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Tag: Ezeife

  • Ekwueme, Obi, Ezeife to Buhari: restructure Nigeria

    Ekwueme, Obi, Ezeife to Buhari: restructure Nigeria

    Restructuring of Nigeria dominated yesterday speeches of eminent citizens at the 17th convention of the Igbo Youths Movement (IYM) in Enugu.

    All the speakers, including former Vice-President, Alex Ekwueme, former governor of old Anambra State Chukwuemeka Ezeife and a former National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to embark on restructuring of Nigeria in line with the principles of true federalism.

    Also at the occasion were former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana; former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, renowned author Arthur Nwankwo and Niger Delta activist and protagonist of resource control, Ms Annkio Briggs.

    Speaker after speaker advised Buhari to implement the National Conference report of 2014 as a first step towards restructuring Nigeria.

    The leaders, who spoke on the theme of the convention, “Still in search of true federalism”, noted that the current protests and demand for separation by various groups as well as other socio-economic crises could be reduced by half if the national confab’s report was implemented.

    In Ekwueme’s view every disappointment is a blessing. His incarceration in 1984 at Kirikiri prison by the military afforded him the opportunity to reflect deeply on Nigeria’s problems, he said.

    According to him, he came out with the idea of six geo-political zonal structure, which he pushed for at a national conference much later and it became a convention, and has taken care of minorities in the South and the North.

    Ekwueme stated that what Nigeria negotiated for and agreed with the colonial masters before independence was a regional government where each has a constitution, annexed to the Republican constitution of 1963.

    According to him, the Republican Constitution then provided 50 per cent revenue sharing formula for the regions, 30 per cent to a distributable pool, and 20 per cent for the centre.

    “There is need for us to return to the basics from what we inherited from our founding fathers,” he said.

    Adebanjo, who traced the origin of federalism in Nigeria to various pre-and post colonial constitutional conferences, insisted that Nigeria must be restructured to correct the humongous damage done to the nation’s constitution by the military and to stop various acts of uprising, including those of Niger Delta Avengers, MASSOB and IPOB.

    Gana said the nation’s founding fathers were right by agreeing to a federal structure, which he described as the best for peace, equity and justice.

    The guest speaker and former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, said that the key solution to Nigeria’s problem was through true federalism and devolution of powers to states.

    “True fiscal federalism is the only form of association that will allow peace and stability in the country and each region should be allowed to manage its resources the way they want it,” Gana said.

    He noted that the formula for allocating revenue made the Federal Government to get richer while the states operated like beggars.

    “States should be allowed to manage its resources to enable them govern their people the way they want and allocate some percentage to the Federal Government.

    “Government should not be far from the people and the federating unit should be made strong to meet the needs of the people,” he said.

    Gana recommended continuous dialogue and the implementation of the resolutions of national confab by the government as the only means the recent agitation and other national demand could be handled.

    Briggs, who received the award of “Amazon of Truth” by IYM, said true and fiscal federalism must be truthful and justifiable. She believed in resource control, she said, adding  that as much as she does not think that Nigeria must break, she believes that if the nation continues on the current path, disintegration would be inevitable.

    Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi supported restructuring of the country on the basis of fiscal federalism, but he warned while that was being addressed, there was need to urgently address the high cost of governance. Any governor who says he can’t pay workers’ salaries, Obi said,  should give way for other persons with better ideas.

    Ezeife who also received award of “Igbo Peoples General” stated that the 2014 national conference report recommended additional 18 states to make for a 48 state-structure to address some inequalities created by the military.

  • 2015: Ezeife, Babatope campaign for Jonathan’s re-election

    2015: Ezeife, Babatope campaign for Jonathan’s re-election

    •Dickson warns against primordial sentiment

    It was a lecture organised by the state government to celebrate the 17th ‘birthday’ of Bayelsa State, but the speakers turned it into an endorsement party for President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The Banquet Hall venue of the lecture entitled: “Good governance as a panacea for promoting a stable and sustainable democracy” afforded the speakers an opportunity to drum support for Jonathan’s reelection in 2015.

