The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kudos

  • Kudos to Amosun’s Homes Charter

    SIR: The introduction of Home Owners Charter in Ogun State by Governor Ibikunle Amosun has helped to minimize disputes on ownership of landed properties, reduced stress being experienced in getting Certificate of Ocuupancy (CofO)  and building permits which are now electronically documented.This is a good initiative for the benefit of the citizens.Indeed, it has revolutionized the property market and enabled access to loans in the bank.

    There are swift and correct answer to frequently asked question by people through this programme, such as the process of obtaining C of O, acquisition of land, dangers of building without approval.

    The Home Owners Charter template is highly recommended for other states in Nigeria.

     

    • Adeshina Michael

    Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta

  • 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.

  • Nesiama give kudos to Okpekpe organisers

    Nesiama give kudos to Okpekpe organisers

    The Technical Director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, has poured encomiums on the organisers of the annual Okpekpe 10km Road Race.

    Nesiama said for the organisers to have been consistent for the past three years, it shows that they know what they are doing.

    “We need to encourage our marathoners and that is the reason we have been involving them in our programmes,” Nesiama said.

    “I am using this opportunity to give kudos to the organisers of the Okpekpe Road Race. They have been giving their all to organise a befitting meet for the past three years and I am happy for their efforts.”

    Speaking further, he said so many organisations have been coming to the federation to organise international meets like the Okpekpe Road Race, but they have failed to meet up with the requirements.

    The Naval officer said: “Lots of organisers want to come around and have competitions, but most of them cannot meet up with the requirements needed.

    “We have had issues in the past where promoters held meets and they were unable to pay the athletes even the foreign athletes and the federation was sanctioned for it.

    “There was a time IAAF almost sanctioned AFN because of issues like this, but we never experienced that with the Okpekpe meet.”

    He, however, declared that the federation will continue to give support to the organisers and any organisation that wants to organise a good meet.

  • Kudos to Jega

    Going by the preparations already put in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the headship of Prof. Attahiru Jega towards the conduct of the 2015 election, it can safely be said that all so far is well and good.  It is evident from the various newly introduced steps taken to ensure that the elections will be devoid of election rigging and manipulations that characterised the 1999, 2003, 2007elections, including even the 2011 elections.

    From all intents and purposes, the alignment and configuration of card readers with Permanent Voters  Card (PVC), the coding and colour differentiation of ballot papers on local government basis, the configuration of polling units with card readers, distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) which by Friday, 13th March, 2015, as reported, has attained 81% collection of the total number of available PVCs, by voters, voters education and enlightenment programmes for all stakeholders, just to mention a few, are indeed signs of readiness of Prof. Jega to satisfy the yearning of the millions of electorate, who from all indications, in the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, are more than ready to constitutionally exercise their voting rights come March 28 and April 11 in the presidential/national assembly and governorship/state assemblies  respectively.

    The stance of Prof. Jega on the controversial deployment of the military for the 2015 election is commendable and would no doubt enjoy the support of the majority of the electorate taking cognisance of the declaration/admission of Senator Ken Nnamani in his capacity as a Senate President to International Observers Mission led by former US Secretary and Chairman of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Mrs. Madeleine Albright, that “the PDP used mobile policemen and soldiers in the highly rigged governorship and state assemblies elections that was held on April 14, 2007, prior to the presidential and National Assembly” that took place on April 21, 2007.

    All forms of actions that can result into rigging of the 2015 election through disenfranchisement of the electorate should in as much as possible be avoided.  One fact that should remain firmly in the minds of all Nigerians is that when the electorate are disenfranchised through apathy or fear of the unknown, the result is the emergence of unpopular and unacceptable people at the helm of affairs and it can be better imagined what kind of governance leaders that get elected under this kind of arrangement will give to the people when they assume the position of leadership.

     

    •Odunayo Joseph

    Publicity Secretary,

     Lagos/Ogun States Branch of Okun Dev. Association

  • Kudos to Ajimobi on workers’ welfare

    SIR: From inception, the Ajimobi administration in Oyo State gave priority attention to workers’ welfare in the realization that the engine room of any government is its civil service.

