Author: The Nation

By Habib Aruna

Dr. Olorunnimbe Adeleke Mamora, a medical doctor, politician, patriot, humanist, one of the finest omoluabi and the current Minister of Science and Technology, just stepped on the seventh floor and has decided to roll out the drums to celebrate the day. He will not only be marking the day with family, friends and associates, he will also deservedly be launching a book, an autobiography, where he detailed his sojourn on earth in the last seven decades.

Mamora became famous when he was elected the Speaker of the Lagos State of Assembly in 1999, at the beginning of the current democratic dispensation. As the lawmaker who was elected under the Alliance for Democracy (AD), representing Kosofe Local Government, Mamora’s democratic credentials and political sagacity was easily noticeable among the party’s establishment in the state and his colleagues in the house, that it was not difficult for him to emerge as the Speaker.

It was always a delight anytime we were at the gallery watching him preside over the plenary sessions. His comportment, deep knowledge of legislative procedures and the maturity he always exhibits were topic of discussion among journalists covering the House. Besides, Mamora was always ready to throw more light on any issue of importance to the state when we (journalists) approached him, either on his way to the office, or in his office.

I became very close to him at that time and the friendship has blossomed to this very day. He sees me as an aburo before a journalist; and I see him as an egbon,  a confidant and veritable source of getting information before a politician. It was thus not a surprise when his party gave him a ticket to represent Lagos East Senatorial District at the Nigerian Senate at the end of a successful four years at the helm. Mamora went on to win the election in a landslide and he became a philosopher-king in the Upper Chamber.

At the Senate, he was very vocal in championing progressive agenda and was always in the forefront, using the legislature, to fight on issues that will improve the quality of lives of ordinary Nigerians. You can be sure that Mamora will not sit on the fence when it comes to issues of national importance or matters that bother on development and growth of the country. He was neither a passive legislator, nor one that will be absent at duty post. He gave his constituency a robust and effective representation. He was indeed, many times commended by Nigerians as one of the stars at the Upper Chamber.

It was therefore not a surprise that in 2007, he was reelected to the Senate. After resuming his seat he was appointed to committees on Upstream Petroleum Resources, Selection Committee, Health and Federal Character & Inter-Government Affairs. In a mid-term evaluation of Senators in May 2009, ThisDay newspaper noted that Mamora had sponsored bills on Tenure of Office, Surgeon-General of Nigeria and repeal and amendment of the Tobacco Control Act. He sponsored or co-sponsored motions, including one to amend Senate rule 111 to bring it into conformity with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was also aptly described as a master of parliamentary procedures by the newspaper.

Being a responsible and obedient party man, he took it in his strides and vowed to continue to support the party going forward. He was actively involved in the formation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2014 and was appointed the Deputy Director General of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential campaign. It was not until the second term of the Buhari administration that he was tapped to serve as the Minister of State in the Health Ministry. He, with the Minister, Osagie Ehanire, were very auspicious and consequential in tackling the dreaded Covid 19 epidemic. Hence, it was to their credit that the country came out of it strongly. He was elevated to his current portfolio when the cabinet was slightly reshuffled by Buhari in the wake of resignations by some of the ministers who contested the presidential primaries. 

At 70, the celebrant has every reason to be happy as a fulfilled man; he has every reason to smile as a dutiful husband to his amiable wife; he has reasons to bring out the drums because he has served Lagos State and by extension, the country diligently and with honour. Even so, he has every reason to celebrate because he’s among few Nigerians who still have their integrity intact; in a country that is increasingly short of men of honour.

 Happy birthday and many happy returns sir as you join the septuagenarian Club. I wish you more years in good health and abundant blessings in the service of your fatherland.

•Aruna, a journalist lives in Ikeja.   

Ndubuisi Enechionyia is the chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Enugu State and the candidate for the Enugu West senatorial race. In this interview, the politician speaks on the chances of his party at the polls.

As the chairman of APGA in Enugu State and its senatorial candidate for Enugu West, how do you feel about the twin roles?

I feel very privileged. They both fit into my desire to serve and try to improve the lots of our people. Moreover, my experience as chairman is part of what has prepared me for the task of representing my senatorial zone. I live with the communities and I understand and feel their pains. Moreover, my singular objective is to deliver for all APGA candidates in the race; they are all determined to reverse the deterioration in public service in the last seven and half years in Enugu State characterised by poor governance.

Enugu State has been noted for its religious observation of zoning into political offices. Is that a compliment or an apology for mediocrity?

If what you are trying to say is that we have had governors from each of the three senatorial zones; yes, we have. But has it translated to any good? Absolutely no! Governance is about capacity, vision, empathy, leadership, courage etc. It has nothing to do with where a person comes from. It is the absence of vision and leadership that has made it possible for the divide-and-rule leaders to use zoning as a strategy to give power to friends, business associates and family members.

