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  • Improving access to water, sanitation

    Improving access to water, sanitation

    “We normally trek about one hour to neighbouring communities that have boreholes to get water for our daily needs.

    “When our female children are having their menstrual period, many of them don’t go to school because there is no water for them to clean themselves properly,” says Mrs Celestina Ani, a resident of Umachi community in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    Corroborating the woman’s claims, UNICEF says that the lack of safe, separate and private sanitation and washing facilities in schools is one of the factors preventing girls from attending school, particularly when they are menstruating.

    The report says women and girls pay the heaviest price for poor sanitation of communities, adding that shortage of water particularly affects the sanitation of several households.

    This is because the people’s access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is certainly critical to the socio-economic development of any community.

    The significance of WASH in communities was exposed vividly during a tour of some communities in Igboeze North Local Government Area in Enugu State by some journalists, under the aegis of WaterAid Nigeria.

    WaterAid is an international organisation that promotes healthy living in communities across the world via improved access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene.

    In Nigeria, the agency operates in over 200 communities in six focal states – Bauchi, Benue, Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa and Plateau.

    Chief Moses Abugu, a community leader who spoke on behalf of the traditional ruler of Umachi community, Igwe Louis Umoro, said that there were three cholera-induced deaths in the community this year.

    “We used to have old boreholes but they are no longer functioning.

    “In this community, we are mostly palm-wine tappers, farmers and `Okada’ (motorcycle) riders. We do not have electricity and good roads.

    “The government should come to our aid and if they do, we promise to employ the services of our youths to guard and maintain the equipment,’’ Abugu said.

    Another community member, Mr Benedict Ali, said: “We don’t have water; some of us buy water from water tankers that come here twice in a week.

    “About three families can come together and contribute money to buy a full water tanker load, which costs about N7, 000 to N10,000, and then share it accordingly,’’ he said.

    Ali also bemoaned the bad state of the roads in the neighbourhood, which often frustrated water tankers to get into the community, describing it as a major challenge facing efforts to get water for the community’s use.

    During a visit to Ekposhi community, also in Igboeze North Local Government Area of the state, the residents lamented about the rise in water-borne diseases due to the dearth of pipe-borne water.

    Mr. Basil Onuh, a community member, said that the lack of pipe-borne water in the community had also encouraged open defecation in the area.

    “Sometimes, when we go to the bush to defecate, we are often attacked by dangerous snakes and scorpions. Recently, we dug a pit where we can store water during rainfall.

    “Some of us have contracted different kinds of diseases through this practice and we wish it could stop. This has also affected our livelihoods because we cannot water our crops during the dry season,’’ he said.

    Mrs. Helen Urama, who sells “Okpa’’ (a variety of bean cake), said: “it’s only when we have money to buy water that our children go to school. I get the water which I use in cooking my `Okpa’ anywhere I can get it.’’

    Two teachers at the local primary schools, Mr. Saliru Idoko and Mr. Isaac Ossai, said that some of the schools in the community did not have toilets, thereby forcing the pupils to engage in open defecation.

    “Even though every family has been mandated to build pit toilets in our community, we still contract different kinds of infections,’’ said Mrs. Ngozi Idoko, a resident of Ekposhi community.

    “We plead with the federal and state governments to give us water so as to improve our standard of living.’’

    Mr. Samuel Ome, the Chairman of the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), said that it was sad that open defecation still remained a big challenge across the country.

    He stressed that many urban settlements even lacked basic hygiene facilities, thereby resulting in open defecation, which posed a threat to life, as feces were often washed into drinking water sources, thereby contaminating the water.

    He underscored the need for Nigerians to cultivate clean habits, stressing that the people should always strive to exhibit good personal hygiene.

    “Sanitation starts with the individual, those things you do involuntarily become your attitude.

    “You wake up in the morning, you use the toilet, you flush the toilet, you brush your teeth, you wash your body before going to work; nobody prompts you to do it, you do it voluntarily.

    “The garbage you bring out must be disposed of properly, so sanitation has a huge role to play in the household, the community and the nation,’’ he said.

    Ome said that the government was doing a lot to improve the people’s access to sanitation, adding, however, that access to basic sanitation in Nigeria still stood at 41 per cent.

    Saying that water was important to the development of a nation and individuals, Ome said that 70 per cent of the ailments affecting the people were water-related.

    He noted that cholera usually affected persons living in unhygienic environments or those who drank contaminated water.

