One of the finest persons I have been privileged to know is Odia Ofeimun: the man has a clean heart, he is completely incapable of malice, and in the face of all odds, he has a sunny view of life, add to that his incandescent mind, his absolute brilliance from which has poured forth a prodigious volume of poetry collections, books, essays, years of journalism practice and a reputation as a public intellectual of the very first rank. Odia as I call him, although he is more popularly known as Baba among the younger generation of writers, is also an incurable idealist, very stubborn to a fault with his idealism and this is where we oftentimes differ.

He has been insisting to my hearing for more than a decade that one of his ambitions is to become the Governor of Edo State and knowing Odia’s frame of mind and constitution, I always laughed this off as a big joke, urging him to face reality and not behave like the Hornbill which incidentally is the name of the publishing house that he runs. When Odia is hooked on an idea, it is difficult to separate him from that idea, more so as he has the mental capacity to develop any subject at all into a grand, compelling narrative. And that is what he seems to have done with his obsession with being the Governor of his home state.

He took the bull by the horns last week, when he fired off a blistering essay titled “To be Governor of Edo State” (Premium Times, Nov. 22).  The essay was well circulated in the media and particularly online but I don’t think anybody in Edo State is aware that one of their best gifts to Nigeria in the cultural sector is also eyeing Government House. I’ll be surprised if Governor Oshiomhole is aware of Odia’s declaration; well perhaps he needs not be informed, but now that he knows, he is likely to show interest in this special aspirant. The next Gubernatorial election in Edo State holds in 2016, and already the jostle and the hustle is on, with close to ten persons already seeking the APC nomination and the PDP also strategizing. Out of all the aspirants that may emerge, Odia Ofeimun is likely to be the most enlightened, honest and cultured, and the most articulate but it is also for these same reasons that he may not be Governor of Edo State.

Odia lives in Lagos, and goes home occasionally, when his busy schedule permits. I doubt if he knows the Senatorial Districts in Edo State or the number of wards and polling units. He has never had any cause to visit any traditional ruler, except may be the Odionwele of his Iruekpen village, and he has certainly not bothered to distribute bags of rice across the clans in the state as a way of knocking on the voters’ doors. Odia’s qualifications: he is a poet, political scientist and author; he was Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Private Secretary, he has been Secretary General and President of the Association of Nigerian Authors and he is intellectually, a genius.

But his Gubernatorial ambition reminds me of those guys who sit in far away America, or the United Kingdom, claiming to know how democracy works, and what is best for the entire world, who suddenly return home, paste posters all over the town and hope to become a Governor just because they have faith that the electorate will appreciate their quality and look for the best man for the job. Knowing Odia Ofeimun, he may not even be planning to print any posters. He doesn’t even belong to any political party; I will be surprised if he has a Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC); he has no Godfather, he does not belong to any grassroots political association. But he wants to be Governor in 2016, less than one year away, by writing beautiful essays on the internet!

Sorry, Odia, that is not how this thing is done. The Odia I know may argue brilliantly that he actually intends to demonstrate that his approach can win the people to his side and take him straight to the Edo State Government House in 2016. Let him start then, by translating his statement of interest from English into Edo languages and have it distributed across the state. Be warned: The piece is so high-minded, so stratospheric that even the people will be confused, whether they read it in English or his own native Ishan. He says: “I am determined to prove that within the particularity of one nationality, Edo, and the fold of a multinational state, Nigeria, it is possible to achieve high feats of modernity, cultural civility, and technological proficiency comparable to that of any other country in the world. And this, within forty months, Not two terms of office.”  How does this guarantee the mass following and support that will offer the said forty months to start with? Odia’s programme is made up of “seven platforms.” He is promising free education, and that is understandable, he being a disciple of the great Awo. He is also promising to “re-plan and rebuild every village, town and city”; build a super dome underground railway station, value-added agriculture, free health care, eliminate waste, and “turn Edo State into a proper House of Culture”. I am actually doing an English to English translation, breaking down Odia’s manifesto for the benefit of his would-be voters who may not understand his poetically elevated English.

