The confirmed stoppage of the salaries of the Nigeria’s university lecturers, under the canopy of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has obviously set the stage for the final and real battle of wits between the government and the lecturers.
The position of the two combatants signals palpable danger in the nation’s education sector, especially at the university level. The danger becomes more pronounced as the lecturers have made it clear that the stoppage of their salaries would not be enough to make them to return to work.
As a matter of fact, for over three months now, the Federal Government and the nation’s university lecturers have connived, by default or whatever, to put students, the nation’s bubbling youths at home, away from the pursuit of education.
Of course, the two sides would give you good reasons why they think they are on the right path, but they may be shying away from the wise saying that two wrongs cannot make a right, or in this case, two blind rights are adjunct to dangerous fall.
What has actually come out so far from this long drawn face-off is the reality that the nation’s education is sinking. This is even besides the fact that before the strike, the university education had lost a lot of its clouts and relevance to the nation’s developmental needs.
The present and future generations of Nigerians would certainly not pardon whoever, out of commission or omission, let avoidable battle to degenerate into an eclipse or the fall of university education.
Everyone involved in the collapse of the university education as a result of the ongoing face-off between the two sides, even including those who are supposed to speak out but keep mum because their children are not in the Nigerian universities would, in one way or the other answer for their stubbornness, levity and big-headedness if not before men, but before nature and, of course, before God.
In other words, if there is any time the nation’s opinion leaders, traditional rulers and other well-meaning people with nationalist credentials should rise beyond political sentiment and regional cleavages to bring this unfortunate muscle flexing between the government and the lecturers to an end, it is now.

In an age of “transformation” the quick change from the proclamation of “National Conference”–now a dead issue into a “national conversation” should not cause shock to anybody.
It is doubtful if such a conference, whatever is its nomenclature will positively impact national politics. The President reminds you of the parable of the person screaming from a roof top threatening to jump.
A huge crowd gathers, not such to prevent the man from doing something stupid. The swelling crowd was waiting excitedly to actually experience the fun of seeing the man jump. Of course, nobody in the crowd would admit it. It’s all theatre.
That’s why serious people had no difficulties dismissing the conference out of hand. As many have stated in the last couple of days, the President’s reason for calling for a national conference is far from being altruistic.
It was a natural reaction by a leader buffeted by criticism from every conceivable direction, including the party that put him in office.
Before him, others have reacted in more or less the same manner. The one that is recalled with immediacy is the conference called by President Obasanjo in 2005.
That one had a dual purpose as this one: to divert attention from the administration’s ineptitude, massive corruption and opportunistic design to extend tenure, in this case, towards the election in 2015. Obasanjo’s hidden agenda was of course for a third term in office and once it became clear he wasn’t going to get it, he lost interest in the conference that he himself had convened. He refused to honour the delegates with a farewell dinner at the end of their sittings and the report submitted ended up being trashed by the National Assembly.
In addition to his need to distract the increasingly critical population and an expressed desire to serve for ten years as President as opposed to the constitutional maximum of eight year, Dr. Jonathan a real reason for a mandate to restructure the country may be his own way of staving off the dramatic shifts in the political environment that are bringing the Northern states and those of the South-West into a political alliance. Some say it is a strategic move at a time when the feeling of anti-incumbency is mounting and change is in the air.
It is not a hidden fact that the power calculus of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP towards 2015 has greatly been unsettled by the discernible shift bringing the South-West and the North into an alliance. Everyone knows it is a tough task, if not an impossible one to coral the 19 Northern states, with a voting population of over 36million registered voters to vote in a particular direction because by tradition, they had never done so.
The South-west on the other hand, with their strategic pattern of voting have used the political power to vote with near-unanimity. But the thing that makes the prospect of having a significant percentage of this huge vote bank residing in the North, coming together of 51 million voters, that is, including the South-West’s 14 or so million voters, even in theory, is significant as to make the President’s strategists shudder, considering that the South-East and the South-South where the President exerts the most influence can only command less than 25 per cent of (16 million) of the nation’s registered voters.
Pundits are already pointing the way, saying for this total change in Nigeria’s political system to materialize, all you need is for the New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM and the All Progressives Congress, APC to form an alliance or merge and create a win-win situation for both themselves and the nation.
It may look like a strange idea, given that this is a departure from the known political alliances but that could be what is needed to free this country from corruption and the unabating theft of its natural resources.
Gauge the mood of the North. The people are (save for a few beneficiaries of the existing order) are resentful of the government’s official policy of rampant discrimination and strategic marginalization of the Northerners. I have heard at least Kebbi and Kano governments say that there are no on-going federal government projects in their states at present. The condition of the average Northerner today is pathetic. Northerners are living on the margins economically, socially and educationally, such that even foreign governments are calling for the creation of a Ministry for Northern Affairs to close the ever-increasing gap in the development of the North.
Northerners would not have objected to a conference called with the interest of the federation at heart. They, like all the others are yearning for new leaders who must be consensus builders and skillful managers fully cognizant of the fact of Nigeria being a unique federation. There are indeed few countries that have this extra-ordinary mix of diversity in religion, ethnicity, language, geography and cultures. I am conversant with a lot of young educated men and women in the region who are clamoring for a conference, sovereign or otherwise, in their search for genuine equality, just their rightful share and not any special favour from anyone. Everyone is tired of the religious and ethnic violence in the North-both inspired and engineered for the purpose of polarizing the region.
The problem of the Jonathan conference or conversation as he now calls it is that it is devoid of credibility and lacks acceptance because signs are that he is basically interested in an extended term but more importantly, to forestall the change sweeping across the political landscape which began with the installation of Aminu Tambuwal as Speaker. It is a serious change process which status-quo writers may not digest well.

