The Nation Newspaper

Tag: empire

  • Empire actor, Smollet, has all 16 felony charges dropped

    Empire actor Jussie Smollet has had all charges against him dropped, his attorneys say.

    Smollet was indicted earlier this month on 16 felony counts by a Cook County grand jury.

    Tuesday’s announcement that charges against him were dropped comes more than a month after the county’s top prosecutor recused herself from the investigation.

    Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a spokeswoman from her office.

    “Out of an abundance of caution, the decision to recuse herself was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case,” spokesperson Tandra Simonton said at the time.

    The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately explain why the 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct were dropped against Smollett today, except to say it came after reviewing the case’s facts, and in view of Smollett’s agreement to forfeit his $10,000 bond. Parts of the case will be sealed, one of Smollett’s attorneys said.

    Read also: Despite Djansi’s ‘insult’, Omotola shows she’s friends with Ghanaians

    Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took issue with Jussie Smollett telling reporters earlier that he was innocent, while “still running down the Chicago Police Department.”

    “How dare him? How dare him?” Rahm said.

    “This is a person now who has been let off scot-free with no sense of accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions,” Emanuel said.

    He admonished Smollett for “using hate crime laws that are on the books to protect people who are minorities from violence” only to “turn around and use those laws to advance your career and financial reward.”

    “Is there no decency in this man?” the mayor said.

    Speaking to reporters earlier today, Smollett described his actions as “truthful.”

    The #Empire star then took to his Instagram handle #JussieSmollet to announce that the charges had been dropped.

    “I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of,” he said.

    Smollet thanked his family, the city of Chicago and his supporters after all criminal charges were dropped against him. (NAN)

  • Fox’s famous series berths on StarTimes online platform

    FOX’S most famous TV series, like The Walking Dead and Empire, are to begin airing on StarTimes online video streaming platform, StarTimes ON, this March.

    Source from StarTimes says almost all Fox famous TV series would successively be available on StarTimes ON from 22nd March, while a Fox+ Series zone would particularly be created.

    Besides The Walking Dead and Empire, 24, X-files, Outcast, Bones, American Dad, Modern Family, Ghosted, Chance, Star and Family Guy will be first served in March to users of StarTimes ON.

    More TV series, including Legion, Prison Break, Homeland, Atlanta, American Horror Story, Wayward Pines, Da Vinci’s Demons, Futurama, The Americans, Sleepy Hollow, Bob’s Burger, Scream Queens, Rosewood, Baskets, 24 Legacy, Son of Zorn and The Gifted will join StarTimes ON later, in April, May and June.

    “We are very happy to bring Fox+ Series to our users and I’m sure that fans of American television series will fully enjoy themselves with StarTimes ON,” said Ariel Wang, StarTimes ON Operation Director, adding that StarTimes ON would continue to introduce excellent international and African local contents to the online video streaming platform.

    StarTimes provides Terrestrial TV (DTT) and Satellite TV (DTH) services to millions of customers in the market. Last year, it pioneered its online video streaming service with having forged a new brand, StarTimes ON, for the online business. Till now, StarTimes ON has accumulated over 12 million users in African market.

  • ‘Empire’ returns with fourth season

    ‘Empire’ returns with fourth season

    THE fourth season of family drama series, ‘Empire’, is making its debut on StarTimes’ Fox Life Channel.

    Set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music, Empire is a Hollywood drama about a family dynasty. The show revolves around the Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard and the feisty mother of his children, Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson).

    Lucious makes his first public appearance since the explosion in Las Vegas, but still has no memory of his family, Empire or his life before the accident.

    Meanwhile, a devastated Cookie struggles to rebuild her relationship with him, while keeping a close eye on his nurse. Meanwhile, Andre (Trai Byers), Lyons son, is faced with an investigation by the LAPD surrounding the night of the Las Vegas explosion.

    The series is produced by 20th Century Fox, in association with Imagine Entertainment, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Danny Strong Productions and Little Chicken Inc. The show-runners for this season are Ilene Chaiken, Danny Strong and Lee Daniels.

