The Nation Newspaper

Tag: North

  • ‘Igbo can’t leave N40b investment in the North’

    The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kaduna State, Chief Austin Amaechi, has said the Igbo in the North cannot abandon their over N40billion investment because of Boko Haram.

    He said the Igbo leaders, who were asking them to return home, should be hopeful that the Boko Haram insurgency would soon end.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the state executive of the pan Igbo and socio-cultural group, Amaechi, a lawyer, said the investments of the Igbo in the North are over N40 billion.

    He went on: “How can you leave that and go back to the East? Economically, we are at home in the North and politically we want to participate. We will, therefore, ensure that we live in peace with our host communities because once there is peace, our investments will be secured.

    “If there is no peace, it is not only the investments of the Igbo that are threatened, but also those of other Nigerians.

    “We will ensure that Nigerians’ investments are protected by Nigerians.”

    The Ohanaeze Ndigbo chief recalled that during the civil war, the property of the Igbo were secured by northerners and were handed over to them after the war, including rents, adding that that helped them to bounce back after the war.

    “Unlike in other parts of the country where the Igbo investments were declared abandoned, that never happened in the North. This gives us the confidence to invest in the region despite the insecurity. I assure you that the investment will continue because very soon, insecurity will end by the Grace of God.”

  • Beef shortage looms in North

    Nigerians should expect  beef shortage following increasing  insecurity  in  the North, the Programme Coordinator, Farmers Development Union (FADU), Mr  Victor Olowe has  said.

    The shortage may hit the region if the government  does not protect  cattle farmers, he said.

    He said: “There is need for increased efforts to prevent the deterioration of the situation. A major determining consequence of this phenomenon is the rise in prices, which contributes to the households’ increasing vulnerability.

    “Serious consequences  could occur, when food items are in the depleted markets, because of the communities’incapacity to rebuild their stocks and cattle.”

    He  said the consequences are far more serious for the population, who have to deal with drop in  food production.

    According to him, the government needs  works on food insecurity and also in areas most hardly hit by consecutive droughts and low-yield harvests.

    Meanwhile, there are reports of   increasing wave of cattle rustling, across the north with  foodstuff and livestock supplies affected.

    A  report  said  if concerted effort is not made to address the malaise, the country might soon experience meat shortage, with its debilitating consequences on food security.

    Herdsmen in Adamawa State have reported loss of over 1,500 cattle to thieves in the last one year, costing millions of naira.The rising incidence of cattle theft has also continued unabated in some council areas of Katsina State has been a source of serious concern to residents.

    Frequent cases of cattle rustling occur in Safana, Faskari, Funtua, Batsari and Danmusa local governments of the state. Hundreds of cattle have been stolen by thieves who often invade communities and farm houses in the night.

    However, the incident is allegedly being perpetrated with the connivance of some locals. Some victims claimed that the cattle rustlers use charms to take the cows away.

    Cattle rustling has become a huge problem in Kaduna, threatening its peace and food security.

    A report  said cattle rustlers is  threatening the Fulani communities and their cows.

    Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Jibrin Maigwari, who said:  “We don’t know how many thousands of cattle have been stolen so far. The issue is that everywhere you go in the Emirate, you will find a casualty; someone’s herds of cattle were stolen, a wife or children raped and others even killed.”

  • Jonathan, Buhari and demonisation of the North

    Jonathan, Buhari and demonisation of the North

    Former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, may not have reached mythical status like the eponymous Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, but he has clearly become a genuine hero whose death, had it occurred in last week’s Kaduna blast that claimed more than 100 lives, would have had dire consequences for the country and the Jonathan presidency. Two days before suicide bombers targeted him, the retired general had excoriated President Goodluck Jonathan for insensitively declaring war on Nigeria, a war he said the president could not hope to win for natural and historical reasons. Even if the two incidents were unrelated, majority of the general’s admirers would never allow themselves be persuaded that the Jonathan government did not have a hand in it. All that was needed for conflagration to break out was a spark in Kaduna, and another fuse lit somewhere else in the far North where the stoic and bold general had made his reputation as a friend of the dispossessed.

    If Dr Jonathan cannot take counsel from the Buhari incident, then he is probably more unwise than he is globally – as a result of his poor handling of the Chibok abductions – reputed. The president remorselessly exploits Nigeria’s political, religious and cultural fissures, and it is doubtful whether he is sensitive to the implications of a political explosion. If the unthinkable had happened in Kaduna last week, and mayhem had been unleashed, would the president feel confident to exonerate himself and his brand of politics from the catastrophe? A Nigerian president is required to understanding the history of his country, where the dividing lines must be drawn, which boundaries he must never cross, what sentiments he must never exploit, and what defenders he must never permit to rally to his cause, let alone entertain openly and shamelessly. There is nothing to suggest that the president appreciates these lessons, nor does he have the discipline to let the lessons, were he to understand them, constrain his actions and policies.