Two points came out outstandingly strong in an address presented on Tuesday before the assemblage of world leaders at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly being held in New York, the United States of America.
The President was able to, in the first place, rob in the issue of nuclear weapons and amassing of same by some of the so-called powerful nations that are, tongue-in-cheek, crying wolf when the emerging smaller nations are acquiring the same weapons.
President Jonathan was able to drive the point home that acquisition of nuclear weapons is a great danger both to the countries that have them and those that are “onlookers.”
The issue is that when the devastating effect of such acquisition comes, it would consume both the owners and the innocent ones that have no hand in it.
To be sure, Nigerian leader made it clear that the threat which nuclear weapons pose to the survival of the human race is to be understood not just in the context of aspirational nations but also the nations already in possession of such weapons. In other words, the two commit the same offence.
“Nuclear weapons,” Jonathan said, “are as unsafe in the hands of small powers as they are in the hands of the major powers.”
He made it point blank that it is the collective responsibility of all the nations to heed to the clarion call for a peaceful universe in an age, like ours, that is filled with all manners of uncertainty.
President Jonathan expressed disturbance at situation in the Middle East with the report of chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis, saying that such situation is volatile and unacceptable.
“Nigeria condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons that are prohibited by International Conventions. We applaud the current diplomatic efforts to avert further escalation of the crisis.  We urge all parties involved to end the violence and seek a negotiated solution, including the instrumentality of the United Nations.”
President Jonathan made it clear that a world that is free of dangerous nuclear weapons can be attained if the nations of the world would adopt measures and policies that would promote nuclear disarmament and a push towards an international system that is based on trust, mutual respect and shared goals.
The second point which President Jonathan made clear to the world leaders is the current undemocratic structural composition of the UN Security Council.
The President said: “I believe that I express the concern of many about the slow pace of effort and apparent lack of progress in the reform of the United Nations, especially the Security Council. We believe strongly, that the call for democratization worldwide should not be for States only, but also, for International Organizations such as the UN. That is why we call for the democratization of the Security Council.
“This is desirable for the enthronement of justice, equity, and fairness; and also for the promotion of a sense of inclusiveness and balance in our world.”
These points are obviously directed at, particularly, the United States of America which has prided itself as self-styled police of the world. It is the United States that had, for long, been amassing all sorts of dangerous war arsenals, including chemical weapons with which it has been harassing the weaker countries.
The irony is that it is the same US that would shout and bemoan the accumulation of chemical weapons by smaller or weaker countries.
The US’s cry of wolf over the acquisition of Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) by Muamar Ghadaffi of Libya, which gave it the justification to engineer internal rebellion that led to the disgraceful death of Ghadaffi is just one out of many hypocritical showing of a self-styled super power.
As a matter of fact, if the US Congress and saner people around the world had not been asking the US government to be cautious in Syria, it would have since invaded that country, all with allegation that Syria is amassing chemical weapons.
Like President Jonathan said, a world in which power is seen as might and such power is used by the powerful nations to cow down the weaker ones, can never attain peace and tranquility.
Since God created all us truly equal, irrespective of colour, creed, nationality, we must all respect one another, else, the powerful ones would never be able to enjoy peaceful sleep. They would only continue to be busy killing the weaker ones until there are none to be so killed.
For, whether in the undemocratic structural composition of the UN Security Council or the acquisition of chemical weapons, what all the countries need is mutual respect for one another.
The world, those who pretend no to know should know, has grown beyond the 50’s. The world now should be the one in which no nation, no matter how small or weak, should be looked down on.

