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Tag: 2015

  • Doomsday 2015

    Doomsday 2015

    Akinyemi’s alert on possible post-election violence in 2015 is probably well founded. Still, his fears are based on symptoms, rather than fundamentals

    Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, former foreign minister and deputy chairman at the 2014 National Conference, has hit the media with his personal fears of possible post-election violence in 2015.

    In a letter to the presidential candidates of the two main political parties, President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the professor recalled his worst fears before the 2011 election (which came to pass) and insisted that, for 2015, the prognosis was even worse. He pushed a theory that it was because the late Gen. Andrew Azazi, then the new National Security Adviser (NSA), refused to work on his anti-violence suggestions that the situation flared — and with disastrous consequences.

    In his letter this time round, he suggested a 10-member committee — The Sultan, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, The Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha, The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, The Oba of Benin, Omo N’oba Erediauwa, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, The Redeemed Christian Church of God General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and former Military Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar — to, prior to the election, meet with the two candidates, and commit them to minimal decorous conduct: non-violent electioneering, accepting the result of elections, and, should there be any dispute over the result, non-violent protests.

    The professor also expressed worry over what he called massive importation of firearms into the country, many of them suspected to violently muscle the vote, and set the country on fire. Lest we forget: Prof. Akinyemi also made reference to the “semi-official” American dire prediction that Nigeria might be history by 2015; fearing that a violently disputed election could just set fire to that tinder. He was convinced that should President Jonathan win, there would be violence in the North; but should Gen. Buhari win, there would be violence in the Niger Delta.

    Strictly speaking, this is no crying wolf when there is none. Indeed, the polity is pregnant; and quite ominous. It is ominous because there appears to be a zero-sum mentality, en route to the 2015 election. Stands are hard. Emotions are extreme. Things indeed, appear headed for a crash.

    For sending an alert early enough, Prof. Akinyemi has earned some commendation. It is what every patriot should do; and he has done his part.

    Still, that Prof. Akinyemi is spot-on, in his prognosis, does not in any way suggest it is based on sound fundaments. For instance, why should there be assured violence in the stronghold of each of the two major candidates?  Is it because each side could be perceived not to have won fair and square?

    If that were so, is it not sounder counsel to push for a clean, free, fair and transparent election (prevention is better than cure, version) than setting up a committee of eminent Nigerians to, with all due respect to their motives and accomplishments, put some gloss on avoidable disaster?

    Indeed, if there is spectre of violence, it is simply because the strengthened opposition appears better placed to challenge the abuse of state security by the federal ruling party; with President Jonathan’s penchant to skew legitimate coercive forces to illegitimate partisan causes — witness the electoral siege on Ekiti and Osun states during the gubernatorial polls earlier this year; and the police attempt to banish Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from the House of Representatives, ostensibly because the Speaker had issues with his former party.

    The polity, perhaps including Prof. Akinyemi himself, bought the lie that the processes leading to the Ekiti and Osun elections were fair, even if, on E-Day, the process appeared free. But how could an exercise be free when processes leading to it were unfair? The election tribunal may have endorsed the Ekiti election; and the Osun election, despite federal illicit machinations, may have gone to the other side.

    But there was no doubt: the militarised processes of both were skewed to favour the federal ruling party. That is a notorious fact. If such brazen abuses were repeated at the general election, there would be natural reactions.

    Even, the Akinyemi suggested arbitrating committee of eminent Nigerians might just remind a sceptic, even with the best of motives, of the natural sarcasm that leaps off the title of Wole Soyinka’s play, Madmen and Specialists.

    The Nation has profound respect for many members on the list. Besides, it is deeply thoughtful that only Gen. Gowon (who was in charge in the benign and near-innocent years of military rule) and Gen. Abubakar (who had the unenviable chore of, in 1999, leading the military back to the barracks after that institution had thoroughly subverted its essence) made the list. Gen. Buhari is a candidate, the huffing-and-puffing Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, with his latter day crusading, appears fast becoming part of the problem; and Gen. Ibrahim Babangida is quietly left off.

    Even then, what is the value of Pastor Oritsejafor, CAN President, on such a committee, if the committee’s job is to do transparent and fair intervention — Oritsejafor that has virtually made CAN a partisan, religious tag-team partner of the Jonathan Presidency?

    But of course! It is all patently Nigerian: shun the fundamentals but erect needless planks to attempt to solve a problem that needs not have arisen, if the right things were, ab initio, done!

