The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lacks

  • Nigeria lacks patriotic national establishment

    SIR: WHEN I read in the papers that an ex-Commissioner of Police at a public lecture sniped at the Nigerian state and blamed the woes of the country on a particular people, I have to shake my head and wonder how he rose to that exalted position knowing that he ought to have interacted with those people without discrimination in the course of his tour of duty.

    The other day a high ranking senator on the floor of the senate said that Nigeria is not in crisis but only in recession; after all, while Ghana has $5billion dollars in her reserve, we have $25 billion dollars. It was a shocking statement to me. Change can only come about when there is a sense of urgency and a sense of community.

    Even though I supported his position not to sell the nation’s assets, I wish he had compared Nigeria to a post-Ghaddafi Libya shortly after the war with $USD 100 billion (I wish I knew how much now) or Algeria with over $USD 200 billion or to Saudi Arabia with $USD 700 billion. The latter country has chosen to not only diversify her economy but has cut the salary of government workers by 20 percent and reduced the salary of government ministers.

    Beautiful cities can only be built by beautiful leaders and be supported by beautiful citizens. Without beautiful leaders, there can never be beautiful citizens.

    I have sat down to watch Nigeria’s establishment players. Many came to national prominence during the military era, others during the civilian regimes, some rose to the heights through the winning of government contracts and many sat on peacock thrones thanks to the atmosphere created by government policies and financed by the same government with proceeds from the oil in some people’s backyard.

    There are only a handful of these players who are self-made men but even they are not as patriotic as an Abraham Lincoln. With Lincoln’s patriotism, these players would have thought and acted beyond “North” versus “South”. It was Lincoln’s patriotism that oiled his gunnery to liberate the blacks from the stranglehold of the southern behemoths.

    I listen to the news, watch television and read the papers a lot as a social commentator must need do. But I also feel the pulse of people from different regions who say what the people of their regions would love to hear, and have chosen to build a bulwark of regionalism around themselves, not nationalism. What I see and hear are classic cases of tribalism by people who profess to be nationalistic in their outlook in differing guises like religion, ethnicity, etc.

    Our national establishment players have failed to evolve in consciousness. As people evolve, people and things around them also evolve without discrimination.

    Instead of heaping scorn on people and regions we should be concerned about building competences and capacities for nation building.

    Just take a look at the rigorous process of electing a president in the U.S and compare it to ours.

    Certainly, the job of electing a person who sits on the apex of a nation ruling or managing other people’s life isn’t a joke and must not be taken lightly.

    Because of our penchant for mediocrity at all levels of existence, we often end up with the mediocre in power. The vibration of a majority of the people can’t be divorced from the vibration of the leaders they choose or elect.

    Have the people who superintend our affairs evolved? Are the worry-warts who do not see anything good in ‘those’ people truly enlightened? Have we truly developed the capacity to be self-sufficient in Nigeria? Is the federal civil service and state civil service a knowledge-based environment? Don’t be politically correct. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what the answers are. Let’s introspect, avoid unnecessary deliberations, and decide to be great and quit acting like Anthipather and Alexander in the Jewish era of 37-100 AD.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

  • Oliseh lacks maturity – Kpakor

    Oliseh lacks maturity – Kpakor

    Former Super Eagles midfielder, Moses Kpakor has described the the manner Coach Sunday Oliseh handled issues in the Super Eagles camp in Belguim which resulted in the departure of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama as a smark of inmaturity on the part of the coach.

    Speaking on the now resolved fued in the Super Eagles camp, Kpakor called on Oliseh to adopt some level of diplomacy in the handling of the national team if he hopes to have a smooth spell.

    He noted that the coach’s duty goes beyond being with the players on the field of play for practice sessions and matches but includes a role as a manager as well as a father.

    “Yes, he must instill discipline but he needs to be diplomatic in his actions as I think he did not even consult with the NFF before attempting to send Enyeama out of camp. Oliseh needs to win the confidence of his players to get the best out of them. If he does not adopt diplomacy and maturity, his temperament will ruin him as Eagles coach.

    “I am in favour of the appointment of ex-internationals handling our national team as long as the person is qualified but I fault the manner in which Sunday Oliseh was appointed. Yes, we need younger minds on the job but there is need for maturity in the coaches. Oliseh’s action in the Super Eagles camp in Belgium which saw to the sacking of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama clearly shows he lacks maturity.

