“At certain point in one’s life, once you refuse to retire when the ovation was loud, you’ll find yourself neck deep into confusion that’ll ultimately retire you into oblivion.”
This was the view of a former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba while reactingto the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a micro-blogging platform, Twitter, Garba said that the former president’s endorsement of the LP flagbearer has the same effect as the decision of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
“A case of Babachir endorsing Peter Obi is same with Obasanjo. I wish them both a happy retirement.
“Envy is an immense disease. I respect & continue to respect General Olusegun Obasanjo. However, I advise him to outgrow his envy of Tinubu at this stage of his life.
“Obasanjo is desperately envious of the rise and shine of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his lost in this one is sure to come.”
Obasanjo, in a New Year message titled: “My Appeal to all Nigerians, particularly young Nigerians,” endorsed Peter Obi to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The Presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has dismissed the endorsement of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a statement today, January 1, 2023 by the Spokesperson of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Organization, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, Atiku described the endorsement as “subjective support for the LP presidential candidate,” saying that it is his personal wish opinion which does not reflect the position of an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the country.
“While former President Obasanjo is entitled to his personal opinion; as remarkable as it may appear, it remains individualistic and cannot redirect Nigerians from their determination to rally with the more experienced, more proficient and more accepted Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to rescue and rebuild our nation from the APC misrule.
“What is surprising to the majority of Nigerians is that in the face of the alarming challenges facing the nation, which requires a tried and tested hand, former President Obasanjo is suggesting a candidate that has not had any experience in governance at the national level.
“In any case, Chief Obasanjo’s opinion cannot sway Nigerians who can easily remember how he endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration, he (Obasanjo) now describes as “stressful years for many Nigerians,” during which our nation “moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.
“It is therefore extremely difficult for Nigerians, particularly the youth demography, to accept Chief Obasanjo’s opinion as the solution to the myriad of challenges facing the nation today because the last candidate he introduced, by his own estimation, failed Nigerians.
“Our campaign holds that none of the Presidential candidates has the experience, capacity, tenacity of purpose, presence of mind and readiness to serve like Atiku Abubakar.
“Atiku remains the most widely accepted candidate, whose choice is not predicated by sectional, tribal, ethnic or religious sentiments or the endorsement of any individual, high or low, but by record of ability and performance, authentic vision, honesty and character; physical and mental capacity; the very indices set by the former President.
“It is instructive to state that every claim by former President Obasanjo on the success of his administration is a reflection of the performance of Atiku Abubakar as his Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council during which our nation achieved unprecedented economic growth to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
“It, therefore, amounts to a disservice for the former President to make subjective suggestion even when it is clear that if a hand like Atiku Abubakar with their shared experience is brought to the forefront of governance, our nation will be rescued from this current sullen state
“Our Campaign, therefore, urges Nigerians not to be distracted by subjective opinions but to remain focused on the resolve to salvage our dear nation by electing Atiku Abubakar as the next President of Nigeria, come February 25, 2023.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used to be a chimera. His influence was mythical yet sweeping. In the past, Nigeria was too small to contain his stature — as he dominated the horizons across Africa and beyond. He lived up to his legend of being a human Orisa. He is, perhaps, still one of the most respected leaders out of Africa.
But Obasanjo’s influence within Nigeria appears to have ebbed over the years. His words seem to have lost lustre and his presence vacant of command. Perhaps, when a masquerade comes out to perform all the time and sometimes without an invitation, it loses its allure and charm.
From 2007 (after he left office) up until 2014, Obasanjo had his wonder and thunder. His position on national matters mattered and was sought after. His missives were denominated ‘’letter bombs’’ for their sheer quality to inflict maximum casualty on the target and sway public opinion.
In 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan suffered ‘’casualty’’ from one of Obasanjo’s missives. Obasanjo wrote an open letter which technically put a nail to the re-election bid of Jonathan.
In the letter titled “Before it is too late,” Obasanjo accused Jonathan of many malfeasances. He said: ‘’Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government, and the people of Nigeria.”
He also accused Jonathan of cleaving Nigeria apart – along the weak seams of north-south and Christian-Muslim. According to him, Jonathan was favouring and promoting his Ijaw kin to the disadvantage of other Nigerians.
Obasanjo’s letter was well-celebrated. It was held up as a definitive and summary verdict on the administration of Jonathan. Obasanjo himself was hailed for his ‘’courage and forthrightness’’, and for his audacity to look power in the eye and spit the truth. But all of that changed after the 2015 elections owing to his overbearing deportment.
In 2018, just three years after President Buhari came to power, Obasanjo applied himself to his accustomed enterprise. He dispatched an open letter to Buhari, accusing him of incompetence. According to Obasanjo: “The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality – are very much with us today.”
In the build-up to the 2019 elections, Obasanjo fired a salvo. He accused Buhari of failing to address insecurity, of nepotism and of sundry ineptitudes. But Buhari earned the endorsement of Nigerians to serve a second time as president.
Obasanjo said: “For over ten years, for four of which you have been the captain of the ship, Boko Haram has menacingly ravaged the land and in spite of government’s claim of victory over Boko Haram, the potency and the activities of Boko Haram, where they are active, remain undiminished, putting lie to government’s claim. The main issue, if I may dare say, is poor management or mismanagement of diversity which, on the other hand, is one of our greatest and most important assets. As a result, the very onerous cloud is gathering. And the rain of destruction, violence, disaster, and disunity can only be the outcome.”
