₦airaland Forum

Not all Nigerians have dragged the country’s name in the mud; some have been worthy ambassadors of the nation in various fields of human endeavour. Here is an attempt to put the spotlight on the heroic works of some Nigerian-born pioneers, innovators and inventors in the spheres of politics, media, medicine, law, aviation, entertainment, sports, literature, business and more.

LAW

First Lawyer from Western Nigeria

The first lawyer produced by Western Nigeria was Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams who was called to the English Bar in 1879. He was born on July 14, 1855, in Sierra Leone to the family of Alex Charles Williams and Nancy Johnson Williams. He was believed to have come from Ijesha land.

Sapara Williams once said, “The legal practitioner lives from the direction of his people and the advancement of the cause of his country.”

First Lawyer from Eastern Nigeria

The first lawyer from Eastern Nigeria was Sir Louis Mbanefo who was called to the English Bar in 1937 after graduating in law.

First Lawyer from Northern Nigeria
Abdul Ganiyu Folorunsho Abdulrasaq (SAN) was the first lawyer of Northern Nigeria origin. He hails particularly from Ilorin in Kwara State. Born in Onitsha, in present-day Anambra State, he speaks Igbo as fluently as he does Hausa language, and even Yoruba language too. He was once the president, The Nigerian Stock Exchange. He was also the Nigerian ambassador to Cote d’ Ivoire during the First Republic. He began his university education at the University of Ibadan (then University College) in 1948. He was a member of the 49-man constitution drafting committee which produced the 1979 constitution as a draft.

MEDICINE

First Doctor from Northern Nigeria

Dr R. A. B. Dikko (1912-1977), born in Zaria, was the first to emerge from Northern Nigeria. He attended King’s College, Lagos, and the University of Birmingham. He was also the first graduate of a western university to emerge from the region. Dr Dikko was a founding member of Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa, a socio-cultural organization which later became an integral part of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), the ruling party in the Second Republic.

Dr Dikko worked as a civil servant and later became permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Nigerian division, in 1960. In 1967, he became federal commissioner for mines and power, as well as for transport in 1971. That was during the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon. She was married to Comfort Miller, daughter of Walter Miller, the same Christian missionary who tutored him.

First Medical Doctor from Eastern Nigeria
The present political entity known as South-Eastern Nigeria had its first medical doctor in the person of Dr Onwu from Afa, Udi, in present-day Enugu State. After him was Dr Okonkwo from Ufuma, Orumba, in today’s Anambra State. The third Igbo doctor who became the most popular because he joined politics was Dr Akanu Ibiam who graduated from a Scottish University in 1935. He was a medical missionary and also served as governor of the Eastern Region. He was born on November 29, 1906, and died in December 1995. He was born in Afikpo, in what is now Ebonyi State. Dr Ibiam attended King’s College, Lagos, and University of St Andrews where he graduated in 1934. He was admitted as a medical missionary of the Church of Scotland, a role which influenced him to establish Abiriba Hospital between 1936 and 1945.

First Medical Doctor from Western Nigeria
He was Dr Nathaniel King who graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1875. He was born on July 14, 1847, in Hastings, Sierra Leone, to the family of Reverend Thomas King who worked with Bishop Ajayi Crowder to translate some Cathecism books and some portion of the English Bible into Nigerian languages.

Dr King came back to Lagos in 1878 and resumed work at Church Missionary Society (CMS) where he was paid 50 pounds per annum until in January 1882 when his annual salary got an upward review to the tune of 75 pounds. He died on June 12, 1884. In his medical practice, he proved that African medical practitioners could be as competent, diligent, passionate and respected as his European counterparts.

POLITICS

Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (November, 1904-1996)

Popularly known as “Zik”, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first president of Nigeria. Following political independence in 1960, he was the governor-general of Nigeria.

Zik was also the first president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1963 when Nigeria became a republic and 1966 when the first military coup led by majors Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Ifeajuna and other young army officers brought to an abrupt end the First Republic and ushered in the first military government. Zik died on May 11, 1996.

Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Dec 1912 – January 15, 1966)
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first and only prime minister of Nigeria. Originally a trained teacher, Balewa became a vocal leader of Northern Nigeria, as one of the few educated people in the region at that time. He was also an international statesman who was widely respected across the African continent as one of the leaders who played a prominent role for the formation of Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as African Union (AU).

Balewa was at a time nicknamed “the golden voice of Africa” because of his oratory. He was born in Bauchi to a Bageri district head in the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. He started his early education at Quaranic School in Bauchi and, like most of his contemporaries, attended Katsina College for further education and soon acquired his teaching certificate.

Sir Ahmadu Bello (June 1910-January 15, 1966)
was the first premier of the Northern Region from 1954 to 1966. He was the Sardauna of Sokoto and one of the prominent leaders in Northern Nigeria alongside Tafawa Balewa, both of whom were prominent in negotiating the region’s place in an independent Nigeria. As leader of the Northern People’s Congress (the ruling party at the federal level in the First Republic), he dominated Nigerian politics throughout the early part of Nigerian federation and the First Republic.

Sir Bello was born in Rabbah, Sokoto State. Son of a district head and heir to the Sokoto Caliphate, his grandfather was Sultan Bello, founder of Sokoto and son of revered Shayk Usman Dan Fodio. He got his early education at the Sokoto Provincial School before proceeding to Katsina Teachers’ Training College and later became a teacher.

MILITARY

Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi:

Major General Ironsi was the first military head of state in Nigeria, having taken over power after foiling the January 15, 1966, coup. However, his administration was soon truncated in a counter-coup led by some army officers from northern Nigeria on July 29, 1966.

Ironsi was born to the family of Maazi Ezeugo Aguiyi on March 3, 1924, in Umuahia-Ibeku in present-day Abia State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Army on February 2, 1942, and excelled in military training at Eaton Hall, England.

MEDIA

Herbert Macaulay

Herbert Macaulay was the first Nigerian to establish a newspaper. He established the Daily News in 1926 which strategically operated from Lagos as a way of engaging the colonial masters from a close range. The paper, apart from being a medium of communication, was a weapon against the Europeans who colonised Nigeria from Lagos as the administrative base. However, due to some challenges, Daily News stopped operation later.

Obafemi Awolowo

Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the first person in Nigeria to establish a television broadcasting station, The Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), in 1959.

Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf

Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf is a political scientist by training but a journalist by profession. She is the first female editor from Northern Nigeria. She worked with Triumph newspaper and later New Nigerian newspaper before floating the now rested Citizen magazine with other veteran journalists of Northern origin.

DISCOVERIES

First Nigerian scientist to discover a cure for Trypanosomiasis (from Northern Nigeria)
Professor Andrew Jonathan Nok,
Born in 1962, was the first black African and, by implication, the first Nigerian to find a cure for the sleeping sickness called Trypanosomiasis. He discovered the DNA vaccine for the disease which is very common in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, affecting both man and livestock, especially cattle.

Professor Nok hails from Nok town in southern Kaduna in the present Kaduna State, Nigeria. In recognition of his achievement, Nok, a professor of Biochemistry, received the German’s Alexander Humboldt Foundation’s George Forster prize early this year in Europe as the first Nigerian and indeed black African to do so.

The big lesson to learn from Nok’s invention is that he had all his education in Nigeria. Nok’s success story is so tied with the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where he had his first, second, and third degrees. He also had his elementary and secondary education in Nigeria. And this goes to show that academic excellence elsewhere in the world can be obtained in Nigeria also. The erudite scholar, a father of three, is now the director, Centre for Biotechnology Research and Training, as well as dean, Faculty of Science, ABU, Zaria.

First Nigerian scientist to produce a Supercomputer (from South-Eastern Nigeria)
Philip Emeagwali (born in Akure, Nigeria, on August 23, 1954) is a Nigerian-born engineer and computer scientist/geologist who was one of the two winners of the 1989 Gordon Bell prize from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his invention and use of a connection machine supercomputer to help analyse petroleum fields. He is the first Nigerian to have achieved that feat in computer technology. He is a native of Onitsha Ado in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Emeagwali used 65,000 processors to invent the world’s fastest computer which performs computations at 3.1 billion calculations per second.

First Nigerian scientist to manufacture a car (from Western Nigeria)
Professor Ayodele Awojobi, while serving as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, successfully converted his own family car, an Opel Record, from right hand drive to left drive. He tinkered further with motor engines when he acquired an army-type jeep and proceeded to producing a second steering wheel machinery adjoining to the pre-existing engine at the rear end so that the vehicle was able to move in both forward and backward directions with all four pre-existing gears. This gave birth to the hybrid vehicle which he christened Antonov1.

Awojobi is the first Nigerian and the first African to be awarded a Doctor of Science (D.Sc) in Mechanical Engineering at the then Imperial College of Science and Technology, now known as Imperial College of London, a degree exceptionally and rarely awarded to a scholar under the age of 40.

BANKING

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first Nigerian to attain the position of managing director of the World Bank Vice President for the Africa region. This World Bank and Economics magnate was born on June 13, 1954. She is also a former minister of finance, and later foreign affairs at different times before the current tenure now as minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy.

Dr Usman Goni

Dr Usman Goni, an ABU-trained electrical engineer from from Fika, Yobe State, was the brains behind the initiation and execution of strategic consulting projects for major investment concerns such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and GE Capital, as well as Bain & Co., Vulcan Ventures and WorldCom Corporations. He has been involved in the research, development, implementation and operations of wireless network technologies for second generation (2G/2.5G) as well as third generation (3G) systems. He has also participated in various technical due-diligence projects as well as provided detailed strategic investigation of wireless network operations in the Asia Pacific region.

