The Nation Newspaper

Category: Comments

  • Power belongs to the People

    No Nigerian can claim to be unfamiliar with the PDP’s battle cry.

    We’ve all seen the rowdy stadia filled with disinterested crowds and garish decorations. The party stalwarts all take it in turns to bellow “PDP” into crackly sound systems. Increasingly, jaded youths respond “Power.” “PDP – Power” became so ingrained, so normal that we forgot that a vital part had been amputated. Over the last 16 years, the PDP has utterly failed to deliver on its motto. Power not just for its own sake but power to the people.

    The PDP has failed in the most literal sense. Power generation in the country is simply abysmal. Optimistic estimates suggest Nigeria generates 4,500 megawatts of electricity. South Africa, despite having a population of 50 million people, produces nearly 10 times that. Over the past year, South Africans have become infuriated by a relatively minor increase in load- shedding. Nigerians have long since accepted electricity as a fleeting and inconsistent gift. Generators are a necessity in homes and businesses. Constant power supply is fundamental to the sustained growth of the economy. It is no surprise then that Nigeria’s economy continues to flatter to deceive.

    The biggest economy in Africa we are told. One of the fastest growing economies in the world they say. With a population of over 170 million, it would be shocking if we weren’t. The reality behind the glossy numbers is that Nigeria is still plagued by rampant poverty and enduring inequality. With all our natural resources, we are still desperately dependent on oil revenue. A slight drop in the oil price sends our economy reeling. The agriculture, tourism and manufacturing industries are anemic at best. We export raw, crude oil and import refined petroleum, which is subject to a government subsidy before being sold to the general public. It doesn’t take a professor to see the absurdity of this situation.

    The subsidy is often held up as an example of the endemic corruption in Nigeria. And of course corruption is a massive obstacle to the growth of the economy. Improbably vast amounts of money are directed away from productive activities into the private accounts of individuals. Money that could be used to improve ailing infrastructure and spur development is instead used to buy expensive cars and fuel the private jets that fly corrupt officials to glamorous homes in exotic locations. At times, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has acted as if it was testing how much strain the Nigerian economy could survive. The most blatant example was the NNPC scandal that took place last year.

    In early 2014, then Central Bank Governor, Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi accused the NNPC of not accounting for $20 billion. To put that into context, hosting the FIFA world cup costs around $10 billion. $20 billion is about Aliko Dangote’s total wealth, four times Mike Adenuga’s and almost 10 times Folorunsho Alakija’s; those are the three richest people in Nigeria. And it simply disappeared from our books. $20,000,000,000. Let that sink in. No economy in the world can lose that amount of money and not be affected. Wars have been fought over far less. But Jonathan responded as he did with most problems during his reign – ignore it and it might go away.

    To be fair to the President, none of these problems began with him. Irregular power supply has been a problem for decades. No government has adequately addressed economic diversification and no government has succeeded in tackling corruption. However, Jonathan’s administration must accept the blame for the unchecked rise of terrorism and insurgency. The atrocities carried out by Boko Haram were too pervasive, too tragic and too monstrous to be ignored. It has been almost a year since over 200 girls were kidnapped in Chibok. This captured the world’s attention but it was not the first time, nor the last time, that Boko Haram would kidnap and slaughter innocents.

    In the last six weeks, with the help of our neighbours, the Nigerian military has been successful in reclaiming all territories held by Boko Haram. Undoubtedly this is something to cheer but it begs the question why wasn’t action taken sooner? The first and foremost duty of the state is to exercise sovereignty over its territory. By watching as a portion of the country the size of Belgium was seized by insurgents, Jonathan failed Nigeria. I attribute no malice to him but he is certainly guilty of negligence. Years of ignoring infrastructure development, economic mismanagement and corruption had the vultures circling the PDP but it was the level of insecurity that meant that Jonathan simply had to go.

    And go he did. In a week that none of us will ever forget, General Muhammad Buhari of the APC won the presidential election. It hardly seemed possible but on the 31st of May impossible became reality when the PDP conceded defeat. It was poetic that Borno, a state that has been ravaged by insurgency, hammered in the final nail in the coffin. Nigeria’s maturing democracy has now survived 16 years and in 2015 finally passed the handover test. It seems odd that history will forget most of Jonathan’s contentious reign; he passes on into legend, “the man who handed over power.” Many Nigerians will not be able to forget his missteps. Still, Jonathan deserves immense credit for doing the right thing. He can now enjoy retirement as an elder statesman, being paraded around the world as a symbol of democracy.

    One man deserves even more credit. Attahiru Jega the National Chairman of INEC has just thrown his name in as a prime candidate for Nigerian of the Decade. In a country notorious for election malpractice, Jega has delivered twice. The second time round was even more impressive than the first. Going into the election, the atmosphere was extremely tense. How many of you know people who left the state in which they reside, or the country? How many of you decided to stay at home on Monday, just in case? Despite the heated polity, INEC conducted an election that was mostly peaceful and generally fair.

    This is Nigeria so of course there were inconsistencies and question marks but INEC handled itself with aplomb, showing flexibility when confronted with issues such as the card reader, while ensuring credible elections took place. With the aid of card readers, permanent voter cards, social media and, most importantly, engaged and passionate voters, rigging was kept in check. Almost more impressive was Jega’s utmost composure under intense pressure, the chairman carried himself with impeccable calm in the lead up and conduct of the election.

    Nigeria decided. Step forward President-Elect, General Muhammad Buhari. Problems solved, right? Well as always, it’s never that simple. The issues facing Nigeria cannot be fixed overnight. I suspect that Buhari will suffer from Obama’s syndrome. Just like President Barack Obama, Buhari won the election on a wave of mass popularity and arrives with a mandate for change. With all his landmark achievements – the Affordable Healthcare Act, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the potential diplomatic solution in Iran – Obama’s presidency is considered underwhelming. History may be kind to Obama but it shows the level of success that Buhari will need to achieve. The poor situation in Nigeria could be either a blessing or a curse to Buhari; it will be difficult to do worse than his predecessor but he has little to build on.

    Worryingly, Nigerians have been so caught up in the hype that very little scrutiny has been applied to Buhari’s policies. There has been very little in depth discussion of economic, social or foreign policy. We have heard that there will be a focus on agriculture, infrastructure and security but details are scarce. Now that Boko Haram’s holds no more territory, Buhari must push forward programmes that address the root causes of violent extremism to ensure long term security. Agriculture and infrastructure are also in dire need of targeted interventions. It will be very interesting to see who forms Buhari’s cabinet.

