The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Political

  • ‘Our enemies are political profiteers’

    In the name of the Supreme Council of the Revolution of the Nigerian Armed Forces, I declare martial law over the Northern Provinces of Nigeria.

    The constitution is suspended and the regional governments and elected assemblies are hereby dissolved. All political, cultural, tribal and trade union activitites, together with all demonstrations and unauthorized gatherings, excluding religious worship, are banned until further notice.

    The aim of the Revolutionary Council is to establish a strong united and prosperous nation, free from corruption and internal strife. Our method of achieving this is strictly military, but we have no doubt that every Nigerian will give us maximum cooperation by assisting the regime and not disturbing the peace during the slight changes that are taking place.

    I am to assure all foreigners living and working in this part of Nigeria that their rights will continue to be respected. All treaty obligations previously entered into with any foreign nation will be respected and we hope that such nations will respect our country’s territorial integrity and will avoid taking sides with enemies of the revolution and enemies of the people.

    My dear countrymen, you will hear, and probably see a lot being done by certain bodies charged by the Supreme Council with the duties of national integration, supreme justice, general security and property recovery. As an interim measure, all permanent secretaries, corporation charimen and senior heads of departments are allowed to make decisions, until the new organs are functioning, so long as such decisions are not contrary to the aims and wishes of the Supreme Council. No Minister or Parliamentary Secretary possesses administrative or other forms of control over any Ministry, even if they are not considered too dangerous to be arrested.

    This is not a time for long speech-making and so, let me acquaint you with ten proclamations in the Extraordinary Orders of the Day, which the Supreme Council has promulgated. These will be modified as the situation improves.

    You are hereby warned that looting, arson, homosexuality, rape, embezzlement, bribery or corruption, obstruction of the revolution, sabotage, subversion, false alarms and assistance to foreign invaders, are all offences punishable by death sentence.

    Demonstrations and unauthorized assembly, non-cooperation with revolutionary troops are punishable in grave manner up to death.

    Refusal or neglect to perform normal duties or any task that may of necessity be ordered by local military commanders in support of the change will be punishable by a sentence imposed by the local military commander.

    Spying, harmful or injurious publications, and broadcasts of troop movements or actions, will be punished by any suitable sentence deemed fit by the local military commander.”

     

     

  • Rochas Okorocha’s daughter’s wedding turns political carnival

    Rochas Okorocha’s daughter’s wedding turns political carnival

    • Obasanjo, ACN, PDP govs storm event
    • Former president says Nigeria’s unity not negotiable

    State governors, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other prominent politicians yesterday put aside politics to show solidarity with the Imo State chief executive, Rochas Okorocha, at the wedding of his first daughter, Uloma, in Owerri. Okorocha is of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

    In attendance at the ceremony at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Aladinma, were Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) leader, General Muhammadu Buhari were represented.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said at the wedding where Uloma was betrothed to Mr. Uche Nwosu, the commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning in the state, that that the country’s unity is non-negotiable and urged the generality of Nigerians to continue to work for its unity and progress.

    He stressed the importance of political tolerance and religious harmony to the building of Nigeria as a stronger and harmonious nation. “Let our politics have harmony, humanity, acceptance of each other’s worth as Nigerians so that we can co-exist harmoniously irrespective of our religious, political or ethnic backgrounds,” he said, as he held the audience spell-bound with joke after joke at the carnival-like wedding.

    Describing Okorocha as a detribalised Nigerian, Obasanjo noted that the governor who contested the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with him in 2003 has made significant contributions to the unity of Nigeria.

    He urged the governor not to be deterred by criticisms, stressing that, “as a leader, there is no way you can be perfect. Even when you do the right things people will condemn you. But keep on doing what is right and let posterity judge your actions.”

    President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, called for prayer, love and tolerance among Nigerians, saying that with determination and resilience, Nigeria will overcome the current security threat. Earlier in his speech, Okorocha expressed optimism that Nigeria will emerge from the current security challenge stronger and more united. He charged leaders to promote peaceful coexistence among all religious, political and ethnic groups in the country, adding that, “we need each other to succeed as a nation, we should see everyone no matter where they are coming from as brothers and show each other love and tolerance.”

    In his sermon, the officiating priest, Bishop Gregory Ochie, charged Nigerian leaders to use their personal conduct in instilling discipline in the society, pointing out that “it is not only what you say that counts but also how you act.”

