The African Union Summit January 2018 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia has just been concluded with a theme “Fighting Corruption”
The newly elected African Union ‘AU’ Chairperson Paul Kagame the Rwandan President said “Africa must emulate president Buhari’s fight against corruption. It’s a canker worm that must be destroyed”
The above statement came soon after Buhari was appointed the Anti Corruption Champion by his fellow continental cronies who more or less the same with their clueless ineptitude. Just look at Kenya with two presidents for you to understand what I mean.
Quick reactions by African academics and sound professionals to the appointment of Buhari was summed up as “sense of irony”
This must be a joke, they retorted vehemently. African joke of the year they added.
You cannot have Buhari who has condoned, benefitted, encouraged and participated in corruption in Nigeria within the past two years since he has been in power. This is in addition to his response to herdsmen who brandish AK-47 assault weapons without license and have indeed murdered innocent people, raped, maimed, ravaged communities .
How can such a man be made the Anti Corruption Champion of the AU?. He must have bent his head in shame, albeit being a shameless man and a failure amongst his peers and contemporaries.
The abysmal fall of Buhari is only just beginning and deservedly so, from the tip of the African Continent. Who knows how far down he is going to fall – bottomless.
Deep-Seated illegality and abuse of financial procedures still bedevil the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) two years after a regime change, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki declared yesterday in Abuja. Saraki said the problem had continued in spite of efforts to sanitise the oil industry.
Saraki, who was represented by the Senate leader, Ahmed Lawal, at a public hearing on the re-introduction of subsidy being conducted by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), expressed displeasure at what he described as secret and opaque re-introduction of subsidy in the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) without any budget approval by the National Assembly.
The Senate President regretted that “government has not done what we need to do to nip this problem in the bud.”He said payments amounting to some N10 trillion were hijacked to favour few individuals. “Findings have brought to light the fact that our downstream oil and gas industry needs critical reforms”, he said.
Saraki further stated that it had been exposed that “in spite of the stoppage of the fuel subsidy regime, and non-appropriation of funds for the scheme due to the fraud and maladministration going on in the scheme, fuel subsidy payments continue to be maid illegally from our commonwealth to a few quietly in order to dodge scrutiny and avoid exposure.”
Insisting that the Senate would not rest until all perpetrators of the fraud particularly those in high public offices were exposed, the Senate president stated: “But this 8th Senate is here to expose all corruption in the system irrespective of how highly placed those involved are. This unconstitutional and illegal practice must be addressed and we are not going to rest until it is fully addressed.”
Saraki charged the committee to “get to the bottom of this issue and proffer long-lasting solutions to this racketeering in the fuel market that leaves the Nigerian people poorer every year.” Other questions the committee must seek answers to, according to the Senate president, are “the actual quantity of fuel the Nigerian market consumes; the underlining reasons why the market is struggling to operate without government intervention; and the process and all those involved in signing out unbudgeted funds outside the budget passed by the National Assembly.”
Meanwhile, the NNPC has claimed that the Nigerian Federation was indebted to the corporation to the tune of N170.6 billion outstanding subsidy payments due from January 2006 to December, 2015.
Leading a team of top management of the NNPC to the ongoing investigative hearing on N5 trillion subsidy payments from 2006 to 2016, the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said the figure was arrived at after the deduction of N4.950.80 trillion received as payments from theN5.121.40 trillion approved subsidy claims of the corporation from January 2006 to December 2015.
Providing details of the accruals, the Chief Financial Officer of the corporation, Mr. Isiaka AbdulRazaq, traced the advent of the subsidy regime to October, 2003 when NNPC was directed by government to commence the purchase of domestic crude oil at international market price without a corresponding liberalisation of the regulated price of petroleum products.
He explained that under the subsidy regime, NNPC and other suppliers of refined petroleum products were entitled to file subsidy claims to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).AbdulRazaq, however, noted that unlike other oil marketers, NNPC did not receive cash payment for subsidy claims as its subsidy claims were deducted out of cost payment to the federation account after due certification by PPPRA.
‘’In summary, NNPC submits that the amount of over N5.1 Trillion was duly approved by PPPRA as subsidy claims for NNPC. Out of this sum NNPC is still being owed N170.6 billion,’’ the NNPC CFO said.
The corporation called on the Senate Downstream Committee to assist in ensuring that the outstanding debt was settled to enable the NNPC to effectively achieve its obligation as the supplier of last resort to the downstream sector.
One big problem Biafrans have is acute individualism. Nobody wants to work under others. Everybody wants to be on top. At times for fear of being labeled overambitious some will pretend they are not interested in leading, but from their body language of ‘I’ syndrome, it will be obvious.
The Customary Government of Biafra is an institution set up by elders of Biafra, to help gather Biafrans that are scattered globally unto a one-united forum or governance, so as to channel our collective efforts towards our target, which is Biafra restoration.
Unfortunately the setting up of Customary Government didn’t go down well with some Biafrans, because they claimed they were not consulted. Their understanding is that whatever they didn’t start must not succeed. That’s the bane of our Biafran people. These people with these view, also include those who were afraid to come on board and join ab initio when the idea was first muted. Yet when it seems to be coming out successful, it then becomes object of envy and jealousy. Hence the attack and refusal to support the efforts others are making for our freedom.
