₦airaland Forum

Since Tuesday the 31st of March 2015 when it became obvious that the Presidential election in my home country has been decided, I have been relishing the sense of joy and relief that came upon me soon afterwards. I was relieved not because my preferred candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the election. I was relieved because Mr. Goodluck Jonathan was forced to handover a pair shoes that were far too big for his skinny feet. A lot has been said. A lot has happened too.



Now is the time however, to look ahead with hope not the least because Major-General Muhammadu Buhari is bringing with him, a resume that perfectly fits the job description of a Nigerian President of today. Since the business of ruling a nation is basically, not a one-man-show in constitutional democracies however, a lot of trepidations have been brought to the fore. Voices have sounded a call for caution in the widespread optimism that has slowly transcended into some euphoria of sort.

The latest and most prominent voice was sounded by the victor himself in a realistic attempt to scale down expectations with the impending prospect of not being able to work miracles in a short pace of time. “Prudent” I would say! Unfortunately however, massive expectations will be one of the least problems that the President-elect will face in the days, weeks and months ahead.

The challenges are already becoming manifest. As in the search for a running mate, the role of one man from the South-West – Bola Asiwaju Tinubu – has been elevated in the search for prospective lieutenants for the operative work of governance. Unlike his performance in the search for a running mate however, information reaching out from clandestine sources seem to indicate that he is doing a far better job. After all, he is not insisting on being given a prominent appointment in the cabinet as he did when he almost crippled chances by insisting on being the running mate himself against all wisdom of keeping a Muslim-Muslim ticket at bay. The selection of players that will definitely not proceed without frictions is said to be on course in a manner that is by and large, described as acceptable.

Yet, we have been there before. We were all witnesses to Goodluck Jonathan’s own process of team selection. We danced and rejoiced when Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was selected for a high-profiled post with all the requisite freedom to act and salvage our economy. We marveled at her seeing the credentials she dangled before us from the World Bank and her ...

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Expectedly, goodwill messages have deservedly, poured in from far and wide to congratulate the clear victor of the 2015 elections and President Elect, Mohammed Buhari, may not be unduly disturbed that President Jonathan’s inspirational and totally unexpected early acceptance of defeat, ironically, favorably raised the incumbent’s rating as a statesman beyond the pedestrian perception induced by his performance in governance.Continue...


Indeed, despite the complimentary economic growth rates gleefully presented by Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, sadly, more Nigerians joined the already bloated poverty ranks. Indeed, the horrid level of insecurity, apparently instigated by ethnic and religious divide, may infact find their true origin in the pervading level of poverty nationwide. Consequently, expectations are high that Buhari will provide an antidote to poverty and corruption; clearly, our poverty cannot be blamed on an inhospitable climate or a shortage of natural resources.

Infact, citizens from nations with considerably less natural endowments may be excused for decrying what they consider to be an inexplicable inequity by Providence. In reality, our inability to galvanise our resources to the greater benefit of the critical mass is actually caused by the application of fiscal and monetary strategies that are antagonistic to consumer demand, and job creation.

Consequently, if Buhari must succeed, he would need to quickly reverse the ratio between capital and recurrent expenditure, such that well over 60% of total annual revenue projections would be dedicated to the enhancement of social infrastructure and human capacity in place of the prevailing humonguos salaries and allowances of public servants.

Clearly, Buhari would need to also reduce the duplication of functions by various MDAS as per the recommendations in the Oronsanye report, but government must be careful to minimise the inflow of new entrants into a jobless market. Similarly, the new administration should be wary of increasing the current debt to GDP ratio, as this is a sure road to another oppressive debt burden.

A situation where a relatively stable nation like Nigeria with its immense reserves and resources borrows at Shylock rates of over 15% is totally unacceptable for what are clearly risk free soverign debts. Furthermore, Buhari must immediately interrogate why our foreign reserves earn minimal interest, while we inexplicably go cap in hand to borrow externally at over 7% interest rate.

Incidentally, the yet to be assented 2015 budget, accommodates about 20% deficit; consequently, government will borrow over N1Trillion Naira and pay between N100- N150bn as interest charges to fund part of its recurrent (consumables and salaries etc.) budget. It is ironical that such huge government borrowings will exist simultaneously with the unyielding ‘obstructive’ Naira surplus deliberately created by the CBN.

Buhari’s Team must therefore, hit the ground running and readily jettison Jonathan’s 2015 budget proposal, so that a fresh Appropriation bill can be presented to the National Assembly before July 2015. We may also consider 29th May to ...

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President Buhari should under no circumstances allow himself to be cast as a Fulani President, or a President of northerners or Muslims. Vice President Osinbajo should never succumb to the temptation to see himself as a Vice President for Yoruba people, or the Redeemed Christian Church of God, or for Nigerian Christians. Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo sadly saw nothing wrong in using religion to divide the country; Jonathan taking delight in running from church to church, posing with Pastors and Bishops (he even managed to squeeze in a photo-splashed pilgrimage to Jerusalem), while his party tried to portray Muhammadu Buhari and the APC as Islamists, Sharia apologists, ‘supporter of APC’ and even the political wing of Boko Haram.

During the presidential campaign Vice President Sambo reversed the strategy, and did all he could to convince us he was the next in line to Prophet Mohammed, in the Islamic pecking order. (From him we learnt that ‘Namadi’ actually means ‘Na Madinah’, and that Osinbajo was on a mission to Christianise Nigeria).

Both Buhari and Osinbajo should avoid anything that will portray them as beholden to any group of Nigerians on the basis of sectional or religious or partisan interests. They should strive to be leaders for all of Nigeria, regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, or political affiliation.

Two. The matter of the Office of First Lady. One of the greatest contributors to President Jonathan’s loss of goodwill has been his wife, the uncouth, overreaching, uncontrollable Patience ‘Mama Peace’ Jonathan. Wole Soyinka warned the President to keep his wife in check; like much of the other advice he got he ignored it. Buhari has given hints that he does not believe in the existence of the office of First Lady, because there is no place for it in the Constitution. Our recent experiences with First Ladies have convinced me that any President serious about bringing change to Nigeria cannot afford to have his or her spouse running a parallel government in the manner that Turai Yar’Adua and Patience Jonathan did. While I don’t think the Office has to be abolished, it is clear that whoever occupies it must do so with a sense of decorum and responsibility.

Three. Presidential assertiveness. Goodluck Jonathan’s biggest failings, in my opinion, lay in his almost total abdication of presidential control and responsibility, so that he became a hostage of the forces surrounding him. There’s an interesting anecdote by journalist and newspaper editor Jide Ajani, who was part of a team that interviewed President Jonathan in the presidential media chat of Sunday May 4, 2014; the first after the abduction of the Chibok girls. After the chat, Ajani was invited to join the president for dinner. Listen to Mr. Ajani’s account of what transpired while they ate:

“Apart from Mr. Vice President, Namadi Sambo; Chief of Staff, Gen. Arogbofa (rtd); Dr. Reuben Abati; and Labaran Maku, Information Minister; the dinner table was filled with jesters. Some would not even allow Mr. President to finish a sentence before they would interject and complete the sentence for him. When Jonathan tried to explain the complexities involved in the abduction saga and why he remained disappointed in the way the episode is turning out, some people around the table would not let him finish. ‘Yes, the state government should be blamed, Mr. President’; ‘the school principal is not fit to head a school’; ‘Mr. President, this looks like a set up’.” Ajani’s damning conclusion: “Jonathan’s friends and close aides … appear to have ring-fenced the man from reality.”

These buffoons and jesters surrounded the president and kept him detached from reality. Instead they endlessly reinforced the nonchalance and paranoia that came to define his administration. So that when, in February, the Wall Street Journal asked him if there were any plans to investigate the Ekitigate tape, all he could think to say was: “It’s all fabrications. Why should I investigate things that are not real?” And this was the same attitude he extended to ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/04/letter-to-muhammadu-buhari-and-yemi.html

Lagos Gubernatorial candidate for the PDP, Jimi Agbaje has responded to calls for Lagos State to be politically aligned with the Federal government. Agbaje took to his facebook account to address this issue. Read below...

Dear People of Lagos, you've probably heard the new rhetoric that the APCs spin-masters have been spewing out in the last couple of days stating that if Lagos is in the opposition, the Federal Government will deny Lagos a lot of benefits. Just yesterday, a few well meaning Lagosians had sent us Facebook and SMS messages asking for my take on this issue so I've decided to speak up.

First, I wonder about the soundness of this argument especially after listening to President-elect General Buhari's acceptance speech where he clearly stated " There shall no longer be a ruling party again... We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to government".

This basically spoke to our better-angels as a people and our sense of community as Nigerians. If so, then where's the logic in the argument? Is APC LAGOS by the nature of this "aligning Lagos to the center" statement, now inferring that General Buhari intends to run a vindictive, partial or insensitive government? Well, that's not for me to answer and it's clearly not the focus of this piece.


What I know, however, is that Lagos has always made progress in spite of being in the opposition and right now it will be to the benefit of democracy and the whole country to have a watchful police, as opposed to ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/04/jimi-agbaje-respond-to-calls-for-lagos.html

Bribery has been a recurring decimal in Nigerian elections. But the case of the 2015 electoral season is well ripe for the Guinness Book of Records.

The problem took a new dimension when President Goodluck Jonathan shocked the world by plainly rejecting a plan by Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to monitor campaign funds in the 2015 general elections. In Jonathan’s words, regulation can only be realistic, “if you’re getting funds from government, then you must set restrictions; but if you’re generating your own funds, then you’ve no restrictions.” The president followed by raising over N21 billion at one sitting, most of which interestingly came from state governors, federal government agencies and contractors. This brazen impunity was not only in utter violation of the electoral law which pegs the presidential campaign expenditure at no more than N1 billion, but the event took place when many states could not even pay their staff salaries. This is not good.

Plagued by a woeful performance in office, and with most major local and international polls predicting a dizzying defeat, it appears President Jonathan plans to cling onto power by hook or crook. Rather than continuing to hold mass rallies around the country to make a serious case for why Nigerians should trust him again, events after events have shown that Jonathan’s main hope of winning the election is premised upon diverting his huge war chest to bribe voters.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State triggered the first alarm, alleging that Jonathan’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had indeed offered N6 billion to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). One of the CAN pastors, Kallamu Musa-Dikwa, corroborated the crux of Amaechi’s story but marked up the figure to N7 billion. Many newspaper reports also cited instances where the president and his party were said to have bribed titular heads of tribal, religious, traditional, and militant groups. Notable among them are Ohaneze Ndigbo: N6.2 billion; Yoruba groups: N9 billion; and billions of money to some Northern emirs, to name just a few. Although counter bribery accusations were equally levelled against the major opposition party All Progressive Congress (APC), there are cogent reasons to ignore those. First of all, the accusers failed to provide any semblance of evidence in the form of witnesses, individual or group givers or takers of the bribe cases associated with the APC and its presidential candidate. Moreover, common sense dictates that the political logic of funding or winning a bribery war does not favour Nigerian opposition parties.

