The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President

  • Mr President, lead us to Sambisa, not moon!

    SIR: It’s been a long while since May 25, 1961, when President John F. Kennedy fired the imagination of the United States of America, by publishing the goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade. Four and half decades have passed since July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon surface and said, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’’.

    The feasible race President Jonathan always told us we were in is the one to break into the league of 20 biggest economies in the world by 2020. We are five years close to that set year. In this re-election bid, Jonathan would have done well to lay out his plan to bring Nigeria closer to the attainment of that vision by 2019. He is, instead, advertizing a detour. He wants to take us to the moon!

    He didn’t define our mission to the moon, if only to flesh out the idea. He left us to figure out that. Maybe we are going to catch there to catch fun, to enjoy a walk on the moon without shoes.

    But a space detour is out of tune with the times. It suggests that President Jonathan is out of touch. Or, the one he is most likely to turn to for the list of the priorities of the average Nigerian youth, Boni Haruna, his 57-year old Minister of Youth Development, got it twisted.

    The reality is that Nigerian youths are not asking for the moon. We have never asked for what takes the equivalent of knowledge of rocket science to deliver. Citizens of other countries may ask too much of their leaders, but, not us. We ask nothing beyond a better terrestrial existence.

    We ask for the mundane things that other nationalities take for granted in this century. We ask for potable water, more hours of light, state recruitment process that doesn’t scam and kill applicants. We ask for hospitals that don’t leave patients to rot and die because doctors are on the umpteenth strike. Hospitals that are well resourced to treat all castes of fathers – my own father and the President’s 50-bedroom occupying, election time father.

    The moon can wait. The moon will become a destination to consider after we have humanized the Nigerian plane; after we have made it habitable for the overwhelming majority of the poor – the poor whose misery cannot be summarized by statistics.

    Ironically, President Jonathan is pitching astronomical adventure at a time when the foremost challenge of the country is how to assert dominion over the portion of the earth that the map says belongs to Nigeria.

    This moon talk serves well as filler to pad speaking lot. But the moon talk also indicates that escapism may have become the directional principle of state policy. Lord knows that President Jonathan is yet to exhaust ripe candidate sites in Nigeria. The 200 plus school girls abducted on April 15, 2014 are still in Zambisa forest. They have remained virtual sex slaves of their brute captors. The government hates to be reminded that they are responsible for rescuing them. So, #BringBackOurGirls campaigners are treated as dissidents.

    Of course, Chibok girls are now a catchall metaphor for, and the sole name of, all those carted away by the terrorists. Before that school invasion, kidnappings had been happening in that axis. But because Nigeria could not quantify the value of its lost citizenry as easily as barrels of stolen crude, the people did not matter.

    The moon safari tickles Jonathan because though he lives in Nigeria, he doesn’t live like a Nigerian. He has guards watching over him round the clock. He doesn’t know firsthand what it means to escape with burns from a hut set ablaze in the dead of the night. He has all the creature comforts petrodollars can buy. If he wanted a new jet, it shows up in the budget. And if he wanted to eat more food than he did last year, he would make his food bill higher by 7.4%.

    It is ludicrous that the President is promising space exploration when he and the entire armed forces he leads have proved incapable of the exploring a nearby forest where our daughters have been hostage for nine months. It’s absurd to have to say this but the Commander-in-Chief needs to know that what matters most right now is securing Nigerians within Nigeria. To redeem our country from terror: To recover our girls from Sambisa. Not going to the moon.

    • Emmanuel Uchenna Ugwu

    immaugwu@gmail.com

  • The President was here

    On December 14, 2006, this paper hosted then Bayelsa State Governor Goodluck Jonathan, who was on his way to Abuja for his party’s national convention, where its presidential candidate would be picked. Jonathan was not among the contenders for the top job.  He was going there as a delegate and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa. Moreover, he had picked the party’s governorship ticket for the state.

    So, Jonathan was going to Abuja for the fun of it  and to vote for the candidate of his choice. Little did we know that he would become a candidate in that election. That is how God works; He does His things in the way He only understands. When Jonathan was here that December 14, it never crossed his mind that he would pair the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to contest the 2007 presidential election.