    Buhari has an unquestionable record of upholding rule of law and fighting corruption, as shown by his former stint as head of state. As a friend of mine succinctly put it, “corruption will drop by 30%, even before any policies are enacted, simply because of his name.”

    But one man cannot solve all of Nigeria’s problems. But I expect Buhari to bring the determination and fearlessness for which he is known. If he doesn’t, he will have to answer to Nigerian citizens who have now tasted the removal of an incumbent.

    Good luck Mr. President.

  • Jega’s silence on Akwa Ibom State is killing

    My first physical encounter with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega was on Saturday December 6, 2013 at Ugbegun in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State during the burial of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Festus Iyayi, who was murdered by the reckless convoy of the Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada.

    I had relocated to Edo State for about a week to join other activists, comrades and public-spirited compatriots from within and outside the country to give our slain brother in the struggle “a befitting burial”.

    Throughout his stay during the interment, Prof. Jega neither uttered a word nor exuded emotions except the occasions he exchanged pleasantries with other sympathisers who came to greet him. As I observed Mr. Jega closely, I could see a well cultured, quiet and decorous personage that does not easily give in to the vicissitudes of life. My admiration for him soared afterwards.

    It was therefore not eccentric to me when he exuded equanimity on Tuesday, 31st March, 2015 when Mr. Godson Orubebe sought to undermine his hard earned reputation with his thoughtless, shameful and baseless allegations of bias and compromise during the collation of the presidential election results at the International Conference Center, Abuja.

    With the successful conduct of the presidential election on 28 March, 2015 which has been applauded by Nigerians and the international community, the reputation of Prof. Jega has further improved. However, I’m very worried that the respect presently being accorded the INEC Chairman may be short-lived owing to his worrisome disposition towards the evident, widely reported and verifiable compromise of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom State led by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie.

    It is sickening that despite the public outrage that has continued to trail the fraudulent conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State, the INEC Chairman has not deem it pertinent to respond, even laconically, to the concerns and grievances expressed by residents of the State, political parties, the media, election observers and other Nigerians. One is tempted to ask whether the INEC Chairman has a special interest in Akwa Ibom State?

    It is on record that petitions has been sent to the INEC Chairman by interested persons, particularly by one of the leading political parties in the State, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in respect of the March 28 elections in Akwa Ibom State. Yet, there is no indication at the moment that the leadership of INEC has given a fair hearing to the petitioners.

    While it is true that politicians do make baseless allegations against the staffs of the Commission for political gains, it is not true that there are no bad eggs in the Commission. According to the results of the presidential election in the State as presented during the declaration of results by the State Collation Officer, Prof. James Ekpoke, Akwa Ibom State has 1, 644, 481 registered voters. Of this number, 1, 074, 070 voters were said to had been accredited while 1, 017, 064 reportedly voted. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was said to have scored 953, 304 votes while the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly scored 58, 411 votes.

    For God sake, where on planet earth did INEC get such alarming figures? Certainly not from the same Akwa Ibom State that no elections properly so-called took place. It is note worthy that the results of the March 28 elections were not announced at the State level until about 10 am of Tuesday, 31st March, 2015. Also, Prof. Jega had to stand down the announcement of the results by the State Collation Officer owing to discrepancy in the summation of the results until the figures were reconciled.

    During the March 28 elections, eligible voters were denied their franchise due to the willful and premeditated refusal by the INEC to release sensitive election materials, especially result sheets, to its ad hoc staffs. In most polling units, voters waited endlessly for the arrival of ballot papers and result sheets to no avail. In some places, elections actually took place but there were no result sheets to record same. In other places, known appointees of the State government went about with police and military escorts harassing voters and hijacking materials with reckless abandon.

    The rigging was so badly and carelessly done that result sheets were not even supplied at the polling unit of the APC gubernatorial candidate in the State, Mr. Umana Okon Umana in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area. It took protest by the candidate for the result sheets to be brought allegedly from the home of a former legislator from the area. The story was the same in most parts of the State.

    Surprisingly, the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission led by its Chairman, Prof. Jega has not deem it proper to react or investigate these documented, cogent and verifiable facts and evidence of massive fraud, rigging and subversion of the electoral process. At the moment, the State is literally in flames owing to the fear that the embattled State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie whose actions and inactions smacks of partisanship will still be the one to oversee the forthcoming gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections in the State.

    Late in the night on Sunday 5th April, 2015 information went viral on social media that the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel was having a meeting with INEC Returning Officers in the entire State. The nocturnal meeting was leaked by one of the Returning Officers (a lecturer) who attended the meeting. An Akwa Ibom State Correspondent of one of the national newspapers has confirmed to this writer that he drove passed the Babangida Avenue where the meeting allegedly took place and that he saw hundreds of vehicles and people at two places. These are serious allegations that shouldn’t be treated with kid gloves by the Chairman of INEC. The State Resident Electoral Commissioner cannot be trusted to conduct credible polls on April 11 in the State.

    This is the same REC that refused to accredit local journalists in the State claiming that they were working for the opposition. It took three days of vigil at the State INEC Headquarters by the insistent local journalists before the REC bowed to pressure and accredited them. So why is Prof. Jega still silent and unconcerned about the despicable, volatile and precarious situation in Akwa Ibom State? Is it that Akwa Ibom State is not significant to warrant a decisive action by the INEC Chairman?

    I humbly advice Prof. Jega to make sweeping changes in the commission before the April 11 gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections in the country. It is only right and expedient for the INEC Chairman to redeploy REC’S and other senior staffs of the commission from States that the March 28 polls were marred by irregularities and controversies. Anything short of this may spell doom for our nascent democracy and may greatly bastardize the reputation of the Commission.

    The media, human rights community, local and international observers should take note and follow closely the troubling situation in Akwa Ibom State. Prof. Jega should rise above any primordial consideration and defend the integrity of INEC and the electoral process in Akwa Ibom State.

    The time to act is now!

    • Inibehe Effiong is the Convener of the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (COHRD).

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari and leadership burden

    President Goodluck Jonathan assumed the presidency in 2011 with overwhelming votes mostly in the three geo-political regions of the southsouth, southeast and the southwest. The singsong, most specifically in the latter zone then, was that they voted for Goodluck Jonathan and not his Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The satisfaction that greeted the Jonathan presidential victory among those who voted for him was so palpable that it mattered very little—if at all—that some states recorded more votes for Jonathan than the actual number of registered voters.

    The electorate then, particularly those from the southern political divide, decided against Muhammadu Buhari largely because of the resentment they had haboured for so long about the hegemonic predilection of the northern dichotomy whence the General comes. Conversely, they saw Goodluck Jonathan as not belonging to the ruinous political class that had held them helplessly in the jugular for so long.