[myad]

But what is he proposing in real terms? He says: “My fortune is that I have spent the last forty years of my life interacting with the best minds in this country.”  You see, my fear is that when eventually Odia begins his campaigns he is likely to mount the rostrum to tell Edo people about Obafemi Awolowo and Wole Soyinka, one Friedrich Nietzsche and such other figures as Ogun, the god of iron. Tell me, how does that bring hope to the man in Agenebode or Ikpoba Hill? Aspirant Odia also tells the people of Edo State: “Living always as an ordinary Nigerian, going by public transportation as a matter of choice and as a matter of never dodging the pains faced by my fellow countrymen and women, I have more than forty books to show where I stand in the confrontation with the poverty, corruption, insecurity and other hazards of our time.”  If Odia had shown me this piece, I would have deleted this part of it. Going by public transportation! How would this endear him to the average voter? And forty books: seriously? Odia is so committed to a life of the intellect; he is likely to end up reading poems and stories to voters! And does he plan to campaign with public transportation to show that he can confront poverty?

He goes further to declare that his election will not be a “cash and carry affair”. He expects the people of Edo State, three million and more, to contribute “one thousand, two thousand, and five thousand Naira, and even more, to my campaign funds”. Ehn hen? Is Odia planning a religious crusade where he will make the lame walk, and the blind to see, because if that is what he has in mind, he can be sure he’d get a lot of donations. But if his ambition is to be Governor, he shouldn’t expect the electorate to pick up his bills. He says he is counting on “their faith and trust”.  This is what our dear brother intends to tell the members of the Edo State National Union of Road Transport Workers, traditional rulers and chiefs, spiritual leaders, polling agents, the large army of thugs, the scarlet ladies, the pooling booth enforcers, for whom every election is boom time, and who have been looking forward to the “stomach infrastructure” of Edo 2016.  Faith and Trust! Sorry, Nigerians have lost faith in politicians and they do not trust anyone looking for votes.

The problem with Odia’s Gubernatorial ambition is not one of qualification- he is eminently qualified- but his honesty. He has no money to spend and he is telling the voters that he expects them to fund his campaign. He is not the type of politician who wants to “carry people along”.  Speak as much grammar as you wish, in Nigeria, people expect to be “carried along”, whether you are an aspirant or a political office holder – they expect to be bribed. Odia is a straight, open book; the mind of a typical Nigerian politician is full of alleys and multiple by-pass.

I have been in meetings with politicians where it would be so obvious that everyone is lying, and that they are all aware that they are lying to each other, and this lying session can continue for hours on end, with everyone pretending to be doing something productive.  If you are a tyro and you make the mistake of cutting through the bubble, you won’t be invited to the next meeting for sure! Nigerian politicians have their own way of arriving at convenient truths without ever saying the truth. I guess they rely on body language. Odia cannot survive such meetings: he will always defend his viewpoint and is capable of making a fool look like one. And if he becomes Governor, he will be worse than those ones referred to in political circles as “Araldite or Super Glue” , because he will refuse to divert state resources into people’s pockets. His Accountant General should of course, be prepared to receive regular lectures on Public Finance, delivered with the same felicity with which Odia pronounces on every subject, including polygamy.

Odia has not set up any campaign office. He has no campaign organization either.  You and I are probably among the few who have heard of his ambition because we have read his beautiful literary composition on the subject. In some other societies, he would have been a perfect candidate – afterall, there have been reports of disc jockeys and writers becoming Presidents elsewhere. One professional comedian just won the Presidential election in another country. Odia’s approach may be so far ahead of our society, but still, let us not discourage him; let the people judge –which is the essence of democracy and let those who appreciate his quality and commitment take note and help turn his dream into something achievable. He offers a fresh and desirable possibility that is not seen today in Nigerian politics, and as is increasingly the trend in many parts of the world, we probably need non-establishment figures, with a good heart, like him, to help stop the extending frontiers of disillusionment in our land. [myad]

