Few Months To End Of Millennium Development Goals, Jonathan Wants It Repackaged

August 18, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has charged experts implementing the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria to redesign their contents in line with the peculiar needs of the country.
The President gave this directive when he declared open, a Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Post 2015 Development Agenda in Abuja today. His address was delivered by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo.
He stressed that for the Post-2015 Development Agenda to have the necessary impact on the development trajectory of nations across the world, the new set of goals needs to tackle the issues that were not addressed under the current framework, with poverty eradication, access to sustainable energy, infrastructural development, population demographics and governance at the center.
“It must be understood that these areas are crucial to the process and cannot be left out. The new framework must finish the current business of the MDGs. “If the current framework was the so-called ‘floor’ for development aspirations on which we set more ambitious and contextually appropriate policy aims, then the new framework must consider the most fundamental problems facing the least developed societies in the world. It must tackle those problems first. The formulation process needs to continue to be inclusive so that development realities and not academic conjectures are tackled.
“This inclusion has the added benefit of increasing community buy-in across the world. Being cognizant of these, I assure you of Government’s commitment to consider the outcomes of this Summit.”
He said that the Summit has come at a better time as we approach the MDGs deadline and mobilize resources to craft the Post-2015 Framework.
The President said that with less than 500 days to the MDGs deadline, United Nations Member States are in a sprint to formulate an inclusive successor agenda, taking into account current and emerging development challenges that slow down progress on the Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGS).
The President implored the participants to pay particular attention to the important issue of structural transformation in determining an inclusive Post-2015 Agenda, stressing the need to focus on the developmental transformation of Nigeria’s economy in order to attain sustainable human development over the medium term, as well as poverty reduction in the context of current systemic vulnerability. “It is imperative that you discuss in detail our dependence on primary commodity exports and suggest ways by which we can escape the subtle trap of low-value added and low productivity agriculture, which tend to worsen the culture of dependency. The recommendations from your deliberations may eventually align with this Administration’s blueprint to urgently transform Nigeria’s economy from one dominated by primary extraction and low value-added agriculture and services, to one in which high value is added through industrialization, infrastructural development and the application of technology, innovation, beneficiation and better linkages between sectors in the wider economy.”
President Jonathan said that the transformation of these sectors required a transfer of technology, innovation and a healthy and educated workforce living in freedom, adding that Economic transformation should be linked to the social conditions of society. “This is one of the reasons why Nigeria affirms the African Common Position on the Post-2015 Development Agenda which promotes universal and equitable access to health care, gender equality and women empowerment, quality education and human capital development, disaster risk reduction, poverty eradication, shelter provisioning, water resources management as well as the judicious harnessing of Nigeria’s burgeoning population demographics.”
President Jonathan said that he is being prudent to take stock and review the implementation of the MDGs Framework, the global community has been saddled with the unique responsibility of making the process as inclusive as possible in order to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Nigeria has therefore convened a number of consultations which has provided opportunity for diverse population groups, including Civil Society, the Parliament, academia, subnational governments, vulnerable population groups, among others, to become actively involved and own the process as we chart the next development agenda.”
He said that the will serve to follow up on all these previous efforts even as he commended the UN Country System and other parties that have partnered with Nigeria as it doggedly commit itself to shaping a people-centred post-2015 agenda.
