The Nation Newspaper

Tag: vote

  • 2015: Youths enjoined to vote wisely

    Renowned broadcaster Mr. Dele Adetiba has enjoined the youths to vote wisely in the general elections. He said their choice of leaders would have direct impact on their future.

    Adetiba lamented that ethnic and religious factors have been promoted to the front burner, stressing that it has affected the quality of leadership.

    He said: “I am not happy that Nigerians now clamour for their tribe to produce the next governor or President. Really, what we seem to be saying is that it is our turn to loot the treasury; it is our turn to have an unfair access to the spoils of office.”

    Adetiba said, if the job of a leader is to work endlessly to make life easier for his people, then, it does not matter where he comes from. He added that the idea of Nigerians defending their kinsmen in office, even if they are not doing the right thing, can only lead to doom.

    Adetiba, who spoke at the 2014 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) in Lagos, said corruption and impunity among public office holders have a negative effect on the youths.

    He added: “The general effect on the youth is that, since we live in a society where rules do not work he feels that working hard or studying hard does not guaranty success. He believes he has to cheat the system to survive.”

    The Chairman of the RYLA Committee, Dr. Adewale Ogunbadejo, explained that the award is to awaken the leadership qualities in the youths and to motivate them to become good citizens and role models.

  • Vote wisely, APC candidate urges electorate

    Vote wisely, APC candidate urges electorate

    All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate in Kosofe Constituency, Lagos State Prince Rotimi Agunsoye yesterday advised stakeholders to brace up for next year’s general elections.

    He described 2015 as a decisive year, urging the people to vote and defend their votes in the interest of democracy.

    The former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who won the ticket at the primaries, thanked party members for their support, advising them to remain loyal to the party and its leadership.

    Agunsoye told reporters in Lagos that the success recorded at the primaries can only be meaningful, if voters vote for the APC at the general elections.

    He promised to implement his campaign manifestos, if elected at the poll.

    Agunsoye said: “I have walked before the people of Kosofe in humility and sense of patriotism and service. I have served the grassroots with the best of my ability and the state in a strategic portfolio. I have been a party man and a community man. Now that I have been given the mandate, I will continue to work for the realisation of the developmental agenda of Kosofe and Lagos State.”

    The politician urged Lagosians to vote for continuity at the poll, adding that the APC will build on its achievements in government in post-Fashola period.

    He added: “Lagosians and the APC have a pact of development. The state is on cause under the APC government. What we need is continuity and the people will make it happen. From the House of Assembly to the presidential primaries, the APC threw up competent candidates. When the APC comes on board at the centre, there will be a new lease of life for Nigeria.”

  • Why Nigerians should vote APC, by Tafida

    Why Nigerians should vote APC, by Tafida

    Sokoto State All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Alhaji Abdullahi Aminu Tafida has called on Nigerians to vote for change in 2015.

    “We have to liberate ourselves from the bondage of failures, insecurity and backwardness,” he said.

    Speaking to reporters in Sokoto,  Tafida, a businessman, said Nigerians should vote for the APC for the change to occur.

    He noted that the North has been thrown into a sorry situation by few selfish persons.

    Tafida added:  “This is the time  to come together and face a common direction  to salvage the country.”

    Commenting on governor Wamakko’s senatorial bid, Tafida described the governor’s aspiration as apt,  in view of his leadership qualities.

    “ He is one politician that has been tested and confirmed to be worthy of making genuine representation in the Senate.

    “ He has made Sokoto state and Nigeria proud especially in recent time of politiking.

    “ Wamakko is united at heart and dependable in trust for leadership and a liberator in the northwest like his colleagues”, he noted.

    He appealed to the people of Sokoto  State to  support  the party, to take  Nigerians out of the woods.

  • ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ekiti South District Ayodele Adu spoke with  EMMANUEL OLADESU and SINA FADARE on his agenda and other partisan issues.

    You have a flourishing career in the banking world. What attracted you to politics?

