

But we expected more.” Duet’s Africa fund has cut its investments in the country to about 24 percent of the total from 38 percent in the last year. Buhari waited five months before naming his cabinet, hasn’t proposed a clear plan to revive growth and backed foreign-exchange controls aimed at defending the naira. His retention of gasoline subsidies, plans to raise spending in the face of declining revenue and silence about a $5.2 billion fine levied on mobile-phone operator MTN Group Ltd. have added to investor unease. Nigeria’s benchmark stock index has plunged 22 percent since reaching a year-high on April 2, the day after Buhari was declared the winner of the presidential race against incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. That’s the third-worst performance globally in the period, after the bourses in Ukraine and Egypt. The index advanced 12.5 percent in the two days after Jonathan conceded.

To be sure, Buhari inherited depleted government coffers and a bureaucracy that multiple probes have blamed for looting billions of dollars of oil revenue. The president has said he delayed appointing ministers because he needed time to vet suitable candidates. Garba Shehu, a spokesman for Buhari, didn’t immediately respond to written questions after requesting they be sent that way. The hiatus has compounded the pain caused by the slide in the price of crude, which accounts for two-thirds of government revenue and 90 percent of export earnings. Growth, which averaged 6.3 percent annually over the past decade, is set to slow to a 16-year low of 3.3 percent this year, according to the median estimate of 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Many filling stations ran dry this month as the government withheld fuel subsidies to suppliers, preventing them from restocking.

Lengthening lines forced Buhari to ask lawmakers for permission to pay 413 billion naira ($2 billion) in overdue payments, an amount that hadn’t been budgeted for. While next year’s budget has yet to be finalized, Buhari wants to raise spending by 56 percent, according to a person who attended a briefing on the government’s plans and asked not to be identified because the matter is private. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the government plans to spend its way out of a slowing economy and that an infrastructure fund will be created with public and private financing. The penalty imposed on MTN’s Nigeria unit last month for failing to register about 5 million subscribers may be an attempt to plug the hole in government finances, according to Cobus de Hart, an economist at NKC Independent Economists. “You cannot deny there might be a fiscal element to the massive fine,” he said by phone from Paarl, near Cape Town.

“It will make investors a little bit more wary of investing in Nigeria.” An even bigger concern for many investors is the authorities’ naira policy. The Central Bank of Nigeria, with Buhari’s backing, has burned through $4.3 billion of reserves this year and choked off supply of foreign exchange to banks and their customers to defend the naira, even as major oil exporters such as Russia and Colombia have let their currencies slide. The restrictions prompted JPMorgan Chase & Co. to remove Nigeria from its local-currency emerging-market bond indexes, tracked by more than $200 billion of funds, in September, triggering a selloff in the nations’ assets. While the naira has been all but fixed at about 198 to 199 per dollar since March, forward prices suggest it will drop by almost one-fifth, to 243.5, in a year.

“The number-one issue is the exchange rate,” Andrew Howell, a Citigroup Inc. frontier markets strategist, said from Lagos. ”Access to foreign exchange is becoming a widespread problem.” Nigerian Breweries Plc, the nation’s biggest brewer that’s controlled by Heineken NV, said it takes two weeks to obtain dollars to pay for its imports, twice as long as it required a few months ago. Nestle SA’s Nigerian unit has had to wait six weeks for dollars, according to Renaissance Capital Ltd. analysts. Buhari has won plaudits from leaders including President Barack Obama for his effortsto tackle graft. He replaced the management of the state oil company, which was accused of withholding billions of dollars from the government, and has stepped up the fight against an insurgency being waged by Islamist group Boko Haram.

“The degree of transparency we’re starting to get with the new administration is hugely positive,” Douglas Rowlings, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, said in an interview in Lagos. “It gives investors the perception that operating in Nigeria will now be done following proper procedures.” Jan Dehn, head of research at Ashmore Group Plc, which oversees almost $60 billion of emerging market assets, remains unconvinced that Buhari is up to the job. The fund manager sold all its Nigerian government debt in the past year. “So far the Buhari administration has done all the wrong things,” Dehn said by phone from London. “Not only has he been incredibly slow in taking any action, when he finally has taken action on the economic front it’s been diametrically opposed to sensible policy. That is a major disappointment given expectations prior to his election.”.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/stocks-hopes-fizzle-over-buhari-s-leadership/226552/

When news flashed that Nigeria's Information minister, Lai Mohammed was in a "friendly" meeting with bloggers and "social media influencers" (whatever that means), I immediately feared for the worst. I was a bit relieved to read that stifling or gagging the online press, voracious and crude as it may be, isn't on this administration's agenda. However, I was still at a loss as to the real essence of the meeting. Hear Lai :
“Let me assure you that the federal government does not intend to stifle free speech or abridge the rights of Nigerians to air their views freely.” The minister was further quoted as saying: “We are not about to regulate or stultify the social media. This explains why we are asking you to self-regulate. That is why we are encouraging you to rein in the impostors among you and show restraint when dealing with issues of national unity, issues of Nigeria’s sovereignty, as well as issues concerning the lives and well-being of Nigerians"

Three things are immediately clear. One. The government is scared of the social media. Secondly, The government is scared of the social media. Thirdly. The government is scared of the social media.

The meeting in itself is ironic. Very ironic. Lai Mohammed contradicted himself in the meeting. He started by first thanking the social media gurus for using the social media to devastating effect in giving the ousted PDP government absolutely no chance at the polls. Mr Mohammed went further by asking them not to abandon their keypads yet, as the government still needs all their support. In other word, Lai Mohammed was very appreciative of the role social media played in getting the APC on board. Then, he talked of self-regulation due to many dangers a free and uncontrolled social media poses for our national security. He asked for "impostors" to be reined in, and restraint in dealing with national issues.

There is a problem, honourable minister. First, you didn't explain what you meant by "impostors". Do you mean the people whose pastime is merely creating parody accounts swaying undiscerning populace, like we have Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida fully represented on twitter, despite the fact that both men have severally denied being on social media? Or are you talking about people who speak their mind, on their own space, on the accounts they created, and browsing with their own money and data? Or are you talking about people who go about spreading falsehood and demoralizing the country through wicked tales about our military and openly rejoice when Boko Haram strikes?

Then reining them in! Are you in effect ordering a class captain for the Internet, whose job would be to pull down any account that doesn't fit in to the official code of conduct of the APC-led government? Are you asking for the "influencers" to ban twitter accounts of "Impostors", or report them to the DSS?
There's more confusion - "self regulate"! LOL! Lai Mohammed wants social media to regulate it's activities! It goes this way. Probably. There'll be an association of social media voltrons or overlords, with a president and a senate, where decisions would be taken on what can, and can't be posted online. Now, if Lai Mohammed's statement doesn't amuse you and your tummy, nothing would.

Continuing in his strange sermonization, Lai Mohammed enthused: ”What I am saying in essence is that you must self-regulate in order not to self-destruct. Self-regulation allows you to weed out the charlatans among you in order to maintain your credibility and ensure your survival. Lose credibility and lose it all. That is the stark reality. If you must survive and grow, you must not compromise your credibility.”
He added that "hate debate is adding fuel to some low-intensity fires and, if left unchecked, could conflagrate and consume all of us. Remember, you need a peaceful country before you can even dream of greatness. You need a united, strong and virile country to provide the necessary environment for your dreams to come true." Continuing, he said ”A marriage between Nigerians of different tribes that should be hailed for solidifying our unity as a people has become one of the reasons to vent incredible hatred and openly predict catastrophe for our nation on the Social Media. The New Media is a powerful platform that has democratized access to information and strengthened citizen journalism. But it is also a double-edged sword that must be wielded with caution.”

Lai Mohammed actually said the truth. But he said it without shame. It's a classic case of the thief, who not apprehended quickly enough, has turned to the accuser. Lai Mohammed preached the right sermon, but preached it too late.
Many claimed Goodluck Jonathan was a weak president. If you observed the fiefdom on social media during GEJ's years, you'll agree. Lai Mohammed's party, and individuals sympathetic to it, turned the social media to a vehicle of hate, terror and intimidation. They used innuendos, sensationalism, outright falsehood and stark abuse to harrass the government and individuals that supported them. Now, that's not to support the PDP government. They had a lot of failings. And we're rightly voted out. But the social media was used to shape opinion massively against the government of the day.

In January 2012, twitter was used to oppose the brilliant but poorly executed fuel subsidy removal strategy. A movement that typically shows how people can be easily swayed by social media. Boko Haram attacks were celebrated by APC twitter handles. "#GEJOut" trended almost simultaneously with every blast. The unfortunate loss of the Chibok girls was used. #Bring BackOurGirls simply transliterated to mean Kick Out Jonathan. Strangely, many twitter handles with BBOG as user names simply changed once Jonathan lost. The urge to get the girls back is gone. Or, it was never there in the first place. Every seeming failure of government was amplified to highlight why the PDP must be voted out. Hate speeches was normal. The president was called a pig. His wife, a "she-hippopotamus", "clueless", "idiocy", "dumbo" were quite milder terms. You'll had thought Jonathan achieved absolutely nothing.