Having taken my time to study the agitations of the three dominant ethnic groups in Kogi state over who replaces Late Audu of APC in the ONGOING GUBERNATORIAL election in the state, I cannot but make my opinion clear and public, without sentiment, fear or favour. Those who know me well know that I have never blamed the Igalas for their continuous ruling since the creation of the state in 1991, even though I expected them to have considered power shift to other senatorial districts in the state. I often considered it as democracy at work while I blamed the Ebira and Okun elites for this unhealthy dominance.
It is generally agreed that the electoral issue in Kogi state at the moment is a novel one. However it is an issue that can be addressed thanks to Section 33 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. This section gives a path through which to manoeuvre without any breach to the laws of this land. I am not a lawyer but I believe one doesn’t have to be a lawyer to understand the provisions of the laws. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has set the pace and INEC has follow suit. I expect APC leaders to act accordingly and without prejudice.
Having analyzed these people, Igalas, Okuns & Ebiras’ arguments and with reference to the relevant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in the light of rule of law, I observe the following:
The Igalas want Audu’s son to replace his late father. Does Kogi state operates a monarchy system of government? Without apology, the Igalas are making mockery of the good legacy of late Audu by parading his son and pushing him to go and claim what, in the eye of law, is not his. No constitutional backing do they have whatsoever. They are equally saying that APC zoned governorship ticket to them. Have they forgotten so quick that the APC primary election included candidates from other senatorial districts, West and Central? Is any zoning arrangement in force in Kogi state at the moment? Of course NOT! I advise the Igalas to accept that their agitation is baseless and unconstitutional. It is nothing, with due respect, but greediness and sentiment.
The Okuns want Mr Faleke to replace Late Audu to conclude the election. They are accusing INEC of declaring the election inconclusive. Are they saying INEC should ignore the relevant provision of its own Electoral Guidelines and acted otherwise? For those who are saying Faleke is now entitled to the votes cast for APC may I refer them to section 221 of the Nigerian Constitution that clearly indicates that the right to vote is the right of a political party, in this case, APC. The combination of Section 221 of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 33 of the Electoral Act leave no room for any conjecture. One lawyer said that Faleke has spent money in the ongoing election hence deserves the victory. Was he telling Nigerians that people’s votes were bought? What about those candidates that contested the primary election? They purchased nomination forms with no small amount of money and when they lost did they ask for refund? If we don’t respect the law, where is the change we are clamouring for? Constitutionally, since Late Audu had NOT been DULY ELECTED as governor, Faleke, as his running mate, NOT deputy at the moment, can neither replace Late Audu nor be sworn-in as governor. The advocacies of this move, who are “highly learned”, with due respect but no apology, allow sentiment to overshadow their respect for the laws of this land and in this particular matter. A barrister even preferred a ludicrous option to INEC to go ahead to conduct the supplementary election and conclude it without filling the vacancy Audu left and thereafter declare Falake the winner and be sworn-in as governor! He added that the relevant sections of the Electoral Act and INEC Guideline should be ignored and thrown out. What a greedy move! This is not only unconstitutional but a gross disrespect for the laws of this land. Faleke remains the running mate for APC in the ongoing election and no one should take it away from him.

                                                                                     Halim Y. Agava

If APC upheld Faleke’s position and present him as replacement for Late Audu, and the judiciary does nothing, then Section 33 of the Electoral Act as amended is automatically nulified as that would mean that the moment a running mate is picked he or she would replace the gubernatorial candidate if he or she dies before, during or after the election and not the first runner up in the primary as prescribed by the Electoral Act. In any case, I am not surprised seeing these unfortunate statements coming from some famous lawyers because if the politicians have double mouth, most lawyers have multiple mouths. For instance, if those lawyers who are twisting the laws were counsels to other contesting individuals or groups, they would definitely have contradictory observations respectively. The reason is not far fetched: they were just doing their legal jobs. They were paid to do it! But I must remind them that no individuals or group of individuals, however rich or highly placed, they cannot fool all the people all the time. The laws of this land is supreme.
The Ebiras are saying that APC should strictly adhere and abide by the INEC directive to it to substitute its deseased candidate, Audu, for the 5th December’s supplementary election in the state. This is also in compliance with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice’s pronouncement.
The Ebiras are also stressing that APC cannot go ahead conduct any fresh primary election to replace Audu as it is unconstitutional as the primary election that gave Audu the ticket is still valid. In addition a party can only conduct a primary election after atleast a 21 day notice has been served to INEC, a provision APC cannot meet, given the time frame to the supplementary election. Section 33 of the Electoral Act has made provision on how to replace a deceased candidate, so why this call for fresh election or Faleke or Audu son to replace the deceased?
The only option available to APC under the Law is to pick the first runner up to Audu in the August, 2015 APC’s primary election to replace him to conclude the gubernatorial election in the state. For cry out loud, the first runner up is not guilty of any wrong doing or anti party activity. Why the regmarole by the APC leaders?
Base on these divergent opinions, the Ebiras’ position should prevail if we are actually serious about change.
The AGF and Minister of Justice, INEC and Ebiras have spoken. The onus is now on APC leaders to do what is legally right through strict observance of the rule of law and without sentiment or favouritism.
Finally, my advice to the good people of Ebiraland is that they should unite, remain firm and use all the available legal instruments to claim their mandate and what is rightfully theirs.
Long live Ebiraland, Long live Kogi state and Long live Nigeria. [myad]