AVIATION

First female Pilot in Nigeria

Captain (Mrs) Chinyere Onyenucheya Kalu, MFR, is an andigene of Akwete-Ndoki community in Ukwa East local governmment area of Abia State. She is now the rector and chief executive of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), formerly known as Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre, Zaria.

First female Military Pilot in Nigeria

Blessing liman: Blessing Liman became the first female combatant pilot not only in Nigeria but in the entire West African sub-region.

Born on March 13, 1984, Blessing is an indigene of Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna State. She attended the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State. Blessing was commissioned as a combat flying officer through the Direct Short Service Course 2010/2011 cadets of the 325 Ground Training Group at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Kaduna. She enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force in July 2011 and was commissioned on December 9, 2011.

EDUCATION AND LITERATURE

Prof Wole Soyinka

Prof Wole Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934. A prominent Nigerian writer (a poet and playwright), he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 — the first Nigerian and, indeed, African to be so honoured with the prestigious award. In 1994, he was designated UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of African culture, human rights, freedom of expression, media and communication.

SPORTS

Nwankwo Kanu

Christian Nwankwo Kanu is the first Nigerian skipper to have won an Olympic gold medal for Nigeria at the Olympic Games (1996) which took place in Atlanta, USA. He is also acclaimed as the most decorated African and, by extension, Nigerian footballer in history having won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA cup medal, three F.A. Cup Winners medals and two-time African Player of the Year Award, among others.

Rashid Yekini

This goal poacher is the first Nigerian to score a goal in the World Cup. That was in 1994 in USA (and the first Nigerian to win Africa Footballer of Year in 1994).

Chioma Ajunwa

Chioma Ajunwa is the first Nigerian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an athletic event at the World Olympic Games in Atlanta, 1996.

ENTERTAINMENT

Agbani Darego

Agbani Darego, who was born in 1983, is a Nigerian model best known for being crowned Miss World in 2001, a feat she achieved at the age of 18. She is signed to Next Model Management and is currently pursuing modelling career in Europe. Before now she has modelled for the renowned Oreal Cosmetics.

BUSINESS

Aliko Dangote

Alhaji Aliko Dangote is a world-class businessman. He is the first Nigerian to emerge as Africa’s richest man. He is also the first Nigerian to appear in Forbes Magazine having hit the $25 billion mark to qualify as the 20th richest man in the world. Dangote is from Kano State.

Source: http://www.naijaurban.com/here-are-nigerias-firsts-and-finests-till-date/

Now?

Hope he has gotten job for his two unemployed daughters? Sh!t.

Walnuts are the healthiest nut because of their high level of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytosterols that may all reduce the risk of many diseases. Experts say that taking a walnut a day won’t keep the doctor away but a handful of walnuts will certainly make a difference, reports Sade Oguntola.

Walnut is a popular nut that is packed with nutrients that are of great health and medicinal benefits. The walnut kernel consists of two bumpy lobes that look like abstract butterflies. The lobes are off white in colour and covered by a thin, light brown skin. They are particularly attached to each other while the kernel is enclosed in round or oblong shells that are brown or black in colour and they are hard.
Called Asala or Awusa in Yoruba; Ukpa in Ibo; and Okhue or Okwe in Bini, this widely consumed fruit in the rainy season before meals is a panacea to several diseases.

Moreover, researchers in the British Journal of Nutrition ascertained that walnuts are a far better healthy snack than biscuits, French fries or potato chips as well as other nuts like almonds and peanut. Unfortunately, people don’t eat a lot of them.

A walnut a day won’t keep the doctor away but a handful of walnuts will certainly make a difference considering its many healthy benefits to the body. But what makes walnuts more beneficial?

Protects from cancer
Eating snack-sized quantities of walnuts could slow the growth of many cancers, including that of the breast and prostate.

In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nutrition and Cancer, researchers found that mice that got part of their calories by eating walnuts had slower stomach cancer growth. The cancer in the walnut-fed group took twice as long to double in size as cancer in the control group.

The study made the mice ate a diet in which 18.5 per cent of the daily calories - the equivalent of two servings for humans - came from walnuts.

Walnuts have at least three components that could account for their cancer-slowing effect. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to slow cancer growth. They also include antioxidants and components called phytosterols, both of which have shown cancer-slowing effects in other studies.

Improve sperm health
There is increasing evidence to show that a man’s diet can affect the number and quality of sperm produced by his testicles. Eating around two handfuls of walnuts a day improves sperm health in young men.

According to the study in the journal Biology of Reproduction, sperm shape, movement and vitality improved in men who added walnuts to their diet over 12 weeks. The fatty acids found in these nuts are thought to have helped to boost sperm count and development.

Protect from effects of radiation
Tincture of black walnut may be effective against radiation exposure. Some unpublished trials showed that the patients who had been “painted” with black walnut or iodine tinctures were just as protected against radiation exposure as the patients who took potassium iodide.

Researchers in a study published in International Journal of Applied Research in Natural Products attribute walnut’s ability to protect against radiation exposure to its chelating ability and high content of antioxidants.

In the study, which involved the water extracts of walnuts, the researchers said walnut water extract could also be used in the treatment of iron-overload disorders such as thalassemia due to its high chelating ability in vitro at low doses.

Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. It is also used in the treatment of all forms of toxic metal poisoning.

Good for heart
Eating walnuts at the end of a meal might help to reduce the damage that fatty food can do to the arteries. The nuts are rich in compounds such as omega 3 essential fatty acids that reduce hardening of the arteries, prevent erratic heart rhythms and keep them flexible.

Studies on the dietary value of walnut show that increasing the dietary intake of walnuts has favourable effects on high cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors.

In addition to their heart protective monounsaturated fats, walnuts’ concentration of omega-3 essential fatty acids is also responsible for the favourable effects its consumption produces on cardiovascular risk factors.

Walnuts also contain relatively high levels of L-arginine, an essential amino acid that is converted into nitric oxide, a chemical that helps to keep the inner walls of blood vessels smooth and allows blood vessels to relax.

Since individuals with hypertension find it difficult to maintain normal nitric oxide levels which may also lead to other significant health issues such as diabetes and heart problems, walnuts can serve as a great addition to their diets.

However, new data in the 2013 edition of Journal of Nutrition say that the heart health benefits of walnuts may be linked to different parts of the nuts acting on different physiological functions.

Helps ensure good sleep
Taking a handful of walnuts before bed time is good because it is a source of bio-available melatonin - a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and it’s also a powerful antioxidant in bio - available form, making the perfect evening meal for a natural good night sleep.

Treat fibroids
According to the Medicinal Plants of Nigeria- South West Nigeria Volume 1 compiled and published by Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Victoria Island, Lagos, walnut seeds are used in the treatment of fibroid.

Boost immune system
Consumption of walnut would help to boost stronger immune system and prevent anaemia. According to a dietician with the Garki Hospital, Abuja, Ms Yemisi Olowookere, walnut contains iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, manganese, all components which help with stronger immune system and prevent anaemia.

According to her, walnuts are one of the richest sources of vitamin B6 also known as pyridoxine, which is involved in proper brain function, as well as red blood cell production.

Prolong life
Findings of a study published in the journal, BMC Medicine suggests that nuts – and walnuts in particular – may be even more beneficial than we thought. Researchers in Spain found that a diet rich in nuts significantly reduces the risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In a study of more 7,200 men and women in Spain between 55 and 80 years of age, researchers found that participants who ate more than three servings of nuts a week had a 55 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 40 per cent reduced risk of death from cancer, when compared to people who did not eat nuts.

Ensures sharper brains
Walnuts are often referred to as ‘brain food’. That is because they are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which plays a major role in the optimum functioning of the brain cells, making you smarter.

Over the course of the five year study, the nut eaters also had a 39 per cent lower risk of dying from all causes. The mortality risk was even lower, about 45 per cent, for people who ate walnuts.

Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/18608-have-you-had-some-walnuts-today.html

THE Oyo State chapter of the newly-registered All Progressives Congress (APC) has been hit by a crisis over a rally planned for Mapo Hall, Ibadan, at 9am tomorrow.

A statement by a group of “joint stakeholders” of the new party, including chairmen and leaders of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and many ACN leaders distanced the stakeholders from the rally organised by another group reportedly pro-governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Rising from a meeting of the APC joint stakeholders in Ibadan on Wednesday and Thursday, the stakeholders said their decision was in deference to the directive from the national headquarters of the party that all rallies should be put on hold.

The stakeholders urged members of the party in the state not to participate in the rally as doing so would be counter-productive and amount to disregard for the directive from the national headquarters.

A communiqué of the stakeholders forum signed by Mr. Adebayo Shittu (acting chairman and CPC governorship candidate in the 2011 elections), and Chief Caleb Oyaniyi, the acting secretary, also queried the slating of the rally for Sunday when “Christian members and supporters of the new party should be in church seeking the face of God.”

Those whose signatures also appear in the communiqué are Alhaji Abideen Oladimeji (defunct CPC State Chairman); Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (Oyo South Senatorial District); Honourable Kola Olabiyi (Iseyin, Kajola, Itesiwaju, Iwajowa Federal Constituency); Sharafadeen Alli (leader in defunct ACN and chairman, Odu’a Group of Companies); Honourable Kazeem Adedeji (leader in defunct ACN); Honourable Sola Osotoye (Secretary, defunct ANPP), and Pastor Adetunji Adeniyi (Assistant Secretary, defunct CPC).

In another development, a billboard of the new party (APC) erected at Molete, Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, was on Friday defaced by suspected hoodlums.

