Category: Politics

The long years of close friendship between Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi and Minister of State for Education, Nyisom Wike, may have gone frosty if feelers circulating within the political circles are anything to go by, Remi Adelowo reports

A few weeks ago, the Rivers State House of Assembly passed a vote of confidence on the state governor, Chibuike Amaechi. It was a preemptive decision taken against the background of unconfirmed reports that forces within and outside the state had perfected the plot to impeach Amaechi for his alleged antagonistic posture towards President Goodluck Jonathan

The motion raised by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Julius Lloyd, enjoyed the overwhelming support of the lawmakers except five who voted against it. For Bapakaye Bipi, representing Ogu/Bolo constituency; Micheal Chinda of Obio/Akpor II constituency; Victor Ihunwo representing Port Harcourt III constituency; Kelechi Nwogu (Omuma) and Martins Chikeb Amaewhule, representing Obio/Akpor I, their opposition to the motion was least expected.

As members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the five dissenting lawmakers were expected to toe the same line taken by their colleagues who voted in support of the motion. Their action, according to sources, stunned many in the state who were of the belief that the governor’s support base in the House of Assembly was impregnable.

In some newspaper advertorials placed by a group which calls itself the ‘Rivers State PDP Grassroots’, the five ‘rebel’ lawmakers were hailed for voting against the motion, which the group noted “was indirectly sponsored by Governor Amaechi through Hon. Chidi Llyod.”

Sources in the state are presently pointing fingers at the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyisom Wike, as the brain behind the sponsorship of the advertorial, signed by one Comrade Victor Mazi and Kingsley Okoro, the chairman and secretary respectively.

Beyond this, Wike is also alleged to be the major backer of the five lawmakers who opposed the vote-of-confidence motion. “The lawmakers would not have dared to do what they did without the backing of some powerful forces in Abuja,” said a former federal lawmaker in the state.

Between Amaechi and Wike

Until recently, the governor and the minister enjoyed a near-perfect relationship. From 1999 till a few months ago, the relationship, according to sources, transcended personal and political spectres.

While Amaechi served as the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2007, Wike was a commissioner in the Dr. Peter Odili-led administration.

The gruelling legal battle which culminated in the inauguration of Amaechi as governor in 2007 with Wike reportedly providing the needed support further cemented the relationship between the two men. The reward of Wike’s loyalty necessitated his appointment by Amaechi as the Chief of Staff in 2007, a position he held until his appointment as a minister in 2011. That also did not happen without some intrigues that played out at the seat of power.

As the story goes, the president, desirous of appointing tested technocrats as ministers, had initially pencilled down Mr. Tonye Cole, the architect son of former Ambassador, Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, as the ministerial nominee from Rivers State.

No sooner had the ministerial list made public that some governors, including Amaechi, allegedly prevailed on the president to drop some ministerial nominees. Cole, who is the Group CEO, Sahara Energy, an indigenous oil conglomerate, was one of them. After intense pressure and lobbying, Jonathan finally deferred to Amaechi, sacrificing Cole in the process. The lucky beneficiary was Wike, Amaechi’s preferred choice to represent Rivers State as minister.

So close were these two politicians that in time past, Wike was alleged to be Amaechi’s anointed candidate for Rivers State governorship seat in 2015.

How things fell apart

Signs that the governor’s relationship with the minister was heading for the rocks began to emerge when the governor was perceived in the presidency as disloyal to President Jonathan.

From the disagreement between the presidency and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) headed by Amaechi over the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF); sharing of the excess crude funds; controversy over the ceding of some oil wells from Rivers to Bayelsa State and the alleged ambition of the governor to pair with the Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, for the 2015 PDP presidential ticket, the governor’s relationship with the president has thawed in recent months.

A credible source revealed that Wike, uncomfortable with Amaechi’s recurring clashes with the Presidency, held several private discussions with the governor on the need to make peace with the president.

But the governor, it was learnt, made it clear to the minister that there was nothing personal in his disagreement with the president, and that all his actions and utterances were in the interest of his state. On the SWF and Excess Crude Account controversies, the governor said his position was the collective decisions of all the state governors.

The Nation gathered that when the opposition of Amaechi and some PDP governors to the rumoured second term ambition of the president became more pronounced, a few members of the president’s kitchen cabinet allegedly prevailed on him to relieve some ministers nominated by these governors and other stakeholders opposed to the president of their duties.

If this suggestion had been accepted by the president, Wike, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, and the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, both of whom were allegedly nominated by ex-President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, would have been fired from the cabinet.

But a superior argument that sacking these ministers largely perceived as the star performers in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) would not do the Jonathan administration any good soon prevailed.

A counter strategy

In a desperate move to cut alleged ‘recalcitrant’ governors to size, the president’s kitchen cabinet came up with a strategy to empower ministers who are known to be politically experienced to build a counter power base within the states controlled by these governors.

The objective of this strategy is to whittle down the enormous influence of the governors in their states, which will be achieved by infiltrating the key structures, including the Houses of Assembly and the levers of powers in the party hierarchy from the ward to the state level.

Wike, it was gathered, was one of the ministers that quickly keyed into this plot, a development that allegedly rattled Amaechi.

Not ready to take chances, the Rivers State governor, according to a source, has become more alert watching closely developments in his immediate base. “The vote-of-confidence motion by the House of Assembly was not by happenstance. It was a clear message to the governor’s adversaries that he remains in firm control of the state,” said an aide of the governor.

But while the crisis of confidence between the president and Amaechi still persists, it remains to be seen how the battle for the soul of Rivers State politics will play out in the next couple of months.