    Without a competent civil service which is a necessary condition for effective and efficient administration, nothing meaningful can be achieved because an inept civil service would not only frustrate the implementation of laudable policies and initiatives, it would render the government dead on arrival.

    This must have informed government’s decision to lay great emphasis on training and retraining of civil servants. It is to the credit of the Ajimobi government that over 40,000 civil servants across the state have been subjected to various training programmes both locally and internationally.

    For the first time in the history of the state, government did not only provide free transport service for its workers, but also considerably improved the environment in which they work. This great gesture by government has significantly reduced workers’ transportation burden.

    Other areas of comfort zone for workers include among others: Payment of the arrears of 142 percent increase to pensioners; Payment of 13th month salary to workers in the state since 2011; 100% upward review of Housing Loans for Civil and Public Servants from N1m to 2m.;  150% upward review of car loans to civil and public servants from N200,000 to N500,000.

    Others include raising the bar of graduate primary school teachers from GL 14 to 15; Gazetting of the employment of public primary and secondary school teachers; Lifting of stagnation bar for typists in the Civil Service that had stagnated for over 10 years on GL 09 to GL 12, with re-designation to Secretarial Assistants, etc.

    Senator Ajimobi who the civil servants through their chairman, Joint Negotiating Council, Nurudeen Arowolo once described as never-seen-before worker-friendly governor has also revealed that part of his continuity agenda would be to continue to explore all possible avenues to make life more worth living for the workers in general who he said deserved even more, given their unflinching cooperation and support for his administration.

    The workers therefore must give unwavering and total support for the second term aspiration for Governor Ajimobi.

     

    • TolaAdeoya,

    Opoyeosa, Ibadan, Oyo State.

     

  • 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.

  • Tinubu gets kudos for Buhari/Osinbajo ticket

    Tinubu gets kudos for Buhari/Osinbajo ticket

    The Coordinator of the Christian Conscience and the National President of the All Christian Leaders & Ministers Forum (ACLMF), Dr. Sam Ogedengbe, has hailed the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the party for their roles in the choice of its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Ogedengbe, in a statement by his media aide, Elder Cornelius Olopade, said the choice of the duo was commendable and a sign of good things to happen in the country.

    He praised Tinubu for his sacrifice, contributions to the development of APC and sustenance of democracy. He also congratulated Gen. Buhari and Osinbajo for their emergence.

    Ogedengbe said: “There is no doubt that the prayers of millions of Nigerians have been answered by God.  It is God that puts rulers on the throne. If He wants to answer people’s prayers, it will be done through the enthronement of good leaders.”

    The ACLMF president, who is also the founder and general overseer of the Overcomers Pentecostal Assemly, pledged the support of his members and other Christians to the duo and other APC candidates in their aspirations to bail Nigerians out of its problems.

  • Kudos to Nigeria Police

    SIR: On behalf of the Nnewi community in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, I wish to commend the quick response of the Nigeria Police in apprehending one Kelechi Williams Eze who allegedly murdered our sister Njideka Lizzy Nzewi at her residence in Amuwo-Odofin area of Festac town in Lagos on July 21.

    It is testimony to the improvement in the efficiency of the Nigeria Police under the immediate past Inspector General of Police M.D Abubakar and the incumbent IGP Suleiman Abba.  It did not come as a surprise to me that the alleged killer was apprehended within one week of IGP Abba’s coming into office.

    I will not fail to mention the astuteness of DIG Mamman Tsafe, then AIG in charge of Zone 2 who created an enabling environment and vested trust in the abilities of the Area E Command to handle the case. He insisted that individual commands within Zone 2 take responsibilities and acquire capacity for solving challenges/crime within their jurisdiction. Our appreciation also goes to AIG Umar Manko whose stay in Lagos as Commissioner of Police birthed a massive improvement in the security situation within the metropolis.