    So, when he told them his story about not having any shoes growing up during the campaign trail, it was as if that was the breath of fresh air they had been waiting to inhale. That statement further cemented his ‘outsider’ perception among voters and Jonathan’s fate as the next president of the republic was sealed.

    The ‘outsider’ status of Jonathan was also the proof-positive that the Nigerian electorates needed that their new and ‘unblemished’ president would fundamentally re-arrange the polity for sustainable growth and development, thereby giving them a new lease on life. They reasoned that he would be unencumbered and not tied to the apron strings of the deciders of who gets power in the country—military or civilian. But they misjudged; and very badly too.

    General Muhammadu Buhari, on the other hand, though not a stranger to these ‘kingmakers’, derived much, if not his entire support base from a critical mass of the poor from the north. The collective political class from both the north and the south had to be at the barricade against Buhari because, in their enlightened self-interests, a clueless and meek Jonathan was better than an unpredictable, no-nonsense Buhari who could turn off the spigot of the ‘milk and honey’ and haul them into jail because the taciturn general does not share their character traits of sleaze, primitive acquisition and plundering of the common patrimony.

    Thus, Buhari is a part of the political class without being a part of the political class. He seemed irredeemably sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. There is perhaps no time in the country’s history in which so much was expected of a chief of state—military or civilian—by the Nigerian populace than the March 28 polls that crowned Gen. Mohammadu Buhari as the president of the next political dispensation starting in May 29. While the bestowal of presidential victory to Jonathan in 2011 by the electorates was largely due to sentiments, Buhari’s assumption of the highest political seat in the land was brought about by the acute awareness of the same electorates that real change must take place in all aspects of national life, no thanks to Boko Haram that has become very significant non-state actors with a considerable chunk of the nation’s territory under their holsters, corruption of monumental proportion and an economy on a free fall, among others—all this on Jonathan’s watch. Thus, the crisis of expectation among both candidates is that while the electorates expected that Jonathan would do something upon becoming the president in 2011, the Nigerian electorates this time around are demanding that Gen. Buhari must do something about their collective national despair.

    Now that Buhari’s unflinching quest to situate Nigeria among the comity of nations, bound by universally acceptable moral and judicial precepts has finally been realized through the ballot box, it is extremely important that the next governing party and Buhari’s impending administration keep their eyes on this one-of-a-kind social contract with the Nigerian people. Just as the world was keenly interested in the election that gave him victory, the global community would also be watching Buhari’s every step from here on to see if we’re really serious about our desire to not only add values to ourselves and improve our living standards but positively contribute to humanity at large.

    Buhari’s emergence was unusual. Therefore, his government should be unusual if it must meet the people’s expectations in the shortest time possible as well as the long run. The Buhari government must find innovative and inventive ways to governance for the arduous tasks ahead. Once elected, Buhari is automatically conferred with the free rein and the latitude to construct his cabinet as he sees fit. Being made to work with people with very little or no antecedents of job accomplishments could be counter-productive and may be a recipe for failure.

    Just as Buhari’s win is akin to inheriting a house whose pillars are so weak that some low level wind gust could collapse the edifice anytime, so also is there a tremendous opportunity to build a new house with concretes that, although may be unfamiliar to the inhabitants, but guarantees a stronger house that will stand the test of time well into the future. Perhaps a good starting point of the Buhari government will be to put all but one or two of the presidential fleet of airplanes on the auction block immediately after it is sworn in and drastically reduce the workforce of the presidency.

    By this, the Nigerian people would get the signal that there would not be any sacred cow when it comes to confronting waste and the hydra-headed corruption monster. Reducing the size of the incoming presidency will not only save a considerable amount of money that is no longer available, no thanks to an epileptic economy that may not regain full consciousness anytime soon, but significantly reduce the recurrent expenditure which has always been the bane of growth in the polity.

    By extension, corruption will automatically reduce in this first tier of government bureaucracy. In the age of high and extreme automation, it makes no sense to retain, say, ten personnel when four would do the job just as effective. The Buhari/Osinbajo presidency should be so compact but highly effective that it should be able to fit in a suitcase.

    The mid-term approach in this fight against corruption and waste is for the Buhari transition committee to ask for the Steve Oronsaye’s committee report that has reportedly enunciated how the entire federal bureaucracy (MDAs) can be streamlined before that report grows some wings for swift implementation. The long-term component is the devolution of more powers to the states—which may not be more than two years—to be brought to fruition. When powers are devolved into the federating units, developments become fast-paced.

    States and their citizens will be able to make choices whether they want bloated bureaucracies or real growth. General Muhammadu Buhari may be the only one that knows the real reason(s)—except what was publicly stated—why he refused to give up after the first, second or third attempt, the least that Nigerians can do is to support the incoming administration to take this badly abused country to the enviable heights that she truly deserve. The challenges are no doubt daunting. But the opportunities, ironically, are also fantastic and the timing cannot be more auspicious.

    • Odere is a media practitioner.

  • Let the truth be told: Agbaje, you have godfathers!

    While reading the excerpts of the media interaction of the gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje in The Guardian of January 23, 2015, and also watching his interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily by the trio of Chamberlin Usoh, Sulaiman Aladeh, and Maupe Ogun, the words of German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche came to my mind. He apparently had Agbaje in mind when he said: “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

    Having unashamedly told lies to Lagosians, it will surely be difficult to believe his campaign promises. When Agbaje told journalists “I don’t have a godfather”, I cringed. Agbaje should tell that to the marines. One question one must ask Agbaje is: how did he, who joined the PDP a few months to the party’s primary election, emerged as the candidate without the support of the godfathers who controls the party’s structures? Agbaje wanted us to believe that Chief Bode George and Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe who allegedly influenced the primary election and deployed state apparatus in his favour did that out of sheer altruism and without vested interest.  Can Jimi Agbaje dispute the fact that he emerged the candidate of the PDP in Lagos State through a manifestly fraudulent and violent process? Perhaps, it is apposite to refresh the memory of sufferers of selective amnesia as no one can build something on nothing, as it will not stand.

    In the primary election that produced Agbaje as the candidate, 806 voters were accredited but 863 votes were counted. This is in line with the PDP’s “democracy” algebra.  To the PDP, 16 is greater than 19 at the Nigerian Governors Forum’s election and seven is greater than 19 at the Ekiti State House of Assembly. Agbaje did not have the capacity to conjure the 57 ghost delegates, as he did not control the structure of the party. It was only the bipolar super power of George and Ogunlewe that could brazenly invent such parody of democracy. Agbaje, tell no lies, claim no easy victory!

