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Tag: Tafawa Balewa

  • INEC plans to cancel declared results in Bauchi, PDP alleges

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged moves by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel results already declared in the March 9 governorship and state assembly elections in Bauchi State.

    Bauchi is one of the six states where INEC declared the elections inconclusive, following the cancellation of results in the Tafawa Balewa local government area.

    Others states where the election was declared inconclusive are Benue, Kano, Adamawa, Sokoto and Plateau. INEC had fixed Mach 23 for supplementary election in the six states.

    At a media briefing in Abuja Friday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned the electoral body alleged attempts to tamper with the returned results or cancel already tallied results in 14 local governments, as declared by INEC.

    The main opposition party further warned the INEC to be mindful of the already charged atmosphere in Bauchi and the level of awareness among the electorate, stressing that any attempt to touch the already announced results will attract “serious consequences to the conspirators”.

    READ ALSO: PDP takes protest to INEC

    “Our party already have full information of plots by certain known top ranking officials of INEC, who have been bribed with huge sums of money by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to widen the scope of result cancellation beyond Tafawa Balewa to 14 more local government areas and hike the number of cancelled votes from 70,000 to 184, 555.

    “To achieve this, INEC has been instructed by the APC to cancel already declared results in 230 polling units in 15 LGAs, in the state, cause confusion and pave the way for the APC to manipulate the March 23 supplementary elections.

    “Seeing that our party, the PDP, and our candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, are inevitably coasting to victory, being that Tafawa Balewa is home to the PDP, the APC is instructing INEC to cancel elections in more local governments where it plans to manipulate the processes and allocate fictitious results for the APC at the March 23 polls.

    “The PDP states that such a wicked plot cannot stand, as the people of Bauchi state have fully rallied themselves for a firm resistance”, Ologbondiyan said.

    The opposition spokesman said the PDP was already in possession of a leaked document from the Bauchi INEC office, which exposed details of the plot against the people of Bauchi state.

    Continuing, the PDP said, “This plot further justifies our stance that even the cancellation of Tafawa Balewa results was orchestrated by the APC and INEC in the ignoble bid to forcefully rob the people of Bauchi state of their choice of the PDP candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed, as their governor.

    “It is public knowledge that by the results delivered at the polling units, Sen. Bala Mohammed was already leading with over 4,000 votes after results of 19 LGAs were collated and announced.

    “With Tafawa Balewa LGA, where the PDP scored 40,000 valid votes against the APC’s 29,000, it is clear that our party won the election with about 15,000 votes, only for the results of the Tafawa Balewa LGA to be cancelled by INEC for no just cause.

    “The PDP invites Nigerians to note that Tafawa Balewa result was cancelled by the state Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, who unilaterally ruled that there was no result for the LGA even when the Collation Officer, Mrs. Dominion Anosike, had informed the commission that there was no any incident of cancellation, violence or electoral malpractices at both the polling unit and ward levels.

    “Though the PDP vehemently rejects the cancellation of Tafawa Balewa, we stand with the people of Bauchi state, in the determination to go to the supplementary election on March 23 and reinforce our candidate’s victory in Tafawa Balewa LGA. This is in addition to the resolve to vehemently resist any attempt by INEC to tamper with already declared results in the other 19 local governments of state.

    “The PDP therefore urges the INEC fact-finding committee headed by a National Commissioner to be guided by the extant rules as established in court rulings that the polling units is a base of our elections and that once declaration has been made at the polling units and return of votes established, INEC no longer has powers to influence the results from such polling units.

    “Finally, the PDP counsels the APC to accept its defeat not only in Bauchi state but also in Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kano as well as Adamawa states, and end its shenanigans, as such will amount to naught.”

  • Dogara wins 4th term in Bauchi

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) was on Sunday declared winner of  Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Federal Constituency Bauchi.

    He polled 73,609 votes to secure a fourth consecutive term.

    He defeated his closest rival Dalhatu Kantana of the All Progressive Congress APC who bagged 50,708 votes.

    The returning officer, Professor Muhammed Abdulhamid declared Dogara the winner at the federal constituency collation centre in Zwall at Tafawa Balewa local government.

    The Speaker,  who decamped from  the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC  for the PDP  last year, coasted home in home town Bogoro  where APC polled 30,216 and PDP scored 25,829.

    In Dass LGA, APC polled 16,661, PDP got 10,222 while in Tafawa Balewa, APC got 30,201 PDP garnered 37,558 votes.

    INEC had earlier rescheduled election at a polling unit in Kopti for Sunday due to the failure of the smart card reader deployed, which delayed the collation of result.

    The Bauchi politician was first elected to the parliament in 2007 as a member of the PDP.

     He defected to the APC in 2014 as part of the new-PDP bloc that revolted ahead of the 2015 elections.

    Dogara has been in the Lower Chamber for 12 years, serving as Speaker in the last three and half years.