At the height of the social media onslaught against Goodluck Jonathan, Lai Mohammed should have preached this sermon. He rather cheered them on. His many press releases contained several clichés cropped from the reigning anti-GEJ slogan. He severally called Jonathan names too. They, including the now born-again Lai Mohammed, sowed the wind. It is ironic they are afraid of the whirlwind.

Meanwhile, if Buhari's government had merely fulfilled campaign promises, and positively changed the country as they screamed pre elections, the perceived ill-talk against them would have been dismissed as mere malice. But every anger directed at APC today is not misplaced. The subsidy has been mismanaged. Chronic fuel scarcities have returned. And no end is in sight. From never believing in subsidy, Buhari has now paid close to six hundred billion naira as subsidy in six months! Yet, queues wont go away. Power supply, initially thought to have "self-constructed" at the instance of a certain body language, have returned to normal epilepsy. The so-called "Fear of Buahri" is non-existent, except in the minds of apologists. Thieves are still thieving, crooks are still cooking, corruption is still in bloom. Or how can Timipre Sylva be put forth as a gubernatorial candidate, and you claim anyone fears Buhari?

And, they are too arrogant to swallow the humble pie by scrapping the unfortunate and wasteful subsidy. The economy is crashing. Corruption is still in town. And, guess what, Buhari's body language is nothing more than mere dance steps. It took six months to select ministers and never have we seen such six months of lack of direction.

Lai Mohammed should rather face his job. He should be worried that a mere six months into their tenure, goodwill is fading like wax in fire. Even a promise as simple as declaration of assets was so bungled by them. Shame. Yet, Nigerians are yet to unleash anger on social media. Infact, he hasn't seen anything. At least, no one is "Lai-ing" against them yet. I can assure Mr Mohammed, that if this strange pace of fulfilling promises is maintained by his government, not only would they be attacked on social media, even men and women who don't even know whether twitter is a type of food or brand of insecticide, would openly give them ten times what they gave Jonathan - anger!

And, on a final note, Mr Information minister. The press CANT be regulated. Much less the social media; where every man is his own CEO. And I'm surprised you're not aware of this.

Lie. The pic on the right is a convoy of coffins that contained the dead bodies of victims of the plane crash in France. And that is Holland .not Kenya

Constitution says there shall be 12 Commissioners and a National Chairman
By Jide Ajani
 President Muhammadu   Buhari should not allow Nigerians to go away with the impression that he does not seem to have respect for the Constitution in the area of the structure of Nigeria’s election management body.   The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did not envisage a situation where a President will choose to engage a partial, piecemeal constitution of a board as sensitive as that of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.   Nor are Nigerians finding it funny that the self-same INEC that saw to the emergence of Buhari, by adhering to global best practices in election management issues, would be treated with such levity.   This analysis would show why the President must abort this voyage.
That President Muhammadu Buhari, last month, nominated more members into the board of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, came as salutary. But the nominations came far short of the constitutional requirement of a full board for the election management body.
A month prior to the appointment of six national electoral officers for the Commission, the government of Buhari came under several criticisms for not only attempting to undermine the independence of the electoral management body, but also for its negligence of the enabling legal frameworks which also constitutes another suspected attempt to undermine the functionality of INEC.
But rather than correct these omissions, the government made piecemeal appointments to the Commission to barely meet the legal requirements to conduct elections.   That is not the spirit of the Constitution.
This perpetuation of a less that holistic constitution of the INEC board with less than the required appointees necessary to meet the functions of the Commission questions the extent or depth of understanding of the President on the origins and utility of an election management body.

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulating the National Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakoob during the swear-in ceremony of the INEC Chairman and five National Commissioners at the Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 09/11/2015
Clearly, the vision of Buhari regarding election management and its importance as a pillar of democratic societies appears to be falling short of internationally recognised benchmarks.
In 1973, there were less than 46 free democracies out of the 152 countries in the world; and, by 1990, more than 120 countries had become electoral democracies. Many countries that have become more developed have had their democracies sustained principally by adherence and respect for the enabling legal frameworks which guide their electoral processes.
The electoral legal framework, comprising the Constitution, Electoral Act, judicial electoral decisions and the by-laws and guidelines   generated by election management bodies, is the DNA that sustains the practice and goals of democratic development.
Deviation from the framework is often an early sign that a country is drifting away from democratic standards.
It is thus a frightening realisation that the Buhari government had to be reminded, nay even threatened by court litigation, before it conformed to the basic structural requirement regarding the constitution of the INEC board, and it lived up to its obligation of constituting the minimum number of appointees required to conduct an election.
The Constitution, in stating that the board of national bodies be constituted in Section 153, did not   direct that half, one third or any fraction of a board should be constituted.
Recent queries in government quarters regarding this anomaly had been responded to by the explanation that the government is hoping to stagger the appointments to boards such as INEC in order not to erode the legality in the functions of the board when the tenures end in one single group.
This is a weak excuse for government not being proactive in meeting its obligations of constituting boards as and when due.
The tenure of any board should be public knowledge and constituting such boards in time should be the proactive function of a responsible government.
Many observers of the Buhari government, unable to discern policy direction from its taciturn disposition on policies, have resorted to reading its perceived body language – perhaps wrongly.
If the body language of the government regarding election management is anything to go by, it may be concluded, rightly or wrongly, that election quality and election integrity are not priorities of the government, whereas these were the main reasons  the President was able to gain political power after over a decade of political competition.
It is indeed a shocking embarrassment to discover that a President who, benefited from good governance and best global practices in election management, needed the legal advocacy of the civil society and, even more specifically, Sunday Vanguard, to be reminded that a subsisting court order requires that INEC needed a board to conduct elections.
Worse still, now, and despite that reminder, Mr. President has only made halfhearted attempt to constitute the board – he has appointed only half the constitutionally required board.
A government, which is not proactive in ensuring that the structures of election management conforms with the enabling legal framework by properly constituting the structures of electoral governance, is subconsciously sending a wrong signal that it may not be trusted to observe the principle underpinning free and fair elections. Buhari does not need this baggage.
Nigerians should not be made to begin to doubt the sincerity and honesty of the President in the area of free elections.
The board of INEC is 12 commissioners and a National Chairman – the latter is expected to break any deadlock in the event of a stalemate in decision-making.
And because Sunday Vanguard published a High Court judgment which says the quorum of INEC cannot be less that five, does not in any way confer on Mr. President the magna charter to constitute a board with just six members instead of 13 – this sends a wrong signal.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/inec-board-of-six-buhari-and-the-wrong-signal/

Each of the 37 ministers sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday will receive current remuneration packages approved by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.





The current remuneration of public office holders is guided by the Remuneration Act of 2007.
RMAFC had in June set in motion the process for the downward review of the existing salaries and allowances of political, public and judicial office holders when it inaugurated a committee chaired by Chairman of Remuneration Committee, Mr. Abdullahi Inde.

A review became imperative following dwindling government revenues occasioned by falling prices in the international oil market.

New packages prepared by a committee headed by Inde, had been ratified at a retreat held for commissioners of the agency, which was concluded recently in Owerri.

The recommendations of the committee concentrated on the allowances of political and judicial office holders as the salary packages will not depart significantly from the status quo.

However, after the preparation of the new packages by RMAFC, it still has to be presented to the Federal Executive Council which has the responsibility to present it to the National Assembly as a bill for enactment as an Act of Parliament.

Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. Elias Mbam, told our correspondent on Saturday that the new packages would soon be made public. He said the work was “going through a process of editing.”

Presidency sources told our correspondent that the new ministers would be paid in accordance with the existing statute because the reviewed package was not ready.

According to the current package, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed and other senior ministers will get N4,052,800 as housing allowance. The annual housing allowance is 200 per cent of a minister’s annual remuneration.

Each of the ministers is also entitled to N6, 079,200 as furniture allowance. The furniture allowance is 300 per cent of a minister’s annual salary. Unlike the housing allowance, however, the furniture allowance is paid once in four years. This means the furniture allowance per annum is N1,519,800.

Should any of the ministers desire, they are also entitled to N8,105,600 as motor vehicle allowance. The motor vehicle allowance is, however, a loan repayable by the end of the tenure of the minister.

The annual basic salary of a substantive minister is N2,026,400. On monthly basis, this amounts to N168,866:66.

Apart from the monthly basic salary, there are other perks that each minister will receive at the end of each month. These include motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N1, 519,800 (annual value) with a monthly value of N126,650. The vehicle maintenance allowance is 75 per cent of the annual basic salary.

The personal assistant allowance of N506,600 per annum is also payable. This has a monthly value of N42,216.66. This allowance is calculated as 25 per cent of the basic salary.

Each of the senior ministers is entitled to a payment of N1,519,800 for domestic staff. This is 75 per cent of the annual basic salary and on monthly basis amounts to N126, 650.

For entertainment, each of the ministers is entitled to N911,880 annually or N75,990 per month. This is 45 per cent of the annual basic salary.

For utilities, each of the ministers is entitled to 30 per cent of their annual salary which translates to N607,920 per annum or N50,660 a month.

For monitoring, each of the ministers is entitled to 20 per cent of their annual basic salary. This translates to N405,280 per annum or N33,773.33 per month.

For newspapers/periodicals, each of the senior ministers will get 15 per cent of the annual basic salary. This translates to N303,960 per annum or N25,330 per month.