The staying power of a political party is its resilience in trying times.  In the 16 years of reign by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its resilience was, really, never tested, until the 2015 general elections when the party was defeated by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Naturally, the defeat brought despondency to many members.  Times heal, as they say, and months after the painful defeat, the PDP is already beginning to pick up its own bits and pieces.
Those grieving PDP’s defeat fall into different categories: among them, are the genuine members who have been consistent and loyal to the party for years and who invested time, human and material resources in the elections, which the party lost for reasons that have become obvious.  Another category of those in grief are some men and women whose campaign activities were motivated almost solely by personal interests, greed and avarice.  And, of course, there were those who were members of the party only by name, and who never made any investment to the party’s efforts, and have been without any commitment to its fortunes and survival.  Together, both the genuine and the counterfeit have been grieving or pretending to grieve over PDP’s defeat.  Who, exactly, belongs to what category is better left for the conscience of the individuals.
However, Nigerians must have been surprised to hear the television guru, High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi, express regret over PDP’s defeat at the 2015 polls and apologising to Nigerians for the mistake of presenting former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the party’s Presidential candidate. That colossal error, he said, was responsible for the defeat of the PDP.  Dokpesi then claimed to be championing the task of reviving the PDP, first, through massive electronic membership registration drive all over Nigeria and second, by organising a self-assessment stakeholders’ conference in which the remote and immediate causes of the party’s defeat would be analysed and solution proffered. Then, there was confusion!
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, one of those responsible for the party’s defeat and whose loyalty is also doubtful, queried Dokpesi’s locus standi to speak for the party.  Metuh is right.  Dokpesi cannot speak on behalf of the PDP for many reasons. He is not a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.  And, concerning Jonathan’s candidacy, the High Chief was, in 2011, the Director-General of IBB’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, which tried but failed to stop Jonathan from contesting for the President that year.
On the issue of whether or not the PDP made a mistake by presenting former President Jonathan as the party’s Presidential candidate, the truth is that Dokpesi was not speaking for the PDP, and he could not have intended to speak on behalf of the PDP, because he, really, was never in the PDP.  Nor was he ever with Jonathan, in spite of his recent flattering 58th birthday wishes in which he credited the former President with the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria. Dokpesi was speaking for himself when he apologised to Nigerians for the choice of Jonathan. What he really meant was that he had, ab initio, been against Jonathan’s candidacy for re-election in 2011 and that Nigerians did not listen to him.
That’s Dokpesi’s brand of politics!  His problem borders on political dubiety and bloated self-estimation, which are common afflictions with successful media businessmen who veer into politics.  Recall that Dokpesi had campaigned for Jonathan based on his assessment of what he would get there and then. In other words, his loyalty was determined by immediate reward, rather than principles or national interest.  It was common knowledge, for instance, that Dokpesi had to abandon Jonathan in 2011 on the pretext that the former President declined to approve payment of a bogus sum for the transmission by his AIT of a global football competition hosted by Nigeria.  The contract was purportedly packaged under the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.  I stand to be corrected on this.
If Dokpesi were sincere to himself, he would have admitted before Nigerians that he was neither in the PDP nor with Jonathan.  And, if he were modest enough in self-assessment, he would have known that he does not have what it takes to champion the task of rebuilding the PDP.  What you don’t have, you don’t give.  Yet, sadly, that was what Dokpesi set out to do by organising a conference to reassess the fortunes and misfortunes of the PDP.
Being crafty and clever by half, Dokpesi sought to enlist the support of elder statesmen such as former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Mallam Adamu Ciroma and Chief Alex Ekwueme as Special Guests of Honour, only for the General, whose Campaign Orgainsation Dokpesi served as Director-General, to tell him in the plainest language, “Count me out”. What a shame! Rebuilding the PDP requires men and women of integrity, moral rectitude, commitment and selfless devotion. Unfortunately, the current members of the party’s NWC lack these essential requirements.  They are, therefore, incapable of reviving the party.
The good thing is that the PDP still has, in abundance, men and women of honour and integrity, of strength and character, determination and drive, to start the genuine task of rebuilding the party.  The problem is that they are not likely to come out, until all the charlatans on the dancing floor give way.  What gave the like of Dokpesi the audacity of thinking they can hijack the leadership of the PDP is the void created by the exit of the former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.  After the departure of Mu’azu, the corrupt members of the NWC refused to vacate their positions, in flagrant violation of the party’s constitution.  To date, Uche Secondus, one of those believed to have betrayed President Jonathan by working for his own pocket rather than for the former President, has insisted on holding on to the position of National Chairman which, legally and rightly, belongs to the Northeast geo-political zone.
The greatest challenge facing the PDP today is that the current NWC is a liability that would continue to affect the fortunes of the party. Anybody hearing Olisa Metuh talk, in his usual infantile manner, would never take the PDP serious. The situation is not made better with Uche Secondus’ lack of ideas, focus and personality.  All this is compounded by Dokpesi’s entry into the scene, claiming to have the magic wand for reviving the PDP.  The situation is pathetic, but not totally hopeless.
The founding fathers of the PDP and other committed members of the party still around, must take up the challenge, chase out the charlatans and start the genuine task of rebuilding the party.  The PDP has all the advantages – the structures, experience, material and human resources and above all, committed men and women with the required determination to drive the process through.  Rebuilding the party must be seen as a call to duty.