  • Indomie’s cash for scholarship promo kicks off

    Indomie’s cash for scholarship promo kicks off

    Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie Instant noodles has announced the kick-off of yet another exciting consumer enabling promotion tagged “Indomie Cash for Scholarship Promo” which is expected to run up till the month of April 2017.

    Consumers of Indomie Instant Noodles are expected to participate by collecting and cutting all 18 letters from Indomie Noodles packs to complete the phrase “INDOMIE LIKE NO OTHER”. After presenting the 18 letters that form the phrase at designated redemption centres consumers stand the chance of being rewarded with prizes such as premium brand bicycles, 150,000 Naira worth of scholarships to support their education.

    Speaking about the Promo, Brand Manager, Indomie Instant Noodles, Mr Amber Yadav, said: “the cash for scholarship promo is borne out of Indomie’s desire to enable consumers to achieve their dreams of a better life for tomorrow. Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Tafawa Balewa might not have achieved greatness without education and Indomie believes an educated person is better equipped to make better choices relating to the quality of life and even brands they consume, such as Indomie.”

    The Group Public Relations and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr Tope Ashiwaju also explained that the Cash for Scholarship promo is another opportunity for consumers to be appreciated by Indomie.

    According to Tope “the modality for winning in this promo is effortless. All that is required if for the consumer to collect different letters contained in each promo pack till they complete the 18 letters that make up the sentence ‘INDOMIE LIKE NO OTHER’. Once these 18 letters are complete, they win instant prizes of bicycles and scholarship worth 150, 000 Naira at any of our redemption centres” stated Ashiwaju.

    Ashiwaju, therefore, urged all consumers of the brand to participate in the promo by continuously cutting and collecting the required 18 Letters till they eventually become winners, as the promo was specifically designed with the aim of supporting consumer to achieve their dreams of a better and quality life.

    Indomie is, however, not new to providing scholarships to its teeming consumers as the brand recently offered twelve Postgraduate students from different Universities across the country scholarship worth N450, 000 each in the Indomie MSc Nutrition Scholarship Awards 2016.

    The brand has continued to focus on its greatest assets which are an informed consumer and provision of unmatched quality products; these brand priorities have seen the Indomie retain its leadership position in the marketplace and endear the brand jealously into the hearts of informed consumers who always go for the best.

  • Tafawa Balewa: 1912 to 1966

    Tafawa Balewa: 1912 to 1966

    The military coup of 1966 resulted in the killing of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and it also put an end to the First Republic. LEKE SALAUDEEN examines his contributions towards good governance.

    Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first Prime Minister of Nigeria before and after Nigerian independence from Great Britain in 1960.

    He was overthrown and murderd in a military coup on January 15, 19666, along with some other leaders, including his mentor Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the then Premier of Northern Nigeria. The circumstance of Balewa’s death still remains unsolved. His body was discovered at a road side along Lagos-Abeokuta road six days after he was ousted from office. News of his assassination spurred violent riots throughout northern Nigeria and ultimately led to the bloody counter coup of July 1966.

    On his return from United Kingdom after obtaining a Diploma in Education in 1946,  Balewa and a powerful prince of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello founded the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) to represent the Muslim majority in Northern Nigeria.  Balewa was elected to the Northern House of Assembly in 1946 where he gave a famous and impassioned speech calling for a radical change in the Native Administration and its relations with Britain.  Soon after the historic speech, the British began restructuring the Native Authority for self-rule and eventually Nigerian independence.  In 1955, Balewa was appointed Federal Minister of Works and Transport by Nigeria’s Colonial Governor, Sir James Wilson Robertson.  When Nigeria was granted self-governance in 1957, Balewa became Prime Minister.  He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in January 1960.

    Following Nigerian independence on October 1, 1960 Balewa retained the office of Prime Minister in a power-sharing arrangement with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the country’s first President.  Being a Muslim from the North, he was considered a pro-British conservative. He often clashed with Azikiwe on government policies. During his tenure as Minister of Works and Transport, Balewa worked to develop Nigeria’s transport systems by helping to build ports, river transport systems and railways.

    As Prime Minister, Balewa helped shape the early foreign policy of Nigeria.  In 1960, he was instrumental in negotiating a settlement between factions in the Congo civil war.  He led his government in a vocal protest of the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa and attempted unsuccessfully to persuade other British Commonwealth nations to expel South Africa because of its apartheid policies.  Balewa also was one of the African leaders who encouraged the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

    He was born in 1912 in Bauchi. His father, Mallam Yakubu, was a junior staff in the Native Authority, the major plank of the British colonial administration.  Balewa received his primary education in Tafawa Balewa from 1922 to 1925.  He then attended Bauchi Middle School in Bauchi from 1925 to 1928.  From there, he proceeded to Katsina Teachers Training College where he received his teaching certification between 1928 and 1933.  After graduation Balewa returned to Bauchi Middle School as a teacher where he taught his pupils English Language.