    With all due respect to Prof. Akinyemi and his patriotic fervour, what Nigeria needs to stave off violence is an election process fair, free and transparent — and eminently seen to be so, even by the blind! People who don’t have the numbers but brag they would win a free election are entitled to their bragging. So, are people who claim they are spoilt for choice in numbers. It is a democracy and everyone is welcome.

    But a clean electoral process would put everybody where they belong. The ball is therefore in the court of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It should, by right, get all the state institutional support it needs.

    If the Jonathan Presidency can do that and everyone, government and opposition, plays by the rule, the Akinyemi jeremiad would happily prove unfounded. Otherwise, nothing is guaranteed.

  • If 2015 comes

    In the Church I attend, Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, 2015 has already been declared the year of Heaven on Earth.

    I can’t wait for the new year to commence to begin to experience the heavenly realm on earth as declared by my Bishop.

    Won’t it be nice to enjoy eternal bliss, where there is no sorrow, pain, anguish and many other harrowing experiences that have become the present earthly reality for many?

    We live in troubling times that can shake the faith of even the most faithful of men and women.

    Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, Rev Oliver Dashe Doeme in his Christmas message last Thursday highlighted the questions that must be going through the mind of victims of the Boko Haram insurgency  in the North Eastern parts of the country who have been injured,  lost family members and their property.

    ” At this time a lot of questions are being asked by many of us including myself: where is God? Has God abandoned us?  Are we being punished because of our sins? How can God allow the agents of the devil to destroy his innocent children? Is God weak? Can evil triumph over good? Etc.”

    Despite the harrowing experiences, Rev Doeme urged Christians to keep their faith alive and should never get discouraged.

    ” Our faith should make us see beyond the immediate experience and look at the future – that is, after this temporal life with its pains and suffering, we shall share in the eternal glory of our Lord.”

    With so much gloom worldwide; terrorism, economic depression, wars and rumours of war, that has left many in a state of despair, some are already wondering if what we are experiencing are not end time signs.

    Hopefully, the world will not end before December 31, 2014 and we will all be alive to hope for the best in the new year.

    2015 promises to be a crucial year for our country with the general elections scheduled to hold in February . The success or otherwise of particularly the presidential election will determine the future of the country.

    Nigerians will have to vote to either retain the Federal Government headed by President Goodluck Jonathan whose performance has left much to be desired or vote for the change promised by the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC).

    The tension in the country over the presidential election and others is palpable with threats and counter threats by groups on how they will react to the outcome of the election if it does not favour their candidates.

    We hope that the a Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) will do its best to conduct a free and fair election, while politicians will accept the verdict of the voters and seek legal redress where necessary instead of resorting to violent protests.

    In 2015, there will be need for more determined efforts to curb the activities of the terrorists groups who have continued to unleash unimaginable violence on parts of the country with the fear that they may soon strike in other states.

    It is very sad that the whereabouts of the over 200 girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram group in Chibok and many others have remained unknown. We cannot afford to continue to live with the fear of where the next bomb will explode and hundreds of persons will be killed.

    The military must be sufficiently armed to contain the insurgency and  prevent the terrorists from having  a field day in their operations.

    In 2015, the positive impact of the economic measures by the government must be felt in practical terms and not in terms of indicators that has continued to make the average Nigerian poorer.

  • 2015 and the violence card

    2015 and the violence card

    Just like religion, the specter of violence hangs ominously over the 2015 general elections. That should surprise no one because virtually all our electoral exercises – with the possible exception of 1993 – have been trailed by tears and blood.

    If the recent intra-party primaries were as chaotic as they were, we should look with trepidation towards next year when the contest would be across party lines. Up North the Boko Haram insurgents would do their level best to disrupt the process. Add to that irresponsible politicians trying to manipulate religious sentiments for electoral advantage and you have the makings of a real tinderbox.

    The stakes are incredibly high. For the first time in 16 years a very strong possibility exists that the opposition could seize power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has dominated the landscape for so long.

    The game-changer is the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which provides a credible platform for the contestation of power with the PDP. The opposition can sense that their moment is at hand: the incumbent is horrified by the prospect of power slipping from its grasp. In these parts being in opposition is worse than winding up in hell: there’s no greater incentive to hang on using all possible means.

    This has set the stage for the some of the most incendiary pre-election rhetoric to assault our ears. A few days ago President Goodluck Jonathan was in church moaning about the volatile comments being made by politicians. Typically, he focused on the threat of the opposition to form a parallel government if the polls were rigged. What he didn’t say was that all sides are just as guilty of firing things up.

