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Tag: governors

  • 2015: Jonathan should honour the agreement he allegedly had with governors, if there is any-Ex-Kwara Governor Bola Latinwo

    2015: Jonathan should honour the agreement he allegedly had with governors, if there is any-Ex-Kwara Governor Bola Latinwo

    Retired Group Captain Salaudeen Adebola Latinwo is former military governor of Kwara State, in the short-lived regime of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) between 1984 and 1985. A native of Offa, Kwara State, Latinwo is an aviation technology and management specialist. He is also a public affairs analyst. In this interview with Deputy Editor, VINCENT AKANMODE and Assistant Editor, LINUS OBOGO, Latinwo recalls his travails in the military which culminated in his early retirement from the Nigerian Airforce. He also laments the crippling corruption bedevilling the country, ditto the aviation sector and shares his perspective on the proposed national conference, even as he accuses President Goodluck Jonathan of suffering credibility deficit on account of his several failed accomplishments. Exercepts:

    You had always wanted to be an aeronautic engineer before you were cajoled against your wish, by the late Sardauna of Sokoto and the then Premier of Northern Region, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, to get enlisted into the Nigerian Airforce. How much of your dream would you say you eventually realised?

    The point was that as a young man growing up, there was always that ambition of wanting to be a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant or an engineer. The engineering we knew then was aeronautic and everyone wanted to be an aeronautic engineer. Fortunately for some of us, there was this call then by the Sardauna of Sokoto to be part of the young airforce that was being put together then for the country. While some of us thought the opportunity was something that had to do with the building of an aircraft, others thought it was about the military.

    Initially, some of us were reluctant because we did not want to have anything to do with the military. But somehow, the Sardauna of Sokoto recognised the fact that the Northern part of the country needed to be strongly represented in the air force. And so, he started looking for young men with the potential to be enlisted. We were called to the Government House in Kaduna and convinced to take advantage of the opportunity provided we were qualified. It was like a father talking to you and that was how about two or three of us were shortlisted and taken to Germany for the training.

    It was when we got to Germany that we realised that it was a military affair, when they started issuing us military uniforms. When we saw that it had more to do with the military than the building of aircraft, some of us insisted on returning home. We made it clear that it was not something we wanted to do. But we were persuaded to stay and we did. We were told then that being an air force officer was all about prestige, power and authority.

    So, to answer your question, I will say that I did not, as a matter of fact, realise my aeronautic engineering ambition. But some of my children have surpassed that with PhD in aerospace engineering.. In fact, my last child has a Ph.D in aerospace engineering.

    Did any of your children take after you militarily?

    No, but they have been able to excel in their various chosen careers. When you remember the terrible experience some of us had leading to the premature end of my career as an air force officer, it was not something to encourage the children to voluntarily to take after me in terms of career. But despite everything, I still remain grateful to God for His love.

    It is obvious that you are still seething with anger and resentment. Do you still hold the grudge against those you feel were part of your travails and premature exit from the air force?

    It was not exactly about anger, but about unfilled career aspiration. It could be saddening when you remember how you were cajoled into starting something that was initially not part of your life’s desire only to see it, having taken the bold move, terminated abruptly in what I will call the prime of mine youth. At 42, I was a Group Captain, but I would not say that was how early I wanted my career to come to an end. It was a painful experience to find oneself roped into something you knew nothing about and I was faced with the threat of my life being brutally taken away for no just cause. And by a stroke of divine providence, my life was spared.

    Of course, as a human being, you are expected to hold a grudge. But when you realise where the opposition and hate is coming from, what could one do? It came from the very top level because some people wanted power at all costs and in so doing, they stopped at nothing to actualise and retain it, even if it meant doing away with those perceived as standing in the way. This kind of thing is often very prevalent in a developing country such as ours where someone must pull two or three people down through blackmail and conspiracy just to grab power.

    With that being said, I took everything that happened to me as part of my sacrifice that I needed to give to Nigeria as a developing country. I have since moved on because as long as I remain alive, life must go on. One must learn to put aside grudges and move on in life because the attributes you have will always assist you to forge ahead to the envy of those who do not want you to succeed. It was not an easy experience to be forced out of what you know and love all of your life into a world you hardly understood their language. A world where people tell you they are coming while they are going.

    A lot of people would want to attribute your travails and subsequent exit from the force as part of the consequence of the military incursion into the political governance of the country. Would you say that was your own price for the military involvement in politics?

