The Nation Newspaper

Tag: go

  • Go, Onnoghen, go!

    When I wrote last week that the continued clinging to office by the now suspended Chief Justice of the federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was no longer tenable and that in his own interest and the love of his country he should resign and go back home, I knew I was on sure ground, to so assert.

    Reading the pieces written by a university lecturer, a DSS operative who wrote under a pseudo-name, a youth group from Niger Delta and an erudite and iconoclastic lawyer Jiti Ogunye, I am convinced even beyond unreasonable doubts, that the greatest enemy of the judiciary is the judiciary itself.

    Corruption, like poverty, knows no tribe and has no colour. But in the Walter Onnoghen case, we now know that the deadly cancer otherwise known as corruption has brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces; and also has colours of politics.

    The political coloration to this unedifying saga is evident in PDP’s threat to pull the roof of the nation down if Onnoghen was not reinstated. Why this desperation if indeed it is not true, as disclosed in one of the articles referred above, that the PDP, scared that it might not win the presidential and most of the other elections by the ballot, had schemed a Plan B, to thwart the majority wishes of Nigerians expressed at the polls, through the Judiciary, said to have been annexed as an arm of the PDP, which was programmed to commence work after the elections through the election petition tribunals, up to the Supreme Court where Onnoghen will sit in his “magisterial majesty” ?

    A group of Niger Delta youths posited in a statement in the social media that corruption is corruption, regardless of who is committing it. If all Nigerians agree with this position, including the sanitisation of a badly dented judiciary, the country will be well on the way to tackling corruption and dealing it a death blow.

    This brings me to recall what a deeply worried community leader said of lawyers many years ago. I quote him, verbatim: “The biggest problem this country has is caused by lawyers. A thing they defend as white in the morning by one lawyer, can be said to be black by another or even same lawyer in the evening. Why? Why is law not like mathematics where you are sure two plus two equals four any day?

    It is a riddle lawyers must resolve quickly for the sake of the nation. Until that is done, let’s all say in unison that, having admitted to omitting and forgetting to tell of all he had, as required by law, Justice Onnoghen has lost every moral, lawful reason to continue to be the Chief Justice of the federation.

    I had read it somewhere before, that for a judge to be respected and admired, he must be very versed in law, wise in the ways of the world, scrupulously fair and just and altogether incorruptible! I subscribe fully to those virtues.

     

    The hypocrisy of the West

    Let us be sure we are not on slippery ground before making this comment.

    A few days ago, some smart alec, predictably among the hired writers of the PDP, put out a statement said to have emanated from President Buhari’s wife, Aisha, lampooning the suspension of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and dismissing it as wrong and unjust.

    The unwary was about to absorb that as an indictment of a husband’s action by his wife, but something in me exclaimed: this desperate PDP will stop at nothing in their muck raking and mischievous attempts to hoodwink, deceive and lie their way to electoral victory. How right! Mama Aisha has since debunked the statement, saying that it did not emanate from her.

    Now, the media space is awash with the news that the USA and UK are saddened by Justice Onnoghen’s removal. Countries whose own values can’t allow judges with lesser infractions of the law to remain a day longer in their positions? I want to believe that no such statement came out of Whitehall in London or wherever in America; that it was another PDP concoction of lies to be fed the Nigerian public.

    But, assuming the statements truly came from source, there should be no other meaning to it than to suspect that the proceeds of corruption being intercepted by the Nigerian government is now affecting the budgets or economies of the two foreign nations. In that case, they should let our country be, to rid itself of all the cankerworms that have so far prevented it from becoming nutritiously healthy, economically-speaking, like the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

    I believe a festering sore requires a surgical solution. Corruption has eaten so deep into the fabric of our society that tackling it is not one to be treated with kid gloves. I know the United Kingdom experienced similar problems in that country before they got it right. Time was when in England, for example, kings were beheaded for committing infractions against the state, and that sent sufficient message to everyone there that there must be a minimum level of behaviour below which they must not fall; the reason why that country had moved away from what was a totally primitive way of redressing wrong to a universally sane, humane, reasonable and acceptable way of doing things, such that the killing of even a fox in that country is no longer tolerable, not to now talk of killing a human being.

    Why will a country that has zero tolerance for corruption and mindless sabotage of their economy encourage such in other lands? Is it to continue their colonisation and impoverishment of those other lands? If these foreign do-gooders mean well for our country, they will do well to assist us to free our nation from rent-takers and vampires in different garbs.

  • Touch and go (to jail)

    •Senate goes tough on randy dons; passes sexual abuse bill    

    Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was justifiably exuberant, after the senate passed the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institution Bill 2016, which he sponsored. The bill makes sexual harassment in our higher institutions a strict liability offence, and provides for five years imprisonment or five million naira in lieu, upon conviction. Addressing the press after the passage of the bill, the senator reportedly said: “Now, it is touch and go. You stay away from these girls. You touch them as a lecturer; you know there is a price to pay. Somebody describes it as a zip up legislation.”

    While there are still some more efforts to get the bill to become law, we believe that most Nigerians will be excited over the prospects, considering the menace posed by randy lecturers in our higher institutions. To actualise the bill as a law, the House of Representatives would have to pass the same bill, and then the president has to give his assent. Between the passage of a similar bill by the lower house and its harmonisation, we urge the National Assembly to consider extending the law to other institutions and even the work place, considering that sexual harassment is not limited to higher institutions only.

