Four more Nigerians have gone to court to challenge the validity of the school certificate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari before an Abuja Magistrates’ Court. They alleged a fresh criminal suit of alleged perjury against him.
They are Shield Jones Ufot, Jimmy David, Ogueri Enwerem and Tochukwu Okorie who filed the direct criminal complaint through their lawyer, Ugochukwu Ezekiel at the court. They mentioned Buhari as the only defendant in the suit.
The complainants alleged that Buhari gave a false evidence to a public officer contrary to Section 157 of the Penal Code which is punishable under Section 158 of the Penal Code Law.
They identified themselves as Nigerian citizens, activists and social crusaders who are committed to ensuring obedience to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a duty to report crime and ensure prosecution of offenders. They also claimed they are tax payers and voters in Nigeria qualified to vote and be voted for in Nigeria.
The crux of their complaint against Buhari is that he, on December 18, 2014, filled and submitted INEC Form C.F 001 to the Independent National Electoral Commission (a public office) wherein Buhari gave his qualification to contest the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as West African School Certificate (WASC), which he claimed to have obtained in 1961.
They went on to allege that Buhari never sat for the West African Examination Council examination in 1961 as he claimed and that in the entire records of the school and WAEC, there appeared no name of the said Mohammadu Buhari.
The activists maintained that Buhari with an intent to mislead a public office in order to comply with the provisions of Section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2010, deposed to various affidavits in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja wherein he stated that he attended Provincial Secondary School, Katsina and obtained a West African School Certificate and that the certificates he claimed to have obtained are with the Nigerian Army. [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has said that President Goodluck Jonathan should no longer be taken serious whenever he vows that he would end Boko Haram soon even as the sect, under his Presidency, grew from mere armed delinquents to hard fighting group. A statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign organization, Mallam Garba Shehu said that the claim by President Jonathan during his campaign visit to Maiduguri, capital of Borno State and hotbed of the insurgency that he would deal with the menace of the terrorists looks more like a joke or mere talk designed for the occasion of the campaign event. “President Jonathan has been at the helm of affairs in Nigeria for more than five years. During this time, the Boko Haram has transformed from a group of armed delinquents to an active fighting group or movement without the government headed by President Jonathan able to contain it. It is childish for the same person to say that he would deal with a group that became a monster under his watch.” Garba Shehu advised President Jonathan to stop talking about dealing with Boko Haram as he has clearly shown little appreciation and leadership in the area of national security. “Rather, he should join eager and long-suffering Boko Haram victims across the nation and other well-meaning Nigerians to ensure that General Muhammadu Buhari emerges victorious in the February 14 poll to deal with Boko Haram, as well as unemployment and widespread official corruption, two other vices ravaging our nation under his watch. “If President Jonathan and his party want to be true to Nigerians, it is for them to acknowledge that to deal with Boko Haram, and the wider national security issues it has thrown up over the years is within the scope of his opponent, General Buhari, because the latter has travelled similar road in the past with distinction when the nation’s security and well-being was endangered as it has been in the last four years since Boko Haram became a national security and regional security menace while Jonathan fiddled.” APC Presidential campaign spokesman insisted that Boko Haram terrorists are no longer a group that President Jonathan and those who work with him can handle, saying that a new and committed leader is needed. “This is made more necessary because the terrorists have been holding more than 200 Nigerian school girls hostage for several months and has taken over chunks of the nation’s territory, without a whimper from the “happy-go-lucky” government of President Goodluck Jonathan.” He argued that if in the past five years, the Boko Haram has transformed while Jonathan made empty promises, “pray, how can such a leader make any difference in another four years? The most likely scenario if Jonathan is given another four years in office is that the terrorists would effortlessly take over the entire country.” [myad]
A Yoruba group, going by the name: Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has distanced itself from another group, Afenifere which declared its endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for second-term in the February 14 election.
In a press statement signed by its publicity secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, ARG described the use of its insignia to promote the said endorsement as fraudulent and an attempt to deceive Yoruba people.
The group wrote: “it has come to our notice that some broadcast stations are using ARG’s name and logo to promote the said endorsement. This is fraudulent and we wish to advice media houses to be wary of such fraudulent promoters especially now that public interest must be defended by the media.
“The ARG is not a party to the endorsement and does not in fact think the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan since May 2010 is worth the endorsement of any patriotic citizen. We believe there is a difference between ‘transformation,’ which President Jonathan promised Nigerians in 2011 and mere ‘reform’ of the same governance culture that Nigerians have rejected.
