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Tag: knocks

  • PDP knocks APC over Buhari’s regional tours

    PDP knocks APC over Buhari’s regional tours

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of double standard and insincerity over the recent tours of Chad and Niger Republic by President Muhammadu Buhari for cooperation on the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Faulting the tours, the party observed that the APC had criticised former President Goodluck Jonathan for similarly co-opting Chad and Niger in the military offensive against the sect.

    A statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, faulted the commendation being showered on Buhari for seeking military assistance from Nigeria’s neighbours.

    “In the days ahead, Nigerians should expect further unmasking of APC’s double standard and blackmail upon which they rode to power,” the statement said.

    The PDP also condemned the APC for allegedly attacking well-meaning Nigerians for daring to offer constructive criticisms to President Buhari, following loss of tempo in the fight against insurgency since he took office.

    The PDP lamented that since the APC took over power at the centre, there has been no clear sign of seriousness and direction, “but confusion, selfish infighting and hysteria for positions of power while the nation drifts”.

    It noted that the situation was unhealthy for democracy and national development.

  • Election reporting: Knocks for the watchdog

    Election reporting: Knocks for the watchdog

    The role of the media throughout the electioneering period was under the spotlight recently at a two-day workshop organised by Media Scholars Network (MSN). At the event, the partisan role of the media was highlighted by scholars and professionals, Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN reports.

    Media scholars and practitioners gathered recently to give an appraisal on the performance of the media before, during and after the presidential election. It was at the two-day workshop organised by the Media Scholar Network (MSN) in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It was held at the Conference Hall, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, under the theme: “Fair Election Reporting: Sustaining Best Practices”.

    Convener, Professor Ayo Olukotun, set the ball rolling when he said the role of the media in election coverage is an issue that has generated debate and controversy at scholarly and polemical levels. It is not for nothing that observer groups monitoring elections in developing democracies have constantly fingered the lack of media level playing-field at election seasons as an obstacle to free and fair elections as to democratic consolidation.

    Olukotun, a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, noted that the international observer groups monitoring Nigerian elections such as the European Union (EU) have complained consistently of biased coverage of elections, as well as differential access of political parties to the media. Their complaint is corroborated by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of domestic civil society groups which is engaged in election monitoring, he said.State-owned media are particularly guilty of this, according to the don. “They do not operate as public service media, but as more or less the mouthpieces of the political parties that control them. Also in the same category are privately-owned media where interests of the proprietor interfere with objective reporting,” he added.

    Professor Lai Oso of the Department of Mass Communication, Lagos State University (LASU), also lamented that a lot of media organisations took sides and were biased in their reportage and coverage of different political parties and their activities. He said rather than give fair hearing to all candidates and their political parties, some media organisations decided to show solidarity to some candidates and to vilify others. This, he said, was a total deviation from the code of ethics that guides the media profession.

    On ethical conduct, Oso said: “Good journalism requires decent conduct that conforms to acceptable social norms, values and ethical codes.” Oso was equally miffed by the role played by the management of some print and electronic media. He said they threw caution to the wind and behaved like politicians.

    He said: “Editors dished out opinions as news, projected hate speeches, hate documentaries for selfish interest. Some newspapers editors could not apply their sense of judgment to turn down adverts that was intended to incite the public against opposition candidates or leaders? Why should an editor accept a death wish advert to be published in his paper? Why should editors be consulting for political parties campaign organisations? These are sad developments that must be addressed by regulatory agencies for the sake of the future of journalism in this country.”

    According to him, “the media was expected to be the unifying factor for all interest groups, but unfortunately some media executives were brazenly partisan. If politicians come with raw and indecorous content, is it not the media’s responsibility as professionals to determine what will suit the sensitivities and sensibilities of Nigerian readers and viewers by toning down such adverts or asking the advertiser to go and refine his production?

    In his paper titled: “Objectivity in Journalism: An Elusive Ideal”, Oso explained that the way and manner political gladiators conducted themselves and their politics no doubt influenced the way journalists behaved as producers of news and the type of political news available to them. “In a society where almost everything is seen from the prisms of religion, ethnicity, region and other differences, it is very difficult for the journalist to adhere to any universal notion of objectivity or other ethical principle,” he said.

    In his own assessment, a South Africa-based communication specialist, Mr Bunmi Makinwa, opined that the media could have done much better than they did in the coverage of pre-voting phase of the presidential election. According to him: “The crucial communication exchange between candidates and electorate, facilitated by the media, hardly took place. The knowledge of candidates, understanding of issues, analysis of performance of candidates and political parties hardly featured in any serious way in many of the media.

    “The mass media failed unreservedly in its professional duty of being a source of information and education of the populace. In analyses of information, verification of facts by parties, ascertaining claims by candidates, there was too little of substance. And whatever little that was done was not prominent in most of the media and even less so in newspapers that traditionally serve such important purposes. Many candidates are yet really unknown and surprises should be expected from people who will assume political offices.

