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Tag: President Goodluck Jonathan

  • ‘Jonathan not on Tinubu’s radar’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday disowned text messages purportedly from him asking Lagosians to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan.

    A statement from his media office by Sunday Dare described the text message as “the mother of all lies by the PDP. Never did Tinubu and never will Tinubu support Jonathan. He is lost on Tinubu’s radar. Those messages are fake and lies from hell.”

    It added, “It is the PDP factory of lies in overdrive. Tinubu remains committed to Change. His support for Buhari is solid and no amount of PDP falsehood can change that.”

  • Why North won’t vote for Jonathan

    Why North won’t vote for Jonathan

    The claim that President Goodluck Jonathan breached the agreement to serve for only one term may affect his chances in the North at the general election. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the controversy and its implication for the President’s performance at the poll.

    In spite of the Court of Appeal judgment that President Goodluck Jonathan is qualified to contest the general elections, northern leaders have continued to insist that he signed an agreement with them to serve for only one term and that his conduct amounts to betrayal. The League of Arewa Professionals and Businessmen echoed this view when it said the court ruling has not absolved the President of betraying the North by failing to keep the alleged promise.

    According to the league, “a leader is not supposed to vacillate or change at will after he had already given his words on certain issues.” It added: “Nigerians need somebody who will tell them the truth; someone who will take a decision and stand by it.  But, Nigerians are no fools. When a former American President lied to Americans, he apologised to them publicly. Jonathan has reneged on his agreement with the North; we shall pay him back on March 28. The court judgment cannot relief him of the moral burden that will continue to haunt him for life.”

    Second Republic politician and Convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Muhammed, agrees. He described the decision of Jonathan to seek re-election, as a betrayal of his allies from the North. “It proves beyond all reasonable doubts that he is not a gentleman in politics. Now that he is running, I don’t see him winning the election. He can’t say anything he has done to justify being re-elected and he cannot deny the fact that we are arguing over the promises and agreements he entered into by him; not only with the party (PDP) or the North, but other parts of the country,” Junaid said.

    The struggle for power shift to the north started in 2006 when the Northern Union (NU) led by the late Dr Olusola Saraki toured the country to woo the Nigeria’s political stakeholders in the Southwest, South-East and Southsouth to allow a northerner to succeed former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007. The union literally took the battle for power shift to Obasanjo on August 9, 2006, for his endorsement. The argument of the northern elites at that time was the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in 1999 a northerner has not ruled the country.

    Even though there was no provision for zoning or power rotation in the 1999 Constitution, but nothing stops a political party from zoning elective offices to enhance unity and ensure that all the zones have a sense of belonging. That explains why Obasanjo settled for the late, Katsina-born Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the PDP presidential candidate in 2007. Analysts believe there was an agreement or an understanding among the political stakeholders especially within the PDP in 1999 to concede power to the North at the end of Obasanjo’s tenure. This is owing to the fact Obasanjo owes his emergence as Nigeria’s President in 1999 to the support of northern leaders.

     

    The breached agreement

     

    There was power shift to the North in 2007, as envisaged. But, it could not run full circle because the beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, died midway into his first term in 2010. Jonathan, who was then Vice President, assumed power as acting President, following the declaration of the “Doctrine of Necessity” by the Senate, when it became obvious that Yar’Adua was incapacitated. He was eventually sworn-in as the substantive president when he died.

    In 2011, power shift was on the agenda, after Jonathan completed Yar’Adua’s tenure. But, he was allowed to contest the primary, which he eventually won, following a truce brokered by Obasanjo with the northern governors, who were opposed to his candidature. The governors had argued that it will be logical for another northerner to emerge as party’s candidate, so that the North could complete its eight years.

    Initially, PDP governors, particularly those from the North, were opposed to Jonathan’s bid to contest the party’s presidential primary. They held up the party’s National Executive Committee meeting for days. When it was learnt that Jonathan was going to declare for the 2011 presidential election, the governors met to deliberate on the matter. One of the governors present at the meeting said: “Some of us said given the circumstances of the death of President Yar’Adua and given the PDP zoning arrangement, it was expected that the position would be conceded to North. At that discussion it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years. Even when Jonathan went to Kampala, in Uganda, he also said he was going to serve a single term. It was on the basis of that agreement that the northern governors, especially those of the ruling PDP, supported the President during the 2011 presidential election, a decision that offended the sensibilities of majority of the people of the region.”

     

    Obasanjo’s testimony

     

    Again former President Obasanjo, who was a staunch supporter of Jonathan’s candidacy in 2011 and who was the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, alluded to the one-term agreement at the PDP convention/presidential primary of January 15, 2011 at the Eagle Square, Abuja. He said: “We are impressed with the report that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has already taken a unique and unprecedented step of declaring that he would only want to be a one-term President. If so, whether he knows it or not, that is a sacrifice and it is statesmanly. Rather than vilify him and pull him down, we as a party should applaud and commend him and Nigerians should reward and venerate him.

    “Let us encourage him to take more good steps to achieve what needs to be achieved for this country by voting for him in landslide victory as the first elected President of Nigeria on basis of our common Nigerian identity and for the purpose of actualising the Nigerian dream.”

    In spite of the stiff opposition to Jonathan’s second term bid, Jonathan muscled his way through and eventually emerged as the sole candidate for 2015 presidential election.