The ARG does not dictate to the generality of the Yoruba people, rather it gives voice to their feelings and aspirations. The extensive consultations we have made showed that Yoruba people have come to a firm conclusion that they have been at the shorter end of the stick under the Jonathan-led government, under whose administration, nepotism and ethnocentrism have taken over as the emblem of our presidential politics.
“ARG therefore stands with the aspirations of Yoruba people for change. As echoed in Abeokuta recently at the public lecture organised by the Ogun State chapter of ARG, the change that we demand include a public pledge to restructure the country in such a way that power will devolve to the most efficient federating units.”
The Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, had told journalists in Akure, the Ondo state capital yesterday, Tuesday after meeting with President Jonathan, that the group had endorsed the president who was in the state as part of his state wide presidential campaign.
The meeting took place at the residence of the National Chairman of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti.
Leaders that attended the meeting include governor Olusegun Mimiko of ondo State, two former governors of Osun and Ogun state Iyiola Omisore and Gbenga Daniel, Chief Ayo Adebanjo. [myad]
Nigeria minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has come down hard on the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, saying that the former CBN Governor has been a failure in virtually everything he did in the recent past.and therefore needs to improve his image.
Okono-Iweala said: “He (Professor Soludo) certainly needs something to improve his image from that of someone whose sojourn into National Economic Management ended in disaster for the banking sector, his sojourn in politics, ended in overwhelming rejection by the electorate, and more recently, his sojourn abroad, has put him out of touch with the reality of the Nigerian economy.”
The minister was responding to a write up by Professor Soludo titled: “Buhari Vs Jonathan: Beyond the Election” which was widely published in many newspapers and online media organizations.
Okonjo-Iweala said that Professor Soludo’s write up was littered with abusive and unbecoming language and showed how an embittered loser in the Nigerian political space can get so derailed that they commit intellectual harakiri by deliberately misquoting economic facts and maliciously turning statistics on their head to justify a hatchet job.
“We hope all the intellectuals in the international circles in which Professor Soludo has told us he flies around in will read what a Professor of Economics has chosen to do with his intellect
“In this one article, Soludo has shamelessly pandered to so many past leaders that Nigerians are asking one more time – what position is Soludo gunning for now? He claims in his article that he has had his own share of public service, yet he has failed twice in his attempts to be Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential candidate of various parties. There is definitely an issue of character with Prof. Charles Soludo and his desperate search for power and relevance in Nigeria. Nigerians should therefore beware of so-called intellectuals without character and wisdom because this combination is fatal.”
The minister said that what Professor Soludo wrote was outright nonsense and self-seeking aggrandizement that need not be dignified with a response, adding that it is totally remarkable that Professor Charles Soludo, the man who presided over the worst mismanagement of Nigeria’s banking sector as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria between May 2004 and May 2009, can write about the mismanagement of the economy.
“Nigerians must be reminded of his antecedents as CBN Governor, and even prior to that, as the Chief Economic Adviser to the President. The consolidation of the banking sector was a good policy idea of the Obasanjo Administration but Soludo went on to thoroughly mismanage its implementation leading to the worst financial crisis in Nigeria’s history. So what did Soludo do?
“After consolidation, the regulatory functions of the Soludo-led CBN were very poorly exercised. As Governor, he failed to adequately supervise and regulate the now larger banks – an anomaly in Financial Sector Supervision. In fact as every Nigerian knows, in his time there was very little separation between the regulators and the regulated which is a violation of a key requirement of Central Banking success. This led to infractions in corporate governance in many banks as loans and other credit instruments running to hundreds of billions of naira were extended to clients without following due process, and several of these loans could not be paid back. This massive accumulation of bad debts or non-performing loans as they are called in the banking sector meant that our banks were ill-positioned to deal with the global financial crisis when it hit.
“In fact, the banking sector was brought to its knees and required a massive bailout by Nigerian tax payers. This bailout was done by his successor (now Emir of Kano) who cleaned up all the bad debts and transferred them to the newly-established AMCON, from where they are managed today. So let it be noted for the record books that Soludo’s single-handed mismanagement of the banking sector led to an incredible accumulation of liabilities that will cost tax payers about N5.67 trillion (being the total face value of AMCON-issued bonds) to clean up. Let it be noted also that this amount, which is more than the entire Federal Government 2015 Budget, constitutes the bulk of Nigeria’s “contingent liabilities” mentioned in Soludo’s article. It is only in Nigeria where someone who perpetrated such a colossal economic atrocity would have the temerity to make assertions on public debt and the management of the economy.
