Breaking: Buhari, Osinbajo declare assets

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, have declared their asset.

A statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu said “the documents submitted to the CCB, which officials say are still being vetted and will soon be made public, show that prior to being sworn in on May 29, President Buhari had less than N30 million to his name. He also had only one bank account, with the Union Bank. President Buhari had no foreign account, no factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no oil wells”, the statement said.

The statement further added that “the Vice President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who had been a successful lawyer before his foray into politics declared a bank balance of about N94 million and 900,000 United States Dollars in his bank accounts”.

It added that President Buhari “had shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank”.

The documents also revealed that “President Buhari had a total of five homes, and two mud houses in Daura. He had two homes in Kaduna, one each in Kano, Daura and in Abuja.

One of the mud houses in Daura was inherited from his late older sister, another from his late father. He borrowed money from the old Barclays Bank to build two of his homes.

“President Buhari also has two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano and the other in Port Harcourt. He is still trying to trace the location of the Port Harcourt land.

“In addition to the homes in Daura, he has farms, an orchard and a ranch. The total number of his holdings in the farm include 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of economic trees”.

The documents also showed that the retired General “uses a number of cars, two of which he bought from his savings and the others supplied to him by the federal government in his capacity as former Head of State. The rest were donated to him by well-wishers after his jeep was damaged in a Boko Haram bomb attack on his convoy in July 2014.

The same forms, according to Mr Shehu, notes that ” Vice- President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo’s asset declaration include his 4-bedroom residence at Victoria Garden City, Lagos and a 3-bedroom flat at 2 Mosley Road, Ikoyi. The Vice President also has a 2-bedroom flat at the popular Redemption Camp along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and a 2- bedroom mortgaged property in Bedford, England. Aside from these, the Vice President has no other landed properties on the form.

“Apart from his law firm, known as SimmonsCooper, the Vice-President also declared shareholding in six private companies based in Lagos, including Octogenerium Ltd., Windsor Grant Ltd., Tarapolsa, Vistorion Ltd., Aviva Ltd. and MTN Nigeria.

“His personal vehicles are one Infinity 4-Wheel Drive SUV, one Mercedes Benz and a Prado Jeep.

“As soon as the CCB is through with the process, the
documents will be released to the Nigerian public and people can see for themselves,” Mr Shehu said.

5 QUOTES FROM OBAMA’S VIDEO MESSAGE THAT APC IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH

1. “Nigeria is a great nation and you can be proud of the
progress you’ve made”

Obama acknowledges that Nigeria has made tremendous progress that we can be proud of. Listening to the APC’s message you will think that Nigeria is not Working and Obama rightly points that we have made progress under this present GEJ;s administration.

Who would want uncertain change over the chance to
keep progressing?

2. “Together, you won your independence, emerged from

military rule, and strengthened democratic institutions.” Read the quote again. Obama says Military rule is a no- going back to. Do we want to go back to being bound by the shackles of dictatorship? Buhari says he is a“reformed democrat” but as we all know a Leopard
doesn’t change its spot.

3. “You’ve worked hard to improve the lives of your

families and to build the largest economy in Africa.”
Contrary to all the lies that APC has been trying to sell.
Our economy is progressing and it did not become the
largest economy in Africa by chance but by good policies of the Jonathan’s administration. Obama states the fact whilst acknowledging livelihoods improvement and thereby makes APC the liars.

4. “Violence has no place in democratic elections—and
that they will not incite, support or engage in any kind
of violence—before, during, or after the votes are
counted”

When violence is mentioned, Nigerians cannot extricate
General Buhari from his famous statement before the
2011 elections and his famous silence after his
supporters went wild. The Blood of Dog and baboon
statement recently made concerning the 2015 elections
still echoes deeply. APC is threatening a parallel
government also… Obama’s speech is a clear warning
against that.

5. “Boko Haram wants to destroy Nigeria and all that
you have worked to build. By casting your ballot, you
can help secure your nation’s progress”
Secure your Nations progress. Don’t Change your
fortunes.

Obama’s call on Nigeria to secure our progress is like a
call to retain President Jonathan under whose
Presidency this progress has been achieved. As it is ill
advised to change a commander in chief during war,
Nigerians must fight together and eliminate Boko haram with the Armed forces who are presently winning the war and sustain this momentum.

Obama also said ”in this task of advancing the security, prosperity, and human rights of all Nigerians, you will continue to have a friend and partner in the United States of America.”

Lest we forget, Nigerians are still much aware of the
flagrant violation of Human Rights under General Buhari including rupture diplomatic relations with the UK and others.

What other areas of this President Obama’s speech do
you think APC is uncomfortable with?

