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Tag: Aftermath

  • An expedition and its aftermath

    An expedition and its aftermath

    Finally, I do hope that Nigerians have truly begun to pay attention to the declared end game of the high-octane drama staged by former vice president Atiku Abubakar and which, while it lasted, took country to the edge. For those that the fishing expedition in the courts of Magistrate Jeffrey T. Gilbert and Judge Nancy Maldonado of U.S. Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, United States, had created the exaggerated expectation of sorts, their pain after the disappointing voyage is certainly understandable hence their resort to inferences neither borne of the written text nor supported by the facts deposed at the proceedings.

    Clearly, if the past few days have been interesting, it certainly cannot be on any ground of ‘discovery’ of a new facts as it is in the desperation to confuse and to confound, and when these fail, resort to the default setting of haranguing the poor justices of the apex court on a case yet to be properly brought before them. Even in this, it would appear that the Atiku Abubakar, the self-styled democrat by conviction couldn’t afford to wait for his legal team to do their job nor the adjudicating justices to sit.

    A ‘world press’ conference in the circumstance simply became the logical next phase. Obviously, the judges needed to be served notice that Atiku means business, even if that meant rewriting the rules of court or providing some form of accommodation for his juridical fantasies, so be it!

    No questions about invoking either the law or new compelling facts to persuade the learned justices; suffice at this time to invoke the spirit of Gani Fawehinmi, the Senior Advocate of the Masses of revered memory of whom he says ‘inspired him on this path of discovery…and that he can truly rest in peace in the assurance that what he started about 23 years ago has come to fruition! Political opportunism does not come by any other name!

    By the way, Atiku has since found a new hero – David Hundeyin, ‘an independent journalist whose extraordinary work and those of many more young people like him has become a source of inspiration’.  Let me just say that Atiku is certainly in good company here.

    To yours truly however, the high point of the Atiku conference is his strange call “on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government. This is a task for each and every one of us”.

    Read Also: Impeachment: Don’t succumb to pressure, protesters tell Ondo lawmakers

    That, although dangerous, is a familiar call. Earlier on, we heard similar calls by those who, unable bear the thought of a Tinubu presidency, had called for an extra-constitutional contraption of an interim government. Add to the group the Obidients, the league in the forefront of delegitimising the electoral outcome; the cyber warriors for whom it is either their way or the hell’s highway? 

    Is Atiku merely echoing the minds of Nigeria’s principalities and powers before whose altars he’s known to bow when it suits him? It is certainly a new day that Atiku Abubakar, the democrat of convenience, now seeks an alliance with those in whom he is in competition for the same prize, to chase out the legitimate government through such means that are beyond the contemplation of the law!

    Earlier in this piece, I raised the issue of Atiku’s end game. The issue as it appears, bears restating: what does Atiku want? Here was a man who although lost in the February 25 presidential elections somehow believes that there still exists for him a viable path to the presidency. Clearly, if that quest is legitimate, he seems to forget that the path to that office is circumscribed by the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act. The law of course recognises a two-tiered process for resolving all disputes arising from the presidential election. The first part has been concluded. That stage has since found – with all the five justices concurring – that Atiku’s case as indeed that of his co-traveller, Peter Obi, lacked merit. Having gone to the highest court in the land in line with the provisions of the law, one would have thought that Atiku would hold his peace.

    Yes, I understand why the Chicago expedition might be deemed a mere distraction, a judicial afterthought sort of, or even a chase after the wind by some people. To yours truly however, the issue of whether it falls within the right of the fishing party to pursue his case as he deems fit is clearly beyond debate! It is after all, the man’s money and he can use it for any causes even if they lead nowhere! That right, inbuilt in the democratic spirit, would seem to be tolerant of all manners of specious interpretations by all manners of actors even when they sometimes border on the lunacy!

    It is however a different kettle of fish when a principal party in a case already in court, a former vice president, supposedly a statesman, begins to call for extra-constitutional measures apparently because he thinks the system would not pander to his whims. That is one red line that should not go unchallenged!