“Let us now look at some of the points he makes. Luckily, Soludo has told us that he has been busy travelling internationally, hobnobbing with his global partners. It is obvious from this article that from the rarefied heights at which he is flying he is completely out of touch with what is happening with the management of this economy. Take his comments on the mismanagement of the economy and the imposition of the austerity measures. The present fall in oil prices, a global phenomenon over which Nigeria has no control, has given every charlatan the opportunity to attack the economy, and by extension the managers of the economy
“It is true that the economy grew well during the second-term of former President Obasanjo as a result of the reforms supported by the President and implemented by the Economic Management Team. Please note that the Finance Minister under whose leadership that good performance took place, including massive unprecedented debt relief, is still Finance Minister today. But thorough examination of the facts on performance under the Jonathan Administration will also reveal that at a time when global economic performance was mediocre, with GDP growth averaging about 3 percent per annum, Nigeria’s GDP growth – averaging about 6 percent per annum – is indeed remarkable. Even more interesting is the fact that the oil sector did not drive this economic performance but the non-oil sector (Agriculture, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, the Creative Economy, and so on), which shows that the current Administration’s diversification objective under the Transformation Agenda is working. Transformation equals diversification
“This current government managed to control inflation, which he Soludo, was not able to do during his time at the helm of monetary policy in Nigeria. When he left the Central Bank in 2009, inflation – which hurts the poor and vulnerable in the society the most – was above 13 percent per annum. Now, inflation is at single-digit, at 8 percent per annum. What about exchange rates? Well this administration again managed to stabilize the naira exchange rates, such that between May 2011 and the end of 2014, official exchange rates against the dollar rarely moved out of the N153 to N156 band. It is only with the recent dramatic fall in oil prices and the consequent impact on our foreign reserves that the exchange rate has become quite volatile. The drop in oil price has been heavy and rapid impacting all oil producing nations significantly. Nigeria is no exception and appropriate fiscal and monetary policy measures are being put in place to manage this situation.
“In fact, history will recall that careless remarks by Prof. Soludo (then Chief Economic Adviser to the President) hypothesizing a possible naira devaluation, condemned the naira to a free fall towards the end of 2003. Ray Echebiri, in his 2004 article in the Financial Standard, wrote that not even the assurances given by the then CBN Governor, Mr. Joseph Sanusi or President Obasanjo that any plans to devalue the naira existed only in the head of Professor Soludo could halt the fall of the naira from N128 to the dollar in the official market to about N140 between September and December 2003.
“It is true that our foreign reserve accumulation is less than what it should be but the reason for this has been fully given, not as excuses but simply as fact: lower oil production and crude oil theft along with the refusal to save in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) are the reasons. Contrary to what Soludo said, oil production under President Obasanjo was higher than current levels. Quantities produced averaged 2.4 million bdp, 2.22 million bpd, and 2.21 million bpd in 2005, 2006, and 2007 respectively but has declined now to between 1.95 and 2.21 million bdp due to vandalism of the pipelines and the resulting “shut-ins” to fix the problem. It is true that had production been at the previous levels and had there been willingness to save we would have had more money in the ECA and also in the reserves. But the overriding setback to savings is that the State Governors felt it was their constitutional right to share the money. Please recall that even as we speak the States have taken the Federal Government to the Supreme Court on this issue
“Soludo’s claim that 71 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line is misleading and disingenuous. He uses 2011 statistics on poverty by the NBS to support his argument while ignoring more recent figures. But as stated in the Nigeria Economic Report 2014 by the World Bank, poverty rate in Nigeria has dropped from 35.2 percent of population in 2010/2011 to 33.1 percent in 2012/2013. By the way, the reason why our poverty numbers have been so wrong is that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), under Soludo’s supervision as CEA and Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission, departed from the international standard method of poverty measurement. Is he now ignoring the right economic statistics to wilfully manipulate information?
“No doubt we have a problem with unemployment in this country and we must deal with it. Indeed this Administration is dealing with it and stands proud of what it has accomplished so far and is pushing hard to accomplish much more. As a first step, the Administration, through the office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President and the NBS, worked hard to determine how many jobs we need to create in a year. What you don’t measure you cannot make progress on. Why didn’t Soludo do this when he was CEA?
“We need to create about 1.8 million jobs a year in this country to cater for the new entrants into the labour market, but we also need to deal with the backlog of the unemployed and the underemployed, e.g. those selling on the streets. Dealing with this global challenge of unemployment is not an easy task for any country, as can be seen from the experiences of developed countries particularly in the euro area. But the Jonathan Administration is making good progress, creating an average of about 1.4 million jobs per year by driving quality growth in key sectors like Agriculture, where the bulk of new jobs are being created, Housing, Manufacturing, Financial Services, and the Creative Industries like Nollywood.