    We appreciate the unsavoury experiences of victims of sexual harassment, so criminalising such scandals is very appropriate. Some females who have been victims of sexual harassment bear the marks sometimes for life. Indeed, some of the stories surrounding the scandals in our higher institutions are very unnerving. Such heart-rending tales include the lecturers asking the victims to arrange and pay for a rendezvous for the abuse, or where the victim is adamant against such exploitation, to pay money in lieu.

    But there may still be the challenge of under-reporting the threats and even the abuses by victims, because of stigmatisation and collusion by school authorities and even the police. We hear that when such cases are reported by victims, sometimes the authorities connive to bury the scandal, perhaps out of sympathy for the lecturer involved, or based on outright quid pro quo, considering that the investigating authority may also have skeletons in its own cardboard.

    So, there may be the need for the senate of higher institutions and education authorities of secondary schools to develop a minimum code of conduct for their teachers and students. Such basic rules will regulate the relationship between the teachers and the students, and they should be strictly observed, while infractions are punished. For, while a law may come to regulate where the internal mechanisms fails, school authorities where they are willing may prove efficient in curbing the menace. Preventive measures will also save the institutions the scandal that will come with a trial of a lecturer, under the law.

    It is also good that the bill provides a framework to punish false allegations, so that students and even rival teachers do not use the law for self-serving purposes. We hope the law, when passed, will also criminalise such potential dubious behaviour capable of ruining an honest teacher. Part of the challenge of the bill is that any relationship between a student and a teacher that results in sex automatically becomes a criminal offence, even when the parties are consenting adults.

    Since the bill will still be passed by the House of Representatives, and be harmonised before it goes to the president for assent, perhaps a public hearing of the views of specialists may be helpful. Specialists in psychology, sociology and medicine could throw light on how to mediate between consent and sexual abuse that casts a slur on our institutions.

     

  • The GO’s coronation

    The GO’s coronation

    Any moment from now, the General Overseer (GO), Holy Aruosa Cathedral, Benin City, Edo State will take his seat. The police earlier in the week gave a hint to that effect when they declared that his coronation would be adequately policed.

    Another hint that the ceremony will soon take place is the facelift being given to the Usama Palace on  Siluko Road. The lawns in this palace, which was the first site of the Oba’s palace before it was moved to its present location by Oba Ewedo in the 13th century, are being mowed.

    The coronation rites are to be performed there.

    The new Oba is expected to spend seven days there before passing through Isekhere back to the main palace.

    The over 500-year-old cathedral, which is located on Akpakpava Road, Benin City, after some break, will witness a GO dishing out the gospel, but not according to the Bible.

    The GO will also double as the Oba of Benin, the great kingdom with rich history behind it. As a boy, a picture of the kingdom had a space in my head. It was that of a kingdom so great that mystery could pass as its other name. I heard all kinds of dos and don’ts about this vast land where Oba Ovomramwen Nogbaisi made history. I heard of facts that wore attires of myths. Or were they myths that wore the robes of facts?

    Now, as an adult, this great kingdom of sculptors and painters, of intellectuals and administrators is one that we all will never fully comprehend. Its mystery seems to be its power. When it is Benin, there are things you dare not say or write. You just content yourself with hush-hush gist about this kingdom and its people, whose history has given birth to cinematic thrillers, such as Invasion 1897 and Iyore.

    The late Ola Rotimi could not resist the delight that Benin history was and still is that he penned the irresistible drama known as Ovomramwen Nogbaisi.

    If you are in doubt about the greatness of Benin kingdom, take a trip to the British Museum. There you will discover that its most-prized artworks were stolen from Benin and displayed with braggadocio. I like the scene in Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen’s Invasion 1897 where the lead character who had invaded the museum and took an artwork defended himself in court by saying he could not have stolen the item because it belonged to his forefathers and by extension him.

    The man of history is His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden. He has been in and out of the sacred groves tooling for the task ahead. Now, he is out and ready to start from where his great father left.

    The Secretary to the Edo State Government, Prof Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, said: “It is hereby notified for general information that in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 19 (1) of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, 1979 (as amended) and by virtue of all other laws enabling it in that behalf, the Executive Council of the Edo State Government of Nigeria has approved the appointment of His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa as the Oba of Benin, with effect from 29th day of April, 2016.”

    Really, the government’s announcement was a formality. It was clear to even the blind long ago that His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden Erediauwa was destined to be king. Now, his time is here.

    The mystery and complexity of the Benin mores could be gleaned from the statement of the then Crown Prince when Governor Adams Oshiomhole paid him a visit following the announcement of his father’s death. He said he was probably the first crown prince in the history of Benin Kingdom that was so close to his father.

    Before he said that the story out there was that he was not supposed to see eye to eye with his father being the heir apparent. Judging from his statement, that used to be the situation. Modernity seems to have softened things a bit. So close was he to his father, who many of us thought was not supposed to see him face-to-face, that both knew each other’s ways.

    “It’s really an emotional moment for me and everybody virtually knows how close I was to my father. The elders here know how close I was to my father, and I am probably known as the first crown prince in the history of Benin Kingdom that has been so close to his father,” the incoming Oba of Benin and GO of Holy Aruosa Cathedral said.

    He continued: “It’s been said far and wide that the Oba’s eldest son doesn’t see his father, they don’t meet each other, that they are far apart. So, he knew my ways and I knew his ways. So, I can beat my chest and say I understand certain inner workings of the mind of my dear father.”