Perhaps the ruling party attempted to brush aside the bribery charges as mere allegations. But that was then. A Roman Catholic Reverend Father, Camillus Ejike Mbaka, has dropped a bombshell. The popular priest swore in the pulpit that he rejected a bag of bribe money sent by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. This revelation is unique in a significant way: the man of God named two sitting Senators, Prince Gilbert Nnaji and Chief Ike Ekweremadu, as principal witnesses. A close ally of the president, Ekweremadu doubles as the Deputy President of the Senate and Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, and has remained a faithful adherent of the Reverend Mbaka. Besides, before the bribery scandal went public, both the senator and the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, visited the priest, who they had openly hailed as an unsung saint. What is more, the stoic silence within the Jonathan camp since the revelation is very suggestive of a stark acquiescence to the charges.

Be that as it may, if the truth is told, producing evidence against President Goodluck Jonathan on bribery is as simple as deducing that his regime is the most corrupt in the annals of national history. The bribery pattern of his wife alone is an open book. Always at home with passionate hyperboles, the First Lady has branded her husband a messiah. Her idea of the dividends of democracy is hauling and sharing trailers of goods during solo campaign episodes around the country. The hope, of course, is to receive votes in return.

Yet, the most disheartening is that Mrs. Jonathan preys on the unsuspecting masses — the very helpless and needy, the elderly, women, and unemployed youths who wallow in abject penury and despair due to massive mismanagement of public resources under the husband’s watch. Some of her inducing jingles tell the story better: “Vote for my husband”; “Goodluck is the messiah”; “other presidents have served for eight years. Now is our turn. Constitution provides two tenure of eight years. Why is our own different?”; “Anybody that tells you change, stone that person”; “I brought some ...

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Former Lagos State governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to be wary of former Aviation Minister and the Director of Media and Publicity, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode.

Speaking on Monday in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. Sunday Dare and titled: ‘Femi Fani-Kayode is an Epistle of Deceit as he Continues to Battle the Truth,’ Tinubu said Fani-Kayode could say anything against anybody for as long as he gets power.


The APC leader was reacting to claim by Fani-Kayode that government is not misusing the vehicles of state power to oppress the opposition, backing his claims with quotes from the Bible and claiming that APC leaders are wicked.


“The things that FFK (Fani-Kayode) said to us about Jonathan in private will remain private. But Jonathan would be wise to watch his back whenever he is dealing with this bugle for hire. The man has changed position so many times that he must feel like a tired chameleon on a spinning wheel of many colors. He is confused what colour he should be. The only thing he knows is that he will soon change hue again.

According to Tinubu: “Those of us in the APC know him for what he is. It was roughly a year ago that FFK tried to join the APC. In attempting to integrate himself, he spewed endless venom against his current boss. Because we knew him, we held him at arm’s length.

“The man is willing to say anything for a taste of power and to wiggle his way into some office or another. When he saw the door closed to him, he predictably bolted. His exit remains our gain. History will mark it as a key point in the development of the APC.

“If you doubt what I say, review carefully FFK’s statement on why he returned to the PDP, it is an epistle of deceit. Examine its allegations. He lists several purported statements made by APC figures that allegedly soured him on the party.

“His allegations against the party members are inaccurate. Here, the dates of the alleged statements are more than the purported content that are important. By his own admission, every alleged statement he attributed to an APC figure took place before FFK tried to join the party. A consummate media hound, he must have been aware of the so-called offensive statements prior to seeking space under the APC banner.

“The statements did not deter him from joining. They also were not the reason he departed. He left because, although a fledging party, we were wise enough not to give him a position of importance. He did not leave because he feared the APC would lead him astray. He left because we did not give him the chance to lead us astray.

“Soon enough, Fani-Kayode will discover that in the new Nigeria and in the responsible government to come, his tawdry skills will not be required. He can then go home and look in the mirror to see what he has made of himself.”
He claimed that Fani-Kayode’s antics of deceit is aimed at deflecting public attention away from the dirty tricks and ...

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Nigeria’s national daily, the Nation Newspaper is reporting that the Federal Government is set to execute its new plan to safeguard the waterways and oil pipelines.
The Presidency, the report said, is believed to have directed the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to quit the job for some companies, which have been signed on by the government. Continue inside...

The report also disclosed that the companies are owned by some former Niger-Delta militants and prominent citizens. They include Government Tompolo; Mujaheedin Asari-Dokubo and Chief Bipobiri Ajube (aka Gen. Shoot-At-Sight).

There is also founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) Dr. Frederick Fasehun who said last night that his company was being considered for the multi-billion naira contract.
The OPC National co-ordinator, Otunba Gani Adams, who is also said to be part of the deal, declined comments last night, saying he was at a meeting.
The duo of Adams and Fasehun have been part of the few Yoruba men championing the re-election bid of President Jonathan.

The takeover is said to be with effect from 16 March, according to the report which quoted a source as saying seven companies have been allocated “regions” or operational areas as follows: Egbe Security River One (Bayelsa); Gallery Security (Mosinmi -Ore); Close Body Protection (Edo State); Adex Energy Security(Rivers) ; Donyx Global Concept(Lagos and Ogun); Oil Facilities Surveillance-(Delta) and New Age Global Security (Mosinmi-Ibadan) adding that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will coordinate the jobs.


The Nation Newspaper said details of the deal are sketchy as only few in government are in the picture. But it quoted a source as saying that “the so-called new deal for the protection of waterways has not been made known to members of the Federal Executive Council, unlike in the past.

“Maybe this is an ad hoc arrangement to achieve a political purpose because some ex-Niger Delta militants on January 24 met at the Government House, Yenagoa and vowed to declare war if President Goodluck Jonathan does not win the March 28 election.
“Asari Dokubo specifically said: “We are going to war. Every one of you should go and fortify yourself.”
Responding to a question, according to the newspaper, the source added: “these former Niger Delta militants are benefiting from all manner of pipeline protection contracts.

“Apart from being on retainership with NIMASA, I am aware that in 2009, a former Minister of Nige- Delta Affairs, Chief Ufot Ekaette presented a memo on December 2, 2009 to the Federal Executive Council for the award of the N1.8billion Kurutie Shoreline Protection and Reclamation contract.


“A company, KFT Kpudoh, allegedly owned by Tompolo and another called Phoenica Nigeria Limited, bid for the said contract.
“Based on the advice of the Bureau of Public Procurement, after a thorough technical audit, the Shoreline Protection and Reclamation Contract was awarded to Phoenica Nigeria Limited by FEC. But the award of the contract to Phoenica fetched Akaette death threats. The government later reviewed the contract.”

A source in Warri, Delta State, said the contract for pipelines in Delta State would be executed by Oil Field Surveillance Limited, the same company, which had previously handled it. It is owned by Tompolo, the report disclosed.

“What I was told is that it has been awarded for Delta, Edo, Ondo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Lagos and Ogun states. Like the one of Lagos State, I learnt it’s being anchored by Dr Frederick Fasehun and that it’s going to commence on Monday,” the newpaper quoted a source as saying.
The Nation Newspaper reported that the NSCDC Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operation, Evans Ewuurum, said the corps was yet to receive any circular on the contracts.

Nigeria has been battling with huge revenue due to vandalism of oil and gas pipeline.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, recently disclosed that Nigeria had been losing an estimated ...

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It has always been said that President Goodluck Jonathan is the most abused Nigerian president. This definitely is not in dispute. Apart from being called clueless and incompetent, he has always been the butt of abusive cartoons in the social media and among others who find it convenient to take a piece off the president’s hide.


Now the elections are here and the stakes are high. The abuse has further escalated. Different methods have been deployed most especially on the social media. The questions are; how did the president get to this pass? What are the things the president did or left undone that has led him to this situation? The most important of the questions are; how did the popularity of the president, which soared like that of an eagle before the presidential election of 2011 suddenly plummet to this abysmal level thus making his second term bid which should have been a smooth sail, become so difficult. The election which should have been a walkover for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thus become an almost intractable problem, especially considering that the main opposition candidate is still the same General Muhammadu Buhari who had been trounced on three different occasions by the same party. Today, General Buhari is giving the president a run for his money and if the president and his minders are not careful they stand to lose their deposit.

One of the issues that is worthy of consideration is whether the country is worse off under the Jonathan administration and whether Nigeria would fare better with a Buhari presidency. I recall that when the President announced his intention to contest for the presidency in September 2010, among the promises he made was on electoral reforms in order to make our elections flaw-free, as much as possible. Even the most ardent critics of the president would agree that he has made good that promise. The 2011 election that ushered him in was adjudged as being better than the previous ones. There was a major reduction in election petitions unlike before, indicating that things were better done. It would be recalled that the 2003 elections attracted about 560 election petition cases. This rose to 1,250 after the 2007 election, but the number fell to about 400 after the 2011 elections indicating that there was more transparency during that election. Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, who has been adjudged to be a man of impeccable character was appointed by the president. The INEC chairman was given the freedom to exercise his authority as the electoral umpire. The president did not interfere with his work. It is thus quite surprising when APC and its supporters have now become Jega’s supporters, insisting that he should not proceed on terminal leave as if such was happening for the first time with a public office holder.

To underscore the freedom and independence enjoyed by Jega’s INEC, under the Jonathan watch, four governorship elections were conducted. The Ondo governorship election was won by Dr Segun Mimiko flying the Labour Party (LP) flag, it was not as if the PDP didn’t field any candidate. The same thing with the Edo governorship election which was won by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress (APC). There were the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections won by PDP and APC respectively. In none of these elections were there fiddling or interference from the presidency, the electoral commission was allowed to do its job.

Another area that the Jonathan administration should be commended is education. Under his watch the government established 125 almajiri or Tsangaya Model schools, as it is now called, in 13 northern states. This is a way of coping with the almajiri problem in the north, as majority of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the northern part of the country. Indeed, one can even argue that the north fare much better under a southern presidency than when a northerner leads the country.

In tertiary education, the government has established 14 universities as at last count. In the area of transportation, the administration should be applauded especially when one considers what it has been able to achieve. One of the busiest roads in the country which has been neglected over the years, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is now under construction. Most people especially from the southwest zone felt the road would have been constructed during the General Olusegun Obasanjo tenure, they were sorely disappointed. The Ilorin-Ibadan expressway which was started by the Obasanjo administration is incomplete with the the Ogbomosho- Oyo axis, believed to be one of the most dangerous, unattended to. Benin-Lokoja-Abuja road is ongoing with some sections being expanded to 10 lanes. Onitsha-Owerri road is complete while the Onitsha- Portharcourt road is nearing completion, just to touch on a few of the administration’s effort in that area.

