The Nation Newspaper

Category: Waheed Odusile

  • The war on corruption

    When then candidate Muhammadu Buhari made his now famous statement “if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria” in the course of his campaign for the presidency earlier this year, not a few Nigerians agreed and silently wished that the former Head of State triumph at the April 14 presidential election.

    And when it came to pass that the candidate of the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) party was the victor in the election, the whole nation, save a few, heaved a sigh of relief that the 16 years of unbridled corruption under the “largest political party in Africa” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has finally been terminated. And to a great and better future for Nigeria they looked when Mr Muhammadu Buhari mounted the saddle on May 29, this year, taking over from Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President and Commander-In-Chief.

    A President Buhari at the helm is seen not by a few as signaling not only the beginning of the end for corruption and impunity in the country but also a rebirth for a giant of a nation that has been on all fours since inception.

    The fight against corruption Nigerians expect would now be given a sharp teeth with the two main anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in vigorous pursuit of corrupt elements in our society. And the two agencies have seemingly been up to the task, pursuing their assignments without fear or favour. The government, meaning the presidency, we are made to believe, has also been working behind the scene with core operatives of the immediate past regime to secretly refund public funds they have stolen from our common purse, to prevent prosecution and punishment. Good. But we should also be told who these people are, if only to shame them.

    All these are gladdening to hear and Nigerians are beginning to not only hope for the best, but also feeling the best. The bad boys are being dealt with, we all seem to agree. Kudos to EFCC and ICPC. But what of the Code of Conduct Bureau and its twin agency, the Code of Conduct Tribunal, what are they up to? Have they been sleeping? Not really. Last week, the CCB and CCT entered the fray and all hell has been let loose since then. I hope you know what I am talking about. In case you are still in the dark, recall that a little over a week ago, the Bureau dragged Senate President, Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on a 13-count charge bordering on false declaration of asset. The president of the National Assembly and third in line to Nigeria’s presidency narrowly escaped being docked as his lawyers cleverly approached a Federal High Court to challenge the CCT. Though the Tribunal is also fighting back, issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the SP, the matter clearly presents the sternest test to date to the Buhari administration fight against corruption.

    Senator Saraki is the first big fish to be entangled in this anti corruption web and it remains to be seen how the matter would be treated. The allegations are no doubt weighty, but mere allegations they remain until the man is proven guilty. For now he is innocent of all the charges.

    But while the matter is best left for the judiciary to handle, the political fallout from Saraki’s arraignment is as interesting as the matter itself. Expectedly, Nigerians, not the least, members of the ruling All Progressives Congress are sharply divided on the matter. While some see it as a move in the right direction to cleanse the stable of corruption, sympathizers of the Senate President are seeing it as a political vendetta against Saraki as punishment for defying his party to contest the presidency of the Senate and also getting a member of the opposition on board as his deputy.

    Considering the frosty relationship between President Buhari and Senator Saraki since the Senate presidency election and the division it generated within the leadership of the APC, it is very difficult not to believe the Saraki supporters, while at the same time their assertion is very difficult to prove. And now that the presidency has distanced itself from the travail of Saraki in the hands of the CCB and CCT, it becomes more difficult to pin the matter on President Buhari. But this is politics, anything is possible. Did I hear you say CHANGE?

    While the APC people are bickering over the matter, the PDP is expectedly licking its lips over the development, accusing the president and his party of political witch hunt in its anti corruption war, conveniently ignoring the fact that the monumental corruption that we are talking of in Nigeria today took place under PDP’s watch. Let’s put that aside for now.

    While the politicians from both sides could be excused for holding different views on the matter, what is perhaps surprising is the position of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on the matter.  Over the weekend in Abuja, NANS president Tijani Sheu teamed up with the Director General of a political association called Heritage Group and threatened to protest Saraki’s arraignment and trial at foreign embassies in the federal capital. Ironically, the same Sheu had on September 2 led a group of Nigerian students to the presidential villa in Abuja to pledge support for Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign. So what is he up to or rather, in what direction is he leading Nigerian students?  I don’t want to read too much into this but suffice to say that the Nigerian youth, especially student leaders should exercise restrain when commenting on issues outside their knowledge lest they fall victim to cheap political opportunism. They are better advised to think before they speak and to always keep quiet when they have nothing to say.

    How would protesting at foreign embassies help the cause of fighting corruption which NANS told Buhari on September 2 that it supports, or stop the CCB from going ahead with its case with Saraki if  indeed it has a case against the Senate President? What I think the students should concern themselves with is the integrity of the process. If the CCB thinks it has any case against Saraki, it should proceed at the tribunal as stipulated by law. And if the Senate President thinks otherwise, he should go and fight it out at the tribunal and clear his name. And if he can get the Appeal court to stop the tribunal, fine.

    Let the right things be done. Imputing political motive to the CCB’s action would not change the fact that the matter at hand is a legal matter and should be so treated. I can see this matter getting to the Supreme Court, whichever side loses, and this will ultimately be good for the system. Once the matter is decided one way or the other by the courts,  Nigerians would do well to forget about it and forge ahead. But then, the war should not stop with Saraki. There are many others public officers with similar stories, it is when the CCB pursues their case with the same vigor as Saraki’s that the doubters of the anti corruption war would be put to shame.

     

    Goodnight Mama H.I.D Awolowo

     

    Just as the Awolowo family of Ikenne , Ogun State was getting set for the centenary birthday celebration of their Matriarch, Mama Hannah Idowu Dideolu, slated for later this year, death came calling last Saturday and took away the ‘Jewel of Inestimable Value’ of their father, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    Chief Mrs HID Awolowo, the Yeye Oba of Ife died at the age of 99. She would have been 100 years old on November 25, 2015.

    Coming 28years after the death of her husband, Mama lived a life worthy of emulation by all women, especially wives of our politicians and other public office holders. She stood by her husband through out his political life and remained steadfast to his political ideology even after his death. She doggedly kept the Awolowo flag flying all these years after her husband’s death. May her soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.

     

  • Waiting for the President’s men

    Nearly four months into his four-year presidency (in the first instance I guess), President Muhammadu Buhari has still not picked his team of Ministers to help bring about the change he promised Nigerians in the run up to the April election that ushered in this presidency.

    And as you are aware, the man has promised to unveil the wise men and women with which he intends to take Nigeria to the next level not later than the end of this September. And expectedly, Nigerians are eager for this all important list of Ministers-to-be.

    Following their failure to accurately predict the composition of President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet (Chief of Staff et al) named a couple of weeks or so ago, political pundits have learnt to keep their predictions to themselves this time, keeping their fingers crossed like the rest of us. In truth and in fairness to them, that is the best course of action to take since our president is an unpredictable man. Hmmmmmm.

