Few weeks ago, Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, like some of his second term governor colleagues who are eyeing a transition from government house to the National Assembly complex, while speaking on a live television programme, reiterated his vaulting ambition to contest for Ikot Ekpene senatorial district when he vacates the governorship seat in 2015. He will swell the horde of former governors retiring to the red chambers of the upper legislative arm. Governor Akpabio, is also rumoured to be interested in the presidency or vice-presidential slot should anything dramatic happen to the Jonathan/Sambo ticket at the eleventh hour in 2015 or more assuredly after the duo complete their second term in 2019. For an ebullient politician like Akpabio, he cannot afford to be left out of the thick of things after 2015. His ambition has since pitched him against the Senator currently representing his senatorial district, Senator Aloysius Akpan Etok. In most states the race for Senatorial seats in the hallowed chambers of the National Assemby has thickened, threatening to overheat the polity.

Since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, the hallowed chambers of the upper arm of the Nigerian legislature has cut a reputation for attracting very senior citizens across the country; ex-military administrators, former governors and ministers, top political leaders all at one point or the other have graced the red chambers of the National Assembly. But it is now trending, that second term governors seeking political relevance for personal aggrandisement use the Senate as a vehicle to keep their political career active.

In other climes, the Senate is revered for its ambience of dignity and honour, only deserving of men of no less virtue. In Nigeria, it has become a safe haven of sort for corrupt ex-governors with running cases with the EFCC. Joshua Dariye for instance, in 2004 was arrested in London for money laundering. He jumped bail and returned to the country to resume his duties as governor of Plateau state. Today, he is a ‘distinguished’ Senator of the Federal Republic. Their presence in the Senate, keeps the anti-graft agencies at bay. Till date their cases have remained inconclusive. A sad reflection of the nature of anti-corruption war the government is waging.

Ex-governors who failed to lift their state beyond where they met it have somehow found their way into the Senate. Some, like the former governor of Plateau state, in a desperate bid to use their influence to garner votes, dumped their parties for new ones where they could vie for the Senate hassle-free.

Prominent governors like Rotimi Amaechi, Babangida Aliyu, Sule Lamido and a few others rumoured to be vying for the plum job or vice presidency, might eventually have to settle for a seat in the Senate as the political coast becomes clearer in the months leading up to the 2015 election. These second term governors, wield enormous political clout in their states, and are likely to win their districts unopposed.

The influx of retiring governors to the Senate is an indication that their (s)election into the National Assembly complex are for reasons far from the nudge of the people for qualitative representation based on antecedents and the believe that their candidature can deliver democracy dividend.

Second term governors who do not contest for Senate are either sceptical of their chances because they underperformed as state governors or will face stiff opposition from an incumbent Senator in the district. Many, like Mr. Akpabio realise that there might be no politician in the district that can match their political and financial clout if they throw their hat in the ring with victory all but guaranteed. Former governors like the pardoned political fugitive, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha is motivated by the quest to revive his ebbing political career in the Senate.

Eleven erstwhile governors, are currently in the 7th Senate. We can be certain it will increase come 2015 as it did after the 2003 and 2007 elections. Expectations were rife that they would use their wealth of experience to influence debates on national issues in the Senate. A Senator noted that probably, the ex-governors, thought they would continue to wield the kind of powers they had while they served as governors, “ except for a handful, who are doing well in the Senate, the rest are just here doing nothing. You don’t even see them often in the Senate doing their legislative work, and when they attend committee meetings, they almost talk as if they are still governors. That is why some of them don’t even come to the Senate, they stay away.”

DSP Alamieyeseigha, former Bayelsa State Governor, an ex-convict. who jumped bail in the UK, disguised as a woman to evade British officials for money laundering charges was granted Presidential pardon by Jonathan, ostensibly, to pave way for him to contest for the Senate in 2015. His posters has since surfaced in Bayelsa with a slogan: “Pardoned to serve.” To this extent, the Nigerian Senate has been desecrated.

Corrupt ex-governors seeking political relevance by thronging to the Senate calls for some concern. Second term governors aspiring to be senators in 2015, must be borne out of a genuine desire to serve the people of their senatorial district.

For those whose tenures as governors can even be described as successful find it difficult to replicate that success in the Senate. They simply go into oblivion as soon as they realise that they no longer call the shots, but are part of a wider debate in the Senate. Their inputs were implemented with little or no delibration when they were governors. They lose motivation overtime to make meaningful contribution on the floor. It is therefore abundantly clear that their presence in the National Assembly is not to serve the people but their rapacious tendencies. If former governors, with the huge resources they controlled in their states could not make any meaningful impact, why should we expect miracles from them when they get to the hallowed chambers of the Senate?

A former Senatorial candidate in the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Kayode Ajulo believes “majority of senators perform below our expectation. It has gradually turned into a retirees forum where the qualification is that you must be retired or sacked, and in the absence of the next thing to do, you pick your party’s ticket and move to Senate, this shouldn’t be the case. The senate is supposed to be the heartbeat of a dynamic and people’s legislature. Everywhere in the world, the Senate is the totem of parliamentary democracy; that is why it is called upper legislative house.”

This, undoubtedly, has rubbed the Senate of its vibrancy and robust legislature, needed to move the country forward.





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The effort of government to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram menace hit a brick wall with the rejection of a pre-amnesty offer by the Abubakar Sherau-led faction of Boko Haram. It stands every reasoning on its head, that the gravy train of amnesty was contemplated for a radical and remorseless sect that have slaughtered over 4, 000 people since it began an offensive against the Nigerian state in 2009. Pardon with its financial rewards as it is done in the country, is a disincentive to the ‘real Boko Haram.’ It beats every logic that in an attempt to buy peace, a hurriedly packaged amnesty was offered to terrorists on a platter of gold.

When they first began their violent attacks, we were at a lose what their grievance were. From seeking vengeance for their slain former leader, Yusuf, to an onslaught against the institutions of government which they considered ‘haram,’ non-islamic and too secular for their religious inclinations. Their radical beliefs soon took a different turn. Soon they saw all forms of western education and influence as sin. But as of today, the reason for their continuous bombing, wanton destruction of lives and properties is to entrench an Islamic government in north-eastern states and by extension Nigeria.

It was expected that after the president’s meeting with the northern elders where the decision to set up a committee to dialogue and consider the feasibility or otherwise of granting pardon to the Boko Haram adherents, President Jonathan should have first commissioned them to go back and do their home work in identifying and establishing contact with the leaders of the Jihadists before acceding to their demands of setting up a committee. Since the Northern Elders Forum will have us believe that the blood thirsty renegades deserve clemency like the Niger Delta militants, they need not be reminded of the crucial role Niger Delta elders and leaders played in persuading the militants to unmask and come out from their hideouts in the creeks to negotiate with government. Northern leaders cannot continue to claim ignorance of the leaders’ of the sect. In this regard, the buck stop with them.
The criminal and political factions of Boko Haram will eventually jump on the amnesty bandwagon but hardliners like Shekau and his minions, which is by far the deadliest faction, will continue to reject pardon in a manner that will further ridicule the Jonathan government. Indeed, Boko Haram has boxed the state to a corner. The President’s inconsistent stance has fuelled rumour that the whole idea of pardon was politically motivated.

The Presidential Committee on Dialogue is the latest cash cow in town. Grapevine sources say the so-called northern elders jostled and lobbied to be on the committee. They fail to realise that the closeness of the committee members to government might end up scuttling any peace initiative as President Jonathan apologists might not meet the approbation of Boko Haram.
In Damaturu , we saw a president talking tough. He spoke with a certain conviction as he expressed doubt on the feasibility of an amnesty as advocated by the Sultan. But as soon as he returned to Abuja, after a rather clandestine meeting with the Northern Elders Forum, he made a U-turn. Probably he realised that amnesty to the Jihadists is a bait to negotiate his second term bid with the North in 2015 and the northern elders hold the ace.
There is a school of thought that Boko Haram will die a natural death when a northerner becomes President. To buttress this, the sect made good their threats to make the country ungovernable should Goodluck Jonathan become president. Sadly, Jonathan knew those who have fanned the embers the insurgency but lacks the political will to go after them. The northerners respect their elders, be it religious or political leaders. Boko Haram will never have grown to such deadly proportion if the president was of northern extraction.
As 2015 approach, analysts are predicting a rise in the wave of attacks so as to make it almost impossible for Jonathan to win re-election. Considering they have a preponderance of electoral votes in the north, it might be all too easy. There are arguments in some quarters though, that the activities of the Haramists are religious rather than political. But the rejection of a pre-amnesty offer by the government is the strongest indication yet that there leaning is political. They crave an Islamised Nigeria and care no less if the country breaks up else a northerner succeeds President Jonathan.

Beyond amnesty and dialogue, government must begin to explore other avenues to speedily bring the crisis, threatening to tear the country apart, to an end. Dollars and naira cannot convince a radical Shekau to give up his Jihadist belief. Hence, the government must not completely rule out the use of military might.
The Odi massacre for whatever it was sent a strong message to the Niger Delta militants who sent subliminal signals to then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to grant them amnesty.
Bill Clinton, when he was President of the United States, ordered the Waco massacre after the killing of four American law enforcement agents. The president, ordered a military raid of Branch Davidian, an area of Waco, Texas, in the wee hours of Monday, April 19, 1993. Tanks and amoured vehicles rolled into the area, reducing everything thereupon to ashes. Branch Davidian, Odi and Boko Haram hideouts are analogous in this context. To those of us from the Niger Delta, the Odi incident left a bitter pill in our mouths, but then, Obasanjo did what had to be done to end the restiveness in the Niger Delta. The communities in the north shielding the members of Boko Haram must be warned forthwith.

In Algeria, what started as election grievances from an Islamist group snowballed into a prolonged terrorist attack against the state spanning over a decade, around the early 90s till 2002. Many presidents fought a bloody guerilla war with insurgents resulting in over 100,000 deaths and shelling of many communities. No one would wish such cataclysm for Nigeria. Military force was used to break down Islamist insurgency before dialogue and some sort of amnesty was offered in the end to resolve the conflict.

Only a President Jonathan will defend his compatriots from years of incessant brutality and terror by the ever rampaging and blood thirsty Boko Haram terrorist with amnesty. The country is tottering precariously on the brink of disaster. President Jonathan must act now. Nigeria must not be allowed to descend into another civil war. Issues of security must be separated from politics - his 2015 ambition. There is an exigency, that he must as a matter of urgency take decisive action to protect the lives of Nigerians and unity of Nigeria. He cannot shy away from this. He must throw down the gauntlet. The Nigerian state must begin to act more intelligently and forcefully.


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Inspite of repeated assurance from the government to appropriately down size its unwieldy work force and cost of governance, most Nigerians doubt the commitment of the government to fully implement the recommendations of the Presidential committee on Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies headed by Steve Oronsaye. The committee recommended the scrapping of 102 statutory agencies from the current 263, abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversion of 14 to departments in the ministries. The 800-page report also recommended the discontinuation of government funding of professional bodies and councils.

The high cost of servicing the public sector is antithetical to economic growth. As the Governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, rightly pointed out, the civil service is over-staffed. There is an alarming 45, 000 ghost workers in 251 MDAs. In no small measure, the civil service has contributed to the culture of corruption, cronyism and foot-dragging.

From time immemorial, recommendations and solutions to Nigeria’s myriad of problems has never been in short supply, it is the political will to implement that has been the bane. As far back as 1975, government restructured the Federal Civil Service with a massive purge. In 1984, under the then head of state, Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, another 3,000 civil servants were sacked for laziness, idleness, lack of initiative, lateness to office, absenteeism and inefficiency. A Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) chaired by T.Y Danjuma, which had in January 2011, called for “a more effective and optimal use of national resources,” advised the government to restructure and rationalise to eliminate waste. Earlier, in 2000, there was the Ahmed Joda Panel White Paper on the Review, Harmonisation and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals which was not implemented until the Oronsaye committee was set up in 2012. By summoning the political will to implement the Oronsaye report, the FG will spare successive governments the waste of resources and time in setting up similar committees. If the government of the day is serious about the planned restructuring, it knows exactly what to do to prune the cost of the civil service without constituting any committee.

Perhaps, government can start from its duplicity of committee functions when it constituted a committee led by the minister for Justice and AGF, Mr Adoke to review the work of another headed by Oronsaye. A third committee was set up by President Jonathan to review the public sector reform, headed by Ahmed Fika. Maybe we now await the constitution of an implementation committee to fast track the execution of Oronsaye’s report. This is a duplicity that the committee itself was set up to ratify. After all, from the government’s antecedents, there is a probability, that the work of the three committees might be left in the cupboard to gather dust.

In the mean time, palpable fear has pervaded UTME, NECO, EFCC, ICPC and other agencies under the sledge hammer of rationalisation. But there are clandestine moves to stymie the implementation of the report by those who benefit from the bloated bureaucracy that allow about one percent of the population enjoy allowances estimated at N1.031 trillion representing 35% of the N4.926 trillion been the total budget of the federal government in the 2013 budget. Expressing its displeasure with this data, the Fika committee report said, “It is certainly not morally defensible from the perspective of social justice or any known moral criterion, that such a huge sum of public funds is consumed by an infinitesimal fraction of the people.”

Mallam Nasir Elrufai, former Minister of FCT, in an essay why the cost of government is unsustainable in Nigeria, said “It costs nearly 2.5 million naira on the average annually for the upkeep of each of the federal government’s nearly one million public sector workers – in the police, civil service, military and para-military services and teachers in government schools and institutions. That is why we should ask questions when ministries are created and more ministers are screened by the Senate and sworn in! Each one costs billions!” The implication is that our entire oil earnings for the year cannot pay the salaries and allowances of politicians, public sector workers and their overheads.

Recently, the overlapping functions and battle for supremacy between government agencies was brought to the fore in the shooting of two Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, officials by men of the Police Force which ignited a war of words. It took the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan to bring the situation under control. This particular incident, highlighted the conflict and acrimony that has always existed between agencies with overlapping functions. The two paramilitary outfits have been embroiled in an age-long mutual mistrust, over what the officers of the Nigeria Police often tout as the NSCDC’s intrusion into its statutory roles. “It is a fundamental breach of good public sector governance to create a new agency or institution as a result of the failure or poor performance of an existing agency in order to suit political or individual interests. That such practices has been precipitating systemic conflicts, crises and collapse at a substantial but avoidably high cost to the government cannot be contested,” the Oronsaye reported said.

The scope of the Oronsaye committee should have been expanded to federal ministries. The duplicity extends to one office for ministers and another for ministers of state. Like deputy governors, it seem the constitution does not have clearly defined role for these ministers of state. And how about their numerous Special Advisers? Ministries with overlapping functions such as the ministry of petroleum and that of solid mineral resources should be merged. The merged ministry can aptly be renamed ministry of petroleum and solid mineral resources. There is no reason why there should be separate ministries for information and communication. Can we safely conclude that since we now have a ministry of Niger Delta affairs which birthed after amnesty was granted to Niger Delta militants that the federal government will create another for North affairs if amnesty is eventually granted to the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists? How has the ministry for Police affairs since its inception improved the workings of the Nigeria Police Force? How does an inefficient and corrupt police force necessitate the formation of a ministry at the federal level? You would have observed too that we hardly hear of more than fifty percent of the ministers or ministers of state in cabinet for the better part of four years of an administration.

But a handful of agencies should be left to function separately. The EFCC and ICPC for instance. Both should be repositioned and made independent of government. Merging them with the Police Force will further weaken the fight against corruption.

After all said and done, it can never be over-emphasized that the Nigerian public sector need to be reengineered. The endemic corruption in the sector must be fought with renewed determination and vigour, which should start from the restructuring and rationalisation of agencies and parastatals. Their proliferation, motivated by selfish interest, to near redundancy are concomitant effects of sleaze. Until the corruption in the system is tackled, we might just be moving in circles.



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Nigerians were yet to come to terms with the FCT Minister’s budgetary allocation of N4billion naira to the office of the first lady – that has never been recognized by the country’s constitution from 1960 to 1999 – for the proposed construction of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission (AFLPM) Secretariat in Abuja when news filtered in of the First Lady’s half a billion naira thanksgiving party at Aso Rock Villa to celebrate her “resurrection,” or sojourn in the land of the dead. I joined millions of Nigerians to felicitate with her.

And when it was time for the first lady to make an address at the lavish thanksgiving, she decided to do it offhand, making a stunning revelation: “I actually died – I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened. I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his. My doctors said all hope was lost. A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I would return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.”

The First Lady’s office is not recognised by the constitution, hence, she is not obliged to notify Nigerians of her travelling itinerary within or outside the country but by virtue of her position as a Permanent Secretary in the Public Service of Bayelsa State, she is a public servant.

On her return she denied ever attending any hospital in Germany, or anywhere! In the heat of the rumour about her whereabouts, presidential aides told barefaced and shamefaced lies. Mrs Jonathan was taking a “moment’s rest” abroad after a hectic First African Ladies’ Summit she presided over, said the First Lady’s spokesperson, Ayo Osinlu. Reuben Abati dismissed the reported illness as a rumour. But if her illness was made public and Nigerians carried along, it would have ignited nothing but fervent prayers from every Nigerian. We can as well count on the Aso-Rock-friendly CAN to organize numerous prayer sessions and vigils across the country. It wasn’t to be, as the rumour mill was left to swell. It baffled me that those words came from the same person who told Nigerians that she was “never” admitted. But thank God for his mercies, he gave her a second chance inspite of the deceit and lies.

Lies are nothing short of state policy of the present administration. The government, led by the President himself, have turned the country to a laughing stock. Lies are routine. Today, we talk about Governors on long medical vacation shrouded in deceit and shenanigans, without a proper handover as required by law, and the affairs of their state is left on autopilot.

As of today, there are still some state governors who are absent without leave. Gov. Sullivan Chime returned from a long medical leave abroad declaring that he owed no one an apology for not disclosing to Nigerians the state of his health before travelling out of the country.

Nigerian leaders can take a cue from ailing Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez’s well publicised struggle with cancer that has kept him out of office for months. Venezuelans were sympathetic to his cause, showed him love and support. This much was made evident with the heroic welcome he got on his return home from cancer treatment in Cuba recently. Hillary Clinton, just before she stepped down as US Secretary of State, last year December, State Department officials announced she was undergoing treatment for a blood cloth just below her ear with details when she will make complete recovery. This is what is expected from every responsible government that understands what public office entail.

It is the very nature of this administration to propagate lies. President Goodluck Jonathan, in the last few weeks, has had a torrid time engaging northern governors and other presidential aspirants that he signed an agreement to run for only a single term in 2011. Constitutionally, there is no law barring him from contesting but the Chairman of Northern Governors’ forum and Governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu, has reiterated that Jonathan signed a pact with PDP governors. President Jonathan inadvertently gave himself away after an AU Summit in 2011 in Ethiopia when he spoke to his compatriots abroad, “ Nigerians in the Diaspora will not vote, but I will work towards it by 2015, even though I will not be running for election.”

To an international audience, Mr Jonathan tried to pull a fast one but he ended up pulling the rug where it hurt most on the failure of his administration. At an interview with CNN’s Christine Amanpour, President Jonathan claimed that Nigerians were now impressed with the improvement – stable power – in the country, bragging as he spoke, like a school boy thumping his chest, “I would have loved that you ask ordinary Nigerians on the streets of Lagos, Abuja or any other city this question about power. This is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government that our commitment to improve power is working.” His claim was punctured days later when Americans were embarrassed by a 35-minute power outage at a Super Bowl game which sparked interest from Nigerians on social media who see it as a norm in their country. CNN had to do an Open Mic in Lagos to sample opinion, which in the end sharply contrasted the president’s position. Yet another lie.

