Category: Comments

It is highly debatable whether it is proper to set an agenda for progress and development for an elected government which presumably got the highest number of votes on the basis of its manifesto. However it has been a tortuous journey to the moment when a ruling party in Nigeria could be voted out of power for poor performance. There are many gaps to fill and mistakes to correct such that patriots cannot afford to be aloof. The moment calls on hands on deck for a fresh beginning.

In this respect one is happy that the President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari has already promised to ‘lead a government founded on values that promote and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, the supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law…and to build a country that is fair to all its citizens…respects human dignity, promotes human development…equality…and freedom….’

I  see here the recognition of some of  our past weaknesses which include wrong philosophy of governance or inappropriate ideology of development, exclusion of the state from economic activities, low citizenry participation, disregard for the provisions of the constitution, infrastructural decay, rural neglect, corruption, insecurity, unemployment especially youth’s to mention just a few.

While it needless to ask for a proper focus on these problems,  the year 1999 when the country returned to democracy provided opportunity for a fresh start but which was botched by the ruling elites by taking the wrong  road. As I observed in my book Power of Youth and Other Essays on the Political Economy of Nigeria the wrong step was informed by a number of factors -both local and international that must guided against henceforth. These include influence of  international politics of ideology as was re-ignited by Margaret Thatcher in Britain and Ronald Reagan  in the USA in the 1980s to the effect that  the market is the engine of development and the state has no business  with doing business; the fall of USSR and the belief that socialism was dead; the influence of western media in projecting the capitalist ideology across the globe in the name of globalization, the persuasive activities of the  IMF, the  World Bank on developing countries to embrace western market based model of development, the poor knowledge and lack of creative thinking and development-oriented  nation-building local elites as well as emergence of false prophets in the corridors of power many of them novices in development issues or nation-building matters.

One of the results was the wrongly taken private–sector market driven economic path- a somewhat breach of the constitution. Rather than being guided by the provisions of the 1999 constitution, the government adopted the wrong philosophy of excluding the state from economic activities in the name of globalization of which privatization is a major plank. It was a step informed by blind loyalty and uncritical embrace of an inappropriate ideology that was bereft of reason, historical and constitutional support. In this way the state was sent on leave of absence for 16 years.

Yet according to the 1999 Constitution, the ‘security and welfare of the people’ shall be the primary purpose of government and the ‘participation of the people in their government’ should be ensured. Also the state ‘’shall harness the resources of the nation to promote national prosperity and an efficient, a dynamic and self reliant economy’; and it should ‘control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity’.

It is clear from the foregoing that the constitution envisages state intervention but instead of this the elites excluded the state and went ahead with a bogus privatization which saw the sale of public enterprise that swelled the unemployment load without any attempt to establish labor-intensive industries. What stopped us from having a national carrier, more refineries, and agro –based industries except economic heresy from abroad?

But such exclusion of the state was bad development –economics   and a-historical. It is akin to denying the best player of a football team from playing in a crucial competition on the ground that it is not right to win through him. The state in developing countries has more muscle than the private sector to lead and drive the economy. The private sector is still at its infancy and thus weak.  Values such as trust, honesty, and discipline are in short supply in Nigeria. Above all the purpose of the state is to provide for the security, and welfare of the people and thus in a better position to mobilize necessary resources to do the needful including the provision of employment. Most of the problems of today were all there – unemployment, insecurity, rural neglect, infrastructural deficiency, corruption etc and they required strong frontier attack than the indirect approach of the market adopted by the ruling elites.

It is needless to remind us that the country has been in serious economic crisis long before 1999.And the state has a duty to resolve the crisis.  In the history of nation-building, the state has always led in the mobilization of resources to lay appropriate infrastructure in order to drive growth and development.  The USA used the approach in its formative years in the 18th, 19th century and would use it in the 1920s & 30s era of the great depression to stimulate recovery, and even in this century-2008 to resolve serious financial crisis. The Marshal plan for Europe after the World War 11 was nothing else than massive state intervention. Dubai, Singapore, China etc are driven on the principle of government-led development efforts.

The new government must not give room to the false prophets of development to misdirect the country again because they are novices in nation-building in developing countries. They lack the ability for creative thinking and adaptation of global ideas to local condition. They chase shadows rather than the substance of solving the daily problems of our country. The new government must work out an appropriate philosophy or ideology of development based on justice, equity   and fair-play to be preached and driven by a well assembled development oriented and national- unity conscious elite.

Another serious mistake of the past was the alienation of majority citizens through barren, harsh and unrewarding policies. One of the consequences was low citizenry participation which is one of the reasons for policy failure of the era 1999-2015.

Any casual observer of the Nigerian scene would appreciate that many Nigerians did not bond with the development vision of the government since 1999.  For instance many people did not understand what NEEDS, 7-point agenda and Transformational agenda were all about. Yet without people understanding and buying into the leadership vision, nothing much can be achieved in the development arena. The mobilization of the citizen to share in the leadership vision should be the starting point of this administration.