     

    Attempt to polarise the North

     

    Jonathan’s gambit was to divide the North, by by luring some leaders of the Middle Belt to support his re-election bid. This played out last year when leaders from the South-south visited Jonathan and asked him to seek re-election in 2015. That in itself is not surprising considering the fact that the President is from the zone. However, what stands out in that visit was the inclusion of leaders from the Middle Belt, who also urged the president to run for a second term.

    The visit, according to Chief Edwin Clark, was under the aegis of Congress for Equity and Change and includes among others, the Middle Belt leaders such as former Military Governor of Katsina State, General Lawrence Onaja, Senators Ameh Ebute and John Wash Pam. Onoja and Pam are not just northerners, but strong members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), a northern socio-cultural forum that speaks out for the region, and the Northern Elders Forum, which is at the forefront of ensuring that power returns to the North.

    Predictably, the visit did not go down well with some northern leaders, who considered it a betrayal of those working for the strengthening of the North’s unity and an indictment on the decades-old slogan of ‘One North, One People!’ The visit also influenced the resurgence of the term ‘core-north’ which includes the Northwest, the Northeast and the fringe North in the Northcentral, populated largely by minority ethnic groups.

    The decision of the Middle Belt was premised on the fact that Jonathan comes from a minority tribe like them. But, the northern political establishment was not pleased by the development. They saw the Middle Belt move as a betrayal, because the formation of a separate political union has been a recurring decimal in the North’s quest to speak and act in unison.

    In its reaction to the Middle Belt/Southsouth alliance, the Northern Elders Forum, through its spokesman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, said it is a thing of concern to the North in view of the region’s desire to return to power in 2015.

    According to him, “part of the reasons Clark and others were asking President Jonathan to re-contest is simply because of the alliance that the Southsouth and the Middle Belt have entered into. But, we will wait and see whether the alliance of minorities will be sufficient to see him through; when the votes are counted, will be enough to secure victory for the President?

    “The North is trying to achieve this unity, not on the basis of selfishness, but on the basis of right and objectivity, and those who go into alliance with others will still find out that the North will still be here and that the interest of the Middle Belt is best secured within the North.”

    On the reason for the Middle Belt’s assertiveness, which invariably polarises the North, Prof. Ango said: “If you look at the reasons they are giving, it can’t go beyond certain sentiment that has to do with religion rather than anything else. And if that sentiment is purely based on religion, then that alliance is bound to fail.”

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on the other hand, was more subtle in its reaction to the alliance when it accused the Middle Belt leaders romancing with President Jonathan of creating the impression that the North is divided. It however noted that people have the right to associate, hold opinions and change their minds.

    “Members of ACF have the right to change their minds, including decamping across political parties. And that is why the change of mind which manifested during the elections into the Nigerian Governors Forum should not be allowed to factionalise both the Nigerian Governors Forum and Northern State Governors Forum the way they have been factionalised,” ACF said.

    A Kaduna-based lawyer, Atiku Mohammed, said politics of ethnic and religious division will not make Jonathan win the presidential election. He cannot win in all the states in the Middle Belt with a voting population of 7.6 million. Can he win without the votes from Northwest and Northeast?

    Mohammed said with the voting population of 18.9 million in the Northwest and the Northeast’s 10 million, the two zones are not a push-over. “The voting population is sophisticated and huge. No politician of worth will turn his eyes against the zone. The figure speaks volumes about the potency and electoral numerical strength of the zones,” he stated.

    Analysts say the Middle Belt has always differed with the core North politically for a long time. For instance, the region was reluctant to accept former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the North’s consensus presidential candidate in the 2011. This was part of what fuelled the current division in the ranks of northern politicians.

    “Even though the North has been able to dictate, to a larger extent, political and socio-economic happening in the region, the Middle Belt has also not relented in its constant sniping at northern unity and with each passing year, the Middle Belt has continued to fine-tune its quest for freedom.

    “With the presidential elections approaching, the North, more than any other time in its existence, needs to accommodate the Middle Belt. It should address all perceived and assumed differences; unite all groups so it can fully approach its quest for power shift in without internal distraction.”

  • Jonathan explains commitment to power sector devt

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave some reasons for his administration’s commitment to the development of the power sector in the country over the past six years.

    According to him, the administration has been committed because it is the only thing that could ensure the survival of small businesses in the country.

    Aside creating jobs, he said  the sector will also create wealth in the country.

    He spoke in Abia State during the official commissioning of the Alaoji Power Station (Phase I 504megawatts (Mw) simple cycle gas). Its one of the projects under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

    “Today is a moment we will forever remember. For small businesses to survive, they need power and that is why we are totally committed(rejuvenating the power sector),” Jonathan said.

    Thanking the people of Abia State for their support towards the execution of the project, the president also promised that the government would continue to work towards transforming the country.

    Speaking on the occasion, Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji said the project will remain indelible in the minds of the people of the state.

    He said the president has given everything to ensure the success of the project right from the time he was the Vice President.

    Governor Orji said the state has already given plots of land to the company to build housing estate for the workers  that will work at the station.

    He said the people of Abia State will show their gratitude to the president during Saturday’s presidential election.

    The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo said efforts of the President has resulted in the revival of the 10 National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs).

    According to him, the remaining six NIPPs yet to be commissioned will be commissioned before the end of this year.