How come your senatorial district does not abide by that power rotation arrangement?

There is no tenure for senators. As long as the people desire and vote for you, there is no legal restriction to your running. The usual clamour for change is because of poor representation, lack of vision and a skewed implementation of intervention and policy decisions. Once we have representatives who see beyond tribe, religion, community, family and friends and work towards the improvement of the whole constituency, talk about zoning will die a natural death. Some people say that was possible because PDP is the dominant party in the state.

There is a party in power from years of faulty elections. The voice of the people has never been heard. Parties dominate by good performance, which improves the lives of the governed. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu has done exactly the opposite. Primary school teachers and civil servants go on strike, pensions and gratuities are not paid, everywhere is filled with filth, insecurity is worsening, no water, roads are in disrepair, and businesses are going under due to the stress of over-taxation and broken infrastructure. It has never been this bad.

I expect Enugu to protest with their votes next month. Enough is enough.

The only time your party, the APGA, appeared very competitive in an election in Enugu was about 20 years ago. Can you rate the party’s chances this time around?

Political parties keep evolving with all the strategic and human challenges of Enugu’s peculiar anti-opposition environment. We are where we are and it is in a good place.

We have competed in the last two local council elections. Although results were pre-written and pre-determined by the state government and their electoral agency, everywhere voting took place, the people supported us. We were the only party that conducted a competitive free and fair primary in Enugu, with five candidates, who had excelled in different areas of personal endeavour.

Today, we have a former minister and former director-general of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Frank Nweke Jnr, as our governorship candidate. This is a man who has excelled in all the public positions he has held, and who has never been linked with corruption, stealing or abuse of office. He is the only person running on his track record of integrity, courage and accountability in leadership. We also have quality candidates of integrity, like me, running for other positions.

Go around; the message from the people is “enough is enough”.

The PDP has wasted 24 years of opportunities. On the street, the only area where people are talking about supporting another party outside APGA is the presidency, where a lot of young people support Peter Obi, who, by the way, is presenting a scorecard of service under APGA.

What specific legislative agenda do you intend to pursue in the Senate?

A major obvious challenge we have is insecurity. Nothing can function in an environment of insecurity. I believe in multi-level policing. While the long-term goal would be constitutional changes to enable state and community policing, we need to immediately use legislation to resource, orientate, train, equip and motivate the various policing units at play.

Our people also need to work and earn a decent living. Agriculture is the sector that will create jobs, feed the nation, drive exports and revamp the economy. We must use legislation to direct, support and encourage massive investment in commercial agriculture and the various value chains. Legislation should also direct infrastructure towards enabling and supporting agriculture.

My senatorial zone is a hub that connects all the South East states. It is also a link between the North and South of Nigeria. The right investment and policies can energise my senatorial zone into becoming a transport, warehousing, manufacturing, technology, tourism and agricultural hub. A hub can only work with free and good access. We will pursue the immediate repair and reconstruction of the Ninth Mile/Opi, Enugu/Onitsha and Enugu/PH expressways. This is a top priority because the advancement of our senatorial zone depends on it.

We will vigorously pursue an improvement of our laws to enable the death penalty for official corruption. It is an antidote for cutting the cost of governance, improving public sector expenditure performance and encouraging citizens to support government initiatives and pay taxes. For this to work, rule of law, as well as the independence and efficiency of the judiciary must be pursued. We must also pursue policies that will promote community health insurance, as well as improve our educational and youth structure.

Beyond some of these, I will be representing Enugu West. Continuous engagement with my constituents will determine the specific focus of my legislative agenda, lobbying, interventions and oversight interventions

How do you think Nigeria’s electoral system could be made more transparent and less capital-intensive?

To restore confidence in the political class, their people must see good governance to be able. We must ensure that the votes count so that the people will recognise their power to determine their representatives and their future.

Do you have the financial muscle to compete for votes with the other two big parties, the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party?

Competing for votes requires the ability to understand the people’s problems and present a plan they would buy into. Those who talk about financial muscle and structure live in the old cocoon of election riggers. Money is important, but people have also realised that the more you spend to get elected, the more difficult it is to manage the scarce resources in their interest. A man, who spends billions on billboards alone, will try and recover that money when he gets elected. Moreover, the people you mentioned in PDP and APC, where did they get the money they spend? A lot of them are wrapped in various corruption charges and spend stolen money to get elected. That vicious cycle must stop. Enough is enough

How can vote-buying be curbed?

It can be curbed through education and public enlightenment.

However, as long as the people do not see good governance and fail to restore trust in the political system, it may be difficult to curb

Are you comfortable with the Electoral Act 2022, particularly its ability to checkmate rigging?

