Author: The Nation

Nobody will be denied opportunity of registering or revalidating his membership of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said. He said his philosophy is that the ruling party will be better and stronger to accomodate all  and sundry.

Speaking when the appeals panel on the APC registration visited him in Government House in Ilorin, the state capital, AbdulRazaq urged old members who are yet to revalidate their membership or members of the public wanting to join the party to do so, adding that the process will continue, even after the congress.

“We are glad to have this party committee in Kwara this morning. This process is part of the process of building a stronger party. And I am glad to say that registration has been done and has been done well. It is an ongoing exercise,” the Governor told the appeals panel led by Hon. Farouk Adamu Aliyu.

“Nobody will be left behind in this registration. I am also glad to say that the total number of registered party members as of today has exceeded the number of voters in the last elections for presidential and gubernatorial. We thank our members for embracing this party.”

AbdulRazaq commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC National Caretaker Committee Chairman for the initiative, adding that the registration/revalidation would increase the numerical strength of the party and reposition it for victory in future polls.

Aliyu had earlier said the visit to the state was to appease those who felt cut off from the registration/revalidation  and to ensure that everyone is carried along.

“We are here mandated by the national headquarters as appeal committee on the registration and revalidation exercise of our great party. The national chairman insisted that Kwara state, being what it is to our dear party, should be the first port of call for us to come and interact with aggrieved persons who feel they were not allowed to register or they do not get registered,” Aliyu said.

“We met with them and the discussion was very fruitful. We appealed to them that they should come and register and assured them that this committee is set up to settle family affairs, because we are all members of the APC. We also interacted with the caretaker committee chairman who assured us that anybody willing to register will be allowed to register.”

He commended the Governor for the reception given to the appeals committee.

With the governor were Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker  Yakubu Danladi Salihu; Kwara APC caretaker chairman Hon. Abdullahi Samari; and former APC spokesman Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu.

 

By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

President Muhammadu Buhari’s associate and aspirant for All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Mallam Salihu Mustapha has said he is not intimidated by the pedigree of other aspirants who are ex-governors and senators.

Salihu said: “There was no to be worried or intimidated, the former governors also started from somewhere before getting elevated to national status.”

He stressed that the chairmanship race should not  be reduced to ‘titles and status’, but should be centred on offering good leadership. He said ‘before  they became governor, they were ordinary citizens, they were not born as governors or senators’.

The aspirant spoke with reporters in Ilorin at a programme organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kwara state council.

Said he: “The ideas and ideals that drove the founding fathers to establish the APC were not new to me and that my membership of the party was not by accident.

“Being a member of the APC has to do with ideological conviction and that I have always been a member of political parties not seen as ‘conservative.’”

He added that “APC is an ideological pathway , I  didn’t come to it by accident.”

Giving reasons for joining race, Salihu  said “I took decision to go into politics more than two decades ago,  and considering the experience garnered as deputy national chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)  which was one of the political parties that fused to become the APC, I am of a considered opinion that I still has more to offer the country  and contribute my quota to purposeful leadership in the country cognizant that political party serves as vehicle  for achieving control of government.

“I ventured into politics more than two decades ago, I was with Chief Olu Falae, I was  in APP, ANPP. I have learned the ropes I have gotten the needed experience,  I only need to be just and fair to all.”

The politician urged other aspirants not to consider it a ‘contest’ but rather an endorsement of what he represents-a generational shift that stands for a new face with fresh ideas.

“It should not be somewhat a cult thing and the media should help us to change the narratives. They should not see us as one that is recycling faces, we have opponents seeking to win people’s hearts, if the electorate can see a new face with new ideas, let us say four million people are APC members, we will need others to vote for our party, how do we enjoy their support if we do not connect with the people?

“That was why I expressed hope that my co-aspirants will not see it as a contest but rather an endorsement of what I represent,” he said.

 

President General of Okpe Union, Professor Igho Natufe, has said that restructuring will foster federalism.

‘’Our contribution to Nigerian development shall be influenced by the tenets of federalism. As a component of the Nigerian federation of ethnic nationalities, we endorse the call for restructuring the Nigerian federal system in accordance with the notion of federalism,’’ he said.

Natufe spoke at Okpe House in Lagos.

In a paper entitled Internal Cohesion and Development in Okpe Nation, he said the active participation of Okpe Union in Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination will encourage rapid development of Okpe kingdom.

Natufe added: ‘’Nigeria is a federation of ethnic nationalities. Okpe is one of the more than 350 ethnic nationalities that constitute this federation. Like all the other components of the Nigerian federation, there are opportunities and challenges that we must grapple with to move Okpe forward and firmly establish Okpe Union as a powerful voice for the Okpe Nation in the various communities of ethnic nationalities in Delta State and in Nigeria, including the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination’’.

He said: ‘’Okpe Union shall be an active participant in these organizations by promoting and defending Okpe interests as a distinct ethnic nationality. These interests shall be pursued at all fora, domestic and international, with inputs from all stakeholders in Okpeland and Okpe in the Diaspora. Towards this end, we shall establish and maintain strategic relationships with all ethnic organizations in Delta State and in Nigeria on the principles of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect of the rights of each ethnic nationality to define and determine its own socio-economic and political development’’.

The foreign policy expert hailed the contestants, elders, delegates and observers that contributed to the success of the Annual General Assembly (AGA) and National Elections of the Okpe Union.

He said: ‘’Yesterday, a new National Executive Council (NEC) was elected to guide the affairs of the Okpe Union for the next four years. I congratulate all the contestants, elders, delegates and observers that contributed to the success of the Annual General Assembly (AGA) and National Elections.