  • Challenges before next president, by Akinrinade

    Challenges before next president, by Akinrinade

    Former Chief of Defence Staff Lt.-Gen. Alani Akinrinade is the Convener of the Yoruba General Assembly. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU and Political Correspondent MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE in Lagos on the purported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term by Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, his experience as a delegate to last year’s National Conference, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) protest in Lagos, the general elections and the challenges that will face the next President.

    Was the Yoruba Agenda met at the last year’s National Conference?

    No, it wasn’t.There are certain things that are sacrosanct to the Yoruba people. For instance, when we talk about true federalism, you don’t just do it on paper. All the elements that go with it like derivation, fiscal federalism must be there. You must have responsibilities attached to the power held.  You must have the power to discharge the responsibilities. You don’t give a state police and say that there is a national police being paid for by the central government, which people are free to use, and that, if I want a state police, I must pay for it myself. That is not a fair way to organise true federalism. The major issue is that we wanted a government that is more accountable to the people and the one that is close to the people. It is the parliamentary system that gives that kind of atmosphere to make the government accountable.  But, there was no reasonable discussion on it, not to talk discussing the merit of it. The conference was not the kind of assembly that I liked; where you are given a tough subject and you are told to stand up in front of cameras and speak for just three minutes. That is not good enough to articulate real issue or discuss the import of the subject you had to push. To that extent, the Yoruba wants to regroup to look at those reports given at the conference. We want to point out all the areas where they are not acceptable or satisfactory to the Yoruba people. I can tell you that some of our people, I mean other nationalities in Nigeria, are very suspicious of great ideas. In the kind of atmosphere that we are, communities that we live and everywhere in the world, true federalism allows each one to act on his own. Federalism allows a lot of things to be done in their own way and ability. You are never going to have peace the way things are done in the country. You don’t have peace in Nigeria now. Today, if it is not MASSOB, then, it will be another militia.  Just like yesterday, the Oodua People Congress (OPC) or whatever they call themselves, were carrying arms on the streets of Lagos to harass people. That is not a federal system that we need. You can’t have a governor here, who is responsible for law and order, and some people are subverting the peace of the state. They said they wanted to march, but they were harassing people. They were even given protection by the federal police. They are wielding guns in the streets of Lagos. How can that happen in this 21st century? These are the issues that we must look into. The Yoruba must sit down to look at all these. They are using our men to destabilise our society. They are using our own young people to cause trouble. They even brought militants from the South or East to Yorubaland to foment trouble. This is unacceptable. These are some of the reasons for us to sit together occasionally to review. We must sit together to look at issues that affect us as a nation. I believe today, we are just deceiving ourselves. When we hear people talking about unity. Is it the unity of the donkey and the owner? How can we be talking about unity when people are not happy to relate with themselves?

    Afenifere leaders who attended the conference have endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan because they believe he will now implement the report…

    This is difficult to explain in non-offensive ways. There are internal synergies in Yorubaland. It is also important to say that there are groups of people who sold us for pittance. They misled us by trying to move us into what they call mainstream politics. All those who stood against the mainstream politics were regarded as their enemies. There were all sorts of things or information going around in town about some of our eminent politicians, who people don’t want to recognise. But, I believe during the hours of need in Yorubaland, some people stood up and did very well for us. If it is not for them, we should have been into the mainstream politics of Nigeria. That is not a very good idea. It is full of corruption, almost in a position of brigandage. We cannot accept that for the Yoruba people. There was this group that said it endorsed the Presidency of Jonathan for the Yoruba for another four years. You can do that anytime. But, you cannot do that on behalf of the Yoruba people. You don’t have to do that for me. I don’t believe that everybody in Yorubaland would like to support Jonathan. We have always been broad minded people, who can think and decide what they want. You have to convince them about it. I am not convinced that the so-called elders were now looking at the Yoruba Agenda vice a vice what we went to do in at the conference. The results have not been encouraging. There are important things that we did not touch, in the name of trying to preserve the unity of the country. I think our countrymen must understand that there are lots of nations in Nigeria that are bigger than many countries in the world and they are doing well. Lagos State alone is bigger than Singapore. Singapore has a name in the world. The people who built it started from the scratch. Some of our leaders are so decadent. They think without oil money nobody can go anywhere. Therefore, you think you can enslave your people simply because you want to have money from oil. These are matters you must think about. Back in the 50s, we did not have anything like oil. Those were the glorious days of Western Nigeria. We had independence before anybody else. The self-government was attained individually. The West took its own and Awolowo made a real gain out of it. Other people began to see that it was possible for the black man to govern himself and they can do better than the colonialists. Awolowo opened a new television station; the Yoruba people were moving at a better speed of development. The Yoruba man cannot go and teach the Hausa man how to produce the millet. If we want unity, it cannot be the unity of donkey and the rider.

    The Yoruba General Assembly complained about the marginalization of Yoruba. Has anything changed between then and now?

