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  • Sultan to Nigerians: don’t allow disgruntled politicians cause breach of peace

    Sultan to Nigerians: don’t allow disgruntled politicians cause breach of peace

    Nigerians have been told not to allow themselves to be used by disgruntled politicians to cause breach of the peace.

    Similarly, they are admonished to ensure mutual contribution and team work for the realisation of the change they had voted for.

    The call was made yesterday in Sokoto by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar at a Sallah lunch he organized for the residents in the state.

    He noted that Nigeria more than before, needed peace and  observed that political losers could seize opportunity to instigate others to cause problems in the country.

    ” They are capable of causing the breach of the peace and therefore we should all be wary of such unpatriotic Nigerians so that its citizens can live peacefully with each other,” he cautioned.

    Abubakar also challenged leaders to be just, pious, fair and equitable to all, saying that, this is the basis of prevalence of peace and even socio-economic development.

    The religious monarch further noted that the settler-indigene dichotomy was the major precipitating factor in many states of the federation.

    ” How can somebody who has lived in a place for close to forty or over fifty years be regarded as a non indigene?”, he rhetorically asked.

    According to Sultan while citing an example, said ” In America, if a child is born today, he or she will be given a passport, this is how it is supposed to be globally”, he pondered.

    He said Sokoto remains a home to all, irrespective of any religious, political , social or ethnic differences, adding that nobody pay schools for their kids, at primary and secondary schools levels.”

    However, Abubakar appealed to Nigerians to come together and live peacefully with each other, while also admonishing the leaders to carry all Nigerians along saying that ” we need to appreciate ourselves as one and work as such because this world is a very short place to be and discrimination in any form is anti progress.”

    Speaking, the President-General of the Association of Resident Communities, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim commended the Sultan for the gesture, describing Sokoto as the most peaceful state in the country.

     

  • Don’t be selfish, cleric tells politicians

    Don’t be selfish, cleric tells politicians

    The Chief Imam of Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, has warned politicians against act of selfishness.

    This, he said, is inimical to growth of the country.

    Dr AbdulLateef said this yesterday during Ramadan Lecture organized by Fatima Charity Foundation (FCF) at Christ Cathedral Primary School Hall, Lagos Island.

    According to him, “leaders and followers must understand that they are accountable to God; there is a special contract between the leaders and Allah and there is a special contract between followers and their Lord which means that leaders must lead by example and ensure that they not only command but they also do what they are supposed to do, by shunning violence,  ensuring that integrity and honour is the hallmark of their administration, ensuring that they are selfless and replace greed with selflessness.”

    He enjoined them not to stop running after materialism.

    He urged Nigerians to always consider background and integrity of any office seeker and not academic qualifications or affluence.

    “There is a need for us to find out how pious people are, what have they done in the past before casting our votes for them,” he said.

    FCF President Chief Bintu-Fatima Tinubu enjoined politicians to imbibe leadership qualities of Prophet Muhammad.

    “Everybody, she said, knows what Muhammad did and if we all emulate what he did, I am sure our country would be better place.”

    Chief Tinubu urged parents to train their children in the way of God.

    According to her, if parents and teachers neglect their duties to train the children, the society will suffer for it.

    Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area Deputy Executive Secretary Idayat Anifowoshe said leadership is a trust that must be properly discharged.

    According to her, “whatever qualities a leader must have, a follower must also possess, what you want people to do to you, do to people. You must always be just and fair.”

     

  • Cleric to politicians: desist from illicit acts

    The Chief Imam of Offa in Kwara State Sheikh Muhydeen Hussain Salmon Al-Adabiyy, has warned politicians to desist from actions that could incur the wrath of God on the nation.

    He enjoined them to take a cue from other nations that had witnessed massive natural disaster.

    According to him, except the people change their ways, they cannot escape God’s punishment.

    He enjoined people to desist from identifying Boko Haram insurgents with Islam.

    He asked how Islamic it was for people to bomb places of worship in the name of the same religion that preaches peaceful coexistence and love for one another.

    He attributed youth waywardness to inability of religious leaders to preach pristine Islam.