    Oshiomhole’s speech on the visit bore glimpses of the greatness of the kingdom and the late Oba Erediauwa, whose death he described as shattering.

    He said: “We are all shattered by this very sad news. In my formal tribute, I have already made a statement that represents my evaluation of the life and times of our Royal Majesty. But in all of that, we know that kings will come, kings will transit, but our joy even in the midst of this grief is that we are fortunate; indeed very fortunate that in spite of the vacuum left by the departure of His Royal Majesty, we have in your Royal Highness a true royal Crown Prince that has already gone through all the rigours of life, and sufficiently travelled and held sensitive diplomatic positions in most strategic countries.

    “For people like me who have had the very rare privilege of interacting very closely with your Royal Highness over the years, I believe that His Royal Majesty has prepared a Crown Prince that, as tradition prescribes, has what it takes to fill the big royal shoes that His Majesty left behind. That for us gives us the confidence that the robust tradition, the national respect and international recognition and the way in which His Royal Majesty carried the office, that it will be sustained and built upon by your Royal Highness.

    “So, your Royal Highness, I commiserate with you, I commiserate with the royal family, and indeed the great people of Benin Kingdom and the great people of Edo State. Like I said in 2006, during my first visit, my very limited knowledge of our State is that Edo is not an artificial word. So, Edo is not an artificial creation. We are not named after a river or after an event. It’s an ethnic category, and His Royal Majesty is the father, the paramount ruler of every Edo sons and daughters, and so it shall be forever and ever. May our ancestors stand by you at this hour and guide us through all the processes.”?

    His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden Erediauwa is inheriting a great history. With his new status, the Oba, who is also known as Omo N’Oba, is the traditional ruler of the Edo people. He is also the head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Great Benin Empire.

    Until Oba Eweka I, the headship of Benin Empire was not known as Oba. All that changed with the great Oba Eweka, who is believed to have reigned between 1180 and 1300. This great kingdom was raped by the British in 1897 when it launched an imperialist expedition. It deposed and exiled Oba Ovonramwen to Calabar, now the capital of Cross River State. It took control of the area to establish the British colony of Nigeria. He died in 1914. He never returned to his throne.

    What got the British angry and led to the expedition was the defeat of a British invasion force which violated Benin territory in 1896. It consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers, and is still remembered by the Edos with horror today. Under the pretext of covering for the cost of the expedition, the Benin royal art was stolen and auctioned off by the British.

    The mystery of the Benin makes it unclear what its relationship with Ile Ife and the Yoruba was. There is no agreement about the place or otherwise of Oduduwa, Oranmiyan and Igodomigodo in the history of this amazing empire.

    My final take: As the Oba is coronated, Benin’s light will not dim. The Oba will lead this great people well and years from now, we will look back and say His Royal Highness Eheneden Erediauwa is a monarch with a difference. Long may you reign.

    • Part of this piece first appeared on this space on May 27.

  • Holy Aruosa Cathedral’s new GO

    As a lad, a picture of the kingdom had a space in my head. It was that of a kingdom so great that mystery could pass as its other name. We heard all kinds of dos and don’ts about this vast land where Oba Ovomramwen Nogbaisi made history. We heard of facts that wore attires of myths. Or were they myths that wore the robes of facts?

    Now, as an adult, this great kingdom of sculptors and painters, of intellectuals and administrators is one that we all will never fully comprehend. Its mystery seems to be its power. When it is Benin, there are things you dare not say or write. You just content yourself with hush-hush gist about this kingdom and its people, whose history has given birth to cinematic thrillers, such as Invasion 1897 and Iyore.

    The late Ola Rotimi could not resist the delight that Benin history was and still is that he penned the irresistible drama known as Ovomramwen Nogbaisi.

    If you are in doubt about the greatness of Benin kingdom, take a trip to the British Museum. There you will discover that its most-prized artworks were stolen from Benin and displayed with braggadocio. I like the scene in Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen’s Invasion 1897 where the lead character who had invaded the museum and took an artwork defended himself in court by saying he could not have stolen the item because it belonged to his forefathers and by extension him.

    Soon, this kingdom will open another chapter in its inestimable history. His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden Erediauwa will become the Oba of Benin. He has been in and out of the sacred groves tooling for the task ahead. Soon, he will be out and ready to start from where his great father left.

    It was clear to even the blind long ago that His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden Erediauwa was destined to be king. Now, his time is here.

    The mystery and complexity of the Benin mores could be gleaned from the statement of the Crown Prince when Governor Adams Oshiomhole paid him a visit following the announcement of his father’s death. He said he was probably the first crown prince in the history of Benin Kingdom that was so close to his father.

    Before he said that the story out there was that he was not supposed to see eye to eye with his father being the heir apparent. Judging from his statement, that used to be the situation. Modernity seems to have softened things a bit. So close was he to his father, who many of us thought was not supposed to see him face-to-face, that both knew each other’s ways.

    “It’s really an emotional moment for me and everybody virtually knows how close I was to my father. The elders here know how close I was to my father, and I am probably known as the first crown prince in the history of Benin Kingdom that has been so close to his father,” the incoming Oba of Benin said.

    He continued: “It’s been said far and wide that the Oba’s eldest son doesn’t see his father, they don’t meet each other, that they are far apart. So, he knew my ways and I knew his ways. So, I can beat my chest and say I understand certain inner workings of the mind of my dear father.”

