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Tag: Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

  • Royal Breakup: We have to stop culture of shaming, vilifying women – Wuraola

    Royal Breakup: We have to stop culture of shaming, vilifying women – Wuraola

    Has the 17-month-old marriage between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his wife, Olori Wuraola, ended? The royal lady says ‘yes’; it’s all over. BISI OLADELE highlights some major events at which the duo shone like mega stars in the short marital voyage.

    It had been in the rumour mill for some time. But yesterday a post on the official Instagram page @hhzynab of Olori Wuraola, the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi confirmed it all.

    Her marriage to the foremost monarch has crashed.

    When the royal father married Zaynab Otiti at a lavish traditional ceremony on March 13, last year, the marriage sealed the breakdown of his marital relationship with Adebukola, with whom he tied the nuptial knot 10 years earlier. The two marriages did not produce children.

    Seventeen months down the line in the palace of the Ooni, Zaynab, whom Oba Ogunwusi renamed Wuraola (Yeyeluwa of Ife) shortly after the royal marriage, took to the social media yesterday, putting paid to suspicions that all was not well with her marriage.

    Zaynab was clear in her message as she wrote:

    “We have got to stop this culture of shaming and vilifying women with false stories of infidelity and nefarious behaviour. The spreading of false information (through ‘sources’ afraid to be identified) is the mark of cowards and a cover-up for guilty parties to justify their horrific actions. There is absolutely no truth to the media circulated lies of infidelity and infertility- on my end.

    “What I can confirm, is that the Ooni and I are no more. I inhale love and exhale gratitude. My journey continues as a humanitarian aiding women and victims of domestic violence and abuse with the United Nations. No matter how much time you’ve invested, no matter the use of media to silence and manipulate, no matter the circumstance, slander, embarrassment, threats and lies: Get out and seek immediate help!

    “We’ve seen this movie before. Women being dragged in the press and blamed for everything under the sun. This behavior is unacceptable. I urge those involved to be mindful of their actions for the eyes of our Almighty God are always watching. The seed of slander is a cancer that harvests to eat away the souls of the planter.

    “The throne is sacred and the attempts to tarnish the name of a queen, in defense, or on behalf of a silent king, makes all involved look terrible. Remain dignified in all you do. It’s not the end of the world, but the start of a new chapter and you must turn the page with grace. The world is watching.

    “As I bid adieu to this chapter, my wish to you all is to step into your lives – boldly and fearlessly, the way God intended and live not just by words, but through example. The best chapter in our lives is the one we are writing now. Thank you for your love and support.

    With peace, love and light, – Her Highness, Zaynab Otiti Obanor.”

    The 17-month old journey was not uneventful as the duo lived in glamour and royal splendour – within and outside the country.

    Royalty swelled all around them as they graced public functions and social events. They made impressive representation of the Yoruba culture and heritage at cultural events across the world.

    It started with their appearance at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu 64th Birthday Colloquium in Abuja, on March 29, 2016. But the couple was first hosted to a royal dinner by a popular politician, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    As they disembarked from the airplane at the Abuja Airport along with their aides, they were ushered into a waiting Limousine which was accompanied by two executive Mercedes Benz, four Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and a couple of escort patrol vans, which cruised smoothly into the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. The new couple was welcomed by a crowd of Yoruba sons and daughters, who were on hand to catch a glimpse of the new phenomenal royal couple, particularly Olori Wuraola, who had just come into the top Ile-Ife royal family. Then, they paid homage to the foremost Yoruba monarch and his queen.

    Oba Ogunwusi and ‘Olori Wuraola’

    In April and May last year, Yeyeluwa was the cynosure of all eyes at the Osaara and Olokun festivals in Ile-Ife. Always donning wine or red royal costumes, including coral beads to match her husband’s all-white costumes, her beauty and cool mien were sources of attraction to guests and admirers.

    Also on May 22, Olori Wuraola was the centre of attraction at the award ceremony where Ooni was received the award of the Extraordinary Ambassador of Peace by the Methodist Church, Nigeria. The event which was held at the Cathedral Church of Methodist, Nigeria in Oyo, also had the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola (Adeyemi III) in attendance.