    Ime, however, called on all Nigerians to cultivate the habit of hand-washing so as to avoid contracting water-borne diseases, while reducing unnecessary deaths.

    “As you engage in your daily activities, you wash hands before you eat your food or after shaking hands.

    “You can wash your hands up to four times in the office in order to improve your hygiene and minimise the risks of contracting communicable diseases.

    “Washing your hands with soap or ashes in running water also helps to break the transmission of water-borne diseases,” he added.

    Also speaking, Mr. Saheed Mustapha, Policy and Partnership Advisor, WaterAid, said that 90 per cent of diarrhoea cases in Nigeria were caused by the poor Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) culture of the people.

    He said that WASH was central to every aspect of human existence, adding that problems associated with inadequate water and sanitation had a greater impact on the society.

    “Almost 90 per cent of diarrhoea cases are caused by poor unsafe water and sanitation practices; water is life, we need to go beyond this level to improve the lives of Nigerians.

    “Time-consuming water collection greatly contributes to poverty; access to safe water and sanitation facilities frees up valuable time that could be used for income-generating activities,’’ he said.

    Mustapha noted that sanitation had become “a silent and neglected crisis’’, saying that more than 2.5 billion people lacked access to basic sanitation globally.

    The WaterAid official quoted the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring 2014 report as saying that nearly 40 million Nigerians practised open defecation due to their lack of access to basic water and sanitation facilities.

    He stressed that need to promote the hand-washing culture, as part of efforts to reduce preventable deaths, saying that children under the age of five were largely affected.

    Mustapha also said that all the stakeholders ought to increase their investments in efforts to ensure that all public institutions, especially schools and markets, had inclusive, safe water and sanitation facilities.

    He solicited the inclusion of a provision on basic sanitation in any poverty alleviation programme, saying that Nigeria lost about N455 billion annually to deaths caused by poor sanitation.

    In all, experts underscore the need for the government and the people of Nigeria to show more commitment in efforts to reduce the incidence of water-related disease in the country.

     

     

  • Elections 2015 Personality

    Your greatest ELECTIONS 2015 Person?

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    President Goodluck Jonathan0%
    Elder Godsday Orubebe0%
    Asiwaju Bola Tinubu0%
    Gen. Muhammadu Buhari0%
    Prof. Attahiru Jega0%
    Other: (Please specify)0%

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  • 2015 Elections Poll

    2015 Elections Poll

  • Fashola, Agbaje, Tinubu speak on Lagos guber

    Fashola, Agbaje, Tinubu speak on Lagos guber

  • Guber/Assembly Elections Timeline

    Guber/Assembly Elections Timeline

  • Election updates as results trickle in

    Election updates as results trickle in


  • The green dress and Dublin

    The green dress and Dublin

    Just back from Dublin Ireland to receive her first ever award (the Mobile Journalism Award), Adetorera Idowu gives a blow by blow account of her experience in the city and what made the award ceremony an unforgettable one.
    “You’re grand?”
    “I’m what?”
    “You’re fine?”
    “Aha!”
     
    I just got my first introduction to Irish slangs in Dublin, Ireland where I went to receive my first award.
     
    On March 25th I made my first journey to Europe. The excitement and anticipation had me numb for days. It wasn’t just the journey to Dublin, Ireland that made me float, it was winning my first award; the Mobile Journalism Award by RTE and Thomson Foundation.
     
    Suddenly I had been thrown in the crowd of people who would be congratulated. Suddenly someone knew my name, I mattered. How could I not float?
     
    I was meticulous about this journey, the outfit, the shoes, everything had to be perfect. I was going to represent my country well so my outfit of choice had to be Ankara.
     
    It had to be green. I had the entire trip mapped out; I knew what the weather would be like, the name of each speaker at the Mojo conference where the award would be presented. I knew enough to be confident that nothing would go wrong. But it did. I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen.
     
    My luggage went missing. I was informed after an hour wait at the luggage carousel. Missing was all I heard even when the flight attendant said it didn’t make the flight. I threw tantrums inside but I was calm and collected on the outside. My head was spinning; my green Ankara dress was all I could think of.
     
    In a desperate attempt to make it to the dinner arranged for the delegates that night I was directed to Grafton Street. I was flung on a road in the 7 degree weather to shop for clothes without a guide in a city I had never visited. I should have been worried about the missing luggage but the adventure of finding Grafton Street without a map was intriguing enough to allay my worries.
     
