The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Payback time for Kogi PDP

    SIR: I wish to appeal to the people of Lokoja II Constituency comprising of five wards of Oworo, Kakanda, Kupa North, Kupa South and Eggan wards to please shine their eyes and be careful of which party they vote for the coming election.

    This is because the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which they  have been following for over 15years has woefully failed them.

    My appeal to the constituents is to look back at the sufferings they have gone through their massive loyalty to the PDP.

    It is painful that Lokoja II area which provided bulk votes for PDP  since 1999, is grossly neglected in terms of amenities especially roads.

    One recollects with pains the deceit surrounding the so-called award of contract for the Jama’ata-Budon-Mami-Abugi-Eggan road which has long been abandoned.

    Also disturbing is the Aiyetoro-Gbedde-Iluke-Abugi and Eggan road which was purportedly awarded and which have remained even worse than they were.

    My question now is what has the area really gained from a party it has served diligently for about two decades? This is the question our people should continue asking the PDP as they prepare for the elections in the coming weeks.

    While we decry the non-performance of the party in our area, I still want to appeal to the leaders in the area including Senator Tunde Ogbeha to change for better.

    This is because it appears these leaders are more interested on who becomes a council chairman and distribution of offices rather than caring for the welfare and infrastructure for the people.

    As it appears, the people of Lokoja II constituency in Lokoja Local Government of Kogi State may have no option than move to a more caring and result oriented party that will have the interest of our people in mind.

     

    • Alh. Suleiman Abdullahi

    Lokoja

  • Why north has higher PVC collection rate

    SIR: Recently, while flipping through pages of newspapers, I saw an advert questioning the high rate of permanent voter cards (PVC) collection in the north. This sentiment has also been expressed by the presidential campaign team of President Jonathan and some analysts sympathetic to his candidacy.

    I don’t think anybody that has lived in the core North will ever doubt the fact that level of political awareness in the region is very high. I will narrate a personal example.

    I spent one year in the North – Sokoto, for my NYSC. My service year started shortly before the 2007 elections, where Umaru Yar’Adua slugged it out with Muhammadu Buhari for the Aso Rock seat, while Attahiru Bafarawa and his protégé Maigari Dingyadi battled the hugely popular Wammako at the gubernatorial level. The latter evoked more interest.

    I had lived in the South all my years before this time, and I must say I never witnessed half of the political enthusiasm I saw on display in the city ahead of the polls.  It appeared the whole of Sokoto was one political rally ground. This massive political enthusiasm was not limited to the state capital, it was probably more intense in the villages – from Rabah to Tangaza to Balle, Gidan Madi to Illela, Sabon Birni to Yabo, Tureta to Tambuwal, the story was the same!

    I dare say that the most unlettered northerner is probably more politically aware than an average educated person down here. If that is not exactly true, it will be close to it.

    Anyone wonder what northern youths – even the ones that scavenges the crumbs on the refuse dumps in Lagos – does with that transistor radio? To listen to Olamide as our boys do here? To listen to results of Barclays Premier League? No; it serves sole purpose: to know the latest developments in politics, not just in the North, but even globally, through BBC Hausa and other news sources.  It should be noted that at least seven international news media (BBC, VOA, Radio Deutsche Ville, Germany, Radio China etc) have Hausa service.  A friend from Kebbi state told me how his illiterate maternal grandmother knows about everything that happens anywhere in the world, be it Lagos, Syria or Ukraine, sometimes before he, the educated young man gets to hear them. And these are the people you think will not go and register to vote and collect their PVCs?

    Don’t forget this: It is in the South that we fancy private sector jobs that much; majority of the workforce over there work for government – local and state governments. These are people that don’t mind skipping work for one week to go and queue to collect their PVCs; not here where majority are private sector-professionals or blue collar workers, who have only Saturday to register or pick PVCs, with a lot of other programmes (like parties) competing for that Saturday.

    Did anyone also notice Buhari emphasizing “go and pick your PVCs” in all his campaigns?