The structure and modus operandi of the Customary Government was done so that nobody should be seen or should regard himself or herself as Emperor. In the Customary Government we are rather buildthe institution. No office is permanent. Officer’s post is not for life. After a certain specified period the officer must leave for another to take over. Leadership is by group. That’s called colligate leadership structure. Because we are award that Biafrans are Republicans, we believe that group leadership is best for our peoples.
We have observed repeatedly that many of our people are not comfortable with this arrangement. They either must lead or the want to stay on their own. We are not against any, but we are eagerly encouraging those who agree to our modus to come on board with us.
In the Customary Government there are many offices yet to be occupied. We are therefore inviting more responsible people eager to help build this institution to come on board. In my father’s house, its said, there are many mansions there. In this Customary Government, there are many offices waiting to be occupied.
Those who want to build private estate can also join us, except they will have to agree to our official terms of relationship. The Customary Government can partner with you in your business as long as it symbiotic in relationship. It must profit the Biafran people through our Customary Government.
Not individualism. All must tend towards Democratic communism. In this system, All is for One, One is for All.
On this we can build a better society for ourselves.
Anthony Aniebue
Administraor: Customary Government of Biafra CG-B.
In line with BVI Channel 1 mission statement to bridge the communication gap and give the ordinary and indigenous people a dependable and independent voice they deserve,BVI Channel 1 has taken her media operations to the rural areas.
The project will cover areas like decaying public infrastructure in various communities , schools,hospitals, local market,water supply , rural electrification,Rural roads network , erosion menace among others. We shall always report the true position of things in our land for possible interventions and resolutions.
This exercise is not targeted to any individual /group neither is the outcome meant to score any form of political goal.Our people deserve the best and it is the intention of BVI Channel 1 to drive a revolutionary media services that would serve the interest of the majority of the oppressed people.
Finally,BVI Channel 1 Community Project does not have a commercial value but will be funded by the people whose interest are being served.
Promoters of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) have unveiled its agenda, with former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the arrowhead.
Prince Oyinlola warned at the Abuja launch, yesterday, that Nigeria is inching towards a dangerous and helpless point and cautioned that unless a bold step is urgently taken, the country may face a conflagration that would be difficult to contain.
Dignitaries at the event, which took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, included former governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke, former political adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Akin Osuntokun .
Obasanjo had, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, January 23, dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as platforms that have failed Nigerians.
The former president stressed that the two political parties have lost the trust and confidence of Nigerians.
On the basis of that, he canvassed the formation of a political coalition and charged the populace to embrace it, to help re-direct the country.
The former president was, however, not present at the formal launch of the movement, yesterday, but some of his aides and former PDP members were at the event.
Lamenting the state of affairs, Oyinlola, who is the coordinator of the Movement, contended that lack of equity and equality are responsible for the current tension and challenges facing Nigeria.
The former governor insisted that peace will continue to elude the country as long as there is discrimination against some Nigerians because of where they come from.
He said: “There cannot be peace where there is no justice, no equity.
“You will agree with me that they can not be peace where there is no justice.
“The tensions and security challenges this nation faces, today, are direct products of social and economic justice.”
The former Osun governor emphasised that the country is sitting on a keg of gun powder and that sitting aloof will spell doom for the country.
He added: “Every sensible person must know that there is trouble ahead, unless something urgent is done.
“In the absence of credible social security programmes, the vulnerable and young ones have resorted to desperate actions, such as getting sold into slavery in Europe in this 21st century.
“Failure of leadership has robbed our country of greatness.”
He said the decision to float the coalition is to galvanise Nigerians, to wrest the country from few people who have left it more divided.
“You would understand why some of us have decided to make this effort and are waking up the vast majority of our people to, for once, take their destinies in their hands, as demanded by the Constitution.”
Oyinlola maintained that insecurity and growing unemployment have made despondency and hopelessness more glaring on faces of millions of Nigerians, especially women and the youth.
On whether the movement will be registered as a political party or will affiliate with one of the existing parties Oyinlola, said the decision on what to do with the coalition was yet to be taken.
“We’re not a political party, at least, for now.
“We recognise the facts that, by the dictates of the Constitution, you can only contest on the platform of a political party.”
He also denied insinuations that the movement was formed to legitimise Obasanjo’s legacy.
Rather than that, he said the movement is determined to use the instrument of democracy to replace the the current state of affairs.
“It is a shame if we all fail to use the powers of democracy to fight and defeat this devil.
“What, then, are the specific aims and objectives of this movement?
“As stated earlier, this movement is here to promote the welfare of all citizens of a united Nigeria guarded by justice and fairness.
“In carrying out this task, we are taking into consideration the various calls for equity in political and social relationship across the various segments of the country.
“This Movement, therefore, has as its cardinal objectives, the promotion of equity and equality of opportunities for all our compatriots, in order to have a truly just and united Nigeria.
“In more specific terms, we invite our youths and women to use the window provided by this Movement to take their desired place in the leadership of their country.
“The women and youths are very vital but vulnerable segment of our population that needs special attention.
“Women in the formal sector need further encouragement while those in the informal sector desire enhanced assistance to realize their potentials,” said Oyinlola.
Meanwhile, barring any last minute change, Obasanjo will, today, launch the Ogun State chapter of the CNM.
Briefing journalists on the launch, in Abeokuta, yesterday, Obasanjo’s Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, said the former president will personally perform the launch at the Ogun State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oke-Ilewo, in Abeokuta.
“The registration of members for the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CMN), Ogun State chapter begins today .