What about the rail transportation? It is on record that the Jonathan administration has done very well. I was especially happy one evening on my way home. Vehicles had been stopped, in the usual manner around Fagba area in Lagos, because a train was about to pass. Within a few minutes, the coaches started coming. Apart from the front coach which had the technical crew, all the other coaches were flatbeds with containers on which were inscribed MAERSK. There were more than 30 of such containers. The development further brought home to me the effort of this administration in bringing back the train services. I have always believed that to reduce carnage on our roads and also ensure a longer ...

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The Lagos State Government is constrained to respond to an article titled,” Lekki Toll: Biggest Fraud Ever Conceived and Committed” published in The Herald of 13th February,


2015, and many other online platforms. This has become necessary in order to provide accurate information to the public at large about the Project, put the record straight and correct a lot of misinformation and misconception in the jaundiced report. The way the story was syndicated confirms that it was a hatchet job meant to settle a political score for cheap electoral gains.Despite the sheer volume of literature that is out there on the subject, the writer failed to do any rigorous research before going to town with mere tales that do not in any way advance the knowledge and understanding of the readers on the subject matter. It is obvious the writer is ignorant and short sighted, and deliberately shut his eyes to the opportunities that the road has attracted to that axis. ( Continue inside...)


It is necessary to give some historical background on the road project and what motivated the Lagos State Government to opt for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a financing option in the delivery of the project. The choice of consummating the project through PPP in the first instance was part of the Lagos State Government’s forward thinking strategy to provide off-budget funding to enable it to implement infrastructure projects such as the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway in view of its limited resources and to ensure that other pressing projects are not delayed to the detriment of the citizens of the State. The need to carry out upgrade and expansion works on the road became critical in view of the significant population growth along the corridor as the fastest growing area in the country. It was glaringly obvious that the 4-lane carriage road could no longer support the needs of the community. Furthermore, the road had exceeded the technical design life span of 25 years, having been built in 1981 and significant failures along the road sections resulted in huge traffic congestion that became a hazard to the health and security of motorists.

In response, the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure advertised the road locally and internationally over a period, commencing from 2002, inviting interested private sector players to partner with Government in developing various road infrastructures, including the Eti-Osa Lekki Epe Expressway. Different platforms such as national newspapers, international road shows, Public Service Journal (PSP Journal), as well as the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure website were utilized in creating public awareness of the project.

At the time, five roads were presented for Private Sector Partnership within the State; however, response from investors was very sparse and uninspiring. Only a few companies comprising of a consortium led by Asset Resource Management Limited (ARM), a company known as Denoi Konstruct and Messrs Warner West Africa Ltd, indicated an interest in the Eti-Osa Lekki Epe Road project.

It should also be noted that, PPP as a tool for infrastructure development was still evolving in the country at that time, and as such there was still much apprehension about its effectiveness and workability, especially in the midst of an uncertain and nascent political climate. The bomb blast of 2002 in Lagos also did not help matters, as it created an environment of insecurity that discouraged prospective investors.

Consequently, the initial local and international interest shown in the project did not progress beyond the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which did not result in any commitment. However, Messrs Asset and Resource Management Company Limited (ARM) unlike other bidders were resilient in their proposal and resolute in their negotiations with the State Government. This eventually led to the signing of a Concession Agreement with Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC), the Special-Purpose Vehicle established by ARM and a consortium of local and international investors, to execute the project.

In compliance with the procurement process, the contract was consummated under the Lagos State Roads, Bridges, (PSP) Board Law of 2004. Consequently,the Notice of Intention to Award the Concession was issued in the Lagos State Government Official Gazette Extraordinary No. 15, Volume 39 of 28th April 2006. Furthermore, the Notice of Execution of the Concession Agreement was published in the Lagos State Government Official Gazette No. 16, Volume 39 of 2nd May 2008.

The road works are in two phases of which phase 1 is the expansion and upgrade of 49. 36km of the Lekki Epe Expressway, while phase 2 is the construction of a 20 km Coastal Road, with an option to construct the Southern bypass. The protection of the coastal road shorelines by the State Government was, however, a precondition for the concessionaire to construct the coastal road, a venture which requires huge resources presently not within the reach of the Lagos State Government. Consequently, the 4th Mainland Bridge has never been part of the pact of the Lagos Infrastructure Project as erroneously stated in the report.

The Lekki Concession Company (LCC) is the Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established to execute the road project. This is typical in structured finance transactions, such as PPP, asset securitization or joint ventures, to isolate certain company assets or operations and ring-fence a project-financed transaction. Part of its benefits is that it enables large organizations to meet specific objectives and perform specific investment activities. It also helps in reducing “red tape” and offers legal protection to member companies of the SPV among other benefits. The members of the SPV (LCC) consist of both local and international reputable equity holders such as Asset & Resource Management Company Limited (ARM), The African Infrastructure Investment Fund (AIIF) (which consists of strategic investors such as Macquarie Group – Australia, Old Mutual – South Africa), Larue Projects Limited and Hitech Construction Company Limited.

Similarly, top international technical advisers, consultants and contractors such as BKS and Aurecon (South Africa), Arup (Pty) Ltd (South Africa), Compsis (Brazil), Toll Infrastructure Services (South Africa) and High-Point Rendel (UK) among others, were engaged to support and underpin key aspects of the project. Apart from the equity contribution, the majority of the funding for the project came from; The African Development Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, Standard Bank London and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc. To impugn that there is an element of fraud in a project that involved the aforementioned investors is not only sickening but queries the competence and state of mind of the writer and the sponsors.

Similarly, there is nothing that has to do with allocation of prime land to LCC as part of the equity for the partnership in the Concession Agreement, which is a transparent document and sets out all the project details very clearly. The contribution from the State Government to the project apart from providing the Right of Way, is the provision of a 20-years N5 billion (US$42m) mezzanine loan, with a 10 year moratorium to demonstrate Government’s commitment to the success of the project. This is consistent with global best practice in priority projects of this nature, and the concessionaire was to repay the loan on due date.

The writer also stated that there was no basis for the 30-year Concession “for mere rehabilitation and expansion of an existing road, which government could afford on its own.” It must, however, be noted that the concession period is determined based on empirical input elements of the construction, operating, financing and maintenance costs whilst providing reasonable returns to investors. Typically, toll road concessions around the world range from 25 years to as high as 50 years, where such projects involve a large amount of capital expenditure. It helps to lower cost of toll rates if the ...

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IN all my years of studying elections, I have never seen a campaign as bogus as that of Muhammadu Buhari. It is amazing that, for a man who is running for election as president for a marathon fourth time, Buhari is so bereft of ideas as to how he would do anything if he were to become president. Campaigning in 35 states, Buhari has spoken for a total of less than 60 minutes in all. Surely, he wants to be president; but he clearly has no presidential agenda.


Buhari’s blueprint for the presidency is similar to his Cambridge/WASC certificate; it is yet to be discovered. It is an article of faith of things hoped for by his admirers, the evidence of things neither seen nor articulated. No man becomes president of Nigeria on the basis of vain platitudes. No man becomes president as a result of social media blogs and soundbites. No man becomes president by giving two-minute speeches in craftily-packaged rallies, one minute of which is spent introducing his entourage.

Empty promises

What would Buhari do differently to fight Boko Haram? He would study the situation and restore morale to the military. What would he do to restore the economy? He would increase the international price of oil single-hahnded. What would he do to create jobs? He would build interstate highways in the middle of a drastic slump in Nigeria’s income in order to energise motor-mechanics and bukaterias.

Buhari says: “I will revive and reactivate our minimally performing refineries to optimum capacity.” How does he propose to do this? “I will provide one meal a day for children in public primary schools.” Where is the money to do this? “I will generate, transmit and distribute electricity on a 24/7 basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the development of sustainable/renewable energy by 2019.” Is he now going to nationalise the GENCOS and the DISCOS?

“I will make direct cash transfer of 5,000 naira to the 25 million poorest and most vulnerable citizens, if they immunize children and enrol them in school.” My o my! Did Buhari do the maths before coming out with this pie in the sky? This amounts to a 125 billion naira handout; nearly equal to the entire annual income of Edo State.

Style without substance

Goodluck Jonathan’s APC opponents like to denigrate him as “clueless.” But what shall we say of Muhammadu Buhari, a general who did not know the name of his running-mate; calling him Yemi Osunbade instead of Yemi Osinbajo. Buhari referred to Imo State as Ibo State. In an interview on CNN, he called INEC the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission. He also called his party the All Progressives Confidence. No wonder President Jonathan observed that Buhari cannot remember his own phone-number.

Let’s face it: General Buhari has become an embarrassment to the APC. He should not be allowed to become a Nigerian embarrassment. An absent-minded old man is not the kind of person we need as president. Electing Buhari amounts to jumping from the frying-pan into the fire.

Buhari’s campaign elevates make-believe over reality. It asserts the primacy of propaganda over commonsense. It proclaims the superiority of fiction over facts. Buhari and the APC need to be told some home-truths. You don’t build roads by attacking Goodluck Jonathan. You don’t create jobs by attacking the PDP. You don’t destroy the Boko Haram by undermining the authority of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. You don’t proclaim a mantra of anti-corruption slogans, while being surrounded and funded by corrupt politicians.

Shouting change changes nothing. Change is championed by the young, and not by a 72 year-old retired soldier receiving cheers from a coterie of dyed-in-the-wool political dinosaurs. How can Buhari represent change from the PDP, when a large chunk of his change-sloganising APC members are poached PDP turncoats? How does Buhari’s endorsement by Obasanjo, a former PDP president, commend him as an agent of change from the PDP?

Counterfeit change

Instead of change, Buhari’s agenda is the “same old same old” of the mundane and the sub-standard. I challenge APC supporters to point out one; just one, single original idea that has emanated from him. The truth is that it does not exist. Buhari is the master of the fluff and the bluster. He will fight corruption, but he cannot say how. He will revive the economy, but cannot say how. He will end the Boko Haram insurgency in no time at all, but he cannot say how.

In effect, Buhari is asking Nigerians to elect him on the basis of some voodoo that he will only concoct after the election. Nigerians should not fall for this ploy. Buhari is an old has-been: banking on the forgetfulness of Nigerians and on our disregard for history. The APC has spent far more time strategizing on how to manipulate public opinion than on policy-formulation. Its manifesto is shallow and phony; a very poor cousin to Goodluck Jonathan’s well-articulated and unfolding transformation agenda.

On the basis of his performance in office, President Jonathan has done much better than any of his predecessors. His legacy is there for all to see in agriculture, aviation, road construction, education, health (especially Guinea Worm, Polio and Ebola eradication), railways, electricity and political reform through the National Conference. Those who are insisting he should not be given a second-term need to come up with cogent reasons why we need to change the stewardship of an economy recording one of the highest growth-rates in the world.

No wonder therefore that Buhari is running away from a presidential debate. His reticence confirms the view that he has ...

