Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has admitted that the crisis in Plateau State and other security problems began during his tenure as President but that they were not in the magnitude as they are today.
He said: “even in my time, we had problems but not in this magnitude. We thought we were dealing with them as at that time but the earlier we deal with them, the better. I believe we can find solution; we must find solution.”
Obasanjo, who visited Jos today, Wednesday, to commiserate with the Governor and people of the State over the recent killings in the State advised the Federal and State governments to identity the root cause of insecurity that has been dodging the country.
“What happened is very sad, that in this day and age this type of barbaric act is taking place in our country. I have suggested and I will say it again that we should find out the root cause of this problem and deal with it.
“There must be remote and immediate cause, if we deal with it, we are not going to be multiplying condolence visits.
“I believe that any human problem has human solution, I do hope and plead with government at the Federal level, those of you in States and even local government level to join hands even at the community level to find the causes and deal with them permanently.
“We offer our condolences to the bereaved families, all we can say is that God knows the best.”
Responding, Governor Lalong appreciated his coming, but noted that a phone call would have sufficed.
“Insecurity is not new to me; we thought we could handle it. When we came in, we quickly put up a team including Berom and Fulani. They came out with a roadmap to proffer solutions. We adopted the recommendations and have implemented some and was in the process of implementing the remaining ones.
“We have done our best. We have learnt our lessons. We will be very firm.” [myad]
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has cautioned against losing the fight on violent attacks that have been dogging Nigeria, especially the Plateau State and Northeast.
Answering reporters’questions today, Wednesday shortly after his visit on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Dogara said: “whatever it is, we must not lose the fight against violence because we can’t lose that fight and still keep our civilization.” He saw the danger in allowing the repeat in Plateau State, of what happened in the Northeast where Boko Haram had destroyed virtually everything that is important to the people.
If you go to the Northeast you can see the level of devastation caused by Boko Haram: everything resembling progress, from schools to hospitals to government institutions, everything has been pulled down. And we don’t want a replication of this all over the country.”
Speaker Dogara said that Nigeria is now in what he called ‘very sober moments,’ saying that people in hundreds are continued to be killed “and we can no longer tolerate this kind of situation as a government.”
He said that President Buhari has taken enough steps on these security issues, adding: “he has told us what he is doing; the reorganization that he plans to put in place to ensure that this doesn’t.
“My advice to our people, not just Plateau State, Benue, Zamfara, Taraba virtually some communities faced with this situation, especially in the north, I think the issue of securing our communities, living in peace must be taken as a project. It is something each and every one of us must invest in whether as traditional rulers, as community leaders, councilors, chairmen, all strata of society must invest in peace building.
“That is the only way we can live in a secure community and ensure that we progress as a country.”
National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole has said that the party won the 2015 governorship election in Taraba State but was maneouvred out by the power that be at that time.
Oshiomhole, who receivedtwo delegations of Taraba State party leaders, one of which was led by the minister for Women Affairs, Senator Aisha Alhassan, on a solidarity visit following his election at the Party’s National Convention last Sunday in Abuja said: “we (APC) won the Taraba governorship election in 2015, but were manoeuvred out. In 2019, those manipulation instruments will not be at their disposal.”
Another delegation from the same State was led by and Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf at the Party’s National Secretariat.
Oshiomhole appealed to members of the party to commit themselves to the unity and supremacy of the party, stressing: “we must work to present a united front ahead of the 2019 general elections. Wherever we have a crack, we will mend it as soon as possible. On our part, we will be guided by principle of fairness and justice.
The national chairman insisted that members must go into the 2019 election united, even as he assured the delegations that one of his top priorities would be to address disputes arising from the party’s recently held congresses and the national convention.
Oshiomhole said that he is now awaiting the report of the National Convention Committee, chaired by the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, whom he said made commitments to some of the aggrieved parties which the National Working Committee (NWC) will urgently consider upon receipt of the Convention Committee’s report.
Speaking on behalf of one of the delegations, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf expressed confidence in the Oshiomhole-led NWC to resolve disputes within the Party, particularly in Taraba State.
“We have witnessed with great excitement your flawless and overwhelming affirmation as the APC National Chairman. This unprecedented show of love and respect attest to your long standing reputation as a honest, fearless and dispassionate leader
“As dedicated party members, we are not unaware of the internal problems dogging our great party but are fully convinced and confident that as the right man for the job, you will bring your well-known competence and impartiality to bear on all the contentious issues awaiting your attention, especially as they affect Taraba State.”