    One of his ardent supporters and one-time leader of a militant Niger Delta group, Asari Dokubo, has threatened that there would be bloodshed if the president loses the next election. Some other retired militants have equally threatened to come out of cushy retirement if their kinsman and benefactor were toppled through the ballot box. Another way of putting it is that a band of gunmen are putting a pistol to the head of the rest of Nigeria saying – ‘Vote Jonathan or else…’

    What makes this threat interesting is that in 2011 one Northern PDP leader angry that the party would not allow the region field someone to serve another four years of what would have been the late Yar’Adua’s second term, vowed that they would make the zone ungovernable.

    There are those who still argue that the upsurge in activities of the Boko Haram sect is a fall-out of that threat. If we were to take that conspiracy theory seriously then we should be prepared for a fresh red tide of blood in the creeks next year.

    Up North, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi stirred controversy when he called on Jonathan not to contest the 2015 election. Perhaps to balance things up, a few days after he also advised General Muhammadu Buhari to forget about his fourth bid for power.

    Last week, he cried out that supporters of the APC presidential candidate had been sending threatening text messages to his phone over his stance. Some other leaders in the region have also claimed that an unspoken threat hangs in the air over anyone who would dare oppose the Buhari’s aspiration.

    Given what happened in 2011 when supporters of the general embarked on an orgy of violence through the North because they believed he had been rigged out of certain victory, it is not out of the realm of possibility that there could be a repeat if the results turn out to be controversial.

    Given this backdrop should we been running for the hills because of the prospect of violence marring the polls? Former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, thinks we have real reasons to worry about looming “horrendous violence.”

    In an open letter to President Jonathan and General Buhari last Monday, he proposed that both candidates sign an undertaking to rein in their supporters after the election.

    He wrote: “The certainty of violence is higher than it was in 2011. If President Jonathan wins, the North will erupt into violence as it did in 2011. If Gen. Buhari wins, the Niger Delta will erupt into violence.” I don’t believe that we need rocket science to make this prediction.”

    Adducing other reasons to support his fears about impending violence he said “illegal massive importation of weapons into the country, which has reached such alarming proportions that I really wonder which is better armed, the militia on one hand or the official armed forces on the other hand”.

    To prevent disaster, Akinyemi suggested that frontline traditional rulers – the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano, the Lamido of Adamawa from the North, the Ooni of Ife and the Oba of Benin from the South; elder statesman Chief Emeka Anyaoku; religious leaders Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and ex-Heads of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar -facilitate a pre-election meeting between the candidates, the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and act as a Council of Wisemen to assist in managing the post-election conflicts.

    The recommended MoU would commit the candidates to “a civil and peaceful campaign, devoid of threats; a commitment to control their supporters after the elections; and that supporters of whoever loses should be entitled to peaceful protests but not to violent protests.”

    We’ve already had a quick dismissal of the proposals from the Presidency after its spokesperson said there was no need for Jonathan to sign any agreement since he had always been committed to peaceful, free and fair polls. This is another of saying ‘don’t worry about us you talk to the bad guys on the other side.’

    This is where the problem begins – when we chose to see the speck in the opponent’s eyes without first plucking out the beam in ours. No side has been guiltless over the use of violent rhetoric. If we’re to make progress towards peaceful polls, a starting point would be for all sides to admit their sins. It is unhelpful when the government and the ruling party posture as the patriots while the opposition are painted as rebellious rabble.

    Akinyemi’s suggestions are some of the most useful I have come across in what currently passes for debate about the coming elections. They deserve to be treated with more respect and given a second look.

    I believe that given the level of maturity displayed by politicians in most Third World environments violent transitions are things we must learn to live with. Whether in India or Pakistan, Egypt or Zimbabwe elections are often contested against a canvas of booming guns and bombs. As a supporting cast you have the police and other security agencies who think their role is to align with whoever is in power.

    While it is difficult to hold leaders responsible for the sometimes spontaneous actions of supporters, there can be no denying that their firm utterances can have a calming influence on them. Imagine if the late Nelson Mandela had not spoken strongly against blacks taking vengeance against their erstwhile white Apartheid oppressors?

    All Nigerians who are truly committed to peaceful polls next year should now insist that Jonathan and Buhari should sign on to the sort of MoU Akinyemi has proposed as a first step. This might not be a magic wand but it would certainly help.

    The only problem I see is that our leaders have shown that they don’t respect agreements or signed documents. People who can baldly disavow commitments they made publicly cannot be expected to respect any deal on peaceful elections – especially when there are no credible means of enforcement beyond moral persuasion.

    It might also be helpful to remind gung-ho supporters that while their threats of conflict might seem romantic now, the consequences are often bitter. Those who promise violence and act on it invariably turn their home turf into the theatres of war. The wars will not be fought on European soil.