“It will hold at the lwe-Irohin House, Press Centre, Oke Ilewo Abeokuta, starting from 10:00am and be presided over by the special guest and Chief Convener, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.”
Akinyemi also noted that registration is free.
Meanwhile, An advocacy group for the promotion of good governance in Enugu State, Youth Coalition for Good Governance, has raised the alarm that some politicians are trying to lure its members to deploy their platform to fabricate and dish out lies with the aim of misinforming members of the public and changing their positive opinion about the “visionary and people-oriented” administration in Enugu and the State House of Assembly.
The group in a statement by its coordinator and secretary, Hon. Ikechukwu Ibeh and Engr. Jude Onyema, stated that the alarm became necessary in view of the pressure being mounted on them by the desperate individuals to accede to their selfish request.
The body added that its leaders rejected the offer presented to them because of their conviction that the plot was immoral, mischievous and baseless.
The group disclosed that the ulterior motive of the sponsors of the planned smear campaign, in their usual tradition, revolves around their selfish political interest in 2019 general elections, adding that they had displayed similar crass desperation in the build-up to the 2015 elections, but failed woefully.
It further pointed out that the sponsors are envious of the good works of the present administration in the state in spite of the nation’s economic challenges and the goodwill, solidarity and support the government enjoys from the people as well as the undisputed status of Enugu as a peaceful and secure state.
The group stated that they also rejected the offer in appreciation of the harmonious and peaceful relationship between the state government and the House of Assembly, stressing that such devious plot should not be encouraged.
The body recalled that it is on record that the present administration had received several commendations from reputable institutions for prudent and judicious management of the finances of the state such as the federal government bailout funds to states, Paris Club refunds and monthly federal allocation, etc, to address the needs of the people, wondering why anyone would attempt to undermine these laudable feats.
It added that, “it is noteworthy that at a time most states are unable to pay workers’ salaries, the Government of Enugu State is up-to-date in payment of salaries; has recorded tremendous achievements in massive infrastructural development and even went further to pay the 13th month salary to civil servants of the state as Christmas bonus, among others, in keeping with its commitment to the wellbeing of the people”.
The group noted that those behind the plot are also uncomfortable with the harmonious working relationship between the executive and the legislative arm, which it said, was responsible for the many remarkable achievements in the state attained through due process and strict adherence to budget implementation.
While alerting the public of such mischief, the group advised that “those behind the plot should have a rethink and channel their energy and resources to useful engagements that would add value to the development of Enugu State”.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the report of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on restructuring of the country as deceptive.
The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, dismissed the report “as a ruse and another fresh attempt to beguile Nigerians with another round of lies, empty proposals and hollow promises, ahead of 2019 elections,” same way it did in 2015.
According to the PDP,” it amounts to outright depravity that the same APC leaders who at assumption of office, rejected restructuring will now suddenly turn around to pose as fathers of a restructured Nigeria simply because the 2019 general elections beckon.”
Besides, the opposition party said the report is a ploy the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to divert the attention of members of the public from the failings of the federal government.
The party noted that “the fact ( is) that the APC has no littlest intention of implementing any form of restructuring is completely manifest in the attitude and body language of its leaders including President Buhari, who in his 2018 new year address, rejected the idea of restructuring, by declaring that “When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.
“Even Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who eventually became the Chairman of the APC panel on restructuring, had also on June 29, 2017, during an interview on Channels TV, denied that the APC promised restructuring and described Nigerians, who were taking his party to task on the issue, as ‘political opportunists and irresponsible’people.
“This is in addition to declaration by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who in a Radio Nigeria (FRCN) interview programme on June 9, 2017, stated that restructuring is not President Buhari’s priority.
“From Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, who was quoted to have said ‘to hell with restructuring,’ to the totality of APC leaders, none believes in either true federalism or restructuring by any name called.
“As a matter of fact, it is instructive to note that the APC refused to rally its members in the National Assembly to support or vote for any amendment that dwelt on restructuring when the federal legislature voted on sections of the constitution where amendments have been proposed in the direction of restructuring.
“If anything, APC leaders have consistently criticized any amendment that spoke or have a semblance of restructuring or true federalism.
“It is therefore deceptive that in the wake of their rejection by the people, the discredited APC and its dysfunctional government have suddenly woken up to parade as champions of a restructured Nigeria. This is a callous and wicked attempt to once again take Nigerians on a trip to the land of fantasy.
“We therefore urge Nigerians to reject the new ploy by the APC to deceive them for their votes in 2019. “
Like him or hate him, Olusegun Obasanjo is an enigma. I am convinced that God has granted him a special grace to influence the course of events in this Nation for good or for bad, sometimes for a mixture of both. There is no living Nigerian Leader who is like him and I can not easily remember any past Nigerian leader who was quite like Obj. He is unique in many respects. When you ask some Nigerians to give you a list of the bad political leaders Nigeria has or has had,you will find Obj’s name prominent in the list sharing the podium with leaders like IBB, Sani Abacha, Shehu Shagari, Orji Uzor Kalu, DSP Alamesiagha, Bunu Sheriff, James Ibori, Rochas Okorocha, etc .
When you ask what he did to merit such classification,they would readily reel out such actions: he plotted for a third term, he massacred Tivs in Zaki Biam, obliterated Odi Village, wasted so much money to give Nigeria darkness, introduced Ghana-must- go politics to the National Assembly, concessioned Nigeria to himself through privatization, introduced do or die politics, motivated the Niger Delta militants and attracted several crisis in Kano & Jos, killed the refineries and increased the price of PMS many times and fought anybody who opposed him including his VP and Party Chairmen,etc.