    “Even in the use of adverts, positioning of candidates and political parties, the public media especially did very poorly. A major area of uneasiness was the easy acquiescence of the official media organisations to unbridled use (more of misuse) by their government owners, both federal and state. The situation went even further: public roads, offices, buildings and other infrastructure were “colonized” by the said governments and wantonly used for their messaging, adverts and promotion, including excluding opposition from their uses, even when they wanted to pay as required. Such abuse of official organs and structures should stop. There should be better regulation, monitoring and sanctions of uses of public facilities during electioneering. It is encouraging that some political parties sought court interventions and obtained judgment against the abuse.”

    In assessing the media coverage of the presidential election, former Editor of National Interest, Mr Tony Iyare, noted that the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage sets the guidelines of the conduct of journalists in reporting election issues in all spheres. Many of the guidelines, he observed, were observed in breach across board.

    For instance, Section 1.0 which deals with equitable access says: “The performance of campaign platform and public role of the Nigerian media during election requires deference to the right of parties and candidates in elections to equitable media access especially as envisaged by legislative and institutional frameworks and other relevant instruments including the Electoral Act (as amended), the Nigerian Broadcasting Code (as revised) and the Nigerian Press Organisation Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists. It also requires giving opportunity to under- represented groups to express their views.

    Section 1.1 states the responsibility of media organisations to include: A broadcast medium shall ensure equitable allocation of time at specific but similar periods for all parties contesting elections to state their programmes; a media organisation shall regularly apply the principle of equity in the coverage and reportage of campaigns and other activities of parties and candidates contesting elections; a media organisation shall at all times uphold the right of parties and candidates to reply to allegations made against them and that a broadcast medium shall strive to ensure the participation of all parties and candidates contesting elections in political debates.

    The code also says in Section 1.2 that a media organisation shall, as a matter of deliberate editorial policy, target under-represented groups, especially women, youths, persons living with disabilities and rural dwellers in the coverage of electoral processes.

    According to Iyare, the report of the monitoring project conducted jointly by the International Press Centre and Nigerian Press Council with the support of the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) which covered some national and regional newspapers in addition to online and social medium platforms, generally applauded the media for devoting the highest percentage of the reporting of issues to campaigns, which it argued clearly showed an attemptto bring the attention of voters to what the candidates and parties stand for.

    But the report noted “it was regrettable that political and electoral conflicts had the better part of media attention than voter education which really should have been at the core of reporting for the month given the contentious issues of PVCs TVCs and card readers”.

    Speaking on the performance of the media, former Editorial Board Chairperson of the Nigerian Compass, Mrs Tayo Agunbiade said some reports were obviously biased, while many adverts contained inflammatory comments. According to her, the media didn’t exhibit a high level of professionalism in handling the last election, particularly as it regards publication of hate speeches. There were clear violations of the ethics.

    “In the aspect of conflict and sensitivity, the media failed to live up to expectations. There were sensational headlines There were significant areas of non compliance with the code of conduct while there were few areas of compliance.

    “Procedures should be established that monitor and ensure that election reporting prior to, during and after is fair, unbiased, neutral, non-partisan and not sensational. We must ensure that space are allocated to all parties fairly and reports should be balanced and not in favour of any party or persons.”

    To guide against partisan role of the media in future election coverage, Makinwa suggested that all publicly-owned media, including public service broadcasters, should respect strict rules of impartiality and balance, particularly when reporting on the governing party/parties and on government decisions and actions during an election period. This implies that equal coverage should be given to arguments in favour of both sides in any referendum.

    The media should grant all parties and candidates equitable access to communicate their messages directly with the public, either for free or at subsidised rate. Equitable access means fair and non-discriminatory access allocated according to objective criteria for measuring overall levels of support, and includes factors such as timing of access and any fees.

    Olukotun stressed the need for continuous training and re-training programmes for journalists. He said: “It is important that journalists and stakeholders in the information enterprise from time to time to meet to review their craft with a view to determining whether they are maintaining or falling short of best practices.

    “Obviously the role of the media in providing accurate information and objective reporting as well as analysis in a season of election cannot be over-emphasised. The media are crucial to the dissemination of credible information as well as providing a communication level playing field to the principal competitors and even to the electoral umpire, namely the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

  • Knocks, kudos at 3rd Nigerian Entertainment Conference

    Knocks, kudos at 3rd Nigerian Entertainment Conference

    It was a long day at this year’s edition of the annual Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NET), but stakeholders were determined to give the industry their all.

    Dwelling on issues such as, enabling business environment, intervention funds, piracy and other challenges faced by professionals in the creative sector, panelists on the various sessions averred that the time has come for the private and public sectors to join hands with creative industry, to attain its potential as a viable non-oil industry.

    Stakeholders used the opportunity to take inventory of the artistic and economic successes of the creative sector in Nigeria, giving themselves knocks and kudos where applicable.

    However, to beef out up the all-day event, the various panel discussions were spiced with comedy and music interludes, as the event also attracted fans who desired some moments with their celebrity idols.

    The event, which held on Wednesday April 22, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, unlike most Nigerian events, began promptly, kicking off with registration at 9:00a.m.