    See how ridiculous things can get for the ultimate democrat? He says the former Lagos State governor abandoned him as well as the Action Congress of Nigeria to support Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP in the 2007 presidential poll. And that he saved Tinubu by not allowing former President Olusegun Obasanjo to take over Lagos State in the 2007 general elections. Yes, the star cast in the mind-boggling corruption cases running from the shores of Nigeria to the United States Congress, and on whom Olusegun Obasanjo once issued a most scathing ‘recommendation’ is out there talking public morality. That is Nigeria!

    So where do we go from here? As it is, the Wazirin Adamawa has long indicated that he has little faith in the Nigerian judiciary – except things go in his favour. In other words, the Supreme Court judgment is unlikely to settle anything – so long as it does not favour him. I believe Nigerians should begin to pay attention.

  • Enugu: Election and its aftermath

    The much-awaited Presidential and National Assembly elections have come and gone with so much surprises, shocks, wailings, celebrations and disappointments across the country. This is expected in any contest. Winners and losers have emerged. Nigerians have made their choices. The outcome of the elections was determined by the choice of the voters, their popularity or otherwise. In the end, it was about the political relevance and trackrecord of the candidates; not about waiting to be handed over “federal might” to manipulate the elections to one’s advantage or campaigning only on social media platforms without making oneself available for voters’ scrutiny, hoping that voters would be easily cowed or bought on election day.

    Among the early wailers in the concluded elections are the undertakers in Dr. Ben Nwoye-led faction of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, who hijacked the party structure and imposed themselves as party’s candidates in a compromised primary. It should not surprise anybody, especially the voters that they lost out woefully to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in the National Assembly election in the state. It was clear from inception that they were not really contesting the elections; rather they had wanted to use the party tickets to negotiate their future political survival. That was why instead of campaigning for votes, they banked on rigging or manipulationsforgetting that it was not going to be business as usual in the state. That is the major reason APC lost the three senatorial seats and eight House of Representatives seats to the PDP in the state. The overwhelming victory of the PDP in the elections is a clear indication that the party is truly in control of the state. It has exposed how deep the crisis rocking APC in the state has destroyed its fortune.

    So disappointing is the fact that not even the factional governorship candidate of the party, Senator AyoguEze, was able to deliver his Igbo Eze North council for the party, let alone his federal constituency-Igbo-Eze North/ Udenu or his Enugu North senatorial zone to the party. The outcome of the election has clearly shown that the remnants in Ben Nwoye faction of APC in the state are paperweight politicians, without grassroots support and relevance. Everyone can now see why the PDP in the state denied them tickets in the first instance, before they desperately defected to the APC and hijacked the party’s structure, threw it into crisis that has continued to bedevil it till date. With their loss of the elections, they will now start to position themselves for federal appointments using the party’s platform as bargaining chip. The APC presidency has hopefully, learnt its lesson from the events of the past four years.

    So ridiculous and typical of their political gimmicks was the tales by moonlight and afterthought, the call for cancellation of the elections by Nwoye and his cohorts, alleging that the elections were rigged against their candidates by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. This allegation is not only baseless, it is unfounded and puerile. It lacks substance, because it is on record that the presidential/ NASS elections in the state was more than peaceful and devoid of any irregularities.

    Nobody was molested in the state. Voters cast their votes without being intimidated or compromised, especially when it was obvious to them that PDP was not in contest with any party in the elections.This has been affirmed by the coalition of accredited independent observers for the Presidential/NASS elections in the state, who have expressed utmost satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, describing it as most peaceful, credible, free, fair, devoid of irregularities and violence. Speaking at the headquarters of INEC, during the collation of election results from local councils, the Coordinator of Civil Society in Enugu State, Samuel Onoja stated that there is no iota of truth in the allegations. Apart from this, every voter who voted in the state can attest to the credibility and peacefulness of the exercise in the state.

    Could the allegations be the fear of the impending defeat that awaits Nwoye’s faction of the party in the March 9 governorship and state assembly elections in the state? Is it to justify whatever he has benefitted from the failed party candidates, who are now licking their wounds? Why not let the world know that APC in the state is factionalised? But one thing Nwoye seems to have forgotten is that false allegation is no antidote to electoral shellacking. Again, defeat is bitter in an election, but victory is not cheap.