“While paying due consideration to the drawbacks that limit the MDGs Agenda as a best practice, it is not mere rhetoric that the framework has helped to galvanize development planning and execution globally. “In order to domesticate the MDGs Agenda, Nigeria laid down the institutional, policy and financial frameworks to implement and accelerate the attainment of these Goals. Nigeria has firmly demonstrated commitment by dedicating the entirety of the Debt Relief Gains (DRGs) negotiated from the Paris Club to MDGs interventions in addition to establishing an Office within the Presidency which serves as the secretariat to the high level Presidential Committee on the Assessment and Monitoring of the MDGs. Using the DRGs, Nigeria has put in place innovative programs such as the Conditional Grants Scheme and various social protection programmes aimed at providing high impact interventions at the grassroots where they are most needed.” President Jonathan said that the Countdown Strategy, the Nigeria’s blueprint to accelerate the attainment of the MDGs which integrates the core principles of the Vision 20:2020 and the National Implementation Plan have continued to guide the implementation of the MDGs in Nigeria.
He admitted that progress has been mixed, but that there has been remarkable improvement in the MDGs indicators when compared to baseline statistics.
“To start with, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently recognized Nigeria for halving the proportion of those who suffer from hunger way ahead of the 2015 deadline. “Government is taking proactive steps to stem the challenges that keep children out of school in some parts of the country. Nigeria has achieved the gender parity targets at primary and secondary education levels. We continue to provide incentives to ensure sustained female school participation.”
He said that significant progress has been made in the drive to attain the health MDGs, adding that under-five deaths declined from 157 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008, to 94 in 2012.
This trend, he said, is similar for infant mortality rate of 61 per 1,000 live births, saying that it needs to reduce by 50% in order to meet the 2015 target. Nigeria, Jonathan added, has continued to reduce the Maternal Mortality Ratio, saying that in 1990, it was estimated that 1,000 mothers died per 100,000 live births; in 2008 this declined to 545 and in 2012, the figure was 350. “Progress has been driven in a major part by the Midwife Services Scheme, among others, which has seen the reversal of the previously negative trend in the percentage of skilled health personnel attending to births.
“Furthermore, there is continuation in the fall of HIV prevalence, from figures as high as 5.8 to 4.1 in 2012. The prevalence in the general population is now 3.5. This falling trend satisfies the criteria for the attainment of Target 6A.
“Nigeria is implementing a comprehensive HIV/AIDs plan to reduce the incidence of mother to child transmission in order to get to zero.” President Jonathan said that whilst there has been remarkable improvement in many MDGs indicators, Government, in collaboration with stakeholders, is mobilizing the necessary attention needed to focus on Goals lagging behind in order to bring about the desired change.
According to him, in accordance with the dual directive of the UN Secretary General to accelerate progress on the MDGs in the little time remaining while aggregating citizens’ demands for the post-MDGs era, Nigeria deployed the United Nations MDGs Acceleration Framework (MAF) with focus on reducing the burden of maternal mortality.
This tool, he said, built on the success of policies such as the Midwives Service Scheme, Community Health Extension Workers Programme, the Village Health Workers Scheme and the Saving One Million Lives Initiative.
He said that the focus is not only on improving the efficiency of progress of Goal but that efforts are being made across board with other initiatives such as the use of a groundbreaking mobile money technology to drive the scale up of Conditional Cash Transfers being implemented across the Federation.
“This CCT Scheme, designed to stimulate demand for services, targets education, basic health care, as well as the transfer of agricultural enterprise, being a multi-faceted program implemented in the run up to the 2015 deadline.
“As demonstrated by the foregoing, the MDGs framework has helped to focus international and local attention on improving the lives of those most vulnerable in society. “We must now increase our efforts in these remaining 500 days to complete what was started under the MDGs Agenda. I have been informed that the recommendation to complete the “unfinished business” of the MDGs was indeed well articulated at the different stages of the National Consultations on the Post-2015 Development Framework held in Nigeria. Evidence gathered from aggregating citizens’ aspirations clearly shows that there is broad consensus that the current MDGs must not be sidelined. “Poverty eradication must remain in focus as we integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development in an inclusive programme.” [myad]