Allowances for their security personnel, medicals and special assistants are also provided. The tour duty allowance is N35,000 per night; the estacode is $900 per night and the leave allowance is 10 per cent of their annual salary or N202,640.

The summation of these annual allowances is N13,374, 240 for each minister excluding the optional vehicle allowance. Yearly, the Federal Government is expected to pay the 24 senior ministers no less than N320,981,760.

Each of the ministers of state, on the other hand, is entitled to N3, 915,160 as housing allowance and N5,872,740 as furniture allowance. Should any of the ministers desire, they are also entitled to N7, 830,320 as motor vehicle allowance, which is a loan repayable by the end of the tenure of the minister.

The annual basic salary of a substantive minister of state is N2,026,400. On monthly basis, this amounts to N168,866:66.

Like their senior counterparts, the state ministers are also entitled to other perks. These include motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N1, 468,185 (annual value) with a monthly value of N122,348.

The personal assistant allowance of N489,395 per annum is also payable. This has a monthly value of N40,782.91. This allowance is 25 per cent of the basic salary.

Each of the state ministers is entitled to a payment of N1,468,185 for domestic staff. This is 75 per cent of the annual basic salary and on monthly basis amounts to N122,348.75.

For entertainment, each of the state ministers is entitled to N880,911 annually or N73,409.25 per month. This is 45 per cent of the annual basic salary.

For utilities, each of the ministers is entitled to 30 per cent of their annual salary which translates to N587,274 per annum or N48, 939.50 a month.

For newspapers/periodicals, each of the state ministers will get 15 per cent of the annual basic salary. This translates to N293,637 per annum or N24, 469.75 per month.

Like their senior counterparts, the security personnel, medicals and special assistants are also provided for the state ministers. The tour duty allowance is N30,000 per night; the estacode is $900 per night and the leave allowance is 10 per cent of their annual salary or N195,758.

The summation of these annual allowances for the junior ministers is N12,597,332 for each minister

http://punchng.com/fashola-amaechi-others-to-earn-n485m-yearly/

Porridge, Birthrights and Nigerian Youths



My generation has obviously been bewitched. I'm sure of that because everyday, I keep seeing reasons to believe it. It's a huge shame that despite the fact that no generation of Nigerians has ever been more exposed to opportunities for self and leadership development, no generation is as unprepared for leadership as this generation of youths in Nigeria.

We all claim Nigeria is not well governed. Yes, it's true. But replace leaders at all levels and in every sector with our present set of Under-30s, and watch the society collapse like the Berlin Wall. Strange and sad. Vocal, but without principles; vain, loud-mouthed, arrogant, like empty vessels: high sounding, but often emitting little sense. My generation is consumed more by English football and music than any serious composure can cause a positive change. My generation is so feeble, highly impressionable, hardly thinks for itself, moves quickly with a bandwagon, finds what's trending, and thoughtlessly joins the chariot, is easily used, and hardly sits down for any serious reasoning.

My generation is given to idol worship. Rather than seize the future and make what it wants out of it, we rather look for old men we can attach ourselves to like parasites, and like glorified praise singers- that's actually what we are-, sing the praise of our idols to the high heavens, even dream of them, and sheepishly derive (as much as) orgasmic pleasure in seeing them ride over our heads, and that of our parents, into their own fiefdom.

Our generation is the ideal "playstation" generation. While the real men are out on the field of play, with real spectators and REAL money, a person can sit behind a computer, and play a simulated version of a football game, nay, even an entire tournament. Somehow, he feels fulfilled and often transports himself into the frenzied world of glory and achievement. He sits behind a laptop, maybe hungry, as he goes on the journey of illusion. When he returns from probably winning the "champions league" or maybe even the "world cup", he has no prize money to show for it. Only wasted time. But thoroughly enjoyed wasted time. The enjoyment prevents any serious reasonings and soul searching.

I see the elders, who have seen the unfortunate pursuit of vanity our generation has chosen to pursue, as the REAL football players. They attract REAL fans, and make the REAL money. They haven't left our youths empty handed though. They have offered them "playstation". Where they can enjoy glory in their world of illusion.

At newspaper stands, daily, they are out early. More often out of job, they passionately debate people. Whereas it has been said that "great men discuss ideas, average men discuss events, while ordinary men discuss personalities"; our youths are not just ordinary. They are ordinary of ordinary. Every day at newspaper stands, they form two parallel lines where they pitch their tents with favourite politicians. Like football fans (the word is unfortunately cropped from the word "fanatic", they blindly attack opponents and support their men, regardless of how well or poorly the men have done. These old men our youths are ready to die for, are often those who have been their since eternity, and are only going to be separated from our national cake by death. Take a certain Abubakar Audu for example. He was governor of Kogi state in 1991 and 1999; contested in 2003, 2007, 2011, and would contest later this year. And his case is even mild. A certain Audu Ogbe, recently confirmed a minister had been in government since the 70s. Before most of our generation of youths were born.

But rewind to 1960. We had Major Generals below 30 years of age. Yakubu Gowon was a General before he was 30, was head of State at 32, and ruled for nine years. In the meantime, he executed a war that kept Nigeria together, and instituted the NYSC. At 32! A typical 32 year old "boy" today is all about twitter, Facebook, Arsenal, and music download. He hardly even leads himself aright. Hell no! He won't lead a nation. The generation of men that fought for, and got independence for Nigeria were in their 30s. President Buhari WAS a military governor, and a minister of petroleum in his 30s. And we know these men did well. How many thirty year Olds can handle such today? Where did our generation miss it?

First, it's in the value system. Maybe because we were born during the worst spell of Nigeria's existence (Babangida-Abacha era), we grew up pursuing the wrong values. Blinded by greed, the love of money beclouded our sense of reasoning. We were not configured to serve humanity, but merely survive. And whatever would fetch money, as long as it won't fetch us jail time, is OK. So people study programmes at Universities, not for what they intend to do with it, but how much they hope to make out of it. People are dumping their certificates for whatever is the latest money spinning thing, from comedy, to (often meaningless) music, from sports to licking politicians' boots. Whereas the only way to becoming leaders is by serving.

We have a great problem with values. Someone told me of the lucrative value of blogs. And told me of how a certain Linda Ikeji was able to make hundreds of millions from blogging. I quickly reminded her that there are countless blogs online already. But that the problem was WHAT Linda was blogging- gossips. So, because someone made billions from gossip doesn't make gossip right. Guess what? I was called a hater. Whatever.

What happened to smart invention. What happened to literature. Who is developing softwares that can cure the endemic traffic crisis in Lagos, or is developing a system that would solve the problem of flooding? Who is thinking of making education really accessible to northerners, and who has developed a better idea to the current unsustainable and no-brainer NYSC scheme? Who is looking for ways to impact the society beyond what money can offer them? Rather, they are listening to dirty lyrics from Olamide and Wizkid (whose picture I recently saw openly smoking WEED), searching for their names on coke bottles (really?), and joining in every debate about how Jonathan and not Buhari should have won, and vice versa.


When the greedy old generation (which plundered Nigeria and won't apologize for doing so) saw the vanity in the minds of the youths, they saw them as nothing but tools to be used as long as money is involved. What's more, since idolatry is our favourite pastime, they only need to elevate a few of us, before we start worshipping them too. We idolize them, and become zombies. We do what they want us to do. And we hardly sit down to think, "Where am I heading with this?"

We need to snatch back our future from two sets of persons. First; from ourselves. As young men we must deliver ourselves from vanity. There's nothing wrong watching a football game to relax. But for crying out loud, all the passion and energy we expend on supporting Arsenal and Chelsea can be better utilized in searching for answers to myriads of problems bedeviling us. We don't want to die as the generation that sold their birthright, which is leadership and dominion, for mere porridge, mere cash that has little value. Then we have to take back our future from our fathers (and grandfathers!). We need to say ENOUGH! We need to take back our future, or walk back into it. But in any case, we form the highest bloc of people by population. We can decide to take chart our own future, and lead ourselves there.

My major challenge is that the old, wasteful generation is dying out (some of them would have to practically fall down dead in their posts), but my generation is unfortunately unprepared for leadership. Visit our twittersphere, where they hold sway. Often an intellectual discourse degenerates into an exchange of fiery and bitter insults that makes you wonder whether it's a boxing match they are preparing for. Motivated by whatever idol he worships, a youth online would go into any length to defend his territory. And that example of playstation and a real football field is apt on twitter. There, there are imaginary presidents, governors and ministers, who by the number of their followers, rule. Unfortunately, except we radically change our values system, the only place our generation will lead and rule from would be their smart phones.

Olufemi Oluwaseye is @olufemisp

Laolu Akande, SSA on Media at the presidency (VP's office) tweeted this as President Buhari left for New York yesterday

Laolu Akande had courted some controversies since his appointment including having to deny issuing a statement about alleged rift between his boss, VP Osinbajo and Kaduna governor Nasi el-Rufai

Checks on his tweeter feed suggest he had deleted the tweet. But not before the screenshot was saved

What's your take on this

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has declared war against PUNCH newspapers for reporting the views of opposition parties on the happenings in state.

