The politicians Nigeria needs

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s casual observation, the other day, that more than half of those in politics had no business being in it is a candid admission of the obvious degenerate quality and moral bankruptcy of political leadership in recent years. 

    Employing a trade analogy to drive home his point, the President had stated: “Politics is just like some kinds of trade. More than 50 per cent of us, who are into politics, are not supposed to be politicians. For example, in the professions of nursing and teaching, people with wicked hearts and unforgiving spirits are not the kind of people who should be nurses and teachers, but we find them there. So, most of us who are in politics are not supposed to be there, but because we have no other thing to do.”

   Though lacking in eloquence with its inappropriate analogy, this observation is largely correct.  Before now, an audacious proposal that public service aspirants should undergo psychiatric tests had been submitted by many Nigerians. “The extent of aggrandizement and gluttonous accumulation of wealth that I have observed suggests to me that some people are mentally and psychologically unsuitable for public office. We have observed people amassing public wealth to a point suggesting ‘madness’ or some form of obsessive-compulsive psychiatric disorder.” This was one of such submissions by Farida Waziri, then chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

   Devoid of any form of posturing, this in itself is an invitation to all Nigerians to reflect on the true purpose of political leadership. Like other forms of leadership positions,  political leadership is a noble call to commit oneself to the service of the common good. Being a commitment that is other-directed, it is laden with some moral demands, contrary to misconstrued views that politics is a game of numbers by means foul or fair. It demands the virtue of integrity, the freedom to exercise control over mental deception and appetitive craving, and the ability to conquer ego. Political leadership is a sacrificial service, whose reward lies in the wholesome development of the society in which the political leader or actor belongs.

   In times of crisis, such as Nigeria faces, true political leaders emerge to direct the affairs to the best possible attainment. However, given the facts of Nigeria’s contemporary history, characterised by the nation’s terrible state of decadence and of looming paralysis in the face of amazing potentialities, the political space has been populated by some of the basest characters. 

   How did Nigeria find itself in this leadership quagmire? Is it the decadent society that bred this unfortunate political leadership? Or is it the mediocre leadership at the political helm that is responsible for the pervasion of the polity? 

   If Nigerians would be circumspect enough to tickle their memories and not live in denial, they would see that the current integrity deficit has persisted since the beginning of this re-awakened democratic experience. Since 1999, the recruitment process for aspirants into political parties has been dogged by selfish mundane pursuits. The quest for quick wealth, driving everything into government being the sole repository of the nation’s wealth, the unwillingness to develop indigenous capital, inferiority complex, acute selfishness and the imperviousness to a conference of reason have conspired to throw up mediocre persons in the polity. In the continuing sequence of this entropic trend, political banditry, administrative insensitivity, moral ineptitude and graft have become the standard for collective existence, and the consequence has been a cesspool of mediocrity and ineptitude.

   Moreover, it may also be true that part of the Nigerian predicament is the unwillingness of good people to join the fray and take on the mantle of political leadership. The argument here is that good people are dissuaded from vying into political offices because, even if they win, the entrenched powers that be could upturn their victory as experience has shown. 

   If President Jonathan is to be taken seriously then, Nigeria should not  remain this way. Good people and genuinely potential Nigerian leaders must step forward and be counted. But the problem is: How can the good people get in?

  If the President is genuinely worried, as well-meaning Nigerians are, about the quality of political leadership, he must express it by ensuring the integrity of the oncoming elections in the first place. He must, with other political leaders and aspirants, demonstrate both in word and deed that election into political offices is not a do-or-die affair but a moral crusade in which the means must be noble for the end to be noble. He can also start by leading with example, by stripping elective political positions of their cultic appurtenances and useless mystification. Unfortunately, as Jonathan’s touted body language to recent happenings seems to suggest – the invidious bickering, the paralysis of governance, tackiness of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), and the cacophony of shifting political spaces, and rampant corruption on his watch – all  eyes are too fixated on 2015.

   And Nigerians have been sensitized to live their lives tailored along the dictates of this political body-clock. So, his words notwithstanding, little or nothing may change.