In 2021, Obasanjo reprised himself in another letter to Buhari. But over time, his take or opinion on national matters has become tepid, vapid, and lacking in magnetism to hold public interest and to sway public opinion. His opinions have lost the power to cause mortal damage. And those who once eulogised him as the incarnation of courage, truth, and honesty are now his fiercest critics.
It seems that Obasanjo wrestles with anyone he fails to control and abominates anyone who resists his impingements.
Has the Ebora Owu been demystified? What is the worth of Obasanjo’s endorsement? In the heat of the political liaisons in 2022, Obasanjo’s hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun state, became a cynosure of political pilgrimage as politicians fell over themselves to seek his endorsement of their bids. The rat race for Obasanjo’s endorsement. At the time, supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, claimed that the former governor had the blessing of Obasanjo. Although Obasanjo concealed his intentions in pretensions of statesmanship, it was well-noised he was favourably disposed towards Peter Obi’s candidature.
But the former president has cast aside the veil, and has declared support for Peter Obi, today, January 1, 2023.
The truth is Obasanjo’s endorsement cannot take Peter Obi to the presidency. It cannot take him anywhere.
Obasanjo is a big masquerade. His place in Nigeria’s political progression is undisputed. When iconic leaders are to be counted, Obasanjo will have a place. But in the cycle of life, there comes a time when the big masquerade will have to retire – when there is no one left in the crowd.
Nwabufo aka Mr. OneNigeria is a writer and journalist.
Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written off the reported endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity, of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, the party’s Presidential candidate said that he respects the democratic right of Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election, and that any discerning political watcher in Nigeria knows that Obasanjo’s preference for Peter Obi is expected.
According to him, Obasanjo had earlier stated his position at various public events, the last being at the 70th birthday anniversary of Chief John Nwodo, former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Enugu.
“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.
“The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a Councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight.
“He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.
“We recall that in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do or die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.
“From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria since then.
“Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.
“We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February, 2023.
“Chief Obasanjo’s endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.
“Chief Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.
“History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.
“We take a particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.
“We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.
“Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.”
Former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo who in his book said God would not forgive him if he ever supports his deputy while in office, Atiku Abubakar, has put into practice such vow by abandoning Atiku ahead of this year’s Presidential election.
In his recent message, Obasanjo, who is former Military President openly asked Nigerians (especially the youths) to vote for Peter Obi because he has an edge over other politicians vying for the exalted office of the President.
“Youth of Nigeria, your time has come, and it is now and please grasp it. If not now, it will be never.
“I appeal to you to turn the tide on its head and march forward chanting ‘Awa Lokan’ (Our turn) not with a sense of entitlement, but with a demonstrable ideological commitment to unity and transformation of Nigeria.”
Obasanjo, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been passing cryptic messages to Nigerians about whom they should vote for as their next President in 2023.
First, he placed Peter Obi on his seat at a recent public function, and also attended an event with the former Anambra State Governor in attendance, after which he said nobody could threaten him over his choice of candidate for the 2023 election.
“None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.”
In the New Year message to Nigerians, Obasanjo wrote:
MY APPEAL TO ALL NIGERIANS PARTICULARLY YOUNG NIGERIANS
Happy New Year! May all our national calamities disappear this year.
I am constrained to write this letter to all Nigerians especially young Nigerians, friends of Nigeria globally as well as our development partners because of the gravity, responsibility and implications of the collective decision Nigerians, both young and old, will be making within the next two months.
The last seven and a half years have no doubt been eventful and stressful years for many Nigerians. We have moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley. Our leaders have done their best, but their best had turned out to be not the best for Nigeria and Nigerians at home and abroad. For most Nigerians, it was hell on earth.
Those of us who are alive should thank God for His mercies, brace ourselves for the remaining few months of this administration and pray and work very hard for an immediate better future – future of liberation, restoration and great hope and expectation.
We have had campaigners going up and down the country feeding us with what they mean and what they do not mean, what they understand and what they do not fully understand, what is possible and what is not possible, what is realistic and what is unrealistic, what is true and what is untrue. I believe that we need not be confused nor be gullible. Let us be cautious, not to be fooled again.
I have interacted with the major contestants and I find it interesting that, in one form or the other, each of them claims to want to do what I did during my Presidency and to take Nigeria back to where it was at the height of my Presidency and immediately after. I was pained that most of them do not realise that the Nigeria of today had been dragged down well below Nigeria of the beginning of my Presidency in June 1999. Although at that time, Nigeria was in very bad shape and was tottering on the verge of collapse and break-up. Even then, Nigeria was not faced with the level of pervasive and mind-numbing insecurity, rudderless leadership, buoyed by mismanagement of diversity and pervasive corruption, bad economic policies resulting in extremes of poverty and massive unemployment and galloping inflation.
For these reasons, I kept pointing out to them that the instruments used in 1999 to 2007 and methodology used will grossly be inadequate for the perilous situation we now find ourselves. Without prejudice but with greatest respect to each individual with utmost regard for the best for Nigeria and all Nigerians and from my personal experience, all the major contestants claim to be my mentees. I will not deny such positions since I have worked with all of them directly and indirectly in government.