    There is always a misconception in that regard. My understanding is that the military had to step in when there was excessive corruption and ineptitude in the system and they did that for a reason. Unfortunately, in the course of trying to restore sanity in the system, some people had personal ambition and agenda which tended to subsume the larger mission for the intervention.

    My answer to your question is to try to assess the military by narrowing it down to regimes rather than the military as a whole. Every regime must be broken down and assessed by whatever contributions it made while it was in power rather than by wrongly generalising the military. The military incursion was more of a necessary action to better the lot of the country. It was true that some regimes came and twisted everything to zero level and squandered the respect the people had for the military as an entity.

    Whether this is true or not, there was the perception that the country would not be where it is today if the regime under which you served had endured a little while longer. How correct is this perception?

    I think it is matter of personal opinion because nobody knew what would have happened after one and a half years. Sincerely speaking, for the one and a half years that the Muhammadu Buhari’s regime lasted, it was straightforward and focused. It came out with the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), the queue culture, the monthly sanitation culture, among other policies meant to reorient and mobilise the people and galvanise that nationalistic fervour in them. The moment a leader is able to manage the people in the way that they should act, they will be able to see a future where they will not think of stealing public money and doing those things that will bring the name of the country to shame. It was apparent that people admired and embraced the policies the regime of General Buhari was instituting. But unfortunately somebody thought otherwise and decided to alter the regime.

    What is your comment on the alleged highhandedness of that regime?

    No, it was not highhanded. There was no doubt that there was a lot of corruption and embezzlement within the system and the administration said: ‘We heard this and that about your corrupt practices.’ So, the onus was on the politicians to prove that they were not corrupt. But in life generally, sometimes you need to do certain things to galvanise actions from the populace. That was precisely what the regime did at the time. In life also, you cannot sit down and have things too easy with you. If you desire an orderly society, you must be ready to pay a price. That was the price we insisted the Nigerian society must pay. If trading in cocaine was your business and we found out that it was destroying our image internationally, it meant therefore, that you could lose your life by doing business in cocaine. As a matter of fact, that tended to frighten people. I think that was one of the few things people saw as being highhanded.

    It was rather unfortunate that those who succeeded in pulling the regime down were key members of the same regime. That, in itself, highlighted the personal ambition that was at play. I have read about a country which found out that an issue like religion was becoming too difficult to manage and it had to hands off religion as a policy of state for 10 years to concentrate on issues that were of economy. For 10 to 15 years, nobody talked about religion. That is how a nation is built. It must be built on sacrifice from all and sundry, both the leadership and the lead.

    Given your revulsion for corruption, how do you react to the N255 million armoured car scandal surrounding the Minister of Aviation?

    By now, the President should have asked her to step aside until investigations are completed. Stella Oduah is one out of about 170 million Nigerians. Neither the country nor the Ministry of Aviation will grind to a halt if she is shown the door. Even if she was the one who founded the PDP, as far as it has become a party for everyone, it is no longer her party. Therefore, giving her the boot is not something that requires long contemplation. Of course, she could be brought back after the investigation if she is found not culpable. There is no point pampering her and appearing to be glossing over the scandal.

    Aviation is a serious sector. It is like medicine where if you put a quack gynaecologist as your brother or sister in place of an expert, all the patients will die one after another. So, in aviation, you do not put anybody as minister simply because the person is close to you. It will be a recipe for air disaster. The moment corruption has crept into the sector where a minister is exposed to such temptations as gifts of armoured cars, then, there is real and present danger. That is what we are witnessing. (The minister, however, on Thursday denied that the cars were bought for her).

    Still on corruption, the regime which you were a part of postured to be fighting corruption at the time. How would you defend the allegation of ’53 Suit cases’ against that regime and which no response was offered until it was sacked?

    In my mind, I think people got it wrong on the issue of the 53 suit cases. Well, I was not at the headquarters then, but what I gathered was that the father of the ADC to the head of state was returning to the country and he (ADC) was at the airport to assist him with his luggage. I really don’t think there were up to 53 suit cases. But the whole thing was blown out of proportion and out of mischief.

    I knew both General Buhari (rtd) and the late General Tunde Idiagbon very well. They were strict, honest and distinguished gentlemen who operated a zero-tolerance for graft and sleaze. These were men who did not know what was going on at the airport. If his ADC’s father was returning to the country and the boy was at the airport to assist him, I don’t see what is wrong with that.