  If the saying, ‘a people gets the leaders it deserves’ is anything to go by, then there is need for cognitive restructuring of the masses through proper education to demand the kind of leaders they need. Even though Nigerians are all too aware of the generally woeful report of yesterday’s political leaders, as manifested by the low quality of life, they need to be adequately enlightened about the implications of their choices of political leaders. They need to keep themselves abreast of the dynamics of state affairs; that it is not enough to be imbibers or conveyors of political mantras of deceit; that they should endeavour to raise critical questions on their survival, and interrogate high-falutin and vacuous pronouncements from whatever quarters.

   To drive this home, Nigerians should draw insight from their own traditional communitarian practice of monitoring the pedigree and antecedents of public office aspirants. Taking a cue from this tradition, Nigerians should endeavour to speak out against, and denounce any aspirant from their neighbourhood or community with questionable character, or antecedents injurious to their collective well-being. The usual crowd support accorded aspirants on the basis of their affiliation to their community or neighbourhood should be critically examined this time around so that adequate judgment about the credibility and eligibility of a political aspirant could be made. In this way, the people would be participating more fruitfully in the recruitment process of their political leaders, and thereby owning the process. 

  Besides, there is need for a constitutional means to reduce and de-emphasise the monetary rewards and scandalous perquisites for public office holders which drive the current phenomenon of murderous desperation and greed. 

   This reduction of pecuniary rewards would attract people who genuinely are interested in public service, and dissuade political scavengers. Truly, the political space is not occupied only by redundant and money-hungry politicians. There are many well-meaning persons who are morally upright, politically sagacious, determined, courageous and self-sacrificing enough to transform Nigeria. These are the visionaries and change agents that Nigeria direly needs. Nigerians must seek  them out and encourage them.

   As it is in stable and progressive democracies, the power to determine quality of political leadership lies with the people. Nigerians must now choose to exercise that power for good.

2014 budget: N’Delta militants get more than military, police

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Bukola Saraki, has faulted several aspects of the 2014 Appropriation Bill, saying that the document failed to give priority to critical sectors and a blueprint for fiscal recklessness and leakages in government expenditure.

Of particular concern is the misplacement of prorities demonstrated in the allocation of N54bn to Niger Delta Militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme while the Military and Police got just N46bn in capital allocations.

He also noted the dangers of increased extra-budgetary spending and the impunity with which agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, spent public funds and serial breaches of budget implementation rules by civil servants.

Saraki, in a critical appraisal of the budget posted on his website, expressed regret that the budget process had become a mere procedural ritual designed to fulfil a legal condition rather than a scrutiny on efficient resource allocation and use for the welfare of the people.

For example, under the defence and security allocations, the lawmaker noted that N54bn was budgeted for stipends and allowances for 30,000 Niger Delta militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (N23.6bn) and Reintegration of Transformed Ex-Militants’ (N35.4bn), while the total capital budget for the Nigerian Army was N4.8bn and capital budget for the Ministry of Defence Headquarters – Army, Navy and Air Force – was N34.2bn.

“The budget proposal rewards banditry and encourages militancy at the expense of the fighting men and women of the Nigerian military,” he said.

He also noted that the budget proposals were skewed in favour of recurrent expenditure rather than capital votes

The senator, who noted instances where capital expenditures were more or less efficiently appropriated in the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development with N35.1bn allocation to capital and N31.4bn to recurrent; Water Resources, N30.6bn to capital and N7.7bn to recurrent; power, N59bn and N3.3bn to capital and recurrent expenditures respectively and a few others such as transport, works, aviation, lands and housing, added that some capital expenditure items were questionable at best.

Saraki, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, queried the proposal to purchase desktop computers for N2m each under the budget of the Ministry of Education, when the market prices to purchase a unit was N200,000. The Ministry of Works, he said, proposed to buy desktops at N1m per unit.

He described the 2014 budget process as the last opportunity for the National Assembly to rise up to its constitutional responsibility by critically looking into the Bill and ensure that avenues for fiscal recklessness were controlled.

The legislator specifically lamented low percentage of capital budget implementation even as the profile of extra-budgetary expenditures continued to rise, pointing out that the National Assembly needed to rein in public expenditure and ensure probity through budgeting and oversight.