    On what to expect at the December 16 PDP national convention, all he said was may the best candidate win. He, however, spoke of his preference for one of the contesting outgoing governors to emerge as candidate. Truly, one of the governors, the late Yar’Adua, who was then the chief executive of Katsina State, picked the ticket. His choice of Jonathan as running mate, it appears, was preordained. If not, the late Yar’Adua would not have chosen him. Perhaps, his name Goodluck did the magic.

    Of course, Jonathan has been a lucky person all his life. His good fortune in recent times shows how far people’s names can carry them. Over eight years after his visit here, Jonathan is on another campaign. His whistle-stop campaign took off in Lagos last Thursday. He chose Lagos for political reasons not that he loves the state and its people that much. If he truly loves Lagos as he wants the people to believe, why then has he not paid the  money being owed the state by the Federal Government by now?

    Lagos and the 35 other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will  not just be there for the picking of the president and his party. For the electorate to vote for him, he has to tell them what he has  done in the past six years. What has he done that should make the people vote for him? At his Lagos rally, he said he would address the crowd on three key issues of corruption, security and infrastructure development. He failed to live up to his word; rather he resorted to reacting to criticisms and attacking the opposition.

    What really are Jonathan’s plan for the country? What does he intend to do after six years in office without anything to show for it? Is he just seeking to return to office for the sake of it? Yes, it is good to bear the title of president, but it comes at a price. Being president is not a tea party. It is a demanding job.  The office demands a lot of sacrifice from its occupant, who  must be ready to work, until he drops dead, if need be. The country he seeks to lead must come first, always, no matter what. In the past six years, Jonathan has shown that he is not that kind of leader. He is a jolly good fellow, no doubt, but that does not do the job.

    We need an all – hands on president and after trying him for over 55 months, he has failed this litmus test. Jonathan does not have anything to offer. It is obvious that he is tired and that he needs a  rest. But those benefiting from the system feel that all is well. What else  do we expect from such bootlickers? As long as they get free money  they will praise the president to high heavens. Not only that, they can even sell their mothers for filthy lucre.

    We can all see what the Transformation Ambassadors of this world are doing. To these people, Jonathan is the best thing to have ever happened to Nigeria. Jonathan, they say, has rehabilitated the Ore-Benin road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Nigeria Railway Corporation; tackled terrorism to a halt and improved security. Those behind the  Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) know all too well that they are lying. There is nothing on ground to support their claim. If there were, Jonathan would have pointed them out at his ongoing campaign.

    Let us start with corruption and security on which he spoke at his Lagos rally. The President did not tell us what he has done to tackle these problems. Rather than say what he has done or intends to do, he got busy throwing barbs at his critics. ‘’They talked about insecurity’’, he began. ‘’They said they will fight insecurity. And I ask, are our armed forces weak? If we have problems, what is the cause? Equipment. Somebody who told young people that he is going to fight insecurity, ask him if he bought one rifle for Nigerian soldiers when he was Head of State. These people did not buy anything for Nigerian soldiers. They refused to equip them. Ask them what they did with their defence budget.

    ‘’They said my government is corrupt and that we are not fighting corruption. Only yesterday, I addressed anti-corruption agencies and told them that people are deceiving young Nigerians. I said that they must tell Nigerians what they are doing. We have arrested more people and done more convictions…If somebody tells you that the best way to fight corruption is to come and arrest your uncle and father and show him on television and jail him, it won’t stop corruption. It even encourages corruption’’.

    Are we not in trouble if the President can,  on a live radio and television programme,  refer to stealing as a minor matter? To him, stealing is not corruption. ‘’What they are calling corruption is petty stealing’’, he said on the Presidential Media Chat not too long ago. Stealing is stealing, sir.  There is nothing  like petty stealing just as there is nothing  like petty robbery. What is petty in taking something that does not belong to you? You do not take something that does not belong to you without the owner’s permission. Going by our president’s definition of stealing, that is permissible.

    So, if members of his cabinet take what does not belong to them, he will look the other way!  This is what I understand the President to be saying with his definition of stealing. If he overlooks ‘’petty stealing’’ because the amount involved is small, will he have the will to act when a huge sum is stolen? Is this the kind of president we deserve? Your answer is as good as mine.