    Instead of dissipating energies and wasting precious time to raise false allegations against PDP members, Dr.Nwoye and his faction of APCshould start getting prepared for March 9 election in the state. This is not time for rhetoric, complaints or grandstanding. It is time for politicians to prove their political mettle by deliveringtheir polling units, constituencies and zones to their parties. Having failed to deliver any to his party during the Presidential/NASS elections, it behooves Nwoye and his cohorts to prove bookmakers wrong by working hard to deliver their areas to their party in the March 9 election. Considering that with the outstanding performance of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in office and his acceptance by virtually every voter in the state, this might yet prove a tall order. From the feelers and political atmosphere in the state, the March 9 election will be a mere exercise to validate and coronate the commencement of Governor Ugwuanyi’s second term in office. Th From the look of things, Ugwuanyi and his party have no challengers. It is high time Nwoye and his cohorts stop deluding themselves, because their political subterfuge is not only in public domain, it is has reached its peak and of no effect.

     

    • Agboezewrote from Abakpa-Nike, Enugu State.

  • Aftermath of the coup in Turkey

    In the night of July 15, Turkey went through the most catastrophic tragedy in its recent history as a result of the attempted military coup. The events of that night could be called a serious terror coup.

    Turkish people from all walks of life who thought the era of military coups was over showed solidarity against the coup and on the side of democracy. While the coup attempt was in progress, I condemned it in the strongest terms.

    Twenty minutes after the military coup attempt surfaced, before the real actors were known, President Erdogan hastily blamed me. It is troubling that an accusation was issued without waiting for the event’s details and the perpetrators’ motives to emerge. As someone who has suffered through four coups in the last 50 years, it is especially insulting to be associated with a coup attempt. I categorically reject such accusations.

    I have been living a reclusive life in self-exile in a small town in the United States for the last 17 years. The assertion that I convinced the eighth largest army in the world – from 6,000 miles away – to act against its own government is not only baseless, it is false, and has not resonated throughout the world.

    If there are any officers among the coup plotters who consider themselves as a sympathizer of Hizmet movement, in my opinion those people committed treason against the unity of their country by taking part in an event where their own citizens lost their lives. They also violated the values that I have cherished throughout my life, and caused hundreds of thousands of innocent people to suffer under the government’s oppressive treatment.

    If there are those who acted under the influence of an interventionist culture that persists among some of the military officers and have put these interventionist reflexes before Hizmet values, which I believe is unlikely, then an entire movement cannot be blamed for the wrongdoings of those individuals.

    No one is above the rule of law, myself included. I would like for those who are responsible for this coup attempt, regardless of their identities, to receive the punishment they deserve if found guilty in a fair trial.  The Turkish judiciary has been politicized and controlled by the government since 2014 and, consequently, the possibility of a fair trial is very small. For this reason, I have advocated several times for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the coup attempt and I have expressed my commitment to abide by the findings of such a commission.

    I’ve witnessed every single military coup in Turkey and, like many other Turkish citizens, have suffered during and after each one. I was imprisoned by the order of the junta administration after the March 12, 1971 coup. After the coup of September 12, 1980, a detention warrant was issued against me and I lived as a fugitive for six years.

    Right after the February 28, 1997, post-modern military coup, a lawsuit asking for capital punishment was filed against me with the charge of “an unarmed terrorist organization consisting of one person.”

    During all of these oppressive, military-dominated administrations, three cases accusing me of “leading a terror organization” were opened and, in each case, I was cleared of the charges. I was targeted by the authoritarian military administrations back then, and now, I face the very same accusations projected in an even more unlawful manner by a civilian autocratic regime.

    I had friendly relations with leaders from various political parties, such as Mr. Turgut Ozal, Mr. Suleyman Demirel and Mr. Bulent Ecevit, and genuinely supported their policies that I found to be beneficial to the larger community. They treated me with respect, especially when recognizing Hizmet activities that contribute to social peace and education.

    Even though I distanced myself from the idea of political Islam, I praised the democratic reforms undertaken by Mr. Erdogan and AKP leaders during their first term in power.