As Prince Eze Madumere replaces Sir Jude Agbaso as Imo State Deputy Governor, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, recalls the intrigues that led to Agbaso’s impeachment and attempts a preview of the implications of the development to the politics of the state

When 23 out of 27 members of Imo State House of Assembly finally put their seal of approval for the impeachment of former Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, last Thursday, March 28, 2013, some close observers of the politics of the state sensed a new beginning in the intricate schemings ahead 2015 governorship race in the state.

The battle for Agboso’s impeachment has been intriguingly hot, as the embattled former governor, who rejected accusations of bribery and corruption leveled against him, rather claimed victimisation.

As a result, Agbaso had ran to courts in a bid to frustrate both the investigations of a panel instituted by the Chief Justice and the actual impeachment at the House.

But as it turned out that Thursday morning, he failed in both instances as the lawmakers finally ruled in favour of his impeachment.

It would be recalled that the impeachment saga peaked the previous weekend when the state Chief Judge, Justice Benjamin Ahanonu Njemanze, constituted a seven- member investigative panel to probe the allegations of misconduct attached to the Notice of Impeachment served Agbaso by the Imo State House of Assembly.

In a statement announcing the constitution of the panel, Justice Njemanze had said his action was in “pursuant to Section 188 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( as amended) and other laws enabling me in that behalf.”

He also said it was at the request of the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ben Uwajumogu, contained in a letter of reference number IHA/SP.5H3A/23/15 of 13th March, 2013.

The panel was empowered to investigate the allegations as contained in the articles of Misconduct attached to the Notice of Impeachment annexed to a letter from the Speaker.

The five allegations leveled against Agbaso include:  that with intent to deceive

the committee and mislead the House, Agbaso denied, before the committee that he ever had any dealings or telephone conversations with Mr. Joseph Dina of JPROS International Nigeria Ltd, in February – June 2012, “which facts were false and intended to cover your private/underground dealings with Mr. Joseph Dina;” that “with intent to enrich yourself, did cause Mr. Joseph Dina of  JPROS International Nig. Ltd, to transfer the sum of four hundred and fifty million Naira only in two installments to two different bank accounts on your instruction and directive on the promise of award of 2 numbers of 15 kilometer of roads.”

He was also accused of receiving a special drink “Blue Label ( Porsche Design) from the same company among others accusations of causing the state to lose funds.

Members of panel included, Hon Justice G. C. Ihekire, chairman, Vin Onyeka, Egonu Mere, Humphrey Ajaelu, Mrs. Cecelia Chinyere Oladimeji, James Gozie Nze, and Okparaku Nwarie as members.

Rejecting these allegations Agbaso alleged political reasons for his travails. He said it was a plot to get him out of office ahead of the 2015 governorship election.

“The truth is that I am a victim of power play between two powerful political figures. I heard that there was an agreement reached between my elder brother, Chief Martin Agbaso that the governor should be in office for one tenure only and give way for him to contest in 2015.

“I am not the governor and do not award contracts and there is no way bribe for contract award should be channeled to me. The facts are there to exonerate me of any charges being brought up now.”

Between politics and misconduct

Though Agbaso alleged political reasons for his impeachment, the question that is still being asked by some concerned observers and indigenes is if he has satisfactorily disproved allegations of misconduct and bribery leveled against him?

Pa Onyegbula Nwulu, an Imo elder in Lagos told The Nation that “while some political schemings may not be completely ruled out in the impeachment saga, it would be wrong for anybody to attempt to undermine the major issue, which is that an official in the position of a deputy governor was accused of bribery and gross misconduct.”

Nwulu confirmed that most Imo citizens are aware of agitations of Owerri zone to produce the next governor but argued that this should not be a justification to condone official misconduct. “I don’t see the logic in Agbaso’s argument. It is not enough to allege political motives, it would have been better to painstakingly disproof the allegations, which in my opinion are grievous,” he said.

Recently, at the onset of the impeachment saga, some leaders of Owerri zone, under the platform of the Owerri Zone Political Leaders Forum (OZOPOLF), reportedly said it is the turn of the zone to produce the next governor of the state, insisting that they want that slot in 2015. Some analysts have traced that agitation to the alleged agreement between Chief Martins Agbaso, elder brother to Sir Jude Agbaso and Governor Rochas Okorocha. The allegation was that the earstwhile political associates agreed that Okorocha will serve only one term in office and allow Owerri zone to produce the governor in 2015.

But the governor’s camp has repeatedly denied any one term pact between Okorocha and any individual or group. Okey Ofulue, a chieftain of the governor’s Agenda Group, was recently quoted asa saying “the pact only exists as a figment of the imagination of some drowning politicians who are bent on holding on to even straws in their struggle for political relevance.”

The face off however assumed deeper political dimension when All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) publicly accused the deputy governor and his elder brother of being part of an alleged plot by the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sack Okorocha from office and distort the activities of the Imo State House of Assembly.

In a statement signed by Prince Marshal Okafor Anyanwu, state chairman of the party said: “This ill-conceived move is not unconnected with the ongoing investigation by the state legislature over allegation of financial gratification leveled against the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, by one of the major contractors handling the state government road projects.

“ Okorocha, a few days suspended his oversee trip to intervene, when events as regards to this subject matter almost assumed a negative direction. We are, therefore, surprised with the way and manner the Presidency and national leadership of the PDP unexpectedly showed interest on the matter and subsequently declared support for the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, who is not a member of the PDP.

“However, we gathered that the 12 PDP lawmakers in the state legislature summoned to Abuja a few days ago, met with the National Chairman of the party and its Board of Trustee Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Chief Tony Anenih at Nicon Hilton, where the lawmakers were told in clear terms not to participate in the ongoing investigation on corrupt allegation against the deputy governor. According to our source, this position was an aftermath of Chief Martin Agbaso’s recent deal with the PDP.”