I have come to realise a number of factors in character, attributes and attitude that are necessary in the job of directing the affairs of Nigeria successfully and at a time like this. These characteristics or attributes are many but let us be mindful of some key ones together.
From interaction and experience, and as mentees as most of them claim, I will, without prejudice, fear or ill-will, make bold to say that there are four major factors to watch out for in a leader you will consider to hoist on yourself and on the rest of Nigerians in the coming election and they are what I call TVCP: Track record of ability and performance; Vision that is authentic, honest and realistic; Character and attributes of a lady and a gentleman who are children of God and obedient to God; and Physical and mental capability with soundness of mind as it is a very taxing and tasking assignment at the best of times and more so it is at the most difficult time that we are.
Let me say straight away that ‘Emi Lokan’ (My turn) and ‘I have paid my dues’ are one and the same thing and are wrong attitude and mentality for the leadership of Nigeria now. They cannot form the new pedestal to reinvent and to invest in a new Nigeria based on an All-Nigeria Government for the liberation and restoration of Nigeria. Such a government must have representation from all sectors of our national life – public, private, civil society, professional, labour, employers, and the diaspora. The solution should be in ‘we’ and ‘us’ and not in ‘me’ and ‘I’.
Mind you, I reiterate that no human being is an angel let alone a Messiah, but there are elements of these attributes and on comparative basis and by measure of what we know of, and what some of us have experienced from the front-runners, we must assess judiciously and choose wisely. If anybody claims he or she has anything to the contrary, it will be up to him or her to prove to us.
I pray not to be proved right again in the bad sense but rather to be proved right in the positive and glorious sense of Nigeria becoming what God had created it to be – a land of plenty and prosperity united for common purpose of inclusive society, common security, shared prosperity, equity, egalitarianism, justice, and equal stake in the Project Nigeria with leadership role of Nigeria for the black race and fair share of global division of labour.
One ridiculous point that has been touted to justify unjustifiable appointments and selections is ‘competence’. In truth and in reality, genuine competence can be found in any region or section of Nigeria through track record and performance if only people will honestly and sincerely look hard for people with such attainment and attribute. Most of us in good conscience can testify to competence when we see any anywhere. What is masqueraded as ‘competence’ is self-interest and nepotism.
We have a unique opportunity to correct ourselves by ourselves for the good of ourselves. Those who are preaching division, segregation, separation, and want to use diversity for their own self and selfish interest are enemies of the nation, no matter what else they may disguisedly profess or proclaim.
The Challenge Is For Nigerian Youth: If we fall prey again, we will have ourselves to blame and no one can say how many more knocks Nigeria can take before it tips over. To be forewarned is to be fore-armed. Future is not emotion. I challenge the youth to arise. Let nobody pull wool over your eyes to divide you and/or segregate you to make you underlings. Nigerian youth, wherever they come from, North or South, East or West need education which is now denied to over 20 million children; Nigerian youth also need skills, empowerment, employment, reasonably good living conditions, welfare and well-being.
My dear young men and women, you must come together and bring about a truly meaningful change in your lives. If you fail, you have no one else to blame. Your present and future are in your hands to make or to mar. The future of Nigeria is in the same manner in your hands and literally so. If for any reason you fail to redeem yourself and your country, you will have lost the opportunity for good and you will have no one to blame but yourselves and posterity will not forgive you. Get up, get together, get going and get us to where we should be. And you, the youth, it is your time and your turn. ‘Eyin Lokan’ (Your turn).
The power to change is in your hands. Your future, my future, the future of grandchildren and great grandchildren is in your hands. Politics and elections are numbers game. You have the numbers, get up, stand up and make your numbers count.
Let me say it again, loud and clear, Nigeria has no business with insecurity, poverty, insurgency, banditry, unemployment, hunger, debt, division and disunity. We are in these situations because advertently or inadvertently, our leaders have made the choices. They have done the best they could do. Let them take their rest deservedly or not and let them enjoy their retirement as Septuagenarians or older.
I became Head of State at 39 and at 42, I had retired into the farm. When it was considered necessary, I was drafted back into active political life after twenty years of interregnum. I came back at 62 and by 70, I was on my way out. Others like General Gowon and Enahoro became national leaders at 33 and 27 respectively and General Gowon at the helms of leadership of Nigeria at the highest level. The vigour, energy, agility, dynamism and outreach that the job of leadership of Nigeria requires at the very top may not be provided as a septuagenarian or older. I know that from personal experience. And it is glaring out of our current experiences. Otherwise, we will be fed with, “The President says” and we will neither see nor hear him directly as we should.
Yes, for some, age and physical and mental disposition are not in tandem. But where and when they are with obvious evidence, they must be taken into account for purpose of reality. And yet it is a job in our present situation where the team leader or captain of the team should be up and doing, outgoing inside and outside and speaking to the nation on almost daily basis visibly and as much as possible interactively and meeting his colleagues all over the world on behalf of Nigeria. Youth of Nigeria, your time has come, and it is now and please grasp it. If not now, it will be never. I appeal to you to turn the tide on its head and march forward chanting ‘Awa Lokan’ (Our turn) not with a sense of entitlement, but with a demonstrable ideological commitment to unity and transformation of Nigeria.
Leave The Past, Face The Future: Can we let the past go? I appeal to the young Nigerians to stop inheriting other people’s prejudices and enemies. Make your own friends and stop inheriting your father’s enemies.