Saturday Tribune gathered from eyewitnesses around the area that the board, meant to serve as an awareness-creating object for the new party, was vandalised in broad daylight.

Several calls made to the former ACN chairman, Chief Akin Oke, to obtain his comments did not go through.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/18773-crisis-hits-oyo-apc-%E2%80%A2cpc,-anpp,-acn-faction-call-for-boycott-of-rally-%E2%80%A2billboard-vandalised.html

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/18772-obasanjo-to-pdp-govs-%E2%80%A2don%E2%80%99t-go-to-apc-%E2%80%A2northern-govs-meet-in-s-arabia.html

THERE are growing indications that former president Olusegun Obasnajo has directed the aggrieved governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to forget any plot to dump the ruling party, just as the opposition All Progressives Congress is said to be in shock over failure of its initial efforts to get some PDP governors to defect from the ruling party.

An impeccable source close to the Otta farmer revealed to the Saturday Tribune that the former president passed the message through one of the aggrieved governors during the recent birthday celebration of Chief Tony Anenih in Abuja, warning that the solution to their grievances is not in quitting the party.

The former Nigerian leader, whose presence at the birthday reportedly excited the presidential family, was quoted as telling one of the governors at the event that APC was not an option, urging them to “explore all internal remedies, and if necessary, fight from within.”

The rebel governors had visited many former leaders with widespread reports that they were preparing grounds for defection from the PDP. Even when the governors denied the plot, the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) boasted of their imminent defection.

It was, however, gathered through the source that the directive to the aggrieved governors and others did not signify that he had endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan; rather the source hinted that the retired general could be “strengthening a bloc within the ruling party.”

Another source close to Obasanjo in the South-West, while confirming this mindset of the former president, added that he had also impressed it on his other allies across the country to remain in the PDP.

Obasanjo was reported to have reminded all aggrieved party chiefs that the real reason behind the formation of the PDP was to safeguard the unity of the nation, insisting that PDP remained the only vehicle to sustain the unity of the country.

Saturday Tribune was told that the former leader was worried that the stories of defection were linked to him, especially after the visitation of the five governors.

It would be recalled that Chief Obasnajo was responsible for the nomination by the PDP of the governors involved in the nationwide consultation which the Presidency considered hostile but which the governors called Save Democracy Campaign.

Meanwhile, the opposition APC is said to be worried about the failure of any real big figure within the PDP to defecting to the opposition party almost two weeks after its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Moahmmed, had sometime ago boasted that nine PDP governors had indicated interest in joining the new party once it was registered. Even the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who romanced with the opposition party for sometime is said to have withdrawn because of the larger implication on himself and his political future.

Amaechi has now publicly denied any plan to dump the PDP, while the opposition has even lost two-term former governors Jolly Nyame of Taraba State and Bonnie Haruna of Adamawa State to the ruling party.

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa, some days ago in a media interview, was very clear about the aggrieved governors’ perception of APC. He said in that interview of APC: “I’m highly amused. Do you know what they call self-wish?

“These are local propaganda which is terribly elementary. When you look at the party called PDP, I’ve been saying it since 1999- 14 years in 2013- it is PDP only that has remained. AD had gone from AD into AC, into ACN, into something else and now going to APC. APP had gone into ANPP and then, later on they are going to something. They are going to APC. Now, CPC is a one-man party. It is not so lost out on us of some parties that see Buhari as their industry. So they hang unto him and because he is very naïve, he thinks they are serious.

“I have been wondering; they abused the PDP that we are murderers, party of riggers, a party of whatever - it is evil. Fine! Why do they want murderer governors in their midst? Why do they want us to be there? Number two, this so-called APC is again what you call ‘political fraud’ because you may change the nomenclature – change it 10 times over – did the people come from heaven?

“They are the same old people. You see, to me, I laugh at it more because the entire contraption is a creation of pain and anger. It is not about Nigeria. They are people who failed to make it in their political parties who think by coming together they can make it.

“If you input one PDP governor in APC, they will collapse. It will collapse. You don’t simply say because of some misunderstanding and destroy yourself. The PDP has attained a level in Nigeria. ‘Renegade governors’, yes, whatever they call us. Today, who is there in PDP who is older than me in the party that I should leave the party for? Who is that person? So, there is no way you will say because there is heat wave in your house, you leave your house. Where would you go? To someone else’s house? I laugh; to do what?”

Alhaji Mohammed, the APC spokesman could not be reached for his comments on the development.

Governors meet in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, notable governors from the PDP currently on lesser hajj (umrah) in Saudi Arabia are said to have held several meetings in the holy land on whether or not to remain in the party.

A source told Saturday Tribune that the governors were unanimous in their opinion that President Goodluck Jonathan had been unfair to them for supporting the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and refusing to recognise the River State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

According to the source, who claimed to have witnessed some of these meetings, most of the said PDP governors are from the North-West and North-Central. But the source added that those of them (governors) who are currently in their second term called for caution, saying that, for the sake of those still eyeing a second term, it would be risky for them to openly work against the establishment by identifying with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

They were said to have arrived at a consensus that it would be suicidal, politically, for them to openly support APC, as this might make them make the same mistake former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made when he defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), on the platform of which he contested and lost the 2007 presidential election.

The APC, they reasoned, was formed as a marriage of convenience and which would probably disintegrate when it is time to pick its major candidates, especially its presidential flag bearer.

“Their impression is that it is better for them to be loyal to certainty than to go for uncertainty. Most of them believed that it would amount to wrong political calculation for them to believe that the new party would have a huge following in the South, citing the 2011 presidential election, where the presidential candidate of the ACN, Nuhu Ribadu, lost the presidential election woefully in the South-West,” the source said.

Many people will develop hypertension in 2015 if they don't stop this hate. GEJ till 2019!

Leaders of tomorrow. Kudos!

I saw Channels TV this morning that the name "Omeleze Chris" that this officer bears is not his real name but his classmate name whom they graduate from secondary school together in 1987, his own name is "Festus Osuaghor" Channels TV has complicated his travails as he will now face trial for Identity Theft so i hear because he must have used that persons certificate to gain employment into the Nigeria Police Force.

When someone pray for you that God will announce you to the world please let tell such person to rephrase his prayers because the officer has been announce to his world but for evil. God help us. Amen.

Tolexander: Heard OAU students gave him the title, Senior Advocate of the Masses?

When the powers that be denied him Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on merit, OAU guys conferred on him Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM), he ended up earning the SAN title before his death to the shame of the devils.

He said "However, it is unfortunate that most states did not respond to the exercise, which is not good enough, because these people are part of us; we have their relations with us here."

When did he become the spokeman for Lagos? APC with their funny politics, we all know who Rauf Aregbesola boss is. Bad track cover-up.

Zuriel Elise Oduwole, an extraordinary and amazing 10-year-old of Nigerian-American heritage, has made history as the youngest person ever to be interviewed in Forbes. The interview with the award winning documentary film maker, conference speaker and writer is featured in the August 2013 edition of Forbes Africa.

At just 10, whizkid Zuriel possesses amazing talent that has resulted in her interviewing business leaders, current and past world leaders and heads of states.
They include the current Presidents of Tanzania, Mauritius, and Malawi–one of Africa’s only two female national leaders. Others are ex-presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Kufuor of Ghana. Zuriel has also had a one-on-one interview with Africa’s most successful businessman, Mr. Aliko Dangote. She even got a standing ovation for her sets of provoking and creatively intelligent questions to tennis superstars, Venus & Serena Williams, during their world press conference in Nigeria.

Zuriel says she has not been granted an interview by the President of Nigeria because of his busy schedules but hopes to achieve that soon.

Zuriel (which is Hebrew for God is my Rock) believes if she can walk a mile, then there are girls who on seeing her work and progress made, would walk a mile and half.
Source: http://www.naijaurban.com/10-year-old-nigerian-girl-zuriel-oduwole-makes-forbes-history/

Good to know the Igbos are happy to be Nigerians again. United we stand; divided we fall. GEJ till 2019.

Charles Oputa, popularly known as the Charley Boy the Area Fada, is calling on Nigerian youths to wake from their slumber as the country has reached rock-bottom.

“Our young people have been so battered physically that, they have lost the urgency to protest. How can they not know that the consequences of corruption, wasting of resources and stealing affect them, the youth more than anyone else?

“How can we sleep when things are all falling apart around us?”

Read the full message to the youths by Charley Boy below:

One of the many things God blessed me with, would be the ability to go to sleep at will even if my house is on fire. I consider that as a gift because, this environment has murdered sleep for most Nigerians. How can we sleep when things are all falling apart around us? It saddens my heart to see the appalling state of our nation and the quick progressive decline in the quality of governance and the management of the polity. Naija as it were has gone to the dogs and really, it’s only a matter of time before shit finally hits the fan. Because, we must hit rock-bottom before we can start to think of a Nigeria that is workable.

I have noticed lately that I am fast losing my gift, being able to fall asleep at will. It’s no longer happening for me like it use to. Thank God, I haven’t gotten to the point of popping different kinds of pills to be able to get some sleep. These days, I seem so consumed with the thoughts of how all of these injustices, poor leadership, the frustration, hopelessness, and despair amongst young Nigerians will all be resolved. How much longer can we all go on as if all is well. The situations as appalling as they are reminds me of Asa’s song, “There is Fire on the Mountain, and no one seems to be on the Run” How much longer will it take our leaders to realise that they are sitting on a time Bomb. How much longer will it take the few good men and exceptional Nigerian youth to stop hiding under the bed, while the vile, the fraud, the gangsters, the 419ers, the thieves take over the polity?