    Whether it has political undertone or not we have seen how the Boko Haram insurgency has devastated the North East. The economy is shattered and families broken in pieces. Thousands have become internally displaced persons in the own homeland. Even with billions of naira thrown in it would take at least a decade to restore this region to where it was in 2009.

    The rotund ex-Niger Delta militants who are threatening mayhem if their benefactor losses the polls should remember what happened to poor local people in the days leading to the ceasefire that birthed the amnesty programme of the Umaru Yar’Adua administration.

    Fed up with the unrelenting attacks by militants on oil installations and security agents, the government unleashed military action to root out the rebels. In a matter of days the lightening fast offensive unmasked a string of militant camps. Unfortunately, the fighting also devastated hapless communities which had been under the thumb of the gunmen.

    Thousands of women and children were put to flight – an indeterminate number killed. The palace of the paramount ruler of the Ijaw Gbaramatu Kingdom was razed by federal troops. As the one-sided fight unfolded Ijaw leaders like Chief Edwin Clark were forced to cry out that their people were being slaughtered and called for a truce.

    This bit of history might be helpful in jogging the memories of billionaire ex-militants dreaming of returning to the creeks. What counts is not starting a conflict but understanding where it takes you and whether you can finish what you’ve started.

    I suspect that whoever governs Nigeria after now will not treat any insurgency in the Niger Delta that threatens the country’s economic jugular vein with the same cavalier attitude the Boko Haram war has been handled.

    In any event much of these threats might just be empty bluster. Even if Jonathan loses I don’t expect millions in the Niger Delta whose lives have not been bettered in the last four years to start rushing into the creeks to fight. Most are just ordinary people who will just want to carry on with their lives.

    The Asari Dokubos, Ateke Toms and Boyloaf we can understand: they would have millions of reasons to be disgruntled.

  • 2015: Group cautions politicians against violence

    A socio-political organisation, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) has cautioned politicians against violence in the 2015 elections.

    The union said this in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital at its 49th anniversary.

    IEDPU urged politicians in different camps to work for the progress of the community, advising them to shun violence.

    “The union wishes to appeal to all our political players to tread with caution, maturity and fear of Allah to ensure that peace and tranquillity prevail before, during and after the 2012 elections.

    The national president of the union, Alhaji AbdulHameed Adi added that: “This union believes, as the wise men do, in the superiority of peace over violence. Besides, honour or dishonour does not apply to winning or losing elections. Indeed, it is more honourable and Godly to accept defeat without recourse to violence”, he said.

    The IEDPU President also called on the federal government to halt the planned relocation of the Air force Base in Ilorin.

    “We do not want this to happen, in the first place. Ilorin, the state capital of Kwara state has what it takes to conveniently continue to host the base.

    We have a good airport and not too busy to accommodate the Air force aerial activities as well as good accommodation for her officers and men. Secondly, the presence of the base in the state increases the sustianability of peace in the state,” he stated.

    The union also called for the expansion of the Mandala prison to enable it accommodate all the inmates of Ilorin prison yard.

    It also wants the establishment of federal college of education and make the Al-Majiri school to be functional in Kwara, saying, “Kwara is one of the few states with a Federal College of Education and functional Al-Majiri School.

    Dignitaries at event include Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, Nigerian Ambassador to Netherlands, Dr. (Mrs) Nimota Akanbi, representatives of the Kwara state Government.

  • Politicians advised on 2015 polls

    Politicians advised on 2015 polls

    As the 2015 general elections draw near,politicians have been advised to play the game according to the rules, even as they have been urged to bear in mind that power is transient.

    The General Overseer, Breakthrough Believers Church International, Rev Joshua Benardson gave the advice during the third year anniversary and thanksgiving of the church in Surulere Lagos.

    Rev. Benardson noted that “righteousness exalts a nation”.

    His words: “Nation entails the lives of men, women and youths. For us to succeed and have a good election in 2015; we need God to intervene in the affairs of our lives.

    “My advice to politicians is to keep trusting in the Lord. Election is not a do-or-die affair. It’s just who God loves, who God chooses that must win. All the aspirants can’t emerge as winners. Whosoever God has anointed will surely win.”

    The cleric warned officials of Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the election with the fear of God, do justice to all and do what is right in the sight of God and men before, during and after the elections.”

    On Boko Haram insurgency, he explained that God was aware of what the nation and Nigerians were passing through, adding that the insurgents would not escape the consequences of their actions.

    “The Bible says there is time for everything. Now that Boko Haram is terrorising, doing what they know best, my advice to Nigerians is to fix our eyes on Christ, because He is the author and finisher of our faith. Boko Haram must surrender to the authority of God Almighty because no one can make it by shedding blood.