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope as well as the former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, led the campaigns.

    Babatope built his campaign around a prediction he said the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo made in 1982 in Bonny that “one day, an Ijaw man will become the President of Nigeria”.

    He said: “It was during a rally to mark the declaration of my friend, the late Brigadier-General George Kurubo to the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) from the NPN. Papa Obafemi Awolowo had said, ‘One day an Ijaw man will become the President of Nigeria’.

    “Today, an Ijaw man is the President of Nigeria. The rest is history. I submit, it is right and proper that the Ijaw man, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan completes his term in 2019”.

    He said the North should wait for its turn in 2019.

    He said Jonathan deserved the support of the north in 2015, claiming that there was a time the Ijaw people were politically married to the interest of the North.

    “The party that won election here during the Second Republic was the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) that had a northern leadership of the country. One good turn people say certainly deserves another”, he said.

    Babatope said it was ridiculous to see the 2015 contest for leadership as an issue between the North and South.

    He described as false the allegation that President Jonathan was promoting anti-north policies with his Presidency.

    He warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against doing the bidding of the opposition in 2015.

    Claiming that PDP would not rig the elections, he expressed fears that INEC might desire to allow opposition parties have their way in 2015 in exchange for international accolades.

    He admonished the military not to be cajoled into intervening in politics.

    He said: “It will never be to the interest of the Nigeria’s Armed Forces if they once again allow themselves to be used to subvert or overthrow the country’s constitution. If the country’s armed forces should allow themselves to be used in this kind of game then, it will be a gradual descent into perfidy.”

    Ezeife said despite the determination to make the country ungovernable through Boko Haram, Jonathan had succeeded in stabilising Nigeria.

    “Jonathan is a tool in the hands of God to implement God’s design for Nigeria. Jonathan’s tolerance, cool-headedness, fear of God and respect for people and their constitution have neutralised Boko Haram violence”, he said.

    However, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, described good governance as the panacea for development.

    He named legitimacy, direction, performance, accountability and fairness as the features of good governance.

    Quoting the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, he said: Good governance is the palm kernel within which and with which democracy is eaten. Any democracy without good governance is only democracy in nomenclature.

    “By good governance, it is meant that the state operators are providing their citizens with what is generally referred to as the dividends of democracy.”

    Dickson canvassed for nationhood without which he said groups such as the G-7 governors and the new PDP would not exist.

    Dickson also called on the political class to pursue their ambitions within the interest of a united country.

    Describing disagreements as normal in democracy, he blamed the crisis in the country on inordinate ambitions of some politicians.

    “Disagreements and differences in perspectives are normal. We should not shy away from disagreements because that is what democracy breeds.

    “But whether we agree or disagree, we must do so at all times in the national interest. That to me is one missing link, as it seems that people have fast-forwarded 2015”, he said.

  • Babatope, Ezeife urge Jonathan’s re-election

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, as well as ex-Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, have canvassed President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.

    Babatope, who spoke at a lecture, titled: “Good governance as a panacea for promoting a stable and sustainable democracy”, organised by the Bayelsa State government to mark its 17th anniversary, based his argument on a prediction he said the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo made in 1982 in Bonny, Rivers State that “one day, an Ijaw man will become the President of Nigeria.”

    He said: “It was during a rally to mark the defection of my friend, the late Brig.-Gen. George Kurubo, from the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Papa Awolowo said: ‘One day, an Ijaw man will become the President of Nigeria’.

    “Today, an Ijaw man is the president of Nigeria. The rest is history. I submit, it is right and proper that the Ijaw man, President Jonathan, completes his term in 2019.”

    Chief Babatope said the North should wait for its turn in 2019.

    He said President Jonathan deserves the support of the North in 2015, adding that there was a time the Ijaw were politically- married to the interest of the North.