But when it comes to the countries that export students, the study by Wittenborg University has some findings that could interest a lot of readers. It shows that Morocco  exports more students  compared to any other African country with (11.3%), followed by  Nigeria (10.2%),  Algeria (5.9%),  Cameroon (5.3%),  Zimbabwe (5.2%),  Tunisia (5.1%), Kenya (3.5%), Senegal, (3.1%), Egypt (3.1%)  and finally Botswana (2.3%).
There are some interesting issues we need to pay attention to in these figures. While South Africa is the second major destination for African students around the world, and the first within the continent, it is missing when it comes to exporting students.
This could relatively suggest how satisfied South Africans are with their universities. While Nigeria is missing among the destination for international students, it exports the second largest number from the continent.
Does this suggest that Nigerians are dissatisfied with quality of their universities? Perhaps Professor Ali Mazrui would be the best to answer this question where he to produce a new edition of his book entitled “A Tale of Two Countries-Nigeria and South Africa As Contrasting Visions.”
One of the interesting analogies drawn by Professor Mazrui in the book was that “Nigeria is the largest exporter of oil,” and “South Africa is the largest consumer of oil.”
Beyond oil, now another contrast has emerged. South Africa is the largest importer of African students, while Nigeria is the largest exporter of students from Sub-Saharan Africa.
This is not the only lesson from the statistics above. While Botswana is the only country from Southern Africa that exports students, from the West African region, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Senegal have featured, while no West African country is a major importer. One would ask that Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria have featured from North Africa. The answer is an obvious yes, the difference however with the West African region and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa is that the universities in Morocco and Egypt at least have some quality that they attract many international students.
Building high quality universities has a lot of advantages for African countries. At least it will help the continent to produce higher institutions of learning that directly address the needs of the continent. University education is not just about speaking Victorian English or ability to converse in flawless French. It is about addressing the local needs of the society through rigorous research and intellectual stimulation. Unfortunately, to quote the late Waziri Junaidu, the famous scholar of Sokoto Caliphate, “our universities belong to us only in their location.”
It is sad that some of the best researches conducted about Africa are stocked in libraries outside the continent. Though even the research conducted in African universities are hardly touched by African policy makers.
The late Dr Yusuf Bala Usman lamented about this during a lecture at the Bayero University, Kano, in the early days of Nigeria’s return to civilian rule after the May 1999 elections. He mentioned that almost two years into the new experiment not even a Local Government Chairman worked into his university to ask for any research to be conducted in order to guide him in coming up with strong policies that will guide his administration.
In fact, one of the Governors attending the function excused himself to the extent that the Late Dr. Bala was so angry he decided to deliver the lecturer in Hausa language so that the non-English Speaking audiences present could get the message.
Restoring the dignity of these universities and producing talents who can help the continent address the challenges of the 21st century is a collective responsibility.
As I discussed at the beginning of this series, one way to do that is through creative investment where the government fulfill its part of the obligation, and universities also device their own means to address their needs even without government intervention.
There is nothing wrong in looking at how other countries do it, and then develop an African model for investing in universities. Before suggesting some of the solutions, it will be good to look at some universities around the world, and see how they generate funding for themselves.
Let us start with one of the riches universities in the world: Harvard University.
According to a news release by Harvard Gazette published on September 26, 2012, “Harvard University announced today that its endowment posted a -0.05% return and was valued at $30.7 billion for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012.”
This endowment fund according to the story “is not a single fund, but comprises more than (12,000) individual funds, many of them restricted to specific uses such as support of a research center or the creation of a professorship in a specific subject. The funds are invested by HMC, which oversees the University’s endowment, pension, trust funds, and other investments at a significant savings relative to outside management.”
There is risk in bringing this kind of discussion in Africa, because some of our policy makers, who are not unaware of this fact, could use it to justify their neglect of the educational system.
But this does not mean that we should not discuss ways to address the challenges facing African universities, when the same policy makers have tirelessly and consistently failed to honour their promises in the last 30 years.