    According to the Brand and Marketing Director at StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede, by bringing Empire to the screens, the Pay TV service provider intends to broaden its entertainment offering to its subscribers on the go via StarTimes Mobile App as they keep up to date with Hollywood blockbusters. This, he said was to enhance viewers delight and Entertainment experience.

    “StarTimes is always ready to give it subscriber’s rich entertainment and boosting family viewership,” he stressed.

  • ‘Empire’ returns with fourth season

    THE fourth season of family drama series, ‘Empire’, is making its debut on StarTimes’ Fox Life Channel.

    Set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music, Empire is a Hollywood drama about a family dynasty. The show revolves around the Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard and the feisty mother of his children, Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson).

    Lucious makes his first public appearance since the explosion in Las Vegas, but still has no memory of his family, Empire or his life before the accident.

    Meanwhile, a devastated Cookie struggles to rebuild her relationship with him, while keeping a close eye on his nurse. Meanwhile, Andre (Trai Byers), Lyons son, is faced with an investigation by the LAPD surrounding the night of the Las Vegas explosion.

    The series is produced by 20th Century Fox, in association with Imagine Entertainment, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Danny Strong Productions and Little Chicken Inc. The show-runners for this season are Ilene Chaiken, Danny Strong and Lee Daniels.

    According to the Brand and Marketing Director at StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede, by bringing Empire to the screens, the Pay TV service provider intends to broaden its entertainment offering to its subscribers on the go via StarTimes Mobile App as they keep up to date with Hollywood blockbusters. This, he said was to enhance viewers delight and Entertainment experience.

    “StarTimes is always ready to give it subscriber’s rich entertainment and boosting family viewership,” he stressed.

  • ‘Empire’ returns with fourth season

    ‘Empire’ returns with fourth season

    The fourth season of family drama series, ‘ Empire ’, is making its debut on StarTimes’ Fox Life Channel.

    Set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music, Empire is a Hollywood drama about a family dynasty. The show revolves around the Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard and the feisty mother of his children, Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson).

    Lucious makes his first public appearance since the explosion in Las Vegas, but still has no memory of his family, Empire or his life before the accident.

    Meanwhile, a devastated Cookie struggles to rebuild her relationship with him, while keeping a close eye on his nurse. Meanwhile, Andre (Trai Byers), Lyons son, is faced with an investigation by the LAPD surrounding the night of the Las Vegas explosion.

    The series is produced by 20th Century Fox, in association with Imagine Entertainment, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Danny Strong Productions and Little Chicken Inc. The show-runners for this season are Ilene Chaiken, Danny Strong and Lee Daniels.

    According to the Brand and Marketing Director at StarTimes, Qasim Elegbede, by bringing Empire to the screens, the Pay TV service provider intends to broaden its entertainment offering to its subscribers on the go via StarTimes Mobile App as they keep up to date with Hollywood blockbusters. This, he said was to enhance viewers delight and Entertainment experience.

    “StarTimes is always ready to give it subscriber’s rich entertainment and boosting family viewership,” he stressed.

  • Theresa May: Grandeur and illusion of empire

    Living up to the reputation of her great and revered ancestors, Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, vowed to remain in Europe while thrusting a dagger at the very heart of the European Union.

    I hurriedly jotted down notes as the British Prime Minister robustly delivered her speech. All through the entire endeavour, she belittled the intelligence of her audience with convoluted logic only clear to her and her admirers.

    I could infer from her presentation that the British Prime Minister wanted the best of both worlds for Britain. She picked and chose only those policies that advanced Britain’s supreme self-interest. Above all, I discerned an ingrained discomfiture in living with people they – the British – cannot control or subjugate.

    It is the disdain with which she treated those of us in Africa, especially Nigeria that riled most. Hear her out:

    “We are a European country — and proud of our shared European heritage — but we are also a country that has    always looked beyond Europe to the wider world. That is why we are one of the most racially diverse countries in Europe, one of the most multicultural members of the European Union, and why — whether we are talking about India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, countries in Africa or those that are closer to home in Europe — so many of us have close friends and relatives from across the world.”

    India, Bangladesh and others were tangentially mentioned. The entire Africa, she ‘majestically’ grouped as one anonymous unit. Not one mention of Nigeria by name; even though she singled out tiny New Zealand.