    No one doubts that Dr Jonathan is Nigeria’s most divisive president. He and his aides may think this label harsh and undeserved, but more and more, as if determined to keep flying in the face of providence, he exploits and exacerbate these divisions. For instance, rather than see the opposition as an integral part of democracy, and indeed as an ingredient, if not a fulcrum, for the stabilisation of Nigerian politics, both he and his party, and also his overzealous and uncontrollable aides, believe that the only way to normalise politics in these parts is either to extirpate the opposition like a pest, stigmatise their leaders, or defang it so comprehensively until it becomes unrecognisable and impotent. This depressing worldview manifests in the rash of impeachment intrigues inspired and instigated by the ruling party, and connived at by the presidency, notwithstanding Dr Jonathan’s half-hearted dissociation from the Adamawa, Nasarawa and other impeachment plots.

    In addition, and just like during military regimes when the line between a ruler’s private and public/national interest becomes deliberately and short-sightedly blurred, Dr Jonathan has deployed national security organisations, whose operations are guided by definitive constitutional provisions, to wholly private and skewed interests of the president. The military, particularly the army, secret service, and other instruments of coercion have been completely reoriented towards the preservation and advancement of the Jonathan presidency. Little thought is spared for the cohesion and operational effectiveness of those security organisations.

    Gen Buhari’s poignant and controversial statement also alludes to something more debilitating and truly worrisome about the president’s style. Dr Jonathan’s presidency is not only divisive; it has engaged, more than any other government before it, in the demonisation of the North, the North liberally defined. Taking advantage of the ingratiating style of Nigerian politicians, their sycophancy, their unending greed for power and their impotence in the face of tyranny, Dr Jonathan has either by public statements, body language, or indifference to the plight of the Northeast encouraged or allowed the continuing demonisation of the North. This attitude is unsafe and unhealthy.

    For a long time, and even more remarkably so now, the presidency has argued that the political and business elites of the North are behind Boko Haram. Many South-South groups and individuals, and now alarmingly many Southwest groups and individuals, actually parrot the view that Boko Haram, in spite of its beginnings and chronology, was hatched to undermine the Jonathan presidency. Like all other elites in the country, but perhaps more guiltily, the northern elite was at first slow in recognising the danger constituted by Boko Haram. In fact, given its initial silence and knowing winks, it appeared that the northern elite were indifferent to the violence. They probably recall having lost the power stakes midway into the Umaru Yar’Adua presidency, and then to Dr Jonathan after the 2011 general elections. For a period, they became dangerously inured to the damage caused by Boko Haram and the long-time social, economic and political impact of the sect’s anarchic campaigns. But to conclude they hatched, inspired and funded the insurgency was a little too fanatical and specious.

    Surprisingly, even leading members of the Afenifere and some other top Yoruba elite hitherto reputed for deep thinking and calmness in analysing national issues have become converted to Dr Jonathan’s fallacy. Such conversions in the Southwest must, however, be properly situated within the framework of the emerging ideological and power struggles in the zone. To assuage their guilt for abandoning what is believed to be the mainstream progressive politics in the Southwest, former so-called Awoists and other self-proclaimed progressives have suggested that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) contain progressive elements, or that at any rate, the APC is not even truly progressive. Having argued thus, it became both desirable and ineluctable for the Jonathan supporters in the Southwest to embrace the silly and unfounded notion that northerners support Boko Haram’s subversive campaign because they see leadership as their birthright.

    When Dr Jonathan permitted himself the luxury of visiting the Northeast a few years back, he had accused the elite of harbouring Boko Haram insurgents, an accusation still repeated by many even in the Afenifere. He made no mention of the impotence of his security organisations, which he controls exclusively and deploys as he pleases. He even threatened his hosts with fire and brimstone should one more of his troops be killed by the insurgents. Since then, the militants have killed more so-called ‘northern supporters of Boko Haram’ than soldiers and southerners, and it is not certain how many more northerners they need to kill to persuade southerners to revise their theories. The militants have killed respected members of the North’s military elite such as Gen Mohammed Shuwa, and other members of the political and traditional elites. Yet, neither Dr Jonathan nor his Southwest supporters have felt the need to properly situate the ongoing terror war within the context of the global terror war and international extreme political and even jihadist tendencies.

    The PDP’s insistence on blaming the APC for the large-scale insecurity the country is experiencing, in spite of evidence to the contrary, not to say its adamantine resolve to equate the opposition with religious fanaticism, has led many in the opposition to believe that the Boko Haram insurgency is actually nurtured by the ruling party for private and political ends. There will be no end to the accusations and counterarguments. But in terms of misinformation and disinformation, there is little doubt that the Jonathan government and the ruling party are cruelly and effectively exploiting the Boko Haram insurgency to retain control of the political space and to cynically manipulate the minds of the gullible, especially in the Southwest, Southeast, South-South and North-Central.