    In June, last year, Oba Ogunwusi and his queen stormed the United States of America (USA) like African mega stars. From New York to New Jersey and several other cities, Olori Wuraola glittered in her royal apparels that revealed her beauty and excellence. Oba Ogunwusi drew a standing ovation from Pennsylvania state legislators he addressed. Olori Wuraola complemented the glamour of his entourage. She was the one many Americans warmed up to for banters and cordiality.

    Earlier this year, the couple was in the United Kingdom (UK) during which they visited the British Museum and addressed the Commonwealth Assembly. As many white and Black British academics and researchers met with Oba Ogunwusi, his Olori was never far from him, donning either her red or white royal apparels to add colour to their visit.

    Also in May, the Yeyeluwa stepped out in a sparkling white outfit with white royal costume to celebrate the Olokun Festival with her husband. She called for promotion of cultural festivals to serve boost local tourism.

    The Ooni and his wife were also in Canada last month. They met with the Nigerian High Commission leaders, Members of Parliament (MPs), Nigerian-Canadian Association and members of the Yoruba community in Canada.

    They also visited the Canadian Museum of History and attended the Canada-Nigeria Cultural and Business Fair. Olori Wuraola was right by her husband, shaking hands with the who-is-who in the North American country.

    With yesterday’s post by the Olori, it is unclear what the future holds for the 17-month-old union between Oba Ogunwusi and the Benin, Edo State born queen.

    Many are still shocked, wondering what went wrong shortly after returning from Canada.

  • PDP not diminished by loss of power – Jonathan 

    PDP not diminished by loss of power – Jonathan 

    • Anenih: Party plagued by selfish interests 

    The loss of power at the centre in the 2015 general election has not diminished the electoral value of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

    Jonathan, who stated this in Abuja while receiving a delegation of PDP chieftains at his private evidence, said the party would work hard to get back to power in 2019.

    The former President harped on the need for the present administration to strengthen national institutions, stressing that the nation can only grow when the institutions are strengthened.

    “No nation can grow with weakened institutions,” Jonathan said, adding that existing political parties also required reforms to strengthen their structures.

    The former President buttressed his call for strong institutions with the case of the United States, where President Donald Trump’s travel ban on Muslims was upturned by the courts.

    He assured the party chieftains of his willingness to make himself available for contributions towards rebuilding and repositioning the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Jonathan welcomed the idea of direct primaries to elect the party’s candidates for general elections, as enunciated by the party chieftains.

    He, however, pointed out that direct primaries do present serious challenges, particularly with the number of voters involved. Rather, he canvassed enlarged and broad-based delegate system from the ward level.

    Speaking at a separate venue, a former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, blamed the sorry state of the PDP on the pursuit of selfish interests by chieftains of the party.

    Anenih, who also received the party’s delegation at his private residence in Abuja regretted that the PDP had missed many opportunities to organise the party.

    “Everybody wants to be national chairman, everybody wants to be the presidential candidate in the pursuit of personal interests and ambitions”, Anenih stated.

    Chief Anenih faulted the decision of the party leaders to wait for the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the leadership tussle between the PDP Caretaker Committee and the Ali Modu Sheriff camp.

    “Why must you wait for the Appeal Court to deliver judgment before you can organise yourselves as a party,” he queried, adding that the party should start its rebranding process right now.

    According to him, many of the politicians that destroyed the PDP have now found themselves in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the APC only exists in the pages of newspapers.

    “When things go a little bit wrong, the next thing they do is to move to another political party. I never believed leaving my political party to join another”, he said.

    He advised the leadership of the PDP to strive hard to rebuild the party and make it strong enough to challenge the APC in the 2019 elections. 

    Anenih continued, “You need to build a strong PDP because the APC is nowhere today. It only exists in the pages of newspapers. We need a strong opposition and constructive criticism to move forward.

    “The PDP has a chance to choose a leader that will lead the country when President Muhammadu Buhari finishes his tenure. God will help us to choose the leader that will lead Nigeria”.

    The Edo-born politician who called it quit with active partisan politics late 2016, observed that the governors elected on the platform of the PDP were not doing enough to help the party.