    “The party that won election here during the Second Republic was NPN that had a northern leadership. One good turn people say deserves another,” Babatope said.

    He said it was ridiculous to see the 2015 presidential election as an issue between the North and the South.

    Chief Babatope described as false, an allegation that President Jonathan was promoting anti-North policies with his Presidency.

    He warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against doing the bidding of the opposition in 2015.

    While claiming that the PDP would not rig the election, he said he feared that INEC might allow opposition parties to have their way in 2015 because of international accolades.

    Babatope urged the military not to be cajoled into intervening in politics.

    Said he: “It will never be to the interest of the armed forces if they once again allow themselves to be used to subvert or overthrow the constitution. If the armed forces should allow themselves to be used in this kind of game, then it will be a gradual movement into perfidy.”

    Dr. Ezeife said Nigeria is in danger because someone unpopular is the President.

    He said despite the determination to make the country ungovernable through the Boko Haram insurgency, Jonathan had succeeded in stabilising Nigeria.

    “Jonathan is a tool in the hands of God to implement God’s design for Nigeria. Jonathan’s tolerance, cool-headedness, fear of God and respect for people and their constitution have neutralised Boko Haram’s violence,” Ezeife said.

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Ghali Na’Abba described good governance as a panacea for development.

    He listed legitimacy, direction, performance, accountability and fairness as the features of good governance.

    Quoting the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, he said: “Good governance is the palm kernel within which and with which democracy is eaten. Any democracy without good governance is only democracy in nomenclature.

    “By good governance, it is meant that the state operators are providing their citizens with what is generally referred to as the dividends of democracy.”

    Governor Seriake Dickson canvassed nationhood without which, he said, groups, such as the G-7 governors and the new PDP would not exist.

    He enjoined the political class to pursue its ambitions within the interest of a united country.

    Describing disagreements as normal in a democracy, he attributed the crisis in the country to the inordinate ambitions of some politicians.

    “Disagreements and differences in perspectives are normal. We should not shy away from disagreement because this is what democracy breeds.

    “But whether we agree or disagree, we must do so in the national interest. That to me is one missing link, as it seems people have fast-forwarded 2015,” Dickson said.

  • Get ready for 2015 presidency, Ezeife, Madubuike tell Ndigbo

    Get ready for 2015 presidency, Ezeife, Madubuike tell Ndigbo

    AS the debate over the fate of the South-East geo-political zone in the 2015 presidential race gathers momentum, two Igbo leaders, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, a former governor of Anambra State and Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike, a former minister of health and education, have called on the zone to get its house in order, in preparation for the race.

    The two political leaders, who spoke to The Nation in Lagos, when they led other Igbo leaders to pay a solidarity visit to the management of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on the recent appointment of Mr. Calistus Obi, as Executive Director of the federal government agency, said it has become necessary for Ndigbo to be ready for the 2015 race.

    Ndigbo, Ezeife said, “should prepare and be ready as an interest group. We are not out to haunt President Goodluck Jonathan, but at the appropriate time, we will make the necessary negotiation.”

    Madubuike spoke in the same fashion, saying that “Ndigbo are aware there is an incumbent president, a president that was supported by the zone during his election into office.”

    They, however, pointed out that the support the president got from the zone was based on some expectations and that at the appropriate time the president’s fulfilment of his promises to Ndigbo and the expectations of the people will count.

    They said the leaders and people of South-East zone are not toying with the 2015 presidency. “We are meeting and preparing. As you know, Ndigbo deserve, more than any other, to produce the next president of Nigeria.”

    Recently, there have been mixed reports on the position of Ndigbo on whether to support President Jonathan’s presidential bid in 2015 or to insist on Igbo presidency.

    Speaking at the event, NIMASA Director-General, Patrick Akpobololokemi, said it would be difficult for Nigeria to make progress without the Igbo nation, primarily because of their contribution in trade and technology.

    He assured the visitors that Obi will serve as a bridge between Ndigbo and NIMASA