    Tagged “Buying and Selling Nigerian Entertainment and Everything in-between”, the conference was anchored by notable standup comedian and Master of Ceremonies, Tunde Adewale, aka TA, and was attended by musicians, music promoters, filmmakers, actors, writers, comedians, Public Relations practitioners, On-Air personalities, IT professionals, entertainment lawyers and consultants to the industry among others.

    In his remarks, the convener and publisher of NET Newspapers, Mr. Ayeni Adekunle Samuel noted that, “The theme of the conference points to the primary focus of this forum which is to show Nigerian entertainers how to make serious money from the entertainment business, by opening their eyes to the abundant opportunities in the industry and society as a whole, whether in music, movies, comedy and fashion among others.”

    The first session of the day; The future of music and fans: how do entertainers get paid for their work? was anchored by Mr. George Thorpe; research and marketing consultant, and chairman of the Tequila group. He gave an insightful and thought provoking presentation tagged, A breakthrough in the music royalty value chain. In his words, “Our vision is to create a far more harmonious relationship across the music royalty value chain, and identify an attractive new income stream for all artistes with the airplay of songs on all broadcast stations”. He concluded by asking, “Who can make this happen? The NCC can ensure that music users make the payments, and also get involved in the mediation of broadcast rights payment.”

    In his brief preface to the second session, musician, technology enthusiast and Playmaker founder, Lanre Dabiri, aka ELDee Da Don, gave a brief, but impassioned presentation in which he encouraged all participants to buy into and stay focused on the movement being created. He states: “Our vision is to renew the vision of all content creators, be they advertisers, artistes, broadcasters, and collecting bodies like COSON (Copyright Society of Nigeria). The second session was tagged: The future of music and fans, should it be monitored and why? The panelists reached the conclusions that creators should be paid for their work. The asserts that although consumers don’t mind paying, there is need for stakeholders to know how to track usage, and charge for it?

    At the third panel session, How to sell and market Nigerian content, the panel submitted that content creators should create and sell content with an eye on what the Nigerian market requires. They noted that it is important to sell Nigeria to the outside world, convert all work to digital format, and consider channels in doing selling.

    Session four, which dwells on Teaching and training tomorrows talent, began with a presentation by veteran actress and director, Joke Silva titled Nurturing tomorrows talent. In her words, “Training helps actors avoid mediocrity; as such we must continually up our game.”

    She said actors must learn to use their bodies or voices to interpret roles, urging them to open their minds and learn to become believable characters.

    The panelists all agreed that actors should take time to invest in the progress of their careers. “Artistes need to understand that piracy is a distribution problem, hence the need for the creation of a distribution system. Critiques of artistes work is an integral part of the arts, unfortunately Nigerian artists often feel insulted at critical comments of their work,” they noted.

    And while talking about, Why the record label is not going extinct anytime soon, the fifth session of the day, opened with a presentation by Jude Abaga, popularly called MI. the rapper started by giving a review of the Nigerian music industry of the 70s and 80s, when foreign record labels like Polygram, EMI and the like held sway before leaving the country. He noted that others have risen to take their place, which suggests that Nigerians have what it takes to make their music industry great. To this end, he urged practitioners to ensure that they lay a good structure, despite the manifold challenges. “There is need to create structures, . . . also there is need for an inflow of cash, if I had for instance four billion naira, I could hire more staff and do better work,” he said.

    Presentation six was tagged Content of the future. The panel did a review on how content creation, consumption and dissemination have changed. The questions of how to maintain content quality and what quality is required of content produced, was however answered in Mo Abudu’s presentation titled The Business and structure of content creation.  According to the CEO of Ebonylife TV, “Our vision is to create premium content to international standards.”

    Presentation seven was tagged Why Image Matters- A Conversation On Perception Management. The discussion kicked off with a question, why is perception management important to an entertainer?  The session noted that image is a key factor in brand management. Brands pull out when there is a perception risk, as found in the cases of Oscar Piscorius and Tiger Woods. As such, there is need to manage perception to ensure consistency.

    In closing, Session nine, which had award-winning music artiste, David Adedeji Adeleke, aka Davido did a brief passionate practical session of how he makes music.

    In recognition of their contributions to the Nigerian entertainment industry, two veterans; Mr. Benson Idonijie and Chief Tony Okoroji were celebrated at the event.

  • Praises, knocks for INEC over polls

    Praises, knocks for INEC over polls

    There are some mistakes the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made at the presidential and National Assembly elections, which must not be repeated at the governorship and House of Assembly polls on April 11. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the pitfalls and implications for the electoral process.

    Mixed feelings have continued to trail the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections. There was a huge turnout across the six geo-political zones. In Lagos, many prospective voters defiled the heavy downpour to perform their civic responsibility. There was no violence in almost all the 36 states. But, many Nigerians have blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for negligence, dereliction of duty and lack of foresight.

    The elections were inconclusive in many states. In Lagos State, elections could not be concluded in 90 polling units. The affected areas were Etiosa, Kosofe and Alimoso. Yesterday people were still voting in 37 units in Yobe, eight in Borno, 37 in Jigawa, 13 in Kano and 116 in Taraba.