    According to him, “it is not uncommon to see clergymen who, rather than preach the message and bring people to God, now engage in worshipping money. These clergymen have stooped so low to the extent of campaigning for politicians and even going about helping them to paste posters during campaigns.”

    He warned politicians to be wary of the Day of Reckoning, saying that God would hold them responsible for unfulfilled promises made during campaigns.

    “How many of you do even remember the masses after elections?” he asked.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Names, legacies and politicians

    After  the way  and manner  the legislative elections have gone  for the APC , analysts  have  written the party  off in terms of party  discipline  and some have even  concluded  that the only good thing going for the new  ruling party  in Nigeria is the good name and anti corruption reputation  of its victorious presidential candidate President Muhammadu  Buhari. Others  especially  the PDP  which  can very rightly be accused  of sour grapes in losing the incumbency and power  so massively, have gone on to  attempt  an obituary  on the loss  of control by  the man everyone knew was the architect of the APC’s  glorious victory in the 2015  elections Asiwaju  Bola Ahmed  Tinubu. I  disagree on both  scores but I nevertheless want  to take a  good look at  the worth  and value  of  names  and legacies in politics  globally  and in Nigeria in particular.

    Let  me state  that this topic came about from the news on the internet that both  Hillary  Clinton  and Jeb Bush  who are presidential aspirants in the US in the 2016 elections for the Democratic Party  and the  Republican  Party respectively, did  not use their surnames  on  the logos they launched  for their  presidential  campaigns. They used  just  their  first names  Jeb   and  Hillary.  So  in politics, or  at  least  in the US  this  time around it is not  just   a matter of what  is in a name.  As Shakespeare once said in one of his plays  – a rose called by any other name smells just as sweet.  But  that is not so in politics and that is the nitty gritty  of our discussion today.  This  is  because   Names  carry  political  weight and  luggages especially at election times  and in times  of crisis and anxiety  such  as   the  rumpus  our legislative elections  brought to the doorsteps  of the APC  on  June 9  2015.

    Definitely  the Buhari  name and its legacy  of  discipline and anti  corruption  legacy was a key selling point for the APC in its quest  for power.   Indeed  that reputation jelled in an environment pervaded by corruption , confusion and poor  security and the electorate embraced it  out of total  boredom and disenchantment  with the person and policies  of his opponent, the defeated incumbent president then. But  it  is no secret   that  somebody did the research  and came out with the Buhari brand as the joker to win the 2015  elections hands down for the APC  and I think that   person is Asiwaju  Bola  Tinubu. The  fact  that the PDP  is  making itself  merry  with his embarrassment over the legislative elections  is a measure of the havoc  that  strategy  wrought  on that great  party which was greatly humiliated by the choice of the Buhari name  and candidacy  by the APC   to  contest  and win the 2015   presidential  elections.  The  foresight of that choice  was  even attested in   a  round about way by the PDP  boss in  Lagos  state Chief  Bode  George   who literally  pronounced Asiwaju dead  politically  on the strength  of the results  of  the legislative  elections  alone.  Which  to me is sheer  wishful  thinking as  great  strategists don’t just vanish into thin air just  like that  but are like  the proverbial  cats with nine lives who  live and resurrect to fight  another day. So  really  it is the PDP  which  has profited  and reaped  a rich but dubious profit  where  it did not sow or invest  that  should  watch  its back  on the slippery path it has taken to steal legislative  leadership  from the APC.

    Again  on the US   is not  difficult  to see  why Hillary  Clinton  and  George  Bush did not use their  surnames  on their presidential  logo. This  is because  a logo is supposed  to sell  a name or brand and must  be seen in terms  of  positive  virtues that  can  achieve the objective  for which  it was created which in this case is to  win  the US  presidency. Time  will tell if the decision not  to use    their  surname  is a wise or regrettable step. This  is because  both names, Clinton and Bush, are still household names in world and US  politics and  they  still  bring nostalgia  of  good memories on the presidencies in which they  were involved. In  Clinton’s case his Vice President Al  Gore,  who  contested  against  the  43rd  president  George Bush  lost because  he kept the Clinton  name at bay  in his election bid  because  of the Mona  Lewinsky scandal.  I hope  Hillary  is not making the same mistake.