  • President to Nigerians: we’ll get to Promised Land

    President to Nigerians: we’ll get to Promised Land

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday reassured Nigerians that the nation will get to the Promised Land despite the obstacles and challenges.

    He spoke at the thanksgiving service for his daughter, Inebharapu, at the Anglican Church the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

    The President noted that the whole world is currently being challenged and that with the prayer of Nigerians, the country will overcome its challenges.

    He said: “I’m not here to make a political statement but only to thank you my brothers and sisters and to continue to pray for our great country. This is a period in which the whole world is being challenged, just like some of the passages we read. Whenever I think about all these happenings in Nigeria I remember the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.

    “When God promised they were going to be given a land full of milk and honey, ordinarily one would have expected them to walk in and get the milk and honey. But they had to cross the Red Sea; that was a challenge; they had to meet people like Annas and others; that was a big challenge but because God wanted them to be there they were able to get there.

    “Surely, we’ll get to where we want to go as a nation. We may have the road bumps, we may have the obstacles but we will crush them and pass them. All what we request is your continued support and your prayers, and we promise we’ll continue to do our best.”

    Speaking on the thanksgiving, he said: “We were here before, and today we are here again because my son and my daughter were joined in holy matrimony yesterday by His Grace, who was the presiding priest and assisted by other men of God. It was a joyful occasion because marriage in Christendom takes a long journey.

    “We started this journey in the village where we had to fulfill the traditional obligation to show that a girl was properly given out to the man. Then yesterday we had the real marriage followed by the little reception.

    “All these processes went through successfully. Up to this time, I have not heard of any incident and I ask you to join me to pray as the people are going back home today, there should be no incident.”

    The Church’s Sub-Dean, Ven. Emmanuel Adekola, in his sermon entitled: “Times of stress and the second coming of Christ,” taken from II Timothy 3:1-5, noted that the perilous times are already here.

    Warning that Nigerians have turned away from all that is good, he said the word of God remained the standard for the judgment of all.

    According to him, the deviation from the scriptures and corruption of the word of God being currently witnessed has been in existence before now.

    He warned the congregation to be weary of fake prophets that will masquerade as messiahs in their day-to-day life.

    He said: “Many people will be perturbed with what is happening in the world and false prophets will set in because people are looking for answers. People masquerading as messiahs have come up. We must not be swept off our feet by speculative teachings.

    “Killing in the name of God is ongoing. But the word of Jesus is for us to hold on to our faith.

    “We are witnessing insurgency in the North. People are suffering for the sake of their faith. France had its share last week when some journalists, security agents and hostages were killed.

    “Darkness cannot overshadow light. Evil cannot prevail over good. The promise of Christ’s return will surely come to pass, no matter how long.”

    Adekola urged the congregation to live holy and godly life, saying that is what the nation needs at this time.

    The cleric also charged them to be watchful and be on guard as they anticipate His coming, which he described as the glorious hope of the church.

    The text for the service, taken from II Timothy 3:1-5 was read by the President’s wife, Dame Patience.

    Prayers were rendered for the President, the church and the nation.

    At the service were: Jonathan’s mother, Eunice; the new couple; Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Jones Arogbofa (rtd.); the President’s Chief Physician, Dr. Fortune Fiberesima; the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy-Opara; government officials and presidential aides.

  • A president Nigeria needs

    SIR: The opinion recently expressed by the national secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),  Professor Wale Oladipo that president GEJ, a PhD holder, will be contesting against a semi-illiterate presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari, has brought to the fore the germane issue of whether Nigeria really needs a PhD holder to lead her or it needs a capable person whose eyes are  focused on fixing the country –  even with a minimum level of education – as required by the constitution.

    Professor Ladipo, like every other citizen of this country, has a right to his opinion. However, one would expect a person who answers to the highest level of academic title to come up with a sound opinion that reflects that level of educational attainment whenever he speaks in the public. But when the reverse is the case then something must be wrong.