The lawmaker listed 42 MDAs as having higher recurrent allocations than capital to include the Ministry of Interior, which is expected to spend N144.7bn in recurrent and just N6.29bn on capital; police formation and commands, N285.5bn on recurrent and N6.79bn capital; education, including UBEC, N443.9bn on recurrent and N49.5bn on capital and health, N216.4bn on recurrent and N46.3bn on capital expenditures.

According to him, “A cursory appraisal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated plans to spend money for the maintenance of plants and generators in several of our foreign missions, including the one in London, even as the headquarters would spend N201.7m for fumigation and cleaning services during the year.”

He identified some other provisions that illustrated misplaced priorities in the Appropriation Bill to include, construction of a VIP Wing at the State House Clinic at N705m while the total Capital Budget for Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital was N328m; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital proposed (N310m), NOMA Children Hospital, Sokoto (N89m) and zero capital budget for the Institute of Child Health, University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

“It is clear from the foregoing that to the formulators of the budget, the VIP Wing at the State House clinic is superior in terms of cost, priority and efficient allocation of resources to two teaching hospitals, a National Children’s Hospital and a Paediatric Research Institute combined,” Saraki said.

The former governor of Kwara State bemoaned the increasing impunity with which agencies, including the NNPC, which he said was a “paralleled government”, spent public funds without authorisation.

He, however, blamed the executive and the legislature for lapses in budget implementation, particularly the lack of right integrity assurance value it deserves.

He said: “Let’s be frank and admit that our budget process has been inadequate. And a lot of the failure of the budgets in the past cannot be completely ascribed to the executive alone. We too have a low pass mark on the budget ourselves, as we have not guarded our budget process effectively and have shielded away from vesting it with the right integrity assurance value it deserves.

“Today, we have a situation where even civil servants find no hesitation in abusing the provisions of the budget with impunity. This 2014 budget may be our last opportunity to redeem ourselves and correct this budget anomaly. If we don’t seize this opportunity and put things right soon it may begin to appear that National Assembly budget no longer matter. Why do I say so?

“In recent years we have seen a growing trend where the budget is scorned and hardly executed above 50 per cent. Take the 2012 and 2013 budgets for instance, the percentage of implementation of the 2012 and 2013 budget has continued to dwindle while the level of extra-budgetary expenditure in the system unauthorised either by the Appropriation Act or any other Act of the National Assembly has continued to rise.

“It is the duty of the National assembly to rein in public expenditure and ensure probity through budgeting and oversight. It is an open secret that the levels of public revenues expended through extra-budgetary means have continued to grow at a frightening dimension,” the lawmaker added.

Expatiating on what amounted to abuse of the budget process in the subsidy on kerosene, Saraki queried the expenditure of N700m daily on kerosene as well as the $10bn missing money, which NNPC claimed it had spent, even when there was no line item on the budget for kerosene subsidy in the 2013 budget.

“How is it that this barefaced fleecing of the country and an unapologetic violation of the budget of this magnitude continue without any response from the National Assembly?,” the lawmaker said.

Saraki described the unauthorised $10bn expenditure by the NNPC as spending of public revenue without appropriation and that the amount was far in excess of the national capital budget for the year 2014.

He added that no one would have known about the unauthorised expenditure and NNPC would not have bothered to explain if there was an enquiry over revenue shortfalls.

The ex-governor said: “Indeed, it is fair to say that what we have today is that we have two parallel government budgets, one that is authorised by the National Assembly and another running as extrabudget expenditures.

“Part of the problem in my view is the process of budgeting. Our budget process lacks thorough scrutiny and deliberation and there is no consequence for budget violation- a matter considered high crime in other countries.

“My attitude is this, if we the National Assembly, make the mistake of going into the 2014 the same way we have been doing we are doomed to fail. We must open our budget process a little further to allow for deliberation and scrutiny.”

According to him, it has now become the norm for third parties to infiltrate the budget process and inject things into the budget but it is happening and can happen again at any point of the budget process, either during passage or implementation.