    Do not forget that this is a country where people take advantage of situations just to blackmail you. And this particular incident could not have been an exception. Even though I was at Ilorin then, I was not fascinated by the story because there was no substance in it. It was more of making a mountain out of a molehill. Beyond this singular incident, I do not think there was any incident that you could lay hands on and say this was what that regime did in terms of compromising itself.

    I was part of that regime and it was one that was honorable, focused and determined to straighten issues. If you look at the character of somebody like General Buhari, you will understand that he is someone with a very strong personality. He is passionate about what he upholds. It is this passion that has been driving him to see if he can turn things round for the country, if allowed the second chance now that he is in politics. Buhari has so much to offer this country and he is propelled by this self-belief and determination. Judging him from his military performance, Buhari is more than capable. But as a politician, I cannot say because that is quite a different constituency altogether. He is not one who listens to gossip. I just hope and pray that he will be allowed the chance one day to offer his service in a leadership position.

    Have you been in touch with him ever since his administration was terminated?

    I have not been in touch with him. Sincerely no! There was really no personal relationship or close relationship. It was purely official. He was my boss as a senior officer and head of state.

    If Buhari believes he has something to offer, do you also believe that he’s got something to offer?

    Well, given the circumstances we found ourselves, we need somebody who is very firm. For now, I do not know of any. The only challenge is the difference in circumstances. At first, he operated under the military, but is it the same circumstance now? No. that is where there could be a constraint. If we have to stay together as a country, then we need somebody as firm and honest as Buhari. I think he has got the attributes. This is not to say that I am recommending him for anything or canvassing for him. So, you have to get me right.

    Some of your colleagues are in politics either in elective or appointive capacity. What has kept you away from politics?

    My own way or my attitude to politics is quite different from other people’s approach to it. I knew I could not fit into the brand of politics being played here. I like doing things in an honorable way. Our politicians are people who say one thing and turn round to do the other. I am someone who stands on his honour. I know places where people find it uncomfortable when they see people like me around them because they know that I operate on the side of truth.

    I have since made up my mind not to be involved in serious politics but to be making contributions when asked upon. I do not want to be involved in active politics. Maybe the opportunity will come one day, but if it does not come, maybe my children will be the ones to take it up.

    Some people are already expressing a sense of foreboding ahead of 2015 because of the opposition to the return bid by Mr. President and the likely backlash this will trigger. Do you nurse this fear as well?

    No. I do not nurse the fear. As a matter of fact, I understand there is an alleged agreement he purportedly went into with some people. I do not know how true this is. But if there existed such an agreement, for me, it is only honorable to honour it. It might be difficult to say there was no agreement, because politicians of the Nigerian hue hardly do anything or go into something without an agreement. So to turn round and say there was no agreement is unacceptable. If the atmosphere was friendly, cordial and involved two to three men and you accepted it, then it is only honorable to abide by it. But if you decide to bring the law or constitution into it, it becomes unmanageable because you have defaulted in your honorable position to honour what you conscionably went into. There is no basis to make recourse to law or constitution because you did not remember the law when you went into an agreement.

    He will be looking for crisis, anarchy if he reneges on an agreement he purportedly went into. I recalled talking about the manner I was retired with my wife and I told her that if this was the sacrifice we had to make to keep the country together, then we had to let go what they did to me. That was how we put the whole thing behind us. This is the way leaders should look at issues. They should learn to look at issues beyond themselves in the overall interest of the country.

  • Governors, others seek entrenchment of rule of law

    Governors, others seek entrenchment of rule of law

    Prominent Nigerians have stressed the need to address the lopsided distribution of wealth in the country.

    Speaking yesterday at a public lecture, titled: God-Given Wealth, Man-Made Poverty and the Rule of Law in Nigeria, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the country has not grown because the rule of law has not been properly applied.

    The lecture was organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Institute of Government and Public Policy (OAIGPP), Lagos.

    Aregbesola, who was a special guest of honour, said the indefensible disconnection between the massive God-given wealth of the nation and the poverty of the people has persisted for lack of rule of law.

    He was represented by the Director-General of the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo, Prof. Moses Makinde.

    Aregbesola said it was paradoxical that despite the country’s wealth, the pervasive poverty in the land was humanly contrived.

    He said: “Although God has given us wealth, we have been made poor by human activities.”

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the institute’s Board of Trustees Chief Bisi Akande leaders engaged in corrupt practices because of materialism and lack of sound minds.

    Buttressing his point with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Mental Magnitude, Akande said leaders need to tame their appetites to achieve effective governance.