    No doubt one of the problems we have in this country is the too much emphasis we lay on paper qualification rather than skill or what a person is capable of doing. And this has grossly affected our growth both at individual and organisational level and even in some cases up to governmental level. We seem to be obsessed with academic title instead of individual gift and ability. And any country that promotes this world-view will stay longer than necessary in the wilderness.

    At organisational level rather than for the management to employ you based on your capacity; what you can offer the company they are more interested in your level of education. So some people who by virtue of their talents would have turned the fortune of a particular company around have been refused employment because they couldn’t tender a load of certificates.

    In this country today we have reached a stage that we must avoid the mistake of laying emphasis on a load of certificates as a prerequisite for leadership position. The minimum level of education anyone needs to lead this country is secondary school certificate. That’s what the constitution says and it isn’t compulsory to have loads of degrees. As a matter of fact no one needs a load of degrees to perform in office.

    Examples abound in history of leaders who were never academic geniuses but who performed to, or even beyond the expectations of their people. We have heard of the former British Prime minister, Winston Churchill who was not all that good academically but did well in office. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not a PhD holder when he showed exemplary leadership as the Premier of old Western region. Neither was he a SAN then.

    For me I think the most important thing for a leader to have is compassion. With the minimum education as constitutionally required all that Nigeria needs is a compassionate leader who will have the interest of the people at heart.

    Former petroleum Minister, Tam David West in one of the interviews he granted a prominent Nigerian news magazine, had once said it that a leader doesn’t need to have a PhD to know that he has to provide potable water, shelter, good roads, good education and other amenities for his people. Truly like the revered Professor of virology said, a leader doesn’t need to be a Professor or a PhD holder to be able to provide security and welfare for his people.

    I personally think that Professor Oladipo goofed substantially by referring to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as semi-illiterate. Such a statement is least expected from a person of his academic calibre. Nigeria doesn’t need a person with a basket load of academic qualifications to get it out of the woods. We only need a compassionate leader; a leader that is disciplined and patriotic.

     

    • Kola Odepeju,

    Lagos

  • President receives 2014 hajj report

    President receives 2014 hajj report

    President Goodluck Jonathan has received the 2014 Hajj report from the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He promised that his administration will take a look at the report and address the issues raised.

    The President also sought for prayers against terror and for peaceful conduct of next month’s general elections.

    He said: “I thank you for the report you have put together, well packaged and of course, the Sultan has made the Presentation. It is a summary of the whole document.

    “But we take the Hajj operations very seriously, so all the issues raised here, we will look at it. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation usually do a thorough analysis of it and come up with specific recommendations on what government should do.”

    “So your eminence, be rest assured that all your observations, which I will not want you to repeat, will be dealt with. Because the government believes that we must encourage religious practice in our country.”

    “I charge you as religious leaders to continue to pray for the country. The excess of criminality in the North; we have issues of terror. In the South, we have issues of kidnapping. These are issues being pushed by negative forces. No person, who is really religious in any of the religions, can willingly go and kill.”

    Jonathan added: “We must continue to pray for the peace of the country, especially as we face the general elections this year. Anytime you open the papers, it is as if the country wants to burn. But, Nigeria will surely be safe; Nigeria will surely be united and we will prosecute the election in the end.”

    The Sultan thanked the president for supporting the Hajj operations, saying: “We have seen tremendous achievements and progress, since we started the hajj operations under National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.  It couldn’t have been possible without your total commitment and support.

    He told the president that the Hajj operations went smoothly and was very successful, despite the earlier challenges of the Ebola scare,” which delayed airlift by over a week to 10 days.”

    He added that the commission also encountered some challenges, which were enumerated in the 2014 report.

  • If I were NANS president

    The National Association of Nigerian Students has elected new officers to pilot the affairs of the apex Nigerian students’ organisation and the largest black students’ movement in Africa. NANS used to be one of the strongest unions in Nigeria that stood and fought for justice, good governance, rule of law and struggle for the greater interest and welfare of the Nigerian students. But today the reverse is the case.

    If I were Comrade Tijani Usman, the newly elected president of NANS, my eecutives and I would work tirelessly to repair the image of NANS. The country and other parts of the world now see NANS as a political tool and a toothless bull dog. As the president, I will look back and learn from the past, establish good and cordial relationship with students and allied students’ groups. We will together repair the image of the largest students’ organisation in Africa. We will put an end to the bogus award-giving NANS and usher in a new era in students’ unionism.

