Nigerian Newspapers
Obasanjo: What does he want again?
Today’s discourse was undertaken many hours after President Goodluck Jonathan gave what was christened “Transformation Agenda mid-term report” last Wednesday. Before then, I had concluded part 2 of the series I started last Sunday titled “Yes, democracy, but what have we achieved?” My intention for doing the series was to highlight obstacles I see in the assessment processes of our governments, in particular the Federal Government. I believe, like the president observed, that what we do here is verdict by feeling. Our views are fueled by what others say or by what part of the divide we belong. We undertake assessments and pronounce verdicts without knowing what the issues are and what the baseline or benchmarks are. Take the unemployed who sleeps all day; or the one that is job selective, both join the crowd to say government is not doing anything.
The process is further muddled up by the fact that many of those we assess did not tell us anything in specific terms before they were voted into power and when it is assessment time, they tell us anything they feel is an achievement and we accept. And when we don’t agree, we embark on the usual endless and directionless debates. The worst is that many of the assessors allow fringe benefits to come between serious issues, so judgements appear to be tainted to the advantage of the biggest spender or those who set out very early to cultivate compromised relationships knowing that judgement day will come. I feel strongly that time has come to correct this trend that certainly is counter-productive. I had to drop the work for this because of some critical observations I saw or could discern from reactions to President Goodluck Jonathan’s stewardship account, which took place in Abuja last Wednesday.
I was particularly piqued by the kind of prominence the media gave to a small but highly provocative speech former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave in Dutse, capital of Jigawa State, the same day and about same hour that his “boy” President Jonathan, was in Abuja, giving his stewardship account in a manner that no civilian president under democracy had done in this nation before. I had thought Obasanjo was supposed to be in Abuja instead of Jigawa. In his address, which I watched on the Africa Independent Television (AIT) service, he made very startling revelations, which I thought should be of concern to everyone who truly desires the wellbeing of this nation and her people. The first disturbing disclosure was that the people of this nation have no sovereignty as should be the case under a democracy. He said, to the obvious consternation of the crowd in the small hall, that Sule Lamido had no ambition and interest to be governor of Jigawa State, but he had to take the decision to force him to be; and he was thankful to God he took such steps and that Lamido accepted.
He went ahead to thank the British Ambassador to Nigeria, who was physically present in company of some members of British Parliament, for British assistance to our nation, which led to debt cancellation and subsequently opening new channels for fresh borrowings. Talk of subjugation of national interest, health and growth to foreign control and you won’t be wrong. That done, he cleared his throat as usual and sought advance understanding for what he believed would be an embarrassment to come and then the bombshell: “Growth in Gross Domestic Product without increase in employment opportunities, wealth creation, and poverty reduction is meaningless. You can help anybody to find a job; you cannot help him to do the job… Hen hen!”
I heard him say those words and I could not properly place the words and what they were supposed to mean. I know the concept that says a messenger should be credible for his message to have believability. I thought of it and did not in all seriousness know where to place what I was hearing. The messenger, is he an ordinary person? No. Has he had opportunity to teach and practicalise the concepts he was talking about? Yes, was the answer. Then, what did he make of it? If out of 53 years of nationhood, one man had over 11 years of it and some of them more recent, and after, we are saddled with the most unimaginable kind of negative scenario and our messiah is still talking about old lessons in a new era; what should we term this? I rested the thought on the advice my senior pastor gave me recently when, after reading through a copy of the Sun, he said, “Ralph, it is time we beware of modern messiahs, who, when they had the opportunity could not understand what their mission was.”
I had thought by now we should be tired of critics who only yesterday had chance to place us where we ought to belong, but failed woefully. But from what I see, I am forced to believe there is a mystic in the air that makes a good number of us love and appreciate the old path and styles that has kept us where we are in chains and in ruins. I am even more troubled by the reaction of my constituency, the press. In a pattern that is becoming our style, my colleagues took and gave larger attention to the part of the address which was obviously intended to rubbish the incumbent president’s efforts at explaining things to Nigerians; and made it a cardinal story. The question could be, after all, he is a former president whose words should carry weight. Yes, but past leaders’ quality and activities, including known antecedents should equally be taken into account before giving their speeches prominence. When their posturing would detract from moving along the path of progress as in this instance, it should be down-played, not ignored. In this case, the day and the key event certainly belonged to the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who was giving what could be rightly termed the state of the nation address. If democratic boundaries are to be extended, it is imperative that he be heard, and in full. That seems not to be the case in the situation at hand.