    I got on the road and allowed myself to be led by total strangers. The friendliness of the locals encouraged me, reminding me of why Dublin is called one of the world’s friendliest cities. I journeyed on.
     
    There wasn’t much time to pay attention to style, I picked the cheapest I could get and found my way back to the Camden Court Hotel where I was lodged.
     
    In 15 minutes, I was on the bus that would take us to the Merry Ploughboy pub in Rockbrook, Rathfarnham. The journey was blissful, besides the noise from the happy delegates; the view of sun setting on the city was so blissful. I saw the fattest cows I had ever seen when Hosam pointed to them and at the end of the night it was clear that the Merry Ploughboy pub is the best first introduction to the Irish culture, music, dance and of course booze.
     
    I came to discover that the pub is a big part of the Irish life. The conference schedule included 3 visits to the pub. It was quite an overwhelming experience and I had my first taste of Ireland’s biggest beer export, Guinness.
     
    In the hotel I repeated the words “You’re grand” in the mirror, laughing at myself and slowly soaking in my Dublin experience before I peacefully drifted to sleep.
     
    Day 1 of Mojocon came and that morning I was having breakfast with Juan Andres Munoz of CNN who was kind enough to offer me a seat on his table. We talked about work, my missing luggage and being different.
     
    I, the only Nigerian and he, the only Spanish man. “There is nothing wrong with being different. I hardly ever notice,” he said.  I had just learnt my first lesson in Dublin; embracing being different.
     
    After breakfast I waited at the lobby with my one of my hosts Hosam El Nagar, expecting my luggage.
     
    “That will be 38quid” said the taxi man who eventually brought my luggage. There was no use arguing Hosam said with only hand gestures. At this point, all that mattered was my green dress. I got dressed hurriedly with only a few glances at the mirror. Though decked in green, I didn’t look like a leprechaun but a true representative of my country. Green, the rich green of our national flag. I was satisfied. This time I took gentle strides and went off with Hosam to The convention Centre Dublin where Mojocon was already in full swing.
     
    Speech after speech I received my formal introduction into the world of mobile journalism. Most of the lectures went over my head but I had my recorder for playbacks. “This is a beautiful world” I almost said aloud. I couldn’t wait to become a mobile journalist.  Seemed like a pretty cool thing to be.
     
    Then, came the time to receive my award. Nervous, in front of the crowd I gave my first speech, a speech many still tell me was the best one of the night.” Oh and how they awed over my green dress.
    IMG_5549
     
    Everything from Mojocon to my last day touring Dublin, the Guinness storehouse and visiting an old friend went like a breeze.
     
    My last memory was being on the plane having the juiciest steamed chicken with paprika cream sauce and mashed potatoes. I slowly drifted off to sleep after staring at pictures of myself in my green dress.
  • ‘Lessons life has taught me as an orphan’

    ‘Lessons life has taught me as an orphan’

    Lukman Oyewole Lawal is a chartered accountant by profession. He has, for long, been involving himself in community service. According to him, “there’s no looking back, as we have to deliver our youths to secure our future.” He spoke with Paul Ukpabio.  

    You recently gave free medical treatment to the aged and recently, you were at a public school in Surulere to empower the youths with an educational project. Having lost the ambition of getting into a public office this year, what is still motivating you further with these programmes?

    Yes, it is true I was at Akitan Grammar School, Surulere, Lagos a few days ago where I supported the annual inter-house sports festival of the school and made available to the school a unique development programme specially designed for secondary school students.

    The specially designed project, among other things, teaches youths to learn how to become functional adults. I am glad that the students and educationists spoke well of the programme, the Ultimate Youth Dream Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

    So what does your NGO do?

    We create development modules. For instance, this programme is one of the beautiful models that can intervene in the educational sector because the panacea for poverty and ignorance is quality education. This workable model, I believe, would address the problems that we have in the education sector today. I also have workable models that create wealth. That will build trust in the youths that are wasting away as a result of their involvement in cultism, robbery, gambling and other criminal acts. I have a workable model on talent enhancement.

    Why are the youths not actively involving themselves in governance?

    I believe governance should be the business of everybody. Youths are taking a back seat which shouldn’t be.