He noted that a situation where an agency of government could, “without qualms and bare-facedly” claimed to spend in extrabudgetary discretion the sum of $10bn an amount far greater than the entire federal capital budget for all government agencies and programmes, including education, health, roads, aviation, power, for the year in a manner that the National Assembly has no say about, calls to question the relevance of the National Assembly in the revenue and expenditure process of our governance and more so whether the 1999 Constitution is the source of all authority in Nigeria

Saraki said while admitting that the Executive has a pivotal role to play, the Constitution recognises the danger of allowing such a very important and onerous duty to be performed only by the Executive and demanded rightfully that the National Assembly, the representative of the people, approve the budget.

 

$50m Technology City takes off in Osun

WEST Africa’s biggest ICT and phone manufacturing company, RLG, has commissioned a $50 million Technology City in Ilesha, Osun State.

  Called the “RLG/Adulawo Technology City,” the facility will be involved in the training of youths to assemble and repair various electronic devices as well as produce the items from its facility. In addition, it is expected to create over 10,000 jobs both directly and indirectly.

  Speaking at the official launch of the City, Mr. Roland Agambire, Group Chairman of RLG, noted that gone were the days where oil was the mainstay of the world economy. He pointed out that ICT was the new money spinner and the RLG/Adulawo Technology City was an ambitious project that would play a major role in the technology revolution that is sure to come to Nigeria.

  He noted that the dream of setting up such a facility was propelled  by the leadership and vision of the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, whom he stated supported the idea from the outset, especially because it has as its main goal the creation of jobs and the transfer of technology.

  He stated that although Africa is the wealthiest continent, it has not been able to maximise its potential. “RLG, as a Pan-African company, has the ambitious dream of creating wealth for African youths and leading them out of poverty through technology,” he said.

  Agambire disclosed that the company’s initial investment of $50 million was an expression of its commitment to the vision, adding that it would spend more because there was the need to expand into fabrication which would enable the facility handle more complicated electronic devices.

  He said that so far, 5,000 indigenes have been trained from RLG’s facility in Ghana but that the remaining 15,000 indigenes will be trained and equipped at the new technology city.

  While calling on everyone to see the RLG brand as Nigerian because its products will be made here in the country, he urged all to patronise the company’s products which include phones and computers in order to help create more jobs and wealth for fellow citizens.

  According to him, “RLG has the best warranty policy in the country and we are also very innovative, affordable and user-friendly.”

  Governor Aregbesola commended RLG for its decision to invest in the state and help create jobs.

  He stressed that the factory located in the Technology City will be producing mobile phones, tablets, television sets and computer systems, both desktops and laptops.

  “While in full production capacity, it will directly employ 800 people while over 15,000 indirect jobs will be created round the state through the enterprise from sales and repair points. It will impact the state’s economy through taxes, rates and levies, add to the state’s GDP, create wealth and bring development to the community where it operates.”

  Governor Aregbesola said that the City was also a demonstration of the government’s resolve to partner with the private sector through the creation of an enabling environment and providing adequate infrastructure for rapid industrialisation and job creation.

  Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Bambo Bashorun, ICT Expert and Project Director, commended the governor for keeping alive the quest to ensure the transformation of Osun through the use of ICT. He said the Technology City will become a hub that will impact positively on the ICT industry in Nigeria and by extension the whole of West Africa. 

  The RLG/Adulawo Technology City has a capacity to assemble 5,000 mobile phones, and 2,500 computers daily. It has fully equipped training centre called the RLG Institute of Technology, a Research & Development Laboratory complete with a Green Technology Bio-mass plant which will provide cooking gas for the staff quarters and generate 3KVA electricity.

Lagos begins issuance of electronic Certificate of Occupancy

 Certificates of Occupancy (e-C of O) to 55 property owners in the state.

Gov. Babatunde Fashola presented the documents to the benefi ciaries at a brief ceremony to offi cially kick-start the issuance of the e-certifi – cates. The fi rst sets of benefi – ciaries are property owners in the various government land schemes.

Presenting the documents, Fashola said that the migration from the paper title to electronic C of 0 was the state’s response to the problem of document counterfeiting.

According to him, the illegal printing of the “Yellow Paper” by some unscrupulous people has affected the reliability of the paper C of 0 as a legal title to properties in the state.

He said the new electronic title was to eliminate fraud in the system and ensure effi cient land administration in the state.

“This new electronic document is more secure as it is designed to eliminate cloning and issuance of documents that are not genuine.