    According to a German philosopher, a political illiterate is the worst of illiterates. The inaction of those who do not participate in politics is what causes the social injustices we are all talking about in the society. They don’t know that  not participating in politics make the price of rice in the market to go beyond the reach of the common man.

    If you are not participating in politics, you are killing the economy and not helping the coming generation. As a man, no matter how comfortable you are, you must find a way of contributing your quota to the development of others and see how you can impact into the lives of the people. The zeal to do that has encouraged me to go into politics.

    In my constituency, l see a lot of poverty. Even, at times, it is difficult for people to raise their children’s school fees when l was growing up. So, I made up my mind that, if l have the opportunity, l will assist all those  that are in need. At my private level, l have been trying to give succour to the needy and meet a lot of people’s demand in my little way. If l have the opportunity to serve the people therefore, l will be able to take care of their needs at a global level. For example, l have given scholarship to some people, donated to community projects and assisted in one way or the order, but there is little one can do at an individual level.  That is why l want to be in politics so that l can render more services to my people. If you are in government, you can see to policy formulation and execution, especially policies that have direct positive impact on millions of people. The Senate, which l am aspiring to go, is a place where you discuss the fortune of the country.

    I want to go to the Senate to utilise my wealth of experience in the financial and stock exchange, which I have garnered in the last 16 years, so that the country at large will tap from this opportunity. In the US, erudite lawyers and professionals  are in the Senate to rob minds together and come up with a law that will assist the country in its developments.

    Technocrats are always afraid to swim in the murky waters of politics. What is the motivation?

    There is always a challenge in any area of human endeavour. Politics is not exempted. I have the determination to serve my people in any capacity. That is why l want to go to the Senate. I like challenges and, like l have always overcome them in the past, l will do that of politics and I will have a remarkable achievement at the end.

    Yes, Nigerian politics is murky, but it all depends on the approach and the tenacity of purpose that you put into it. In Ekiti, l have met with the chairmen of the 64 wards. They are more political and intelligent than l expected. I was able to lay my cards on the table and share my vision and dream of giving it all to the total emancipation of my people from poverty and penury that  are ravaging them now. That is why l sold my profile to them. They are very excited about it and majority of them are praying that l will be their senator   next year.

    If you go to the state now and you talk to anybody on the street, they will tell you that that is our next senator because l was able to sell myself to the people and they are very passionate about my credential and humble background. Although the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) will be the party in power next year, that does not change anything because  l parade one of the best credential and the people of the state will want me to represent them in the Senate  without a recourse to any party. Take, for instance, if they want to talk on the issue of finance in the Senate, if l am fortunate to be there, definitely, l will play a major role because of my background.

    How do you think you can make a difference from the previous people who  had represented Ekiti in the Senate?

    My main focus will be the irreversible investment. Ekiti people are agrarian in nature. There is poor economic development. You cannot create market, unless you create institutional changes there. I will try to use my contact, both locally and internationally, to benefit my community and my country at large.

    In the past, the state was unlucky to have some people who are mere on lookers in the Senate and all their constituency allowances were spent on their family. They bought few okada and keke NAPEP. That  is not how to empower the people.  l can assure the people of Ekiti that a new dawn has come and an expert is about to go to the Senate to change their economic fortune.

    What is your chance, in view of the politics of stomach infrastructure, which is in vogue now?

    I still believe that the people of Ekiti did not practice the politics of stomach infrastructure. We have a politically conscious society and the people respect you for what you are and what you can offer, in terms of developmental programmes. They also did not like a situation where you take them for granted. They want you to accord them with little honour. They want to see that you are humble and that you can actually relate with them at any level and that you are accessible to them, especially at the point of their need. For example, l distributed about 30,000 exercise books when I declared my intention officially to my people. I had to give them to students going to school free of charge as my own little contribution to their educational success. This will encourage parents to save millions of naira that could have been expended on these books.

    By so doing,  in my little way, we are re- creating wealth. I donated the exercise books, not for any  reason,  apart for the fact that the students need them at this particular period that they are resuming and it will equally assist their parents.  If that is the only way l can assist my people, l will do it in a million times, if l have the resources. I am always happy and  fulfilled when l put smile on the faces of others.