Let’s stop criminalizing and demonizing one another on the basis of the civil war on which we are all wrong. And let’s praise and thank God for preserving the oneness of Nigeria. The Scripture says that if God would take account of all our wrongdoings, nobody would be able to stand before Him. While not suffering from amnesia, let us stop still fighting and reacting to the civil war in our hearts, minds, heads and our attitude acrimoniously. Let’s stop living on our different wrongs or mistakes of the past: treasonable felony, Tiv riot and its handling, first military coup and its aftermath, second military coup, araba, pogrom and the civil war, all in the 1960s. And more recently OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, IPOB, Boko Haram and banditry. No region can claim to be innocent or to be saintly. And no justification will suffice. In our respective individual or regional positions, we have done right and we have done wrong. It is therefore not right for any of us to be sanctimonious to see ourselves as saints and the rest as devils incarnate.
Just let us agree to move forward together in mutual forgiveness, one accord, inclusive society, equality and equity. Together and without bias and discrimination, fear or favour, we can have Nigeria of one nation in diversity, in truth and in practice. Let us honour, cherish, respect and even celebrate our diversity which is the basis of our potential greatness and strength.
If we will only continue to harp on wrongs done by each of us individually or collectively, we will never be able to stand together. If we will continue with wide brush to paint a national or sub-national group as bad and never to be trusted with leadership because of past error or mistakes that some of them were responsible for and treat their offspring as inheritors, it will amount to great injustice that will surely lead to no peace, no security and no stability for development and progress.
First, no group is faultless; second, for the greatness of the whole, we need one another as constituents of the whole; third, we cannot be talking and working for Africa’s integration and for Nigeria’s disintegration at the same time. Why for instance should I be stigmatized or despised because of my place of origin, place of birth or where I come from? Where I was born, by whom I was born and when I was born were not choices made by me. They were choices and prerogatives of God. Any antagonism against me on that basis is unfair and is tantamount to fighting against God, the Creator. Such derogatory attitude and mindset do not build any human institution let alone a nation.
While not forgetting the past, let us put the past behind us for it not to continue to mar our present and our future and that of the coming generation. We must rise above primordial animalistic instincts and behaviour. Yes, we are human and higher than animals in the wild. Let us develop national ethos and national characteristics that can take us collectively to the promised.
My dear young men and women, let me assure you that there are only two tribes of people in Nigeria a tribe of good people and a tribe of bad people. You are either a good Nigerian of Igbo extraction, Kanuri extraction, etc, or a bad Nigerian of Yoruba extraction, Ijaw extraction etc.
I will at this juncture want to commend the politicians as they have generally been reasonably civil in their campaigns without making politics as a call to war against opponents. Genuine and fair competition conveys greater legitimacy in any political rivalry or competition. A situation where people in authority and power assume such positions through foul and despicable means and continue to espouse and act in ways that only engender conflict or war by subverting legitimacy of power and authority does not augur well for the polity and as such, the moral foundation of the government and the society will be terribly weakened.
May God help, save, protect and sustain Nigeria for all Nigerians, for Africa and for the human race. We can only continue to play politics of ethnicity, religion, region and money bags at the peril of our country and to self-destruction. We need selfless, courageous, honest, patriotic, in short, outstanding leadership with character and fear of God beyond what we have had in recent past.
None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.
Others like all of us have what they can contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration and salvaging of Nigeria collectively. One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost. In other words, he has people who can pull his ears, if and when necessary. Needless to say that he has a young and able running mate with clean track record of achievement both in public and private life.
In conclusion, I want to bring to our remembrance part of the great speech that Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa made on October 7, 1960, on the occasion of Nigeria being admitted as the 99th member of the United Nations:
“Cooperation is for each man to be true to his religious belief and to reaffirm the basic principles of his particular creed. It may be that, when we hear the world crying out for peace, we may receive the inspiration to deal with these intractable problems and be able to really devote all our resources to the advancement of mankind by applying those eternal truths which will inevitably persist long after we ourselves are utterly forgotten”.
The Tafawa Balewas are gone. But the eternal truths inevitably remain and persist that cooperation, friendship, justice, equity, love and fear of God which are hallmarks of the three religions practised in this country are the basis of our full and fulfilled lives and living as Nigerians. In faith as Nigerians, we must pray and relate with God as it depends on Him and at the same time, in faith also we must work as it depends on us. Then we will win.
May God continue to help us individually and collectively.