    With  regard  to Jeb Bush it is obvious  that the invasion of Iraq on the false excuse of the existence of weapons of mass destruction  is  making  him  to hide  his surname.  He  should  however be reminded that his name Jeb  is mostly  associated with or remembered  for the Florida  recount that clinched the election  for his brother against  Al  Gore.  That  to me is a more weighty load  to carry  than  the Bush  name  which in today’s  context of global  insecurity blamed on the Obama  presidency’s   dithering  on air strikes and crossed  red lines  has  a good  selling point on  global  security  which is a major issue in the 2016 presidential elections in the US.Really  I  think  it  is up  to  Jeb Bush  know  the opportunity  cost  of  his surname before  it is too  late  for  his presidential  bid in the US.

    Of  course  there  is no  way  one can discuss  a topic like this and not remember the Saraki name which is the political  brand that runs the politics  of Kwara  state and now is in charge of Nigeria’s senate as Senator Bukola  Saraki is the new Senate President from the June 9  legislative elections. His  father Dr Abubakar  Sola  Saraki too was a President of the Senate in his era. The father was a bridge  builder between  the north  and south in his time. His  politics was  also pro-North in his time.  But when after June 12  was aborted and  the presidency was zoned to the South west the  good doctor who  had all along claimed he was a Fulani then claimed eligibility to contest as a South Westerner  from somewhere in the Yoruba heartland.  Of  course  no one  took him seriously then. But  he had a first  hand taste  of the political  dexterity  of his son the new Senate  President whose  candidate defeated his father’s  choice for the governorship  of  Kwara state,  a major  political  tsunami in Kwara state in those days. Very  similar  in magnitude  and poignancy  to the legislative coup  that had APC  leadership   and   senators  stranded at a meeting with the  president while  the kingpin of Kwara politics, and very much  a member  of the party  was being elected  Senate  President  by the opposition PDP.  Which  is a classical  case  of the  end  justifying the means  but   is being regarded  most  delicately and  realistically    as a fait  accompli by  the APC for its own sanity,  stability and well  being. In  the  midst  of all  these  political  razzmatazz however one  can still  recall the timeless and golden observation of Shakespeare  again  in one of his plays  that ‘ ambition should  be made  of sterner  stuff. ‘Again, long live the Federal  Republic of  Nigeria.

  • Seven years after, politicians desert Adedibu’s family

    Seven years after, politicians desert Adedibu’s family

    Associates and relations of the Ibadan political godfather, the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu converged on his residence last week for the seventh anniversary of his death.

    But, the atmosphere at the expansive residence was a sharp contrast from what it used to be. Seven years after the demise of Adedibu, his disciples have deserted his family.

    Those who benefited from his political clout shunned the annual celebrations.

    Islamic clerics dominated the entire event. The Chief Imam of Ibadanland,  Chief Imam of Ibadan land, Sheikh Abdul-Ganiyy Abubakri Agbotomokekere and other muslim scholars arrived, the late Adedibu’s Molete castle as early as 9a.m to offer a prayer for the diseased and celebrate with his family.

    The late Adedibu was a political pillar in Oyo State who mingled with Islamic clerics and politicians. He installed many governors, senators and local government chairmen before his demise in 2008. His political activism for over five decades forced politicians, even the opposition parties, to reckon with him.

    While calling on Adedibu’s sons and daughters to emulate the legacy left behind by their father, Agbotomokekere said Adedibu will be remembered for good.

    He said Adedibu contributed to human development and ensured that the less privileged were fed in his house.

    The cleric added: “Adedibu was able to contribute to human development while he alive. He helped many people, especially the less privileged. What do you want people to say about you when you die? It is left to you and I to decide. We need to do good, so as to be rewarded with good. God will reward us accordingly; therefore we need to do good.”

    Speaking on the low turnout, the wife of the deceased, Alhaja Abosede Adedibu, said whatever people sow is what they will reap.