The governor, in a video clip, watched by our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday, made the public declaration of war against PUNCH and Tribune newspapers on September 8 during the commencement of distribution of plastic chairs and desks to schools in the state.

The ceremony was held at the premises of Adenle Middle School, Osogbo, the state capital.

Making reference to media reports of several months of unpaid salaries in the state, the governor said PUNCH and other newspapers supported his adversaries to lie against his government.

He said, “They didn’t spare us on any platform. Even today, they lied against us and some shameless organs of mass communication supported them.

“Say shame on them, shame! All of them and those who are supporting them. Some newspapers knew they were lying, yet they supported them. PUNCH, PUNCH reported last week Thursday that they had just released the money. The same PUNCH published today that we have kept the money for two months. Shame on all of them, shame!

“Newspapers are meant to educate the people, they are not meant to incite the public against the government. Shame on PUNCH, shame on Tribune. I say it openly; let them challenge me.

“PUNCH newspaper, Tribune newspapers have declared war on our state and we shall not spare them, we shall not spare them, it’s war!

“You can’t be attacking us and expect us to be quiet; we shall fight back. The time has come for us to fight back; we will fight back.”

There has been a persistent attack against PUNCH by some former aides of Aregbesola and their supporters on the social media.

One Adeyokunnu Taiwo wrote in her comment on the attack on the newspaper by a former state Commissioner for Special Duties, Bashiru Ajibola, on the latter’s Facebook wall, “PUNCH should be visited by the ‘State Boys’.”

Based on verbal attacks and other forms of threats by the governors supporters against the PUNCH correspondent in Osun State, the corespondent had written a petition to the Commissioner of Police, asking the police to investigate the threats and to stop Aregbesola from further inciting his supporters against the media organisation.

The same petition was also forwarded to the State Director, Department of State Services, asking the DSS to probe the threats.

The petition read in part, “I wish to inform you of the threats to my life from supporters of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and those of his political party, the All Progressives Congress in Osun State.

“A female supporters of the APC, Adeyokunnu Taiwo, who commented on a disparaging comment made against PUNCH by a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Bashiru Ajibola, on Facebook, said, “PUNCH should be visited by State Boys.

“I know for sure that the police in Osun State are aware of the existence of State Boys and what they are capable of doing. I have started noticing some strange faces around my office and I feel I have to report the threats they pose to me to the appropriate quarters for investigations.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/aregbesola-declares-war-on-punch-reporter-petitions-dss-cp/

Can't find a better definition of CONFUSION. This government.

Notwithstanding the success of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the United States of America last month, the US government was said to have informed him that it would not start to address the requests brought by the Nigerian government until Buhari sets up his cabinet, THISDAY has learnt.


Buhari had gone to the US with a number of requests including seeking assistance from America in Nigeria's war against Boko Haram, support in the reconstruction of the North-east, support in the war against corruption, assistance in tracking down Nigeria’s stolen funds by past corrupt government officials, and increased trade and investment between Nigeria and the US.


But he US government made it clear that while it was willing to help Nigeria address some of its challenges, its officials advised Buhari during his three-day visit to the country to set up his cabinet and put in place a crack team that could help address the multi-faceted problems of the country.


THISDAY learnt that the issue was raised during some of the meetings the US government officials held with Buhari and his team, when the US, led by its president, Barak Obama, said it had expected Buhari to come to Washington with crucial members of his cabinet in order to hold fruitful and productive deliberations.


According to a source at the meetings, the US officials were somewhat disappointed with the president’s team during the visit, which comprised mainly civil servants, adding that the US reckoned that the civil servants would not be able to address any of the country’s requests or provide policy direction until Buhari sets up a team that would help him realise his plans for the country.


Although the source maintained that Buhari’s US visit was “highly successful”, given the renewed relations between the two countries, he stated that Nigeria should not expect much from the US until Buhari’s cabinet emerges, adding that the US was quite emphatic on Buhari’s team before lending support to Nigeria.


He revealed that the position of the US was reiterated during Buhari’s meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Buhari has defended the delay in appointing a cabinet, stating that it would neither be prudent nor serve the interest of Nigeria for him to have formed his cabinet soon after his inauguration.
He argued that it was necessary for the country to first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place before making critical appointments in his government.


He restated his position in a Washington Post Op-ed article during his US visit, adding that a cabinet would not be in place till September.
In the meantime, as part of efforts to reduce corruption in the civil service, Buhari has ordered that all audit queries must be answered within 24 hours.


The president also directed the Auditor-General of the Federation to ensure that all outstanding audit queries are resolved within 30 days.
Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who confirmed the development, said the order was a fallout of the president’s displeasure on hearing that audit queries remained unanswered for long periods, sometimes running into years, under previous administrations.


Shehu said Buhari was irrevocably committed to tackling administrative and bureaucratic corruption head on.
“The era of impunity is gone. The president is taking the war against corruption to the civil service. He is not happy that standard operating procedures and financial regulations are no longer being observed as they should.


“President Buhari will ensure that public officials and civil servants in the service of the federal government pay a heavy price from now on for violating financial regulations or disregarding audit queries,” Shehu said.


He added that the president was determined to bring to an end the present situation in which, rather than respond to legitimate audit queries, violators of financial regulations in the federal government resort to threats, bribe or mount other forms of social pressure on auditors.


“On his watch, Buhari wants to see firm action against those who violate extant financial regulations, not the prevarications and shenanigans that went on in the past in the form of endless probes and public inquiries,” the presidential spokesman said.http:

//www.thisdaylive.com/articles/united-states-assistance-to-nigeria-delayed-by-absence-of-ministers/216397/

Tags: Featuered, News, Nigeria, United States Assistance

BUHARI AND THE SHORTCHANGING OF CHANGE

Olufemi Oluwaseye

There's the popular fable of a CEO who was fired for poor performance. In his handover notes to his successor, he advised him to check for three envelopes in his desk. In the envelopes were written time-tested solutions to whatever problem he would face in office. As expected, after few months, he encountered his first crisis. It was so turbulent he was going to be consumed. Then he remembered his predecessor's notes. Quickly, he dashed for the desk drawer, and reached out for the first envelope. He opened it, and found written there: "Blame your predecessor". It looked simple enough, but he tried it anyway. It worked!. He was left off the hook. Problem solved. Free as a bird, he went on with his job. Again, after few months, he encountered another crisis. As he was about to be consumed, he dashed for the desk. Picking the second envelope, he found written there: "Blame the system". Again, he did, and he was left off the hook. Life couldn't get any easier, he thought. Then he ran into a third crisis afterwards. When the call for his head got too loud, he dashed for the drawer. With excitement he flipped it open for his salvation pill. And boldly written on a note in the envelope was "PREPARE THREE ENVELOPES!"

The moral of the story is clear. An administration that thrives on excuses can never succeed.

One of the basic principles of leadership is to own and take responsibility. It's not unusual for leaders in this part of the world to blame every other person but themselves for their own failure. In advanced democracies, leaders even take responsibilities for natural disasters. And they resign often, for "failing to do enough to prevent or cushioning effects". We are used to unreasonable excuses by our leaders. But we didn't expect excuses from Mr Buhari. And, not so soon!

Maybe because of his age, or his toga of integrity and forthrightness, Buhari's campaign brought a lot of huge expectations, many of which were obviously high. But there was something about him. Nigerians expected change, and that, very fast. In Buhari, they saw a no-nonsense man who would change the status quo at once, whose body language would restore total sanity in the polity, and who would more appropriately, be, the breath of fresh air. In close to four weeks of his presidency, Buhari, meanwhile, has neither been putrid, nor fresh air. It's just been still air. Air, that is motionless and unable to inspire even a feather to lift itself.

Going by the funfair with which Buhari's APC ran its campaign and clinched the grand price of the presidency, minds must have fathomed what Nigeria would look like after 25 days of their ascendancy. I doubt any optimist would have though it would have been like this. Or that, so soon, Buhari would be singing a new song.

Buhari hasn't inspired any change yet. If anything at all, by his utterances and body language, he has consistently inspired doubts, and fears about his capabilities. In twenty five days, Buhari has succeeded in changing our mindset about him, to the point that we now wonder whether the job was forced on him, or, he was forced on the job. To make matters worse, the brilliant media team that ran an awe-inspiring campaign seem to have exchanged sense for nonsense as they now sound like a ramshackle guitar: incoherent, poor, directionless. Gaffe after gaffe, they watch as their principal's spotless image is plunged into ridicule time and again. In effect, the Buhari we voted for, has CHANGED.

Buhari for example hasn't made his assets public. It was one of the first things he promised to do. His media aide struggled to put words together to offer explanations for that. Eventually, they claimed he would soon publish it. We are still waiting. His early visits to Chad and Niger, months after he called our partnership with those neighbours in the bid to defeat Boko Haram, "a shame", showed that he may be very quick to say something, and do another. And despite campaigning hugely on the mantra of defeating Boko Haram, the group has, in the last couple of weeks struck at will, albeit at soft targets. Yet, they've been able to also spread their tentacles to Chad and Niger, where they have dealt deadly blows. Moving the command centre of the military to Maiduguri is good, but more is expected.