    He said: “If there is one point on which Nigerians generally agree, it is that one of the most intractable challenges confronting the country today is the ever-growing deficit in governance and its practices.”

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by Rev. Tunji Adebiyi, stressed the need for governments to be focused.

    He said: “Lagos State has been in the vanguard of delivering on the late Awolowo’s philosophy of governance, which was espoused in the programmes of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). It is in Lagos State that you do not find abandoned projects. We dwell on the ideas of the late sage and we think other states should borrow from these principles to deliver good governance to the people.”

    Fashola said there must be justice and fairness in the application of the law.

    Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who was represented by Prof. Mohammed Yahaya, said the war against corruption would not achieve results if youths were left out of the crusade.

    He said: “You must catch them young because those who are presently doing the crusade are spent forces. There is need to incorporate the youths into it. We must all arise to make our impact in the struggle to get this country aright, irrespective of our challenges.”

    Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) Ekpo Nta, who chaired the occasion, said the aims of the institute were in consonance with the position of the anti-graft agency, which is to ensure good governance in the country.

    He said: “We must stop the cycle of self-fulfilling prophesies by looking at the habits that makes us work against the law of social gravity. ICPC has been actively involved in getting professional groups to sanction erring members of the society.”

    Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, who gave the lecture, said Nigeria must adhere to the rule of law, if its abundant resources were to be fully explored.

    She said there was a pervasive culture of impunity in the country, which the people have accepted as a norm.

    Prof. Omorogbe said: “People are now complacent because they believe nothing can be done to change it.”

    Activist lawyer Bamidele Aturu said the devastation caused by corruption in high places cannot be quantified. He said: “If the rule of law is to be proportionately applied, then it must be rigorously examined.”

    Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, who was represented by Prof. Ayandiji Aina, said: “Although Nigeria is rated among one of the most blessed countries in the world, it has been decimated by poverty and other social challenges. There is need to ensure good governance and accountability and we must all be fair in the application of rule of law.”

    Also at the lecture were the founder of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Faseun; OAIGPP board member Mr. Ibikunle Fakeye; Prof. Adebayo Williams and others.

  • North’s governors seek peaceful co-existence

    The Northern States’ Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has urged Muslims to strengthen peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness.

    The Chairman of the forum and Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu gave the advice in his Eid-El-Kabir message.

    He said Nigerians must reflect on the various challenges facing the nation and work collectively to surmount them.

    Aliyu said: “The challenges confronting the nation require the cooperation of all if the country is to achieve meaningful progress and development.”

    In a statement by the spokesman of forum’s chairman, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, the NSGF Chairman said the Sallah celebration provides another opportunity for Nigerians to reflect on the essence of sacrifice, selfless service and total submission to Allah.

    He noted that these were the conditions for harmonious coexistence and development of the nation.

    Aliyu urged Muslims and non-Muslims to use the Eid-el-Kabir to forgive and love one another.

    The governor urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of peace, sacrifice, love and tolerance, which are the hallmarks of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

    The forum chairman advised Nigerians to support governments at all levels to enable those in positions of authority to do more for the people.

    Also, Niger State Speaker Barister Adamu Usman urged Muslims to emulate the virtues and attributes of Prophet Ibrahim.

    These, he said, include obedience, loyalty, humility, and sacrifice.

    The Speaker said these earned him the pleasure of Allah.

    Usman said Muslims should spend this Eid-el-Kabir to reflect on how they could bring the ideals and virtues of their religious beliefs to offer positive solutions to the challenges facing the nation.

     

  • Group tasks G7 governors on unity

    Group tasks G7 governors on unity

    From G-6, a socio-political organisation working in the South-South as well as the six geo-political zones of the country, has come an appeal to the seven breakaway ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors (G-7) not to overheat the polity.

    Giving this charge over the weekend was the National Coordinator of the group, Hon. Esther Ebiere Gbonkumor.

    Speaking exclusively with The Nation, Hon. Gbonkumor said it was rather unfortunate that leaders who ought to work in the public interest were more concerned about feathering their own nests.

    “One would naturally expect that as leaders, the so-called G-7 governors should strive to ensure mutual trust and harmony in the country. But the irony, however, is that these governors are rather fanning the embers of disunity because of their personal selfish interest,” she said.

    Continuing, she said: “It is rather unfortunate that the G-7 governors are antagonising President Goodluck Jonathan when they should be working together to ensure socio-economic progress of the entire populace.