Yesooooooo, we are all guilty, guilty of inaction, guilty of procrastination, guilty of being scared by our own shadow. Yet, we complain, talking bla bla bla all over the place and doing nothing. That is why the youth of this country are taken for granted. Look at how our once strong and vibrant youths have grown powerless, and have even become willing instrument and tools in the hands of vile and wicked politicians. Our young people have been so battered physically that, they have lost the urgency to protest. How can they not know that the consequences of corruption, wasting of resources and stealing affect them, the youth more than anyone else? They have not realized yet that they are the ones who can’t go to school, and that most of their parents have been impoverished by this shit-system, and for the millions who graduate from the university, half baked; where are the jobs?

Unreliable statistics say that about 28million young people are unemployed and about 5million join annually as the army of the unemployed youth grows, drugs, violence, despair and hopelessness have become a permanent fixtures in the lives of our dear youth. This is the Nigeria of today. A country so endowed, yet 60 percent of Nigerians are living below 1dollar/ 25cents a day. What a shame, what business has my country with poverty? How far, great Nigerian youths?

The old foxes, old fraudsters, many of those who had been in leadership position in the past, wrote this tragic script, they are still very much around, jostling for position and power. Most annoying is when they pay lip services saying, “the future belongs to the youth”, which youth? The one they cloned, or the ones yet unborn. Because all these old foxes that should be put to pasture are still dragging it with the young people not ready to quit the stage, unless they die there. They have become deaf, dumb and blind to the pains and sufferings of ordinary Nigerians. The criminal nature of most of our leaders is what has given impetus to criminal gangs, kidnappers, militants, terrorists, money doublers, gangsters who prey on innocent citizens as effectively as the yahoo yahoo leaders’ prey on Nigerians. Nigeria has become their slot machine.

This is how they have weakened our youth, because even the leaders so far, lack creativity. All they have produced for the past 38yrs is mediocrity. The youth cannot make good decisions and hence can’t make good leadership, double wahala. These are the kind of leaders our youth emulate, being schooled in the arts of making it by all means even if they have to sell their mothers. Most of these yahoo leaders are getting rich at the expense of the masses and Naija youth. What can they produce, except buy houses, cars, posting their new acquired jet planes on Facebook and all over the social media, keeping billions in bank accounts, while the youths and the masses suffer and the environment remains in shambles? How far great Nigerian youth?

I can feel the growing resentment the masses have towards the leadership, it is ‘us’ against them. The youth may seem not ready for a revolution, but the one thing they have in common that cuts across ethnic and religious differences is a genuine yearning for Change through a revolution. A revolution that will see the end of this rampart injustices and authority stealing that has left us poor and hopeless. They also want to see how the mighty and the once untouchables, those responsible for bringing Nigeria to its knees face the music if possible with their blood. The youth obviously don’t believe in Nigeria anymore, even the unbelievers know we can no longer carry on like this. People argue that the youth are not capable of retrieving their stolen future ever again. Just like we never believed that a Nigerian for whatever reason could strap himself with bombs and blow himself up.

When Boko Haram started, many including myself believed that all who were involved must have been fanatics from neighbouring countries. Loh and behold, they were many Nigerian youth involved. For them, it was better than dying like a chicken. What about the naija guy who failed to blow himself and the plane up, in far away America? The army of desperate youth is growing, not to talk of the kind of arms that have come into this country; God help us. For those who still think that the Nigerian youth are too disorganized and weak to confront these demons, I say, it’s possible. They have a common enemy, namely; hunger, poverty, hopelessness, frustration and a strong satanic hatred for our leaders and elites. You may be asking yourself who will lead this inevitable revolt. For many youth, the power is in their hands right now as you read this; the instrument of mobilization and you know what? It has started.

As humans, we communicate by expressing our feelings, our thoughts based on how we perceive certain situations. Most of the youth have become aware of the problem affecting them, most of them live on the social media highway to while away their time since millions of them are out of jobs or poses the faintest idea on what else to do. They are stranded, and most pitiful is that nobody cares. This is where young people fellowship now to escape from the brutality of a harsh environment caused by those “bigger “than Nigeria. Once people become aware of a common need or problem through interaction and discussion, it is easier for them to create a mobilizing strategy towards a common goal.

From the bush, the house, in the car, or even from across the seas, the exceptional ones will control millions through the social highway networks. I can feel the rage, the anger and the strong satanic hatred for our kleptomaniac leaders. I pray for the seemly fragile, deflated Nigerian youth, the victims of bad and selfish leadership. Young Nigerians; no matter where they are from, all face the same sad and evil reality created and perfected by a common enemy. We all know the problem of Nigeria; they say a country deserves the kind of leadership it gets, hmmmmm… Nigerian youth… how far?

Where are the exceptional youth who will remedy us from this hopeless situation? If it’s not road accidents because of bad roads, it is incessant strikes because government still has not lived up to its promise to inspire the teachers. However, their children are all abroad while ours study with candle light and kerosene lamps in a country capable of providing power for all. Inflation is tearing families apart and causing parents to abandon their duties. Haba, the iniquities are just too much to recount, it’s not fair in the eyes of God. As these yahoo yahoo people continue to rob us of our lives and future, ironically they are facilitating this revolution.

When the chips are down, the youth will no longer think on religious lines or ethnic differences; they will be so filled with hatred, vengeance and anger. They will vent this on all those who have brought them sorrow, tears and a bleak future. There will be a spark as young people pour out on the streets hunting for their enemies and serving them a dose of mob justice. The time and how, I know not. But yes, it is boiling over; the handwriting is not only on the walls but on the faces of the angry youths I see on a daily basis. Nigerian youth… how far? na una hand Nigeria dey. Beat the drum for change and a better life. Let’s stop blaming our leaders and elders. If they have failed us, we can’t afford to fail ourselves. Let us use our strength to cut off corruption in this land. Make una no fall my hand.

Source: http://www.naijaurban.com/charley-boy-message-youths/

homesteady(m)
Let us continue the write-up
46) In the land of mumu, where citizens are deported in their own country
47) In the land of mumu, where one man imposes his family members on a whole state
48) To be continued

Lagbaja the FADA of mumu see no wrong in Amaechi dealing with lesser Local Government Chairman in his domain but mumuly pontificate on PEJ and Amaechi mumurism.

Mumu see nothing wrong in the lifestyle of the mumu leaders of the latest mumurize Anger & Pain Contraption in his backyard.

Lagbaja was factual in his write-up but was less liberal with some major happenings in recent times as he stated.

MUMU indeed!

I will get there in Jesus name. Amne!

Why shout "Amaechi is winning"? Does he have the State PDP structure with him? Just wait and see, 2015 thingz#

Watching!

Family reunion on road side? Why dump them by the roadside?

afunmmy: Also why the discrimination between bsc n Hnd? Is it not the same govt that owns all the institution?

All candidates seeking appointment into the posts listed below must have a University degree in any of the disciplines indicated against each post. Candidate(s) with Higher National Diploma (HND) need not apply except the/she possesses a Post- Graduate Diploma and a Masters Degree or Professional Certificate in relevant field.

Government job? So Post-Graduate certificate now equals B.Sc even for State government job? SMH!

Crownvilla: @ All Legal Eagles and those well versed in the workings of the Nigerian parliament and constitution.

What happens next? Is this now law or are there further procedures/hurdles to clear?

The next step is to compile both Senate and House of Reps. different amendment and send to the 36 State House of Assembly in the Federation. If 24 (two-third) State House of Assembly pass any of the amendment it become law. These will be return to both House in Abuja to be certify as new amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

gregtochi: This must definitely be the fault of GEJ.
Yes, GEJ caused it because he is the cause of every bad thing in Nigeria.

Nonsense!!!

Seriously? GEJ will soon be held responsible for some men wife's pregnancy.

Could daily intake of carrot keep the doctor away? It’s quite possible. Experts have evidence to show that carrots provide amazing benefits for good health, reports Sade Oguntola.

Have you ever stopped to think about the health benefits of carrots, other than the fact that they come handy in preparing fried rice or as a snack? But that saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, is also applicable to carrots too.

Carrots have been used for thousands of years and found in different colours, aside orange. They are also available in yellow, red, white and purple colours. Either as raw fruit juice or in cooked form, carrot can be easily added to one’s diet without much extra preparation.
In recent years, carrot has gotten a lot of attention because of its many health benefits, including beautiful skin, cancer prevention, and anti-ageing. These include:

Cancer prevention
Studies have shown that eating carrots may help lower the risk of breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. Researchers in a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported that carrot contains a compound that acts as a natural pesticide found to reduce the risk of cancer in rats by a third.

The study which gave a new insight into how carrot consumption may protect against cancer, as previously demonstrated in epidemiological studies, named the compound as falcarinol. Falcarinol protects carrots and other vegetables in the same family from fungal diseases.

Their results show that after 18 weeks, rats with pre-cancerous tumours who ate a popular variety of carrots along with their ordinary feed, and another group that consumed falcarinol in a quantity equal to that in the carrots, were one third less likely to develop full-scale tumours than the rats in the control group.

Consumption of carrots increases the level of beta-carotene in the bloodstream. British researchers discovered that increasing beta-carotene consumption from 1.7 to 2.7 milligrammes a day reduced lung cancer risk more than 40 per cent. The average carrot contains about three milligrammes of Beta-carotene.

In addition, in a study, researchers found that eating fibre rich carrots reduce the risk of colon cancer by as much as 24 per cent. Another study shows that women who ate raw carrots were five to eight times less likely to develop breast cancer than women who did not eat carrots.