I Admire The Strength, The Beauty, Modesty And Happiness Of Muslim Women, By Joanna Francis

Greenbarge Reporters

August 18, 2014

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “War on Terror,” the world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her.

I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness. Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

Through Temptation They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood , instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do.

You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors.They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes. They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families.

Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you. The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence.

A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognise the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too! Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones.

Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold. A Woman’s Heart I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us, just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears. Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love. Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Self-Denial: Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honour, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated. We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot. Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!

I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended; the spirit of friendship, respect, and admiration.

From your Christian sister “With Love.”

Joanna Francis is a Writer and Journalist in the United States of America. [myad]

PDP Chieftain To Nuhu Ribadu: Welcome To Party You Branded Corrupt

Greenbarge Reporters

August 18, 2014

“Let him come and join us. He has said on many occasions that PDP is a corrupt party full of corrupt people. Let him come and be part of us. We will welcome him.”

These were the welcoming words from a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who would not want his name in prints as he reacted to the defection of the former corruption fighting giant, Malam Nuhu Ribadu from All Progressives Congress (APC) to PDP.

These came even as the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency are believed to have planned not to give special treatment to the defecting Ribadau in the contest for the governorship seat of Adamawa state, contrary to the purpose of his defection, which is to get automatic ticket for the election, slated for October 11, 2014.

It was learnt on good authority that the Presidency and the national leadership of the party have perfected plans to ask him to join others in the primaries that would be conducted for the aspirants. Ahead of governorship election in the state, the PDP has fixed its ward congress for September 1, while the party primary is said to have been fixed for the middle of September.

It was learnt that the party and the Presidency are planning to just use his influence and his integrity to seek for favour locally and internally because of the perceived inability of the government to fight corruption in the country.

It was also learnt that the party is not planning to hold any special meeting of its National Executive Committee in order to give Ribadu and other defectors the much needed waivers. [myad]

Josephine Anenih Complains Of How PDP Let Her Down

Greenbarge Reporters

August 17, 2014

Former Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyom Josephine Anenih has complained of how the party had let her down on many occasions in the past.
“In fact, if this was a PDP rally, I probably would not have come because the Party has let me down too many times.”
Josephine Anenih spoke yesterday in Awka, Anambra state, during a rally of the women wing of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) for the Southeast zone.
She made it clear that she was not at the rally because of PDP, adding: “this is not a PDP rally and I am not here because of PDP.
“So you might ask why I am here. I am here on this platform as a Nigerian Woman Leader. I am here to tell you that President Goodluck Jonathan has kept faith with Nigerian women by empowering them in a way that no other President has ever done.”
Josephine said that the women would not want the PDP to play with Jonathan’s right to an automatic ticket as a sitting President, as is done in every civilized democratic nation in the world, insisting that the Party must give him the ticket to run.
She listed the programmes of empowerment to include the YouWin programme which has empowered so many young entrepreneurs to build their businesses and employ other people, the appointment of almost 35 percent women in Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs, with most of the strategic MDAs and others being headed by women.
“President Jonathan nominated 92 women to the just concluded National Conference, including a 24-year old woman and a blind woman.
“With the challenges facing us as a country we cannot afford to play politics with the destiny of our people. This is no time for selfish politics of personal interest. Our definition of politics must change.
“Four months to election year, we cannot be guessing who will lead the battle to face the challenges confronting us. “Today we have Boko Haram, terrorism, insurgency and, now, Ebola. This is no time to try a new hand. This is the time to stick with who you know- who can deliver and has delivered.
“Four months to election year, we have not seen any other candidate we can x-ray or assess. It is, indeed, irresponsible and utter disregard of the electorate (by any party) to sell your candidate in less than four years. You need four years and not four months to sell any candidate.
“We need someone that cares and feels our pains. We have had four years to assess Dr Goodluck Jonathan and we are telling you he has passed the test. We know Jonathan; so we should go with him.
“He has not let us down. He has more than delivered on all his campaign promises.”
Josephine Anenih recalled how, in company with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, she and others, using the Women for Change message, mobilized Nigerian women all over the country before the 2011 elections.
“We got Nigerian women to massively vote for President Goodluck Jonathan. This President is the Women’s President.
The mandate he has today is the mandate we gave him. It is because it is our mandate and because he is our representative, today, that Nigerian women are giving the President an ultimatum. Nigerian women can give their President an ultimatum. We are giving the President an ultimatum: You must run.” [myad]

Mercy Johnson Throws Critics Into ‘Dustbin’

Greenbarge Reporters

August 17, 2014

Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson has thrown her critics into ‘dustbin, saying that she will continue to move on in life ahead of them.

The Kogi State-born star in an interview with City People said ‘People will keep criticising when they want exactly what you have. They hate and they talk, but they want what you have. They crave to have what you have. So when they talk, the only way to shut them up is to even do better and up your game.’

She went on to add: ‘We are in an environment where people who have boils all over their faces will look at me that has just 1 pimple on my cheek and try to tell me what cream to use. People hide in the shadow and say stuff.’

She made it clear that nobody can make her to go back now, adding: “So it’s like hate all you want, I am moving. So you are just going to stay there and keep talking and I am ahead of you.” [myad]

I Will Encourage My Kids To Be Whatever They Want To Be, Says Omotola

Greenbarge Reporters

August 17, 2014

A Nollywood star, Omotola Jalade Ekehinde has made it clear that she will continue to encourage her four children to be whatever they desire to be in life as long as it is not something wrong and negative

The star, who recently unveiled her first son ‘Captain E‘ who is a 15 year old music producer said however that so far, none of the kids is interested in acting, though she would have wished that her daughter follows her footstep.

