₦airaland Forum

funshint:
Sokoto! Is dat place in Nigeria? heeheehee!

Are you a Nigerian? heheheh

Senator Joseph Waku is the Vice National Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). In this interview, he speaks on a wide range of issues agitating the minds of many Nigerians-national security, corruption, bad governance among others. In what appears to be a new perspective to the security challenge facing the nation, he posited that the threat of Boko Haram might be a grand design by a particular section of the country to give the north a bad name so that they can execute their secession plan.

He said, “We northern leaders are even contemplating that Boko Haram is his (Jonathan’s) own making to blackmail the north so that they can secede. It has reached a dimension for one to believe that there are some people somewhere that are fueling this crisis to give a dog a bad name so that they would have a reason to secede. We are beginning to suspect that there is a plan against the north.” Excerpts…

Have you finally retired from politics?
If you are in politics for economic benefits and you can’t achieve that expectation, then you may retire. But when you go into politics to render services to the downtrodden, the less privileged in our society, speak for the voiceless people, you will never retire. You can take a back bench, but you will always comment on national issues. For me, politics is not all about staying in office. If you insist on office holding, you become not just a politician but a job seeker. So, there are two dimensions in this case.

One is a job seeker politician that must always be in the office, the other is a seasoned politician that must speak for the less privileged people in the society. In and out of office, one can still render services to the nation. And that is what some of us have been doing. I am not going to fight for any elective office, but if I am called upon and the calling is genuine, then I may consider it.

But I am not going to quit politics. Politics is in me. As I wake up in the morning, the first thing I say is ‘oh God, thank you for waking me up, give me the opportunity to speak for the less privileged.’ I don’t ask God what I will eat or enjoy for myself, but the opportunity to speak for the less privileged. So, it is not all about office because office is a privilege. You may not be a politician; yet, you may find yourself in the House of Representatives or the senate. You can also be a politician without running for any elective post. So, these are two different scenarios in this game.

Revelations coming out of the House of Representatives Committee probing the controversial petroleum subsidy funds have shown how some cabals are holding down the country. What is your opinion on this?
I hate to hear the word cabal.

You mean there is nothing like cabal?
I said I hate the word cabal.

Why?
Cabal is a group of people given the responsibility of looking after the majority. Nigeria is about 150 million in population. Those in government are less than three million people. That is the cabal itself. These are the privileged few trusted with the responsibility of looking after this great nation. But they have found within themselves a few criminals who are holding down the nation. Unfortunately, the leadership knows them and shields them from being prosecuted. For me, such people are not cabal; they are criminals within a group of Nigerians who are given the responsibility of looking after the affairs of this country.

We should not be calling such people cabal; they are criminals within the group. And the government knows those criminals that are cornering our wealth. So, they should be prosecuted and jailed to serve as deterrent to others in the future. For sometimes now, I have not been speaking on the state of the nation. And it is not out of fear or out of cowardice; it is because I just don’t want to make comment. I have turned down a number of interviews from many media organizations because I am sick and tired of what is going on in the country. So, I decided to keep my eyes and ears widely open to hear and see where those leading the country are taking us. Nigerians were jubilating voting for Jonathan as president of this country. He needs to sit up and deliver on his electoral promises.

Government is not about ethnicity, it has a wider perspective than that. He had better stand up so that this country will not collapse under his government even though he has confessed to us that the system has collapsed under his leadership. He made the statement and I took him up on that. The question is: What is he doing in the office if the nation has collapsed?
As hardened as former President Obasanjo was, he brought into consideration authoritarian spread of appointments. The National Security Adviser of Mr. President was a northerner. The Director General of SSS was a Yoruba man but a Muslim. And so it was for all other service chiefs. These are sensitive positions. Now, Jonathan went and picked National Security Adviser from his village.

He picked Director-General of SSS from his village. He picked Chief of Army Staff from his village. So, Nigerians are folding their arms to watch these people if they can help to solve the nation’s security issues. He also brought in an Inspector General of Police whom he knew ab initio of his incompetence when he served as the Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa State during his tenure as the governor of the State. Is this is a pay-back time? You don’t personalize governance. If you personalize governance, the nation suffers. And that is the dilemma we are going through today. I am disgusted with the so-called South-South Youth Forum, threatening Nigerians.

And I have never heard a responsible person from that region coming up to say these young people are saying this on their own. So, one begins to wonder whether this is a grand plan to cause confusion so that Nigeria can disintegrate. To hell with disintegration of Nigeria. Let everybody answer his father’s name. Let them go and drink their oil, we will eat our yam. Yoruba will eat their cocoa in their region. Life will still continue. But does that solve the problem? The answer is no. But the president is sitting down there and listening to people making advertisement of secession and they are not arrested. Yet, some fools somewhere are saying why don’t you arrest Babangida? Why don’t you arrest Atiku? Why don’t you arrest Gusau? Why don’t you arrest Ciroma?

What have they done that warrants their arrest? And you think by so doing, the nation’s problem will be solved. How can some people say we will secede and the national security operatives didn’t say anything or fault the threat? He also gave Boko Haram chance to do the kind of nonsense they are doing. Everything boils down to leadership. I was deeply involved in the campaign for the Late MKO Abiola. I was his campaign coordinator for the then middle-belt.

I was initially his coordinator for Benue State but when he emerged in Jos as the Presidential candidate, I was upgraded to the coordinator for the entire middle belt. When his election was annulled, we all teamed up with him. But when Yoruba decided to make it Yoruba affairs, I then pulled out. I pulled out because I was working for a Nigerian that I knew his competence. I knew his support cut across borders of religion and tribes. Besides, Nigerians don’t bother about religion when it comes to leadership. Look at the most complicated election Nigeria went through at that time: Muslim/Muslim ticket.

Yet, Nigerians came out with dignity to cast their votes for these gentlemen. Again, there was Buhari/Idiagbon regime. Nigeria is not all about religion or tribe. But when one tribe is trying to claim that it is wiser than others, that is where we have problem that is going on now.

Boko Haram has become a big threat to the unity of this country to the extent that the Igbo have given directive to their people in the north to move back home owing to the feeling that they are being targeted. How do you see this development?
Ndigbo are not being targeted. If you read our last communiqué by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), we advised Nigerians to stay where they are. We even attempted to defend the elders of the South-South despite the reckless pronouncements of their youth. But up till now, none of their elders has come out to tell the nation that they are not involved in what their youths are doing.

The ACF has come out to say that we are not in support of that. So, northerners have not given any instruction to Igbo to leave. We are under a constitutional provision which allows freedom of movement and association. But if those staying in the north are tired of staying in the north, they are free under the constitution to move. But the north cannot accept a blackmail that Igbo are being targeted. Let them come out with what is motivating them to move back home. Of course, they are free to move anywhere in this county.

They probably have recorded more casualties than any other tribe.
(Cuts in). They recorded more casualties because in terms of religion, particularly in the north, the Igbo dominate Christian religion. So, if a church is burnt, naturally, Igbo who are in the church would be affected. In Kano which is predominantly a Muslim state, is Boko Haram group not killing people there? The problem of Boko Haram has gone beyond tribal issue.

Some people still believe that northern elders have not spoken loud enough on this Boko Haram issue. Have they?
How would they have spoken? Have they been consulted to speak? I know some southerners tried to accuse the northern leaders, Adamu Ciroma and co that said if Goodluck Jonathan becomes president, the government would be miserable. He said that because he knew as of fact that the people would not be happy and they are not. He has spoken sufficiently because you know that it was not the turn of the South to produce the president. Let me not deceive you, people are angry. Our governors in the north are angry. But they don’t know what to say and the people of the north are against them because they sold out. They betrayed the confidence reposed in them; they sold out the north.

Isn’t it an irony that the same people they would have ruled over are the same people being slaughtered?
And that is why I said when people are angry is like when God is taking judgment. If you leave everything to God to take decision, the aspect of His decision will affect everybody.

Isn’t this killing enough for somebody to call the group to order?
That is if a government is there. This matter is no longer a village Boko Haram that we were talking about in Maiduguri, they have gone scientific. It is the duty of security apparatus to map out proper strategy for dealing with the problem. It has gone beyond a village kind of revolt. It is not a thing that you will say because Senator Waku is the Vice National Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, he should go and talk to his people.

The President and Commander in-Chief of Armed Forces said that there are Boko Haram members in the executive council, the police, SSS, and the military. And we northerners are saying bring these people out so that we can be vindicated that we don’t know them. If their offences require facing a firing squad, bring them out. He is the Commander in Chief; he is the nation’s Chief Security Officer, why is he keeping them? We northern leaders are even contemplating that Boko Haram is his own making to blackmail the north so that they can secede. It has reached a dimension for one to believe that there are some people somewhere that are fueling this crisis to give a dog a bad name so that they would have a reason to secede. We are beginning to suspect that there is a plan against the north.

But there is a report in the media that some northern governors are giving financial aids to Boko Haram to prevent them from striking in their state. What is your take on this?
I don’t know about that. That report boils down to leadership issue in this country. It means nothing is hidden about Boko Haram again. If it is true that those people approached some governors for finance so that they will not attack their states, then the Federal Government should hold those governors responsible. They should tell Nigerian who came to make the request whether they turned it down or accepted it. We are not kids. I have been in this game for 45 years. By the time I mark my birth coming up in the next few weeks, I will be 66. So, you can imagine I have started this game in my tender age.

Is this the reason why some people are saying that he is not in charge?
I believe he is in charge as the President. He can be weak but it doesn’t mean that he is not in charge.

What then is the fate of the downtrodden at the receiving end of all these crises?
That is the crisis the leadership ought to have avoided ab-initio. As it is often said, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. This is what we are witnessing today.

Everything you have said boils down to bad governance. Do you see the scenario like the Arab Spring happening in Nigeria?
When it first started in Tunisia and Dimeji Bankole, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, said it cannot happen in Nigeria, I looked at him and laughed. He does not understand what revolution is all about. Revolution is no respecter of a brother or a sister. It is a spontaneous reaction. So, we must be very careful to avoid such things in this country. A president cannot be disgraced any time he takes a decision that is not in the best interest of the people. If a president takes an unpopular decision and comes out to say I am sorry, I reverse it, it is a plus to him. It is not a sign of weakness but rather an acknowledgment of the yearning of the people. And he would be respected in history as a powerful president. But some criminals around President Jonathan wouldn’t tell him the truth.

Do you see this government having the political will to arrest and deal with those implicated in the ongoing probe of subsidy fund by the House of Representatives?
If they don’t have the political will, Nigerians have. No one can take Nigerians for a ride again. Nigerians will take them to public court, which is worse than ballot papers. If government doesn’t take action, Nigerians will take action. There are several actions that Nigerians will take. I don’t know what decision they will take, but I know they will take action. This is where the integrity of the National Assembly is at stake. We are waiting to see the outcome. Everyday my brother, Farouk Lawan, sits on the proceeding of the probe, Nigerians are watching and they are waiting for the outcome of that committee.