    He stressed the need for them to be making monthly financial contributions towards the running of the party, saying, “you can’t do anything without money”.

    Chief Anenih enjoined the party leaders to strive ensure a credible convention to elect committed leaders to run the affairs of the party.

    A former national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur who also received the delegation expressed delight that the PDP had kept faith with democracy.

    He, however, observed that certain negative tendencies had continued to hinder the growth and progress of the PDP.

    Tukur enjoined the party leaders to shun ethnicity and religious bigotry to able the PDP face the challenge of providing strong and credible front to win the 2019 general elections.

    The leader of the delegation, Prof Jerry Gana, had earlier presented the report of the party’s Strategy Review and Inter-Party Relations Committee to the hosts during the visit.

    He had expressed reservations about the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as it is presently constituted.

    According to him, INEC aid being controlled by the APC led Federal Government, saying however that a summit of opposition parties was in the offing and that the issue of partisanship on the part of the INEC would be tacked at the summit.

  • Convention: Adamawa PDP stakeholders threaten boycott, protest suspension of Tukur

    Convention: Adamawa PDP stakeholders threaten boycott, protest suspension of Tukur

    • Ribadu may emerge candidate
    • PDP hides under insecurity to shift

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  stakeholders in Adamawa State have rejected the decision of the national leadership of the party to move  the National Assembly and governorship primaries to Abuja.

    The primaries are scheduled for today. Already, an aircraft has been sent to Yola to ferry the delegates to Abuja.

    The stakeholders  are also kicking  against the suspension of  the immediate past  National Chairman of the party, Alhaji  Bamanga Tukur, even as there are indications that  former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, may  emerge as the party’s governorship candidate following his endorsement by some forces in the presidency.

    Investigation revealed that the stakeholders, who were backed by Governor Bala Ngilari, met at Adamawa PDP Secretariat in Yola on Friday night.

    Some of those at the session were ex-NADECO leader, Air Comdr Dan Suleiman, ex-Governor Wilberforce Juta, a former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Gen. Haladu Hananiya, ex-Minister Dauda Birma, Senator Grace Bent, Gen. Aliyu Kamar, Awwal Tukur, key aides of Ngilari, State PDP Executive Committee members and all the chairmen of the PDP in 21 Local Government Areas in the state.

    In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, the stakeholders threatened to boycott the primaries in Abuja.

    The communiqué read in part: “In accordance with pages 6, 7 and 8 of the PDP Electoral Guidelines for Primary Election 2014 approved by NEC, all primary elections shall be held in their respective constituencies.

    “The Adamawa PDP Stakeholders hereby resolve not to allow our delegates to participate in an illegal Primary Election outside the approved constituencies as planned by the renegade PDP members and their cohorts in Abuja.

    “As regards insecurity and issues of insurgency in Adamawa State, the recent Primary Election for House of Assembly held on the 1st of December by PDP went on throughout the state successfully.

    “Similarly, the opposition party, APC, held its primary elections for State House of Assembly and Governorship from 3rd to 5th December without any incidence.”

    The stakeholders also faulted the suspension of Tukur which they described as arbitrary and unwarranted suspension.

    They accused Amb. Hassan Tukur, a public servant and Principal Secretary to  President  Jonathan of undue interference in PDP affairs  and  of “continuously instigating the PDP National Chairman, Alh. Adamu Muazu to destabilise PDP in Adamawa State.”

    They asked the President to call the affected persons “to order and distance himself from the reign of impunity which will adversely affect the electoral fortunes of the party.”

    But it was reliably gathered that some forces in the Presidency are keen on conceding the governorship slot to the ex-EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

    A top government source said: “The thinking in the Presidency is that Ribadu should be given the ticket.

    “And we have discovered that not all stakeholders are opposed to the shift of the primaries to Abuja. A group of Adamawa stakeholders led by Senator Jonathan Zwingina, Dr. Aliyu Ido Hong and Ali Gulak were at the National Headquarters of the PDP on Saturday on a solidarity visit for the party’s decision to move the primaries to Abuja.”