    Oshiomhole’s speech on the visit bore glimpses of the greatness of the kingdom and the late Oba Erediauwa, whose death he described as shattering.

    He said: “We are all shattered by this very sad news. In my formal tribute, I have already made a statement that represents my evaluation of the life and times of our Royal Majesty. But in all of that, we know that kings will come, kings will transit, but our joy even in the midst of this grief is that we are fortunate; indeed very fortunate that in spite of the vacuum left by the departure of His Royal Majesty, we have in your Royal Highness a true royal Crown Prince that has already gone through all the rigours of life, and sufficiently travelled and held sensitive diplomatic positions in most strategic countries.

    “For people like me who have had the very rare privilege of interacting very closely with your Royal Highness over the years, I believe that His Royal Majesty has prepared a Crown Prince that, as tradition prescribes, has what it takes to fill the big royal shoes that His Majesty left behind. That for us gives us the confidence that the robust tradition, the national respect and international recognition and the way in which His Royal Majesty carried the office, that it will be sustained and built upon by your Royal Highness.”

    His Royal Highness Edaiken N’Uselu Eheneden Erediauwa is inheriting a great history. With his new status, the Oba, who is also known as Omo N’Oba, is the traditional ruler of the Edo people. He is also the head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Great Benin Empire.

    Until Oba Eweka I, the headship of Benin Empire was not known as Oba. All that changed with the great Oba Eweka, who is believed to have reigned between 1180 and 1300. This great kingdom was raped by the British in 1897 when it launched an imperialist expedition. It deposed and exiled Oba Ovonramwen to Calabar, now the capital of Cross River State. It took control of the area to establish the British colony of Nigeria. He died in 1914. He never returned to his throne.

    What got the British angry and led to the expedition was the defeat of a British invasion force which violated Benin territory in 1896. It consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers, and is still remembered by the Edo people with trepidation today. Under the pretext of covering for the cost of the expedition, the Benin royal art was stolen and auctioned off by the British. Many of them are still in the British Museum.

    The mystery of the Benin makes it unclear what its relationship with Ile Ife and the Yoruba was. There is no agreement about the place or otherwise of Oduduwa, Oranmiyan and Igodomigodo in the history of this amazing empire in whose domain sits a chapel where the Oba is the General Overseer (GO).

    As the incoming GO of this over 500-year-old cathedral, which is located on Akpakpava Road, Benin City, prepares to take his seat on the pulpit and dish out the gospel— not according to the Bible—  I wish him well.

    My final take: Benin under the late monarch was respected. Its light will not dim now that his son has taken over. He will lead this great people well and years from now, we will look back and say ‘His Royal Highness Eheneden Erediauwa is a monarch with a difference’.

     

    Timi of Niger Delta @ 51

    It is not only in Ede, Osun State that there is a Timi. There is another Timi in Niger Delta, Rivers State specifically.  God saved him from being fed to the lion with the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President and Commander of the Armed Forces.

    In my view, he is stubborn, passionate and compassionate. He likes trouble and trouble likes him. He is never afraid of a fight. I am not sure the idiom he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day has a place in his heart.

    If he is silent, it generates reactions. If he talks, it generates uproar. In Yorubaland, people like him are called olori ariwo (someone who must always be talked about no matter what).

    Still wondering who this Timi is? He is no other than Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. I simply removed the first two letters in his first name to arrive at Timi. He is 51 today, two days short of his first anniversary out of the Government House, Port Harcourt where he was a two-term governor.

    Happy birthday,  Minister of Transportation.

     

     

  • Again, here we go!

    All things being equal, the presidential and national assembly elections will hold in five days time. There is no foreseeable reason they should not hold after the initial postponement. This is more so given that the two major planks on which the shift was hinged have been very substantially addressed. The liberation and recapturing of local governments, towns and villages under the stranglehold of the Boko Haram insurgents have reasonably progressed. So also is the distribution of the PVC.

    The other matter of whether or not to deploy the card readers is now at the table of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the sense that it is its prerogative to decide when and how to use them if it is fully satisfied with the outcome of the trials. Though, those experimental outings came out with some hitches, it is to be expected that the electoral body has taken note of them making, amends where necessary.

    Expectations are high that this set of elections should come and go. So much heat has been generated by this particular election that Nigerians are eager to have them pass by. The eagerness is not as much for any personal interest or enthusiasm but because of the general belief that this election could make or mar the country. Many are therefore desirous to have the elections pass by for them to resume their normal lives.

    Before now, many of our citizens living outside their ancestral homes had fled those areas for fear that harm may come their way. Many more are likely to flee days before the elections especially those residing in the northern parts of the country and Abuja. This is not a matter of speculation. Neither can it be dismissed as the doomsday prediction of an arm chair Journalist. It is real. The fear is palpable that unmitigated violence is likely to breakout thereafter irrespective of who wins. And in this regard, we have in mind the presidential election which at any rate comes first. There is general apprehension that its outcome is most likely to be disputed. And when such disputes arise, they manifest in violence often leading to the destruction of lives and property. This is more so as the election is viewed rightly or wrongly as a defining moment for the nation’s corporate survival.  Two factors account for this. The first has to do with the history of elections on these shores and the penchant by politicians not to accept defeat even when there is sufficient evidence they lost. This conclusion is very evident from the plethora of litigations that follow elections on these shores. Even where losers are known to have conceded defeat, congratulated their opponents with a promise not to challenge such verdict, it has been very disappointing seeing the same people reverse themselves only to proceed to the tribunals later. This election is unlikely to depart from this ruinous pattern. There is even more reasons for it to assume more dangerous dimension than previous ones.