“But if any of my children picks interest in acting, I will support and equip him or her with whatever tools he or she needs to excel. Unfortunately none of them is interested now.”. Omotola’s marriage to Matthew Ekeinde is blessed with four children, Meraiah, Princess, M.J and Micheal Ekehinde. [myad]

IBB, Jonathan-Two Of A Kind, By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Yusuf Ozi-Usman

August 17, 2014

Former Nigeria military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and the incumbent democratically elected President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) appear to share some form of similarities on the nation’s political platform. They may not be exactly the same anyway.
Recall that General Babangida, back in the dying days of his regime, was presented with a crucial choice of emerging and remaining the nation’s political hero forever and denying himself that trade mark also forever.
Look at the scenario playing out now, in which President Jonathan is presently being confronted with similar choice; of taking a personal decision, as in Babangida’s case, to remain the nation’s hero forever or otherwise, also forever.
And, in between General Babangida and Jonathan was the first black President of South Africa and incidentally, the butt of the colonial brigandage, late Sir Nelson Mandela, who had similar choice and decided on his own to go for that which would throw him up as a hero forever. He had ample opportunity, constitutionally, morally, rightly to contest election for second term in office: he even had the opportunity to plant himself as life President of the country he almost single-handedly wrenched from the colonialists, with his life hanging in the balance. But he did a term and quit, surprisingly, unAfrican. And, in the end, hero he became even in death!
Coming back to General Babangida, here was a fine military officer who was thrusted with the burden of leading this nation, and he did it fairly well. There were mouthfuls of physical developments across the country to his credit. Here was a fine military President who laid down careful, step-by-step programme for transformation of the country into a civilian democratic rule. Here was a military President who presided over, before then, the freest, fairest and, indeed, the best civilian election ever to be conducted in the country.
The thing he needed to do to earn the accolade of all Nigerians, of different political shades and opinions and become a hero forever would have been to hand over the government to who emerged winner of that election even if such winner would do only a day in office. That exactly was what his counterpart, General Olusegun Obasanjo did in 1979 and later came back to reap its fruit in abundance in 1999 (20 years later).
But, General Babangida chose, with whatever excuses he had, to deny not only the nation and the supposed winner of that election, late Chief MKO Abiola the pleasure of peace and unity, also himself the joy of picking the ticket of hero. And the stigma had clung to him upto recently, when he realized that the nation really was not keen in welcoming him into leadership reckoning again.
And now, President Jonathan, like it was noted earlier, is facing almost similar challenge, or is it a test?
He came in as President by share providence and luck, first as acting President and then substantive one when President Umaru Musa Yar’adua died while in office in 2009. Jonathan completed two of the four year tenure of late Yar’adua. And in 2011, he won the Presidential election for himself for another four years, to terminate in 2015.
Since coming in in 2009 for the first time and 2011, President Jonathan has taken every sector of the nation’s socio-economy in his own stride and made positive impact on the citizenry.
Even his political adversaries would not be fair not to admit that he has taken the nation to the height in such areas as revival of railways, construction and rehabilitation of thousands of kilometres of roads across the country: marked improvement in other areas like in power sector, agricultural sector, education sector, economic stabilization, youth and women empowerment, employment generation and numerous others.
As a matter of fact, it may not be an overstatement to say that he had achieved in all sectors of the socio-economic life of the nation within five years so far, that which some leaders could not achieve in 15 to 20 years.
And of course, the lingering insecurity, represented by Boko Haram has not been the making of his government, even though it has become a clog in the wheel of the development.
While on that, President Jonathan is being faced with both constitutional and moral challenges as the 2015 general election taxies to a takeoff, aside from the ethnic colouration that is looming at the background.
Here is a man who came in as a humble leader eager to make his mark on the nation’s psyche and was sincere to note early that it was not how long but how well a leader moves to contribute to the nation’s development that matters.
Surprisingly, President Jonathan, who is supposed to be well educated on the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria may just be preparing to declare his intention to run for the second term in office in 2015 not out of his personal conviction, but to satisfy some extraneous factors. Of course, there is nothing wrong in him contesting as even the chairman of the Board of Trustees of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih had recently declared for him, but the snag is this unclear issue as to whether the constitution envisages a situation where an occupant of the Presidency would spend a total of 10 years under any circumstance, special or otherwise. For, that is what is going to happen if he contests in 2015 and wins; he would have spent 10 years at the end of his tenure in 2019 and become, in the history of democratic practice across the world, the first to so enjoy the unusual tenure.
On the moral count, most Nigerians were not there when he was reported, by no other person than his political god-father or mentor, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to have once said that he was going to do only one term in office, the claim which he and members of his government had vehemently denied, even with doses of personal insults on Obasanjo.
And, on account of the heat generated by such claim and counter-claim, Chief Obasanjo had to suspend himself from PDP, promising to return to the party only when President Jonathan owns up to his promise (of doing one term). In this scenario, it is not doubtful that one of the two, either Obasanjo or Jonathan must be telling a lie. And the question is, what would Obasanjo derive from telling a lie against President Jonathan, and of course, why would President Jonathan be telling a lie against himself and even becoming so bitter with Obasanjo?
In this political, constitutional and moral milieu therefore lies the hidden voice which is whispering to President Jonathan for him to decide. The loud voice shouting and commanding him from, mostly those of his ethnic nationality and those who are immediate beneficiaries of his Presidency that it is his constitutional right to go for second term may be right, but the ultimate decision, after weighing all the prons and cons, is actually his.
After all, even if he spends 20 years as President, he will one day come down from the height and, of course, will certainly not be able to finish all the programmes and projects for Nigeria; he will certainly not be able to satisfy all Nigerians all the times of their lives at the end of it.
So, the choice, again, is entirely his: to tell Nigerians that because of certain circumstance, he will sacrifice his second term ambition by not contesting the 2015 Presidential election or going ahead pursuing his inalienable right for a second term, which, if he wins, will take him for another four years. Which in the end, is a twinkle of an eye! [myad]