    But throughout my life, I have stood against military coups and intervention in domestic politics. When I declared 20 years ago that “there is no turning back from democracy and secularism of the state,” I was accused and insulted by the same political Islamists who are close to the current administration. I still stand behind my words. More than 70 books based on my articles and sermons spanning 40 years are publicly available. Not only is there not a single expression that legitimizes the idea of a coup in these works, but, on the contrary, they discuss universal human values that are the foundation of democracy.

    Emancipating Turkey from the vicious cycle of authoritarianism is possible only through the adoption of a democratic culture and a merit-based administration. Neither a military coup nor a civilian autocracy is a solution.

    I openly call on the Turkish government to allow for an international commission to investigate the coup attempt, and promise my full cooperation in this matter. If the commission finds one-tenth of the accusations against me to be justified, I am ready to return to Turkey and receive the harshest punishment.

    The most important characteristic of the Hizmet movement is to not to seek political power, but instead to seek long-term solutions for the problems threatening the future of their societies. At a time when Muslim-majority societies are featured in the news for terror, bloodshed and underdevelopment, Hizmet participants have been focusing on raising educated generations who are open to dialogue and actively contributing to their societies.

    Since I have always believed that the biggest problems facing these societies are ignorance, intolerance-driven conflicts and poverty, I have always encouraged those who would listen to build schools instead of mosques or Quran tutoring centers.

    Hizmet participants are active in education, health care and humanitarian aid not only in Turkey, but also in more than 160 countries around the world. The most significant characteristic of these activities is that they serve people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds – not just Muslims.

    Despite receiving threats, I categorically condemned numerous times terrorist groups such as Al Qaida and ISIS who taint the bright face of Islam. However, the Turkish government is trying to convince governments around the world to act against schools that have been opened by individuals who did not take part in the July 15 coup attempt, and who have always categorically rejected violence. My appeal to governments around the world is that they ignore the Turkish government’s claims and reject its irrational demands.

    Indeed, the Turkish government’s political decision to designate the Hizmet movement as a terrorist organization resulted in the closure of institutions such as schools, hospitals and relief organizations. Those who have been jailed are teachers, entrepreneurs, doctors, academics and journalists. The government did not produce any evidence to show that the hundreds of thousands targeted in the government’s witch hunt supported the coup or that they were associated with any violence.

    It is impossible to justify actions such as burning down a cultural center in Paris, detaining or holding hostage family members of wanted individuals, denying detained journalists access to medical care, shutting down 35 hospitals and the humanitarian relief organization Kimse Yok Mu, or forcing 1,500 university deans to resign as part of a post-coup investigation.

    It appears that, by presenting the recent purges as efforts that target only Hizmet participants, the Turkish government is in fact removing anyone from the bureaucracy who is not loyal to the ruling party, while also intimidating civil society organizations. It is dreadful to see human rights violations occurring in Turkey, including the torture detailed in recent reports by Amnesty International. This is truly a human tragedy.

    The fact that the July 15 coup attempt – which was an anti-democratic intervention against an elected government – was foiled with Turkish citizens’ support is historically significant. However, the coup’s failure does not mean a victory for democracy. Neither the domination by a minority nor the domination of a majority that results in the oppression of a minority nor the rule of an elected autocrat is a true democracy.

    One cannot speak of democracy in the absence of the rule of law, separation of powers and essential human rights and freedoms, especially the freedom of expression. True victory for democracy in Turkey is only possible by reviving these core values.

    English translation originally published in Le Monde on August 10.

     

    • Gülen is an intellectual, preacher and a social advocate.