    They gave us the Chief of Staff position in the past two years. I think we must put a line between what we call marginalization. In a democracy, there is a government and there is a constitution. The government will have to deliver on its manifesto; that manifesto has to make the difference. Maybe, there is some coincidental similarities. Therefore, when you stay in the opposition, you allow your government to govern. And if a government feels it can tap from the opposition, it can go to the opposition and take very good people, who are specialists. It happens in America. The Secretary of Defence in the time of Bill Clinton has always been a Republican when Democrats are in government. The one there now is a Republican and he is serving under the Democrats. But, they must be good people, and not the type of thugs we have.  Not people charged for murder and so on that they go to Yorubaland to pick to serve.  So, when you talk of marginalization, it is when you go into some institutions of government like the federal court, education and things like that you don’t find our people as if we never went to school. It is as if we never produced a Nobel laureate. They are there. Look at the case of the lady in the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), who was not appointed to the top job. They brought another fellow when they sacked the one she was next to. She is a competent Yoruba woman who had grown up on the job. They side tracked her. These are the issues and they are staring one in the face. Now, they employ thugs carrying guns round the streets of Lagos. If you had done what you should do over the years, you don’t need gunmen to get votes. You don’t need a Gani Adams and his people to harass people. They even brought Delta militants to come and parade the streets of Lagos. It is offensive, very offensive to the Yoruba people and to me in particular.

    What are your fears for the general elections?

    There could have been no fears. In the old days, the electoral body belonged to the regions. It did not belong to the Federal Government and we had elections. We now have a Federal Government that people say you have to be in that Federal Government so that you can lord it over some people. That was how the matter of election rigging became a subject. We never had electoral commission that is so pervasive like we now have. We now have a Federal Government that is so strong that it can do anything. That is the reason it has become a do or die affairs for some people. These are the challenges that have taken over election matters in the country. If elections are meant for real service, will people try so hard to win? It has got to the level of brigandage where they are hiring thugs to win elections. Look at governors that have worked so hard. Babatunde Fashola, for instance, who I am older than with about 30 years. He has grey hair. Look at Bill Clinton, look at Barack Obama; that young man. They have grey hair. That is the life of service. In their case, it is a honourable thing to do it. Their legacies are going to endure the history of America. That is what is called service. It is not service where they have depleted the monetary vault. You are going to wake up one morning, to write a cheque and nobody will honour it. That is the position of Abuja right now. That is the reason why everybody wants to go there. Let us turn this thing to a life of service and we will have a better political system. That will now also affect our elections. There are ridiculous stories of sharing dollars on the streets. If I have my dollars, why should I be giving it to you because I want to serve you? I don’t have great hope for these elections. There have been too many imponderable reports surrounding it. People, who should embrace technology in this age, when people are landing Roberts on the Mars, want to take us back to the Stone Age. Ordinary card reader is what they are arguing about. Why the argument? The moment all that happened; we know that they don’t have a clean mind to conducting elections.

    So, the American prediction that Nigeria will break is real?

    Americans are honest people. They put all the parameter in front of them and had analyzed it. They can almost see tomorrow and we have people like that here like in the days of Awolowo. That is what has happened. They put the indices together and they looked at us, they looked at the point we are going to have problem. Even at that time, when they said 2015, I did not think it was in the terms of election. They saw tomorrow and that is what happened and if we look at the stage as it is now, they are right. We are the one who will prove them right. What is the purpose of casting doubt in the minds of the people, whether they are going to have elections or not. Democracy is the only weapon the people have to defend themselves. Now, we are trying to discourage them, still arguing about the system that we left half a century behind. I think the Americans know what they are saying. It is not that they wish us evil, but that is what is happening, when you put the parameters together. Now, that we start another elections year, it looks to me that they are good analysts.

    What is your position on troop deployment to elections?

    There is no point for troop deployment. Even the police are hardly us in elections anywhere in the world. It is only us that continue to consign ourselves to the Third World syndrome, black man syndrome. To where you cannot be honest, you cannot do things in a way, where everybody is above board. What do you need police at elections for? In fact, there is work on election days. In our own case, we are going to take a whole weekend off and we are going to deploy soldiers on the streets. You don’t need them on the streets. Let those who want to vote for behave themselves. They are the ones who hire the thugs. If the army is still what it used to be, they should go to Sambisa and get the people out. Kick them out of that territory that is the job they are hired for.

    If a General in the Army is contesting for the Presidency and he says the certificate is with the military secretary, should that be politicised?

     The people who started that argument did not know how much they devalued our country. How much they faulted the intelligence of our people. You know already that all our institutions have been bastardized by the Federal Government and I don’t know if the army is exempted from it. General Buhari himself was the Military Secretary, and the Military Secretary is the custodian of all the documentations of all army officers. No one at the time Buhari joined the army could have got into the army without a proper qualification. There was no way General Buhari could have gone into the military without his certificate. There was no ways he could have become a General without passing through all the military trainings. So, why debase us by starting that kind of argument?

    What are the core challenges that will face the next government?

    First of all, he will inherit a country that is heavily divided. He will inherit a country that is broke. He will inherit a country that is infested with some form of virus that has really made them difficult to perform. I am talking about institutions of state that are responsible for justice, law and order. The real import of the economy that is collapsing is there. A lot of companies may not be able to pay their workers and other challenging issues like that.    

  • Bestseller for nothing

    About a week to the country’s controversially rescheduled March 28 presidential poll, President Goodluck Jonathan further demonstrated a familiar slyness at a strategic book launch. A book on Jonathan, titled The People’s Choice, written by Rev. Fr. Charles Imokhan, was unveiled at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on March 20. From the look of things, not only the book title and the timing of the presentation spoke volumes about the publicity stunt; the author’s priestly status was also significant as it subtly suggested a spiritual endorsement.