    Gen Buhari has timeously warned the president about how close to the brink his government has brought Nigeria with his divisive and exploitative politics. Given the kind of people he has surrounded himself with, and his own deplorable inability to go beyond the surface in analysing and understanding the dynamics of Nigerian politics, power and peoples, I fear Dr Jonathan is quite unable to grasp the fears that trouble Gen Buhari’s mind. For, as it has long been evident, even the ability to appreciate danger requires some depth of understanding, a quality altogether lacking in the present government.

  • ‘Food insecurity may persist in the North’

    AN industrialist Dr  Hyke Ochia has warned that increased terrorism is capable of threatening food security.

    Speaking with The Nation, the  former President, Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the prevailing insecurity could lead to collapse in the region’s  food production.

    He said the insurgency has placed farmers where they struggle to be productive.

    Unless the government succeeds in checkmating the insurgency, Ochia said the prospects of addressing the situation are dim.

    He urged the government to  avoid  severe risks and increased damage that threaten human health, reduce labour productivity and strain electricity grids.

    As high price of food-grains continues to bother the common man, he urged  the government  to  accord topmost priority to contain food inflation through tough measures quickly.

    This will require making an adequate contingency plan to save the farm sector in deficient rainfall situation in the North as it affect the  supply side of food-grains.

    The  industrialist urged  the  government  to improve the supply side of various agro and agro-based products.

    He said  focus  should be on long pending irrigation projects ensuring optimal use of  water resources to prevent the recurrence of floods and drought.

    Ochia  implored  the  government to raise the level of their rice stocks to help stabilise prices and improve food security.

    According to him, one way to lower risks is to increase reserves. He explained that building larger reserves would help the region to use the stockpiles to cushion price shocks.

    He said residents need to have   access to adequate food from the market is not  expensive.

    Ochia called for the implementation of some innovative ideas which may not only increase farm production through use of technology but also by reclaiming ‘non-cultivable land’ in scientific manner under a national policy.

    This along with other measures will   increase investment in agri-infrastructure — like setting up specialised agri-rail networks for perishable farm products.

    According to him, massive irrigation projects at village level at the  North  will  help  agricultural  production.

    On the whole,  he  urged  the  government to  see implementation of some innovative ideas which may not only increase farm production through use of  technology but also by reclaiming ‘non-cultivable land’ in scientific manner under a national policy.

    Right now, there are reports of continued conflicts over land ownership in some areas, inadequate irrigation support, poor pricing, transport problems and climate change, he said.

    The consequences  is   grave  given the fact that farmers have so far struggled to make ends meet. To survive as well as be productive under the trying economic conditions, farmers are experimenting with various options.

  • Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Mistrust deepens

    Knocks for state creation proposal

    A Major crisis has broken out at the National Conference —the talkshop that is believed by the authorities to be the magic pill against Nigeria’s ailments— with the North threatening to pull out.

    The North’s  delegates have protested to the Conference’s Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi and his deputy, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi.

    Their demand: nullification of all resolutions so far taken through voice vote, which they said did not reflect the views of delegates.

    They insisted on “a proper ballot process” and queried why the conference’s leadership refused to use ballot boxes and papers already with the secretariat.

    They accused the leadership of alleged “floundering” on resolutions.

    The Northern Delegates Forum( NDF) hold an emergency meeting at Gombe Jewel Hotel  in Abuja to determine whether to go ahead with the conference or boycott it.

    The displeased delegates met with Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi at the weekend.

    Those who represented the Northern delegates are ex-Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Coomasie, Prof. Anwalu Yadudu, Senator Khairat Gwadabe, Mohammed Kumalia; and Mohammed Bello.

    It was learnt that the delegates were angry over the conference voice vote resolutions on state police, rotational presidency, adoption of six geopolitical zones, deletion of local government from the Federal Constitution, nature of federalism  to be adopted by the country, among others.

    A source said: “After last Thursday, session, the Northern delegates issued a communique rejecting all resolutions/ decisions so far taken by the National Conference because they came about through voice vote.

    “They alleged that sometimes, when the nays had it, the leadership will turn the result for the ayes.

    “They then sent the delegation to Kutigi and Akinyemi to revisit the resolutions by allowing members to vote through the ballot process.

    “They are demanding outright voting process on all issues to make the resolutions true reflections of the choices of delegates. They asked for the reopening of all issues.”

    It was gathered that Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi pleaded for understanding and assured the delegates that their complaints would be examined.

    “The leadership agreed that without physical counting, there was no way it could determine the real resolutions of delegates,” the source added.

    A member of  the National Conference, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, confirmed the anger of Northern delegates.

    He said: “This protest was not the first time that delegates from the North will raise issues with the leadership of the conference. But the audience with Kutigi and Akinyemi last Thursday was the icing on the cake.

    “I think Kutigi and Bolaji are behaving as if they have  an agenda. Before we started, we had to adopt our rules. The government came up with a recommendation that for a resolution to subsist, it will require the consent of  75 per cent of the delegates.

    “But, in the course of debate at the conference, it was reduced to 70 per cent. We agreed to bring down the threshold after two or three attempts at a consensus. Unless we have a physical count, there was no way to determine that all the resolutions allegedly taken had the consent of  70 per cent of the delegates.