    From what I know of the North, I do not doubt the percentage of PVC collection at all.

     

    • Suraj Oyewale

    Ajah, Lagos.

  • Why change is inevitable

    SIR: If you have been following recent happenings in our polity objectively as it concerns the general elections in the past three months, you will understand it is now clear to the discerning, obvious to the dissenting and acceptable to the pragmatic that change has become inevitable in our polity.

    Rewind back to 2011 presidential election, we were so carried away by the circumstances surrounding President Goodluck Jonathan’s emergence that we ignored many things and forgot to ask necessary questions. He gathered all the sympathy, popularity and attention through his “I had no shoes while growing up” quote. Thinking he’s the Moses of our time, people defied ethnic and religious affiliations to vote and ensure he emerged president.

    Fast forward to 2015 presidential election; every thing has changed. The once trusted and popular Jonathan had become the rejected stone. It is an irony that same process that ensured the emergence of a younger president in 2011 is same process that has kept him on the verge of losing the 2015 presidential election.

    President Jonathan has shown little willingness to tackle corruption. He identifies with the corrupt and presides over a government that embezzle public funds with reckless abandon. After much criticism of his government, the president in an attempt to demystify corruption made a political gaffe: “What is being referred to as corruption is common stealing”.

    Right now our nation is hemorraging from all sides, the bleeding is imminent and inevitable, with the daily decline in our economy, there hardly seem to be anyone who is not feeling the economic hardship this government has reduced us to.

    Many unfulfilled campaign promises of the ruling government have contributed to this inevitable change. The fact that Nigeria is yet to generate more than 4000 mega watts of electricity after expending billions of dollars in four years in the power sector is beyond comprehension.

    Until recently, security is near zero with insecurity and insurgency taking a lead in wanton killings and destruction of lives and properties in the North East.

    With its little and infinitesimal performance, the attack dogs of the ruling government have been obfuscating in defence that President Jonathan in the last six years has performed more than all our past rulers.

    They pretend not to know that under President Jonathan, Nigeria has generated more funds per annum from the sale of crude oil alone in the past six years than we have made in the past years.

    It is saddening that nations of equal promise have left Nigeria in its elementary level while at different levels of advanced development, hence the need for a change of government.

    The opposition APC may have its flaws but as the Economist aptly puts it, “Sometimes there are no good options… a former dictator is a better choice than a failed president”.

    Nigerians will make change possible come March 28 and we will be happy again. The words of U.S President Barack Obama comes to mind here: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”.

    • Joe Onwukeme,

     Enugu

  • While we praise our armed forces

    SIR: Nigeria’s armed forces are today getting a lot of praises from the general populace because of their positive inroad in the fight against insurgency.

    I always knew that our soldiers are not cowards; something went wrong along the way. I grew up in an army barracks and saw many soldiers give opinions about the Nigeria’s civil war even though they felt sad fighting a war against fellow citizens and many were ready to fight in wars outside this country.

    Soldiers who fought in the Biafra war poked fun at soldiers back then called 79NA who had not gone to battle. I saw many of this 79 NA later lobby to go to Liberia, Sierra Leone where their companions were being slain by snipers because of unfamiliarity with the terrain in those countries.

    Despite deaths in those battles and the resultant wailing by spouses in the barracks, we didn’t hear stories of soldiers’ who besmirched their commanding officers openly  or even refused orders to go to war.

    An ideal military is like a happy organised family which grooms disciplined and responsible citizens for the future. The dispiritedness of today’s soldiers is caused by the poor welfare policy of the military which makes many soldiers today not to care to any further extent about their country.

    The military needs to know that there are distresses within the ranks which border on staff welfare and lack of motivation. It is time to examine the main concerns of the soldiers to ensure that they are not only happy but the tools required for work are provided for them.

    The Nigerian military over time has displayed skill, courage within and outside the country. Its members in-and-out of service must not be left to suffer dishonour.