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has assured Nigerians that the National Assembly will work with the Presidency to restore sanity to the country, especially, the troubled Plateau States and the Northeast.
Saraki, who, together with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, met with President Muhammadu Buhari today, Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that they commiserated with the President over the recent killing in Plateau State.
He said that part of the briefing which the President gave was steps that are being taken to forestall reoccurrence and restore sanity in that part of the country.
Saying that the killing in Plateau is a great concern to the President and members of the National Assembly also, the Senate President said that the two arms of the government will work towards seeing what can be done with NEMA and security agencies for the affected people.
“We will all work towards it. Nobody is happy with it and we will all come together to ensure that we restore sanity.
“We commiserate with all families. It is our own intention to also go and pay our own condolence visit to the people of Plateau.
“Our general appeal at the end of the day is that we all live together in peace and harmony and we will continue to do our best to see that this kind of thing does not happen again.”
The question of whether Karl Marx was right or not in his contemplation that capitalism contains the seed of its own destruction is subject either way to the dialectics of conversation, logic and ramification, especially against the backdrop of a writ large summation that underpins the global expansionist tendency of the capitalist governance ideology.
Whilst historical developments have, so far, confirmed the increasing domination of the ideological system, thus resolving the question in the negative, there is a profound sense in which it can be surmised that laissez-faire approach by operatives at the commanding heights of the capitalist system, which vitiates the elite consensus to gradually admit revolutionary leaders into its fold, can destabilize the polity and actuate the process of revolution, that will conversely answer the question in the positive.
Writing in a preface to “The Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy” Marx posited: “no social order ever disappears before all the productive forces for which there is room in it have been developed; and new higher relations of production never appear before the material conditions of their existence have matured in the womb of the old society itself. Therefore, mankind always sets itself only such tasks as it can solve; since looking at the matter more closely, we always find that the task itself arises only when the material conditions necessary for its solution already exist, or are at least in the process of formation.”
It is in the context of the analogy supra that the tension of the problematic demand by the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) within the bigger and larger legacy party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for fairness and justice in political accommodation and appointments, is hereby interrogated. The Yoruba have a proverb that says: “bi ina ko ba tan li ori, eje ki itan li eekan”, transliterated: “if lice are still in the hair on the head, blood stains will be a common feature on the finger nails.” The nPDP members are lice in the hair on APC’s head. The group constitutes, as it were, the potential seed of APC’s destruction if its capacity for good is not properly nurtured, managed and harvested for utilitarian political benefits.
Some leaders of the APC are more likely to disagree with this assessment. It is within their right to do so. There is no doubt that the proposition is contentious. Former governor of Nasarawa state and senator representing Nasarawa West senatorial zone, Abdullahi Adamu, believes that the nPDP is a shadow of its old self, shorn of weight, strength and gravitas. A clearer understanding of his position will most probably encourage supporters of President Buhari in the party to see the nPDP as no longer being a monolithic, cohesive, strong and single-minded group as it was when it staged the 2014 sensational pullout from the PDP to join in the formation of the APC.
As north central zonal coordinator of the Buhari campaign organisation, Adamu leads a critical bloc in the senate and in the party. He is also in a position to assess the membership of the resurrected nPDP and what those who are promoting it count for in President Buhari’s re-election bid. Perhaps, his assessment accounts for his consistent anti-nPDP pronouncements. He recently called on the APC leadership to ignore what he described as the antics of the group essentially as they were aimed at intimidating and blackmailing President Buhari.
But there seems to be a fresh direction, attitude and rapprochement in the offing. New National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, in his acceptance speech after his emergence at the party’s national convention in Abuja said that the nPDP would be accommodated within the emergent party-government configuration. Oshiomhole spoke magisterially to the issue of hard work and reward being commensurate. He assured that his leadership would engage with all stakeholders for equitable rewards. That is the way to go in any political party that craves the enduring legacies of unity and amity.
Oshiomhole knew what he was talking about. The nPDP issue has lingered, rendering the party and the presidency tentative. The Chief John Odigie-Oyegun leadership, working in concert with the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, had already begun the process of engaging the group. However, there have been indications of lack of good faith (bona fides) by both sides. There has been arrogant posturing by both sides. Oshiomhole advised against arrogance in his speech. Whereas, what is needed is forgiveness; it is the understanding of the need to forgive, put the acrimonious past behind and forge a new common front on the basis of equitable political accommodation that can lead to the success of Oshiomhole’s engagement with the Kawu Baraje-led nPDP.