    “From President Jonathan’s words and actions, you easily know that he is a detribalised leader, who is ready to work for the good of all and not self-centred as most of these other governors. So, my appeal to these governors is that they should bury the hatchet and close ranks with the president in the interest of the masses they claim to be representing.”

    The splinter group of the party, which has seven governors, including governors Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) and Rabiu Kwankanwso (Kano), Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) all of the Kawu Baraje-faction, was floated on August 31.

    The National Coordinator of the G-6 also impressed on the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the need to be a unifying force in the party instead of being an instrument of discord.

    “As a father figure, we expect Alhaji Tukur to operate an open door policy. That is the only way to curtail intra-party wrangling being witnessed among the PDP fold in recent times,” she admonished.

  • Governors urge ASUU to end strike

    The Southsouth and Southeast governors have urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to consider the students’ plight and call off its strike.

    In a communiqué after its meeting in Enugu, read by Cross Rivers State Governor Liyel Imoke, the governors enjoined ASUU to resolve the issues through dialogue.

    They said the decision of who would become the country’s president in 2015 lies with the electorate in accordance with extant democratic tenets and lauded Nigerians for supporting President Goodluck Jonathan in his drive to transform the country.

    They said: “We thank Nigerians for their continued support for the administration of President Jonathan, who they elected overwhelmingly. We urge Mr. President to remain focused on governance and not allow himself to be distracted.

    “We note that the decision of who will become the president of this country in 2015 will be made by the electorate in line with the democratic tenets and powers. It should not be usurped by any group or individual.”

    The governors called for continued dialogue in resolving issues of national interest and pledged to strengthen economic ties between the zones.

    They hailed the security agencies for managing security challenges and the Federal Government for the massive reduction in crude oil theft.

    The meeting was attended by Governors of Akwa Ibom, Chief Godswill Akpabio; Abia, Theodore Orji; Anambra, Peter Obi; Enugu, Sullivan Chime; Ebonyi, Martins Elechi; Delta, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, while Bayelsa Governor, Dickson Seriake, was represented by his deputy.

  • We’ll overcome our challenges, say North’s governors

    The Northern States’ Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has assured Nigerians that the nation will overcome its challenges.

    The forum, however, said Nigerians should be patient in their bid to transform the country.

    The chairman of the forum and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu gave the assurance in his goodwill message on today’s 53rd independence anniversary.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, the governor urged Nigerians to be patient with their leaders.

    Admitting that the country may not have fared well in all the critical sectors of the economy, the forum said the nation recorded some remarkable progress, especially in the steady march to freedom and respect for the rule of law.

    Assuring the people, the forum said: “Daunting as our security and developmental challenges may appear, we are confident that the nation will emerge from this trying time stronger, more united and more prosperous.”

    It urged Nigerians to live above sectional tendencies, which could compromise the growth of the nation.

    The NSGF advised Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of selflessness, which the nation’s founding fathers preached and practised.

     

     

     

     

  • Southwest governors’ unfinished agenda

    Southwest governors’ unfinished agenda

    In spite of the massive and commendable efforts by the progressive governors of the Southwest political zone to reclaim and redo their region in line with the civilising vision of their iconic past, they have proved strangely deficient in focusing on a few key issues necessary to safeguard their legacies and forge a great society out of the perverted crucible bequeathed to them by their wanton predecessors. The governors, working on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), must now gradually begin to complement their fixation with infrastructural development with an equal or greater than normal fixation with creating a new social ethos. If the work of the governors is to endure, if their legacies should not be claimed by others or bastardised, they must be undergirded by a fundamental set of values by which the region is to be known and differentiated.

    I absolutely do not get the impression, by their works, utterances and dispositions, that the progressive governors of the region are quite able to draw the line between the development or recreation of the region’s broken infrastructure and the values necessary for the regeneration and refinement of the region’s essence. Somehow – I do not know how – Obafemi Awolowo had an instinctive feel for the ingredients necessary for the embodiment of the Western Region essence. Perhaps because he had a metaphysical grasp of the interrelationship between man and matter, he knew as a social alchemist how to balance economic development with human development. He knew, indeed, how to build the man and imbue him with definable and noble essence while anchoring those efforts on the foundations of physical and economic development.

    The Southwest governors have done substantial work, far more than necessary to win the next elections, in rebuilding the region’s infrastructure destroyed by decades of military rule and incompetent elected governments. Now, they will need to dig deep and show a greater appreciation of the interconnectedness between man and material things, and just how the two, in measured proportions, produce a great society. For in the end, it is not just schools, roads and hospitals that conduce to a great society, as indispensable as they may seem.