    His picks as members of his inner caucus, though impeccable, have raised questions about whether he is a narrow-minded/parochial leader as some like Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his co-travelers in the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would want to paint him, or a patriot, interested only in what is good for Nigeria, if majority of Nigerians who still see in him the Messiah that we need, are to be believed.

    While the jury is still out on what kind of a leader President Muhammadu Buhari would be in comparison to General Muhammadu Buhari as he then was when he held sway as Head of State between January 1984 and August 1985, the composition of his cabinet should tell what the man thinks of the rest of us outside his narrow ethnic enclave. More importantly,  his choice of Ministers should clearly show the direction he intends to take us as a nation.

    If truly he chose members of his kitchen cabinet because of the strength of their character, integrity, incorruptibility and unalloyed loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( known only to him) then we expect nothing less from the gentlemen and women whose names he will soon send to the Senate for screening as Ministers. Did I hear you say “trust Buhari not to compromise in matters like this?”  But even at that it needs restating that those he intends to bring on board must be of proven integrity. But are there people like that still left in this country? Cynical as this may sound, it will be an uphill task for the president to fish out such people to join him in the Executive Council of the Federation.

    Not that there are no good Nigerians out there any more but getting them to accept to serve is the problem. In a society where selfless service is considered a foolish act, anyone going into public office is deemed corrupt from the outset and is expected, even by members of his own family, to line his pockets with public funds. To do otherwise, then he must be a fool.

    You get elected or appointed into a public office and the next thing is your phone begins to ring more than usual and the incoming traffic in your mailbox increases as well. And virtually everyone is asking for one favour or another, not minding whether you are in a position to do it or not. You explain to them what you can and cannot do or advise them to follow the normal process, then you are labelled a bad person. Tell me, how is the society expected to make progress with this kind of mindset. And it is from this sort of society that President Buhari is expected to bring out the angels to join him in this change crusade that we embarked on with his election last April. I don’t envy him.

    Unofficial reports have it that nearly everyone on his initial list of aides/ministerial hopefuls was tainted somehow by one form of corruption or another, hence the list has had to be redrawn and updated again and again. So, where is that clean person who would be able to look at corruption straight in the eyes and give it a dirty slap? Who is that Nigerian without sin that will throw the first stone at Mr Corruption? This is the challenge before Mr President as he begins the composition of his cabinet any moment from now and the challenge is also for us all to accept his nominees. Not without thorough scrutiny though. But since the beautiful ones are not yet born so to speak, let us accept the most beautiful among the ugly ones available and get the job done. The most important thing is to get our First Eleven into the cabinet and ensure that they not only follow and obey the new rules of the game but also get all the spectators/followers to do the same, after all the new team captain is a no nonsense man.

    While we await the introduction of the new team, a look at what the captain has been doing since his appointment a little over a hundred days ago should give us an insight into what to expect from the team. While some have said that Buhari’s first hundred days in office were nothing to write home about, and by inference we should expect nothing tangible in the course of the life of his administration, it would amount to self denial to pretend as if nothing good has happened to the nation since the Buhari presidency.

    During the Alhaji Shehu Shagari years in the Second Republic, I used to write the president off each time he mentioned peace and security as the biggest achievement of his presidency, but the Boko Haram insurgency, especially under former President Goodluck Jonathan has brought the importance of peace and security sharply into our national consciousness. I bet I am not the only one just realizing this now or rather appreciating it better.

    If all goes as planned, the battle against Boko Haram should be over on or before the end of the year, while the war against terror continues.

    It is not a mere coincidence that terror is being defeated under Buhari, it was the result of a focused leadership that knew what to do and is doing it. But then we should not read too much into this until we are reunited as a nation with the Chibok girls still in the hands of the terrorists.

    But if Buhari is winning the battle against terror at least in the north east, insecurity is building up in the south in the form of increasing armed kidnappings of innocent people. As I write this, the wife of  the deputy Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of the Sun Publishing company, Mrs Toyin Nwosu was kidnapped at their home early morning on Monday. Her kidnap came two days after the release of Ms Donu Kogbara, the celebrated columnist with Vanguard Newspaper who was snatched at gun point at home in Port Harcourt by criminal elements about two weeks before.

    It is hoped that these two incidences are not related or symptomatic of the emerging trend of making journalists targets of kidnap. No Nigerian, let alone a journalist should be subjected to this kind of experience and it is hoped that the security agencies will up their game to curb these crimes. For Nigeria to be truly secure and safe for all Nigerians, the president and his security chiefs must not lose sight of the fact that the challenge of insecurity faced by country is not from Boko Haram alone, kidnappers are on the prowl too, and it is a multi million naira business that must be smashed the same way as the  Haram insurgency.

     

    While I was away

     

    Its  almost three months since I last appeared on this page and between then and now a lot of water has passed under the bridge so to speak. I took time off to try my luck at the presidency of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the umbrella body for all practicing journalists in the country. Thank God I made it at the first attempt, although it came after three previous, albeit failed attempts to become the deputy national president of the Union.

    While thanking those who put their trust in me by electing me the NUJ President on July 25,  I wish to state clearly hereTHAT THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY ME ON THIS PAGE ARE MINE AND NOT IN ANY WAY REPRESENTING THE POSITION OF THE NUJ. Whatever you read here is from me in my capacity as a journalist/columnist and I wish to be so understood.

    Nice to be back.

     

  • That pipeline protection contract

    After six years of lack-lustre performance, President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to relinquish Nigeria’s presidency on My 29, 2015. But like the proverbial Whiteman that defecates on the chair before vacating his seat, Jonathan is bent on leaving behind some mess for the incoming administration.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised concern over what it called last minute looting of the nation’s resources, secret sales of government property and massive recruitment into the public service by the departing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led Federal Government. While these might not be entirely true, it behoves the Jonathan administration to tread with caution, its last days in office, in order not to create problems for the incoming administration.

    And one of such likely problems is the planned handover of the job of protecting the nation’s oil/gas pipelines and waterways to former militants and self determination groups by President Jonathan. Barring any last minute change, former Niger Delta militants/warlords, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), Mujaheedin Asari-Dokubo and Chief Bipobiri Ajube (aka Gen. Shoot-At-Sight) together with Dr Frederick Faseun and Ganiyu Adams of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), should be in charge of protecting these vital economic facilities. They were billed to take over from the various security agencies yesterday.