    We pray that God will strengthen the current IGP so that he can continue his good work which will then consistently reflect in the rank and file.

    Most Nigerians who did not get to hear the full story or have the opportunity to follow the same story may not appreciate the kind of hardwork which went into tracking and the eventual arrest of the murder suspect.

    I must applaud the swiftness and passion with which the Area E Commander, ACP Dan Okoro got on the job using a special tracking technology to monitor and track the young man who was driving the victim’s car across four countries on the West Coast.

    From the narrative, the young man bolted to Ghana in the victim’s Range Rover Sports Utility Van after committing the crime. He eventually ended up in Cote d’voire where he was arrested by the Interpol in conjunction with crack detectives from Area E Command. I am aware that for the one week plus that this tracking and forensic investigation was going on, the Area Commander never went home but stayed on the case till the suspect was arrested.

    We are very grateful and delighted that under this present dispensation, the Police can be said to have come of age. We are certain that if it had not been for the proactive steps taken by the Nigeria Police, this case would have gone down in history as one of those unresolved murders and the pain would have lingered in our memory forever.

    • Dr Godwin Okonkwo,

    Lagos

     

  • Kudos to Professor Azinge

    SIR: I will like to join other Nigerians to commend Professor Epiphany Azinge, the outgoing Director- General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) for the marvellous job he did during his tenure as the Director- General of the institute.

    During his tenure, Professor Azinge raised the profile of the institute to an enviable level through series of profound and intellectually stimulating activities he carried out as the Director-General. These activities included public lectures on topical legal and political issues, strategic round table sessions on national issues and convocation lectures. During his tenure he also produced for the first time, a set of PhD students. This is very laudable as this will no doubt help in enhancing needed legal manpower in the Law faculties of our universities.

    I am not a lawyer and I do not know Professor Azinge but I followed his activities at the institute in the ‘Law Report section’ of The Nation. As an agronomist I was particularly happy that the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies under Professor Azinge in 2011 organized a a well focussed roundtable on Food Security in Nigeria. This roundtable highlighted the dire situation in our agricultural sector where the country is using a staggering US$4.2 billion to import food from less agriculturally endowed countries. This is an unacceptable situation and I thank NIALS for sensitizing our policy makers on this issue

    I wish the visionary Professor Azinge more successes in his future endeavours and I hope that his successor, Professor Deji Adekunle who is reputed to be a brilliant man would build on the resounding successes of Professor Azinge at the institute.

     

    • Prof. Olabode Lucas

    Ekiti State University

    Ado Ekiti

     

  • Kudos, knocks for Jonathan over confab delegates

    Kudos, knocks for Jonathan over confab delegates

    A mix of thumps up and thumps down yesterday greeted the quality of the 492 delegates nominated on Thursday by President Goodluck Jonathan as members of the National Conference.

    The list contains the names of eminent Nigerians many of whom have served the country in different capacities in the past,some since indepenence.

    Mr. Abubakar Tsav, a retired police commissioner said the list is full of President Jonathan’s supporters .

    “Nigerians should not expect anything special from them. They will only end up paving the way for the president’s second term ambition.

    “The confab will ultimately not produce any meaningful result. It will be a jamboree at the end of the day,” he said.

    Jos-based human rights activist and director, League for Human Right, Comrade Nankin Bagudu, dismissed the list as elitist.

    He said there are too many “government agents” on the list although he conceded that it “has a mixture of good selections and weak representations.

    “It is a good idea to have the dialogue, but this list has confirmed some fears that the dialogue is not people- oriented and the outcome will not reflect the wishes and aspirations of commoners like me. We of the cultural Middle Belt who have been bored with ethnic crisis, problems of insurgencies and terrorism have not got the correct representations that will speak for the people.To me the list is too elitist.”