It is a settled issue that the traditional role of soldiers anywhere in the world is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. That means that soldiers are trained only to fight wars: to shoot and kill anybody anytime they are called out.
Arising from such role is the relevant training they are made to go through. In deed, they are trained to be highly disciplined and to imbibe the culture of humility in service, especially, towards those who are not armed, even if they are soldiers like themselves.
Of course, certain security exigencies have necessitated the drafting of Nigerian soldiers into the streets, to perform the traditional role of police in ensuring internal peace and orderliness in the country.
There is no quarrel with this new role, but what is happening is that some of the soldiers are fast losing the culture of discipline and even humility that has, over the years, endeared them to members of the civil society.
As a matter of fact, some of the soldiers posted to take part in restoring peace in many parts of the country devastated by security challenges, and even some of them that are now at road blocks across the North are either turning brutal, corrupt by way of demanding for gratification from members of the civil society or are doing those things police men have been doing that make them notorious and hateful.
Only yesterday, Wednesday, a report was published by a medium that a soldier got drunk somewhere around the South Western part of the country, and under the influence of alcohol, shot and killed three civilians.
Last week Tuesday, a senior Journalist/editor, who closed at about 2.30 am after an engaging assignment in the state House, narrowly escaped being shot and killed at around the National Stadium by drunken soldier on patrol. It was the colleague of the soldier that stopped him from shooting the journalist, even though he stopped when he was asked to stop and even put on the inner light of his car immediately he stopped for the soldiers to see him.
And so too, I suffered the brutality of a soldier on Kuje road on Tuesday this week.
As I was driving home in rain at about 9.15 pm, I met a line of cars stretching about two kilometres from the point where the soldiers mount road-block for checking.
I decided to park on the pedestrian path to enable me urinate before continuing with the journey. But, immediately I veered into the pedestrian path, a soldier lurking around all alone, emerged from the other side of the road, running and shouting menacingly on top of his voice that I should stop.
Before I could march the brakes, he was already all over my car. Without a word of question from him and not knowing who I was, he began to hit the bonnet and side of the car severally with butt of his gun. By the time he finished bashing my car with dutiful gusto, my car had been thoroughly dented. The car actually looked as if I had an accident with it.
When I made a feeble attempt to identify myself, the soldier, who obviously was under the influence of alcohol threatened to shoot me if I utter a word. He was even angered by my word of friendliness despite what he did to me. He shouted: “If you say God should bless me, I will shoot you and destroy your car.”
That could be one of the few isolated cases anyway, for, I have come across many soldiers who are still very nice and maintain the tradition of good mannerliness: some of them would even greet you politely with respect, the same way they would do to their fathers, commanders and elders.
However, the few ones that often operate under the influence of alcohol are fast turning soldiering into another form of Nigerian version of policing.
It would be too bad if the military high commands would allow such drunken soldiers to reduce the beautiful tenets of soldiering into another institution that would lose the respect of Nigerians.
It is heartening to know that the high commands are following the bad ones with keen interest, as nine of such soldiers were said to be undergoing court-marshall for their role in the crisis in Nasarawa state.
Nigerian soldiers cannot afford to join the police band wagon, not even at this auspicious time when the police high authorities are finding ways to weed out the bad ones in the service to stem the eternal embarrassment the force has been thrown into.
Our soldiers must be made to understand that being Nigerians with Nigerian blood running in their veins should not be used as an excuse to behave true to Nigerianness.
Soldiers anywhere in the world should have and, of course, do have their code of ethics and manner of interaction with ordinary civilian members of the society.
Ours should not be seen to behave outside such code, irrespective of the circumstances under which they operate.
On the whole however, I must remember to thank God that the frightening looking drunken young soldier did not open fire on me that night and later turn around to say that he killed me “after an exchange of fire with an armed robber or a Boko Haram member!”
And probably gets promoted later for gallantry!