Many people see the activities of legislators as self-serving; especially considering the ways and manners they allocate fat allowances to themselves. Do you feel bothered about that as a former member of the National Assembly?
What pains me about Nigeria is that our people don’t appreciate your role until you are dead. This is my personal Assistant in the National Assembly; ask him how much I earned as a senator. I earned N83, 000. And no press in Nigeria came out with that. As a matter of fact, for nine months when we started, we were earning N13, 000, while the House of Representatives members were earning N11, 000 per month.

Nigerians didn’t say anything about it. It was later that Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Commission raised it to N83, 000. Again, we did not fix allowances on our own and we did not take salary allowances. What we took was furniture allowance. And furniture allowance is accountable. You pay back; otherwise, you wouldn’t get clearance from the clerk of the National Assembly. We paid back. Nigerians held us in high esteem because they saw it that it was a better National Assembly. We were able to tell Mr. President, don’t do this. We were able to put the president on his toes. Nigerians didn’t consider that worthy enough of publication in the newspapers.
Perhaps, the facts and figures were not made public.

(Cuts in). But why are the current ones being made public?
Obasanjo is a crude blackmailer. All this he didn’t tell the press. And when he did, he misinterpreted furniture allowances. The furniture allowance we took was a loan which we paid back. In fact, when I was leaving the National Assembly, they came from the store to check the items. Those who said they would not pay the balance of the loan, they packed their items. And none of these came to public knowledge. Every senator was given a vehicle until later on when they approved a back-up car.

And what was the car (Peugeot) to me in the senate and many Nigerians? I can’t remember when last I had Peugeot in my fleet. But Nigerians took it up. And I don’t blame them. It was the first kind of it. We knew every eye was on us, and that was why we were very careful. Did you hear anything like constituency contract in our time? But we brought the idea of constituency project to the National Assembly. What we did was to advise the executive to approve constituency projects and award the contract to an approved contractor. Mr. President thought that we were going to be the one who would earn the credit. But we said no, give the contract to whosoever you want in our various constituencies so that the credit can come to you that you did something for them.

What would you suggest as a way to rescue Nigeria from the precipice?
Government should not be personalized. Government should be inclusive and not exclusive. Governance is not exclusion. We took a letter to the dictator, late Abacha and told him the danger of his self-succession plan. We said government is about inclusion and that policies of government should be made known to the people. My wife and I had run away from our home. Policy of government should be people-oriented programme. Government is not about slogan as Jonathan keeps mouthing his transformation agenda.

What is the meaning of transformation? What are you transforming when they are killing Nigerians on a daily basis? Governance is more than sitting in that office. Government is to extend hands of fellowship to various interest groups so that you can always get feedback as to when they are happy. Jonathan should make a statement about the South-South’s provocative pronouncements because we are suspecting that someone is behind them. And it is not the best. How many votes did the South-South give him to make him president? The entire vote of South-South is not up to Kano. He should see himself as a national leader and act the same.




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/feb/12/national-12-02-2012-001.html

A Staten Island mom is making national headlines today after suing the city of West Brighton for $900 trillion, alleging the city improperly placed her two children in foster care.

The $900 trillion figure, first reported by the New York Post, certainly is staggering and the standard response so far has been to treat the lawsuit as something of a joke, focusing on the mother's alleged mental illness.

But I have to agree with the Inquisitr's Kim LaCapria, who says plaintiff Fausat Ogunbayo is actually quite clever in choosing to sue for $900 trillion. After all, how many people would be reading about this story and discussing Ogunbayo's plight had she quietly filed her petition without seeking monetary compensation?

Of course there's no way she'll get a settlement remotely approaching that number, if she is awarded anything at all. After all, the entire U.S. has an annual gross national income of just over $14 trillion. Or, put another way, if Ogunbayo was awarded $900 trillion she'd have enough disposable income to pay off the U.S. national debt several dozen times over.

Ogunbayo sued the city and the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), alleging that both entities violated her and her children's civil liberties by placing them in foster care in June, 2008. In her lawsuit, obtained by The Smoking Gun, Ogunbayo listed her grievances as follows:
"For causing plaintiff substantial economic hardship; for causing plaintiff substantial economic injuries; for depriving plaintiff and plaintiff children's Civil Right, 42 U.S.C. section 1983; for depriving plaintiff and plaintiff's children, the right to family integrity; for depriving plaintiff and plaintiff's children, the right to life, liberty, property and the right guaranteed by statute; for disregarding the probability of plaintiff's children, suffering emotional and mental distress."

The city has not responded to Ogunbayo's lawsuit but contends that she is mentally ill and unable to properly care for her two boys, who are now teenagers.The New York City Law Department released a statement to ABC News, which said, "We are unable to comment on pending litigation.  The amount a plaintiff requests in a lawsuit has no bearing on whether the case has any merit and no relation to actual damages if any."

The state alleges Ogunbayo suffers from hallucinations, refuses mental health treatment and placed her children at risk by leaving them at home for several hours each day. Two of the more specific allegations are that Ogunbayo wrote to her children's former school, insisting that the FBI and Secret Service were after her children and that their skin was becoming darker due to radiation exposure.

However, the state Appellate Division recently threw out a family court finding that Ogunbayo was guilty of neglecting her children. "Proof of mental illness alone will not support a finding of neglect," the court ruled, according to SILive.com

Ogunbayo is representing herself in the case.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mother-sues-city-900-trillion-yes-trillion-placing-213613703.html

Nigerian woman wants to be richer than her country, lol

Sweetnecta:
i am shocked to know there is a juzuli anywhere. I am older than Paul, no doubt. my concern is his saying that the Quran says there is truth in a book other than the Absolute Truth in the Quran. The same Quran in it we find confirmation that the jews and christians have corrupted their books? My Paul, you actually chose a good name for yourself.

I am happy that my mother finally reverted to Islam at about 80 years old and she is independent still at about 86 in Lagos. I am hoping to eat her efo riro soon. Salaamualaykum mum and Jumu'a karim to you.

Thank God you did not hate anyone then and definitely Islam has made you a better person now. I pray that you remain on earth longer in Islam, to enjoy me and my siblings and our offspring even the more.

I wonder why the mother of paul was cursing people just because of their religion instead of praying to God that they abandon 3 gods?

You souldn't be confused because because a book that is corrupted itself cannot confirm the corruptness of other books.
And Paul is not alone in this I am from Sokoto state, even though i do not belong to the royal family like my brother Paul i was brought up in a very reverted Shiekh's family where i received Quaranic. infact in my family you cannot even think of Primary school without memorising the quaran which i did. I read alot of Hadiths and all sort of Islamic books u can think of. One thing is true about what Paul said that we were never thought to love and forgive Christian but rather we were always fed with hatred, we see Christian as our enemies. for instance in  Shagari Low cost where lived there is an Assemblies of God church there near the Mosque we prayed then, the always told us the brings weapons in Night during there night vigil and therefore we should always be prepared for  war. I never understood how sweet Jesus is until i found one faithful Tuesday morning. I live to imagine what happened since then i was hunted by my own for the past 10 years i have not set mine eyes on my biological parents because they rather kill me than live with shame of me being a Christian. But thanks be to God because he has giving me a new family of God's children and i am happy!

SUNDAY, 01 JANUARY 2012 00:00 CHRIS?IREKAMBA FEATURES - IBRU ECUMENICAL CENTRE
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It is a new year with new hopes. There are fears though that several of the ugly episodes of violence and hardship that marked 2011 may not stop at the threshold of 2012. Are Nigerians headed for better times or otherwise? Prominent clerics share their thoughts with CHRIS?IREKAMBA, Excerpts

‘Better Things Ahead, If Nigerians Learn From Past Mistakes’

(Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Worldwide)

God had already created this world, and he told man ‘go and subdue the earth. Whatever you make of it, I’ve given you the intelligence, the brain and everything to do that work.’

Our country, likes prayers but prayers alone without work will not do it. We say work and pray, pray and work. So, what we are saying for this coming year is that if the citizens in this nation will learn from mistakes of the past and will put our minds and heads together and resolve that we are going to solve our problems… The foreign nations are not going to solve the problems for us. And prayers alone are not going to solve our problems for us. It is only if we are willing to turn around and decide that we want to be a better country, and we are going to contribute positively for its progress.

I believe that there is hope. Better and greater things are coming for us in the New Year in Jesus’ name.

‘A Year Of Greater Glory’

(Dr Mike Okonkwo, Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Gbagada Expressway, Anthony Oke, Lagos)


AS we prepare to enter into the year 2012, I wish to call on every Nigerian not to lose hope, but rather to continue to pray for our country, especially now when there is so much hopelessness around.

I specially call on all Christians to pray that God will cause us to experience peace and stability in our land in-spite of our challenges because I believe that Nigeria has a great future.

In this New Year, we must all be filled with expectations because I am a firm believer that God will visit us in an unusual way. There is no doubt that the hand of God is upon this nation and so no matter the challenges we have gone through, I still believe that we would rise up again to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.

I, therefore, call on every Nigerian to expect positive changes because I see God move in our land in a supernatural way. I challenge every Nigerian to also see him or herself as an agent of change because, as we all begin to do things right, in our various callings and endeavors, pretty soon it will have a snowballing effect on the entire nation.

I also call on all our lawmakers and those in authority to ensure that in the coming year, they do not pass laws that will further add to the suffering of the masses, but rather pass laws that would better the lot of the people.

I declare that the year 2012 is a year of greater glory and I believe that we will both see and experience the glory of God as individuals and as a nation.

I believe that the grace of God will see us through in the New Year, and I know that He is opening a new chapter in the life of our nation. Things will improve and we will see tangible development especially in our economy, health, education and socio- political sectors.

I therefore encourage everyone to remain steadfast in the faith knowing that God has just started with us. I believe that there shall be pleasant surprises in 2012.

‘2012 Shall Be Perilous’

(Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer, Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Worldwide)

WHAT I am going to say may not be what the people will like. The year 2012 will be a perilous year. The Bible says, “In the last days, perilous times shall come. Iniquity shall abound.” Many people that are professing to be Christians will even fall out of the faith. Economic problems will arise, and many crises such as insecurity and unemployment will be all over the world.

Now, God allows those things so that people of the world will come to their Creator and be saved. So, the way, I look at the years ahead of us are years of uncertainties, calamites and sorrow. But in these calamities and sorrows that will usher in the Second Coming of the Lord

Jesus Christ, the Church will be kept. We believe that the real children of God will be kept just like what happened in Egypt when God was about to take His children out.