    She said: “I thank God. God has always been there for me. I don’t hold grudge against anybody and I am not going to fight anybody because God has been faithful to me. I have not seen them (Adedibu’s political associates) since my husband died, but thank God I am coping. The turn out is not too bad though. As you know, it is the seven years anniversary and people still turned out to join us in the prayer. It shows how important he was while on earth. When we did the five years anniversary, the turnout was impressive, but we still thank God for His faithfulness. We must do the prayer because it is very important for him and we shall continue to do it every year, so that he can sleep well.

    “The family is working hard to ensure we immortalise him because he was too important to be forgotten so soon. For successive government not to immortalise him, I want to say whatever you sow, you shall reap. I won’t say more than that.”

    The first son of Adedibu, Professor Aderemi Adedibu, said he was happy to be part of the prayer. he urged people to continue to pray for the family.

    He tasked the clerics to give all his siblings the prayer points they used to give his father before his demise.

    “All of you clerics here present, please continue to pray for the family, most especially the immediate family. I also want to ask you to give us the kind of prayer point you used to give my dad while he was alive.”

    Speaking on his political influence, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin said the death of Adedibu was responsible for the political instability in the state.

    “We all missed baba. He was a hero; he was a father. He was our political oracle. It is a pity we don’t have him around at this critical time. But, we shall continue to celebrate and pray for him.”

    The former Secretary to the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Alhaji Basiru Akanbi, said the death of Adedibu was responsible for the dwindling fortunes of the PDP in the state, Southwest and Nigeria in general.

    “Many negative things have happened to the PDP since the demise of Baba Adedibu. Baba was a legend. He was an institution. He was a gift to Oyo State. He was a pride to all of us and his family. He lived a fulfilled life and he died as a martyr.

    “He was brave. He was courageous. He was always achieving results. The absence of Baba made PDP to  break-up in Oyo State, in Southwest and in Nigeria as a whole. His death has made things fell apart for us. He was intelligent, rich, and nice man. He was a leader,” Akanbi noted.

  • What shall it profit politicians?

    SIR: About six months ago when political parties began their primaries to choose their representatives for the various elective posts, many didn’t know where the pendulum would swing.

    To the outgoing PDP, they thought it will be business as usual; all they needed to do was to clinch their party’s ticket for the various elective posts and wait till they get to the over-crowded bridge before thinking of crossing it.

    The emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as APC’s presidential candidate turned the tide which led to a band wagon effect across the federation coupled with INEC’s boss, Prof. Jega’s uncompromising stance on the use of permanent voter’s cards and card readers.

    When many politicians embarked on this political journey, they never gave it a thought that General Muhammadu Buhari and his wind of change mantra would gather as much support as he did in previous elections. Buhari’s overwhelming victory at the presidential polls shattered their plans at the state level. In order not to be swept away by the political tsunami raging from the centre, a good number of deviant political actors manipulated and rigged the elections in their states.

    How long will many of these about-to-be sworn in officials last in office? The emergence of the incorruptible General Buhari as President-elect is already sending shivers down the spines of many. So far, revelations at the ongoing election tribunals are too damning and outrageous.

    I don’t need a political clairvoyant to foresee what will happen in the next six months; my wager is that less than six months from now, both the state tribunals and law courts will start upturning the electoral victories of some elected governors, senators and honourable members. They will vacate the seats they have been illegally occupying for the legitimate occupants. It has happened in the past, we have seen an elected governor that didn’t last up to a month in office. What still baffles me is that no one has been jailed for electoral malpractices in the past. Will the incoming change at the centre break the jinx by enacting laws that will send electoral offenders to jail?

    What shall it profit politicians to instigate their people to rise up against each other and turn their states into theatres of internecine wars, motivate vulnerable youths to go risk their lives in the field, disrupt the electoral process, snatch ballot boxes and at the end of the day lose their seats in the courts of law?

     

    • Joe Onwukeme, 

     

  • Buhari advises politicians to keep in touch with base

    Buhari advises politicians to keep in touch with base

    President- elect Muhammadu Buhari yesterday advised politicians to keep in touch with their base instead of being Abuja politicians.