    Interestingly, on the occasion, the more Jonathan made efforts to mask motives, the more he involuntarily exposed himself. Hear what he said in an attempt to hide his visible desperation for a second term in office: “Sometimes people ask me, ‘Mr. President, from what we read and what we see, we see you are still smiling unruffled.’ Yes, nothing will really ruffle me because I’m willing and ready to serve but I’m not desperate to serve.” He added: “And that’s what keeps me going and if all of us who want to hold office from the least – a councilor or chairman of a council, a member of the State House of Assembly or member of the House of Representatives, Senate, or President; if all of us are always ready and willing to serve our people, but we are not desperate in our mission, then of course Nigeria will be a better place for all of us.”

    Of course, it is easy to contradict and debunk Jonathan’s self-portrait by highlighting the deviously controlled choreography that continues to drive his reelection ambition. Then a question: Who says his alleged smiling face proves that he is “unruffled”?

    It is noteworthy that Jonathan reportedly thanked the author for “representing me to Nigerians”. According to him, “Because my story is a humble story and whenever I read write ups about me, especially my personal account from my birth to when I got into the limelight as a deputy governor, most times the accounts are not very accurate.” Jonathan said of the new book: “I think the only accurate account will be when I write when I leave office. But to some extent this particular account is reasonably close; the whole story has been captured except for minor details.”

    It is unclear whether Jonathan would eventually write his “accurate account”, and whether it would beat the latest book in patronage. The current book may be described as a bestseller of sorts, judging by how much money it attracted, reportedly N170m. It is a striking irony that The People’s Choice is a dubious bestseller about a brand that is hard to sell. The flattering attention that the book enjoyed from the zealous sycophants in Jonathan’s camp further mirrored a moral decay that is beyond comprehension.

    If the book launch was intended to influence the electorate in the expected presidential election, the political schemers and their dreamy objective can be sure of a big zero. The people’s choice will be determined by the people themselves and not by any predetermined plot by power desperadoes.

  • ‘No Southwest votes for Jonathan’

    The Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation in Lagos State has said President Goodluck Jonathan cannot get any vote in the Southwest.

    The coordinator, James Faleke, said the people will not vote for a President, who has no record of kept promises.

    Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives (Ikeja Federal Constituency) seeking re-election, reminded the President that a promise he made on the power sector on August 12, 2010, was not fulfilled five years after.

    The lawmaker recalled how President Jonathan promised that Nigerians would enjoy stable power from 2012 at the launch of the Roadmap for Power Sector Reforms at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    “Precisely, Mr. President said: ‘By God’s grace, by December 2012, Nigeria will not only celebrate one day of uninterrupted electricity supply, but we would celebrate one week, one month and so on of uninterrupted electricity supply.”

    Faleke said the people would not vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), even if the President moved the seat of power to the Centre of Excellence.

    “It doesn’t matter how many weekends the President spends here in the Southwest; it doesn’t also matter how much he gives out, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will still defeat him.

    “We’re defeating him. His constant trips to Lagos clearly show that Mr. President has lost it not only in Lagos but in the Southwest. Of course, the people will take his money and still vote according to their conscience.

    “If, in the past six years, he has not shown interest in the Southwest, then it is too late to be rushing here every week. The money being wasted as Greek gifts could have been channelled into ventures that would have benefited the society.”

  • Osun APC to Jonathan: respect the law

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has said President Goodluck Jonathan has a duty to respect the law; otherwise his apparent disregard of court orders will threaten the nation’s democracy.

    A statement by the Director, Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, said: “It would appear that President Jonathan has no intention whatsoever to respect the Federal High Court rulings not to deploy soldiers for the elections.

    “The Federal Government-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) plans to use the military to harass, arrest APC leaders on Friday.

    “If Jonathan goes ahead to disregard the legal position on this matter, it would be a worst contempt for law, exhibited by any head of state.

    “The consequences ‘for our fledgling democracy’ will be catastrophic.”

  • Jonathan inaugurates N300b Development Bank

    Jonathan inaugurates N300b Development Bank

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    It will commence operations with a startup capital of $1.5 billion (about N300 billion), and is projected that the capital will increase to $5 billion (N1 trillion) in the medium term and, ultimately, to N2 trillion in 10 years.

    DBN will support the medium to long-term lending needs of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with duration of  about 10 years and moratorium period of about 18 months.

    It will also allow MSMEs a breathing period before they start repaying and also allow them to match loans terms with longer term investment cycles.

    The DBN will  lend to  specialised institutions of the Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Bank of Agriculture, (BoA) and the commercial banks for lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

    In the first five years of operation, the DBN is expected to disburse over 200,000 new loans to MSMEs, and with each SME creating an average of five new jobs, it is expected that the DBN will result in one million direct jobs being created, as well as several more indirect jobs.

    President Jonathan said  he was passionate about the DBN as it represents a milestone in his administration’s efforts to empower MSMEs,  saing it forms the backbone of Nigeria’s economy.

    He said: “The  recent re-basing of our economy exercise confirms  the importance of MSMEs sector for our national economy. Currently Nigeria has 17 million of these businesses which contributes about 45 per cent of our GDP and employ about six per cent of our labour force.

    The Finance Minister and the Coordinator of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said that the establishment of the bank was for a robust finance backing for small and medium enterprises.