Healthy skin
Vitamin A and antioxidants protect the skin from sun damage. Deficiencies of vitamin A cause dryness to the skin, hair and nails. Vitamin A protects the skin from sun damage and even prevents premature pigmentation, wrinkling, dry skin, acne and uneven skin tone.
An inexpensive and convenient facial mask, made from mixing grated carrot with a bit of honey, ensures a beautiful skin.

Prevents heart disease
Could a carrot a day keep the cardiologist away? It’s quite possible. A study from the Netherlands illustrated just how beneficial carrots can be in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study analysed different fruits and vegetables based on their colour, which ultimately indicates the presence of certain nutrient compounds.

Interestingly, those in the orange/yellow group had the most anti-cardiovascular disease benefits. In particular, those vegetables with deep orange hues (like carrots showed the greatest benefit.

As a matter of fact, carrots were found to be the single most risk-reducing fruit or vegetable tested. Those who ate the fewest amounts of carrots saw the least risk-reduction, though they still experienced a reduced risk of heart disease. Those who ate carrots saw a reduction by about 32 per cent!
The regular consumption of carrots also reduces cholesterol levels because the soluble fibres in carrots bind with bile acids.

Improves vision
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A is transformed in the retina, to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision. In addition, beta-carotene help protect against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts. Macular degeneration is a common eye disease of elderly. It impairs the macula.

A study found that people who eat the most beta-carotene had 40 per cent lower risk of macular degeneration than those who consumed little.
However, boiling carrots whole boosts health benefits rather than slicing them. According to Food chemists at Newcastle University , slicing them before boiling for instance resulted in the loss of 25 per cent of its healthy ingredient, falcarinol by a quarter.

Healthy teeth and gums
Carrots support healthy teeth and gum. The teeth and mouth are cleaned in the process of chewing carrot. They scrape off plaque and food particles just like toothbrushes or toothpaste.

Carrots stimulate gums and trigger a lot of saliva, which being alkaline, balances out the acid-forming, cavity-forming bacteria. The minerals contained in carrots helps to kill germs in the mouth and prevent tooth damage

Prevents stroke
According to a Harvard University study, people who ate more than six carrots a week are less likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate only one carrot a month or less.

Many studies have shown that carrot has good effect on brain. For instance, studies conducted on stroke patients revealed that those with highest levels of beta carotene have the best survival rate.

Stops diarrhoea
Carrot soup is an effective natural remedy for diarrhoea. Since ancient times, carrots and carrot juice have been used to enhance digestion, reduce constipation, control diarrhoea and remedy stomach irritation because it calms the bowel and slows down bacterial development.

According to Phyllis Balch in her book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” carrots have a long history of improving a variety of digestive problems, including diarrhoea. Beta-carotene, richly present in carrot is a precursor to vitamin A, which is a powerful antioxidant able to eliminate harmful free-radicals in the stomach.

Vitamin A also is required for the formation and maintenance of moist mucous membranes that line the gastrointestinal system.

Besides, it is a good source of pectin and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It checks growth of harmful bacteria and prevents vomiting. It is especially useful for children.

Expels worm
An infusion of carrot has long been used as a folk remedy for thread worms. A small cup of juice or two medium sized carrots taken in the morning for at least a week can help to deworm.

Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/17458-why-you-must-eat-carrot-everyday.html

CONFUSION reigned supreme at the House of Representatives on Wednesday as the reported N50 million electronic voting system adopted by the House leadership failed conspicuously, a situation that forced the House to revert to plan B as it resorted to use of manual voting for the clauses penciled down in the ongoing constitution review process.

Investigation by Nigerian Tribune revealed that the electronic voting system packaged by the Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited cost the House a whopping N50 million.

About 327 members had gathered in the chamber as of 11:25 a.m. ready to vote on the 87 clauses penciled down for alteration in the 1999 constitution as amended, but were faced with technical hitches as the mini ipad tablets made available to members failed to function.

Several efforts by the NIGCOMSAT team led by its Managing Director, Engineer Ahmed Rufai who wore flowing agbada and cap to match to fix the problem failed.

While members and the NIGCOMSAT team were still in a fix on the voting pattern, the Minority Leader of the House, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila was sighted moving from one seat to the other ostensibly passing message to his party members from Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on the directive from the party’s national leaders.

At a point, the House Leadership had a quick meeting at the pew with the Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, while some members were also seen in groups discussing.

However, attempt by Engineer Rufai to calm the lawmakers down over the failed electronic voting system failed. The NIGCOMSAT boss had told members that the electronic voting system was test run early Wednesday morning and that it worked and pleaded for some time to fix the problem.

But apprehension of lawmakers on how to vote on the constitution review exercise was later laid to rest by the Speaker, who announced to the cheering members that there was a plan B.

Immediately the Speaker announced the plan B, which he said was manual voting system, most members who had earlier been battling with how to even use the mini ipad tablets cheered and clapped intermittently over the new development.

Announcing the alternative method, the Speaker asked representatives of each states and Federal Capital Territory in the constitution amendment ad hoc committee to come forward and get their documents from the Clerk of the House, Barrister Sani-Omolori Ataba, which contained the register and bulky document that contained the clauses scheduled for alteration.

A mild drama also played out when Honourable Gbajabiamila made attempt to raise a point of order, but was totally ignored by the Speaker, but after some minutes, the Speaker in a jocular manner said, “Minority Leader your point of order will be taken after consideration of this report.”

Earlier, the Speaker had reminded his colleagues to vote in line with the wishes of their constituents, saying, “as representatives of our people we need to be guided with the wishes of our constituents.”

Nigerian Tribune recalled that the Speaker had on Tuesday announced after the House rose from a closed-door session that electronic voting system would be used for voting in consideration of the clauses penciled down for alteration.

He had claimed that: “NigComsat has provided iPads to help the House in perfecting the voting system and to ensure that it is hitch-free. What is worth doing is worth doing well.”

As at the time of filing this report, the result of the manual voting process was still being collated by staff of National Assembly who were nominated by the House Clerk.

Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/17536-constitution-review-reps-back-lg-autonomy-%E2%80%A2scrap-siecs,-inec-to-conduct-lg-polls-%E2%80%A2remove-immunity-for-president,-govs.html

O Greene: INVESTING IN STOCKS!!!! How do i know which companies to choose, the better rates, NSE, dividends,......etc. Someone pls fill me in, i need to understand this subject better bcoz am looking @ investing very soon. Oya!!!!!! teach me oooo.

Go through this thread to keep abreast.
https://www.nairaland.com/1131485/nigeria-stock-exchange-market-pick

Freewilly: Product of "Free Education" what do you expect. Nne don't even bother with him.

When will you stop hating? If only we can see ourselves as brother and sisters; what a nation we will make.

xzibukz: i just wonder why we still prefer 3rd party for shopping online,if not that shipping rate of USPS to Nigeria is on the higher side i.e $40/kg,i dont think i will still be using a 3rd party (Shippyme) for my items.
Someone ask if you pay with your mastercard on Amazon, Yes!

Quite agree with you; my HP laptop weighing 1.9kg that i bought through a 3rd party was charged $70 and USPS at $40/kg would have cost me $79 to my door-step i guess. The $70 i paid this 3rd party is apart the money i spent on transport within lagos to get my goods.

chrisme: you are the pimples on my face, the bullet in my gun, the credit on my fone, d fuel in my gen. if love is a crime, I don't mind going to kirikiri.

^^^
[quote author=Ms_Steph]you are the only pad I use I can never change u, I only use you when I am on my period.[/quote]Kinda! You mean this is a love note? "you are the only pad I use I can never change u, I only use you when I am on my period."

Ola one: APC: Anger and Pain Contraption

APC: Annoying Peoples Congress

APC: Anger and Pain Congress

APC: Approved Party of Cultists

APC: Association of Propagandists and Critics

APC: Another Puerile Contrivance





ACN: Association of Clowns in Nigeria

ACN: Association of Clowns on Nairaland


ACN: Association of Cultists in Nigeria

ACN: Approved Critics Nirvana

More?

APC don suffer!

You recently said aspirants should not come out to campaign resorting to arms. Do you have any particular set of people in mind, given recent violent attacks on you?

That is one issue that has been giving Ekiti people a lot of concerns. Nigerians both at home and abroad have spoken their minds and that was part of the reasons the national leadership of the party came to Ekiti to come and intervene. No doubt, it is an issue that needs to be properly addressed by the leadership of the party and it is also an issue that has negatively affected the image of the party because those who even tried to handle the thing further mishandled it and created more damage. Some of those who tried to speak on behalf of the government first said I was attacked by youths of Igede-Ekiti who felt I didn’t do anything for the community. But community leaders, including the traditional ruler and the Council of Chiefs, spoke up and said: ‘No, Bamidele just brought a one-kilometre of conventional streetlights and today, Igede is not in darkness and we are grateful for that. He just brought motorised borehole, with water reticulation water and the project is completed. Bamidele just attracted a primary health centre which is under construction in Igede. So, it could not have been that he was attacked in Igede-Ekiti and by the people because they were angry. Government should look elsewhere and try to account for those who attacked him.’ The youth of Igede-Ekiti also issued a statement to say they felt insulted by the claim that I was attacked by the people of Igede-Ekiti.

In the process, the state secretariat of the party also issued a press statement saying I was probably attacked by my own boys who were around me. But people said, ‘Wait a minute, his own boys, supporters attacked him?’ That did not make sense to anybody and so, it was a riddle and I guess they are still finding an answer to it. But I am sure Ekiti people understand what is going on. But again, I will just round off with what I said earlier that they are making the same mistake, not realising who they are dealing with. I am not a kind of person they harass or coarse out of his convictions and that my desire to run is informed by a vision about which I feel so passionately. It is also informed by what I heard on the streets of Ekiti and the popular yearnings of the people for me to run because they want to make me the governor of Ekiti. It is a project that I am leaving in God’s hands. The love the people have for me could not have been informed by anything other than grace of God and divine intervention. It is not that I am the best man that Ekiti people know. When I say I want to do something, I will do it.