Because the country was on the wrong road, many things went wrong too: corruption, injustice, immorality, profanity, unethical conduct etc were on the increase. She failed or was unable to appreciate where the shoes pinched most.  Otherwise national statistics had since revealed that about 60% of the nation’s active population are youths and that unemployment was very high in the country – 40% (about 40 million) people most of them youths, thereby becoming a source of threat to the economy.  With over 40 million unemployed, one needs not to be specialist to know that the country was sitting on a keg of gun powder.  All these largely explain the rise of more militia groups, kidnapping groups and terrorist sects such as Boko Haram.  And they also explain the sprawling poverty and underdevelopment across the country today.  All these must be given utmost attention through frontal attack by the state at not the indirect approach of the market.

‘With over 40 million unemployed, one needs not to be specialist to know that the country was sitting on a keg of gun powder.  All these largely explain the rise of more militia groups, kidnapping groups and terrorist sects such as Boko Haram.  And they also explain the sprawling poverty and underdevelopment across the country today.  All these must be given utmost attention through frontal attack by the state at not the indirect approach of the market’

 

• Abhuere, FNIM, writes from Uromi

Chief Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom, industrialist, farmer, businessman, politician, philanthropist, administrator and employer, was born on  April 23, 1961 in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

He started his education in 1970 at St. John’s Primary School, Gboko, but moved to St. Catherine’s Primary School, Makurdi in 1974 where he completed primary education in 1976.

Chief Ortom was admitted into Idah Secondary Commercial College, Idah in Kogi State in 1976. He did two years in the school before his father’s retirement in 1979 brought an abrupt end to his dream of completing formal secondary school education on account of inability to pay school fees. Shortly before this happened, he had given his life to Jesus Christ.

Instead of idling away at home to mourn his fate, he girded his loins and got into the Gboko Motor Park as a tout.

It was at the park that a Good Samaritan taught him how to drive because of his honesty and dedication to duty. Another helped him to obtain a driving licence and soon after he became employed as a professional driver.

On recommendation, he became the driver and confidant of a prominent Gboko-based Christian leader and politician, Pa Samu Ihur.

One day after close of work, he hung around voluntarily in the house of his boss, in his usual manner, whether his services might still be required.

That wait opened a chapter in his life and contributed greatly in raising him up to his present status.

While sitting on a bench outside the house, the wind blew a piece of paper which was an advert for admisson into the National School of Salesmanship, Manchester, towards him.

He picked it, read it and decided to enrol on a course by correspondence, thus launching himself into the world of acquiring knowledge and certificates.

In this manner, he obtained the General Certificate of Education, GCE, as well as Diploma in Salesmanship.

Chief Ortom enrolled at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and obtained both the Interim Joint Matriculation Board Certificate in 1995 and Diploma in Journalism in 1998.

He also attended the Benue State University where he obtained the Advanced Diploma in Personnel Management in 2001 and Master of Public Administration in 2004.

He crowned his educational pursuit with a PhD from the Commonwealth University, Belize, through distant learning.

He rose from Salesman to Sales Manager with Gyado Foods Co. Limited before his election as Executive Chairman of the Guma Local Government Area from 1991 to 1993 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

He was Publicity Secretary of the National Centre Party of Nigeria, NCPN; Treasurer of the All Peoples Party, APP; and  Secretary as well as Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, all in Benue State.

Chief Ortom was Director of Operations of the PDP Gubernatorial Campaign in Benue State in 2007 and Director of Administration and Logistics of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization in 2011.

He was PDP National Auditor before his appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011.

Chief Dr. Ortom was Proprietor and Chairman, Oracle Business Limited, the firm that owns Goshen Water,  Oracle Oil Mills, Oracle Printing Press and Oracle Farms Limited.

Oracle Business Limited acquired the moribund Benue State  Plastics Company and invested N1 billion into it to turn it around. The company is into polythene extraction as well as making of sanitary, sachet water, packaging and polythene bags.

He was  Chairman, Capital Prints Limited, a firm which handles commercial printing, publishing and documentation, and Chairman, Achive Engineering Limited which is into civil and mechanical construction.

Chief Ortom was National President, Independent Print-Media Publishers Association of Nigeria, IPPAN, and, at the moment, he is the patron of the association.

He was appointed C___hairman of the Governing Council of the Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON, where he served with commitment and dedication.

He established Oracle Business Limited Foundation which handles redemptive, restorative and empowerment services.

Under the foundation, Chief Ortom gives free treatment to  some categories of patients attending St. Theresa’s Hospital, Makurdi and Rahama Hospital, Gboko Road, Makurdi.

Through the foundation, he has reached out to prison inmates, preaching Christ as well as offering love and care__.

Another outreach of his has been the Oracle Driving School which turns out qualified drivers on a regular basis.

He holds several awards, including the Best Performing Local Government Chairman, 1992; those of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and Nigeria Labour Congress in Benue State and the Selfless Service Award by the National Union of Benue State Students, University of Calabar.

He was also given a special recognition by the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers at the national level.

As Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, he  attracted  huge investments into Nigeria and facilitated the employment of hundreds.

His additional responsibility as  Supervising Aviation Minister witnessed the increased monitoring of projects in the aviation sector.

Chief Ortom is a humane and sensitive politician by nature.

When the people of Benue State came under sustained attacks by Fulani herdsmen, he suspended the pursuit of his governorship ambition for one month.

He stated that it did not make sense to continue with political activities in pursuit of his ambition when the people he wished to govern were under continuous siege with hundreds of them killed.

He said he would devote the one-month period to collaborate with the state and federal governments and other relevant authorities to find a permanent solution to the crisis.

Chief Ortom went about donating relief materials to the displaced and collaborating with others in seeking to end the crisis.

It is noteworthy that his collaborative efforts have yielded results as the attacks have subsided, while concerted peace building efforts are being put in place.

A dedicated Christian, Chief Ortom is a widely travelled man who has visited several countries in Africa, the Middle East, America, Europe and Asia.

Married with 10 children and seven grandchildren, his hobbies include badminton, reading, philanthropy, farming, aerobics and evangelism.

His story, which he told before the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday,  July 6, 2011, was so moving that Chief Ortom was asked to take a bow and go.

Senators were stirred by an account of his background as a school dropout, a motor park tout and one who struggled to attain education through very difficult means.

After running through his curriculum vitae, Senator Ehigie Uzamere moved a motion, asking the Senate to allow him to take a bow without further questions because of his sincerity in uncovering his background.

Senators described him as a veritable bridge between the poor and the rich.

Chief Ortom resigned as Minister of State in October 2014 to contest for the governorship election in Benue State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

When he couldn’t clinch the PDP ticket, he switched over and picked that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and won the  election on  April 11___.

The celebrative victory party for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and  the All Progressives Congress, (APC)  will be over  by May 29, 2015 when he is sworn in as President,  and the countdown to 2019 general election when the party submits again to the electorate’s verdict would have begun.  The President-elect has accurately identified the demons of corruption and insecurity  as the twin evils   bedeviling  Nigeria which must be wrestled down.  Nigeria has gone through cycles of euphoria and disappointments as the promise of any new  government soon turns a mirage.  This has bred what  scholars have identified as the phenomenon of unfulfilled rising expectations  leading  to rising frustrations in many developing countries and occasioning a state of near permanent  crisis. But Nigerians are hopeful that this time around,  there will be CHANGE, for the better. The first installment of this write-up took up the issue of security  and why the Nigeria Police and the Federal Road Safety Commission ( FRSC )  must be overhauled and  made to deliver on their mandate for public order. This concluding  part deals with the issues of corruption  and the place of the media in the development effort  as The Buhari Presidency  embarks on the mission to  make Nigeria stand tall, again.

A POPULIST ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR.

The Buhari Presidency will face its toughest challenge in the war against corruption. This is because over the past four decades, beginning in the 1980s, corruption has assumed the status of a cultural norm and as such will require not just a mechanistic legal approach, but a cultural  re-orientation that must have a revolutionary fervor. So many people are on the corruption take, to the extent that even the economy runs on corruption.  The new President may not be on the same page in the corruption war with some people, including  those he may appoint to office. For ‘President’ Buhari, therefore, tackling corruption will, as in the title of Alhaji Babatunde Jose’s media memoir, amount to walking the tight rope.  He had stated he won’t delve into the past. But the past cannot be de-linked  from the present and that would present a dilemma should people want to hold him by his words.  However, the dilemma is not insurmountable. Gen. Buhari  can stay in the background as the SYMBOL of the anti-corruption campaign while his appointees in the relevant  regulatory agencies become the point-men manning the barricades against the corrupt.

LIFESTYLE  MONITORING.

Because of corruption’s deep taproot in the society,  any  hope of successful war against corruption must involve the mobilization of the people to see it as the peoples’ war. The primary inducement to corruption is monetary and material wealth acquisition. A helpful habit is that many who  acquired resources through corruption  cannot seem to  resist the temptation of ostentatious living. They brazenly  flaunt the ‘dividends’ of corruption before our very eyes, without any fear of retribution.-, thus making the honest worker look stupid.  It is this impunity that has encouraged a bandwagon effect where virtually everybody are now scrambling to get on the corruption train on their way to El Dorado undisturbed of opulence.  But since the corrupt live among the people, many of who feel offended by the put down attitude of the corrupt rich, such  people  would  gladly  expose the economic parasites. A people-oriented approach will assuage the anger of the people while also giving them the feeling of being part of their own salvation. Before now, the culture of most ethnic groups in Nigeria was to have no regard for those seen to have amassed illegitimate wealth, often barring their children from marrying into such families. Children grew up nurtured into a culture of not taking things which did not belong to them, with parents querying any lifestyle considered beyond the legitimate earnings of their children.  All that have changed – parents now even show contempt for their children who are not into corruption, citing the affluence of  their children’s  corrupt  age mates.  That is how far down the sewer of corruption Nigeria has sunk. It is therefore imperative that people  must be made to account for their affluent lifestyle and fat bank accounts.  Also  those who enjoyed collateral benefits of corruption – wives/husbands, adult children and friends – should also be charged for  aiding and abetting corruption.