    “When you shed blood, you are putting your generation at risk of what they are to reap. Whatever a man sows, he shall reap. The Boko Haram insurgents live to kill and definitely they can’t escape the consequences.”

    He prayed that God, who has chosen the soldiers fighting the insurgents “will protect them and help them to scale through in anything they are doing to defend the nation.

    “Safety is of the Lord and God that is on the throne cannot fail them. Any of them that put their trust in God must scale through in this time of trial,” he said.

    The cleric advised Nigerians to remember that “tough times do not last, but tough people do.”

    “Any man that fixes his eyes on God can never be disappointed. Forget about what you are going through, for God will intervene in the affairs of Nigeria.”

    He said he was in the military service when he had the call to serve in God’s vineyard.

    “The call made me leave Nigerian Navy to join God’s army as a preacher, and since I joined them, there have been no regrets.  I am a trained Nigerian navigator.

    On his ministry, he said: “This is my 28th year in the ministry and the Lord has been seeing us through. Just three years ago, He instructed us to start up this new work and this new work has given birth to what men cannot comprehend.

    “By the grace of God, we believe God for more divine manifestations that will shoot across Breakthrough Believers Church. I am looking ahead that by 2015, things will be much better for every member of this ministry.

    “He that dwelt in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and then we shall say of the Lord, He is our refuge, He is our fortress, in God we trust, we can’t trust in other gods.

    “God alone is worthy to be praised and I believe with Him impossibility with men will become possible.”

    His wife, Pastor Tina Benardson, the  Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Coker-Aguda, Surulere Lagos and chairman of the event, Rev. (Dr.) Ethelbert Nwigwe, said members of the church decided to thank God for His abundant blessings in their lives during the year.

  • 2015: How Buhari ’ll defeat Jonathan, by ex-Speaker

    2015: How Buhari ’ll defeat Jonathan, by ex-Speaker

    APC candidate ‘to run issue-based campaign’

    The push to win next February’s presidential race will get a fillip this week as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) get set to open their campaigns.

    At the weekend, the PDP raked in about N21 billion for its campaign. The APC is getting set for action, with a meeting today of its Chibuke Amaechi-led campaign committee.

    There is optimism in the APC that its candidate, Gen. Muhammadu buhari, will defeat PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, who is Katsina State APC governorship candidate, spoke about how, in his view, Gen. Buhari will win the election.

    Masari said should the people’s votes count, Gen. Buhari would beat President Jonathan hands down.

    He spoke in Kaduna during a meeting with Katsina State indigenes resident in Kaduna.

    According to him, bad leadership, corruption and lack of foresight are the problems of the Jonathan administration.

    He said: “Take the number of votes from Northwest, take the number of votes from Southwest; 90 per cent of Northeast is APC, 90 per cent of Northwest is APC, 80 per cent of South-west is APC. Edo is APC. The worst scenario is Rivers. There we have the state government, so it cannot be easy for anybody to try and rig election there.

    “We all know that the entire population of Southsouth is not up to Lagos or Kano. We know the total number of voters in the Southeast. The only stronghold of PDP now is the Southsouth and the Southeast. As at today, the collection of PVC in the PDP stronghold is not more than 30 %, so let us see how 100 per cent will come.”

    President Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe last week said election is not mathematics.

    Okupe, speaking during his visit to a media house in Lagos, said the calculation that APC would win the presidential election is “an error.”

    Gen. Buhari has mandated the party to ensure that his campaign team reflects all tendencies in the party.

    He also urged the party to seek input from all presidential aspirants, APC governors and party leaders at all levels.

    In deference to Gen. Buhari’s request, APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun will today meet in Abuja with the Presidential Campaign Organisation Director-General Governor Amaechi and the Chairman of the Campaign  Advisory Committee, Mr. Audu Ogbeh on how to constitute an all-inclusive campaign team.

    A source told our correspondent that Buhari unfolded his plans to key associates at a meeting in Kaduna.

    He said he would not want his campaign personalised as it happened when he contested on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC).

    The source quoted Gen. Buhari as saying: “This time around, I want party ownership of the campaign. The campaign team will reflect all the tendencies in the party.

    “Some of you who have been with me over the years may not be included but I want everyone involved because this is a collective mandate. The overall target of defeating PDP is more important than personalising the campaign.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Buhari said all presidential aspirants, governors and leaders at all levels will be involved in his campaign.

    “So, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex- VP Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah and all the governors will play key roles in the APC campaign. They have rich experience in politics and campaign that cannot be wished away.