    Looking at the implications of contracting out such important duty of government to private individuals/companies, to the security of state, one would have expected President Jonathan to leave the decision on the outsourcing of such assignment to the incoming administration. The pipelines and waterways are treasured national assets that should not be placed in the hands of anybody or group of people other than agents of the state.

    Considering the cry over poor funding of our armed forces and other security agencies, the N9.3 billion to be expended on the pipeline protection contract for the former militants could go a long way in adequately arming the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Police to provide the needed security for these pipelines and our waterways. These are bodies/organizations statutorily empowered to carry out the job of protecting these facilities, and if for whatever reason they have been unable to do so effectively, the solution is not to outsource their duties, but to ensure they carry out such duties.

    Moreover it is doubtful if any of these contractors have any requisite knowledge or training on how to carry out the assignment. Giving them the contract amounts to merely giving ‘job to the boys’ to keep them quiet or away from crime. While it is good and even necessary for government to either provide gainful employment for all or create a conducive environment for everybody so willing to be gainfully employed, this kind of job being given to Tompolo and others is beyond their level of competence and should be stopped immediately.

    If Jonathan insists on going ahead with the contract, the incoming administration on taking over power should halt the implementation as soon as possible. If the government feels there is a need for a special force to be in charge of protecting these facilities, it should create such and put under its control, just like it created the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to take care of road safety matters and drug law enforcement in the country.

    I had complained about this contract in the past when it was first mooted. I have nothing personal against the people involved, but I believe that the security of state, including that of the citizens and vital state facilities/resources should not be put in the hands of private individuals. And considering the past activities of some of those benefiting from the contract, I believe it amounts to rewarding criminality if those who had at one time or another taken up arms against the government in the past, should be so rewarded, if at all they should be rewarded, the Niger Delta  amnesty programme notwithstanding.

    While the incoming General Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has promised not to probe Jonathan or any of his predecessors, this type of pipeline protection contract could leave the new government with no choice than to look into the books of the outgoing government. And Nigerians would definitely understand if the new government came to this.

    There are some actions of the Jonathan government that would and should definitely be looked into. No responsible government would want to close its eyes to the disappearance of 20 billion USD oil earning not remitted into the federation account by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as alleged by the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano.

    Sanusi, as CBN government made the allegation and instead of Jonathan looking into it fired the apex bank boss. It is believed that Sanusi’s appointment as Emir of Kano probably prevented Jonathan from further persecuting for making the revelation.

    President-elect, Buhari is right in saying he would look into the books on this matter once he assumes office on May 29, 2015. Nigerians would understand why. We need to know who was saying the truth; Sanusi or Jonathan’s government that says no $20billion was missing. Corruption is at the root of our problems in this country and until issues like the alleged missing oil money is satisfactorily dealt with and the truth uncovered, and punishment meted out if necessary; corruption will continue to thrive in Nigeria. $20billion is big money and no effort must be spared by Buhari to uncover the truth and no sacred cow must be left untouched if at all somebody or some people tampered with that money.

    The president-elect should also look into the bogus oil subsidy being paid by the federal government to importers of petrol. This is another platform where Nigeria is being defrauded of huge sums of money.

    The fraudulent practices are not of monetary nature alone. There is so much fraud in our electoral system which if not stopped could derail this democracy. The last general elections and the sham that took place in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States just to mention a few, in the name of election was enough to show that all is not well with our democracy in spite of the worldwide kudos given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Attahiru Jega for a job well done.

    It was glaring that no election took place in these two states and yet results, votes, running into millions were declared. Who did the voting? While the judiciary should be left alone to determine whether it was right for INEC to declare result in the face of so many irregularities in these states, conscious efforts should be made by the Buhari administration to reform our electoral system such that votes would count. It would be wise for the incoming administration to look into the Justice Uwais Commission report in this regard.

    As Jonathan prepares his hand over notes, it is hoped that the president would make himself available to the new government for clarification on some of his actions if need be. Let us thank the president once again for that concession speech. For once in six years, he did something good.

  • What to do with Rivers and Akwa Ibom

    What to do with Rivers and Akwa Ibom

    The 2015 general elections, to the surprise of many, were largely free, fair and to some extent peaceful. If one could ignore what happened in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States in the name of election, it could be safely said or assumed that Nigeria’s democracy has finally come of age. But it would be foolhardy and even dangerous to brush aside what took place in these states on March 28 and April 11 and conclude that Nigeria has finally joined the global enviable league of established democracies.

    Located in Nigeria’s south/south region, Rivers and Akwa Ibom State are two of the three states, the other being Delta, heavily relied upon by Dr Goodluck Jonathan and his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)to deliver votes in their millions to the president to aid his re-election bid.

    Jonathan’s expectation of a heavy voters’ support for him in this region was based mainly on the fact of his being from the south/south and not on account of any outstanding performance. But the people of this region, especially residents of these two states were not given to this sentiment.

    In the run up to the elections it was glaring that they were not ready to reward incompetence as exemplified by the Jonathan administration and instead were ready to team up with the rest of Nigeria rooting for change. They were leaning towards the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). In fact, Rivers States has an APC government already in place and the expectation was that the state would go the way of the party in the general election, the fact of Jonathan coming from that region notwithstanding.

    The financial recklessness of the Godswill Akpabio administration in Akwa Ibom state with nothing tangible to show for the huge state resources available to him also commended the APC to the people of the state as the party of change that they yearn for. So, like Rivers, the expectation here also was that the wind of change would blow the PDP away on elections day. But that was not to be or rather, not allowed to be by the powers that be.

    Faced with an imminent defeat at the polls, the Jonathan federal government deployed all State’s and non-state’s resources at its disposal to rig the election in its favour with the hope of making it back for a second term. In the March 28 presidential election, Jonathan recorded near overwhelming support in these two states, with over 95 per cent of the votes, but it wasn’t enough to win him the presidency again.

    The way this ‘victory’ was achieved cast doubt on the legitimacy of the result. In Rivers State, apart from the pre-election violence that led to the killing of many people, mainly from the APC, no election in the real sense of the word took place anywhere on that day, a fact acknowledged by both foreign and domestic observers, yet the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it was satisfied with the exercise and declared Jonathan the winner in the state.  While no voting took place, results were allocated to parties by INEC officials in a predetermined way to give victory to PDP with a landslide.

    In Akwa Ibom State, the way ‘victory’ was achieved was disingenuous. While voters were given the impression that they could vote and their votes would count, (at least in places where INEC was allowed to show up), government/PDP agents/thugs were deployed to polling units to obtain the number of accredited voters and forward same to a situation room in the Government House where the votes were allocated to parties based on the number of accredited voters, with the PDP getting the lion share. The figures recorded on the result sheet at the Government House were then forwarded to INEC which in turn released same as the outcome of the election.