It would be recalled that President Jonathan also lied to Nigerians in his Independence Day anniversary speech last year, making a bogus claim that the global corruption watchdog, Transparency International, ranked Nigeria the second most improved country in the fight against corruption. He said “…the fight against the scourge of corruption is a top priority of our administration. We are fighting corruption in all facets of our economy, and we are succeeding. We have put an end to several decades of endemic corruption associated with fertilizer and tractor procurement and distribution. We have exposed decades of scam in the management of pensions and fuel subsidy, and ensured that the culprits are being brought to book.” Mr. Jonathan’s claim were promptly dismissed; “Transparency International does not have a recent rating or report that places Nigeria as the second most improved country in the fight against corruption.”



What made the First Lady’s baloney worrisome is the fact that the first family was involved, at a time Nigerians thought they’ve had enough lies from President Jonathan. When the President of a country lies without flinching, expect no less from aides, Ministers, Governors and other government functionaries. The likes of Labaran Maku, Doyin Okupe and Reuben Abati at different times have struggled to outdo each other with deceitful press releases, phantom statistics and essays. There is a media aide of the President who comes on social media every now and then to gull Nigerians that Power has improved even when the reality on ground states the obvious.

And stateGovernors who go on medical leave for months without any form of notice. It is surprising that on their return they make their illness public and expect to get public sympathy. Wouldn’t it have been better if they had disclosed it before travelling to quell rumours and ignite fervent, perfervid prayers from compatriots regarded as the most religious people on earth? Lying under oath as a public servant isn’t it tantamount to stealing and other offences punishable by law?



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There is a need to provide a credible alternative to the electorate, a radical change borne out of the growing discontent of Nigerians with the failure of the PDP led government that has held power at the centre since 1999, to transform the countries’ fortune despite multi-billion dollar oil revenue frittered by successive government – $67billion in foreign reserves in the last few years – deflating any hope of a breath of Jonathan’s ‘fresh air,” for these, the leaders of the coalition, saw an exigency in salvaging the beleaguered Nigerian people from the present socio-political and economic downturn as an impetus for the merger.

And so much was the euphoria that greeted the announcement of the All Peoples Congress (APC), that it sent jitters across the political divide. The coalition of ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA to form the new alliance is an audacious bid to unseat the ruling party in the 2015 general elections. Two recent events gave fillip to the merger. First, was the meeting of 10 governors from opposition parties to endorse the coalition. Secondly, the formation of contact and mobilization committee to expedite alliance talks. Both moves couple with a new name, has helped to silence the sceptics who described the merger as a political jamboree that will soon go the way of the previous attempt to form an opposition party in 2011.

The political landscape has been dogged by the absence of credible and formidable opposition. The new party on the block, has a lot to prove to Nigerians; do they have something different from what the PDP has to offer? Can they prove that they are not the same with the PDP? From their respective states, senatorial districts and other areas they represent, can they genuinely say that they have fared better than the party they oppose? These and more will determine if they will be taken seriously by Nigerians and how far they will go.

The political will demonstrated by the ACN and CPC so far must now be translated to persuasion with renewed optimism and enthusiasm to convince the indifferent factions to be part of the merger. The leaders of the parties in the coalition must be ready to further shift ground in the sacrifice of personal and regional ambition for the merger to come to fruition. The APC must rise above the debate on issues such as the logo, which many observers believe is trivial. Technical and ideological differences like the constitution and manifesto must be given priority as this is the basis for which the opposition party will be weighed with the PDP. There is no merger where the dissolving bodies remain adamant on their ideologies. A sound ideology will surely boost the APC’s acceptance and penetration. It can learn from the PDP’s lack of internal democracy that has led to incessant wrangling and animosity among its members.

The jostling for the allocation of offices among various political parties in the alliance will be the litmus test of how the APC will deal with the selection process for the candidates before the general elections. It will be interesting to see how the parties will shift ground to concede ideological differences in the larger interest of the new party.

The merger between the ACN and CPC alone might just be enough to see out the PDP, as a school of thought will have us believe. No, it is a political miscalculation. The PDP has gained cult followership over the last 14 years in most rural areas where they have a preponderance of votes cast. A cursory look at the outcome of election since 1999, indicate, the incumbent seldom lose election. The odds are always against the opposition. The PDP had boasted sometime ago, that the merger of all the opposition parties will not be enough to upstage them. No surprise. Over the years the ruling party has enriched a lot of Nigerians who can spread a few billions around the country to win votes from an electorate, a greater proportion, living below the poverty line.

The merger must be consummated in time to allow the APC put proper structure across the geo-political zones to consolidate what the parties already have on ground. Immediate mobilisation and sensitisation of the electorate, down to the grassroots, on the manifesto of the new party must commence.

In the North, the CPC and ANPP has got four states governors, the ACN is well grounded in the South-West, capturing five out of the six states, they can also count on votes from Edo state in the South-South. A faction of APGA led by Imo state governor, and a good structure in other states of the South-East. It is still a far cry from the 23 states the PDP control across the country, but with the merger, the APC can consolidate by retaining those states and hopefully win a few more. The consummation of all four political parties as part of the merger, will give it a national spread and outlook.

The APC must guard against surreptitious tactics by the PDP to stymie the new party using the factions of ANPP and APGA not part of the merger. Effort must be made to woo these disaffected factions who are indifferent to the coalition. The APC must beware of smear campaigns against the drivers of the opposition alliance. With the storm always rocking the PDP boat, the APC should prevent aggrieved members of the PDP from cross-carpeting to the APC, as the aftermath could be grave.

The applecart in waiting for the APC will be the jostle for the nomination for their presidential aspirant and other candidates seeking ticket for various political offices. One that is most likely to generate controversy is the Presidential ticket. General Muhammadu Buhari has in recent time expressed his interest in contesting the 2015 election. His antecedents does not make him popular in the South but his followership in the north puts him in strong position. There is the agitation from the South-East for an Ndigbo presidential aspirant in 2015, the APGA faction will definitely want a look in that direction, even if they have to settle for a VP slot. The South-West have been in and around the corridors of power, Bola Tinubu, still very much in contention. Most Nigerians want a clean break from the old brigade like the PDP has done; preference for younger breed of outstanding politicians from the APC, the likes of Babatunde Fashola, Nasir Elrufai, Nuhu Ribadu, Oby Ezekwesili and a few others have been muted. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the upcoming months.

There is ample time for the alliance to put its house in order and mobilize well ahead of the general elections, sensitising Nigerians across the nook and cranny that they are a credible alternative to the PDP government. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan’s lacklustre performance in office will give the opposition a real chance at the polls if they put their acts together. Gauging the pulse of Nigerians, many are discontent with his leadership. Whoever the APC presents as presidential aspirants, might be given serious consideration at the polls by the electorate.

The APC should look beyond unseating the PDP at the centre. Changing the prevalent socio-political ideology, creating an alternative for development, restructuring and deepening of our political culture should be part of the underpinning ideas driving the new mega party. The government of the day will respond better to criticism from a formidable opposition, thus, raising the bar of leadership and governance that has made the country totter, for many years, on the thread line of disaster. Beyond reasonable doubt, the APC must prove to Nigerians that “when they come on board” it won’t be time for them to have their own share of the “national cake.”

Some cynics have expressed caution in the euphoria that welcomed the announcement of the APC as they reason it is a merger of strange bedfellows with a DNA of the PDP. They say the merger will fail, just as the previous attempt to form an opposition alliance in 2011. Even if it fails, at least they had the courage to try. There is no political party made of saints anywhere, we all have a past that we are not proud of. The leaders of the opposition forming the alliance – if for nothing – laying their personal ambition on the alter of opposition merger should be commended. Rather than playing second fiddle to the political party that vaunts itself as the largest in Africa, they have put individual aspirations aside in the hope of a new vista for Nigeria. For those who have chosen to remain armchair critics and spectocrats waiting for saints and perfectionist to form a political party, they need not wait much longer; the imminent collapse of the entity called Nigeria!


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The pesky ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan to seek a second term in office was given the green light by an Abuja High Court ruling. Though he has remained coy – a loud silence to me – on his ambition to seek re-election, his body language, actions and inactions have suggested he is set to run for a second term. He seem to be fully persuaded for 2015 by the trappings of Aso Rock, the lure of power, fame, a horde of sycophants and hangers-on whose only interest is another four years of the continuous milking of the cash cow – Nigeria.

We all can recall, on the first of January 2013 residents in Abuja woke up to behold the posters of Jonathan in their neighbourhood, the strongest indication of the new year that he will contest in 2015 at a time Nigerians were trying to grapple with the stale air of his administration. It was no mistake that thesame posters resurfaced in Abuja, less than 24 hours after the election of Tony Anenih as the BoT chairman of the PDP.

No one will believe the tale that Mr Jonathan will not contest the forth coming election. The recent repositioning of the PDP field marshals and foot soldiers in the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the PDP Governors Forum, carved out of the NGF, are strong indications that the ground is being prepared in the forth coming elections. The unanimous election of Tony Anenih to double as the chairman of the money spinning NPA and BoT of the PDP on one hand and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state, loyal servant of the PDP as the chairman of the newly formed PDP Governors Forum, on the other hand is a loud political statement in itself. The formation of the PDP-NGF was in a bid to whittle down the influence of the chairman of the NGF, and Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi. The PDP wing of the NGF was apparently formed to promote the interest of Jonathan’s second term ambition within the ranks of the PDP governors. With the PDP machinery in motion, and more billions needed to keep it steamrolled, we should expect more frivolous white elephant projects in the coming months. Unsurprisingly, a diffident President Jonathan in 2011 has shown lately, with his deft political alignment that he knows his way around his party and he is capable of playing politics dirty.

Advertently, his rumoured ambition has been amplified in decibels from the ruling party. The chairman Bamanga Tukur has been effusive about it, declaring he is free to contest the election on the platform of the party. With the appointment of the PDP election machineries to key government agencies, fictitious multi-billion naira projects awarded and those on the cards, delibrate non-implementation of budgets, the party is sure to be armed with a war chest for 2015.

For incumbent President Jonathan to renege on a gentleman arrangement, written or verbal, he entered with his PDP cohort from the north raises integrity and credibility questions. The fact that Mr Jonathan has not denied the existence of an agreement, speaks volumes.

Needless to add, am not a proponent of zoning. Overtime, zoning has become insidious and the aftermath disastrous for our fledging democracy. The likes of Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu should realise that zoning as a political philosophy is as of today, pernicious and inconsistent with the changing political landscape and must be jettisoned. For second term seekers, performance in office, character, proven track record and merit should be subject to competitive forces that will throw up a competent winner at the polls. The office of the president or any other elective public office is nobody’s birth right, everyone has the right to contest. The way to eliminate mediocres from leadership positions is to create a level playing ground for all aspirants where the worst prepared and least capable candidate is weeded out by the most competent aspirant.

The jostling for 2015 is uncalled for. It has overheated the polity, breeding unnecessary tension. The NGF has been polarised along party and regional lines, the PDP is a house divided against itself, the National Assembly is crossed with the executive. In the months to come in Jonathan’s administration, all hope is virtually lost on his ability to deliver on whatever remains of the dividend of democracy that was promised.

Nigerians, and particularly the opposition must be vigilant and not get carried away with the perpetual contrived internal crisis in the PDP. Make no mistake about it, they aren’t fighting just yet, ignore the nollywood movie playing out between the presidency and the NGF. Sooner rather than later, Jonathan will have dinner with the governors like he did with Obasanjo.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is practically impossible to stop a Nigerian political office holder from running for a second term. It is futile dissuading Jonathan from contesting. Cast your mind on Obasanjo’s second term debacle in 2003 for a better understanding of the scenario playing out this time around.

For a president who was quoted as saying one term is enough to make meaningful impact on the lives of the people, it is not so difficult to see why even his kinsmen are opposed to his second coming. Convincing the rest Nigerians to vote him again will be an uphill task, even those who said they voted for Jonathan rather than PDP in 2011 will have a rethink. Opposition parties should rather start mapping out strategies on how to defeat him at the polls.

In the light of his poor performance, unfulfilled promises, the slow pace of his administration, his preposterous fight against corruption and the growing apathy of Nigerians against the PDP for their failure to bring the country out of the wood since 1999, it makes Mr Jonathan an easy candidate to beat in a free, fair and credible elections. The opposition and those opposed to his candidature need not lose sleep, but close ranks to sensitise and strategise on how to oust him through the ballot. With the new drift towards a two party system like what is obtainable in advanced democracies, political analysts are predicting a keen contest, maybe the most keenly contested in recent time.

Jonathan should indeed be allowed to run for 2015 presidency, his scorecard should speak for him. The changing political terrain and the seeming uncertainty the emergence of APC has brought to the mix will deepen our democracy and strengthen the opposition parties when dynamic democratic forces throw up the best candidate; the people will ultimately be the better for it. There is nothing to fear about the incumbent’s candidature, as it will not be the PDP against the numerous minor opposition parties, as it was in time past, but an epic battle between two formidable political parties.

The die is cast, the race has begun in earnest with Jonathan as a presidential aspirant! The only option left for the opposition is to raise their game. Their alliance has already changed the political terrain, disturbing the “smooth sail” the PDP would have had.

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The call by the Sultan of Sokoto and National leader of the Muslim faith, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, to grant total amnesty to the dreaded Boko Haram members was rather outrageous and unfortunate. In what has become a public show of genuflection, prominent Nigerians from the north has since echoed the sentiments of the sultan to grant amnesty to a terrorist sect that has received funds and training from global terror groups, such as al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab. The insurgents have almost collapsed the economy of North-East, leaving more than 4,000 people dead and thousands injured. The sultan has emboldened others in the drum beat of amnesty that has eclipsed public discourse in the weeks that ensued, and surely for a long time to come. One would have expected to hear a better argument than the reframe that suggests; If the Niger Delta militants were pardoned to bring about peace and security in the country, why would same not be extended to Boko Haram? I will revert to this shortly.

My first thought on President Jonathan’s disapproval of the sultan’s amnesty call was commendation. I reasoned he struck the right note for once but on a closer look at his remark, I was crestfallen. President Jonathan said: “For you to declare amnesty, you have to be communicating with people. You cannot declare amnesty for people that are communicating under a veil…” This can be rephrased to insinuate, as soon as they identify themselves and declare their intention, the government will consider granting them amnesty. And with the pardon gate flung open by him for Alamieyeseigha and others, this might prove to be a tricky one for the president, particularly as there are cheap political points to pick up from the north ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The amnesty that was granted to the Niger Delta militants should not in any way translate or equate to same for the Islamist fundamentalist. The agitations of the militants then, to some extent, was germane save for the violence. They were been ripped off by multi-nationals leaving them and their environment marginalized and underdeveloped even though their zone produced the oil that provides for the entire country. They agitated for resource control. They wanted their lives to be touched by the oil that was been explored daily from their neighbourhood. We all agreed, at some point in the their struggle, that the Niger Delta region has been neglected for too long. Regardless of the sympathy their plight elicited, their resort to armed banditry was condemned in strong terms.

Juxtapose with the Boko Haram uprising and its attempt to forcefully impose a religious ideology on a secular Nigerian society. The terror, senseless and wanton destruction of lives and property they have unleashed on Nigerians in a gutsy bid to oppose not only Western education, but western culture and modernisation is despicable. Their acts of terror have gone from the horrendous to the tragic as reflected in the ghastly suicide attack on five luxury buses in Kano that left about 25 people dead and over 50 others injured. These attacks are based on a warped and shallow religious ideology; the islamisation of Nigeria. They ignorantly disdain anything western, but wittingly get by daily with the help of simple machines, the very symbol of western influence in our lives. The blood of Nigerians should not atone for such a cause that does not only trivialize what amnesty stands for, but it seems to suggest that the activities of the sect are legitimate and tolerable. Niger Delta militants focused their attacks on oil installations and multi-national oil expatriates hostage, but Boko Haram is engaged in indiscriminate killing and maiming.

There is a thin line between amnesty and negotiation (dialogue) in the light of the controversy raised by the sultan’s comments. To canvass for amnesty is to promote the culture of crass impunity that desecrate the sanctity of human life. The government can sit with the leaders of the sect, if they wish to reveal themselves, for dialogue. Whatever be their demands, excluding amnesty, can be met by the government. As Bill Clinton rightly pointed out recently while in Nigeria, deprivation, illiteracy and poverty are root causes of Boko Haram. The government can dialogue with the sect for a cease fire and then develop the region, by creating employment and putting infrastructure in place. At this juncture, we must all come to the realisation that sometimes battles are not won with brute use of military force but on the table of dialogue.

The United States and other developed countries posit that they don’t negotiate with terrorists because they have the capacity and intel to crush – in the case of al-Qaeda, the killing of Osama Bin Laden – the terrorists. Same cannot be said of Nigeria where there has been nothing to show for billions voted for security in the last few years. Security issues should be holistically approached because it takes more than JTF boots on the ground, armed to the teeth in troubled states to restore peace and stability.

There is a bigger picture to the diversionary and ill conceived amnesty being canvassed for the Islamic extremists. The government will be sending a wrong signal to the teeming population of unemployed Nigerian youths and yet another dangerous precedent after the amnesty to Niger Delta militants. It is akin to presidential pardon to felons, or a national honour which is a reward for criminality. It will only buck up splincter sects like, Ansaru, and new rebellion from other parts of the country.

And if the government were to give unconditional pardon to the Boko Haram, will the government use the same methods of rehabilitation and reintegration for the Niger Delta militants? Skill acquisition centres, training and re-training methods at home and abroad? How will the government change their mentality to prepare them for their return to mainstream Nigeria? Whichever approach the government intend to employ, it will be a clear negation of the sects’ ideology of abhorrence for anything western. It is not rocket science that their angst with the government has nothing to do with money. All they seek is that sharia be entrenched across the country.

Amnesty should not be a leeway for the Nigerian government to wriggle itself out of security challenges. Only a weak government, with its security and anti-corruption agencies bereft of ideas reward criminals, militants, extremists, rapists and ex-convicts with pardon. Granting amnesty to Boko Haram is a latent approval to other forms of social vices and a continuum of the vicious cycle of legalised lawlessness.

Finally, there is a need to understand the Boko Haram agenda before contemplating amnesty for the sect. They are part of a global network of terror. Their Jihad is not motivated by money but a relentless drive in their fanatical religious ideology of eradicating all forms of western influence on the African continent using Nigeria and Mali as springboards. The promise of material wealth that an amnesty holds for the sect is a disincentive. The counter-terrorism war has never been won anywhere in the world with amnesty.


For direct engagement, the writer is @tilevbare on twitter
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email: theophilus@ilevbare.com

It is as reckless as it is feckless for Governor Godswill Akpabio to fritter away with zing the patrimony of Akwa Ibom state on his political associates, friends and sycophant in a showy and flamboyant manner to massage an over bloated political ego. It is the height of profligacy.

The latest gaffe of the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum has seen him enmeshed in yet another round of controversy. He confessed on camera that he manipulated the election result of the 2007 PDP senatorial primary election in the state by single-handedly replacing the winner with the name of his preferred candidate. The video has since gone viral on the internet.