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Fayose’s Recklessness Fast Approaching That Of A Suicide Bomber By Ogaga Ifowodo

ACTUALLY, it is a bit unfair to single out Mr Ayodele Fayose, the alleged rigged – into – office governor of Ekiti State( just listen to the hottest audio record in Nigeria, the Ekiti Election Rigging Tape) as the one, within the ruling party’s crowded barracoon of
desperate power-mongers, whose recklessness is fast approaching a suicide bomber’s. Who, I ask you, plays second fiddle to another among these intrepid contestants for the prize of Enemy of Democracy Number One : Fayose; or Call-Me-a-Bastard-if-APC-Survives Doyin Okupe, aka Dr. Attack Lion; or Femi Fani-Kayode, whose congenital case of logorrhoea, “excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness,” is his only stock-in-trade; or AIG Joseph Mbu, non-card carrying member of the PDP; or Mujahedeen Asari Dokubo who threatens war if Jonathan loses the election; or National Security Adviser Dasuki, the de facto INEC Chairman; or Mrs. Patience Jonathan, who doesn’t need change because she is not a bus conductor and who knows a thing or two about “brain dead” people; or President Goodluck Jonathan himself, whose refusal to curb the excesses of his troops and corresponding eagerness to reward high crimes (as in nominating the prime suspect in the criminal subversion of democracy in Ekiti for ministerial reappointment), betrays a clear preference, his public utterances notwithstanding, for a hand-picked interim government over a democratically elected one?

But I pick on Fayose for good reason: with his latest outing, he damns President Jonathan’s government as one founded on impunity. “The heavens will not fall,” Fayose counsels, if the President does what he sorely desires: sack Jega and replace him with a spineless chairman whose first duty would be to cancel the use of permanent voter cards for biometric accreditation before the elections can take place. Doubtless, Fayose would denounce impunity as vehemently as anyone, which is not to stop him from recommending blatant illegality.

“It is the President,” says Fayose, “that can determine whether or not Jega will go on the mandatory three months terminal leave which should commence on March 8, and if the President decides that the INEC chairman should go on terminal leave, what can the APC loudmouths do?” No matter, of course, that the INEC chairman is not subject to normal civil service rules. It seems to me that the PDP is traumatised by the shocking fact of having for once to confront a credible opposition party, especially one they had certified stillborn in its merger-bed. For Jega’s crime, let it be noted, is no more than a commitment, through electronic accreditation, to the elimination of rigging, the great bane of our electoral process.But the wind of change, stronger and blowing more loudly by the day, has bared the proverbial rump of the furtive fowl for all to see.

Consequently, we hear now that to insist on rigging-free elections is to be an agent of the rival party! Makes sense. With all their hopes invested in rigging, the irony is lost on them that they have now conceded the moral high ground to the All Progressives Congress.Go ahead, defy the people, Fayose begs the President, his protector.”They boasted before the postponement of the elections that they would go on street protests, but did they do anything? They made noise when Justice Isa Ayo Salami was removed from office as President of the Court of Appeal, what did their noise amount to? Therefore, let me say it categorically that the noise being made by the APC and their agents will amount to nothing because if [you] remove Jega today, [the] heavens will not fall.”

From where does Fayose get this thuggish confidence? From his serial acts of unpunished impunity!Here is what he cleverly refrained from saying: “When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charged me with diversion of money intended for a poultry project, did anything come of it? Despite the unending screams of the professional loudmouths about my alleged implication in murder, and my impeachment, did the good people of my state not reward me with another tenure?

When I went to the High Court, and in my presence a mob halted the proceedings of a tribunal deciding my eligibility for political office, ransacked the chambers of a senior judge, shredded his robes and books, and manhandled him, did the sword of justice fall upon me? But, Your Excellency, here is the clincher, if you are still unpersuaded. Even with the tape of the rigging operation leaked by a traitor, and the APC and civil society making the usual noises, have you not insisted on reappointing Musiliu Obanikoro as a minister? Have the heavens fallen on you or me yet? Have I not broken a taboo by ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/03/fayoses-recklessness-fast-approaching.html

June 12, 1993 remains a remarkable date in Nigeria. There is no way it can be forsaken by those who maneuvered the notable electoral event of the day. Whether it wanted to be ignored or not by manipulators of realities, what happened then cannot be deleted in history. It stays put as the day of the freest and fairest presidential election when the nation’s citizens pronounced their will which those in power then frustrated in self-interest.(More inside...)


Election rigging is not strange in Nigerian politics. It has been at hand even before 1960 political independence. The only thing was the continuing increased electoral abuse overtime. Regrettably, Nigerians have recurrently been denied the opportunity to enjoy suitable democracy as supremely replicated through free and fair electoral process. It is not infrequent to hear forged election results been announced in many parts of the country. The thieving of ballot boxes and the manhandling of polling officers and representatives of the opposing political parties are well implanted in Nigeria. But on that June 12 election, beyond earlier postponements and nullifications of earlier candidates, people voted the way they wanted.

Being truly the freest and fairest in the annals of election in the country, it was to be the beginning of the season for restoration of the nation’s lost political glories. However, when the authentic results were coming out, the reality became contrary to the tyrannical minds of those who cared less for the political advancement of the nation. Chief MKO Abiola, candidate of the then Social Democratic Party was ahead in comprehensible and clear victory over Alhaji Ibrahim Tofa, candidate of National Republican Congress. On senseless excuse, the emerging result was annulled by former dictator military self-acclaimed President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

There was crisis and calamities across the nation. Even when Bababngida was forced to step down, the follow-ups kept dumping the nation that was ordained to be great to the downgrading valley. Abiola’s insistence on his mandate eventually led to his confinement for several years under the late Gen. Sani Abacha, the nastiest leader Nigeria ever had. His wife, Kudirat fighting for the restoration of her husband’s mandate was gunned down around Lagos tollgate by Abacha military warriors. Many people were also killed while many of value flee out of the country. My humble self was imprisoned for six months just because, as an editor then, I published a story that justly revealed the wickedness and inhumanity of the Abacha regime.

As things are today, it is as if that same season of Nigeria’s degradation is coming back again. With the postponed general elections drawing closer, politicians are in further desperation. There are lies upon lies by liars without love for the masses.

The military that wrecked Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s 20-month tenure as military Head of State in 1985 largely because of his battle against corruption are now being mobilized to preserve corruption by working for the nation’s most corrupt government. A look back could also see the military that refused to permit Abiola becoming president despite his victory in the most credible election as the same used in Ekiti State last year to block the right people that were to enter the state and protect political and electoral defaulters desperate to enter and win the election at all costs.

In reality, the Nigerian security services are now much weaker now than they used to be. Still, they are being used, and being planned to be used to retain more belligerent power than any other group in the nation.

After five years of deterioration in curtailing the Boko Haram terrorists, it is thorny to envisage that the security situation in the North East will change conclusively in just six weeks. Even with the military working with some neighbouring countries recapturing villages from the insurgents, the large number of the abducted, internally displaced persons and refugees still might not be able to be free to join in voting. But is all the news from the military really true? Afterall, twice had it been proclaimed that terrorist leader Shekau had been killed, whereas the same authority is promising again that the same declared dead will soon be captured alive.

In wisdom and understanding, we need not forget that privileges alone cannot save anyone. Any authority in political office seeing itself in unending empowerment is in foolhardiness. No matter the desperation, there is a limit to the time the Creator has made for all things to be operational. Nothing of this world can be everlastingly preserved. Indeed, any leader without positive legacy is bound to end in ordinariness.

In the Scripture, Lot’s wife had many privileges; but she had no grace. She left Sodom with her husband on the day Sodom was destroyed. Against God’s articulated command, walking behind her husband, she looked back at the things of the ...

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The last time Nigerians enjoyed something really close to an exciting Presidential debate was dur­ing the 1993 Presidential elections. I recall the colourful and memorable encounter between the late Chief MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party and Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Conven­tion. At the end of that debate, it was clear who among the duo was better experienced, much more intellectu­ally capable and more endearing to the electorate in terms of readiness for the job being applied for. That is what a debate, under these circumstances, is: it is a job interview.


The entire country is the panel and whereas actual measurement of impact may be tentative, especially in a developing country where there are challenges of illit­eracy and access to mass media, the performance of the candidates ordinarily reshapes the conversation and can significantly influence voters’ choice. Unfortunately, in the lead up to this year’s Presidential elections, it seems certain that voters will be denied this opportunity for comparison, assessment, interaction, not to talk of the ex­citement and drama. The man to blame for this denial is General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Getting him to debate the incumbent, President Goodluck Ebele Jona­than has been an uphill task. To say that the man is scared, practically running away from an opportunity to debate his ideas against the incumbent’s, is to be charitable. He doesn’t want it. Every effort to get him to the podium has been rebuffed by him and his handlers.

President Jonathan received, ahead of the INEC rescheduling of the dates for the 2015 elections, two re­quests for a Presidential debate. The President enthusias­tically accepted and looked forward to both debates. But General Buhari was not interested. There is no gainsay­ing the fact that President Jonathan and General Buhari are the main contenders in this election. Every Nigerian would love to see the two of them debate. That would be good for our democracy. The first group that approached President Jonathan was represented by John Momoh of Channels TV; Emeka Izeze of The Guardian, and Nduka Obaigbena of ThisDay, Arise TV and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria. They said they were in talks with the APC. They needed us to agree to a de­bate. We checked our campaign schedule, and since Sundays were left free for review meetings and further consultations, we suggested that a Sunday date would be most convenient for us. That was when the drama began. The would-be organisers soon informed us that General Buhari did not want a debate on a Sunday, be­cause according to him “he does not work on Sundays.” I thought that was rather odd. President Jonathan works every day. The job of a President is a round-the-clock, all-year-round engagement. If a Sunday date would be inconvenient, may be a Monday then. Feedback from the Buhari camp: Monday was not okay either. Eventu­ally, the contact persons reported that a Tuesday date had been agreed upon. This coincided with a day when we were supposed to have rallies in two states of the North. Nonetheless, President Jonathan directed that he will keep the date, and that rallies for the day should be fast-tracked. We adjusted our schedule and intensified prepa­rations for the Jonathan encounter with Buhari.

Two days to this debate that would have been, I re­ceived non-stop frantic calls from the troika of Momoh, Izeze and Obaigbena. There had been a development, they said. The fresh development was that they had met that same evening with General Buhari and he did not agree anymore to a debate with President Jonathan. Rather, he wanted a town hall meeting, in which he would be the sole participant. Another town hall meet­ing could be organized the same day for President Jona­than and both could be aired back to back. That was his request and wish. Momoh and Co wanted the President to agree to this.