    In many polling booths, card readers, which were introduced for the first time, failed. Even, President Goodluck Jonathan had to wait for some time before his Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) could be authenticated. After casting his vote in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, the President, who was seeking re-election in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), advised voters to exercise patience, saying that the use of card readers is a novelty. In Daura, the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, applauded the electoral agency in Katsina State. He said: “I like the integrity of the system. If people are allowed to vote, there will be no rigging.”

    Many voters had to wash their times many times before the card reader could ascertain their eligibility. In many polling units, the process could not kick off on time. Polling officials were late. In some, they did not turn up at all. In Rivers State, there was confusion. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters said that they were ready to vote. But, All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters objected to the process. The governor, Rotimi Amaechi, protested the lack of result sheets. Despite this anomaly, the exercise went on till midnight.

    In Lagos, the turnout was impressive. But,  voting was extended till yesterday. There was a floodgate of complaints about the conduct of the election. Many Lagosians berated the commission for laxity, adding that the mistakes of the past were repeated. “The process was messed up here. INEC failed,” said a voter in Apapa/Iganmu area of Lagos, who added: “We have been here, but the process started late.” Another voter said:”All efforts to ensure the success of the process were resisted by the coordinator called Alhaja. It is surprising.”

    In Isheri/Omole/Magodo area, accreditation was still on at 7.30 pm. At Ikotun, Lagos West, a voter criticised INEC for recruiting officials who have given them a bad name. “So far, so good, the only thing s that INEC officials came late,” said a voter.  Irked by the shoddy preparation, a voter at Omole Estate, Phase 11, Ojodu, Dr Jide Oluwajuyitan, said that the commission has failed the test of integrity. Around 5.30 pm, he complained that voting was yet to commence in the area. He also complained that car readers failed. But, after the manual accreditation, the polling officials disappeared. For hours, the officials, led by a lady, refused to show up with ballot papers and other materials.  However, voters did not return home.

    At Ijora-Oloye, also in Apapa/Iganmu Council, voters complained about the late resumption of officials for duty. Accreditation had not started around 11 am. Bayo Adesanya, a former Supervisory Councillor, said: “INEC officials came late. Instead of resuming by 8.am, they came around 9.30 am. House of Assembly member, Ladi Balogun, said the situation was not critical, adding that, despite the hiccups, the process can still be salvaged. On Lagos Island, another lawmaker, Gbolahan Yishawu, appealed to the people to bear with the commission and come out for the election, which could not be concluded on Saturday.

    Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje, who voted at Apapa, said there was room for improvement. “My polling booth has been good. The election has been peaceful. The card reader is working well. But, this is not the kind of report we are getting from other places,” he said.

    But, on the eve of the poll, there were isolated cases of violence perpetrated by suspected PDP thugs. Transport Commissioner Comrade Kayode Opeifa alleged that his residence was attacked by thugs who also attacked the local government secretariat. “It was like a Boko Haram attack. It was very heavy. My house was attacked by PDP sponsored assailants with guns and machetes. The thugs were about 12. Several gun shots were fired for about 10 minutes. Later, they attacked the Agege Local Government Secretariat. One person lost his life,” he said.

    In Ekiti, voters were orderly in many local governments. But, Ikere, the home town of the deputy governor, Dr. Olusola Eleka,  was an exception. A person was shot by the police. Senator Tony Adeniyi, who was seeking re-election, blamed the deputy governor, who he accused of roving round the town, contrary to electoral rules. “The deputy governor decided on his own to be moving round, despite the ban on movement, with military men, authentic and fake. They impeded him and asked him to turn back to his polling unit at Iro. One of my boys, Jide, was shot,” said Adeniyi, a lawyer.

    In Imo State, voting was also inconclusive, although results were also being collated in may collation centres. The exercise was generally peaceful. But, Governor Rochas Okorocha, complained about the indiscriminate arrest of prospective voters by the police. He said the arrest of many students who travelled from home to vote where they had registered was in bad faith.  He said the students were APC supporters. “I don’t know the kind of system we are operating”, he fumed.

    But, the greatest hiccups occurred in Rivers. People stormed the INEC office to protest what they described as injustice. Many people have boycotted the exercise, saying that polling officers could not produce result sheets. “If we can’t see the result sheets and we vote, they will not record the actual figures,” said a protester. “There is a grand plan to rig the election in Rivers’, he added.

    Reviewing the exercise in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega expressed satisfaction with the polls. He said they were peaceful, transparent and credible. He acknowledged the complaints against the failure of card readers in many units. But, he clarified that the card readers were also effective in many units.

    The INEC boss also said that late arrival of officials and materials could be due to some factors beyond the agency’s control . “Many people who have been trained may not turn up for duty, either due to illness, new engagements or fear,” he added.

    Jega urged Nigerians to be weary of the announcement of unauthenticated results, saying that it could be misleading and confusing. “I advise that we should wait for the announcement of results by the INEC’s Returning officers”, he said.

  • Six years in the saddle: Kudos, knocks from Jonathan’s kinsmen

    Otuoke, a small peasant community in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, found its way to the world map immediately it produced the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. It used to be a rustic impoverished settlement known for farming and fishing.