Members of ACN know that I have stood by the party. I was a good boy for seven and a half years when the party was not in government in Ekiti and, to the glory of God, He used me to do so much to sustain the party in Ekiti and that is why the people still appreciate me till tomorrow. But those in government see me as a threat and they are entitled to their opinions.

Retrospectively, would you say you have any regret supporting the present administration to get to power in the state?

I don’t have any regrets. There are situations that even if you feel you are disappointed, you will not have any regret. Whatever I did in supporting the governor, I did out of sheer love for the people of Ekiti State. I wanted the best for the state. I joined others in searching for those we felt have the prerequisite, the education and those we also believe have the exposure and the vision and I also felt that it was going to be a collective vision and all others. I don’t have any regrets. Whatever I did was out of sheer love and for the progress of the state.

If Ekiti people today decide to offer you the same ticket on the platform of other political party, will you take it?

That is something that I have not even addressed my mind to because I am still hoping that we will be able to resolve this issue within ACN. But one thing that is certain is that I am resolved to contest the election and about the issue of platform, I believe, at the fullness of time, God will speak to me clearly.

Saturday, 13 July 2013 00:00

Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele is the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget. In this interview with DAPO FALADE, he speaks on his purported removal as the Ekiti State Caucus Leader in the House as well as issues thrown up by his determination to contest the 2014 governorship election in the state. Excerpts:

On Tuesday, your fellow lawmakers in the Ekiti State caucus of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took a decision removing you as the leader of the caucus. What really transpired?

I want to emphasise that I believe that it is God that makes kings and princes and there is nothing that you can become in life without God knowing about it. Let me also emphasise that I am not the kind of inordinately ambitious person that they are trying to portray me to be. But it takes more than sheer harassment or intimidation or blackmail to get me to abandon the things that I believe in. The people that are doing all this don’t seem to realise that they are dealing with Opeyemi Bamidele, an unassuming Nigerian boy, home-grown and humble guy with an antecedent. It is not just a matter for the resume that I was Public Relations Officer of the then University of Ife, Ile-Ife Students’ Union; it is not just a matter for the resume that I was chairman of the University of Benin Students’ Union or that I was President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). What is important about all these facts is that I grow up, learning enough in life about how to exhibit a strong sense of indignation to injustice and stand up for what I believe is right. And I think it is too early in the day for anyone to assume that I can be cowed either into or out of anything that I feel strongly about.

I believe it is an inalienable right guaranteed by the constitution for anyone above the age of 21 to vote and be voted for in our democracy. I believe also that as much as possible every party would have its own code of conduct and ethics. I am convinced that regardless of what might have happened or may still happen, part of the provisions of the constitution of our party provides for party primaries and those who wrote the constitution would not have provided for party primaries if they didn’t that there will always be more than one aspirant for a position. As far as I am concerned, even a sitting governor who is aspiring to come back for a second term in the next election is an aspirant until he emerged as the candidate of the party. If somebody has emerged as the candidate of a party and I am attempting to disrupt the process of preparing for the election, then you can accuse me of anti-party activities; not when the governor has not emerged or has not even filed a nomination form to say ‘I am running for election or that I am aspiring to be the candidate of the party for the election.’

With respect to what happened yesterday (Tuesday), I believe that it was a macabre dance and I have chosen not to make any statement; I am not going to glorify that process. It was laughable and I think the issues were definitely beyond those guys. It was something that I have chosen to leave in the hands of the national leadership of the party and the national leadership will address that because the guys were not the ones who gave the appointment in the first instance. This is even a position that is not recognised by the National Assembly and, therefore, it is not recognised in the standing orders of the House of Representatives. I think for them to be calling for the transfer of my position as the chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Budget to the new leader that they appointed for the caucus smacks of ignorance or lack of adequate understanding of the workings of the parliament because I didn’t get my chairmanship position in the House on the platform of being the Ekiti State caucus leader.

But don’t you think the action of the five lawmakers had the backings of some highly-placed people within the party?

I will be surprised if it did. It had the endorsement of anybody, it would only have been the endorsement of those political powers and principalities in Ekiti. It is definitely not the endorsement of the national leaders of the party.

You earlier mentioned injustice but the general perception is that your party does not believe in primaries in picking its candidates for election. At what point did you discover that what is going is an injustice?

Let me put it this way: I gave an insight into my own background and the indignation and perpetration of injustice in general terms. Part of what I have refrained from doing is taking on ACN as a party because we must draw a line between ACN as a party and some pseudo-democrats within Ekiti who are trying to twist the whole process. As far as I am concerned, it is people like that who are giving the party a bad name and that is why the stand of the national leadership of the party on this issue will be relevant and I am waiting to know what that will be.

But I do not know of any political party in this country that can be given an excellent mark when it comes to the issue of internal democracy which I think is a vital issue for any polity to grow and be stable. Beyond this, I understand the fact that we may be using the words ‘internal democracy’, but we have not attained democracy yet. We all fought to have democracy in our land, but what we have yet is, at best, civilian rule and I believe that the real transition to democracy itself has just begun. First, we want to say civilian rule is better than military rule, absolutely. But we are yet to get to where we ought to be. I see all of this as part of the sacrifices we need to make, a part of the struggle and the effort towards the attainment of an ideal democratic situation in our polity. To that extent, it is with respect to all political parties.

Coming back to your ambition, you were recently reported to have said that your ambition could be personal and narrow, but you have a greater ambition for Ekiti State. Can you give a further insight into this?
What I am trying to do is to draw a line between two concepts; aspiration and ambition. The word ‘aspiration’, I described as narrow and limited to my own individual desire to occupy a particular position at every point in time. The aspiration at this point is with respect to my desire, by God’s grace, to stand election for the governorship position in Ekiti. In other words, I desire to be elected the next governor in Ekiti by the grace of God.

Of course, I tried to demarcate this from what I called ambition, which is greater, inclusive, comprehensive and embracing. It is broader than aspiration because aspiration has to do with that individual and that position he is seeking. But my ambition is informed by my love for the people of Ekiti and by my conviction of the possibility of a better state, a better community. In other words, it is my ambition to see a new and united Ekiti State created. We use the phrase, working towards the creation of a new Lagos where I served, working in the cabinet of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. A lot of people didn’t understand what we meant when we said we were out to create a new Lagos. Following Tinubu’s administration, Governor Babatunde Fashola came in and the man, in the last six years, has also tenaciously held to that principle and has pursued the dream very vigorously. Today, a new Lagos has been created. Talking in terms of infrastructural development and strength of character on the part of those who are running the government, as well as human capital development, you will see a new Lagos.

I believe this is doable in Ekiti; I believe the Ekiti we have today can become a much better place to live, a place where our children can grow up, safe and secure; a state with a future for everybody. We can have a state where, by the grace of God, we can talk more about how our sense of dignity and dignity of labour and the old core values that Ekiti had been known for being brought back from sabbatical and, as much as possible, for us to do more in the area of infrastructural development and also begin to create a new Ekiti. I keep saying it and some people seem to be uncomfortable about that. But it is something I will continue to say because I don’t owe anybody any apology for that.

You and Governor Kayode Fayemi have been known to be allies over the years. Some people are, therefore, of the opinion that you can also team up with him as you did with Senator Bola Tinubu to actualise your dream of new Ekiti State…

Well, I don’t know how else I could have attempted to team up with Dr Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State. To the glory of God, I was with him right from the beginning of this journey. I have tried to be as loyal as a friend can be, as sincere as a brother can be and as helpful as an associate can be. I don’t know what else I could have done that I did not do. Sometimes it is not about what you think; it is not about what you see, especially when you are not alone in a venture. It is not just about you; it is about the other person. Of course, I will not begrudge him for anything; the Yoruba adage has it that ‘omo ti o ba sipa niya e ngbe. All of us are willing to be there for one another but it doesn’t matter how much you are willing to help me; you can only help me as much as I want you to get involved in what I am doing. If I choose not to really relate with you as a stakeholder, there is nothing you can do about it. But I know that I have tried my best. My conscience is clear.

Even here in the House of Representatives, in the last two years, I have tried as much as possible to ensure that Ekiti is accorded its rightful position in national affairs in every way that I could influence things. I have tried to influence projects to Ekiti; even in my own constituency alone, I tried 33 different projects to Ekiti in the 2012 budget. And in the 2013 budget, an additional 27 projects - that is 60 different projects in two years. I also ensured that the same thing happened to my colleagues in the five other federal constituencies in the state.

So, as far as I am concerned, we are not running a different government. All these things we are doing are to complement what the state government is doing and what the local governments are doing. Governor Fayemi is the one in the saddle; I am not in competition with him, even if there is any controversy some people are trying to generate today. It is about 2014 and beyond, after he might have spent his four years. But I don’t think anybody is competing with him for the leadership of the party or the state at this point; he is in charge. My Bible says that we should respect constituted authority. And every word that I have uttered has been a reaction to something. I have not been on the offensive, but sometimes, when people raise issues and it becomes important or necessary for you to react, I do respond. Other than that, there is nothing that anybody would say that I have said at any point to mean either challenging or an attempt at challenging the status quo in the state. I just know that where there is no mutual respect, things like this cannot but happen.