Then when you ask for the list of good leaders Nigeria has or had, you will be amazed to also find OBJ’s name sitting pretty with such leaders as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano, Dr Michael Okpara, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr Peter Obi, Babatunde Raji Fashola, etc. Again what did he do to merit this classification? You will hear: he started the war against corruption by setting up ICPC & EFCC, he liberalized and stabilized Nigeria’s economy, negotiated Nigeria’s exit from global debt trap, brought Nigeria back to global reckoning, etc. That is OBJ for you. But if you ask me, I will, like the man born blind who was healed by Jesus and whom the Jews pressed to declare Jesus a bad man declare as follows: Whether OBJ is a good leader or a bad one, I do not know. But what I know is that he is an enigma and has become like Elijah, the man that troubleth Nigeria.
Last week he returned to his regular beat- the voice in the desert. The man who gives voice to the feelings of the people of Nigeria, a kind of prophet who speaks without fear but often with favour. He midwived the emergence of Shehu Shagari as President in 1979, and when Shagari and his Party NPN turned Nigeria into a bazaar, Obasanjo spoke out against him. It was not long Buhari came. When IBB began his endless transition, playing roulette with Nigeria, OBJ came out strong and voiced his dissatisfaction, it was not long Abacha came. When Abacha turned Nigeria into a gulag and was manipulating his way to life Presidency of Nigeria, OBJ came out with strident opposition. Abacha arrested him, threw him into jail as King Herod the Tetrarch threw John the Baptist into jail for criticizing his adulterous relationship with Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife . The imprisonment of the messenger instead of heeding the message stopped neither Herod from being eaten by the worms nor Abacha from being eaten by the “sour apple from India”. After asking ” Umoru are you dead?” When he was struggling to enthrone the ailing Umaru Shehu Yardua as President, he was quick to criticize the Cabal that tried to prop him up when his health had failed and soon after, the doctrine of necessity ushered in Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to power. Between 2010-2013, OBJ & GEJ were like 5 & 6, the Presidential plane would ferry OBJ to Aso Rock often for what TY Danjuma called ‘ nocturnal meetings’.
Then in October 2013, the Oracle from Ibogun bellowed with a 20 page open letter: ‘Before it is too late’. Soon after, the descent of Jonathan began and he eventually dismantled from the ‘Horse’ in 2015, as it eventually became too late, giving way to PMB to mount the ‘Horse’. On the twenty third day, in the first month of the year of our Lord two thousand and eighteen,in the third year of the second coming of Muhammadu Buhari as the Head of the Nigerian State, the oracle returned to his grove and bellowed, this time with an 18- page letter : “The way out: a Clarion call for coalition for Nigeria movement”.
In the letter, OBJ charged PMB with the following crimes : nepotism and clannishness,inability to secure lives & property, poor economic management, gross dereliction of duty, condoning of misdeeds, protecting criminals, dividing the Nation, poor understanding of internal political dynamics and over stretching his health and ended up with the advice that Buhari should not contest for a second term but should dismantle from the horse to allow another favoured by him ( OBJ) to mount this disheveled, thoroughly abused but patient horse called Nigeria.
Does this signal that PMB’s Presidency is over? Only God knows but if the trend I have shown above is anything to go by, then the sensible thing for PMB to do is to begin to seek for a successor. Or will he rather damn the prophecy and the prophet and push on. To be true, I must say that the responses of PMB and APC have been most unusually tepid. For the first time since Obasanjo became an oracle or a prophet to the kings ,this King did not respond with anger. Indeed it was amazing to read the response of PMB as read out by Lai Mohammed – the fiery defender of the indefensible. The President said he had accepted Obj’s criticism and advice in “good faith”. Unbelievable ! The same tepid response came from APC – the fiery Party that will brook no criticism. The next day the party that denied its electoral promise to restructure Nigeria came out with proposals to restructure the Nation. The day after, eight bills long passed by the National Assembly which had been gathering dust on the President’s table were signed into law by PMB. Perhaps the difference here is that despite the baggages of the prophet, PMB and his Party APC seemed humbled by the prophecy. All of a sudden, their arrogance and haughtiness seemed tamed. That is indeed a positive development for the ‘Horse’.
BVI Channel 1 can confirm that the Customary Government of Biafra has engaged the services of a foreign based Consultant to manage the database of Biafrans across the world.The statement reads ‘ Pursuant to the requirements of the United Nations and the International Law for a people seeking for independence by the rule of law, we are happy to announce that the BIAFRA DATABASE has been created for the Biafran People living across the globe. All the Biafrans are required to visit the website of the Customary Government and enter their data in the INDIGENOUS NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION portal and follow the instructions. All the Biafrans are advised to join in the IPOB Town Hall Meetings in the places and countries where they live.Visit the Customary Government website at www.ipobgovernment.org and click on the Indigenous National Identification to enter your details. The Biafra Database is capable of holding the entire population of the Biafrans all over the world currently estimated at about 75 million people. For the first time since after the war, we have created the facility to know and identify the remnants of the Biafrans and their descendants who were not consumed in the war and who have also adopted Legal Methodology of Self-determination consisting of the judicial, diplomatic and political processes as a surest/ safest approach to restore Biafra.The statement concluded.