    Within the next ten years Balewa rose in the ranks of the teaching staff, qualifying as a Teacher Grade I in Nigeria in 1944.  The following year he was admitted to London University Institute of Education, where he obtained a diploma in 1946.  Balewa returned to Bauchi Middle School in 1949 as Headmaster and afterwards served briefly as Inspector of Schools in Nigeria.

  • ‘Amalgamation brought too much drastic clash’

    ‘Amalgamation brought too much drastic clash’

    •Tam David-West, a professor of Virology and former Minister of Petroleum Resources spoke with Deputy Politicl Editor RAYMOND MORDI on the ‘mistake of 1914’ and its effects on the country’s socio-economic and political develoment.

    Nigeria is celebrating 100 years of the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Nigeria. Looking back, was it a wise decision?

    It is a wise or unwise decision, depending on how you look at it. We must ask ourselves whether the amalgamation of 1914 was necessary. Was the amalgamation done for Nigeria or the British trading companies? Lord Luggard had the mandate to amalgamate Southern and Northern Protectorates for administrative convenience; I emphasize the words administrative convenience. This is very commonsensical because he had two large groups that posed a challenge administratively and he was there representing the trading interests of Britain. They were two major blocs of diverse backgrounds; religious, ethnic and political structure. So, it was more convenient for him to amalgamate and deal with one unit. Therefore, amalgamation was done not in the interest of Nigeria, but that of the British.

    But unfortunately for us, Nigerians have been expecting too much from the amalgamation over the years. I am even embarrassed that our intellectuals, political scientists, lawyers and historians have not addressed the major issue that the amalgamation was not done in the interest of Nigeria, which never existed before Luggard anyway. As a result, they are expecting too much from the amalgamation. So, the frustration that has been experienced by Nigerians over the years is because we are expecting too much from the amalgamation. I always like to give a simplistic example from elementary chemistry; the difference between an amalgam and a compound. In elementary chemistry, when you talk of an amalgam, you are talking about bringing two elements together without integrating them. For example, when you bring an amalgam, A, B and C and put them together without integrating them, it means that in spite of what you have done, they still exist independently as A, B and C. But if you for a compound from A, B and C, they would loose their identity at the end of the day, such that there would be no A, B and C anymore.

    Any wonder then that the great Sarduana, one of the founding fathers of this country described the amalgamation as ‘the mistake of 1914.’ Richard Akinjide, one of Nigeria’s legal luminaries and one-time minister of justice, called it ‘the British conspiracy’, while Tafawa Balewa, First Republic prime minister, said in the Legislative Council of 1948 that since 1914 the British government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but that Nigerian people themselves are historically different in their backgrounds; their religious beliefs and customs and do not know themselves, do not show any sign or willingness to unite. He said Nigerian unity is only a British intension for the country. Of course, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had also once said that Nigeria is ‘a mere geographical expression’. From all this, we can see that our founding fathers, the best crop of leaders Nigeria has had, saw it from the beginning that this coming together is a mistake. I blame our intellectuals, our historians, who are over-interpreting the amalgamation and expecting too much from it.

    If the amalgamation had not happened, are there chances that the constituent parts would have evolved into nation-states?

    Yes! That is why I say everything on earth has the good and bad sides. If the amalgamation had not happened, I believe that the Northern Protectorate and Southern Protectorate would have among themselves found out the acceptable modus Vivendi on how to live together. But the amalgamation brought too much drastic clash. We’re not serious when we say, One Nation, One Destiny! There is no one nation and so there cannot be one destiny; there are many nations and there are many destinies. That’s why we continue to clamour for conferences on how to live together. That’s nonsense; we can have 100 conferences on how to live together, it would not make any difference at the end of the day. It is Nigerians that must decide whether they want to live together; if we have not felt the need for us to live together, the conference would be a waste of time. When we had two regions, they were essentially developing at their own pace. And that’s the best time Nigeria has had a federation, not the autocratic set up we have today.

    We’ve been together as a country since 1914, yet there seems to be more issues that divide us today than those that unite us. Where did we go wrong as a nation?

    First, we have no nation. We went wrong as a people. Where we went wrong is this: the pristine suspicion among the different groups was not addressed. We never made any attempt to address those big divisions. Instead of this conference, we should have series of conferences in different parts of the country, with people coming to talk to us about the advantages of living together. We gain more by being together. Let me give you an example. Even if you are baptized as a Christian, except you believe in what you are doing; except you believe in the Almighty God and His only begotten son, Jesus, you would not make a good Christian. In other words, you must believe in the fundamentals of that religion. If those fundamentals are not in place, go to church seven days a week, it doesn’t mean anything.

    Thus, Nigerians must see the merit of living together as a country, to be committed to that ideal. Right now, we do not yet believe that we should live together. That’s the problem we’ve been facing from the beginning till now. The basic suspicion is still there in our minds. We still use ethnicity for promotion; somebody is qualified, but because he is not from your area, you won’t promote him. The moment Nigerians settle fundamental problems, by respecting merit, everything would fall into place.