    He advised the couple to assist the needy. He called on Nigerians to know their limitations, “there are so many distractions in the world, do not be conformed to the world around you, lean on God and not on man.”

    Gov. Oshiomhole said the wedding brought the entire country together.

     

  • Political will needed to end deficiency, says Shonekan

    Political will needed to end deficiency, says Shonekan

    •Proposes amendment to ICRC Act

    Former Head of Interim Government Chief Ernest Shonekan has said unless the Presidency shows some political will, reducing infrastructure deficiency may be a mirage.

    He said the government needs a coherent, consistent and comprehensive medium- long term infrastructural plan.

    Shonekan warned against arbitrary withdrawal of projects once the development process is on. This, he said, would enhance the credibility of the Nigerian Public Private Participation (PPP) programme.

    He spoke yesterday after the presentation of last year’s annual report and audited financial statement of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Shonekan said the challenges confronting the commission include: inability to mobilise long- term funding for project development; inability to commit Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to a stable and coherent pipeline of PPP and poor project preparation by MDAs

    The former ING Head, who later spoke to reporters, said: “It is not only in this country that we have infrastructural deficit.

    “The way forward is what everybody seems to be doing; and that is to see how the deficit can be reduced . So each and every one of us has to put on our thinking caps to see how we can bridge that gap within a short time.

    “ With all these disasters around the world, even Western countries which started their infrastructural development before us are now thinking of fresh infrastructures.

    “We have an opportunity now to be able to do our own infrastructures. I think the best thing is to get people to assist us.

    “ That is why we said we will need the political will of the Presidency and all the others. Without infrastructures, there will not be much progress.”

    The ICRC Chairman said the commission has recorded some achievements since its inauguration in 2008.

    “Within its first two years, the commission recuited key staff, developed organisational processes and engaged MDAs and other stakeholders.”

    Shonekan said it received a little less than N1.1 billion appropriated for it and expended N1.016 billion.

    “About N325,811,000 was brought forward from 2010 and the balance in the capital vote of N8.5 million was moved forward to 2012,” Shonekan explained.

    He said of this, N325,763,039.45 was spent as the remaining N47,960.55 “was returned to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.”

     

  • Babangida: I learnt political notes from Olusola Saraki

    Babangida: I learnt political notes from Olusola Saraki

    A former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, yesterday described former Senate Leader Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki as a refined politician from whom he learnt a “few political notes”.

    Also, a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, said the late Saraki was a bridge between the North and the South.

    Babangida, who spoke on Saraki in a statement through his Media Adviser, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said the former Senate Leader understood the dynamics of politics.

    The statement said: “Nigeria has once again lost a rare political gem, such a refined man who understood the tempers and mercies of politics and who gave more than a passing interest in nurturing it.

    “ He was a man that cultivated his politics in a very peculiar manner and espoused the practice of generosity and good neighbourliness to sustain his array of political followers. Easily called Oloye by his numerous followers back in his native Ilorin , Senator Olusola Saraki was a politician that created his own panache throughout his entire political sojourn.

    “He was very close to me and I had the rare privilege of learning a few political notes from his rich reservoir of political knowledge.

    “Senator Saraki has the mileage that most politicians do not have. He was kind, generous, God-fearing and enjoyed a popularity that was peculiar to him alone. He understood the dynamics of Nigeria politics and was able to sustain his political relevance through and through.

    “Even though death is the final sting of man, it is hurting to lose such a political colossus at this time. His death struck me with awe. It is nostalgic especially when I reflected on those good old days when we shared certain political philosophy together; the philosophy of one Nigeria , the philosophy of growth and development and the symbolic practice of being kind to fellow human being.

    “Senator Olusola Saraki’s philanthropy was infectious and down-to-earth. His love for the ordinary folks out there earned him a place in their million hearts. He was the masses man who craved for the elimination of poverty. He shared his riches and politics with many, and his ability to fit into all political groupings was what made his life very unique.

    “On behalf of my family, I join millions of his admirers, friends and associates in condoling his family over this painful loss. May Allah in His infinite mercy grant him eternal rest in the hereafter. May He grant the family the strength and courage to bear with this hurting loss. Adieu, Oloye until we meet to part no more.

