Towards A New And Better Nigeria (2): Obi’s ‘No Shishi’ As Political Contract

 By Pieray Awele Odor

I am an OBIdient! I cannot hide my choice or pretend about it. I have told my friends this as we discussed the man who merits to be the next president among the contestants for this highest position in Nigeria and, as Mr. Boris Johnson said, “The best job in the country”; not the best job for me though! I have also told them that what is important is why anyone supports any candidate.

*Obi

This should be the basis for discuss about who should be the next president. I chose to support Mr. Peter Obi because of his four bases for asking Nigerians to vote for him. These are “No shishi”, “Character”, “Track record” and Trust”. This is unique in Nigerian politics! Indeed it is phenomenal! In this piece, as contribution Toward a New and Better Nigeria, I shall discuss “No shishi”.

Who Says Peter Obi Is Not Adequately Prepared?

 By Tai Emeka Obasi 

One of the deep-rooted concerns of many people from the Southeast is that the zone has not really prepared adequately to wrestle power from the rest of Nigeria. Such protagonists of the debate point to MKO Abiola's style that eventually saw him changing the political history of Nigeria, which President Olusegun Obasanjo eventually benefitted from. 

*Peter Obi

Such opinions point convincingly to the fact that it took Abiola over 20 years of philanthropy and effectively proving he was a detribalised Nigerian by investing, employing and assisting Nigerians across zones, tribes and religion.  

The debate concluded that Abiola was so remarkably effective that when he contested for the presidency, he comfortably defeated a Northerner in the general election of June 12, 1993 - something thought impossible before his coming. And even that was achieved via a Muslim-Muslim ticket.  

Good arguments any reasonable mind should concede to. 

However, philanthropy is not the only way of getting prepared for the presidency of Nigeria. And any good strategist rarely repeats a trick. 

Nigeria: Mindset Of Our Politicians

By Passy Amaraegbu

The greatest minds are capable
of the greatest vices as well as
of the greatest virtues.
—Rene Descartes.

A family of five perishes in one night because their old generator caught fire at midnight and before neighbours could offer any help, the soot suffocates them. A professor of engineering dies in a general hospital due to poisoned intravenous injection he received. Famine is ravaging several villages because the indigenes can no longer engage in productive farming. The villages are now the den of robbers, kidnappers, killer herdsmen and marauders. The road network linking several villages, towns and communities have degenerated and disintegrated. Some of the roads that were repaired are also quickly being eroded systematically.

*Nigerian Politicians

No doubt, the situation in the various levels of our societal life may not always be as sordid as earlier portrayed but in some occasions it is or even worse. Our society has reached a negative tipping point. We are on the edge of the cliff and if no systematic and determined positive steps are taken by the citizens and the government, the result will be an imminent and inimical descent into catastrophe. 

Vote For Me In 2019

By Promise Adiele

This is not a treatise on campaign or a call for votes towards 2019. I am sure those who identify me as an unrelenting critic of misrule and socio-economic polarity at any level will immediately think I have inevitably joined the desperate among us who are already clamouring for votes towards 2019. No, I have no such ambition and even if I do, I lack the financial muscle to actively participate in the thorn-strewn landscape of Nigerian politics. I am not schooled in the inordinate ideologue of the current political class whose activities in recent times continue to advertise Nigeria as an exemplar of political mediocrity. For our politicians, 2019 is here upon us, no stone should be left unturned, all hands must be on deck, the electorate must be conquered and the price, the luscious nucleus of the exchequer, must be won.

Vote for me in 2019 has become a subliminal, recurring ingredient in the speech menu of expired and aspiring politicians who have started campaigning towards the 2019 general elections although INEC has not lifted the ban on political activities. The amusement in our political widening gyre has prematurely commenced, the scheming for the bounty from our land is on, the aggregation of interests, subterfuge and manipulation is in full gear.

Nigeria: The Crisis Of Buharism

By Tony Afejuku

There is no iota of doubt about it after all: we have ceaselessly experienced a crisis of Buharism since our present president, Buhari, was exalted by us into the presidency of our country.

Glaringly, diurnally it is entering our exalted consciousness and imagination that our pre-election idea or picture of him was one that exalted a man who had (and still has) an exalted impression of himself. But we must make no mistake about it. The man has elegance, but we have come to realize that this elegance that enabled some persons to call him “Mr. Integrity” possesses some veneer that is not well irriguous.