It is what it is, and it is what we will use for the next election. The Independent National Electoral Commission needs everyone’s support to deliver on the mandate. When we resume in the next assembly, we would be looking at how to continuously improve the electoral process, so that it will be free, fair and reliable.

Does INEC’s state of preparedness give you confidence that it would deliver credible and transparent elections?

There are good and clear signs of seriousness from INEC. They require our support, sacrifice and commitment. INEC alone cannot deliver credible elections. The security agencies, the government at various levels, the political parties and the politicians must show patriotism and commit to doing what is required to deliver good elections.

Sacrifice is what is missing in our polity. If we desire good elections, we must sacrifice personal interests for national glory.

Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Alanamu Central Ward in the Ilorin West local government area of Kwara State has suspended the state secretary, Alhaji Mustapha Salman Isowo, indefinitely for alleged anti-party activities.

In a letter to the state APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, signed by the ward Chairman, Alhaji Muyideen Ikolaba, Secretary, Rafiu Onigbegi, 27 executives and elders, after their meeting on February 12, the signatories accused Isowo of  alleged factionalism and arrogance.

The ward executives urged the state APC chairman to treat the letter with all the attention it deserved.

The letter reads: “We can no longer tolerate the unruly behaviour, arrogance, and anti-party activities of Alhaji Mustapha Salman Isowo in our Ward”.

“Your honour may please be informed that since the constitution of the new executive of our great party at Ward Levels, the above-named person has constituted himself as a clog in the wheel of progress of the party in the Alanamu Central Ward.

The state secretary has refused to recognize the legally elected party executives in the Alanamu Central Ward, instead, he created a parallel executive to disrupt the smooth activities of the party and organized factional meetings outside the party secretariat at Isale Aluko. This has created enmity and disunity among members of the same political family.

The now suspended state secretary of the party formed the habit of using  his position to divert the monthly allowance meant for the Ward, and other palliative items from Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq and other party candidates without  recourse to the elected ward chairman and other Exco members.

The state secretary, in collaboration with his cohorts, mischievously compiled and submitted names of 25 persons per polling unit of the ward for KWASSIP empowerment singlehandedly in an autocratic manner.

Again, sir, the state secretary has continually incited his stooges against the elected ward chairman and other Exco members, when confronted on these disruptive activities, his response has always been that he is acting the scripts and directives of H. E, the state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

“You may please recall that the concerned stakeholders in Alanamu had visited your office to lay a complaint over these issues but he remained adamant and  same step was taken by equally sending emissary to the Ilorin West Local Government Chairman and the APC advisory council headed by Alhaji Mayaki, on the high handedness of Alhaji Mustapha Salman Isowo, all to no avail.

“To complicate issues, he intimidated the  Ilorin West Local Government APC chairman, Alhaji Sulaiman Tejidini, by directing him to sideline our dully elected  ward Chairman from all political activities.

“It is important to emphasize and pledge the unflinching loyalty of Alanamu Central Ward to APC under your able leadership as the state chairman and our dedication and  commitment to the re-election bid of our performing Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq and all our party candidates”.

Alhaji Isowo said that such allegations are common in politics.

“False allegations are not uncommon in politics. I will not be distracted by baby politics. The party Is focused on winning the forthcoming elections”, he said.

Fagbemi, described the development as a family issue which, he said, would be surmounted.

“There is nothing like that. It’s just an attempt by some people to embarrass him (Isowo). I have been discussing with them on the issue. It is a family feud and they should have allowed it to (rest). The leaders of the ward have been called and they are mending fences. There will always be squabbles among families. It’s left for that family to settle and where they will allow columnists is when it gets escalated. There is nothing like that,” he said

Prince Akintade Olayisade is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the coordinator of the Grassroots Independent Campaign Council for Tinubu/Shetima in Ekiti State. In this interview with RASAQ IBRAHIM, he speaks on the forthcoming general elections, the chances of his party and other partisan issues

Nigerians will elect President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor next week. How far have you gone with your campaign to galvanize support for the APC presidential flag bearer in Ekiti State?

The Grassroots Independent Campaign Council for Tinubu/Shetima (GICC) is another demonstration of Asiwaju’s strategic mindset. It’s entirely his initiative; it is distinct from the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), even though on the same page on all policy issues. Our mandate is to connect with the nooks and crannies of Ekiti State and sell the gospel of Asiwaju to the electorate. We have domesticated the structure in all 35 local governments and local council development areas (LCDA) in the state, with 25 volunteers each at the ward level. We have done this successfully and we are moving resources and logistics for our volunteers to commence the door-to-door campaign, code-named “Saturation”.  I have to admit that the artificial fuel and cash scarcities unleashed on us have disrupted our activities to some extent. But, in line with our principal’s “never say die spirit” we are on top of the situation and our team is re-strategizing to overcome the challenges.