The new APC chairman, judging by his speech to the delegates, including President Buhari, and the APC as a political family, appeared committed. Since he would not want to preside over the disintegration or liquidation of the party under his leadership, one can reasonably surmise that his intentions going forward with the engagement are genuine. It is with great pains that his good faith would be discounted or faulted. This then leaves the nPDP as the beautiful bride that must be mollycoddled and pacified. It then means that the group should, in the present circumstance, bear the burden of questionable good faith.
Given the prejudices and negative sentiments that the leadership of the nPDP and its back-end sponsors suffer from as well as the problem of mutual distrust between them and the Buhari/APC leadership, the likely atmosphere that will prevail will be that of mutual suspicion and possible backstabbing. Can Oshiomhole moderate tempers and cause a shift of grounds for amicable resolution of the contending issues? It will take a mind reader to know what the stakeholders are contemplating as their final plans.
The strategic moves to halt the pullout of the nPDP by the Oshiomhole leadership require the assurance and good faith of the president. The president will need to support Oshiomhole, as he did for him to emerge as national chairman, to succeed in this critical endeavour. The success of the engagement will be salutary to his presidential re-election enterprise. Therefore, whatever the terms of the settlement are, good faith requires that both parties should show fidelity to them. It should not be a case of the president reneging once he has achieved his political and electoral objective.
And as for the nPDP, this process is delicate. The group needs prudence in decision taking. If it has confidence in the capacity of the new APC leadership to pull it through without reprisals, it may consider staying put in the APC and staking its destiny in the emerging topsy-turvy on the political terrain in the build-up to the 2019 general election, especially the presidential battle. Feelers from the APC indicate that Oshiomhole is sincere in his moves to engage with the nPDP. The concern is however with the presidency and the nPDP who may insert their wedges in the process and render it convoluted and complicated. If the process eventually falls through, it will not be that Oshiomhole did not try his best; it will then be that the other critical elements approached the reconciliation process with bad faith (mala fides). And that will be sad and counter-productive to APC’s electoral fortunes.
President Muhammadu Buhari has protested against media insinuations that he has not been active in addressing the farmers/herdsmen clashes that result into several deaths ‘because I look like them.’
The President who spoke when he visited Jos, the Plateau State capital today, Tuesday, said: ‘whatever is being given to the media, we have to be very responsible about it.
“People are even blaming me for not talking to them because maybe (they say) I look like one of them. There is some injustice in these aspersions.”
The President still wondered that herders are carrying AK47, saying that in Benue, for instance, “subsistence farmer knows that the Nigerian cattle herder that he knows doesn’t carry nothing more than a stick, occasionally sometimes something to cut grass to feed his cattle.‘But the present herder, I am told, carries AK47.”
At an interactive session with stakeholders in the state, the President asked traditional and community leaders to complement government efforts by persuading their constituencies to tolerate one another for peace and unity.
‘‘I will continue to pressurize members of the law enforcement agencies directly under me by the Constitution as the Commander-in Chief. About eight days ago, we had five hours security meeting of the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police.
‘‘What happened here in Jos is very bad. The question of leadership, from your household to whatever you are, is justice. The bottom line is justice.
‘‘That is why wherever I go, I will always appeal to the leadership of the communities, the law enforcement agencies, to always have control of their constituencies.”
The President condemned the latest clashes in the state, which left scores dead, even as he condoled with the affected families, the Government and people of the State, and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
He used the occasion of the interactive session attended by traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, representatives of youth, women and trade union groups, security chiefs and some top government officials to appeal to Nigerians to avoid inflammatory utterances that endanger peace or promote conflicts.
Earlier, Governor Lalong had blamed parties in the conflict in the State for reneging on their agreement to maintain peace, leading to the recent upsurge in violence, after nearly three years of calm and normalcy in the State.
‘‘We are concerned as a State that the sophisticated weapons used in these attacks, from the evidences on the ground and the narrations of victims, are not those conventional to our environment for self-defence but reflective of a terrorist invasion.
‘‘It, therefore, demands a justified response like that which was undertaken to address the Boko Haram insurgency.”
The governor requested that given the number of villages completely ravaged in the violence, the Federal Government should establish an Emergency Special Intervention Fund to help reconstruct the destroyed communities.
President Buhari also carefully listened to the presentations and recommendations made by Alhaji Nura Abdullahi, State Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Mrs. Florence Jambol, a representative of the Berom community in Plateau State, on engendering peace in the communities.
Argentina national team had sent Nigerian side out of the ongoing World Cup tournament today, Tuesday, with 2-1 win.