    “The colour of APC campaign will be based on grassroots mobilisation. We want to take PDP to the cleaners. The ruling party may rely on money; we will campaign for change and explain why it is necessary to effect this change.”

    Another source added: “The APC will be decorous and lay the facts on the table for Nigerians to appreciate that a change is desirable for the nation in 2015.”

    The APC plans to make what a member of the NWC described as “substantial” inroads into the SouthSouth and the Southeast.

    The NWC member said: “APC is targeting huge votes from these two zones where it has been stigmatised.

    “ By the time the people of the two zones realise the misrule of the PDP, the story will be different at the poll in February 2015.

    Speaking on his chances in the Katsina governorship race, Masari told his supporters:”We are in democracy. We must deepen democracy. And we believed in 2011 we won the governorship election in Katsina. Even those who were responsible for the collation of election results told me personally that we won the election.

    “So this 2015, we are not afraid. All what we want is give the people what will make them vote; simple.”

    On his plans for the people, if elected as governor in 2015, Masari said Katsinans are farmers adding that he would revamp agriculture.

     

     

  • Post-2015 polls violence looms, Akinyemi warns

    Post-2015 polls violence looms, Akinyemi warns

    A former minister has warned of a looming “horrendous violence” after next February’s general election.

    Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, a former minister of External Affairs, in a December 16 letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, urged the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sign an undertaking to rein in their supporters after the election.

    Akinyemi, who served during the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was the deputy chairman of the National Conference organised by President Jonathan, whose recommendations are yet to be implemented.

    Akinyemi recalled that he warned the then National Security Adviser (NSA), the late Gen Patrick Aziza, that violence “on a massive scale “would trail the results of the 2011 general elections.”

    But he expressed regrets that his “conflict-controlled” measures were ignored. “We are back at the same crossroads again, except this time is more precarious and dangerous than the last time,” he added.

    For the 2015 polls, Akinyemi said: “The certainty of violence is higher than it was in 2011. If President Jonathan wins, the North will erupt into violence as it did in 2011. If Gen. Buhari wins, the Niger Delta will erupt into violence.” I don’t believe that we need rocket science to make this prediction.”

    The reason he gave for the impending violence is the “illegal massive importation of weapons into the country, which has reached such alarming proportions that I really wonder which is better armed, the militia on one hand or the official armed forces on the other hand”.

    The international affairs expert recalled the “very notorious prediction from the United States semi-official sources that the world is expecting a cataclysmic meltdown of the Nigerian nation come 2015.”

    Besides, he added that: “there are states and movements out there, Africans and non-Africans, which do not mean well for the Nigerian state, which wish Nigeria to dissolve into a theatre of bloodshed, gore and instability”. “They will succeed if we continue the politics of making enemies of ourselves and friends of our enemies.”

    To prevent the disaster he predicted, Akinyemi suggested that frontline traditional rulers – the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano, the Lamido of Adamawa from the North, the Ooni of Ife and the Oba of Benin from the South; elder statesman Chief Emeka Anyaoku; religious leaders Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and ex-Heads of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar – should facilitate a pre-election meeting between the candidates, the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and act as a Council of Wisemen to assist in managing the post-election conflicts.

    According to Akinyemi, the recommended MoU should commit the candidates to “a civil and peaceful campaign, devoid of threats; a commitment to control their supporters after the elections; and that supporters of whoever loses should be entitled to peaceful protests but not to violent protests”.

  • 2015: PDP runs to Jesus

    After unsuccessful attempts by his backers to compare Goodluck Jonathan to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, Public Affairs Adviser to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, outdid himself by likening his boss to Jesus Christ last week.

    Apart from the delusions of grandeur implicit in that comparison, the suggestion is that the incumbent is the only Nigerian president who ever labored under this country’s burden. Not surprising given that this same crew had declared Jonathan the best president to ever govern the country.

    The recourse to a religious metaphor is part of the brazen efforts to make matters of faith decisive factors in the coming electoral contest. It started when the ruling party started trying to define the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as Islamic and sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Even before the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as presidential candidate it was no secret that the opposition was looking to the north for its flagbearer and hoping to reap from the widespread disaffection with this regime in that region.

    By trying to position APC as having Muslim bias, the ruling party was clearly aiming to establish a bridgehead in minority areas of the North which are mostly Christian, while hoping that it’s anti-Muslim rhetoric would play well down South. But this ignores the fact that in many areas of the South-West there are millions of Muslims.

    There is evidence that up to a point this gambit of painting Jonathan as a Christian victim being set upon by a baying mob from the other side had gathered traction – at least with the gullible and ignorant.