But many people believe the presidential race is a four-horse race. Do you agree?

Well, to the extent. Four aspirants are the top contenders, but that is where it ends. Ever since Asiwaju emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC, despite the intrigues, betrayals and high-wire politics to deny him of the crown, he has become unstoppable. You might be interested in what gives me this quality of assurance. The answer is simple. My principal, Asiwaju is a long-distance runner, strategist par excellence and a grandmaster in the science of political networking and engineering. He has done his homework and permutations with extraordinary thoroughness. His network traverses the entire six geo-political zones and it includes even members of the opposition parties. Your question reminds me of the ignorance of the “Titanic” ship designer who said, “even God cannot sink this one”. I can tell you for free and you can take it to the bank that the only thing that can stop my principal in the coming election is God Almighty Himself. The combination of Tinubu from the Southwest with Senator Kashim Shettima from the Northeast and President Muhammadu Buhari’s influence in the Northwest is too lethal for any aspirants to handle in the coming election. By 12:00 O’clock in the afternoon of next week Saturday (February 25), we would have won hands down on the first ballot by a wide margin.        

Some observers believe that Nigerians will reject the APC on the day of the election, given the current economic hardship occasioned by the fuel scarcity and redesigning of the naira. Do you subscribe to their argument?

l commiserate with the Nigerian masses for the hardship imposed on them in the past few weeks. The truth of the matter, however, is that my principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the presidential candidate of the APC and not the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That distinction must be made whether we agree or not that the buck stops at the table of President Muhammadu Buhari. You may also recall that my principal castigated the fifth columnists that covertly imposed cash and fuel scarcity on Nigerians on the eve of the presidential election. Also, note the prompt response of the presidency to the timely intervention of Asiwaju. That is the stuff the man called Jagaban is made of. It’s also imperative to consider the global dimension of the current economic crisis. It’s not peculiar to Nigeria; most countries in Europe and America are reacting to the Russian/Ukrainian war and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most informed Nigerians are aware of these indices and also trust the prodigious capability of Asiwaju to proffer a spot-on solution to all these challenges. Contrary to your insinuation that Nigerians will reject the APC as a result of the present hardship in the country, they are more determined than ever before to elect a leader with a track record of superlative breakthroughs in previous outings that can ensure the security of lives and property, guarantee economic prosperity for both the bourgeoisie and proletariat alike.   

Tinubu’s outburst suggests that the APC is going to the poll as a divided house. Don’t you think this factor will affect his chances?

Without a doubt, the sheer desperation of the cabal and the fifth columnists in the corridor of power which Asiwaju characteristically exposed is a cause for concern. But, at the same time, there is no cause for concern. Now, let’s get down to the basics. The APC has 22 governors across the six geo-political zones; it’s safe to assume that these governors who unanimously agreed to cede the party’s ticket to Asiwaju in their enlightened self-interest will deliver their states for their party. The G5 of the PDP under Governor Nyesom Wike’s leadership will most probably pitch their tent with Asiwaju of the APC. Even if they don’t, they have already done enough damage to the PDP’s cohesiveness. It should also be noted that Tinubu’s outbursts have always been constructive in his demands; he has never disrespected the president. Asiwaju is a well-known political pugilist who has always known that power is not served ala carte; all he has done is ask for his rights when it’s being denied him. No, the APC is not divided but we are going into this election as one strong, big family and we are winning hands down.                           

In your view, what is the aim of the so-called cabal you have identified around Buhari?

The simple answer is that they know Asiwaju’s pedigree, antecedents and the massive possibilities of his presidency. These people are the real enemies of Nigeria and we should not waste much time on their motivation. Rather, we should concentrate our energy and resources on uprooting them from our national politics. The time of unmasking them will come but like Governor Nasir El- Rufai said, now is the time to defeat them. 

With what is on the ground now, don’t you see the activities of these so-called cabals as a threat to the success of your party in the election?

Of course, they are a threat, but as l said earlier, Asiwaju is a grandmaster in the art and science of both gorilla and conventional politics. I make bold to say that he is their superior in this mind game and by now they know they are dealing with their superior. In warfare, you don’t boast about your strategies but l assure you, we are on top of the game.

Some people have called for the removal of the Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele because of the naira scarcity. In your opinion, how will this development affect your chances in the election?

Removing Godwin Emefiele as Central Bank governor will be a palliative to mitigate further fiscal policy massacre and assuage the feelings of Nigerians that he has hurt their businesses. However, the real solution is in sound policy and putting a round peg in a round hole. Tinubu has the capacity for both and that’s why we should, first of all, get our PVCs ready to vote for the APC on February 25.