One thing however, that Buhari has done lavishly since assuming power, is giving excuses. Perhaps, realizing soon enough that Nigerians were likely to hold him to account of all the sweet promises he made while campaigning, he has promptly attempted to lower the expectations. In a coordinated and well calculated attempt to achieve that, he has repeatedly made it clear he won't be able to meet our expectations. If his media team advised him to make those statements, they deserve to mark some time behind bars, because it's close to treason! If Buhari himself made those statements, then it only shows he wasn't really ready for the job.

In South Africa, meeting with Nigerians, he lamented that he laid his hands on the presidency too late. At 72, he claimed, he can only be limited by (old) age. I'm not sure his audience must have been that bewildered by those comments. Probably because they were actually more than excited to meet him. But on a second thought, I believe they must have been actually bemused. Because the stories they heard about Buhari was one of a superman, an anti-corruption workaholic who was all the solution to Nigeria's problems rolled into one. Hearing such lamentable and depressing words from the man they expected so much from must have hit them hard.

It's quite strange because Buhari's age had always been a factor. The PDP tried to score cheap points through it, but it was firmly rebuffed by Buhari himself. If anything, he should have done everything to show that his age wouldn't slow him down. But, maybe he was overwhelmed by loads of expectations and felt he could draw sympathy by playing the age card. Well, it didn't fly. His adviser on media, in series of disjointed tweets, tried explaining it away in the famous "old wine tastes better" mantra. But quietly, Buhari did well to douse our expectations. Subconsciously, we are forced to demand less from him. Subconsciously, we even expect much less from him. At 72, he mustn't be pushed too hard.

Then on his very first day in OFFICE, twenty three three days after being sworn in, he met with State House press Corp, where he appealed for more understanding. He informed them, in case they were unaware, that Goodluck Jonathan left absolutely nothing in the treasury. He reminded them that workers nationwide hadn't been paid, and that the country has practically collapsed and is on life support. He smartly shifted the blame on his media adviser on how his image would be perceived publicly regardless of how his performance is, and pleaded with them not to expect anything in his first hundred days, as he would by then, still be struggling with rescucitating the nation, that's if it's not dead by then. He regarded the 100 days stewardship accountability exercise as too much "pressure".

It's sad Buhari has felt this much pressure in just three weeks. It's more worrisome because Buhari actually hasn't even been put on the spotlight yet. No one is yet calling for his head after Boko Haram attacks. Rumours haven't started flying about his private life. He isn't on any hot seat yet. We haven't started scrutinizing his campaign promises one by one, because it's not yet time for that. And he doesn't need to remind us he met a dysfunctional economy. Why the h**l did we employ him in the first place? His honeymoon hasn't been fantastic, but in principle, it is not over yet.

In appealing for more understanding, meanwhile, he erred. He claimed federal and state government workers are owed salaries! Truth is no federal government employee is being owed. The last administration paid all workers salaries before it exited. And it's not that bad in all the states. The states that can't pay, are also fully responsible due to extreme mismanagement and failed policies. It's ironic that APC and Buhari ran their campaign on a template that ran, or is running most of its states, aground. The nonsensical policies in Osun were trumpeted throughout the presidential campaign: free school meals, free job seeker's allowance, free education, free this, free that! Osun is almost dead now for their governor's folly. Is that what we should expect from Buhari's government too? Or, is Buhari, like a seer, is only fore telling what we should expect, for which he is seriously appealing that we stop our wishful fantasies about a great Nigeria under him?

In his first three weeks, Buhari has shown that he knows little about leadership and responsibility. He has shown he lacks ability to lead mass inspiration and popular belief. Leaders, even in times of difficulties, by their utterances and actions, cause people to hope. Leaders through their words, help their people snatch victory even from the jaws of defeat. Buhari, on March 28 met a nation in hope, bright hope in him. But Buhari is collecting the hope from them, and giving them doubts.

If he continues this way, and he refuses to show interest, as typified in his naive aloofness as his party tore itself apart during NASS elections, or his unbelievable sluggishness in giving his administration any direction or policy in terms of appointments or interventions; then President Buhari would ultimately kill our enthusiasm, and reduce his government to another train which we are merely waiting patiently for, to reach its destination, before we hope to board a better one. Till then, except he jerks to life, he will remain an anticlimax, an underwhelming man, who collectively deceived us with sweet words, got what he wanted, and shortchanged us thereafter, blaming his age, and everyone else, for the fraud that took place.

OSUN SPECTACULARY BACKFIRES UNDER AREGBESOLA


Rauf Aregbesola, the loquacious governor of Osun state thrives on propaganda. His electoral victory at the court of appeal in November 2010, three and a half full years after contesting against incumbent and lacklustre Olagunsoye Oyinlola in itself was an awesome feat. He rode on the wings of the awesome popularity his fortune bestowed on him and held Osun residents spell-bound for his first months - nay, years, in charge. His theatricals and rhetoric were first-class. Here was a man who was so down to earth, that he communicated in local slangs, often broke into uncontrollable fits of ecstatic singing and dancing, that not only entertained crowds, but really often drove them into frenzies. "Aregbe", as he was affectionately called, was a peoples' governor, a breath of fresh air, and a welcome departure from the incurably dull and sombre government of Oyinlola.
Many people believe Aregbesola did not really out rightly win the 2007 election which mandate he retrieved more than three years later in dramatic fashion, but would care less for two reasons. One, his challenger had already spent over seven years in power, with very little to show for it. Secondly, change looked tantalizing. So, having very little troubles about legitimacy, Aregbesola unleashed his populist agenda. Which was to be his undoing.
Aregbesola was either extremely naive, or fraudulent. I think he was, and still is, both. He used his extreme popularity to impose his style of governance, with almost no restrictions. He was still hugely popular, remember. So popular, that Nuhu Ribadu, his party's candidate for president in the elections few months after he was sworn in, won in Osun, and in Osun alone. Not even Ribadu's home state of Adamawa felt he was good enough. And, it wasn't as if Osun residents had any idea of what Ribadu would do, they just sheepishly thumb printed for "Aregbe". The Aregbe tsunami was also effective in the legislative elections, local and national. Aregbesola succeeded in turning Osun into his own kingdom. With such overwhelming control, his word was law. Without opposition, the former Lagos commissioner of works dug his own grave. Afterall, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The first signs of Aregbesola's recklessness was the utterly needless change of nomenclature of the state. He earlier pursued an overhyped branding of the state, spending millions in that regard. The change from the normal "Osun state" to "State of Osun" was weird, but effected as well. You can only imagine the cost of effecting that change. He introduced a flag, an anthem, and a 'coat of arms'. He started going about with some unusual security personnel and was almost creating another country before the famous secessionist propaganda clip his wings a bit.
He spearheaded a confused 'western region' agenda. He actually never hid his love for the brand of Awolowo politics and policies. He intended to implement, word for word, the Obafemi Awolowo blueprint. Maybe, at a point, he planned building a 'cocoa house' somewhere in Ilesa, his hometown, time would tell! What he didn't have, however, was the Awolowo spirit. Like I opined earlier, "Aregbe" is a classical mix of fraud and naivety.
After getting away with his first hollow but costly projects, he got bolder, and drank more of his wine of folly. By this time, he had started imagining himself as the pace-setter of the South west, after his mentor, Bola Tinubu. He carried himself with an aura of arrogance anywhere he went. At an event in Lagos to launch the equally meaningless "Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN", he arrived late, stormed the event with strange bodyguards, flaunted his Osun flags, insulted the speakers, and had to be cautioned by erstwhile Governor Fayemi before he applied some commonsense. Commonsense seemed to be quite scarce in his policies anyway.
Back in his home state, armed with a rubber stamp legislature, he began more of his doomed projects. He had more noble projects already instituted. All in his campaign package. He set up the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, OYES. He 'employed' twenty thousand youths, and put them on a stipend of N10,000 a month. They were later to be deployed as road sweepers, traffic wardens, and school teachers. The failure of the scheme was evident after just a few months. Over 70% of the beneficiaries simply 'resigned' after few months. The school feeding programme was also launched with funfair. Primary school pupils were fed a meal a day. Then the less-noble ones. He decided, against wise counsel, to collapse the school system. He merged schools and divided them into elementary, middle, and high schools. Thereby, in one fell swoop, erased the culture and history of different schools, creating a dangerous hybrid. He added insult to injury by scrapping their individual school uniforms, and provided them with the same sets of wears. In effect, killing the school uniforms materials market at one go. Both were needless policies that promptly failed hugely.
He went ahead in his dangerous brand of "Awoism" by providing free computer tablets produced with billions of naira, also almost killing books market. He then took his malice with his predecessor a notch further by pulling down hundreds of schools he built, and proposing to build "world-class" mega structures. Ironically, when Ondo state governor Olusegun Mimiko was inaugurating his own "world class" mega schools, Bola Tinubu at a campaign in Akure claimed Ondo wasn't yet ripe for such projects.
All those projects were recklessly launched at huge costs, without considering his state's purse. He was fond of relaying the launch of his projects live on national television, costing multiplied millions of naira. What he hoped to achieve was unclear. But, if it was to endear himself to the people, he at least achieved his aim, albeit, temporarily.
By then, it was obvious Aregbesola was borrowing massively. He couldn't fund the populist agenda only with the state purse. When money ran out, instead of stopping them, he simply borrowed more. By then, the multiple projects had started choking the state financially. He simply borrowed more. He started owing the employed youths, even as their numbers started shrinking astronomically. He smartly drafted some of them into the state civil service. But debts were still mounting. Yet, he kept borrowing. By then, elections were drawing nearer, and he mustn't show signs of relenting. Students uniforms were tearing, and schools weren't fully completed, things had started going wrong.
Then, an ambitious industrialization agenda was launched. He started a notorious "airport" project and some massive road construction projects. It is to his credit that he completed most modest road projects especially at the very rural areas. He should have left it there. It was the ambitious ones that ruined him. For example, the Gbongan-Akoda-Oshogbo highway and trumpet interchange that he started, and launched with pomp, has been abandoned. And so is almost every other major project he simultaneously embarked on. He was deep into campaigns for re-election when news of deep indebtedness started filtering in. By then civil servants were fed up. The higher institutions staff complained endlessly of being shortchanged continuously. Workers were always being owed at least two months salary arrears at every given time. They went on strike often. But he had a strong propaganda machine. He always painted the workers as saboteurs and as colluding with the PDP-led federal government to frustrate him. Artisans and resident definitely bought that line.
When the cash scarcity became very obvious, due partly to fall in crude oil prices globally, and his huge indebtedness which meant his creditors were taking back a huge bulk of his monthly allocations, Mr Aregbesola shifted the blame to the federal government, alleging victimization. He specifically blamed Goodluck Jonathan for "withholding" Osun's money. So strong was his propaganda machine that, even after series of denials and rebuttals, it was, and is still widely believed that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Goodluck Jonathan, out of envy for his popularity, decided to punish him by cutting off his monthly income. The malice and hate against the federal government and Goodluck Jonathan in Osun state was thick. He spent the little leftovers he had from what his creditors took back for his foolish over-borrowing on elections; his', and Buhari's. Word had it that he relied on Buhari to cover his unclothedness and bail him out once sworn in. It was a risk. But it paid off, because Buhari won. But Buhari, a strict man, known for his no-nonsense stance, having gone through the books, and seeing Aregbesola was fraudulently claiming he was owed money, quickly gave indications he would have none of that. It was only after Buhari's statements, that Aregbesola started showing signs of humility.
His populist programmes have all crashed. Opon Imo, the free computer tablets given some secondary students, have proven to be a huge failure, and a grand scam. WAEC results have proved this. Instead of improving, Osun students have dropped in WAEC rankings consistently since he took over. The school merger has also proved to be a failure. Despite huge sums spent on questionable school buildings, many of which although he claimed as his own, have been shown to be federal government projects. He spent SURE-P funds on acquiring school buses, and claimed his government did it out of magnanimity. Students' uniforms are torn and some have even started wearing original school uniforms. OMEAL is paralysed. Road construction is practically dead. And workers have not been paid since November. The state is at a standstill, and there is finally nowhere to hide for him.
He knows he is in trouble. But Aregbesola desrves little pity, because he goofed. He took people's innocence for a ride. He was a spendthrift who was after making himself an emperor more than seeing to his people's welfare. He spent his state's money on elections, the salaries of workers, sweats of labourers on establishing his personal monolith over his people's affairs. Pensioners have been in hell under him. More than 500 have died without gratuities or pension for many months.
When we warned that he was only selfishly building an empire for himself in the name of populism, we were dismissed as antagonists. Today, he has no one to turn to. The crash in oil prices only highlighted his folly. It would still have happened this way, even if we were in oil boom.
Aregbesola is not the only governor owing workers' salaries. But he is the only one fraudulently doing so. He deserves to be punished for taking Osun backwards, and causing untold pain, and for claiming to be an Awo disciple, when in fact, he only is another "mere commissioner", a rogue politician, a selfish propagandist, another Tinubu boy, an overlord and an ordinary butterfly who calls himself a bird. I have no apologies for this. And no one should.