A former National President, Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (YOWICAN) and Co-Chairman of the Interfaith Coalition Conference, Daniel Kadzai, has warned Church in Nigeria against open support for the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi ahaead of this year’s election across the country. He spoke against Christian leaders for turning their pulpits into campaign podiums for Peter Obi, describing such attitude as very wrong. Daniel Kadzai, in an interview on the New Year’s Eve, insisted that there have been bad leaders on both the Christian and Muslim sides, telling church leaders to slow down in pushing a candidate. “These religious leaders, especially the church, must stop deceiving their members. If what they’re proposing fails, it will backfire on their members. So it is better they just stay neutral, especially since the pulpit should be used for the purpose of salvation where they preach love, peace and unity. It should not be a jamboree of politics or political gathering,” he said. “Despite the challenges facing this country, God has been faithful and Everybody celebrated Christmas and New Year in peace. God put these wicked rulers in shame and even though the price of rice is almost N50,000 now Nigerians were able to buy it. No one said they did not have something to eat. “The religious sentiment being played among us with some churches publicly declaring for one candidate. For instance, bringing Peter Obi to church and all that, what if he fails? What if he loses the election? Some come up with Tinubu, saying he is Muslim Muslim ticket but the same people kicking against Muslim Muslim ticket are still holding meetings with Tinubu at CAN’s headquarters.” He said that some of those who criticise Bola Tinubu for his choice of Muslim-Muslim ticket are the same people holding meetings with the All Progressives Congress, APC’s candidate at the national Secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN. “The same people condemning him are at the same time holding meetings with him at the CAN Secretariat. What kind of integrity are we talking about? “Let’s forget the religious sentiment and go for a candidate that will savage the situation of this country and deliver good governance to our people. Someone who can unite this country “When you talk of bad leadership, we have bad leadership among Christians and Muslims. We have Christians who were bad leaders in the country and we also have them among the Muslims. “So when you are accusing someone just know that something happened earlier. If Christian vote alone could bring a President into power Jonathan wouldn’t have lost the 2015 election because all that was needed to win the election was provided to them but we lost out.” Source: Daily Post.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello Musa has appealed to Abuja resdents to support his administration as it continued to demolish illegal structures in the capital city.
In a New Year message to the residents today, January 1, 2023, the minister said: “we solicit your cooperation and support, as we continue the task of removing illegal structures and settlements within our city both for security purposes and maintaining the sanctity of the Abuja Masterplan.”
Muhammad Bello said that these corrective measures are absolutely essential if truly Abuja city is to evolve into one of the most aesthetically pleasing and functional cities in the world.
“The presence of illegal settlements and shanties will only draw us further away from attaining this goal.”
According to the minister, the capital city is confronted daily with the unwholesome and unpatriotic activities of vandals who wantonly destroy or steal public infrastructure installed by government at great cost.
He said that replacing or repairing such critical infrastructure cost a lot of money which otherwise would have been invested in other equally essential projects.
“You are therefore enjoined to treat critical public infrastructure as you would treat your personal property and help to protect all public assets located within your vicinity.
“As residents of the FCT, we are obliged to live up to the ideals of the founding fathers of the Territory as a place where every Nigerian can call home. We must therefore, collectively resist any attempt to cause disharmony and disaffection within our ranks. Elections in the FCT have always been peaceful. Let us ensure that the upcoming 2023 polls also reflect this.”
Muhammadu Bello is happy that despite the heavy rainfalls and attendant floods that devastated several parts of the country, the capital city was largely spared the misfortune.
“This is because, having learnt from our experiences in the past, adequate measures were taken to prevent any such re-occurrence.
“ I must therefore extend our appreciation to residents for their understanding despite the discomforts they must have endured in the course of our remedial measures. I hereby call for your continuous support and cooperation.”
He commended the security agencies in the FCT for the tremendous work they have been doing in ensuring the safety of lives and property within the Territory as the incidences of violent crimes have witnessed a decline over the past few months.
The minister recalled that some of the gallant men and women who have seen to this possibility have even paid the ultimate price in the course of discharging their responsibilities.
He reassured them of the continuous support of the Administration as demonstrated with the provision of 60 high-capacity vehicles in addition to accompanying security and communication equipment last year.
“We will continue to support them in every way possible and also enjoin the citizenry to cooperate with our law enforcement agencies whenever the need arises.
The minister reminded residents that the maintenance of security is the responsibility of all, even as he reiterated the mantra of say ‘something when you see something’.
He assured that his Administration is committed to sustaining the growth and development of the Territory despite the challenges of dwindling financial resources and the ever increasing population.
“We are evolving new strategies to meet our financial obligations in line with growing demands.
“The creation of the Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public Private Partnership Secretariat and the upscaling of the functions of the FCT IRS are but two of the measures taken to shore up our revenue base to meet our needs.
“Residents are therefore enjoined to also play their part by being up to date in the payment of their taxes to enable us continue to serve you better.”
He assured the resident that over the next five months heralding the end of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the his Administration will not relent in its efforts of ensuring the development of the Territory and the well-being of its residents.
So, that mythical Nigerian year, 2023, is here at last? For Nigerians, 2023 is not just a year of newness as all years represent for mankind. It is a year with gross implications, political, economic and social. It is a year that is at once dreaded, expected, venerated and which evokes apprehension, as well as a feeling of de ja vu across board. It is a year of consequence to our existence as a people. A year that has been romanticized as the year of the Nigerian becoming, many analysts have even sacralized 2023 as the year that will determine whether Nigeria will break, be broken, or which will break all the obstructions on the way of the country’s underdevelopment. Welcome to that sacred year of our Lord 2023!
As I said, in 2023, Nigerians do not see what the rest of the world see in a “new year.” They do not just see the picture of a newness that the rest of the world sees or is confronted with. Nigerians’ mental picture is diametrically opposed to or hugely different from the world’s when it comes to the new year 2023. Nor is that newness of a New Year the newness which the philosopher, Martin Heidegger, conceptualized. For Heidegger, German philosopher, best known for his seminal contributions to philosophy in the fields of phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism, in his thesis on the philosophy of being, newness or being, is always and continually in the process of becoming true. This then means that, for him, we can never reach the end of our completeness. In his understanding, newness will always be new; will forever be incomplete and always in process.