  • Brexit and its aftermath

    I was in London about two years ago when the referendum on whether Scotland would exit the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland was held. Mercifully the Scots seemed to have had doubts about the wisdom of abandoning a time tested union. The entire United Kingdom in this new referendum has decided to leave the European Union  to which the Conservative government of Edward Heath took them into  in 1973  about 43 years ago. The British Prime Minister David Cameron gambled like his Labour predecessor Harold Wilson did in 1975 by directly consulting the British people about whether to stay or leave the European Union apparently believing in the good sense of the British to stay but he was disappointed by the result. It needs to be stated that the leave vote was not overwhelming. It was 48 to 52 percent. But whatever the margin was, it was still a clear decision to leave. Many people in the United Kingdom are however unhappy about the result. Scotland and Northern Ireland, two of the constituent nations making up the United Kingdom voted clearly to stay in the European Union. The capital city of London also voted to stay and more than four million petitions against leaving the union have been signed within the first week after the referendum. To me, all these will amount to nothing. The deed has been done and the consequence will remain for years to come. The Scottish government has gone to meet the EU officials about its desire to stay in the European Union. It is also threatening to hold another independence referendum which it lost two years ago. There is of course no certainty that the Scots would vote to sever ties with the United Kingdom if the Scottish government were to run precipitously into a new referendum. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party which is almost a spent force is also joining its Scottish counterpart in threatening a dissolution of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has not said much apart from Sin Fein the nationalist party there unconvincingly saying it may call for unification with the Republic of Ireland. The problems on the issue of possible union of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland are so fraught with danger of renewed civil war that no serious politician would dare raise the issue at this volatile time. Nothing is really predictable these days.

    There is of course no doubt that the economic repercussions of BREXIT would have serious ramifications in the United Kingdom. Its economy would definitely contract gradually during the next two years of its negotiation to exit the European Union. Its currency is weakening and there is a long term forecast that the pound sterling will be at par with the American dollar which will be almost a 20 percent depreciation. The result of this may be positive or negative. It will make British goods cheaper on the world market but the negative aspect is that imports like oil to Britain will be costlier since this is priced in dollars and there is not much left of North Sea oil. Inflation will rise and there will definitely be job losses arising from headquarters of multinationals moving their European operations out of London to Dublin, Paris or Frankfurt.

    The political instability that exit from Europe has already created can be seen in the disarray in both the Conservative and Labour parties. The Conservative Party would not have a new leader until the end of August and Jeremy Corbyn  has just lost a confidence vote in his leadership by the labour parliamentary  party. Ordinarily he should have resigned but he is banking on the illusion that the rank and file of labour members outside parliament are with him. He foolishly thinks they approve of his lack-lustre performance since his election last year. If he does not go, the Labour Party may witness history repeating itself with the coming into being of a new party as happened in the 1970s when the brilliant Roy Jenkins formed the Social Democratic Party and took substantial members of the Labour parliamentary party with him. No one knows what will happen this time and the situation in the Conservative party is also not clear.

    In the Conservative party, Boris Johnson the openly ambitious and flamboyant London mayor may put people off because of his putting his own interest above that of country. The man who was riding the horse of anti-immigration to achieve the BREXIT victory is now saying he would not insist on banning immigrants coming to Britain in exchange for access to the European Union. He says there was more in the campaign than just anti-immigration. Yes there are other things but the poor electorate was sold the dummy of a stop to immigration and impliedly an expulsion of those who are here already in order to create jobs for Britons and school places for their children as well as huge funding of the national health services through retaining and transferring to it 350 million pounds sterling allegedly being transferred by Britain every week to the European Union. It has now turned out that the BREXIT campaign was based on outright lies. If Boris Johnson loses, the current Home Secretary Theresa May could emerge as consensus candidate. The political vacuum is creating instability all around Britain and anti-social elements are beginning to vent their pent up anger and racism on European immigrants and visible minorities of Blacks and Asians. People are being bullied, heckled and physically assaulted on the streets and told to go back to their home countries irrespective of how many generations they have stayed in the United Kingdom. This dangerous trend is being watched by the security people and politicians are being asked to rein in their unruly supporters.

    The BREXIT no doubt would have negative effect on the European Union itself. There is fear that other members may follow BREXIT. France under Marie Le Pen, its racist and right wing politician may take a page out of the British exit. If that happens, the European Union will disintegrate. This is why the British will be harshly rebuffed when it dreams of negotiating a new deal that will guarantee it the advantages of the free market without commitment to free movement of labour. The European Union too will see its influence and its market and economy diminish by BREXIT and even the global economy will witness a decline in growth as has been predicted by the IMF.