.
Twitter: @olufemisp

OSUN SPECTACULARY BACKFIRES UNDER AREGBESOLA


Rauf Aregbesola, the loquacious governor of Osun state thrives on propaganda. His electoral victory at the court of appeal in November 2010, three and a half full years after contesting against incumbent and lacklustre Olagunsoye Oyinlola in itself was an awesome feat. He rode on the wings of the awesome popularity his fortune bestowed on him and held Osun residents spell-bound for his first months - nay, years, in charge. His theatricals and rhetoric were first-class. Here was a man who was so down to earth, that he communicated in local slangs, often broke into uncontrollable fits of ecstatic singing and dancing, that not only entertained crowds, but really often drove them into frenzies. "Aregbe", as he was affectionately called, was a peoples' governor, a breath of fresh air, and a welcome departure from the incurably dull and sombre government of Oyinlola.
Many people believe Aregbesola did not really out rightly win the 2007 election which mandate he retrieved more than three years later in dramatic fashion, but would care less for two reasons. One, his challenger had already spent over seven years in power, with very little to show for it. Secondly, change looked tantalizing. So, having very little troubles about legitimacy, Aregbesola unleashed his populist agenda. Which was to be his undoing.
Aregbesola was either extremely naive, or fraudulent. I think he was, and still is, both. He used his extreme popularity to impose his style of governance, with almost no restrictions. He was still hugely popular, remember. So popular, that Nuhu Ribadu, his party's candidate for president in the elections few months after he was sworn in, won in Osun, and in Osun alone. Not even Ribadu's home state of Adamawa felt he was good enough. And, it wasn't as if Osun residents had any idea of what Ribadu would do, they just sheepishly thumb printed for "Aregbe". The Aregbe tsunami was also effective in the legislative elections, local and national. Aregbesola succeeded in turning Osun into his own kingdom. With such overwhelming control, his word was law. Without opposition, the former Lagos commissioner of works dug his own grave. Afterall, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The first signs of Aregbesola's recklessness was the utterly needless change of nomenclature of the state. He earlier pursued an overhyped branding of the state, spending millions in that regard. The change from the normal "Osun state" to "State of Osun" was weird, but effected as well. You can only imagine the cost of effecting that change. He introduced a flag, an anthem, and a 'coat of arms'. He started going about with some unusual security personnel and was almost creating another country before the famous secessionist propaganda clip his wings a bit.
He spearheaded a confused 'western region' agenda. He actually never hid his love for the brand of Awolowo politics and policies. He intended to implement, word for word, the Obafemi Awolowo blueprint. Maybe, at a point, he planned building a 'cocoa house' somewhere in Ilesa, his hometown, time would tell! What he didn't have, however, was the Awolowo spirit. Like I opined earlier, "Aregbe" is a classical mix of fraud and naivety.
After getting away with his first hollow but costly projects, he got bolder, and drank more of his wine of folly. By this time, he had started imagining himself as the pace-setter of the South west, after his mentor, Bola Tinubu. He carried himself with an aura of arrogance anywhere he went. At an event in Lagos to launch the equally meaningless "Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN", he arrived late, stormed the event with strange bodyguards, flaunted his Osun flags, insulted the speakers, and had to be cautioned by erstwhile Governor Fayemi before he applied some commonsense. Commonsense seemed to be quite scarce in his policies anyway.
Back in his home state, armed with a rubber stamp legislature, he began more of his doomed projects. He had more noble projects already instituted. All in his campaign package. He set up the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, OYES. He 'employed' twenty thousand youths, and put them on a stipend of N10,000 a month. They were later to be deployed as road sweepers, traffic wardens, and school teachers. The failure of the scheme was evident after just a few months. Over 70% of the beneficiaries simply 'resigned' after few months. The school feeding programme was also launched with funfair. Primary school pupils were fed a meal a day. Then the less-noble ones. He decided, against wise counsel, to collapse the school system. He merged schools and divided them into elementary, middle, and high schools. Thereby, in one fell swoop, erased the culture and history of different schools, creating a dangerous hybrid. He added insult to injury by scrapping their individual school uniforms, and provided them with the same sets of wears. In effect, killing the school uniforms materials market at one go. Both were needless policies that promptly failed hugely.
He went ahead in his dangerous brand of "Awoism" by providing free computer tablets produced with billions of naira, also almost killing books market. He then took his malice with his predecessor a notch further by pulling down hundreds of schools he built, and proposing to build "world-class" mega structures. Ironically, when Ondo state governor Olusegun Mimiko was inaugurating his own "world class" mega schools, Bola Tinubu at a campaign in Akure claimed Ondo wasn't yet ripe for such projects.
All those projects were recklessly launched at huge costs, without considering his state's purse. He was fond of relaying the launch of his projects live on national television, costing multiplied millions of naira. What he hoped to achieve was unclear. But, if it was to endear himself to the people, he at least achieved his aim, albeit, temporarily.
By then, it was obvious Aregbesola was borrowing massively. He couldn't fund the populist agenda only with the state purse. When money ran out, instead of stopping them, he simply borrowed more. By then, the multiple projects had started choking the state financially. He simply borrowed more. He started owing the employed youths, even as their numbers started shrinking astronomically. He smartly drafted some of them into the state civil service. But debts were still mounting. Yet, he kept borrowing. By then, elections were drawing nearer, and he mustn't show signs of relenting. Students uniforms were tearing, and schools weren't fully completed, things had started going wrong.
Then, an ambitious industrialization agenda was launched. He started a notorious "airport" project and some massive road construction projects. It is to his credit that he completed most modest road projects especially at the very rural areas. He should have left it there. It was the ambitious ones that ruined him. For example, the Gbongan-Akoda-Oshogbo highway and trumpet interchange that he started, and launched with pomp, has been abandoned. And so is almost every other major project he simultaneously embarked on. He was deep into campaigns for re-election when news of deep indebtedness started filtering in. By then civil servants were fed up. The higher institutions staff complained endlessly of being shortchanged continuously. Workers were always being owed at least two months salary arrears at every given time. They went on strike often. But he had a strong propaganda machine. He always painted the workers as saboteurs and as colluding with the PDP-led federal government to frustrate him. Artisans and resident definitely bought that line.
When the cash scarcity became very obvious, due partly to fall in crude oil prices globally, and his huge indebtedness which meant his creditors were taking back a huge bulk of his monthly allocations, Mr Aregbesola shifted the blame to the federal government, alleging victimization. He specifically blamed Goodluck Jonathan for "withholding" Osun's money. So strong was his propaganda machine that, even after series of denials and rebuttals, it was, and is still widely believed that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Goodluck Jonathan, out of envy for his popularity, decided to punish him by cutting off his monthly income. The malice and hate against the federal government and Goodluck Jonathan in Osun state was thick. He spent the little leftovers he had from what his creditors took back for his foolish over-borrowing on elections; his', and Buhari's. Word had it that he relied on Buhari to cover his unclothedness and bail him out once sworn in. It was a risk. But it paid off, because Buhari won. But Buhari, a strict man, known for his no-nonsense stance, having gone through the books, and seeing Aregbesola was fraudulently claiming he was owed money, quickly gave indications he would have none of that. It was only after Buhari's statements, that Aregbesola started showing signs of humility.
His populist programmes have all crashed. Opon Imo, the free computer tablets given some secondary students, have proven to be a huge failure, and a grand scam. WAEC results have proved this. Instead of improving, Osun students have dropped in WAEC rankings consistently since he took over. The school merger has also proved to be a failure. Despite huge sums spent on questionable school buildings, many of which although he claimed as his own, have been shown to be federal government projects. He spent SURE-P funds on acquiring school buses, and claimed his government did it out of magnanimity. Students' uniforms are torn and some have even started wearing original school uniforms. OMEAL is paralysed. Road construction is practically dead. And workers have not been paid since November. The state is at a standstill, and there is finally nowhere to hide for him.
He knows he is in trouble. But Aregbesola desrves little pity, because he goofed. He took people's innocence for a ride. He was a spendthrift who was after making himself an emperor more than seeing to his people's welfare. He spent his state's money on elections, the salaries of workers, sweats of labourers on establishing his personal monolith over his people's affairs. Pensioners have been in hell under him. More than 500 have died without gratuities or pension for many months.
When we warned that he was only selfishly building an empire for himself in the name of populism, we were dismissed as antagonists. Today, he has no one to turn to. The crash in oil prices only highlighted his folly. It would still have happened this way, even if we were in oil boom.
Aregbesola is not the only governor owing workers' salaries. But he is the only one fraudulently doing so. He deserves to be punished for taking Osun backwards, and causing untold pain, and for claiming to be an Awo disciple, when in fact, he only is another "mere commissioner", a rogue politician, a selfish propagandist, another Tinubu boy, an overlord and an ordinary butterfly who calls himself a bird. I have no apologies for this. And no one should.