    “This may have been because he has gotten his salary for three months ahead. The action by the NFF is wrong because in Nigeria, the system is to get paid after the job is done on a monthly basis. Why was he paid in advance when Keshi was not paid for several months. It only amounts to a double standard on the part of the NFF. The action may have been to encourage him but it is a wrong step because it is not our practice in Nigeria.”

    On the team’s captaincy, Kpakor, who is currently the Principal Football Coach of the Benue State University, BSU noted that Oliseh benefitted from being the oldest player to emerge captain of the national team and stripping Enyeama the way he did speaks volumes.

    Kpakor stressed that Oliseh must do the right thing to get all the players to give their best.

  • Nigeria’s advert industry lacks global competitiveness

    Nigeria’s advert industry lacks global competitiveness

    With the lack of global recognisition for Nigerian advertising industry, experts are worried that some of the challenges hindering the rise of the industry to global status are yet to be addressed and tasked stakeholders to borrow a leaf from India and Brazil, whose industries are as old as Nigeria’s, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    The gathering brought back the memory of the past when Lintas Advertising, Ogilvy Benson and & Mather (OBM), Grant Advertising with foreign affiliations, bestrode the industry like a colossus.

    With the great stride recorded then, it was thought that by this millennium, the advertising industry in Nigeria, wh ich prospect was further enhanced by the second generation agencies, will be on the world reckoning, but the position of the industry in global competitiveness today is giving industry stakeholders a serious concern.

    During a marketing summit organised by MarketingEdge, a marketing publication, the Lead Speaker, Mr. Lanre Adisa,  lamented that despite the efforts of second generation ad agencies that made the biggest impact on the industry by transforming it into a multibillion naira industry, it cannot compete effectively at the international advertising market space.

    He said India and Brazil whose advertising industry started the same year with Nigeria’s, are top global advertising brand name.

    Adisa who is the Managing Director of Noah’s Ark, said the  industry needs a shift from its present comfort zone.

    “We need to plant our feet on the globe in a manner that celebrates the Naija spirit that drives our everyday life,” he said, adding that the spirit has found its voice in music, filmmaking, writing and comedy.

    Sadly, he lamented that the world “is yet to feel us the way it has come to feel and appreciate Brazilian and Indian advertising. It may interest you to know, he pointed out, that advertising started in Nigeria and India in 1928 and later in 1929 in Brazil. Today, we cannot stand up to both of these countries as far as international reputation goes.”

    Comparing these countries with Nigeria, he said both Brazil and India were able to set their agenda for competing with the world. “We are quick to talk about adopting the Brazilian model in our reform, but we fail to realise that Brazil was in a better position talent-wise at the time of embarking on its reforms. Let us face the reality; we have a big talent problem in this industry. We cannot hope that the next generation will make a shift if we don’t create the environment that allows them to grow and compete,” he said.

    Adisa noted that while it is easy to see the immediate gains of the Indigenisation Decree of the 70’s, which brought the likes of Biodun Sobanjo’s Insight Communication; Akin Odunsi, Tunde Adelaja and Steve Omojafor’s Rosabel Advertising Limited, to the era of international affiliations, the essence of new reform in the industry has not been felt. It has not been seen as driver for the industry incursion into global advertising phenomenon either.

    “While it is easy to see the immediate gains of the Indigenisation Decree of the 70’s, one finds it difficult to see the immediate benefits of our new APCON Reforms. The reforms are meant to be sacrosanct. “With regard to how it sanitises the industry to enable agencies become more resourceful to plan for the future, there’s little or nothing to show. On the other hand, it has created an isolationist industry that keeps international players at bay,” he said.

    In a globalised economy, where Nigeria is supposed to be playing a leading role economically in Africa, he said the advertising industry cannot afford to isolate itself. “What we risk is an environment devoid of serious competition. The present conditions for foreign participation in our industry cannot take us anywhere. Like Brazil and India, we need to engage the world on our own terms. However, those terms must be a win-win for local and foreign players. There’s an urgent need to review the APCON Reforms to enable a more competitive environment in a manner that protects the interest of Nigerians while encouraging the foreign partners to invest more in our people and our industry. We have seen this in other sectors of our economy, where Nigerian interests are protected while encouraging the foreign partners to take the game more serious,” said Adisa.

    He suggested that advertising business concerns should look beyond being a local champion and go global to be champion. He said this is the only way to become an industry that has a global feel in terms of creative spark, investment and recognition.