They’d rather have the two candidates say some­thing on whatever platform than say nothing at all. The President’s response was that a town hall meeting is not the same as a debate. He wanted a face-to-face debate with General Buhari. He also told Messrs Momoh, Izeze and Obaigbena that if he wanted a town hall meeting, he could always ask his Presidential Campaign Organiza­tion to arrange it. And General Buhari was in a position to organize his own town hall meeting as well. Should there be a change of mind and an opportunity for a prop­er debate, he, Jonathan, would be available at the short­est notice. We haven’t heard from the trio since then.

One of Buhari’s spokesmen later announced that he was pulling out of that particular debate because the or­ganisers had been “compromised” by government and the integrity of the debate platform they were offering was therefore doubtful! Questions: The same media houses that grant APC disproportionate amount of at­tention, and which they patronize to push their propa­ganda? And who are the media managers on the APC side questioning the integrity of their old-time com­rades, and one-time fellow hunters just so they could be seen to be committed? I leave these posers to the well-known parties involved to sort out among themselves, as they surely will when all of this is over .

The second group that invited us to a debate was the Nigeria Elections Debate Group, anchored by veteran journalist Taiwo Alimi in conjunction with a few media houses. The NEDG has been organizing election de­bates since 1999, and has been so successful that it has been invited to do the same thing in other West African countries. The Buhari camp again rejected this invita­tion on the grounds that the media houses involved were pro-government and therefore partisan.

But of course, the puerile protestations of Buhari’s handlers are meaningless. A debate is what it is: an intel­lectual duel requiring skills, knowledge, comportment and the ability to persuade the listener. The medium may even be far less important than the message and the messenger. I have no doubt that Buhari’s handlers have enough sound knowledge of this elementary truth, but they are insecure. Each time they are asked to produce their candidate for a debate, they invent a ridiculous reason. Obviously, General Buhari seems to be afraid of ...

CONTINUE HERE:http://www.beriahng.com/2015/03/we-challenge-buhari-to-debate-by-reuben.html

The world’s most success­ful social reformer Mr. Deng Xiaoping, who took his country from the backwater of social chaos and economic meltdown to steady modernization and unprecedent­ed prosperity actually assumed preemient leadership position of the Peoples Republic of China at the age of 74. From 1978, when he turned 74 years old, having been born in 1904, Deng Xiaoping was to play decisive roles in reshaping the destiny of the world’s most populous nation for the next 14 years, retiring in 1992 at the age of 88 years.


He died on the 19th of february, 2007 at the age of 93. His path to power was turbelent, typifying the trajectories of his own nation’s fate to greatness. He has joined the communist party of China, which has been founded in 1921, while in France, where he has gone to in the 1920s under a stu­dent-worker programme. After the French authorities considered his political activities along with other Chinese students incompatible with their status and sought to arrest him after arresting some four others, Deng fled to Soviet Union, where he enrolled in the Sun Yat sen university affiliated to communist party of the Soviet Union, founded after the triumph of the October socialist revolution in 1917.

Deng returned from the Soviet Union to China and immersed himself in the work of the party and after the Peoples liberation Army has been founded, as the military wing of the communist party of China, he was drafted to the 7th red army unit in Guangxi, where he received military train­ing and engaged in battles. He participated in the long match, after the communist forces have escaped the encirclement and po­tential annihilation by the nation­alist forces of General Chiang kai Shek and embarked on a tortous six thousand miles trek that last­ed slightly over a year to arrive in a safer haven in northern China. Throughout the trek, Deng who contracted typoid fever and made the trek “half on horse back and half on foot” was in charge of propaganda to sustain the moral of the troops.


Following the victory of the party after the civil war and the establishment of the socialist Peoples Republic of China on October, 1st 1949, Deng’s pro­file rose considerably that by 1956, he has become the General secretary of the party and a key figure in state administration. However, Deng’s dexterity in practical question of state ad­ministration exemplified in his famous refrain that “it does not matter if a cat is black or white but as long as it catches a mice, it is a good cat; drew the suspicion of the ultra-leftists gravitating around Chairman Mao; wife, Ji­ang Qing later to be identified as the “gang of four.” Nonetheless, Deng’s robust ideological insight to China’s distinctive practical challenge resonated with ...

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When Muhammadu Buhari overthrew a democratically-elected government in a coup d”etat in 1983, Sani Abacha declared in his infamous radio broadcast: “(Our) health services are in shambles as our hospitals are reduced to mere consulting clinics without drugs, water and equipment.”


However, Buhari did not address the shambolic Nigerian health system in his two years in power. In a Vanguard article of 7th February, 2015, Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka said of Buhari: “He entrusted to me the care and welfare of his family- he sent his wife and two children to me in Washington D.C. for medical treatment. His family were with me in Washington D.C. when the general was overthrown in a coup d’état.”

Thus, while Buhari was grandstanding as Mr. Fix-It, he sought medical care surreptitiously for his family in the United States, instead of fixing the Nigerian health system. This typifies the hypocrisy and insincerity of Buhari as an agent of change. It is all smoke and mirrors. It is the same duplicity whereby he claimed to be the apostle of anti-corruption even while being complicit in the smuggling in of 53 suitcases at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos in the middle of a currency change.

Buharinomics

Buhari’s grandstanding must not be allowed to go unchallenged today, now that he is seeking election under the same kind of democratic system he truncated and trashed in the past. We must not allow Buhari to sweep his ignominious past under the carpet of a bogus mantra of “change.” Indeed, there is something anomalous about presenting a 72 year-old former military dictator as a change candidate. What kind of change can be represented by an old has-been?

In his first coming, the “changes” Buhari brought were to Nigeria’s detriment. Under him, the Nigerian economy went from bad to worse. Our national debt rose from $14 billion to $18 billion in less than two years; with the result that Nigeria was no longer able to meet its financial obligations to global bankers. We had to queue for essential commodities, such as bread and milk, which were hard to find. Raw materials and spare parts needed to keep factories running were scarce. Rather than create jobs, tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs. Inflation rose to the astronomical level of 40%; while it is now 7.9% under Jonathan.

When Buhari seized power in 1983, Nigeria’s GDP was $444.45. When he was overthrown in 1985, Nigeria’s GDP had dropped dramatically to $344.14. That is not the kind of change we want. When Goodluck Jonathan became president in 2010, Nigeria’s GDP was $369. By 2014, it had grown dramatically to $510.

Buhari is going around complaining about the recent devaluation of the naira. However, when he took over in 1983, one dollar exchanged for 0.724 naira. But by the time he was overthrown in 1985, one dollar exchanged for 0.894 naira. That is 23% devaluation in barely two years. However, when Jonathan took over in 2010, one dollar exchanged for $167 naira. Five years later, it is now $202.55. That is a devaluation of 21% in five years.

It is not surprising, therefore that, when Buhari was overthrown in 1985, there was wild jubilation throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Unleashin the Dogs and the Baboons

One of the first things Buhari did when he seized power in 1984 was to gag the press. Decree 4 was promulgated making even the publishing of the truth a criminal offence. Under it, Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson were jailed maliciously in a manner designed primarily to intimidate the press.

Under Buhari, the SSS came looking for me because I published an article in National Concord entitled: “Counter-trading Nigeria’s Future;” criticizing the government’s return to the stone age economic policy of trade by barter which resulted in even greater fraud than import licensing. Buhari is now angling to return to power under a democratic setting. But has this leopard changed its skin? In spite of his carefully crafted makeover by his American handlers, has Buhari changed from his anti-democratic ways?

All the evidence suggests he has not. Buhari is not even president and he is already fighting the press. Recently, he threatened to back out of the Abuja Peace Accord concluded with Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP because he was upset about the insults and attacks he was receiving. He warned that no one should regard his “patriotic commitment to maintaining national peace” for weakness.

Buhari’s handlers declared: “We cannot continue to guarantee the tolerance limit of our teeming supporters nationwide who are daily being inundated with death wish commentaries on the person of General Muhammadu Buhari.” What exactly does this mean? Is Buhari now going to unleash his infamous dogs and baboons on Nigerians? This is why it would be foolhardy to mortgage the freedoms we have come to enjoy under the democratic dispensation by handing power back to a man who is intolerant of criticism.

Let us juxtapose Buhari’s short fuse to the disposition of Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan must be the most wrongly vilified president in the history of Nigeria. He has been called all kinds of names by his traducers. He has been abused, reviled and condemned by APC stalwarts. His motorcade has been stoned. His campaign posters have been torn down. His campaign ground has been bombed. His wife has been maligned. How has he responded to all this?

Jonathan responded by signing the Freedom of Information bill. In effect, instead of gagging the press, in the tradition of malevolent dictators like Buhari, he has freed the press even more; allowing it to criticize his government without ...

Continue here: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/03/why-nigerians-must-reject-second-coming.html

The First Lady, Mrs. Patience
Jonathan, on Wednesday gave reasons
why President Goodluck Jonathan
deserves to be reelected for a second
term.

Mrs. Jonathan, who was in Ikom,
Cross River State, in continuation of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
nationwide women rally to solicit
votes for her husband, said
President Goodluck Jonathan has
performed well to earn a second term
in office.

Speaking shortly after the
inauguration of the 6,000-seat
capacity ultra modern Ikom Township
Stadium, Mrs. Jonathan said: “I came
to thank you for keeping to your
promise in 2011 to vote for my
husband. And I want to use this
opportunity to appeal to you to repeat
the same thing in the March 28
presidential election.”

According to the First Lady, her
husband, during his first tenure has
performed tremendously and has
impacted positively on the people
especially women.

Mrs. Jonathan reminded the large
crowd of female politicians that in
2011, her husband promised to give
women 35 per cent appointment in line
with the affirmative action which he
did through political and elective
offices, adding that
“Now we are in 2015, and he will do
more for the nation and women in
particular.”

She listed the progress made by the
PDP-led federal government to
include improvement in health care
delivery where infant mortality rate
has dropped drastically,
establishment of federal universities
in all the 36 states of the federation,
instituted developmental programmes
to empower women and youth and the
construction of 125 Amajiri schools to
take kids off the street and give them
hope for the future.

Others include improvement in
transportation system and energy
sector while the country’s
participation in sporting competitions
has improved significantly on the
continent and at the global arena and
Nollywood, which she said has been
brouhgt to international recognition.

The First Lady therefore enjoined the
women not to be cajoled by those who...

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Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chukwuma Soludo, has again released a third article in response to President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim that it was impossible for N30 trillion to have been stolen when federal budget over the last four years was less than N30 trillion. Soludo says the President missed the point on the missing N30 trillion.

Read Mr. Soludo’s full article below...