*Buhari 

Perhaps I, in my creative imagination, am deficient in my employment of language to characterize the kind of president that we have witnessed since Buharism entered our authoritative lexicon of political thought. In the present writing I am not too certain of the language to employ to depict Buharism. In fact, I am inclined to employ a language that cannot but be deader than Latin: the language called Fula of the Fulani people.

How I wish and itch in vain to speak and write Fula! Let me be uneconomical with words. I itch to understand and express Buhari’s thoughts in Fula, but how deader than Latin is Fula to me! Thus in vain and in vain will I try to understand the great man Buhari and his Fula philosophy of political governance in a democracy and republic such as ours, such as our country’s – our Nigeria’s that always we must hail. Recently I had a lengthy conversation, which spoke volumes, with an octogenarian who is based in the South West of our country.

The octogenarian is fully at breast with our president’s mind-set and the happenings in Aso Rock. Lengthy  conversation He bared and opened ad infinitum his mind on the Buhari presidency. He informed me, among other things, pertinently of how Hadza Bala Usman came on board as the current managing director of our Nigerian Ports Authority.

Buhari Is Championing Nepotism – Junaid Mohammed

 …His Relatives Dictate Aso Rock policy

*President Buhari 

Interview by Ishaya Ibrahim (Acting News Editor)

Muhammadu Buhari’s relatives are the ones dictating policy in Aso Rock for 170 million Nigerians, adding nepotism to the festering allegation of narrow mindedness levelled against the president, who critics say surrounds himself with Northerners in running national affairs.

Junaid Mohammed, radical politician and Second Republic lawmaker, named at least seven relatives of the president who are the power behind the throne in the Villa – apart from the heads of all vital security agencies who are from the from the North.
In a telephone interview from his base in Kano, Mohammed accused Buhari of giving key positions to his cousins, nephews, and in-laws, and is therefore guilty of the corruption he is trying to fight.
Mohammed, a virulent critic of former President Goodluck Jonathan, and originally a supporter of Buhari, said nepotism compromises Buhari’s ability to rule the country well, fight corruption, and deal with rogue lawmakers who pose a threat to his administration.

Junaid Mohammed 

His words: “As far as I am concerned, nothing will come by way of contention with the National Assembly (NASS) and the executive branch, because both of them have a mindset which is completely antithetical to democracy. Both the president, particularly his principal adviser, his nephew, one nonentity called Mamman Daura; then the Chief of Staff [Abba Kyari], who in fact was brought up by Mamman Daura; and the scoundrel who is the Secretary to the Government of Federation [Babachir David], including most of the incompetent ministers, are not cut out to work harmoniously in a political environment with the legislature. On the legislative side, they want to continue business as usual; that will mean impunity, blackmail, open corruption to extort money from ministries, departments and agencies of federal and state governments, because they did not come into politics to serve. They came to make money. That is the basic fact. 

"You can see why it is impossible for anybody, no matter how reasonable, to work with the National Assembly, especially the Senate, because unless you are prepared to open up the national treasury and offer it to them, there is going to be no peace between the executive branch and them. And of course, there is the unfortunate, additional bad luck of Buhari being surrounded by his own relations who are not politicians. They are not even members of the APC (All Progressives Congress) but dictate policy, especially Mamman Daura. So I can see no peace, I can see no cooperation, and God save Nigeria.”

CLICK HERE TO READ WHOLE INTERVIEW 

Femi Adesina’s Insufferable Vulgarity

*Femi Adesina

 Open Letter To Femi Adesina: Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity 

By Ogundana Michael Rotimi

Dear Mr. Femi Adesina,

I bring to you this passage from the Holy Bible: “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls- 1 Corinthians 10:12”. That is my message for you today. Meanwhile, I will try as much as I can, to keep it brief but concise, lest you call me a wailing wailer.

Sir, may I remind you that your appointment into your present position came on the 31^st May 2015, and you assumed office on the 9^th June, 2105. On the 1^st July, 2015, barely a month after your assumption of office in the President Buhari’s led administration as the special adviser on media & publicity to the president, you coined the phrase— “wailing wailers”.

Sir, if you remember vividly, that tweet and the phrase— wailing wailers, was not without condemnations from all well meaning Nigerians including myself who feel every Nigerian include those that wanted the last administration to retain power for another four years deserves the right to challenge, criticize and condemn any action or inaction of the present administration.

Government owes it to the people to explain politely to them whatsoever calls for an explanation. It is called transparency and accountability; I know that isn’t difficult for anybody grown enough to be a special assistant to the president to comprehend.