    I also recall that the cache of weapons recovered by the Police in a SURE-P bus put at the disposal of Bode George’s thugs on the day of the primary election could have assisted the soldiers complaining of ill equipment in the war against Boko Haram. I did not invent this. The serious allegation leveled against Bode George and SURE-P was made by no less a personality than Musiliu Obanikoro, immediate past Minister of State for Defence and victim of the rigging process. A friend, who passed through Ketu and Ojota on that day, confirmed the scary incident that one of the gubernatorial aspirants donned a bulletproof vest at the venue of the primary election. Television cameras captured this. What other proof do we need?

    George and Ogunlewe could not have deployed “life and death” and “do or die” tactics to secure the ticket for Agbaje if they were not driven by self-serving agenda. They are waiting for huge return on their ‘investments’ if Agbaje is elected. That Bode George has not been consistently seen on the Agbaje campaign train is not because he is old, as Agbaje wanted us to believe, the truth is that he is being kept away from the public glare like a leper. He is considered a liability to the campaign, as he is much remembered by the masses for his alleged heist on the public till at the Nigeria Ports Authority and his days at Kirikiri Maximum Prison for corrupt enrichment, though quashed by the Supreme Court. Don’t forget that Bode George is the cornerstone of “I don’t have godfather” castle of lies being built in the air by Agbaje. This is what he wants to sell to Lagosians in exchange for their mandate. I say to the electorate, ‘caveat emptor, buyers beware!’ Anyway, Lagosians are too sophisticated for this deceit. Eko oni gba igba kugba, which literally translated means, ‘Lagosians don’t suffer fools gladly’.

    Again, at the media interaction, Agbaje put on a “holier than thou” garb. He mentioned the phrase “vested interest” for almost 10 times while aiming punches at the All Peoples Congress (APC).  Sadly, there was not a giant mirror in the room; otherwise, he would have seen himself in the mirror with bloodied face from a self-inflicted injury. He was apparently desperate to ram it in the head of his guests that if elected, his administration will be devoid of vested interest. As Americans would say: “Mr. Agbaje, gimme [give me] a break!” Is Agbaje saying that he is the sole financier of his multi-billion-naira contest for power project? Or do his campaign financiers see their contribution as donations to charity and therefore no string attached?  Ambrose Bierce apparently had Agbaje in mind when in his book, Devil’s Dictionary he defines politics as “strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles”.

    Agbaje, tell no lies; you owe three people if you are elected governor: godfathers, campaign financiers and the electorate. It is now left for you to hone the skill on how to strike the balance and draw a right scale of preference.

    It is settled that both Agbaje and Akinkunmi Ambode, the APC gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, have godfathers and financiers whose “vested interests” will also be protected if elected while fulfilling the campaign promises to the electorate.  The coming gubernatorial elections in Lagos State are a proxy electoral battle between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of APC and Chief Bode George of PDP! One must be a fool to believe otherwise. Therefore, for me, the criterion to choose the better candidate is the capacity of the candidate. This is why I’ll go for Ambode. Agbaje is an accomplished businessman and he is eminently qualified to become the Lagos State governor. But Ambode, with huge experience and fulfilled career in both public and private sectors, embedded with local and international capacity building, is the best man for the job.

    It is interesting to note that Ambode had cause to work with seven governors (civilian and military) in the voyage of his career. The slump in the oil price and attendant decline in federal allocation necessitates having in Alausa a governor that is well adept in financial engineering. Lagos State has experienced sharp drop in the accruable revenue in the past when former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with the blessing of Agbaje’s godfathers (Bode George and Ogunlewe), unlawfully withheld the state’s monthly allocations as a result of the creation of additional Local Council Development Areas that were meant to take governance and development closer to the grassroots. Ambode, as the state’s Accountant General, was credited with excellent management of the account at the trying period, which lasted for four years. The state government survived this period without abandoning its responsibility to the people or sacking a single worker. Lagosians need Ambode’s expertise and experience more than ever in this period and when the era of high oil price is over.

    More importantly, the recent victory of the All Progressive Congress at the federal level will hasten the 25-year development plan in Lagos, with Ambode in the driver seat of governance, where 24-hour power is possible, National Art theatre and National Stadium will be refurbished, Apapa roads will be maintained and more opportunities will be provided for the hardworking Lagosians regardless of tongue, tribe or gender.

     

    • Sewanu, a Public Relations and Brand Communication Consultant based in Lagos.

     

  • Our Girls;  ‘Super Nigeria’; States as ‘Mini Nigeria ’; Federal = non-biased; Lagos: Vote Federal.

    Our Girls;  ‘Super Nigeria’; States as ‘Mini Nigeria ’; Federal = non-biased; Lagos: Vote Federal.

    Our Girls are still missing since April 15th 2014. We pray for their release.

    Nigerians have elected a new driver for a ‘Super Nigeria’ car, which has nearly been wrecked, by the last driver and his mechanics who nearly stripped ‘Super Nigeria’ bare.

    Congratulations to President-elect Mohammadu Buhari and VP-elect Yemi Osinbajo and all who worked, collected money, and voted even at risk to life. This APC government is already inclusive as many, too many, PDP stalwarts are contributing to election success and they with APC also add to ‘Buhari Baggage’ but must not weigh him down preventing real anti-corruption change. He must not have to ‘appease’ those who ‘without us you would not be here today’.

    As a post mortem on President Jonathan’s leadership, he has a good heart but was in lethal party. Did he instigate the human rights abuses, violence and vote stealing perpetrated? Party members who did should be prosecuted for ‘crimes against Nigeria’. Did Jonathan ‘see no evil and hear no evil’?  Though over 100 Fellow Nigerians died and are dying in traumatised Rivers State, Jonathan may become ‘Not Do-or-Die Jonathan’ for his exit strategy, which elevates him to ‘Former President’ on the international stage. Clean elections may be nearer but it is not yet ‘Uhuru’.

    President Jonathan lost through the weight of political ‘PDP baggage’- violent and greedy, by the political and social excesses of ‘First Lady Baggage’ and of party members and needless debasing vitriolic verbal diatribes by attack dogs. The dollar rain particularly in the last six weeks was a campaign in which they ‘took his money but did not care’ to vote for him. Add the President’s failure to act against corruption and crises including the Boko Haram war, the fulani herdsmen/ farmers war, the fuel subsidy scam and stellagate- now a Senator. Will her immunity hold? ‘PDP-Power’ failed to deliver electric power and other infrastructure between 1999 and 2015. However history may be kind to Jonathan for his inspired handing over without an Obasanjo dance or ‘Babangida Machiavellian Move’, against the advice of hangers-on.