    The National Publicity Secretary of PDP ,Chief Olisa Metuh, said in a statement in Abuja that : “Further to preparations for the 2015 general elections, the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has invited all major stakeholders in Borno and Yobe states to a crucial meeting at the National Secretariat in Abuja on Saturday, December 6 (yesterday), 2014.

    “While stakeholders from Borno are to meet with the NWC at 12 noon, those from Yobe will meet with the party leadership at 2pm on the same day.

    “Furthermore, the NWC announced that all primaries for Adamawa State will now be conducted in Abuja beginning from Sunday, December 7, 2014.

    “The party leadership also announced that the Anambra National Assembly primaries earlier scheduled for yesterday has been postponed.

     

  • Transforming railway is Jonathan’s priority, says Tukur

    The transformation of the railway has been described as President Goodluck Jonathan’s top priority.

    The Nigeria Railway Corporation’s Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, disclosed this during a familiarisation tour of the Northern District of the Railway in Kaduna last  Wednesday.

    He said the NRC board is determined to rebuild the railway and make it the backbone of the nation’s public transit.

    He said:“In line with President Jonathan’s commitment, we have intensified efforts toward transforming the railway to give it a new and dynamic face. With the President’s determination, Nigerians should expect a new, vibrant and enviable railway very soon.”

    He said revitalising the railway would facilitate job creation, boost business activities and strengthen the bond of relationship among Nigerians.

    Tukur equally charged railway workers to be committed to their duties to complement the tireless efforts of the Federal Government toward rebuilding a new railway.

    Addressing their agitation for salary increase, the chairman promised that the board would review their salaries to boost their morale.

    Earlier, the District Manager (RDM), Mr Akinwale Akintola, said Kaduna junction was symbolic to NRC because it was the hub of the railway’s passengers and freight services.

    He said the NRC in collaboration with Kaduna State government was presently running “four single-direction daily intra-city train services,” under public private partnership arrangement.

    “The train cumulatively runs 24 train services per week and 96 trains per month, respectively,” he said.

    He said in view of the successful delivery of the existing intra-city services, the “diesel multiple unit” has been proposed to be launched as additional intra-city for a segmented service in the state.

  • Rail workers demand more pay

    Some  trainee-staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), have appealed to the Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for a salary review.

    The workers who are undergoing technical and vocational education training, said their N15,000 salary  is poor.

    One of them said they may review their stand to suspend the strike which was arrived at, on the strength of Tukur’s intervention, if the management failed to meet their demand.

    “Based on Tukur’s intervention, our leaders gave the management one month grace, which will elapse on August 28, to enable them act on our demand,” one of them who did not want his name mentioned said.

    The workers  spoke after the flag-off of the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P)-funded Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) for the 1,800 workers to service the Lagos-Kano route.

    At the event which took place at the Railway Training Institute in  Ebute-Metta, Lagos Mainland, Tukur however assured of the board’s commitment to their welfare.

    “The board, and management of the NRC place high premium on staff training and welfare, as this is the best way to enhance productivity and results” he said.

    The training cut across major departments such as train operations, track maintenance, mechanical, electrical, signalling and telecommunications.

    He said the new set of workers would take over from the aging and retiring workforce.

    Tukur charged the workers to apply their skills to improve the corporation’s fortunes, promising that they would continue to receive  trainings to support ongoing efforts to rehabilitate and modernise railway.

    NRC Managing Director Adeseyi Sijuwade said the training confirmed government’s transformation agenda for the railway sector, a consolidation of the huge investments in the rehabilitation of tracks and procurement of modern rolling stock.

    He said: “Given the Federal Government’s huge investment in rehabilitation of tracks and procurement of rolling stock, it became absolutely important to continuously train and develop the human resources that will be required to man the railway assets and that is why the corporation is collaborating with SURE-P in organising a training programme for the new cadre of NRC staff on Grade Level 04 to 06.”

    The first phase of the training is designed for over 1,800 workers recruited for the Western Line he said, while the second phase would train another 1,600 workers new staff who would be deployed on the Eastern Line.

    Sijuwade praised the Fedral Government for the sustained resuscitation of the railway pointing out that the sector would need more financial support to actualise the transformation agenda.