This is coming on the heels of the recent wave of criticism that has greeted his financial recklessness, making more headlines than his role as chief servant of the people of Akwa Ibom state. Just when folks where torn in two minds if the spendthrift governor was doling out private or state money, at a press conference recently, he erased any doubt as he owned up that his string of father christmas donations have been from government coffers.

“Anything connected with my donation is captured within the law of the State.” Struggling to sound convincing, “The budget is the law and there have been provisions that allow for grants for donations and for hospitality as enshrined within the budget.”

As the custodian of the state treasury, one begins to wonder what constitute donations for hospitality to Mr Akpabio. Is it hospitality to splash N230m of state funds as donation on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum, for the erection of an Anglican Church in Otuoke, the home town of President Jonathan? For him to be subsequently berated by other PDP governors who said they were not carried along before the donation was made is a pointer to where the millions were drawn. That provisions were made in the law for donations and hospitality should not be an excuse for such jamboree. The constitution certainly does not empower the governor to frivol the commonwealth of Akwa Ibom state at will.

What better use should such grants be put if roads in Akwa Ibom, like the Eket–Ibeno road leading to the venue of Tuface Idibia and Annie Macaulay’s traditional wedding ceremony, was in deplorable condition. The governor had to apologise to guests at the event that when next they come visiting the road would have been rehabilitated. It is noteworthy, that youths of Eket sometime ago protested that the road be reconstructed.

The rudderless governor scandalized many, when he gifted the couple with Two Toyota Prado SUVs, though the state government later issued a statement, claiming it was one. To underscore his infamy, he made a pledge to bankroll an all expenses paid trip for 20 delegates from the state who wished to attend the nuptial of the Idibia’s in far away Dubai. The reveler that he is, present at a lavish party organized in honour of the couple, again, gifted the newly wed with N3m. He has since taken financial recklessness and extravagancy with the people’s resources to an obscene level.

To Mr Akpabio’s defence was his Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umana, spewing inanities like his spendthrift Boss; “Looking carefully at the surrounding events in perspective, Mrs. Annie Idibia, nee Macaulay, is a daughter of Akwa Ibom State and the gift of a Prado SUV from her governor is only a gesture of love and goodwill. Her resolve to stand by her husband on this journey right from his days of youthful beginnings to stardom even in the face of challenges was commendable and a true attribute of the Akwa Ibom women.”

From Umana’s perspective, governor Akpabio might now have to donate a Prado Jeep to every Akwa Ibom daughter who decides to put up with the escapades of her boyfriend or fiancée to justify Annie’s gift. Publicity Secretary, Oscar Onwudiwe of the South-South Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN) rightly queried the rationale of the Commisionner when he said “Will such largesse be extended to every newly-wed couple in the state and will that pass as the mean test for judicious management of limited resources?” He further warned that ”The frugal management of state resources are indispensable values necessary for the actualisation of our development plan, so we appeal to the state governors not to trifle with these essential requirements.”

The PDP will have us believe that the chairman of it’s Governors’ Forum is being magnanimous, which they believe is a virtue. Truly, this is the kind of virtue that has existed at all levels of the party typified in the present Nigeria with all the symptoms of a failed state.

At every event Akpabio is present, he sees a window for frivolous gifting. Last year the profligate governor, gave a cash gift of N10m for a return leg win against Mali by the national Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, in an African Under-17 Championship qualifier in Calabar. Just for a win.

Nollywood were not left out behind as Mr Akpabio instituted a N50 million endowment fund to honour exceptional actors and actresses in the industry.

The ungodly display of reckless wastefulness by Akwa Ibom state spender-in-chief, took a ridiculous twist at the South-South PDP reconciliation meeting in Port Harcourt where he embarrassed six state chairmen of the party with N6m for Mr Biggs (Lunch), after describing them as “hungry.”

“My brother (Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan) said you people (PDP South-South members) are hungry, to take care of your hunger, I’m donating the sum of N1m each to the South-South secretariat of PDP and I would want each of the chairmen to come and collect the sum at the end of my speech so that members could use that to buy (lunch) at Mr. Biggs!” Governor Akpabio said, descending from the absurd to the jejune. It was a bovine display of financial rascality. Expectedly, Uduaghan, Amaechi and other PDP chieftains walked out on him while he was still speaking.

Recently, he took delivery, of two exotic bullet-proof sprinter luxury vans from US-based Texas Armoring Corporation (TAC) customized to his specifications, at about N300 million. Why should he feel so insecure among his kinsmen contrasting a reputation he projects with numerous ads on TV and papers showcasing his “excellent performance” in office, claiming Akwa Ibomites love him to pieces. The prodigal PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman, has since joined the elite league of private jet flying governors with his top of the range, $45 million Bombardier Global Jet.

His much publicised achievement is light weight when compared with its monthly allocation, which is more than four times what some other states get from the federal allocation. This is aside internally generated revenue. In spite of this, Salaries of civil servants in the state are often owed. Same goes for pensioners. The state has one of the country’s highest rate of unemployment, the reason its indigenes are scattered across the country settling for menial jobs. Key sectors of the economy are below par with what is obtainable in states without the oil revenue Akwa Ibom attracts.

Governor Akpabio must retrace his steps. It calls for serious concern from those connected to the state. It becomes more worrisome when the state house of assembly look the other way. The EFCC can’t come within touching distance of the governor either so long as he continues to harp President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition from the roof top. The onus is now on the people of Akwa Ibom state to call governor Akpabio to order.





For direct engagement, the writer is @tilevbare on twitter
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email: theophilus@ilevbare.com

“To act as a watchman of the spiritual and moral welfare of the nation; to serve as a basis for response to the unity of the church, especially as contained in our Lord’s pastoral prayer “That all may be one” (John 17:21)” – CAN objective.





Never in its recent history has there been schism that has threatened the ecumenism of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) since it was founded in 1976. Matters came to a head with the withdrawal at the national level of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) from CAN, the umbrella body of Christian churches in Nigeria for promoting unity and peace among the various strata of society. The Catholic church suspended its activities in CAN sighting “recent attitudes, utterances and actions of the national leadership of CAN which in our opinion negate the concept of the foundation of the association and the desire of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.

The reaction from the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led CAN to the withdrawal of the Catholic bloc was rather antagonistic, confrontational, haughty and a face-saving rant that does not address the issues raised by the Catholic bloc. It was expected that as a responsible Christian association, pertinent questions put forward by the CBCN should have been addressed in their response. CAN’s spokesman for the 19 Northern states, Sunny Oibe, reacted brashly; “There is no need for anybody to lose sleep over the threat by Catholics to pull out of CAN because without them CAN will still continue. The constitution of CAN makes provision that membership can be terminated by any group that is misbehaving or any group can also terminate their membership”.With remarks like this, it is obvious that all is not well with the Christian association. Such unguarded comments and outburst is capable of exacerbating the present crisis rocking the body.

Close observers of events anticipated this, maybe it was long overdue, because in our very eyes, we saw the CAN leadership, gradually, in their quest for power, political relevance, filthy lucre, material gain and opulence become an appendage of the ruling political party. Pulpits of mega churches are now campaign platforms for politicians seeking election and re-election, the picture of President Jonathan kneeling before a man of God readily comes to mind. When a group of Pastors or General Overseers, begin to manipulate and use CAN like their personal property, then there is bound to be schism. The leadership of the Christian body is now an avenue for some avaricious few, to gallivant and junket around the world in private jets in the guise of spreading the gospel. Their choice of a life of opulence and splendor rather than the ‘modest life of a leader of the flock of Christ that common sense dictates is quite appalling. Men of God have turned lovers of money, mundane possessors whose affections are set on things below. The Christian body seem to be at ease with the corruption from all sectors of the country, it is detached from the Christian folk it represents. There is an unhealthy rivalry among the mega rich, prosperity preaching and political protestant pastors that constitute CAN to outdo each other; whose private jet or private university is bigger, which denomination has built the newest mega church auditorium in town. CAN now seem to fan the embers of impunity, sleaze and profligacy in the country. The reason is not far-fetched; some of the embezzled public funds in the country has found their way via “brown envelopes” to church offerings and pockets of pastors who in turn guaranty return of votes from willy-nilly church members during elections. The politicisation and monetisation of CAN is a far cry from the association’s articulated objectives that seeks to act as conscience of the nation and voice of the voiceless. With CAN’s conscience seared and its lips sealed, it has become a toothless watchdog of the Christendom and as of today, it has lost its relevance.

The CAN leadership went a step further to smear its image when its President and Senior Pastor, Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor at a lavish church party to mark the 40th anniversary of his pastoral calling in Warri; President Goodluck Jonathan – whom he is “ferociously” close to – was in attendance, joined the elite league of private jet flying men of God when he received a greek gift from unnamed members of his church.

It was high time someone said the truth, CAN has derailed! To aptly put in Bishop Matthew kukah’s words, Nigerian Christian leaders “…Have become more visible in relation to national prayer sessions, pilgrimages, alliances with state power and so on. Unless we distance ourselves, we cannot speak the truth to power. We cannot hear the wails of the poor and the weak. We should not be seen as playing the praying wing of the party in power.” Apparently, he spoke about CAN.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido must have been thinking about CAN recently when he said people now “Find religion to be a very good instrument in the contestation of space for political power and for distribution of resources, they are not religious organizations; they are not cultural organisations; they are political associations in disguise of religion and region”.

When was the last time CAN consulted with its member churches to make necessary common statements and take common actions after a major crisis like the incessant Boko Haram attack in northern Nigeria? What we have seen in the last few years is the regular visit to the seat of power, Aso Rock Villa, and mere blowing of hot air whenever turmoil arise, exhibiting little or no initiative to take decisive action in matters affecting the Nigerian Christians. There is a general believe that the Christian body is on a freefall. As a matter of urgency, a moderation by the leadership of CAN in its lifestyle and association with politicians will go a long way in restoring some integrity and respect to the national Christian group.

It will be pertinent to add here that there has always been some form of discrimination between Catholics and Pentecostals even till this day. I had a personal experience when I worshipped in a Catholic church, the Rev. Father during his homily, made allusion to the raucous manner the Pentecostals engaged in praise worship and prayers even for the death of their enemies. Each group consider themselves pious Christians, some Protestants in CAN still consider Catholics as drunkards who are not devout Christians. Catholics in turn do not think Protestant pastors in CAN as properly ordained since their ordination lacks historical link with early Christian practice. Until such cerebrations are jettisoned, genuine ecumenism might be wishful thinking.

At such a crucial time that the country is trying to grapple with the onslaught of Boko Haram on Christians, the least desired of a body conceived as a rallying point for Christians is division. If for nothing at all, the lives of Christians lost to the violence of Islamist fundamentalist and splinter sects should be a reason the leadership of CAN and the Catholic bloc resolve their differences..

Now, more than ever, the Christian body needs to put its house in order and reposition itself to speak out against all forms of violence. CAN must henceforth desist from politicking and refocus on its core values of Christian ecumenism.



I’m @tilevbare on twitter.

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Email: theophilus@ilevbare.com

The Nigerian Senate gave constitutional approval to the deployment of 1,200 troops for combat mission as part of the Africa International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) – an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) organized military mission sent to support the government of ECOWAS member nation Mali against Islamist rebels in the Northern Mali conflict. The mission was authorized with UN Security Council Resolution 2085, passed on 20 December 2012, which "authorizes the deployment of an African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) for an initial period of one year. Nigerian troops had already been deployed by President Goodluck Jonathan before a letter was transferred to the Senate for approval. This action in itself raises serious constitutional questions.
The swift dispatch of troops belie the security challenges at home. It is now habitual and priority for Nigerian government to solve crisis in neighbouring African countries faster than the insurgency at home. If the federal government had responded in similar manner to the Boko Haram menace during its formative years, their activities would have been nipped in the bud. Security challenges now seem insuperable, extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses are now the hallmark of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on duty in the troubled northern states of Nigeria. The "brilliant record" of Nigeria's participation in peace mission in neighbouring African countries count for nothing when compared to the insurmountable security challenges at home. There is nothing ‘responsible’ about being proactive in regional conflicts when the Boko Haram menace has claimed over 3,000 lives and counting. The present security challenges at home does not warrant any form of peace-keeping outside the shores of the country.
The conflict in Mali birthed by the emergence of three Islamist groups now active in northern Mali – Ansar Dine, al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb, and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad all beefed up by an influx of mercenary fighters from Libya about a year ago. Defeats by Tuareg separatist aided by Islamist fighters coming back to Mali after the fall of Gaddafi triggered a military coup, in the confusion that ensued, the army were forced to retreat from the vast deserts of the north, with the secular Tuaregs swiftly pushed aside by their former allies, extremist militants took control of a vast area, big as France. For a country fettered with poverty, its citizens in perpetual pangs of hunger and most Malians practicing a temperate form of Islam, the insurgents in Mali were able to operate in shadow manner their presence undetected for years in the forests and deserts with strong ties and financial backing from al-Qaeda in the Middle East (AQIM). These Islamist rebels were also engendered by the subsequent destabilization of northern Africa after the war in Libya leading to the proliferation of arms and ammunition to groups masquerading as Libyan freedom fighters.
Nigerian government should take a cue from the reluctance of some European countries, particularly Britain whose Ministers were ordered to the Commons to stress that UK troops would not ‘undertake a combat role’ in the crisis in Africa, amid fears they could be sucked into a long, bloody conflict opting for logistical air assistance to France. The US played an active role in ousting Muammar Gaddafi during the Libyan uprising with air strikes without putting boots on the ground. Nigeria could have explored similar possibilities and should begin to think along such direction for future invitation to combat missions. The suggestion by some senators that it is high time Nigeria considered her economic interest in foreign policies like the world super powers, US in particular, was instructive. We need not go on foreign missions without reaping the maximum benefits of our sacrifices. “It is no longer uhuru for the country to continue to play Father Christmas in its foreign policies” quipped a Senator.
The remark by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Azubuike Ihejirika, that Mali trained terrorists have crossed the border into Nigeria is rather preposterous as he gave no evidence of their presence. Actually, Nigeria does not share its border with Mali. In-between there is Burkina Faso, Niger republic and Togo. If all these nations did not report terrorist immigrants, then on what basis did the COAS raise alarm that Mali trained terrorist had landed Nigeria shores? A ruse it turned out to justify the deployment of troops to Mali.
There are real threats of retaliatory strikes of western targets across Africa and beyond, countries whose troops are part of the combined effort to flush out the terrorists. Mali may not play a significant role in world economy but it is surrounded, on far and near sides, by countries that do. Nigeria and Algeria with the largest and second largest gas reserves respectively in Africa, suppliers of petrochemical/minerals, make them potential targets of reprisals. Recently, al-Moulathamine, a group affiliated to AQIM has since claimed responsibility for the attack on a gas field in southern Algeria run by BP, Statoil and the Algerian state oil company Sonatrach.

The Algerian government said 38 workers and 29 militants died in an attack during a three-day military operation to end the hostage crisis. After a special forces operation crushed the last holdout of the fighters at the Amenas plant. Considering that Algeria have been co-operating with the French military operations by allowing the use of its airspace and committing about 900 troops to the UN mission in Mali, the Islamists fighters vowed to avenge what they called the country's support for French military action in neighbouring Mali. With Nigerian troops too in Mali, we may fear the worst.
There is a school of thought who believe the Malian crisis can be resolved with a bit of political persuasion rather than military intervention. Aside this, there lies a serious fear of Islamist fundamentalist taking over Mali and the country’s northern desert already held by insurgents and could become a breeding haven for terrorists to plan and launch international strikes. Already the fighters have taken control of major towns in the north. In the Taliban-Afghan style, they flog women for not covering up and amputate in public squares. The turban fighters have taken advantage of the political instability to capture territories hitherto used to stockpile weapons and train forces.
Few weeks ago, rebels seized control of a town called Konna, and gained entrance to Mopti, Mali's second city which by extension means there capture of the whole south in addition to the already controlled northern part of Mali. Their aim is to topple the government in the capital, Bamako. French troops have provided effective shield for the capital. Reports say French and Malian forces reclaimed the key towns of Konna and Diabaly from militants after days of intense fighting.
Now here is the big question; what is the strategy of the Nigerian troops nay the AFISMA in Mali? Is it to crush the terrorist or chase them out? Whichever of the tactics they deploy, reprisals from splinter and allied terrorist networks in Nigeria, like the Kogi state attack, are a cinch. But if their strategy is to push them out which is the obvious tactics from days of fighting in Mali, border countries should be prepare against the influx of fleeing Islamist rebels.
To stay ahead of the game in the fight against terrorism, Nigeria needs to be proactive on the home front. Have we deployed troops to protect or fortify, if any form of security already existed, Nigeria’s porous borders? Did we count the cost of an economic spill over of a full blown war in Mali, or of a military impasse or casualty? From the foregoing, the deployment of Nigerian troops to Mali has raised more questions than answers.


theophilus@ilevbare.com
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The latest round of bickering and mudslinging between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and incumbent Goodluck Jonathan took a new twist when the former chose the auspicious occasion of a CNN interview to criticise Jonathan’s approach to the Boko Haram insurgency, he said “To deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is finding out how to reach out to them. When you try to reach out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have to use the stick”.

Prior to Obasanjo’s recent comment, he had stunned his audience, at a gathering to review the unemployment in the west African sub-region tagged the West African Regional Conference on Youth Employment held in Dakar, Senegal, as he fired salvos at his protégé. The ex-President as a guest speaker predicted a revolution was looming in Nigeria if the high rate of youth unemployment which he put at 72 percent remains unchecked and should the Jonathan government fail to create employment, the attendant catastrophe would consume the elite, himself included.

Still smarting from his Dakar outburst, he continued his barrage at Jonathan, this time around in Warri, at an event marking the fortieth year calling to ministry in the vineyard of God of CAN President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, where he described the president as a weak leader pointing to the government’s lukewarm approach to the Boko Haram crisis and the pervading insecurity in the country that could have been effectively tackled if decisive action had been taken by the Jonathan administration.

November last year, President Jonathan broke his silence in a televised media chat as he responded to Obasanjo’s prescription, describing the military invasion (to fish out militants who killed some security men) and brute use of force on the people of Odi as futile as it only resulted in bloodshed and lose of innocent lives. .

Not long ago, Obasanjo also took a swipe at Jonathan’s administration for waste of the country’s foreign reserve, put at about $35 billion in 2007. Obasanjo said, “We left what we call excess crude, let’s build it for rainy day, up to $35 billion; within three years, the $35 billion disappeared. Whether the money disappeared or it was shared, the fact remains that $35 billion disappeared from the foreign reserve I left behind in office. When we left that money, we thought we were leaving it for the rainy day...”

Meanwhile as a strategy to checkmate Obasanjo’s overbearing influence on the ruling Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP), loyalist to the incumbent Jonathan have been mounting pressure on government to petition Obasanjo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague on the invasion of Odi by the military which left civilians dead, by any standard this equates to crimes against humanity. Another ploy to tame the rampaging former president are plans to expose some of his misdeeds during his 8-year unimpressive tenure.

The postponement of the BoT chairman (s)election can easily be linked to the face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo as loyalists of both men came to a stand-off in their bid to elect a new chairman, which interestingly was the only agenda of the meeting.