“In addition we have special programs to promote job creation among the youth and these include: Promoting entrepreneurship among the youth through the “Nagropreneurs” program to support 750,000 youth farmers with grants and training, and the YOUWIN program that is directly supporting up to 5,400 young entrepreneurs with grants, training, and mentorship and so far beneficiaries are creating an average of 9 jobs each, for themselves and others. About 22,000 jobs have been created by the first 2,400 youwinners.
“Graduate Internship Scheme: that is reducing the vulnerability of unemployed graduates by enhancing their employability. The Scheme targets up to 50,000 unemployed graduates in the 36 states of the Federation and FCT and about 22,000 graduates have so far been placed by the program.
“Community Services Scheme under SURE-P: developed to empower young unskilled Nigerians, women and people with disabilities. About 120,000 mostly young workers have been engaged across the country
“On the issue of debt, Nigerians deserve to know the truth and we have said it before. The truth is that the government borrowed in 2010 to pay an unprecedented 53.7 percent wage increase to all categories of federal employees as demanded by labour unions. The total wage bill rose from N857 billion in 2009 to about N1.4 trillion in 2010, and as a result, domestic borrowing increased from N200 billion in 2007 to about N1.1 trillion in 2010 to meet the wage payments. Where was Soludo at the time? Why did he not react to the borrowing then? Was it because he wanted to pander to labour in preparation for his political career?
“It is noteworthy that since 2011, the Administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been prudent with the issue of debt and borrowing. The Economic Management Team not only looks at debt to GDP ratio, where Nigeria has one of the lowest numbers in the world at 12.51 percent but it looks at debt service to revenues. That is why in spite of the rebasing and a larger GDP, the administration has taken a prudent approach to borrowing. The prudent approach helped to drive down domestic borrowing from N1.1 trillion in 2010 to N642 billion in 2014. In fact for the first time in our nation’s borrowing history we even managed to retire N75 billion of domestic bonds outright in 2013.
“Despite the present tough situation, we do not plan to go on a borrowing spree but to keep borrowing modest at a level sufficient to help us weather the present situation. We have already ramped up efforts to generate more non-oil revenues for the government while cutting costs of governance. Therefore, Soludo’s claim that this Administration is reckless with debt does not hold true.
“Since Soludo seems so ignorant to what has been achieved by the Jonathan Administration, let us present just a few examples of them here again. This information is easily verified.
“We are improving infrastructure across the country. For example, 22 airport terminals are being refurbished, and five new international airport terminals under construction in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, and Enugu. Soludo’s kinsmen in the South East now have an international airport in Enugu, and for the first time in Nigeria’s history can fly direct from Enugu to anywhere in world for which they are very grateful to this Administration. But with Soludo being up in the air with his international travels, he has not touched ground in the Southeast to observe this development for himself.
“Various road and bridge projects have either been completed or are under construction. Those completed include the Enugu – Abaliki road in Enugu/Ebonyi States, the Oturkpo – Oweto road in Benue State, the Benin – Ore – Shagamu highway, and the Abuja – Abaji – Lokoja dualization, and the Kano – Maiduguri dualization. The Lagos – Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger Bridge are under construction.
“Rail from Lagos to Kano is now functional, as is parts of the rail link between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri. All these have brought transport costs down. We recognise that more needs to be done in the power sector, but bold steps (like the privatisation of the GENCOs and DISCOs) have been taken, and our gas infrastructure is being developed to power electricity generation
“In Agriculture, over 6 million farmers now have access to inputs like fertilizers and seeds through an e-wallet system, which is more than the 403,222 that had access in 2011. Rice paddy production took off for the first time in our history, adding about 7 million MT to rice supply. An additional 1.3 million MT of Cassava has also been produced and as a result, the rate of food price increase has slowed considerably, according to the NBS.
“In Housing, we have put in place a new wholesale mortgage provider – the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC) – to provide affordable mortgages to ordinary Nigerians, starting with those in the low-middle income bracket. This sector will help the economy grow as we tap it as an economic driver for the first time. Mortgage applications from 66,000 people are currently being processed and 23,000 have already received mortgage offers
“Our Manufacturing sector is reviving with new automobile plants by Nissan, Toyota, etc. This is in addition to the backward integration policy in key sectors like petrochemical, sugar, textiles, agro processing and cement, which Nigeria is now producing 39,000 MT and exporting to the region.
“The Creative sector is now a factor in our GDP, with Nollywood alone accounting for 1.4 percent, creating over 200,000 direct jobs and nearly 1 million indirect jobs. This is the first Administration to recognise its importance and support its further development with a grant program.
“A new bank – the Development Bank of Nigeria – will soon be operational and this bank will help bridge the access to finance gap, which is a major constraint for the private sector especially SMEs. The bank will provide long-term (5 – 10 years) financing at affordable rates for the first time in our nation’s history.