    With the outcome of the presidential election in these two states not enough to tilt the scale of victory in Jonathan’s favour nationwide, the PDP went back to the drawing board for the governorship and state assembly elections on April 11, to ensure that its rigging plan not only produces a winner but retains/returns the control of the two states to the party. The outcome was a sham election that even PDP sympathizers in some so called opposition parties could not stomach.

    The Labour party governorship candidate in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, a known supporter of President Jonathan was so disappointed in the conduct and outcome of the election that he described the exercise as neither free nor fair. He expressed his frustration in the following words: “Without the presence of INEC officials or material in some areas, results were declared in the very same areas as if elections actually did hold. What kind of message are we sending? Can the people who experienced this ever have faith in politics or the electoral process again? This process was neither free nor fair and it certainly was not credible. But in the end INEC felt otherwise.”

    Observers from the African Centre for Leadership Strategies and Development described the elections in Rivers State as not only bloody but also fraudulent, urging INEC to cancel the polls. International election observers also spoke in the same vein, yet INEC went ahead to declare the result giving victory to PDP. The same things happened in Akwa Ibom. The APC, the party at the receiving end of this electoral fraud is crying foul but INEC does not seem to be listening.

    The implication of INEC accepting the result of these sham elections is that the electorate in these areas would never have faith in politics and the political process, especially the principle of one man one vote. And as long as the result stays good people will continue to stay out of politics in these areas and we will continue to have thugs as leaders coming from there; and when they come to the national stage you can imagine the pollution they would bring to national politics.

    I don’t want to dwell on the violence that attended the so called elections in these states, it is sickening. People being beheaded, whole family being wiped out, political thugs, at times in military/police uniform going from house-to-house, clubbing or shooting opponents to death, most of these in the presence of and even with active connivance of security agents. What kind of democracy is that? And on elections day, ballot boxes/papers being snatched and yet INEC accepted the results from such polling units?

    For the sake of the democracy we are trying to build and also the credibility of Professor Attahiru Jega’s INEC, the result in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States should not stand. Let there be fresh elections in these states with enough security personnel on ground to prevent the killings and the fraud that attended the March 28 and April 11 elections.  This is how to build a good democratic culture. Let the winner win clean and clear and the loser lose clean and clear as well.

  • Let the healing begin

    Let the healing begin

    March 28, 2015 like June 12, 1993 will go down in history as the day Nigerians decided to take their destiny in their hands. As it was about 22 years ago, Nigerians turned out in their millions to cast their votes for a president of their choice to lead the nation, but unlike the 1993 experience, their votes did count this time around.

    After a 72-hour wait, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced to an expectant nation the result of the election and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner.

    But before the final votes were counted and with one state yet to be  declared, President Goodluck Jonathan, the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did the unexpected by calling his main opponent, Buhari, on phone, to not only concede defeat, but also congratulate him on his well deserved victory. And with just that one phone call, President Jonathan saved Nigeria from an imminent catastrophe and thus elevated himself to the status of a statesman.

    Prior to the election, the handwriting was clearly visible on the wall that Jonathan and his PDP were heading towards a crushing defeat, but not a few Nigerians were afraid that the president and his supporters might not accept the result and could resort to strong arm tactics to remain in power.

    The fear of a major crisis erupting after the election had been heightened by provocative comments being made by Jonathan core loyalists, particularly by his Ijaw kinsmen and two renegade governors from the south west in the run up to the election to the effect that it was either victory for Jonathan or war. The conduct of Jonathan’s agent at the counting centre in Abuja, Elder Orubebe did nothing to calm the fear. But the president rose to the occasion to allay the fear with that phone call and the concession speech that later followed. As a colleague rightly put it, that was the only good thing that Jonathan has done since he became president and it will surely define his six-year presidency. I agree and also join millions of Nigerians to thank him for that. But whether that would be enough to wipe out his sins to Nigerians is left for history to decide.

    Part of those sins was the way he divided Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines just for him to secure enough votes to retain the presidency. It is on record that the 2015 presidential campaign was the most divisive in the history of electioneering in Nigeria and Dr Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Patience and the PDP were largely responsible for this.

    To get the Igbos votes in Lagos and the rest of the south west, Jonathan pitched the Igbos against their host community, the Yoruba, urging them to come together and vote for him and the PDP which they did. The president actively promoted his candidature as that representing the Christians just to get their votes and he did, in large numbers especially in the south east and some states in the north with large Christian majority. No politician has ever done this in the past and if truth must be told, Nigeria is now sharply divided along these lines no thanks to Jonathan’s ambition.

    Now the Igbos living in Yoruba land are being regarded as traitors in the house by their host just because they ignored glaring cases of incompetence on the part of Jonathan and voted for him on account of him being a Christian and from the old eastern region. Nobody here (Yoruba land) would have bothered if they voted the way they did had the president not prompted them. Yoruba pride themselves as being liberal and expect their guests to behave the same way. When they voted for Jonathan in 2011 and fought for him to become acting president two years earlier when then President Yar’Adua was indisposed, they did so based on conviction and not merely because he is a Christian or a fellow southerner. This sharp division if not quickly corrected could lead to a larger problem politically between Igbos and Yoruba in future. This is why leaders from the two prominent ethnic groups must come together quickly to address the ugly development. Igbos and Yoruba have been living peacefully together in Yoruba land for centuries and on no account should the Jonathan issue be allowed to divide them or cause trouble between them. President Jonathan who caused it must play a prominent role in healing the wounds, just as the incoming President Mohammadu Buhari must initiate programmes and policies that would integrate all Nigerians wherever they reside irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or gender. Buhari has a big role to play here especially in the north, where in most parts the Christians were seen as supporters of Jonathan. Most importantly, religious leaders must also preach peace, oneness and integration to their followers. I don’t know whether some Islamic leaders did preach against a Christian president to their congregation, but there were instances of some Christian clerics preaching and vowing that Nigeria would never be ruled by a Muslim and urging their congregation to pray against terrorism, both indirectly ordering a no vote for Buhari, a Muslim and suggesting he was a supporter of terror/Boko Haram. Utterances like this have far reaching consequences, even beyond the elections. Now that Buhari has been elected, what would these clerics tell heir congregation and how do they expect them to relate with the new administration.