Again, I want to emphasise that it is not so much about the leadership of the party; it is about the style of administration. I believe very firmly and irrevocably that it is the political party, in a democracy, that should put people in government; it is not the government that should distribute party’s positions among its members. I will not take anything less than that under any circumstance. For a sitting government to want to take over the structure of the party by all means and, in the process, end up dissolving ward executives that were constituted at ward primaries of the party and replacing them with another set of people without ward primaries is entirely arbitrary. I am convinced that replacing local government executive of a political party with handpicked people without congresses is arbitrary and is in violation of the party’s constitution. I believe removing people from the state executive of the party and replacing them with a few people without state congresses is arbitrary. These are my points; these are my issues and I am not going to stop talking about them. If anybody now feel that because I am insisting on the right thing being done; because I am insisting on the party constitution being fulfilled and not being violated and they now feel that amounts to confrontation, it is just unfortunate. I am a party man; I believe in the constitution of the party and I believe in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I believe in the provisions of the Electoral Act. Whatever I am saying are within the ambit of the law.

You said you respect party decision. It was last week that the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and the National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, were in Ekiti where they were said to have endorsed Governor Fayemi for second term. What does this portend for your ambition?

There was not any endorsement and that is the bone of contention and that is what people need to understand. The more people try to understand that, the better for the understanding of the Ekiti crisis. Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande never, at any point, during that meeting said they endorsed or were endorsing Dr Fayemi for second term. They came there, among other things, to see how the lingering crisis in Ekiti ACN could be resolved. Chief Akande and Asiwaju Tinubu said so much to pacify aggrieved members of the party and ended the meeting with a note that the leadership of the party specifically should find a means of reaching out to me with a view to reconciling the differences. Part of the conditions for the resolution of the crisis the two leaders also gave was the immediate reinstatement of the members of the various executive committees - ward, local government and state executives - that have been arbitrarily dissolved. They made that clear.

What now became curious even to many leaders of the party that attended the meeting was the fact that journalists who were not present at the meeting got a twisted information from the media team of the governor that Asiwaju had endorsed Governor Fayemi for second term. Two, that Asiwaju had sent people to me to go and warn me to desist from my own governorship ambition without reporting the actual proceedings; without also saying that they had also given a condition for the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved executives of the party.

Is it not more curious, given the wide media reportage of the event, that up till now, the two personalities involved, Chief Akande and Senator Tinubu, are yet to refute the reported endorsement? Also, you were not at the meeting, how did you get all the details?

Well, it is instructive to note that it wasn’t just the governor and his aides that were at the meeting with Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande; some other leaders of the party were also there. Of course, a few people called me even days after the meeting to relay what happened. I also met with some other leaders of the party who were also there and they made it all clear to me. All of them were surprised to read what was in the papers as a report of the meeting as a total misrepresentation of what went down there.

That in spite of the wide media coverage, Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu have not said anything or have not refuted it, I want to say these are party leaders, seasoned politicians and democrats and they have their own ways of resolving matters. I am sure they have chosen to adopt an internal mechanism method of resolving these issues within the party rather than using the pages of newspapers. I have no doubt that discussions have been held and I have had cause to meet with some of the national leaders of the party after the whole report. The governor and I know that Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande did not come to Ekiti to give endorsement to anybody.

This is not about any individual; it is about the institution called ACN. It is about how to resolve the crisis within the party. It is those who are trying to take advantage of the visit of Asiwaju and anyone who knows me will know that I don’t drop names. I am not somebody who can be intimidated with Asiwaju’s name. If anybody thinks he loves Asiwaju, he needs to remind himself that he cannot love Asiwaju more than me. He is my own benefactor but the fact that you have a benefactor does not mean that even if you are trying to put faeces on my face, using the name of the benefactor, I should just fold my arms and wait for that to happen. The Asiwaju that I know will not do anything to undermine democracy in Ekiti State and he will not do anything to heat up the polity.

Given your strong conviction about contesting the governorship seat in 2014, what will happen if the national leadership of the party decided to give the ticket to the sitting governor?

It will depend on how it happens. Usually, there are two ways by which it could happen -either through free and fair primaries, which would be part of the ways of growing our democracy. The other means by which it could happen is by consensus. But mind you, consensus would require the input and involvement of everybody. A consensus is an all-inclusive process that will involve even the aspirants. What we are having now and which is annoying me is the sheer arrogance in power. You hear statements like ‘no vacancy in Ekiti Government House in 2014’. And they say this to virtually everybody.

Again, the manner in which the second term campaigners in Ekiti were going about it; they started from the day that we were there for the first anniversary of the governor and they gave T-shirts to some people and distributed stickers saying 4+4=8; one-year anniversary when we were supposed to be running an account of our stewardship and talking about the challenges and how we are going about overcoming them and how to give the people a ray of hope! And I felt that this was immoral; you don’t do this. One year into office in a four-year term, you don’t start talking of second term. Since then, the campaign has continued and as far as I am concerned, they have used the second term campaign to distract the governor and his administration. They have used the second term campaign to heat up the polity in the state. They have used the second term campaign to even portray ACN as an intolerant ruling party, which is not true. They have gone as far as tearing the posters and pulling down the billboards of aspirants from other political parties. They went as far as trying to stop the convoys of other aspirants from other political parties. You don’t do that. No progressive party anywhere in the world wants to be identified with such anti-democratic practices. But with time, pseudo democrats will be isolated from the real democrats and Nigerians will have a better understanding of what is happening in Ekiti State.

Source: http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/component/k2/item/16534-tinubu,-akande,-fayemi-and-i-opeyemi-bamidele.html

Saturday, 13 July 2013 00:00

Honourable Opeyemi Bamidele is the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget. In this interview with DAPO FALADE, he speaks on his purported removal as the Ekiti State Caucus Leader in the House as well as issues thrown up by his determination to contest the 2014 governorship election in the state. Excerpts:

On Tuesday, your fellow lawmakers in the Ekiti State caucus of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took a decision removing you as the leader of the caucus. What really transpired?

I want to emphasise that I believe that it is God that makes kings and princes and there is nothing that you can become in life without God knowing about it. Let me also emphasise that I am not the kind of inordinately ambitious person that they are trying to portray me to be. But it takes more than sheer harassment or intimidation or blackmail to get me to abandon the things that I believe in. The people that are doing all this don’t seem to realise that they are dealing with Opeyemi Bamidele, an unassuming Nigerian boy, home-grown and humble guy with an antecedent. It is not just a matter for the resume that I was Public Relations Officer of the then University of Ife, Ile-Ife Students’ Union; it is not just a matter for the resume that I was chairman of the University of Benin Students’ Union or that I was President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). What is important about all these facts is that I grow up, learning enough in life about how to exhibit a strong sense of indignation to injustice and stand up for what I believe is right. And I think it is too early in the day for anyone to assume that I can be cowed either into or out of anything that I feel strongly about.

I believe it is an inalienable right guaranteed by the constitution for anyone above the age of 21 to vote and be voted for in our democracy. I believe also that as much as possible every party would have its own code of conduct and ethics. I am convinced that regardless of what might have happened or may still happen, part of the provisions of the constitution of our party provides for party primaries and those who wrote the constitution would not have provided for party primaries if they didn’t that there will always be more than one aspirant for a position. As far as I am concerned, even a sitting governor who is aspiring to come back for a second term in the next election is an aspirant until he emerged as the candidate of the party. If somebody has emerged as the candidate of a party and I am attempting to disrupt the process of preparing for the election, then you can accuse me of anti-party activities; not when the governor has not emerged or has not even filed a nomination form to say ‘I am running for election or that I am aspiring to be the candidate of the party for the election.’

With respect to what happened yesterday (Tuesday), I believe that it was a macabre dance and I have chosen not to make any statement; I am not going to glorify that process. It was laughable and I think the issues were definitely beyond those guys. It was something that I have chosen to leave in the hands of the national leadership of the party and the national leadership will address that because the guys were not the ones who gave the appointment in the first instance. This is even a position that is not recognised by the National Assembly and, therefore, it is not recognised in the standing orders of the House of Representatives. I think for them to be calling for the transfer of my position as the chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Budget to the new leader that they appointed for the caucus smacks of ignorance or lack of adequate understanding of the workings of the parliament because I didn’t get my chairmanship position in the House on the platform of being the Ekiti State caucus leader.

But don’t you think the action of the five lawmakers had the backings of some highly-placed people within the party?

I will be surprised if it did. It had the endorsement of anybody, it would only have been the endorsement of those political powers and principalities in Ekiti. It is definitely not the endorsement of the national leaders of the party.

You earlier mentioned injustice but the general perception is that your party does not believe in primaries in picking its candidates for election. At what point did you discover that what is going is an injustice?

Let me put it this way: I gave an insight into my own background and the indignation and perpetration of injustice in general terms. Part of what I have refrained from doing is taking on ACN as a party because we must draw a line between ACN as a party and some pseudo-democrats within Ekiti who are trying to twist the whole process. As far as I am concerned, it is people like that who are giving the party a bad name and that is why the stand of the national leadership of the party on this issue will be relevant and I am waiting to know what that will be.

But I do not know of any political party in this country that can be given an excellent mark when it comes to the issue of internal democracy which I think is a vital issue for any polity to grow and be stable. Beyond this, I understand the fact that we may be using the words ‘internal democracy’, but we have not attained democracy yet. We all fought to have democracy in our land, but what we have yet is, at best, civilian rule and I believe that the real transition to democracy itself has just begun. First, we want to say civilian rule is better than military rule, absolutely. But we are yet to get to where we ought to be. I see all of this as part of the sacrifices we need to make, a part of the struggle and the effort towards the attainment of an ideal democratic situation in our polity. To that extent, it is with respect to all political parties.