    She referred to “the next biennial Commonwealth heads of Government meeting in 2018” in a manner to suggest she was sure her serfs in this ‘unique’ grouping would be summoned, and troop out to obey. Speaking for Britain, she left no doubt about her grand ambition to use us, as usual, as props in building her ‘Global Britain’: euphemism for the revival of her dream of Empire.

    I am not an economist nor a trade expert to digest the full implications of the copious references made in the British Prime Minister’s strategy and ‘Plan for Britain’. I sense we would be lucky, this time, to be used only as pawns or bargaining chips, in Theresa May’s dream of ‘a truly Global Britain’. More humiliation awaits us.

    I would, however, wish to ask where we fit into Theresa May’s grand design and scheme. Where do we as a country intend to stand? Do we still remain an appendage to an empire that had long expired, was resuscitated and transformed in a chameleonic form to Commonwealth? Where do we belong in an association where we had allowed our dignity to be thoroughly bruised, with specks and crumbs thrown at us from the master’s table?

    I visited Britain for the first time, as a student, in 1955. It was to represent the Students’ Union of the University College of Ibadan at the International Students’ Conference in Birmingham. This was a year before Theresa May was born (October 1, 1956). Then, I had a smooth passage and entry in and out of London.

    As a young diplomat at the Nigeria High Commission in London in 1959, I and my colleagues also went in and out of Heathrow airport with our heads held high. Whereas our counterparts, European visitors, would queue up at the immigration desks, waiting for their passports to be stamped, we were waved through with dignity. With the passage and efflux of time, the reverse has been the case.

    I mention these episodes because of the nexus between British immigration policy then, when it was massively in their own self-interest; and now, when others are marginally benefitting from it.

    Our lot with Britain seems to have deteriorated with time. This is not entirely their fault. We have not built dependable and lasting mechanisms into our system to regulate our entry and protect our reputation as a people in foreign lands. Nor has Britain treated us with the measure of respect and decorum befitting our membership in the Commonwealth. This is obvious and evident from Theresa May’s Brexit speech. As I now write, I doubt whether there has been any consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Britain’s Brexit policy.

    Immigration, a focal theme in the British Prime Minister’s project, has now become a catch phrase. As usual, we have been used and dumped: from slavery to partition, from partition to colonization, from colonization to independence, and from independence to a malleable, manipulated neo-colonial entity. Should Theresa May’s dream come  true, we will certainly become an appendage to Global Britain – a return to Her Majesty’s new and reconstructed empire.

    It should now be clear to us that while the Commonwealth may have meant something in the past – and may have served some purpose however limited, there had never, in reality, been any wealth that was common.

    Everything considered, and upon thorough reflection, we have always carried a disproportionate share of its burden. The hypothesis of equality on which the association is supposedly constructed, will, I believe, sooner or later, be put to test. Must we always genuflect and bow to a distant imperial majesty?

    Theresa May speaks up so proudly and confidently for the supreme interest of her country. In doing so, she may have stirred up the hornets’ nest. I hope she and her admirers have not unduly taken us for granted as she outlined a plan that has deeply grated at the dignity of others, and the very essence of our being. What is or what should be our response? Pull out from this contraption at an appropriate time, among taking other well-considered policy measures?

    Theresa May has, as yet, many hurdles to scale; first within the United Kingdom itself. We must be fully prepared for the darts that will be hurled at us. This is especially so because amongst us are many influential and powerful voices – patriots all – who love Britain and the Commonwealth more than their own country.

    How prepared is Nigeria for a post-Brexit era?  In the same vein, we should ask, how prepared are we for a Trump presidency which shares an ideological affinity with the proponents of Brexit.

    Immigration has been a central component in the Brexit agenda. Make no mistake about this. The word IMMIGRATION can only mean one thing in the manner it is now being bandied around by heirs of unrepentant slave dealers whose ancestors were, themselves, undocumented, uninvited and unwelcome colonisers, who brutalised us spiritually and mentally, ripped us of our dignity, and imposed their will and dominance on us.