Abubakar, Development Consultant, sent in this piece from Kaduna. [myad]

Nigeria is a country of mystics and deeply convicted religious folks – I belong to the Jesus people. This is why I see unemployment as a mountain that must be removed. And how so blessed we are to have the man with the Nkpara, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the helm of affairs at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity. I am optimistic that this rod wielding prophet, sorry, politician, will take us to the promise land after the mystic order of Moses who in times past applied the rod to part the Red Sea, to smite the Mountain that the people of Israel may have to drink and same rod became a snake for the purpose of scaring Pharaoh so as to set the Jews free.
Dr. Ngige is up against the Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is a representation of the unemployment, under employment, sub employment and pseudo employment that Africa’s most populous nation is faced with today. The stats are ugly: the country is dishing out about 1.8 million graduates yearly – mostly half-baked, and rates of school dropouts should double that, and the figure will be tripled by folks who may have attained adulthood without acquiring any form of Education or instruction in Skill to produce or to deal.
Expectancy is high, the ruling party has promised to create three million jobs in a year, which is an indicator that the problem is fully apprehended but a clear roadmap is yet to be seen. This has to be the first assignment for the honorable Minister. The document has to be publicly presented without tape and ribbon cutting and the citizens must buy-in.
Secondly, the Minister of Labour and Productivity should declare an emergency on the issue of skill. Nigeria is a largely incompetent or skill deficient nation, specialized or basic. Assuming that there is a recognized index for skills and competency in the world, Nigeria will easily find itself in the bottom 10 in the world.
To address the skills situation, the Ministry must have a thematic focus of not more than 3 industries in geographically distributed scenarios as well as actively collaborate with middle schools and higher institutions of learning, private and non-profit organizations to develop market place skill acquisition programs. The highest allocation in the ministry’s budget must be devoted to providing funds and grants to credible programs and schemes that promote the aforementioned objective. I don’t want the government involved in direct trainings.
The honorable minister can also draw CSR commitments from top industries to providing quality skills acquisition, incubation and accelerator programs for our citizens. I believe that the best way to solve the issue we are faced with is to keep as many who are out of employment in focused education and training. Remember the axiom about an idle person being the devil’s workshop.
In same vein the Ministry of labour and employment must liaise with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to encourage Skilled Migration and Integration. Nigerian Small Businesses must be supported to bring in Skilled labour from outside our borders through Technical Aid requests from Foreign Missions and more initiatives to encourage skill acquisition and experiential work abroad exchange programs. All these can be facilitated by the government.
Nigeria had such programs in the past; a lot of our today’s engineers were trained in communist Cuba and the Soviet Union while the 70’s Indian immigrants transferred knowledge to a lot of agriculturists in Northern Nigeria. The Egyptian Aquaculture Industry was boosted by the collaboration with the Hellenic Government of Greece through an agreed migrant skills transfer project that involved Egyptians going to work in Greek Aquaculture companies for certain durations and returning to the country to transfer the skills acquired.