    And this brings us to the second point. Despite whatever pretences one may wish to make, the election is largely seen from the prism of ethnic and religious lines. These factors have been palpable in the language of political discourses since campaigns began and even before then. The north wants power return to it as a matter of right. The south-south wants one of its own currently occupying that position to be given another term of four years before power can now move. There is yet to be any national consensus on the matter and we are going to the elections with such destabilizing and potentially explosive tendencies.

    There have also been threats from here and there if certain events go certain ways during this election. Accusing fingers have been pointed at each other by the major political parties. We have been inundated with accusations of plans by the political parties to rig the elections especially the ruling party. INEC has not been spared on this. If anything, the recent demonstrations in Lagos by some ethnic militias asking for the sack of Jega can only add to the general foul air that now surrounds the coming elections.

    The net effect of all these is the likelihood that the outcome of the election is likely to be disputed, especially so if there are observed lapses from the arrangements put in place by the electoral body. It would even seem to me that people are likely to be looking out for faults to discredit the elections.

    When we pair this observation with the high stakes of the election, one can then understand the stark reality that awaits this country in the next few days. But elections are not an end unto themselves but means for the advancement of public good. If that is the proper conception of the matter, why must hell let loose because one political party or individual failed to realize his ambition? Why has ethnicity and religion become prime considerations that determine the direction of the power matrix in this country? And if our leaders emerge on the basis of such mundane platforms, can they really pass as nationally acceptable leaders? Can they in all fairness, still remain loyal to the central authority irrespective of their attachment and loyalty to primordial considerations? These are some of the moot issues.

    Again, why are we simulating obstacles so as to find a convenient ground to wrestle the electoral body to the ground? And what of the likely consequences of such on the general wellbeing of the ordinary people that are being promised heaven and earth if they vote in a particular way? These are some of the contradictions arising from the polluted atmosphere that pervades the political atmosphere as we go into the elections.

    If blames are to be apportioned, the political class is largely culpable for heating up the political environment. And the reasons for this are largely self-serving. The same political elite that have despoiled this country, mortgaging its future are at it again. And in the pursuit of their personal interests, they have now mobilized the common people against each other.

    It is the same common people that will bear the brunt of whatever adverse repercussions that may arise out of a contentious election.

    If the overall interest of the people is the prime factor for seeking political office, nothing should be done to throw this country into crisis whatever the outcome of the polls. Our laws are replete with established processes for redress and those who feel shortchanged should avail themselves of such avenues. There must be conscious efforts to redirect this country from the part of a self-fulfilling prophesy of disintegrating this year. That is the huge challenge before us.

    Above all, much still depends on the INEC on the day of the election. The elections must not only be free and fair but must be seen to be so. Already, the electoral body has been put on edge. It does appear the electorate is not prepared to take excuses from it. It must therefore work hard to deliver to Nigerians an outcome that will give no room for acrimony. That is the surest way of disappointing those who are waiting for the slightest infractions to cause trouble.

  • Not the way to go

    In Nigeria, people like to cause confusion where there is none. They get a kick from turning things upside down just to destabilise the polity. Their joy is in heating up the whole place so that they can benefit from the ensuing crisis. These people abound in every segment of society. Their policy is if we cannot have it no other person should. But they are found mostly in  political circles.

    There are many spoilers in our political firmament. These are political jobbers who ingratiate themselves with those in power for their own selfish end. They do not have our leaders’  interest at heart, but they create the impression that they do. A wise leader will not touch them with a 10-foot pole, but since wisdom is far from many of our leaders, they get easily carried away by such people’s antics and end up in the hall of infamy.

    Remember June 12, John Atkins, Arthur Nzeribe, Abimbola Davies, the late Justice Bassey Ikpeme  and the Association of Better Nigeria (ABN)? In 1993, the faceless Atkins,  Nzeribe, now in his wintry years,  Davies, who sprang up from nowhere then, and ABN, among others, did all they could to stop the June 12, 1993 presidential election. The late Justice Ikpeme even granted a late night  injunction barely 48 hours to the election, stopping the National Electoral Commission (NEC)  from going ahead with the exercise. Of course, the late judge and her order were ignored.  In a series of adverts, Atkins argued strongly for the postponement of the election. The Prof Humphrey Nwosu-led NEC, he claimed, was ill-prepared for the poll.

    Nzeribe argued along the same line, making it look as if he was the faceless Atkins behind those adverts. Till today, many are not convinced that it was not Nzeribe in Atkins’ skin. What they were doing was against the electoral law, but the security agencies kept quiet. They allowed Nzeribe, Davies and ABN to be because they knew that these people and ABN cannot be dancing without their drummer being at hand. The drummer was the government of the day, which from the look of things was not ready to go after trying several gimmicks in the past to truncate the transition programme.

    It banned and unbanned candidates, shifted the hand over date severally before it ran into a cul-de-sac in 1993. June 12 was the proverbial bone that got stuck in their throats – they could neither cough it out nor swallow it. Despite their scheming, the election held and the rest, as they say, is history. But some people have not learnt from that. Today, some people want to take us down that road again. They are demanding postponement of next month’s elections to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) complete the distribution of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).

