The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mischief

  • Obasanjo’s attack on TraderMoni reflects ignorance, mischief, says VP

    VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has described as unfortunate the attack on the Federal Government’s TraderMoni  microcredit scheme by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Prof Osinbajo, who reacted through a statement by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said the former president was misinformed to have described a programme designed to lift Nigerians as “idiotic”.

    The alleged comments by the former president “smirk of outright mischief as it regurgitates blatant falsehood”.

    In the response to media inquiries regarding the former president’s comments over the weekend, Akande said: “It is either that the former leader is ignorant of the true workings of Trader Moni and the role of the Vice President in its implementation or perhaps he is on a mischievous mission.”

    According to him, the former President has demonstrated “a surprising but complete misunderstanding of the workings of TraderMoni, that is if we assume there is no mischief intended.

    “Firstly, the Vice President does not personally distribute money during his visits to the markets. He goes there to assess the progress of the implementation and to create awareness for a programme designed to meet the financing need of two million petty traders across the country in the first instance.

    “Secondly, while one will not bother to further address the issue of timing of the implementation since such issues are now known to be political posturing, it is important to note that TraderMoni is being actively implemented across all states of the federation and the FCT. It is not only in Lagos and Abuja as was insinuated.

    “These petty traders at the bottom of the economic ladder, with an inventory often less than N5,000, are beneficiaries of the TraderMoni scheme which provides N10,000 collateral/interest-free loans to them, empowerment that improves their small businesses, their families, while also contributing significantly to the economy.

    “Thirdly, in what is certainly a curious comment, the former President has also been quoted as describing the TraderMoni scheme as idiotic. To label such people-friendly scheme as idiotic is not only an absurdity, it is also an affront to the sensibilities of these hard working Nigerians, the beneficiaries of the micro-credit scheme.

    “For emphasis, the Bank of Industry implements the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, (GEEP), one part of our Social Investment Programme. Enumeration Agents have been engaged to visit the markets and other points where petty traders are found to confirm that they are traders and also take their biometric information for recording purposes. After the enumeration, the N10, 000 collateral free loans are then disbursed electronically through the petty traders’ phones.

    “TraderMoni is designed to meet the needs of the larger population of petty traders at the bottom of the pyramid who do not meet the more stringent criteria of BVN, bank accounts, market associations, cooperatives, required for bigger Market Moni loans.

    ”Under GEEP – which has MarketMoni, FarmerMoni and TraderMoni, at least 1.5 million Nigerians are already beneficiaries of the three-pronged approach of GEEP, while N-Power has created jobs for 500,000 young Nigerians graduates, besides non-graduates. Also, almost 300,000 Nigerians have benefitted from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), which is given to the poorest and most vulnerable among us, and over 9.2 million school pupils are being fed a free meal daily in 26 states under the Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

    “It bears repetition that higher economic growth potentials are associated with lower income inequality. This makes a most overwhelming case for welfare payments like the social investment schemes like the TraderMoni/MarketMoni schemes. Such a micro-credit scheme provides a higher rate of inclusion into the financial bracket and is crucial in lifting hardworking people out of poverty as has been the case in other countries like India and Brazil.

    “Fourthly, the former president also rehashed discredited claims suggesting that TraderMonibeneficiaries were required to tender their PVCs, and questioned the timing of the implementation.

    “Let me, therefore, state again that beneficiaries of TraderMoni are not required to show their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) or any document indicating their political affiliations to qualify for the loans.

    “This is why the enumeration is done in the open markets and wherever the traders ply their trade. This issue has been addressed several times by the Presidency in the public space. Therefore, the former president’s alleged comments smirk of outright mischief as it regurgitates blatant falsehood.

    “Equally, if the former president had conducted a simple act of diligence, he would have found that the National Assembly had approved this programmes and budgeted for them duly.

    ”When President Muhammadu Buhari came into office, one of the major hinges of this administration was to uplift the common man out of poverty and ensure the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.  TraderMoni is  one of such schemes conceived in 2016 under the Social Investment Programme of this administration.