    What is the assurance that the APC will pick you as its candidate?

    Credibility and high profile that l parade will be an advantage for me. My profile is all over the state and particularly, my senatorial district and it is verifiable. People know my background and the family. This election will not be on party basis. It will be based on personality. It is about the person who is qualified to be there and who will make an ppreciable impact. I have all what it takes to make a difference.

  • ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ekiti South District Ayodele Adu spoke with  EMMANUEL OLADESU and SINA FADARE on his agenda and other partisan issues.

    You have a flourishing career in the banking world. What attracted you to politics?

    According to a German philosopher, a political illiterate is the worst of illiterates. The inaction of those who do not participate in politics is what causes the social injustices we are all talking about in the society. They don’t know that  not participating in politics make the price of rice in the market to go beyond the reach of the common man.

    If you are not participating in politics, you are killing the economy and not helping the coming generation. As a man, no matter how comfortable you are, you must find a way of contributing your quota to the development of others and see how you can impact into the lives of the people. The zeal to do that has encouraged me to go into politics.

    In my constituency, l see a lot of poverty. Even, at times, it is difficult for people to raise their children’s school fees when l was growing up. So, I made up my mind that, if l have the opportunity, l will assist all those  that are in need. At my private level, l have been trying to give succour to the needy and meet a lot of people’s demand in my little way. If l have the opportunity to serve the people therefore, l will be able to take care of their needs at a global level. For example, l have given scholarship to some people, donated to community projects and assisted in one way or the order, but there is little one can do at an individual level.  That is why l want to be in politics so that l can render more services to my people. If you are in government, you can see to policy formulation and execution, especially policies that have direct positive impact on millions of people. The Senate, which l am aspiring to go, is a place where you discuss the fortune of the country.

    I want to go to the Senate to utilise my wealth of experience in the financial and stock exchange, which I have garnered in the last 16 years, so that the country at large will tap from this opportunity. In the US, erudite lawyers and professionals  are in the Senate to rob minds together and come up with a law that will assist the country in its developments.

    Technocrats are always afraid to swim in the murky waters of politics. What is the motivation?

    There is always a challenge in any area of human endeavour. Politics is not exempted. I have the determination to serve my people in any capacity. That is why l want to go to the Senate. I like challenges and, like l have always overcome them in the past, l will do that of politics and I will have a remarkable achievement at the end.

    Yes, Nigerian politics is murky, but it all depends on the approach and the tenacity of purpose that you put into it. In Ekiti, l have met with the chairmen of the 64 wards. They are more political and intelligent than l expected. I was able to lay my cards on the table and share my vision and dream of giving it all to the total emancipation of my people from poverty and penury that  are ravaging them now. That is why l sold my profile to them. They are very excited about it and majority of them are praying that l will be their senator   next year.

    If you go to the state now and you talk to anybody on the street, they will tell you that that is our next senator because l was able to sell myself to the people and they are very passionate about my credential and humble background. Although the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) will be the party in power next year, that does not change anything because  l parade one of the best credential and the people of the state will want me to represent them in the Senate  without a recourse to any party. Take, for instance, if they want to talk on the issue of finance in the Senate, if l am fortunate to be there, definitely, l will play a major role because of my background.

    How do you think you can make a difference from the previous people who  had represented Ekiti in the Senate?

    My main focus will be the irreversible investment. Ekiti people are agrarian in nature. There is poor economic development. You cannot create market, unless you create institutional changes there. I will try to use my contact, both locally and internationally, to benefit my community and my country at large.

    In the past, the state was unlucky to have some people who are mere on lookers in the Senate and all their constituency allowances were spent on their family. They bought few okada and keke NAPEP. That  is not how to empower the people.  l can assure the people of Ekiti that a new dawn has come and an expert is about to go to the Senate to change their economic fortune.

    What is your chance, in view of the politics of stomach infrastructure, which is in vogue now?