The world is heading for total collapse. All these things that people are crying about now are just the beginning. The New Year will be worse than the previous year. And as those things are happening, men will be seeing the finger of God on the wall and nobody will have to tell them to return to their Creator before it’s too late. If it becomes a bed of roses, they will not repent. So the issue is that God has allowed those crises, so that men will come back to Him.

But above all, this year, for the Chosen ones, is the year of Dominion and Prosperity. The Chosen that are living right shall have dominion and prosperity.

‘There Shall Be More Belt-tightening’

(Pastor Wale Adefarasin, Senior Pastor of Guiding Light Assembly, Ikoyi, Lagos and National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)

I DON’T think next year is going to be an easy one. Already, we can see some of the things that are on the horizon. For instance, if government goes ahead with its subsidy removal, there will be resistance. And we pray that those who don’t love Nigeria will not take advantage of that to create trouble. I also see that whether it is fuel subsidy removal or the impact of removing it, it’s going to be more belt-tightening for Nigerians. But I believe that the children of God who walk closely with Him will do well.

The message to the Church or Nigerians is that they should be close to God. The Bible says, “A thousand may fall at your feet, ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. But only with your eyes will you behold the reward of the wicked.” I believe that God will protect those who walk intimately with Him. This is not time to run around committing sin. This is the time to be sober and become real and genuine followers of Jesus Christ. For those who follow God closely in the New Year, it will be a great year for them.

‘Treasury Looters Will Be Punished’

(Rt. Revd. Dr. Peter Awelewa Adebiyi, Bishop, Diocese of Lagos West)

WE thank God for His mercies towards us in the outgoing year. When we cast our minds back, we confess that we have witnessed moments of joy and happiness but at the same time, it appears that our moments of anxiety, agitation, disappointment and sorrow took a larger toll on the life of the average Nigerian in 2011.

Nigeria has witnessed moments of unrest, which culminated in the burning of homes, looting and wanton killing of innocent children and young adults, most especially some of our children in the National Youth Service Corps Scheme in the northern part of the country.

The proposed removal of the subsidy on fuel by the federal government in 2012, has dampened the morale of many Nigerians; what with the poor economic power of the average citizen to face the effect of the removal and the strong determination of the government to go ahead with the removal irrespective of the general opinion of Nigerians.

It appears that Nigerians are going into 2012 with some measure of bitterness, helplessness and disappointment. However, Christians must never forget that the world and everything in it, belongs to God.

As we enter into the New Year, the Lord is warning our rulers in various capacities, as well as civil servants who know the secret of embezzlement of public funds and who teach their political lords how to steal from the national till and yet escape justice, to desist from their wicked ways. Such people should think twice because the judgment of God is coming. You may not believe it, but that does not negate the fact that it will come.

Nigerians are already on edge and any further provocation may portend great danger to the fragile peace.

As for us, we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and our lives are safe in His hands. Let us go into the year 2012 with great hope that the Lord will be merciful to us and deliver this country from the hands of its oppressors.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72367:the-shape-of-year-2012-by-clerics&catid=102:ibru-ecumenical-centre&Itemid=596

My father new found father (for being a role model and a good friend to me)
Pastor W. F Kumuyi (for being an honest, steadfast and courageous leader)
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (for being honest, fearless and man of integrity)
Nasir ElRufai (for being an intelligent and courageous in cleaning up Abuja and his style of writings inspire me)
Wale Tinubu
Charles Soludo
Chimamanda Adichie
Jelani Aliyu (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqx-xKGeDCA)

Federalism: What Economic Structure?

17 Jul 2011

I’ll say it again: all I ever want to be in life is a journalist/writer, teacher and farmer. When I eventually disengage from active journalism (and I will still be involved in any capacity at all until I draw my last breath), I will go into teaching. But because teachers’ rewards are in heaven, I would like to earn a few rewards here on earth by going into farming as well. I find farming very attractive because, apart from the fact that food is good, agriculture is one sector whose potentials are largely untapped. I’m scared anytime I study the agricultural potentials of Nigeria. Bayelsa alone has the potential to feed the whole Nigeria with rice. Across Northern Nigeria, the potential is crazy: crops, livestock, name it. Nigeria can become a leading country in the world of agriculture if only we can get our act together.
My wife and I want to be farmers. But we don’t want to be selling mangoes by the roadside. If we decide to set up Sheri & Simoni Farms Ltd to grow mango, for instance, we want to have a factory that would produce canned mango juice. That is where the real value is. We want to grow mango, add value, sell locally as well as export to earn dollars. The raw mango I’m going to sell for N10 by the road side can actually fetch me as much as N100 if I add value. The Nigerian economy would be the better for it. The company making cans and bottles would benefit from Sheri & Simoni. The printer of “Sheri & Simoni Mango” packs would benefit. Sheri & Simoni would employ electrical, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as technicians. Sheri & Simoni would employ accountants, administrative staff, truck drivers, cleaners. Sheri & Simoni would remit personal income tax and corporate tax to the government.
How come we are not tempted to jump into farming straight away then? Well, that would be suicidal. To start with, if we decide to go into the business, who would finance it? If we get finance, who is going to construct the roads leading to the farm? Who would supply the water and electricity? Who would provide the security? How are we going to transport the produce and the products? By the time you add all the costs together, you are dealing with a good business that is not viable because, like the general problem with the real sector in Nigeria, you have wasted so much of your resources paying for the inefficiency of the system. By contrast, if we set up Sheri & Simoni Petroleum Ltd and are lucky enough to know somebody in government to give us a contract to import fuel products or lift crude oil, we would become billionaires in dollars with a stroke of the pen, even though we are not contributing much to economic development! Why on earth, then, would anybody want to prefer farming to oil?
This is where I am going: the economic structure of Nigeria is so skewed that neither the government nor the citizens have the incentive to focus on developing agriculture. We are all rushing to Abuja to share oil money. We are all longing for the month to end for the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to meet and distribute the petrodollars. The other sources of revenue are not of concern to us. Look at it: why would any government bother itself with constructing roads, providing water and security just to collect taxes of say N100million monthly when the same government is guaranteed N1billion monthly from the federation account for doing nothing? Government is never interested in developing agriculture. Forget all the noise you’ve been hearing over the years. It is not their fault—the incentive is not just there. If oil brings in $12 billion or more in a year, taxes from agriculture and industry (minus oil) will bring in just about 5 per cent of that! So why worry with agriculture?
That is why the infrastructure for oil production and export is always in perfect condition. The terminals, platforms and flow stations, which are of no real value to Nigerians, are the number one priority of the government. As long as the oil companies are drilling the hydrocarbon and the export terminals are in good condition and the money is being remitted to CBN at the end of the day, Nigerians can continue to ride on bad roads and live in darkness and receive ill-treatment from the “consulting clinics”. Agriculture can continue to rot, for all the government cares. Yet the oil industry is so limited in the employment opportunities it can generate and in its contribution to the GDP. As of today, 70 per cent of our population are involved in agriculture, but the infrastructural support is not there to get the best out of them.
As soon as the petrodollars began to rush in our direction some 40 years ago, the Federal Military Government quickly enacted laws to corner the goodies. The military could claim that it had a motive: to achieve some balance in the revenue profile of the states. If fiscal federalism as practised pre-oil boom was retained, the oil-rich states would have been miles ahead of the non-oil states. (But in UAE, for instance, the oil-rich emirate is Abu Dhabi. Dubai developed trade and tourism to generate its own income. All states don’t need to be on the same level). By cornering the resources and redistributing at the centre—using principles such as landmass, population and need—the military obviously wanted the oil wealth to go round. The unintended effect of this balancing act is that agriculture and industry died. Cocoa died. Coffee withered. Groundnut pyramids shrank. All the states started rushing to the FAAC meeting every month to share money. The federal structure was distorted. Fiscal federalism fizzled out.
To make matters worse, the solid minerals that every state has in abundance have also been cornered by the Federal Government. Forever and ever, we keep saying Osun has gold and Ondo has bitumen. True, Nigeria has about 42 billion tonnes of bitumen—almost twice our crude oil reserves! There are over 3 billion metric tonnes of iron ore deposits in Kogi, Enugu, Niger and FCT. We have over 7.5 million tonnes of barite in Taraba and Bauchi States. If I were to guess, I would say the value of the solid minerals would be five times more than that of petroleum. Yet, the Federal Government, by law, holds the key. Even then, states are not pushing to take control and produce this wealth. The reason is simple: there is guaranteed income from oil, so why take the pain of investing in developing other sources of income? The Nigerian story is so tragic.
The most tragic part of our story is that you hardly see anything being done in concrete terms to rescue us from the logjam that we have found ourselves. If the petrodollars had not been allowed to distort our federalism, I bet every state would be sufficiently rich and self-sustaining by now. States would have developed their resources to meet up with their needs as the regions did in the Independence era. Agriculture and industry would have surpassed oil by now. The South-east would probably be exporting cars and electronics. With the steady growth and development we were making before the oil boom, I bet Nigeria would have been a success story by now. But we found oil and went to sleep, waking up once in a month for FAAC meetings in Abuja. It is not just a shame: it is also a measure of how oil has retarded our thinking. We neither used the oil to develop the country nor allowed the states to grow originally. We started creating states to share the oil money. We are still thinking of creating more states now based on FAAC.
I want to quickly correct an impression that if we start practising fiscal federalism today, only the North would suffer. That is not true. If we enforce resource control today (that is, Sunday, July 17, 2011), only 10 states will survive—the six South-south states plus Ondo, Lagos, Imo and Abia. If we take away the oil money completely and say all states should depend on IGR, only Lagos, Rivers and, to some extent, Sokoto, will survive based on their IGR as percentage of total revenue as contained in the 2009 Annual Report of the CBN. So we all depend on Niger Delta resources for survival—in varying degrees.
A major way forward, I propose, is for us to talk less and do more about developing value-added agriculture and solid minerals. Some laws have to go. It is a gradual process but we must be committed to it. Like I said in the first part of this article last week, Nigerians must begin to see true federalism as a good thing, not a campaign to dismember the country or punish non-oil rich states. I insist that almost every state can be economically viable if we use our sense very well. But as long as we focus our attention on FAAC, we will never see beyond our nose.
www.thisdaylive.com

Negro_Ntns:
Great article.

Gej needs to read this and Boko needs to read this.

The regions need to start shaping new proposals or dust up old ones for a reconfigured sovereingty and government.

GMAM!!!!!