    Even after the election of Buhari, some politicians on the other side in spite of President Jonathan’s appeal, are still holding on to the pre-election propaganda that the President-elect plan to Islamise Nigeria. I was shocked to read in the newspapers the day after Buhari’s victory a statement by former Anambra State governor Chief Ezeife beating his chest that Igbos voted overwhelmingly for Jonathan because they believe he is one of them (meaning a Christian) and to forestall planned Islamization of the country. When people like him say things like this it is irritating and annoying. These are people who should know and indeed knows but have instead chosen to mislead their people. People like him are not needed in the present dispensation and I am sure the Igbos would note that. We don’t need leaders that would keep promoting the divisions amongst us; we need leaders who can unite us, leaders who would think Nigeria first and rally us all behind project Nigeria. Buhari has that opportunity with his election and he cannot afford to fail. We are in a last chance bus and everybody must be on board to ensure a safe journey.

    Why did we elect Buhari and not Jonathan? Nigerians, tired of widespread corruption that typified Jonathan’s presidency believe that Buhari, with a track record of incorruptibility would clean the system of corruption and end the corrupt tendencies inherent in our officials/leaders. As a former military man, Nigerians expect him to restore discipline into our nation as well as restore our pride as the leader of Africa and the champion of the Blackman. Nigerians expect him to make our country work again, reinvigorate our economy, give us electricity, repair and improve on our decaying infrastructure, return quality to our education, make our military the best in Africa again, and restore our lost glory. But these cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of division that currently pervades the polity hence the urgent need to heal all the wounds created by the acrimonious campaigns that preceded that historic presidential election.

  • On the verge of history

    On the verge of history

    After all said and done, Nigerians went to the polls on March 28, to elect their next President and Commander –In-Chief, as well as members of the National Assembly. And the election went smoothly in most parts of the country save in Rivers State where violence took centre stage.

    Apart from the violence that characterized the exercise in Rivers State, there were doubts as to whether voting actually took place as the two major parties have different positions on the issue. While the ruling party at the centre, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wants the world to believe that elections took place in Rivers State on March 28, the All Progressives Congress, the party in power in the state insists that no voting took place.

    The election umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has however gone ahead to declare the PDP winner amidst the dispute, suggesting that the body was satisfied that voting actually took place. But time will tell whether this INEC decision will stand. Apart from Rivers State, the election was also disputed in Akwa Ibom State where the APC is also crying foul.

    Not a few Nigerians are worried as to the credibility of the March 28 election considering the calls for cancellation of the exercise in these two states. Rivers and Akwa Ibom states are traditionally the stronghold of the PDP in the south/south region where the party usually gets millions of votes, always large enough to tilt the balance of victory in its favour. But with the caliber of people leading the opposition APC in the two states, the PDP is not expected to have a clean sweep as usual. So, if the PDP is claiming near 99 per cent victory in these two states, then something must be wrong somewhere, especially against the backdrop of the opposition’s insistence that there were massive irregularities in the course of the exercise.

    I don’t intend to dwell much on the Rivers and Akwa Ibom issues for now as I don’t want what happened or did not happen there to remove from the fact that Nigerians last Saturday proved the doubters wrong about our ability to conduct ourselves in an orderly and peaceful manner when it comes to general elections.

    In a replay of what happened across the country during the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Nigerians, last Saturday trooped out in their millions to the various polling units to cast their votes for the candidate of their choice. In most places, there were no police men or any other security personnel around and yet the crowd of electorate comported themselves very well.

    Where I voted, it was a friendly atmosphere throughout as voters supporting different parties/candidates mixed freely and discussed as friends, even sharing drinks while awaiting the exercise to commence.  This was a far cry from what was expected judging by what was in the media and what the politicians were saying during their campaigns in the run up to the elections. The hate campaigns being churned out by politicians before the election were enough to cause concern and fuel the fear of violence on elections day.

    But Nigerians put the politicians to shame by their largely peaceful conduct at the polls and this calls for commendation. By their conduct last Saturday Nigerians have proven to the world, especially our politicians that left alone, we can organize ourselves without their meddlesomeness. I’ve often said it that too much government interference in our lives is the cause of most of the problems plaguing us as a nation. Without government interference or instigation by politicians, Nigerians generally relate well with each other, but when these people come between them and then the issue of ethnicity and religion come to the fore.

    In the run up to these elections, President Goodluck Jonathan will go down on record as one leader who used religion and ethnicity to divide Nigerians just to gain advantage over his opponent. In the South west, especially in Lagos, he used ethnicity to rally the non-indigenes, especially the Igbos to his side. This no doubt has sown mistrust in the minds of the indigenes against the non-indigenes, and the only harvest that could come out of this is further polarization, which will not augur well for peaceful co-existence between these two great ethnic groups.

    During his campaigns, Jonathan presented himself as a candidate of the Christians almost to the total exclusion of the Muslims among his supporters. He also promoted himself as a candidate of the south fighting against the north. These are dangerous paths to tread and I wonder how he intends to rectify the damage his campaigns have caused to our fragile unity if he scales the hurdle and returns as president and commander in chief. Did I hear you say Amen or God forbid?

    If Jonathan returns, it would be a herculean task for him to repair this damage. It would be better for him and the country not to return so that we can start on a very clean slate. The economy is in bad shape; our unity is shaking, and confidence in government badly eroded. We need another leader to restore these things. These are just my thoughts and things could end up that way or the status quo remains and Jonathan returns. This presidential election is so dicey that the result could go either way, but whichever way it goes, kudos must go to the Nigerian electorate who defied all the odds to cast their votes last Saturday. We are gradually coming of age. How great it would be if we can chase a sitting government out of power through our votes; that would be history in this country and a right signal to the rest of Africa that power resides with the people. But will the power that be allow that to happen here? I doubt. But can it be done? Yes.

    Regardless of who comes out top in this presidential contest, the next president of Nigeria come May 29 has his work already cut out. How he goes about it would be a function of his understanding of the situation. If he comes in as an ethnic champion, then we are doomed. What is required of our next president is to think as a Nigeria and do everything in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. And his choice of men and women to join his cabinet will tell us a lot about the direction he intends to take us. The way the Senate handles the screening of his ministerial nominees would also tell us the kind of National Assembly to expect in the next four years, post May 29, 2015.

    However, to set the next administration on a sound footing, INEC must deal with the issues concerning the conduct of the elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States with clear head and in the best interest of our democracy.

  • Wise words from the palace

    Wise words from the palace

    As part of his whistle stop campaign visits to Yoruba monarchs to drum up support for his second (third?) term ambition, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been to many palaces across Yoruba land than ordinarily he would have loved to, no thanks to the massive shift of Yoruba support in favour of his main challenger in the March 28, presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of the All Progressives Congress.