    The institution needs to have an advisory board to receive complaints from serving and retired soldiers, advising on what’s happening, asking for feedback, solving them without resorting to mutiny as had been witnessed in recent past.

     

    •Simon Abah

    Port-Harcourt, Rivers State

  • Buhari, better Christian than Jonathan

    SIR: It was Mahatma Gandhi who said he admired Christ not Christians. I guess he said this to remind people that most Christians are definitely not Christ-like. One cannot  claim to be a Christian when his attitude is opposite of the principle that we are called to live by.   There is no middle ground in this race. It is either you are living like Christ or you are a pretender. People like pretending to be what they are not. It is for this reason that one writer defined hypocrisy as a tribute that vice pays to virtue.

    There is absolutely nothing Christ-like in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. His policies are harsh towards the common man. He has done absolutely nothing for the poor of the land. Rather, he has done a lot to favour the rich and eminent personalities. Any true Christian knows that God loves the poor and is earnestly seeking to do them good. He is seriously looking for those to use to render service to the poor. It can only take a wicked man to increase the prices of petroleum products on a New Year day thereby causing immense hardship to numerous poverty stricken citizens.  Any government that is anti-poor is anti-God.

    Jonathan has refused to go after those who are squandering our patrimony. Corruption is rampant and he is pretending that all is well. You cannot be a follower of Christ and allow evil to run rampant around you. How long can we continue this dance of death?

    How long are we going to allow these men from the forest of thousand demons to continue to desecrate our land? It is about time we chased them away. We need discipline and decorum in governance. And that is what Muhammadu Buhari is about.

    Buhari is everything that Jonathan is not. He is disciplined, painstaking and has a visceral dislike for corruption. He has promised to confront corruption and he is just about the only politician that has the credential to do that. He has done it before and he will do it again. The man cares passionately for the poor of the land and wants to do his bit to help them.

    Buhari showed leadership when a dangerous Islamic sect known as Maitatsine threatened our peace. He refused to register Nigeria as a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries and banned government sponsorship of pilgrimages to Mecca. It is a well- known fact that his personal aides and domestic workers are mostly Christians and under him no one was victimized on the basis of religion.  It is on record that Jonathan is the first President to lead Nigerian delegation to the Organization of Islamic Countries in February 2013. He has spent an average of $14 billion on 26, 000 Haji pilgrims annually from 2010. From all ramifications, Buhari has more Christian qualities than Jonathan.

    Buhari’s government will focus on building a society that would begin to move the powers of a smothering federal government back to states and local government. Government will be closer to the people and better aware of their real needs and wants.

    As a transformational leader, Buhari is sure of what he wants happen and is extraordinarily strong-willed about it. He has one thing in mind instead of a variety of passing impulses. He wants a society full of opportunities. In short, the key to a successful transformational leader is to keep your eyes focused on your goals. And the people’s general has a knack for ignoring unproductive criticism and feels neither threatened nor moved by it. He is not one of such politicians that display so much pettiness and hostility that is simply not productive. Surely, Nigeria will be better under him.

     

    • Ikechukwu Orji,

    ikechukwuorji@yahoo.com

  • Fani-Kayode’s flurry of fictions

    SIR, President Goodluck Jonathan left no one in doubt about the type of campaign he wanted to run when he picked well known loose cannon with no modicum of decency, Femi Fani-Kayode, as his campaign spokesperson. Known for throwing decency to the gutters with toxic Facebook posts, the Osun State-born law graduate, had conducted himself in the last few years in a manner that makes one wonder if the globally respected Cambridge University will ever be proud of such product.

    Fani-Kayode has since discharged his duty to type – daily regaling us with tissues of lies to demonize the candidacy of General Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the APC. First, he sold to the media the non-issue of Buhari’s certificate, and even when the Katsina School where General Buhari had his secondary education released the statement of result of the general and the master list issued by Cambridge University which conducted the exam in 1961, he declared it fake.