One of the many things the creatures of God have not understood and which would remain a mystery till the end of time is death.
The mystery of death is ensconced in its unpredictability. Sometimes, when you think that death has come knocking on the door, by human calculation, it would not come. At other time, when you think that death has no cause to strike, based also on the calculation of mortal, it descends.
The mystery of death played out yesterday on a long time friend and professional colleague of mine, Augustine Madu-West, fondly called Ogbefi by us.
Ogbefi, who was in practice as journalist/reporter for over 31 years, died in the early hours of Thursday after a brief illness at the age of 53.
According to his wife, Patricia, Madu-West died at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. She said: “We were discussing in the Parlour and at a point, he quietly complained of a slight pain in his chest. Within a space of 10 minutes, he passed on.”
Ogbefi, a native of Nazi, Owerri in Imo state had had a running battle with death since 1993 when he was downed with diabetes and had been ridden since then with High Blood Pressure too.
When he came under heavy attack of diabetes in 1993, people thought he would die, because, the sight of him then was very frightening.
In that year, diabetes reduced his bulky size to mere skeleton, and how he managed to come out of that condition and regained all that he lost in his physical outlook was one of the wonders of God.
Of course, I have not been in Kano in the past 12 years to reconnect with him, but those who were closed to him confirmed that Ogbefi bubbled with good health and life for the better part of the period between 1993 and a few days before he died on Thursday morning.
Ogbefi, though a consummate editorial man, also established a flourishing media consultant, called The West-End.
Described and, in deed known as a socialite and groomed professional,
Madu-West was also Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kano state chapter, and at one time, Deputy Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kano chapter.
There was one thing that was peculiar about Ogbefi, and that was his love for Kano state. Even though he hailed from Imo state, Ogbefi had come to love Kano so much that when Punch newspaper, which he worked for as its Kano state editor deployed him to Lagos on promotion as Assistant Editor, he resigned his appointment and joined the newspaper organization that asked him to remain in Kano, in the same capacity.
Ogbefi, in his hay days, was a personification of investigative journalism, and was endowed with courage to publish news items that ordinarily would put him in trouble with men and women in power.
As a matter of fact, it is unimaginable for an Igbo man to remain in Kano for almost all his professional life and touching virtually every powerful people in the land. And to remain without the fear of being killed. Especially, a city that breeds a lot of ‘yandaba,’ ‘yantauri’ and ‘yan dauka amarya.’
Ogbefi, a keen in active unionism, was one of my backbones when I was chairman of Kano state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists between 1987 and 1991.
He died while still in active service with National Mirror and left behind a son, wife, three daughters and two grand-children.
In a condolence message, Kano state Government through the office of the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, described the late Madu-West as a peace-loving man and detribalized Nigerian.
“We receive the news of the death of Augustine Madu-West, Bureau Chief of National Mirror with a great shock. He is a friend to Kano state government and has done a lot through his profession to promote the ideology and principles of Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s administration.
“We will miss him and we send our sincere condolence to members of his family and the leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists,” Alhaji Salihu Bala, Director of Press to the Kano state Deputy Governor said in a statement.
An elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai who granted an interview to Madu-West a day to his death, Wednesday evening, described his death as a great shock and huge loss to journalism in Nigeria.
“I feel sad over this tragic news. I was with him in my house on Wednesday when we had a brief chat. He was healthy and did not complain about anything. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” Yakasai said.
The President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Mohammed Garba, described Madu-West’s death as a big blow to the journalism profession.
“He is a professional to the core, a fearless journalist. He is peace-loving and has groomed many journalists. He is a bridge builder and a detribalized Nigerian. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” Garba stated.
On my own, while comforting the dearest ones he left behind, one would have to admit that for Augustine Madu-West (Ogbefi), it was a life well lived. For, as it is said, it is not how long one lives but how well.
It is even better sometimes for one to live well than long. And, in any case, how long can one live to be satisfied with lfe?