I am of the strong view that a little interpretative journalism would have brought to the fore that even the choice of date for the Nigerian Governors Forum election and the supposed Jigawa Summit on investment were carefully chosen to deliberately diminish and distract from the President’s outing. Those who chose the Governors’ Forum election date knew it won’t end well given the altercations that surrounded it, so what to do; bring it close so that its ugly fallouts would eclipse the date the president would have with Nigerians. The intention was to foul the atmosphere and make bad news overshadow everything else. Then, Sule Lamido, another governor deep in the controversy, in place of having his own Democracy Day, was hosting an Economic Summit in which, like he said, the former president was more than a special guest. Those like me who watched that programme and saw the exchanges that went between Obasanjo, who said he was originally billed for Morroco, but had to “obey” an order (“whenever Lamido invites me it is an order”) and Lamido, would be ashamed of what we have made of “god-fatherism” in our body politic.
I have nothing against a group of Nigerians choosing to meet, but I get pissed off when in spite of massive underdevelopment, killings, great sufferings, and backward integration we see in our developmental march, you still see leaders, who should be in the forefront of bringing genuine changes, engage in anti-progress activities, including postures that worsen an already bad situation. Waking up to deliberately place obstacles where none exists or to deliberately undertake actions that demean another just to achieve political advantage are tactics we ought to have discarded many years ago. This era should be for issue-based campaigns. I am convinced that the media ought to join also in this crusade.
As to the transformation event, I must say I am very glad the way it was staged. The preparation and execution shows we know about world standards and can indeed achieve it if our leaders set their minds to it. However, the aspect of getting cheer groups in uniform should be discarded. It is banal and belongs to the primitive society. Since the president was not going to give a full address, the Ministers of Planning, Finance and Secretary to Government who spoke should have been given enough time. Next edition let the others who are fine speakers do the explanation first and let the President by himself give the details. This way, you have full media account. Again, that account should have been circulated two weeks ahead. Many just heard the scanty excerpts and are basing their reviews on it.
The President himself expressed surprise on the ratings of some of his ministers. I have written and I know many have also written; the President’s men hardly talk. We don’t see them on television breakfast shows, just as we don’t see special reports on televisions and newspapers. There is a disconnect; I am sure that even the account given last Wednesday never hit the e-mail boxes of many editors, columnists, commentators and chieftains in various field of endeavours. Yet, this is what it should be, because the times have since changed, and information management strategies ought to change. Let me hope the Federal Government will buy pages in newspapers to let Nigerians see what the President and his men were talking in clear terms. This should be within this week.
Did the President have some scores? Of course! Minister of Planning gave some good scores, which the media played down to my discomfort. Why? I believe that all cards should always be on the table in their right colour and shape. He spoke of improvements in power supply. It may not be exactly to the extent we want, but it is true. He talked of improvements of some vital roads like Benin-Sagamu, Enugu-Port Harcourt, etc. I am one of those who complained about some of these roads, having travelled frequently on them; I attest that I have witnessed vast improvements. What is happening on the Lokoja-Abuja road is great; even around Abuja I see massive road construction going on. They talked about airports and the rail system. These are some of the vital issues we have always complained bitterly about, so when we see turnarounds, good conscience demands that we equally acknowledge them. No society can be built on criticisms and the concepts that nobody is effective. Little drops of water, they say, make a mighty ocean. It is our responsibility to encourage our leaders to improve on the small goods we see rather than waste years looking for the imaginary big visionary leader; which we are not sure when he will come given the way we also do things here.
I have seen in the last few days everybody talking GDP and unemployment as if improvement in roads, power supply and rail system don’t create new jobs on their own, or that in four years we would attain total reversal from the bad situation. My disposition is that we should leave out dirty politics and learn to look out for little progress so that collectively we can magnify them to the benefit of all. President Jonathan may not be there yet, but I can see great determination in the right direction. I see signs showing that he has stabilized and gained on experience. My advice would be for them to use the foundation to widen the scope and speed. He should take into account some views from the Nigeria Labour Congress, home grown economists and decide clear areas where he can score very excellently before the end of 2013. Besides, Jonathan must learn to speak more positively and inspirationally. Positive attitude has contagious effect. There is no need dwelling on who has wronged you or how terrible one feels; after all, leadership is a burden, no matter how we look at it.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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