    “Being a former president, Chief Obasanjo ordinarily should appreciate the impact of such far-reaching social investment schemes, which has provided what is now the largest social safety net for millions of Nigerians and is unprecedented in the nation’s history.

    Read also: Attack on TraderMoni: PDP, Fayose rehashing falsehood, says Presidency

    “Again, the former president’s attack on TraderMoni and the person of the Vice President is an indicator that he may be wittingly or unwittingly playing to the sinister script of the opposition party to spread falsehood and attack the social investment programmes of the Buhari administration, which champions such impactful schemes, and which is now attracting the praise and commendation of Nigerians everywhere.

    “It is pertinent to state that the false allegations against  TraderMoni  raised again by the former president, is sadly a rehash of baseless claims previously made by leading chieftains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose record of profligacy, corruption and mismanagement clearly show it has no agenda to uplift the common man or improve the lives of Nigerians.

    ”Finally, attacks such as this on a scheme that benefits the masses of our people is a direct attack on the people and this kind of conduct does not reflect very well on a former president but is only self-denigrating and of no public value.

    “As is already now obvious, the generality of the Nigerian people will not only reject that attack but will also condemn its source. We, therefore, urge the former president to be far more circumspect and more public-spirited in his utterances going forward.”

  • Police declare reported shooting of Anambra pastor as mischief

    THE police in Anambra State have declared as high mischief, the reported shooting of David Elijah, the pastor in charge of Grace and Power Prophetic Ministry in Awka.

    The Command in a statement by DCP Chris Owolabi, wondered why the pastor refused to report the incident to the police station closest to the scene of the incident.

    It said: “Instead of reporting the incident at the nearest police station where the incident took place, the pastor drove to his church in Awka and attracted the attention of his congregation who were waiting for him at the church premises for a church event.”

    The command urged members of the public to disregard the report as misleading and assured that Anambra is safe.

    “Following the incident, the commissioner of police directed the DPO ‘B’ Division to immediately proceed to the church and ascertain the true situation.

    “The DPO visited the pastor at his church and even took photographs with him to clear the ambiguity.

    “In view of the foregoing, the command implores members of the public to disregard such misleading reports from mischievous elements who are bent on portraying the state in bad light in order to achieve their selfish goals,” he said.

    The social media buzzed with stories of how Pastor David miraculously escaped unhurt following attack on him by unidentified gunmen.

     

  • Teacher jailed one month for mischief

    A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, has sentenced a 32-year-old teacher, Godwin Lawrence, to one-month imprisonment for mischief.

    The judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option of N5,000 fine.

    He ordered him to pay N15,000 as compensation to the nominal complainant.

    Sadiq advised the convict to desist from crimes, saying the sentence would act as a deterrent to others.

    Lawrence, who lives at Karmo, was convicted on a one count charge.

    The convict, who pleaded guilty, urged the court to be lenient, saying he acted out of ignorance.

    The prosecutor, Florence Auhioboh, told the court that Isiaka Adama of same address with the convict, reported the matter at Karmo Police Station on August 25.

    She said the convict on that day was walking on the main road, the complainant honked his horn several times, but he refused to move.

    “He started insulting him and broke the windscreen of the complainant’s car, valued at N15,000.

    “During police investigation, he confessed to the crime and begged for mercy.”

    The prosecutor said the offence was punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code.

     

  • Northern elders to Osinbajo: beware of mischief makers

    Northern elders to Osinbajo: beware of mischief makers

    The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to be wary of mischievous elements plotting to overheat the polity by taking advantage of the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve dubious political goals.

    A communiqué issued after its two-day emergency meeting in Kano warned those seeking “undeserved political advantage” to desist, saying the North is conscious of its obligations and rights, and will discharge and defend them without reservations.

    The communique, signed by NEF spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, and Deputy Leader Chief Wantaregh Paul Unongo, said: “We know there are attempts to exploit the absence of President Buhari to achieve dubious political goals.

