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Tag: Ethnicity

  • Primate to religious leaders: don’t encourage ethnicity

    Primate to religious leaders: don’t encourage ethnicity

    The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, has urged clerics and religious leaders to preach unity and dwell less on ethnicity, which he said can destroy the church and the country.

    Okoh said the absence of unity in the church is affecting the nation’s progress.

    He spoke yesterday in Abuja at the launch of the activities marking the 25th anniversary of the Diocese of Abuja, Anglican Communion, with the theme: “Celebrating the Faithfulness of God”.

    The diocese, created from Kaduna Diocese on November 26, 1989, has eight arch-deaconries. It has produced two dioceses, namely Diocese of Kubwa and Diocese of Gwagwalada.

    Okoh said the church and the country suffered the same problem, and the church could salvage the country.

    According to him, the nation made a slow progress, following disunity among the citizens.

    “The challenge affecting the country, which is also affecting the church, is ethnicity, the absence of unity. You will agree with me that today we have a nation, but we are not united. If we are united, our country would have made much progress,” he said.

    The Primate added: “We (Anglican Church) want to unite the people in the church and make ethnicity  less attractive. Hopefully, by the grace of God, we will extend it to the country.

    “In the church, we want to teach it, emphasise it, make everybody accept it and give it as a gift to the nation, so that anybody who has gone through the teaching of the church will have no difficulty interacting with people from any part of the country.”

  • Omo-Agege: Delta beyond ethnicity

    Propaganda not propriety, sentiments not sequence have so far defined the search for Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s successor. At the last check, over 30 governorship aspirants are jostling with all manners of plots and power play. The domino effect is that shallow stereotypes and warped perspectives are thrown up daily in the public domain by a desperate crowd of power mongers and sympathizers

    A dangerous game in power politics is raging in Delta State. A lethal game plan called AGENDA. Today politicians seeking fortune at all costs have inundated our psyche with Anioma Agenda, Urhobo agenda, Ijaw agenda e t c. Majority of the contenders in the 2015 gubernatorial battle seem to have been entrapped in a particular obsession – desire for party ticket with ethnic card. When politicians hold tribalism as the only ladder to power, democracy is in trouble !

    One aspirant who has clearly shunned the temptation is Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege. A detached study of his manifesto, speeches, consultations and body language easily unveils a man with a carriage that looms larger than the toga of ethnic garb. Truly Omo-Agege does not see Delta from the blinkers of ethnicity, unlike most of his peers in the governorship race. Whether in words or deeds, enlightened public opinion can uphold that he has a pan -Delta agenda in his quest to govern. This perception is unassailable for good reasons.

    Though Urhobo by origin, Omo-Agege does not have the all too familiar tribal marks of nepotism, sectionalism and self centered clannishness, common with the typical Nigerian politician . He is averse to egocentric mindset. He is not persuaded by a narrow world view. His contacts and company transcends tribal, religious and political boundaries.  He is overly cosmopolitan. Omo-Agege symbolizes the soul of Delta, its destiny and essence. He embodies the cultured pacifist spirit of the Anioma, dignified comportment of the Itsekiri, vivacious robust tendency of the Urhobo, spartan courageous latitude of the Ijaw and easy going accommodating posture of the Isoko.

    This admirable personae is rooted in his pedigree. After graduating with excellent grades in law at Nigeria’s most sought after university, UNIBEN  in 1985, he went higher in 2002 to obtain an LLM (masters of law) degree in Tulane university, United States of America, rated among the top 20 universities in the world. A distinguished academic orientation that prepared him for a dignified future.

    It is no surprise that he took  a phenomenal flight from this tutelage into the political hierarchy of Delta state, serving as Executive Assistant and then  civil commissioner under the Ibori Administration in 2005. He would fulfill a waiting destiny about a year later when he rose to become secretary to the state government, the youngest ever, setting a trail blazing direction, through service of purpose and vision. In terms of experience in governance, Omo-Agege easily takes the piece of cake. He has the matchless competence, commitment and character to lead the people of Delta.

    In Delta North senatorial district where the much advertised issue of zoning or power rotation has continued to resonate, an Omo-Agege governorship will settle all prejudices and worries. He maintains strong age old links with the Anioma people, as his native Orogun and Aboh kingdom share historical bonds of genealogy, friendship and brotherhood. He went to Obinomba Grammar School, Ukwuani local government area in the heart of Delta north where he enjoyed a large community of life-long childhood friends. By cultural and sociological heritage, no one can be more Anioma than Omo-Agege. Those who lay claim to zoning within Delta North can only exclude him by spurious geography not sound logic.