“This is the path that the government has been on before this fall in oil prices. The response to the economic shock has been spelled out to the Nigerian public over and over again, and the Administration intends to focus on managing this crisis appropriately. This year will be difficult. To say anything less to Nigerians will be untruthful. It would have been better if there had been a bigger cushion of the Excess Crude Account to manage this situation but despite this the nation can rise to the challenge. More importantly, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Economic Management Team are seeing this as an opportunity to diversify the revenue sources of an already diversifying economy. In fact let me at this juncture use this opportunity to comment on Soludo’s appalling statement that rebasing brings no policy value. Rebasing has enabled us to better grasp the new diversified nature of our economy. This provides the basis for our present drive to support different sectors with appropriate policy instruments to enhance their development. Rebasing has also enabled the Administration to create the platform from which to drive our work on increasing non-oil revenues. These are areas of critical policy value.
“Soludo mentioned the issue of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU, noting that this Administration has not been vocal or clear on its direction with this agreement. On the contrary, the Administration, particularly the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, has been clear on this issue but since Soludo has been in the air he probably has not been aware of this. Just recently, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment reiterated again to the corporate sector that Nigeria has not signed and does not propose to sign the EPA in its present form.
“The point is that this government has been pursuing the right economic policies, and its efforts have been acknowledged nationally and internationally. Let me say that there are objective ways to measure performance. There are international institutions globally accepted to do this. They have acknowledged this Administration’s good economic management up to the recent crisis and even now.
“We cannot go by someone’s subjective view, driven by bitterness and bile. We need to look to the truth and to professionalism. This is where Professor Soludo totally fails. For the other gratuitous, political, and personal attacks, we are sure that those mentioned will respond appropriately. It is a sad day for Nigeria and the economics profession that someone like Soludo, a former CBN governor should write such an article. If Soludo wants to regain respect, he should return to the path of professionalism. He certainly needs something to improve his image from that of someone whose sojourn into National Economic Management ended in disaster for the banking sector, his sojourn in politics, ended in overwhelming rejection by the electorate, and more recently, his sojourn abroad, has put him out of touch with the reality of the Nigerian economy.” [myad]
The pan Yoruba group, Afenifere, on Tuesday in Akure endorsed the second term presidential bid of Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP). The group gave the endorsement at the residence of Chief Reuben Fasoranti, its national leader, where it received President Jonathan and his entourage. In a speech read on his behalf by the National Secretary of Afenifere, Chief Seinde Arogbofa, the group said it was to enable President Jonathan to complete the transformation Agenda as well as implement the decisions of the last National Conference for Nigeria’s progress. “Afenifere is a socio political association. We have always spoken out our minds on any matter that affects our country. “We therefore want to say it loud and clear that after considering so many things, the Nigerian constitution inclusive, we see you for now as the best option to continue as the president of our dear country. Consequently, we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to join us,” he said. Afenifere said it was encouraged by the transformation agenda of the President to give the endorsement It specifically mentioned the President’s convocation of a National Conference for the restructuring of the country as worthy of note. It said a second term would enable the President to implement the decisions of the conference. The group also spoke of the need for the government to tackle the insecurity in the country and also to ensure equal spread of amenities and key national offices. It thanked President Jonathan for making the Federal University of Technology Medical College , Akure, a reality and for granting Ondo state a Federal Polytechnic. It requested the President to appoint key officers of the state into the polytechnic for effective take-off. President Jonathan in his response said he was committed to implementing the decisions of the national conference before the end of the first year of his second term if re-elected. “We will not play politics with the report.” The president also said he would not relent in the fight against insurgency and would not transfer it to his next administration. Jonathan said the Yoruba race was key to Nigeria’s development and his administration would continue to work with the people for national development. The president said that his administration recorded milestones in aviation, road construction, education and transportation and would do more. According to him, the administration completed 25,000 km of roads, from the 5,000km it inherited and promised to complete the remaining 10,000km soon. He thanked the Afenifere for the endorsement which he described as novel in the activities of the group. “We will achieve more for Nigerians. All we want is the support of the people. We will not disappoint you.” [myad]
The All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has said that the claim by President Goodluck Jonathan that four years are not enough to transform the country is tantamount to reversing himself and confirming his failure to deliver on his own timeline. A statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu today, said: “it is very imprudent of Mr. President to shift the goal post mounted by him in the middle of the game. “It was this same President Jonathan who said in 2010 that if he could not improve on the country’s power generation capacity within four years, then it means he could not do anything. “What was the president thinking about when he said: ‘Four years are enough for anyone to make significant improvement, and if I can’t improve on power within this period, then it means I cannot do anything.’ Nigerians expect that a president must own up to his own words and be responsible for his own beliefs. “There can only be one reason why President Jonathan is changing his own beliefs about what it takes to transform the country and that is because he is incompetent for the job. “Today, Nigerians are clamouring for change because, for six years the country has been led by a president who cannot give the people direction on how to stop corruption, how to provide security, create employment and provide infrastructure that will impact positively on the economy. “We have said it in the past and we will be repeating it that the 2015 election, more than anything is a referendum on the performance of President Jonathan. The President has not measured up to the least expectations of Nigerians and that is why they are earnestly waiting for February 14 to pass their verdict. “Whereas the Goodluck Jonathan administration has not been able to deliver on any of the promises the president made to Nigerians in 2010, the government under the President’s watch has surpassed every known boundaries on issues of corruption and impunity. “Let us remind the president that if truly Rome was not built in a day, Rome is also not built forever. The President has failed to deliver by his own timelines and he should patiently wait for Nigerians to pass their verdict over the incompetence of his administration,” Garba Shehu said. [myad]
The Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Presidential Campaign Council, Amadu Ali has sent curses to the former Nigeria information minister, Labara Maku for leaving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP that fed him to join All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), describing him as “a dangerous boy.”