    He said the corporation would take delivery of five 68-seater air conditioned coaches next month, which would be deployed to the Eastern line corridor which rehabilitation is nearing completion.

    TVET Coordinator Mr. John Sokwa said the SURE-P intervention has created 5,000 jobs across all sectors in the last three years, adding that the agency’s intervention in the railway would ensure that many youths get firsthand experience of other cultures as they would be deployed  on the Lagos-Kano route.

    Former President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Mr Peter Esele said the SURE-P intervention would not only lead to fundamental transformation of the railway but would create jobs for the teeming youth and strengthen the economy.

    Esele praised President Goodluck Jonathan for his commitment to transforming the railway, which he described as the ‘mother’ of workers’ unionism in the country.

  • Jonathan, Tukur and a government of Jezebels

    I must commend President Goodluck Jonathan for removing Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as National Chairman of the PDP and finally dumping him. It really is good riddance to bad rubbish because that man was a disaster to his party. PDP itself is bad enough but to have a self-conceited and vainglorious ancient dinosaur who is completely fixed in his ways, who believes that anyone and everyone below the age of 60 is still a ‘’young’’ man or woman and who sees the world from the prism and mindset of a 1960’s Viet Nam war veteran that is still suffering from post-war traumatic syndrome was a disaster waiting to happen. This was a man that drove goodwill away from his party in the same way that shelltox drives away mosquitoes from a bedroom. As long as Tukur was in charge the continued demise of the PDP was guaranteed. He was not only a scourge to the ruling party but he was also a beautiful, eager and willing undertaker to it’s long lost glory and a tremendous source of comfort and joy to those of us in the opposition APC. We shall miss him sorely and I must confess that he did a great job for us whilst he lasted. May he enjoy his forced and long-overdue retirement from public office and partisan politics and may he live long enough to see the PDP defeated and an APC President sworn in 2015.

    I also commend the President for removing and reshuffling a large number of his key commanders in the military a couple of weeks ago and then retiring no less than three of his four Service Chiefs just the other day (16th January 2014) and appointing new ones. This was the right and proper thing to do after the precious lives of no less than 7000 innocent Nigerian citizens were cut short by Boko Haram in the war against terror in the last three years. It was also the expedient and responsible thing to do given the fact that no less than 200 of our gallant soldiers were killed in one battle alone against Boko Haram (and later buried in mass graves) just a few months ago simply because they ran out of bullets and after a whole army barracks was burnt down to the ground and the family members of military personnel were slaughtered, again by Boko Haram, just a few weeks ago. Something had to give and heads had to role simply because we were not making any headway in the war against terror and instead we were suffering heavy casualties and embarrassing losses.

    Yet despite the fact that both

    moves

    were commendable they will

    change nothing because they are both too little and too late. The PDP will continue to sink because it is a political party that has lost it’s bearing and it’s soul and it has mortgaged it’s conscience. It has also lost the source and strength of it’s inspiration and moral authority in the distinguished person of President Olusegun Obasanjo who really was the glue that bound the party together and kept it going against all odds. Though Obasanjo remains in the PDP he has also wisely opted out of participating in it’s affairs. This is a manifestation of his disgust with the President and the former National Chairman and he has now become the official ‘’navigator’’ of the newly emerging power in the field of Nigerian politics which is known as the APC. Frankly speaking the PDP has become a party that is beyond redemption and the removal of Tukur cannot change that. I say this because no sensible person will go back to a stinking carcass simply because the head of the dead animal has been cut off and thrown away. A carcass remains a carcass whether you cut off it’s head, legs or any other part of it’s body or not. Whichever way, it remains as dead as a dodo and it only awaits a formal burial. The truth is that the vultures are already feeding fat on the rotting and decaying cadavar of the PDP and whether anyone likes to hear it or not the truth is that that party can never be whole again. As I said 8 months ago it is a party that has been rejected by God and whose leaders are suffering God’s judgement for their unjust, gluttonous, wicked, foul and evil ways.