    Fani-Kayode and his Social Media hirelings have thrown everything – including the kitchen sink – in the direction of the General. They have forged medical reports in the name on a non-existent “Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital” to declare Buhari as having prostate cancer. They have circulated “minutes” of imaginary meetings to say Jega met with Northern elders in Kaduna (in other reports, Dubai) on rigging elections; they have hired commercial protesters to embarrass General Buhari in London. They have paid millions of naira to put up adverts in national dailies in the name of a fictitious “Muslim” group in the South West endorsing Buhari because “they wanted Islamization of the South West”.

    Fani-Kayode was yet again at his lying best when he addressed the press few days ago accusing APC of having made their vice presidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo, sign to an oath to resign after six months in office. It is more unfortunate that the press which should have by now been familiar with the wicked fabrications of Fani-Kayode, gave this hogwash undeserved prominence.

    The election is less than four weeks, and I know Fani-Kayode’s fiction machine is still being oiled to produce more between now and the election date, if they ever allow the election to hold.  The task of extricating Nigeria from these fiction vendors and setting it on the path of progress is the business of every patriotic Nigerian.

     

    • Suraj Oyewale

    Ajah, Lagos

  • Fuelling the fire: Journalism and Boko Haram

    SIR: When Paul Collier, the professor of Economics at the Oxford University wrote in his book “Wars, Guns & Votes – Democracy in Dangerous Places”, not a few development media journalists criticized him for indulging in illicit generalization about the problems of insecurity in Africa especially considering the tripartite roles of civil unrest manifesting in wars, weapons and the elusive pursuit of peace through democratic practices.

    But Africa is indeed a hotbed of crisis. And Nigeria is living up to the calling as the battleground. The nation has been in the news across major news outlets around the world; providing daily items for the media with nothing short of bad advertisements for the continent in reports (often contrived) of insurgency and the perceived failure of the security agencies to repeal these attacks. While the nation groans under the threat of insecurity, politicians are busy perfecting their acts and strategies to win the elections either by “rigging” or “shifting” of the elections; and the media busy feeding on all sorts from rumours to outright falsehoods.

    Reports on threats of Boko Haram especially in the run up to the general elections have dominated the media. Almost half of every news bulletin on Nigerian television stations is dedicated to stories on Boko Haram. Newspapers sell more with screaming banner headlines announcing Boko Haram exploits or rarely of the bravery of our soldiers as Chris Olukolade or the Defence Headquarters would want; radio is not any better. A very common but disturbing practice is the undue publicity given to the dreaded group with every video. Every time Boko Haram releases videos, the newsrooms go crazy; feasting over it; some even broadcast their videos end-to-end thereby directly aiding the group to push its deadly agenda. No censorship. No sense of responsibility to the society and the Nigerian state.

    Real news informs and enlightens. It should not, in and of itself, incite or propel negative responses. Not for a nation in dire need of responsible and development-oriented journalism like Nigeria. News should lead to rational response and reason, not reactionary impulse. What Boko Haram is doing and promoting through its media, is evil and unconscionable to the lowest imaginable. From the abduction of Chibok girls to videos of treasonable speeches; the news that the captives were being sold and used as suicide bombers provides the information from which we can form a reasonable response. The showing of the actual videos promotes only the most reactionary of responses; it stoops to the level of Boko Haram and moves us backward, instead of forward.

    Journalists would therefore do our society more good by adhering to the time tested principle of sieving through information for public consumption. And there are criteria for this. A key criteria is: Boko Haram wants us to show it. If Boko Haram wants you to show something, you should start with the principle of ‘How can we avoid doing that?’ Sometimes you can’t, because it’s editorially a key part of the story. But in this case, we can if we want to.

    • Adedeji Ajayi,

     TVC News, Lagos

  • Re: President can sack INEC chairman

    SIR: I read Dr. Kayode Ajulo’s interview published on page 42 of The Nation of Tuesday, February 24, particularly as it concerns the powers of the president to sack the INEC chairman.