    The British are living in the past of “RULE BRITANNIA, BRITANNIA RULE TH E WAVES “. Some of the BREXIT campaigners are citing Australia and New Zealand as already asking to trade with Britain as if that can replace a near market of over 500 million people in Europe. On the day of the referendum result, I heard one of the leaders saying Ghana had indicated its readiness to enter into new trading relations with Britain. What a joke! This shows the level of propaganda the BREXIT people will go. Of course Britain will survive as a viable country; the question is whether it will thrive. The USA would do all in its power to assist the British but it would not choose Britain over Europe no matter how many times the Obama administration parrots, tongue in cheek, the so-called special relations with Britain. Britain is in post-industrial phase of its development relying mostly on service industries of banking, insurance, legal services, shipping, aviation and international education and tourism. All these can be wiped out by growing racism and xenophobia.

    African countries will not be seriously affected by BREXIT. Our trade nowadays is mainly with China, India, European Union and to a lesser extent the United States. The coming decline in the United Kingdom’s economy will lead to diminution in technical assistance. This however cuts both ways. Besides the time has come when we should depend on ourselves and pull up our countries by our own bootstraps. The economic volatility which BREXIT caused would however settle down and one sincerely hopes Scotland can be persuaded not to trigger the liquidation of the British Union.

  • A bailout and its aftermath

    A bailout and its aftermath

    In a three-pronged bailout that does not include a drawdown on Excess Crude Account (ECA), the Buhari presidency has approved the disbursement of targetted funds to states to help them overcome their crippling cash crunch. The funds are sourced from NLNG proceeds of almost N414bn, CBN-packaged soft loans of about N300bn, and restructured commercial loans totalling some N600bn organised by Debt Management Office (DMO). In all, over N700bn cash will be made available to the federal government and the states in a matter of weeks. The injection is expected to reflate the economy and ease political tension in the about 24 states enmeshed in the financial quagmire.

    This is probably the most remarkable step taken by the Buhari presidency since its inauguration more than a month ago. Unlike the sanctimonious Goodluck Jonathan government before it, the new government recognises the security and economic implications of the salaries crisis, and has taken concrete steps to ameliorate it. Yet, this is a mere palliative. If some 12 states imaginatively and creatively managed their economies away from that cul-de-sac, it implied that the crises-ridden states were either less clever in financial management or, despite their loud protestations, more unwisely adventurous and reckless.

    There will likely not be another bailout, at least not in the next four years. The stricken states must therefore find ways of recalibrating their economies, engaging financial managers to re-examine their finances and staffing, conceiving fewer idealistic or legacy projects, and living and working within their means. It is inconceivable that state Houses of Assembly do not have qualified lawmakers to take their governments to task on the management of state resources. They should now be less patronising of their governors and parties by insisting that sensible and workable policies must be approved and implemented.

  • Ajimobi: An election’s aftermath

    SIR: The governorship election in Oyo might have come and gone. However, matters arising from that election will take some time to fade away. The result might have shocked some people especially one of the contestants to the point of being sedated. Some have attributed the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to the Buhari phenomenon. Whereas, the factor may not be dismissed outright, the fact remains that it is being exaggerated or over emphasized.

    The truth however is that it is the chief and sole mourner of the election result that was the architect of his own doom. This can be traced to the hate campaign against Ajimobi. A campaign not about issues but total falsehood aimed at denigrating and impugning the integrity of the governor. Part of the anti-Ajimobi propaganda was to send some social miscreants to the streets, motor parks and markets abusing and maligning the person of the governor, that he was set to demolish houses and markets once he was re-elected.

    On the part of the governor, he remained well composed and civil, quoting facts and figures to debunk wild and false allegations against him. However, even at the risk of losing the election, Ajimobi remained unfazed and fully consistent about his policy of discouraging roadside trading in the state.

    As part of strategy to deny Ajimobi the honour of peace and serenity which his administration had guaranteed in the last four years, sporadic violence and unprovoked attacks were organized across the city of Ibadan, one of which led to the shooting of a police officer to death.