    In the same way I have to say that no matter how commendable and honourable in intention the recent changes in our military High Command may be they will achieve nothing either and, in practical terms, they will serve absolutely no purpose. This is because the morale of the army is very low due to the massive losses that they have recorded in the war against Boko Haram and because they have a Commander in Chief who does not care about their welfare, does not ‘’give a damn’’ about their fortunes and does not have the guts to lead and inspire them with strength and courage. Worst still he has refused to arm and equip them properly or give them a free hand to fight and prosecute the war against terror with the ruthless precision and decisive resolve that is required. They say that if an army of sheep is led by a lion it will win every battle. In the same vein they also say that if an army of lions is led by a sheep it cannot win any battle. The latter is the case in Nigeria. In our military we have an army of lions who are well-trained, professional, strong, courageous, ready to go and capable of doing anything that is required of them as long as they are properly-led, well-armed, well-equipped, well-motivated, well-supplied, adequately encouraged, thoroughly inspired and well-supported. However that same army of noble and courageous lions is led by a sheep who, by his own words, has told the world that he is not a lion, he is not a warrior, he is not a fighter and that he is not a king. If anyone has any doubts about that permit me to refer you to my essay titled ‘’A President Without Balls’’ and the two updated versions of the same essay titled ‘’The Gutless Eunuch and Spirit of the Jagaban’’ and ‘’The Gutless Eunuch and the Lion King’’ respectively. They can all be found on my website-www.femifanikayode.org or you can just google them. To have such a man as Commander-in-Chief actually encourages and tempts the enemy to attack us because weakness and a reluctance to lock horns and engage and to be strong, forceful and decisive when provoked or attacked always attracts aggression. As long as such a weak and uninspiring man remains the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces please be ready for more casualties and more losses regardless of how lion-like, courageous or professional our soldiers may be.

    However there is hope. If Good

    luck Jonathan wants his for

    tunes and the fortunes of his party to change and if he wants peace to return to our shores he simply has to take the following nine steps.

    1. He has to resign as President forthwith and undertake to stay out of Nigerian politics for the next 10 years.

    2. If he cannot step down, he must give a public undertaking to the Nigerian people that he will not run for re-election in 2015 and he should not change his mind at the last minute.

    3. He must apologise to Nigerians for the mess he has created of the economy and ask forgiveness for his manipulative ways and the gross incompetence and ineptitude that he has displayed while running the affairs of this country over the last three years.

    4. He must write a letter of condolence and pay a token fee of compensation as restitution to the families of every single one of the 7,000 innocent Nigerians that have been killed by Boko Haram in the last three years.

    5. He must take off the kid gloves, stop interfering and give the military the green light to use all necessary means to prosecute the war against Boko Haram and he must win that war.

    6. He must remove one Esho Jinadu who is better known as Mr. Buruju Kashamu (a rather strange name that does not have it’s origins in Yorubaland but instead sounds like a low quality brand of Indian tea) as the leader of the PDP in the Southwest and honour the demand of the American Courts and the ruling of the Nigerian Federal High Court and Court of Appeal by extraditing him to the United States of America to answer serious charges of drug smuggling in that country forthwith.

    7. He must direct his Ijaw supremacist kinsmen to desist from threatening the lives of other Nigerians that oppose his government and who keep threatening brimstone and fire and the dismemberment of Nigeria if he is not allowed to come back in 2015,

    8. He must direct Chief E.K. Clark, his new-found political father and mentor, to stop insulting the Yoruba people and desist from attacking our leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his behalf.

    9. He must give a public undertaking that the other four Presidents that run this country with him and that act as his ‘’co-Presidents’’ will also step down with him forthwith or, if he insists on staying till 2015, give an undertaking that he will fire them with immediate effect and bar them from playing any role whatsover in the running of the affairs of our country from now on.

    Those four co-Presidents are, in order of seniority, 1. Dame Patience Jonathan (our amiable First Lady)

    2. Allison Dizeani Madueke (the Minister of Petroleum Resources)

    3. Stella Oduah (Minister of Aviation) and

    4. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister).

    President Goodluck Jonathan, even though he is the public face of the small cabal of co-Presidents that presently rules Nigeria and even though he is the one that was given a lawful mandate from the Nigerian people in 2011 to lead our country, comes a distant fifth in the pecking order. He is co-President No. 5.