Delegates where thorn in two minds as to whom to pick amid intense lobbying for the former president's candidate Ahmadu Alli, a former chairman of the party, and President Jonathan's prefered choice - the newly appointed chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority - Tony Anenih, with the sobriquet, 'Mr Fix It’.

As events unfolded, it became crystal clear that the battle for the BoT chairmanship had a direct bearing with the tussle for the Presidential ticket of the PDP in 2015 and whoever emerges as chairman is crucial to that agenda. Jonathan’s group opposed the election of Obasanjo's anointed candidate, Alli. His group convinced other members that it won't augur well for Anenih to be the chairman of NPA and BoT, as others should be given the opportunity to serve the party. Apparently, the Jonathan camp opposed Pro-Obasanjo’s choice of Alli, arguing that such would be detrimental to Jonathan's second term ambition. On the other hand, Anenih's emergence as chairman might hinder the choice of Obasanjo's candidate for the presidential race in 2015. Therein lies the stand-off.

The ex-President is getting tacit support from northern political figures of PDP extraction especially those eyeing the 2015 presidential ticket. They consider his feud with Jonathan as capable of withering his prowess and ultimately truncate Jonathan’s ambition to contest the 2015 elections. These northerners still feel shortchanged that the two terms of Yar’adua’s administration which began in 2007 was not completed before Jonathan came onboard shoving aside the zoning arrangement of the PDP. They reason power should return to the north in 2015 and any role Mr Obasanjo can play to rejig would be welcomed. This much Mr Obasanjo displayed when he invited politicians from the north to the launch of a ‘political’ mosque project. A good number of northern governors and politicians were present at the fund-raiser at Abeokuta. They made generous donation to the project.

Chief Obasanjo in the past was instrumental to Mr Jonathan’s meteoric rise from a deputy governor in Bayelsa state to governor, then vice president, acting president, substantive president and later elected as President in the aftermath of Yar’adua’s death in 2010. The Ota farmer was peeved by his exclusion from Jonathan’s administration as the President now prefer his kinsmen and sycophants as members of his inner caucus rather than seeking his benefactor’s opinion on key national issues. More so, his disaffection with Jonathan can easily be traced to the elections in the South-West states of Ondo, Osun and Ekiti where PDP lost to the ACN and LP. The ex-president, famous for his ability to spin election results is irritated by the failure of President Jonathan to flex his presidential muscle to influence court judgments in favour of PDP, a suggestion Jonathan turned down. Against these backdrop, if Chief Olusegun Obasanjo now finds everything wrong with the man he installed as president then it must be nothing more than an agitation for the 2015 polls.

That the former president is building bridges across the country ahead the 2015 elections and picking holes at Jonathan's government is a strong indication that Mr Obasanjo has pitched tent with those opposed to Jonathan running the 2015 election. Awkwardly, the President is up against his benefactor. President. Jonathan is fighting the battle of his political soul as he now seem to have reneged on the promise he made to Nigerians that he won’t seek a second term in office and Obasanjo is at the front of the queue to stop his re-election.

In the event of Chief Obasanjo’s inability to clinch the PDP ticket for whoever becomes his anointed candidate, his ties with the members of the PDP who have defected, and now part of the planned merger between the ANPP, CPC and the ACN will prove invaluable as his anti-Jonathan rhetoric has already won him support from the north, majority of whom are still angry at the PDP’s zoning arrangement that was breached by Jonathan.

As the incumbent, Jonathan can swing major decisions in his favour, he has enough resources, as some recent appointments and contracts awarded has shown, at his disposal to deploy in a desperate bid to ensure he returns, but he must first slug it out with a strong northern candidate from the PDP in the primaries and another from the possible merger of some opposition parties in the election proper.

It is not happenstance that Obasanjo has come out unscathed from tough political battles, ask the likes of Atiku Abubakar his former vice President; former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim; former Speaker of House of Representative, Umar Gha’li Na’Abbah and a host of others, the ex-President has always had his way in the end. He sure wields a lot of influence politically inspite of his resignation as the chairman of the BoT of the ruling PDP sometime ago. It has been a herculean task replacing him as I write and now it seems incumbent President Jonathan might be stretching his goodluck rather too far should he decide to contest in 2015.

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The Supreme Court has set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal which upheld a petition filed by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Edo state governorship election, challenging the academic qualification of Mr Adams Oshiomhole.

Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour who delivered the lead judgment said the appellate court erred in its ruling since the petitioner did not make the issue of qualification a ground in his petition before the tribunal.

He also added that it was a blunder on the part of the petitioner not to make the issue of qualification a ground for challenging the election of Governor Oshiomhole rather than smuggling it through the back door.

The Judge noted that since a petitioner is bound by his petition, there is no ground on which the petition will stand and as such the ruling of the Appeal Court was struck out and the ruling of the tribunal upheld.

The court however ordered the tribunal to hear paragraph 30 of the petition which sought to disqualify votes in five out of the 18 local government areas in Edo state as a result of alleged electoral malpractice and corruption.


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The process of sharing Nigeria’s oil block national cake is as fraudulent now as when Ibrahim Babangida started the process of discretionary allocation of oil blocks to indigenous firms. Discretionary allocation of oil blocks entails that a president can reward a mistress who performs wonderfully with an oil block with capacity for cumulative yield of over $20 billion dollars without recourse to any process outside of manhood attachments. Babangida, Abacha, Abdulsalami and Obasanjo awarded discretionary oil blocks to friends, associates, family members, party chieftains, security chiefs and all categories of bootlickers, spokespersons and cult members without any laid down procedures.

The recipients of such oil blocks will get funds from ever willing offshore financiers and partners to graciously settle the benefactors, the awarders, facilitators and the Commander-in-Chief through fronts. These settlements mostly paid into foreign accounts runs into hundreds of millions of dollars according to the potential yield of the block. Sometimes, the awarder (sharer of national cake and direct intermediaries) demand additional stakes in the bidding company. The awarder sends fronts as part of the directorship and management of the bidding firms without leaving a link to them. That is how the oil block national cake is distributed to a few Nigerians.

Signature bonuses which are paid when an investor successfully bids, wins and signs agreement with the petroleum ministry, running into tens of millions and sometimes hundreds of millions of naira ,is often waived off. There is actually no waiver; rather a diversion of what would have been paid to government t coffers is paid into private purse as appreciation gifts. That is why those in the Petroleum Ministry dread retirement as though it signifies going to hell fire. No matter how little your influence, something substantial must enter your hands especially in hard currency. The nation loses billions of dollars in diverted revenue whenever any round of auction occurs.

During the third term agenda, Obasanjo was deceived that the allocation of oil block to party faithfuls is to fund the third term agenda. With the failure of the third term, the beneficiaries went home with their fortunes and thanked God or Allah for buttering their bread. Senator Andy Uba co ordinate the award of the last rounds of oil block by Obasanjo in 2005 and 2007. The then minister of petroleum, Edwin Daukoru was a mere errand boy who took instructions from the presidential aide

The regime of President Goodluck is not showing any signs of changing the status quo. Controversies have trailed the activities of the Minister of Petroleum and many players in the Industry accuse her of demanding stakes from every oil deal. It is hoped that President Goodluck Jonathan will remember his transformational promise to Nigerians and endeavour to face the hawks in the oil industry.

The angst in the air is so much that if this monster of illegal allocation of oil block is not addressed, the much touted revolution could begin all of a sudden and all who condoned this illegality at the expense of hungry Nigerians may have nowhere to hide.

The bastardizing of Nigeria by the mindless, who hate the nation. Monumental injustice to the people of Nigeria. 20 Owners Of Richest Oil Blocks In Nigeria. Read on:

(1) This oil block business is so lucrative that Danjuma’s Sapetro divested of its investment in Akpo condensate for $1billion dollars. This business is second to none in Nigeria. That is why any attempt to investigate the activities in this sector will always be futile. The money is so much that they give bribes in millions of dollars. A birthday gift or child naming gift from an oil block owner to a government official could be as paltry as $2million dollars, and if the official’s father died, the condolence gift could reach mere $3 million dollars. When they want to bribe legislators, it is in millions of dollars and any ongoing investigation ends within weeks. They are so confident that with excess money they can buy up Nigeria and they are succeeding

(2) OML 110 with high yield OBE oil fields was given Cavendish Petroleum owned by Alhaji Mai Daribe, the Borno Patriarch in 1996 by Sanni Abacha. OBE oil field has estimated over 500 million barrels of oil. In layman’s language and using average benchmark of $100 dollars per barrel, translates to $50 billion dollars worth of oil reserve. When you remove the taxes, royalties and sundry duties worth about 60% of the reserve payable over time you get about $20billion dollars worth of oil in the hands of a family.

(3) OPL 246 was awarded to SAPETRO, a company owned by General Theophilus Danjuma, by Sanni Abacha in 1998. Akpo condensate exports about 300,000 barrels of crude daily.

(4) NOML 112 and OML 117 were awarded to AMNI International Petroleum Development Company owned by Colonel Sanni Bello in 1999. Sanni Bello is an inlaw to Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Head of State of Nigeria.

(5) OML 115, OLDWOK Field and EBOK field was awarded to Alhaji Mohammed Indimi from Niger State. Indimi is an inlaw to former Military President Ibrahim Babangida.

(6) OML 215 is operated by Nor East Petroleum Limited owned by Alhaji Saleh Mohammed Gambo.

(7) OML 108 is operated by Express Petroleum Company Limited is owned by Alhaji Aminu Dantata.

( OML II3 allocated to Yinka Folawiyo Pet Ltd is owned by Alhaji W.I. folawiyo

(9)ASUOKPU/UMUTU marginal oil fields is operated by Seplat Petroleum. Seplat is owned by Prince Nasiru Ado Bayero, cousin to the Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi. This oil field has the capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil daily. This translates to $30million dollars daily at average benchmark of $100 dollars per barrel. Deducting all sundry taxes, royalties etc , this field can yield $12billion dollars daily for the owners .

(10)Intel owned by Atiku, Yarádua and Ado Bayero has substantial stakes in Nigeria’s oil exploration industry both in Nigeria and Principe and Sao Tome.

(11) AMNI owns two oil blocks OML 112 and OML 117 which it runs Afren plc and Vitol has substantial stakes in oil blocks. Afren plc is operating EBOK oil fields in OML 67. Vitol lifts 300,000 barrels of Nigerian oil daily. Rilwanu Lukman, former OPEC Chairman has stakes in all these named three companies.

(12) OPL 245 was awarded to Malabu Oil& Gas Company by Sanni Abacha. Dan Etete, Abacha’s oil minister owns Malabu Oil. In 2000, Vice President Atiku Abubakar convinced Obasanjo to revoke OPL 245 given to Malabu Oil. Etete had earlier rejected Atiku’s demand for substantial stakes in the high yield OPL 245 and it attracted the venom of Ota Majesty who revoked the licence. However, in 2006, Obasanjo had mercy on Dan Etete and gave him back his oil block worth over $20 billion dollars.

(13) OPL 289 and OPL 233 was awarded during Obasanjo era to Peter Odili fronts, Cleanwater Consortium, consisting of Clenwater Refinery and RivGas Petroleum and Gas Company. Odili’s brother in law, Okey Ezenwa manages the consortium as Vice Chairman.

(14) OPL 286 is managed by Focus Energy in partnership with BG Group, a British oil concern. Andy Uba has stakes in Focus Energy and his modus operandi is such that you can never see his name in any listings yet he controls OPL and OML through proxies

(15)OPL 291 was awarded to Starcrest Energy Nigeria Limited, owned by Emeka Offor by Obasanjo . Immediately after the award, Starcrest sold the oil block to Addax Petroleum Development Company Limited (ADDAX) Addax paid Sir Emeka Offor a farming fee of $35million dollars and still paid the signature bonus to the government. Emeka Offor still retains stake in ADDAX operations in Nigeria.

(16) Mike Adenuga’s Conoil is the oldest indigenous oil exploration industry in Nigeria. Conoil has six oil blocks and exports above 200,000 barrels of crude daily.

(17)The oil block national cake sharing fiesta could take twists according to the mood of the Commander-in –Chief at the particular time. In 2006, Obasanjo revoked OPL 246 which Abacha gave to Danjuma because he refused to support the tenure elongation bid of the Ota Majesty. In 2000, Obasanjo had earlier revoked OPL 241 given to Dan Etete under the advice Atiku. However, when the Obasanjo-Atiku faceoff started, the Ota Majesty made a u-turn and handed back the oil block to Etete.

(18)During the time of Late President Yarádua , a panel headed by Olusegun Ogunjana was set up to investigate the level of transparency in the award of oil blocks. The panel recommended that 25 oil blocks awarded by the Obasanjo be revoked because the manner they were obtained failed to meet the best practices in the industry. Sadiq Mahmood, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum endorsed the report to then president with all its recommendations. As a result of the report Yarádua revoked eleven oil blocks.

(19) In April 2011 Mike Adenuga attempted to buy Shell’s OML 30 for $1.2 billion dollars. The Minister for Petroleum and Nigeria’s most powerful woman refused the sale of the OML30 to Adenuga citing national interest. This block was later sold to Heritage Oil for $800 million dollars eleven months later.

(20) In the name of competitive bidding, which Obasanjo introduced in 2005, Officials bring companies overnight and through processes best described as secretive and voodooist they award blocks to party faithful, fronts and phoney companies. They collect gratifications running into hundreds of millions of dollars which is paid into offshore account and the nation loses billions of dollars of revenue to private pockets.


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I was uncomfortable the moment I received the Mail above. Who wouldn’t be? In the heat of the Occupy Nigeria protests along with the NLC strike, we were being summoned to Abuja for a meeting. Equally unnerving is the announcement that the Airspace would be temporarily opened to facilitate the meeting.

When a Viable Union meets a Recalcitrant Government, something’s got to give. Until the January 2012 watershed, Nigerians had become used to the Oshiomole-esque kind of strike, and the pattern had become predictable. The Government announces an increment, NLC demands a ‘status quo or nothing’ and all of a sudden, pulls a volte face and goes into negotiations.

The Obasanjo government had, between 1999-2007, hiked the pump price successively from N20 to N 30 (June 1, 2000), amidst mass action, came down to N 25, and eventually bent further to N 22, on June 13 the same year. On January 1, 2002, Obasanjo increased the petrol pump price from N 22 to N26 , and on June 23, 2003, just after he was sworn-in for his second term as president, Obasanjo again increased the fuel price to N34 and then to N40. Obasanjo’s administration actually hiked the price of fuel seven times with the last one on May 27, 2007, two days to his exit from office, when he raised it from N65 to N70.

The Yar Adua administration was burdened with the unpleasant task of negotiating an ‘inherited’ decision with the Labour Union, and reversed the N70 pump price to N65. Intense negotiations however continued on the deregulation of the downstream sector.

The Oil and Gas Unions, PENGASSAN and NUPENG gave a conditional support for deregulation; that the ‘government must provide the necessary succour and palliative measures to assuage the impact of import-driven deregulation within the set timeframe’

PENGASSAN also provided a further condition, that the ‘Original PIB, as drafted by the Rilwanu Lukman Oil and Gas Sector Implementation Committee (OGIC) be implemented’. The Petroleum Industry Bill, as originally drafted, was to eventually end Government interference in the Oil and Gas Sector, and eventually provide a framework for the growth of the Oil Industry and end the inherent Corruption spawned from a Subsidized Market that was import driven.

The Goodluck Jonathan administration, amidst a façade of intense consultation, would spin a notorious surprise on January 1, 2012 with a 117% increment from N65 to N141.
For the first time in the history of pump price hike, protests sprang from a Rag-Tag team of Youths while Labour was still sprawling in lethargy. The Occupy Nigeria logo and T-Shirts sprang up and spates of peaceful demonstrations commenced.

Eventually, the NLC/TUC would announce an ‘Indefinite Strike Action’ commencing January 9, 2012.

January 8, 2012
To All Branches, Zones and CWC members
RE: STRIKE DIRECTIVE
This is to inform all members of the CWC, Zonal & Branch Executive Committee that the indefinite strike action scheduled from Monday January 9, 2012 in protest against Government approach to Subsidy Removal will go on as directed.
The strike Monitoring Teams at all levels shall ensure that essential services are maintained while all our members are strongly advised to stay at home.
The strike monitoring teams shall go round to assess compliance and give reports through the Team Leaders.

The National Secretariat shall give all information and directive on further devel
Aluta Continua!! Victoria Asserta!!

At this time, I had joined the ‘Rag-Tag Team’. Setting out to Ojota in the wee hours of January 9th 2012 did not come without apprehensions. Parents who saw the horrors of the June 12 agitations did not want their children involved in any struggle. Moreover, Nigerians had begun to see protests as ‘NLC declared Public Holidays’ at the end of each Strike, pump prices never get reverted to status quo ante. I went, anyway, and before my eyes, I saw the gathering grow to a record ground-breaking watershed that sent strong signals to the Jonathan administration. Not so many Nigerians would realise the level of fear the Ojota Rallies generated in the heart of government, and even Labour Leaders.

For the next five days, I’d set out to Ojota, and by evening, hold meetings and plot strategies for the next day.

NLC’s decision to go into negotiations with the Government in spite of the earlier stance of ‘Revert first, we discuss later’ sent the first distress signal for the heavy blow that would be dealt the Occupy Nigeria movement.

The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) switched the strategy and methodology of protests in Nigeria. Until January 9th, Nigerian protests had been limited to Tyre burnings, and long marches. No one had ever thought gathering in one spot could make such an impact. SNG was however, not alone. Loose coalitions emerged all over, with Ikoyi spinning a great surprise, Corporate Moguls, Celebrities, Medical Directors, amongst others joined the throng. No one would forget Ali Baba’s Truck in a hurry.

For me, the high-point was seeing Muhammed Fawehinmi, the Son of the late human-rights activist/legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi coming for the Rally in his Wheelchair.

There however, remained a grey-area/loop-hole the Government would cash into: The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group was the running mate of General Buhari in the 2011 elections. This normally would mean nothing in a sane society where freedom of speech/association is sacrosanct. Unfortunately, in a Winner-Takes-All society like ours, IT IS A CRIME TO BE IN THE OPPOSITION! The ballot is meant to be the bullet that kills your Freedom of Speech!
It is worth of note, however, that when the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi became silent shortly after running for Presidency under the flag of his National Conscience Party, the general populace appealed to him not to be quiet. But then, that’s another musing for another day.

Against this backdrop, I found the Abuja summons unnerving and initially resolved not to go. What if the meeting turned out to be a ‘Settlement Meeting’?

My good friend, Gbenga Sesan as well as others in the ‘Rag-Tag team’ asked me a question: ‘If you do not go, how would you know what happened?’ At that point, I made up my mind to go, and ensure I cover my Transportation expenses myself. That would be another obstacle, considering the Strike and the draining out of most ATM machines at that time. Gbenga facilitated my ticket fare to Abuja and I got some personal funds on standby for my return.
By Saturday, January 14th 2012, I had met with other PENGASSAN members and we headed for Abuja. We had arrived at the Hotel venue before it all became clear: All Labour Leaders from NLC/TUC had been summoned to Abuja! As a matter of fact, in a ‘We know where you live’ manner, we were lodged in the same hotel wing. This was coming on the heels of the directive issued by PENGASSAN to commence a Systematic Shutdown from midnight of that same Saturday the 14th January, 2012.