“Those issued with this e-C of O can be sure they have bought land rather than law suits. The new document guarantees safety of properties,” the governor said.

Fashola said that the government would speed up the process of issuance of the new document to clear the backlog of applications.

He said those with authentic paper C of O had nothing to worry about as the old document still provided temporary legal cover on their properties.

The governor, however, stated that holders of the “Yellow paper” would soon be required to turn in their old document for the new e-C of 0.

Shedding more light on the new document, the Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Hakeem Muri- Okunola, said the issuance of the e-C of O was faster and less cumbersome.

According to the permanent secretary, applicants who fulfi l all necessary conditions will be issued the document within 45 days.

On why property owners in government land schemes were being issued the new document fi rst, Muri-Okunola said the step was purely for ease of administration.

“We are focusing on properties in government’s plans because we are just starting; very soon, we will extend it to private purchasers of land as well,’’ he said.

One of the benefi ciaries, Abimbola Akinyemi, commended the government for the initiative and noted that it would put the minds of property owners at rest.

“I feel so great getting this document and I want to commend the government for the idea.

“With this e-C of 0, property owners can now feel safe with their properties as it has eliminated the many problems with the old paper document.

“I applied online and within a short time, here I am with the document. This is unbelievable and it is really commendable,’’ she said.

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APC Offers Genuine Platform for Igbo Presidency, Says Nyerere

 Anyim Nyerere

Interview

The National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, South-east, Chief Anyim Nyerere, speaks with Onyebuchi Ezigbo on Igbo presidency, APC's in-roads in the South-east and other challenges facing the opposition party. Excerpts:

How can you rate APC’s penetration in the South-east?

APC is doing very well but we are not used to making noise. You see,God is working for us and things are working out for us naturally. This is because people over the years have not really had theirdesired expectations as it concerned the dividend of democracy and impact of good governance on the people. They are naturally yearning for this change which APC has come up with and everywhere you go people are clamouring for APC and this change. I believe that God has ordained this change at this particular time.

What do you make of the campaign spreading around the South-east that APC is not an Igbo party?

These are campaigns of calumny. We are talking about Nigeria and a party that all Nigerians belong. How do you ascribe it to one ethnic nationality? You see, such campaigns or propaganda is just designed to scare people away but they do not know the more they try it the more they attract more people to our party. Talking about being a Yoruba party or Hausa party, are there not Hausa's and Yoruba's in PDP? Look at the number of Igbos in APC.

So it is not true and there is no amount of such propaganda that will deter people from embracing this change. For the first time in this political dispensation, the Igbo are taken into the main frame of Nigerian politics sincerely, not deceitfully. They are only using the propaganda to scare people away. The APC is a national party and the Igbos are duly represented and their interests well captured.

Some people have said the continued operation of interim structure of leadership has not allowed the opportunity to fully extend its influence to the grassroots and that this is beginning to have negative impact on the party?

No! This is a process. If we are hoping to make a change, we must be ready to do something right. It is not easy to have fusion of people from diverse political background coming together as one. But APC has been able to achieve that peaceful fusion among the merging parties.

In the South East, we have been able to harmonize the state interim executive structures in all the five states. Last week in Owerri, we were able to resolve that to the glory of God. The interim executives at the states were elected and we have been directed by the national leadership to make sure that they are inaugurated before the end of December. Even before now, we had various committees working on our membership drive and this has been yielding positive results.

What is the situation in Imo State, especially the threat by the All
Progressive Grand Alliance to reclaim the state from APC? That is an illusion; people living in a dream world. We believe in free and fair election, where the wishes of the people should prevail.

It is not a matter of making noise. APC is on ground in Imo state and in other areas of the South East. You saw what happened during the Anambra governorship election, that is, if it can be called an election. The conspiracy against our party means that something is happening. There is an Igbo adage that says anyone being talked about, has something to offer.

If APC is a push-over, why then the hues and cries; why the conspiracy and gang-up? Allow it if you think they are not the party to beat in an election. As far as Imo state is concerned, APGA is living in a fool's paradise; there's no longer anything like APGA in Imo state. Party politics these days has gone beyond a family affair and people can no longer be deceived. Even the smallest boy in the street knows what he wants these days.