For Nigerians, however, 2023 holds some finite meaning. It is a year that the people hold with some magical awesomeness. Or fear, if you like. On the political landscape, for optimists, 2023 is a year that will define where Nigeria is headed, for good. For pessimists, it is a nihilistic year of destruction. If you like listening to Bob Marley, especially that diffident album of his called Uprising and the particular track entitled, Check Out The Real Situation, apparently frustrated by the slide in world affairs, Marley had gone nihilistic.
The philosophy of nihilism believes that values have failed society as they lack base or foundation. It is a philosophy of extreme pessimism and radical skepticism which even goes to the extreme of condemning human existence. It is built on an impulse of destruction of what is. So, to nihilism Bob had sauntered for an explanation of the hopelessness of the world. He had lamented how nations warred against nations. Why, for instance, a skunkhead like Vladimir Putin would want to destroy humanity in Ukraine, will fall under the nihilism propounded by Marley. Wondering when “did it all begin” and “when will it end?,” Bob philosophized that “it seems like, total destruction (is) the only solution” as “there ain’t no use” since “no one can stop them now.”
Politicians and their recruits are all over the place preaching the gospel of redemption that will come with 2023. If you listen to them as they reify Nigeria at campaign podia, you will wonder if there is a newer newness as opposed to the old newness that we have always known that will come into place in 2023. Behind the microphone, Nigerian politicians are grossly irredeemable. When they paint the picture of the Eldorado that 2023 will birth, you will wonder if Nigeria would exchange space with Jupiter in 2023. Or that it will cease to be that same country that has failed all indices of growth, development and theories of leadership since 1914.
To the politicians, that national surplus or plenty that Nigerians have always yearned for will show its beautiful face in 2023. If you have a scientific mind however, you cannot travel on the same boat with the Nigerian politician. You will wonder where the surplus will come from in a Nigeria where Muhammadu Buhari has steeped the country into a debt hole that is unexampled in national history. Recall that as at September 2022, the sum of N44.06triillion lies as Nigeria’s total debt stock. It is no news too that that same Nigeria spent N3.04trillion to service her external and domestic debts in nine months in 2022. When you ask where that magic of surplus will come from, the unscience that Nigerian politicians confront you with hits you like a mound of excrement. It is worse than the voodoo of metaphysics. However, immediately we arrive that selfsame 2023, as we just did now, and Nigeria begins to manifest her old cancerous growths, Nigerian politicians will come up with newer variants of their evergreen prognoses. Or simply run into the embrace of their usual escapism.
That is why I find Oby Ezekwesili’s take on 2023 and the infectious optimism being funneled into space by Nigerian politicians very apt. In a recent interview with the Channels Television, the former Minister of Education had said that there was the danger of a noxious and uncensored hyper-optimism that is being filtered into the Nigerian mind by politicians. They seem to make the people believe that once we land in 2023, all our problems are solved. In the process, they do not tell the people the obvious truth that, with the current rank decadence in the country, reversing the sorry state of Nigeria, beginning from 2023, may be an impossibility.
If we can even be sincere with ourselves for a minute, which of the buccaneers, the vultures on parade for the 2023 race has the capacity to bring about the Nigeria of our dream? Which one? The same people who are grossly complicit in the dross that we found ourselves? Sorry that I embraced Bob Marley in checking out our real situation.
Still on that same political plane, we have been inundated with how the three major political parties hold hope to rescue Nigeria from its present stasis. Depending on who you engage of the three, the unscience that oozes out of them is similar. Whether it is Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu or Atiku Abubakar, what is certain is that this 2023 is a year when Nigeria can never be the same again. The consequences inherent in anyone of them winning the presidential ballot are huge for Nigeria. If Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) for instance, becomes president, Nigeria’s already fragmented unity from 1914, which Buhari whimsically shredded on the altar of his pristine nepotism and cronyism, will further have its apron torn, in a more phenomenal way. This is because, I imagine how Atiku Abubakar will preach unity and togetherness to a country where a Hausa Fulani ruled Nigeria for eight years and another man of same ethnic stock takes over from him for most likely another eight years… and such preachments will hold water?
This is why, perhaps due to his hoarse and husky voice, Nigerians cannot see the primacy of a true Nigeria that Nyesom Wike and his G5 governors have harped upon endlessly. Wike is no doubt a petrel but let us peer beyond him to examine his message. In this war, Wike seems to be shooting his shot on target and naysayers like us are the laughing stock. He and his cronies’ latest trip to the UK was greeted with a baffling frenzy on the political space and even in the media, such that it cancels out what Atiku Abubakar and his fellow travelers have made us to believe was the worthlessness of their threats. While the media was collapsing on a roller-coaster of goofs about where Wike and his group were headed, Atiku seemed to be wetting his trousers.
“I am not someone who will go and see somebody and hide. Hide for who? Who is that person that will threaten me? They said Wike had a deal with so, so, and so person. Meanwhile, no video, no anything. And some of you waste time listening to such things. Don’t you know when I want to do something, I do it? You don’t need to speculate,” the Ikwerre petrel thundered and he seemed to have us by our balls.
Then he detonated the bazooka. “They said we had a meeting with so and so. What is your problem? Assuming there was a meeting, has Atiku not been holding meetings with governors of APC? Ask him. As he is in Dubai, don’t we know what is going on? So, why do you bother about us G-5, that you said you can win without us? Leave us alone,” the nuke exploded and everybody ran helter-skelter to hide from the splinter shells of the bomb.