THE  MEDIA

The media is of critical importance to the Buhari Presidency.   The reality of the moment is that  a President Buhari needs the media more than the media need him,  since the  media slant in projecting  the  activities of his government  to the public can substantially make or mar his presidency. There are glaring excesses in the media, part of which manifested in the presidential election campaigns where many media outlets became platforms for hate and incitement, so much so that there was palpable fear  of post-election violence that forced many to temporarily relocate to their ethnic enclaves. However,  in spite of the negativism of many media establishments, print and broadcast,  the Buhari Presidency will need to formally reach out to the media with a view to mobilizing them as partners  with his Presidency.  To  signpost the importance his administration intend to accord the media, a Presidency –  Media  Summit  holding within the first few days of inauguration will go a long way to establish mutual rapport.  The Presidency needs to key  the Nigerian press into  Prof. Dennis  McQuail’s  Development Media Theory  where journalists are made to understand their strategic role of being agents of positive change. This media mobilization does not detract from content analysis of media fare with a view to presenting empirical evidence of media excesses, during periodic media reviews,  to rein in zealots. Of course, the Buhari Presidency  would have to accommodate media criticisms, including that of specific office holders, as necessary feedback mechanism for better service delivery. Gen. Buhari cannot afford to be irritable with the media so as not to prompt the taunt : There he goes again – a throw back to his military regime days which saw journalists clamped in jail. However, in extreme cases  where media recklessness and irresponsibility  present a clear and present danger to  the stability of the state, then the administration can invoke the declaration of Britain’s Chief Justice Blackstone in the 18th century that while there should be no prior restraint of what the media could publish,  journalists must be ready to face “the consequences” of their “temerity” when they put the state in jeopardy.

 INDISCIPLINE

The Nigerian populace look forward to an eventful  and momentous first 100 days of the Buhari Presidency characterized by a frenetic pace of activities, not a slow-paced learning process.  One  area that the government can make dramatic impact is confronting indiscipline in government and among the people, with a President Buhari leading by example by being punctual at ALL official engagements. The War Against Indiscipline is needed now more that 30 years ago when his regime introduced it. Indiscipline in time management is symptomatic of an irresponsible leadership and a sick society, a disposition that inflicts heavy toll on work hours,  productivity and social relations. When governors, minister,  top government functionaries  and begin to attend scheduled functions ON TIME, and the people are compelled to  embrace discipline on the road and other  public engagements, it sends a  powerful  message on  CHANGE.  If this  seemingly intangible action  can be implemented WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT , it will enhance  salutary positive perception of  the Buhari Presidency in its first 100 days.  But the reality on the ground, given the rot in the system, is that  President-elect Buhari faces a tough challenge in the days ahead as he takes the hard road to Nigeria’s redemption.  However, he can take solace in the lyrics of singer, Jimmy Cliff’s 1967  track : Hard Road To Travel  :    “ I’ve got a hard road  to travel and a rough, rough way to go

But I can’t turn back , My heart is fixed, My mind is made up

I’ll never stop, my faith will see, see me through”.

Well,  the Die is Cast, and General Buhari cannot turn back on this rough road ahead, perhaps buoyed on the conviction that his faith, in the course he has chosen for himself, will see him through.

 

•Olawunmi, Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo, Osun state, is former Washington Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Clarence Olafemi is a unique name in Kogi politics. A man of impeccable academic records, he has a first- class degree in Computer Science/Mathematics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in 1977 and worked in various multi-national companies and the public service for a period of over 27 years out of his 38 years of experience and 11 years in active politics.

He is noted for his political strategies that have never failed him since 2003 when he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was denied a well-deserved ticket on the platform of the PDP which was perceived as gross injustice. Then political leaders from his constituency urged him to seek and contest the same House of Assembly election on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), a relatively unknown party in the state. In a solo manner and in what looked like a Hollywood drama, he won massively to become the only elected minority member in the state House of Assembly, while the rest 24 Assembly seats went to the PDP in a 25-member House.

While he was Minority Leader of the House for four years, he crossed over to the PDP at the tail end of the four-year tenure with an automatic waiver from the PDP, contested for his second term and won with a greater margin and subsequently became unanimously elected Speaker of the 25-member House of Assembly. He is up till today the only Speaker since the creation of the state in 1991 to complete his tenure without being impeached.

He became the Acting Governor and spent only two months (60 days) instead of 90 days prescribed by law and supervised one of the most successful and peaceful elections in the history of Kogi State after the removal of the former Governor Ibrahim Idris by the Supreme Court. His tenure as Acting Governor witnessed one of the most eventful administrations in the state, during which several landmarks were achieved, including the establishment of a college of education (Technical) in Kabba; five special government science secondary schools; award of several road contracts, spreading across the three senatorial districts of the state; arrest and control of security challenges in the state within time, particularly the central senatorial district; and providing 28 Hilux vehicles to the police and other security services within the state.