Based on what happened in Anambra where in spite of the acclaimed popularity of your candidate, you still lost the election. Why?

We did what we could under the circumstance in Anambra election. For
the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega to come out openly and acknowledge that what happened during the Anambra election was against their expectation and was not normal, what do you need to be told? Can the abnormalities in Anambra state produce a credible result? The answer is no. So whatever you are seeing in Anambra cannot be taken as a victory for anyone because the umpire, that is INEC has come out openly to tell Nigerians that there were fraudulent practices and abnormalities in the Anambra election.

Having said that, how can Nigerians accept that there was an election in Anambra? This was why APC was calling for its total cancellation. We as a party has told Nigerians and the world that we do not accept the election conducted in Anambra state and we have gone a step further to go to the court to pursue our case which we believe is the final hope for justice.

We have also tried to challenge what happened in Anambra state by carrying our protest march to the INEC office. We warned that if what was experimented in Delta and Anambra states is what they want to try in 2015, that they should better have a rethink, because once beaten, twice shy. It will never succeed. Nigerians will never accept it, not even APC.

Your constitution stipulates a timeframe for the interim executives and some people have already started to agitate that the interim leadership has over-stayed its welcome; what would you say to that?

There is no breach against the constitution but the period of the interim structure will soon elapse. What the interim leadership is doing right now is to prepare ground for the substantive leadership.

After the membership registration exercise, we are going to organize congresses and then the national convention. By God's grace before the end of the first quarter of 2014, we would have had our national convention. We are in the process now and have started mobilizing for the membership registration.

Do you think that the APC can offer an opportunity for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction?

Why not? The Igbo people are eminently qualified to do so and I do not think anything can stop them from aspiring to be President. The Igbo people are Nigerians and constitutionally entitled to do so. In looking at it, one of the best things that could happen to this nation is to have a president of Igbo extraction. If that happens, you will see a change, the desired change in the polity.

But isn’t there any sign of interest or movements towards the direction of having an Igbo politician declare for presidency ahead of 2015?

You know the ban on politics has not yet been lifted, so nobody will come out openly now to campaign. We have had people making a case for Igbo presidency, even the Ohaneze and other well-meaning Nigerians outside of the Igbo race, like the former governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa have been quoted as having said that the best thing that could happen to the country is have Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. We have so many Igbo sons and daughters who are yearning for the right time to come out and declare their interest and aspiration in the presidential contest.

APC has been making in-roads in the North, South-west and even South-south and recently five governors left PDP to join APC but none of them are from the South-east, is it not a sign that the party has not gained acceptance in your area?

As the days go by, most of our political leaders in the South-east will soon begin declaring for the APC. Former top members of the PDP are now in APC while some other from other parties are resigning and joining our party. Our doors are open to welcome new members who want to join us. Most of them have declared interest that they would come and register with APC. You know it is a continuous process. As far as we know, the entire South East is for APC.

What is your political ambition in 2015 and beyond?

People sometimes try to shy away from realities. I come from Abia State where there is a dire need for proactive leadership because over the years what we have had in Abia is better imagined than disclosed.

So who says Nyerere cannot come out? I offer myself for a service that will emancipate the people of Abia state come 2015. The Bible said if you know what to do and you fail to do it, then it is sin. I have what
it takes to make my State better and I will not hesitate to present myself to offer such service to the people of Abia state.

What are some of the things you will be offering the Abia people which the present PDP administration has failed to do?

Education is something that every Abia person should have access to and money should not be a hindrance. If I get to the helm of affairs in Abia state, I will look at what the state of things are and see how to approach the problem of education. But one thing that is paramount is that every Abia child should have the privilege to go to school comfortably without having to drop out of school because of money. It will be fashioned in a way that Abia people will be happy with our education system. If we will be in a position to offer a holistic free education from primary to tertiary level, we will not stop at doing that. We would do something to ensure that Abia people will go to school without tears.

Mu’azu Says Automatic Ticket is Undemocratic

 Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu

By Muhammad Bello

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has ruled out the possibility of handing automatic tickets to the party’s members in the House of Representatives.
Mu’azu was reacting to a request by the House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande, at a PDP caucus meeting with the lawmakers on Tuesday, where he described automatic ticket as undemocratic.