So some APC governors too are holding meetings with Atiku? Wonders will never end. So why are the Atiku group making issues of the G5’s meeting with Tinubu and Obi? Very shortly, Wike will probably avail us information on who Buhari is talking to too on behalf of Atiku Abubakar. It is such bombastic that has marked the run-ups to the 2023 election. This crazy 2023!
With a Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock, a party which Buhari took to its all-time low by his very opaque administration, Nigerian voters will unravel as a people always excited at being in bed with their abusers and suppressors. In saner climes, there should be no other year than 2023, the year of consequence, as a time to pay the APC back for its lack-luster leadership through a massive rejection of the party and everything it represents at the polls.
2023 is also the year of Buhari’s much anticipated departure from office. Already, the president has done what he believes was a fair assessment of his close to eight years in office. To many, Buhari’s exit this 2023 will end the eight years of the locusts which besieged Nigeria since 2015. Buhari did a self-review at an event organised by his family and associates, in celebration of his 80th birthday, tagged “Celebrating A Patriot, a Leader, an Elder Statesman” last week. There, he reviewed his administration through a documentary where he admitted that what he called his best had not been good enough for the country. “I think I’m being harassed. I believe I’m trying my best but still, my best is not good enough,” he said.
At the same event, Buhari then said he was in a hurry to go lock himself up in Daura, Katsina State. “I am eager to go. I can tell you it has been tough…I look forward to the year 2023 when I finish, go home to take charge of my farm,” he said. For Buhari, 2023 is the year to relieve himself of the Nigerian burden but does it bother him that his actions, mis-actions and inactions as president led to the deaths and incapacitation of thousands of people? Never mind. Buhari will go to Daura and he will live happily ever after.
To many pessimists, however, for Nigeria, Buhari’s exit in 2023 will only be a Martin Heidegger’s unending farce that Nigeria as a country is. In many instances, the new has always been worse than the old in Nigeria. This has then reincarnated the same farcical tale that is called the Nigerian sorry refrain. When Olusegun Obasanjo was leaving Aso Rock in 2007, Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief, sure that an end had come to what they perceived as a self-centered, high-handed leadership. Umaru Yar’Adua then came and hope that he would be better was rife in the horizon, especially judging by the deodorized tale of Umaru, as Katsina governor, walking from his office and crossing to the other side of the road to go buy his favourite stick of cigarette.
Midstream, however, death struck and didn’t allow Nigerians know in-depth who Yar’Adua really was. Then came Goodluck Jonathan. By the time he left office in 2015, Jonathan was held as the worst Nigerian leader since independence. Today, those who voted Buhari in place of the Bayelsa shoeless man feel they had made the gravest mistake of their lives. Today, Obasanjo walks about, preaching governance morality and precepts with such majestic swagger that you wonder how, immediately they leave office, Nigerians spray their generally regarded evil leaders with sweet smelling fragrances. So you ask yourself, as execrable as the Buhari government has been in almost eight years, isn’t there the possibility that soon and very soon, Nigerians would beatify him too and look back to say life was better under him? It is because this is the warped judgment of Nigerian leadership history.
For me, my honest wish will be that this 2023, Nigerians will not relent in asking for the Nigeria Police to step out of the fur of bloodthirsty jackals that its officers wear and have a handshake with the rest of humanity. The more I reflect on the killing in Lagos last week of pregnant lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, by Drambi Vandi, a policeman, the more it occurs to me that if we can get this wish through in 2023, then we are beginning a new social order in Nigeria.
By the way, last week, an ally of Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of Arise TV and Thisday newspaper, reacting to my piece entitled Emefiele’s Terrorism Mess, told me I goofed by submitting that Obaigbena was engaged in inappropriate dalliance with embattled Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele in the latter’s bid to run for the presidential primary of the APC. Obaigbena had no hand in Emefiele’s crashed ambition, he argued vociferously.
Happy New Year to you all, Nigerians, though I don’t see anything new in 2023!
Dr. Festus Adedayo is a journlist, lawyer, biographer and public affairs analyst.