The party alleged that the senior Agbaso “has promised them to remain in APGA as against his earlier intention to join the All Progressive Congress (APC). He also pledged to work for the PDP presidential candidate in 2015, which President Goodluck is favored to pick,” APGA alleged.

Madumere, the new deputy governor

Prince Ezeakonobi Madumere was born forty eight years ago on the 4th day of July 1964 to the Royal family of HRH Eze Henry Anorue Madumere and Ugoeze Malinda Madumere of Achi Mbieri, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

He attended Primary and Secondary Education in Owerri and Lagos state respectively after which he travelled to the United States of America for further studies. He had his first degree, B.sc in Business Administration from San-Jacinto College, University of Houston Texas.

While in the United States of America, he worked as an Area Manager of Channel Development in the KFC with PepsiCo Inc. for thirteen years.

He is a knight of Saint Christopher and at present the Chief of Staff to the Governor of  Imo state, His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha OON.

Prince Ezeakonobi Madumere MFR is a media Strategist, an astute Administrator as well as Management Guru, a team player and an overall strategist per excellence.

How Madumere’s entrance will affect 2015 calculation

Our findings show that Madumere has been working closely with Okorocha long before Okorocha’s emergence as governor. This closeness, it is believed will lead to a more harmonous administration in Imo.

When Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu turned 60 last year, I refused to join the legion of writers and commentators who competed for space to shower encomiums on him. But, now that he is 61, I believe that the moment is not only auspicious, but sober enough to pour out my heart on what I consider the standing of the great man and challenge him on the way forward.

By dint of hard work, Tinubu is today the foremost political figure in Yorubaland. From Bourdillon, he decides what happens on the political scene in all the six states of the South West zone. His astuteness was demonstrated beyond all shadows of doubt in 2003. While his colleagues, governors elected on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy, fell to Obasanjo’s tricks, Asiwaju saw through the ploy to displace the party in the zone in a bid to create a natural constituency for a President who, in the Peoples Democratic Party, was regarded as an orphan, having failed to contribute to the commonwealth.

One major quality that a politician must have is foresight. It is no use having so much hindsight, Asiwaju has shown that he has insight and foresight they have served him well. If others had been as perceptive as he, the progressive movement in the South West would not have gone through the grim battle that led to 2009 when Osun and Ekiti were reclaimed, and 2011 when Oyo and Ogun came back to the fold.

Today, apart from being the political wizard of Yorubaland, he is an acknowledged pan-Nigeria politican master tactician. To the PDP, the fear of Tinubu is the beginning of wisdom. He is also seen by many as the hand behind the ingenious plan to lead opposition parties to stand up to the ruling party in 2015 through a united front. They know what Tinubu is capable of doing and would not want to taste defeat in the hands of the man who learnt at the feet of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

His hold on the South West is significant. The zone has a special place in the political history of Nigeria. Each time it resolutely stood against the powers of the moment, the country quaked. Politicians of the First Republic had dismissed Chief Obafemi Awolowo as an ant and conspired to do him in when it was obvious that he lived in the hearts of his people. He was arrested, persecuted, prosecuted and thrown to jail. But, what happened, the people rose in his defence and Nigeria nearly disintegrated in the wake of Awolowo’s travails. Awolowo was then the Asiwaju of Yorubaland.

In the Second Republic, many Yoruba believed, rightly or wrongly, that the 1979 presidential election was rigged for the National Party of Nigeria. Awo went to court, but lost. Yet, the people fought a psychological and sophisticated war throughout the Second Republic. Four years after the 1979 polls, the NPN chose to bare its fangs in the most bizarre and illogical manner. It turned a hurricane that swept away almost everything in sight. In the governorship and House of Assembly elections, it discarded with the will of the people of Oyo and, initially, Ondo States.

 It dealt a blow at the soul and pride of Zik by taking over Anambra State and decimated the Great Nigeria Peoples Party and Peoples Redemption Party in the North. Nigeria was on the way to becoming a one-party state. But, the people in the South West, in solidarity with Awo, rose and fought. First, the NPN’s Pyrrhic victory in Ondo was upturned. And for the three short months that Dr. Omololu Olunloyo pretended to be running affairs from the Agodi Government House, Ibadan, the people showed he was walking alone.

The Third Republic, if it can be called a Republic, apparently collapsed because the Yoruba felt cheated. Having produced a President in Chief Moshood Abiola, they were shocked when the military frustrated the bid and rather prolonged fascist hold on power. It was the first time that a non-Hausa-Fulani would emerge an elected Chief Executive. He did it in style, garnering votes from all parts of the country. Yet, the result was annulled. The Yoruba would not take it and they resisted as years under the legendary Awolowo had taught them to. By the time the military had to roll away the tanks, it was obvious that the zone could not be left out of the calculation.

However, it must be pointed out that Asiwaju Tinubu is human after all. He is not invincible and, if anyone thought he was, the result of the last governorship election in Ondo State must have brought the reality home. His party lost the poll, just as Awo also lost elections in the old West. It took the travails of the immediate post-independence years to bring the best out of Awo. It is expected that the trial of Tinubu at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and current shenanigans of the ruling party would further cement his hold on his region and sufficiently catch the attention of others.

How the merger attempt turns out may define his place in history. Nigerian political history has demonstrated beyond doubt that the peoples will not tolerate any attempt to turn the country into a one-party state. It is also obvious that, at least at the national level, parties with narrow political platforms would not receive the broad support needed to have a strong showing in presidential elections. This is the moment to move strategically. The merger offers a rare window to push for power in 2015. The North West and South West are apparently disenchanted now.

Asiwaju owes the people of Nigeria a duty to lead them out of the bondage of ages. Can he? Would he? Happy birthday, the current champion.

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) National Chairman Prince Tony Momoh has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not surrender its acronym to any political organisation.

He said the new party has not violated the law by adopting the acronym.