    And this is because we have been drinking a lot. Our people  sit from morning till night drinking ogogoro because there is no viable alternative. We are now lotto addicts. I am not against lotto, but why are we addicts? That is because there is no viable alternative? As an adult, you can choose to play lotto, if you have your sources of livelihood. You can use a certain percentage of your income to play lotto, but when you don’t have anything at all doing, and you do all kinds of things because you believe that is the only way. It is a problem. We go into cultism. Today’s youths kill one another; today’s youths are used by the so-called leaders  to forment trouble and do all kinds of things and the most dangerous thing is that we carry on as if all is well. But the reality on ground has shown that all is not well. So we need to re-orientate our youths. And to a large extent, I feel that if

    the future must belong to us , we need a lot of re-orientation and re-engineering of the present generation of  youths.  I am talking about those born between the early 70s and mid 90s.  A good system is supposed to prepare its youths from  infancy with qualitative education. It is in our constitution,  but have we been practising it? Our youths, in addition to qualitative education, must have what is called mentorship and positive social inclusion. You won’t be a liability to the state.

    Tell us about your background

    I thank God for my life. Growing-up in Surulere was fun. The place was serene. As children, we played. But we also read a lot. I attended Jehovah-Jireh African Church Primary School and  Birch Freeman High School. My primary school was directly behind my house. I used to sneak home to  eat with my dad. But I was  lazy. My mother used to urge my teachers to kindly help me by spending more time teaching me. Teachers of those days were more committed and tolerant. After living Birch Freeman High School, I  left for the Ogun State University.

    Apart from the NGO, what do you do?

    I am a chartered accountant by training. I had five years of cognate work experience in the private sector; five years of public sector cognate work experience and formal entrepreneurship experience of about three years, as well as student and street entrepreneurship experience of over five years.

    Tell us about your father.

    I lost my father at the age of seven. He was Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal. He was an Islamic missioner of the Ansar-Udeen faith. I was not his only son, but I was his youngest son.He loved me and took me everywhere he went.  I was brought up in a disciplined way by my sister who saw me through primary and secondary education.As an orphan, I taught myself how to take care of myself.And this helped me a lot.

    How many wives did your dad have?

    He had two wives and my sister who trained me is my half-sister from the first wife. I guess my mother was also a very good mother to her and she didn’t see me as a half-brother in any way. My mum is also late. I lost my mother at 17. My mother, Ramat Ayinke Lawal was from Agbole Oluwo of Epetedo,  Lagos Island and the Yekini Bakare family of Lagos Island.  My dad hailed from Ikorodu. My sister’s name is Mrs. Oluremi Cole (Nee Lawal).

    Where did you meet your wife?

    We met in school. I was preparing to go and serve under the NYSC scheme when we met. I met her through a friend and we connected. Yes, I saw a connection between us. She studied economics.

    Do you believe that a wife should take up employment?

    My wife works in a bank. It will be very dishonest of me to say that the woman will not be contributing to the financial standing of the family. It will be dishonest of me to maintain that position.  I cannot tell you that I can provide 100% for my family. We are partners in marriage, partners in family life. We have  many things to plan about. There are needs and there are wants. I can meet up with daily needs. I can beat my chest regarding that, but when it comes to wants, it is difficult because wants are insatiable. Women have their own way of looking at issues. For instance, my wife is very beautiful and fashion conscious. I will not say, for instance, that for all her fashion needs, I will be there for her.

    How should a young couple handle the problem of infidelity?

    Infidelity is not a good thing. But I want to say that I am not a saint. When I wanted to get married, I said no more of that. I knew I got a lot of attention, but I decided that I would focus on my marriage.  I thank God that I was able to take that decision.  These days you find a lot of pressure from different quarters, but I will want to appeal to people that once you are in marriage, you owe your partner that sanctity.

  • Edo ringleader of child sex smuggling gang extradited to UK

    Edo ringleader of child sex smuggling gang extradited to UK

    A 36-year old Nigerian mother of one, Franka Asemota, was last week arrested in Benin City, the Edo state capital, and extradited to the United Kingdom.

    She was accused of being Ring Leader of an International child sex smuggling gang.

    The arrest which was carried out by men of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) who has been working with the National Crime Agency of the UK since 2011 took place at a fancy shop located neat New Benin market in Benin City, believed to be proceeds of money laundering.

    One of the charges against Asemota according to Police sources is that she accompanied about 40 victims of sex trafficking on eight separate flights into Heathrow airport, London, UK, between 2011 and 2012.

    The lady who is facing extradition to Britain, where she is wanted for organising a network that trafficked young women — most aged under 18 — from remote Nigerian villages into Europe using Heathrow airport as a transit hub.