Boko Haram and the Military: A Dialogue of Bombs and Bullets

aliyutilde@yahoo.com



Events during the last fortnight have disproved the assurance given by the Chief of Army Staff that the military will soon end the Boko Haram insurrection in the Northern part of the country. The group went about its activities in complete disregard to his words. It escalated its attacks unimpeded, leaving the nation in the safety of generals whose superficial measures depict the incapacity of the nation’s security apparatus to execute its most fundamental duty.

Inexperienced in urban warfare, the military mounted, with little success, roadblocks with the hope of intercepting weapons and arresting the insurgents. Abuja, for example, suddenly became inaccessible to workers as a result of the measure. Vehicles were moving at a speed of a kilometer per hour. It was such an embarrassment that the checkpoints on the arteries leading to the city had to be removed before the following day. Corruption and indifference also came into play. During the period, I drove from Bauchi to Abuja and back to Bauchi through Kaduna and Kano without my booth checked at any point. In spite of the situation, security personnel at the roadblocks were more interested in a tip than in discovering any arsenal I might carry. Nigeria we hail thee!

Before I returned to Bauchi, however, militants suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram stormed the divisional police station of my local government in Toro. To the delight of the police, the militants allowed them to disperse unmolested, abandoning, without hesitation, the station for their dear lives. The militants missed the Divisional Police Officer who had left the station two minutes earlier and upon hearing the gunshots there, was reported to have hid in the neighbouring secondary school. Though they missed their target, the DPO, the militants were able to cart away with rifles and ammunitions, without harming anyone in town.

Five days later, similar militants attacked a bank and razed down a whole divisional police headquarters at Alkaleri. They distributed part of their loot, as they did in Katsina a month earlier, to the villagers who scrambled over it, causing the death of one boy. In Maiduguri, the headquarters of Boko Haram, bombings of apparatus of coercion have virtually become a daily occurrence. Two days ago, a bomb for the second time exploded in Suleja, though no group has claimed responsibility, as was the case in the first instance during the election campaigns. Yesterday, another bomb exploded at a drinking joint in Obalande, Kaduna, killing six people and injuring seventeen.

However, it is the unfortunate turn of events at the epicenter of the crisis that is beginning to catch the attention of the world. There was a shootout between Boko Haram members and members of the Joint Task Force (JTF), a collection of military, police and State Security Service personnel deployed to Maiduguri to crackdown on the insurgents. In revenging the killing of some of its personnel during the Sunday shootout and under the pretext of harboring Boko Haram members and refusing to divulge intelligence, JTF men cordoned some sections of the town and set ablaze houses and cars, allegedly raped women and killed all men they could find in the houses that they broke into. There had been rumours making the rounds that the military has vowed to kill 50 civilians for every soldier killed by Boko Haram members. According to a source, this is exactly what they went about doing two days ago. The reports aired on foreign media like the BBC, VOA, RDW, and RFI throughout yesterday, Monday 11 July 2011, have corroborated these accounts.

To Nigerians familiar with how the military boys behaved in Zaki Biam and Odi, this gross violation of human rights is typical and did not come as a surprise. The Nigerian military still thinks that it reserves the right to take the lives of ‘bloody’ civilians with impunity. It must have known that it must lose some personnel in the course of its duty in Maiduguri. So to organize the killing of as many civilians as possible in retaliation to the death of a soldier or two would be the most unfortunate thing any officer could contemplate. In an interview he gave to the BBC Hausa Service, a spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Raphael Isa, did admit, in the usual carefree tone of a Third World soldier, that an unknown number of civilians were killed.

A force sent to protect civilian population did not even care to know how many people it killed and could, without the slightest sign of remorse, look at a foreign correspondent and acknowledge his ignorance of the number of his victims. His celebration of successfully killing eleven Boko Haram members at the end of the unfortunate operation casts a thick shadow of doubt over claim by a government spokesman last week that the roadblocks measures have enabled the arrest of a hundred members of the sect. Not a single member was paraded before the newsmen, in contravention of Nigerian tradition and Boko Haram has not corroborated the claim either.

Killing innocent civilians under any circumstance is a massacre. It is a war crime punishable under the Geneva Convention. One really wonders what our military officers learn at their staff colleges. They refuse to learn from the methods of their contemporaries. Americans and other NATO forces are losing lives daily in Afghanistan. But they have not gone about killing innocent civilians. They take their time to patiently locate and target their enemy with a precision that would ensure a minimum collateral damage. And they are quick to apologize where a missile hits a civilian population due to a technical or human error. We have also seen the masterly skill they employed in waiting for ten years before reaching their main target, Osama Bin Laden. When they finally got him, not a single person in the neighbourhood was killed or arrested for harbouring the most wanted person in the world. It is this degree of professionalism that we expect from our soldiers. Indiscriminate killing of Nigerians, destroying their property and raping their women leaves us with little doubt that textbooks on the primitive methods of Royal Niger Company and Nigerian Civil War remain the predominant reference materials in Jaji and War College.

If America is too distant, our military officers would have learnt from the consequences of the brute force used to subdue the same Boko Haram militants in 2009. They were shot at sight in Maiduguri, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Kano States. The army then prided itself with the evidence that it handed over the leader of the group alive to the police. The police did not spare him in his cell, just as they executed Mohammed Foi in public glare. The direct consequence of those murders was the metamorphosis of the group into an underground movement and a revision of their methodology from open confrontation to urban guerilla warfare. By the time they resurfaced, the world was quick to acknowledge the sophistication of their means and the fatality of their devices. The political class took their threats seriously: Three governors knelt before them, seeking their pardon. Immediately after the Inspector General of Police escaped from their suicide bomb by a whisker, the scared President rushed to reopen the hitherto forgotten murder case of their leader and ordered the prosecution of the culprits. The IGP learnt the hard way how to keep his mouth shut and the President soon abandoned the reflection that Boko Haram should be left to decimate the North to his political advantage. With the attack on the police headquarters, the President realized that he is within the range of its bombs.

With these abundant lessons, I wonder how the military thinks that terrorizing civilian populations will help it in anyway to extinguish the fire of Boko Haram. Its indiscretion is already producing a boomerang, attracting the civilian animosity that was hitherto directed at Boko Haram. The hate now is for the military that goes about mass killings and other human rights violations against civilians, not the Boko Haram whose bomb could unintentionally kill only few people when it successfully detonates. The military has started with one enemy, now it has many: Boko Haram and Civilians.

Before concluding this piece, it will not be out of place to suggest three things. First, it the President must calm down and understand that Boko Haram is a philosophical organization, with demands that ultimately borders on the national question. Others since Sultan Attahiru have made similar demands during the last hundred years. Even in contemporary Nigeria, there are organizations from various regions asking for a revision of our colonial burden. May be Nigerians of various origins are tired of this impractical Lugardian marriage. After a hundred years, many are ready to end it without walking the extra fifty years of Southern Sudan. Therefore, it will not be out of place if Jonathan, from the oil rich Niger Delta, considers becoming Africa’s Gorbachev. He would definitely be supported by the oil rich but disgruntled and underdeveloped South-south, the enterprising but impeded Southeast, the 'racially' superior Southwest and, finally, the complacent and 'backward' North. A promise of that alone, better than bullets and rapes, may be the dialogue that will end the Boko Haram revolt instantly. The international community will also be relieved of the failure that threatens its economic interest in the Niger Delta.

Secondly, there is the need for the President to immediately review the military operations in Maiduguri. Sending a Mladic there is not in the best interest of the administration and the nation in general. It will lead to unnecessary escalation and earn Boko Haram more foot soldiers and sympathizers. The Kanuri are people with sufficient measure of pride. One cannot but envisage a more volatile situation if the current spate of human abuses is not ended. A general who is ready to respect the rights of Nigerians living there, taking into consideration their cultural sensitivities, is urgently needed to replace the present one. By the way, where is Maj. General Maina? This was the fine officer that led the JTF in Jos without a single complaint of murder or rape against his soldiers. So much was done on the Plateau to frustrate and provoke this gentleman, including an ex-general calling him 'idiot' over the radio, but he did not waver. He should be deployed to Maiduguri or, if retired, someone of no lesser professional mien should be sent.

Thirdly, in addition to investigations that the Federal Government should conduct as a statutory obligation, civil society groups should assist in taking an inventory of human right abuses presently going on in Maiduguri. Victims and their relations must be forthcoming in this. They should index them and submit them to the government as quick as possible. If it fails to stop the abuses or bring the culprits to book, then the groups can avail themselves of the appropriate organs of redress under the United Nations. I am glad that Civil Rights Congress under Comrade Shehu Sani is already working on this. He has my blessings. FOMWAN, MSO, NACOMYO, CAN, JNI and all the churches and mosques in Maiduguri must also come on board.

Finally, I would like to appeal to 'Boko Haram' leaders to reinvent their arguments and project them as a demand for restructuring this country, just as other groups are doing. This is what their opinion against the constitution and demand for full implementation of Shariah logically culminate in, given the demographic composition of the country. Baked in this more palatable language, their demand would be understood better and accommodated fully within the wider spectrum of the national question. If they adopt this strategy, they will definitely be amazed at the millions of supporters they will gain overnight. This is a demand that negotiations in a conference room can meet. This is the only way to end the ongoing dialogue of bombs and bullets that is claiming the lives of innocent Nigerians.

This man is really amazing even though his English not encouraging but was really amazed last time was in Abuja to see working hard despite the scourging sun shine,

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=558:nigeria-traffic-police-gets-car-gift-from-customs-boss&Itemid=178

Pastor William F. Kumuyi, for his stand on righteousness

I think this forum needs cleansing, this kind of nonsense making front page!

PapaBrowne:
Mr poster! Are U sure U read the article before posting?? I don't see anywhere in the article that points to a specific problem with the South South! The SS, SW, and SE are all performing fairly compared with their counterparts in the north which I think is what the article is trying to present.

You perception is affecting your realities!!

"The survey also shows that these state-level differentials are largely replicated at the secondary school level as broadly reflected in the secondary school net attendance ratios recorded for the six geo-political zones or sub-regions as follows: North-Central – 37 per cent, North-east – 22 per cent, North-west – 24 per cent, South-south – 28 per cent, South-east – 60 per cent and South-west – 65 per cent".

from the bolded if you dnt see 24 percent  the secondary school net attendance as disturbing and even saying 24 percent is doing fairly well against 37 then you need to consult your general mathematics text book to refresh your memory!

Guys really alarming and explains the trouble in the North and South-South!


Distressing findings on literacy, numeracy and formal educational attainment among primary and secondary school-aged Nigerian children were presented on 16th May, 2011 in Abuja during the national launch of the Nigeria Digest of Education Statistics 2006-2010 and the 2010 Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) Report witnessed by Vice-President Namadi Sambo. The findings effectively constitute a scorecard on governance at the state level vis-a-vis the extent to which the life chances of the largest and most vulnerable segment of the populations in their jurisdictions (the under-17s) have been major preoccupations of the governors that have held office since 1999 across the country.