EDITORIAL: Implications Of ‘Civilianizing’ The Military

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2014

Before the beginning of this fourth Republic which has endured for more than two decades, majority of Nigerians regarded Nigerian soldiers with a great deal of respect. That was when the soldiers were confined to secluded areas and were rarely seen on the streets on good days. The respect people had for them was an admixture of admiration and fear. Ironically, that was even the period the military people were in leadership of the country, either as Heads of State or self-styled President.
Indeed, even when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was President, from 1999 to 2007, except for the deployment of military to Odi and Zaki Biam, the soldiers were mostly confined to their barracks. The two cases were of course, isolated, even though, they really portrayed the danger involved in using soldiers for civilian population in peace time under any excuse.
Funny enough, the current leadership at the helm of which is President Goodluck Jonathan, appears to have found the comfort in using soldiers for civilian society under the cover that looks so enticing. The military personnel are obviously now to be deployed to man and secure polling centres, on election days. The system has been tried, in fairness, successfully, in the governorship elections conducted in Anambra, Edo, Ekiti and the recent one in Osun state. There is no doubt that the presence of these soldiers, in one way or the other, ensured peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections in all such places.
The successes achieved through such deployment of soldiers of course, have now emboldened the government of President Jonathan to begin to dream that the best had come in a way election should be conducted and supervised in the country.
As a matter of fact, sound and successful as the use of military in election has so far been, and encouraging as it had turned out to be, has been this nudging fear of the accumulated negative implications of where it may be leading the nation.
The dangerous signal on this matter came from the unusual quarter; the spokesperson of the Directorate Of Security Service (DSS), Marylin Orga, who confessed that unnamed politician (s) tried to bribe top officers of the security operatives in the recent Osun governorship election, for the purpose of turning the wishes of the electorate away from reality. In other words, it was meant to make them to rig the election in favour of the giver (s) of the bribe.
Yes, the officers resisted such temptation, “because they are being well paid by government” according to Orga, but the gist here is that politicians are ever lurking around to find soft spot in the security system to bend the game.
As a matter of fact, it is becoming clearer that the closer Nigeria gets to the 2015 general elections, the more it appears dangerous that desperate politicians would want to corrupt everybody that has anything to do with such elections, including of course, the soldiers.
While on the issue of corruption and corrupt tendencies, a few soldiers are already caving in, as they openly, these days, asked for gratifications from “big people” that as much as have anything to do with them. Reports are rife that some young military personnel manning checking points around the federal capital territory, Abuja and other parts of the North have been in the habit of openly demanding “something to buy pure water” from motorists, the same way the Police would traditionally ask motorists “wetin you carry.”
Yes, the idea of using soldiers particularly to man polling centres during elections has proved very portent and successful, especially from the point of view of the exigencies, but, the long effect of it may undermine the strength of the nation’s security system. In other words, when, gradually the soldiers fall for the “Nigerian factor” as they are first and foremost Nigerians, the nation would go into the danger of a civilinised soldiers; not hard core soldiers trained to fight war and war only.
And above all, the idea of using soldiers for elections and other civil operations is clearly an indictment on the nation’s police force and other security people trained specifically to take care of doing civil security duties.
It has a way of spelling doom for Nigeria if we muddle up the security systems for the purpose of attaining some temporary success in one section of the societal challenges at the expense of long term working for an excellent system that would ensure success in general security operative systems within and without.
In other words, if the government sends soldiers into the open Nigerian public and they are eventually roped into the corrupt system, they would have qualified to join the supposedly discredited police, and it would be bye bye to soldiering!
The government should rethink then, about what comes first: a clean election for which special training can be given to selected police to handle, leaving the soldiers out of it entirely or going ahead with soldiers being fully involved and face the future consequences, of losing what real soldiering should be? [myad]