    The PVC is a must have for eligible voters; without it they cannot vote. Of the 68.8 million registered voters, about 42.7million have received their cards, according to INEC, which spoke on the highly sensitive issue on Tuesday night. The argument of poll postponement proponents is that millions of people will be disenfranchised if the election is allowed to hold as scheduled . Their argument holds no water as INEC has assured all that it can complete the distribution of the remaining 26.1 million cards between now and February 8. ‘’And if push comes to shove, we will distribute the cards till February 13, which is the eve of the presidential election’’, said INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, last week.

    The truth is that those calling for poll postponement are being used by some forces to do so. Some are doing it for money; others are doing it on the prompting of the government, which believes that if such people add their voice to it, it would give the clamour some sort of relevance. That is where they miss the point. Nigerians are anxious, very anxious, for the elections to hold because they are tired of the present administration. If many have their way, they would prefer that the elections  hold today.

    Nothing will make these people happy than to see the Jonathan administration go. The past six years have been hell on earth for many Nigerians despite the government’s claim of having touched their lives. In what way has the government touched people’s lives? Is it through its fiscal policies under which the naira keeps depreciating against  the dollar? Is it through the provision of critical infrastructure? Is it through stable power supply? Is it through the creation of jobs? We can go on and on. There is nothing to write home about this administration and this is  why discerning Nigerians are anxious for the elections to  come so that they can with  their own hands determine their fate.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has seen the handwriting on the wall; this is why it is tacitly backing those calling for postponement of the elections, citing many eligible voters’ inability to collect their PVCs for such indefensible demand. With what the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sabo Dasuki, said at Chatham House in London last week, it is clear that the PDP-led government, nay the Presidency, is not averse to a poll shift. But will INEC dance to their tune? This is where the problem lies. Those seeking  postponement do not know how to sell the idea to INEC, which is determined to get the elections done with as scheduled.

    So far, INEC has maintained its stand that the elections must hold next month come rain, come shine. But you can trust our people to go to any length to get what they want. On Tuesday, they took the fight, so to say, to INEC Headquarter in Abuja even when the issue of poll shift was not on the agenda of their meeting. All the parties except the All Progressives Congress (APC) and United Progressives Party (UPP) insisted on postponement of the poll. Their reason again was the distribution of PVCs to eligible voters before February 14. This is not an issue over which we should break bones. It is a matter that can be resolved without some people hiding under it to cause mischief.

    No doubt, INEC is facing challenges in distributing PVCs to all eligible voters. But should this be enough reason to ask for poll shift? The answer is no. What those in power should do is to come to INEC’s aid in getting these cards distributed speedily instead of using delay in their  distribution as a ploy for poll shift. Even if the elections are shifted for 90 days as Dasuki suggested in London, what is the guarantee that all eligible voters will collect their PVCs before the rescheduled poll? There is no need to shift the poll because those determined to vote will do all they can to get their PVCs as long as INEC makes good its promise to get them ready before February 8.

    Those calling for poll postponement  are not reckoning with the resolve of  Nigerians to get all-this essential card come what may as long as they are made available for collection. As I write this, I have yet to collect my PVC, but I am determined to get it whenever it is made available between now and February 8, even if I need to sleep at my polling unit or ward to pick it up. It is a sacrifice one must make in order to exercise one’s  franchise in next month’s elections. And I know that many Nigerians are ready to make that sacrifice. So, no to poll shift.

  • ‘Why I won’t go back to PDP’

    ‘Why I won’t go back to PDP’

    Hon. Tayo Alasoadura is the former Commissioner for Finance in Ondo State. He defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), shortly before the 2012 governorship election. The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ondo Central District spoke with  DAMISI OJO on the chances of the party in next year’s parliamentary elections. 

    What is your assessment of the political situation in Ondo State?

    The Bible is very clear about it when it said any house built on sand will collapse. Governor Olusegun Mimiko has been a political maverick in the past, a man who is totally unreliable, a man who  comes to greet you in the house and, when he is leaving , he says good night. One would have to accompany him to the front of the house to see whether it is morning or afternoon. When you are so maradonic, one day, you will dribble yourself and there is a proverb that says those who are too wise sometimes overreach themselves. I think the chicken has come home to roost for him, the defunct Labour Party in Ondo State and the Peoples Democratic Party.

    You were in the PDP and later, you defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC). What informed your change?

    There are two sides to it. When my good friend, Dr Olusegun Agagu, was alive, he led us very well. He was a good man and we were so friendly that I thought whenever I needed his assistance too, like I gave him all the support when I was serving with him, he would give me support. I wanted to run for the position of a governor in this state and I told him and I could not see the support coming and this made me not to be too happy. If it were somebody else, I would not mind. But, somebody you had served diligently, somebody you committed everything to, somebody you made his administration one of the best in this country and the best this state ever produced. There was no scandal. Salaries and gratuities were paid on time. No contractor and bank was owed one kobo. Everything was done according to the law. When he left government, no EFCC harassed him. Even me the Commissioner for Finance, no EFCC called me once, despite the fact that a very hostile government took over from our administration. I thought those services given should have been enough for him to give me support. The second part is that I saw the PDP drifting. When we started the PDP, because I was one of the founding fathers of the PDP, we had this aim and objective to make Nigeria better. But, after sometime, I discovered that majority of the people in the PDP wanted to grab money and steal. I as a Chartered Accountant trained in the act of transparency and accountability, I could no more accept bad beaviours that would not be in the interest of our people. I came to politics to serve. I came from a very poor family, worked very hard to get the little I got and after that to now be a party to the wanton plundering of the Nigeria resources, I don’t think I will like that.We wanted to build a national party to be able to retrieve our natural resources that were being used by other states. Our fathers who were in government had tried, but because we were not in the party at the centre, it made it extremely difficult for us to get our oil wells retrieved and, to the glory of God, by the time Dr Agagu was leading the crusade and I was carrying the file, we were able to get 103 oil wells attributed to Ondo State, which is what we are now sitting on today. Having completed my mission, I felt it was time for me to go back home to the progressive where I naturally belong.