Adeola-Akande, in an address at the meeting, had said the issue of automatic ticket was part of the promise made to the legislators by the executive arm of government, which it did not fulfill, thereby leading to a frosty relationship between the lawmakers and the party.
But responding, Mu’azu said: “Automatic tickets are given by parties that are undemocratic; we have a democratic process and we will go through that. Those that deserved it will surely be there.”

When reminded about the earlier promise made by the immediate past National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, that PDP members in the National Assembly would get automatic tickets, the party chair said: “I have no knowledge of what you are telling me.”

On whether the leadership of the party was jittery over the loss of PDP majority in the House,  Mu’azu said: “Does any of us, the speaker,   the governors or I look panicky, if I may ask?”

The meeting, which Mu’azu chaired, was also attended by the House Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; his deputy, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Ramalan Yero; Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Saidu Nasamu Dankigari; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio and Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema.

Others governors in attendance were  Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Theodore Orji (Abia), Babangida Aliyu (Niger),  Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), who is from Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi (Anambra) and acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar.
Also, deputy governors of Kogi and Jigawa States represented their principals.

Babangida Denies Writing Jonathan

  Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida

By Aisha Wakaso

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has denied media report that he, like former President General Olusegun Obasanjo, has written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on the state of the nation.

Babangida, in a statement yesterday by Mr.  Kassim Afegbua, denied the report, which he described as “outright blackmail journalism and a sad commentary on the journalism practice.”
In the statement given to THISDAY in Minna, Niger State, Babangida denied issuing any statement titled: “Your aides are misleading you; IBB warns Jonathan,” published in an online publication.

“To state the least, this is outright blackmail journalism and a sad commentary on journalism practice; a profession that I hold dear to my heart.
“Let me also state without mincing words that I did not issue the said statement that is flying around the social media on behalf of IBB,”  the statement added.
Afegbua also stated that   Babangida did not authorise anyone to write the statement, adding that since he left to be the Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Babangida had not officially appointed a spokesman.

He said: “I declare with all the emphasis at my disposal that General IBB did not authorise anyone to issue any statement on his behalf let alone crediting same odious statement to me; Prince Kassim Afegbua. Even though General IBB has not officially appointed a media spokesman since I left, my acceptance of the offer of special adviser by my governor automatically removes me from being General IBB’s spokesman, a position I so cherished and a personality I so admire.

“It is, therefore, bad journalism for one obscure, good-for-nothing, unprofessional platform such as the Global Villa Extra, to fabricate a statement and credit same to me, not only to mislead the public but cause disaffection amongst the personalities involved.”

He explained that it was not in Babangida’s character to take up issues with leaders in such a pedestrian manner as reflected in the so-called statement credited to him.
“This rebuttal becomes instructive to put the records straight and disabuse the minds of our numerous followers, friends and associates who may come across this statement in one way or the other,”  he added.

According to him, ‘When  I called the local mobile telephone number of the online publication: 08165076156, no one answered my several calls. In fact, the receiver from the other end was cutting my calls. When I called the international number, 00912407041545, a receiver from the other end who refused to disclose his name, expressed shock at my declaration. He did promise to instruct his co-conspirators to remove the tissue of concocted lies from their site. As at the time of writing this rebuttal, he has not done so.”