    Jonathan has been sweating for quite some time now over how to retain the votes from the south west that ensured he secured the presidency in 2011. Four years ago, Yoruba in a near overwhelming support, gave their votes to Jonathan to consign Buhari, then of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), now merged with other opposition parties to from APC, to yet another defeat in his quest to rule Nigeria again,  as a democratically elected president.

    Four year on, the Yoruba have changed their minds preferring instead to pitch their tent with Buhari, a decision, if fully implemented on March 28, that will most certainly end Jonathan’s tenancy in the presidential villa in Abuja.

    Expectedly, the president is worried and has been running from pillar to post to convince the people of the south west not to abandon him. Various hate programmes have been aired on Jonathan/PDP friendly radio and television stations to demonise Buhari before Yoruba, while some publishers have equally lent their pages to publishing smear advert campaigns to bring down the former Head of State and APC presidential flag bearer  before the right thinking people of Yoruba land.

    To achieve his aim, the president has enlisted the support of some renegade Yoruba sons and daughters to paint Buhari black and deceive their people to vote him for a second term. Since out of every 12 there must be a Judas as the saying goes, Yoruba are not worried about such renegades as they will get their punishment at the appropriate time. In Yoruba land, if all sins can and are indeed forgivable, nobody forgives treachery. Traitors are traitors, and are punished even down to their 4th generation. Let us leave that for now.

    If the Yoruba are not worried about these ‘ordinary’ sons and daughters now attempting to sell their people to Jonathan, they are certainly worried that some of their traditional rulers, their revered Obas (Kabiyesi, Alase, ekeji Orisa) are being enlisted into this Jonathan for second term campaign. Obas are not ordinary mortals in Yoruba land. They are treated as next to the gods who must be obeyed. As fathers to all their subjects, most of whom hold diverse religious and political views, they are not supposed to be partisan or biased against any religious or political interest. But when Obas now begin to dabble into the political arena, their actions and utterances will definitely divide their people and that is dangerous for that society.

    Those who advised President Jonathan to be jumping from one Yoruba palace to another are trying to cause trouble in Yoruba land. Just as the president’s numerous visits to different churches in recent times to promote himself as a candidate of the Christians is divisive and could further strain the delicate Christians/Muslims relationship in certain parts of the country, so also is his provocative visits to Yoruba Obas to seek their support for his re-election bid.

    One or two of these Kabiyesis have taken positions against the interest of the Yoruba people in the past which led to serious crisis in the land. Inducing them with money and using state resources to force them into joining the Jonathan for second term bandwagon is pushing them into a loggerhead with their people, and this could have serious repercussion.  Yoruba support for their Obas and leaders is total, but provided the Oba/leader does not go against their interest. It is total but reciprocal.

    I don’t have anything against the president selling himself to the people and canvassing for their support for another term. That is the way it is done in a democracy. But going to the symbol of the people, like the traditional rulers to seek their partisan support is dangerous and divisive. It could lead to a serious crisis and erode people’s confidence in the traditional institution.

    This was aptly stated at the palace of the paramount ruler of the Ijebu, the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II, last week in Ijebu Ode when Jonathan visited. The highly revered Yoruba monarch told the president not to expect any Oba in Ijebu or any part of Yoruba land to campaign for him. Any monarch that does that in Yoruba land, Oba Adetona told him is looking for trouble. And that is the truth.

    If any of the Obas had promised Jonathan the votes of his people, he is just deceiving the president. As the situation stands in Yoruba land today regarding the March 28, 2015 presidential election, the Yoruba have made up their mind on the person they are supporting and one thousand and one Kabiyesis cannot change that.

    It would be better for the president to heed the advice of the Awujale of Ijebu land to take his campaign to the people and not the palace of their traditional rulers. Obas don’t vote and their views/directives would only be followed by their people provided they tally with the interest of their people. Whether the Yoruba are sufficiently satisfied with Jonathan’s performance as to give him another term on March 28, is not for their Obas to decide or direct.

    As I’ve stated repeatedly on this page, Jonathan cannot claim to have done anything exclusively for the Yoruba to warrant their queuing behind on March 28. When the people did four years ago, he didn’t go to their Oba, and their monarch did not force or direct them to do so. He made some promises which have not been fulfilled.  Going to the palace to beg is not just a waste of time but a demeaning of the presidency.

    The British would be having their election this year and I am sure none of the party leaders would go to the Queen to seek her support. If we say we are practicing democracy, let us do it the way it is done in enlightened societies.  If it were to be in the good old days of absolute monarchy in Yoruba land, the Kabiyesis would have dismissed Jonathan’s government for incompetence instead him seeking their support. This is what I expect those Obas to have told the president and we must salute the Awujale for being bold and courageous to tell Jonathan the truth. KAAAABIYESI O.

     

  • If Obanikoro has a conscience

    If Obanikoro has a conscience

    “I am highly honoured to be considered by you for appointment as Secretary of State. I am fully confident that I could serve our country ably and effectively in that role. However, if nominated, I am now convinced that the nomination process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities. That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country. It is far more important that we devote precious legislative hours and energy to enacting your core goals, including comprehensive immigration reform, balanced deficit reduction, job creation, and maintaining a robust national defence and effective US global leadership. Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time.”

    That was Susan Rice, then United States Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the United Nations in a December 13, 2012 letter to US president Barrack Obama requesting the president not to forward her name to the US Senate for confirmation as Secretary of State.

    Ms Rice, Obama’s National Security Advisor was in line to be named the Secretary of State as the president prepared for his second term. She was to take over from Senator Hillary Clinton who had served in that position during Obama’s first term in office. A top diplomat with a rich experience in the State Department under Ms Madeline Albright during Bill Clinton’s presidency and a member of the National Security team, Ms Rice was as good as getting the prestigious position, the third most powerful in Washington, until the 9/11/2012 attack on US consulate in Benghazi, Libya during which the ambassador, Chris Stevens was killed.

    In the wake of the attack, Ms Rice, then US Ambassador at the UN made some comments on television suggesting that the Benghazi attack was just a spontaneous reaction to a film released on YouTube in the US mocking the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW), and not a coordinated attack by a terrorist group, and there was no way the embassy in Libya would have prepared for it ahead. This position was later discovered to be wrong as the embassy had intelligence that the attack was likely and the State Department did not react to it quickly.

    Having just lost an election to President Obama, the hawks in the Senate, especially the Republicans saw this as an opportunity to hit hard at the Democrats as a party soft on national security.  And for somebody being proposed to head the State Department making that kind of misleading comments, without proper cross checking of facts, the Republicans believed, showed that she cannot be good enough as Secretary of State. And they made a meal of that mistake by Ms Rice, the fact that her comments were based on briefing supplied by the CIA notwithstanding.