The research by Wittengborg University about the flow of African students in foreign universities also provides an interesting perspective about studying in foreign countries and the potential that is within Africa as a continent. There are two key aspects of the report that I found most interesting. The major destination of African students in foreign universities and the country of origin of these foreign students. According the report, 29% of foreign students from Africa go to universities in France, 15.1% to South Africa and 9.7% each to the United Kingdom and the United States. The remaining percentage of the students goes as follows:  Germany (4.7 %), Malaysia (3.9%), Canada (2.9%), Italy (2.0%),Australia (2.0%), Morocco (1.8%), Angola (1.7%)

From this aspect of the report, it is clear that apart from France, majority of African students prefer South Africa over the United States, United Kingdom, and other Western countries mentioned in the report. We need to ask the question why is this so? In addition to other African countries, Morocco and Angola are attracting international students from the continent. With regards to the interest in South African Universities the Wittengborg University report stated that “South Africa – which principally caters for students from English- speaking countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho – is described as “less bureaucratic” than Europe or the US when it comes to obtaining visas. It is also seen as “accessible, dynamic and stable” as well as less expensive. Its public universities are of high quality”.

There are important learning points from the South African experience. First is the confidence of countries in the Southern African sub region in universities located in South Africa. Secondly is the quality of education which is of the same standard with the best universities elsewhere around the world. Thirdly is that the best universities are actually public universities, and are accessible to people from outside the region. This also goes to tell us that the one who has monopoly on education is the one who provides the highest quality of education. I vividly remember a story I was told by Dr Kabir Kabo during a visit to him in Manchester about the expensive nature of British Universities. He told us that when Margret Thatcher was told that the reforms she was proposing in the UK educational system will send international students away, she replied that as long as there is quality they will come. It is interesting also, just like South Africa, the best universities in Britain are public universities, though with other sources of funding outside the public treasury.

With regards to Morocco, the report suggested that “Morocco… hopes to attract more by offering a high quality system, including properly accredited private institutions and branches of French and other foreign universities, at lower cost to students than in Europe. Courses are diverse, and the disciplines that are mostly chosen by students from other African countries include medicine, engineering and administration”, while Angola “Angola…caters mostly for those from its Portuguese-speaking neighbours Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, followed by students from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. According to the report, it serves to fill gaps in students’ domestic higher education systems”.

If you look at the key issues raised in this report, there is something conspicuously missing. In the educational hubs emerging in the African continent, there is no mention of a country from the West African region. Yet there is an elephant within that region known as Nigeria with the highest population in Africa and potentially higher number of educational institutions. Not even Ghana, the emerging destination for Nigerians who lost confidence in the Nigerian universities, but do not have the economic viability to attend universities in Europe and North America is mentioned. A food for thought. What about the country by country ratio of students going out of the continent for higher education? Join me next week for an update (God-willing).

Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u can be reached at mjyushau@yahoo.com