    If the ungarnished truth must be told, the word immigration, as currently peddled, connotes the worst form of prejudice, discrimination, racism and total rejection, notwithstanding any spurious rationalization.

    The direct consequence is starkly manifested in the fate of men, women and children who perish, today, in the high seas, just as they did during the abominable era of the slave trade.

    The frenzy is driven now, as it was then, by the same philosophy of greed and hate; spun from the same evil yarn of contempt for fellow human beings.

    How many more lives will be allowed to perish before their conscience is pricked – the conscience of these professed Christians, acclaimed leaders of their communities, who constantly mouth meaningless slogans such as their ‘values’, ‘ways of life’ and ‘shared heritage’?

    We wish Theresa May and her bed-fellows the best of luck in their search for grandeur and illusion of empire. It is now Global Britain; and no longer Great Britain, since maverick Donald Trump has appropriated to himself the word great, in his clumsy advocacy ‘to make the United States Great Again’.

     

    • Ambassador Olisemeka, CON, is former Foreign Minister of Nigeria
  • China’s soaring business empire in Nigeria

    China’s soaring business empire in Nigeria

    With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to hit $19.23 trillion this year, surpassing United States’ $18.29 trillion, China has become a counterforce to U.S. monopoly of the global economy. Much of its soaring economic power is drawn from the activities of a horde of Chinese businessmen and entrepreneurs, who have ‘invaded’ the Nigerian market, swelling its trade volume with Nigeria by $18.1 billion (about N38.01 trillion). Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports that despite Nigeria being the toast of Chinese investors and businessmen, there are still grey areas in the blossoming relationship.

    It is not for nothing that the dragon is the symbol of strength and enterprise of the Chinese nation. Like the mythical monster, known for its fierce, protective and ravaging attributes, the Asian Tiger, as China is popularly called, has been ravaging the globe, especially the developing African continent in search of trade and investment opportunities. The search, no doubt, has paid off.

    China, for the first time, surpassed the United States (U.S.) as the world’s largest economy in 2014. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) soared to $17.63 trillion ahead of U.S. $17.42 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    According to the records in terms of purchasing power, China accounts for 16.5 per cent of the global economy, compared to U.S.’ 16.3 per cent. The Asian giant has also been tipped by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to hit a GDP of $19.23 trillion before the end of this year, surpassing U.S.’ projected GDP of $18.29 trillion.

    With a population of 1.36 billion people, the largest in the world, China has to its credit the highest global economic growth rate in the last three decades, averaging 10 per cent annually. Yet, the ‘rampaging monster’ is charging on, drawing its greatest strength for her impressive growth rate, arguably, from her trade and investment exploits in Nigeria.

    From oil & gas to construction; power to Information and Communications Technology (ICT); manufacturing to education; healthcare to hospitality; transport to aviation; textile to defence and trading and general merchandising, China is spreading its tentacles in Africa’s most populous and largest economy.

    The Nation learnt that close to 300 Chinese companies are currently operating in various sectors of the Nigerian economy. The activities of these companies have seen the volume of trade between China and Nigeria growing from less than $2 billion in 2000 to $18.1 billion (about N38.01 trillion in 2014).

    According to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gu Xiaojie, the figure represents 30 per cent increase over that of the preceding year. The envoy, who spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, said bilateral relations between Nigeria and China had been growing in “leaps and bounds.”

    The ambassador’s position was corroborated by National Coordinator of the Nigeria-China Business Council (NCBC), Chief Matthew Uwakwe, who said the volume of trade transactions between both countries has grown from $3.4 billion to over $10 billion between 2009 when the Council started and this year (a period of six years).

    The NCBC, which is under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, was established six years ago to promote bilateral trade relations between both countries and grow infrastructural expertise in Nigeria.

    When The Nation visited the Council’s Lagos Office on Samuel Olabode Street, off Isheri Road, an official could not hide his excitement over what he described as “a business relationship skewed in favour of Nigeria.” To support his assertion, the official, who pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, said nine Nigerians are currently undergoing training in China in the area of pre-paid meter installation and maintenance.