Lagos Governor Begs Angry Doctors, Nurses To Call Off Stike, As They Abandon Ebola Patients

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2014

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has appealed to the doctors and nurses attending to patients of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba, Lagos to return to work after going on a strike, abandoning the patients.
The action of the doctors and nurses was linked to reports of allegation of negligence levelled against them by relatives and associates of the dead nurse and other Ebola patients in the hospital.
Relations and associates of the female doctor and other health workers who contracted the EVD from the late Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, had, at a media briefing on Thursday in Lagos, accused the federal and state governments of neglecting the patients.
However, governor Fashiola quickly rose to the occasion to beg the striking health workers to get back to work, even as he described the reports as “disheartening.”
The governor cautioned the media against sensationalising reports on the disease, adding that such reports could cause serious panic among people.
“The report reaching me about two hours ago was that some of the health workers at the centre felt unappreciated and decided to stop work because of the media reports that they were not working effectively to save the lives of the victims.
“We do not need that at the moment. While we sympathize with the victims, the health workers are doing their best to care for the victims.
“My appeal to the people is that more health workers should sign up and what I was told by experts was that even if one is the best physician in the world, the person cannot enter the isolation ward. He or she has to be trained on how to kit up and how to get out of the centre and the training takes between five and seven days to achieve.”
The governor acknowledged however thet said media has been forthcoming in helping the government to sensitise the public about the risk and the precaution on Ebola virus and the necessary development of the outbreak of the virus in the country, cautioning the practitioners to be circumspect about how they publish and publicise comments on the matter.
“At the moment, I am only able to speak about this because I receive a daily briefing from our team and at the beginning of each day. And I act on what they tell me.
“We sympathize with the victims who were affected by the virus, we understand the trauma the family members are going through. But when all of that is taking into account, it is not true that we are not taking care of the patients.” [myad]