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Twitter: @olufemisp

APC has two national leaders. And they both have things in common. They have no certificates! The one that said he went to Chicago, and the one that did not even go anywhere!

Although Nigeria is not alone in the nonsensical abuse of the term “celebrity”, we obviously rank among the greatest culprits, after America, of course. In the US, news would tell you what you need to know in five minutes, and what you shouldnt be bothered about at all in fifty-five minutes. From the seductive dress that an obviously deluded individual chooses to use in ‘uncovering’ her body and bosoms especially, to the make of the vehicle a heavily pierced athlete cruises, and how much it costs; and then, to the latest break-up between ‘celebrity’ couples.

In reality, we hear more of these gossips, than news about the latest victims of malnutrition in Africa, how people are being beheaded daily in Saudi Arabia for offences ranging from petty stealing to adultery; or how much was budgeted for military hardware in a starving North Korea.

Bloggers have exploited our low moral state, knowing our lust for knowing what shouldnt be our businesses has exceeded olympian heights. So we have blogs springing up everywhere like weed. Twitter users are inundated with posts as these intermittently: “See what so-so wore to church last sunday! Unbelievable! Click to look”; “Nude pictures of so-so leaks. click to view” etc. Such capitalistic adventures are what most social media users are busy with. Thats why we have a very weak revolutionary spirit. Our youths have been weighed down by tonnes of gossip they consume online daily. This weakens the self consciousness, robs them of how to participate in creating a better society, and turns them to addicts of other people’s business.

Meanwhile, its the people gossip blogs talk about that often amuse me. Because they are called celebrities, they quickly assume they really are. The unfortunate equation of fame, or popularity, to celebrity is immoral. Fame can be achieved overnight, and through any means- good or bad. Celebrity status can not. Just as every radio presenter immediately grabs the strange appellation ‘OAP’, or on air personality; a term completely alien to broadcast journalism, so does anyone visible for a while on TV, radio, or controls some heavy traffic on social media claim the term celebrity.

Whereas, a celebrity is a person whose whole life is an inspiration, a story worth telling, a person who is worth celebrating, and whose life is a model for upcoming ones; our present-day “celebrities” are anything but this. The only thing any reasonable parent would wish their children pick from the lives of our stars today, would be their fat pay cheques. Yet, money, is not all it takes to make a celebrity.

Even if our ‘celebrities’ weren't so in deed at the onset, the fact that they now appear on magazine covers, on TV commercials, and everywhere online, means they should at least watch the way they live. Since so many eyes are on them, and many innocent ones would naturally want to take after them. But it seems the celebrity status only confers on them the license to lose all the sense they have left. So the ladies start appearing almost naked at public gatherings, the males drive more recklessly and further strengthen their ties with alcohol, which they sing about tirelessly. They express lewd acts openly and bask in the euphoria of the paparazzi, who already know the worth of bad news: it sells!

Then they turn on the sacred institutions like family and marriage, and desecrate it. They conduct society weddings in Nigeria and Dubai, spending millions of money that could have been better utilized, and insult all their well wishers and admirers by divorcing after seven months due to domestic issues. Shame. Thrice shame.

They never understood the weight of responsibilities attached to being a celebrity. They love to soak in the glories of fame, but never can pay the price of being a celebrity. The price is actually high. It includes chastity, morality, competence, intact family lives, and blamelessness. Our celebrities epitomize illicit sex, drug abuse, waste and lavish spending, and utter lack of respect for the importance of marriage, as long as the money flows in. Thats why they hardly last. Like the stars they say they are, in the morning, they fade away.

To the real celebrities, the faithful wives, husbands and parents; to the hardworking civil servant and artisan, to the incorruptible judges and songwriters who only seek a better Nigeria, and to social media activists who only seek for a better Nigeria, and wont sell their platform to the highest political bidders, you are the heroes. There may be no spotlight on you today, but I assure you, if you keep your light, one day, it will lighten the whole world.

The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that some Boko Haram terrorists have begun to surrender with their weapons voluntarily following relentless onslaught by troops.
This is contained in a statement posted on the DHQ website on Sunday.
“Some of them submitted themselves and their weapons to the leadership of the troops in Konduga during a further campaign at the weekend.
“As the heat on the terrorists continues, five terrorists surrendered on Saturday (Sept. 20) with all their weapons to troops at Konduga pleading for mercy.’’
According to the statement, other captured terrorists who refused to surrender have also been giving useful information on the subsequent plans of the group in an apparent effort to cooperate.
The DHQ recalled that in the last few days there had been several attempts by desperate terrorists to gain entry into Konduga which were foiled by the troops.
The terrorists’ move, according to the statement, is aimed at recovering the bodies of their prominent fighters who died in previous encounters in the area.
The DHQ also said that its troops had recovered more weapons during mop-up operations while some of their terrorists’ vehicles had been destroyed.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/terrorists-surrender-weapons-dhq/#sthash.TZWVVRMd.dpuf

Recently, the Nigerian Union of Teachers directed its members nationwide to ignore the September 22 resumption date pronounced by the federal government. They claimed the earlier announced date of October 13 is safer, both for students and teachers alike.
They are wrong. And this is why.
First, the government was the one that shifted the resumption date in the first place. Because that was the correct thing to considering the prevailing circumstances at that time. Everyone applauded the wise precautionary measure. Of course, except private schools owners, who wondered how shutting schools could simply prevent the spread of the virus when markets, churches, and other various public places remain opened. We all condemned such warped stance from the private school owners, who seemed only interested in their pockets, even at the expense of human lives.
But then, suddenly, things started getting better. We started having survivors, and quarantined persons started testing negative. Barring the madness of Ibukun Koye, the callous diplomat who transported the virus beyond Lagos, we succeeded, as a nation in containing the scourge. At the end, we had lost seven persons, and twelve had miraculously survived!
That necessitated an expert advice on all the precautionary measures taken so far. With the success achieved, it was discovered that there is no justification for such an extension in school resumption. The decision was taken by experts in public health managemen from the WHO and other international agencies who have all but certified Nigeria ebola-free. It is good news to private school owners obviously, but the truth is that they couldn’t have forced such a change.
The threat teachers wouldn’t resume because they don’t want to risk their lives and that of the students is nothing but an oversensationalisation of the ebola issue, and a crass display of ignorance from those who should know; the teachers.
What I thought the teachers should be doing is how to improve the hygiene of their students and teaching them what they couldn’t have known at home about the virus, for example, schools should be able to tell students that bathing in hot salt water is stupidity. Unfortunately, some teachers themselves did bathe with salt water. No wonder.
The simple truth is that there is no known case of ebola in Nigeria at the moment. So there is no reason why schools should remain closed. By hinging non resumption on ebola, and bu forcing state unions to stay away from work, teachers are showing that they have very little knowledge of the virus, its operations, its containment, and we should be worried that they may not even have adequate knowledge about its preventions. They should face their work, and leave private schools out of their display of sheer lack of information.