We may actually live in a society where politicians are only seen to be humble and assessable during the electioneering period and immediately after the elections are over, they return to their real self and become invisible. Eating up every word they’ve said and denying every promise they have made. But even at that, it doesn’t still justify why their spokesperson like you, should go the line of insulting those that voted their boss in power.

Few weeks ago on a live television show— Sunday Politics with Mr. Seun Okinbaloye, you called out Nigerians to go and hold vandals responsible for the blackout that has befallen the country for a while now. In your words: “If some Nigerians are crying over power outage, they should hold those people who vandalized the installations responsible”. Sir, that statement was ridiculous and insensitive, least expected from a spokesperson to the “President of Change”.

Jonatan Korsintin

By Chuks Iloegbunam  

A rich man looked at all approaches to his life and found every one of them particularly daunting. Dispirited, he exam­ined all routes from his person. Each held the dreadful promise of his extinction. He shuddered. A veteran of many of life’s excru­ciating struggles, he decided on remedial action. He, therefore, consulted oracles and diviners, sorcerers and stargazers, astrolo­gers and palm readers, mara­bouts and prophets.

At the end of his inquiries he got a distinct message from the spirit world. His problems were complicated but not impossible to surmount. He only had to abstain from sex for six straight months and his deliverance would be automatic. The man smiled. He had spent more than half his life kicking the can of sex around. He had fathered children in more places than he cared to enumerate. Surely, after an al­most endless stretch of sexual freedom, he could manage absti­nence for six month, a mere 180 days.

Fortunately, he had only one wife. Explaining the lay of the land to her posed little difficulty. As for the army of consorts, gold diggers and freeloaders who masqueraded as a part of him, they could go to blazes and burn to ashes. His wife made a useful suggestion. She said that sleep­ing in separate rooms thencefor­ward would prevent the flesh’s weakness from throwing a span­ner in the works. Given that the man was no hater of the bottle, he could come from a binge any night and, finding himself on the same bed with the wife, pounce on her. The man agreed. But he was the kind of man who liked the spectacular. Instead of a new bed in a separate room, he built the wife a duplex, tastefully fur­nished and fitted with combina­tion locks she could operate even by remote control, to thwart all intrusions.

Abstinence began in earnest, with the man blocking his phone from the calls of vixens. He got home early everyday, per­formed the prescribed rituals and hopped into bed, without giving in to the temptation of watching blue films. That could lead him to masturbation and the prohib­ited outcome of spilling semen all over. The first month passed rather quickly. All correct. The second month was even more fleeting. As for the third month, it seemed to have lasted only a fortnight. However, the fourth month came scowling. He no­ticed a kind of glow on the wife’s face that suggested a disagreeable development. But he kept quiet. When, however, he espied the wife spitting indiscriminately, he was perturbed.

“Darling, you can’t possibly be pregnant, can you?”

“Whosai? That’s as impossible as the earthbound crushing the airborne.”

“Thank heavens.”

There were many other things to thank as time went on, includ­ing the fact that no pregnancy could be permanently screened with a basket. It soon became obvious, even to the blind, that Madam was pregnant. Who­dunit?

Nigeria: An Opposition In Tatters

 

By Paul Utho

“We’re Our Own Dragons As Well As Our Own Heroes, And We Have To Rescue Ourselves From Ourselves’’ – Tom Robbins
Following the results of the 2015 general election wherein the All Progressive Congress (APC) swept the polls, Nigerians expected the opposing political parties to present a stiff opposition, challenge the APC on governance, the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people and to hold them accountable on their electoral promises.
Nine months down the line after the APC took over as the ruling party, Nigerians are yet to see any real opposition from the other political parties, except the APC opposing itself in most cases. While the APC continues in its policy somersaults, internal party wrangling and denial of campaign promises to Nigerians, the other political parties are on sabbatical and are yet to come to terms with the enormous responsibility expected of an opposition in a peculiar democracy like ours.
The main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) which had been in power for the greater part of our democratic experience seems to be the major culprit in playing the role of an opposition and meeting the expectations of millions of Nigerians who not only voted them in the last election but have continued to keep faith with the party. Instead of dusting itself off the defeat of the last election and consolidating on its recent successes in the Bayelsa gubernatorial election and Supreme Court judgments on Rivers, Akwa Ibom & Taraba State election tribunal cases, the PDP has been bedevilled with one crisis or the other.

Audu’s Death Created Strange And Novel Constitutional Scenario

By Festus Keyamo

The reported death on Sunday, November 22nd, 2015, of the APC candidate in the Kogi State Governorship elections, Prince Abubakar Audu, is extremely shocking and sad. I would like to express my condolences to the entire family of Audu and to the people of Kogi State. However, the real question agitating the minds of everybody is the legal implication regarding the inconclusive Governorship elections at the time of his demise.