    Shanties and mud houses dotted the village which is surrounded by a river. The people of Otuoke were disconnected from the government of the day. Most of them took little interest in mainstream politics, though they identified with their traditional political institutions.

    Otuoke lacked the presence of the government. Only the state government sometimes threw some political incentives to the beleaguered people. But the story of the abject, abandoned and politically marginalised Otuoke has changed. It started immediately their son, Jonathan, unexpectedly started climbing the public ladder of recognition.

    From the deputy governorship position to the governor, the “gods” of Otuoke kept pushing Jonathan higher to the position of Vice-President and finally to the zenith of the political ladder. Then, Otuoke wafted like an oak and assumed the centre stage.

    Jonathan rode on the back of the civil society and the critical political world, through the ‘doctrine of necessity’ to become the President after the unfortunate demise of his former boss, President Umaru Yar’Adua. Through the reflection of his poor Otuoke background and the public sympathy which his shoeless mantra attracted, Jonathan won the 2011 election.

    There was wild jubilation, a carnival of sort in Otuoke. Youths took to the streets; the elders and chiefs shared banters under the influence of local gin and women giggled in excitement that they had finally arrived. As they danced and sang, they people of Otuoke concluded that the presidential reign of the community would bring an end to their years of misery, anguish and hardship.

    They reasoned that since Otuoke is a small community with small population, their share of the gargantuan ‘cake’ of the Federal Government would be enough to end the problems of housing, roads, education, electricity and joblessness. They had hoped that with Jonathan’s Presidency, nobody would ever go to bed hungry. Therefore, the expectations of the people of Otuoke were high.

    To some extent, the people agree that their community has changed. Otuoke, indeed, now wears a new look. One of the things that have changed in the community is the house of the President. This house has been a case study. The President’s compound, which is strategically sited close to the river, was small with a single mansion when he was the deputy governor and later the governor in the state. It suffered some attacks in the past when militants invaded it.

    The compound became big when Jonathan moved to the Presidency. As the Vice-President, the compound became expansive and its transformation to suit the status of Jonathan started. But it became automatically transformed when Jonathan became the President. Since then, many hi-tech buildings have emerged in the more expansive compound of the President.

    The President later desired to occupy the axis where his house is located alone. He realised his dreams after he allegedly ‘sacked’ all his immediate neighbours by buying their property from them. Houses and structures around Jonathan’s house were been demolished to create the reserved ambience that the President deserved. But by the stroke of “good luck”, only a church was allowed to share the fence of the President. The compound and its environs have since been undergoing transformation.

    Also transformed is a compound which was initially built to serve as a hotel. It belongs to the wife of the President, Dame Patience. The compound is upgraded to serve as the home of the first family. The compound, which is located directly opposite the Federal University, Otuoke, accommodates the President and his wife pending the completion of Jonathan’s house. Many high-rise and aesthetically beautiful structures have since been erected within and outside the compound. These structures have made Otuoke beautiful.

    Besides, Otuoke now boasts of a federal academic institution, the Federal University Otuoke, and a cottage hospital, which has been taken over by the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa. The mud houses are fast disappearing and being replaced with brick houses and storey-buildings.

    But most people that spoke to The Nation are angry with the President. While they believe that the community has changed, they quickly object that the change in the community is not commensurate with the expectations of the people. They contend that the changes are minor when measured against the position occupied by the President and the number of years he has spent in the Presidency.

    “You are talking about Otuoke, have you been to Amasoma and Toru-Orua?”, a lady queried. “Amasoma was transformed into a town by Governor DSP Alameisegha. Tour-Orua within two years of Governor Seriake Dickson’s administration has become a city. These are homes of past and serving governors. The Presidency, is it not bigger than governorship?”, she queried again.

    The lady who refused to disclose her name for fear of victimisation alleged that a few individuals were sitting on the fortunes of the community. She said: “These are the go-in-between. They got a lot of contracts to them to develop this community, but they have little to show for it. There are no good roads in Otuoke, apart from the major stretch of road. But the President does not seem to be doing anything about it”.

    She further lamented that some persons because of their closeness to the President were lording it over others. She said some were benefitting, while many others were wallowing in abject poverty. Our reporter was also told that the President has a special empowerment scheme for his Otuoke youths. A security source said every graduate in Otuoke has been employed. He said Jonathan gave a marching order that all the graduates from his community should be absorbed in ministries, federal departments and parastatals.

    “It is an order from the President that all the graduates from Otuoke should be given jobs. There is also a scholarship scheme for students in the community. Some of them had been sent abroad, while others are schooling in private schools in the country. Recently, some of the youths, who were sent to a Christian private university, were expelled. They were alleged to be smuggling alcohol into their hostels until they were caught. But they have been redistributed to other schools”, he said.

    Some of the youths, who spoke to The Nation, said the handlers of Jonathan’s prorammes were promoting divide and rule. Some of them were so disconnected with the system that they refused to make comments about the President. One of them, who was ferociously consuming bread and soft drink, refused to speak about the first family.