    He has in his populist agenda, envisioned and articulated a brilliant road map for the development of Delta North and indeed Central and South senatorial districts. He has made a solemn pledge to fix the bane of Agbor –  erosion, acute water problem in Asaba- Ogwashi Uku – Issele uku axis and improve the road networks in Delta north. He is poised to provide people-centered security as well as basic social infrastructure and pursue a coordinated agrarian and industrialization programmes across the three senatorial districts for the good of all.

    Again the behavior of Omo-Agege as a politician deserves celebration. He was the first and only governorship candidate to concede victory to Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, after his  April 26, 2011 election for a second tenure. He went ahead to attend Uduaghan’s inauguration at the Cenotaph Asaba and openly congratulated him to the bewilderment of all, especially the political class who see election as war.

    Omo-Agege’s mellow and restrained personality owe much to his good breeding, education and self discipline. This polished, highly educated son of a legendary Justice will make a good Governor. With his political maturity, civility and excellent manners, Delta has everything to gain.

    • Jonathan Okolo is a public affairs analyst based in Asaba

     

  • Ethnicity, class and democracy

    Ethnicity, class and democracy

    The venue was the Agip Recital Hall of the Muson Centre in Lagos. The day was Wednesday, 7th August, 2013. The event was the 70th birthday lecture and book launch of Professor Ropo Sekoni, renowned scholar of comparative literature and cultural studies, originalpolitical thinker, prodigious researcher, prolific newspaper columnist, relentless fighter for democracy and justice, proud Yoruba indigene, patriotic Nigerian citizen and above all, a most unassuming and remarkable human being.

    In spite of the hiccups and debilitating paralysis associated with presidential movements in Lagos on that day, the hall was filled to capacity. The audience was not necessarily distinguished by the size of their bank accounts, the length of their convoys or their elaborate sartorial outfits. After all, the celebrator had no contracts to award, no patronages to dispense, no oil blocs to distribute and no lucrative political appointments to offer.

    Yet, from far and near they came, men and women of high accomplishment and character, to accord honour to a man most deserving of being celebrated. Surely, only the deep can call to the deep and so on hand to identify with Professor Sekoni on the memorable occasion were eminent Nigerians with progressive credentials including General Alani Akinrinade, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, who represented Ogbeni Raufu Aregbesola, Dr. Amos Akingba, Professor Akin Oyebode, Chief Bode Akindele, Dr Femi Orebe and, of course, former Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Dele Alake, who represented Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Chief Presenter of the book.

    Aside from scores of his colleagues from the academia and the media, several of Professor Sekoni’s students over the years were also on hand to demonstrate their gratitude to a man who contributed in no small measure in moulding their intellects, values and lives. Among them were Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, the witty Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, the award winning columnist, Sam Omatseye, Senator Femi Ojudu and, of course, the guest lecturer, Dr. Femi Folorunso, who gave a commanding performance that elicited a prolonged standing ovation.

    Yours truly was never privileged to be Professor Sekoni’s student since I was never at Ife but was groomed at the nation’s premier and incomparable citadel of learning, which the reader surely only knows too well! However, it has been such a great privilege and honour, such a tremendous learning experience to brainstorm every week with such keen intellects and wise minds as Professor Sekoni, the mysterious Tatalo Alamu, Professor Jide Osuntokun and Ambassador Dapo Fafowora on the Editorial Board of this newspaper.

    As I said earlier, Dr. Babafemi Folorunso’s lecture titled ‘Make or Break: The Imperative For Cultural Democracy in Nigeria’ was a most fitting tribute not only to his deep learning, the quality mentoring of the Professor Sekonis of this world but also the depth and ingenuity of the Nigerian mind. Traversing diverse fields of learning – semiotics, pedagogy, philosophy, economics, history, psychology, political science etc- Dr. Folorunso clinically dissected the Nigerian condition and offered far reaching prescriptions for the redemption and transformation of a country that will, next year, spend billions of Naira in a year-long, wasteful celebration of the centenary of its amalgamation even as she gallops full throttle towards deeper underdevelopment and possible implosion. Only urgent and fundamental structural change encompassing the decentralisation and overhauling of the education system, re-configuration of the country’s public finances and the re-definition of her power relations can, in his view, salvage Nigeria.