    I have read statements that the president’s ascent to power was divinely facilitated therefore his return for a second term could not be stopped because God had a hand in the matter. Nothing could be more fraudulent and unbiblical.

    The Bible is replete with examples of kings who God installed and later removed. A good example is Saul – the first king of Israel. God elevated him but when he messed up the throne was taken from him and given to David. (I Samuel 9 and 15).

    I have also heard suggestions that because Jonathan is a Christian running against a Muslim, he automatically has heaven’s seal of approval. This is, again, false and unbiblical.

    God is sovereign; He’s in heaven and does as He pleases. He can use anybody to establish His purpose on earth because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He used Cyrus the pagan king of Persia to deliver the Jews from 70 years of Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 45; 2 Chronicles 26: 22-23). God even used a donkey in the Scriptures to do his will. (Numbers 22-24).

    The argument of these Christians would have made scriptural sense if the president was the only one on the ticket or if his running mate was also Christian. If Buhari is excluded from being used of God because he’s a Muslim, how do these super ‘Christians’ explain Jonathan being joined at the hip to Vice President Namadi Sambo – another Muslim – in the light of the scripture that warns against being unequally yoked with unbelievers? (2 Corinthians 6:14).

    Now, APC has set the cat amongst the pigeons by picking Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a pastor with The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and he can equally appeal to Christian sentiments and voters. As both sides volley supplications upwards who will the God of heaven favour: the PDP or APC Christian?

    This silly attempt to muddy the 2015 contest with religion is a con game we must refuse to partake in. We are a country of Muslims, Christians and animists. We are not choosing a sectarian leader: we’re voting for a Nigerian president.

  • ‘Buhari’s emergence has restored Nigerians’ democratic right’

    ‘Buhari’s emergence has restored Nigerians’ democratic right’

    The Buhari Support Organisation said on Thursday that the emergence of the former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a clear indication that the democratic rights of Nigerians will be respected by an APC government in the country.

    The organization said in a statement signed by its Head of Media and ICT, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, that with Buhari’s emergence, Nigeria is set to move to new level, while Integrity in the country will be moved from the mud.

    Maduekwe, who was reacting to a statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said with the emergence of Buhari, the APC has demonstrated that democratic culture in Nigeria has come of age and has brought back hope that things will get better in the country.

    The statement reads:”Most Nigerians have lived with the nostalgia of the MKO Abiola political emergence for too long. Often in several political discussions, lamentations on how MKO represents the very best in political culture in Nigeria keep resonating.

    “However, recently numerous commentators have commended the APC for a flawless presidential primary and the emergence of Buhari as the presidential flag bearer. It is only the PDP and their several human megaphones with jaundiced sight that had failed woefully to appreciate what every other person world over had seen and commended.

    “With the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , most Nigerians are beginning to have a sense of relief that we are getting back on good democratic culture reminiscent of the MKO days.

    “APC has demonstrated that democratic culture of Nigeria has come of age and there is hope that things from now will start getting better. Nigerians can start learning how to walk tall once again among comity of other successful democratic cultures that is distilled in the values of transparency and fairness.

    “One is at loss as to why Okupe should be losing sleep and bashing emerging democratic values that Nigerians have all been yearning for all this years. Online media, the common man on the street and the global community are all pouring in applause for this new culture.”

     

  • 2015: Police sensitise Abia communities as Enugu boosts health

    2015: Police sensitise Abia communities as Enugu boosts health

    2015 is inspiring a flurry of activities. In Abia, SUNNY NWANKWO reports that the police have started a state-wide community tour with a message of credible polls. In Enugu, CHRIS OJI reports that the Chime administration is winding down with focus on primary health

    The word is already out from the Abia State police command. The election year is at hand. Take no chances. Meet the people from one community to another and keep talking with them. Every effort must be made to ensure a smooth election.

    That was what the state Commissioner of Police Mr Adamu Ibrahim told his divisional officers and other personnel at a seminar in the capital Umuahia.

    Soon after the state police chief’s directive, it fell to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Titus Anayo Ugwoke, Ohuru Isimiri divisional head, to kick off the campaign with a meeting with residents of Obingwa Local Government Area.

    Other divisions in the state command will take a cue and replicate what the DSP has done in fulfilment of the directive.

    In Enugu State, Governor Sullivan Chime flagged off the second Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week. Women turned up with their newborns, getting medications and inoculations as well as a good dose of health orientation. But one thing that stood out at the health week was Chime’s pledge to stock all the health facilities in the 17 local governments of the state for effective primary health delivery before handing over in 2015.