    The girls were promised education or jobs such as hairdressing in such European countries as France, Belgium, and Spain but were forced into prostitution.

    Others were raped under oaths even as their traffickers were said to have used witchcraft to terrify them that their parents would be killed, so they would not talk to police or attempt to escape.

    A European arrest warrant was issued for her from the UK, when she was thought to be in Italy but she it was later discovered that she has relocated to Nigeria, where the NCA working with NAPTIP and the Nigerian Police traced her.

    The UK-based NCA said: “Asemota’s arrest was the result of exceptional collaboration with our partners at home and in Nigeria” adding, “This operation demonstrates our global reach and our determination  to track those wanted in the UK, no matter where in the world they are.”

    Asemota’s arrest may have been aided by the whistle blown by a Nigerian member of the trafficking ring, Odosa Usiobaifo, of Enfield, UK, who was jailed for 14 years by Isleworth crown court in 2013 for conspiring to traffic for sex exploitation.

    In October 2014, David Osawaru, another Nigerian, was jailed for nine years for chaperoning two women in transit to Prague, Czech Republic. He had been arrested by Border Force officers at Heathrow.#

  • Tinubu has fulfilled an historical mission-Sunday Dare

    Tinubu has fulfilled an historical mission-Sunday Dare

    Mr. Sunday Dare, the Chief of Staff cum Special Adviser to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a journalist of 25 years experience in both print and broadcast media at home and abroad. Dare, who worked for eight years as the Chief of Hausa Service, Voice of America (VOA), Washington D.C, shares with OKORIE UGURU his experience as Tinubu’s aide in the task of building the pan-Nigerian opposition party that defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last week’s presidential and National Assembly elections. He also drops a hint on what Nigerians should expect from the Buhari government.

    How would you describe the just concluded presidential election, which was won by the APC?

    I think the just concluded election is a watershed for our country. Many pundits and analysts have described it in so many ways. It is the first time the opposition is coming to power through election.

    Considering how long it took the country to get the nation to this stage of its democracy, what do you think the elections mean for our country?

    It means we are beginning to mature. It also means we have political parties that are beginning to mature. It means we have political parties that are beginning to develop ideologically so that Nigerians can differentiate which party stands for what political ideology.

    In the past, they used to say that all the parties are the same. This election has shown that Nigerians are beginning to draw a line, a distinction between the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the rest. As such, they can make a choice.

    The most important lesson from the victory is that for the first time, we have two clearly defined parties, a two-party system. We have never been at this point before: APC is a strong party and PDP is also strong. A two-party system is now clearly in place. We must give kudos to leaders and thinkers of APC for making this possible; forging political mergers and moving ahead to energise the Nigerian public.

    The mantra of the APCparty, that is ‘change’, resonated with multitude of people across the country. That was clearly demonstrated on March 28. In spite of distractions, in spite of the challenges, in spite of fierce competition from the PDP to dominate the landscape, APC has clearly thrived. There is nothing you can do to stop an idea whose time has come.

    When you look at the political trajectory of this country and examine it in tandem with the political trajectory of opposition parties, there has never been a time that the opposition has won. What had been missing really was strong political characters who were willing to make the necessary sacrifice, build bridges, make compromises and be courageous enough to take risks at the expense of liberty and reputation. These were the things that were clearly missing. To cap it all, the opposition lacked a well defined message and a popular front to sell that message.

     

    With the coming of the APC, the merger provided a solid political platform. You have experienced and courageous characters to drive that message in the like of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gen. Muhmammadu Buhari and Chief Bisi Akande. They were supported by a cast of progressive governors and experienced politicians who have passion for change. That was the difference. Did Nigerians expect this? You name a country and a people whose desire for change has never disappeared. What was needed was that gentle critical tweak that would turn on the generator for the movement for change. That was what APC and the leadership provided.

    Passion was inflamed during the campaigns, with some of the messages leaving the issues to attack individuals. Don’t you think that this would affect the post-election relations?

    Our focus should be on healing broken system and the broken processes of governance. Political campaigns anywhere always have a good messaging and bad messaging. It is when the focus on issues is less than the focus or the attacks on personalities or mundane issues that you worry.