    You talk of progressive politics, what defines your progressivism? Is it by party affiliation or otherwise?

    Progressivism is very simple; a party that looks after the interest of the greater majority of the people; give them good education, ensure that there is gainful employment, to ensure that schools are in good shape, ensure that all the people that are working are paid on time.

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko said recently that the APC is not a progressive political party…

    I leave that for people to judge, if PDP is taking care of the interest of the people. I would not be the one to go into altercation with Governor Mimiko. Before, he said it was the LP that he belongs that is a progressive. Now, it is the PDP.

    Do you mean the six years you were in government as a PDP chieftain, you are not taking care of the interest of the people?

    No. You know you can start something or have a vision about

    something and, along the way, people can derail. The PDP has derailed. What is attractive in the PDP today? Is it the abduction of over 200 of the Chibok girls that government has not found solution to? Is it the stealing of our money by ministers? There is massive corruption in this country that our President does not know the difference between stealing and corruption. Is it that a woman used N235million to buy two cars that will attract me? Is it that a woman used N10billion to hire an aircraft for her personal use and is still in the government that will attract me? Is a government that cannot arm our solders to confront the insurgency in our country Pand all the money that should be used to buy equipment for our soldiers are pocketed by few people    has PDP has derailed, they are not doing what we set out the party to be and I cannot be part of them any more.

  • 2015: How far can Ikpeazu go in Abia?

    2015: How far can Ikpeazu go in Abia?

    THE Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has joined the governorship race in Abia State.

    At the primaries, he will struggle for the ticket with other contenders, including Senator Enyeinnaya Abaribe, Senator Nkechi Nwaorgu, Mr. Friday Nwosu, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, Chief Emeka Wogu, Chief Marc Wabara, Dr. Uche Ogah, Chief Alex Oti, and Elder Acho Nwakamma.

    The PDP has zoned the slot to  Abia South Senatorial Zone, which has not produced the governor in 22 years. But, some aspirants are kicking against zoning. Ogah and Otti, who are from Abia North, and Nwaogu from Abia Cengtral are in the race.

    If the zoning is sustained, the beneficiary will be Ukwa Ngwa ethnic group, which has the largest population in Abia South.

    Aspirants from this sub-zone, including Nwosu, Ikpeazu,  Wogu and  Abaribe, have collected nomination forms.

    Ikpeazu is from Isialaukwu,  Obingwa Local Government Area.  He is perceived as a vibrant, dynamic and energetic aspirant. He is also an experienced administrator. In 2002, he was the Transition Committee Chairman of Obingwa Local Government Area. He has also served as the Special Adviser to the governor on Environment.

    As the General Manager of Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMSS) from 2007 to 2009, he turned around its fortunes by making it a revenue yielding agency.  The company also employed over 1000 indigenes during the period.

    In 2010, Ikpeazu became the Chairman of the Governing Council of Abia State College of Health Technology, Aba. He facilitated the accreditation of three critical courses in the institution by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

    Declaring his governorship ambition in Umuahia, the state capital, Ikpeazu said:  ‘My commitment is to serve God and humanity. Therefore, I am driven by a strong determination to achieve results. In this regard, I am propelled by the fundamental needs of our people. I believe that, to successfully achieve this, there is the need to consult and involve a wide spectrum of our society”.

    He added: “I appreciate intellectual discussions and contributions. I encourage men of ideas to express themselves. I share their opinions and ideas on issues of interest to our society and I hold the view that ideas are the bedrock of progress. Most importantly I take responsibility for every action and inaction under my watch. As the governor, I will do my best”.

    But, can he get the ticket? His opponents at the primaries are formidable actors. They are experienced politicians. For example, Abaribe has a solid structure and network. The former deputy governor contested against former Governor Orji Kalu in 2003. He ran on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He was persuaded to return to the PDP, whre he has bounced back as a senator in 2007. In 2011, he was re-elected as a senator.

    Wogu, who resigned as the Minister of Labour and Productivity two weeks ago, is a grassrrots politician. He also has money to run a state wide campaign.

    Nwakamma is also a household name in Abia. He is perceived as a loyal PDP chieftain.

    Emuchay and Wabara are from Ukwa East Local Government Area. They are formidable candidates.    Nwosu, a lawyer, is also popular in the party. But, he has not held any political office. Therefore, critics said that he is not a tested hand.

  • Ohakim probe: How far can Okorocha go?

    Ohakim probe: How far can Okorocha go?

    Imo State is in dire straits. The state which used to be one of the most progressive and rapidly developing in the country is today, facing a serious challenge of development occasioned by directionless leadership.