    “NEF, however, advises Acting President Osinbajo to exercise responsibilities, as he did in the past, with commitment, sensitivity, and respect for the constitution. We urge him to ignore mischief makers, who seek to pitch him against the president and Nigerians.

    “The task of governing the country will continue uninterrupted until the return of President Buhari. We, therefore, appeal to all persons with responsibility to cooperate fully to sustain a united, focused and committed administration.”

    On the clamour for restructuring, NEF said the North is not afraid of restructuring the country but warned that the call comes with sentiments “which tend to create tension around our coexistence as a country that is diverse and united.

    “For the record, the forum wishes to state that the North welcomes honest and sincere discussions on all aspects of our existence, and remains available to engage any group to discuss and advance the nature of our union.”

  • DHQ warns mischief makers

    T09he Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned that it will not condone any unwholesome acts by persons or group seeking to engage in acts that are capable of causing breakdown of law and order in any part of the country.

    Citizens  are also advised to refrain from taking laws into their hands and avoid actions that may cause breach to harmonious co-existence.

    A statement by the Defence Headquarters’ Director of Public Relations, Rabe Abubakar,  said individuals or groups seeking  relevance should follow the due process “in accordance with the law of our land and not through acts of brigandage.”

    The DHQ advised the  public to ignore inciting pictures, videos and statements posted in some social media platforms, which are confirmed to be the creation of photoshops with the intention of causing disharmony and divisions among nationalities.

    The  DHQs said the military and the security agencies will continue to sustain the current tempo against terrorists, oil thieves, cattle rustlers and other forms of criminalities and urged law-abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses and report any suspicious persons or object to the nearest security post for prompt action.

  • N5,000 for unemployed youths: Mischief to rubbish the APC led administration

    The Lawmaker representing, Oyo North Senatorial district, Sen. Abdul-Fatai Buhari has described the motion moved by Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) ?during the last sitting of the upper chamber as an attempt by th Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to rubbish th President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC), led administration in the country.

    Sen. Buhari who spoke yesterday while ?addressing journalist at his residence in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, said the PDP Senator raised the motion with an intent to spite the president and APC.

    The lawmaker noted that Sen. Aduda knew that the provision of that amount was not in the 2015 budget, adding that even if President Buhari made the promise it can only be done in the next budget.

    “I was one of the people that was against the decision not to support the payment of N5,000 to the unemployed youths now because it was a mischief and no sensible Senator will stand aloof or akimbo when your party or your government is been rubbished.

    “What happened was that a motion was sponsored by Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) and it was a very beautiful motion on the unemployment situation in the country and the motion was giving a very thorough consideration by all senators from different parties but when it came to the prayer all the prayer seek for by the sponsor were approved because he now said he has an additional prayer.

    “He told the senate to urge the federal government to start paying the N5,000 he promise Nigerian for the unemployed people immediately. “

    According to Sen. Buhari, immediately he said that we knew it was a unsincere prayer, that was when Sen Babajide Omoworare now said in as much as we agree with what he said the federal government should commence immediate probe of the utilisation of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) funds by the immediate past administration for us to be able to pay the money immediately.

    He insisted that  billions of naira were missing in the SURE-P project, and the past administration must account for each kobo that was spent and how many people received that money in order for the APC government to pay the unemployed youths N5,000.

    Also commenting on the walkout by the PDP senators during the screening of Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Sen. Buhari ?described it as childish and has no meaning.

    “It is just a show off for them to walk out because during the screening the Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio,raise a point that they are not going to participate in the screening of Rotimi Amaechi and he now turned to their people and they said that was what they all agreed. We continued with the screening and they did not participate up till the time we finish the screening, when it now come to Amaechi’s confirmation they now want to play a role in determining if he is is eligible or not which is not possible.

    “It is just like saying you are not going to teach a student a course, you are not going to set his question because you do not see him fit and they university authority decided that he is eligible and will test him Base on the syllabus of the school, so when the student now finish the test, you are now asking for the script to mark which is not possible and the PDP senators are ignorant because they do not know what they are doing. So it is morally wrong for them to walk out.”