    The major highlight of the day was the launching of Professor Sekoni’s slim but powerful new book- ‘Federalism and the Yoruba Character: Essays on Democracy of Nationalities in Nigeria’. His central contention is that democracy in Nigeria will remain an illusory objective except if situated within the context of a genuine federal constitution that is reflective of the country’s ethno-cultural pluralism.

    For him, the country’s cultural diversity is a veritable strength, a critical resource that should be tapped for our collective benefit. The way to do this is not to pretend that these significant cultural differences do not exist or to try to suppress and dissolve them into a mythical Nigerian nationhood. Rather free reign and institutional expression must be given to the diverse cultures, values, beliefs, ideals, mores and norms of the component peoples of Nigeria so that the maximum realization of the potentials of each part becomes the collective strength of the whole.

    Drawing ingeniously from Yoruba myths of creation and the harmonious yet distinctive co-existence of scores of Yoruba sub-nationalities – Egba, Ijebu, Ondo, Ijesha, Oyo, Ibadan, Okun, Ekiti etc – he argues that the Yoruba constitute a naturally plural and federal community. Professor Sekoni predicates his thesis of ‘cultural democracy’ mediated through a federal constitution on Chief Awolowo’s time tested axioms that “If a country is bi-lingual or multi-lingual, the constitution must be Federal, and the constituent states must be organised on the basis of language and geographical separateness” and that “Any experiment with a unitary constitution in a bi-lingual or multi-lingual or multi-national country must fail, in the long run”. These axioms formulated over four decades ago have been amply validated in diverse countries particularly the defunct Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

    It is Professor Sekoni’s view that in a multi-cultural, plural polity like Nigeria, guaranteeing the sanctity of the individual’s vote in free and fair elections is as critical and imperative as ensuring the autonomy and integrity of the various cultural groups that co-habit in the federation. It is this departure from the tenets of federalism under the Unitarian influence of military despotism- a suffocating centralism that persists till date- that is largely responsible for the persistence of political instability, social anomie and economic underperformance in contemporary Nigeria. His arguments thus readily support Chief Awolowo’s contention in 1947 that “Under a true federal constitution each group, however small, is entitled to the same treatment as any other group, however large”.

    It would, of course, appear to me that there is some tension between the majoritarian democracy predicated on one man one vote and the federalist ‘cultural democracy’ advocated by Professor Sekoni, which has ethno-cultural autonomy as its basis. If an emphasis on regional autonomy solidifies primordial particularistic consciousness, will that not weaken the broader pan-national consciousness that is imperative for liberal democratic sustainability? Will smaller ethnic groups not be at the mercy of larger ones if ethnic solidarity becomes the fulcrum of electoral support?

    More importantly, what constitutes the most fundamental division and source of conflict among Nigerians today? Is it ethnic, religious, cultural or regional? This on the surface may appear so. In my view, however, the reactionary segment of the Yoruba political and business class is as parasitic, corrupt, rapacious, oppressive and incompetent as their counterparts in other ethnic groups across the country.

    In other words, the pension fund looters, fuel subsidy scammers, fake emergency contractors, fraudulent oil bloc beneficiaries and sundry criminals among Nigeria’s ruling class transcend all ethnic, regional and religious segmentations. They have absolutely nothing in common with the wretched of the Nigerian earth even when they belong to the same ethnic group or religious faith. There is thus no alternative to a pan-Nigerian progressive front that will forge an alliance across primordial fault lines and lead the country in a new direction that will liberate the vast majority of our people from poverty whatever may be their ethnic group or religious faith.

    But despite this fundamental disagreement with Professor Sekoni’s thesis, this column commends his patriotic and selfless striving at great personal cost for a new Nigeria. We thank him for stimulating our thoughts and reposing great faith in the Nigerian enterprise against all odds. I rejoice with the distinguished professor’s wonderful family and wish him a very happy birthday and many more years of service to humanity.

  • Jonathan Presidency promoting ethnicity, regionalism

    Jonathan Presidency promoting ethnicity, regionalism

    Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN reports that President Jonathan’s approach to some national issues is fuelling ethnic disunity, religious and regional intolerance in the build-up to the 2015 elections.