He will be 90-years-old in April, but Elder statesman, Ayo Adebanjo SAN still exudes more passion than many youths about Nigeria. He said that by opposing restructuring, President Buhari wants to hold the country together by force rather than by peace offered by advocates of restructuring. He insists that Nigeria is already a united country but that the constituent units must negotiate the terms of their unity and not live under the terms dictated by a military imposed constitution.
The Afenifere chieftain also declared that Buhari is aiding and abetting anarchy by not taking stiff measures against the menace of Fulani herdsmen. He also spoke on other issues.
What is your impression of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari?
I endorse it emphatically. It is only a prejudiced man and a sycophant that will not admit the points made there. There is no allegation the ex-president made in that letter that can be faulted. My only disagreement is where he was talking about a new party, ‘I don’t want anything but Buhari and I’m also concerned about anything after Buhari.’ That is why any organisation in which Obasanjo has interest I will query the K-leg.
But as far as his allegations against Buhari are concerned, they cannot be faulted. And on the admonition that he should retire and not contest in 2019 I agree with him. I rarely agree with ex-president Obasanjo on any issue but on this one I consider the message and not the messenger.
But does Obasanjo have the moral…
(cuts in) Look that’s the problem with this country. We are not discussing Obasanjo but what he has said. Looking at what he has said, is it right or wrong, are they correct, are they fabricated? We should discuss the message and not the messenger. By the time you begin to discuss the messenger you confuse the issues.
I have my own view on Obasanjo which are not positive. But right now we are talking about the letter he wrote that president Buhari has not coped well with the affairs of the country and he gave instances, that you (Buhari) are clannish, that you are dictatorial, all the security apparatus of the country controlled by one section of the country, is that false? You say you have zero tolerance for corruption yet you turn blind eyes to the corrupt people around you? Those are the issues to be discussed; those are the grounds on which Obasanjo said Buhari has performed below expectation.
When you talk about the economy, Obasanjo gave instances, it is deteriorating, and those are the issues the people should be discussing. Those complaining are ignorant. How many of them commenting can be said to be clean on the issue of the country? None of them, they are all contributors to Buhari or Obasanjo, but that is not the issue now. We should discuss the issue of moving forward. My disagreements with Obasanjo is in the public sphere, my disagreement with Obasanjo is not personal, it is purely on governance, but when he says the right thing, I will not disagree with it, that is not statesman like. What men of goodwill who love this country should discuss are the issues raised by Obasanjo. You may disagree with the solutions but the issues raised are correct. To me the only thing remaining in that letter is for Obasanjo to apologise to Nigerians because he is one of those who sponsored Buhari. In better democratic societies President Buhari would have resigned. On this security issues alone, he should have resigned because he is incapable of solving it or deliberately supporting the criminality.
He knows very well that the armed herdsmen are committing these crime, has he arrested them or has he disarmed them? He should have instructed the Inspector General of Police to go after armed herdsmen, do you rare cattle with AK47? Is the Inspector General of Police not aware that people shouldn’t carry guns without license? Those carrying AK47 are they not known or you’re saying they are licensed? These are the reasons we say Buhari and his APC are condoning these killings. Let the public discuss the issues Obasanjo raised; Buhari has failed us politically, economically and otherwise. We are saying that Buhari has failed and the Information minister is telling us about their achievements, is that what we are discussing? Shouldn’t he fault Obasanjo’s statement?
You said you do not agree with Obasanjo’s idea of a new party. Why?
Any party in which Obasanjo is connected is a suspect because there is nothing Obasanjo will do without his own personal interest involved. I’m distinguishing the issues he raised and where I disagree. It is just like when people say Atiku is supporting restructuring because he wants to be president. That is not my concern, I am an advocate of restructuring, Babangida and Abdulsalami are also there, Gowon was until he defected. Restructuring is the root cause to peace in this country. Without restructuring we can’t have peace in this country. I give you an instance, state police is part of restructuring, do you want to tell me that if Benue was the one that manned their police or regional police the herdsmen will waylay them the way they did? But unfortunately, the governor is a lame-duck governor. If you are a governor under this military imposed constitution you are a lame-duck governor because you have the power to make the law but you haven’t got the means to implement the law that is why there is need for restructuring.
The APC committee on restructuring just submitted its report and endorsed restructuring while making other far reaching recommendations. What is your take?
Any sensible person in this country will know there is no credibility to that committee. Did they not put restructuring in their manifesto? Is it after we criticised them that they are setting up a committee? If they are honest about restructuring why didn’t they implement it? They are just buying time.
Still on restructuring, the likes of Gen. Babangida, Gen. Abdulsalami and even former vice president Atiku were once in positions where they could have done something to restructure the country but they did nothing to that affect. Why do you think they are advocating for it now?
I’ve said I’m not looking at the past because it doesn’t solve our problem, those agitating for restructuring welcome a rethinking. For me if the APC is serious about restructuring, they should do it before the election so that restructuring will not be a campaign issue because we all agreed on it, then the election will be based on manifesto and what we do under this imposed constitution. When you restructure the problems of corruption, security and others are all solved. The issue of if you support us we will support you will not arise. No region will be offered the presidency out of sufferance. It should be your constitutional right, not with the support of any region that is what is happening now. We should not rely on the support of any section to enjoy our rights.