    I still believe that the people of Ekiti did not practice the politics of stomach infrastructure. We have a politically conscious society and the people respect you for what you are and what you can offer, in terms of developmental programmes. They also did not like a situation where you take them for granted. They want you to accord them with little honour. They want to see that you are humble and that you can actually relate with them at any level and that you are accessible to them, especially at the point of their need. For example, l distributed about 30,000 exercise books when I declared my intention officially to my people. I had to give them to students going to school free of charge as my own little contribution to their educational success. This will encourage parents to save millions of naira that could have been expended on these books.

    By so doing,  in my little way, we are re- creating wealth. I donated the exercise books, not for any  reason,  apart for the fact that the students need them at this particular period that they are resuming and it will equally assist their parents.  If that is the only way l can assist my people, l will do it in a million times, if l have the resources. I am always happy and  fulfilled when l put smile on the faces of others.

    What is the assurance that the APC will pick you as its candidate?

    Credibility and high profile that l parade will be an advantage for me. My profile is all over the state and particularly, my senatorial district and it is verifiable. People know my background and the family. This election will not be on party basis. It will be based on personality. It is about the person who is qualified to be there and who will make an ppreciable impact. I have all what it takes to make a difference.

  • Lagos 2015: Igbos should vote APC

    Lagos 2015: Igbos should vote APC

    Prior to the victory of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999 governorship election in Lagos state which produced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, many progressive Igbo people in Lagos had forged a common alliance under National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) with like minds of Yorubas and other Nigerians from the North and Southern parts of Nigeria to push for the return to democracy from military rule. Under the able leadership of Abraham Adesanya, the late Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), some of these Igbos which includes Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (Rtd) and Engr. Joe Igbokwe, to mention but a few, suffered deprivations in their quest to ensure that the military returned to their barracks.

    With the metamorphosis of AD into Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now All Progressive Congress (APC) the political ruling class in Lagos continued carrying Igbos along together with their political and economic interests. It is instructive to note that before his inauguration in 1999, some prominent Igbo sons were part of the Think Tank set up by Tinubu to formulate policies for the Lagos State government. These include Professor Pat Okedinachi Utomi and Olisa Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    Under the leadership of Tinubu, an Igbo man Ben Akabueze a technocrat was appointed a Commissioner in Lagos State and has continued to serve till date. Another illustrious Igbo son Engr. Igbokwe was also appointed a General Manager of one of the government agencies. In honour of Rear Admiral Kanu, a Park in Alausa, the seat of government was named after him just like it was done for Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) in Ojota and Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti in Anthony. Several Igbo sons and daughters have continued to prosper in their businesses courtesy of the enabling environment created by the Lagos State government in the last 16 years.

    It may also be pointed out that leading Igbo groups in Lagos such as Aka Ikenga, the Pan Igbo Think Thank, Ndigbo Lagos, a Socio-Cultural organization and also the leading Igbo Socio-Cultural group Ohaneze Ndigbo have held strategic meetings with Tinubu and later Fashola over the years. These groups in recognition of the contributions of these governors to the protection and development of Igbo interests in Lagos have also honoured them on several occasions in the past.

    As the 2015 governorship elections approaches in Lagos State, one of the rival political parties to APC has gone into its bag of tricks and has come up with a plot to deceive Igbos into voting for it. It is tinkering with the idea of making an Igbo man a deputy governorship candidate of its party together with a few slots in commissionership and the state House of Assembly. This promise would have been good if not that it is only a gimmick to win elections in Lagos State and not borne out of a sincere love for Igbos. Why is it that in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 governorship elections in Lagos State, the party did not nominate an Igbo man as its deputy governorship candidate? Having lost its deposit in the last four general elections, this party is desperate to win at all cost.

    Further, Igbos should remember that the mere fact that a person is chosen as a candidate does not mean that his kinsmen would vote for him. In 1999, the ruling political mafia in Nigeria chose General Olusegun Obasanjo (Rtd) as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His kinsmen, the Yorubas instead voted for Chief Olu Falae, the presidential candidate of AD. Obasanjo was roundly defeated in the six Yoruba states including his home state of Ogun.