    She said that the wholesale developmental institution plans to offer loans to at least 20,000 beneficiaries in the first one year of its operations and to start business in the next nine months.

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said the BoI gave out over N400 billion loans in the last four years to businesses in the country.

    The Vice President of the ADB, Solomon Asamoah, said the new bank would contribute to closing funding gaps for Nigeria’s SMEs and also help to create jobs.

    The CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said that the Bank would join others in channelling needed funding to the SMES.

    “We will ensure they get they required support in channeling the badly needed funding for the SMEs in unrestricted way. As the DBN are said to have succeeded in other countries, it will succeed here because they have taken global success stories to improve on them. The Federal Government is hopeful that the jinks on financial will be broken in the 10 years tenure of the DBN,” he said.

  • Can Jonathan win this election?

    Can Jonathan win this election?

    The stage is set for the presidential poll. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his main challenger, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, are on the last lap of mobilisation across the six geo-political zones. Unlike in 2011, the President faces more hurdles. Amid the popular clamour for change, can he weather the storm? Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu highlights the major issues that will shape the contest.

    NIGERIA, the most populous African nation-state, will decide on its future on Saturday. Consensus may be difficult at the critical poll. This is due to its plurality and inherent conflicts of interests among stakeholders. There are divergent perceptions about the issues on the front burner. These may be moderated by such stronger factors as ethnicity and religious leanings. There seems to be a balance of strength and wit. But, at the close of polls, it is expected that voters would have either voted to retain the status quo or change for a better future.

    The election is taking place at a critical period. The nation is in despair. The economy is on crutches. Other sectors are ailing. Electricity is beyond reach. Other social infrastructure have collapsed. Many of the states cannot pay salaries. Many graduates face a bleak future. The jobs are not just  there. Corruption is soaring in high places. Nigeria has almost become a laughing stock in the international community. Insecurity has driven away investments. It is the tragedy of a promising country; a country endowed with vast human talents and natural endowment, but lacking the right leadership.

    According to the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, N360 billion is spent on the procurement of generators and diesels for 708 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). In this years Budget, 84 per cent is earmarked for recurrent expenditure while 16 per cent is for capital expenditure. Irked by these figures, the Chairman of the Committee,  Opeyemi Bamidele, said that the President has bad advisers.

    “Who are the people advising the President? These figures are scaring and scandalous. Nigeria is bleeding,” he said.

    Four years ago, the choice before Nigerians was narrow. However, the diverse people of the highly heterogeneous country now have two options. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, who assumed the reins, following the death of his predecessor, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua. He is fighting for survival. His second term bid appears to be a Herculean task, unlike in 2011, when certain factors worked in his favour. His challenger, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), seems to be waxing stronger as the rallying point for the formidable opposition party – the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

    Core issues

     

    In 2011, many factors shaped the presidential election. These included the succession battle following Yar’Adua’s demise, the voting history of the electorate, states and regions; ethnic leaning, political sentiment, perception of the people about the leading candidates, and Southwest sympathy for the President. But, some of the factors have faded away.

    When Yar’Adua died after a protracted illness, the mantle fell on Dr. Jonathan. Although Northern elements in the ruling PDP demanded for a successor from the North, the agitation was devoid of logic and it ran contrary to the constitution. The doctrine of necessity was invoked to elevate the former vice president to an acting president in his principal’s long absence. When he was eventually catapulted to the front seat, preparations for the general elections of 2011 had started. The PDP considered him as the proper person to fly its flag, owing to the incumbency factor.

     

    Ethnicity

     

    Ethnic jingoism was another key factor. The sentiment was fueled in the Southsouth that the son of the soil was thrown up by fate at a time the region was clamouring for a sense of belonging under the fragile federation. It was a taboo for any Southsoutherner to raise a dissenting voice. The President appropriated the bloc goodwill flowing from regional solidarity. Today, that sentiment has evaporated. Addressing some youths in Abuja, Festus Keyamo, a lawyer- politician, said Nigerians will not vote for any candidate because of his tribal background. He said the pattern of voting will reveal that people have rejected ethnic sentiment. The lawyer, who is from the oil-rich Niger Delta, said Nigerians will vote for intelligent leaders who can perform.

    The ethnic card being played by the President in this electioneering may have also backfired. How to share the carrot thrown at the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Ndigbo groups, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and monarchs in the Southwest is now a bone of contention. The strategy became counter-productive in the Southwest. As the OPC was on rampage, vandalising APC campaign posters, billboards and other materials, many people contented that a vote for the PDP will be a vote for terror.

     

    Religion

     

    Also gone with the wind is the religious bigotry of 2011. There was a campaign of calumny, which was to the advantage of the PDP candidate. Christians demanded for power shift based on religion. Spin doctors went into town, sensitising people into the barriers being mounted by Muslims against a Christian candidate. The South caught the bug.

    According to analysts, the strong sentiment and sympathy for the President in the politically conscious Southwest was hinged on regional altruism. The people of the Southwest rose up as defenders of the minority interest, which Dr. Jonathan represented. In their view, the President has just settled down, after men of goodwill liberated his administration from the jaw of cabals. Thus, he deserved the opportunity to try his luck at the polls as a matter of right, and in accordance with the constitution.