He was highly disappointed by the PDP when he was unceremoniously dropped as Deputy Governor candidate without any explanation by the PDP, a treatment he considered as gross injustice and lack of fairness. He, therefore, formed the Integrity Group which covered the 21 local government areas of the state and for over 12 months laboured alongside some prominent PDP members to recruit members. In September 2014, he spearheaded the mass movement of the group to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the PDP.

Since that September to date, he actively devoted full time to the APC to grow it along with other leaders. His role in the present day Kogi APC is spectacular and was noticed by the national leadership of the party. He was, therefore, appointed as a Board of Trustee (BOT) member of the APC, a Member of the Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) of the just-concluded general election and was recognized as one of the members of the joint leadership of the APC.

He demonstrated his political strength and commitment to the party by delivering his state House of Assembly to the APC with a clear margin of victory. It is interesting to note that his leadership contested against the combined leadership of the sitting Deputy Governor, a former Deputy Governor, a former SSG, immediate past executive LGA chairman, three Special Advisers to the Governor and a host of other political appointees of the ruling PDP.

The result of his constituency further exposes his political skills and popularity, while his calculation in the Senate race that produced the Senator-elect, Hon. Dino Melaye further seals his massive contribution to the APC in the just-concluded struggle which was very noticeable and acknowledged in other senatorial districts.

He worked tirelessly with the APC leader in the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, and other APC leaders to collectively produce the excellent results recorded in all the elections.

Clarence Olafemi has continued to prove his mettle on the political terrain, and as the desired positive change begins to manifest at local, state and national levels through the instrumentality of the APC, it is only proper to expect more of him on the turf.

 

Dr. Atokolo is a Lagos-based public analyst

 

I cannot agree with you more on your position in your Saturday Flakes of April 18, 2015 titled ‘My quarrel with tagging Jonathan as democracy hero’. You spoke my mind on the issue through and through. Recent happenings from Jonathan’s cubicle lend credence to the fact that it is all a case of ‘let’s call a mad woman the bride in order to have our way,’ simple. But then, is it worth all that? God bless you.

Bolanle Sekoni, Lagos.

Your last installment of Saturday Flakes was very inconsequential and incoherent. What is your definition of a hero? I understand that you are only jealous of Jonathan.

Kevin, Nasarawa State

Thank you so much for fully saying exactly what is on my mind about President Goodluck Jonathan. How can anyone ever say anything good about the very worst president this country has ever had? To me, this kind of attitude and behaviour goes a long way in revealing to the world at large the kind of leaders we have in Nigeria–leaders who shouldn’t be anywhere near governance. They are there because our ‘talkative’ Constitution has made it possible for them to do so.

You see,it is not for nothing that Britain and America refuse to have unnecessarily detailed constitutions. With no details, opportunity is open for serious, rational, mature and reasonable decisions on what to do to run their nations in the most effective way at all times and by anyone, and it forces them to select and therefore elect qualitative representation.

They didn’t wait until they had learnt. They acquired the knowledge and therefore the necessary experience along the way, through thick and thin. We have been having leaders who know absolutely nothing about governance other than to make as much money as they can, using their positions. I wish I could go on and on.

Please, why don’t you have this extremely honest article published on the front pages of papers like Daily Trust, Leadership, The Sun and a couple of others? At any rate, thank you very much for saying my mind.

S. Imam

Your ‘quarrel with tagging Jonathan as democracy hero’ was quite understandable. Needless to say that that was one of the senseless piece I ever read from you. Jonathan has done the nation proud by doing what even your APC-made god, Buhari, couldn’t have done was he the one defeated. Thank God, Nigerians, nay the world, who understand the magnitude of the uncommon heroic did by Jonathan have acknowledged that accordingly and wouldn’t be influenced by the xenophobic construct of the APC writers in the matter.

Amaechi threatening to form a parallel government should Jonathan win the election and wasn’t called to order by APC didn’t matter to you. What would stir up your anger is why Jonathan is not made to face public execution for not calling his own men to order when they did just what Amaechi had done and was praised to high heavens by the APC. Any wonder then the kind of nation your likes would want to evolve here? Nigerians should know better.

Emmanuel Egwu.

Thank you Vincent for your piece, “My quarrel with tagging Jonathan a democracy hero.’ You have spoken the minds of millions of intelligent, good people of Nigeria. The division the President created between the Yoruba and the Igbo in Lagos is still on. Do you think the Yoruba can be brought to trust the Igbo again? In the history of Nigeria, no President has sown the seed of hatred among the ethnic groups like Jonathan did. May God forgive him and not let us have that kind of leader again.

Elder I.O. Fakunle

Those who call Jonathan a hero of democracy are not disciplined people. Jona has not done anything extraordinary by conceding defeat in a free and fair election.