    Today, our unity is firm and our purpose is strong, our determination unshakable. Together, we will unite our nation and improve the living standards of all our peoples whether in the north or in the south; in the east or in the west. Our decade of development has begun. The march is on. The day of transformation begins today. We will not allow anyone exploit differences in creed or tongue, to set us one against another.”

    That was President Goodluck Jonathan’s mission statement at his inauguration on May 29, 2011, at the Eagle Square, Abuja. The declaration was intended to reciprocate the massive support given him by the electorate at the poll. The vote that brought him to power cut across party lines. He won in opposition states not because of his popularity or the appeal of his party’s manifesto, but probably to compensate his geo-political zone that had never produced a Head of State or President.

    Two years down the road, the question is: Has President Jonathan kept faith with his pledge to unite the country, improve standard of living and promote even development across all regions?

    Critics of the Jonathan Administration have accused it of giving covert and in some cases, overt support to aides of the President and others who are sympathetic to his administration as they play both ethnic and religious cards to sustain it in office, especially, beyond 2015.

    Critics have maintained that in a country where these two tendencies are treated with so much emotional attachment, the outcome could be inimical to national cohesion. Besides, they also point to some political developments, allegedly ochestrated by the presidency, which has put a lot of pressure and heat on the polity.

     

    Dividing the NGF

     

    Analysts point to the recent Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) election, which suddenly turned controversial, in spite of the emergence of a clear cut winner. They posit that the Presidency played a diabolical role in the crisis. Curiously, President Jonathan has sort of confirmed the point through his recognition of the faction, generally believed to have lost that electuion. Today, the elitist political forum is almost irreconcilably divided.

    Besides, there was also the sudden emergence of the Peoples Demo-cractic party (PDP) Governors Forum (PDPGF). Ananlysts believ that it is unhealthy and that it has the capacity to not only undermine the national body but also force other parties into forming their own governors’ forum. it is an open secret today that, the President’s position on who becomes the chairman of the NGF has put a lot of heat on the polity. Initially, the president made us to believe that he was not interested in who wins the NGF chairmanship election. But after the election, which Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi won with 19 votes as against 16 by his opponent, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, it became apparent that he was very much interested in it. President Jonathan has, for the second time. given official recognition to the group that lost out when he held a meeting with them despite the warning by Amaechi that Jang should stop impersonating him. Thus, the President has “successfully” broken up the NGF for personal political survival.

    The division in the NGF has been extended to the Northern Nigeria Governors Forum (NNGF). The split has pitched the governors of Northwest states (Hausa/Fulani) against the minority states. The Presidency is suspected to have a hand in the crisis because the governors of the minority states are the arrow heads of the weak Amaechi-must-go-campaign.

    Abuse of privilege

    Critical stakeholders are unhappy that under President Jonathan’s watch, ethnicity has been elevated to an art. The popular opinion is that the President has subtly applied the divisive policy in his dealings with Nigerians.

    The President, Civil Rights Commission, Mallam Shehu Sani, said President Jonathan has wasted the immense goodwill he enjoyed in the run- up to the 2011 election.

    Speaking to The Nation in an interview, Sani described President Jonathan as the most divisive leader ever in the history of this country.

    “His presidency has polarised Nigeria more than any other president in this country. His supporters and foot soldiers have been engaged in fanning the embers of discord and disunity. His supporters have heightened the tension in the polity. Jonathan’s divisive approach to governance has disappointed his friends and emboldened his adversaries.

    “Jonathan’s presidency has destroyed the historic political solidarity and cordiality between the North and the Southsouth. Under Jonathan, the unity of Nigeria and its future has come into question as the nation is subjected to voices of disintegration and disunity”, he said.

    The Coordinator of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Ayo Opadokun, said Jonathan was not the first leader to create division among people to achieve political ambition. He said it is a reflection of what is wrong in the society. Those accusing Jonathan of creating division among people , he said, would do similar thing when they are in power.

    Opadokun said Nigerian politicians would exploit the most suitable strategy to win comfort in their brinkmanship. “That Jonathan is using divisive method to neutralise the influence of his opponents is not out of place. The 2015 election is fast approaching; he’s in contention. He has government machinery and resources to divide them and win the election. When it comes to power, our politicians would go to any length to achieve their selfish interest”, he said.