Look, there is an issue people are overlooking. This restructuring we are talking about is not new; it is the constitution that granted us independence. That was the constitution agreed to by all the political leaders, Dr. Azikiwe, Chief Awolowo, the Sarduana of Sokoto until 1966 when the military staged a coup and imposed this new constitution on us. The setting then was called derivation. It is just insincerity and hidden agenda that make people ask what is restructuring. They imposed this military constitution so that they can dominate other sections of the country. I liken it to the horse and the rider; in this case they are the rider and the rest of the country the horse.
How do we move forward since the 1999 military imposed constitution is not working?
Buhari wants to keep the country together by force. But if he is sincere about keeping us together in peace, the 2014 national conference recommendations are clear and enough to achieve that, but they are trying to dismiss it. They say they didn’t do it and that the delegates were not elected.
If there is anything there that you don’t agree with bring it up let us remove such a thing; if there is anything that is not there let us put it and agree on it. You cannot set up any assembly that will be of better quality than what we had at the 2014 conference. The conference cut across every section of the country. I believe that those calling for restructuring are those that want this country to remain together, anybody saying anything contrary is an opposition to the unity of Nigeria. We are already united, what we are saying is that the unity must be on agreed terms as we had under the 1954 constitutional conference that produced the independence constitution.
Let’s talk about security; can the Benue people for example explore self defence against the herdsmen?
The Fulani herdsmen go to other territories to attack and kill them and you have not declared them a terrorist organisation and you say you’re a fair commander-in-chief? I say you’re aiding and abetting anarchy. Those who are killing people in their own territory you did not attack them, you did not arrest them, you know them and you did not even disarm them. Buhari is looking for anarchy, when people come from another territory to attack and destroy you, if the people now organise against them are you going to blame the people? If you push somebody to the wall is he not going to resist? You see this Fulani organisation, their secretary said they were going to resist the anti-open grazing bill and that they will attack the people of Benue and you have not gone after him? Yet the IPOB that was in their own territory, they have not killed anybody and you declared them a terrorist organisation. When you now talk they tell you that they are people from other countries. So people from other countries now come to Nigeria, not at the border but inside the country to kill people and we say we have a government.
As we approach 2019, the Nigerian Intervention Movement is seeking a third force as a way forward. What do you think?
I agree that we need a third force but how it will come about is another question. I agree with Obasanjo that neither APC nor PDP is in a position to solve our problem. But how that third force is composed is another matter. We need to make that third force credible because the major parties have tinted records. When you talk about APC, are you talking about PDP I or PDP II?
Since 1979 when Obasanjo handed power to civilians to date he has played a role in the emergence of every Nigerian president, yet according to him they are all failures. Is it that he is a poor judge of character?
Obasanjo may help get you a job but he won’t help you keep it. All Obasanjo is saying is, I helped put you there and you have disappointed me and the reasons for his disappointment are clearly stated.
The order of 2019 elections are causing ripples as the House of Representatives want to re-jig it and place presidential election last because of the fear of bandwagon affect. What is your take?
A lot of people have that fear because of the kind of power the president has. Under this military imposed constitution the president of Nigeria is the most powerful president in the world. All federal establishments are under him, all appointments are also under him. That is what makes the presidential election so competitive to the point of do or die. But I tell you if you restructure and whittle-down the powers of the president, nobody will care if the presidential election comes first because you know what powers the president has. If you restructure Nigeria under a proper federal constitution, I don’t care where the president comes from because it is the power he has that he will exercise.
If you were asked to write a blueprint on the way forward for Nigeria, what would be the key points?
Restructuring and reliving the independence constitution. We have a working document in the 2014 conference report. If Buhari is serious he should constitute his own body to study the document work out the details and implement it. The APC wants to confuse restructuring, they say it is breaking the country, that they don’t accept restructuring but they accept devolution of power, now they accept state police. Is that not restructuring?
Qualified Citizens of Nigeria No Longer Need A Political Party To Stand In Election-
The Nigerian Senate recently voted to amend some key elements of the country’s Constitution. One of which is the electoral law in respect of candidates who are qualified to stand for elections from Local government to Federal positions.
This is a welcome development especially during this time that agitations are rife from various groups and groupings in the country.
Our democracy is evolving. A Robust Democratic society started in like manner. Diaspora vote is next.
Permit me to digress from the topical issues of restructure and self determination.
You now have the power in your hands to bring about the desired changed, which change ultimately should be geared toward development and harnessing of the resources that abound in Nigeria. It is indeed a shame that Nigeria in this modern time, is still grappling with leadership matter or the lack thereof.
I recall in 1993 in Lagos when we all took to the streets in protest for the cancellation of the June 12 election of the late Moshood K Abiola as a civilian President.
Power was on the street of Nigeria, yet we didn’t know what to do with it. We were not trained or prepared for it. We had crippled the government at the time, rendered Nigeria ungovernable. NADECO had the power in its hands but didn’t see it. Wole Soyinka, Beko Kuti , Olisa Agbakoba, Gani Fawehinmi and host of others that we looked up to for directions were stifled. Central command was in disarray and most of us fled for our dear lives. I sought refuge in South Africa whilst others ran to Europe or to the neighbouring countries.
We shall no longer flee. To live our dreams, we must confront our fears.
I recall that we couldn’t seize the very rare but short opportunity we had to overthrow the government of Abacha. Very sad.
Now, by passing into law independent candidacy, the present democratic dispensation has handed us same power that we had left on the streets of Nigeria in 1993.