Alhaji Adeboye Lawal

I read your article and beg to disagree with you.Jonathan is a hero of democracy. That is the truth. You would not have been able to write your article if the nation was on fire because Jonathan had not conceded defeat.

Many thanks, sir, for your true write up on Page 11 of The Nation on Saturday. Nigeria is the only country where the devil would be clothed in an angel’s uniform.

Barrister S.H. Ehaoma.

Your article, “My quarrel with tagging Jonathan a democracy hero is a good one. I concur. May your star continue to shine in Jesus mighty name.

Efuntade Alani Olusegun

I was seeing Jonathan as a hero until I read your piece. After reading your piece, I had to reconstruct my mentality. Thanks very much.

Udie, Warri

Thank you for your write up on democracy hero. I believe that one of the reasons for Jonathan’s ‘submission’ is that his wife, Dokubo and Orubebe already laid the mine for what Obasanjo foretold as Gbagbo factor. You know that the ICC was standing by and wise men were keeping vigil. God is in Nigeria anyway.

080773280..

Thanks for speaking truth to power.

Feyi Akeeb Kareem

Easy, Vincent. GEJ has done his part. He is a hero of democracy. Talk is cheap. Go contest election and let’s see how good you are.

070193681..

Vincent, you are among guys who don’t see anything good in GEJ. But our elder statesmen can’t be wrong in praising him. You didn’t know or see that Jega and APC rigged him out? He may not be a saint but he is my hero. Buhari and APC wouldn’t have accepted if things were otherwise. Ask Okorocha and APC.

090927249..

I share your opinion. Keep it up.

070882343..

Your piece titled ‘My quarrel with Jonathan as democracy hero’ was marvelous. In fact, you actually spoke my mind on the issue. My line of argument anywhere is that Jonathan does not deserve any praise. Instead, he should tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for his spoiler’s role in Nigeria and for bringing the country into this mess.

Ajijola S.A.

“What favour has a murderer done if he beheads an old man in the sun and keeps the severed head in a cool place?” I love your write-ups in Saturday Flakes.

Yakubu Haruna, Kogi State

You made my day with your write up today. President Jonathan simply wised up, knowing that he could be jailed by ICC like Charles Taylor and Laurent Gbagbo’s wife. He would prefer to be free so he can enjoy all he made while in office. Smart guy.

080863164..

Vincent, stop being such a sad person as depicted by your rantings. The man has had his day in the sun. Move on. You guys in The Nation are so infantile.

070152061..

Why do you people at The Nation still continue to write hate things? Is this the kind of change we want?

080365202..

Your comment in The Nation today is of a wise mindset. You are a truthful man. I salute you.

080377411..

My brother, you have spoken exactly what I have been telling my friends; that President Jonathan does not deserve any accolade

Bala

 

For Olatunji Dare 

 

It is a new dawn for Nigeria as APC takes over governance on May 29. Rapid development is on the way for Buhari’s government in every sector. – From Gordon Chika Nnorom

For lack of space and time, just to say thank you for the beautiful comment in The Nation. Felt you even more on the part about my state. Do have a great week ahead always. – From Rotimi Fafure, Lagos

As far as I am concerned, Governor Ayo Fayose does not hold the pace in Ekiti politics. Very soon, the truth will be told. – From Elder Ezekiel, Ilorin.

The most important thing the APC government will do for Nigerians is to just tap at one sector of our system – corruption – and every other thing is fixed. We know Gen. Buhari for that and that’s why we heavily voted for him. This is one last chance Nigeria has. Thank you, sir. – From Steve Mba, Enugu.

The incoming ruling party must work harder than it did to win the election, if it must translate its promises to reality. – From J. B. Shikmang, Jos

The PDP ship has sank in a turbulent ocean; it is clear that the team was eagerly seeking the saddle for megalomania not to revamp the nation, but thanks be to God. – From Olude Quadri Keulere, Ifo.

I’m at a loss at the description of Jonathan as a statesman just for conceding to Gen Buhari after the election as an elite way of having soft-landing. A confessed terrorist or an armed robber who owns up can also aspire to the Nigerian type of statesmanship. President Jonathan has no claim to the borrowed robe; his divisive political activities in Lagos and other places have counted against him now and later in the nearest future. – From Sanmi, Oke-Ilesa

Thank God for the combining efforts of the president-elect Buhari and Tinubu that rescued Nigerians from the misrule of the most corrupt, clueless and shoeless president. Uhmm, in Ekiti State, for governor Fayemi ruled as more of elite and saw Ekiti as animal kingdom but voting Fayose as his replacement is still a tragedy. May God deliver us. – From Alex-Adekunle,Igogo-Ekiti

From every indication, you’ll  find out that over 80% of Nigerians expects Buhari to stand by his word of change in our government because he is a man of integrety. – From Samuel Nwangue, Eleme,Rivers State.  

I wish to tell that Ayo Fayose reign of terror would soon be a foregone issue. – From Funso Olayinka, Oye Ekiti.