The Director- General who was addressing the PDP presidential rally in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa state today, made it clear that PDP will make sure that Labara Maku fails for the rest of his life for defecting to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
Amadu Ali said that Maku is a “dangerous boy” who the PDP helped groom from nothing, adding that his defection will cause a reduction in the number of votes the PDP will garner in Nasarawa state.
“We have a young man who from nowhere was a Deputy Governor of this state for four years, from nowhere he was made a Minister at the federal level for six years, decided to leave the party for another party and keep telling lies that by being in that party, he is helping us.
“He is only going there to reduce our votes. He is a dangerous boy.
“We must make sure that now that he has shown his colour, he will continue failing for the rest of his life unless he retraces his steps back to the elders like us and we will forgive him.”
Amadu Ali asked thee electorate in the state to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan and other candidates of the party at both federal and state levels
In his remarks, the President also denied lending any form of support to Maku’s gubernatorial aspiration under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
President Jonathan said that lending such a support to the former minister would amount to anti-party behaviour.
He expressed his support for all the PDP candidates in the state in the February 14 and 28 general elections.
“We are told and everybody spoke about that the former Minister of Information that is in another party and saying that it is the President who asked him to go to another party. Definitely I cannot play anti-party.
“PDP is my party and all those who want to help us should come to PDP and work for PDP so that PDP will be in control of Nasarawa State so that government of PDP in Nasarawa State and the Federal Government that will be in the hands of PDP and work together to move Nasarawa State forward,” Mr. Jonathan said.
Also speaking, the President of the Senate, David Mark, urged Maku to desist from dropping the name of the President in his quest to achieve his political ambition.
He advised him to apologise to the PDP ”if he is willing to return to the party”, saying that the PDP would wholeheartedly accept him into its fold.
“People of Nasarawa State, don’t be deceived by any ungrateful son of yours, who goes round saying he is in another political party because Mr. President has put him there.
“That is absolute lie, you must never believe it. We said so few days ago and we are emphasising it again. And we want to emphasise it; (the) President is body and soul PDP.
“He can’t, therefore, put somebody in another political party to be campaigning on behalf of another political party.
“How can you be in APGA and be campaigning for the PDP presidential candidate?