    To save herself the indignity of a humiliating confirmation hearing and also prevent any embarrassment to her leader, the president, Ms Rice, in the overall interest of the United States, told Obama not to put her name forward for confirmation, even though the president had shown support and implicit confidence in her. And the president did. The rest is history. That was a person with a conscience.

    Though Ms Rice was sticking to the initial position of the administration as provided by the CIA, it was a mistake not expected of a senior member of the administration, especially one intending to become Secretary of State. She had to pay for the mistake and she did without complaining.

    Musiliu Obanikoro, a one-time chairman Lagos Island Local Government (remember the fire at City Hall that time), former commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos State (remember the incident at Hajj when he was Lagos State Amirul Hajj), a former distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic, former High Commissioner to Ghana and until recently Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, is a name on the lips of most Nigerians at the moment.

    A controversial politician, Obanikoro as minister of state for Defence, was responsible for the deployment of soldiers to Ekiti State during last year’s governorship election in that state, a decision, according to recent revelation, that was part of the plot by the Federal government to rig the election in favour of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, now governor of Ekiti State.

    Thank God for that patriotic Nigerian Army Intelligence officer, Captain Sagir Koli who secretly taped Obanikoro and others as they met to plan how to rig the election using the military, now we know to what use the federal government was ready to deploy our military just to make sure the PDP retains power at all cost and by all means. Now we know what Obanikoro is capable of doing if given the power and authority over our military. Now we know that if this man returns as a minister as President Goodluck Jonathan is proposing, he will repeat the Ekiti magic all over the country on March 28, during the presidential election, and in selected states during the April 11 governorship election.

    Now that we know the evil that Musiliu Obanikoro can do if given the power and authority, should we still entrust him with the position of a minister of the federal republic? Except we want to destroy this democracy, Obanikoro has no business being near any position of authority and responsibility again in this country. We have tried him and he has failed, let us not repeat that mistake again.

    If he were to be a wise person, he should write to President Jonathan today advising him to withdraw his name, now before the senate for confirmation as a minister of the federal republic if only to save what is left of his falling reputation. He should borrow a leaf from Ms Susan Rice and do the needful, and save this democracy from further ridicule. And if both the man and his principal failed to do the right thing, the Senate should be bold enough to reject Musiliu Obanikoro and tell the president to choose another person.

    In the wake of the Ekiti rigging tape scandal, the president should have known better by distancing himself from Obanikoro. And this is the problem with Jonathan. He kept on associating himself with persons of questionable characters yet his publicists kept on saying he is a good man. Which good man surrounds himself with bad people? Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.

     

    STILL ON JONATHAN’S VISIT TO YORUBA OBAS

    It does appear that President Jonathan has suddenly discovered the importance of Yoruba votes as he continues his campaigns for a second term in office. In the last couple of weeks he has practically relocated to the South west, visiting one Yoruba Oba after another soliciting their support. Like I said last week, it is rather too late for him. Yoruba are no fools. In 2011 when he got our votes overwhelmingly, how many Yoruba palace did he visit? And who told him the Kabiyesis have a hold on the people to the extent that they can influence their

  • Jonathan’s new found love for Yoruba

    Jonathan’s new found love for Yoruba

    July 5, 2013 was a busy day on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, particularly at the Sagamu interchange. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was in town and as is customary with presidential movements in Nigeria, every other motorist had to wait for the president to conclude his business on the road.

    And what did he come to do? To flag off the reconstruction and expansion of the 120-kilometre Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a project that had been on the drawing board for too long that people were beginning to think it would never take off.

    Not a few who ply that road almost on a daily basis were critical of the federal government for neglecting the only major road that links Lagos to the rest of the country and arguably the most important road in the south west region. The neglect did not start with Jonathan; even former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the ‘son of the soil’ didn’t touch the road during his eight years in power and so were his predecessors. So, nobody is blaming Jonathan solely for the sorry state of that road.

    But when the president suddenly decided about 20 months ago that the Lagos –Ibadan Expressway was to be given a facelift, not a few applauded his government for this gesture heaving a sigh of relief that their sufferings on that road were about to end.

    But in the euphoria of the flag off, some discerning members of the public, particularly in the south west cautioned the people not to be unduly carried away by the president’s promise of a brand new Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as he might just be playing politics with the project with his eyes set on the 2015 presidential election and the millions of votes available for grab in the region.

    Twenty months on and they have been proved right. That road is not anywhere near completion even within the time frame given by the government for its completion, though work is going on albeit at snail’s speed. And given the present state of that road, the people in the region are surprised that Jonathan could even have the guts to come to them and ask for their votes for another term in office.

    In the south west, people are very sentimental about that road and they have their reasons. Lagos is the commercial backbone of the region and every family in Yoruba land has one form of connection or another with the megacity. So, if the road connecting the hinterland to Lagos is ok, whoever was responsible would be ok with the people. And if it was in bad shape whoever was responsible would be punished for it at the right time. May be that time has come now and the people are ready to take their pound of flesh.

    Apart from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, there are other federal roads in the south west, as there are elsewhere in the country begging for Jonathan’s attention. My focus on Yoruba land is because the president has made more visits to the region in the last few weeks meeting with interests groups making promises and campaigning for re-election than probably all his entire visits since his presidency began. This is not saying the region is more important than the other regions, no, but Jonathan has been paying too many visits to Yoruba land pretending to be a friend of the region that many are beginning to wonder why. Is it because of our votes? If yes, then he has failed as he has done nothing here to deserve even one Yoruba vote.

    He has met with the Alaafin of Oyo many times in the recent past and even visited the monarch in his palace at Oyo, where as usual his convoy/entourage disrupted the socio economic life of the people while his visit lasted. What is he looking for? Has he just now realized that there is an Alaafin in Oyo? Is he not aware that the Ibadan-Oyo-Ilorin Expressway, a federal government project has been abandoned for decades, especially the portion between Oyo and Ogbomoso which has remained a death trap? Does he seriously think the people in that area would be foolish to give him their votes after doing nothing for them?

    Politics or public service to an average Yoruba person is not about what he can benefit from the office holder personally, although a few hungry people from this region surrounding Jonathan have resorted to doing that, but what that office holder can do for the larger society. When Yoruba voted overwhelmingly for Jonathan in 2011, it was with the expectation that he would do something meaningful with that office to benefit the people. But what has he done for them? Nothing!