    Since Igbos have made appreciable in road into APC, it is better for them to remain there and negotiate their interest inside that party. The transformation of Lagos which started with Tinubu in 1999 and has continued with Fashola since 2007 has benefited all Lagosians without discrimination.

    Infact, I dare say that as a people given to mercantile pursuits, these two administrations which has boosted the economy of Lagos State by logical deduction has favoured the Igbos more than any other ethnic group doing business in Lagos. Therefore, it is in the enlightened self interest of the Igbos to vote for APC in 2015 governorship election in Lagos State.

     

    • Aham Njoku,

    Lagos.

  • ‘President needs Southwest’s vote’

    ‘President needs Southwest’s vote’

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Senator Bode Ola,  has urged the people to support the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Addressing reporters at the Southwest PDP Unity Rally, at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, he said Jonathan enjoyed massive support in Ekiti State.

    He said: “The Southwest people, in particular, and Nigerians in general, will  return Mr. President to office for a second term in the 2015 presidential election. He has done well and he deserves to complete the mission of transformation.

    “What he has been doing in improving the well-being of the masses, through his transformation agenda in all sectors; education, farming, transportation, among others, is highly commendable.

    “This is why those of us in Ekiti are solidly behind him. We are going to vote for him and he has our solid support.”

    The senator said that what happened in Ekiti election where the people voted for the PDP against the All Progressives Congress (APC) will happen in the Southwest states  in  next year’s elections.

    He described the PDP as a formidable party that could not be displaced by any party in Nigeria. Ola said: “We believe that what happened in Ekiti will still happen in the whole of Southwest”.

    He urged the Southwest to vote for the PDP during the elections, noting that the party’s people-oriented programmes will  promote positive growth and development in the country.

     

  • A vote against hooded democracy

    The picture of a hooded gunman shown on the front page of this paper strutting in the street of Osogbo, prior to the last governorship election on August 9, in the State of Osun, is a metaphor of sorts for our nation. This image hung in the air for me last Friday, as I listened to the Indian Head of Chancery, Mr. Chouhdry, read his country’s president’s address on the occasion of the 68th Independence Day anniversary celebration of the world’s largest democracy. That unknown gunman dressed in a military camouflage, different from that worn by our national armies, could have been anybody, as his identity was hidden. This unidentifiable armed man, perversely protecting our democracy, is actually a denigration of the very foundation of our democracy, particularly safeguarded by section 6(6)(b) of the 1999 constitution, which is the fulcrum of the rule of law.

    That constitutional provision contemplates clearly that there will be disputes in the affairs of men and in the conduct of governance. To avoid resort to self help, which is man in a state of nature, the constitution provides for the resolution of disputes through the courts as arbiters. By wearing a mask, and hiding his identity, the gun man by that act unconstitutionally denies any person or authority he may act detrimental to his/her or their rights, the opportunity to seek redress as contemplated by the constitution. This is because the offended is denied the basic opportunity to indentify the culprit. Thus it is ironical that those behind this aberration did not realize the inherent tragedy of using an unlawful means in their beleaguered attempt to protect our democratic process.

    So as I sat in the audience with the President of the Indian Universities Alumni in Nigeria, Collins Onyenze, who invited me to the ceremony, I listened to the instructive words in the President’s address, that: “Good governance is critically dependent on rule of law, participatory decision-making, transparency, responsiveness, accountability, equity and inclusiveness.”  Again the Indian President said: “A country our size, heterogeneity and complexity calls for culture-specific governance models. It calls for cooperation in the exercise of power and assumption of responsibility, by all stakeholders. It calls for constructive partnership between the state and the citizen. It calls for taking a responsive administration to the door step of every hut and habitation in the land.”

    As I joined others to wish India well on her anniversary celebrations, it occurred to me that the country represents a fair democratic trajectory, as our country struggle to enthrone an enduring democracy. India, made up of diverse peoples, has held on tenaciously to democratic government since her Independence from Britain, 68 years ago. While her economy was nearly at par with ours in the 1960’s; it has been able to lift her economy to one of the biggest economies in the world. Borrowing again from the President’s speech, it said: “Economy is the material part of development. Education is the essential part of it. A sound education system is the bedrock of an enlightened society. It is the bounden duty of our educational institutions to provide quality education and inculcate the core civilizational values (sic) of love for motherland; compassion for all, tolerance for pluralism; respect for women; performance of duty; honesty in life; self-restraint in conduct; responsibility in action and discipline in young minds”.