Momoh told The Nation that the parties behind the merger had not hidden their activities from the public, adding that enemies of Nigeria were trying to create crisis and confusion for the new party.

The CPC chairman said those behind the party with the same acronym with the APC are mischivious.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently announced that the African Peoples Congress (APC) had notified the commission of its intention to form a political party with the acronym ‘APC’.

Shortly after the INEC pronouncement, another party, All Patriotic Citizens (APC) came forward with a similar claim, but later withdrew.

Momoh said: “I don’t see any crisis in the proposed APC. We said we edto merge on February 6 and we announced a name, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Some other people later complained that their acronym is APC. So, if that is the way of answering a critical question confronting them, too bad. But that is our name and that is the name we chose; nobody will take it.”

The CPC chieftain said the INEC has no alternative than to ensure fairness and justice, adding that the agency was being distracted by those making frivolous claims.

Momoh added: “The fact is that we get the go-ahead from the INEC and if the INEC refuses to give us the go-ahead, then, we will go-ahead. The law is very clear; that name is our name and that is the name we will use.

“Anybody who wants to form a union in Nigeria should go ahead. But we have a message from Nigerians and that message would be downloaded when we emerge.”

Momoh said that the challenge before the parties in the APC is the national conventions.

He added: “All the merging parties are going for their various conventions. And all will be done in accordance with the electoral act. And at the appropriate time, the presidential candidate and his running mate will be addressed when we get to that level and there is no problem about that.”

Justifying the decision to merge, Momoh said the parties involved in the merger are determined to sustain the tempo because the mission before them is clear.

He said: “The fact is that the merging parties are known and we have started a race and that race is toward 2015. I can assure you that there is a lot of work to be done. We are not going to be distracted by anybody; I can assure you that all these ‘APC’ issues will not work against us. We know when they met and if that is their strategy to distract us, I want to assure you that they have failed”.

Momoh explained that this is the first time in the history of Nigeria that political parties will merge. He noted that the APC has set a template, which some people, for personal or biased reasons, are trying to compromise.

He said the party was more determined in the face of these challenges to stand for the people. This, he stressed, had made the merging political parties to shed their toga and come together to give the people a new lease of life.

Momoh added: “Let me tell you, partisan politics started in 1849. Along the way, there has been alliances and not merger. This is the first time we are having a merger. So, a lot of people don’t even know what merger means”.

“Merger means dropping your identity and choosing a new one. And that new one is the All Progressives Congress (APC). All of us have dropped our identities and have merged into that political party. So, we have done what others have not done before. Through this merger, we have decided to make sacrifices.”

In this foreword to a  book on the collection of speeches by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the activist-scholar, Prof. Adebayo Williams reviews the contributions of the former Lagos State governor to the socio-economic and political development of the country.

This collection of speeches by one of the most important and extraordinary public figures of this era is timely in several respects. First, the speeches offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a man of power who is also a man of ideas. Second, they are a powerful tribute and testimony to the extraordinary transformative capacity of ideas and their ability to shape human destiny. Finally, they are a veritable witness to history as it unfolds before our very eyes.

The tragedy of post-colonial Africa is the acute disjuncture and divorce between men of power and men of ideas. The men of ideas are hardly interested in power, while the men of power are hardly interested in the pursuit of transformative knowledge. The result has been a tragic glorification of brute force within the context of accelerating poverty and underdevelopment. Knowledge resents power and power disdains knowledge. Yet because knowledge is power, poverty of knowledge can never lead to knowledge of poverty.

In an increasingly knowledge-based modern society, politics of the mind is the mind of politics. It is at the realm of ideas that the battle for society is won and lost. Armies of ideas clash relentlessly in the vast Homeric battle field of human consciousness. Old, outworn political deities and notions of human progress are discarded and given a swift burial. New heroes are born in the mind of men only for them to eventually meet the same fate.

Of all Nigerian contemporary politicians, none is more aware of this brutal reality of modern politics as permanent intellectual warfare than the two-term governor of Lagos state. Always searching for fresh ideas, always hungry for new facts, in him the notable intellectual meets the exceptional politician. The man of ideas meshes seamlessly with the man of action producing a perfect symmetry.

Quick on his feat, tirelessly improvising, brilliantly manouevering, constantly outflanking, tactically adventurous but at the same time wonderfully alert to political ambush and danger, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is unarguably the greatest political revelation of his generation. Such a rise to stardom within so short a time is unheard off and is the stuff of fiction. While his friends and many of his contemporaries are pleasantly surprised, his political adversaries are stunned by the swiftness and precision of his ascendancy. How could this have happened, they ask in dazed disbelief.

It is clear that we are dealing with a political phenomenon. The ultimate genius lies in the ability to mask genius. Tinubu hides his political genius so well that it is easy to mistake him for a garden variety or run of the mill politician. That is only part of a deadly camouflage which has led the heedless and the feckless to their political Waterloo.

It is obvious that we have on our hand a man of extraordinary political talents. Like a natural or complete footballer, the former senator of the Third Republic and two-term governor of the Fourth Republic, is at home anywhere on the field, defending with fluency and going on the offensive with fluidity and facility. This is total politics, reminiscent of the total football of the Dutch maestros of the seventies.

If total football is the nearest thing to intellectual soccer, with total politics we come to politics as both political and intellectual mobilization with horizontal and vertical deployments of men and material going on simultaneously. It is a punitively absorbing game requiring nerve-wracking concentration, phenomenal discipline and psychological stamina. A momentary lapse of concentration can prove fatal.

It has been famously observed that people make history but not under the circumstances of their choice. To this must be added the fact that peculiar circumstances always throw up peculiar individuals to do the bidding of history. It is the triumph of naïve idealism to imagine that while you can borrow and adapt visions and ideals from the past, you can also borrow its personages and personalities.