The Hotel was a hub of events, from Reporters nodding off on chairs clutching their ‘Panasonic’ to Union leaders split into several camps, from those sympathetic to GEJ to those who had been part of the Ojota and Abuja rallies and wanted nothing but a total showdown. Apparently fed up with the NLC/TUC leadership insisting on the fact that they were accountable to various NEC (National Executive Council) members, they had been told to summon us all to Abuja. I would later discover upon checking out of the Hotel that all Hotel Bills (Lodging and Feeding) were on NLC/TUC account; that was huge, considering the number of Unions and Leaders.

A lot of Nigerians might not know this, but NUPENG and PENGASSAN were/are still licking the wounds sustained in the 1994 June 12 actualization struggle. Pascal Bafyau of the NLC had betrayed NUPENG/PENGASSAN when the Oil Workers’ Union went ahead with the Shutdown. Pascal Bafyau (NLC) walked free while Frank Kokori (NUPENG) and Milton Dabibi (PENGASSAN) went to jail and remained in Prison Custody without trial till June 16th 1998, a week after the death of General Abacha.

The likes of Asari Dokubo had been making personal calls to threaten the Leadership of the Oil Workers’ Union.

In spite of all these, PENGASSAN NEC meeting held that evening in the Hotel. Tribal/Political sentiments were rife at the onset, ‘nothing must happen to Jonathan’, ‘the day you kill a madman, na im you go know say e get family’ ‘we should not be used by these Politicians, is it Bakare that did not even win a Local government?’ In essence, those who went to negotiate directly with Government from the core NLC/TUC leadership had claimed that the Lagos struggle had been ‘hijacked by Politicians’. Comrade Peter Esele himself had said ‘We’ve lost Lagos (to Politicians), we’d have lost Abuja too, but we were there to make sure the Politicians did not hijack it’.

The PENGASSAN Chairman presided over the PENGASSAN meeting. Along the line, we were addressed by one of the 1994 PENGASSAN detainees, who reminded us that Posterity will judge whatever decision we made that night. He reminded us that although neither himself, Kokori nor others who went to jail in the heat of the June 12 struggle had anything physical to show for their struggle, they had a clear conscience about the decision they made. He, however, advised that should we opt for the systematic shutdown; we should make sure we had all returned to the safety of our bases before a total shutdown.

Eventually, a unanimous decision was made to go ahead with the Systematic shutdown. Truth is, a total shutdown would invariably throw the Nation into darkness, among other things. For the Old Oil Wells, it would take a sizeable time span to get the Wells back to Optimum Production. In essence, a shutdown is an economic Coup d’etat; that was why Kokori and Dabibi back then were held for ‘treason’.

We sang our Solidarity Song, unsure what would befall us all with the decision, but with the calm assurance that Posterity would judge us for good….while the Communiqué was being edited for print, Comrade Peter Esele came to chat with us. He told us how scared the Government had become and how a Minister was even begging that the Union accepts even a marginal increase to N67 so that the President won’t be seen as weak.

Unknown to us all, the NLC Chairman had gone on Air to pull the greatest Coup on PENGASSAN. He had announced on our behalf that we were not shutting down. Funny how you are in a meeting and made a decision, only to hear a contrary thing on the Social Media who had access to TV that was to cover our Meeting!

The Ghost of 1994 had come calling; we left the Hotel in haste the following morning, my family and friends worrying about my safety. By Sunday, we were back at our bases without a clue how it all changed. I was still in a haze when Omar and Esele came on air. I’d have sworn I saw Omar dictating to Esele what they would tell Nigerians before Esele lowered the Mic from his mouth. Soldiers had been deployed to crush Ojota, and Labour was announcing to Nigerians that from a vantage point of victory, she preferred to Kiss Defeat (Kiss the Feet). That was a Mystery I could not understand, even as an eye witness. I never recovered…I hope I do someday.


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THE FIRST LADIES OF NIGERIA: THE GOVERNORS’ WIVES

Here is the direct link to my website where you can get a better quality of the Governors' wives PHOTOS... http://ilevbare.com/?p=2190

Today’s post is exciting! It took me some time but I am sure you will enjoy it! Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. It has 36 states and each of these states is ruled by an Executive Governor. As a saying goes, behind (or beside as some would say) every successful man is a woman.

How much do you know about the First Lady of your state? Do you know that the wife of Governor Ajimobi of Oyo State is from Lebanon? And Governor Aregbesola’s wife’s favourite food is eba? And that there are FOUR First Ladies in Adamawa State? Read on and delve into the world of some of Nigeria’s most flamboyant women: the First Ladies. At the end, please tell us your opinion as to who the most beautiful is! Let’s roll!!!
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1. ABIA STATE


Chief (Mrs). Mercy Odochi Orji of Abia State

Chief (Mrs). MERCY ODOCHI ORJI is the wife of Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji. She has five kids for His Excellency. So, Abians, the picture above is the woman at whose mercy is your governor…lol Her quotes:

‘My brother, if you don’t have God, you’ve not started in your life; God is everything. Anybody that trusts in God, he will be carrying you higher.’


‘I glorify God, he’s the architect of everything. Sometimes, I wonder why I’m the First Lady of Abia State because, I didn’t dream of it.’


‘They say I walk like a soldier, so I need to wear something free.’

Mrs. Orji is a lover of ankara wears and says she cannot wear short skirts or anything that will expose her body. Good!

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2. ADAMAWA STATE

At almost 70 years, Admiral MurtalaNyako of Adamawa state tops the chart with four wives, and all of them are given the official positions of a First Lady, even their official cars carry a common number plate which reads: ADGMH1. The four wives are well-educated and three of them actually have doctorate degrees. The four wives are:

-Justice BINTA NYAKO (in charge of Abuja Affairs)
-Dr. HALIMA NYAKO (in charge of the Health Sector),
-Hajia ZAINAB NYAKO (in charge of Political Affairs and Mobilization)
-Hajia ASMAU NANA NYAKO (in charge of the Home Front)

The four wives have their own first lady letter-headed papers printed for them on the orders of Governor Nyako. Gbogbo enjoyment! lol! Well, I tried my best but I was only able to see the pictures of one of them, and that is Hajia Zainab:


Hajia Zainab Nyako of Adamawa State

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3. AKWA IBOM STATE


Chief (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State

Born in 1971 in Enugu State, Chief (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio is the sweetheart of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State. She has four children, three girls and a boy.
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4. ANAMBRA STATE


Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi of Anambra State

Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi (Margaret Brownson Usen) married Governor Peter Obi in 1992.
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5. BAUCHI STATE

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has four wives. The fourth and the most recent of them is NAFISAT, daughter of the late President Yar’adua. Nafisat married him at the age of 21 in Katsina in 2009. According to the two of them, courtship started in 2008 when Yuguda paid a visit to the Aso Villa to see President Yar’adua for an official assignment.


Nafisat Yuguda of Bauchi State (daughter of late President Yar’adua)

There, he saw Nafisat and he was struck by the arrow of love! When Nafisat was to have her first baby named Umaru, she was airlifted to the United States (who talk sey money no good?). Nafisat’s sister, Zainab, is also a First Lady as she is the third wife of Kebbi State governor, Usman Dakingari. Talk of sisters in power!


Sister First Ladies: Zainab Dakingari of Kebbi (left) and Nafisat Yuguda of Bauchi (right). Both are daughters of former First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’adua.

Nafisat Yuguda, First Lady of Bauchi State

Nafisat Yuguda, First Lady of Bauchi State



Nafisat Yuguda, First Lady of Bauchi State

The second wife is a Yoruba woman from Abeokuta, Ogun State, Hajia ABIODUN HAUWA ISA YUGUDA. When asked the secret of her beauty, she says she does not have a particular beauty routine but takes a lot of water, fruits and vegetables (correct!), she also exercises (Bauchi gym….lol!). Her quotes:

‘For example, many people died because they lacked five hundred naira (N500). When you don’t have money, you are disabled.’


Hajia Hauwa Abiodun Yuguda

I agree to that one die! Check out the pictures of Bauchi’s first ladies above. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything on the first and third wives. Please help out if you do have any info on the duo
___________________________________________

6. BAYELSA STATE




Governor Henry Seriake Dickson is married to Rachael Dickson. That’s all I know…lol!

__________________________________________


7. BENUE STATE



Architect (Mrs.) YEMISI DOOSHIMA SUSWAM is the First

Lady of Benue State. Married to Gabriel Suswam in 1998, she

is also one of the most fashionable Nigerian women. Her

quotes:

‘God has been the secret. God that gives the burden will give

the capability to bear the burden. God did not make a

mistake by putting us there, He has a reason and everyday,

we look up to Him for counsel and guidance.‘

‘I thank God that I read the course architecture in the

university. They always want you to be a medical doctor but

I could not do medicine because I could not stand the sight of

blood. Even up till now, I cannot stand the sight of blood. I

get easily put off and irritated by the sight of blood.’










‘The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, anyone who

forgets God, will be getting more foolish on a daily basis.

When you have the knowledge of the word of God, you are

fulfilled.

‘I was born by a woman who is thoroughly fashionable. She

does not make mistakes combining whatever she wore. My

mood determines what I want to wear. I wear clothes that

other people will see and appreciate.‘
___________________________________________

8. BORNO STATE





Hajia NANA KASHIM SHETTIMA is the wife of Borno State Governor. She finished from the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) where she bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language. She is also a diploma holder in Mass Communication. She once paid the fine of N400,000 (four hundred thousand naira) for the release of 46 convicted inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Prison. She is also a farmer.
___________________________________________

9. CROSS RIVERS STATE


An Ibo woman, Mrs. OBIOMA IMOKE is the love of Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers State. Born in 1963, she is a lawyer and an old student of the Federal Government College (FGC), Enugu.







She is a mother of four and has pleasantly surprised many with the dramatic loss of her weight. She now looks fitter and trimmer than ever as against her massive frame in the past. Her dad is the first anaesthesiologist in Nigeria.




A last born and a lover of ankara, her name Obioma, means ‘good heart’.



Her quotes:

‘He had this way of looking at me….like this silly girl, I can expect anything coming from you.‘

‘I disliked going to offices to ask people for jobs, so that was out of the way, that was not how I wanted to make money.‘

‘Yes, he was my first boyfriend. I think we were one of those lucky people who found their soul mates early in life and just knew it. I always said ‘If I don’t marry him, then I’ll never marry another.’‘





‘I’ll tell you, if you are interested in long-distance

relationship, you should talk to me about it. My husband

made our relationship interesting; he would record his voice

and send it to me in school. My friends and I would listen to

it and giggle, and I would also do the same thing and send

to him. He did the most interesting things.‘





Mrs Imoke is a mother of four.




‘First, it’s the grace of God, you can’t do it without God. He is

a good man and allows me express myself. He is quiet but a

very deep person, and he is also a planner. I have been

married to him for 19 years and he is very kind. We dated

for 18 years and he’s more of a friend and father to me. ‘




______________________________________________________________________________


10. DELTA STATE


Deaconess SHEILA ROLI UDUAGHAN holds the forte at Delta State Government House as the lady behind the doctor governor. It was an amazing demonstration of love in October 2011 when she turned 50 (see pix). Her daughter got married when she turned 22 and Mrs. Uduaghan is always proud to mention this to anyone. Let’s hear her joor:








‘I am a very restless person but somehow I discovered I could really respect him. It has always been difficult to tell me something and get me to do it, very difficult. But with him, I discovered I was able to succumb and respect him. And that was what attracted me to him. If I am around, I do the personal things like serve his meals. Nobody cleans our bedroom, nobody makes our bed. I still attend to a lot of those personal things. ‘

During her 50th birthday celebrations.




‘Everybody believes that as long as you are a governor’s wife, you have the solution to everything. They equate you to God and it can be really overwhelming. Phone calls come in at all hours of the day. Relaxation is not in my dictionary.‘

Mrs. Uduaghan




‘As a wife, I don’t kill myself over burdens that should

naturally be borne by my husband. That is why I don’t have

any parcel of land or house anywhere in my name of kill

myself over possessions. That to me, is my husband’s

responsibility. It is left to him to decide whether we (the

governor’s biological family) should live in a house or not .”





‘My inspiration is from God. That is what keeps me on and

what I’m doing is a heavenly assignment and I will make

sure that it does not fail.‘




‘You know, God does not make mistakes. If he were to be like

me, maybe our home would be on fire all the time. Being up

there has really helped in curtailing my excesses. He is a

man of few words. If I didn’t marry him, I would have

married and divorced many times by now. ‘

________________________________________


11. EBONYI STATE





Born in 1948, Chief (Mrs.) Josephine Elechi is married to the

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi. They have four

children, three males and one female. She likes cooking,

music and travelling. She is Izzi by tribe.



_________________________________________



12. EDO STATE

The tale of First Lady in Edo State is a tragic one. That is because Governor Adams Oshiomhole (the Comrade Governor) no longer has a First Lady. He lost his dear wife, Mrs. CLARA OSHIOMHOLE to breast cancer. A very simple woman, she was truly a pillar of support for her husband. A mother of five (Cyril, Janet, Winnie, Emmanuel and Steve), she died a few days to the traditional wedding of the family’s second daughter in December 2010.

When the news of her demise reached Governor Oshiomhole, he left his office and wept bitterly. Although she died relatively young, two of her kids are medical doctors, one is an accountant while two are in the university. A very gentle woman, she bore the pains of cancer silently for about three years before she finally lost the battle. She was 54.




Hear what her husband has to say a year after her death:

”Life is tough in a quiet moment when you are back in your house, and you realize that you are all by yourself because, whether you like it or not, your first adviser is your wife. There are things that no one else can tell you except your wife. And, for most families, if there is one adviser you can trust, that the advice she gives is an honest advice, it may not be the correct advice but it is honest in the sense that she wishes you well. She is part of you as a wife. In a moment like this, you will get home but you will suddenly found out that you are completely by yourself. There are couples of things you will want to discuss with her and she is not there. It is hard, it is tough. But there are things you just have to reconcile yourself with, like they say, you pray that God just gives you the strength to accept what you cannot change.
Additionally, you have children who are grown up, the girls have all married. The boys are either in school or on their own because they have all grown up. So, you suddenly found out that you are alone in the house. It can be quite lonely, it can be emotionally stressful. But we can’t blame God, we can’t complain.”
May her soul rest in peace.
_______________________________________________________________________________

13. EKITI STATE




Enter Erelu BISI ADELEYE-FAYEMI, the woman behind the bespectacled and smiling governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi. Very polished and articulate woman, she is also the co-founder of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). Her quotes:

‘I agree that it is not appropriate to stop the convoy just because I want to buy Gala. I however do not agree with the assumption that because I am the wife of a governor, my IQ has dropped to single digits.‘

Laff wan kill me for that one o…lol!




‘ My main responsibility is to support my husband.‘

#GBAM!#


___________________________________________
14. ENUGU STATE




Now in her early 30s, Mrs. CLARA CHIBUZOR CHIME is the wife of Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime. She grew up in Katsina State and the northern influence is sometimes reflected in her dressings. Interestingly, she hates politics but is in love with gold. Nice combination, I must say! She dislikes politics because it is a game full of deceit and intrigues.



___________________________________________

15. GOMBE STATE

The First Lady in this northern state is Hajia ADAMA DANKWAMBO. Governor Dankwambo was the former Attorney-General of the Federation. Sadly, I could not see any of her pictures. Got one?

___________________________________________
16. IMO STATE




Mrs. NNEOMA NKECHI ROCHAS OKOROCHA is the Imo State First Lady.




Her quotes:

‘The grace of God has been sufficient. Once you rely on God and remain focused and look up to Him, God will always help you, particularly over the issue of ensuring that women are carried along in the affairs of the state.’


‘When I got married to him, he was somewhat doing well but actually had nothing. Even at that point, most people, especially my people, did not believe in the marriage but somehow I persuaded them that this is the person God wanted me to marry. By the special grace of God, I have six biological children -three girls and three boys -and almost 5,000 adopted children.‘
___________________________________________



17. JIGAWA STATE

Sule Lamido is the Governor of Jigawa State. A father of eleven children, he has two wives: Hajiya AMINA LAMIDO and Hajiya MARYAM LAMIDO. For now, their pictures are not available.

___________________________________________
18. KADUNA STATE

Born on 20th May, 1953, Mrs. AMINA ELIZABETH YAKOWA is the First Lady of Kaduna State. An educationist, she finished from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) as a history student. She has four children and a set of twin grandchildren.






Her quotes:
‘I remain grateful to God for choosing Yakowa for me as husband. I am glad to tell you that we have been married now for about 35 years and the union has been very blessed. Sometimes, I get confused on how to describe him. Whether he is a husband or a father or a brother or a friend? Honestly, where he met me and where he has taken me, it is not everyman that can do that.‘


‘If you don’t seek the face of God before marriage, you should know that it will not last. Young people today are in a hurry and don’t seek the face of God before making their choice. During our time, we listened to our parents‘
‘He likes tuwo. Anything that has to do with tuwo and beans. So, anything you bring out of beans or tuwo of any kind. You cannot do without tuwo for him everyday. These are his favourite dishes and I cook myself.
___________________________________________

19. KANO STATE

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso is known for strictly keeping his wife from the public. Well, like he did in his first term, he has also done it this time around, and he did it so well that I could not even find her name -not even a trace! Kano readers, kindly help Iyaniwura’s Blog (http://betterlife777..com/) out with this. Nagode!



___________________________________________
20. KATSINA STATE





Hajia (Dr.) FATIMA SHEMA is in charge here. One of her programmes involved the purchase and distribution of 2,800 goats to women. In one particular phase of the programme, she gave 600 goats to 200 HIV-positive women. The goats were imported from Algeria, Morocco and Niger Republic.




___________________________________________

21. KEBBI STATE




Hajia Zainab Usman Dakingari (daughter of late President Umar Yar’adua) is the third wife of the Kebbi State Governor. They married in 2008. Details are sketchy about the other wives. This is a trend I have noticed among some northern governors. Information about their wives are painfully difficult to get!




___________________________________________
22. KOGI STATE

Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada has two FirstLadies: Hajia HALIMA LADI WADA (first wife) andFARIDAH IJEOMA WADA. Hear Hajia Halima: When I can


afford it, I play golf.




Picture of the second wife was not available, as much as I tried


_________________________________________
23. KWARA STATE



Deaconess OMOLEWA AHMED is the First Lady in Kwara.




Hear her:

‘It has been tough; quite tough. Before I assumed office, I thought I knew how people were suffering. But coming into office, I realized that I didn’t know or knew too little. That is where these people have found themselves; not that we are better of. We should constantly be reminded that we are just privileged by God.’







___________________________________________
24. LAGOS STATE






Married to one of the best-known governors in Nigeria, Dame (yes, she is a dame too!) ABIMBOLA EMMANUELLA FASHOLA is a very simple woman who needs little introduction.

___________________________________________
25. NASARAWA STATE



Receiving gifts of foodstuff from women.



Presenting materials to an orphanage.



With a sports trophy for Nasarawa youths.



Nasarawa State is the only one in the Federation with a Congressive for Progressive Change (CPC) governor. The first First Lady is SALAMATU UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA while the second is Hajiya MAIRO UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA but her picture is not available. Kindly send Iyaniwura one if you have



___________________________________________
26. NIGER STATE




The First Lady is Hajiya JUMMAI MU’AZU BABANGIDAALIYU (Madam Chief Servant).