    “Why should this be of importance to us? You cannot claim to be in the business of advertising if you choose to stay a local champion all your life. I have been at advertising forums where countries are celebrated not for their geographical sizes but for the size of their ideas. When Ecuador won its first Cannes Lion, the statuette was donated to the National Museum. It was a big national affair; a thing of pride. Ask George Weah what it feels like to be celebrated as a talented footballer without competing at the World Cup.

    “Let me share with you the story of a Nigerian agency. I was told that when it won its first international award, it went to its regional office in Paris. The head of the sub-region congratulated its Nigerian affiliate and entered their name into a register with a particular number of points attached to it. After so many years of being with the network as an affiliate, that was the first time that network would accord it the respect other agencies who have been winning laurels for the network were receiving.

    “The moral of the story? Our business is about reputation and the currency and consistency of our reputation matter a great deal. When Noah’s Ark was recently listed among the 16 leading independent agencies in the world, not only did we get a lot of commendations from our peers and clients, we equally attracted positive business enquiries from offshore,” he said.

    In addition, he advised stakeholders not to worry about a generation taking over from another but to should build an industry where ideas competes for the attention of clients.

    He said: “the path to that future is talent development and a more open attitude to business that embraces the world on our own terms. It’s only then that we can be sure of effecting the much shift our industry urgently needs.”

  • ‘The church lacks electoral value’

    ‘The church lacks electoral value’

    As a one-time deputy speaker of Oyo State, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, the senior pastor of Living Spring Chapel International Lagos, has seen both worlds.  He spoke with Sunday Oguntola on how the church can influence good governance and political emancipation. Excerpts:  

    Are you bothered by the tension in the run-off to the general elections?

    It is normal in the Nigerian setting. But this year’s elections are particularly interesting. Never have I seen Nigerians as enthusiastic and concerned as now. Everyone wants to vote now. In the other years, we always complained about Nigerians being apathetic but this year people are interested in who governs them.

    There are apprehensions to the extent that SMSs are flying around telling Nigerians to stock-pile food. Is that necessary?

    No, that is not necessary. Yes, there would be challenges here and there but not to the extent that Nigeria will go to war. Definitely, there would be skirmishes and crises in some hot points but from what I can see and sense, life in Nigeria will continue after the elections.

    What is the basis of your optimism?

    We have prayed and I am sure God has answered us. Two, there is a peace pact signed by the parties…

    …The one that did not last more than 24 hours?

    Well, it hasn’t completely broken down and we believe it won’t. An average Nigeria doesn’t want trouble, except for one or two miscreants. But I am optimistic that our lives will continue after the polls.

    How can we reduce the tension and violence to the barest minimum?

    The greatest factor is for political actors to caution their supporters and followers. The political godfathers also have a part to play. There is a combination of illiteracy and poverty that make people do things they should do.

    Those who want to cause trouble want to do it for some people. If you want to fight on my behalf and I say no, will you still go ahead? Some of these political thugs fight because they know there are people to defend them. If they have nobody, they will keep away.

    Once the political gladiators are not ready to fight and instruct their followers not to fight, there won’t be violence.

    Should religion play a part in who will elect to govern us?

    In Nigeria, religion and traditions are part of our political culture here. You can’t play politics here without considering those factors. We are Nigerians, not Americans and you can’t take away that from us.

    However, I believe the church is a sleeping giant. I believe the solutions to our national problems can emanate from the church if our leaders understand the dynamics of politics. I believe religious leaders have minimal roles to play but nothing more than that though.

    Should they endorse candidates?

    In my understanding, they shouldn’t be partisan but they shouldn’t be apolitical. It is wrong for the church to say it is apolitical. If there is any interest I have, it is to correct that mistake. He who pays the piper dictates the tune. If you say you are apolitical, it means you are not involved. If you are not involved, where is your place then?

    I believe that if church leaders produce good people for the industries and marriage as well as other sectors of life, we should produce good people for politics. So, we shouldn’t be apolitical and partisan.

    I don’t subscribe to open endorsement of any candidate. As a pastor, you should be a father to all. Endorsement should not arise at all.

    Should the polls be postponed as advocated in some quarters?

    The February 14 and 18 dates for me are sacrosanct. They should not be postponed. Rather, we should advise INEC to do everything possible to make the PVCs available. To shift the dates at this time will create more problems and suspicion. To shift the polls might be the beginning of the crisis we want to avoid. I think we have gone too far in the day to shift the polls.

    INEC, unfortunately, has not done enough in the distribution of PVCs. I, for example, don’t have one yet.