    However, a man who identified himself as I.Y. Precious, commended the President for what he called his human capital development in the community. He acknowledged that many youths were studying on scholarship, while others have been employed. But he pointed out some anomalies in the distribution of the President’s programmes for the community.

    He said: “There is bias in the system. There are many people who are not in school. There are many who can no longer go to school. But these ones are abandoned and neglected. There is no form of empowerment in terms of skill acquisition. Nobody is looking at their direction”, he said.

    He reminded Jonathan that there are no roads linking his community and other communities in his local government area to other parts of the state and the capital city.

    “The President should look for ways of constructing roads around the local government areas. We need refineries, affordable housing scheme and oil museum. Jonathan is my role model. He is educated and he is not weak as some people are saying”, Precious, who said he is a Pastor of the New Covenant Church, said.

    An elderly man, who craved anonymity, also commended the President, saying that the community has changed positively. But, his observed that Otuoke is still being plagued with electricity problems and water crisis. “We shouldn’t be having these problems. There was a period that Otuoke had no light for over nine months. Even after the light started coming, it has been very epileptic. There is no regular supply of potable water in the community”, he said.

  • ‘Knocks for Okogie over Oritsejafor’

    ‘Knocks for Okogie over Oritsejafor’

    A group, the Christians United Against Boko Haram (CUABH), yesterday condemned Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie’s comments on Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

    CUABH said Cardinal Okogie was not in a position to talk because Nigeria was taken to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference under his watch.

    It urged the cardinal “to be mindful of his words and avoid being used by enemies of the Body of Christ”.

    Reacting to the $9.3 million cash for arms, Cardinal Okogie criticised Pastor Oritsejafor for establishing a university and his relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan, saying he had derailed from the essence of Christian leadership.

    But CUABH Secretary, Deacon Olusola Oyedokun, in a statement entitled: “Okogie: Those who live in glass houses”, said Cardinal Okogie’s attack on Pastor Oritsejafor was “hypocritical and unbecoming” of a man of his personality.

    Oyedokun, son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Chairman and member of PDP Board of Trustees, Shuaib Oyedokun, said Cardinal Okogie could not compare his tenure to that of Pastor Oritsejafor.

    He said: “As CAN President, under whom a secular Nigeria was taken to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Cardinal Okogie has little moral ground to attack the integrity of Pastor Oritsejafor, whose name invokes apprehension in those who wish to entrench one religion over the other in Nigeria.”

  • Knocks for Ibibio Elders’ chair

    The Chairman of the Ibibio Elders Forum, Dr. Okon Akpan Uko, was slammed yesterday for his remarks that the forum had not endorsed the Akwa Ibom State Secretary to the Government (SSG), Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

    A member of the forum, Obong Thomas Akpan, chided him for his double-speak.

    Akpan said Uko made profound statements about the character and personality of Mr. Udom Emmanuel and hailed his intellectual prowess, managerial ingenuity and humane disposition, which he noted set him apart as a credible and competent successor to Governor Godswill Akpabio.

    Uko, in a telephone interview with The Nation, said the forum was yet to endorse Udom, claiming it only received him out of courtesy and urged him to continue his consultations peacefully.

    Akpan wondered why the forum would deny the recorded material facts of the endorsement of Udom.

    His words: “We are at a loss how Uko or the leadership of the forum could deny the (recorded) material facts of the endorsement, which they presented initially in a well-composed tribute by the forum. The tribute was printed, circulated and presented by the Ibibio Elders Forum spokesman, Obong Tony Akpan.

    “We view this development as regrettable and embarrassing not only to the forum and the public, but also to the leaders and political figures across the state, who accompanied the SSG during the visit on July 25. We condemn this double-speak in its entirety.

    “We recall that at this event, Uko made profound statements about the character and personality of Udom and commended his intellectual prowess, managerial ingenuity and humane disposition, which he noted set him apart as a credible and competent successor to Governor Akpabio next year.”

  • Knee injury knocks off Babadidi

    Knee injury knocks off Babadidi

    •Lives on largesse from Dutch club

    Former VVV Venlo of Holland top target, Mustapha Babadidi, may have retired prematurely from football owing to his problematic knee injury, a close source of the player has told SportingLife.

    Babadidi was an household name in the Glo League two years ago in the colours of Gombe United and even received an invitation to the Golden Eaglets team under Manu Garba but the player’s dream to make it big in the game may have been punctured by the knee injury.

    The player sought all medical advice including trips to the United States and England to have the knee injury treated but SportingLife source confirmed that all Babadidi’s attempts to resurrect his career could not materialise as the doctors were unable to properly treat the injury well.

    The source said that Babadidi could not even walk properly as he still has his leg a little bent from the knee region because of the injury.

    SportingLife also gathered that VVV Venlo of Holland tried on their part to have the injury treated and that they had him flown to specialists hospital in London but owing to the treatment he had from other hospitals, the injury was not able to be treated in London.

    SportingLife was also told that the player was made to return to Nigeria by VVV Venlo and also given money in the region of N30million for him to take care of himself.