    He realises it is ‘Jonathan’, not them, for the history books. It will not be known as a PDP regime, just ‘The Jonathan Years’. With his loss and congratulations to President-elect Buhari, President Jonathan may have stopped post-election turmoil. If he controls the post-election PDP Petitions to Tribunal courts, he may put a clean full stop to his troublesome chapter in ‘The Book of Nigerian History’. If he is exonerated or makes restitution for the Rivers election violations and violence, he may get nominated for the Egyptian Mo Ibrahim’s Democracy Prize for transparent, violence-free transition, worth $5m or N1000m =N1billion divided into tranches of $200,000 = N40, 000,000 at the current worthless naira rates.

    In the election of state governors and state assembly, many routine ‘opposition’ states can at last align with the central government –an un-missable opportunity heralding four years of ‘peace’ But not preferential progress. The incoming APC federal government must stand against mistreatment of ‘opposition states’ with the despicably hostility of the PDP with resultant stunted growth, non-payment of subventions and criminal terror tactics which thankfully alienated many Nigerians. Evry state is a mini Nigeria’ bound in mutual harmony with the federal government and has Nigerian citizens from all parties. Federal means non-discriminatory. The evil antics of federal ministers of Lagos State origin need recording in ‘Lagos State History’ and caused huge psychological trauma and developmental losses. When will a Nigerian say to his President ‘I may be your party man but I am here first from my State. I will not act against my state: Campaign yes, criminality no’?

    The political alignment with the central government will be a relief and respite for many suffering states. Both Lagos State Governorship candidates have a lot to offer as ‘Our man at the top’. However candidates have ‘party political baggage’ which see Lagos State as a Prize to be robbed or a Crown Jewel in Nigeria’s crown to be polished. What is the ‘party baggage’ your candidate brings with him? Remember that if Lagos State changes party in governorship, the now homeless outgoing political machinery in Abuja will descend on and relocate to Lagos like ‘A Four Year Plague Of Leeches’. Being senior to the new governor in the party hierarchy they will lord it over him, sucking Lagos dry, with adverse disastrous consequences for development, safety, security and resources. The same ‘Party baggage’ that ruined a whole President Jonathan will certainly ruin a Lagos State Governor, no matter how competent he is. I had this conversation with my late first cousin, Funso Williams. He was individually great, but the ‘party baggage’ was not equal to him in greatness. He was murdered before he could perform. Lagos has been in ‘opposition’ forever. Why should it stay in ‘opposition’ when its own resources and personnel helped bring change at the centre and become a ‘war camp’ of the new PDP ‘opposition’ against the APC central government?

    Vote wisely on the 11th April for Lagos State and others to be aligned to the new central government. There should never again be violence by the Federal Government against states. Vote for candidate of your choice to place the state in ‘political alignment’ with or ‘calculated opposition’ to the Federal Government, depending on your preference. But Lagos, Oyo and Rivers should please go Federal- for once.

     

  • Memo to in-coming President

    On May 29 2015, Your Excellency will be sworn in as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the most populous and most vibrant black nation in the world. Congratulations! There is no doubt that Nigerians survive on hope, but please give us renewed hope for a better tomorrow.

    Nigerians appreciate that there are numerous problems confronting our country but the most essential ingredient for citizenship engagement is sincerity of purpose. So, it will be good to see you adopt an open system of administration. The experience of the past 16 years of democratic dispensation has shown clearly that a Nigerian voice is evolving, albeit slowly, and that any serious minded politician or political leader must rethink if he intends to go far.

    Most Nigerians can tell you how not to rule this nation. Nigerians are now, more than ever before, very protective of the integrity of their fatherland and would not appreciate a President that does not pay attention to and invest in creating a positive image for our homeland.  The good people of Nigeria want to walk tall wherever they go and with whomever they interact. Indeed, they want to be recognised for all the good things: in academia, sports, entertainment, industry, technology, healthcare, education and now, more than ever before, good governance. Still on corruption, Nigerians feel sad when stolen monies are stashed abroad and the economy suffers as a result.

    Mr. President, there is no gainsaying that our youth groan under the yoke of unemployment and under-employment and they frown when economic policies and over-bloated budgets do not translate to employment for them. It is painful that Nigerian graduates roam the streets looking for jobs, unappreciated for upwards of five years and without any support system. For instance, Nigeria needs to keep a databank of these unemployed youth which could then be a basis for prioritising employment interventions and ensuring that the economy benefits.

    Infrastructural development must be given utmost priority. Your Excellency, citizens dislike a fire brigade approach to infrastructural development and worse still, when developments are undertaken solely for political reasons or when cosmetic works are ventured into to potentially hoodwink citizens, the populace get tuned off. The President should adopt a zero tolerance for abandoned projects and the presidency must foster effective collaboration with states on developmental issues.

    Though tribe and tongues may differ, Nigerians celebrate their diversity and do not take kindly to a president who rules according to ethnic and religious divides. You can be rest assured that when presidents tow the line of division, cronyism and nepotism, they will be serving the interests of very few people to the detriment of the whole country and this approach will inevitably backfire. Nigerians love federal institutions established to foster unity such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Unity schools, federal universities, polytechnics amongst others but would appreciate a review of our quota system policies in line with modern trends. For instance, would it not be better to enthrone meritocracy in these institutions by making admissions into them 70 per cent merit and 30 per cent quota so that Nigerians can be better benefitted.

    It may be important to have a role for the President’s wife, but please be assertive so as not to allow such roles to distract government from its business so as not to allow frivolity get in the way of good governance with unsolicited gender comments on sensitive national issues. Also, if it is possible, make sure that whatever role the President’s wife is given that it is not funded by taxpayers’ money. Nigerians love their women and the motherly role they play, but not at the expense of the citizenry.

    Your Excellency, you will definitely earn the trust of your citizens if you can sincerely commit to providing stable electricity for the country as people feel distressed that this is one product that Nigerians may have the money to afford but cannot find in the market. Citizens are yearning for genuine commitment to privatisation of the power sector; for example, questions have been asked in some quarters as to why very few players with the capacity for huge capital outlay are allowed into the market and that this might be a factor in those granted opportunities to form oligopolies, effectively holding this nation to ransom.