    At Obinwa in Abia , the seminar whose theme was “Ensuring a Hitch-Free 2015 General Election” attracted youths from the council area, the local government Transition Committee (TC) Chairman Prince Obinna Nwabiaraije, members of the Nigeria Union of journalists (NUJ), Aba Chapel, National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) personnel among others.

    The forum provided the opportunity for NOA’s Chief Organisation and Mobilisation Officer, Mrs. Kalu Ojingwa, INEC Electoral Officer for Obingwa Local Government Area, Mr. Peter Okorie and the police to interact with the participants. They shared ideas on how to achieve a violence-free and fair election in the Ohuru Isimiri Police Division.

    Nwabiaraije, in his speech, said, “Any election that is not free and fair cannot be adjudged as a credible one”.

    He challenged all the security agencies to live up to their statutory responsibility of ensuring that elections were conducted in 2015 under a peaceful atmosphere.

    The Transition Chairman said, “To ensure a peaceful and successful election in 2015 in the country security agencies, the electoral umpire, INEC, including other relevant agencies, should avoid indulging in any form of sharp practices that could lead to the breach of the conduct of the elections in 2015. Youths should not  be used for electoral violence that would hinder the smooth conduct of the election.”

    He thanked the police for bringing experts to educate the people and to enlighten the people on the essence of a free and credible election.

    Mrs. Kalu Ojingwa, Chief Organization and Mobilization Officer National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Electoral Officer, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Obingwa Local Government Area, Mr. Peter Okorie in their separate lectures stated that the two agencies were already prepared to ensure that the coming election in the local government would be peaceful.

    They urged individuals who were yet to get their voters card to do so to enable them participate actively in choosing who their leaders become in 2015.

    His Royal Highness, Eze Nwabeke and the President National Youth Council Obingwa chapter, Ihuoma Gideon promised that the people and youths of the area were peaceful and would do everything possible to ensure that they sensitize those absent from the programme, promising that election in the area in 2015 without recording any form of violence.

    Earlier Ugwoke in his address at the event said that the problem Nigeria witnessed in the past is that the electorates made bad choices during elections because they were influenced or been induced with money which translates to the quality of leaders that were produced at the end of every election.

    “However, the quality of government in a country is to a great extent determined by the quality of elections through which the legislative and executive organs of government that are constituted. If citizens elect or allow corrupt and violent persons to get into power and exercise legislative and executive powers, they cannot expect to reap peace, freedom, security, development and prosperity”.

    The convener said that the essence of the seminar was to discuss major factors that engender violence during elections and to proffer recommendations that could lead to a credible 2015 elections in Obingwa Local Government Area.

    He suggested among many other factors that political parties should establish and maintain a fair and effective system for redressing grievances and solving conflicts among their members, eschew political violence, fraud and corruption as way of ensuring a free, fair and credible poll in 2015 and beyond.

    At Uwani Health Centre in Enugu South Local Government Area, where the programme was launched in collaboration with United Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, Governor Chime said his administration would continue to partner with stakeholders in the sector to ensure an improved health system in the state’s rural communities.

    The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health George Eze, commended UNICEF for its support and collaboration with the state Ministry of Health in making sure that health issues are effectively tackled in the state.

    On the theme of the MNCH Week which is (Effective Hnad-washing), the governor said it was in line with the programme of combating the scourge of the Ebola virus and also thanked UNICEF for their intensive effort in using effective hand washing against the virus.

    He further stated that his administration has released 12 brand new vehicles to the ministry of health for monitoring and supervision of activities and will keep supporting the ministry of Health in the provision of funds and other interventions to ensure that health programmes are implemented everywhere in the state.

    In his remarks the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Moses Otiji who represented the ministry thanked the labour leaders in the state who despite their strike granted his one-week request for the programme for the benefit of children and mothers.

    He also expressed joy at the large turnout of the mothers and advice them to tell others to go to health centres close to them to access the vaccines and drugs free of charge.

    Speaking on behalf of the National Health Center development agency Dorothy Nwodo said that the agency supported Enugu state with the distribution of Mama Kits which is a kit given to every woman that gave birth in the health center having attended ante-natal care.

    She said that the agency is also supporting with the refurbishing of the modern health center and the Sure-P centers including monitoring of the programme.

    The UNICEF programme consultant Joy Oji who demonstrated the way hands should be washed, advised the mothers to spread the message to other mothers.

    She also said that UNICEF has trained health workers and provided adequate vaccines and vitamine A for all the children including financial support for the MNCH week.

    Some other activities were distribution of treated nets as well as soaps to the women for prevention of mosquito bites and general sanitary practices.