    Yet it is not too late. If our Presi

    dent can find the courage to take

    these steps, peace will return to Nigeria immediately and our people will once again have hope. The problem that we have in our country today is not an ageing former Party National Chairman called Bamanga Tukur who had lost touch with reality, who never knew how to play the game and who did not know when to call it quits. And neither was it a set of tired and exhausted army commanders and Service Chiefs who did their best but who received no real and tangible support or encouragement from their Commander-in-Chief in the field of battle. The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence . A President who is as confused and as clueless as the comic character, called Chancey Gardner in the celebrated 1970’s Peter Seller’s Hollywood blockbuster titled: Being There.

    A President who does not understand the meaning of the word ‘’class’’ or ‘’honesty’’ and who breaks his own word consistently. A President who has abdicated his responsibilities, destroyed his own political party, divided his own country, alienated his own friends, humiliated his own mentor, abandoned his own people, brought ridicule to his own faith, cowers before his own officials, betrays his own governors, scorns the international community and breaks his solemn oath to protect and defend the Nigerian people. A President who does not even have the nerve or the guts to call to order any of the numerous Jezebels that control him. He is the problem we have in our country today and until he resigns, is impeached or is voted out of power nothing will change and Nigeria will continue to go from bad to worse. That is what you get when you vote for a man who never wore shoes to school. May God deliver our country.

     

    •Chief Fani-Kayode is former Aviation Minister

     

  • Tukur to Obasanjo: Please, don’t leave PDP

    Tukur to Obasanjo: Please, don’t leave PDP

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has pleaded with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to rescind his decision to leave the party.

    In a statement late Saturday, Tukur said the party still needs Obasanjo’s fatherly role and experience to get the party on strong footing and to make it more formidable.

    Obasanjo had, in a letter dated January 7, 2014, written to Tukur and President Goodluck Jonathan indicating his decision to quit the ruling party.

    The party chair pleaded that the PDP has more pressing challenges, particularly in the coming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States as well as the 2015 general elections.

    The party, he said, needed Obasanjo’s input to confront the challenges, stressing that the need for continuous dialogue and stronger partnership among stakeholders had become imperative.

    He added that the party needed Obasanjo’s support contribution in the struggle to reclaim lost grounds in the South West geopolitical zone.

    Tukur expressed appreciation in the manner the former President presented his grievances on the way the leadership of the party handled the crisis in the Southwest zone of the party.

    “I thank you for your gesture and I pray that we shall all continue to dialogue and partner to move our party forward”, the party chairman said.

    The PDP chair explained that the crisis in the Southwest zone of the PDP had taken root before he assumed the leadership of the party, stressing that he did not act in any manner to aggravate the situation.

    According to him, neither the National Executive Committee (NEC) nor the National Working Committee of PDP took sides in the crisis that engulfed the Southwest zone of the party.

    Said he: “We came in when we were threatened with contempt of court charges for not obeying the court’s order to dissolve the south-west zonal Executive and remove some officers of the party.

    “We complied with the court’s orders because of our belief in the rule of law and to avoid consequences of disobeying such orders.

    “It is an honour that you deemed it fit and proper to intimate me with an issue important to your mind and to our party in the south-west zone.

    “It is my wish and prayer that such cordial and positive relationship will continue between your good self; former President and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party on one hand, and my humble self, the National Chairman of our party on the other hand.

    “Buruji Kasamu came to limelight in politics as a result of the role he played in the politics of Ogun State where both of you come from. He later became a rallying point in the south-west following court orders in the series of cases brought about as a result of disagreements among leaders of the party in the Southwest and Ogun State in particular.

    “In my opinion, Buruji became a rallying point because of the absence of a zonal executive in the Southwest. This vacuum in the Southwest has made him the person to whom many members in all the chapters of the party in the zone approach for one form of assistance or the order”.

    Tukur indicated the decision of the party to conduct a zonal congress in the South-west zone to elect new zonal executive, in compliance with the orders of the courts.

    For a successful conduct of the planned zonal congress, Tukur said Obasanjo and other leaders of the party from the zone ought to build a strong consensus for that purpose.