All we need do is to rally supports, organize ourselves, canvass with the same energies I am witnessing in the current agitations, so to bring about the desired changed. Our common destiny is in our hands.
It is time we stopped the culture of recycling our political leaders. In fact we do not need them because they all are members of the leading political parties, whose members are recycled and modified to suit their selfish ends. Let us ignore them and let them be what they are, political dinosaurs.
They have nothing left to offer us but shame. There is no originality of thoughts, there is no sincerity of purpose, no direction, nothing whatsoever.
We are unwilling recipients of what all they have to offer, these are, hate, kleptomania, vengeance, vendetta, division, evil, looting and everything that is not good.
We have the know-how, we have the tool, social media, networks, we have brains.
We need to start our own party, better still, stand as an independent candidate.
You are not too young to run.
We are equally viable and powerful should we organize ourselves and set our minds to achieving our common goal.
Yes we can.
Barrister Austin Okeke Writes from South Africa
OKEKE ATTORNEYS
P O Box 2012
Johannesburg 2000
South Africa
In October 2012, I chaired the Committee that organized Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s 80th birthday ceremonies. On the 16th of October, we organized an international colloquium on “Nigerian Federalism: Building on the Ekwueme Legacy” at the ThisDay Dome Abuja—and this was the highpoint of the 80th birthday anniversary. After some five years and three months, I am here today, at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, that has Alex Ekwueme’s imprimatur, to speak as we bid him farewell. For me, the loss is huge and the grief very deep. May his giant soul rest in peace!
Yes, Dr. (Chief) Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON (Ide Aguata na Orumba) is dead. As it is usual with a moment like this, tributes from foes and friends will suffocate space. It is a fleeting moment of hyperboles that usually end on the Sunday of the outing service. Thereafter, the deceased joins the list of the forgotten dead or occasionally but perfunctorily remembered in sombre memorial events, while the living move on with their lives. It is the fate of all mortals but I pray that Ide’s shall be substantively different.
Ide was not God! He was human, with his own dose of human frailties and imperfections. But he was an exceptional human being. Tributes will pour in to celebrate Alex Ekwueme the architect, town planner and surveyor, lawyer, sociologist, historian, politician, philanthropist, Christian, husband, father and grandfather, technocrat, nation-builder, statesman, tennis lover and player, etc. Many will celebrate his uncommon intellect, his legendary character epitomized by integrity, his credentials as a thorough bred democrat and nationalistic federalist, or his humane, passionate commitment to people and his giant philanthropic strides. Like the proverbial elephant and the blind men, many will describe and miss him for different reasons. Few humans have successfully juggled the demands of family, community, profession, and national service like Alex Ekwueme.
I have come today to join in celebrating Ide Aguata na Orumba. But beyond the usual platitudes for an exceptionally eventful life, I want to devote this tribute as a message from Alex Ekwueme to all of us, the living. I was converted into a self-appointed apostle of Alex Ekwueme because of the message of his life. Growing up in this clime, the philanthropic exploits of the man better known around OAU as “Ekwueme Oko” was news and ennobling. As a pioneer student at Uga Boys Secondary School, one of Ekwueme’s beneficiaries, Cyprian Ifekanandu Okafor, was my classmate and he told many enchanting stories about this exceptional man.
In August 1980 and as we were waiting for our JAMB results to go into the university, I was excited to join a crop of activist OAU students which included Romanus Achusi (Isuofia), Chidi Ezeaguba (Nanka), etc as foundation members of the EKWUEME MOVEMENT, and with Dr. Anene Uzuakpunwa as Coordinator. In 1981, I became the Secretary of NPN students’ wing at UNN, and later in 1982, the Chairman. Simultaneously, I was the chairman of OAU students’ wing of NPN from 1982 and coordinator students’ wing of NPN (old Anambra and Imo— current South East zone) in the 1983 presidential election. On the 19th December, 1982, I was miraculously saved from a ghastly motor accident along Oko-Ufuma road as we were traversing the communities of OAU campaigning for our own IDE. From 1980 until his death (37 years) I was a devoted student and apostle. We were there for him when he made his bids for Nigeria’s presidency, and remained sufficiently close to him until death.
Why was I such an unapologetic devotee? The answer is simple: I saw in Alex Ekwueme a man who came before his time; a man who realized and lived out the full essence of life which is to leave society better than we met it; a man who refused to join them even when he could not beat them but instead insisted on fundamental principles as beacons for social progress; a man worthy of emulation in many respects. I am a devotee because Alex Ekwueme exemplified an impactful life. He impacted his environment— and it is evident that Oko, OAU, Anambra state and Nigeria became better because he lived.
I must admit that Alex Ekwueme was one of the early influences on my life. I believe that our lives only make meaning when we live for others, and that at a macro level, public service is the best form of philanthropy. Alex Ekwueme exemplified these, and that’s part of why I was a devotee. It seems to me that American President Theodore Roosevelt foresaw the life and times of Alex Ekwueme when he spoke about “The Man in the Arena” at a speech he delivered on the 23rd April, 1910 in Sorbonne, Paris, France. According to Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”.
For much of his entire life, Alex Ekwueme was “the man in the arena”! But he was not just in the arena: he was in the arena with a purpose. Perhaps, Rick Warren knew of the life and times of Alex Ekwueme when he authored the bestselling book: “A Purpose Driven Life”. In his classic also, “The Wretched of the Earth”, Frantz Fanon observed that “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it”. Ide bore the beacon of his generation and swore not to betray its mission. He discovered his mission in life very early on, and strove to exemplify a purpose driven life.