     

    END

     

  • Leadership, mischief and security

    I   write  with  mixed  feelings on the issues I want  to highlight today because they are quite serious  matters with some tinge of  rather   dark  humour. The  problem here is in seeing the humor early enough otherwise it may be difficult to know whether  to laugh or cry. It  is my  contention today that leaders in government and politics, lawyers in the temple  of justice, and  professionals in business and diplomats working in the comity of nations, have a great sense of humor in spite  of the tedious schedule of their various  unique callings in life. That  really is what I want to ponder over and ruminate about today.

    Let  me start with Israel where PM Benjamin Netanyahu  has just engaged a spokesman  Ran  Baratz who  in March wrote that US President  Barak  Obama was anti  semitic, that the US Secretary  of State, John  Kerry, the quintessential  diplomat has a mental age  of a boy  of twelve and that the current Israeli  president is such a nonentity that he could never be taken as hostage. That  is the first salvo. The  second  is  the walk out of the CCT  tribunal  by the lawyers of the Senate  president who accused  the tribunal of judicial  rascality for  continuing with  the case and  the admonition by the CCT prosecutor  to senators  who  attended the proceedings that the court is not the senate and you play  politics in the senate and not  in the law court. Which  throws  wide any discussion such as we are  about to have,  not only on the context of judicial rascality but the content of senatorial aggression and intrusion. The  third is the proposition by the opposition PDP to  remove fuel  subsidy which  APC Rep  Gbajamila said was speculative and false because the Vice President Yemi  Osinbajo  had just paid a huge sum to oil   marketers and  the President has never said he was removing fuel  subsidy. Which showed  clearly  that the  PDP was getting more catholic  than the Pope in running government down with fuel subsidy  rumour while pretending to be helping it out  by giving it a political hemlock that will make it hated  and unpopular.

    Fourthly  the air  disaster in the  Sinai desert in which a Russian plane  carrying 224  people was blown up with no survivor  had Egyptian  president Sissy travelling to meet British  PM David  Cameron at 10  Downing Street after  the British PM stopped  flights   to  UK from the Egyptian Airport,  Sharm  el – Sheik    where the ill fated Russian metro  jet  took off before exploding in the Sinai. The  UK  and  US  have pointed their suspicion on terrorism but  Russia has said that was speculative yet  Russia is the major victim of the disaster whose analysis would  now  be coated somewhat with the poor diplomatic relations between the US, UK, Russia  and Egypt  in the last one year or so,  and  I will  soon show why.

    Let  us now go back  to  Israel  where Netanyahu has  disassociated himself from the views expressed  by his hand picked spokesman whose  appointment he promised to review on his return from a trip to the US to  see US  President Barak  Obama. To  me that is just a ruse as the Israeli PM has  achieved his objective of embarrassing the US leadership over the appointment. Could Netanyahu not have known the excesses of his spokesman before appointing  him to such a sensitive position ?  Surely Israeli intelligence and screening for such jobs are more efficient  than that.  To  me Netanyahu‘s   spokesman  simply  said  his master’s  mind and the malice for the appointment, revelation and job review have  their  root  in the US –Iran  nuclear  deal which  the US president  spoke so  much  for and which  Netanyahu   railed  so  much  against,  as threatening  the  security  of  Israel. The  body  may be that of Esau  but  the voice is definitely  that  of Jacob. You  may  now cry or laugh.