    One of my focal objectives as NANS president would also be to have a direct impact on my students. The best way I could do this is by ensuring that intimidation, sexual harassment, exploitation of all kinds, witch hunting, suspension and unjustifiable rustication of students in our nation campuses become a thing of the past. This will also make NANS embark on meaningful projects that would have direct impact on the lives of Nigerian students. And until that is achieved, many students will not see reasons to participate in NANS movement.

    The history of Nigeria will be in complete without mentioning NUNS which metamorphosed into NANS. This is because of the active and pivotal role the then NANS played in the democratisation process of this country. So if I were the NANS president, I will make sure the union and comrades under this association speak out loud on issues that affect the students, the society and the country at large. I will bring NANS back to those good old days, those times when NANS was a respected crusader for the gospel of change. Therefore, NANS will speak when necessary, because the future would have no pity for those men who possessing the exceptional privilege of being able to speak the truth to their oppressor, but have taken refuge in passivity of mute indifference, and sometimes, cold complicity.

    As NANS president, I can be described as a freedom fighter. And according to Ayatollah, “revolution is the religion of fighters for freedom, who pursue justice and righteousness, the religion of those who crave freedom and the school of resisters of exploiters”. So “peaceful revolution” for a better Nigeria is going to be among our objectives. As president, I shall make sure my vibrant and intelligent executives, stakeholders and comrades across the country stand against corruption, injustice, bad leadership and injustice of any kind in our democratic experiment.

    In the words of Prof Wole Soyinka, “the man dies in all who keeps silent in the face of tyranny… in any people that submit willingly to the daily humiliation of fear, the man dies”. My administration is going to have zero tolerance for maltreatment, intermittent wounding, maiming and killing of Nigerian students by government forces or due to negligence on the part of government agencies. In this regard, I will embark on nation-wide sensitisation of NANS officials, establish and maintain good relationship with security agencies and use my noble office to make sure government agencies like Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) do what is expected of them to reduce and prevent early death of my students. When all these are done, and the aforementioned still, then we shall be confrontational and ensure any one, government agencies or security personnel that intermediate, maim, wound or kill our student are brought to justice.

    It is no doubt that Nigeria as a country is facing a myriad of challenges ranging from insecurity to unemployment crisis. If I were the NANS President, part of my plan will be to integrate the country and close every gap created by ethnic and religious tussles. NANS shall organise intellectual programmes, seminars and workshops to bring various regional campuses together. When this is done, the unity of the country will be strengthened and when there is unity, the security challenges we currently face, are half way solved.

    If I were NANS President, I will lead with zero tolerance for corruption and would never compromise my integrity for fleeting wads of naira notes. Once NANS is not corrupted, compromised, betrayed, miffed and hijacked by the Federal Government, then the association will be able to perform effectively as expected.

    History has it that national association of Nigerian students has always been an advocate for good governance. My reign as the NANS president will make sure that the association regains its pride of place as a campaigner for true and lasting democracy. Therefore, we shall get involved in policy implementation and make Nigeria a better country for its people. As a consummate grass root mobiliser, NANS under my watch, would rally Nigerian students to support good governance and reject every bad administration.

    Since Iam not NANS president, I urge its new president Tijani Usman, other executives and stakeholders, to make good use of this opportunity given to them to change NANS for good. They should consider some of these points as advice on what they can do to bring back the lost glory of the famous National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). The best part of activism is for one to make sure that his or her name is inscribed in history books. Let us continue the struggle and God willing, victory will surely be ours.

     

    Abdulrahman just finished from Mass Comm., ABU Zaria

     

  • Union president impeached

    The crisis rocking the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Nnamdi Azikiwi University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State deepened last Friday, following the impeachment of the union president, Chukwunonso Ibe.

    The union has been embroiled in crisis since the Speaker of the parliament set up a committee to investigate allegation of embezzlement leveled again Chukwunonso. The embattled union president appeared before the committee but walked out later, threatening to resign.