The 2010 NEDS, in particular, as a nationally representative sample survey of 26,934 households, 27,189 parents/ guardians, and 71,567 children age 4-16 was large enough to provide reliable estimates for indicators at state and national levels of children’s rates of school attendance, literacy and numeracy among primary school and junior secondary school-aged children, household expenditures for schooling, and parents/guardians’ perceptions of schooling. It revealed a mixed picture of the state of participation and success in basic education by Nigerian children, with the negatives far outstripping the positives for Nigeria as a whole, and certain states in particular.

Among the few positives are that (a) 61 per cent of children age 6-11 attended primary school in 2010, up from 51 per cent in 1990 but similar to the 60 per cent recorded in 2003; (b) more than a third of children age 12-15 attended JSS in 2010 compared to less than a fifth in 1990; and (c) more significantly, the last two decades has seen a steady closing of the gender gap in participation in primary and secondary education especially the former. However, it is worrying that far more progress was made overall between 1990 and 2003 than since then and that these national averages hide a very uneven picture of educational access among the states and sub-regions that make up Nigeria.

Thus, while more than 80 per cent of children between the age of 6 and 11 are according to the 2010 NEDS attending primary school in Ekiti, Anambra, Imo, Lagos, Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Osun, Ondo and Kogi States, less than 25 per cent of their peers are doing so in Zamfara, Kebbi and Borno States. What this means is that the chances of a typical child attending primary school in Anambra, Ekiti, Lagos or Bayelsa State are more than thrice those of such a child in Borno, Kebbi or Borno State. The survey also shows that these state-level differentials are largely replicated at the secondary school level as broadly reflected in the secondary school net attendance ratios recorded for the six geo-political zones or sub-regions as follows: North-Central – 37 per cent, North-east – 22 per cent, North-west – 24 per cent, South-south – 28 per cent, South-east – 60 per cent and South-west – 65 per cent.

But even more worrying is what the survey reveals about how the ability of the Nigerian child to read or perform simple addition largely depends on where he or she is located. Twenty-one per cent of children of ages 5-16 cannot read at all in the South-west compared to 31 per cent in the South-south, 32 per cent in the South-east, 58 per cent in the North-central, 72 per cent in the North-west, and 83 per cent in the North-east. One implication to note here is that a typical child in the North-east sub-region is about four times more likely to be illiterate than his or her mate in the South-west. This pattern which clearly mirrors the sub-regional differentials in school attendance becomes even sharper when we consider numeracy. Whereas only 11 per cent of children of ages 5-16 cannot perform simple addition in the South-west, the figures for the other sub-regions are: South-south – 19 per cent, South-east – 21 per cent, North-central – 42 per cent, North-west – 61 per cent, and North-east – 73 per cent. Again, the implication is that the chances of the average child in the North-east being innumerate are nearly seven times those of the average child residing in the South-west.

It is therefore disappointing that the Nigerian press has not called sufficient attention to this unambiguous evidence on the monumental failing of children by certain state governments. Formal schooling is after all well-established to be a very strong predictor of improved health outcomes, labour productivity, higher income levels, adoption of social and technological innovations, and participation in public life. Education is and will remain the primary determinant of economic and social progress for any state or sub-region in Nigeria as it is in other parts of the world. Any state that leaves its children behind in formal schooling will continue to be poor in a globalising economy which places very high premium on skills and competencies that can mainly be acquired through formal schooling.

The fact that several states in Nigeria are failing to provide basic education for thousands of children of school-going age is a clear-cut case of mis-governance reflecting political leadership that does not hold and live out as its core values – social justice and human dignity. When a governor fails to prioritise good quality universal basic education for the children of his state, he is effectively mortgaging the future of a whole generation. Such a governor places little or no value on the lives of these children, does not care about the future of the state, and is not in office to serve. We know that the local governments also have a big role to play in the delivery of basic education. But given that within Nigeria’s warped federalism, state governors fully control local government area affairs, the blame for the failure to significantly expand access to basic education in any state must be placed squarely on the governor.

For so many children to be illiterate and innumerate in a state is nothing short of structural violence perpetrated by the state government since basic education in today’s world is every child’s right and is extremely beneficial to the larger society. Such rights violation and associated inter-generational transmission of poverty inevitably quickly reproduces itself in a large cohort of under-18s that are ignorant, frequently ill, restive and prone to engaging in the worst forms of armed violence. Yet, every state government (along with its constituent local councils) in Nigeria can easily afford to provide free universal basic education if it is appropriately prioritized.

As governors across Nigeria begin new terms in office, it is not too much to ask of them to fully commit to and take consistent actions (including adequate funding) that will improve the accessibility and quality of primary and junior secondary school (JSS) education in their states. The NEDS 2010 data provides them with the requisite baseline against which they can track progress in the delivery of basic education in their states over the next four years. It is a simple task that the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) can also be instructed to take on.

•Ahonsi, Ph.D is the Country Director, Population Council, Abuja.

Response To Allegations Of Wife Battering Against Me By Dr Chijioke Wigwe
Posted: May 31, 2011 - 23:19

Background: I married Tess Iyi Wigwe (nee Oniga) under native law and custom on 9th April 1978.

The girl I married was famous for her temper and fighting ability. With my gentle and unassuming nature, I honestly believed that the sharp contrast in our characters could neutralize and complement each other. It was a grave error of judgment.alt

I joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in April 1984 after teaching at the University of Jos for some years. My first posting in 1986 was to Tokyo, Japan. I was in charge of Commercial and Trade Matters. One night in July 1988, I took my female colleague from another Embassy out for dinner. It was actually the first outing. After dinner, I took her in my car in order to drop her off at a train station. As we drove through town, a car which I quickly recognised as mine (I owned 2 cars) and being driven by Mrs Wigwe pulled up beside us at a traffic light. Mrs Wigwe hurled air freshener bottles and any other objects she could find in the car to hit us. I later came down from the vehicle and explained to her who the lady was. But she did not believe me and instead chased me through the city shouting abuses at us and throwing objects at us. When I got to a train station, I opened the door and let the lady out. Mrs Wigwe abandoned her car in the middle of the road causing a big jam as she ran after the lady. She caught up with her and after interrogating her, seriously assaulted her, and beat her so mercilessly using the woman’s umbrella that the woman passed out. Mrs Wigwe fearing that the lady was dead fled the scene taking with her the woman’s hand bag. Good Samaritans took the lady to hospital where she spent one month in intensive care. I was made to pay the woman’s hospital bills. The morning after the attack, Mrs Wigwe traced me to the Embassy where I had taken shelter and took a huge stone and smashed the windscreen of the car to pieces. Mrs Wigwe never admitted to taking the handbag and its contents. However, months later, the wife of a colleague with whom she had left the handbag, confessed. This gross act of violence visited on an innocent woman, so angered the Nigerian Ambassador and the entire staff that it was decided that Mrs Wigwe should be punished severely to deter other wives with such inclinations. Accordingly, she was suspended from post for 3 months and repatriated to Nigeria by the Embassy in October 1988. She spent a total of 6 months at home coming back only in April 1989 when my posting came to an abrupt end following the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recall over 150 officers worldwide who had spent 24 months and above at post in the wake of the structural adjustment programme of the government of the day.

That premature recall had a serious psychological impact on my very young family of 4 and I decided to take a one year study leave at own expense ostensibly to pursue a post-graduate diploma in journalism in London, but strategically, to insulate our children from the disruptive effects of the unpredictable posting policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I therefore took my family along with me at great cost. When I left England in February 1992, I left my family behind. In 1993 I was posted to Warsaw, Poland but my family remained in London for the sake of the children’s and Mrs Wigwe’s education. Having learnt a bitter lesson from Tokyo, I unilaterally decided that Mrs Wigwe must not live with me at post in Warsaw. Instead, I encouraged her quest for higher education since she had only secondary education when I married her. She graduated from Middlesex University in July 1998. I paid her fees through university from 1993 and law school. At the end of my posting in October 1998, I returned to Nigeria. The family, now well established and settled, remained in London. Between 1998 and 1999 I made regular visits to the family. In November 1999, Mrs Wigwe visited me in Abuja and we travelled to her home town. We had a very serious misunderstanding. We returned to Abuja and she travelled back to London. When she returned to London after two weeks, she informed me that she no longer wished for me to come to London as previously planned to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays. All my efforts to reach her by telephone, fax and mail were unsuccessful. The situation continued until 2002 when on transiting London en route New York for an official assignment in July 2002, I discovered that Mrs Wigwe had brought her male lover, a Nigerian of Yoruba tribe, to live with her and the children in the family house. The children told me how they had bitterly resented her and her lover. But she ignored the children and co-habited with her boyfriend in the family house for close to a year. To all intents and purposes, we were still husband and wife; we were not even officially separated! It was then I knew the reason why I had been barred from visiting the family since 1999. Consequently, and bruising from the humiliation she had bestowed on me and the children in particular, I hastily remarried in December 2002. I married my colleague in the service whom I had not actually known for more than six months. By mutual consent in December 2006, we decided to separate amicably and to remain friends which we are to date. As the marriage had no children it was quite easy for us to part. I remained a bachelor.