    In his bid to spread infrastructural development across the State, Ajimobi dualized the road in Iseyin. The opposition was quick to fault it as a white elephant project claiming that there are not enough vehicles to ply such roads. That particular statement no doubt ignited the anger of Oke-Ogun indigene to the extent of mobilizing massive support for Ajimobi.

    The nefarious role of some civil servants and teachers in the state who turned themselves to infamous agents of an opposition party with all kinds of unintelligible and unsustainable blackmail of falsehood against the administration and person of Ajimobi was enough to provoke the elite class of the state into action. This was a class of people who hitherto was not interested in who ruled them and never cared to exercise their franchise. This time around however, they felt insulted by the ‘one eyed king’ syndrome of the supposedly educated civil servants. Their determination was further reinforced by the awful nostalgia of the previous administration when one could hardly sleep with two eyes closed. They were quick to realize that the kind of hate campaign being orchestrated by the opposition was a mere rehearsal or a warm up of what to witness should they win the election.

    For the first time in recent history of the state, only one person would preside over the House of Assembly for four years. There were instances in the past where legislators were thrown down through the window by sponsored party thugs. Some of the legislators affected remain maimed to date. That Ajimobi could sustain that kind of harmonious relationship only confirmed him as an adept in the doctrine of separation of powers.

    In the past, if the governor was not battling the legislators, it would be that he was involved in dividing the rank of the traditional rulers in the state. Whereas previous governors enjoyed a phoney play of supremacy among traditional rulers, whereas, but for undue interference from the executive, the order of hierarchy among Obas was never in dispute. Especially in the case of the Alaafin, that the governor could maintain a cordial relationship with the foremost Yoruba traditional ruler for four years scored him another first in the game of peace. While that revealed Ajimobi as a humble administrator, it also showed that the Alaafin was not as fastidious as some think but rather a man of high taste in service and delivery standard.

     

    • Agboola Sanni,

    Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • Ebola scare at OAU: The aftermath

    Ebola scare at OAU: The aftermath

    If the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) scare that gripped Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, a few weeks ago was to be real, then, it is high time the management of the institution woke up to the health challenges and the general welfare of the students.

    The rumour went viral on social media and the university became a subject of attention in many discussions. In various Halls of Residence in the institution, students became panicky, momentarily stopping their traditional greeting style.

    In my interaction with colleagues, I came to realise that the management did not put adequate measure in place to forestall any outbreak of the disease, despite being an environment prone to such endemic disease, because of the colony of bats that has found abode on the campus.

    The management was negligent in mapping out strategy and putting the right structure in place before the resumption of students from neighbouring countries to prevent the deadly disease. Although, it made efforts to sensitise the university community on the precautionary measures against the disease, nevertheless, the measures were not enough in terms of providing adequate public enlightenment and how the disease could be isolated.

    It is high time the OAU management joined hands with the students union in ensuring that this endemic disease doesn’t find its way into the citadel of learning. This must be achieved through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in order to promote a healthy environment. Students and visitors within and outside the school environment must be adequately sensitised on the disease. With these measures in place, the university would be a safe environment of learning.

     

    Alex just finished from OAU

  • AFTERMATH OF CAPITAL ONE CUP DEFEAT: Boro’s loss saddens Omeruo

    AFTERMATH OF CAPITAL ONE CUP DEFEAT: Boro’s loss saddens Omeruo

    Middlesbrough of England defender, Kenneth Josiah Omeruo wore a forlorn figure after his Championship side lost narrowly 13-14 to Liverpool in the Fifth Round of the Capital One Cup played on Tuesday at the Anfield Stadium.

    Boro had held the home team to a 2-2 draw after extra time before the marathon penalty shootout which saw 30 kicks taken and only three missed at the end of the game.

    Omeruo’s state of mind was revealed to SportingLife by his advisor, Chika Akujobi who disclosed that the Super Eagles defender couldn’t believe his eyes when it dawned on him that his hard fighting Boro side had been eliminated from the competition despite posting a performance good enough for the at least the next round.