Ide lived out a purpose driven life not only through his devoted Christian life, but through prodigious private charity/philanthropy, and stayed long in the arena to alter the macro environment through public service and statesmanship. In other words, Ide served out a lifetime of service to God by changing the fortune of mankind. That is the true meaning of a purpose driven life. On private charity/philanthropy, Ide lived out the content of John Wesley’s injunction to: “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”. Ide was a community builder, built or facilitated in building of schools, hospitals, and churches, offered countless scholarships, created jobs, and mentored hundreds.
The Bible enjoins us to devote 10% of income to “make food abundant in God’s house”. Rick Warren admonishes us to reverse that, and instead devote 90% to public cause. I don’t know what percentage Ide doled out, but he certainly left a huge challenge to all of us. What is the purpose of accumulating wealth if not for the purpose of touching lives beyond ourselves and family? That is the question Ide leaves with us!
But private philanthropy is not enough. Alex Ekwueme agreed with Martin Luther King Jr. that “philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary”. In more than 50 years of perseverance in the public arena, Ide served Nigeria as Vice President and gave us the six geopolitical zones as a framework for national cohesion. He also taught us an enduring lesson: if you have the conviction of purpose, never quit. Alex Ekwueme never quit. From the early 1960s, he contested election into the Eastern Regional House of Assembly under the NCNC and lost. He probably never won any individual election as a candidate under a political party system, but he never quit politics. He lost the NPN gubernatorial nomination to Chief C. C. Onoh in 1978 but he never quit. He later served as VP and was jailed in spite of his exemplary public service, but he never quit. He led the G-34 and co-founded the PDP which twice denied him nomination as its presidential candidate but he did not quit. He was all but shoved aside and humiliated countless times by the party he founded but he did not quit. He founded the PDP and died as a PDP member. There are very few Nigerians who can make a similar claim. In the end, the history of the Nigerian arena belongs to Ide and a few others. And that is what counts!
Alex Ekwueme was “the gentleman” of Nigerian politics in a game dominated by street urchins, dirty money, and by those Awolowo described as ‘men and women of easy virtue’. He fiercely stuck to politics of ideas, principles and rules— and was continuously “surprised” that most of his contemporaries played politics of convenience and took no prisoners. He could not compromise honour, decency and integrity in public service. It was always refreshing hearing him talk about “merit” and “qualifications” in a terrain where it was believed that just anybody was “qualified” to do any job. Ide’s values in politics should be a serious subject of study.
Ide Aguata na Orumba left an even more profound message to us all. Ide was a professional and in all his years in the public arena, he had verifiable and sustainable sources of livelihood. He was not in the arena as a source of livelihood but as a platform for selfless public service. This is what separates Ide from most others and is probably a major reason for his uncompromising set of pristine principles. As the saying goes, a hungry person does not philosophise. Ide was different. Modesty and contentment characterised his outlook and lifestyle in spite of his personal wealth. Ide paid to serve, and served selflessly. He was probed for years after office as Vice President and it was concluded that he left office poorer than he was when he took oath of office. That is a badge of honour and integrity, uncommon in Nigeria, which Ide Aguata na Orumba will carry to heaven. With this lesson, Ide leaves us with a message and a challenge. Igboland and Nigeria are in search of men and women of high virtue who, though hungry, can still refuse a pot of porridge. Where are the new Alex Ekwuemes of Nigerian and Igbo politics?
Yes, Ide Aguata na Orumba has lived and gone. But he also left several messages to Nigeria and humanity. The graveyard is filled with thousands of geniuses whose brilliant ideas either never saw light of the day or passed as flickers. Those that survived have one thing in common— they have determined disciples. Where are the disciples of Alex Ekwueme? This is the time to stand up to be counted. It is not the empty words that we utter at this moment or the fleeting display of solidarity for public show, but the steps we take each day and every year to live out the true meaning of the Alex Ekwueme’s message, and transmit same to the next generation, that will count. Whether it is in the area of giving back to society unconditionally and leaving society better than we met it, or selfless public service and unique ideas/values that last, or as beacon of character and industry, Alex Ekwueme has left us with enough new grounds to form the fulcrum of the NEW Ekwueme Movement.
Yes, I call for a NEW Ekwueme Movement. Alex Ekwueme died as a person. But he lived as an institution. The institution must not be allowed to die. Alex Ekwueme as an institution deserves and needs urgent volunteers as disciples to carry on with the message and legacy left behind. How can we become Alex Ekwuemes in our individual lives in our communities, local government, state and Nigeria and how do we organize to collectively ensure that Ekwueme as an institution lives? Yes, there is the Ekwueme Square at Awka, and we hear of the Alex Ekwueme Foundation; yes, the Federal Polytechnic Oko needs to be renamed and upgraded to Alex Ekwueme University of Technology, Oko; and yes, there should be several other artefacts to remind us that a great soul passed through this clime. But the most important is that Alex Ekwueme as an idea and as an institution must live in our hearts and minds, today and tomorrow. The greatest tribute to this genius should not be mere words, though important. The greatest tribute is to answer the call to discipleship. The moment is now, for I dare to ask: if not you, then who; and if not now, when?
Goodbye Alex Ekwueme the man!
Hello Alex Ekwueme Movement the institution!
Let the Movement begin!
May his gentle soul have eternal rest!