The sudden disintegration of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the self-styled largest political party in Africa, on Saturday, August 31 symbolized the Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. It came stiltly and quietly into fruition, like a thief in the night, as the legendary Shakespeare would say.
There was no inkling as to what was coming, as those who later stormed out of the special national convention of the PDP, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the seven governors, except governors Rotimi Amaechi and Murtala Nyako were fully in attendance.
As a matter of fact, while Atiku who arrived Eagle Square, venue of the convention earlier, modestly turned down a presidential protocol officer’s request that he took his seat at the VIP stand, governors Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his Sokoto state counterpart, Aliyu Magatakarda moved, with their crowd of supporters to pay their respect to President Goodluck Jonathan.
And shortly after President Jonathan ended his lengthy state-of-the-nation speech in which he took the opposition to the cleaner, the signs of crack began to show.
Ironically, the President had boasted that of all the political parties registered by the nation’s electoral body in 1998, only the PDP had remained with its identity intact to date.
The President said the convention provided members an opportunity to renew their faith in their political platform that was formed to engender national identity, promote integration and bring development to our dear Nation.
According to him, “the process of building enduring political institutions is a difficult, complex but ultimately rewarding exercise. We are gathered here at the Eagle Square to uphold old and tested values of our party’s internal democratic culture, as well as chart a new course and way forward for our Party.
“Our great party, which is widely acclaimed as the biggest in Africa, is the only Nigerian party that has been growing in leaps and bounds. It is the only Nigerian party that is not aligned to any ethnic, religious or regional interests. It is the only party that is collectively owned by Nigerians. We are very proud of our heritage and we will never betray the trust that the majority of Nigerians repose in us.”
However, a few minutes after the President’s speech, Atiku and his team, including five governors at the convention, walked out and were followed by a stream of reporters.
They drive to Shehu Yar’adua centre and held a mini convention during which acting national officers of what they called “new PDP” were picked.
The governors, who are members of the new faction, include Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano); Muritala Nyako (Adamawa); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)
The faction is headed by the former national chairman of PDP, Abubakar Kawu Baraje while the suspended National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola became the party’s national secretary. Dr. Sam Jaja got the post of National Deputy National Chairman.
The press conference at the Sheu Yar’Adua Centre  Abuja, where the faction announced its emergence, was attended by many members of the national and state houses of assembly.
Baraje said that the leaders of the party came together to rescue it from undemocratic tendencies of “the former national chairman,” Bamanga Tukur.
He said, “We address you today as leaders of the PDP, who are worried by the increasing repression, restrictions of freedom of association, arbitrary suspension of members and other such violations of democratic principles by a faction of our party led by Tukur.”
He said they had  done everything humanly possible to bring to the attention of critical stakeholders within the party  to the dangers inherent in the course being charted by that leadership (Tukur),
Baraje further said that it has become very clear that the desperate permutations towards 2015 general elections have blinded certain people from the consequences of their actions, adding: “not only has the constitution of the party been serially  violated by Alhaji Tukur and fellow travelers, all the organs of the party have been rendered virtually ineffectual by a few people who act as though above the law.”
He said that the Presidency had been encouraging the Tukur- led faction, saying that that the party rule violators are getting encouragement from the presidency whose old calculations are geared towards shutting out any real or imagined opposition ahead of the party’s presidential primaries for the 2015 elections.
He said that as leaders of the party, they considered it a sacred responsibility to save the PDP from the antics of a few desperadoes who had no democratic temperament and were bent on hijacking the party for selfish ends.
Baraje listed the violations of the Tukur-led faction as the changing of the date of the party’s convention without the approval of the National Executive Committee.
He said the PDP NEC at its last meeting approved  July20, 2013 for the conduct of a special national convention.
The factional chairman said that date was changed to August 31 without reverting to NEC (the only authority vested with such powers) by a few people, apparently acting on the authority of the presidency.
He added, “Notwithstanding the fact that INEC had noted that the PDP congresses in nine states were not presently conducted, the illegal delegates from such states are being paraded at the so-called convention being held today  (Saturday) in a cynical attempt to circumvent the law an further bring the name of the party to disrepute.
“In gross violation of the PDP constitution, which stipulates that the NEC meeting must hold at least once in a quarter, Tukur and a few people have been running the party like a personal fiefdom without recourse to that important decision-making organ of the party.
“The NEC of the party accepted the resignation of the former members of the NWC whose offices were affected by INEC observations based principally on the agreement that the affected officers would be returned to their respective offices at the convention.
He said that in spite of the NEC decision, the positions of the former officers had been given to “some Yes-men within the party.”
Baraje said in spite of INEC’s insistence that Senator Any Uba was the duly elected   candidate of the party in Anambra State; the Bamanga Tukur-led executives announced the suspension of Uba and some other members close to him in defiance of subsisting court orders.
He also faulted the dismissal of a former National Chairman, Mr. Sam Jaja, by the Rivers State chapter of the party with the alleged connivance of the Tukur leadership.
He also cited the suspension of Amaechi and Wamakko.
“Even when the illegal suspension of Sokoto State governor has been lifted, the Rivers governor remains purportedly suspended for no just cause.”
Baraje also said the   dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter of the party was a clear abuse of power by Tukur, thus causing confusion in his home state.
“Given the foregoing, it is very clear that the Tukur leadership cannot guarantee for our millions of party members democracy anchored on free choice and the rule of law.
“We have therefore taken it upon ourselves to rescue the party from their dictatorial leadership.
“It is indeed noteworthy that from 1999 to date, Nigerians have constantly voted the presidential candidates presented by our great party but not only does such trust come with enormous responsibility, we recognise that we cannot continue to take the people for  granted.
“From now, the new leadership of the party under us will strive to build a fairer as well as a more transparent and accountable PDP that will put the interest of members and indeed all the people of Nigeria above that of one single individual.
“For all the members of our great party who may have become disillusioned by the anti-democratic tendencies of the Tukur leadership, there is a new lease of life in the horizon.
“It s a new day for the Peoples Democratic Party. As we take over the leadership of the PDP, our immediate priority is to revive the culture of robust debate of all contending issues while providing a level-playing field for all our members.”
However, Bamanga Tukur promised that the party would deal with the governors at the appropriate time.
Tukur told journalists at the Eagle Square, that the governors were planning to defect to another party.
“The PDP does not recognise any parallel party. Those who staged the walkout  are all self-seeking and treacherous individuals pursuing neither regional nor religious agenda except their own agenda, except their own personal interest.
“Their attempt to create parallel party is illegal, unlawful as there are no crises within the PDP whatsoever.
“They were all active participants in the setting up of this convention.
“And many of them were with the President and rode with him to the convention venue and joined them in the salutation of all the delegates including their state delegates.
“The PDP is studying the situation as it unfolds and will deal decisively as the situation warrants.
“It is obvious that they are creating crisis where there is none to give the impression that the party is divided. This in their thinking will allow them persuade loyal members of the National Assembly to cross carpet with them. We will resist this.”
The relevant questions that are begging for answers now are, what purpose the new PDP wants to achieve?
What magic would the new PDP perform to be registered or given the registration certificate of PDP?
Why would the Atiku group wait for PDP to hold its special convention for it break away?
Of course, PDP has always prides itself as a party that has magic wand of mending fences when people think it is all over, but it would be seen as a miracle if the party’s confidence can see them through this major and no-going back crack.