    He urged them not to abandon their constituencies.

    Buhari spoke when he received a delegation from Kwara state led by Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed.

    He said they should realise that four years is not for ever, saying: “if you are not in touch with the grassroots, you may not be lucky the next time to win their votes”.

    Buhari also appealed to the incoming lawmakers to collaborate with the government in delivering the dividends of democracy and ensure quick passage of bills meant to enhance the welfare of the people.

    The President-elect, who acknowledged his long-standing relationship with the people of Kwara, recalled that as Military head of State, his Foreign Affairs Minister, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, drafted a foreign policy that was second to none.

    Lamenting the insurgency in the country, Buhari said it was unfortunate that security agents could not curtail the activities of Boko Haram and had to rely on Niger, Chad and Cameroun to fight the insurgents.

    He maintained that after achieving great fear in foreign peace keeping operations in Burma, Liberia, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Dafur, the Nigerian military could not curtail the activities of Boko Haram in just 14 out of the 774 local government areas in the country.

    Governor Ahmed said they were in Abuja to congratulate the President-elect for his victory pointing out that the state has had a long-standing relationship with the President-elect.

    He said the state was ready to collaborate with the incoming government to complete federal projects across Kwara state.

    The President-elect also received a delegation from Kogi State led by former governor Abubakar Audu.

  • U.S. to deny violence-promoting politicians visas

    U.S. to deny violence-promoting politicians visas

    The United States will sanction Nigerian politicians who attempted or instigated violence during the elections, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ms Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has said.

    She said the U.S. will impose visa restrictions on any Nigerian found to have incited violence or interfered with the electoral process.

    Ms Linda Thomas-Greenfield  in an article wrote: “anyone found to have incited violence or interfered with electoral processes will be unwelcome in the United States and subject to visa sanctions”.

    She did not give names of those considered for sanctions.

    Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said, while the elections were generally without a significant scale of violence and irregularities in some parts of Nigeria, some people were resolved to undermine the will of Nigerians and interfere with electoral processes, resorting to violence and voter intimidation.

    She said the U.S. regretted any loss of life and property during the process, adding that violence and rigging are unacceptable in a democratic electoral process.

    She praised the Independent National Electoral Commission and its chair, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

    She said: “Despite some technical hitches, it is clear that technology and use of social media-INEC’s online posting of results for each polling unit, live tweeting of results, the use of biometric permanent voter cards and electronic card readers- improved efficiency and limited fraud.”

    Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said, “Now more than ever, it is up to all Nigerians to stay united so that Nigeria can move forward with a clear set of priorities for the future.

    ”This next phase is critical as the world continues its hopeful watch for what happens in Nigeria.”

    ”Nigerian democracy will be a beacon across the continent and beyond,” the assistant secretary, who was in Nigeria during the elections, said.

    Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said the US looked forward to the inauguration of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29 and the beginning of a new chapter of the relationship between the two countries.

     

  • Why are politicians playing ethnic card in Lagos?

    Why are politicians playing ethnic card in Lagos?

    Does ethnicity have limitations in determining the outcome of elections in a cosmopolitan state like Lagos? Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu examines the activities of politicians playing the ethnic card and how far they can go.

    Will the next governor of Lagos be governor of Igbo or Yoruba? The answer is no. The next governor should be the governor of all Lagosians, irrespective of tribe and religion.

    But, why are desperate politicians dividing the state along ethnic lines to gain an upper hand at the governorship election billed for Saturday? Why are the unscrupulously fanning the embers of disunity in the Centre of Excellence?

    Since Independence, Igbo and Yoruba have co-existed peacefully in Lagos. During the civil war, many Igbo hurriedly returned to the Southeast. Yoruba protected their property. The proceeds from their rents were handed over to them when they returned after the war. Igbo settlers have enjoyed the courtesy of their accommodating hosts, who have never discriminated against them.