    “ Any time there was a voice vote, the leadership gave a wrong verdict. For instance, while considering the report of the Committee on Restructuring, I stood up to raise observation on the voice vote  but  it was not allowed. They get the ayes and the nays of the North wrong.”

    The South’s delegates, The Nation learnt, have vowed not to allow a revisit of the resolutions already taken.

    A delegate from the Southwest, Comrade Yinka Odumakin, said: “The rules of the conference say the conference cannot revisit any issue which decision has been taken.”

    Another Southern delegate said: “Those who met Kutigi did not actually represent all Northern delegates. Those aggrieved were mostly from the Northeast and Northwest. Why are they trying to arm-twist Kutigi or intimidate Akinyemi when they were part of the resolutions at the conference?

    “I can tell you that delegates from  Northcentral or Middle Belt are not with these Northern delegates mounting pressure on the conference’s leadership.

    “We are expecting stormy sessions as from Monday but Southern and Middle Belt delegates are ready for these Northern delegates. The battle line is certainly drawn.”

    The concluding sessions of the Conference, which begin today, are likely to be stormy.

    The gap between northern and southern delegates has widened.

    Northern delegates, led by Yadudu, last week accused the conference leadership of working in concert with some southern delegates to rubber stamp an already prepared constitution.

    Akinyemi’s explanation that the conference secretariat had nothing to do with the “new constitution”, our correspondent learnt, did not satisfy the northern delegates.

    Meetings of southern and northern delegates were held at the weekend in Abuja.

    The aim of the “secret” meetings, our correspondent gathered, was to enable the two sides perfect their game plans on how to handle the controversial conference committee report on Devolution of Power.

    Northern delegates have rejected resolutions and decisions reached on Thursday from the report of the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

    Some northern delegates were also not happy that a state was approved for the Southeast geo-political zone to bring it at par with others.

    Alhaji Magaji Dambatta from Northwest had argued that an additional state should not be “dashed” to the Southeast zone.

    But Chief Olu Falae told delegates that “we were all dashed states by the military”.

    Falae added that “in dashing the states, the military forgot the Southeast”.

    Falae’s stand foreclosed further arguments on the issue but some northern delegates who waited for the voting to shoot down the proposal were disappointed when delegates overwhelmingly voted in favour.

    The Devolution of Power committee, which was chaired by a former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie and co-chaired by a former Akwa Ibom Governor, Obong Victor Attah, made recommendations on resource control, revenue sharing formula, indigene/ settler problem and state police, among others.

    Sources at the meeting of the northern delegates told our correspondent that the delegates insisted that the leadership of the conference “must cause delegates to rescind Thursday’s resolutions, if the conference is to go on”.

    Southern delegates, on the other hand, are said to have resolved not to give in to the “antics of the North to always have their way in issues of national importance”.

    One of the southern delegates told our correspondent that Professor Yadudu who is allegedly “spearheading the breakup of the conference does not mean well for the country.”

    The delegate said, “We know very well that they are meeting. We are also meeting. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday sessions will determine the overall outcome of the conference.

    “We are determined to do the right thing but delegate should think that he can railroad his wishes and desires on other delegates. It will be fire-for-fire.”

     

  • North kicks against governors’ power to create councils

    North kicks against governors’ power to create councils

    Northern delegates at the National  Conference yesterday declared their opposition to moves to remove  local governments  from the constitution and empower  state governors to create councils.

    Spokesman  for  the Northern Delegates’ Forum,Mr. Anthony Sani, said in a statement in Kaduna  that the proposals are dangerous for the polity in view of what  the governors  currently do with councils and state electoral commissions.

    According to him, for local governments to deliver on the promise of their existence, they should remain in the constitution as the only way to ensure the whole nation can have a say in their creation.

    He said : “The 36 states of the federation could as well be called 36 zones of Nigeria. It is just  a matter of name. The advantage of smaller units as the federating units like states is that apart from addressing the concerns of the minorities, the states cannot be strong enough to be a threat to the centre, thereby making for a  stronger Nigeria. So let states be  the federating units.

    “Nobody is preventing South East from asking for additional states. But there must be criteria for creation of states. Mere clamour on the basis of equality is not justice because equality should come with equity.

    “We must remember that the former Eastern Region currently has nine states, while  the former Western Region has eight states. If it were on basis of equality, the West would have hankered that the zone should have nine states also.

    “The North that has three zones and with big land mass and huge population over the South which  has only 19 states. But we know land and population are serious factors in creation of states for obvious reasons that states exist for human beings and there is problem of development, and so should be considered in any exercise for creation of states, however defined. “

    The  recommendation by the conference for the creation of 18 new states in the country had sparked tension at Thursday’s session after  a northern  delegate qualified the Southeast geo-political zone with “so-called”.

    Alhaji  Magaji  Dambatta, elder statesman on the platform of the North West geo-political zone, was  contributing to the  debate on state creation as contained in the report on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

    A delegate from South East, Goddy Nwazurike, and Dr. Haruna Yerima from Borno responded immediately that Danbatta should apologize immediately.