 Late Prince Abubakar Audu
To state it correctly he was said to have died AFTER the announcement of the results by INEC and after INEC had declared the elections inconclusive. Admittedly, this is a strange and novel constitutional scenario. It has never happened in our constitutional history to the extent that when an election has been partially conducted (and not before or after the elections) a candidate dies. What then happens? This is a hybrid situation between what happened in the case of Atiku Abubakar/Boni Haruna in 1999 and the provision of section 33 of the Electoral Act, 2010.

In the case of Atiku Abubakar/Boni Haruna [which is now a clear constitutional provision of section 181(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)] the Supreme Court held, in effect, that “if a person duly elected as Governor dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever to be sworn in, the person elected with him as Deputy governor shall be sworn in as Governor and he shall nominate a new Deputy-Governor who shall be appointed by the Governor with the approval of a simple majority of the house of Assembly of the State”.

75 Billion Naira Peter Obi Left In Anambra: Need For Public, Televised Debate

By Valentine Obienyem

Governments borrow money whenever there is need. Mr. Peter Obi did not borrow; because he felt Anambra State needed to be stabilized first and he did it completely. If well managed, the money saved for the State in foreign currency would go a long way in sustaining the development of the State.

*Obi

Now, his predecessor, Gov Willie Obiano, thinks differently. He plans to undertake massive borrowing, and as far as I know, Mr. Obi has not, and is not attempting to stop him. Does Obi even have the capacity to do so? Rather than fulfil their heart's desires, they must first of all tell lies about the money Obi left in the treasury after his tenure as governor. They are even trying desperately to hang the cross of debt on him. Too bad!

For clarity sake, on coming to office, Obi spent his first year to complete all the contracts awarded by his predecessors. In some cases, he had to start from scratch. Obi, for example, paid over 35 billion in arrears of pension and gratuity.

Though they inflated the figures, but the point to note is that the debt they are talking about in their press conference is contract sum on projects yet to be executed. What an absurd reasoning! How can somebody, for example, say you owe 10 Naira you will use to build a house you have just conceived? This is incestuous reasoning!

As a matter of fact, during his inauguration, Gov. Obiano listed many projects he would undertake, some of which are, an airport project, three power stations, among others. He started three flyovers at the initial cost of 5 Billion Naira that was later varied to 15 Billion Naira. They diverted the money meant for the road, from Amansea to Amawbia roundabout, which Obi started, to his three flyovers. The contractor doing those flyovers is owed over 7 Billion Naira. He also started the construction of three roads to the airport simultaneously. Are these are not enough reasons to convince Anambra people on the need to borrow rather than bring Mr. Peter Obi into it?

Before Chief Willie became Governor, Obi designed the road from Umueje to Oil rig with a 100 meter bridge at the cost of 9 Billion, but characteristic of him, Willie added two other roads, including the one from Aguleri with two bridges at the cost of over 20 Billion Naira. The only major road he awarded in Anambra Central is Oba-Umuoji (Stauphanet Chapel)at the cost of 3.7 Billion Naira; in the North, Ezira-Umuomaku-Enugu-Umuonyia-Achina road (Arab Contractors) at the cost of 4.7 Billion. He did not pay mobilisation in any of the roads.

Politicians As Nigeria’s Biggest Headache

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

Now, let’s face it. Despite all the empty (and, often, very exasperating) noise about being driven by patriotism and “desire to serve my people” that usually saturates the atmosphere at each election season, a careful, conscientious search on the political terrain can only yield about less than one percent (and one is being really generous here) of aspirants motivated solely by genuine desire to improve the lives of the citizenry and make society a better place.

            Buhari, President Jonathan and the Chairman
            of PDP and APC

For the majority, the sole incentive is the golden opportunity politics offers to gain access to government coffers and cart away as much free money as one could grab before one’s tenure elapses. This is just the raw, plain truth. Indeed, it is a simple case of organized banditry and every politician in Nigeria knows that we know this.

There is, however, a very insignificant few who, although also inspired by the same primitive craving for the very unfairly lucrative political jobs, are content to just go home every month with only their usually jumbo salaries and allowances. Although, they do not find the very outrageously inflated pay packets they have allocated to themselves in the midst of widespread poverty very obscene, they are, however, able to recoil from the mad, free and fair looting that has become the distinguishing feature of political office in Nigeria. The brazenness with which the looting is perpetrated and the most revolting manner its prodigious proceeds are often flaunted before everyone underline the unmistakable impression that shameless stealing has received an official endorsement as part and parcel of governance, a kind of official culture.