    On his part, a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, in a statement in Abuja , said the late Senate Majority Leader was one of the most successful brokers of peace and “a bridge” between the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria .

    Adamu said: “When he was majority leader, the NPN had a slim majority that made it impossible for it to carry out its agenda but the late Saraki’s political sagacity made him find a way for the ruling party to always have its way in the Senate.

    “It was to his credit that he held firmly to Kwara State and was able to not only provide adequate leadership for the people but also used it as a spring board for meaningful contributions to national politics.”

    He commiserated with the Saraki family and urged the Kwara State Government to immortalise Baba Oloye as the deceased was fondly called.

    He added: “The exceptional touch of Baba Oloye, with the grassroots was one of the major sources of his political relevance and something other Nigerians should emulate. He was a self-made person who came to limelight and stayed in the limelight.

    “The late ‘Father of Kwara Politics’, as some fondly called Dr. Saraki, had been a prominent political feature at all levels of the country’s democratic journey, from the First, Second, Third and Fourth Republics.

    “It is hard to forget the profound roles Dr. Saraki played in the formation of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic , the Peoples Front (PF) in the aborted Third Republic and the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) in this Fourth Republic , before he joined us in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “He was a good Muslim with a compassionate heart. I urge other Nigerians to learn from the deceased’s virtues of compassion and humility.”

    While urging his son, Senator Bukola Saraki, to emulate his father, he called on the people of Kwara to give him all the support to be able to fill in the giant shoes left behind by his father.”

  • Boko Haram is political, says Oritsejafor

    Boko Haram is political, says Oritsejafor

    President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has described the mayhem unleashed in parts of the country by the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, as political.

    Speaking at the opening of a six-day meeting of the Niger Delta Christian Leaders Forum at the Christian Central Chapel International (CCCI) in Calabar yesterday, Pastor Oritsejafor said the group was created and sponsored by those who want to create political space for themselves and if they fail to achieve that, seek to divide the country along religious lines.

    He rejected the notion that poverty is one of the factors fuelling the crisis, saying it is a lie by the organisation’s sponsors to mislead Nigerians and the world.

    He said: “Boko Haram is fuelled by extreme religious ideology and not poverty because they have not come out to tell us that they are killing people because they are poor.

    “The Leader of Boko Haram is from a very wealthy family background and even that young man who wanted to blow up an American airline, his father is one of the richest men in Nigeria. The claim that the fundamentalist group is created by poverty is a false one by its sponsors and apologists.”

    According to Pastor Oritsejafor, the sponsors of Boko Haram have control of a section of the media, so they feed the public with “half-truths”.

    Responding to claims that he is a fundamentalist and a partisan leader, he said: “I have never shot a gun before; I have never killed anybody before. I have never encouraged anybody to kill anybody before; but what I do is to identify the truth and respond to it because I am not afraid of trouble.”

    Pastor Oritsejafor described the Niger Delta Region as a great region on whose pedestal Nigeria is standing to lay claim to greatness.

    His words: “Niger Delta is a region of great people and it is the region that has given Nigeria its greatness, yet we are poor. The Niger Delta is big yet we are small, the Niger Delta is powerful, yet we are weak, this is time for change. All those things that have eluded us, we shall reclaim them.”

     

  • Kwara and its changing political environment

    Kwara and its changing political environment

    Change is constant. This truism best describes the political situation in Kwara, a state gradually shedding its political image as the Sarakis’ fiefdom. Until the 2011 general elections when they nearly lost the governorship seat, the Sarakis were the lone voice in the state politics, dictating the way of life. Opposition parties, their candidates most time disenchanted lackeys of the Saraki political clan, would contest election, lose and disappear. They would resurface in four years, weakened and discredited. That would leave the Sarakis holding the yam and the knife, caring little about human capital or even infrastructural development and waiting to manipulate their way back to government in future polls.

    Today, the Sarakis no longer have a field day in Kwara State; their disregard for public sentiments are now being exposed by a consistent, strong and credible opposition led by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) whose governorship candidate in the 2011 poll, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has remained a strong (and alternative) voice in the state politics. Kwarans now have opposing views on how their state is run – the absence of which was largely responsible for the way the Sarakis had run the state like a fiefdom over the years.