    The fear for every discerning Nigerian should be that our love for opacity in other spheres of our national life seems to be descending into our national security plans during elections. This is very dangerous. To my knowledge I am not aware that any security agency has owned up as the source of that frightful depiction of official security during an election, in the form of a hooded gun man. While the Osun episode went by without any incident, it is better imagined what will be the reaction of the local people if lives were lost in the hands of these unidentifiable armed men. As far as I know, the only circumstance where security operatives wear mask on official duty is when they are fighting terrorists. And the reason is simply to avoid a backlash, from the terrorists. So the only plausible reason for using similar outfit, during an election, would be to officially harass and intimidate the electorate; which is an aberration in a democracy.

    Obviously those at the helm of affairs are borrowing from the way they operate in other spheres of our national security. As I pen this column, those who surreptitiously bought off our electricity distribution companies through ‘man know man’ instead of technical competence, are still selling darkness to us. While they were able to organize mock sales in their friends favour, they forget that it requires financial muscles, technical savvy and management ingenuity to turn the acquisition into success. Now because the people who sold and the people who bought are one and the same, they are planning to further infuse public funds into private enterprises to make up their inadequacies.

    Reminiscent of the hooded gun man, Nigerians are kept in the dark, while the federal government is seeking for bank loans to buy prepaid meters when some people are the owners of the distribution companies. Again just like in the days of the old National Electricity Power Company of Nigeria, (NEPA) the new owners are also shamelessly sending out crazy bills for electricity not supplied, and like armed robbers, they threaten consumers, if they make representations that the bills are unreasonable; and they will not pay. No doubt, the only road to progress is transparency and accountability whether as a government or a private person.

    Correction: Against my claim last week, the Medical Doctors are still on strike, despite the Ebola threat.

  • Make your vote count, council chief urges students

    Barely two weeks to the commencement of voters registration exercise slated for 15 August 2014, in Cross River State, chairman of Akamkpa Local Government Area, Hon. Joseph Itotup, has urged students to come out en masse to participate in the exercise. He said it was the only way to exercise their franchise in the 2015 general elections.

    Itotub spoke when students under the aegis of the National Association of Akamkpa Students (NAAS) visited him in his office last week. He said arrangements were on to ensure students in the area gain requisite skills acquisition to be self-employed.

    “We are making arrangements to make sure all youth from this area are trained in various skills and to give indigent students scholarship studying various professional courses in and outside the country. As the Chairman of this council, I would continue to create an enabling environment for you because I know we have prospective governors and law makers here. I assure you that very soon, I would release your bursary which would be increased to N20,000,” he said.

    The president of the association, Enyam Kelvin, said he was working hard for the welfare of the students in the various tertiary institutions in the country.

  • Afghan electoral officials to restart vote audit

    Despite lingering disputes, Afghan electoral officials said yesterday that they will resume an audit of the presidential election this weekend after the presidential candidates sparred over how to disqualify ballots amid allegations of massive fraud.

    The recount of more than 8 million votes is likely to take weeks, stalling an already much-delayed announcement of a new president to replace Hamid Karzai, the only leader the country has known since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban.

    Preliminary results from the June 14 runoff vote showed former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well ahead of his rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, but both sides alleged fraud.

    In a high-profile bid to pull the country back from the brink of crisis, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated a deal that included an audit of all votes under national and international supervision and ultimately a national unity government.

    But that process soon fell victim to procedural arguments between the two candidates’ teams.Electoral officials stopped the audit last weekend because of the differences as well as a major Muslim holiday.

    The head of the Afghan Independent Election Commission and the chief U.N. envoy to Afghanistan said the sides have agreed on new criteria, allowing the audit to go forward.