    Maybe that is because you have not made enough efforts

    I have the TVCs. I was there this Monday but told it hasn’t come. INEC hasn’t done well in that aspect as far as I am concerned. There are still many Nigerians that have been disenfranchised. But be that as it may, it is too late in the day to call for postponement.

    Shouldn’t INEC allow for use of TVCs?

    I believe that too except that they said their card readers can only work with PVCs. If you knew that from the beginning, you should have factored that in. It is amazing that we do things haphazardly here. INEC gave us just three days to pick up PVCs. That is never enough in Nigeria. You know we are late starters.

    You will only get them to act when the ultimatum is close. I know there are considering financial factors but that is the price to pay for credible elections. The number of people that you will disenfranchise might just make a shame of the whole process.

    Are you bothered by the sharp division in the church on the forthcoming polls?

    I am not bothered because like I told you, the church is a sleeping giant. I believe nothing any church leader says will affect the elections significantly.

    So, their endorsements do not count?

    It doesn’t matter because they are not there. The church does not produce who you vote for. If you don’t do that, you are not there. When I won my election, I knew the platform that took me there. My respect and loyalty were to the platform. As long as the church does not have a platform that produces candidates, it remains a toothless bulldog.

    Their opinions, endorsements and supports do not matter at all.

    So, the candidates running after them for endorsements are wasting their time?

    Yes, they are making mistakes because they don’t have electoral value. The church in its current state doesn’t have electoral value. There is no single pastor that sent anyone there. Until the church has political structure and infrastructure, it won’t make much impact politically. Those who come to churches looking for endorsement are just like ‘for whatever it is worth, let me just go there’.

    When you are seeking elections, you look for a little here and there. They will leave the church, move to the mosque and end up in the shrines. Whatever could bring one vote here and there, they will do.

    You mentioned the issue of ghost voters. What does that mean?

    I will tell you we have millions of abandoned, uncollected PVCs. Have you found out why that is so? You know in politics, it is parties and kingmakers that mobilise people to register. Most Nigerians are induced to register. Where I registered, in a GRA setting, we saw miscreants and everyone coming around. They never live among us but they were induced to register.

    In the previous political settings, those cards are collected by those who register them. They will hand them over to another set of induced people to vote. That was always the beginning of rigging; elections are rigged from the point of registration. Now that biometrics are involved, those cards are useless. No one else can use them.

    Those cards are what politicians invest heavily on. Once they cannot hijack boxes or announce results, they rely on the cards to rig. But INEC has taken care of that now. That is why the cards are abandoned. We have too many ghost voters. That is the intrigues of politicians and INEC has perked that. There is no way INEC can find out the perpetrators. The names and addresses they used are fictitious so INEC has wasted billions on those voters.

    In your first electoral outing, you relied on your church connection. How did it go?

    I failed woefully my brother. That is why I tell you the church does not influence anything. We have no structure to produce anything or influence anybody.

    Do you subscribe to soldiers manning the streets during election days?

    It should be strange to democracy but it is needful in our peculiar situation. The Nigerian factor is a real factor that we must pray to overcome with time, prosperity and education. There are those paid to foment troubles.

    The soldiers and security agents involved should be well informed and trained to take care of things. Not to have them there now will be detrimental to our interest.

    Are you impressed by the quality of campaigns these times around?

    I am not at all. We have a lot of character assassination, name-calling and issues not be addressed. It is unfortunate that we have not seen issue-based campaigns. If you ask me, I will say that Gen. Buhari is not a Boko Haram sponsor. If he were, they wouldn’t want to kill him. Shekau has even said that Buhari is an infidel.

    I pity Buhari because he has been successfully campaigned. That you are supporting Sharia does not make you a Boko Haram. Boko Haram does not believe that Islam as practised in Saudi Arabia is the original.

    Buhari is a Sharia zealot just as an average Muslim. Sharia is a way of life for them. He did that with all his zeal while in power. But that is different from being a Boko Haram. You can’t be one and have a running mate that is a Christian.

    Boko Haram does not accommodate any other different faith or belief. So, when they say he is a Boko Haram sponsor, confusing that with Sharia advocacy, it is unfortunate for him. So, I haven’t even see campaign of issues. Someone said he cannot remember his phone number. But is that what you need to govern well?

    The corruption, economic downturn and insecurity problems facing us, no one is addressing them. There is too much triviality involved.