    Danbatta was not moved.

    The leader of the South East delegation, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, raised a point of order asking that to refer to a group of people and a component of the country in such derogatory manner was unacceptable.

    He askedthe confab leadership to tell  Dambatta  to apologise to the South East.

    On being recognized, Dambata refused to apologize and said: “The way I referred to South East is the way I will refer to North West. In the context of my argument, I was talking about the creation of state and that nowhere in our constitution is that geo-political zone  mentioned.

    “Also, there is nowhere in the recommendations of the committee where zones are referred to a tier of government. They are not recognized by the constitution, therefore, they are not constitutionally valid. That was my point.

    “Secondly, when I was making my argument, it was not against the creation of additional states in the South East. I was referring to selectivity of the committee. In one breath, they said one state should be created by a fiat. And in another, they said others should be on merit.

    “All I am saying is that all states to be created should  be on merit, including the one being recommended.

    “To Dr Haruna who regretted that I made that statement and that Sir Ahmadu Bello would not have supported such remarks, I want to state that I am a nationalist. I have been  in the vanguard of nationalism since 1951. I am sure there is no one in this hall, except, perhaps, Richard Akinjide that was a nationalist then, not even Edwin Clark.

    “I was in the field for the fight for our independence. I am not a parochial person. I am a nationalist.I respect every person in Nigeria. I stand by word that in  all the provisions in the constitution, there is  no reference to the zones as a tier of government .That was my point”.

    After his submission, the  Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, asked the next speaker to continue with the contributions to the debate.

    The chairman’s action was met with shouts of no  each time the speaker attempted to make his submission.

    On realizing that the situation might raise undue tension in the hall, Danbatta took the microphone again and asked to be forgiven.

    “Because of my disposition and my standing in this country and the service I rendered for the development of this country, I did not mean any offence with my remarks,”he said.

  • ‘Enugu North should produce next governor’

    ‘Enugu North should produce next governor’

    Former House of Representatives member Hon. U.S.A Igwesi, in this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, speaks on the margina-lisation of the Southeast and the zoning of the governorship to Enugu North Senatorial District .

    What are we expecting in Enugu politics next year?

    The government  has zoned the   governorship  to  Enugu North. Enugu  is standing on a tripod, which comprises Enugu East, West and North. These are the three senatorial zones in the state. Enugu East, where Chimaroke Nnamani and I come from, Enugu North, which has done eight years in government. Governor Sullivan Chime, who would be completing his two terms of eight years in May 2015, is from Enugu West. So, by 2015, the governorship will be zoned to Enugu North, which has not produced a governor since the advent of the new political dispensation. The state party caucus has agreed on the formula. The governor and other prominent people from the state have agreed to keep faith with the arrangement by giving Enugu North the chance to produce the next governor of the state. However, there are dissenting voices, but they cannot stop the arrangement because it is well supported. Zoning is not written anywhere in our statute book, but we naturally agreed on work with the arrangement. If Enugu North presents the governor, it will be better for the state, for equity sake.

    Governor Chime has done very well in the last seven and half years. He has transformed the state from what it used to be. Anybody who succeeds him should be able to do better. Since Chime intends to run for the Senate, where I believe he will do better, we should support him. He will run for the Senate where Senator Ike Ekweremadu is presently representing the constituency. I believe that Chime will do better. Ekweremadu has done three tenures.

    If Ekweremadu does not return to the Senate, what next for him?

    He can come home and watch from the ringside. Remember, I was at the National Assembly for some time and came back home, so there is nothing wrong in coming home to play local politics.

    But, it appears that there is no agreement over the issue of zoning…

    The governor wants everybody to come together to speak with one voice. Nobody likes trouble, if there is somebody who does not agree now, the next thing is trouble. They try to bring pandemonium and confusion. The governor has been trying his best to ensure that everything works well. At the national caucus level, when we met, he told everybody to come, so that we can reach agreement on how the next governorship will emerge. He said we should present one person because we still have other parties warming up for the same position. So, if we have problem in choosing a candidate now, it means we will have problem during the general election. You know, some people when they don’t like your face no matter what you do they will still not like your face.

    Other parties will slug it out with the PDP during the election for the governorship. What does this division imply for your party?

    As far as Enugu State is concerned, the only party on ground is the PDP. Our problem is not other parties, but PDP itself. Even if the people do not agree to zoning, the PDP will still rule Enugu because of what the governor has done. I was in government under Nnamani, we never had it so good like this. I was a participant and majority leader, so I saw everything and know to a larger extent the impact of Chime’s performance in the affairs of Enugu State. When Chime had health challenges, people wanted him to die, but to the glory of God, the man came out of it. We want him to present somebody to us because someone presented him and he performed. So, there is no other person that can present somebody other than Chime in Enugu State. He is the leader of the party in Enugu State and he has that prerogative.

    What if the candidate presented is not acceptable?