    Evidences abound that Kwarans, including many in the government, are happy about this and are latching onto the bravery and outspokenness of the ACN to let out what was clearly a pent-up anger at the misrule, oppression and corruption of the past years.

    It is now commonplace to see hitherto shy Kwarans storm the street to protest the impunities of their government: fuel subsidy protest, looting and destruction of PDP secretariat in Ilorin, the motorcyclists’ protest and the IEDPU’s well-coordinated opposition to the government’s land policy and the open protest by Malete communities against the government’s ‘land grabbing’policy are a few examples. The people are no longer intimidated by the powers and influence of the Sarakis because attention is now easily turned on them –thanks to the opposition and the social media.

    This is not to say that they have been defeated. No. But the days of barefaced impunities seem gone. For instance, it is no longer easy (it was the norm before) to lay claim to some blanket achievements. On May 28 when the state government claimed to have tarred over 600 kilometres of road in one year and were even bold enough to list some of them, the opposition quickly rushed to the media in a detailed advertorial to expose the lies with incontrovertible facts. It was the same thing on twitter, where young Kwarans spent days dismantling what they call the edifice of lies by the state government.

    This ultimately leads to the question of 2015. It is interesting that even the Sarakis are now forced to acknowledge the existence of political opposition in Kwara, despite the initial denials. They now blame everything on the opposition. It is not certain who will win the crown. What is certain however is that the Sarakis would go to the 2015 election more fragmented, more discredited and therefore less powerful to orchestrate the sort of rigging that marred the 2011 general elections.

    Contrary to the claims made in commissioned newspaper articles and manipulated video clips on television screens, Kwarans still cannot feel the impact of governance. They are annoyed even the more by bogus claims in the media. It is like committing two grievous sins: the sin of poor performance and the sin of lying against the people. The poor showing of Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed and claims that former governor Bukola Saraki presides over the sharing of the state allocation have made nonsense of their appeal to zoning in the 2011 poll and hence give fillip to the opposition’s claim that the only reason Saraki Jnr picked Ahmed as successor was to cover his ills. The events of the past months especially the N9.2b loan scam involving Saraki Jnr have helped this insinuation. The opposition has also raised many instances of corruption, controversial loans (as in the case of the N10b the PDP-led government obtained to execute the same projects for which Saraki Jnr had raised and accessed N17b bond) and poor governance. Unfortunately for the Sarakis, their support base (the uneducated, old and dying, but large men and women voting public) is waning by the day and the ‘money power’, long relied upon to sway poor voters, may no longer save them because the youths, now forming the largest voting bloc, have learnt to collect money and still vote against them. The booing of Ahmed at the recent Eid-el fitri praying ground in Ilorin, the attacks on Saraki Jnr at Ilorin Airport by some PDP dissenters, and the outpouring of emotions on Unilorin FM (on August 15) against the government stopping of Belgore free holiday coaching programme are dangerous pointers for the PDP and the Sarakis.

    Ahmed and Saraki Jnr might have parted ways after all. The denials notwithstanding, two main camps have already emerged within the PDP: loyalists of Saraki Jnr and those grumbling about the godfather’s arrogance and poor leadership. The latter believes Ahmed should assert himself. Who wins is a matter of strategy. The cold war between Ahmed and Assembly Speaker Razaq Atunwa is a symptom of this rivalry. Saraki’s loyalists believe Ahmed had released incriminating documents about their leader to those seeking his head. It is also believed Ahmed was behind the recent allegations of fraud against Atunwa. The Sarakis are not known to take prisoners. They will fight Ahmed to a standstill. And another group is emerging on the sidelines of the two above: those routing for the former PDP National Chairman Kawu Baraje as the next governor in 2015, an ambition riding on ‘omo oko and omo ale Ilorin (bona fide Ilorin indigene)’ sentiment sure to truncate in its embryonic stage the Saraki Jnr’s emergence as the new godfather.

    In case Saraki Jnr used the PDP structure to sideline Ahmed in the 2015 race, and that is likely if the infighting continues, that would combine with Ahmed’s poor showing to make Kwara South a no-go area for the PDP. So far the expectations of the Kwara South elite, especially those of Igbomina stock, who ditched their traditional opposition to bad governance and alleged Saraki’s oppression, have not been met and they could use the 2015 to retrace their steps.