    In  the case  of the walk out of the CCT tribunal by the Senate President’s  lawyers it  is amazing  that lawyers  can call a court proceeding’ judicial  rascality’ even in open court. The  tribunal chairman has roundly  condemned it as  rude and  there  is no better word. A Senior  Advocate of Nigeria reportedly said it was like defecating  in the lawyers common pool so I think something should be done to prevent collective legal and judicial diarrhea arising from such unhygienic verbal  gymnastics in our  chequered temples  of  justice all over the nation. Especially in this era when a new government has just been elected and is committed to fighting corruption, reducing poverty  and shoring up our collective security. In the courts, lawyers and judges are supposed  to cross swords on  arguments and weighty  points of law and crack  open the Gordian knots of the inner workings and riddles in the law  in such a way  to make justice affordable, swift and for  the improvement of the values  and traditions  of justice, transparency  and integrity  inherent in any democracy including  ours in Nigeria.  However it   was  comforting that the Senate president has opted to call new lawyers in case those who left him without saying why at the mercy of the CCT refuse   to come back. It  was also nice that senators were present although the prosecutor’s admonition  and warning that the court is not a place for politics was  very much in place and instructive for  our distinguished senators present   because   justice is blind and is no respecter of offices and positions as no one is above the law in our constitution .

    The  House of Assembly debate and proposal  to remove fuel subsidy by the PDP was a  clean ploy, not even a plan,  to make the ruling party fall on a positioned banana peel. Here was a party in power  for 16 years  during which it could not remove the fuel  subsidy asking a new government to commit   political  hara kiri. That was clearly  mischievous and was designed to embarrass  the new government. Luckily the new president has identified poverty alleviation and security as prime objectives.  Both removal of fuel subsidy and devaluation would affect these two government goals adversely as  fuel prices will rise and drive prices up  generally  and increase hunger and collective anger, leading to social unrest  culminating in massive insecurity. The  PDP  is definitely not a friend of this new government and that should be obvious from  the fuel subsidy  removal   proposal this week  in the House  of Representatives in Abuja.

    Fourthly the  murder in the skies of the Sinai desert has brought out the smoking gun of adversarial diplomacy between the four nations I mentioned earlier. This  can  be seen in the context of a security expert’s  views  on CNN this week  on the exploded Russian metrojet. He  said if the disaster was confirmed as terrorist it would be the first  time that terrorism  has succeeded  in the Aviation industry   after  9/11  and  that to me raises a lot of questions. First, why  such murderous success  so soon after Russia pitched its camp in Syria to fight ISIS?  Why now  on  Egyptian  soil when the Egyptian army is buying arms from the Russians after the US suspended the sale of sophisticated F16 planes to the Egyptian army  because it manouvred elections to put its Commander in power as an elected president.  Again it is an open secret that tourism is the mainstay , economically,  of Egypt after agriculture which makes Egypt the Gift  of the Nile,  why  should the UK PM quickly suspect and ban flights from the Egyptian Airport so decisively ?These  are questions begging for answers and  there is no denying that a lot of mischief , malevolent ones too,  are in the air snuffing the light out of clear , genial  diplomacy and creating bad blood and bloodier terrorism and   insecurity   not  only on the ground but also death in the clear  skies of the desert  not only in Sinai  but in  the   entire  Middle  East  or  Arabia as we know it today . One  should really pray  that personal  animosities in  global   high places do not derail the role of diplomacy  in bringing peace and harmony to  our world of today . Again , long live the  Federal  Republic of Nigeria .

  • Niger PDP’s mischief

    SIR: Recently, the Peoples Democratic Party in Niger State, through its chairman, Barrister Tanko Beji was in the media accusing the All Progressive Congress-led government of too much lamentation. The accusation was sequel to the state broadcast by the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, in which he revealed how billions of naira was looted by the last PDP administration.

    Again, the same PDP was quoted to have said that the current APC administration in Niger State does not have its own original agenda because most of the projects done so far were started by the last PDP administration.

    I wasn’t surprised with such accusations. They may do so to keep their party alive in the political arena, but that is not how to criticize.

    To start with, completing the abandoned projects saves the state from waste of limited resources. This is one area I have commended the present government in the state.

    In his recent broadcast, Governor Bello unveiled his key four areas of focus – education, agriculture, and health as well as youth empowerment. The only thing he failed to include is security. Security is the driving force of all other sectors. Now especially, that Nigeria is faced with the challenge of insecurity, security issue ought to top the agenda of every government – local, state or federal. Without peace of mind, nothing concrete would be accomplished.