President Jonathan Missed the Point on the Missing N30 trillion, By Chukwuma Charles Soludo

My attention has been drawn this morning to an article entitled: “Jonathan Replies Soludo over “missing N30 trillion” claim”— extracting from Mr. President’s interview as published by Thisday newspaper. ThisDay quoted Mr. President as saying that “Soludo said that under Ngozi’s watch they stole N30 trillion” but that since the sum of the federal budget over the last four years was less than N30 trillion, such an amount could not have been “stolen”. According to the President, “it is all political”. I had earlier stated that I would not make further comments on the issues until probably after the elections but since Mr. President has decided to join the fray, I am constrained to make a further brief clarification. For me, President Jonathan is a gentleman and a friend but I have a fundamental disagreement on his management of the economy. On the issues at stake, I believe that the pressures of office and the hectic electioneering campaigns have not allowed him time to read my articles or that his staff have not explained the contents to him hence he totally missed the point in his comments. For the avoidance of doubt, let me clarify as follows:

1. In my article entitled “Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Missing Trillions”, I presented some rough calculations covering: oil theft, money that ought to accrue to stock of foreign reserves, unbudgeted oil subsidy payments, customs duty waivers, leakages through the self-financing government parastatals, unremitted sums by NNPC, etc. I concluded that section of my article by noting that: “I have a long list but let me wait for now. I do not want to talk about other ‘black pots’ that impinge on national security. My estimate, Madam, is that probably more than N30 trillion has either been stolen or lost or unaccounted for or simply mismanaged under your watchful eyes in the past four years”.

2. It is evident that the monies I referred to are “off-budget”. These are monies that did not make it to the budget. I find it funny that the Government deliberately avoided the issues raised above but instead has sought to divert attention by focusing on the “federal budget”. Let me state for the record that I believe that the amount of resources that are either stolen from the economy or out-rightly mismanaged by government far exceeds the federal budget per annum. Ours is about a N100 trillion economy, and I will be shocked if the government pretends that it does not know that currently about 10% of the GDP falls into a ‘black hole’ on annual basis. We have not added figures based on counterfactual analysis such as the cost to the aggregate economy of bad or misguided economic policy. For example, in today’s Thisday newspaper, a headline news reports that “Aliko Dangote, Africa’s Richest Man, Loses $7.8 Billion as Naira, Stocks Plunge” while reporting that “In dollar terms, the devaluation has knocked more than $40 billion off the value of Nigeria’s economy”. Of course, most people predicted that oil prices would soon fall but we were caught unprepared, and today, the parallel market exchange rate is N225 to the dollar. Thus, the kind of analysis in today’s Thisday is just one little example of the kind of collateral damages–‘costs’ or ‘losses’– that mismanagement foists on the system. To repeat, my article did not focus on the federal budget: the mismanagement of the consumption budget and its unprecedented debt accumulation (with low value-for-money expenditures) are entirely different matters.

3. What I found particularly disconcerting as a Nigerian from the comments I read is the fixation to validation from the World Bank. According to Mr. President, “we asked the Minister how her colleagues at the World Bank saw the ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/soludo-hits-back-at-jonathan-says.html

The Honourable Governor B.R. Fashola (SAN) has lied again and I think it's time to address his repeated blunder.
With regards to my taxes, there is no truth in this latest piece of misinformation that the Honourable Governor has been peddling. Following the repudiation of his initial allegations about JAYKAY PHARMACEUTICALS unpaid taxes, he has lied again, giving the impression that my company has gone to pay money supposedly owed to the government.

JAYKAY PHARMACEUTICALS has not paid a kobo since the day the Honourable Governor launched his initial attack. We stick to the facts contained in its initial publication, which encapsulated the company's reaction to the Governor’s initial falsehood. To now insinuate that I have gone behind the curtains to pay N500,000 is clearly political silly season, for lack of a better phrase, and quite frankly, beneath your person.
It's understandable that we've both had our differences in course of this election season, but when the Honorable Governor goes about launching unbridled, flat-out-false attacks at me about something as important as taxes, you leave me no choice but to call you out, Sir.

When I got into this race, I decided to make it about the issues. My opponents, not so much. They talked about me being inexperienced and at some point they said I was too old to govern and we responded with BOLD IDEAS intended to put Lagos on a new trajectory - one that is NOT based on the Jagaban's tax-and-spend economics but on a framework that would radically push us to new economic frontiers for some of the most under-developed regions of the state like Epe and Ikorodu. They ridiculed our ideas around government-enabled free wifi hotspots across the city - an idea targeted at widening the reach of a world of knowledge that the Internet offers to our young and aspiring populace - especially in areas of low penetration. They called it bold ignorance and out of touch with reality yet they quickly went on to implement wifi Internet-enabled buses a couple of weeks after. As much as we're glad that our BOLD IDEAS inspire you as much as they do us, one must begin to question the seriousness of the opposition in Lagos to make this election about the issues.

How ever you cut or dissect our success as a state over the last 16-years, the fact is that Lagos in the Economic intelligence Unit (EIU) is still ranked 137th out of 140 cities listed in the liveability index. This means that if you take 140 ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/fashola-has-lied-again-and-i-think-its.html#more

Some leaders of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) are pushing
for the suspension of ex-president
Olusegun Obasanjo from the party.

Still shaken his negative comments
on
President Goodluck jonathan.
But Jonathan, who is the leader of
the party, is yet to accede to the
demand of the aggrieved PDP
stalwarts, including some members
of the Board of Trustees (BoT).

It was however learnt yesterday that
a media campaign will be launched
against Obasanjo to expose what a
source described as his “weak
side”.

According to The Nation , the leading
figures in PDP, including governors,
BOT members and those in the
National Working Committee (NWC),
felt slighted by Obasanjo’s
comments at a briefing.

A source said:

“From the President to party leaders,
we were all sad by Obasanjo’s
attacks against the person of the
President who had shown him much
respect.

“We all concluded that what the ex-
President did in an election year
amounted to anti-party activities.
“Some of our leaders have started
demanding for Obasanjo’s
suspension from the party. They
said there was no point having
Obasanjo in PDP to give him more
leverage to destroy the party.

“Worse still, these angry leaders
said Obasanjo had written off his...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/pdp-leaders-pushing-for-obasanjos.html?m=0

The All Progresives Congress, APC,
said to President Goodluck Jonathan
that they'll not be intimidated by the
latest antics of the Jonathan
administration to harass and
intimidate the opposition, especially
in the run-up to next month’s
general elections.

According to the Vanguard,a
statement was released by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed in Lagos, yesterday,
the party said the recent military
siege on APC National Leader,
Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s residence
and the Imo State Government
House and the police harassment of
APC’s Presidential Campaign
spokesman, Garba Shehu fit
perfectly into this emerging pattern.
It said:

“As the elections approach, we
know the harassment and
intimidation will be stepped
up. We know our leaders,
including the National
Chairman Chief John Oyegun;
National Leader, Asiwaju
Ahmed Tinubu; Gov. Rotimi
Amaechi; former Gov. Timipre
Sylva; Senator Bukola Saraki
and National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, are under
surveillance and their phones
being hacked.

“We are aware that several of...

CONTINUE HERE : www.beriahng.com/2015/02/you-cant-intimidate-us-apc-to-president.html?m=0

Edo State Coordinator of General
Muhammadu Buhari Campaign
Organisation, Dr. Osagie Ehanire,
has urged Nigerians to disregard the
insinuations that All Progressives
Congress,
APC, standard bearer, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhati (retd) will
Islamize the country if elected
president in the coming general
election in March this year.

He noted the peddling was
ridiculous and being used by
detractors to sway the minds of
Christians against Buhari who is a
devoted Muslim, as Islamization of
the country will be a tough hurdle to
achieve.

Dr. Ehanire said Buhari cares less of
religion being an open minded
individual who practises his religion
with sincerity and does not deter...

CONTINUE HERE: www.beriahng.com/2015/02/its-impossible-to-islamise-nigeria.html?m=0

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday during the Presidential
Media Chat refused to categorically
condemn some prominent Niger
Delta militants who threatened war
should
the president be voted out of office
in the forthcoming elections.

Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader, Niger
Delta Peoples Volunteer Force;
Victor Ben Ebikabowei, aka, Boy
Loaf; and Government
Ekpudomenowei, aka, Tompolo had
in January declared there would be
war if their kinsman, Mr. Jonathan
does not win the elections during a
meeting in Yenagoa, capital of
Bayelsa State.

Speaking Wednesday, the president
said provocative statements were
usually made by “actors”
surrounding politicians, adding that
such statements might not actually
imply the intentions of the politician
contesting an election.

“You know tihe actors around
you can be carried away.
These people (ex-militants)
made these statements …
based on ….you know when
they have been carried away,​”​
he said.​He said provocative
statements had been made by...

CONTINUE HERE: www.beriahng.com/2015/02/president-jonathan-refuses-to-condemn.html?m=0

The All Progressives Congress
Presidential Council Organization,
APCPCO, has decried what it called
vested interest and sinister motives
behind the polls postponement and
asked President Goodluck Jonathan
to come clean on the speculation on
plans for an
interim government, to avert
possible civil disobedience that
could scuttle the country’s
democracy.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja
by its Director of Media and
Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu,
APCPCO frowned at what it called
the unholy alliance between the
Jonathan’s government, Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, and the
military for the purposes of
subverting Nigerians’ franchise in
the rescheduled presidential and
other elections on March 28 and
April 11, respectively.

The statement read in part:
“If the witch cried in the night and
the baby died in the morning, it
would not be a mere coincidence.

Hence, the body of civilized and
democratic people around the world
believe that the security excuse
used by this unpopular government
to prolong the polls is untrue and
pretentious.

“What type of democracy allows
compromising security chiefs to
determine when elections would
hold or not? Now, the National
Security Adviser, NSA, has become
the megaphone for this government.

“He went to Chatham House in the...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/apc-urges-jonathan-to-come-clean-on.html?m=0

Nigeria has vowed to crush the
islamic militant sect Boko haram
just in time for the elections on the
28th Of March.Speaking to AFP on
Monday the National Security
Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki assured
that “all known Boko Haram camps
will be taken out” by the
time of the rescheduled vote which
is March 28 for presidential poll.

“They won’t be there. They will be
dismantled,” he told AFP when
asked what gains could be made
against the Islamists before the new
polling date.

When reminded that the Federal
Government has previously set
deadlines to defeat the insurgents
that have come and gone, Dasuki
said that even if the goal was not
achieved “the situation then would
surely be conducive enough for
elections” , with no need for a further
postponement to voting.

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/boko-haram-camps-will-be-taken-out.html?m=0

IF Nigeria is a nation of laws and of the rule of law, the presidential candidacy of Muhammadu Buhari should end this week. The reason is well-known to all. Buhari swore an oath on his INEC application that his credentials are with the military. This turned out
to be a lie.

The military has come out to deny that it has Buhari’s credentials. That means Buhari committed perjury instead of fulfilling INEC requirements. For this reason, he must be disqualified from contesting the presidential election.

The matter has been taken to court and the courts should decide the matter this week. I am not a lawyer, but from my layman’s perspective, this is an open and shut case. Buhari lied willfully. As a former military secretary of the Nigerian Army, he knew that the military does not keep any credentials of its service-men. Nevertheless, he lied on oath that his credentials are with the military. He must face the penalty for this perjury. There can be debate about whether, and for how long, he should go to jail. However, there can be no question about his resultant ineligibility to contest: he must be disqualified.