    Mr. President, the people of Nigeria cherish exemplary leadership and as you would understand, this is why you have been voted into this incredibly important position. As Shakespeare wrote in his play; ‘Henry IV Part II’: “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” and for this reason, it is important that Nigerian citizens do not feel betrayed should ministers and top officials not be answerable to the people. Nigerians expect that you frown at, and call to task, erring officials as a sign that you fully understand the reasons they have been voted into or appointed to public office. Nigerians are now quick to point out that public office is not the sole preserve or birth right of any class or group of people.

    Your Excellency, as soon as you are sworn-in, and given your demonstrated capacity, Nigerians look forward to your assuming the position of President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria rather than that of your party. Nigerians understand that your party may wish to drag you down the route of sectional politics but, as President, you are father of all and as such should put your foot down! Also, as you would be more than aware, as President, your duty is to the entire nation and not only those that have voted for you or against some perceived enemies.  One thing Nigerians would want to see going forward in our fragile democratic journey is non-interference with other arms of government as this is an essential ingredient of good governance.

    The judiciary and legislature will look up to your office for orderliness, rule of law, probity, accountability and selflessness. If you can do it, they will not have a reason not to. This also applies to the issue of the huge wage bill and irrational allowances incurred by public office holders at the expense of the people they are supposed to be serving.

    Kindly be more magnanimous in constituting your cabinet by including possibly, some members of opposition with impeccable character and excellent track record of performance and avoid recycling very old and redundant hands who are not relevant to the vision of Nigeria in the 21st century. There are very many excellent, world class, selfless and patriotic Nigerians. Pease, take time to look for them to help move our fatherland forward. You can even be more magnanimous by encouraging a shadow cabinet, as this is healthy for any meaningful development where people with contrary views are not perceived as enemies.

    Mr. President, our institutions are weak and collapsing, so as a matter of urgency, your office should endeavour to strengthen government agencies and parastatals to ensure they can deliver on their statutory duties. Where possible, please avoid bringing public officers, especially police and the military into partisan politics. Security of lives and property is also one area in which Nigerians want to heave a sigh of relief urgently. Many Nigerians do not believe they are living in the Nigeria of their dreams with the spate of killings and kidnappings across the country. Part of creating an enabling environment for domestic and international business and good governance is security and, children particularly want to feel safe and proud that the government is in-charge.

    Your Excellency, the term ‘dividends of democracy’ is tokenistic to the people and it is certainly a military phobia sentiment. Therefore, after 16 years of continuous democratic dispensation, Nigerians deserve the dividends of good governance. As a Nigerian citizen, I have full hopes that this country will be great and I feel I have in my own small way performed my civic duty and contributed to the future that many Nigerians yearn for.

    Thank you and Long live Nigeria!

    • Mogaji, a development communications expert wrote in from Lagos

  • Time for Nigeria to be great once again

    Dear Compatriots, I want to take this last opportunity, before we go to the polls on Saturday March 28 and April 11 respectively, to thank everyone who has supported our campaigns. I am humbled and grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many of my fellow Nigerians who have helped to carry the message of change across our great country.

    This is the fourth time that I would be standing for election as the President of Nigeria. All these years, I have been driven by a keen awareness of the potential greatness of our country and the desire to provide the true leadership that will unleash this huge potential.  I believe that a stable and prosperous Nigeria is not only important to Nigerians. It is also important to Africa and the rest of the world. The evidence of this is the unprecedented attention that our country will receive this weekend. On Saturday, the whole world would wait with baited breath for the greatest black nation on earth to take charge of its destiny. We must therefore not miss the significance of this moment. We must not let ourselves and our country down.

    At no other time in our history is Nigeria in such an urgent need of strong and competent leadership. Sadly, at no other time is this leadership so sorely absent in our country. We live in a time of great opportunities and great peril. It is only a leader that understands these in equal measure that can find the rightful place for Nigeria among the great Nations of the world.

    I have travelled extensively around Nigeria in the last three months. In the course of my travels, I encountered directly, what I have always believed: that a Hausa man’s desire for security is not different from the Ijaw woman’s desire to feel secured in any part of our country. An Igbo woman’s desire for her children to get quality education and find employment is not different from the Yoruba man’s dream for his children to become a useful member of our society. A wife’s desperate need for affordable and quality healthcare for her husband diagnosed with prostate cancer in Enugu is not different from a husband’s desire to save the life of his wife diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Lagos. Invariably, our fears are the same; our dreams are the same; and our problems are the same. Regardless of the language we speak, or the way we understand and worship God, what affects anyone of us, affects everyone of us.

    Our economy is celebrated as the largest in Africa, yet our country is home to the continent’s highest number of people living in extreme poverty. Our youth population is larger than the combined population of many of our neighbours, yet our failure to plan and create opportunities for them is turning them to a social time bomb rather than economic catalysts. A band of ragtag terrorist group has threatened our territorial integrity, killed thousands of Nigerians, displaced our people and abducted our children. The almost 60, 000 Nigerians who have become refugees in neighbouring countries represent a budding threat to sub-regional stability.

    However, even in the face of these daunting challenges, I see a great opportunity for change.  We have to start by rebuilding the trust and confidence of Nigerians in their government. No citizen will respect a government under whose watch more than 200 girls were abducted. This singular act can only portray the government as insensitive, incompetent or both. When I become president, reuniting these children with their families will, without doubts, be a top priority. Rebuilding the army and other security agencies will also be a top priority of my government.  I will ensure that never again will terrorists find a safe haven in Nigeria.

    Recent fall in international price of crude leaves us badly exposed and vulnerable. Dwindling oil revenue also means that we are going to face serious financial challenges in the months ahead. However, even as daunting as this appears, it also provides us with great opportunity to diversify our economy and finally give meaning to the widely held belief that our prosperity as a nation would not continue to depend on the resources buried under our feet, but on the productive capacity of our people.

    No matter how many resources we have, if not properly utilized, it would only create a few billionaires and leave majority of our people in poverty. Under the current administration, corruption has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and this has been at the heart of most of our government failings, including insecurity, broken infrastructure and growing inequality in our country.

    My government will have a zero tolerance for corruption. I will set a personal example and run a government that truly serves the people rather than serve themselves and a privileged few. Like I have repeatedly maintained that if Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. We must not allow Nigeria to die. Therefore, we must do all that is necessary to root out this evil that has reduced our great country to a laughing stock of the world. We must begin to rebuild the social fabrics of our society and teach a different experience to our youth in the values of hard work, discipline, integrity and service.

    The change that I seek therefore; is a change from the current regime of mindless of corruption and profligacy; a change from fear and insecurity to peace and stability; a change from religious and ethnic divisiveness to unity, equity and justice. This is the change that my party stands for. This is the change that I am committed to bringing about as President.  Give me the chance to lead you in rebuilding a Nigeria that all of us can be proud of once again.