    Reality may have dawned on the zone that it had a wrong perception of the Commander-in-Chief. The number one citizen had evoked passion when he humbly approached voters for support. He described himself as the poorest of the poor; a shoeless boy from Otuoke, Bayelsa State, who through the grace of education, dint of hard work and sheer fate, rose to stardom. Many Nigerians deiced to identify with his aspiration. But, it appeared that they had deluded themselves into thinking that the poor boy from the pauperised clan would redress the injustice of poverty and make life abundant for all.

     

    Serious competition

     

    At the presidential election, President Jonathan got 22.5 million votes. Despite all these factors, Gen. Buhari, who contested on the platform of a seemingly fragile party, the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), scored 12.2 million votes. The former military Head of State’s performance in the South was woeful. The candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was like a spectator on poll day. He got 2.1 million votes.

    The analysis of the pre-2015 voting pattern showed that Dr. Jonathan benefitted from multiple goodwill. He was a formidable candidate. Many thought that he had the experience, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and president. Then, the PDP was also a formidable platform. Indeed, other parties trembled before the ruling party because of its indomitable arsenal, structure and resources.

    When the North objected to the President’s candidature, former President Olusegun Obasanjo became his armour bearer in that region. He was his campaign manager. The former President wielded enormous influence among PDP leaders in the North. He was instrumental to the ascension of many governors, senators and ministers in the zone. It was therefore easy for the former PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman to pacify  aggrieved  chieftains pushing for power shift in the post-Yar’dua period. Obasanjo was also Dr. Jonathan’s coach up to the presidential primaries. To neutralise his opponent at the shadow poll, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo would rise from his seat to speak some words into the President’s ears at that moment of anxiety and tension. Thus, President Jonathan defeated the Turaki Adamawa at the primaries.

    On the election day, Ribadu was no match for him. But, Gen Buhari put up a good fight. Many factors worked against the retired General. His CPC was very weak in the South. The former Head of State was like a lone ranger. He mooted an alliance with the defunct ACN, but it floundered. When the ACN/CPC deal collapsed, it was said that the General has not learned the ropes. According to sources, he was deficient in partisan negotiation and political abnegation. He was less inflexible and more condescending. Gen. Buhari had no foot soldiers beyond some states in the North, where he had fanatical loyalists. The media rated him as a candidate who would struggle, but without success.

     

    Strong opposition

     

    Also, Gen. Buhari’s campaigns were not vigorous. The CPC was hurriedly put together, following the contradiction in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). It was a defective structure in the sense that it lacked a national outlook. The CPC was a sectional platform. The CPC standard bearer was not perceived as a formidable opponent across the six geo-political zones. Despite his success in some Northern states, he could not muster an equivalent electoral strength below the Niger.

    In 2011, many perceived Gen. Buhari as a Northern irredentist and a religious bigot. No effort was made to debunk the allegations. The propaganda, in part, succeeded. But, he made a spirited appeal to populism. He mounted the rostrum, calling attention to his personal lifestyle. He said he has not made money at the expense of the country while in public service. Only a few cared to listen to his message.

    When Buhari also selected a running mate, it was a wrong choice. His running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, a lawyer-turned preacher and a Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly is not in the class of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). A brilliant commentator, he is not known to be a politician. Bakare was not a political asset, despite his popularity in the pro-democracy family.

     

    Break from the past

     

    But, it is a clean break from the past. Things are changing.  Gen. Buhari now has foot soldiers. On his side are veterans in the art of winning elections. His party, the APC, is bigger, solid and more formidable than the CPC. The merger has been successful. Unlike the PDP, it is not troubled by crisis. Defections from the APC has not decimated it in a way that its chances will be grossly affected at the polls.

    In contrast, PDP has not recovered from the mass defection. The party is a shadow of itself. Since the President has not lived up to expectation, the incumbency factor is waning. The collapse of the incumbency factor is underscored by the way and manner the President and other PDP chieftains have been running from pillar to post. In the past, President Jonathan never experienced much stressful campaigns. It is a different ball game in this electioneering.

     

    New permutations

     

    The permutations in the battle ground states of Edo, Rivers, Ekiti and Ondo may have also been altered, to the consternation of the PDP. In Edo, the calculus has changed. Between President Jonathan and Governor Adams Oshiomhole, there is a clash of interests. The governor is in charge, despite the PDP’s rebellion. In 2011, the comrade-governor could not move against Dr. Jonathan. The state could not dump a kinsman from Bayelsa for an opponent from Adamawa. In the Southsouth state, governorship election will not hold. But, for Oshiomhole to survive in the post-2015 era, APC parliamentary candidates must scale through at the polls. Indded, the ruling party in Edo has formidable candidates for the elections. It is relatively easier for the governor to approach voters for support because he has performed.

    Stakeholders have applauded the governor for his giant strides. The same has not been said of the President. In fact, last week, the Benin royal palace denied that it has endorsed the President for a second term.

    In Rivers, PDP has been balkanised, ahead of the polls. The defection of the governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and prominent chieftains to the APC, has decimated the chapter. Unlike 2011, when the PDP harvested a miraculous two million bloc votes, there will be a stiff competition for power in the oil-rich state at the general elections. In Rivers, APC has formidable governorship and parliamentary candidates.