What makes the matter even more egregious is that these callous looters are always able to use some tiny crumbs or the usually very reliable intoxicants, namely, ethnicity and religion, to get the same shortchanged and impoverished citizenry to rise in their defense each time there are attempts to pry into their hideous activities in office. It is only in Nigeria that this kind of thing makes sense – that someone among the populace would want to fight and even die for an unrepentant enemy of the people who has so wickedly exploited, dehumanized and grossly diminished him!

We Are Succeeding Against All Odds - Pres. Jonathan

Text of President Goodluck Jonathan's Speech Declaring his 
Intention to Run for the 2015 Presidential Elections under 
the  Platform  of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

Eagle Square, Abuja

Tuesday 11^th November, 2014

Dear Compatriots:

Four years ago, precisely September 18, 2010, I stood in this Eagle Square, to offer myself for election as the President of our beloved country on the platform of our great party; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 Seven months after that declaration, you elected me to lead this country with overwhelming support from all parts of our Nation. I remain grateful for the trust you reposed in me to lead our Nation through uncommon challenges in our march of progress as a united and democratic country.

Over the years, the Almighty God has made it possible for me to develop a bond with you and I am grateful for your support and understanding in the difficult periods we have journeyed through. 

 Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our stewardship has not been without challenges. We have had to deal with the wave of insurgency that has swept through some parts of our dear country. Only yesterday, Government Science Secondary School in Yobe State was bombed by insurgents, killing our promising young children who were seeking education to build the country and support their parents. Many Nigerians have lost their lives and property to these mindless killings. Let me crave the indulgence of all present here to stand up to observe a minutes silence in honour of these young lads who lost their lives. Clearly, this has cast a dark cloud on our Nation but we will surely win the war against terror. A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok. We will free our daughters and defeat terror.

 We are equipping the armed forces and deploying special forces to engage the terrorist and end this senseless war. We must protect our country. We must save our people. I will do everything humanly possible to end this criminal violence in our Nation. 

Jonathan Orders Removal Of Offensive Bring Back Jonathan Signs

Press Release 

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has directed that the #Bring Back Jonathan 2015 signs and banners around Abuja which he and many Nigerians find offensive and repugnant  be brought down immediately.

President Jonathan wholly shares the widely expressed view that the signs which were put up without his knowledge or approval are a highly insensitive parody of the #Bring Back Our Girls hash tag.

Nuhu Ribadu: Why I Left APC

My good friends,

I know how difficult it may be for you to come to terms with my defection to another party. But I must assure you that it's a carefully considered decision for which I do not wish to hurt anyone's feeling. I'll not embark on a needless animosity with my good friends, irrespective of political, religious, regional and ethnic affiliations.

Let me quickly make it known that I did not issue a statement disparaging APC and its members, including Governors Amaechi, Kwankwaso... These were clearly fabricated, expected backlash, by mischievous characters interested in misleading the public and drawing a picture of non-existent feuds between me and my good friends.

President Jonathan To Buhari: You Have No Moral Right To Be So Carelessly Sanctimonious

“General Buhari talks about anarchy. He needs to be reminded that President Jonathan from his humble beginnings as a Deputy Governor in Bayelsa state to date, has never in his acts, or utterances, recommended or promoted violence as a tool of political negotiation… Also, President Jonathan has never at any time ordered that any Nigerian should be kidnapped or that anyone should be crated and forcefully transported in violation of decent norms of governance. We therefore urge General Buhari to tarry a while, ponder over his own antecedents and do a reality check as to whether he has the moral right to be so carelessly sanctimonious.”   - President Jonathan

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

Don't Blame Me For Your Party's Self-Inflicted Woes 

- President Jonathan Tells Buhari

We have noted with much surprise and regret, the statement issued by General Muhammadu Buhari today in which he made some wild and totally unsustainable allegations against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

President Jonathan 

Although he tries very hard to deny it in the statement titled “Pull Nigeria Back From the Brink”, there can be no doubt that General Buhari has sadly moved away from the patriotic and statesmanlike position he recently adopted on national security, which President Jonathan publicly commended, and has now reverted to unbridled political partisanship.

There can be no other explanation or justification for the completely unwarranted and very uncharitable assault on the conduct and integrity of President Jonathan which the statement he issued today represents.