    We will tell him the person is not acceptable and he will give us another person. In fairness, he is not the only person that will take that decision. Other key stakeholders would make input in the decision and the party generally will look at the viability of such candidate. So, people are now looking up to Enugu North to come up with one candidate that would be acceptable.

    The Southeast has fully thrown its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 bid. What informed your position?

    We are completely marginalised, even under the present administration. We have been marginalised in terms of democracy dividend and other things. To be honest to you, we are the only region that has been so marginalised. Apart from the second Niger Bridge, we cannot really point to concrete thing that the government has done for the Southeast. It is only the Southeast that we have five states, others have six. We have been asking God what is our offence. This is unfair, this is injustice, we are not really happy under this administration. The Southeast as a region do not speak with one voice. Our delegates at the National Conference do not have any serious agenda.

  • Plateau politicians in cold war over 2015

    Plateau politicians in cold war over 2015

    Politics is in the air in Plateau State. Ahead of the next governorship election, politicians across the three zones are agitating for power shift? Which zone will produce Governor Jonah Jang’s successor? YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU examines the politics of zoning in the Northcentral state.

    Next year’s governorship battle in Plateau State will be fought in two phases, considering the nature  of politics in the state. The first phase is the zonal politics. The three geo-political zones  – Plateau South, Plateau Central and Plateau North – have to compete among themselves for the slot.

    That has been the style of politics in the state since 1979. It is “an unwritten political law” in Plateau State that the number one seat is filled by the zoning. That principle has been religiously followed for 14 years. However, politicians seem to be divided on that age-long arrangement. Some agree that, based on zoning, the three zones have enjoyed the slot. Others say the slot has not gone round the three zones.  Some want the process to start all over again. Others insist it should start anti-clockwise. Some even want the zoning to be discontinued so that the contest could be thrown open.

    Observers have described the succesion battle  as a “cold war”. The prevailing political situation in the state is unprecedented. It is like sitting on a time bomb; if it is not diffused on time, it may explode.

    The zonal politics is threatening to tear the state apart. A Jos political analyst, Professor Ahmed Zakari, said: “Plateau politicians are in serious dilemma; they have been in serious and intensive succession battle. The way and manner the prevailing cold war is resolved would determine the future of the state. It is a moment of decision. If care is not taken, that decision may mar Plateau State.

    “The dullness on the political field now, I can tell you has to do with the cold war. Plateau politicians are in the political laboratory all these while; when they are done with their research, they will come out with the new found political theory that will shape the way forward,” said Prof Zakari.

    Politicians in the state are in fierce succession battle over who will take over from Jang. Politicians from Plateau North, which produced Jang are claiming that all the three zones have produced one governor each beginning from 1979. They are said that the South produced the first two civilian governors: Chief Solomon Lar (1979-1983) and Sir Fidelis Tapgun (1992-1994). Then, in 1999, power shifted to Plateau Central, and Chief Joshua Dariye  served a two term of eight years, which terminated in 2007. The last zone in that arrangement is Plateau North, which produced Jang who would be completing his second term of eight years in 2015.

    The Plateau North took the last turn in the original zoning arrangement. Now, politicians from the zone want it to go round again anti-clockwise.

    The South has objected to this. Its leaders said that the zone is yet to produce a governor in this dispensation. Their argument is that Lar and Tapgun were governors in an earlier dispensation in the old Plateau State before Nasarawa State was carved out from it. They argue that since Nasarawa State was carved out of the state, Plateau South has not produced a governor. They maintained that the zone should be given a chance to produce the next governor.

    However, the people of Plateau Central are also laying claim to the governorship. They pointed out that the major ethnic groups in the three zones have governed the state. The ethnic groups are the Tarok and the Goemai (Southern Zone), the Berom (Northern Zone). They said the only major ethnic group that is yet to enjoy the slot is the Angas of the Central Zone. They insist that although Dariye, who governed the state between 1999 and 2007, is from the Central Zone, he hails from a minority ethnic group. So, since the major tribes have taken their turns, they argue that the new zoning arrangement should start from their zone to give room for the Angas tribe to produce the next governor in 2015.

    The governor is conscious of these agitations. But, he has been evasive.Jang has kept quiet on the succession battle. He has asked the people to wait until his successor is revealed by God. The governor told a gathering in Jos, the state capital, that the next governor will be ordained by God.

    However, this has not doused the suspicion that Jang haa an aspirant in mind. Sources said that the governor is buying his time. In fact, some PDP chieftains have alleged that the governor was schemeing to retain the  slot in his zone. A group, the “Redemption Integrity Group” has challenged the governor to anoint a successor and risk the chance of his party at the poll. The spokesman of the group and former Commissioner for Information, Nuhu Gagara, said “Citizens should rise and reject any attempt by Jang to impose his successor on the people.” He said there is zoning,  which he benefited from, warning that any attempt to tamper with the arrangement  could lead to doom. “It is the turn of people of Plateau South to produce the next governor for the state,” Gagara said.