    Event took a dramatic turn when members of Student Representatives’ Council (SRC) reconvened on Friday and impeached Chukwunonso, a week before the end of his tenure.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the embattled president appeared before the parliament members on Thursday to answer the allegations against him, but he excused himself to attend a quiz contest. The parliament members held a close-door sitting the following day to impeach the president.

    It was gathered that members of the parliament deliberated on the president’s impeachment amid tense atmosphere. According to a document signed by SRC members, Chukwunonso was found guilty of gross misconduct, neglect of duties, personalisation of union properties and misappropriation of funds.

    The SRC members ordered the impeached president to return all the properties of the union in his care within 24 hours. The Vice President, Queen Agulefo, was asked to be sworn in as president.

    Although, Chukwunonso did not offer extensive explanation about his innocence, but he has continued to deny all allegations levelled against him with details.

  • Time for a strong President?

    Time for a strong President?

    SIR: Strong democratic institutions are very important in a democratic state; but if a nation is in a precarious situation- especially war time, a strong leader is most needed. The absence of a strong leadership that could produce a spiralling effect on Nigeria’s war against insurgency is the main cause of the current chaotic security situation in Nigeria’s North-east. The current scary situation would not have become this messy, had it been that we have strong leadership.

    Some people are of the view that President Goodluck Jonathan appears not to be on top of issues of statecraft when it comes to tackling the growing violence of a frightening magnitude, fuelled by few hundred ragtag insurgents. This view is not an attempt to cast aspersions on the exalted office of the President; neither does it suggest that the President should have applied iron-hand in his style of leadership. But the fact is that we have allowed insurgents to unjustifiably kill Nigerians; annex their lands and humbled our gallant military thereby making Nigeria appear a weak country. Indeed, the situation has given the insurgents the control of the course of war in the north-east.

    Some schools of thought may argue that Nigeria’s peculiar political environment and the prevailing political situation are what make the President appear not to be on top of the war. A strong leader could have intelligently used both the carrot and stick approach and avoid the current situation which has brought confusion in the minds of most Nigerians. Is the government really in-charge of the nation’s affairs?

    The current frightening insecurity in Nigeria has taught Nigerians a big lesson. Few months from now, Nigeria will elect a new President, there is hope that Nigerians can turn things around; insist and vote for a strong President regardless of ethnic, religious or geographical considerations. Even though the Nigerian political environment, most especially, the choice of who occupies the seat of the President has so much been polluted with mundane issues and lack of political progressivism, Nigerians must insist for a strong leader. Nigerians must choose a President and Commander-in-Chief with the ability to inspire enthusiasm in Nigerians with just a wink of an eye, an individual with vision for the future, who can go the extra mile to get things done, one that can differentiate between reality and smokescreen and also remain positive in the public eye, no matter what the situation may be.

    When Nigeria has such a President, development issues will quickly replace mundane ones in our polity; ragtag insurgents will be decimated within days and Nigeria will be returned to normalcy, with her lost respect in the global eyes restored. Though, for Nigeria to have such a President come 2015, we need only one thing- Nigerians vote with their ‘heads’ not with their ‘hearts’

     

    • Zayyad I,

     Jimeta, Adamawa State,

  • Let’s have our own president in 2015

    SIR: Since the 1914 amalgamation by Nigeria’s colonial masters, life has not remained the same for her people. The colonialists sought to bring the different tribes together for the smooth administration and exploitation of the country.

    The people were hardly consulted, neither were they given the opportunity to discuss the terms of their coming together. Many people had expected the colonial masters to take steps to foster unity and instill a feeling of oneness among the people. Sadly, they didn’t. Instead of uniting the people, the colonial masters, for selfish reasons, further planted division among the people. People were taught to regard those from their ethnic group more than others. In every engagement, regional interest towers above national consideration. People were ready to die for their regions and none was ready to die for Nigeria. The nationalists of that time were seen more as ethnic and not national heroes. All tribes lived in mutual suspicion of one another. Lies and baseless rumours were fabricated and shared with reckless abandon against one another, and many people fell for it.

    This was the situation in the pre-independence Nigeria. After independence, the situation did not change. Instead coming together and ensuring that the ‘new’ country breeds progress and development, most nationalist and anti-colonialism fighters withdrew to their regions to propagate regional and not national interest.