Coming back to your ambition, you were recently reported to have said that your ambition could be personal and narrow, but you have a greater ambition for Ekiti State. Can you give a further insight into this?
What I am trying to do is to draw a line between two concepts; aspiration and ambition. The word ‘aspiration’, I described as narrow and limited to my own individual desire to occupy a particular position at every point in time. The aspiration at this point is with respect to my desire, by God’s grace, to stand election for the governorship position in Ekiti. In other words, I desire to be elected the next governor in Ekiti by the grace of God.

Of course, I tried to demarcate this from what I called ambition, which is greater, inclusive, comprehensive and embracing. It is broader than aspiration because aspiration has to do with that individual and that position he is seeking. But my ambition is informed by my love for the people of Ekiti and by my conviction of the possibility of a better state, a better community. In other words, it is my ambition to see a new and united Ekiti State created. We use the phrase, working towards the creation of a new Lagos where I served, working in the cabinet of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. A lot of people didn’t understand what we meant when we said we were out to create a new Lagos. Following Tinubu’s administration, Governor Babatunde Fashola came in and the man, in the last six years, has also tenaciously held to that principle and has pursued the dream very vigorously. Today, a new Lagos has been created. Talking in terms of infrastructural development and strength of character on the part of those who are running the government, as well as human capital development, you will see a new Lagos.

I believe this is doable in Ekiti; I believe the Ekiti we have today can become a much better place to live, a place where our children can grow up, safe and secure; a state with a future for everybody. We can have a state where, by the grace of God, we can talk more about how our sense of dignity and dignity of labour and the old core values that Ekiti had been known for being brought back from sabbatical and, as much as possible, for us to do more in the area of infrastructural development and also begin to create a new Ekiti. I keep saying it and some people seem to be uncomfortable about that. But it is something I will continue to say because I don’t owe anybody any apology for that.

You and Governor Kayode Fayemi have been known to be allies over the years. Some people are, therefore, of the opinion that you can also team up with him as you did with Senator Bola Tinubu to actualise your dream of new Ekiti State…

Well, I don’t know how else I could have attempted to team up with Dr Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State. To the glory of God, I was with him right from the beginning of this journey. I have tried to be as loyal as a friend can be, as sincere as a brother can be and as helpful as an associate can be. I don’t know what else I could have done that I did not do. Sometimes it is not about what you think; it is not about what you see, especially when you are not alone in a venture. It is not just about you; it is about the other person. Of course, I will not begrudge him for anything; the Yoruba adage has it that ‘omo ti o ba sipa niya e ngbe. All of us are willing to be there for one another but it doesn’t matter how much you are willing to help me; you can only help me as much as I want you to get involved in what I am doing. If I choose not to really relate with you as a stakeholder, there is nothing you can do about it. But I know that I have tried my best. My conscience is clear.

Even here in the House of Representatives, in the last two years, I have tried as much as possible to ensure that Ekiti is accorded its rightful position in national affairs in every way that I could influence things. I have tried to influence projects to Ekiti; even in my own constituency alone, I tried 33 different projects to Ekiti in the 2012 budget. And in the 2013 budget, an additional 27 projects - that is 60 different projects in two years. I also ensured that the same thing happened to my colleagues in the five other federal constituencies in the state.

So, as far as I am concerned, we are not running a different government. All these things we are doing are to complement what the state government is doing and what the local governments are doing. Governor Fayemi is the one in the saddle; I am not in competition with him, even if there is any controversy some people are trying to generate today. It is about 2014 and beyond, after he might have spent his four years. But I don’t think anybody is competing with him for the leadership of the party or the state at this point; he is in charge. My Bible says that we should respect constituted authority. And every word that I have uttered has been a reaction to something. I have not been on the offensive, but sometimes, when people raise issues and it becomes important or necessary for you to react, I do respond. Other than that, there is nothing that anybody would say that I have said at any point to mean either challenging or an attempt at challenging the status quo in the state. I just know that where there is no mutual respect, things like this cannot but happen.

Again, I want to emphasise that it is not so much about the leadership of the party; it is about the style of administration. I believe very firmly and irrevocably that it is the political party, in a democracy, that should put people in government; it is not the government that should distribute party’s positions among its members. I will not take anything less than that under any circumstance. For a sitting government to want to take over the structure of the party by all means and, in the process, end up dissolving ward executives that were constituted at ward primaries of the party and replacing them with another set of people without ward primaries is entirely arbitrary. I am convinced that replacing local government executive of a political party with handpicked people without congresses is arbitrary and is in violation of the party’s constitution. I believe removing people from the state executive of the party and replacing them with a few people without state congresses is arbitrary. These are my points; these are my issues and I am not going to stop talking about them. If anybody now feel that because I am insisting on the right thing being done; because I am insisting on the party constitution being fulfilled and not being violated and they now feel that amounts to confrontation, it is just unfortunate. I am a party man; I believe in the constitution of the party and I believe in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I believe in the provisions of the Electoral Act. Whatever I am saying are within the ambit of the law.

You said you respect party decision. It was last week that the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and the National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, were in Ekiti where they were said to have endorsed Governor Fayemi for second term. What does this portend for your ambition?

There was not any endorsement and that is the bone of contention and that is what people need to understand. The more people try to understand that, the better for the understanding of the Ekiti crisis. Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande never, at any point, during that meeting said they endorsed or were endorsing Dr Fayemi for second term. They came there, among other things, to see how the lingering crisis in Ekiti ACN could be resolved. Chief Akande and Asiwaju Tinubu said so much to pacify aggrieved members of the party and ended the meeting with a note that the leadership of the party specifically should find a means of reaching out to me with a view to reconciling the differences. Part of the conditions for the resolution of the crisis the two leaders also gave was the immediate reinstatement of the members of the various executive committees - ward, local government and state executives - that have been arbitrarily dissolved. They made that clear.

What now became curious even to many leaders of the party that attended the meeting was the fact that journalists who were not present at the meeting got a twisted information from the media team of the governor that Asiwaju had endorsed Governor Fayemi for second term. Two, that Asiwaju had sent people to me to go and warn me to desist from my own governorship ambition without reporting the actual proceedings; without also saying that they had also given a condition for the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved executives of the party.

Is it not more curious, given the wide media reportage of the event, that up till now, the two personalities involved, Chief Akande and Senator Tinubu, are yet to refute the reported endorsement? Also, you were not at the meeting, how did you get all the details?

Well, it is instructive to note that it wasn’t just the governor and his aides that were at the meeting with Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande; some other leaders of the party were also there. Of course, a few people called me even days after the meeting to relay what happened. I also met with some other leaders of the party who were also there and they made it all clear to me. All of them were surprised to read what was in the papers as a report of the meeting as a total misrepresentation of what went down there.

That in spite of the wide media coverage, Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu have not said anything or have not refuted it, I want to say these are party leaders, seasoned politicians and democrats and they have their own ways of resolving matters. I am sure they have chosen to adopt an internal mechanism method of resolving these issues within the party rather than using the pages of newspapers. I have no doubt that discussions have been held and I have had cause to meet with some of the national leaders of the party after the whole report. The governor and I know that Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande did not come to Ekiti to give endorsement to anybody.

This is not about any individual; it is about the institution called ACN. It is about how to resolve the crisis within the party. It is those who are trying to take advantage of the visit of Asiwaju and anyone who knows me will know that I don’t drop names. I am not somebody who can be intimidated with Asiwaju’s name. If anybody thinks he loves Asiwaju, he needs to remind himself that he cannot love Asiwaju more than me. He is my own benefactor but the fact that you have a benefactor does not mean that even if you are trying to put faeces on my face, using the name of the benefactor, I should just fold my arms and wait for that to happen. The Asiwaju that I know will not do anything to undermine democracy in Ekiti State and he will not do anything to heat up the polity.

Given your strong conviction about contesting the governorship seat in 2014, what will happen if the national leadership of the party decided to give the ticket to the sitting governor?

It will depend on how it happens. Usually, there are two ways by which it could happen -either through free and fair primaries, which would be part of the ways of growing our democracy. The other means by which it could happen is by consensus. But mind you, consensus would require the input and involvement of everybody. A consensus is an all-inclusive process that will involve even the aspirants. What we are having now and which is annoying me is the sheer arrogance in power. You hear statements like ‘no vacancy in Ekiti Government House in 2014’. And they say this to virtually everybody.

Again, the manner in which the second term campaigners in Ekiti were going about it; they started from the day that we were there for the first anniversary of the governor and they gave T-shirts to some people and distributed stickers saying 4+4=8; one-year anniversary when we were supposed to be running an account of our stewardship and talking about the challenges and how we are going about overcoming them and how to give the people a ray of hope! And I felt that this was immoral; you don’t do this. One year into office in a four-year term, you don’t start talking of second term. Since then, the campaign has continued and as far as I am concerned, they have used the second term campaign to distract the governor and his administration. They have used the second term campaign to heat up the polity in the state. They have used the second term campaign to even portray ACN as an intolerant ruling party, which is not true. They have gone as far as tearing the posters and pulling down the billboards of aspirants from other political parties. They went as far as trying to stop the convoys of other aspirants from other political parties. You don’t do that. No progressive party anywhere in the world wants to be identified with such anti-democratic practices. But with time, pseudo democrats will be isolated from the real democrats and Nigerians will have a better understanding of what is happening in Ekiti State.

Source: http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/component/k2/item/16534-tinubu,-akande,-fayemi-and-i-opeyemi-bamidele.html