    The coming together of the Sarakis after the 2011 poll is not in any way an added strength for them. It is for many Kwarans, including many top former Sarakite politicians who went to ACPN, a confirmation of deceit and conspiracy to sustain the Saraki political dynasty. Many of them with integrity may seek to take their pound of flesh as seen in the recent defection to ACN of the influential Chief Ayeni faction of ACPN. The so-called Saraki/Idi Ape reconciliation is at best a fluke. It has not, will not and cannot address the core issues of the dispute.

    The scenarios above have given the lie to some sponsored newspaper articles which attempted to place the Sarakis in firm control of the state. They are not. The happenings in the state show waning influence of the Sarakis and explain why opposition may cling the governorship seat in 2015 if they intensify the effort of rallying the people against the perceived past and current impunities of the Sarakis. As for whether they will change: you cannot teach old dogs new tricks.

    • Ishaq writes from Ilorin, Kwara State capital

  • Political conflict is Nigeria’s greatest challenge, says Jonathan

    Political conflict is Nigeria’s greatest challenge, says Jonathan

    52nd Independence Anniversary lecture holds in Abuja

     

    The greatest challenge facing the country is political conflict, which distracts a government from pursuing its promises to the people, President Goodluck Jonathan declared yesterday.

    He pleaded with Nigerians to allow the government to concentrate in order to deliver.

    It was at the nation’s 52nd Independence Anniversary Lecture in Abuja.

    According to him, it would be impossible for development to take place without peace and security, stressing that it is the ordinary citizen that suffer during crisis.

    Jonathan also spoke on the   January Occupy Nigeria fuel subsidy protest, saying it was manipulated by a particular class of Nigerians.

    He said: “There are challenges but I believe the greatest aspect of this thing is political conflict. As a typical politician, we believe that the day you win general election is the day you start another election and that is our greatest problem. The day you miss one election is the day you start preparing for another one.”

    “I would plead with us as Nigerians that whenever we make government come to power, whether at the local government, at the state and at the federal level, at least for the sake of the country allow the government to work.”

    Stressing that the government is committed to transformation, Jonathan noted that his administration has made it possible for Nigerians to vote freely and for their votes to count.

    His words: “For this election for example, we advocated for one man-one vote and we are sincere with our commitment and I said it, nobody should rig election for me, no local government chairman or anybody should rig election for me, not to talk about contesting presidential election across the country. Nigerians believe that we are sincere and because we are sincere, it took life of its own. I don’t need to go and preach again, we have monitored election in Edo and other parts and the president said, one man, one vote, one woman, one vote, one youth, one vote and nobody wants to compromise with the ballot paper.”

    On the protests against fuel subsidy removal, Jonathan said: “Look at the areas these demonstrations are coming from and you will begin to ask questions, is this coming from the ordinary citizens, are they the ones that are actually demonstrating or are people pushing them to demonstrate.”

    “Take the classical case of Lagos, Lagos is the heart of Nigeria because it is where all Nigerians are, it constitutes about 23 per cent of the economy and all tribes are there. There was a demonstration in Lagos where I believe Dr. Ibrahim participated and in that demonstration, somebody was giving pure water that people in my village don’t have access to, well packaged bottled water, expensive food that ordinary people in Lagos cannot eat, they hired the best musicians to come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain, is that demonstration?”

    “Are you telling me that the demonstration is coming from the ordinary masses of Nigeria who wants to communicate something to their government and in my own life, if I see that somebody is manipulating something, I don’t listen to you but when I see people genuinely talking about issues, I listen. I believe what happened in Lagos was manipulated by a class of Nigeria not the ordinary citizens,” he said.

    Comparing the media in Nigeria with the Boko Haram insurgents, the president said that just like Boko Haram could be categorised as “political” and “religious”, the media could be categorised to “professional” and “political.”

    “We have Political Boko Haram and Religoius Boko Haram. Even in the media, we have the professional media practitioners, we have the political media.

    The Guest Speaker and former Ghanaian President, John Kuffur, who spoke on the theme: ‘Nigeria, Security, Development and National Transformation.’ maintained that Nigeria was a victim of history.

    He said: “I don’t think the nation has fully recovered from the effects of the civil war and the crises of the 1960’s. You are maturing, you are not fully matured.

    According to him, the rest of Africa is looking up to Nigeria to overcome its challenges, fulfil its full leadership potentials and lead the continent.