    He said on completion of the programme, the lucky Nigerians, to be trained free for two months, are to be engaged by SkyRun Electric Smart Metering System and Solutions (Nig.) Limited, a $500 million pre-paid meter/electronics manufacturing firm operating in the Calabar Free Trade Zone (CFTZ).

    As Uwakwe earlier explained, the youths were sent to China to sharpen their skills in modern technology, regarding energy and prepaid meters.

    “The training is to improve their skills in modern technology,” he explained, expressing hope that when they return, “the problem of prepaid meters will be reduced.”

    Immediate Power Minister Prof. Chinedu Nebo is also hopeful. He said establishing the metering company in the country will enhance revenue generation of the distribution companies (DISCO’s), thereby curtailing the menace of estimated billing as being experienced by electricity customers in many parts of the country.

    “As we increase electricity consumption rate, we also have to produce more meters to meet demand.” he said, lamenting that about 60 per cent of customers are not metered hence, manufacturing meters locally will significantly close the metering gap and create employment opportunities to unemployed youths, besides enabling investors to re-coup their investment as planned.

    SkyRun has been in Nigeria in the last 10 years. Its plant will is billed for inauguration in the last quarter of the year. The company has over 500 indigenous workers on its payroll an its Calabar site, where it is currently manufacturing a single-phase and three-phase Smart Meters. The meters will significantly boost the revenue base of DISCO’s operating in Nigeria. The NCBC official, who spoke with The Nation said many DISCOS’s have been placing order for pre-paid meters for their customers. An array of pre-paid meters displayed at NCBC’s office bears testimony to China’s resolve to play a leading role in Nigeria’s power sector post-privatisation.

     

    Running a ring round the power sector

    The power sector is one of the areas receiving Chinese investors’ greatest attention, a trend that is hardly surprising. China is aware of the huge unmet demand in Nigeria’s electricity market and is determined to fill the gap. For instance, access-to-power is currently limited to approximately 40 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 170 million people and electricity supply has is still below 600 Megawatts (MW) for a suppressed demand estimated at 10,000 MW. The Federal Government’s target is to achieve up to 75 per cent access to electricity by 2020 by connecting an average of 1.5 million households annually.

    The huge electricity supply gap has created a market too lucrative and tempting for Chinese investors to ignore.  In July, for instance, a Chinese public utility – the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) – offered to inject a whopping $12 billion into the electricity sector in an ambitious investment programme in the second phase of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

    SGCC, arguably the largest state-owned electricity utility company in the world, has offered to invest the money in two tranches, starting off with an initial payment of $8 billion and additional $4 billion later. The payments will be equity and loan participations in electricity transmission projects for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

    According to a status report on Nigeria’s power sector presented by the NDPHC to the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, SGCC made the offer in consortium with its other partners, CET Power and Westron. Under the programme, the NDPHC will commit about $600 million to the transmission project. Presenting the status report to the government, NDPHC’s Managing Director James Olotu said the transmission projects are 15 of the 114 that will not be completed in the first phase of the NIPP due to intractable way-leave issues and cost escalations.

    They have, however, been transferred to the second phase of the NIPP for consideration and approval by the board. It is these projects and a couple of others that SGCC and its other partners have indicated an interest to fund. The status report showed that within the prevailing transmission challenges of the power sector, SGCC’s funding portfolio in the sector could rise to $18 billion if the government resolves inherent challenges in projects’ financing in the transmission network, vis-à-vis the country’s power sector.

    That is not all. The largest coal to power company in China is interested in coming to invest in Nigeria. Many big companies who are into power generation and transmission have indicated their interest in investing in Nigeria. A Chinese firm and two local investors have since concluded arrangements to inject $10 billion (about N1.99 trillion) into the manufacturing of lighting equipment and accessories to boost electricity supply in Nigeria.

    Under the deal, seen by energy experts as the wedge for solar energy adaptation in the country, Hongye-Sinari Group, Niger-Sino Industries Limited and Hamaded Logistics will build a solar energy accessories’ plant, which, when operational, will serve industrial and housing estates, schools, hospitals and malls.

    The investment, according to the Director, Energy Generation, Hongye-Sinari Group, Mr. Xu Rongchang, will bail Nigeria out of its power problems.