Lessons From Osun State Governorship Election, By Dele Momodu

Greenbarge Reporters

August 16, 2014

Fellow Nigerians, what happened exactly one week ago Osun State was not as simple as it looked. Lest we take some things for granted as we love to do in our country, kindly permit me to do an elaborate post-mortem of that much anticipated gubernatorial election. It is no longer news that the incumbent, Governor, Rauf Aregbesola won. I never believed for any second that he was going to be defeated by his main challenger, Iyiola Omisore, for reasons I will explain shortly.
The battle for Osun was fought on different fronts and at different levels. There was the personal angle to the war.
Who was Aregbesola and who was Omisore?
That is usually the first layer of the struggle for supremacy. That aspect is always enhanced by media hype and propaganda. This was palpable in the war of modern day Ekiti-Parapo which was won by Ayo Fayose. Fayose had succeeded in projecting himself as being more popular, streetwise and down-to-earth than the current Governor, Kayode Fayemi. I had warned those who cared to listen to watch how the Governor had failed to challenge Fayose’s popularity contest. That, for me, was a fatal mistake. Human beings tend to follow what Francis Bacon called Idols of the Market Place.
The second mistake from Ekiti was simple and straight-forward. Theoretically, political parties would always attempt to rig elections in Nigeria because of the psychological fixation that the other party will rig. It then becomes the contest of the bigger-rigger. But a party can’t successfully rig where it is not overwhelmingly popular. This happened in 1983 when the NPN successfully took over power in Oyo State and sacked the supposedly popular government of the Cicero of Esa-Oke, Bola Ige, but could not get away with Akin Omoboriowo’s electoral victory over Adekunle Ajasin. This is an eloquent example of how elections are rigged and sustained through subtle connivance of unwary electorates. Omololu Olunloyo, an Ibadan man and Mathematical icon, had succeeded in projecting himself as matching Bola Ige intellect for intellect, popularity for popularity, thus erecting the optical illusion that Bola Ige was indeed defeatable.
But Omoboriowo did not invest in such monumental hypnotisation and mesmerisation of the people as a prelude towards preparing the people of Ondo State for the forceful takeover that the NPN had envisaged for most of the difficult and unfriendly states needed for the grandiloquent coronation and canonisation of President Shehu Shagari. Fayose had learnt this lesson in grandstanding and was able to reduce Fayemi into a pitiable pulp. Had Fayemi challenged Fayose’s farcical apotheosis, perhaps the results would have been different. But once the hunter transfigured into the hunted, it became obvious that Fayose was going to win fairly or crookedly because a fait accompli had been adequately prepared for the outcome of the election to be believable. If you doubt my theory, please, crosscheck the areas that returned incredible voter turnout and stupendous voting in the Osun election. They were mainly from Ife Local Governments. PDP would have loved to replicate and return such humongous votes all over the State but couldn’t because they had foolishly lost most of their warlords and protectors like Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Isiaka Adeleke. Fayemi did not have such formidable supporters in Ekiti.
This Ekiti scenario was cleverly avoided and nipped in the bud by Aregbesola’s strategists. They refused to be cowed or intimidated by the blistering PDP machinery and militarisation or, more appropriately, blitzkrieg. Those claiming that the unprecedented security presence in Osun was to make the election free and fair missed the point, or just chose to be clever by half. The whole idea was to establish a regime of scaremongering and if possible discourage many voters from even coming out to fulfil their civic responsibility. It is very easy for electoral manipulators to utilise the cards of disgruntled voters who refuse to vote to perpetrate their nefarious activities. This coupled with the fact that the bloated voter register is a mirage, in any event, makes rigging a delight for electoral cheats. Anyone who watched the PDP Grand Rally in Osogbo and listened to the speeches of their leaders would have come to the same conclusion with me that they desperately wanted Osun in their kitty, not because they loved Omisore but for future purposes. PDP was merely laying the grass for the electoral Olympics which would be staged in 2015 and must be won by their team. There was no indication whatsoever that PDP was going to be benevolent towards APC. Let me expand this further and better.
The 2015 Presidential election promises to be a battle-royale. And the main stage for this rumble in the jungle is likely to be the South West region of Nigeria. This makes it absolutely necessary for PDP to capture these States ahead and prepare the grounds for a major offensive. Their job would not be too difficult if they can secure Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and others as at when due. Ondo and Ekiti have become friendly States and Osun would have made things even better by being the icing on the cake. PDP victory in Osun would have opened up APC for demystification and ostensibly subjected it to obvious ridicule. Had APC lost Osun, believe me, the game would have been over by now. The complete annihilation of Yorubaland would have been promptly achieved in one fell swoop. But God saved APC by the whiskers and gave them a second life.