Why I’m Angry With Niger-Delta Situation—Omotola

Last Updated: 2 days ago

The Niger-Delta region has largely remained under-developed despite being the air that Nigeria breathes. The country hugely depends on the oil being extracted from the region, but it is alarming that the area lacks some basic amenities it should not have been deprived of. This was the reason some aggrieved youths in the area took arms against the country and demanded that it controls its resources. This has been kicked against, especially by the people of the Northern region, who insist that the crude oil from the region belongs to all Nigerians. The administration of the late president Umar Yar’Adua successfully launched an amnesty programme, where militants in the region were lured to drop their arms to embrace peace. Government has also tried to develop the Niger-Delta region to make life bearable for the inhabitants of the place. For star actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, who also comes from the region, Ondo State, her publicised fight for the region was applauded few years ago. As a UN ambassador as well as that of Amnesty International, she felt she could use her influence to tackle the problem and bring smiles to the faces of the people of the area. One cannot easily forget how she took on Shell Petroleum, which is seen to be contributing to the pollution in the Niger-Delta region. Speaking with CNN some days ago, Omotola explained why she was angry with the whole situation back then. She said that she felt hurt, when she was shooting a film in the area, which also revolves around the struggle. According to her, “It’s very sad. You need to go to the Niger-Delta Region to know what the people are are going through. You then begin to ask yourself that why is there no one helping these people? If you go there today, most of the locals do not have jobs because they are basically fishermen. Most of the women work in the field and the world is silent. “I shot a movie there recently about the Niger-Delta situation called ‘Up Creek’ and I wept, when I was shooting the movie. I know why these people are angry and to say the truth, I am really and truly angry (with the situation of things there).” I Am Not Ready For Marriage Now—Halima Abubakar Last Updated: 2 minutes ago Marriage in Africa, especially in Nigeria, is one institution that is regarded as something one must go into and it is a sign of responsibility. It is common for parents to start getting worried when their children of marriageable age are still single. Parents however, put little pressure on men until they reach the age of 40, but that is not the case with women, who are put under intense pressure if they are still single at 30. At that stage, their mothers would go about seeking spiritual help for their daughters so that she could settle down in time. Despite this, it is surprising that most Nigerian female celebrities don’t get married in time. In some instances, they cross age 30 before settling down with men they could call their own. The reason is not far-fetched; most men are scared of approaching these women because of their celebrity status. While some men get intimidated by their status, others cannot just stand the numerous negative stories, especially sex scandals, written about them. The likes of Tiwa Savage, Funke Akindele, just to mention, were above 30 years of age before they got married, while the likes of Rita Dominic, Genevieve Nnaji and others, who are also above 30 years of age, are still single. Sultry Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar is another person that has reached marriageable age and has not settled down with a man. Some of her fans have wondered why she has not yet picked a man she would live with for the rest of her life. Speaking in a recent interview, the Kogi State-born make-believe star disclosed that her parents are not putting any pressure on her to get married, and that no one could put her under any pressure to go into marriage. According to the lady, who is also a farmer, “I don’t know why people always seem to be putting pressure on others to get married. When the marriage doesn’t work out, they will be the first to criticize you. My parents are not pressurising me to get married; my family is not pressurising me to get married either. So, I don’t see why I should let anyone pressurise me into marriage.” Veteran Actress Toyin Adewale Speaks Out On Why Celebrity Marriages Do Not Last Last Updated: 15 hours ago A trend has been booming in the celebrity world especially the actresses as Nollywood there is always break up when it comes to marriage, Nollywood actress Toyin Adewale Who is a veteran of the Yoruba genre of Nollywood with a career that spans over 29 years believes that the industry does not support the break ups in marriage and speaks out about it in a recent interview, The actress who has been married for 20 years, believes that the entertainment industry shouldn't be blamed for broken marriages rather it is the actresses' inability to tolerate, forgive and be submissive to their husband that had led to frequent marriage break ups. 'Let me correct one notion. The industry does not support broken marriages. I think our ladies in the movie industry should just learn to be tolerant because marriage is all about tolerance. If you don't have that heart to overlook things, if you cannot tolerate things, if you cannot just let bygone be bygone, you cannot keep a home. I think that is the problem of our young women nowadays' Toyin Adewale who came into limelight when she starred in the movie 'Tosibe', further said that to make marriages work the actresses have to be able to forgive ,'To keep your home, you have to be prayerful, submissive and tolerant. You have to learn to forgive one another to make the marriage work', she concluded. Nse Ikpe-Etim Goes Nude In New Movie This nude picture of the Nollywood actress was believed to have been taken while on set of her new movie titled ‘Devil in Detail‘. The Ghanain movie was produced by Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Ken Attoh and will premiere in the West African country on Valentine’s day, February 14, 2014. Beyonce Spent $10Million On Lorraine Schwartz Jewelry She Wore To The Grammys Beyonce spent a whooping amount on jewelries recently and has no problems flaunting them as she took to instagram to share photos. Mother of one and wife to rapper, JayZ, reportedly accessorized with $10M worth of Lorraine Schwartz jewelry to attend the Grammy Awards last Saturday, in Los Angeles.