    Addressing members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos, Head of the Chinese delegation, Mr. David Yang Xoaohua, said the Chinese firm has branches in over 100 countries with over 5,000 workforce, and investible fund of over $10 billion. He said with such enormous funds, the company, which is also into the manufacture of agricultural equipment, needs clear rules of engagement, an enabling environment and a good legal framework that protects investors and investment.

    Xoaohua added that after a careful study, the firm has come to the conclusion that Nigeria, being the largest economy in Africa, remains the best place to invest with high returns on investment. Noting that the companies specialise in the manufacture of lighting equipment and accessories; solar energy, he affirmed China’s commitment to a significant role in the energy sector.

    He said: “Our aim is to help the nation in the areas of infrastructural development and the mechanisation of its manufacturing process, develop the energy sector to boost manufacturing and other forms of businesses. It’s a win-win situation as it provides opportunity for massive employment generation. This is one area we learnt the government is working hard to bridge. There will be no case of dumping of fake and substandard goods as we will set up our manufacturing plant.”

  • Dickson’s crumbling empire in Bayelsa

    Dickson’s crumbling empire in Bayelsa

    Ahead of the Bayelsa State governorship election on December 5, the political landscape in the South-South state is getting saturated with drama, intrigues, accusations and counter-accusations. All eyes, as it were, are focused on the riverine state with the least population and number of local government areas but very rich in oil.

    The battle for the soul of the state has been narrowed down to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After years of free reign by the PDP, the APC is gradually regaining its voice in the state. The party had been kept in abeyance in the state for the six years Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a native of Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, was in the saddle as the President of Nigeria. Only a few members of the party, led by a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, could gather enough courage to speak about the party in public.

    With the exit of the ex-President, however, the umbrella symbol of the PDP seems to be tearing apart while the APC broom gets thicker and thicker. Many of the former leaders of the PDP in the state, including founding members of the party, have been jumping the ship droves, pitching their tents with the APC. The notable defectors include a former Chief of Staff to the Bayelsa State governor, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, who made a carnival of his defection. He is now the leading aspirant for the APC ticket. Many of the defectors have blamed their departure on the leadership style of the governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson. Others insist that the PDP, hitherto their darling party, has lost focus.

    Surprisingly, prominent politicians and former lawmakers representing Jonathan in the national and state houses of assembly were the first to call it quits with the PDP. Some of them even left before Joathan handed over the reins of power to President Muhammadu Buhari. Penultimate Friday, another major defection also hit the PDP. A two-time former member of the House of Representatives, who hails from Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, Mr. Warman Ogoriba and his supporters dumped the PDP for the APC in an elaborate ceremony that was held at the new secretariat of the APC.

    Barring any change in plan, another tsunami is set to hit the PDP. More than 200 former political office holders under the aegis of Bayelsa Peoples Patriots (BPP), consisting big names like the former Speaker and Acting Governor of the state, Chief Nestor Binabo; former Deputy Governor, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu and many other notable politicians will be joining the APC. A group of former elders of the PDP under the auspices of Bayelsa Peoples Consultative Assembly (BPCA), drawn majorly from Dickson’s Bayelsa West Senatorial District, has also concluded plans to join the APC. There are also indications that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and former Presidential aide, Mr. Werimapowei Dudafa, may be on their way to the APC. Indeed, the APC has become the toast of former PDP leaders, is gathering momentum and may become a household name few months to the election.

    But the party also has its fair share of internal crisis arising from the ambition of Chief Richard Perekeme Kpodo, a former aide to Sylva. Kpodo has been trying to get his pound of flesh from Sylva who he accused of betraying him.

    Besides, the observers believe that the APC may be on the verge of imposition if it fails to manage the conflicting interests of the defectors that are trooping into its fold. Unless the defectors make personal sacrifices, their scrambling for space and positions, including the quest to satisfy their ambitions, may trigger costly crisis in the party.

    Already, a group of APC members, the Third Force, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Mr. Ebideinmo Perekeme, has started stoking the fire of crisis. The statement asked the APC not to field any of the defecting politicians as its candidate for the election.