    Social critic and political activist Prof. Tam David-West observed that President Jonathan has frittered away the goodwill that won him the presidential election in 2011. He said Jonathan is what he’s today because of northerners’ support. “Nigerians from all parts of the country voted for him to be president, without prejudice to my view that his election is stained.

    “Can the Ijaw or Niger Delta alone guarantee the constitutional provision that he must have won 25 per cent of the popular votes cast in two thirds of 36 states; that is 24 states? The answer is ‘no’. The total votes he had from his region was about 24 per cent. Now you turn round to say the Hausa/Fulani must not rule us again. People saying these are not the ones who put him there. They are abusing the people who put him there.

    “If Jonathan does not call them to order, his administration may be truncated. The abuses may have a backlash. He should stop the Ijaws surrounding him from making reckless statements and distance himself from the so called Ijaw leaders who are merely seeking attention and relevance”, he said.

    In the words of Sani, “Ijaw leaders, who were never heard during the military dictatorship, have now found a voice to churn out provocative and inciting utterances that clearly undermines the remnants of support Jonathan enjoys among Nigerians.

    “His administration is sustained by a barrage of propaganda and misinformation. The so called transformation agenda has turned into a political charade and facade for unbridled corruption and pervasive insecurity.

    “Worse still, Jonathan has not delivered on his promises and has only delivered Nigeria to poverty and crisis. He has abandoned governance for trivial issues in his desperation for re-election in 2015.

    “Just as he polarised the nation so also he split the PDP on whose platform he came to power. However, the disunity and confusion within the ruling party is a blessing for Nigeria. It is a sign of good things to come. A united PDP has been responsible for the destruction of Nigeria. The disunity in PDP will unite Nigeria”, he said.

    Playing up ethnicity

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has accused Jonathan’s kinsmen of promoting religious and ethnic division in the build-up to 2015. ACF noted that the inclusion of two of its members – Major General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) and Senator Wash Pam, who were among the leaders of minority ethnic extraction at the instance of the Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark, who visited to President Jonathan and urged him to stand for re-election in 2015 has an utterior motive.

    Recently, both the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Yoruba Unity Forum in the Southwest stormed Aso Villa to complain to the President that the zone is being shortchanged in terms of political patronage. The Igbo Youth Movement made similar complain. The Kalabari in Rivers State, too, had accused the President of ceding the oil wells in their land to Bayelsa, his home state.

    David-West had harsh words for Ijaw leaders for portraying Jonathan as primarily an Ijaw President. He recalled that the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), founded and headed by a Yoruba, Pastor Tunde Bakare and his compatriots, forced the National Assembly, when it was reluctant to do the right thing as stipulated by the constitution, to take action when the late President Umaru yar’Adua was terminally ill.

    “The person that finally moved the motion in the National Assembly to make Jonathan acting President was an Hausa man. There was no Ijaw input. Everything that made Jonathan what he is today as President, 24% of it came from his ethnic group. The other inputs were from other ethnic groups. When the likes of Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo talk, they are creating more problems for Jonathan. It behoves him as the President and an Ijaw man to ask members of his ethnic group to, please, not make things difficult for him. They should help him to solve the problems he is facing and not add more to them.

    “A President who is elected by only a section of the country cannot reasonably be expected to bring Nigerians together and help them live up to their potential. That is to say a President cannot preside over a divided people and expects to succeed.

    US concern over polarisation

    In what is clearly an external concern over the growing ethnic division in the country, an American diplomat challenged Nigerian leaders to depoly the diversity of the country to its advantage. Speaking at a seminar, United States Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley noted that this is a country of diversity of thought, diversity of culture and diversity of beliefs.

    McCulley said:”Too often, when we talk about Nigeria and with Nigerians, we hear about the differences: the Muslim North and the Christian South, the Hausa, the Igbo and the Yoruba. Nigerians deserve better; Nigerians can do better. While you should be proud of your religion, your culture, your background, your beliefs, you can do so in the light of the fact that you are all Nigerians, drawing inspiration from the uplifting words of your national anthem, he said.

    “I believe Nigerians must work together to build their nation irrespective of their religious beliefs. If one puts continuous emphasis on differences, rather than working toward overall betterment while co-existing, one risks chipping away at the very fabric of the nation”, he said.

    With the recent utterances by various stakeholders across the country, it is obvious that the delicate fibre that ties Nigerians together in the face of a multiplicity of ethnicity, beliefs or faiths, political persuasions and economic inclinations is being badly assaulted. This has far reaching implications for the country as it threatens directly its efforts at forging unity and oneness. Will the President intervene to reverse the trend before 2015?