To overlook this infraction is to succumb to Buhari’s appraisal that Nigeria is corrupt. If we are going to deal with corruption, we must not fail to deal with the likes of Buhari, who are contemptuous of the laws of the land. Buhari’s false affidavit is corruption. The disqualification of Buhari by the courts will be a testament to the determination of the judiciary to show zero tolerance for corruption in the coming new dispensation.

Some of us have watched APC make a song and dance about the possibility of postponing the 2015 elections. The party brought out all its big guns to tell us that the election cannot be postponed. They insisted that if it is postponed all hell would break lose. Well, the election has been postponed and nothing has happened. It has been postponed and the APC can do nothing about it. It was postponed according to the law.

Similarly, the heavens will not fall with the lawful disqualification of Buhari. Of all those APC could present as its presidential candidate, it chose a man without the appropriate credentials. APC has nobody to blame but itself for this fiasco. It has forfeited its chance of presenting a candidate for the 2015 presidential election. The contest should now be between the remaining 13 presidential candidates. Shikenan!

JEGA MUST GO IMMEDIATELY

The excuse used to force Attahiru Jega to postpone the elections is the inability to provide effective security given the insurgency in the North-East. However, there is little likelihood that the security situation will improve within the next six weeks of the postponement. So, strictly-speaking, security has nothing to do with the postponement. One major reason for the postponement was to prevent INEC from compromising the election.
INEC has long ceased to be a disinterested umpire in this election. The evidence is now overwhelming that INEC is determined to bias the election in favour of Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. This is evident in INEC’s determination to go ahead with the election in spite of the fact that out of 68 million registered voters, over 20 million have yet to receive their permanent voter’s cards (PVCs).

It is remarkable that, in announcing the postponement, Jega conveniently forgot to mention the nagging issue of the inadequacies of INEC in providing voters with their PVCs. It is also remarkable that Jega briefed the Council of State that INEC was ready to conduct the elections. This was one big lie. You cannot be ready to conduct elections when there is a cacophony of complaints, especially in the South, that people are unable to claim their PVCs. Given the time it took INEC to distribute 40 million PVCs, it could not have realistically expected to be able to distribute the outstanding 20 million in just one week?

INEC rigmarole

What is even more sinister is INEC’s willful determination to disenfranchise select geopolitical regions which represent areas of strength for Goodluck Jonathan. Credible Alternative Alliance, an independent political interest organization led by former Kaduna State governor, Balarabe Musa, observed in INEC activities: “a criminal gross disparity of voter spread designed to tilt the election to a pre-determined outcome.”

It said: “Voters in the zones that tend to support President Goodluck Jonathan are massively disenfranchised by the application of the so-called PVCs debacle, 40% to 50% of voters in these regions who are lawfully and duly registered to vote will be denied their right to vote by INEC. That is nearly half of the support base of the President, simply nullified by administrative failure prior to the election. By comparison, the zones that tend to support Buhari are handed a massive voter advantage, nearly 80% of his support base will be allowed to cast their votes by INEC.”

“In an election, which many say will be won or lost by a slim margin, to now disenfranchise 20 million voters through a questionable and unlawful rule by INEC is not acceptable by any measure. CAA condemns in its entirety this attempt by INEC to undermine our nascent democracy through this criminal enterprise to determine the outcome of this election before the ballot is cast.”

This position is corroborated by different observers in the field. INEC needs to explain how more people in the war-torn North-East have collected their PVCs than in the South-West, South-South and South-East. In the APC strongholds of the North-West and the North-East, 80.18% and 81.09% collection rates were recorded respectively. In the North-Central, the figure was 69.89%. However, the figures in the South were significantly lower than these. In the South-East, it was 59.22%. South-South: 66.66%; and South-West 43.15%.

Since INEC under Jega is no longer an independent umpire but is now clearly working for the opposition, Jega should be sent on compulsory leave and a temporary chairman should be nominated to handle the elections. Jega can no longer be trusted.

THE MISCHIEF OF FORMER CBN GOVERNOR, LAMIDO SANUSI

Former Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, caused uproar when he declared that $49.8 billion of Nigeria’s oil money was missing, allegedly diverted by the NNPC. For a Central Bank governor, the statement was not only irresponsible, it was downright mischievous. If it were not that ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/the-end-of-buharis-presidential.html

With the successful postponement of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Presidency has launched a two-pronged war to ensure that
President Goodluck Jonathan wins the election convincingly.

Anambra Supplementary Election: INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega addressing pressmen , announcing November 30 for Supplementary election at Anambra State while National Commissioner Lawrence Nwuruku looks on in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.


The two strategies are to stop Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress candidate from contesting the election with Jonathan and the replacement of the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, with a less independent-minded person. Jega, it was gathered, had been described by hawks around the president of being too independent-minded and ‘uncooperative’ despite being given the job on a platter of gold by the president’s men.

Vanguard learnt that Jega might have unwittingly played into the hands of the forces arrayed against him by agreeing to shift the elections.

Legal war to disqualify Buhari

Competent sources said last night that the move to remove Jega and the legal fireworks against Buhari, would be taken up simultaneously with effect from this week given the timeframe made possible by the shift.

The retired general is to be prosecuted by a team of legal luminaries for ‘lying on oath’ that he had a school certificate with the Nigerian Army when he knew that it was untrue. The plaintiffs are said to have settled for trying Buhari for alleged ‘perjury’ instead of outright non-possession of certificate following legal advice that the latter would be more difficult to prove within the time at their disposal.

Vanguard learnt that although Jega reluctantly succumbed to pressure from the Presidency and its security chiefs to shift the polls, he might still not be allowed by the forces to conduct the rescheduled elections between March 28 and April 11. Vanguard gathered from competent sources that the Presidency was no longer comfortable with Jega and was, therefore, working tirelessly to get him out of the commission to pave the way for a more ‘trusted hand’ to conduct the rescheduled elections.

It was learnt that the forces arrayed against the INEC boss had convinced the President not to renew Jega’s tenure, which is expected to lapse on June 13 this year. The forces, it was learnt, felt that Jega was rather too ‘difficult’ to deal with, having not allowed himself to be dictated to by anyone since assuming office like other appointees of the government.
It was learnt that in a bid to sweep off Jega from his seat without raising any dust, he would be asked to comply with the civil service procedure by proceeding on his three months terminal leave with effect from March 1, this year since he is expected to retire on June 13.

S-West gov’s brother may replace Jega

Vanguard gathered that in his place, the Presidency was considering bringing in another academic from the South-West, who is currently heading a tertiary institution in the country. The professor of Political Science and International Relations is said to be a sibling of a serving governor in the South-West, who is a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan and his party.

Competent sources also told Vanguard last night that although the name of the academic had been made known in ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/presidency-shops-for-jegas-replacement.html

Eight years ago, Jimi Agbaje ran a very impressive campaign when he first came into public consciousness and was contesting for the gubernatorial job in Lagos State. His jingles were catchy and his message resonated. He even had one jingle where he came dancing acrobatically to a melodious tune. It was full of verve. It was full of energy. Fashola in comparison led a dull, dour almost uninspiring campaign. At least, that was what it seemed like to me and I told my late friend who was handling his campaign ads that his man did not come across as a confident candidate.

I wonder if the outcome would not have been different if Fashola was not the chosen of Tinubu whose hold on Lagos politics then was almost total. What a difference eight years make however; today very few people would regret the selection of Fashola. He has acquitted himself creditably and has also grown in stature. His eloquence, his competence, his grasp of issues make you feel proud you have him in your corner. He has also showed a genuine interest in improving the lot of the people and leaving Lagos a better place.

People who scoff and say all he had done was to plant a few flowers seem to have forgotten what Lagos was like 16 years ago. It was one giant ghetto! The roads were narrow and laced with craters; mountains of dirt stood everywhere and competed for space on the side roads especially during the rainy season when corn came out. The rainy season also meant that drains which had been blocked by dirt and illegal structures, ensured that floods stood on the roads a while longer.

Now, we enjoy wider road networks, cleaner environment and yes, cleaner air. The lightening of the streets and freeing of bottle necks on the roads meant a significant reduction in crime. Lagos had too many dark spots where crime festered and blossomed. Obalende was one; Oshodi was another. A lot has also been done to improve the infrastructure. Many will say Lagos is a better place today than it was eight years ago.

Another argument against Fashola is that he could have done better given the amount of money that accrues to the government monthly. Of course he could have done better and I am sure he would be the first to admit to that. But the nature of Nigerian politics which means many greedy mouths including those of his fiercest critics had to be fed regularly could be partly responsible. He might not have been the most prudent or the most focused of the governors but he rates high. He certainly was not the most profligate.

We should also give him and Tinubu credit for engineering the internally generated revenue that has made Lagos to be financially independent of the Federal purse. It would have been easy as was previously done, and as many of his colleagues still do, to sit back and await Federal allocation. One can only hope that one day soon, the Federal Government would take a cue from Lagos and stop relying on oil revenue alone.

My grouse with him though is that he could be elitist in his approach to problems of State. This sometimes made him brusque and distant to the challenges of the downtrodden. An example was his handling of the LASU issue. His goal was lofty and good universities cost money to run but he must not forget the poverty level in his State which though significantly higher than the national level, is still pretty dismal. The allegation that he over concentrated on urban roads could have some merit as well. Ize Iyamu in Oregun, the road where my office is, has not been touched by any government since I moved there some 25 years ago. Today, mechanics and illegal diesel sellers have crowded the once wide, industrial road. This road is less than a five minute drive to Alausa, the State’s seat of government.

All told, Fashola has raised the bar in governance and if Mr Jonathan had done the same at the Federal level he would not be resorting to ethnic and religious politics to stay in power today. His performance would have spoken for him. Fashola’s performance means Lagosians will not accept tokenism as governance any more. It will not be enough to build a few roads and a few schools and call them achievements as some state governors still do. This makes the task before Ambode/Agbaje more daunting. Both have run nice campaigns. I particularly like the one from Agbaje that says: ‘JK we know. JK we trust’.

I mean, who really knows Ambode outside the precincts of Alausa? Agbaje also seems more assured, more confident. To get a better, deeper feel however, I sent a text to a colleague who had just interviewed the two of them and asked him who was the better candidate? I’ll quote his answer verbatim. ‘Rhetorics…Agbaje. Better prepared…..Ambode. That says a lot.