  • Jonathan lacks good sense of history, say Buhari supporters

    The Buhari Support Organisation, an umbrella body of all groups and associations campaigning for the election of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of standing history in its head saying no amount of distortion will stop Buhari from winning the February 14 presidential election.

    In a statement signed by its Head of Media and ICT, Dr. Chidia Maduakwe, the organisation said it was regrettable that rather than engage on issue-based campaign, the president and his team were more concerned about the age of Buhari and how he cannot remember his telephone number.

    Maduekwe, who was reacting to Jonathan’s campaign statement that Buhari never equipped the army as Head of State, said available records have it that the military were well taken care of during the Buhari regime than now.

    He said: “Contemporary presidents worldwide usually drip with facts and records of history when addressing an audience particularly during an election year while on campaign. It is very regrettable that our incumbent president failed woefully in the litmus test he set for himself to run an issue-based campaign. With a PhD degree, he is highly educated to occupy the exalted post of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so, accessing facts should not ordinarily pose a problem.

    “Verifiable records listed below has it that even with less oil revenue accruing to both the Buhari and Babangida regimes as compared to the heavy windfall which continued after Jonathan came into power about six years ago, the military then were by far better taken care off with modern equipment, welfare and high moral than now. Their glowing global performance then can attest to this simple fact.

    “Please refer to Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Review (Lagos), 23, June 1985, 80; and Economist Intelligence Unit, Country Profile: Nigeria, 1990-91, London, 1990, 25. Also based on information from United States, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers, 1972-1982, Washington, April 1984, table III, 95; and United States, Arms Controls and Disarmament Agency, World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers, 1988, Washington, June 1989, table III, 111.

    “With the current magnitude of insecurity, corruption and economic downturn facing this country, one is totally taken aback with this revelation of the intellectual shallowness of the decision making clique that has held this country hostage in the last six years.

    “Fortunately, Nigerians are saying it loud and clear that the much younger PhD holding GEJ has failed to lead us out from the woods.

    “We might just juxtapose the very important views of President Ronald Regan during the 1984 campaign for the presidency when he said he will not make age an issue in the campaign and will not exploit for political purposes the youth and inexperience of his opponent. Also Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.”

  • PDP lacks direction, says APC chief

    PDP lacks direction, says APC chief

    One-Time Lagos State Commissioner for Finance Mr. Olawale Edun has urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to remain united in their resolve to oust the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

    Addressing members of the APC yesterday during the celebration and launch of the party at the Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area (LDCA), he said the time has come for Nigerians to be free from years of slavery and oppression.

    At the launch, which attracted supporters, Edun said the PDP policies have emasculated the people because they are anti-people.

    He said the party lacks direction, adding that it is choking the people.

    Said he: “Now that we are moving into what appears like a two-party system, the situation where a party has not performed and remains in power will no longer be feasible. Such a failed party can be easily voted out. The PDP has not performed. We can see the impact of poverty on the people, the impact of joblessness, particularly on our youths. Therefore we are looking for a change.

    “For those of us here today, we are celebrating a rebirth. It is a new dawn for our new party because people are enthusiastic. They now have hopes because of the birth of APC. I can assure you that the change will come with quality leadership, good education for our people, provision of infrastructure and the fight against corruption. We cannot just have one party, which is the PDP and the people will be unhappy to continue to tolerate such a situation.”

    Mr. Edun went on: “Now that we have a gathering of political parties that formed the APC, the unity, which we have sought in the past to remove the PDP, will be realised. I assure you that the people are in high spirit, they are hopeful.

    “With this two- party system, the power of incumbency will largely be reduced. It is when you have a fragmentation of opposition political parties that the incumbent will have its way. We are now even talking about performance. The people will look at the record on ground before they cast their votes. This is what obtains elsewhere in the world, which is expected here. Besides, they decided to be united in the APC to actualise the change.”

    A former member, House of Representatives, Mr. Habib Fashinro, hoped that the APC would confront the problems.

    He said APC has tested leaders.

    His words: “We are not just going there to grab power; we want to use it to address the problems facing the country. One thing constant is change. We cannot have the same thing over and over because PDP has violated its terms of contract with the people.”

    Fashinro added that the PDP crisis was having an effect on the country, “yet, the party prides itself as the hope of the masses.”

    He said: “Although we are not bothered about PDP problems, we are bothered about building our own party that will give the masses the direction and hope they desire. Now that politicians have come together to effect that change, nothing, except God, will stop them.”