Re:This defining moment. The political occurrence from March 28 till date should be a lesson to Nigerians and political class that ‘nobody lasts ad infinitum’. PDP must have learnt lessons while APC should not be over joyous. That ‘change’, we are all waiting to see in the first four years. Never crucify Fayose! That may be own gift politically no matter the abuses you may be raining on him. However, his pre-election outburst on General Buhari should be a lesson to him that ‘Only God knows tomorrow’.  – From Lanre Oseni.

Thanks for your comment in The Nation. My appeal to President-elect General Buhari is: be just, be honest, be patient and also fight Boko Haram seriously; fight corruption in our motherland. Finally, I congratulate President-elect General Muhammedu Buhari and APC governors- elect, May Allah help them fulfil their promised to Nigerians, Ameen. – From Umar Faruk Ibrahim, Gusau

Though the governorship election didn’t  go as expected, I was happy that my Igbo brethren later retraced their steps and allowed discretion to prevail in their camp as they turned and voted for Akunwmi Ambode of Lagos State to win. Another victory that made my day was that of Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State. The old Abakaliki block for the past 16 years had held sway the governorship position of the state with the Ebonyi South only considered fit to play the second fiddle.

Ironically, the late Eze Ogo Akanu Ibiam, the former governor of the old Eastern Region, in whose influence Abacha created Ebonyi State, is from Unwana, Afikpo, Ebonyi south. Though the governorship slot was said to have been ceded to the south this time with Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu as the annoited candidate, that Umahi (also from the South) “hijacked” the position and won, is still a thing of joy to the people of the south who are having the state power shifted to their area for the first time. From Emmanuel Egwu

I’m well pleased at the article: This defining moment. It is full of wisdom and encouragement. – From Godwin, Langtang.

Thanks for the piece ‘This defining moment’. APC certainly has a mountain to climb, making an attempt to right the wrong that are massive in four years. It is, indeed, Mount Everest. Let us wish good luck with our prayer in an attempt to climb Everest. – From Olabode majekodunmi. Abeokuta.

 

For Segun Gbadegesin

 

Re: A new social contract.  It is a welcome development that the PDP has crashed out after 16 years of non-performance. The APC government should brace and perform and should not make it look like the story of a tortoise who sneaked out into his father-in-law’s farm in the midnight to steal a small quantity of yams and was caught red-handed. The father-in-law decided to punish the tortoise by tying him to a palm tree by the road side where other villagers going to their farms in the morning would see him. When they were told of what happened, they blamed tortoise. They abused him abysmally. However, the reactions of the villagers changed when they were returning in the evening and still met him tied up serving his punishment. They turned against the father-in-law. The blame was for the tortoise in the morning while the father-in-law got his in the evening. So, if God is going to punish a dog, He will put a wound on its head. This is what has happened. PDP members lost disgracefully because they did not perform. I do agree that ego is destructive if it succumbs to irrationality. It is rationality that brings progress. The people have hope that APC will take them to the promised land. Please don’t dash it. – From Prince Adewumi Oyeromade Agunloye

A new social contract by Segun Gbadegesin; this is a master piece with an in-depth analogy. For there to be a social contract, the people have to give their assent to the government. To suffice, the apex representative of the social contract act needs to be elected by the people consent. In past administrations, the social contract had been forged since leaders were selected in anomic circumstances, but with the introduction of card readers, the will of the people would be the ruling force of our society. – From Omobulejo Tobiloba Joseph,Yaba Lagos.

Your column always speaks volumes. Success has actually manifested on the side of APC; we expect a change as Nigerians. Congrat Segun. – Anonymous

Your  column  of  The  Nation  of  April  17, 2015  is just like exhortations  from  the  great  prophets  of  yore. If the incoming governments and leaders refuse to hearken  to  such inspired  words,  it  will  be  tragic for both  the  rulers  and  the  ruled. Sir, keep  on  with  more  of  such pieces.  – From  Bayo  Olafusi.

For Gbenga Omotoso

 

Mr Gbenga, you forgot to address Minister Adesina as a fine boy who also introduced customised agric cell phones to farmers. The only known snag was that farmers who were alerted to go collect their share of fertiliser got nothing upon reporting to the issuing warehouses. – Anonymous

Thanks for your article. God bless you. You have said it all. – From Godwin Saviour

These crafty characters took Nigerians for fools by pooling wool over their eyes for selfish reasons believing that we are still the old gullible fellows. All is now history. They won’t be missed. – From Chachafa V, Abuja

Good day, Mr. Omotoso. I read your article on Mr President and his cabinet. You were mostly negatively minded and could not see anything good about Jonathan and his team. A lot of good things happened also amid all. Write about these good things also. – Anonymous

Re:We shall miss them. Don’t say I did not warn you. You will kill me. I can’t stop chuckling! Nice day!! – Anonymous

In “We shall miss them all”, you were very cozy on Reuben Abati, preferring to veil his intellectual con artistry. I find him most culpable as a pedantic fraud. He was most scatting of every government policy before he joined the crooks in power which he overreached trying to defend. – Anonymous