“Return to PDP with apology because before we even take him he has to apologise to all the good people in PDP.’’ [myad]
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih has said that the unity and advancement of Nigeria can be better protected by the PDP than by any other party. “In the past four presidential elections, many of you agreed with me and voted our party to victory. For this privilege you have repeatedly given our party to steer the ship of state since our nation’s return to democracy in 1999, I thank you once more. “I am also calling on all Nigerians to once again vote the PDP in 2015. It is a matter of verifiable fact that the PDP, besides faithfully discharging its foremost duty to Nigeria of sustaining a stable and functional state, has recorded many achievements in Agriculture, Aviation, Education, Road, Rail, Industrialisation, Women and Youth Empowerment and many other sectors.” Anenih, who is the National Campaign Adviser of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, made these known in a statement he issued today. He assured that when re-elected, the PDP-led Federal Government under President Jonathan would build more on the achievements on ground. He specifically commended the revolution in the Almajiri education in the north, which is aimed at integrating the teeming Almajiri population into the regular education scheme, even as he said that the Federal Government has already completed more than 150 purpose-built schools with many more under construction for the programme. “The PDP has successfully carried out a strategic restructuring of what was largely a state-run economy to a free-market economy, thereby engendering greater human development, free enterprise and irreversible economic expansion. “These policies have created new jobs and empowered Nigerians from the North, South, East and West, thereby fostering more inclusive economic growth, especially in Agriculture and the Small and Medium Enterprises sector through programmes such as SURE-P and YouWin. “It is a universally-acknowledged principle that inclusive economic growth for the populace is the best guarantee that we have not only for our political and democratic stability, but also in ensuring that Nigeria keeps moving forward in unity.” Chief Anenih appealed to Nigerians to support President Jonathan, whom he described as the best candidate for the job, with a renewed mandate at the polls. The BoT chair assured that the president and the PDP will redouble their efforts to stem the evil tide of terrorism and insurgency, fast track greater access to qualitative education across the country, pursue an even more aggressive infrastructure development programme, while still safeguarding the democratic ideals of free speech and liberty which we all enjoy today. He further urged Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion, region, or political affiliation, to eschew all forms of mudslinging, disorder, and violence as they turn out en-masse to vote for President Jonathan. “Let us prove the naysayers wrong. Let us show the world that as Nigerians, regardless of our differences, we are determined that Nigeria must keep moving forward in unity.” [myad]
Public Affairs Officer of the United States of American Army War College, Carol Kerr has confirmed that the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari earned a Diploma from the College in 1980. In a written explanation which was a response to a deluge of enquiries by Nigerians, Carol Kerr gave a graphic description about the value of the 1980 diploma earned by COL Buhari, and the role of international officers at the College which she said, started to award Degree from the year 2000. “Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, of Nigeria, is a 1980 graduate of the 10-month Army War College resident education program, at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. “COL Buhari was a member of the third Army War College class to have included International Fellows. The Class of 1980 was the first student body to have a large enough number of International Fellows to seat one in every student seminar. The International Fellows Program was part of a major initiative to strengthen the Army War College curriculum by bringing broader perspectives of international partners into the War College experience. “The Chief of Staff of the Army invites International Fellows from select countries to attend the Resident Education Program and Distance Education Program each year. These programs offer an opportunity for International Fellows to participate with U.S. students in seminar and to study, research, and write on subjects of significance to the security interests of their own and allied nations.
“The International Fellows establish mutual understanding and rapport with senior U.S. officers and foreignofficers and enrich the educational environment of USAWC. Since the International Fellows are immersed in U.S. culture, they have an opportunity to acquire firsthand knowledge of the United States and its institutions through study and travel. “Since 1980, the International Fellows Program has expanded broadly. The Class of 2015 includes 79 international officers, representing 73 countries.
“Each student seminar group in the resident education program includes three to four International Fellows studying alongside US military officers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, with representation from the US Coast Guard and selected civilians of several federal agencies. “All US Army War College students are competitively selected for attendance – by their Service if a US military officer, or by their country’s armed forces when the country receives an invitation. “In general terms, the Army War College resident education program still has the same major themes, albeit in 1980 there was more focus on operations. “The college was, and remains, focused on professional education for national security professionals to serve society. Overwhelmingly the focus was and is on Army professional education requirements. “No master’s degrees were awarded by the US Army War College in 1980; the first MSS degree was with the class of 2000. The high quality of the existing curriculum was key to the College attaining accreditation to grant the MSS degree — there was no major effort required to reorient the curriculum content and methodologies that had existed pre-2000.” [myad]