    I single out the progressive governors of the Southwest for mention in this piece because they seem to have at least a vague understanding of why it is important to build a great society. And they also seem eager to tackle one of the constituent blocks of building a great society – the troublous matter of infrastructure. But they seem baffled that in spite of their best efforts, not only are they still being heavily criticised, their states have neither changed fundamentally when put side by side other states nor have attitudes been reengineered in such a way as to create the desirable outcomes they are familiar with in foreign sojourns. They may make definite and perceptible efforts to rebuild their states’ infrastructure, but they unhappily discover for instance that in spite of their better efforts they still play politics the same enervating way other unaccomplished or even failing states in the country do. This failure is a reflection of the things they have either de-emphasised or are not doing at all.

    The progressive governors may not have noticed, but it is becoming increasingly clear, in the face of almost universal breakdown of law and order in the country, that the Southwest seems to be the last oasis of order and stability. While other regions have virtually broken down under the weight of religious cum ethnic and social revolts, with some even manifesting extreme and dehumanising forms of trade in human beings (or kidnapping), the Southwest has managed to maintain a semblance – only a semblance – of peace and civilisation. It is time the region’s governors began to take steps that are consistent with the desired fundamental changes in values in order to consciously build a society immune to the madness around them. Already, their insulator is being gradually eroded, as religious acrimony is creeping into social and political discourses in some of the states. Rather than seek to appease sectarian activists, the states must find ways to firmly and publicly distance government from religion. Appeasement of any kind will be counterproductive.

    While the Southwest has produced an integration agenda, an action that has inspired at least one other region, it has been unable to pursue its implementation with the same enthusiasm that informed the agenda’s formulation. This shortcoming is unlikely to be due to rivalry between the governors, for state boundaries are clearly delineated, and boundary disputes in the region are few and far between. I suspect, as I said earlier, that the governors themselves are not clear about what should be done to create a great society, or how and why a great society transcends roads, schools and hospitals. They do not seem to understand why they must enunciate different paradigms for democracy, for electoral contest, for the justice system, for taxation, for law enforcement, etc. In fact they need to appreciate why there should be some form of uniformity in these areas, in order to build or restore the civilisation that has stood them out for more than a century.

    It must be acknowledged that the Southwest will find it difficult to stand aloof from the morass around them, especially given the massive decline in competence and standards at the federal level and the erosion of values in high places. It is doubly difficult for the region, or any state for that matter, to be differentiated when the federal government itself, particularly through its electoral, security and law enforcement agencies, stands as a dangerous, if not insane, counterpoise to orderly and peaceful governance. But except the region makes conscious effort in creating a new social ethos, notwithstanding the countervailing forces around it, it will find itself drawn deeper and ineluctably into the vortex of mediocrity, confusion, examination malpractices, chaos and decay that have undermined the country in general.

  • APC governors to meet National Assembly caucus

    Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) states are to meet with its members in the Senate and House of Representatives on Friday, it was learnt yesterday.

    The meeting follows a similar one held last week between seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and the leadership of the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the party.

    According to a National Assembly source, who pleaded not to be named, unlike what happened during the PDP governor’s visit, the APC meeting would be held outside the National Assembly complex.

    He also said the APC meeting would not be about the party alone but also issues of national interest would be discussed.

    He said: “The meeting with the caucus of the Senate and the House of Representatives would discuss party structuring and contentious areas in the constitution amendment process.

    “APC is not involved in any intra-party intrigues, so the aim of the leadership is to articulate the objectives of the party and present these to the National Assembly members.

    “The motive behind this may not be far from the fact that as we approach 2015, all kinds of politicking would be going on but APC is aware that the interest of Nigerians should be paramount.

    “The party also felt, and rightly so, that the National Assembly has a big role to play towards that and thus necessitates why its members have to be acquainted with the plans of the party.

    “The party would not want its structure to be a source of friction amongst its members and that is why our representatives at the National Assembly have to be engaged.

    “As the Party is forward looking, it decided to take on the challenges posed by some contentious areas in the constitution review. In view of this, the party felt that there is every need for the party to have a cohesive and articulated position, so that the greater majority of Nigerians at the end of the exercise don’t get shortchanged”.

    The meeting, which was earlier slated for today was moved to Friday for security and logistic reasons, it was learnt.