    The people of Plateau South are working to get the slot. They have asked other zones to step down for a candidate from the zone. A group, the Plateau South Democratic Watch, is coordinating the agitation in the South. In a statement by its spokesman, Nimpai Dombin, the group said: “We will resist any attempt to deprive our zone the opportunity to produce the next governor.”

    Dombin added: “The agitation by some individuals and interest groups to thwart the zoning of the governorship to deprive the South of its turn is not only in bad faith, but repugnant and unacceptable. If it were to be so, then, Plateau South Senatorial District would have been denied the governorship for 31 and half years.

    “Equity and good conscience dictate that Plateau South Senatorial District is next in line to produce the next governor. Ee shall refuse, reject and repeal forthwith any further act designed to subsume and suppress us as a people under any guise whatsoever. We recognise that it is the prerogative of the political parties to decide where a governorship candidate should come from. Therefore, we call on them to beam their searchlight on Plateau South Senatorial District for their candidates for the 2015 election.

    “Plateau South is blessed with human and material resources by God.  We shall, for the avoidance of doubt, put forward for the consideration of the people of Plateau State, experienced and quality sons and daughters from the district, knowing that the position of governor is not for all comers. We pledge our unalloyed loyalty to the high performing, dynamic and untiring efforts of the Governor of Plateau State,  Jonah David Jang, whose judgment and wisdom we trust”.

    Observers contend that the South has a good case. But, power is not got on a platter of gold.

    In the begining, the founding fathers of Plateau State from the Jos Division, Pankshin Division, Lowland Division and Wase sub-Native Authority agreed to cohabit in a state.They envisioned a state that would thrive in an atmosphere of brotherhood, equity and fairness.

    The people of the Lowland Division and Wase Sub-native Authority, which is the Plateau South Senatorial District, comprising  Wase, Langtang North, Langtang South, Shendam, Qua’an Pan and Mikang Local Government Areas, agreed to be in the same state with Jos and Pankshin Divisions.

    Reflecting on the agreement, Gagara said: “We willingly subscribed to the agreement to come together in good faith. The governorship

    has rotated among the divisions, leaving the South in the cold. Lar and Tapgun, who are from this division were governors in the pre-1999 period, when Nasarawa State had not been carved out of Plateau State.

    “The next equitable thing to do is to let Plateau South Senatorial District produce the next governor . If Plateau South is denied the chance to produce the next governor, it would have been denied for waited for 31 and a half years.

    The former commissioner warned that, if the slot elude the district, the people will lose a sense of belonging.

    Sources said that the agitation, based on zoning, has polarised the ruling party. Jang, they said, has been holding meetings regularly with leaders across the districts to douse the tension. But, the pressure on him to make a categorical statement has not abated.

    Feelers from Jang camp suggest that the governor is being cautious on the sensitive issue. There are speculations that Jang is grooming his deputy,Ambassador Ignatius Longjan, who hails from Plateau South, to succeed him. But, some chieftains have doubted the move, saying that the governor is rooting for an aspirant from the North so that the district can retain the slot beyong 2015.

    Apart from the deputy governor, there are other contenders. They include Sir Fidelis Tapgun, Dame Pauline Talen, John Alkali, an engineer,   Jimmy Cheto, also an engineer, Senator Victor Lar, and Prof. Longmas Wapmuk. They are from the South.

    The three zones are locked in battle for the slot. Which zone will produce the next governor? Time will tell.

     

  • ‘North is greater in population than South’

    ‘North is greater in population than South’

    The census controversy between the Southern and Northern Nigeria resurfaced yesterday at the ongoing National Conference. Former Political Adviser to President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, reignited the census controversy, saying the population of Northern Nigeria has always been higher than that of the South. He reminded fellow delegates that former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, had also raised the issue that Northern Nigeria is greater than Southern Nigeria in population.

    Yakassai, who was nominated to the Conference as one of the elder statesmen, told delegates that the issue of unending controversy on the actual census figures of the Northern and Southern parts of the country should have been put to rest since there is incontrovertible evidence that the North is greater in population than its Southern counterpart. He said that the controversy, which has consistently featured the country’s national discourse, is inimical to the pursuit of unity and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians. He said, “Although this issue ought to have been scientifically put to rest by virtue of the results of various head counts conducted at different times and under different administrations in the country – with active participation of United Nations’ experts on demography and statistics – all of which have lent credence that Northern Nigeria has the majority in terms of population of the country. However, the controversy has refused to abate.”

    Yakassai noted that the reason for the unending argument appeared to be due to the fact that “since population is a factor for political representation and resource allocation, among other things, some individuals constantly seek to discredit scientifically established population figures with mere sweeping and sometimes illogical arguments, in a bid to justify the call for lesser revenue allocation and political representation to certain parts of the country.” He added that the prevailing situation “portends unhealthy rivalry that is inconsistent with the spirit of unity and collective cooperation that should be indelible hallmarks of our continued coexistence.”