    Since 1999 to date, the Lagos State government has also accorded Igbo in the city-state a sense of belonging. Their lives, property and businesses have been protected. In terms of teaching and civil service employment, there is no discrimination against them. Igbo has a commissioner in Lagos State Executive Council. There is also an Igbo senior special assistant in the Governor’s Office. The Publicity Secretary of the ruling party- the All Progressives Congress (APC) – is an Igbo.

    But, ahead of the general elections, the cordial relations have been ruptured, following the resort to ethnic politics by the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to observers, the PDP invaded the zones in the metropolis where there is a high concentration of Igbo to commercialise the election and incite them against Yoruba-speaking APC candidates. Unprecedented financial inducement and hate campaigns filled the air. The resort to ethnicity has jerked up the fortunes of the PDP in five federal constituencies where the PDP won the House of Representatives election. But, the opposition party failed the test of numerical strength at the senatorial poll.

    During the campaigns, PDP leaders made highly inflammable statements which aroused tribal consciousness. Some of them dreamt of an Igbo State, which, in their imagination, would be carved out from Lagos State in the future. There was also an inexplicable promise of a rival monarchy, whereby Igbo will have their Ezes in the Lagos State Government Gazette. More slots were promised the Igbos in the State Executive Council. In fact, other structures have to be re-built structure to accommodate more Igbo in the scheme of things. Thus, when the PDP campaign train rolled into the largest auto spare parts market in Ladipo, Mushin, mainland Lagos, the PDP leaders queried the composition of the market unions. They said since it is a supposedly Igbo-dominated market, Yoruba should not be market leaders. The Igbo traders hailed the sensitisation. The next day, the Igbo stared agitating for a change in the leadership of the unions. They insisted the Yoruba should give way. There was commotion. But, the police moved in to quickly restore order.

    Irked by the attempt to create ethnic tension, a PPD chieftain, who loathed the ethnic campaigns, said it may backfire later. “Igbo have been accommodated by Yoruba in Lagos. I know Yoruba in the Southeast do not enjoy the same courtesy. That is why no Yoruba has served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). Can Igbo do all these in the North? Are they not telling the Yoruba that they can lord it over them in their Southwest? The resort to ethnic card is dangerous. I know there may be an imminent tribal re-awakening among Yoruba in Lagos and the repercussion may be inimical to national unity. It may not be now. But, it cannot be foreclosed,” he said.

    Another party member, who is from Aworiland, retorted: “I blame our fathers who engaged in indiscriminate sale of land to foreigners. We their children do not even have inheritance again, in terms of lands. In the light of the Igbo’s ambitious move to dominate Lagos politics, I know that the Awori Descendants Union will not reflect on the dangers that lie ahead. They will apply the break.”

    Gradually displacing the peaceful co-existence in the metropolis is an intense clamour for ethnic consciousness. The offensive slogan – Lagos is a no man’s land – is being exploited with impunity. According to watchers, a clash of ethnic interests can be avoided if politicians refrain from playing the ethnic card. The feeling of tribalism did not exist in Lagos of fifties when Yoruba voted for the nationalist, the late Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe, to represent Surulere in the House of Assembly at Ibadan. Then, prominent Yoruba politicians, including Otunba Theophilus Benson, Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, Chief I.S. Adewale and Prince Adeleke Adedoyin mobilised support for the late Zik of Africa. He was not perceived as an Igbo, but a national figure.  Also, Igbo in the teaching and civil service in Lagos were not employed based on their ethnic background. Only two factors were considered; their nationality and academic qualifications.

    But, in the pre-independence era, there was also a resurgence of ethnicity, following allegations of domination of the scene by Igbo. When Zik said the god of Africa has decreed that the Igbo should rule Africa, the declaration generated intellectual uproar. Thus, when the great man wanted to move up to the House of Representatives, a Yoruba, Adedoyin, refused to step down for him. Under the arrangement then, House of Representatives members were selected from the House of Assembly. Zik went to Shagamu, the heart of Remoland, to urge the Akarigbo, the late Oba Williams Adedoyin, to persuade his son to step down. The eminent monarch was an exposed ruler who had fought for the autonomy of his kingdom up to the privy council. Oba Adedoyin asked from Zik: That place you want to go (House of Representatives), is it not a good place? Zik answered in the affirmative. Then, the Akarigbo said, if it is a good place, let my son also go. That was how Prince Adedoyin was selected. Other Yoruba House of Assembly members, including H.P Adebola, also refused to step down.