Recently, the Nigerian Union of Teachers directed its members nationwide to ignore the September 22 resumption date pronounced by the federal government. They claimed the earlier announced date of October 13 is safer, both for students and teachers alike.
They are wrong. And this is why.
First, the government was the one that shifted the resumption date in the first place. Because that was the correct thing to considering the prevailing circumstances at that time. Everyone applauded the wise precautionary measure. Of course, except private schools owners, who wondered how shutting schools could simply prevent the spread of the virus when markets, churches, and other various public places remain opened. We all condemned such warped stance from the private school owners, who seemed only interested in their pockets, even at the expense of human lives.
But then, suddenly, things started getting better. We started having survivors, and quarantined persons started testing negative. Barring the madness of Ibukun Koye, the callous diplomat who transported the virus beyond Lagos, we succeeded, as a nation in containing the scourge. At the end, we had lost seven persons, and twelve had miraculously survived!
That necessitated an expert advice on all the precautionary measures taken so far. With the success achieved, it was discovered that there is no justification for such an extension in school resumption. The decision was taken by experts in public health managemen from the WHO and other international agencies who have all but certified Nigeria ebola-free. It is good news to private school owners obviously, but the truth is that they couldn’t have forced such a change.
The threat teachers wouldn’t resume because they don’t want to risk their lives and that of the students is nothing but an oversensationalisation of the ebola issue, and a crass display of ignorance from those who should know; the teachers.
What I thought the teachers should be doing is strategising on how to improve the personal hygiene of their students and teaching them what they couldn’t have known at their various homes about the virus, for example, schools should be able to tell students that bathing in hot salt water is stupidity. Unfortunately, some teachers themselves did bathe with salt water. No wonder.
The simple truth is that there is no known case of ebola in Nigeria at the moment. So there is no reason why schools should remain closed. By hinging non resumption on ebola, and forcing state teachers unions to stay away from work, teachers are showing that they have very little knowledge of the virus, its operations, its containment, and we should be worried that they may not even have adequate knowledge about its preventions. They should face their work, and leave private schools out of their display of sheer lack of information.

Some top members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were Saturday injured when the VIP stand collapsed during the President Goodluck Jonathan Transformation Rally at Minna, Niger State.


Among those who were on the VIP stand when it collapsed were the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku and the wife of the Niger State Governor, Mrs Babangida Aliyu, who was said to have sustained injuries.


The names of others who were on the VIP stand when it collapsed and suffered injuries could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
Details to follow
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/minna-pdp-top-members-injured-as-vip-stand-collapses-at-gej-transformation-rally/188925/

Crabs, crabs everywhere!!!
An article by Olufemi Ogunseye

One of the very popular local proverbs in Nigeria says ‘the insect that devours the vegetable resides right inside it’ Of course. Otherwise, it won’t be able to enjoy the meal. Or, can anyone eat food by staying away from it? But the implication is immediately clear. Those hampering one’s growth and progress often are close allies. In fact, the Bible expressly says a ‘Man’s enemies are those of his very household’.

Nigeria is no exception to this universal principle. There are those who genuinely wish that we prosper as a nation. That we prevail against the gruesome challenges that keep frustrating and drawing us back. There are those who are ready to pay any price to see us prosper collectively. Those who are not after filthy gain, whose god isn’t their belly. We have lots of selfless and sacrificial statesmen who know the right path for Nigeria to go, and are willing to take us there if given the opportunity. Even if at the expense of their comfort and convenience. But like every society, we are also blessed with the other group. Those who are only interested in their personal interests and conveniences. They would rather see Nigeria go to blazes than lose a penny. We’ve had leaders who took selfish decisions to enrich friends and families at the expense of a dying and hungry populace. Our civil service is filled with incompetent workers who earn salaries simply because they are connected to someone at the top. Whereas millions of qualified graduates are jobless because the spaces have been taken up by rogues. It’s not that the wicked people that stuff government offices with families and friends don’t know the implication, which obviously is total wastage of resources as well as backwardness and ineptitude; it’s that they simply do not care what happens to service delivery or the quality of it; as long as they can draw more cash for themselves. The unfortunate thing is that this unfortunate latter group always find themselves to the top, and unfortunately drag us further into crises of unfortunate and avoidable calamities.

But there’s another group. The ones who choose to see no good in the country as long as they are not in charge. This group are in control of most of the media outlets, print and broadcast, and do well to paint a picture of doom and destruction, hopelessness and heresy. And, with every passing day, they grow more desperate.

The war on terror shouldn’t have happened. Terrorists are everywhere, seeking territories. But they always exploit loopholes whenever they see one. They did in the Arab spring. They did in Somalia, which has been without a central government since 1991, they are doing in Iraq, and of course to full effect in Nigeria. They found a loophole in our cultural, political and religious differences. Boko Haram only wanted to enforce their version of Islam on their own territory, an obligation which they felt they morally owed their god. Our politicians fuelled their fire, whipped their adrenalin into a frenzy, and set them loose. Today, Boko Haram is a global monster. With backing from international affiliates, they have declared war on Nigeria. Those that unleashed Boko Haram on the country only hoped that it would destabilise government, and make them lose focus. Since they are not in power, they would make power powerless for those in charge. Like the biblical Samson, they don’t mind bringing the house down on everyone. Today, they are regretting.

But even as we prosecute the unfortunate war, these wicked never-see-wells, only sow seeds of fear and despair. Strangely, we have seen newspapers only coming short of celebrating Boko Haram victories on their front pages. They use mocking and derogatory words such as “flee” for their own soldiers. Whenever our soldiers rout the criminals, it is no news. Whenever the terrorists prevail slightly, it’s celebrated with “flag-hoisting” headlines. I imagine how satisfied and accomplished the terrorists feel everytime they glance through some of our newspapers. And they must be blushing too. Because they know they do not have as much ground as the papers claim. And our soldiers? You can imagine how demoralised they feel everytime, after risking their lives to defend us, only read such healines such as “Soldiers flee into bushes and caves as Boko Haram overrun Army base”. Let’s even assume it’s true. What do we gain by making the head of our collective enemy swell. You say it’s the right of people to know. Really? It’s not every information that is useful to people.

Especially online, I see an army of mockers. They are enjoying the gradual downfall of Nigeria. They are happy the government looks helpless. It soothes them because it gives them the courage to preach the message of “pull them down”. They are bold to proclaim that without them, we won’t have hope. So every calamity is celebrated. And every success is downplayed. But they forget that if Nigeria goes up in flames, they also won’t be spared.

It’s the nature of crabs to pull each other down. Except themselves. Any other person that rises is pulled down. So, if there are twenty crabs jailed in a bucket, by simply allowing themselves to climb their way to freedom, they all would escape. But the moment one of the crabs reaches for freedom, and makes its way out; the others would pull it down. So, they all remain trapped.

We must love our country above ourselves. We must support our soldiers. We may not like them that much, but we have no choice. It’s to whose benefit to run them down? And if our own people aren’t in power today, why should we burn the whole country before it gets to their turn. Of course we won’t want our people to rule over ashes, bones and liters of crying blood!

Olufemi Ogunseye is a journalist and writer. Follow @Olufemisp

Are these doctors or thugtors? SMH for medical profession in Nigeria.

If Sawyer truly knew he had ebola, and still chose to visit Nigeria, then his ashes should be sent back to this country and exiled to sambisa. Wicked!

According to APC, the school was bombed by PDP. The annoying nature of political parties blaming each other for ineptitude and calamities is astonishing.

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UDbester: If d PDP can take away ekiti from APC, WOT MAKES IT HARD FOR DEM TO TAKE AWAY RIVERS STATE FROM you?

Rivers was is and will be PDP. Amaechi simply left alone. He didn't take the state with him. He will soon know he is walking alone like Suarez

So, a man who is not even fully in charge of his own house of assembly, and is not even standing well on both legs could write such a damning letter at his oga at the top. Lesson: if you haven't taken full hold of the sword yet, never enquire about the killers of your progenitors!

Election are held on ground not online. APC, rebrand or die.