On the issue of sponsorship, one is being sponsored by two former State Governors who left Lagos better than they met it and would want to continue a ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/ambodeagbaje-battle-royale-in-lagos-by.html

The Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and founder and Presiding Bishop of Victory International Church worldwide, Bishop Taiwo Victor Adelakun, has reacted to the reports doing the rounds that N6 billion was given to
some pastors by the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria (PDP) to campaign against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adelakun, who stated this during the Founder’s day ceremony of the Bible Society of Nigeria, held at Molete Baptist Church, yesterday, insisted that “there is no N6bn given to any pastor anywhere because the person who made the allegation cannot point to anyone in particular, and as such, there is no substance in it.”

According to Adelakun, the submission was made at the end of the 13th Biennial Conference of the PFN, held at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission national headquarters in Lagos, stating that “there is no substance in the allegation.”

At the PFN conference, which concluded during the weekend, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, stated that the prayers of Nigerians have served as the force behind the nation’s unity.

According to Jonathan, “I am aware of the fact that without God, Nigeria will not be here today. I thank Nigerians for their constant prayers for the country. As we move in the direction of moving the country forward, we should make sure that the word and kingdom of God is preached.”

The President of the PFN, Reverend Felix Omobude, said it was not a coincidence that the conference was holding at a crucial time in the history of Nigeria and as such, “it must remind us of our responsibility to stand in the gap for our ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/no-one-gave-us-n6bn-pfn.html

Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan
is the President of Nigeria. In addition
to the big title of President, he is also
the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.

Undoubtedly a very big
position, Jonathan is the supreme
commander and boss of the Nigerian
Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian
Air Force as well as the
Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Civil
Defence Corps, the Nigerian Security
and Intelligence Services, and of such
forces not listed on paper. With the
awesome powers at the disposal of Mr
President, Jonathan is armed to the
teeth to do and undo with the fate of
Nigerians.

And this exactly was what he chose to
do after meeting with the respected
Members of the highest advisory
council in the land: the country’s
Council of State.

After allowing the
grey-haired former Heads of state and
governments of Nigeria to warm their
seats at the hallowed chambers of the
Presidential Villa, and gracefully
allowing them to air their views on the
much anticipated national Elections
slated for February 14 and 28 2015,
Jonathan went to his armoury and
calculatedly announced the bloodless
take-over of the nation’s sovereignty
and vested it on himself.

Nigeria had battled insurgency, albeit
half-heartedly for 9 years. And under
Commander-In-Chief Jonathan’s
lack-lustre watch the insurgency grew
in bounds and leaps. The ravaging
insurgents even captured over 300
school girls from their hostel and to
date the fate of the unfortunate girls is
unknown.

On top of that the insurgents
had successfully captured and
occupied a number of territories in the
North East of Nigeria and declared the
captured lands their own.

Nigeria’s Commander-In-Chief
appeared totally powerless and at the
height of his frustration announced to
the whole world that some members of
his Cabinet were members of the
terrorising Boko-Haram sect. And at
another time when bombs went up at
the Eagle Square Commander-In-Chief
Jonathan declared that the
perpetrators were ‘my brothers’
meaning the terror groups from the
creeks of the Delta region where
Jonathan hailed from.

Commander-In-Chief took a good look
at his very unimpressive performance
as the President of Nigeria and he was
worried stiff that any elections in
Nigeria would sweep him off his
exalted feet. Billions of dollars had
been declared stolen under his watch
and many horrible things that were
hitherto unknown in Nigeria were
parading themselves under his
presidency: unceasing armed robbery,
kidnapping, assassinations,
unprecedented level of insecurity and
arrant impunity and unaccountability
in government.

All these anomalies
weighted heavily against the
country’s march to development and
modernity.

It became very clear that Jonathan,
the President lacked the ability and
capability to run the affairs of Nigeria.

It was even clear that he lacked the
wherewithal to run the affairs of a
Bakery!

Elections to national office were
usually, as defined by the Nigerian
Constitution which Jonathan swore to
uphold and protect, held three months
to handing over power to the
successors.
That period had been
fixed for February of every Election
year. President Jonathan the
Commander-In-Chief was/is very well
aware of this Constitutional provision
and he, in fact had been canvassing
for votes in readiness for the
Elections.

The Electoral body which is
constitutionally bound to be
independent had also for the past four
years been preparing for the Elections.
On numerous occasions, the boss of
that body a most respected intellectual
by the name Attahiru Jega had
announced their readiness and
preparedness to hold a fair and free
election.

While the whole world was eagerly
looking forward to the Elections slated
for February 14, the Commander-In-
Chief through remote control sent his
National Security adviser, his own
appointee, to test the waters by
suggesting that elections could not
hold as scheduled.

A number of megaphones took the
queue from the National Security
Adviser and they too started mouthing
the desirability of postponing the
Elections. And a most respected
elders’ council suspected to have
been heavily bribed at the Jonathan
stage-managed National Confab also
came up, inaudibly though due to the
advanced stage of their ages, that it
might be a good idea if the Elections
were suspended in the last hour.

While this entire shenanigan was
going on, the usually very articulate
civil societies in Nigeria saw through
it all and knew that the Commander-
In-Chief had something up his
sleeves.

They started asking questions: ‘What
on earth could have led to the
Presidency and the president’s jolly
fellows to begin to chicken out in the
face of an imminent election? Why
should they be falling down one by
one when Death was yet to knock on
their doors?

Finally, the Commander-In-Chief
struck! The elections would have to be
postponed because the Commander-
in-Chief had now just gathered his
strength to lead an onslaught on Boko
Haram now that Chad, Cameroon and
Niger had shown what leadership was
all about.

The Commander-In-Chief announcing
the coup through his service chiefs
says that his forces will be
commencing offensive against
insurgents the very day the whole of
Nigeria and the International
Community had concluded to hold a
most popularised election.

By this coup Jonathan has exposed
the underbelly of the Nigerian nation to
a most unpardonable ridicule. Never in
the over 100-year history of the
country have Elections been
postponed. And it is an irony that
Nigeria that used to be the toast of the
world in international peace keeping
operations and had in fact rescued
Liberia, Congo and Sierra-Leone from
destruction is now the same country
being rescued by land-locked Chad.

A
greater irony is that the same Security
Agents that could not muster forces to
quell insurgency in the North East is
now battle ready to squash Nigeria’s
hopes and aspirations. They cannot
fight the insurgents but they can
terrorise law abiding Nigerian citizens
and prevent them from their basic
civic duty of electing their leaders.

This coup master-minded by the
Commander-In-Chief is billed to throw
Nigeria back for twenty years. And it
may just be the beginning scenario for
more coups to unfold from the arm pit
of the Commander-in-Chief. The
Commander-In-Chief has already...

CONTINUE HERE: www.beriahng.com/2015/02/jonathans-coup-against-nigeria-by-tola_8.html?m=0

Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan
is the President of Nigeria. In addition to the big title of President, he is also the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Undoubtedly a very big position,Jonathan is the supreme commander and boss of
the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian
Navy, the Nigerian Air Force as well as the
Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Security and Intelligence Services,
and of such forces not listed on
paper.

With the awesome powers at
the disposal of Mr President,
Jonathan is armed to the teeth to do
and undo with the fate of Nigerians.

And this exactly was what he chose
to do after meeting with the
respected Members of the highest
advisory council in the land: the
country’s Council of State. After
allowing the grey-haired former
Heads of state and governments of
Nigeria to warm their seats at the
hallowed chambers of the
Presidential Villa, and gracefully
allowing them to air their views on
the much anticipated national
Elections slated for February 14 and
28 2015, Jonathan went to his
armoury and calculatedly
announced the bloodless take-over
of the nation’s sovereignty and
vested it on himself.

Nigeria had battled insurgency,
albeit half-heartedly for 9 years. And
under Commander-In-Chief
Jonathan’s lack-lustre watch the
insurgency grew in bounds and
leaps. The ravaging insurgents even
captured over 300 school girls from
their hostel and to date the fate of
the unfortunate girls is unknown.

On top of that the insurgents had
successfully captured and occupied
a number of territories in the North
East of Nigeria and declared the
captured lands their own.

Nigeria’s Commander-In-Chief
appeared totally powerless and at
the height of his frustration
announced to the whole world that
some members of his Cabinet were
members of the terrorising Boko-
Haram sect. And at another time
when bombs went up at the Eagle
Square Commander-In-Chief
Jonathan declared that the
perpetrators were ‘my brothers’
meaning the terror groups from the
creeks of the Delta region where
Jonathan hailed from.

Commander-In-Chief took a good
look at his very unimpressive
performance as the President of
Nigeria and he was worried stiff that
any elections in Nigeria would
sweep him off his exalted feet.

Billions of dollars had been declared
stolen under his watch and many
horrible things that were hitherto
unknown in Nigeria were parading
themselves under his presidency:
unceasing armed robbery,
kidnapping, assassinations,
unprecedented level of insecurity
and arrant impunity and
unaccountability in government. All
these anomalies weighted heavily
against the country’s march to
development and modernity.

It became very clear that Jonathan,
the President lacked the ability and
capability to run the affairs of
Nigeria. It was even clear that he
lacked the wherewithal to run the
affairs of a Bakery!

Elections to national office were...

CONTINUE HERE: www.beriahng.com/2015/02/jonathans-coup-against-nigeria-by-tola_8.html?m=0

Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka yesterday gave 60 reasons why he would not advise anyone to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in next week’s presidential election.

The eminent playwright’s position is another blow to the President’s flagging reelection
campaign.

Prof. Soyinka was addressing some youths at the Freedom Park in Lagos during the unveiling of the finalists for the 2015 edition of the Vision of the Child (VOTC) – the children/student segment of the yearly Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF).

There are 60 finalists – 30 for creative writing and 30 for painting.

Soyinka spoke on the theme for the VOTC: “The Road to Sambisa”.

In reference to the April 2014 kidnapping of almost 300 pupils of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, he said: “It is impossible to think of today’s election without thinking of what happened to your colleagues, your siblings, your peers in the village called Chibok.

“It’s not possible to think of the future of this nation, its sense of responsibility, without that albatross called Chibok coming to the fore of our contemplation. This festival doesn’t involve itself, collectively, in political affairs. I am telling you now as a consultant to this festival, that I have at least 60 reasons for not voting for a continuation of this present government. And those reasons are here, that at least 60 reasons why I will not vote or encourage anyone to vote for the continuation of this present government, simply because your colleagues, numbering over 200, were kidnapped. We sent them on a mission – education, enlightenment – take their examination to rob minds with their peers, and they disappeared. And the government of this nation failed to show leadership. So anybody who says that after that event I would vote or cast my vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime must be living in Sambisa forest.”

The dramatist went on: “There has been a failure of leadership, our children have been betrayed. They are betrayed because no action or appropriate action was taken to retrieve the children who were stolen from under our noses. It took 10 days before this government even accepted the fact they were missing. So, after that dereliction of duty; after that failure of leadership; after that betrayal of future; for anyone to think or to put words in my mouth suggesting that I will ...

CONTINUE HERE: http://www.beriahng.com/2015/02/60-reasons-why-i-wont-vote-for-jonathan.html