When in one of the many constitutional conferences in the country a decision was taken to divide the country into geopolitical zones, the driving motive was to reduce the marginalization and injustice in the sharing of political booties. Former Vice President Dr. Alex Ekwueme who was the brain behind this geometrix being from the South East was properly thinking of a way to end the injustice against the region many years after a no victor no vanguished was declared of the 30 months civil war. But soon after the regional configuration was agreed, the short changing of the south east continued. Every region got six states with north West having seven but south East got only five states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. This development finally laid the foundation for the sustaining of Ndigbo marginalization. When governors assembly, while other regions are six or seven as the case may be, the South East would be only five. If Ministers and other top political positions are created on regional basis, South East will remain short changed. Since contracts and other political patronages like jobs come through this top positions, the short changing continues down the lines, no wonder the unemployment situation in the South East remain critical. This deliberate action gradually eroded the tripod foundation up which the politics of this country was laid along three major ethnic groups, the ibo, Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani. The sound of South East marginalization has become like a broken record and hardly is anybody interested in listening to it any longer even as it’s effects rather than diminish continues to grow. For instance, members of House of Representatives from Kano and Jigawa ( old Kano) states out number members from the five states of the South East. When every region produce 18 and 21 Senators, South East produce only 15. Any major institution that is established in every state, including Universities, the region would be short changed by one or two. In the last constitutional conference in 2014, delegates made up of prominent Nigerians assembled in Abuja the nation’s capital for six months. The main motive was to address the numerous challenges of the country and proffer a lasting and workable solution. Among the many matters they considered and agreed on was the correcting of the geopolitical imbalance in the South East. They then resolved to create one more state in the South East to bring it to a level with the rest of the regions and if more States needed to be created, it should be in addition for the region. That decision was the first courageous attempt at addressing the geopolitical injustice in the country but it needed further push from the executive and the legislature for it to go through. Indicators so far shows that some persons still feel that the status quo should remain so long as their interest is not touched. Your sincerely carefully followed the two main Presidential candidates, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and General Muhammedu Buhari of All Progressive Congress APC all canvass for votes in the South East not one of them in any of the campaign rallies made mention of the imbalance and the need to implement the decision of the Constitutional conference . The visitors did not nor the home boys. Even the clueless Ohanaeze leadership that said recently that it has not endorsed any of the frontline Presidential candidates have not been able to come up with clear cut demands or requirements of the people. The report of that conference seems dead on arrival because the two main ethnic groups the Yorubas and the Hausa Fulanis appear not to have gained much from it and to them status quo should remain but for the other ethnic minorities who should take advantage of their being in power to correct this imbalance, have all been successfully intimidated out of the radar. Charles Bukowski perhaps noted rightly that “the only time most people think about injustice is when it happens to them.” The truth which is bitter is that head or tail, Jonathan or Buhari, PDP or APC, the South East remains the loser. What they need now is to settle for the lesser evil and who is the lesser evil between APC and PDP or Buhari and Jonathan? To answer that question satisfactorily a look must be taken of a number of variables in the two political parties. What does the two parties mean to the zone? The ruling PDP can rightly claim to have had solid foundation in the region especially given the role played by some Ibo leaders likeAlex Ekwueme , Orji Uzor kalu, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Jim Nwobodo among others but beyond that what really has it to show why the people of the region should continue to keep faith with it. What really has PDP done in its 16 years of existence and 15 years of being in government at federal level and in most parts of the states and local Government areas in the geo-political zone. There may not be much really to show from the federal level but some PDP states in the region have done some visible things. Except for the appointment of Ogbonnaya Onovo as the first ibo in a post war Nigeria to occupy the position of Inspector General of Police and Lt General Azubuike Ihejerika the first in similar circumstance to occupy the office of Chief of Army staff, PDP government has not done much to address the geo-political imbalance and infrastructural development. As for the opposition APC it may look too virgin to judge it but since a closer look at mother in law can give insight into how wives may look at old age, one can begin to envisage. In all the time Gen Buhari held sway in this country how did the region .fair? As a military Head of state did he care to look beyond his region, While other leaders from the north and Muslim gave consideration to balancing by picking either a Christian or Southerner, Gen Buhari settled for a Muslim like himself and also a northerner General Tunde Idagbon. During his Petroluem Trust Fund PTF era, he almost did not remember that other regions existed outside the north. In all his previous Presidential campaigns he never bordered to visit the region to seek vote, a clear indication of his disdain for the people. As a public officer who had spent over 53 years of his 72 years on earth serving the nation at various levels, the much link you can remember of Buhari and Ndigbo is the un verified claim that he has an igbo as one of his domestic servants. If you talk about northern leaders like Atiku Abubakar, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulslami Abubakar, General Yakubu Gowon and Alhaji Shehu Shagari, you can easily associate them with numerous Igbo leaders. Even Chief Mike Ahamba SAN who was offering Buhari near free legal services in his previous elections was But for the vehemence resistance from prominent Nigerians, Gen Buhari was bent on picking his breadwinner Ashwaju Bola Ahmad a Muslim, evening though he knew too well that such will injure the sensibilities of the people of the South East. First class Igbo politicians like Senator Chris Ngige, Dr Ogbonna Onu were surplus to requirement to him. In Buhari’s campaign in the South East no mention was made of any attempt to address the imbalance and injustice against the people. There couldn’t have been because he believes in the status quo ante so long as his northern interest is not jeopardized. So dear readers, here we are, a region faced with two evils to chose from and must have to settle with a better of the two. From the foregoing therefore, the people of the South East are like orphans and slaves in APC even though their free born status in Pdp is still very shaky. If you have not collected your PVC better go for it and on February 14, put off your African magic, suspend your valentine day bash and go and cast your vote not necessarily for Jonathan or Buhari , or PDP or APC but for Ndigbo. God bless. [myad]
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