  • Ebonyi: Ethnicity colours search for Elechi’s successor

    Ebonyi: Ethnicity colours search for Elechi’s successor

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, takes a look at the factors likely to influence the emergence of the next governor of Ebonyi State.

     

     

    As the 2015 general elections draw closer, the three political blocs in Ebonyi State are neck deep in negotiations and alignments in their quest to produce the next governor of the state. Politicians across the state are back on the drawing board amidst insinuations that Governor Martins Elechi wants the slot to go to the southern senatorial district.

    The political permutations in the state suggest that, in 2015, ethnic consideration will lead the pack of factors that will come to the fore in the battle for the governorship ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The argument of the governor and others agitating for the slot to be given to Afikpo is that with Governor Elechi and his predecessor, Dr. Sam Egwu, coming from the central and northern senatorial districts respectively, it is only natural that the south be allowed to take a short at the governorship of the state.

    “The governor is only speaking the mind of the people of the state. The people want equity and fairness to be on display in 2015 and that is where the idea of the south being supported to produce the governor emanated from.

    “Sam Egwu who was governor between 1999 to 2007, is from the northern senatorial district. The current governor who will be leaving in 2015 is from the central senatorial district. And we have three senatorial districts. The south is yet to take a shot at the governorship since the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996.

    “So if the party and the governor are now saying let us give this people a chance to produce the governor for equity sake, shouldn’t that be embraced by all? Those opposing the idea are ethnic warlords and tribal jingoists,” a chieftain of the PDP said during the week.

    The Nation learnt that the severe agitation by Afikpo leaders to have the PDP zone its gubernatorial ticket to their zone is based on the fact that the south senatorial zone of the state is yet to have one of its own as governor of the state while the Abakaliki bloc, with its two senatorial zones of central and north, has produced two governors since the inception of the current democratic dispensation in 1999.

    Observers of the politics of the state say the southern senatorial district, known as old Afikpo bloc of the state, was carved out of Abia State, while the central and north known as Abakaliki bloc was carved out of Enugu State, when what is today known as Ebonyi State was created in 1996 by Late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha.

    “The politics of the state has been between the Abakaliki and Afikpo blocs but Abakaliki bloc has numerical strength an edge over the Afikpo bloc. So, with the population of the Abakaliki bloc comprising eight council areas and Afikpo bloc which has five council areas, it is a known fact that in any free and fair election Abakaliki will win.

    Several efforts by the Afikpo bloc in the past to contest the governorship with the Abakaliki bloc haven’t yielded the desired result. And given the numerical advantage being enjoyed by the Abakaliki people, the belief is that it will be impossible for the south to produce a governor,” Chief David Ayogu, a chieftain of the PDP, explained.

    Ayogu also said except for a development like the assurance by Elechi to hand over power to somebody from the south, it would have been foolhardy for gladiators of Afikpo extraction to even dream of winning the governorship primaries of any of the leading political party.

    “But with this promise by the governor to ensure that an Afikpo man emerges as governor, I think the aspirants from the zone can start scheming on how to get the governorship ticket of the ruling party, knowing very well that PDP is the party to beat in Ebonyi State. I think this is one major reason for all these alignments and realignments we are seeing across the state,” he added.

    In arriving at his decision to support the southern senatorial district’s quest for the governorship, Elechi said his position is derived from the fact that the people of the zone, having participated equally in the fight for the creation of the state, it would only be in the interest of justice and equity to give them the opportunity to also rule the state.

    Elechi, who made the promise during a media briefing to mark the last Democracy Day, said his decision was based on the fact that it was morally right to shift power to the southern part of the state in 2015, since power started from the north and now at the central.

    He noted that though there was never a charter of equity as alleged in some quarters, it was the desire of all the founding fathers of the state for power to rotate among the zones which was never written down or signed by any person or group of persons.

    He said as one of the surviving founding fathers of the state, it is his duty to keep the dream alive. He, however, added that his decision to shift power to the south senatorial zone was personal which would need both the stakeholders and the party to rectify and finally agree upon.

    Naturally, Elechi’s position on the struggle for the governorship has emboldened politicians from Afikpo to venture into the hitherto uncertain terrain of vying for the governorship of the state. Leading the pack of aspirants to have openly declared their interest in the job is the current deputy governor of the state, David Umahi.