Thirdly, I advocate the restructuring of the Labour Ministry. A quick peek of the departmental structure laid out on the Ministry’s website reveal a shocking state of unpreparedness to tackle today’s labour and workforce challenges. The ministry needs an overhaul, it must be business-like in approach and form, a skills audit must be conducted while gaps must be analysed and plugged. Civil servants in the Ministry must see themselves as Analysts instead of Officer II, Managers instead of Level 10s and C-Suite Executives instead of AD, DD and Directors. The ministry must also recruit support staff and consultants to work with all the mission critical departments. I believe that the Blair-Elumelu Fellows programme of the Tony Elumelu Foundation has in time past resourced Government agencies with competent personnel and will be more than willing to assist the Ministry. The least Ngige can do is to put a call across.
Fourthly, Government has to be directly involved in creating a number of jobs immediately or will need to spend more on security. The labour and productivity ministry must work to develop a Small Business Procurement Policy which mandates that certain transactional volumes of Government contracting are executed by companies with small size or low turnover. A good example of that is Governor Elrufai’s Classroom and Uniforms procurement initiative. No single big company should get that entire contract!
The government must also explore job creation or occupation of the unemployed through Social Impact Jobs. I opine that this should be the criteria for the unemployment benefits that government is proposing. Social Impact Jobs can range from Community Vigilance and Security to Environmental Conservancy – Tree planting, Climate Change Awareness to Health and Sanitation Corps as a form of preventive care and to avoid disease outbreak, Mass Literacy initiatives like Financial Education, Evening Classes for market women and rural settlers which will save government of spending in the long term and help to achieve much desired social outcomes in shorter time. There are grant pockets for these kinds of initiatives if the process is properly managed and documented.
Fifthly, the new minister of employment should beware of Start-ups but should rather embrace Scale ups. Start-up evangelists around the world seem to be winning a lot of converts lately and it is just so cool. But startups, the truth is; a lot of them fail. Silicon valley stories inspire us but in Africa, failure is like a death sentence. Scale ups are small to mid-sized companies that are 3 years of more with annual employment growth rate of about 20%. These companies are in need of a lot of support. These companies can be supported with Manpower, Technology and Training, and Financing opportunities to give them competitive advantage and growth opportunities.
The “Igbo model” of entrepreneurship that epitomizes apprenticeship and mentoring works and should be adopted on a grand scale. Nigeria must be a mentoring country as seen in the Igbo enterprise structure and the biggest effort of your ministry will be to ensure that thriving Start-ups are supported to become scale-ups. We have seen ‘spare parts’ businesses with boys mostly recruited from rural villages scale to become a vehicle distribution franchise and now an assembly line. All by themselves. Nollywood remains another model of this Igbo enterprise model and spirit. Scale-ups are more sustainable and are generally adjudged, according to several studies, as having the highest impact on job growth. The reason remains that failing start-ups will eventually send more people into the labour market.
Finally, Nigeria must look forward to the future. The average age of the population is 19.2 years and this shows that the worst years are not here. We must look to the Future and I have two thoughts along this line: One, our elementary education must be more focused on industry and enterprise with full appreciation of vocational and technical skills. The second is that we have to accord highest priority to our women – they are the keys to the future. “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation), ” the saying goes.
Nigerians are hungry, driven and passionate people. The resources abound everywhere but we have either been blind or incapacitated and there is no better time to act. I trust Ngige, our Nkpara wielding doctor to lead the way. We are behind you, sir. My eyes can see the glory. This mountain must be removed (Singing till it fades)! [myad]