The smartest thing APC did was to take on the PDP so fearlessly. They were able to reassure the people of Osun that they were ready to fight with everything if PDP ever attempted to rig them out and the people trusted them. If they had shown any sign of weakness and inner fears, PDP would have smashed them into smithereens and run away with cheap victory like they did in Ekiti where the stunned Governor who was hit by thunderbolt had to hurriedly concede defeat. The people of Osun went out boldly on Election Day to vote and seriously guard their mandate. They were not ready to tolerate any hanky-panky. The message was very clear in the way they turned the election into a celebration of the achievements of their Governor. Social media played a key role as well. The people were able to establish contact with every part and monitor the peaceful way Osun people went about the business of the day. Even the security guys tacitly supported the people contrary to whatever they were brought in to achieve in the first instance.
It must be noted with every emphasis that Aregbesola’s candidacy was very formidable and not a fluke. One mistake that PDP continues to make is its preference for brawn over brains. But it must be reminded that no leader has ever succeeded in enslaving Nigerians and no one has been able to subdue the people of South West through the use of coercion. The people are too sophisticated to be dragged on a leash by any leader no matter how popular and wealthy. This is the reason their leadership changes constantly and rapidly because of their impatience with aspiring slave-drivers.
APC itself has so much to learn from Yoruba history. This victory is an indication that the party still has a fair chance of winning at the Federal level if they can resist the rascality being credited to some of their leaders. I doubt if anyone tells them the home truth about the reason many of their admirers are afraid to join the party. This must be reiterated at this stage if for nothing but for posterity. If APC fails it would be as a result of the vaunting ambitions of its own leaders who keep coming up with all manner of selfish permutations in order to gain the upper hand in the power equation. It is such a tragedy that so much time is being wasted in coming together to present a common front that can convincingly confront the candidacy of Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections.
I will enumerate some of the major hurdles ahead of APC. The first is that many keen watchers of its affairs and conduct still see it as a private and family business of Bola Tinubu. There is no question that this man has been the biggest single investor in what has become APC today but he must be extremely careful not to waste the uncommon goodwill he has garnered as dividend for his gallant effort. How he tries to wash himself clean of allegations of handpicking candidates at local and national levels would help in shaping people’s impression, perception and decision about him and the party. This was part of what caused the misfortune of the party in Ondo and Ekiti. It takes a lot of sacrifice for a great man not to exhibit his prowess but it can only be counter-productive if care is not taken at the end of the day. It would be to his eternal credit if the party is allowed to grow into an octopus rather than a one-fingered party. The party should be worried about possible and sudden disintegration after all that has been done and achieved so far.
The second hurdle is how to contain the combustive ambition of some of its members. I believe, it needs to form a shadow kitchen cabinet of its key members urgently before most of them are poached away by PDP. The party has practically lost key allies in Borno, Edo, Ogun, Adamawa, Kano, Sokoto and other places. This emigration must be stopped before it turns into a mass exodus. It should never take 20 years to prepare for madness, a lot of time has been wasted already. For every day it dilly dallies, the PDP resurgence gets stronger.
The APC should look for the most credible Nigerians from all over the world and walks of life to bring together as a powerful team to strategise for the forthcoming elections and then form the cabinet after winning those elections.
The third is how to connect speedily to the largest army of angry youths in Africa who have lost all hope in their country. APC would gain so much if they can offer genuine optimism and rekindle the fire of patriotism in them. What I see at the moment is the over reliance on hard-core politicians who may not be able to match PDP in the game of numbers. There is no way APC would defeat PDP without galvanising the overwhelming support of non-traditional and first time voters.
The fourth and probably most vital is how to balance our ethnic colouration and volatile religious sensibilities. APC is going to have an uphill task picking the number one and number two candidates for the Presidential election. This needs not be so if the Party simply realises that what Nigerians want is that somebody for once puts merit into the forefront of the choice of leaders without sacrificing equity and justice. Unfortunately, I’ve already uncovered so much confusion from them about who to pick, where to pick, the religion, the gender, and so on. If the truth must be told, only PDP can gain from this unnecessary commotion.
The more I listen to the argument of some of these APC members, the more I pray for these guys not to voluntarily throw their best chances into the Atlantic Ocean. What saddens me is that some of their permutations are based on selfish personal interests and do not take the larger interests of the Party or indeed Nigeria and Nigerians into consideration. Sometimes, I wonder if PDP has bewitched Nigerians and especially the opposition leaders. By now, there should be no argument whatsoever about sacking the party permanently for gross infractions and selecting the best candidates to achieve this objective. The disorderliness and seeming lack of focus of the opposition may ultimately keep the PDP in power in a manner even more serious than we can ever contemplate.
It is a sad reality we must grudgingly accept when tomorrow comes. [myad]

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