Those who throw up their arms in anger and frustration, claiming that this is not the kind of politics—or politicians—they are used to are merely viewing history through the aperture of some superannuated epochs. While working and fighting towards the ideal, the wise strategist takes politics as it is and not as it ought to be. This is the key to the Tinubu phenomenon.

You cannot step into the same river twice, and you cannot fight new battles with old weapons. Whether we like it or not, protracted military rule has eventuated in the militarization of politics in Nigeria. The military are past masters of the game of surprise, camouflage and dangerous deception. With their military wiles and politics of exhaustion, they left the old political class panting and grasping for breath. They eventually succeeded in sending them to political Golgotha. But in Tinubu, a man who could have been a remarkable native generalissimo in an earlier incarnation, they met more than their match. He is truly the last man standing. Without him and his band of faithful comrades in arms, the entire west would have been turned into a garrison of militarized and militant mediocrity.

It is in the realm of deploying ideas to capture popular imagination that Tinubu has proved himself vastly superior. The resulting innovations in practical governance as seen in Lagos state, the gains of the strategic duel with the federal authorities in the battle ground of proper federalism have become a monument to visionary imagination in politics.

This collection of speeches has emphatically demonstrated why knowledge of artillery is no match for the artillery of knowledge. Great ideas will always trump great brute force. In these remarkable speeches, we could hear Tinubu boldly staking out his position on crucial national issues; vigorously enunciating his vision and mission in politics and preparing to defend them with all that is available to him. Sometimes he is punitively proactive such as when he managed to insinuate the critical issue of electoral reform into national consciousness through the instrumentality of CODER. A few times, he casts a retrospective glance at the past in order to refine and clarify the great issues of the moment. Occasionally, he takes a direct plunge through critical interventions in national controversies such as the Fuel Subsidy Withdrawal, Sovereign Wealth Fund etc.

Taken together or individually, these speeches are a rare glimpse into the mind of a political grandmaster. They are in effect something of a maestro’s manifesto and a covenant of faith with the people of Nigeria. It is just as well that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was born in the month of March. A maestro is on the march in Nigeria. I warmly recommend these nuggets of gold from a constantly probing mind and the vast redemptive resources it is capable of generating.

 Alhaji Mukhtar Yero was sworn in as the governor of Kaduna State on December 16, 2012, following the death of Governor Patrick Yakowa in a helicopter crash. In this report, Correspondent Tony Akowe examines his 100 days in office.

He woke up on December 14 as the deputy governor of Kaduna State. He went to the office of his boss, the late Governor Patrick Yakowa, for a briefing. The governor told him that he was travelling to Bayelsa State. That was the end. Yakowa died in a helicopt crash. Barely 24 hours later, on December 15, 2012, the mantle of leadership fell on him. Alhaji Muktar Yero was sworn in as the governor.

The former deputy governor was catapulted to the front seat by fate. He ceased to be the spare tyre. In a twinkle of an eye, the burden of managing the complex state fell on his shoulders. He had no premonition of what destiny had in stock for him. But as Yero inherited power, he also inherited its burden.

Analysts argue that the governor has been a lucky politician from the onset. When he was appoined as commissioner, he did not expect it. He was more surprised when he was selected as the deputy governor three years ago. What has sustained is his cautious attitude. Both as commissioner and deputy governor, Yero was fiercely loyal to his boss. He was a dependable aide, in whom Yakowa was well pleased.

In his first 100 days, the challenges were undaunting. Kaduna politics is often shaped by the tension triggered by ethnicity and religion. So far, Yero has succeeded in managing the centrifugal forces. He has maintained the image of the governor of all in the state. His tenure has been crisis-free. The governor has not created problem for himself by any false step.

Traditional rulers, politicians and other stakeholders have given him support because he had carried them along. Many also believe that he is still learning on the job. He has shunned pressures to disband the state executive council and appoint fresh blood. His relations with the opposition is also cordial. Although critics have accussed him of being slow, his supporters said that cautious approach has prevented him from making mistakes that are unpardonable. Yero has continued with the programmes of his former boss. Thus, he has also earned the trust and loyalty of Yakowa’s supporters.

Yero assumed the reins when the financial year was about to end. It was a period when government and the private sector were taking stock for the year. The state government had just presented its budget and winding up for the year. It took another two months for the budget to be passed by the House of Assembly.

Before he came into the office, many contracts had been awarded by the government. Though Yero promised on assumption of office that he would carry on with Yakowa’s programmes, not many people believed him. However, he has kept faith with them, thereby assuring the people that his government is the continuation of the Yakowa Administration.

Yero has disbursed monies approved by Yakowa for the victims of the post-election violence in the state. He has distributed operational vehicles to the state security outfit, ‘Operation Yaki’. He has given money to the victims of the flood disaster.

Governor Yero has reiterated his determination to return Kaduna State to its glorious past when the residents lived freely in any part of the state without fear of attack, irrespective of their religious inclinations. Ethnic and religious crises had divided Kaduna metropolis along the lines of Christianity and Islam. The Christians live predominantly in the southern part of the metropolis and the Muslims live in the northern part.

But how far these efforts will go, is left to be imagined. The failure of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee to submit its report to the government may have created a wrong impression in the mind of the public. Sources close to the committee disclosed that there is a lot of suspicion among the members of the committee.

Some of the members have been quoted as saying that there is a hidden agenda. A source close to the committee told The Nation that , though there was no disagreement among members during their sitting, suspicion had set in shortly after some members were asked to correct some observed errors in the final report, which was ready before the Yakowa’s death.

The source said: “Forget the talk about disagreement. I can tell you that there was no disagreement among the members. If you must know, the report was ready and was to be presented to the former governor before he died. We delayed the presentation because there are minor corrections to be done and we nominated eight members-four Muslims and four Christians- to do the corrections.