    According to Fashinro, any government that refused to meet its basic constitution obligations had erred and should consider it foolhardy to expect the people to support it.

    “In developing countries, there are things that are fundamental; things that will make the people feel included. We are talking about infrastructure, health and education. When we tackle these key challenges, it will create employment,” he said.

  • Nigeria lacks moral infrastructure, says Fashola

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said Nigeria lacks moral infrastructure.

    Fashola spoke while inaugurating the Centre for Political Parties and Policy Development at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    The centre was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its international partners for the capacity-building of registered political parties in Nigeria.

    It is one of UNDP’s Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) projects. Fashola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Special Duties, Dr. Aderemi Defalo, said: “The missing condiment in our present democracy is moral infrastructure. Politicians can build roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, etc, but all that will become nonsense if the society lacks moral infrastructure.

    “The government needs to establish three types of infrastructure to have an ideal society. One is physical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, etc.

    “The second is intellectual infrastructure, such as science, research, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), computers, etc. But the most important is moral and social infrastructure.

    “Physical and intellectual infrastructure are useless without a strong value system. As far as I am concerned, moral infrastructure is lacking in our polity and I am urging leaders to build it, else our democracy becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.”

    The governor said the centre would promote democracy.

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Government House, Mrs. Ngozi Okeke, urged UNDP to include conflict management in the centre’s curriculum.

    Obi decried poor management of internal conflict, identifying it as the bane of political parties.

  • PDP lacks moral right to attack Tinubu, says Shehu Sani

    PDP lacks moral right to attack Tinubu, says Shehu Sani

    A foremost human rights activist and President, Civil Rights Congress, Comrade Shehu Sani, yesterday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has no moral right to attack the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    Sani, who bared his mind in an interview with our correspondent, said PDP is only envious of Tinubu’s achievements.

    He said: “PDP has no moral right or authority to attack or criticise Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. They are simply envious of his achievements and recognition by the international community.

    “Tinubu is the waterloo of the Napoleonic train of PDP. He has been able to recover the parts of Nigeria that were earlier infested by the PDP virus. The PDP is simply envious that Asiwaju Tinubu has been invited and recognised by the UK government to address them on issues that border on the agenda and policy of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “PDP’s 14 years in power have been nothing but unmitigated graft and corruption.”

    Sani said Nigerians have seen APC as alternative to PDP in 2015 and no intimidation could change the perception.

    He added: “The APC, which Asiwaju is leading, is seen as a serious threat to PDP. As far as Nigerians are concerned, no amount of blackmail, intimidation and deception by the PDP will keep them in power in 2015.

    “Asiwaju Tinubu has proved his credibility, integrity and performance in office by the kind of leadership he displayed in the state he led. In other parts of Nigeria, he has inspired change and motivated change in most parts of the country and this cannot be compared with the mismanagement and corruption we have seen under the PDP administration.

    “What is really clear is that the PDP has seen Asiwaju as a stumbling block in their agenda of prolonged tyranny, which they tend to do in 2015. But Nigerians are solidly behind Tinubu and we are of the strong belief that the new party will take our country to the promised land.”

  • PDP lacks internal democracy, says Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday criticised the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), saying the party lacked internal democracy.

    According to him, what the country needs is genuine electoral reform to guarantee internal democracy within political parties.

    Atiku spoke at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan lecture he delivered to mark the 50th anniversary of the department. “Thoughts on Internal Democracy in Nigerian Political Parties: Challenges and Strategies”.

    He lamented the lack of internal democracy in a party acclaimed to the largest in Africa, declaring the PDP a party badly managed.

    According to him, only a party that is democratic can it protect the rights and privileges of its minority members whose views at any point in time could not prevail.

    While noting what he described as obvious deterioration in internal party democracy in the PDP and the rise of the dictatorship of the executive power-wielders and other godfathers, Atiku maintained that only genuine electoral reforms will save the nation’s democracy from imminent collapse.

    The former Vice President listed the adoption of consensus candidate, imposition of candidate in place of elections, structure of party ownership and funding of parties by godfathers as the bane of internal democracy.

    Atiku called for electoral reforms where the appointment of Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the commissioners will not be under the control of the President and governors barred from using state resources to do electioneering campaigns.

    The PDP chieftain further advocated barring anyone whose electoral victory is being challenged from being sworn in until the case is settled in court.

    He called for a strong and principled opposition advocating for a two-party system .

    In his welcome address, Prof Osisioma Nwolise, who is Head Department, called for urgent political reforms in the parties.