    In any political system, when you have campaigns, you cannot do without personal attacks and all the rest. I think the APC stood above the fray better than PDP. APC stayed on the message and was able to sell its manifesto to the Nigerian people. There is no contest about that. The voters have become more sophisticated than we think. In spite of what the parties threw at them, they were able to make a clear choice when it was time to vote.

    How does the APC intend to manage the weight of expectations?

    You have a party that parades a presidential candidate, now president-elect, who is a former Commander in Chief almost 30 years ago; a time when some of those ruling us today hardly knew their left from their right. He has been in and outside for almost two decades, serving this country at points of policy formulation and implementation. In General Buhari, you have a thoroughbred public servant who is trusted and competent.

    APC is a party that parades so many former governors, ministers and public servants. Let me single out Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governor of Lagos State for eight years. Till date, his administration stood for transformation and creation of a modern state in this country. He brought a fundamental restructuring and rebuilding of Lagos. He laid the foundational structure for the growth and development of Lagos. We have several other former governors.

    We have a crop of current governors, from Governor Kwankwaso to Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi, Oshiomhole, Wamako, Yari of Zamfara and others. Don’t forget that Baba Bisi is a former governor, as well as Kabiru Gaya. There is a long list of those that served this country; there is a longer list of those still serving this country and they are in APC. So, APC knows what it is getting itself into. The APC is ready for governance. The APC not only has the tool box to restructure this country, it has the right tools in the tool box to fix the country.

    I will refer to the acceptance speech of the President-Elect and he was clear. He identified corruption, poverty, challenges in education and agriculture. He made a promise that even though we can’t tackle all the problems overnight, we are ready to confront them. And he said with the help of everybody, the APC taking the lead, Nigerians must support the initiatives they put in place. There is also something he said: corruption is worse than terrorism; and you know that our greatest problem in this country is corruption. When you deal with corruption, you will know that the budget meant for energy will be applied and we will have power, the budget meant for road construction will not sit in somebody’s bank account, but will be used. So also the budget for education will be applied to develop our educational system. So, if you want to fix the country, you deal a blow on corruption.

    Let me say this, the manifesto of this political party has not only been internalized by the leadership but remains well articulated among its membership. It has resonated with the larger portion of Nigerian populace.

    The Nigerian economy is not in the best shape with the global fall in oil price. How will the APC government be able to deliver under such situation?

    Even before the fall of global oil prices, the APC’s position has been consistent. It has been on the diversification of the sources of revenue of this country. One of the core policies of APC is developing the Nigerian agricultural economy. The plans were laid out. Part of the element is the Minimum Price Guarantee (MPG). That way, you build up capacity and get more people employed, and then you have massive agricultural production. That is just an example.

    The Nigerian economy is so dynamic that there are up to 10 other sources of revenue that we can explore to wean ourselves of the over-dependent on oil revenue. Let me also say this: when the APC economic team comes together, they will do further assessment of the Nigerian economy and proffer dynamic and pro-active suggestions.

    What has it been like working with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during this period?

    It has been a heck of a journey. For me, it has been one of the best political tutelages that I have ever had, working with him and working for him. I have come out with two major lessons: one is that there can be no substitute for being dogged, commitment to principle, political vision, and determination to succeed.

    Second is that courage and ability to take risks, making sacrifices and political success are bed fellows; they are inseparable. I have seen a man who is fiercely diligent in the pursuit of the common good; a man willing to make necessary sacrifices in time and resources to build political bridges, and someone committed to the advancement of society. I have seen him remain focused, unwilling to be distracted, even when I begin to be distracted about what people are saying. He is so focused on goal with his eyes at the tip of the spear because of his belief that this country can be better governed. What you see today in the emergence of solid opposition, now ready to lead this country forward, now taking over the rein of government, is a vindication of his political worth and sagacity.

    He has fulfilled a historical mission set by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the late Sardauna—building bridges between the South West and the North West. This he has done with the help of other strong political personalities in the APC.

    What should Nigeria look forward to with the coming government?

    On the campaign trail, the party had a consistent message: that the party is ready to bring about change, to change the old way that has brought us to our knees. That message is that this will be a government for the common good. The party also rode to power on the strength of character, integrity and reputation of the ticket they presented to Nigeria, that of Gen. Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo.

    I believe that with the goodwill this party has enjoyed, the leadership has a responsibility to perform and fix the problems that plague this country. The APC government cannot afford to deviate from the promises it has made to the people and the policies that it has committed itself to. Finally, I believe that with General Buhari on the wheels, we all must get ready for one heck of a ride.