    As we come out to vote on Saturday, I appeal to all Nigerians to shun violence in whatever form.  It is the right of every adult Nigerian to vote and expect that their votes would count in a free, fair and credible election. However, we also have a responsibility to respect the choice of others and grant them the same treatment that we expect.

    I also want to call on all our men and women in uniform, the Judiciary, and all others who have constitutional responsibility to safeguard our democracy, to remember that their responsibility is primarily to Nigerians and the survival of Nigeria. They must therefore not allow anyone to use them to subvert the will of the Nigerian people. I believe that their dreams and aspirations are not different from those of other Nigerians.

    I have no doubt that with God being on our side; together we can make our country great once again.

    • Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR is Nigeria’s President-elect delivered this speech before the March 28th, 2015 Presidential election.

  • Between Orji, Otti and Abia people

    With the victory of the All Progressives Party (APC) at the presidential election, it is becoming increasingly clearer that the political calculations in Nigeria have changed. The way things are right now, it seems Chief T.A Orji-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, is on its own. Until lately, the obvious rejection of the government and its sponsored PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, by the people, had largely appeared as an issue merely within the state’s politics.

    For the discerning mind, things started to change right from the time President Goodluck Jonathan visited Aba to commission the Alaoji Power Plant. Mr. President neither utter any word in solidarity with Orji’s senatorial ambition nor Ikpeazu’s governorship bid. While Orji won his senatorial election, it may not be a smooth ride for the PDP’s governorship candidate, Okezie.

    Ordinarily, with the governor going for senatorial election, it was expected that the President would drum support for him and the party’s governorship candidate. But obviously pandering to the prevailing sentiment in the state and relying on proven reports of the government’s poor performance profile, the President tactfully avoided that otherwise, important segment of the visit.

    Jonathan’s action however did not come as a surprise to informed residents of the state. If anything, rather, it was predicted. For one, the President must have been tutored on the psychology and general attitude of the people, especially the Aba ma Ndi-Aba, philosophy. The expression which literally means “Aba knows its own people” comes handy on purpose, often in appreciating virtues and or denouncing perceived vices.

    It is a clarion call of sort. In the past, when certain individuals were seen to have acted in situations that were considered noble by residents of the city, they were celebrated and adopted as worthy members of the entity. They needed not be residents of the commercial city. What mattered most was that they were seen to have put up actions that had impacted positively on the people.

    It was in this respect that late Igbo icon, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, remained a hero to Aba indigenes even in death. The people, not given to sycophancy or forgetting favours, regularly recall how the Biafran leader literally put his life on the line in defence of his kinsmen. Little wonder that when he died, Aba residents insisted on his lying in state in Aba Township Stadium where they paid him last respect.

    Governor of old Imo State, late Dr. Sam Mbakwe, was equally revered by inhabitants of the commercial city for his glorious role in fighting for the Igbo man before, during and after the civil war. Besides, his frontal attack on the Ndiegoro flood menace, which earned him the sobriquet “weeping governor”, his people-oriented governance remains a sacrifice that Aba residents do not forget in a hurry. There are other examples.

    Conversely, there were instances where those perceived to have worked against the interest of the city and Igbo land in general, were paid in what was considered their own coin. The expression was in such instances echoed in derision.

    The way things are right now, the best of the Orji-led PDP government in the state, is not good enough in the state. This explains why the governor is not appreciated by most of the people in the state. With acute credibility problem on the government it has literally been treated as an orphan by many that ordinarily should have adopted it. Part of the grouse against the administration is its non-payment of staff salaries. Teachers recently embarked on indefinite strike to force the government pay backlog of salaries as well as outstanding leave allowances said to be up to eight months. Their counterparts in Abia State Polytechnic had also threatened going on strike because of being owed over six months’ salary arrears. Workers in other establishments also owed salaries and allowances had on occasions, been at logger-heads with the government.

    Besides, for an administration that has been adjudged to have failed the people in several facets in the last eight years, Jonathan must have reasoned – and wisely too -that overt fraternity with the governor would amount to a huge baggage on his re-election bid.

    This, of course, is not without reason. For a people that have literally been raped and criminally neglected in the life of the current regime in the state, their eyes are already focused on change. To them, in fact, the proverbial train has departed the moribund PDP station and headed clearly towards the direction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)’s Dr. Alex Otti.

    The APGA governorship candidate, is incidentally, physically, mentally and morally prepared for the challenging task of recovering the State from the PDP-induced years of the locust. While volunteering for service from his comfortable career with Diamond Bank as its group managing director, he had adequately rolled up his pants, realising of course, that the journey in reinventing the state, was going to be tedious.

    However, at many forums, he has declared that service to Abia and not exercise in self-aggrandizement, has been the driving force behind his aspiration. It is in this regard that he has laid out an encompassing template on how he intends to restore the state to a position of envy among its peers. In his manifesto which touches on the entire wellbeing of the people, he has established roadmaps towards repositioning the state’s education, health, agriculture, economy and other sectors.

    He has also given hints on how he intends to re-engineer Aba, the hitherto commercial hub of the South East and South-South regions that has painfully suffered criminal neglect in recent times. Otti, by this singular act, has struck on the hearts of the Abia voters.

    Jonathan must have read the writing on the wall. He must also have read and perfectly interpreted the glaring indices of the T A Orji-led PDP government rejection on the faces of the people. That must have informed why he tactfully avoided campaigning for the governor and Ikpeazu during his Aba visit. And he was right.

     

    •Nwachukwu, a political scientist, writes from Aba, Abia State

  • Tinubu and my longest congratulations: Honour to whom honour is due

    Tinubu and my longest congratulations: Honour to whom honour is due

    Political self-determination, if it is to be worthwhile,and real and not illusory,must go hand in hand with twin brother economic self determination.

    —Chief Obafemi Awolowo

    All pioneers of good things of their time are always regarded as mad people;only for people to come back and worship them.

    —Pa Abraham Adesanya

    Let me state upfront that the title of this short tributes was taken from that Obafemi Awolowo University former literature teacher and renowned scholar Prof.Adebayo Williams lecture delivered at Muson Centre,Lagos in March,2004 to commemorate Chief Obafemi Awolowo 17th posthumous birthday titled: Awolowo and the Longest Goodbye.I had told Prof.Williams at the Bola Tinubu 7th Colloquium last week Wednesday that if APC wins presidential election i would pay tributes to Asiwaju using the title of his old lecture which Prof gladly endorsed to encourage me.