“They were on it when Yakowa died and they abandoned the work. Eventually, the corrections were done and we are ready for presentation anytime the governor wants it.

“Unfortunately, there has been suspicion among members, with the strongest suspicion coming from the Muslim members. The committee started with about 70 members. Some have died and others have left and the number came down to about 45. When we came to present the report, some members did not come, apparently not knowing whether they would be required to sign the report before the presentation.

“While the governor was meeting with the co-chairmen in his office, we managed to get many of the members to sign, and by the time they came down to join us, over 30 members have signed. But we had to shift the presentation to allow time for those who are yet to sign to do so”.

This suspicion has adversely affected peaceful coexistence in the state, which the committee was meant to address. The committee, which was inaugurated by the late Yakowa comprised eminent citizens and opinion leaders. If the members of the committee cannot remove the suspicion among themselves, it is left to be seen how their recommendations can bring about peace and reconciliation in the state.

However, the failure of the governor to constitute his own cabinet is seen by many as a weakness on his part. There are those who believe that he is being tele-guided on the choice of cabinet members. But others believe that he is only buying time and making wide consultation before selecting his cabinet. It has been alleged that on two occassions, he had discarded a list of possible cabinet members because the list became public knowledge before they finished work on it.

This could not be independently verified as at the time of writing this report. Be that as it may, the fact that Yero has worked in the last 100 days with the same commissioners he accused of looking down on him and had no respect for him when he served as the deputy governor is a clear indication that he has a large heart and he is ready to accommodate all shades of ideas and opinions.

In the last 100 days, Yero has received lots of criticism by those who felt that he has a separate agenda from what he inherited from Yakowa. While the House was yet considering the state budget submitted to it by late Yakowa, the state was awash with claims that Yero had withdrawn the budget and replaced it with his own.

Those who made the claim attributed the delay in passing the budget to the withdrawal. But as it turned out, the budget was passed as presented by Yakowa, with the Assembly making a few additions, which is their constitutional right.

The issue of security is of paramount importance to every governor and Yero is no exemption. One of his first moves was to immediately release operational vehicles to security agents in the state. The state has been calm. Except for the attack by unknown gunmen in villages in Birnin Gwari and Zangon Kataf, the state has been free from any form of violence since he assumed office. However, the governor has a very big task ahead of him to ensure that the security agencies are kept on their toes to avoid any unfortunate incidence in the state in the days ahead.

Human rights activist and politician Comrade Joe Igbokwe highlights the challenges that will confront the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, as the country prepares for the 2015 elections.

I remember few years back when a prominent American citizen was speaking to a graduating class of engineering students from a particular university in the United States . I remember that he told them that: “Even at the pinnacle of your career your task is not done yet because new challenges will always await you as citizen Engineers”.

At 61, encomiums will be pouring in for our own Bola Ahmed Tinubu from all nooks and crannies of Nigeria and abroad. His millions of associates, friends, well-wishers, his foot soldiers, and hangers on will be fighting for spaces on the pages of newspapers, magazines, TV stations and radio stations to celebrate their leader. His achievements will be posted on every wall for the world to see. Parties will be organised by his great followers in some areas to get attention. Colloquium and public lectures will be put in place by his admirers in honour of BAT. Street drummers and dancers will not want to be left out in the big show for Asiwaju. Singers will not want their voices to be left out. What of writers and newspaper columnists? Ah! Ah!! A million words will be printed on the pages of our print and electronic media including this one.

Conversely, his adversaries especially those whose political fortunes have nose dived as Asiwaju’s rose will sneer and offer uncomplimentary tributes. Those that fear his rising political profile, those that are so woven to the present decadent order will hiss and jeer. These are normal flipsides to a life like Asiwaju’s and conforms to the life of a great man.

However, in the midst of these huge celebrations which are not only imperative but necessary. I want to chart another form of celebration as I want to challenge the leader, Asiwaju BAT that the task to reclaim Nigeria ’s stolen future still awaits him as a ‘Citizen Engineer’. Asiwaju has received laurels both in Nigeria and abroad. He has been celebrated here and abroad. He has shown leadership even when rocked in the cradle of difficulties and pillowed pains and hardships.

He has shown remarkable and tremendous courage and perseverance in the midst of persecution. Asiwaju has shown huge capacity to lead even in the face of challenges. In his drive to make things happen Asiwaju BAT has dared to drill the deepest well in Nigeria . Through dint of hard work Asiwaju has restored leadership and glory in the South West and Edo State , Nigeria . I can go on and on!

But all these ground breaking achievements will be nothing if Nigeria goes under. In near 16 years PDP has systematically grounded Nigerian, bringing to ruins a promising country that needs to show the way forward for Africa. In our own very eyes this useless party and its forty thieves have squandered our future, our children’s future and even our grand children’s future if I wanted to be strict. PDP has purloined off Nigerian resources and future to respective coded accounts while Nigerians continue a life of pain and misery. A country blessed with a vast preponderance of human and material resources is lying prostrate because our good men had done nothing. A nation perishes when good men do nothing!

At 61 Asiwaju BAT must be in battle gear now, he must wear the armour now and the five stars General must lead his troops to war to reclaim Nigeria . Using the most successful South West and Edo State as a platform for lessons in good leadership, Asiwaju should reach out to other Nigerians from the East and the North to provide leadership the country needs urgently now. There are thousands of incontrovertible compelling reasons to show the emptiness, unseriousness, incapacition, unpreparedness and unreasonableness of the ruling Party to drive progress in this country and we keep quiet to our peril. Wise men suffer the rules of idiots if they do nothing!