    Ajulo in his interview gave affirmation to the question whether or not the president has the right to sack the INEC chairman. He claimed that his position stem from the provisions of the constitution and other extant laws even though he cited no particular section of any law or constitution. He finally concluded by asserting that the president appointed Jega, therefore has the right to fire him.

    With due respect to Dr. Ajulo, I greatly differ. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a creation of section 153(1) (f) of the 1999 constitution as amended and not a creation of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. By the provision of section 154(1) of the constitution aforesaid, the appointments of chairman and members of INEC are made by the president subject to confirmation by the senate. In essence, in the appointment of chairman and members of INEC, the president has the originating powers of the process of installing an INEC chairman. However, once the INEC chairman is confirmed by the senate, the president loses the powers to initiate the process of his removal from the office and therefore cannot originate or activate the process of removing the chairman or members of INEC.

    By the provisions of section 157 of the 1999 constitution which deals with removal of a person holding the offices created by section 153 which includes INEC (but excludes members of National Population Commission), for such an office holder to be removed by the president, the president will act on an address supported by two-third majority of the senate requiring or praying that such an office holder be removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause) or for misconduct.

    The implication of section 157 of the constitution is that for INEC chairman or any member of the commission to be removed, the process of such removal must be initiated by the senate through a panel or committee who must investigate the allegation during which the officer affected must be heard.

    Following the investigation, and report of the panel, the senate of the whole of 109 members shall in a session by not less than 73 persons pray the president to remove the affected chairman or member of the commission. The figure 73 is next approximate to two-third of 109 as held by the Supreme Court in the case of INAKOJU Vs. ADELEKE (2007) 143 LRCN @ 89.

    I hope Dr Ajulo knows that the commission enumerated under section 153, (INEC inclusive) is separated from such federal bodies that draw their lives, existence and operations from ministries and executive departments like the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    The power to remove INEC chairman is not domiciled with the president but requires a joint effort of senate and the president.

     

    •Victor C. Nwaugo Esq.                                                                                    

    Hospital Rd, Aba, Abia State

  • Re: Ambode’s unfinished retirement matter

    In saner political climes, the electorate would be out there looking for the brightest and the best of candidates; those with the requisite experience, character, clout and courage as well as the vision to right the wrongs of the past. But here, sad to say, some of us take obscene pleasures at running our heroes down. Must we stand logic on its head all on the altar of political expediency? Should we castrate our conscience on the lure of the lusty lucre?

    These were the pertinent questions that came to mind, soon after reading through the tissue of lies and the unsubstantiated allegations of forcible retirement from the Lagos State civil service on the part of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, by one Tunde Adeoye. It was published in The Guardian of Thursday, February 26, 2015. But nothing could be further from the truth. It must be stated, however, that in this seedy season of campaigns of calumny, loaded lies are freely hawked in the political market place, to score undeserving points, it has become imperative to put the records straight.

     For the avoidance of doubt, Ambode, who incidentally is the governorship candidate running on the platform of the wave-making All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, distinguished himself in all the sectors he served before voluntarily retiring after 27 years of meritorious service in 2012. He is a former Accountant General of Lagos State serving in that capacity between 2006 and 2012. Before then, he served in several other capacities including Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Auditor General for Local Government and across all cadres of Lagos State civil service before his voluntary retirement in 2012.

    Perhaps, to many Nigerians who hardly declare their real age on entering service, Ambode did the unthinkable. He must also, indeed, be the exception to the ‘rule’ of not a few career civil servants who would tenaciously cling to juicy appointments like tick on the cow hide. Simply put, he retired to take on more challenging roles; as a Public Finance Management Expert and the Chief Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting Limited – a public finance and management-consulting firm with deep knowledge of the Nigerian public sector.

    For the benefit of the doubting Thomases, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola was reluctant to let Ambode leave when he first indicated his interest to take a bow from the service in 2008 based on his wealth of experience. And the critical role he was performing all the while as the Accountant General of the Centre of Excellence. For upward of three months that the letter of notice of retirement was on his table, he was unwilling to sign it. Had Ambode committed any infraction, Fashola, the thoroughbred professional lawyer he is, would have investigated such and even appointed Ambode’s successor. But he never did until some three days after his exit.