  • Tukur writes Tambuwal over legislators’ defection

    Tukur writes Tambuwal over legislators’ defection

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has urged House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to “direct” lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to the PDP.

    In a letter to Tambuwal, signed by Tukur’s lawyer, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), the PDP said the lawmakers’ defection could lead to “anarchy”.

    According to Gadzama in the letter dated December 19, the Federal High Court, Abuja, has directed that the defecting lawmakers maintain status quo.

    The order, he said, was made on December 17 in a suit by Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo and 50 other lawmakers against Tukur, Senate President David Mark, Tambuwal, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The plaintiff’s counsel, Gadzama said, sought to move an application for interlocutory injunction restraining Mark and Tambuwal from sitting over deliberations to declare the plaintiffs’ seat vacant.

    Gadzama said Justice A. R. Mohammed suo motu (without prompting by any of the counsel), ordered all parties to maintain status quo pending hearing of the lawmakers’ suit on January 22.

    He said: “Despite the court order, 37 of the plaintiffs have purportedly declared their intention to decamp to the APC. This, you will undoubtedly agree, is not in tandem with the court order. The plaintiffs did not comply with the mandatory criteria for defecting to another party. While the PDP has filed a motion seeking to overturn the lawmakers’ purported movement to the APC, the Speaker should direct that the court order be maintained.

    “We enjoin you to act in obedience to the court order and direct the plaintiffs to revert to the status quo ante bellum. “

    Anything contrary to this will send out the wrong signal to Nigerians and the world that the federal legislators have no regard for the law and the Constitution they have sworn to uphold.

    “The action of the plaintiffs, if not contained, may lead to a state of anarchy, which is not good for our democracy, constitutionalism, rule of law and the polity.”

  • N1.8b subsidy fraud: EFCC re-arraigns Tukur’s son

    N1.8b subsidy fraud: EFCC re-arraigns Tukur’s son

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned Mahmud Tukur, the son of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for alleged N1.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

    Tukur was arraigned afresh alongside Ochonogor Alex; Abdullahi Alao, the son of prominent businessman, Alhaji Abdullazeez Arikesola-Alao with Eterna Oil and Gas Plc before a new trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, of an Ikeja High Court.

    The case file of the defendants was transferred from Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo to Justice Lawal-Akapo after the former was moved to the Commercial Division of the High Court.

    The defendants are facing a nine-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.

    EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, alleged that the accused, between January and April 2011 in Lagos, fraudulently obtained N1.8 billion from the Federal Government.

    He alleged that the defendants obtained the money from the Petroleum Support Fund for purported importation of 80.3 million litres of petrol.

    They were also alleged to have forged a bill of lading, dated April 28, 2011, with which they committed the fraud.

    Jacobs said their alleged offences contravened Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

    According to him, the actions of the accused also contravened Sections 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Justice Lawal-Akapo asked them to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted by the former trial judge.

    He adjourned the matter till February 24, 2014 for hearing.

  • G7 governors intact, insists Aliyu

    G7 governors intact, insists Aliyu

    GOVERNOR Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said yesterday in Kano that the G7 governors are still ‘intact’ regardless of the recent defection by five of them from the PDP to the APC.

    Only Aliyu and his Jigawa counterpart, Alhaji Sule Lamido, remain in the PDP out of the seven Governors opposed to what they called undemocratic style of the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    Aliyu, on a courtesy visit to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, one of the five that defected, described the G7 as intact and solid, but only pursuing the same objective through different approaches.

    “We are still together as one indivisible body. We communicate, exchange ideas and are pursuing the same objective. Our goal is never different, for your information,” he said.

    What is unfolding in public, according to him, should not be misconstrued to mean that the group is now divided.

    Aliyu, who was accompanied by former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima declared that nothing can separate him from Governor Kwankwaso.

    “All we are doing is a unified idea. We are only strategising towards the same objective,” he said.

    His host spoke in the same vein.

    He said: “Those of us that went ahead were to chart the way for those we left behind for the political commanders to finish one or two things before joining us. Be rest assured that they will join us.

    “We share everything together and people should be rest assured that we are engaging in a political strategy.”