    The deputy governor, who was former chairman of the party in the state before being picked by the governor in 2011 as running mate, is banking on his influence within the party and his position as the leader of the party in his senatorial district to emerge as the preferred aspirant when the race for the ticket eventually kicks off.

    But Elechi’s announcement raised a lot of dust even among his aides. Disagreeing with Elechi on his idea of power rotation, the people of Abakaliki bloc appear not to be relenting on their resolve to ensure that one of their own takes over from him.

    The bloc, with its larger population, and political heavyweights, according to sources, is capable of thwarting the ambition of aspirants from the south if it insists on fielding candidates for the party primaries in 2015.

    “Elechi’s kinsmen are not leaving anything to chance in stopping him from giving power to Afikpo. And being the leading politician in government from the area, the only threat politicians from Abakaliki see is Dave Umahi, the deputy governor. There is this fear that he is the man Elechi has in mind and they will do everything to stop him.

    “They know what Dave is capable of, and if you allow him get his political permutation and calculation right, I bet you, no one from the zone can challenge him. If he gets the PDP ticket, Abakaliki people knows he would become unstoppable in 2015,” a source said.

    But pundits have also come to say the factors that will determine which side the governorship will shift to will be more than the mere desires of the governor and the quest for the position by a section of the state.

    “It is going to be more of a game of numbers among all the three senatorial districts. Don’t forget that the people of Ezza in the northern senatorial zone are saying they want a shot at the governorship. The Izzi people of the central senatorial district too want to produce a governor.

    “These two clans have more population that the Afikpos. So, even if the governor wants an Afikpo man, unless the zone is able to get support from other clans and groups within the state, it will remain a mere wish.

    “However, the Afikpo bloc could benefit from the sharp division and impending disagreement between the two most powerful clans in Abakaliki bloc, the Ezzas and Izzis. So if the Afikpo people can penetrate the other two districts and garner support, then Elechi’s dream of producing a governor from the south may come to fruition,” a chieftain of the PDP said.

     

  • Bongos Ikwue, Sanusi right on religion, ethnicity

    Bongos Ikwue, Sanusi right on religion, ethnicity

    SIR: Twice in the New Year, Nigerians woke up only to be confronted with the dangling of two controversial issues required as panacea if Nigeria is to move forward as a nation in all ramifications. Music maestro, Bongos Ikwue fired the first salvo when he called for the banning of religion in Nigeria if the country is to make any progress.

    He bemoaned the situation where Nigerians often insult God when they ask for “daily bread” from Him. To him, he argued that God had already offered everyone daily bread by giving them the intellect to create ideas and work but that the people believe in “too much talking instead of working” and opined that this kind of mindset would get Nigeria nowhere. While suggesting that the first pronouncement of any serious government should be to ban religion, he further said that “I believe in God. But, I totally disbelieve in religion. I will like to play down religion. If I had my way, I would ban religion completely from Africa for the continent to make progress.”

    Bongos Ikwue added that “the banning of religion will not take God out of existence but it will take distractive people out of our lives. Can you imagine how many times people go to places of worship in a week? They go to listen and contribute nothing. They don’t even raise their hands to ask questions; it is a university you never graduate from for the rest of your life. The amount of waste in terms of human power is a lot, if you quantify it”.

    In the same vein, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Malam Lamido Sanusi Lamido, in his appraisal of ethno-religion groups in the country vis-à-vis insecurity in the country, called for the ban of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI), Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Afenifere and other ethnic groups.

    He accused the elite of fanning embers of insecurity through the use of religion just as he attributed the current insecurity in the northern parts of the country to the power struggle among the elite who use religion as a recourse in pursuant of their selfish interests.

    There is no doubt that religion and ethnicity in Nigeria have not been helping matters as far as the people’s reasoning and judgment on corruption-relation issues is concerned and it is in the in the light of this that due attention should be paid to the views of Bongos Ikwue and the Central Bank Governor on the nation’s progress and insecurity respectively. A bitter bill in form of a question that we also need to swallow is: Is our religion and ethnic groups doing much in ensuring that that the greatest legacy we leave for generations after us is the legacy of Truth, Integrity and Security in a country where the rich continues to get richer and the poor getting poorer and poorer?

     

    • Odunayo Joseph

    Lagos