“I commend and congratulate the Immediate Past President, Mr. Patrick Akpotor and members of the previous NEC for their stellar leadership in conducting the affairs of Okpe Union during their tenure. I also congratulate Mr. Igho Akeragha, Chair of the Electoral Committee and his committee members for their invaluable services to the Okpe Union. Be assured that every one of you shall have a role to play in Okpe Union as we move forward’’.

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Editor

Founder of Trinity Church and Convener of the African Leadership Group Pastor Itua Ighodalo has said Nigeria can only delay structural changes to its peril.

He said the unitary system masquerading as federalism must give way for proper devolution of powers, for the country to survive.

Ighodalo urged Nigerians to vote for a man of vision, intelligence, transparency, integrity and credibility as president in 2023.

The cleric spoke at a conference in Lagos organised by the African Leadership Group,  in conjunction with the Nigeria Leadership Series.

Other speakers included four lawyers- Yemi Candide-Johnson(SAN), Asia Umar, Foruq Abbas and Jonathan Pam.

Candide-Johnson spoke on the failure of governance, making stakeholders to employ violence as a tool of negotiation with the Federal Government.

Rejecting the 1999 Constitution, he said it does not reflect the basis or agreement for peaceful coexistence.

Umar spoke on the limitations and obstacles militating against women participation in politics.

Faruq, who lamented the exclusion of youths from governance, called for electoral reforms ahead of 2023 elections.

Pan pointed attention to the marginalisation of the Middle Belt, which has consistently fuelled the fear of the minority tribes.

He called for the evolution of transparent, sincere and responsible leadership that will restore order into a state of pandemonium.

Lamenting the ethnic tension, Igholado warned that anarchy was looming due to the ascendancy of secessionist and separatist groups.

He said insecurity presented a clear and present danger to public wellbeing because terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and ritualists are on the prowl.

Ighodalo called for social reorientation that will pave the way for the restoration traditional moral values, adding that designated state institutions should carry out the campaigns.

On the need for structural changes, he said:”We are no longer correct when we refer to Nigeria as a federal republic. It is presently not. It looks more like a unitary system of government. Devolution of powers is imperative. To agree on a system that approximates a federal republic is not rocket science.

“We ran such system in the Federal Republic. With slight modifications, we can resurrect that order that served this country fairly well, until the military intervened and aborted it.”

The priest wondered why Nigeria that has potentials have continued to fail.

Ighodalo said the British designed Nigeria to fail by making it a country and not a nation.

He condemned the greed and wickedness of the political class, saying that their corruption had wrecked havoc on the poor.

Ighodalo said:”Kids are made to rear cattle from Maiduguri to Lagos. The woman who roast plantain from morning till evening to make N3,000 profit from the banans worth N15,000 is unaware that that governor and minister have taken all the money meant for her children to banks abroad.”

He asked Nigerians who are fond of complaining on the state of the nation, particularly the youth, should join political parties and participate in the political process.

 

Former Managing Director of Fortunes Bank PLC and ex-Commisioner for Water Resources in Delta State Chief Fidelis Okenmor Tilije, spoke on the achievements of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and other partisan issues. Excerpts:

At 63, would you say you are fulfilled?

Yes, to the glory of God almighty who has made me excelled in all my endeavours in good health, I am excellently fulfilled.

I thank God who has kept my life till this moment keeping me standing while others fall, He has uplifted me above tribulations and place me at the top of all I do, Yes, at 63, my life is a fulfilled.

Why was your birthday celebrated at a low key, are you broke?

I’m not broke, I remain Chief Fidelis Okenmor Tilije, an avowed Catholic who believe that the power to make wealth is of the Lord. I am fit by all standard. Why would I be broke? The day am unable to touch lives positively is when I will be broke but such day will never come. Therefore, Okenmor is not broke and the decision to mark my birthday without large gathering  is normal just like you marked yours without large parties. My friends, colleagues, associates, kinsmen, fans…were here in their large numbers to celebrate April 23, with me with superlative wishes; how does that depict a broke man?

What is your ambition for 2023 General election?

My ambition is how to put in my best in the running of this administration and ensure that Governor (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, succeeds. The success of the government is my major ambition. Come to think of it, isn’t it too early to talk 2023? Are we God? What interests me right now is to see that the laudable pro masses projects of this administration are excellently delivered to the good people of Delta State. Political ambition? Count me out.

As one of the illustrious sons of Ndokwa nation, would you say this government has done enough for your people?

Human development can never be enough and as you know, the people would always ask for more deservedly but I do know that Governor Okowa is a man with good conscience, he means well for Delta State including my people – Ndokwa nation. He has a lot up his sleeves in terms of quality and life changing projects to unleashe in Ndokwa land.

How?

The how is that, the remaining days of this administration will witness massive projects in Ndokwa land which is why I keep telling my people especially the youths to be calm, peaceful and maintain their unflinching support for Governor Okowa. He never forgets whatever he plans and I assure my people that, in the fullness of time, Ndokwa nation will smile again.

Your birthday message?

At 63, I cannot thank my friends and associates enough for being there for me all through the years. My appreciation goes to my colleagues – fellow Commissioners, Senior Officials of this government, my friends home and abroad, my well wishers, my kinsmen and His Excellency Governor Okowa, who repose so much trust and confidence in me. I thank them for their wishes at my birthday. I also cannot afford omitting the Ikolobie Ndokwa Group, who found me worthy of Award Excellence at my birthday.

Your message to Deltans?

My message is simple: stay peacefully out of trouble, work and pray. This administration is is up in arms against underdevelopment.  You may have seen what the agencies of government are doing to change the narratives. The government you know as well as I do how well the Warri and Udu Environment  Development Agency, WUEDA is doing marvelously in that axis. The Asaba Development Agency and other intervention agencies are making the administration proud and more will come. The people should be patient, show sufficient understanding and support this administration. This Governor is a superlative in character.