___________________________________________
27. OGUN STATE


Olufunsho Amosun of Ogun State



Stepping in style.




Aged 46 years, OLUFUNSHO AMOSUN is the dazzling wife of cap-wearing Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.



__________________________________________
28. ONDO STATE



The Iroko behind the Iroko.








Mrs. OLUKEMI MIMIKO is the real iroko behind the Iroko (as her husband, Governor Olusegun Mimiko is called). She studied French.


___________________________________________

29. OSUN STATE


Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is married to ALHAJA SHERIFAT AREGBESOLA. A stickler for ankara and a passionate lover of eba (made from cassava), she is an epitome of simplicity. Her quotes:


Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola




‘Look, let me tell you, there are things you have to do whether you like it or not. Between him and God, he had promised Allah that if the tribunal declared him winner, he would go to Makkah in Saudi Arabia for thanksgiving which he did.‘





‘I still do the cooking, and take his food to the office after


cooking.’

Looking nice.




‘Hardly do you see him get sick or use ordinary Panadol. He doesn’t take any self-medication.‘


‘My children don’t go to parties and if they want to attend a


party, I must know the type of party they want to attend.


They must not sleep outside; even if they visit my own


family, they‘ll have to come back home that night.’




‘If he decides to marry another wife, honestly I’m fine with


his decision. What else do I ask for from a man that is


upright and truthful? I have known him to be a very


trustworthy man. If he says no, his no is no; so also his yes is


yes, and people know him for that. If he likes you, honestly


he will like everybody in your family. He does not womanize;


he does not drink alcohol. During our courtship days, he


would ask if I would be coming the next day and my reply


would be ‘No, I’m not coming, I will be in my house’. The


next day, I would go to his place without notifying him, just


to check whether he had another girlfriend but what I found


out was a man locking himself in the room reading books.


And for all these years of marriage, if the man is with you, he


doesn’t womanize, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t beat you, he


takes good care of you and your family, so what else do you


need as a woman? I will just ask him what I have done; if he


says nothing, I just want another wife, I will urge him to


follow the guidelines of Islam in doing that.’



___________________________________________
30. OYO STATE


Born on the 5th of April, 1959, Mrs. FLORENCE AJIMOBI is

the wife of the ever-smiling Oyo State Governor, Abiola

Ajimobi.






She is of the popular Hajaig family from Lebanon and is into

fashion designing in addition to running the family business.





She is a mother of five: Ajijola, Abolaji, Abisola, Abimbolaand Ajibola (so many hhhaaaass….lol!)



___________________________________________
31. PLATEAU STATE







NGO TALATU JANG is the woman of Air Commodore (rtd)Jonah Jang’s heart. A nurse, she is from the Jaba tribe fromKaduna State


___________________________________________

32. RIVERS STATE



Dame (yes na, another dame!) JUDITH AMAECHI was born on the 24th of December, 1970.



An old girl of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Abuloma, she is the wife of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.





She is a mother of three.

_________________________________________________________________________________

33. SOKOTO STATE

Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (I just lost 16 of my teeth!) has two wives and they are both full-time housewives, gaskiya! The two women actually do not parade themselves as first ladies. What first ladies do in other states is handled by the Commissioner for Women Affairs in Sokoto State. That sounds very cool, isn’t it?

The Governor guards them jealously and hey are very rarely seen in public (so forget the pictures joor!). In fact, they stay mainly in Wamakko which is their husband’s hometown instead of Sokoto, the state capital. Northern first ladies are an amazing breed indeed!


___________________________________________

34. TARABA STATE

Hajia HAUWA DANBABA SUNTAI is the wife of the pharmacist governor of Taraba State. At a point, she travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with the wives of the 16 local governmen chairmen, assistants and friends. Don’t ask me what they went to do there Once again, I couldn’t lay my hands on her picture. I will keep hunting and once I find it, Iyaniwura’s Blog (http://betterlife777..com/) is the first place you will see it. That’s a promise!



___________________________________________
35. YOBE STATE

Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State is a polygamist buthe lost one of his wives, Hajia ZAINAB GEIDAM in 2011 inAbuja. May her soul rest in peace. That’s the bit I could getfrom Damaturu.



___________________________________________
36. ZAMFARA STATE

Of all the states, I must confess that Zamfara was the mostdifficult and obscure as far as First Ladies are concerned.Even getting info on the Governor (Abdulazeez AbubakarYari) was enough trouble. Right now, I cannot ascertain the

number, not to talk of the pictures of his wives.



NOTE: The first lady of Kaduna state has changed though because of the demise of her husband in a plane crash.


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Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Monday explained why the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Charles Airhiavbere cannot challenge his educational qualification.

Oshiomhole said Airhiavbere lost the opportunity to do because it is not contained as a ground in his (Airhiavbere) petition against his victory.

Since he did not specifically raise the issue, the governor said the apex court should not allow the petitioner to ambush him by raising the issue in his argument.

Oshiomhole spoke through his legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) at the hearing of his appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Benin, Edo, which ordered fresh hearing of Airhiavbere’s petition.

On the governor’s legal team are Ricky Tarfa (SAN), Niyi Akintola (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN).

Adopting his written address, Olanipekun said there was no basis for the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

According to him, the petitioner grounded his petition on corrupt practice and none compliance with the Electoral Act 2010, but not on Oshiomhole’s non qualification.

Besides, he berated the petitioner/respondent for asking the tribunal to declare him as the winner of the election after claiming that the election was invalid.

He wondered why Airhiavbere wants to benefit from an exercise he claimed was fraudulent.

Olanipekun pointed out that the Respondent is challenging results in only five of the 18 local governments.
Responding, counsel to Airhiavbere, Chief Efe Akpofure (SAN) asked the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court.

Nation

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Nigerians celebrated the new year with curious optimism inspite of repeated assurances that subsidy will not be withdrawn by the federal government in the new year but.for an administration renowned for its double standard, January 1, 2013, brought memories of President Goodluck Jonathan’s new year gift to Nigerians in 2012 – the partial removal of fuel subsidy.

The occupy Nigeria protest, took centre stage at about this time last year as Nigerians took to the streets to protest the hike in pump price of fuel from N65 to over N141 before it was reduced after negotiation between the organised labour and the federal government to N97. The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, as an interventionist committee to manage the proceeds from fuel subsidy removal. It is now officially the latest addition to the ever increasing conduit pipes employed to fritter away public funds and a perpetration of the legacy of failed promises that Nigerians have become accustomed to.

Lamentably, the Jonathan administration has demonstrated with the SURE-P that proceeds from total withdrawal of subsidy at any point in time will translate to nothingness to Nigerians. The Christopher Kolade-led committee has been very busy duplicating projects and defrauding the nation by making double payments for projects already embarked upon and financed by the various ministries and agencies amid other frivolous reasons the committee chairman outlined for expending billions of its budget.

During the Obasanjo tenure, billions were paid to the Paris Club as debt relief facilitated by the present Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She and her economic team told Nigerians at that time that settling its huge debt will mean freeing up much needed fund in subsequent years which will translate to prosperity for Nigerians in the long run, but it turned out to be just another utopian ambition of the Nigerian government past and present.

Echoes of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the General Ibrahim Babangida military junta resonates the SURE-P of the Jonathan government. SAP’s high hope of an improved social service, infrastructure and human resource development were dashed. Till this day, those promises never came to fruition.. .

The Refineries are part of the grand fraud perpetrated and perpetuated by the Jonathan government. The proposed $1.6billion as announced by Minister of Petroleum Denziani Alison-Madueke to be spent on Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) on the moribund refineries is just another indication of the perfidy and insincerity in the oil industry. This is in addition to the colossal funds injected since 1997 that have left the refineries in worse state. The Idika Kalu National Refineries Special Task Force recommendation that the government dispense with refineries in 18months should immediately be implemented

General Sani Abacha, awarded a major contract valued at $215 million in 1997 for Kaduna refinery. In 1998, the Abdulsalami Abubakar administration set aside $92million for the refineries without achieving any result. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo frittered about $350million on rehabilitation of refineries and pipelines. The absurd injection of billions continued in 2007 when $54million was doled out for TAM of the Kaduna refinery. The rot in the oil sector can’t get any messier as it is not rocket science for the Jonathan government to comprehend that these refineries are a waste of tax payers money.

The world over, refineries are constantly changing hands with private sector partnership. The Nigeria government with its awful antecedents of managing its establishments should not have any business with the day-to-day management of refineries. They should inject funds into it and make it viable for private investors takeover.

It is a ruse the theory the government peddles around that the price of petroleum products will remain high except the sector is deregulated by removal of subsidy. The likes of Singapore, India and some other countries without oil deposit import about 70% of their crude oil, they refine sufficiently, petroleum products for use locally and even more for export to other countries like Nigeria.

For the foreseeable future, government must forget about total removal of fuel subsidy after all most OPEC countries still subsidise fuel prices. It should rather channel its effort to prosecute those indicted by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc committee on fuel subsidy and whoever found guilty, must return his share of the stolen billions in subsidy loot. Rather than spend N251billion on the repair of three refineries in the country as the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Alison-Madueke, recently intimated the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), brand new refineries running at full capacity, working alongside some proposed modular refineries is the way forward to ensure sufficiency in local refining of petrol. It is only when these are on ground that the government can revisit the TAM for the near obsolete refineries on ground.

In 2013 and beyond Nigerians must resist every attempt to remove the partial fuel subsidy, a policy that the President and his aides have long ago, made up their minds to withdraw, he only seem to be buying time before he completes the last lap of his systematic removal of the other half of what remains today as subsidy. Sadly, the Jonathan government is perturbed by the subsidy rather than the corruption in the scheme and other sectors of the economy and his only solution to the sleaze is to completely remove subsidy.

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Police escort dies

Benue lawmaker slumps, dies

The convoy of Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Lawal Jimoh, was on Monday involved in a ghastly motor accident, killing a police escort instantly.

Just last week, the state governor, Idris Wada, had an auto crash which claimed the life of his Aide- de- Camp, Idris Mohammed.

The Speaker was said to be travelling to his Okene home town when a heavy duty truck ran into his escort van at Osara along Okene road.

While the Speaker’s vehicle along with others were not affected by the accident, a police corporal Lamidi Akeem, who was in the affected escort car died on Thursday at the hospital.

The Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Austin Akubo, confirmed the report and said the Speaker’s vehicle was not affected.

Meanwhile, Benue State was on Thursday thrown into mourning following the death of a former member of the state House of Assembly, Msen Sarwuan.

The lawmaker’s sudden death shocked the people of the state as many of them wept profusely on hearing the news of his demise.

Sarwuan slumped and died during early morning exercise in Makurdi, the state capital.

A member of the family, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, confirmed that the deceased, who was a one- time caretaker chairman of Buruku local government council, slumped and died during a “keep fit” exercise.

The family in a statement described the lawmaker’s death as shocking, saying he did not develop any sign of illness.


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Senator Francis Okpozo has described as senseless and greedy, the appointment of Chief Tony Anenih as chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and called on Chief Anenih and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to quit politics for the younger generation.

Okpozo, who accused the duo of distracting President Goodluck Jonathan with their political activities and what he described as “selfish interests,” lamented that despite calls in some quarters that they should allow the younger generation take over the leadership of the nation, “they have continued to stay put and manipulate the system.


File photo: Obasanjo and President Jonathan at a PDP convention.

“If Obasanjo and Anenih, who have been in the politics of this nation for long, are still coming today to take over from these small boys, who are supposed to take charge politically today, it means they are not serious. The only meaning that can be attached to their action is selfishness, greed, and it is time for them to quit politics because of their age.

“They have made money, they have tasted power, they are old now like me, they have children, they have so many investments. Why are they not contented and leave politics for the younger generations? Greed destroys a man and I advise both of them to stay clear from President Jonathan. They should not play politics with Jonathan.”

On the 2015 presidency, Senator Okpozo insisted that President Jonathan has the constitutional right to seek re-election, warning, however that “before he does that, he must pacify the people of the South South, who supported him during the election.”



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Senator Francis Okpozo has described as senseless and greedy, the appointment of Chief Tony Anenih as chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and called on Chief Anenih and former President Olusegun Obasanjo to quit politics for the younger generation.

Okpozo, who accused the duo of distracting President Goodluck Jonathan with their political activities and what he described as “selfish interests,” lamented that despite calls in some quarters that they should allow the younger generation take over the leadership of the nation, “they have continued to stay put and manipulate the system.


File photo: Obasanjo and President Jonathan at a PDP convention.

“If Obasanjo and Anenih, who have been in the politics of this nation for long, are still coming today to take over from these small boys, who are supposed to take charge politically today, it means they are not serious. The only meaning that can be attached to their action is selfishness, greed, and it is time for them to quit politics because of their age.

“They have made money, they have tasted power, they are old now like me, they have children, they have so many investments. Why are they not contented and leave politics for the younger generations? Greed destroys a man and I advise both of them to stay clear from President Jonathan. They should not play politics with Jonathan.”

On the 2015 presidency, Senator Okpozo insisted that President Jonathan has the constitutional right to seek re-election, warning, however that “before he does that, he must pacify the people of the South South, who supported him during the election.”



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New bride: Wu Ruibiao’s daughter was given four boxes of gold jewellery, a bankbook with deposits worth £2m and an impressive property portfolio

A wealthy Chinese tile magnate gave his daughter a gigantic £100million dowry that included four boxes of gold jewellery, two luxury cars, shares and several homes for her lavish wedding.

The extravagant gift included four boxes of gold jewellery, a bankbook with deposits worth £2m (20m yuan) and an impressive property portfolio.


Pictures of the generous dowry were posted online on Sunday, at the end of the ’eight-day banquet’, which took place in Cizao town, Jinjiang county, in eastern China’s Fujian province.

Wu Duanbiao, chairman of ceramics firm Fujian Wanli Group, gave his daughter’s new husband real estate including a retail store in Quanzhou, the Olympic villas and the Wanda mansion.

He also bequeathed the newlyweds 500m shares in his ceramics firm worth more than £10m (100m yuan) as well as a Porsche and a Mercedes which draped with red ribbons.

Wu, 54, also gave donations worth £1.5m (15m yuan) to two charities, according to local media reports.

The full extent his wealth is not known and company records show he only drew a salary of £12,000 last year.

His wife described the groom as ‘an outstanding young man’ saying: ‘He gets his bread from the government.

‘As parents, we certainly want our child’s life to be more stable than our lives as entrepreneurs.’
The bride is already on the board of her father’s company and reportedly masterminded a recent stock market listing in Korea.

The bridegroom, a civil servant whose surname is Xu, had known his new wife since they were classmates in kindergarten.


With these rings: Just some of the valuable jewellery included in Miss Wu’s dowryWith these rings:
Just some of the valuable jewellery included in Miss Wu’s dowry to her civil servant husband

Perfect present: The groom – a civil servant – will now be the proud owner of prime real estate including a retail store in Quanzhou, Olympic villas and the Wanda mansionPerfect present: The groom – a civil servant – will now be the proud owner of prime real estate including a retail store in Quanzhou, Olympic villas and the Wanda mansion

A spokesman for Wu’s firm, Wanli management, confirmed the endowment, but denied the wedding was to be the ‘eight day open-air banquet’ described in the internet post and said that Wu would ‘keep things simple’.

The post claimed the wedding banquet was beginning on December 28 would last eight days to entertain public guests.


Bride and joy: Miss Wu, whose father is a tile magnate, poses for the cameras. He father also gave donations worth £1.5m to two charitiesBride and joy: Miss Wu, whose father is a tile magnate, poses for the cameras. He father also gave donations worth £1.5m to two charities

Many readers of the weibo website praised Wu for donating to charities and his display of love for his daughter, according to South China Morning Post.

Bestowing expensive dowries has long been a Fujian marriage tradition, particularly in the Jinjiang and Shishi areas.

The tradition is sometimes seen as a manifestation of gender inequality in the region, because expensive dowries are supposed to ensure the bride will be treated well by her husband and in-laws
.
BETTER THAN ROBBING A BANK? THE JINJIANG DOWRY TRADITION

The practice of bestowing generous dowries has long been a Fujian marriage custom, particularly in the Jinjiang and Shishi areas.

But since China’s economic explosion has created super-wealthy upper classes, the tradition has increasingly become an important measure of a family’s importance and status.

The billionaire businessmen of Jinjiang now compete over who can amass the largest dowries.

One Hong Kong newspaper recently described marrying a girl from Jinjiang as being ‘better than robbing a bank’.

Some claim the practice is a manifestation of gender inequality, because expensive dowries are supposed to ensure the bride will be treated well by her husband and in-laws.

Of course most Chinese families cannot afford such expensive gifts and traditional dowry items include:

* Bedding such as pillows blankets and bed sheets
* New clothes for the bride presented in a suitcase
* A tea set for the wedding’s tea ceremony
* Baby items including pottys and baby bathtubs
* Two pairs of red wooden clogs, wedding slippers or bedroom slippers
* A sewing basket (with an even number of rolls of thread)
* Gold jewellery given by bride’s parents

Last month, another Jinjiang billionaire married off his daughter with a dowry worth more than 2billion yuan, following the example of Hengan International’s chairman, who paid 2.5 billion yuan

for his niece’s wedding a year ago.



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Less than 24 hours after the re-election campaign posters of President Goodluck Jonathan hit Abuja, unknown persons have vandalised the publicity materials placed in strategic locations in the Federal Capital Territory as uproar greeted the mysterious appearance of the posters.

Most of the posters in Asokoro, where influential Nigerian politicians and economic players reside, had been either defaced or removed. As at 4pm yesterday, the President’s posters around ECOWAS, AYA, Gowon Crescent and adjoining streets had been taken off and replaced with some other religious or social publicity materials.

However, a few of the President’s campaign materials displayed around the premises of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Secretariat in Wuse 5 and surrounding areas, were still intact as at press time. It was not clear who defaced or removed the posters just as no one has claimed responsibility for placing them in the first place.

Call peddlers to order, Ohanaeze, ACF urge Jonathan

This is coming as the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) urged the President to call those placing the posters to order and the Jigawa State House of Assembly asked the state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, to run for the presidency.



They are expressing their views – Presidency

However, the Presidency, yesterday, disowned the posters.

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, in an interview, said the posters did not emanate from the presidency and that the President has not authorised anybody to print any campaign poster for him as reagrds 2015 elections.

According to Abati, those pasting the posters were trying to express their own view. The President, he said, had stated that he would talk about the Presidency from 2014, adding that those doing this do not have the consent of the president.

“What is most important now is for the president to deliver on his electioneering promises to Nigerians and not embark on the pasting of posters.

“It has not come from the president. Nigerians should take the president for his word and ignore any other information to the contrary.

Asked whether the president would take measures to disuade those doing that, Abati said since the posters do not have the names of those promoting them, there was little the president could do.


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[img]http://thenationonlineng.net/new/wp-content/themes/goodnews/framework/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://thenationonlineng.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/PIC.-8.-RECUPERATING-GOV.-DANBABA-SUNTAI-IN-GERMANY.jpg&h=449&w=599&zc=1[/img]

AILING Taraba State Governor Danbaba Fulani Suntai has made his first public appearance – not physically, but in a photograph – in about 67 days.

Suntai flew the plane which crashed on October 25 near the Yola Airport.

He has been discharged from the German hospital where doctors treated him for multiple fractures, The Nation learnt yesterday.