    No one can dispute the fact that the governor has identified key areas of development. Agricultural sector has long been neglected in Nigeria as a whole. It is no longer ideal for Nigeria to continue to rely on oil and gas as sources of budget. Oil and gas sector does not have the everlasting potentials the agricultural sector has. In this regard, Niger State is blessed with fertile land which when harnessed would create direct and indirect jobs for teeming population. I think this is what governor is trying to do.

    Education and health sectors as included in his agenda are also crucial for socio-economic development. While health has been described as ‘wealth’, education equips citizens with necessary skills for self and societal development. It is as a result of poor educational system that we are having illiterate certified citizens who think they know but know nothing. Literate critics holistically examine the steps of the government and offer ways for them to triumph.

    Overdependence on white colar jobs has become as serious challenge in our country because governments have failed to develop other sectors such as agricultural sector. Empowering citizens to be self reliant through agriculture will go a long way in reducing poverty, hunger and social vices mostly caused as a result of joblessness. When citizens are maximally empowered as Governor Bello intends to do, it will also boost the state revenue.

    What is required of the government now is to show commitment to the realization of these four key agendas. To accomplish this, serious and qualified individuals must be appointed into key positions to help drive the train. Government should also partner relevant investors who would have the interest of the state at heart. And for the citizens, they need understanding, co-operation and support. Anything short of these would hinder the entire progress of the government plans.  Let’s allow the time to move a bit before criticisms creep in.

    • Abubakar Akote,

    Minna, Niger State.

  • Edo’s $75m loan and mischief makers

    SIR: Even the most acerbic critic of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, the Edo State Governor, will hesitate in calling for his head over allegations by his political opponents that he fell short of expectations in providing development for the state.

    Noticeably, the manner he generated funds for development and managed same attracted on-the-spot assessment visits by both local and international development-conscious organisations, including UNICEF, World Bank and agencies of the European Union. Without any difficulty, they passed a vote of confidence in his overall performance both in fiscal prudence and management of the state’s lean resources. Against this background, the World Bank  agreed to offer $150m soft loan facility to the state.

    The loan is divided into two tranches of $75m each and tied to specific projects. Instructively, the state has collected the first $75m and has applied it as specified, hence the decision by the bank to approve the second tranche.

    Unarguably, the judgment by the World Bank that the governor prudently applied the loan is the reason President Mohammadu Buhari did not hesitate in transmitting a letter to the National Assembly, requesting its approval for the second $75m. Unfortunately, however, it elicited hostile reaction from politically motivated mischief makers who ignored its inherent benefits for the state by projecting the assumption that the governor only requested for the facility for unscrupulous reasons, including claims that it will end up as dubious severance package for himself and officials of his administration, particularly now that his tenure is winding up.

    But facts about the loan speak for themselves and they are verifiable. Only Lagos and Edo received approval from the global financial powerful for the soft loan of $150m tied to specific projects. Only Edo is applying for the second tranche for now having been certified to have prudently applied the first part to specified projects.

    In any case, opponents of the facility seem to forget that the World Bank is never known to giving out frivolous loans. Indeed, the widely respected international financial institute is globally reputed for sticking to due diligence, prudent management, etc, in its assessment of whoever it deems fit for its facilities. In other words, the organisation would never have approved the first $75m if it was convinced that the Oshiomhole administration did not meet the requisite standard, let alone approve the second tranche. In approving the second, the bank simply emphasised the point that the administration’s reputation for prudent resource management is very intact despite claims by his opponents to the contrary.

    Secondly, let us not forget that President Buhari rode into the seat of power because of his reputation for standing for anything that is right. Like the World Bank that is not given to frivolities, he will never support any course that is meant to swindle either the country or its people. Indeed, there is hardly any doubt that he is very unlikely to agree to transmit a letter to the National Assembly, as he did, knowing that in doing so, he is lending his hard-earned reputation to a dubious process designed to con the same people he vowed to redeem.