Lionel Messi opened scoring in 14th-minute into the first half while Marcos Rojo’s 86th-minute strike sealed the hope of the Eagles from moving to the round of 16 even as Argentina got the the ticket for a place in the round of 16.
Victor Moses scored from the penalty spot in the 51st minute for Nigeria, putting Argentina in danger of being eliminated without winning a match in Russia.
It took an unlikely goal by Rojo — a center back — to save Argentina with a cushioned volley into the corner.
The win gave the Argentines second place in Group D and allowed the soccer-mad nation to forget about the 3-0 loss to Croatia last week that sparked days of soul-searching within the squad and back home.
Argentina will play France in the last 16 in Kazan on Saturday, keeping alive Messi’s quest for a first world title. He might have retired from international soccer for a second time — and for good this time — if it wasn’t for Rojo’s goal.
Messi’s teammates poured off the bench to celebrate with him after the final whistle, forming a circle around him. Messi exchanged a long hug with teammate Javier Mascherano, who clinched him tightly.
While Gonzalo Higuain cried nearby, Messi clinched his fist as he turned toward the Argentina fans.
Messi’s name adorned the back of most of the Argentina jerseys that dominated St. Petersburg ahead of the game, and received the biggest roar when the teams were read out.
He kicked the ball out of play with his first touch, was tackled with his next, but then he started to put on a show.
Messi’s 65th international goal owed as much to Ever Banega’s long, driven pass over the defense as the forward’s exquisite control on his left thigh, another touch with his left foot, and then a cool right-footed finish into the corner. As Messi fell to his knees and pointed his fingers upward in celebration before being mobbed by teammates, Argentina great Diego Maradona — sitting in a corporate box inside the stadium — placed him arms on opposite shoulders and looked to the sky.
Messi, who later hit the post off a free kick, and the recalled Banega ran the game in the first half for Argentina. The team’s biggest problems arose whenever Mascherano lost possession in front of his own defense.
And it was Mascherano who gave away the penalty with a pull on Leon Balogun at a 49th-minute corner. Moses converted — and marked the goal with a somersault — to put Nigeria back in control of the race for second place in the group.
Argentina was facing finishing a World Cup without a win for the first time since 1934, but instead they are headed to the knockout stage.
GROUP DYNAMICS
Nigeria was minutes away from advancing to the knockout round of a World Cup for the fourth time. As it finished, the African nation ended up third in the group — a point behind Argentina.
Argentina has four days to prepare for its last 16 match against France. It is the first game of the knockout stage.
KEY TO SUCCESS
Messi delivered his best performance of the tournament, with his goal allowing Argentina to take early control of the game.
Yet the standout player might have been Banega, who was recalled to midfield after being on the bench for the first two games and impressed with his work rate and range of passing.
The United States has described the recent spate of killings in Plateau state as rural conflicts and called on leaders at all levels to come together and find lasting solutions to them.
In a statement, the US Consulate in Nigeria condemned, in the strongest possible terms, “the killing of civilians and destruction of property in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region over the weekend.
“We are concerned by the recent increase in armed violence against civilians and call on all political and community leaders to lend their voices to peace and to work together to find lasting solutions to these rural conflicts.
“We join President Buhari and others in sending our deepest condolences to the affected communities, and in the desire to see the perpetrators brought to justice and to prevent further violence.”
All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in the Southwest have asked one of the defeated aspirants of the party in the Ekiti state governorship primaries, Chief Segun Oni to immediately withdraw the court case he instituted against the party’s candidate in the July 14 election, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, if he wants to be seen as a true member of the party.
The leaders, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Interim Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, the newly-elected APC Deputy National Chairman (South), Otunba Niyi Adebayo and the party’s former National Vice Chairman, South-West, Chief Pius Akinyelure, asked Oni and others behind the court action to withdraw their case immediately “if they are within our party and not agents of PDP.”
The leaders, who restated their support for Dr. Fayemi as the party’s gubernatorial candidate, said that the decision to support the candidate was reached through a combination of persuasion, reconciliation, consensus- building and understanding on the part of all the stakeholders.
According to them, they held several intervention meetings in Abuja, Lagos and Ekiti with all the APC Ekiti gubernatorial aspirants where they resolved to support whoever emerged from the party’s primaries.
They called on Segun Oni to come out publicly to dissociate himself from and condemn the case and play active role in the APC campaign.