Asiwaju should throw his doors wide open for Nigerians who desire change to come in. Asiwaju should use his long undefeatable and unstoppable legs to go to them if they fail to come. Asiwaju should use his golden voice to beckon on them to join the human race. Asiwaju should use his hands that are more than handy to drive the great handshake across Nigeria in order to stop the drift in the land.

PDP and its corrupt leaders will not go down without a fight but it must go down for Nigeria to go up. In the past they talked about do or die elections and got away with it and now one of their own, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur says 2015 elections is war for PDP. The leadership of PDP is jittery, desperate and terribly disturbed. Today the fear of losing power in 2015 is the beginning of wisdom for PDP. From body language, utterances, actions and deeds, PDP is prepared to destroy Nigeria than losing power in 2015. They are even prepared to hand over to military than handing over power to APC and this is the real danger. A school of thought is suggesting that the upsurge in Boko Haram insurgence in recent times is part of the written script to create confusion sufficient enough to prove that it will be dangerous to hold elections. This will lead to the postponement of elections and PDP will remain in power because there cannot be a vacuum.

With his international connections, Asiwaju should reach out to the international community and seek help. With brazen deep pockets, oil wells, and contractors with stolen money, to unseat PDP will be no tea party. Asiwaju must lead the onslaught against these people. None but honest and wise men must rule under this roof henceforth. This is duty Asiwaju owes us @ 61.

Happy Birthday Asiwaju of Lagos, Aare of Ile-Oluji kingdom, Aare Ago of Abeokuta kingdom, Omenife of Awka, Eze Obaludike Egwu of Oko, Jagaban Borgu etc.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Senator Bola Tinubu is 61 years old this week. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the political battles, struggles and ideas of the acclaimed opposition leader.

He has come to fulfill a mission. In democracy, the role of the opposition is indispensable. For 13 years, he had fired shots to the centre due to the inability of the powers that be to run the federal country, based on the principles of true federalism. Today, he and his colleagues in the mega party are now gazing at the centre. What they are offering are credible alternative ideas and manifestos that have been tested in 11 states. Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu believes that it is important that power should shift to the progressive bloc in 2015. In his view, this is critical to the survival of the fledgling federation.

As the associates, friends and disciples of the former Lagos State governor celebrate his 61st birthday in the Centre of Excellence this week, what is on the front burner is the incisive and convincing argument for power shift from those that have misused power for a decade to a bloc that had been handicapped by colossal electoral malpractices. Observers argue that Tinubu’s towering struggles and his compatriots’ battles for a better society can only be worthwhile, if there is a paradigm shift in national administration.

The sustaining asset, so far, is courage. As a soldier of democracy, Tinubu is a rare leader endowed with mega capabilities to spearhead the popular legitimate agitations and canvass the unexplored alternative route to solutions to the fundamental questions. In this challenging moment, that resolve, resilience and determination must never fail the consummate politician.

At 61, the ‘Jagaban Borgu’ is on the weighing scale. As the oak tree offering shades to a vast progressive followership, eyes are on the colourful politician. Expectedly, obstacles would be thrown on his path to divert his attention. Media wars would be sponsored against his platform by spin doctors. But he and his colleagues in the All Progressives Congress (APC) would always be vindicated by the non-performance of the Jonathan Administration.

Indisputably, Tinubu has been building on his feats in the Southwest. He is not a prophet without honour at home. In 2003, the restoration of the Southwest’s lost glory became his preoccupation. He successfully coordinated the battle for the return of the stolen mandates in the five states. PDP hawks, who had penetrated the AD, crippled the platform. The anti-Obasanjo leaders of AC were heart-broken. The old party in ruins, Tinubu, a man of foresight, working in concert with like minds, spearheaded the establishment of another masses-oriented party, The Action Congress (AC), which later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In 2010, the party reclaimed Ekiti and Osun States from the PDP interlopers. A year later, it dislodged the PDP from power in Ogun and Oyo states. The epic battle served as the bridge that connected the past to the present. As the progressives bounced back in the Southwest, the dream and vision of the illustrious pathfinders -The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Abraham Adesanya and Bola Ige-that only a rational government bubbling with progressive tendencies should steer the affairs of the Southwest, was fulfilled.

The wise men who discovered Tinubu during the long military interregnum and advised him to play an active role are today justified. As he crossed the bridge from board room to politics, the promising auditor was set to seize the polity by storm. He emerged on the scene, without political experience, as professional accountant and financial surgeon, who had paid his dues in the competitive private sector; a shrewd businessman and core investor, manager of men and resources; a benevolent capitalist. But when he entered politics, be became a consummate activist, prolific analyst, strategic thinker, humanist, philanthropist, astute administrator, visionary leader, man of foresight, courageous fighter, and a peoples’ politician.

Tinubu fought for power at the top, although he may have indirectly been exposed to subtle politicking through the activities of his mother, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, who was a prominent chieftain of the proscribed Action Group (AG) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). But he appreciated the fact that politics is a vocation and the scramble for power is only meaningful, if power, which is never served ala cart, is employed to usher in a new lease of life for the generality of the people. If his sojourn in the corridor of power laid the premise for his political fame, his antecedent as a private sector operator actually prepared him for the future endeavour.

His professional colleagues and co-employees at Mobil Nigeria, especially Chief Pius Akinyelure, recalled that Tinubu was workaholic treasurer, who never compromised organisational goals of efficiency, productivity, office ethics and other fine arts of excellence at work. Akinyelure, his boss, was said to have initially discouraged him from leaving his lucrative job at Mobil. But when he could not persuade him from staying on, he assured him that he was free to return to the company, if the political field proves to be hot.