    Chief Chidi Ndu of Network of Nigerians in Internal Diaspora (NNIDA) said: “This list has excluded some critical stakeholders, especially my group. If government can give recognition to Nigerians in UK, US, Asia, etc, what about us who reside outside our state of origin across the country? We are the most marginalized, we are not recognized in our state of origin and we are not accepted as stakeholders in the state we reside, we have suffered marginalisation for too long. We ought to have been included for us to make our case, we demanded for that, but we have been ignored”

    Mr. Stephen Sariki of the Association of Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities said: “As far as we are concerned, we have been short-changed by this list. This is not what we sent to the Conference Organising Committee because we called a meeting of leaders of ethnic nationalities in North Central and a list was compiled based on membership of the different ethnic groups. But the names we are seeing now are a big surprise to us and a huge disappointment. The names we are seeing are not even recognised members. Government has simply hijacked our slots.”

    The Interim Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Prince Olu Adegboro, said although the Presidency picked some credible people for the conference, such nominees may lose their credibility because the conference would end up a failure.

    Adegboro argued that President Goodluck Jonathan is organising the conference with a view to distracting Nigerians from some critical challenges ravaging the nation.

    His words: “I have never followed up the process of the confab because I know it will not bring out any positive result. They are only using it to distract the attention of the people. Some credible people have been chosen, but I am afraid they will lose their credibility at the end of the event.

    “There is no sincerity about the conference; it will add no value to our society. We are watching them and we know their mission and why this conference is coming up at this present time”.

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, disagreed with Adegboro, saying this is the right time when Nigerians need such conference.

    Fadaka stressed that President Jonathan has a vision for the people, adding that this is the right time we address the issue of federalism.

    He, however, frowned on the selection of the Vice-Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof. Femi Mimiko, brother of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, as one of the representatives of the state at the conference.

    According to him, “we are not saying Femi Mimiko is not qualified to represent the state, but the idea is nepotism. Mimiko’s family members are not the only ones who are brilliant and intelligent in the state. He should have given the slot to another credible person, and I believe we have enough in the state. It is cheap and pedestrian for selecting your younger brother.

    The Chief Whip of the Ondo State House of Assembly,Hon Tunji Dairo, described the nominees as qualified and credible.

    Professor Itse Sagay, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is impressed with the quality of the nominees, saying, “I think the quality of the delegates is quite impressive. They should be able to provide solution or formula that will help us live harmoniously together.”

    He added: “The most obvious thing I look forward to when the confab begins is the restructuring of the federation. There should be devolution of power so that we can have a true federal system. The power of states in regard to finance should be increased. The states should not hand over their natural resources to the Federal Government. They should only pay a percentage of what they make to the centre for the running of the central government.

    “I also look forward to having railway, energy and other like that taken away from the exclusive list and placed on the concurrent list. There should not be a federation account anymore. Everybody should have its own account.

    Col David Dungs (rtd), a former military administrator, and now a politician also hailed the list.

    He said: “I stand for the national conference, and I pray for them to achieve the purpose of the conference. Whether they are pro-conference or not, let’s give them a chance to deliver on our collective wish.

    “I believe that whoever you pick as delegate, there will still be complaints.So, since those who made the list are Nigerians, let’s support them and wish them well.

    “The list is a mixture of the young, the old, technocrats, traditional rulers, retired military officers and so on. Let us pray for them to represent us well; they are all capable if we support and pray for them.”

    Former governor of Ogun State,Aremo Olusegun Osoba, who will be representing the forum of ex-governors at the conference told The Nation yesterday that he is looking forward to “discussion on every issue affecting the country. The listed delegates are decent and knowledgeable people.”

    He has no reservation about the list. “The list is full of people that are experienced in and out of government. They are people who have had exposure and experience in their different endeavours.”

    Another nominee and former Finance Minister, Chief Olu Falae, prayed for “divine guidance to do what is right and best for Nigerians. We expect different interests to be vigorously canvassed, but at the end of the day, there must be negotiation. There must be a give and take so that the outcome can be satisfactory to the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.”

    He said: “I don’t know half of the delegates, but from those that I know, it appears as a qualitative assemblage of Nigerians. You have legal luminaries, retired ambassadors, bureaucrats, captains of industries and so on. Under divine guidance, a good job should be done.”