Following my nomination as ambassador in September 2007, I called Mrs Wigwe on phone to offer her an olive branch and to ask her to join me, if she so wished, to associate with my new appointment. It was another grave error of judgment. Although I never intended that we should live together under the same roof again as husband and wife given our antecedents and the coldness of feelings that mutually existed between us after many years of separate lives. I was only prepared for her to have a sense of belonging and attachment to my new status considering also that we have 5 children together. I thought the honour was due to her. She accepted and travelled to see me in Abuja in April 2008. Our first encounter after many years, proved to me and I guess to her, that we could truly no longer call ourselves husband and wife. Nevertheless and much to my shock and deep apprehension, she decided to take a leave of absence for 3 years from her employer in London to join me in residence in Nairobi. She insisted that I should take over her monthly expenditures in London including an ongoing mortgage for the family house I had myself helped her to buy in 2004 after she was on the verge of losing it due to lack of funds to meet her housing loan requirements. I did this in spite of not being married to her. I did it for the sake of the children. I could not contest her decision to come and live with me in Nairobi thus I let her come. But, it was clear as crystal that our differences and her mistrust of me and our mutual dislike for each other’s company were insoluble but above all that our long evaporated love would never come back. Thus, we have been living in separate bedrooms connected by an inner door that is firmly and permanently locked from her side of the border. We decided to live with as minimal contact with each other as we could manage. Because she often refused to open her door, we developed the art of communication by notes pushed under the door. She liked it so much as it often allowed her to state her endless money requests without having to justify them. We hardly engage in conversations except when she needs money. Our irregular engagements in the act of conversation often end up in a quarrel. In public we manage to present a united front but those who are close to us know that we were only putting up appearances. We did fairly well and were just longing for the end of my tenure as ambassador so that we could resume forever our separate lives. That long hoped for time is nearly with us and hence the deep anxiety on the part of Mrs Wigwe who for 3 years has lived in reasonable comfort and financial security, with a Mercedes Benz car and a driver to complement her status. The end of my tenure would mean a return to financial stress and anxiety for her. Mrs Wigwe is in a desperate mood. I am reliably informed that most of the GBP 1,700 mortgage (about $2,800) that I have to cough out every month from my meagre Foreign Service allowance and remit to her account in London through my Barclays account in Nairobi, was allegedly misappropriated by someone she trusted in London and that to date the mortgage in London is in tatters and Mrs Wigwe has suffered a loss of GBP 10,000. Besides this loss, Mrs Wigwe claimed that she had lost $6,000 in cash from her bedroom in 2009 and most recently another $3,000. The houseboy then in 2009 was accused of stealing the money from Mrs Wigwe’s 24 hour locked bedroom. The servant pleaded his innocence and the money was never found and police abandoned the matter and we sacked the servant. The latest theft of $3,000 again from her heavily locked bedroom sometime this year remains a mystery. She did interrogate the new servant and even followed him to his house to interrogate his wife, but nothing came of it. Mrs Wigwe is in a desperate state financially. This is the motive for the onslaught against me in a desperate attempt to tarnish my image and reputation and to get monetary compensation that will restore her big loss and sustain her for a long time. That is why she has carefully chosen the words she used in the story that appeared in the Star where she was talking of spine and paralysis. Mrs Wigwe is an avid watcher of the television channel Crime Investigation. She hardly watches anything else. She had obviously practised and rehearsed her lines and actions for months in her premeditated assault on me on Wednesday 11th May 2011. Concerning her wish for spine injury that would lead to paralysis, I can only pray God to please graciously grant her wish so that she may truly know what it is to have spine injury.

Allegation of Wife Battering: On Thursday 26th May 2011, the Star, a Nairobi based tabloid, published a story in its front page with photographs showing a badly bruised face of Mrs Tess Wigwe and an allegation that I, her husband, had inflicted those injuries on her face. It was alleged that I had beaten my wife because she had responded to a “note” from me requesting to be served food. It was alleged that I had so beaten her that she suffered injuries to her spine and she was in danger of being paralysed. Many other allegations dating back to many years then followed in her premeditated attempt to build a solid case against me, including the foolish allegation that I used to bring women to the Residence in 2008 and the blatantly false information that she left me in Nigeria in 1999 and went to England to study and live.

Response: In response to these allegations, I wish to state quite categorically that I did not beat my wife and that I did not ask for food either in writing or verbally. What happened that fateful Wednesday night was shocking to me and clearly fits into a pre-planned mould cast by the avid Crime TV watcher, I had returned home late at night after attending the launch of a new product, Go Places, by Kenya Commercial Bank which was held at the Hilton Hotel. As is my practice, I went straight to my room and began to take off my jacket. Mrs Wigwe matched into my room shouting on top of her voice (that is how she speaks to me) that if I knew I would not be eating at home, I should tell her so she does not have to prepare any meals for me. I was stunned as indeed I had been eating regularly every day when I come home from work. I took it for a joke but I saw she was going on and on and would not let me put in a word. Her loud voice attracted my daughter Ada who came over to my room. Upon sighting my daughter I told her to please convince her mother that I had been eating food I met in the fridge every day at least for the past two weeks. Mrs Wigwe was taking none of that and insisted and before I knew it she was abusing me and calling me names. I naturally got angry and told her that if she were indeed taking proper charge of her kitchen then she would have noticed that I do eat what has been prepared for me. She took offence with my comment and became agitated when I asked her when or what has prompted her sudden interest and care for my welfare.

In her characteristic manner, Mrs Wigwe lunged at me to slap me. I tried defending myself and indeed my daughter came in the way and as we tussled and jostled around the door to her own bedroom where a massive wooden shoe rack was standing, Mrs Wigwe received a cut. Once she felt blood on her right side of face, Mrs Wigwe used her right hand to rub the blood and smeared her entire face with it. She ran into her bedroom and produced a camera and in the presence of my daughter and I, Mrs Wigwe photographed herself, taking two to three shots. She was shouting that she had got me, and that the whole world was going to see her bloodied face; that she was going to send the picture to Abuja. As my daughter and I tried to push her into her room to prevent her from coming to fight me, my daughter’s hand was caught in the bedroom door and she gasped in pain. Mrs Wigwe also grabbed her phone and called her friend Yvonne to come and take her as she had been injured and bleeding. My son Nelson, who also joined in the effort to restrain Mrs Wigwe, offered to wipe the blood but Mrs Wigwe refused. With camera in hand, Mrs Wigwe ran downstairs and outside the building and for the next one hour was hurling abuses at me and shouting obscenities about me and my family and friends. It took the combined efforts of the Security Guard, the Cook and my son Nelson Ikenna to hold her back and prevent her from re-entering the house which I had now safely locked. In frustration that she could not re-enter the house, Mrs Wigwe who claimed in her report to the Star that she had suffered spinal injury, managed to wrestle with three able men and finally broke loose to carry a flower pot to smash the big glass window of the room we use as gym. She carried the flower pot and threw it at the glass window, shattering it. Not long after, her friend Yvonne arrived and together with my daughter they drove off. No ambulance was needed to convey Mrs Wigwe to hospital. Mrs Wigwe did not first rush to the Police to report the incident and show her injuries to the police. Mrs Wigwe only reported to the police on 27th May! That speaks volumes. She went to the police after people had begun to doubt her story! The first wave of shock when the story first hit the headlines had begun to give way to sombre reflection and analysis. As the children and house staff began to contradict her story, she decided it was time to make a statement to the police. She began to focus on her dual citizenship and what the British government might do for her.

Yvonne later sent me a text message saying Mrs Wigwe and daughter had been admitted at Aga Khan Hospital. I sent Mrs Wigwe a text in the morning advising her to get much needed rest. I also wanted to go and see her but she bluntly told me to keep off and to await a letter from her lawyer and to watch the news for what was going to happen to me. I had advised her to take the period to rest properly in hospital having noticed that since January she had lacked proper sleep following the devastating news of the alleged misappropriation of GBP 10,000 by her trusted friend and the “theft” of $3,000 in-house. Of course, she was not aware that my son Nelson to whom she had confided about the loss in London had intimated me I had sworn to secrecy before not to divulge the information. I continue to pretend ignorance of what has been ailing her and almost confining her to her bed for months. In addition, my son had also informed me that while I was away on consultation in Abuja, Mrs Wigwe had told him that somebody had hinted her that I might have purchased a house in Nairobi. She had said that she was investigating it and if found to be true, will engage the services of a lawyer to ensure that her name was appended to the property. She thus began calling my staff in the Embassy but got no positive response. She quizzed Nelson and found out he knew nothing of any such enterprise. She could be scheming to lay her hands on the property if it is indeed true. It is instructive that on the night when her spine was broken and she had severe waist pain, Mrs Wigwe remembered to mention the house issue among the tirade of words that were flying out of her mouth like a practised actor. Her greed would not allow her to note that she alone owns the house in London and in her village which was built entirely with my money while serving in Tokyo. Considering the odds staring her in the face as my tenure in Nairobi draws to a close, Mrs Wigwe is in dire need of a way out.

My daughter Ada was discharged from hospital after several x-rays revealed no damages to her bruised hand. Mrs Wigwe remained in hospital until Saturday 14th morning when Yvonne sent me a text to say that she had been discharged and I needed to pay the bills. I was in church when the text came and I went straight to the hospital and paid the bill of ksh 27,800 (about $330) and even took her x-ray result. She had only taken the pain killer prescribed for her and had not taken the x-ray result. Her spinal injury was miraculously healed within 3 days. From hospital she went straight to Yvonne’s home and remained there. I travelled to Abuja on Wednesday 18th and came back on Wednesday 25th. When she heard news of my travel, she returned to the Residence as I was to learn later. As I had locked my bedroom from the front door, I was shocked to discover that my drawers had been ransacked and 1 (one) Rolex watch, 1(one) Accurate gold watch and 1(one) gold ring with precious stone had been stolen with their cases. Mrs Wigwe is the only one with a key to the connecting door to my room. She prevented me from keeping a spare. Only she has absolute access to my bedroom and she enters there at will including when am fast asleep. Why did she have to remove those items if not to sell them and make some extra cash from them? Secondly, when I entered the pantry next to my bedroom, I noticed that 1 (one) trunk box and over 10 (ten) empty suitcases belonging to me had disappeared and the room was desolate. The trunk box was full of my stuff but she had recklessly emptied them and forcefully repacked them into the other two boxes. I asked the houseboy who confirmed that Mrs Wigwe had packed all her personal belongings into the suitcases and locked them in the store downstairs. I went downstairs and noticed that she had removed her pictures from the various room walls. In spite of all these, I found Mrs Wigwe very much living in the house, locked up as usual in her bedroom!

On the same day that I had returned to Nairobi having flown with the night flight from Lagos, I went to work and a little after 11 am I received a call from an unfamiliar number. It was a man from Radio Africa, publishers of the Star. He mumbled something about a letter with very bad photographs of a woman sent in by a woman lawyer in respect to my wife. I was shocked but I told him that I recall that Mrs Wigwe had sent me a text on 12th May saying that I would soon hear from her lawyer. She had also told me that she was going to send pictures around. I instantly denied inflicting any such injuries as he was describing and requested him to call me back so we could set up a meeting to discuss the letter since I who was supposed to be the accused received no such letter from any lawyer. He hung up. The following day, very early in the morning, I could hear movement from Mrs Wigwe’s room and I could hear that she had ran downstairs and back upstairs. As I went into the bathroom, a friend called me and advised me to check out the Star newspaper. I ran downstairs to pick up the newspapers of the day from the front door only to discover that Mrs Wigwe had earlier picked them and returned to her room.

When I finally saw a copy of the paper in my office, I was aghast at the strange photos of Mrs Wigwe and her “battered face” and worse still to read of severe injuries to her “spine” which according to the report could leave her paralysed! I was also shocked that the story of how the argument started had been shamelessly and fraudulently altered. I was shocked to read that my two children took her to hospital. I was shocked to hear that I had beaten her up in 2008 because I had brought women to the Residence. And many other concoctions of our story over the years completed my day of mystery and entry into the world of absolute scandal and blackmail, with intent to extort money from me.