    Having squandered the little goodwill he got in the north four years ago, he cannot go back to that region now expecting their votes. The East-West road, the only road that traversed the entire south-south region where he comes from has remained uncompleted even after six years in office. And as he recently admitted at his campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he has done nothing for his people back home and yet he wants their votes.

    The people of the south east that are ready to die for and with him politically, I do not know what Jonathan has done for the region that the people are ready to commit political suicide on his behalf. The roads in the south east are not better than the death traps called federal roads elsewhere in Nigeria.

    I am using roads to illustrate Jonathan’s failure as a president because they are about the only public infrastructure that is shared by everybody, rich and poor, old and young. While the rich can provide houses for themselves, provide the light, water, education, health and even security, they cannot build the roads on which their expensive and exotic cars will travel; they still have to use public roads. So, with these roads in terrible shape, it means Jonathan has failed both the rich and the poor across the country, if only in that aspect.

    So, where does the president expects to get the votes from on March 28 for a second term in office? This is the million-naira question. In addition to the decay in infrastructure in the north, there is insecurity there, so not much to expect from that region in terms of votes. If he managed to get the south east and south –south votes in the bag (which is doubtful), he would need the votes from the south west for the sums to add up. And as the second highest voting bloc in the country, Jonathan needs the Yoruba to back him if he is to return to the presidency on May 29, 2015. But will he get their votes? I don’t think so.

    He has offended the people in so many ways apart from the infrastructure question mentioned above. The characters he has chosen to be his friends in Yoruba land are not the kind of people we consider as leaders here and as such they cannot influence votes for him here. I won’t mention their names, but you know them; the failed politicians who are only interested in their pockets. I pity Jonathan. It is too late in the day now to pretend to be a friend of the Yoruba, the people have seen through his deceit. Enough is enough.

  • Sad tales from Okrika

    Last Tuesday was a particularly bad day for the Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the now rescheduled April 11 gubernatorial election Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside.  As you all know, he almost lost his life while campaigning in Okrika, the home town of our First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    Those who watched the event live on Channels Television were shocked as unknown gunmen rained bullets on Peterside and his team as he mounted the podium to address thousands of Mrs. Jonathan’s kinsmen/women who had gathered enthusiastically to listen to the man who could be the next governor of their state.

    As the reign of terror continued, there was pandemonium everywhere. Those who could ran as far as their legs could take them while many more took cover to avoid being hit. By the time the gunmen were done, a police corporal, Ifeanyi Okorie, 33, was killed while no fewer than 50 others, including the Channels television reporter Charles Eruka were injured.

    The Okrika mayhem was the height of the series of violence that had characterized electioneering campaigns in Rivers State since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signaled the beginning of this general elections cycle. The violence had been targeted at the APC campaigns and fingers, rightly or wrongly, are being pointed at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    To be sincere, the violence was not unexpected judging by the intense rivalry between the ruling APC in the State and the opposition PDP. But the scale was unexpected. No one would have thought that guns and other firearms would be used to disrupt campaign rallies, to the extent of even threatening the life of the governorship candidate of a major party.

    Whoever was behind the attack did mean well for Rivers State. If any harm had been done to Peterside that day, where would Rivers State and indeed Nigeria be today? What would have become of our democracy?

    In the run up to that disrupted APC campaign, explosions had gone off earlier in the day near the campaign ground, destroying public properties. Even before last Tuesday, APC offices had been similarly bombed in different parts of the state by unknown people. Nobody has yet been brought to book for these.

    Peterside taking his campaign to Okrika was an act of bravery as Mrs. Jonathan and her supporters including former warlord Ateke Toms had reportedly vowed never to allow him campaign in their backyard. But for a man who intends to govern the whole of Rivers State, no part of the state is or should be a no go area.

    The Okrika attack should be a source of concern to President Goodluck Jonathan not just because a repeat of such could derail this democracy, but most importantly, the attack took place in his wife’s community. Mrs. Jonathan is noted for picking quarrel with anybody who dared to stand in her way. And her husband has never for once called her to order.

    At the height of the criminality unleashed on the Niger Delta by a section of the then Niger Delta militants, Okrika waterfront served as the hideout for the criminals terrorizing Port Harcourt and environs,  and when Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi attempted to clean up the area, Mrs. Jonathan resisted claiming to be fighting her peoples cause. Hmmmm.

    And now to allow APC campaign in her backyard, we are told is something she doesn’t want to hear. Well, Madam must hear this. The people of Okrika, just like every other community in Rivers State deserve to see and hear from all the candidates jostling to become the next governor of the state. It doesn’t matter which party; it is their right. They should have enough information to assess all the candidates before making their choice on the day of election.

    This kind of attack doesn’t present the president, his wife and the PDP well before the public. If such was going to happen anywhere at all it should not be in Okrika because nobody would believe it if they deny knowledge of it. But should such even happen anywhere at all?

    We have been told several times that the president is a good person but surrounded by bad people. But I ask, why must a good person surround himself with bad people? It is either of two things; the person is bad but pretending to be good, or is incapable of identifying and picking good people as aides. And if you find yourself surrounded by bad people accidentally, why is it difficult to dispense with their services?

    How the president deals with the Okrika attack would go a long way to show whether he truly believes in giving Nigeria a free, fair and credible elections. You might want to ask what has Jonathan got to do with it after all it is the business of the security agencies .  A lot. If the president is determined to provide a level playing field for everybody, then he should go ahead today and give a firm instruction to the Inspector General of Police to fish out those behind the Okrika attack and their sponsors and punish them accordingly. That is what a commander -in -chief should do.

    The danger here if the perpetrators were not fished out and punished is that others might be encouraged to try out a similar thing as we move towards the general election. And if such became the order of the day then this democracy would be in serious trouble.

     

    Fayose’s death wish for Buhari

    Part of the problem with President Jonathan is his penchant for surrounding himself with bad people (as stated above) like Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State. Repeatedly the governor has been speaking on the health of the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari , saying the former Head of State is not healthy enough to assume Nigeria’s presidency and would probably die in office if elected.

    Jonathan has not distanced himself from Fayose over this nor has he called him to order, suggesting that he tacitly support the erratic governor. When key supporters of Jonathan talks like this and the president keeps quiet, it says a lot about him and this is disturbing even to some of his genuine supporters. Comments like this from people like Fayose would further alienate Jonathan from right thinking Nigerians. If the president had called the governor to order even in private, he would not go about repeating this death wish for Buhari.

    Death is a necessary end for everybody and it will come when it will. But to wish Buhari to die now as Fayose is doing is to wish Nigeria bad. God forbid, if anything happens to the APC candidate now, Nigeria could be plunged into a crisis the outcome of which nobody can predict.