    After the Great Zik left the Akarigbo’s palace, the chiefs asked from the Oba: Can Yoruba also represent Igbo in the Eastern House of Assembly? One of the Remo Divisional Council members (councilors) knew where the discussion was heading. He cleverly replied: ‘Why not? But, no Yoruba has shown interest in the Eastern Region.’

    The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was endowed with foresight, saw all these happening. He knew that the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, will become the Premier of the North. He knew that somebody from the East will emerged as the Premier of the Eastern Region. Therefore, he decided to organise his people to pave the way for the emergence of a Yoruba as the Premier of the West. Zik was compelled to relocate to the East. His kinsmen cried foul when they realised that the Leader of the Government Business, Ita Eyo, was about to become the Premier. The Igbo used their numerical strength in the Eastern House of Assembly to make Azikiwe Premier of the region.

    In demographic studies, there is no way ‘foreigners’ can rival indigenes in numerical strength. What Igbo nationalism in Lagos may result to is the raise the awareness on the part of Lagosians and other Yoruba that there is a threat and an imminent loss of a sense of belonging in their territories. This may be a nasty thought. After all, the constitution stipulates two years of residency for any citizen of Nigeria to qualify for elections in any part of the country. But, the blame for the development of such thoughts, according observers, should go to the ethnic jingoists and unscrupulous politicians playing the ethnic card.

  • CJN: judiciary won’t succumb to politicians’ manipulation

    THE Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday assured that the judiciary under his watch will not succumb to the manipulation of some politicians to truncate the nation’s democracy

    He said the leadership of the judiciary was aware of plans by some “unpatriotic citizens” to use the courts to stop the electoral process, warning judges not to yield themselves as tools to desperate politicians.

    The CJN spoke in Abuja yesterday at the swearing-in of Justice Ishaq Bello as the Acting Chief Judge (CJ) of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Justice Bello replaces Justice Ibrahim Bukar, who retired yesterday as the court’s CJ on attaining the mandatory retirement age of 65 years.

    “Permit me to use this opportunity to again assure all Nigerians that, under my leadership, the Judiciary remains resolute and committed to do its constitutional duty during this election period.

    “We will not be swayed or distracted from the course of justice in any election matter that is before or comes before the justice system.

    “It bears reminding to all heads of courts that you are primarily responsible for the preservation of our nation’s democracy.

    “I strongly advise all judicial officers not to allow any party or politician to use the courts to truncate our nation’s democracy.

    “We are aware that some unpatriotic citizens may wish to use the courts to stop the electoral process, and I wish to warn in clear terms that we shall not be used as a tool for the breakdown of law and order in our beloved country,” the CJN said.

    He urged Justice Bello to work hard and improve on the pace of justice dispensation in the court.

    “I note with particular concern the number of corruption cases that are pending before the FCT High Courts and the number that have been returned by the Supreme Court to the trial courts.

    “It bears reminding that posterity does not wear a human face in its judgment.  I counsel you to ensure that your work remains like sterling silver that becomes more valuable with age.

    “I therefore urge you to be proactive in seeking out ways to improve justice delivery especially as pertains to the case disposal rate in the FCT High Court of Justice.

    “Hence, I urge to work cooperatively with the other heads of court and indeed all Judicial Officers in order to ensure cohesiveness and synergy in your resolve to uphold the dignity of the Judiciary,” the CJN said.

    Earlier at the valedictory session held for him at the High Court of the FCT, Justice Bukar thanked God that he retired with his head high.

    He noted that for the 33-year history of the court, he remained the only CJ of the FCT High Court to retire honourably, and honoured with a valedictory court service – a development also noted by the CJN in his speech.

    Justice Bukar thanked his brother judges for their support during his about two-year tenure, having been sworn-in in 2013.

    Justice Bello praised his predecessor and pledged to sustain the legacy of performance left by the retiring CJ.