The APC leaders, said in a statement titled: “We Stand Behind Kayode Fayemi,” which they all signed: “the Ekiti Governorship Election slated for July 14, 2018 is barely three weeks away and we all are committed to working for the total victory of the APC candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
“The decision to support Kayode Fayemi was reached through a combination of persuasion, reconciliation, consensus- building and understanding on the part of all the stakeholders. We led several intervention meetings that held in Abuja, Lagos and Ekiti with all the APC Ekiti gubernatorial aspirants where we resolved to support whoever emerges from the May primaries.
“We have stood behind Kayode Fayemi’s candidacy since he won the governorship primaries and when we all gathered in Ekiti for the Mega Rally on June 19, it was an emphatic declaration of support for his candidacy. Again on the night of June 19, we as leaders met with all stakeholders including all former aspirants and commended them for not defecting from the party. They all emphasized their commitment and suggested that Kayode Fayemi run an effective and inclusive campaign that will ultimately lead to an all-inclusive government.
“We have been consistent in our position working to ensure victory for the APC candidate, we are therefore surprised to find out through media channels about plans to challenge Kayode Fayemi’s candidacy on spurious grounds.
“Furthermore, it is worrisome that a court action against Kayode Fayemi and our party is alleged by media reports to be instituted by Chief Segun Oni, which from our investigations is being sponsored by some unknown persons.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we the undersigned leaders remain solidly behind the candidacy of Kayode Fayemi knowing full well he has fulfilled all necessary requirements for the election as the candidate of our party.
“We have forged a common front even as we are irrevocably committed to our party’s victory come July 14, 2018. Nothing should be allowed to undermine our party’s victory in the upcoming election.
“We therefore demand that the sponsors of the court action withdraw their case immediately if they are within our party and not agents of PDP. We also request that Segun Oni should also come out publicly to dissociate himself from and condemn the case and play active role in the APC campaign.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the Cross State governor, Professor Ben Ayade, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as one of the reference points in the nation’s agricultural revolution effort.
“When we assumed the reins of leadership of our dear country, this administration launched a zero-oil economic roadmap as a way of making our country less dependent on oil, while encouraging investments in other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture.
“I am happy that Governor Ayade keyed into that policy and has today become one of the reference points in our agricultural revolution effort.”
President Buhari, who was in Cross Rivers State today, Tuesday to commission Calabar Rice Seedling plant, said that with Governor Ayade’s other investments in agriculture such as the ongoing construction of an Ultra-modern Rice Mill in Ogoja, the Cotton Farm in Yala, the Cocoa Processing Plant in Ikom and the Banana Plantation in Odukpani, the feed Mill and Yellow Maize Farm in Obubra as well as the Ultra-modern Poultry Farm for export of frozen chicken amongst others, it is clear that Cross River has found a pathway to ease itself from over reliance on federal allocation.
“It is evident also that by conceiving projects such as these, Governor Ayade has a keen eye for tomorrow; focusing on projects that are building a new economic base for the state rather than projects with short term benefits for the purpose of making cheap political gains. I sincerely commend Your Excellency’s vision.
He said that the factory being commission showed the giant strides which the country is making in agriculture, adding that the monumental project “for which we are gathered here today is a marvel to behold.
“The factory, which is said to be the first in Africa, is an automated plant with a capacity to produce high yielding vitaminized and disease resistance rice seedlings.
“What we expect is that Seedlings from this factory will improve rice yield from the current national average of 3 to 4 tons per hectare to about 9 to 10 tons per hectare, thus helping to ensure rice sufficiency in the country and doing away with imports and saving foreign exchange for Nigeria.
“The factory is also targeted at creating employment opportunities for the unemployed, I have no doubt that this rice factory will also be a veritable platform for income generation for the people of Cross River State.”
President Buhari directed relevant Federal Government Agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), through its Anchor Borrower’s Programme, to partner with Cross River in the area of supply of seedlings to farmers.
“As our country makes steady and assured progress towards self-sufficiency in food production, it is therefore, my hope and expectation that other states that are yet to fully take advantage of the zero-oil economic roadmap of the Federal Government will take a cue from Cross River State.”
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The question of whether Karl Marx was right or not in his contemplation that capitalism contains the seed of its own destruction is subject either way to the dialectics of conversation, logic and ramification, especially against the backdrop of a writ large summation that underpins the global expansionist tendency of the capitalist governance ideology.
Argentina national team had sent Nigerian side out of the ongoing World Cup tournament today, Tuesday, with 2-1 win.
The United States has described the recent spate of killings in Plateau state as rural conflicts and called on leaders at all levels to come together and find lasting solutions to them.