    But the state Chairman of APC, Mr. Tiwe Oruminighe, said everybody is free to aspire to any position of their choice in the party. He ruled out a consensus candidate for the incoming election, saying the party will not adopt any candidate. He said the APC ticket was open to all aspirants who must be willing to go through a strict primary election.

    The party is also up against an incumbent governor believed by a section of the state to have raised the bar on performance in the state. Already, Dickson, in spite of the cracks in his party, has asked the APC to forget the December 5 governorship poll in the state. He said the achievements of the PDP government in the state would enhance its victory at the election.

    Dickson, while addressing over 400 political appointees at the Government House in Yenagoa, said Bayelsa remained a stronghold of the PDP. He described the PDP as strong and united. Dickson noted that all Bayelsa indigenes believe in the ideals and programmes of the PDP as the only national party that had given the Ijaw people a sense of belonging by providing a platform for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to become Nigeria’s president.

  • The rise and fall of an empire

    There is no doubt that Nigerians have seen their long anticipated hope of changing the direction in government. The wind to make this change was set since 2003 but it was believed not to have been strong enough to effect that change then. But after gathering momentum and strength for many years and overcoming different obstacles, it has now gathered the vigour to make the change.

    With all sincerity and responsibility, I must confess that the change came as a result of the resilience of both the electorate and the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The just concluded general election which has been adjudged by both local and international observers as free, fair and credible in the history of Nigeria is a clear testimony to the law of karma which our political leaders are expected to learn from. It has also renewed the confidence electorates repose in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The result of the election demonstrated the rise and fall of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) which has been in powers the past 16 years. It would be recalled that the party took the mantle of leadership of this nation in 1999 when it produced General Olusegun Obasanjo as president after a long period of military rule. The plan of the party was to hold on to power for 60 years as as boasted by one of its national chairmen. But alas, little did they know that their long term dream will be abruptly brought to an end after spending 16 years of controlling the machinery of government.

    There is indeed lots of food for thought from the just-concluded general election by both our leaders and Nigerians as a whole. Among the lessons our leaders are expected to learn is that there is a limit to what money can buy.  Even from the primaries, Nigerians were made to grapple with the cash inducement that dictated the outcome of candidates who became flag bearers. Delegates were treated to a potpourri of desperados who daggled their fat carrots just to win votes. This was repeated during the general elections without knowing that the electorates had already made up their mind in their choice of candidate. Our leaders have failed to understand that the electorate has learnt from their past mistakes and will not allow themselves to be seduced with material benefits during the electioneering process anymore.

    However, a great lesson in General Buhari’s victory is the power of determination. It has shown that in the race of life, one is not expected to give up as a result of challenges encountered because the road to success is usually paved with detours and hurdles. If not for his resilience, he must have given up after contesting thrice and lost without knowing that he would make history in the fourth attempt. This is what anybody will hardly want to subject himself to. GMB is certainly Nigeria’s Abraham Lincoln of the United States of America.

    The victory of the APC is surely a sign of change the electorate had desired, yet the party should get to power and forget its campaign promises. This is because the electorate that voted it to power a strong belief in its ability to right the wrongs of the past leaders. However, if these wrongs are not corrected, these same voters will not hesitate to vote them out of office come 2019 as the change is bound to continue. This change could be seen as a “bloodless war” to borrow the terms of the poet, Lenrie Peters in We have come home.

    Furthermore, I must not fail to congratulate President Jonathan for his maturity and sportsmanship by conceding defeat. His action is a clear testimony to the words of Abraham Lincoln that: “the people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them”. We must not fail to understand that the government of President Jonathan allowed us to effect the changes we all yearned for.

    All said and done, while congratulating our President-elect, we urge him to live up to his campaign promises. That is a clarion call, we must agree. But we equally must support his efforts to build a nation for all. He can only achieve this when he surrounds himself with honest people who are ready to work irrespective of differences in religions ethnicity and ideas. His emergence is not an end, but a means to achieve a greater end – the prosperity and freedom of all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion, social standing and ideological leanings.

     

    Mubarak, has just finished from General Agriculture, UDUS