    In fact, the governor was so moved by Ambode’s stewardship that he had this to say about Ambode on his retirement: “I write on behalf of the people of Lagos to commend your high sense of dedication, selflessness and integrity which you brought to bear on the civil service. I wish to specifically remark that working closely with you has been of tremendous mutual benefit, particularly in the present administration.”

    Furthermore, he stated: “You have displayed high sense of professionalism and have been a good team player guided by the philosophy of a true public officer, who must place himself last while rendering service to the public. We are convinced that your brilliance and zeal will make you excel in your future endeavours.” That says it all, doesn’t it?

    What more does Ambode need to convince the good people of Lagos that he possesses the sterling leadership qualities to build on the great works both Asiwaju Tinubu and Fashola have laid and strengthened? Little wonder that during the historic book launch, Ambode: The Selfless Servant back in May 2014, he (Ambode) described such glowing tribute by Fashola as his ‘gold medal’.

     It would therefore, do the publishers of National Pulse and Adeoye a world of good if they could do more of investigative rather than speculative and yellow journalism – if only to substantiate their claims. Governor Fashola would gladly respond to their questions if they want a word with him on the matter. And were such claims true, the opposition party in the state would have published breaches on the part of Ambode (if any) for their selfish political gains and for the world to see.

    For us therefore, we are confident that the APC has done the right thing. That is, by carefully identifying Ambode as the most qualified candidate in terms of wealth of experience and professional pedigree to take over the baton of governorship from Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola. Interestingly, Ambode still holds the record as the youngest Auditor General of Local Governments, the youngest Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, as well as the youngest Accountant General in Lagos state before his resignation in 2012.

    On our part, we hold tenaciously to the belief in Ambode’s candidature because of the sterling values of hardwork, honesty of purpose, integrity and his people-friendly dispositions which have rubbed off positively on all those who have had the rare and great opportunity to work with him.

    His traducers have come up with various vacuous allegations against his person, none of which they have been able to prove. The million-naira question therefore, is: Who is Afraid of Ambode?

    • Ola Johnson, Lagos

  • Fayose’s trail of Buhari: An exercise in futility

    Whether Governor Ayo Fayose travelled to London to see if the peoples General and presidential hopeful of the rescheduled election, General Muhmmadu Buhari, is hospitalised or not, there is absolutely nothing that can stop the ship of the General from berthing at its destination in the coming election. In fact, it is a mere waste of the scarce resources of Ekiti State by the governor, who came to power through the machination of high  level rigging that involved the use of the army as attested by an intelligence officer, Captain Sagir Koli.

    The giver of power has already destined that General Buhari would no doubt be the next president of this great country. The incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan has allowed so many things to go wrong and, recently, in an interview he confessed that one of the things that brought down his government was the issue of Boko Haram.

    Honestly, the issue of Boko Haram has completely altered the acceptability of the ruling party and its candidate for the presidential election, especially in the northern axis of the country. Of course, there is nothing the likes of Governor Fayose can do to instigate the mindset of the people to change on how they intend to vote even in his own state not to talk of the other states of the federation.

    The way Fayose is going about the aspiration of Gen. Buhari is unbecoming of a leader that is leading a state and has to behave as a true leader that fully knows his onions and knows that leadership comes from God. If God wants Gen Buhari to become the president this time around, no amount of mudslinging by thousands of Fayoses could stop it.

    It is also the same, that if it is the wish of God, that President Jonathan should make a second term, no Jupiter can stop it. The likes of Governor Fayose are making more enemies for the ruling party and its candidate.

    Therefore, it is important for Governor Fayose to tread softly on the candidate as he would be doing a great disservice to the people of Ekiti if the General is elected as the president.

    •Usman Santuraki,

    Jambutu, Jimeta-Yola