    As Imo and Imolites suffer retardation in every sector of the state’s economy, the Rochas Okorocha government, which elicited much enthusiasm and hope at inception, continues to pursue shadows. Like Emperor Nero of the ancient Roman Empire, the government in Owerri fiddles while Imo burns. Today, the only indication that something is happening in Imo, is the upsurge in the number of hotels and brothels which depend on free ladies from the tertiary institutions in the state. In fact, prostitution is the biggest industry in Imo as all other sectors of the economy remain undeveloped.

    Instead of delivering on its campaign promises, the government in Imo has continued to blackmail former Governor Chief Ikedi Ohakim with threats of probe.

    Only recently, Governor Okorocha disclosed to Imo people that the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Ohakim was so monumental that he would not sweep it under the carpet. According to Okorocha and his aides, the loans obtained by Ohakim in the name of the state, ended up in private pockets as there is nothing on ground to show that the loans were judiciously used.

    Okorocha and his men are quick to point at certain projects initiated by Ohakim, which they describe as phoney or non-existent even though funds were said to have been allocated for them in budgets. Some of the projects include the Oguta Wonder Lake, the Oak Refinery, the Imo Boulevard, the new Government House, Mid-West Airlines among others. Ohakim was said to have procured bank bonds for these projects without executing them.

    Already, Ohakim has told the world that he left about N13.5 billion in Imo State’s coffers while leaving office May 29, 2011. His media aide, Ethelbert Okere has risen in defence of his boss, maintaining that Okorocha is simply pursuing rats while his house is burning. Similarly, the 27 Local Government Council chairmen in the state who were sacked by the governor have dragged him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) for alleged misappropriation of the N13.5 billion.

    The council chairmen have also alleged that Governor Okorocha used the allocations due to local councils in the state as collateral to borrow N45 billion and another N28 billion from two separate new generation banks.

    The truth of the matter is that the Okorocha government has betrayed the hope the Imo people had in it when it came on board in 2011.

    Most of the projects which Okorocha claims he has executed are bogus and have no direct economic benefits to Imo people. They include the Ojukwu Square, all the street gates in Owerri, abandoned hospital buildings which were started with local government funds, the perimeter fence along Wethedral Road and the grading of roads without actual construction.

    Before the Okorocha admnistration came on board, each of the 27 local government areas had a General Hospital built by past administrations in the state. It is worrisome that these hospitals lack equipment and medicaments required for effective health care delivery. Most of these hospitals lack beds, qualified nurses and good sanitation. The few doctors who have agreed to work in them are poorly-motivated. Instead of the state government to equip these hospitals to enable them function well, it chose to construct new ones. Even the new hospital buildings under construction have been abandoned.

    Okorocha has destroyed the local government administration system in Imo. Despite several court verdicts directing him to allow elected council chairmen to run the affairs of the councils, Okorocha has crippled the councils in his bid to destroy Ohakim’s legacies.

    The councils are now being run by Directors of Administration and General Services (DAGS) in total violation of court orders while the chairmen elected under Ohakim are barred from even entering council headquarters.

    Granted that the Ohakim administration had its own shortcomings, these are not enough to prevent Governor Okorocha from performing. Okorocha’s fourth tier government, which includes traditional rulers and Town Union Presidents in local administration, is another primitive and retrogressive policy that has further crippled the local councils and created unnecessary rifts in the villages. Cases of assassination, kidnapping, rape and arson have become daily occurrences in communities that were hitherto peaceful. The introduction of partisan politics in village unions has destroyed the brotherhood, communal harmony and cohesion which were hallmarks of the traditional Igbo society.

    After over one year in office, Governor Okorocha has nothing to his name apart from unnecessary village controversies which are counter –productive. His so-called free education policy is a sham. His decision to give primary school pupils One Hundred Naira (N100.00) monthly is a mercantilist approach, which is eroding the Igbo value system anchored on hard work. It is regrettable that Okorocha is forcing Imo children to develop a taste for money not earned through handwork. Igbo children are encouraged to imbibe the virtue of delayed gratification which is predicated on the philosophy that work must come before pleasure.

    The Imo University which is a timeless legacy left by the Sam Mbakwe administration is now a shadow of its former self. Within one year, Okorocha has changed three Vice-Chancellors of the university. This is antithetical to academic culture and freedom. His decision to make Imo University a purely commercial venture, while propagating free education, is deceptive and inimical to the dreams of the founding fathers of the university. It is clumsy and primitive to ask university undergraduates to go to their rural communities to collect cheques from their traditional rulers. Most of the traditional rulers have said that the governor should have allowed them enjoy their peace instead of dragging them into his politics of free education. Nobody has seen the cheques which have been advertised in national newspapers.

    It is annoying that the government in Owerri excavated most of the roads in the state without asphalting them. The rains have destroyed the roads, rendering them impassable and worse than they were when Okorocha assumed power. The fraudulent recruitment of contractors without mobilization and payment violates the Procurement Act. It is saddening when a government decides to deceive those it is ruling. It is even more saddening when the strategies for deceit are deliberately designed and executed by the government and its functionaries.

    Okorocha should tell the world how many roads he has constructed from start to finish since he came to power. It is clear that the infrastructural base of the state has collapsed. Owerri is a failed city already. Education which is the greatest legacy any government can leave for posterity is being ridiculed as the government continues to play politics with everything.

    Ohakim has dared Okorocha to probe him. Let the probe begin if this will make Okorocha perform.

    • Dr. Okoroma wrote from Owerri.