Alhaji Danbaba Suntai must have been a special creation of God, which ordinary mortals may not be able to comprehend. This is a man who fell flat from a fast moving helicopter on October 25 as governor of Taraba state, came out of the rubbles, looking disjointed, taken to far away land for medical attention and exactly ten months later, returned to Nigeria in one piece, still as governor of the state.

Suntai, irrespective of the condition under which he returned to the country on Sunday, August 25, did not foreclose the fact of the speciality of his situation as one of the species of Allah.

It is interesting to note in passing that while he was in far away land receiving medical attention, his counterpart, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa had similar helicopter accident and died instantly on the spot.

To be sure, governor Suntai, his aide-de-camp and chief security officer were involved in the plane crash which occurred shortly after taken off from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital. Those involved in the accident were seriously injured.
Suntai, who graduated as a pilot from the Aviation College in Zaria last year, was piloting the crashed plane. That accident was the second time he was surviving a plane crash.
It was gathered that the plane, a Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ, owned by the state government, crashed at about 7.45 pm, near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot, on the outskirts of Yola.

The governor, who was brought in unconscious, was first taken to Yola Specialist Hospital for treatment, but was later moved to the better-equipped Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
The governor, earlier in the day, had hosted the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Hugo Ramos Minnes, who had paid him a courtesy visit before embarking on the trip.

There was pandemonium in Jalingo when the news of the crash filtered into the town as residents were thrown into mourning following reports that the governor had died in the crash.

After all the fears, the uncertainties, the expectations and all that trailed his accident and departure to foreign lands for treatment, Suntai returned to the country, via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Sunday. A chartered Gulfstream jet touched the tarmac at about 1:00 PM Nigerian time and he was assisted out of the jet after which he was helped into a Land Cruiser SUV to the VIP section of the airport.

There has been some kind of murmuring aas to whether he would want to claim his position as governor of Taraba state. Of course, the constitution does not stop him from taking over his position, but if I were him, I would voluntarily relinquish that right, as a way of thanking Allah for making me to still be alive. I would prefer to spend the rest of my life, enjoying quiet moment with members of my immediate family.

There is nothing Suntai would want from Allah more than the second chance He has made possible for him to appreciate His kindness and Mercy on him.