    In the final analysis, I am of the opinion that rather than oppose, condemn or politicise the issue, everyone, including politically motivated mischief makers, should be more concerned with the need to ensure that the facility is deployed solely for the benefit of providing development for the people of the state.

    Indeed, we should be proud that in a country like ours where government officials are notoriously corrupt, both the World Bank and President Buhari adjudged our governor qualified in matters relating to prudent management of our collective resources.

    In any case, we all are aware that government is a continuum. As true as it is that the Oshiomhole administration is winding up, it is doubly true that his exit will not mean the end of the state’s development process. Therefore, just as it is true that a continuation of the development process is assured even after his exit, it stands to reason too that the reason for which the state acquired the loan will continue. It would therefore appear puerile for anyone to conclude that the loan is irrelevant to the state just because the present administration will be gone in less than two years. In that case, mischief makers calling for a wholesale disapproval of the loan must know that the right thing to do at the moment is to work towards making sure it is judiciously applied as specified. That is the most sensible thing to do.

     

    • Ernest Omoarelojie wrote from Benin City.

  • Femi Fani-Kayode’s mischief

    SIR: There is this popular statement that silence is the best answer to a fool.  However, when certain utterances are left without refutation, they are believed rightly or wrongly to be true. That is why I have chosen to reply the unguarded and mischievous utterances by former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who has suddenly canonized himself as a “saint”.

    For the past few days, Fani-Kayode has been using the social media to campaign against the All Peoples Congress (APC) and some of its leaders particularly General Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The most recent was his appearance on Channels Television on Monday June 30, where he cast a lot of aspersions on the duo.

    I cannot condemn his affiliation with Peoples Democratic Party since the choice of a political party is his exclusive right as a Nigerian.

    It is however, not a hidden fact that Fani-Kayode is one of the few Nigerians who earn their living by blackmail and mischief; this had paid him well in the past and being conscious of the benefits, he still believes that this means will bounce him back in the current era hence his new sermon.

    On Channels television and in other social media outfits, he accused the APC of plots to impose an Islamic agenda on Nigerians with the planned choice of Buhari and Tinubu as Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates respectively; that the APC and Buhari are sympathizers of Boko Haram; and that Buhari and his northern brothers have seen the leadership of Nigeria as their birthright and hence their connivance with a handful of southerners to remove a southern minority Christian in order to impose an Islamic agenda on Nigeria.

    When Chief Obasanjo was sworn in as President in 1999, Fani-Kayode was at the forefront of those who saw nothing good in the new civilian administration. I remember when he called the President a CIA agent – not fit to rule Nigeria. Shortly afterwards, he was appointed the President’s Special Assistant on Public Affairs where he immediately changed his tune. While serving in that capacity, he descended heavily on anybody that dared to differ with the president on anything.  I cannot forget the day he insulted Chief Sunday Awoniyi (of blessed memory) and Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar retd. for speaking out against the tenure elongation plot and other ills perpetrated in Aso Rock.

    When he was nominated as minister in compensation of the mercenary assignment he ran for the president, he would later tender an unreserved apology the National Assembly for his primitive vituperations. As Minister of Aviation for few months, billions of naira was stolen under his watch for which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has since arraigned him in court.

    Going by these antecedents, what moral authority has Fani-Kayode to attack the likes of General Buhari and others? Look at the people he is accusing to have connived with northerners to Islamize Nigeria:  Tinubu’s wife is a Christian, Bisi Akande’s wife is a Christian, Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun’s wife is a Christian, Lagos State Governor, and Babatunde Fashola’s wife is a Christian. Can these people connive with anybody to pursue an agenda where their immediate families will be affected?

    Nigeria may be a place where mediocrity is celebrated and deviants crowned as heroes; but it is high time we allowed people like Fani-Kayode to know where they belong.

    • Comrade Richard Tersoo Mnenga

    Pfeffingerstrasse 12

    Basel 4055- Switzerland.