     

  • Jonathan to governors: I didn’t promise one term

    Jonathan to governors: I didn’t promise one term

    President makes concessions to end PDP crises

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi is to be recalled from suspension, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) source told The Nation yesterday.

    This is one of the four concessions made by President Goodluck Jonathan to the Group of Seven governors (G7) at a meeting on Sunday.

    But the President was said to have been adamant on 2015, insisting that he never said he would not seek re-election.

    He claimed that what he said in Ethiopia was that he would not be a party to tenure elongation.

    Despite the concessions, the G-7 governors and the Kawu Baraje-led New PDP are taking their case to the House of Representatives.

    They want to brief the leadership of the House on what led to the party’s factionalisation.

    According to sources, who spoke on the peace talks at the Presidential Villa, the meeting was “conciliatory”.

    One of the sources said: “For the first time, the meeting was conciliatory; there was no tension on all issues, unlike the case at the previous sessions.”

    The President came to the meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo; the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Obong Godswill Akpabio; the governors of Kogi and Cross River states, Capt Idris Wada and Liyel Imoke.

    On the side of the G-7 were the governors of Adamawa, Niger, Rivers, Kwara, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano

    “There were preliminary talks on why it is important to keep the party united. The President said his disposition was that ‘whatever is going on is a family fight which could be amicably resolved’. He spoke as a leader with national interest above all other considerations.

    “Everyone also spoke on the fact that the issues at stake could be well-managed,” the source said.

    All issues were reportedly treated one after the other. The President and his team made the following concessions:

    •immediate lifting of the suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi by the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP;

    •return of party structures to all the governors, including those of Rivers and Adamawa states;

    •raising a committee to visit Rivers State, like it was the case with Adamawa State, to build consensus and restore party structure to the governor; and the

    •the governors and party leaders should leave Jonathan to decide Tukur’s fate. One of the aggrived governors’ conditions for peace is Tukur’s removal

    On the 2015 poll, another source quoted the President as saying: ‘I did not give anybody any commitment that I won’t seek re-election.”

    The source said: “Jonathan clarified that what he said in Ethiopia was that as a democratic leader, he would not elongate his tenure under any guise. He said since the crisis in the party was basically on 2015, it is a matter that can be addressed later.

    “His body language suggested that he won’t compromise his ambition to contest in 2015. But it was not a major issue yet at the peace talks.”

    Responding to a question on the feasibility of the concessions, another source said: “The President appeared willing, except that when it came to the crisis in Rivers PDP, he said they were ready to return the executives of the party but they needed to set up a committee that will go to the state to reunite all the stakeholders.

    “The President was, however, straightforward on the recall of Amaechi from suspension when he said his team could ‘announce the lifting of the suspension right away’”

    Sensing the caveat on Rivers PDP, Amaechi simply said: “Don’t lift my suspension, until everything is settled,” it was learnt.

    On Tukur, the source added, the President did not make any categorical statement or commitment on Tukur, although he admitted that there was a sign of weakness on some issues on the part of Tukur.

    The aggrieved governors reportedly said Jonathan could bring anyone to lead the party, except Tukur. Amaechi is expected to withdraw all cases in court, respect the Presidency and party leadership. The media “war” should stop because the crisis is heating up the polity and inflammatory comments capable of dividing the country should be avoided, the meeting was said to have agreed.

    It was learnt that when the 2015 agenda came up, the President took on the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

    A source said he pointedly accused Aliyu of misleading Nigerians that he said he would not seek a second term in office.

    The source added: “At a stage, it became a matter between Jonathan and Aliyu at the meeting because the President felt bad that the governor had been hammering on one term in office for him.

    “There was silence when the two leaders tried to sort themselves out on the 2015 thing.

    “But the governor countered the President by saying he made the commitment at Ethiopia, United States, Expanded National Caucus Meeting and in the agreement he signed with PDP governors.

    “He said there was nothing bad in asking the President to stand by his words to allow power shift to the North in 2015.

    “The President said he did not at any time promise to spend one term in office.”

    The source quoted the President as saying” “I did not give anybody any commitment that I won’t seek re-election.”

    The source said: “Jonathan clarified that what he said in Ethiopia was that as a democratic leader, he would not elongate his tenure under any guise.

    “The President also reportedly told the session that on the events referred to by Babangida, there then an ongoing debate on a single term of six years for Nigeria’s President. And he told his audience that he would not seek a second term or elongate his tenure under any guise.

    “Jonathan said since the crisis in the party was basically on 2015, it is a matter that can be addressed later.