Conclusion: I affirm on my honour that I am not a wife beater. I affirm that in the many years that I have known and lived with Mrs Wigwe, she has always been the aggressor. That Mrs Wigwe is prone to using her fists first rather than engage in a debate or an argument to prove her case. If anyone is guilty of violence in my home, it is Mrs Wigwe. If anyone is a victim of domestic violence it is I. I have lost many spectacles over the years following Mrs Wigwe’s direct hit on my face. I sleep every night afraid that she may enter my room and stab or strangle me in my sleep. I am for this reason half awake all night. I do not take phone calls when I enter the Residence. Every call I take is suspected to be from a woman who must also be my girlfriend. So even for official calls from colleagues or from my host government or my own government, I have to go downstairs where she cannot hear that I am making a call. On some occasion when I would have fallen asleep and had forgotten to turn the television set off, she had stormed into my bedroom with lights blazing, to accuse me of making a call. On such occasions, I normally summon all the humility and composure in me to endure the unwarranted interruption of my sleep in order not to provoke an argument. Mrs Wigwe removes the photographs of people she does not like from the album of official events organised by the Embassy. She had also asked that DVDs be edited to remove the people she no longer considered as friends or people she said did not greet her in a respectful way or people whose affinity to me could not be sufficiently established. Most recently, she abused officials of the Association of Nigerian Women in Kenya (ANWIK) and prevented me from attending the Nigerian Family Fun Day on Easter Saturday 23rd April 2011, organized by the women because she was angry that ANWIK which is registered with the High Commission did not consult and get her approval before approaching the Embassy. The women had apologised and pleaded and even bribed her with a free special dress which she had accepted, but in vain they pleaded. On the day of the event we were not there and my colleague from Ghana had to stand in for me!

On the level of public conduct, Mrs Wigwe has so intimidated and assaulted many people in Nairobi, men and women and staff of the High Commission alike that the High Commission no longer holds dinners, luncheons and other mandatory functions in the Residence. If in doubt, please ask around Nairobi. Mrs Wigwe has assaulted and abused so many people at public gatherings in Nairobi that people fear to greet me when we meet at public functions. Mrs Wigwe hardly supports me in my work. Although she struggles to have a copy my weekly programme and quarrels when my staffs forget to leave a copy for her, she often criticises me for attending too many functions. When people commend me for the work that I do she feels offended and often complains that I am the reason why people don’t notice her. I have tried in vain to encourage her to do more social work or to consider doing a post graduate course in any of the universities in Nairobi, as a way of keeping her occupied and fulfilled. But after three years living in Nairobi, she has not added any educational value to her degree.

On relations with staff of the Mission, Mrs Wigwe is a constant irritant. She considers herself as the ambassador and I her weak deputy. She calls staff and directs them on what to do. She intimidates the local staff and threatens to sack them and when I refuse to do so, we quarrel.

Mrs Wigwe is in dire need of psychiatric examination or what religious persons may call spiritual deliverance, but over the many years and on each occasion when I or those close to us have advised her to do so, she had always ended up insulting us. But this woman needs help. Every woman who shakes hands with Dr Wigwe is a threat to Mrs Wigwe. Even my female colleague ambassadors have not been spared. Mrs Wigwe’s ten finger nails are painted and coloured differently ranging from blue, red, brown, and gold to yellow. A different colour and pattern for each finger nail. Everybody sees something funny in that especially for a woman her age and status, but only Mrs Wigwe sees it as most fashionable and chic.

Mrs Wigwe is desperate seeing that my posting is fast coming to an end. She badly needs money. She set me up and used me as a pawn by destroying me knowing that we were never going to be husband and wife again after Nairobi. Our coming together was only for the sake of sharing in the glamour and glory of high office. That was the motivating factor for her uncharacteristic concern for my welfare on that night of the 11th and that was why she refused to believe either I or her daughter and instead proceeded to generate an argument using provocative language. She had obviously concluded that Dr Wigwe must not be allowed to leave Nairobi with honours on his back. That was the plot and she found a willing accomplice who introduced her to a woman lawyer who is a friend to the Editor of the junk newspaper otherwise called the Star. That is how the Star has come to champion this fake and fraudulent story in an attempt to help the friend of a friend in her most difficult time of financial ruin and imminent suicide.

My daughter, Adanne and son Nelson Ikenna, had stormed the Star newspaper offices to protest the falsehood the Editor so shamelessly carried in her paper. The Editor had confessed to my children that she and the lawyer were actually friends. Two quality newspapers in Kenya namely the Nation and the Standard had refused to carry the junk story. Nelson has further made a comprehensive statement to the Diplomatic Police, where he had met the Residence Security guard (name withheld) who had witnessed the actions of Mrs Wigwe on the night of the event and had struggled in vain with the Cook and my son Nelson to restrain Mrs Wigwe, with a “seriously damaged back and spine.” Mrs Wigwe had coached, coaxed and incited him to misinform the police about what happened in order to make her story credible but fortunately for Truth and Justice and fortunately for the millions of men like me all over the world who are silently suffering and living under the Tyranny of a Woman, who are Living in Bondage, who are emotionally and physically abused and assaulted on a daily basis by their wives, who are forbidden to bring their relatives to the house, who are forbidden to bring visitors to the home, who are impoverished by gluttonous and greedy wives, the Christian and God fearing Guard refused to be intimidated. May the Truth prevail.

Violence against men is real and must be stopped. The stereotyping of men as being responsible for domestic violence has gone too far and has damaged permanently the reputation of so many good men. Many men have lost their lives or have been forced to commit suicide because of over domineering and manipulative women. The female predators move on with glee to their next victim. Mrs Wigwe has proven beyond doubt my long held beliefs that “Truth is a lie repeated three times,” and another which says that “He lies often who cries often.”

http://saharareporters.com/article/response-allegations-wife-battering-against-me-dr-chijioke-wigwe

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Anyim Pius Anyim (born 19 February 1961) is a Nigerian politician who was elected as national Senator on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State. He was appointed Senate President in August 2000.

Anyim was born on 19 February 1961 in Ishiagu, a dominantly Catholic community in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. He attended Ishiagu High School (St. John Bosco), the Federal School of Arts and Science, Aba and later, Imo State University, Uturu (1983–1987). For his Youth Service he served as the Co-ordinator, Youth Mobilisation Programme in Sokoto State. In 1992, Anyim became the Head of Protection Department at the National Commission for Refugees, Abuja, a job that included provision of legal services and political protection for refugees. In this capacity he traveled to various parts of the world.[1]
In 1998 he joined the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), winning a Senate election. However the death of General Sani Abacha on 8 June 1998 nullified the result. During the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar he joined the People's Democratic Party (PDP), and again ran successfully for election to the Senate in 1999.[1]
[edit]Senate career

Anyim took office in the Senate in May 1999, and was appointed President of the Senate in August 2000, after Chuba Okadigbo had been impeached, holding office until May 2003.[2]
In May 2001, Anyim declared that the upper legislative house was justified in probing the activities of the Mines and Power Ministry during the tenure of Chief Bola Ige.[3] In June 2002, an attempt led by Anyim to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo collapsed.[4] Speaking a year later, Anyim said President Olusegun Obasanjo misunderstood him on certain issues but there was no conflict between them.[5] In August 2002 he said he was opposed to all the present office holders - including himself - going for a second term.[6]
In November 2002 Anyim indefinitely suspended Senator Arthur Nzeribe of Imo State due to an allegation of a N22 million fraud. Nzeribe was said to be planning an impeachment motion against Anyim.[7] The same month, after Anyim had complained about the Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Senate set up a committee to examine the continued relevance of the commission.[8] In May 2003, Anyim warned an Abuja High Court judge, Justice Egbo Egbo, that the parliament had the power to order his arrest over his opposition to the passage of the anti-graft ICPC law by the Senate.[9]
[edit]Later career

Anyim did not seek reelection in 2003. Some time after leaving office, his private house in Abuja was partially pulled down for violating the Abuja master plan.[10]
Anyim was a candidate in the elections for Chairmanship of the PDP in January 2008. In November 2007 the chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the PDP said he would receive the votes of the entire Kaduna State delegation to the convention.[11] In January 2008 the League of Patriotic Lawyers supported his candidature.[12] He also gained support from the Peoples Democratic Party Youth Forum.[13] However, in the end Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was appointed PDP chairman.[14]
In January 2010 he led a delegation of 41 eminent Nigerians that called on President Umaru Yar'Adua to urgently transmit a letter of his incapacitation to the National Assembly to salvage the nation's democracy from danger.[15] He praised the Senate when they passed a resolution on 9 February 2010 to make Vice President Goodluck Jonathan Acting President.[16] In May 2011, Pius Anyim was appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).[17]
[edit]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anyim_Pius_Anyim

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Sorry, No Honeymoon for Jonathan

By SIMON KOLAWOLE
29 May 2011
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Remember honeymoon—that period in marriage when you get away with murder? Your spouse makes excuses for you. Your sins, your mistakes, your inadequacies are easily overlooked. However, as time goes on, you would realise the difference between "campus love" (when you are "lovey dovey", always kissing and holding hands in the park) and marriage (a life sentence, in the main). As a humorist once put it, "Love is ideal; marriage is real. Any confusion of the two will never go unpunished." Truly, every new president is entitled to a honeymoon. People make excuses for him. They give him a long rope, patting him on the back when he deserves a smack. But this doesn’t last forever.


Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who will be sworn in as the fourth elected president today, will have the shortest honeymoon in Nigeria's history, a friend of mine has predicted. Jonathan will soon realise that the euphoria of winning election will disappear if not matched by concrete actions and improvement in the lives of the people. Nigerians can be sentimental and supportive at times, but when they decide to turn against you, God save your skin! In a way, Jonathan has already enjoyed the longest honeymoon ever. Give or take, he has been president since November 2009 when his former boss, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, took off without notice, on a journey of no return. Because Jonathan gradually became president—stretched over a period of six months—we actually can’t say when his honeymoon started or ended. Or if he’s entitled to another one at all. I don’t think he needs another honeymoon.


I admit that Jonathan, in trying to deliver the goods, is constrained in many ways. One, there are people who believe he should not have been a candidate in the last election because of zoning and power rotation. They fought him before the election. They are still fighting him. They will continue to fight him. They would be too glad for him to fail. They will do anything to make him fail. The second constraint is the post-election litigation by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). In my opinion, the case could destabilise him in the coming months. If care is not taken, he may spend the better part of the next one year fighting the litigation, like Yar’Adua. Three, Jonathan is constrained by the burden of expectations. Nigerians, for crying out loud, deserve good governance. We've suffered for too long, living in darkness, travelling on potholed roads, receiving hostile treatment at hospitals and being poorly educated. We deserve a better deal from our leaders. Globally, developing nations are making progress.