    Today I would have love to exhume information from my rich memories in a well crafted essay to pay glowing tributes to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,but I will pause because the future is still very much ahead.I leave that to eminent scholars and essayists.

    Tinubu made the real Change a reality in Nigeria.He remained true to instructive words of Awolowo and Adesanya.Pa Adesanya leader of Afenifere at that time single-handedly gave the Alliance for Democracy-AD ticket to Tinubu to run for the governorship election of Lagos State in 1998 which he won.The rest is history.

    From Chief Obafemi Awolowo,Pa Adekunle Ajasin,Pa Abraham Adesanya and currently Tinubu.By successfully mobilizing the people,Tinubu the Lion of Bourdillon,Jagaban Borgu with other progressive leaders gave a new lease of life and a sense of purpose within the context of the new nation.The political party All Progressive Congress-APC by which he achieved this was revelation on the African scene,and it casts an unflattering reflection on the current cluelessness.The All Progressive Congress was highly organized,efficient,cohesive,deadly on the prowl,and populated with many thinking people.Indeed,it was more like a fighting machine which they called Armoured Personnel Carrier-an infantry fighting vehicle,relentlessly advancing with panache and precision,quickly regrouping when surprised into a retreat and then resuming its remorseless advance.Its rallying Slogan is CHANGE which suggested permanent political emancipation from the old order and status quo.

    Tinubu has become a national asset,a statesman,political strategist,financial wizardry,the last man standing,a media strategist,an entrepreneur,a philanthropy,a political economist and warrior,a builder of men.Love him or hate he has with this election emerged as the leader of the Yoruba political establishment.

     

    God Bless Nigeria.

     

    •Odumuyiwa wrote from Lagos

  • Between Orji and Aba crowd

    Aba, the famed Enyimba City, is not only the commercial nerve centre of Abia State. It has, also, in a way, become the barometer with which acceptance or rejection of anybody or anything is measured in Igbo land.

    Side by side the entrepreneurial activism with which the city is known, there is also the kindred spirit that moderates people’s action in Aba. It is this kindred spirit that unites the residents, who may not have been related in any way, to rise up against crime and criminals when it matters most.

    This is the spirit that at the point of need erupts and propels the people to fight against injustice. It is in this instance, that Aba, according to many, is seen as the conscience of the Igbo nation – a trend that predates the current dispensation.

    Back in 1929 for instance, when the British colonial authorities came up with an unjust taxation regime in Igbo land, it took the women folks in Enyimba City to rise up against the imposition in the famous Aba Women Revolt.

    Though the uprising took toll on the rampaging women, it nonetheless sent strong warning to the imperialists that there was a level beyond which a people would not tolerate an unjust system. The same kindred spirit resurrected in the second republic, when the people rose against the late Yoruba leader and presidential candidate of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Chief Obafemi Awolowo who came on campaign to the city. The residents revolted against Awolowo for allegely authoring and championing the economic blockade against Biafra during the 1967 – 1970 Civil War.

    On account of the obnoxious policy, many children from the East purportedly suffered malnutrition – some, in fact, falling to the dreaded Kwashiokor. When therefore, Awolowo came to Aba to campaign, and even remarked that he was going to ban importation of second hand cloths (Okirika) and Stock fish (Okporoko) – the two viable economic engagements of the residents, it was seen as rubbing salt into injury. And Aba residents gave it to him.

    It is on this backdrop that what befell Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Ahamefule (T.A) Orji, in the city recently, would be appreciated. The governor, who had attended the burial service of late Catholic Bishop of Aba Diocese, Most Reverend Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia, was reportedly booed and pelted with sachet water. The ugly incident was the sixth time the governor was visited with such harsh treatment in the city. Aba, considering its status, is supposed to be the second most important city in Abia, next to Umuahia, the capital. On account of its commercial orientation, it has representation from virtually every family in Igbo land residing in it. It had in the past, played the role of the economic hub of the then Eastern Region. Due to the streams of industries and commercial activities taking place in the city, it had served as major revenue centre for the state.

    But the city has sadly experienced unprecedented neglect in the hands of successive administrations in Abia. Analysts, in fact, remark that Aba received the last major facelift during the administration of the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe, governor of old Imo State. Ever since, the city has suffered from one degree of neglect to another. But never had the situation been as bad as it had been in the last 16 years. Governor Orji, incidentally, is a product of that system that is seen as holding down the city. The government’s manipulations that resulted to emergence of Dt. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu as the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is thus, considered a further slap on the people.

    Aba residents, not given to sitting on the face, have not been taking the issue lightly. What particularly irks the people is that an unlikely victory for Ikpeazu, would mean extension of the old order that has only brought misery to the state.

    The PDP candidate has curiously not been helping matters. For a state that was originally conceived to be a pacesetter among its peers but was derailed by a succession of bad leadership, many had expected Ikpeazu to exhibit evidence of being prepared for the job. But on occasions that he had made guided appearance before the people, he had manifested copious emptiness.

    He has for instance, failed woefully to present the people with any coherent economic agenda that will lift the state from its present economic doldrums, apart from lazy dependence on the paltry monthly allocation from Abuja.

    Seen from this insightful background, Orji’s Aba humiliation becomes quite instructive. The action is also a signal to the departing governor that the people would not take lightly at any attempt at manipulating the April 11 governorship election in the state. This veiled warning, is particularly remarkable, given the increasing level of excitement that has been generated by the candidacy of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) flag bearer, Dr. Alex Otti.

    Otti, who rode into the race on the wings of fascinating reputation that he earned from his successful management of Diamond Bank – a feat that earned him term renewal as Managing Director – has laid out a template for reinventing the God’s Own State. With an elaborate programme that touches various facets of the people’s life including infrastructure renewal, and resuscitation of the near comatose health, education, tourism, sports and civil service sectors, among others, Otti has understandably been the toast of the Abia electorate.

    Where, perhaps, the APGA candidate stole the show from his PDP candidate, is his vision of creating the Ministry of Aba Affairs, if elected. Given his pedigree in keeping to pledges and agreements, residents of Aba, who hardly forget favours, have been rooting for him.  It is also argued that with the Aba episode, the governor has lost the grip on the people. Of course, his crony, Okezie Ikpeazu, is ordinarily, out of reckoning, having failed to deliver in his last assignment with Abia environment protection agency.

    What the situation on ground also means is that with the rejection of the governor, it is only Otti that can guarantee electoral victory and development for the state and the entire Igbo race.

    • Ezeocha writes from Aba, Abia State