    Ondo State will also be an interesting battle field. In 2011, Governor Olusegun Mimiko worked for the President as a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP). Few months ago, he defected to the PDP. His defection enlarged the PDP’s coast. But, the party also became fractionalised. Aggrieved chieftains have been grumbling that the governor has come to lord it over them. During the primaries, there was confusion. Reconciliation has not been effected. Besides, the presidential election is not standing alone. As people vote for the presidential candidates, they are also expected to elect lawmakers. The arrangement may confuse rural voters.

    The election will not be a walk over for any of the candidates. But, unlike 2011, the President will not have an easy ride.

  • Presidential election: PDP’s last card

    Presidential election: PDP’s last card

    From popular outcry, President Goodluck  Jonathan had promised Nigerians and the international community that the elections on March 28 and April 11 will hold; that Prof Attahiru Jega will not be removed or sent on terminal leave when the elections are just around the corner. I had told Nigerians and the international community that President Jonathan could not be trusted in his promises, as he will always go behind his promises to initiate or instigate moves that will undermine his own promises. How can we explain the Pro-Jonathan’s protest by the Oodua Peeple’s Congress (OPC) for the removal of Jega as the nation witnessed in Lagos on  March 16, which was meant to scuttle the March 28 and April 11 elections he has promised will hold?

    When it dawned on the President and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the use of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and Smart Card Readers (obviously meant to bring about free, fair and credible elections, devoid of rigging) was a foregone conclusion, protests and court cases were instigated by the presidency and the PDP to stop the use of these technological devices which ought to have been supported by the President who, himself, once promised to tackle corruption with the same technology he is now afraid of, simply because the use of the SCRs will not allow those who had cloned and bought PVCs to use them without being detected at the elections.  Just because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the people of Nigeria and the international community have insisted on the use of these technological devices for the elections of March 28 and April 11, and that under no circumstance should these elections be subjected to another postponement, the PDP’s last important card is its attempt to create confusion of monumental proportion on the day of election.

    The plan is to ensure that SCRs do not work on the days of elections, in order to justify their morbid fears about the use of the SCRs that will expose their rigging plans. Now, the All Peoples Congress (APC) has accused President Jonathan’s administration and the PDP of planning to jam the machines on voting days for which an Israeli has been hired. The Israeli “had developed three prototype SCRs jammers to be carried in the pockets of trusted PDP chiefs on election days to disable the SCRs so as to justify the PDP’s fears about the Card Readers” (The Nation, Tuesday, March 17, pages1&4). Besides disabling the SCRs, “the jammers will also disable all telephones, I-pads among others within the state’s radius of those carrying them on their persons”. The plan is to deploy the card jammers to the strongholds of the APC, like Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Rivers State and other suspected areas in the North, Southeast and Southsouth.

    The Israeli is already seen as a traitor to the international community interested in free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria, and “an enemy of Nigeria and Nigerians who do not mind if the nation burns, as long as he collected his pay”. For the production of 75,000 jammers, the nation would cough out $15 millon at $200 per jamming machine for the PDP! On this serious matter, Nigerians, the international community and the leadership of the INEC must see to it that none of the telephone service providers like MTN, GLO and ETISALAT cooperate or compromise with the Federal Government in this jamming game while the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) must steer clear of this shameful scenario. The leadership of INEC, with the cooperation of the international community, must provide counter jammers to the PDP jamming machine. Already, the international community and especially the United States (U.S.) have made it clear through Vice President Joe Biden, that INEC must use the PVCs and SCRs for the March 28 and April 11 elections in Nigeria (Punch, Friday, March 19, 2015, p.7)

    The questions that President Jonathan and PDP must answer at this eleventh hour are these: What plans do they have for successful elections that are free, fair and credible on March 28 and April 11? What plans do they have for creating crisis by using technology (jammers) to prevent the SCRs from working on March 28 and April 11? How actually prepared are they for these elections? And, finally, are they prepared to take responsibility for scuttling the March 28 and April 11 elections and the attendant consequences, should anything go wrong in accordance to their plan, wish or prayer? Or, by creating crisis at the coming election, do they hope that the army will take over in order to prevent any elections and Gen Muhammadu Buhari from being sworn in as the next President? It should be pointed out that any attempt to take over the government by the military will lead to a situation worse than those of the Arab Springs where the military and the police had no choice but to surrender to the superior force of the masses of the people who drove out President Mubarak and got him tried for crime against the Egyptian people by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba has said “no waiting at polling booths after voting” (Punch, March 20, p.2). Traditionally, electorate are expected to wait after casting their votes to ensure that their votes count and are counted. That is what INEC, the legally constituted authority to conduct and monitor elections in Nigeria, says. Voters are well protected by electoral – and not police – laws. The IGP should not usurp the powers of INEC and should be careful about his illegal directive which is not tenable, because what he is saying is that voters should not wait to monitor what happens to their votes and collect the results on the spot. This is yet another rigging device that must be thrown into the dustbin.

    On a final note, Nigerians must insist that election materials are delivered to the polling stations on time, as not doing so will affect those who are eager to cast their votes, especially if delays of election materials occur in the strongholds of the opposition party. The Federal Government must also be careful about the way it manipulates the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) for carrying news and advertisements about the PDP to the exclusion of the APC, because the NTA is for all Nigerians. Surely this policy of exclusion will backfire as it will further draw the wrath of Nigerians against the ruling party.  A word, we say, is enough for the wise!

     

    Moses Akinola Makinde is a professor of Philosophy and the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology & Good Governance, Osogbo, Osun State.