Since 1989, when Tinubu had placed his hands on the plough, he has not looked back. His senatorial form was obtained for him by his cousin, Alhaji Kola Oseni. He changed the politics of the Lagos West District within that short time by his political prowess, mobilisation acumen, organisational ability, power of foresight and masterful logic. During the senatorial screening, Tinubu, a green horn, scored the highest mark. He answered highly technical questions with immensurable wit from the panel headed by Chief Lanre Rasak. Old politicians on the panel, who had written off the new breed have to change their mind. They contented that the Lagos West senatorial candidate of SDP would definitely shake Lagos in the future. On the day he was screened, he became a leader to watch.

Tinubu defeated the National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, with a wide margin. He scored the highest number of senatorial votes in the country to represent the largest senatorial district. His compatriots in the turbulent Senate of Dr Iyorcha Ayu and Ameh Ebute often marveled at his sagacity. Tinubu was a high flyer, tactician, and thorn in the flesh of Babangida Administration. As the military regime wobbled on in deceit and decay, the likes of Tinubu challenged the junta to a duel. He was on the fire line; consistent and adamant. Ironically, the fall of the regime led to chain of events, which consequently aborted his career in the senate.

The military had conducted a free and fair presidential election on June 12, 1993. Then, the poll won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola, was suddenly annulled. Among the senators who decried the criminal annulment was Tinubu, who joined the pro-democracy crusaders in their demand for the de-annulment of the credible election. It was an inspiring and principled fighter for justice. Members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), of which he was an arrowhead abroad, would speak glowingly about his dedication, courage of conviction, untiring fighting spirit and financial backing for a noble cause. The battle was not totally won. The annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election was not reversed. But the military was forced out of power.

In 1998, the former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, announced a transition programme. Initially, the radical wing of the political class was skeptic. Initially, Tinubu wanted to return to the Senate. But the Lagos-based Afenifere leaders of Ogun State origin preferred Tinubu to the late Mr. Funso Williams of the Network Alliance, who had the support the late Chief Ganiyu Dawodu. The Third Republic senator emerged as the AD governorship candidate and defeated the PDP contender, Chief Dapo Sarunmi, as the governorship election.

As governor of the ‘Centre of Excellence’, for eight years, Tinubu showed that he was an experienced and excellent administrator. Through his giant strides, he laid the foundation for a prosperous Lagos. The former governor jerked the internally generated revenue from the N6000 monthly to billions of naira. He constructed roads, built hospitals and schools, created opportunities for employment and sanitised the transport sector. The judiciary reforms he introduced were legendary. When his term was about to expire, he was nit indifferent to the nature of his successor. Tinubu ensured that the continuity of the development agenda was important. He is today perceived by the governors of the Southwest as a role model and pride of the region.

Others citizens would salute his large heart as a cheerful giver, benefactor and godfather to the oppressed, like his friend and associate, MKO Abiola. But more than that, Tinubu is a national property and detribalised apostle of national unity.

Paying tribute to Tinubu, Lagos State Special Duties Commissioner Dr. Wale Ahmed, described him as the gift of the Southwest to Nigeria. “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu arose out of the necessity for the progressives to get out of the PDP shackles and for this nation to move forward, so that Nigeria can begin to actually enjoy the dividends of democracy according to the will of God”, he said.

Ahmed, a former state legislator, also hailed Tinubu’s hunt for talents. He recalled that, as the governor, he had set up a cabinet of talent in Lagos State, which was second to none in the country. He also said that his administration laid the solid foundation upon which the actualiser, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has successfully built.

Tinubu has proved himself as a nationalist fighting for true federalism and entrenchment of due process. Ahmed urged him to continue in this vocation, noting that the national question cannot be resolved without social and political agitation.

For the House of representatives member from Ikorodu, Tinubu deserves applause for political mentoring. Mrs. Abike Erewa noted that the ACN leader had raised and nurtured a generation of leaders in the Southwest, who are assiduously working for the transformation of the region. She paid tribute to the leader for springing the idea of regional integration, which may return the region to its glorious days. “ I remembered when I signified my intention to go to the federal parliament, there were still opposition to my bid. But he was discreet as a leader. He observed that, if I had been able to perform well as a broadcaster, I would surely do well on the House. I am happy that I have not disappointed him and other leaders”, said the legislator, who also described Tinubu as a caring and compassionate leader.

Delta State politician Navy Commander Uche Onabu hailed Tinubu’s national outlook, saying that he is a true national leader. He ob served that his vision is to ensure that the 36 states of the federation have credible leaders who can work for the happiness of the people. “I have not met him before, but when I contacted him about my federal parliamentary ambition in 2011, he lent a hand of help”, he recalled. “He is a detribalised leader who means well for Nigeria”, he added.

To Senator Joel Ikenya, the ACN leader in Taraba State, Tinubu is a great mobiliser for rational causes. He said the Asiwaju of Lagos led the battle for electoral reforms, shortly after the 2007 failed polls. He observed that, though all is not totally well with the ballot box in Nigeria, things are gradually changing.

“Many people follow Asiwaju because he has the qualities of a leader. He is forthright, sincere, dedicated and committed to the cause of the common man”, added the former governorship candidate who wished him well in the years to come.

A rights activist and chairman of Amuwo Odofin local government area of lagos State praised Tinubu for his interest in the younger generation. “Our leader and father, Tinubu, has given youths and women opportunities to participate in politics and public service. He is a leader who is building other leaders for the purpose of the future”, he said.

Another activist, Comrade Joe Igbokwe, described Tinubu is a political Field Marshall, stressing that his battalion is loyal to his command. The Lagos State ACN Publicity Secretary described Tinubu as the most colourful Southwest politician in post-Bola Ige era. “Our great leader, national icon and political bulldozer is one man that is difficult to describe. I cannot find enough adjectives to describe Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Words will not be enough to tell the full story of this widely cherished man of the people, a Field Marshall, builder of men, friend of the poor, logistician, orator and a political colossus”, he added.