In the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) photograph, apparently taken by an amateur, Suntai looks darker than he used to be. He is holding his baby – one of the twins his wife, Hajia Hauwa, was delivered of on December 6, also in Germany – and looking straight into the camera, his wife is holding the other.

His Excellency is dressed in a white oversize (neck) shirt under a grayish jacket. His face is expressionless; unlike those of his beaming friend and wife. Suntai’s head and chin look clean shaven.

In the photograph, which is said to have been taken in the canteen of an unnamed German hospital, the governor sits on a dark leather chair that is obviously different from the others in the canteen. In front of him is a plate of food, which looks half-eaten, a set of cutlery, cups and a salt jar.

Standing behind Suntai is a man wearing a thick black winter jacket (the type worn by security agents). His face is covered by the camera.

The reason for the release of the picture was not immediately known yesterday. It came amid the rumour that Suntai may have been permanently incapacitated.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South), a close friend of Suntai, said the birth of the twins doubled the celebration in Suntai’s home, following his discharge from hospital.

It was gathered that Suntai’s wife was expectant when the governor got involved in the crash.

Her trip to Germany to assist her husband at the hospital changed the plan for her to delivered of the babies in the United States.

With the twins, the Suntai family now has five children – four girls and a boy (one of the twins).

Bwacha said the governor was not in a hurry to return home because he wants to be fully fit.

Besides, he added, the governor has confidence in the ability of tActing Governor Garba Umar to carry on.

Some people described as Suntai’s supporters are said to be planning to visit him.


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The Federal Government has concluded plans to borrow $1.15 billion (N178 billion) for its power reforms in 2013, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said.

Mr. Maku said on Monday at a news conference that $1 billion will be secured from the African Development Bank, ADB, to finance gas supply, while another $150 million will be secured from the same bank to finance the liberalisation of the power sector

The Federal Government’s decision to go ahead with the loan is despite condemnation from economists, civil society groups and opposition parties that Nigeria’s debt was growing without any real benefit to show for it.

While talking about the achievements of the Jonathan administration, the minister also said that the current electricity generation in the country had reached 4,502 megawatts, the highest in recent times. According to him, electricity generation is expected to move up to 7,000 megawatts in 2013.

“At the moment, there is an average of about 15 to 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country. This feat was brought about through the implementation of the integrated power sector reform programme anchored on the Power Roadmap.

“This includes institutional reforms to involve the private sector in power generation, transmission and distribution,’’ he said.

Mr. Maku said under the roadmap, 10 new thermal power plants had been completed, adding that more were coming in 2013 to boost electricity supply to all parts of the country.

He said that the rehabilitation of power generation and distribution infrastructure across the nation were ongoing, as well as the Kainji Hydro power station to generate power at installed capacity. He also said the contract for the maintenance of the Shiroro-power station has been awarded.

Mr. Maku also said that new contracts had been awarded for hydro power plants inKaduna and Mambila Plateau to generate additional 750 megawatts.

“The implementation of the National Integrated Power Project is being fast-tracked to ensure stability in power supply,’’ he said.


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THE General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said that the New Year will be better than 2012, just as he said that Nigerians must pray fervently over some issues.

Pastor Adeboye added that the Federal Government must learn from past floods and major disasters witnessed in the country last year and take decisive precautions to avert a repeat, otherwise the country might be plagued with another set of major disasters.

Also, except prayers are intensified, prominent Nigerians may lose their lives just as it happened last year.

These and more were the prophecies Pastor Adeboye rolled out during the crossover service held at the Redemption Camp, Kilometre 46, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, in the wee hours of Tuesday.

In a well-attended service by prominent people like Evangelists Mike and Gloria Bamiloye, among others, Adeboye, who mounted the pulpit at few minutes past 11.00 p.m. to speak on the topic: “Preparing for Signs and Wonders” said, 2013 would however, be a year of signs and wonders and would be better than 2012.

“The prayers of some of you minimised death of prominent Nigerians in the last year, so don’t stop praying in 2012,” he noted.

Adeboye, who enjoined Christians to intensify their worship, praises, prayers and devotion unto God to access breakthroughs for this year, said concerning Nigeria that at the count of the sixth month of the year, many will say “hope rising.”

For individuals, the man of God said although there may be temporary setbacks in the lives of people, God would eliminate them and speak peace to storms in people’s lives as well as make their stars shine brighter in the New Year.

Generally, he said God said 2013 would be better than 2012 in all facets.

On the international scene, Pastor Adeboye, popularly referred to as Daddy G.O, also stated that besides major breakthrough in Medicine promised in the New Year, God told him that nations that have promulgated and governed by “unholy laws should expect a taste of God’s divine fury this year, even as he warned that weather conditions may get worse if prayers are not intensified.

According to him, intensive intercessions are needed to prevent death of prominent world leaders in office, as well as booby traps set for world famous church leaders.

“The Lord says prominent world leaders need lots of prayers so as not to die in office. He says prominent church leaders all over the world need prayers against planned scandals,” Adeboye disclosed.

The crossover service, which ended at about 2.30 a.m, saw wife of Pastor Adeboye, Folu, before the close of the previous year, leading eminent wives of senior pastors, all clad in white and green traditional attire, rendering special thanksgiving songs to God.
By: Ebenezer Adurokiya and Dele Ayeleso





2013: Volatile, rebellious year - Olukoya
By: Friday Ekeoba- Lagos


Notwithstanding the surge in violence in some parts of the country, the year 2013 has been described as one which Nigerians and even the government should approach with all known caution, as it will be full of human rebellion.

Also, the year will be inundated with mysterious happenings, disintegration and deception in high places, natural disaster and economic famine for the unrighteous and financial breakthrough for the righteous.

General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya made these remarks as part of the prophetic outlook for the year in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to him, while believers must be prayerful because of the violent nature of the year, he noted that two crucial things they must do is to pray that they should meet those whom God wants them to meet in the course of the year, and not to come across those whom God does not want them to meet.

Olukoya, who described the year as that of ‘fresh oil, and distinctive shining’ for members of the church, said 2013 is “A volatile year. Very short tempered, that is why I call it a fragile balloon. It is a dangerous year not to toy with.”

He said the year will serve as a year where there will be confusion in countries, among politicians and where organised destroyers will split and begin to destroy themselves.

Olukoya, who cautioned actors and actresses in the entertainment industry to engage in serious prayers, noted that this is necessary to avert debt and death that may ravage the industry in the year, due to some satanic covenant most of them have entered into unknowingly.

He also said, “it will be a year of horrible sinfulness; dangerous year to play with sin; unusually turbulent year; uncommon lawlessness; a year special prayers is needed in fragile areas of the world; a year of rage of waters and seas against ungodly nations and people; a year of shaking against nations that support lawlessness; unbelievable betrayers; prayers are needed to arrest civil war in many places; a year of resurgence of wickedness; uncommon destruction for the sexually pervert.”



Judgment year for politicians - TB Joshua
By: Dare Adekanmbi


General Overseer of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T.B Joshua has described 2013 as a year of judgment for politicians who rode to power on the crest of people’s support and later abandoned the same people, warning them to pray against death and sickness.

Joshua, in his prophecies for nations, continents and political leaders, said such politicians, especially those who got to power through the support of youths, would become helpless in the New Year and experience a plummet in their finances in addition to being traumatised by sicknesses, diseases and death.

This is just as he said prominent nouveau riche and famous people in the country would suffer the same fate this year.

“I am seeing great, famous, popular and rich men and politicians will become helpless in matter of sickness, disease, finances, death. One of the causes: they have failed to reward those who helped them to succeed.

“This is the year of judgment, especially for politicians who use youths to support their political ambitions without reward after winning power. Tell your neighbour: reward those who help you succeed now,” he said.

The cleric also predicted that there would be an upscale of natural disasters as well as increase in air and sea crashes, saying that those who move closer to God in the New Year would be spared the calamities.

It will not be an all gloomy outlook for the year as the cleric said those into sale of foodstuffs and practising farming would experience a boom in their businesses, adding that God had anointed these businesses to provide solution to economic depression.


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Political Blog: www.ilevbare.com

THE General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said that the New Year will be better than 2012, just as he said that Nigerians must pray fervently over some issues.

Pastor Adeboye added that the Federal Government must learn from past floods and major disasters witnessed in the country last year and take decisive precautions to avert a repeat, otherwise the country might be plagued with another set of major disasters.

Also, except prayers are intensified, prominent Nigerians may lose their lives just as it happened last year.

These and more were the prophecies Pastor Adeboye rolled out during the crossover service held at the Redemption Camp, Kilometre 46, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, in the wee hours of Tuesday.

In a well-attended service by prominent people like Evangelists Mike and Gloria Bamiloye, among others, Adeboye, who mounted the pulpit at few minutes past 11.00 p.m. to speak on the topic: “Preparing for Signs and Wonders” said, 2013 would however, be a year of signs and wonders and would be better than 2012.

“The prayers of some of you minimised death of prominent Nigerians in the last year, so don’t stop praying in 2012,” he noted.

Adeboye, who enjoined Christians to intensify their worship, praises, prayers and devotion unto God to access breakthroughs for this year, said concerning Nigeria that at the count of the sixth month of the year, many will say “hope rising.”

For individuals, the man of God said although there may be temporary setbacks in the lives of people, God would eliminate them and speak peace to storms in people’s lives as well as make their stars shine brighter in the New Year.

Generally, he said God said 2013 would be better than 2012 in all facets.

On the international scene, Pastor Adeboye, popularly referred to as Daddy G.O, also stated that besides major breakthrough in Medicine promised in the New Year, God told him that nations that have promulgated and governed by “unholy laws should expect a taste of God’s divine fury this year, even as he warned that weather conditions may get worse if prayers are not intensified.

According to him, intensive intercessions are needed to prevent death of prominent world leaders in office, as well as booby traps set for world famous church leaders.

“The Lord says prominent world leaders need lots of prayers so as not to die in office. He says prominent church leaders all over the world need prayers against planned scandals,” Adeboye disclosed.

The crossover service, which ended at about 2.30 a.m, saw wife of Pastor Adeboye, Folu, before the close of the previous year, leading eminent wives of senior pastors, all clad in white and green traditional attire, rendering special thanksgiving songs to God.
By: Ebenezer Adurokiya and Dele Ayeleso




2013: Volatile, rebellious year – Olukoya
By: Friday Ekeoba- Lagos


Notwithstanding the surge in violence in some parts of the country, the year 2013 has been described as one which Nigerians and even the government should approach with all known caution, as it will be full of human rebellion.

Also, the year will be inundated with mysterious happenings, disintegration and deception in high places, natural disaster and economic famine for the unrighteous and financial breakthrough for the righteous.

General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya made these remarks as part of the prophetic outlook for the year in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to him, while believers must be prayerful because of the violent nature of the year, he noted that two crucial things they must do is to pray that they should meet those whom God wants them to meet in the course of the year, and not to come across those whom God does not want them to meet.

Olukoya, who described the year as that of ‘fresh oil, and distinctive shining’ for members of the church, said 2013 is “A volatile year. Very short tempered, that is why I call it a fragile balloon. It is a dangerous year not to toy with.”

He said the year will serve as a year where there will be confusion in countries, among politicians and where organised destroyers will split and begin to destroy themselves.

Olukoya, who cautioned actors and actresses in the entertainment industry to engage in serious prayers, noted that this is necessary to avert debt and death that may ravage the industry in the year, due to some satanic covenant most of them have entered into unknowingly.

He also said, “it will be a year of horrible sinfulness; dangerous year to play with sin; unusually turbulent year; uncommon lawlessness; a year special prayers is needed in fragile areas of the world; a year of rage of waters and seas against ungodly nations and people; a year of shaking against nations that support lawlessness; unbelievable betrayers; prayers are needed to arrest civil war in many places; a year of resurgence of wickedness; uncommon destruction for the sexually pervert.”



Judgment year for politicians – TB Joshua
By: Dare Adekanmbi


General Overseer of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T.B Joshua has described 2013 as a year of judgment for politicians who rode to power on the crest of people’s support and later abandoned the same people, warning them to pray against death and sickness.

Joshua, in his prophecies for nations, continents and political leaders, said such politicians, especially those who got to power through the support of youths, would become helpless in the New Year and experience a plummet in their finances in addition to being traumatised by sicknesses, diseases and death.

This is just as he said prominent nouveau riche and famous people in the country would suffer the same fate this year.

“I am seeing great, famous, popular and rich men and politicians will become helpless in matter of sickness, disease, finances, death. One of the causes: they have failed to reward those who helped them to succeed.

“This is the year of judgment, especially for politicians who use youths to support their political ambitions without reward after winning power. Tell your neighbour: reward those who help you succeed now,” he said.

The cleric also predicted that there would be an upscale of natural disasters as well as increase in air and sea crashes, saying that those who move closer to God in the New Year would be spared the calamities.

It will not be an all gloomy outlook for the year as the cleric said those into sale of foodstuffs and practising farming would experience a boom in their businesses, adding that God had anointed these businesses to provide solution to economic depression.


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Political Blog: www.ilevbare.com

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the Jonathan Administration of engaging in governance by deceit, saying the Administration has been overstating its achievements and making fake promises to Nigerians.

In a statement issued in Lagos today by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also slammed the President’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for making himself a purveyor of blatant lies and for having the temerity to denigrate the country’s opposition for daring to criticize a non-performing government.

It said only a government that swims in corruption and lacks self-respect and decency can pick as its spokesperson a man who has been shown to be an epitome of corruption by collecting funds for contracts that were not executed.

ACN said the government’s claim, through Dr. Okupe, that it will generate 780,000 jobs in 2013 through the ‘Young Graduate Employment Scheme’ and 5,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through SURE-P is the latest example of the administration’s lies.

”Our advice to the teeming young graduates who have no jobs is that they should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by this promise. They should remember that this same Administration promised to create 10,000 jobs in each of the 36 states through SURE-P in 2012. The year is over, and all we have now are phantom jobs and more fake promises,” the party said.

It also urged Nigerians to ensure that their generators are in good working condition, as the government’s promise of stable electricity in 2013 is as unrealistic as it is deceitful.

It drew attention to the government’s claim that it has generated an all-time high 4,500 megawatts and will increase the level to 7,000MW in 2013.
“What a celebration of tokenism! In the first instance, the government should be ashamed to tell Nigerians it has been able to generate only 4,500MW from a huge expenditure of 16 billion dollars!

”Also, no one needs a rocket scientist to know that 4,500MW cannot ensure stable electricity supply in a country of 160 million people, when South Africa, with less than a third of Nigeria’s population, generates over 40,000MW!!! There you have it, dear long-suffering Nigerians, don’t throw away your generators yet just because of an imaginary power stability promised by a government spokesman who has nothing but disdain for the truth,” ACN said.

The party also faulted the Administration’s claim that the bombings and killings in the north have decreased from January to December, calling it fabricated cold comfort and a disservice to millions of our citizens who are daily being subjected to terror attacks, while President Jonathan, now a professional mourner, resorts to endless lamentation instead of decisive action.

”Well, we are not surprised at the claim of reduced terror attacks by the Jonathan Administration. After all, the same Administration claimed that global anti-corruption body Transparency International acknowledged Nigeria’s progress in fighting corruption, when nothing like that ever happened.

”To set the record straight, 750 people have been killed in terror attacks in the north this year, a figure higher than about 570 who were killed in 2011, and not counting the latest killings in Borno and Adamawa states,” it said.

ACN advised the Jonathan Administration “to level up with Nigerians by admitting its failings and rolling up its sleeves, so to say, to reverse the ‘transmogrification’ which the President’s Transformation Agenda has become, instead of relying on a hypocritical spokesman to peddle lies to citizens who are already reeling under the failure of an impotent government.”



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Twitter: @tilevbare

Nigeria was rated the second most corrupt country in the world by the latest Gallup Poll no thanks to Denziani Alison-Madueke’s leadership of the petroleum ministry that has been shrouded in monumental corruption. According to the Ribadu report that the Presidency is now trying so hard to discredit, Nigeria’s long history of corruption in the oil sector continued with billions of dollars in signature bonuses paid by oil companies to the federation missing and to think of the list of unresolved oil scams such as the Halliburton, Siemens, Wilbros, Panalpina and A.G Daimler scandals, the Nigerian bribe takers as usual are walking scot free, mingling, wining and dining in Nigeria’s corridors of power while the United States, France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany have long punished companies and individuals involved in handing bribes to Nigerians.

From the false and jumbled dates of graduation and work experience in her CV to the arbitrary awards of crude lifting contracts to “brief case” companies, fraudulent assignment of prospective rights in five lucrative oil blocks to two barely established companies and extortion of bribes from marketers there have been calls from Nigerians for Alison Madueke’s sack or honourable resignation not because “she is guilty” but because “from the series of revelations coming from the probe, she is not innocent.” Its been one fraud after another, her continued presence in the cabinet makes a mockery of President Jonathan’s fight against corruption.

From the outset, she has always generated controversy. Needless it was to lie but she decieved Nigerians when she backdated her year of graduation from Howard University from 1992 to 1987 to connote she had work experience, giving the impression she skipped national youth service on her return to the country. She was actually 32years upon graduation in 1992 and hence the national youth service exemption rule applied to her. Obviously this must have misled Shell into giving her an appointment back then and subsequently as a minister of the federal republic of Nigeria. “What she has done is perjury. It is criminal and punishable by law and such a person is not fit to hold public office.” Said an official of NNPC at that time. She equally misled the Senate and the Nation during her ministerial appointment. It was a fraudulent representation, a criminal offence punishable by law.

As the Minister of Transport in 2007, she shed crocodile tears at the sight of the deplorable Benin-Shagamu expressway promising to rehabilitate it. It turned out to be business as usual as she payed N30.9billion to contractors between 26 and 31 December of thesame year for doing nothing as the road remained in thesame deplorable state she met it.

The Senate, in October 2009, probed the questionable spending of N300 billion naira in the transport sector, Alison-Madueke was the only serving minister among five former ministers of state and four permanent secretaries indicted and recommended for prosecution. Vanguard newspapers also reported she allegedly transferred N1.2 billion naira into the private account of a toll company without due process and in breach of concession agreement.

As the minister of mines and steel development, the moribund next newspaper investigation brought her improriety to the public for the umpteenth time, exposing her under-arm dealings with US-based jeweller Chris Aire who out of the blues boycotted due process to register and gain approval pronto for his two brief case companies to lift Nigeria’s sweet crude. As usual no charges were filed and the allegations were considered false.

A more serious allegation in 2010 was the KPMG report on the “process and forensic review” of NNPC which opened a pandora’s box of stunning verdict on every aspect of the oil industry. Regrettably, in a calculated attempt to truncate the investigation NNPC process owners’, by extension the petroleum ministry, refused to provide “supporting documents”. The KPMG report was considered inconclusive in critical areas such as issue and renewal of importation supply contracts, evaluation of petroleum products importation bids, criteria for allocation of products and volumes to importers, and prequalification of approved importers.

Another demonstration of President Jonathan Administration’s resolve to thread softly with corrupt cases and dine with a short spoon with such individuals is the poor handling of the N155billion Malabu Oil scam as Mrs Alison-Madueke continue to play hanky panky with sensitive documents needed for full scale investigation into the case by the House of Representatives committee set up to probe the oil scam. On October 4, 2012, hardly had the committee began its public hearing than it noticed the conspicuous absence of Alison-Madueke and Bello Adoke, minister of Justice. Sources privy to the investigation said “there is high-level complicity in the deal and there is therefore high-level cover up”. Investigation by the EFCC clearly established that Mr. Etete’s Malabu only served as a money laundering machine, as substantial parts of the funds was later transferred to various accounts owned by “real and artificial persons”.