    He said further that he is of the view that “for us to continue weaving the fabric of one Nigeria, every citizen of the federation should be objective and fair minded to “concede certain logically and scientifically established state of affairs within the federation.” Yakassai said I. I.. Ekanem, an indigene of present day Akwa Ibom State, in his book published in 1973, 1963 Population Census: Critical Appraisal, acknowledged that even before the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria, the first population census held in 1911 showed that the Northern protectorate outnumbered the South and Lagos. The estimate, he said, as it was given in the book gave a total population of the two protectorates and the colony of Lagos at 16,054,000 out of which the North had 8,120,000 (51 per cent), the East had 4,500,000 (28 per cent), while the West and Lagos had 3,360,000 (20.9 per cent) and 74,000 (0.5 per cent) respectively. The implication, he insisted, is that the South had 49 percent while the North had 51per cent.

    Yakassai noted that in the 1921 census, which was the first census conducted after the amalgamation of Nigeria and, which unlike the 1911 census, was not an estimate, recorded the population of the country at 18,720,000 out of which the North had 10,560,000, representing 56.4 per cent while the South had 43.6 per cent. He gave the breakdown of the population of the South as, East 5,110,000 (27.3 per cent), West 2,950,000 (15.8 per cent) and Lagos 100,000 (0.5 per cent). The elder statesman maintained that the 1931 census recorded the total population of the country at 20,056,000 and the North had 57 per cent of the figure, representing 11,440,000. The figure for the East, he said, stood at 4,550,000 (22.7 per cent) while the West was 3,940,000 (19.6 per cent) and Lagos 126,000 or 0.7 per cent.

    Yakassai said that the 1952/1953 census recorded the population of the country at 30,402,000 out of which the North had 16,835,000 (55.4 per cent). The East had 7,215,000 (23.7 per cent while the West had 6,085,000 (20.1 per cent) and Lagos with 267,000 (0.8 per cent). The former presidential adviser added that contrary to logic and common sense, some Nigerians alleged that the British colonial administration inflated the population of the North in order to give the region an electoral and political advantage over the South. The reality of the situation, he said, does not give credence to the allegation. He noted that the reality was that throughout the period of British administration, women in the North, who constituted about half of the population of the region, were denied the right to vote or be voted for. According to him, since the advent of democratic rule in the country, the North was always underrepresented, both in the national parliament and council of ministers throughout the period of British administration of the country.

    He noted that in the 1951 general elections, although the North had 57 per cent of the country’s population, going by the 1931 headcount, only 50 per cent of parliamentary representation was given to it. The elder statesman explained that the first council of ministers, out of 12 cabinet ministers for the country, the North had four while the South was allotted eight. After the 1954 federal election, when the number of ministers was reduced from 12 to 10, he said the North was allotted only three while the South got seven. Yakasai said that according to available records, after independence, the British, by and large, transferred their business interests to Southerners, which as a result conferred economic advantage to the South to the detriment of the North, till date.

  • ‘North should solve Boko-Haram problem’

    Northern political leaders have been urged to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram insurgency . The Spiritual Head of the Eternal Order of Cherubim and Seraphim [C&S] Church worldwide, and the Prelate of the Church, His Most Eminence,Baba Aladura Lazarus Anuba Onyeleonu gave the advice in Umuahia.

    Speaking in Umuahia, Dr Onyeleonu said that Boko-Haram came into being as a result of bad leadership and selfish interests of politicians and advised the insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

    The cleric warned that bloodletting can only aggravate the situation instead of solving it, quoting the Biblical injunction that: “he who lives by the sword, will die by the sword”.

    The man of God claimed that there are enemies within sponsoring or supporting the bloodletting. “The problem of bloodletting by the Boko-Haram insurgency is being sponsored by politicians in our midst. I suggest that the North should rally round and solve the problem, more so when the president has promised them amnesty “,he said.

    The cleric said that politicians should be made accountable to the masses and use the resources at their disposal judiciously for the development of their communities.

    Onyeleonu urged politicians to wage a relentless war against ills that have been pulling the society back, saying : “They should desist from stealing, political and economic sabotage, godfatherism, etc, because posterity and God will judge them”.

    He extolled the virtues of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan whom he said has done better than most past rulers in Nigeria, adding that given the opportunity, he will do more for the people and the country.

    The spiritual leader said: “The fact that he is not a lion, but came in a lowly guise and allowed people to criticise his government, even unconstructively without them being harassed or assassinated is one of the greatest gifts any leader can give to Africans”.

    He advised Jonathan to remain focused on his developmental efforts, but that he should step up the fight against corruption, stressing that by so doing, the people will have confidence in the government.

    Dr Onyeleonu warned ahead of 2015 elections, that Nigerians should be careful so that selfish politicians do not divide the country because of parochial interests, adding that people should be vigilant to avoid mistakes of the past.

    He said: “ The solution Nigerians should look for is how to drive away hunger, illiteracy, tribalism, corruption, and other ills from our polity. We should embrace peace and unity rather than dwell on where a ruler comes from because it is only God that anoints a leader.”