    There was hardly anyone genuinely championing the Nigerian cause. It was either a Northern, Southern or Western region affair; there was no Nigerian affair.

    This state of affairs has continued till date. At every stage of our national life, issues of regionalism and tribalism take the center stage against national interest. Merit and competence is slaughtered on the altar of religion, tribalism and nepotism. One area where this is prominent is in elections. During elections, people are more concerned about the ethnicity and region the candidate belongs to, and not his or her competence.

    All the leaders we have had as a country are/were products of this faulty mindset. We are yet to enjoy the dividends of having a true and genuine Nigerian leader and president, one who will not be judged by where he comes from, but by the love and interest he has for the country. We need a president who will not play the ethnic or religious card when he assumes office. One who will tell his people, that “although I am one of you, I am now for Nigeria and Nigerians and will operate as such for the next four or eight years.”

    We must note that a Nigerian president cannot emerge without a change in the orientation of the Nigerians. Until this happens, Nigeria will remain where it is; making motion without movement.

    As the 2015 elections approach, one hopes Nigerians will shove issues of regionalism, tribalism and religion aside and see through all the contestants for presidency and elect a true and genuine leader. We cannot continue to make the mistake of the past. 2015 offers us an opportunity to correct the mistakes we have been making since 1914. I pray Nigerians find their own president.

    • Frank Ijege

    frankijege@yahoo.com

     

  • Economy ‘not scary’, says China president

    The risks faced by China’s economy are not that scary and the government is confident it can head off the dangers, President Xi Jinping told global business leaders to dispel worries about the world’s second-largest economy.

    In a speech to chief executives at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, Xi said even if China’s economy were to grow seven per cent, that would still rank it at the forefront of the world’s economies.

    China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, has had a rocky year. Growth slid to a low not seen since the 2008/09 global financial crisis in the third quarter dragged by a housing slowdown, softening domestic demand and unsteady exports.

    Xi said: “Some people worry that China’s economic growth will fall further, can it climb over the ridge?  There are indeed risks, but it’s not so scary.

    “Even at growth of around seven per cent, regardless of speed or volume, (we) are among the best in the world,” he said, noting that China’s economy remained “stable”.

    The remarks from Xi came a day after data showed annual growth in Chinese exports and imports cooled in October, in another sign of fragility in the economy that could prompt policymakers to take further action to stoke growth.

    To shore up activity, policymakers have loosened monetary and fiscal policies since April to ensure that the economy can grow by around 7.5 per cent this year.

    Regional governments have accelerated spending on some infrastructure projects and abolished limits on the number of homes that Chinese can buy. The central bank has also injected short-term loans into banks to increase credit supply, and cut mortgage rates for some home buyers.

    Yet the results yielded have not been as good as some had hoped, fuelling speculation that China may have to cut interest rates or the reduce the amount of deposits that banks set aside as reserves – moves Beijing has denied are on the cards.

    Xi, who would sign off on any interest rate cut in China alongside the country’s elite decision-making Politburo, did not comment on the policy outlook, but stressed that his government was focused on reforms and that China was open for business.

    Underlining the country’s growing clout as an exporter of capital, he said China’s overseas direct investment was expected to hit $1.2 trillion in the next decade.

    After three decades of almost uninterrupted double-digit growth, China’s economy has lifted several hundred millions of Chinese from abject poverty, but also polluted the country’s air, land and waterways.

    The destruction of China’s environment and a yawning income gap has led Chinese authorities to promise to enact sweeping social, financial and economic reforms in the country that would be the most ambitious in three decades.

    “These reforms are gradually being put into effect project by project,” Xi said. “Once the bow is drawn, the arrow cannot be put back in the quiver; we will resolutely deepen reform.”

    Xi also sought to address concerns that China’s growing economic and diplomatic prowess could constitute a threat beyond its borders, saying that China is willing to have friendly relations with its neighbours.

    China has territorial disputes with many of its neighbours and has been much more aggressive in enforcing its claims in recent years.

    “China’s development brings enormous opportunities and benefits to the Asia Pacific and the world, and the business opportunities are lasting and limitless,” he said.