The Nation Newspaper

Tag: leaders’

  • Nigeria needs Intellectual leaders, say Amaechi, Tambuwal, others

    Nigeria needs Intellectual leaders, say Amaechi, Tambuwal, others

    •Compass Editor launches book

    The lapses in governance were yesterday blamed on the lack of “intellectual leaders”.

    The observation was made at the presentation of book entitled: Here Comes The Commander in Chief, written by the Editor of Compass newspapers, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo.

    The event was chaired by former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel.

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi urged Nigerians to hold their leaders accountable.

    Amaechi, who was represented by House of Representatives member Mr. Dagogo Peterside, said: “Nigeria is our commonwealth. One of the challenges we have in Nigeria is that we do not have intellectuals in government. Most intellectuals shy away from politics and that is the reason our country is what it is today. Politics should be driven by knowledge. May our leaders read! Only readers should lead. Those who do not read have no business in governance.”

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who was represented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said the situation in the country deserves the attention of serious-minded leaders.

    He spoke against political selection, where unqualified candidates are “hand-picked” for public positions.

    Tambuwal said: “For us in the 7th Assembly, we believe leadership positions should be given to those who seek and rightly deserve it, rather than reluctant persons. Nigeria’s situation is like a patient in an Intensive Care Ward and it deserves the attention of serious-minded leaders. Nigeria is a common project. Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable and we have adopted the pan-Nigerian stand.”

    Elder statesman Chief Ayo Adebanjo urged leaders to take a cue from the philosophies of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    He said: “If Awo’s ideals are not resuscitated, we would never progress in this nation. Somebody wrote in the papers that ‘Obasanjo is the problem of Nigeria’. That is true.”

    Adebanjo said the media has a major role to play in nation-building. He praised the media for its role in the fight for democracy, especially during the military era.

    Urging journalists to be professional at all times, Adebanjo said: “Please, gentlemen of the press, go and get yourselves reborn.”

    Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was represented by Commissioner for Information Mr. Oma Djebah, urged the media to set national agenda and raise discourse on issues.

    He said: “This is the only profession recognised by the constitution and you must live up to expectations.”

    Calling the author, a “journalist-writer and journalist researcher per excellence’,

    Former Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, Daily Times group, Mr. Araba Adeniyi urged the media to hold dear “the service and emancipation of mankind”.

    Former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu; the Chancellor of Babcock University, Prof. Dayo Alao; former Deputy Editor, Daily Times, Mr. Dipo Ajayi; Mr. Martins Kuye;, Chairman, Bi-Courtney Limited, Dr. Bolanle Olawale; President, Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and the President of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Deji Elumoye, were at the event.

    The Alaafin of Oyo was represented by the Balogun of Oyo Kingdom, Chief Yussuf Akinade Ayoola.

    The book is a four-year compendium of Akinadewo’s journalistic activism. It contains commentaries on national issues between 2008 and 2012.

  • Daniel, Kashamu emerge Ogun Pdp leaders

    Daniel, Kashamu emerge Ogun Pdp leaders

    •Martins-Kuye, Onabiyi, Otegbola step aside

    Chieftains of the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday moved to improve on the ongoing reconciliation among various factions of the party.

    Former Governor Gbenga Daniel and the party’s financier, Prince Buruji Kashamu, emerged the leaders.

    The party leaders converged on the Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos home of the former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, and chose Daniel and Kashamu as the party’s leaders.

    Martins-Kuye, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi and Senator Ayo Otegbola stepped aside to allow a more dynamic and vibrant leadership.

    Highlights of the four-hour meeting included the harmonisation of all the factions into a united “PDP family” under the Adebayo Dayo-led State Executive Committee.

    The party leaders agreed that the Dayo-led Exco was the validly and democratically elected body of the party’s leaders in the state.

    Some of the party chieftains at the meeting were Chief Kola Ogunjobi, Mrs Iyabo Apampa, Chief Niyi Adegbenro, Chief ‘Pegba Otemolu, Chief Dayo Abatan and Alhaji Semiu Sodipo.

    Others included Chief Duro Otesanya, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji-Ishola, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Hon. Dave Salako and Senator Tunde Osholake.

  • 2015: Let Igbo produce President, say Southeast leaders

    Leaders of various Igbo communities in the Diaspora have urged Nigerians to support the agitation of the Southeast to produce the President in 2015.

    The Igbo leaders, acting under the umbrella of the Association of Ndiezendigbo in the Diaspora, in a communique at the end of their meeting in Ibadan, lamented that the Southeast is the only region yet to produce a President.

    The communique , signed by Eze Hycinth Omeroha Ohazuruke; the Ezendigbo of Lagos State and National President of the association, raised fresh issues on the purported support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid by some Southeast groups.

    The Igbo leaders maintained that in the interest of justice and equity, an Igbo should be voted President in 2015.

    “The association is still hopeful that Nigerians will put their conscience in use in 2015 by supporting and electing an Igbo man to become the next President of the country, taking into consideration the fact that with all the contributions of Ndigbo to the development of Nigeria, no Igbo has been opportune to lead,” the communique reads.

    The Igbo leaders, however, praised the efforts of President Jonathan towards fixing bad federal roads in the Southeast and other parts of the country like the Lagos-Sagamu road, Ore-Benin road and Lagos-Ibadan road.

    They commended President Jonathan for listening to the voices of the Nigerian masses by reversing the plan to introduce the controversial N5,000 note.

    The association hailed Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi for the warm reception accorded its members, who visited the governor in the company of the General Secretary and Administrative Secretary of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, High Chief Nduka Eya and Mr. Ibeabuchi.

    “The association noticed the tremendous changes in the state in the area of development and cleanliness of Ibadan. The association admired the construction of a flyover bridge in the ever busy Mokola area,” the Igbo leaders said.

     

  • ‘Trust your leaders’

    ‘Trust your leaders’

    Sen. Sani Sale (CPC-Kaduna Central) has urged Nigerians to always trust their leaders in order to guarantee genuine national growth and development.

    He made the call on Saturday in Zaria, Kaduna State while monitoring the by-election for the Zaria constituency seat in the state House of Assembly.

    “By now, Nigerians should trust their leaders because they are there to protect and safeguard their interests.

    “They should remember that good leaders always make sure that only the right thing is done for the benefit of their own people.

    ‘So, for the first time, let us give the leaders that sense of trust especially in this election. I believe both government and security agencies have done the right thing,” he said

    The senator called on CPC members to conduct themselves properly as the Zaria constituency was one of the party’s stronghold and it would continue to win there.

    Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, (CPC-Zaria), while speaking on the election, told newsmen that about 88 ballot papers went missing at the Lemu 1 poling unit.

    “At Lemu 1, we learnt that there is a difference between registered voters and number of ballot papers available in the polling unit.

    “INEC should explain where the 88 ballot papers went to. Another thing is that the officials did not wait for the time slated for the election to begin. They just started without any explanation,” he said.

    When contacted by NAN, the INEC Electoral Officer for Zaria Local Government, Alhaji Hassan Lamido, said he distributed the materials supplied to him “religiously”.

    He said there was no ward given election materials less than the number of its electorate.

    “I have successfully done my job,’’ he said.(NAN)

    KLM/IA/OLAL