    Akujobi revealed that Omeruo told him that all the players of Middlesbrough were a pitiable sight to behold at the end of the hostility and had to be consoled by the coaches and other officials even when they got to the changing room.

    “Omeruo told me that they were yet to recover from the loss and that they believed that they would win the game based on the effort they had put into the game only to lose under such circumstances.

    “He said they all wore very sad looks at the dressing room and even on the way to the hotel. He however disclosed that they must move on from the loss and concentrate on the Championship game they are having this weekend,” Akujobi told SportingLife.

  • Aftermath of Ebosse’s death: Fear grips Ebossein Algeria

    Aftermath of Ebosse’s death: Fear grips Ebossein Algeria

    Aso Chlef forward, Joshua Obaje says he is no longer at ease staying in Algeria, following the death of JS Kabyle striker, Albert Ebosse.

    Ebosse, top scorer in the Algerian league last season, died after being hit with a stone thrown from the crowd in his team home loss to USM Algiers on Saturday.

    His death led to the suspension of football indefinitely, a situation that has unsettle Obaje, who joined Aso Chlef two weeks ago.

    “It’s only natural for me to be living in fear, if a fellow professional in same field like me is killed on duty, but I know it’s well and may Ebosse’s soul rest in peace.”

    When SL10 sought to know if the situation will force him to terminate his deal and return home, the CHAN bronze medalist insists coming back home is not an option for now.

    “Too early to contemplate coming back home, that is not an option for now, my team is made up of good people with the interest of their players at heart and supportive fans, I might leave in fear but no thought of terminating my deal.”

    The ex-Black Leopards forward joined Aso Chlef from Glo NPFL side Warri Wolves on a two year deal which will terminate in the summer of 2016.

  • Aftermath of FIFA’s letter: Minister tells Maigari to resume office Monday

    Aftermath of FIFA’s letter: Minister tells Maigari to resume office Monday

    Barely 24 hours after world football governing body, FIFA ordered that the impeached President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Aminu Maigari should be reinstated, the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission(NSC), Tammy Danagogo has hearkened to FIFA’s order and asked the NFF boss to resume work at his Wuse Zone 7 Secretariat office of the Federation on Monday.

    The Minister disclosed the mission of Maigari at the Abuja National Stadium office and added that the NFF boss’s visit was in continuation of his resolve to ensure that the crisis bedeviling Nigerian sports is over but also to ensure that all the stakeholders are brought together to have  free,fair and peaceful NFF elections.

    “He has come to pay a courtesy call on me.What all well-meaning stakeholders have been trying to do all this while is to ensure that all the problems we are talking about are resolved. We have got his commitment and his board members. You must be aware that I met with the other group a couple of days ago and they have resolved that they are going to work together peacefully and they are going to make sure that the electoral process goes on with more people giving the opportunity to have forms to contest to ensure that the best materials will emerge as the next leaders of our football federation without any form of bias or restrictions. That is what he has come to brief me and he has assured me that they are going to work together peacefully.”

    The Minister also approved of Maigari to run for the post of NFF President if he so wishes but was silent on whether the Bauchi indigene actually sent in his resignation letter as it was being reported.

    “As a man, he has the right to run or not to. It is his decision to make, he also has the right to resign or not to, it is not the minister that would decide for him. Whatever he would decide, he will announce it at the appropriate time.

    “Let us not be in a hurry to forsee what will happen tomorrow. Before FIFA wrote, there was stakeholders’ advice to both the President and the first vice president who was said to be acting to go and work together for the remaining few days before the next election.

    “He will resume on Monday and we expect that when he resumes, he will lead other members who are not present here back to my office,” he noted.

    Maigari, who was accompanied by two of his board members, Ahmed Yussuf Fresh and Ahmed Kawu, told sports reporters that he came to pay a courtesy visit to the Minister as routine.

    “Our visit today is a tradition which we have in the football family. We deemed it necessary to come and pay a courtesy visit to the minister and congratulate him for the brilliant performance of our Team Nigeria at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as well as the performance of our girls in far away Canada. We came to appreciate and declare our loyalty. Our visit today is based on my capacity as the president of the NFF,” Maigari stated.