    The source said Babadidi has be living on this largesse from Venlo and that he has also been advised to invest on the money so that he does not spend it lavishly. The striker hit the league by the storm from Gombe United Feeders and a combination of him with Sanusi Sani was lethal and before the end of the first stanza two seasons ago, both players accounted for over 70 per cent of the goals scored by the Desert Scorpions before injury reduced both players roles.

    Babadidi didn’t come back from that injury while Sani has been in and out of football with knee injury too being cited.

  • Knocks for state creation proposal

    Knocks for state creation proposal

    More obstacles are on the way for advocates of new states, despite the National Conference’s endorsement of their case.

    The conference has endorsed the creation of 18 states. But, to many Nigerians, including some delegates to the conference, this is unnecessary.

    According to them, creation of states is not the solution to Nigeria’s problems.

    Youths delegates at the conference, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Vice President Isa Aremu, who also a member of the conference, Ijaw Youths Congress (IJC), House of Representatives Deputy Leader Leo Ogor, among others, rejected decision.

    The conference on Thursday recommended the creation of an additional state for the Southeast and 17 other states.

    The states are Ijebu, Aba, Katagum, Amana, Apa, Aioma, Savannah. Etiti, Njaba/Anim, Gurara, Ghari, Adada, New Oyo, Orashi, Ogoja and Kainji.

    Delegates representing youths’ interest in a statement yesterday by Hassan Rilwan, Yadomah Bukar Mandara and Nnaemeka C. Ikegwuonu, said creating additional states would further divide the country rather than deepen its unity.

    Besides, the youth delegates noted that cries of marginalisation by minority groups would be better resolved with power rotation and not states creation.

    They said Nigerians should be concerned with a Nigeria in good state and not Nigeria with more states.

    The statement said: “It was extremely embarrassing for us as delegates of the National Conference that approved the creation of 18 more states. What is happening in Nigeria?

    “We understand the issues of marginalisation in some states; we support innovative ways of solving it. Not creating more problems to solve a problem.

    “Does state creation solve the issues of marginalisation? What happens when others feel marginalised within the new states?

    “Are we going to have to create even more states? Except we want to create states out of the over 300 ethnic groups in Nigeria. State creation as a solution is a short cut which is usually our way in Nigeria.

    “The only reason the elite may want more states is to increase ease of access to power.  If that’s the case, then rotation along senatorial zones with states and local governments would have solved that.

    “What will solve marginalisation are responsible leaders who will take special interest in the affairs of the minorities to see that they are adequately catered for.

    “How did the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello lead northern Nigeria as a whole? He did it by making sure all had a sense of belonging, which made the late Sunday Awoniyi, a Yoruba and Christian in the North, to respect him till he died.

    “On one hand, we say we want to reduce cost of governance and on another we want to build 18 more government houses, create 18 more recurrent expenditure centres?

    “We the youth of this country reject the balkanisation of our country and urge our elders to please thread with restrain. Let us not make mistakes that will prove more difficult for our children to solve.

    “Let us think out of the box and factually allow justice and selfless leadership take centre stage in our country. Enough is Enough!”

    Aremu, Vice Chairman, National Conference Committee on Labour, Civil Society, Sports and Youths, said more states were not sustainable. The states, as they are, remain dependent on federal allocation and loans because they are not financially viable.

    Aremu, who spoke yesterday in Ilorin, said the creation of a state in the Southeast would enable the region, which has five states, to be at par with the other geo-political zones.

    Ijaw youths expressed anger over the proposal, saying it is skewed to favour some nationalities to the detriment of Ijaw people.

    The youths described their delegates at the National Conference as “docile without an agenda”.

    Rising from an emergency meeting in Yenagoa at the weekend, the youths under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, threatened to block oil exploration, insisting that “our oil won’t be used to develop the proposed new states”.

    The youths said the conference had undermined all the requests and agitation of the Ijaw people, including their demand for the creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil Rivers State.

    “The Ijaw made a request for the creation of two additional states, Toru-Ebe State from the present Delta, Edo and Ondo states and Oil Rivers State from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom states,” IYC spokesman Eric Omare, said.

    “However, the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government recommended creation of additional 18 states across the country without considering the Ijaw requests.

    “It is totally unacceptable for the Conference to recommend the creation of additional 18 states without considering the requests of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, which is Nigeria’s fourth largest tribe.

    “The conference recommendations are geared towards empowering some ethnic nationalities to have more political control to the detriment of other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and in total disregard to the political marginalisation and oppression of the Ijaws of Delta, Edo and Ondo states,” he added.

    Omare recalled that the Ijaws were the first to demand a region of their own, even before independence in 1960 when Nigeria had only three regions.

    He said despite the creation of the existing 36 states  in Nigeria, the Ijaws, who first demanded a region, has only one state, Bayelsa.

    “If the conference recommendations are implemented, there would now be 54 to 55 states out of which the North would have 28 states; Yoruba: nine states; Ibos: nine states, with additional two to three in south-south.

    “But Ijaw that is the fourth largest tribe that requested for a region of their own even before independence and their leader Major Isaac Boro declared a 12-Day Republic partly because of state creation would have only one state: Bayelsa State,” he said.