Thank you for enlightening us about the whole scenario about this administration, God bless you. – Anonymous

Well, we shall miss them all? Well, we shall miss Dr. Adesina, a man who built a reputation on things he intended to do for agriculture and not what he actually achieved.  Adesina also cooked the statistics to support his intentions, to be recorded as his achievements. Bye-bye Adesina. – Anonymous

Really, Nigerians will miss some powerful leaders, but let the incoming government accommodate Dr Adesina for his performance in the agricultural sector. – From Gordon Chika Nnorom

Good opinion. Let Dr Olusegun Aganga and his N220bilion promise that was, indeed, not accessible for the small scale industries reflect in next edition.  Also, is National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) Abuja actually helping Nigerians, especially the entrepreneurS to reconstruct the economy by given them loans? They keep on saying no funds. Please Research on this. – From Mr O.A Hosea, Minna

Re: We shall miss them all. Notwithstanding all that you wrote on few of the various partakers in outgoing President Jonathan’s six-year administration, I think we, in Nigeria, need to learn great lessons from the manner power slipped off the hands of Jonathan and PDP! That, power is not perpetual and not impossible to lose where sleep slips off the right-doing of things from power holders! Quite a pity, the outgoing President did his best; he had many bootlickers who only came to ‘eat rather than govern’. APC is to learn better rather than being over joyous. Till 2018. Hip! Hip! Hip! Hurray. – From Lanre Oseni.

Your vintage self. You could have repeated “just like that”? So many times like Fela. I hope they will not all “get-away” with all those things just like that. – Anonymous

Re: We shall miss them all. Please next time you intend to do an article in pidgin, consult us in Warri and Sapele. Thanks for that beautiful one. – From McCartney Obrotu.

Mr Omotoso, thanks for article your in The Nation. I read it and was very excited. – From Akewushola M.B.

Gbenga, I always like to read your Editorial Notebook whenever I buy The Nation because of the way you present facts, I wonder where Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will be when this new government will prove her wrong. Like the minister of Agriculture, she was just making noise about federal allocation. God will judge all of them. Thank you for your good work. – From Jaafaru Iluebe, Warri.

Nigeria’s elites are aware of your briliant article, but the problem was, as a citizen, there is nothing an individual can do. The evil of Jonathan’s administration has plunged the country into a big messs that no matter how credible the incoming administration, it will take them a hell of stress to salvage the nation from these nigthmares. For us to get relief as a nation, Jonathan’s administration must be probed and proceeds from this should be used to better the country. – From Ogunsanya S.A. Abuja.

Sir, your article titled: We shall miss them all is mind-blowing and hilarious. It’s a wonderful flashback to the Jonathan administration. However, you ought to have captured the almighty Chief Edwin Clark, the so called godfather of Jonathan. Clark suddenly became a formidable force in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the extent that he could suggest who should be shown the way out of the party. He urged his party to expel former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Not to have been left out is Orubebe, who, in a bizarre show of shame, attempted to disrupt the declaration of results by INEC at the collation centre. We shall miss them all. – From Hundu S.A. Makurdi

 

For Tunji Adegboyega

 

Re: How far can the customer go? Customer is king with limits. Yes, N16m purchase price is a huge sum, but three times change/replacement for a faulty car is commendable for Coscharis. Mrs Omorodion could not get such reward/replacement in Germany. What if the fourth replacement was done and suggestively, she was being confronted by a spiritual difficulty/problem? Will Coscharis replace the fifth time? As it is, the Consumer Protection council (CPC) needs to protect nothing as it cannot satisfy either of the two parties. Let us see the commercial sense that the judiciary would bring into this faulty car case when either party resorts to that. To me, Coscharis had done enough; Mrs Omorodion should seek spiritual solution. From Lanre Oseni.

The truth of the matter is that the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) is not living up to their billings to protect and monitor the products consumers are using in Nigeria, like in other nations. The incoming government should focus on the CPC with a view to empowering it to be able to carry out its functions effectively. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

Gone were the days of ’omoluabi’ when children would humbly draw the attention of their father to behaviours that might tarnish the family name because they knew that the father’s misdemeanor would have effect on how the society at large  saw and treated them. What do we have now? A man publicly accused of stealing what belongs to the society would still be gallivanting around without a thought for the family name. And the bigger tragedy, ask his children what they feel, they would tell you that people should stop embarrassing their dad. So, Obanikoro Jr. is only following an unworthy tradition. From Simon.

It is a pity that Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is still living behind the time in the ‘new’ Nigeria. Obanikoro should understand that he cannot reap where he has not sown. He has sowed the seed of discord around himself. He was in the centre of the electoral malfeasance that took place in Ekiti State and he is trying to transfer the virus to his son, which will be suicidal. The earlier he got it right, the better for him and his political class. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

Thank you for commending the Awujale for his high class handling of Jonathan’s visit. My Oba, the Orangun Ile Ila (not Orangun of Oke Ila Orangun) also deserves commendation for not being part of the Ife crowd. From Dr Adebisi, Ila Orangun.