Former Pope, Benedict XVI has died. He died today, December 31, at his Vatican residence, aged 95. His death came almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health. He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the walls of the Vatican. His successor, Pope Francis said he had visited him there frequently. The Vatican said in a statement: “With sorrow, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. “Further information will be provided as soon as possible.” The Vatican said the body of the Pope Emeritus will be placed in St Peter’s Basilica from January 2 for “the greeting of the faithful.” Plans for Pope Benedict’s funeral will be announced in the next few hours, the Vatican said. Although the former pontiff had been ill for some time, the Holy Sea said there had been an aggravation in his condition because of advancing age. On Wednesday, Pope Francis appealed to his final audience of the year at the Vatican to “pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict,” whom he said was very ill. Born as Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when in 2005 he became one of the oldest popes ever elected. For much of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced allegations, legal claims and official reports into decades of child abuse by priests. Earlier this year the former Pope acknowledged that errors had been made in the handling of abuse cases while he was archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982. Source: BBC.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he had done his best in the service to Nigeria in the nearly seven and half years he had presided over the governmental affairs of the country. “I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in equal measure secure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria and I pray that the next President will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century.” In his New Year, 2023 message to Nigerians today, December 31, 2022, the President encouraged Nigerians to look with hope to 2023, “a year to move forward as a Nation towards unity, progress and prosperity. “I offer my own personal felicitations, mindful of the various opinions and interpretations of our executive legacies.” The President’s message is reproduced hereunder: First, I would like to thank and honour the Almighty who saw us through the year 2022 and has given us the opportunity to see another year. Each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New. As we celebrate the opportunity to be alive in the year 2023, we must also acknowledge the passing away of our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it into this new year. May their souls rest in perfect peace. This year is particularly important to me because this message is in essence valedictory. After having the honour of serving you, my compatriots, for the last seven plus years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end. In the next five months we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels. All these electoral and democratic principles are working in concert because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of you the great citizen of Nigeria. In addition is my personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter that the 2023 elections being diligently conducted by INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch. Reflecting on year 2022 allows us as a government to examine our legacies of successes and challenges. As we celebrate our wins and review obstacles, we all must understand that governance is a continuum, which still places a transitional responsibility on this administration to provide for the incoming government a non-partisan and objective roadmap for 2023. We as Nigeria; one country united under the will of God and actively growing as an indivisible entity, have been enabled year after year, decade after decade, to weather all stormy waters and emerge stronger and better where others have fallen and disintegrated. This has made us a unique nation across the globe and our continent. In year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new Administration, it is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon. This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the Nation. We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls. We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law. As our security agencies continue to make the country proud, we must continue to assist our patriotic forces by providing much needed community intelligence. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for us all. Therefore, we have a duty and obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being alert and reporting anything suspicious. The fight against insurgency in the North East region has continually recorded very clear wins in the past year. The Federal Government, and the Borno State government, have started the journey of returning internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes earlier taken by the insurgents. Also, over 82,000 insurgents with their families have surrendered to the Nigerian military. A number of surrendered insurgents are currently being processed by the rehabilitation (Operation Safe Corridor) program. The fight against banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in the North West and other regions is gaining momentum and showing very clear results. One of which is the resumption of Train Service along the Kaduna to Abuja corridor. In the aftermath of the EndSars, our administration took heed and instituted the ongoing Police Reform program based on a new Presidential Vision for Policing in Nigeria. This new vision is framed in a clear road map that transcends the tenure of this administration and it is predicated on six principles: a) Building Trust and Legitimacy b) Leadership, Accountability and Oversight c)Technology and digital media d) Community Policing and Crime Reduction e) Officers Training and Education f) Funding, Officers’ Welfare, Wellness and Safety. This reform program is very much in its foundational phase but has recorded noteworthy successes in improving police welfare and their emoluments. Other gains have been the ongoing training of 500 police cadet trainers to enable a better training regimen for the 2022 first batch of the 10,000 new cadets with an additional 10,000 set for 2023. In support of these reforms has been the provisioning of new material for the Nigeria Police to steadily improve on its constitutional responsibility to enforce law and order, protect lives and property as well as street level peace and security. Despite the ongoing global economic crisis, we have been able to weather the storms. Inflation across the globe is at its highest, the Federal Government has been resolute through its economic interventions to remain above water during this period. 2022 brought a combined impact from ongoing wars and aftereffects of COVID-19. Though creating its own fiscal challenges, we have continued to subsidize our energy costs to buffer households from inflationary pressure of high energy costs. In 2023, we are focused on building on our GDP and sustain the huge surge in the non-oil GDP growth. The Nigerian Start up Bill has been passed as an Act. This is considered a huge step in lowering our unemployment figures by boosting job creation and supporting the entrepreneurial drive of our youths. If you recall in my 2021 New Year speech, I had mentioned the need to secure the future of our youth recognizing that our young people are our most valuable natural resource, at home and abroad. In this regard, we worked with the legislature to develop an enabling law to turn their passions into ideas that can be supported, groomed and scaled across regions. 2023 will see the implementation of the Nigerian Start Up Act nationwide. The year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our “SEA” – (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) Agenda. Some of the key priority areas we would direct our attention and strengths to include: a. Focus on SECURITY; we will continue to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities across the Nation. We will also focus on ensuring that free and fair elections would be held come February 2023. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in war against insurgency, banditry, secession and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired. b. For the ECONOMY; our focus would be on maintaining and building economic growth through the national economic diversification agenda that supports the goal of national food self-sufficiency and growth in non-oil sources. The ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver the key projects across the Nation in power, rail, roads, ports and technology. c. ANTI-CORRUPTION: On the anti-corruption drive of our administration, we have created new records in this fight, growing from 117 convictions in 2017 to 3,615 convictions as at December 2022. We as a government are committed to ridding our nation of all forms of corruption, through the collaboration with all the arms of Government to effectively prosecute this fight. As we welcome the New Year, let us look with hope to 2023, a year to move forward as a Nation towards unity, progress and prosperity. I offer my own personal felicitations, mindful of the various opinions and interpretations of our executive legacies. I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in equal measure secure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria and I pray that the next President will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century. Long Live the Nigerian spirit of oneness, togetherness, and unity. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A Happy and prosperous New year. God bless you. Muhammadu Buhari.
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“At certain point in one’s life, once you refuse to retire when the ovation was loud, you’ll find yourself neck deep into confusion that’ll ultimately retire you into oblivion.”
Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written off the reported endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