    Ijaw youth leaders are to meet to reconsider the roles of the Ijaw delegates at the ongoing conference.

    He said: “The IYC would not and will never allow Ijaw resources to be exploited to fund and develop other states to the detriment of the Ijaws.

    “And without creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil Rivers State to liberate the politically oppressed Ijaws, the Ijaw people would have no other option than to reconsider their position in Nigeria.

    “In the coming days, Ijaw Youth leaders would meet to take a position, especially to consider the role of Ijaw delegates at the ongoing National Confab, who have been docile without an agenda.”

    The Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP) also knocked the conference  for recommending the creation of additional states and the return to the old National Anthem.

    The Executive Director, CENTREP, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, noted that the recommendations were not borne out of patriotic or nationalist consideration.

    According to him, the conference was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the problems that had retarded the growth of the country; and to proffer solutions to them.

    He insisted that the National Anthem had never posed any problem to the country neither had it retarded the country’s growth.

    Ikimi said returning to the old National Anthem, which “we had claimed in the past to be a colonial relic, is unacceptable as same would be likened to a dog going back to his vomit”.

    “We make bold to say that creating 19 additional states to the existing 36 states is senseless, and the said recommendation should be jettisoned.

    “The present scenario where two thirds of the 36 existing states in the Federation are not financially independent and viable as they depend solely on monthly allocations from the purse of the Federal Government for their survival is pitiable and, indeed, very sad.

    “Many governors have had to complain in recent times of shortfalls in the monthly revenue allocations due their various states, which the Federal Government has attributed to dwindling level of crude oil revenue.

    “Therefore, creating an additional 19 states to the existing 36 states would no doubt be chaotic. The above recommendation as in the instant case is what a country gets, when its leaders adopt the same mentality and methodology with which they used in creating a problem, to trying to solve the same problem,” he said.

    Ogor said the resolutions of the National Conference must pass through the National Assembly because it has no constitutional backing or force of law.

    He said efforts and resolutions of the Conference may end up being just a waste of time, as the issue of if or not to subject the resolutions to a referendum does not arise because the Constitution makes no provision for such.

    Ogor said the fact that the delegates were selected and not elected “ by anybody”, and that their resolutions may pass for law only if “a new constitution is written.”

    His words: “It would be more like a wasted effort because there is no way you can pass whatever they are doing into law without subjecting it to the process or modalities with which laws are made, except probably we are going to write a new constitution.

    “There is no section of this constitution that gives room for what they call referendum. And you have the the provision of Section 1 sub 2 of the Constitution stipulating clearly that any law of Act that is inconsistent with the provision of the Constitution, is to the extent of that inconsistency null and void.

    “The modality or methodology of making laws is clearly stipulated under the provision of Section 58 of our Constitution. So, how are you going to pass a law without following the 1999 Constitution? Are we going to set the 1999 Constitution aside?”

    The lawmaker described the misunderstanding of issues, especially the powers of the National Assembly by the delegates as “unfortunate”.

    “The Conference is there to articulate positions that will be presented to Mr. President, because first and foremost, lets know that the delegates to the Confab were not elected by anybody – they were selected.”

    To Ogor, the concept of the National Conference is that the executive has the power to put a team together to discuss Nigeria because there are challenges, but the outcome must pass through the National Assembly.

  • Klitschko knocks out Leapai to retain four heavyweight belts

    Klitschko knocks out Leapai to retain four heavyweight belts

    Vladimir Klitschko toyed with Alex Leapai and knocked him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts on Saturday.

    Klitschko,taller with a longer reach,controlled the fight at will, scoring with left jabs and straight rights with hardly any opposition from the Samoan-born Australian.

    Leapai went down when he was hit with a left-right combination. He got up but Klitschko put him away for good with 58 seconds left in the fifth.

    ‘Glory to Ukraine,’ Klitschko said after his one-sided win.

    ‘It wasn’t easy, my head was in Ukraine and what is going on there. I hope there is no war and people dying. I am proud of my people,’

    Klitschko recorded his 53rd KO in 62 wins, with three defeats. Leapai dropped to 30-5, with three draws. In his 25th world championship fight, Klitschko retained his WBA and IBF heavyweight belts, plus the minor WBO and IBO versions.

    Leapai, the first Australian challenger in 106 years, never had a chance. The only time he ever got close to the bigger Ukrainian was just before getting floored in the fifth.

    He took an eight count in the first round, although he claimed to have slipped.

    The challenger’s only chance was to try to get inside, but Klitschko easily stopped him with his effective jab.

    Leapai appeared to finally hit Klitschko in the fifth but the champion replied with a barrage and put the Australian down. He got up but was clearly shaken, and Klitschko finished him off with a huge right to the jaw.

    Klitschko’s elder brother, Vitali, who has retired from boxing to run for political office in Kiev and who has been one of the leading opposition figures in Ukraine,was in Wladimir’s corner as usual.

    Vitali’s wife, Natalia, sang the Ukraine national anthem before the fight.

    ‘It was textbook fighting by Wladimir. He did not make a mistake,’ Vitali said.