An eye popping scam perpetrated under the Minister’s watchful eyes was the award of N1.1 billion naira contract to a contractor for the supply of a dive support sea-going vessel to the Federal Government-owned Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, in Delta State, which was never supplied. Top officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources were said to have conspired with a contractor in the scam .

Inspite of her numerous sins, the President deemed it appropriate to leave her in office making a mockery of his tauted fight against corruption as other ministers in the cabinet at different point in time have been eased out but the most controversial, maligned, criticised, indicted but never found guilty and beloved minister of the Presidency, Denziani Alison-Madueke has remained untouchable. Her immortality and invincibility is gobsmacking and obfuscating. It is absolutely ridiculous for President Jonathan to think Alison-Madueke remains the right choice to steer the affairs of the ministry of petroleum resources and only Jonathan thinks so.

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Since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999, Governors have been the subject of intense speculation and debate whenever they disappear from official and other public functions. As the year tails to an end, a serious call for concern is the plight of some state governors that have been missing in action for the past few months.
Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua spent most of his tenure governing Katsina state from various hospital bed in Europe, unknown to people of Katsina, till he was foisted on Nigerians by Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 as President. He lost his battle with his health in 2010. Crisis was averted when Goodluck Jonathan was eventually sworn in as acting and much later, substantive President. Two term governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion also had his own share of health challenges, which he tacitly managed and kept away from public knowledge.

Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada

Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, on friday December 28, was involved in an auto crash with his convoy when his Lexus SUV tyre burst, causing it to somersault three times into an uncompleted building by the road side. Multiple crashes ensued as other vehicles were in his motorcade.
His driver, however, escaped unhurt but the governor’s Aide-de-Camp, ASP Idris Mohammed, died instantly, while others in his motorcade sustained varying degree of injury.
Wada was quickly evacuated by his officials to Kogi Specialist Hospital in Lokoja from where he was transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja for further treatment.
The governor was returning from the annual Igala Education Summit which he declared opened at the Kogi State University in Anyigba when his convoy was involved in the crash on Lokoja-Ajaokuta Road.

Gov Sullivan Chime of Enugu State

The speculation surrounding the health of the Enugu state governor has become intense in recent weeks as officials of the state continue to vehemently refute rumours of his absence, refusing to disclose his whereabouts or state of health. News of his ailment has been misconstrued as death in some parts of the state. Former minister of state for foreign affairs Dubem Onyia had to calm frayed nerves by stating the governor is alive and kicking.
Sullivan’s last public appearance was at the meeting of South-East Governors Forum on September 9, 2012 in Enugu, since then he has been conspicuously missing in public functions. A punch investigation revealed that the governor made only 17 public appearances from a possible 111 in 2012. To underscore his frail heath, he collapsed in Nsukka in 2011, and relapsed twice in Enugu, in 2008 and 2009.”
However, an aide of the governor, who regrets the entire saga, recently told some journalists that Chime was in “a bad shape before he left the country for London. We noticed it.”
The aide explained further “for some time now, we noticed that the governor has not been his usual bubbling self. You may not easily know this because he carries himself well and hardly talks, but some of us knew that the man was down. From what we heard, he is no longer in London; he was flown to India last week because his health condition wasn’t getting better. As I speak to you right now, he is in a hospital in India.”
Concern, apprehension and anxiety can best describe the mood in Enugu, particularly Udi where Governor Chime hails from.
Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke
In November, former Federal Minister of Power and Steel now Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke had announced that he was taking time off to attend to his medical condition without disclosing the problem he had with his health.
He however wrote a letter to the state House of Assembly that he had handed over to his deputy, Efiok Cobham, so as to enable him proceed on an accumulated leave.
Reports say the governor’s health condition has to do with his kidney. Government house sources said Liyel is on life support and undergoing regular dialyses.
Similar to other ailing governors, there aides and protocol men are having a busy time deflating rumours of the governor’s deteriorating health. The pace of development has been reduced to snail’s pace as the Deputy Governor, Efiok Cobham like his counterpart in Enugu state, Sunday Onyebuchi, cannot approve more than N500, 000 for any project regardless of how pressing it is, rather attention have now been channelled to gull the people of the states.

Governor Patrick Yakowa, Kaduna State

The Governor met his untimely death on his way to Port Harcourt from Bayelsa after he attended the funeral of late Mr Tamunoobebara Douglas, the father of the Presidential adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Mr Oronto Douglas when the Nigerian Navy Augusta 109 helicopter conveying himself, the erstwhile National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi and four others, burst into flames and crashed at Okoroba village in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
They were said to have been badly burnt and only identified by the shreds of their clothes.
Yakowa has since been buried and Kaduna state has moved on with the swearing in of his deputy Mukhtar Yero as the new governor and former Peoples Democratic Party chairman in the state, Mr. Nuhu Bajoga, his deputy.

Dambaba Danfulani Suntai, Taraba State Governor

Very little has been heard of Governor Dambaba Suntai since the self-inflicted head injuries he sustained after his Cessna 208 private jet piloted by him in company of five of his aides, crashed on October 25 in Yola, capital of Adamawa State.
He initially received treatment at the Abuja National Hospital before he was eventually flown to Germany for “proper medical attention”.
A presidential delegation led by Senate President David Mark embarked on a clandestine journey to see the governor on his sick bed in Germany en route their official destination of the Vatican City to witness the consecration of Archbishop John Onaiyekan as Cardinal of the Catholic Church, disclosed that apart from the fact that he is bedridden, he could not recognize members of the delegation.
The silence on Governor Suntai’s health status is considered by many as a scheme to delay the swearing in of the deputy governor as the substantive governor despite prove beyond reasonable doubt that Suntai might not be able to fully recover from the crash to govern Taraba again.
In similar manner to the propaganda by other state governors on ‘vacation,’ the deceit and lies by media aides to the governor continued unabated without recourse to his prolonged absence from the country, This has stalled governance in Taraba as there was no official handover to his deputy to take charge of day-to-day administration of the state.
The polity of the affected states have being heated unnecessarily as a result of prolonged absence of these governors fuelled by persistent denials by their aides who are not bothered that the people they govern deserve to know the whereabouts and medical condition of their Governors.
It would be safe to conclude that a lot of them are aware of their fragile health before aspiring for political office which they thereafter shield and employ state resources to keep going. These Governors, like every other human being, can succumb to illness but it is the secrecy that it is shrouded, the leadership vacuum created and the attendant dislocation in the workings of government when they periodically break down that is a source of worry.


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blog: http://ilevbare.com
Twitter: @tilevbare

These are not the best of times to be an ordinary Nigerian citizen. Hardly a week passes these days without some half-witted douche-bag in the rulership upbraiding us for expressing dissatisfaction with the way they are running and ruining our lives. We can ignore the habitual heehawing of ribalds like Doyin Okupe, Labaran Maku, and Reuben Abati and concentrate on some of the more interesting characters in the circles of rulership. There is the archi-corrupt Diezani Alison-Madueke, who asked us to shove it with regard to our complaints about fuel subsidy before promptly jetting off to London on a medical safari at our expense. Then came the tragedy of Okoroba and insufferable presidential aides began to crawl out of the woodworks to upbraid Nigerians for asking questions. After tears, after mourning, after regrets, Nigerians began to ask those hard questions required of them by the civic imperative. Nigeria would be truly hopeless if no dissenting and dissentient voices were heard after a brazen, irresponsible privatization of the resources of the Nigerian state by a presidential aide led to the loss of the precious lives of a naval pilot, aides, and two members of the ruling class.

Okoroba has now morphed into its own afterlife of arrogant recrimination of Nigerians by woolly-headed Presidential aides and hangers-on, mostly truculent sidekicks of Oronto Douglas, the principal jamboreelizer and misuser of state resources and the current metaphor of everything that is wrong with the Nigerian presidency. Because of the continuous wetness of the geography behind his ears, Reno Omokri, the President’s Special Assistant for Facebook and Twitter, was the first to rush to town, sending his tongue on careless errands of recrimination. This young fellow, who lived in America and was exposed to the best traditions of civic questioning, has naturally forgotten that experience.

After reprimanding Nigerians for asking questions too soon, he was quick to remind us that the cavalcade of helicopters and other expensive modes of transportation to Okoroba were funded by the mourner and his family. If, down the road, Omokri ever manages to achieve the feat of getting dry behind the ears, he will have sufficient time to rue the silliness of inviting questions that are even more pertinent. With his $400,000 annual salary, President Obama is not in the league of those who could visit Nigeria and charter too many helicopters for his local commute. Nigeria is too damn expensive, way beyond Obama’s level. If he visits Nigeria and charters a harem of helicopters for a private jamboree (funeral, wedding, etc), he will face the dire prospect of returning to America to beg Senator Boehner and other obdurate Senate Republicans to approve an emergency salary increase for him. So, how much is Oronto Douglas’s annual salary that he is able to afford the orisirisi chartered air transportation scenario proposed by Omokri in his irresponsible social media outburst? Not to be outdone, one listserv Arrow, who claims to run “The Jonathan Project”, one of the numerous food-for-the-boys stunts of the Jonathan Presidency, is amok on Nigerian internet listservs, hounding patriotic citizens like Mr. Ibukunolu Alao Babajide and Dr. Valentine Ojo, while justifying the jejune and rationalizing the risible.

I do not mind the lies of these arrogant presidential aides. I mind the fact that outraged Nigerians in our community of conscience have plugged so deeply into their distraction that we are fast losing another occasion to reflect on the broader dimensions of Okoroba in terms of the tragedy’s implication for the struggle for meaning that is the Nigerian Presidency. The disgrace of Okoroba is the Jonathan Presidency – no, make that the Nigerian Presidency – writ large. Precisely because the Nigerian Presidency defines us all, we cannot abandon her meaning, the content of her character, and the stuff she’s made of to the latest group of buccaneers to hold her hostage under the chairmanship of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. I emphasize the latest crop of buccaneers to underscore the fact that the current crop of irresponsible characters emptying the Nigerian Presidency of philosophical content in Aso Rock are merely the latest arrivistes in town. They are no originators of a culture of Presidential irresponsibility that has calcified throughout our postcolonial existence into the singular identity of the Nigerian Presidency.

I am saying in essence that irresponsibility is not just about the habitual demission of individual Presidency actors from the common good and the consequent privatization and diversion of the state and her resources to service their bacchanalian proclivities in any given presidential term in the life of the Nigerian state. I am saying that this has been the only building block of the Nigerian Presidency since her inception. I am saying that what every President and his team do is to strengthen the foundation before adding their own block to the edifice of Presidential irresponsibility. I am saying that irresponsibility is the singular framework from which the quotidian practices of the Nigerian state devolve. To the extent that the Presidency is the apex body of that state, irresponsibility is statecraft in the context of Nigeria’s political agency.

Notice that I called the Presidency the apex “body” of our state. If I were talking about other responsible presidencies, say in America, France, South Africa or Ghana, I would have used the word “institution”. The culture of irresponsibility has never allowed the Nigerian presidency to develop into an institution in the real sense of that word. When, for instance, we speak of the Kennedy White House, the Carter White House, the Bush White House, the Clinton White House, the Obama White House, we know that beyond party affiliation and deep-seated political differences, all of these ‘White Houses’ are connected by their subscription to certain transcendental attributes of American self-fashioning, reducible to the philosophical core of buzzwords like “freedom”, “promise”, “values”, “enterprise”, “can-do”, and the sacrosanct “American dream”. In over two hundred years of existence, the American Presidency has evolved as the first institution of state which immediately embodies these immutable attributes of the American being. The state evolves and behaves in such a way as to project and protect these transcendental values of American-ness. And the American Presidency is an institution because these values are greater and grander than any incumbent President and his team – cabinet and aides.

Contrary to these normative attributes of responsible presidencies, the Nigerian Presidency is a transient, ephemeral embodiment of the egomaniacal idiosyncrasies of the incumbent, his cabinet, his aides, and the political jobbers and hangers-on who constitute the President’s bubble. No philosophical core, no transcendental attribute of Nigerian self-fashioning links the Obasanjo Aso Rock, the Yar’Adua Aso Rock, and the Jonathan Aso Rock in the sense in which I have sketched out what connects successive American White Houses. In the absence of an enduring deontology of responsibility, every Nigerian President and his team approaches Aso Rock not from the perspective of being custodians of the sacred, great, and grand values of the Nigerian people but as guarantors of the immediate prebendal moment of their ilk and political benefactors – even if such benefactors are convicted criminals.

Once they invest the Presidency with this narrow vision, this baser instinct, the President and his aides become greater and grander than the collective will, vision, and aspirations of the Nigerian people. From here, it is open sesame to irresponsibility as statecraft and to crass personalization of the state and her resources. From here, it’s only a matter of time before we get to Okoroba. This is not just pure theoretical talk. When a Presidency is a genuine institution, she recognizes the power and value of symbolism. Presidential symbolism devolves mainly from the personal example of the incumbent. His style, his preferments, his priorities, when collectively adopted and projected by his team, become symbolic expressions of the character of the state. What sort of symbolism have President Jonathan and his team been sending out to the Nigerian people?

The answer is simple. It is the symbolism of galling irresponsibility. You wonder in whose brain the idea of a new Presidential banquet hall – with the attendant metaphors or gorging and bacchanals amidst and impoverished populace – germinated and how a President could have approved such an irresponsible project at this material time; you wonder in whose brain the idea of a brand new N16 billion mansion for the Vice President germinated and how a President could have approved such an irresponsible project at this material time; you wonder how a president comfortably lives with the idea of his weekly Federal Executive Council meetings being a “contract bazaar” (apologies to Sonala Olumhense) where mind-boggling contracts are irresponsibly parceled out to cronies week after week; you wonder what message, what symbolism the Vice President imagines he is putting out there when he marries off two daughters and allows flat screen television sets and laptops to be distributed as souvenirs to wedding guests.

Only yesterday, jamboree weddings of President Yar’Adua’s daughters were the talk of the town. Where are they today? Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher. Is Vice President Namadi Sambo aware of the transience of these things? Is he aware of the message of crass and repugnant materialism he is sending to our youth? Does he know that his wedding guests are the same people who were all groveling before Turai Yar’Adua at her daughters’ weddings but will not even greet the same Turai today? Does he know that these same wedding guests will consign those TV sets and laptops to the dustbin whenever they rush to the embrace of the next President and his Vice President? Does he remember that Ojo Maduekwe, an avowed Yar’Adua loyalist who, one could have sworn, would plead to be buried with his principal as the king’s horseman, was screaming and describing himself as a “little Jonathan” even before Yar’Adua’s bones had cooled down sufficiently in the grave? Does Vice President Sambo understand these things? Does he think?

This is what you get when the Presidency is no institution. It becomes a hollow bubble of baser instincts, effete materialism, and outsized egos elevated above the common good. Think of it this way: when was the last time you heard the name of any of President Obama’s immediate White House staff in the public domain? Hardly anything in French politics and culture escapes my radar. Yet, I don’t believe that I know the names of President Hollande’s immediate Elysée staff. I am not sure that any of my friends currently living in France – Yommi Oni, Tunde Biade, Dominic Okutue – can name President Holland’s immediate aides at the Elysée. At the White House, at the Elysée, the President’s aides are just regular, self-effacing civil servants toiling quietly for the people of America and France at the behest of the President. It is highly unlikely that any of them would organize a wedding or a funeral for which the American state or the French state would stand still. It is not imaginable that any of them would organize a personal jamboree that would have State Governors, Ministers, Parliamentarians, etc, abandon their duty posts for the roll call at the venue of the jamboree. And it is absolutely impossible that the resources of the American or French military would be irresponsibly diverted for private purposes because a civilian, a mere aide in the Presidency, is throwing a party. Above all, it is not imaginable that presidential aides in France and America can become overnight billionaires dragooning the state into their private affairs.

Why has this happened in Nigeria? Our presidency not being an institution is only half of the explanation. The other half of the explanation is that once the private bubble of egos is consolidated around the president, the incumbent and those within that bubble become the most powerful custodians of the prebendal system we operate. In this sort of system, even an aide in the presidency becomes the custodian and guarantor of access to the ultimate spoils of office, to be courted like a demi-god by political office holders way beyond his level. This crazy system explains why Governors, Senators, and Ministers abandoned the Nigerian state and outpaced Usain Bolt to Okoroba at the behest of a mere aide of the president. It was never about the funeral of the faithful departed. It was all about nurturing their continuous access to the Presidency-as-guarantor of prebends. Before Oronto Douglas, there were Yar’Adua’s Tanimu Yakubu and Obasanjo’s Andy Uba.

So long as we, the people, fail to sustain the struggle for a redefinition of the Presidency and a constitutional redesigning of her role – she is currently too powerful, so absurdly powerful – Aso Rock will continue to throw up irresponsible presidential houseboys with whom Governors, Ministers, and Senators will have to play footsie in order to guarantee strategic access to the cookie jar. But for the fact that it would amount to asking him to entertain Abu with Abu’s money, I would have joined the calls for Oronto Douglas to be made to cough out the cost of replacing the naval helicopter that we lost before being summarily dismissed from office. But we know that he cannot afford this from his honest salary. It will only provide him with another opportunity to send his hands on an errand into the cookie jar.

All stakeholders in Nigeria’s community of conscience have an urgent struggle at hand. I hope Pastor Tunde Bakare and the Odumakins are listening to the need to place this struggle at the forefront of the preoccupations of the SNG; I hope CACOL, Campaign for Democracy and other genuine civil society groups are listening; I hope the collective children of anger are listening and are prepared to sustain the struggle to redefine the Nigerian presidency in their social media spheres; I hope Nigeria’s progressive columnists are listening; I hope Sahara Reporters, Premium Times, the Nigerian Village Square, and Punch are all listening. They must all listen and act because this phenomenon of irresponsibility as statecraft gives us a jamboree state which profoundly insults all of us in our sovereign Nigerian-ness. The time is now to make it clear to these misbehaving boys and girls in the political class that we are no longer going to tolerate the jamboree instinct which collectively holds them hostage like cocaine addiction insofar as they privatize the Nigerian state to service that instinct.

It’s just that they have no capacity for critical thought. Otherwise, they would be able to see the holistic picture of the Nigerian state which emerges from the following scenarios. When they travel abroad – as is always the case with President Jonathan – it’s a jamboree. When one of them returns from a medical safari abroad as was the case with David Mark, they all abandon their duty posts and troop to the airport for a reception jamboree. One week, they are in Uyo for Akpabio’s 50th birthday jamboree. The following week, they mass-migrated to Kaduna for Namadi Sambo’s TV and laptop wedding jamboree. One week later, they are all in Okoroba for Oronto Douglas’s jamboree. Next week, one of them could wake up and decide to “turn the back” of his great grandfather who died just after the second World War and the same set of characters will use the resources of state to charter helicopters and private jets, abandon the work of the Nigerian people, and head out to Ibadan or Abeokuta for yet another jamboree. It is time for us to make it clear that we’ve had enough of the jamboree state that is Abuja.



theophilus@ilevbare.com
Blog: http://ilevbare.com
Twitter: @tilevbare