    “His body language suggested that he won’t compromise his ambition to contest in 2015. But it was not a major issue yet at the peace talks.”

    The source added: “At a stage, Governors Godswill Akpabio, Liyel Imoke and Idris Wada raised their voices against Aliyu, saying: ‘You cannot stampede the President to spend one term in office, you cannot do that.”

    The Niger State Governor, however, inisted: “2015 is central to whatever compromise the parties would reach and demanded that it should be properly addressed.

    “The issue might be addressed on October 7 when the groups reconvene. When the G-7 governors came out, they held a brief discussion and vowed to pursue one term for Jonathan.”

    The session was, however, not without its drama. The communiqué was drafted by Governor Liyel Imoke, who was part of the Jonathan team.

    The Jonathan team tried to sum up the session that the two warring groups had almost “resolved the issues”, Amaechi wanted the mood captured in a manner suggesting that “the two sides are still talking”.

    But Imoke went ahead to draft the communiqué and he gave the hand written copy to Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State to read.

    It was learnt that it was at the point of drafting the communiqué that Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso got to the meeting.

    Although Amaechi sustained his point but, Kwankwaso could not settle down enough to grasp the issue at stake.

    Only the state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was allowed to record the reading of the communiqué.

    Notwithstanding the outcome of the peace talks, the G-7 and the Baraje faction of PDP met behind closed doors yesterday.

    A source in the faction said: “The G-7 governors and the National Chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, may visit the leadership of the House of Representatives in Abuja today.

    “They want to brief members on the development in PDP. We hope the House leadership will receive them.”

    A principal officer of the House, who spoke with our correspondent last night, said: “We have been told that they want to visit us.”

  • Aggrieved governors agreed not to stop President, says Akpabio

    Aggrieved governors agreed not to stop President, says Akpabio

    Aggrieved governors agreed not to stop President, says Akpabio

    The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor’s Forum and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, said yesterday that the aggrieved governors had agreed to drop their demand seeking to stop President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.

    Seven aggrieved governors – Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Abdulafatah Ahmed (Kwara), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) – on August 31, broke away from the main party to form the “New PDP” under the chairmanship of Kawu Baraje.

    One of the demands of the aggrieved group is that Jonathan should drop his 2015 ambition.

    But, reviewing with State House reporters over the Sunday night meeting between President Jonathan and the aggrieved governors, Akpabio said the issue was dropped because ambition is a personal thing to an aspirant.

    He said: “That is why I said that the processes are on and, of course, on the issue of 2015, both sides agreed that it wasn’t an issue for discussion because every single person has a right to nurse ambition.”

    “Some of the governors may have ambition, like I have ambition to go to the Senate and you can’t discuss anything about another person’s ambition. You are the only person that can discuss your own ambition. Ambition is personal. So both parties agreed to that,” he added

    The other demands, including the removal of the party’s national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, and a presidential order stopping the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC’s) alleged witch-hunting would soon be resolved, according to Akpabio.

    He said: “In all other issues, we have put in place methodologies of settling them and of course, it’s a process issue. Process is on. It was in the first place an internal issue of the PDP and so we are going to settle it internally and if you want to know how it is going to be settled, then you have to leave being a journalist to join the PDP family.”

    On the peace process, he said: “Well. What you heard is true. The PDP family is coming back together. We have started a process of total reconciliation and, of course, you know the house is very large , very robust and PDP is very entrenched and there is no way we can have internal wrangling without being able to resolve. So, clearly speaking, it was just a family disagreement and the processes are in place now to bring everybody on board and Nigerians are very happy.”

    He said that there was no specific conditions for the reconciliation as the issues involved differ from state to state.

    He said: “The disagreement differs from state to state. So, it wasn’t as if there was a major issue with all PDP governors. There were few states that had difficulties. Some states complained about may be thier delegates were not allowed entry to Eagle Square; some complained about party positions and some had court issues. But these are all things that we cannot allow to affect the fabric of the party and, of course, by implication the fabric of the nation because the PDP is Nigeria.”

    “We have been in power for the past 14 years and Nigerians have confidence that this is the only truly national party that expresses true aspirations of all and sundry and, of course, it is also the only party that is not owned by any individual. It’s a party that belongs to all Nigerians. Even the market woman in Sokoto claims ownership of the PDP and, of course, the same thing with the trader in Akwa Ibom state. The same thing with somebody in the Southwest and the same thing in Southeast. So, the PDP is Nigeria and so anything that affects the PDP will affect the entire country.”