Why not Nigeria? Why not?
Nevertheless, Jonathan has no excuse not to perform. These constraints can actually become catalysts, depending on how he decides to confront them. The zoning brigade can only be shut up with good governance. Like I have always said, I believe in power-sharing in a diverse and volatile polity like ours (it's an emotional issue you cannot ignore), but I know for sure that good governance must come first, well above ethnic or sectional considerations. And good governance actually heals many wounds. A good performance and Nigerians will no longer be fixated on “our turn”. Furthermore, the litigation need not be a distraction; after all, President Olusegun Obasanjo's most productive years were between 2003 and 2005 when he also faced post-election litigation.
As for the burden of expectations, Nigerians do not expect heaven and earth from their leaders. But they do not expect hell either.

They expect a leader who can show direction and inspire them to be what they can be. Unfortunately, we have not been that lucky! So, really, Nigerians are entitled to scepticism. It is not our fault; we've been traumatised and marginalised for too long. We deserve a better deal. Jonathan must therefore hit the ground running; there is no time for honeymoon! I wrote recently that Jonathan can be the best president ever. He has a rare opportunity to write history in his own favour. All he needs to do, I suggested, is to be passionate about leading change, picking the right team to work with him and getting his priorities right so that he can positively affect the lives of most, if not all, Nigerians. I don't expect him to solve all our problems in four years; after all, we’ve had some of these problems forever and ever and they will not disappear overnight. However, I expect Jonathan to utilise this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get something started, to do something that we would remember him for.


I have already listed certain priorities, specifically political reforms, power (electricity, that is), education and healthcare, which I believe he should expend his energies on. Today, in furtherance of my “constructive engagement”, I seek to give Jonathan “tips” on five “small” areas in which he can impact on the lives of ordinary Nigerians who are in their millions. The way government is run in Nigeria, things are skewed in favour of the rich and the powerful. The five "little" areas I'm about to suggest will take the benefits of governance to the ordinary Nigerians, the ones who are in the majority.


The first on my list is hospital reforms. By that, I am not talking about buying equipment and repainting the buildings. Of course, those ones are non-negotiable. But my concern here is the disdainful and carefree manner with which patients are treated by public hospital staff. Unfortunately, it is the poor who receive this ill-treatment. I hear stories of how victims of accidents bleed to death at the reception of public hospitals because of demands for prepayments. In civilised countries, it is a criminal offence to deny care to a person whose life is in danger. I think it should also be criminalised in Nigeria.


Actually, the leadership of our public hospitals must be put on their toes. Many times, doctors—who, like tanker drivers, are ever so eager to go on strike at the slightest provocation—are not even around to attend to patients. Some spend more time in their private clinics. Yet I am made to understand that by the very nature of their professional ethics, saving lives is non-negotiable, no matter the constraints. Whenever doctors go on strike, who suffers the most? Certainly not the children of governors! Sure, I believe our doctors deserve to be treated as special beings, but nothing should make them care less about the value of human life. I would advise Jonathan to lead change in this area. He should show personal interest. Millions are daily affected by this poor attitude of hospital staff.


Another one is a reform of the police force. The only government many Nigerians know is the police. They come in contact with the police every day. They are victims of police harassment and brutality every day. Unfortunately, we hardly have IGs who are reform-minded. The policemen need a fundamental reform of their mentality. Attractive welfare package is one thing; an improved mental condition is another. All Jonathan needs to do is pay an unscheduled visit to a police station and see how suspects are treated like animals. The way policemen treat motorists, motorcyclists and traders impacts a lot on how the people perceive government. Our police officers need a reorientation. They need to be taught to respect people’s right to dignity. They need to be made to pay the penalty for extra-judicial killings. Any government that succeeds in reforming the mentality of the police will never be despised by the people.


The third “small” area is roads repair. The government says it has a policy of public private partnership for the maintenance of highways. We’ve been hearing that forever. Goodness, can’t Jonathan just roll out bulldozers and bitumen and do these roads? For how long are we going to wait for PPP while Nigerians are getting killed and maimed every day, while the economy of logistics is ruined? Many of these highways have been awarded under the so-called PPP for over three years and not even a headpan of gravel has been poured on them. Are we going to wait till eternity? Yet, it is the ordinary Nigerians who suffer the most. The other guys fly in chartered aircraft. The economy is suffering. Ask manufacturers. Ask transporters. Ask traders.


The fourth “small” area is consumer protection. Millions of Nigerians are frustrated the way they are treated when they buy products that turn out to be faulty or underperforming. It could be cars or phones or computers. They feel helpless. There is nobody to turn to for help as the sellers tell them to go to hell. Millions of Nigerians suffer in silence. I have had to help out some people by threatening to publish the stories in the newspaper. Ordinarily, government should protect the rights of consumers.

There is a body called Consumer Protection Council (CPC) but, apart from issuing a statement recently to dissociate itself from Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s party (also called CPC), the body is hardly known to Nigerians. Jonathan would do well to strengthen it through good leadership. Nobody knew NAFDAC until Prof. Dora Akunyili took over. Perhaps, CPC can be to Jonathan what NAFDAC was to Obasanjo. All he needs do is find a man or woman who can deliver the goods to lead the council. It looks little but it can bring relief to millions of Nigerians.
The fifth “small” area Jonathan should focus attention on, for the sake of the longsuffering Nigerians, is power. I say it again: power, power, power. Nothing more to add.

http://thisdayonline.com/

Kindly help me check for the following cars
Toyota rav4 VIN: JTEHH20V230216578
Honda Accord VIN :1HGCM66576AO63379

yes its containerised and its mediterranean shipping company S.A.

Kebbi, fulani

^^^^ Yea this typically what almajiris go through in the North! No food, no shelter no clothes couple with illiteracy. They can easily be bought to cause havocs.

Hey, I have Toyota Land-cruiser 2010, Toyota Rav4 2003, Honda Accord 2006 and Nissan Xterra 2002. How much can you clear them please? let know ASAP

Jelani Aliyu, an indigene of Sokoto State, Nigeria, is based in the United States and is General Motors Lead Exterior Designer and the designer of the Chevy Volt. He designed the state-of-the-art electric car for General Motors, the world’s largest automobile makers. The car has been described as an American Revolution and hottest concept in the design line.



Jelani was born in 1966 in Kaduna, to Alhaji Aliya Haidara and Sharifiya Hauwa’u Aliyu. The fifth of seven children, theirs is a very close-knit family. For him, it was an amazing experience growing up in Sokoto, surrounded by the rich culture of the people and the state and enjoying excellent access to the latest and international information.

From 1971 to 1978, he attended Capital School, Sokoto, an excellent school and this served as a very productive educational experience for him. In 1978, he gained admission into Federal Government College, Sokoto, from where he graduated in 1983 with an award as the best in Technical Drawing. Jelani was privileged to meet and make many good friends from all parts of the country and beyond during this time. He had tremendous encouragement and mentoring from his family and friends and his creative art developed. He drew a lot, designed his own cars, and even built scale models of them, complete with exteriors and interiors.

After FGC, he got admission into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Architecture, but soon discovered that the curriculum did not support his future vision and plans. After considering other institutions in Nigeria and their academic programmes, he concluded that only one of them had the study criteria that would support his future goals. The institution in which he chose to pursue his education was one he felt offered the best creative programmes and had experience that would give him the best foundation required to study Automobile Design abroad. That institution was the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic.

He was there from 1986 to 1988 and earned an associate degree in Architecture, with an award as Best All-Round Student. While there, he did some indepth research into home design and construction, looking into materials and structures that would be most compatible with our environment and climate; buildings that would stay cool in a hot environment with little, or no artificial electrical air conditioning.

Upon graduation from the polytechnic, Jelani worked for a while at the Ministry of Works, Sokoto, then in 1990, gained admission in the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, to study Automobile Design. Having successfully secured sponsorship from the Sokoto Scholarship Board, he left for America to begin his four year degree programme.

Having always wanted to study Automobile Design, this was a dream come true and an absolutely fascinating experience. The course was very practical and emphasis was put on creativity and the development of new designs to provide solutions. While there, he worked on a number of projects in collaboration with some major automobile companies, professionals and executives, including:

- 1992, Mercedes Benz Future Status Symbol Project with the then chief designer, Bruno Sacco.

- 1993, Lear (Major Interior Component Supplies) Minivan Interior Project.

- 1993, Advanced Vehicle Design with Chuck Jordan (Former GM chief designer).

- 1994, Chrysler Exterior and Interior Project.

- 1994, Toyota Future Car Project (thesis).

Further awards gained were one from Ford Motor Company and another from Michelin, USA.

Jelani graduated in 1994 with a degree in Automobile Design and got hired by General Motors to work as the Corporation Design Staff. His first assignment was in the Advanced Studies where future design strategy for the company was explored. He had always been interested in advanced work, as it deals with understanding the market’s future and strategising effective products to make the company competitive and profitable.

In 1997, the company began design work on the Buick Rendezvous, Jelani was the lead interior designer and the vehicle was to be a first of its type for that division. After this, in 1999, he went to Germany to work at Opel, which is a General Motors division in Europe. While there, he worked on Astra, the company’s highest selling vehicle in Europe and Brazil, their most important project. He lived in Wiesbaden, a city just outside of Frankfurt and about thirty minutes from Russelsheim, where the Opel studios were.

Wedding bells rang when in 2001, Jelani Aliyu took Hadiza Dogondaji, also from Sokoto, to be his wife. They presently live in Detroit, Michigan and are blessed with two children, Hauwa’u (Amira) and Aliyu (Mubarak). It was in that same year (2001), that Jelani returned to the US to become senior and lead exterior designer and started work on the Pontiac G6, overseeing its complete exterior design. The G6 is now on sale in America and Canada.

Presently, Mr. Jelani Aliyu is working on a special advance project he describes as being crucial to General Motors as the company moves forward as the largest and number one car company in the world. The project is, of course, highly confidential until the vehicles go on sale.

Of his job, this ingenious young man, who is doing Nigeria proud, says, "Automobile Design is a fascinating field. We conceptualise and design vehicles that people will love and find useful everyday; vehicles that will be emotionally irresistible and practically indispensable."

http://www.amanaonline.com/Editorials/editorial_200.htm

I think we should put sentiments and emotional attachement to our regions, religion and race aside to be able to appreciate others achievement. i hate when people start belittling or degrading other people because they came from a particular region.

edoyad:
^ it's not to be honest, may be only the wife is hausa if indeed any of them is.

I think you're either ignorant, refused to be enlighten or bigoted, Odidi is a correct hausa name which is another name for Usman. he is from Zaria