Kwankwaso Berates Fayose Over Unguarded Utterances, Says His 'Day Of Reckoning' Is Imminent

Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has berated
his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose, over what he
called the latter’s unguarded utterances.

The Governor who led the Hausa community in Lagos,
in a visit to the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, to plan for the forthcoming election, used the occasion to react to
what he calls the seeming disrespect for elders by Fayose.

Kwankwaso was reacting to Fayose’s various
vilifying statements about Buhari and that he
(Kwankwaso) and former vice president, Atiku
Abubakar, were secretly working against the All Pro­
gressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen­
eral Muhammadu Buhari.

The Kano State governor, while fielding questions
from journalists during the visit, said Fayose should
be mindful of the fact that the day of reckoning would
soon come.

Read His Statement In Part:
“I have this belief that in this part of the country are
people who are positively cultured. This part of
Nigeria we have very respectful people, ranging from
Awolowo, Shonekam, Obasanjo, MKO Abiola, Asiwaju
and so on and so forth.

“But anytime I listen to this young man in Ekiti State,
I feel terribly embarrassed as a governor and I feel
bad for Yoruba people.

“This young man, I don’t know what went wrong, I
used to know him, although I was not very close to
him. Of course when I was a governor, he was not a
governor, he was governor after I left Government
House in 2003.

“These days if I look at him, I think many things are
wrong with his words and even his mouth. You tell him
that he should learn how to respect elders.

“Even those of us who are governors with him are his
seniors and in this business of politics, like all other
businesses, I think seniority should be respected".

Buhari Is Not Just Fit To Govern Nigeria! – Danjuma Lamido

The argument on which General Buhari is
being promoted as the alternative choice is
not only wobbly but pitifully immature.

History matters. Records are not kept simply
to assist the weakness of memory, but to
operate as guides to the future. Of course,
we know that human beings change.

Public offence, crimes against humanity must
be answered in the public domain, not in
caucuses of bargaining. On General Buhari,
we have been offered no evidence of the
purest prospect of change. On the contrary,
all evident suggests that this is one
individual who remains convinced that this
is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to
order.

General Buhari was one of the Generals who
treated the Oputa Panel with palpable scorn.
Like Babangida and Abdusalami, he refused
to put in appearance even though complaints
that were tabled against him involved a
career of gross abuses of power and blatant
assault on the fundamental human rights of
the Nigerian citizenry. Prominent against
these charges was an act that amounted to
nothing less than judicial murder, the
execution of a citizen under a retroactive
Decree.

Who brought about Decree 20 that executed
three youths – Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard
Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26)?

To put it quite plainly, one of those three
Ogedengbe – was executed for a crime that
did not carry a capital forfeit at the time it
was committed.

This was an unconscionable crime, carried
out in defiance of the pleas and protests of
nearly every sector of the Nigerian and
international community religious, civil
rights, political, trade unions etc.

Gen. Buhari and partner-in-crime, Late
Tunde Idiagbon persisted in this heartless act
for one reason and one reason only: to place
Nigerians on notice that they were now under an iron, inflexible rule, under governance by fear.

The execution of those youthful innocent for
so he was, since the punishment did not
exist at the time of commission – was
nothing short of premeditated murder, for which the Gen. Buhari should normally stand trial upon their loss of immunity.

Are we truly expected to forget this violation
of our entitlement to security as provided
under existing laws? And even if our
sensibilities have become blunted by
succeeding seasons of cruelty and brutality, if
power itself had so coarsened the
sensibilities also of rulers and corrupted their
judgment, what should one rightly expect
after they have been rescued from the snare
of power. At the very least, a re-evaluation,
leading hopefully to remorse, and its
expression to a wronged society. At the very
least, such a re-evaluation should engender
reticence, silence. In the case of Buhari, it
was the opposite. Since leaving office he has
declared in the most categorical terms that he
had no regrets over this murder and would
do so again.

Human life is inviolate. The right to life is
the uniquely fundamental right on which all
other rights are based. The crime that Gen.
Buhari committed against the entire nation
went further however, inconceivable as it
might first appear.

That crime is one of the most profound
negations of civic being. Not content with
hammering down the freedom of expression
in general terms, Buhari specifically forbade
all public discussion of a return to civilian,
democratic rule. Let us constantly applaud
our media those battle scarred professionals
did not completely knuckle down.

They resorted to cartoons and oblique,
elliptical references to sustain the people’s
campaign for a time-table to democratic rule.
Overt agitation for a democratic time table
however remained rigorously suppressed
military dictatorship, and a specifically
incorporated in Buhari and Idiagbon was
here to stay. To deprive a people of volition
in their own political direction is to turn a
nation into a colony of slaves. Gen. Buhari
enslaved the nation. He gloated and gloried
in a master-slave relation to the millions of
its inhabitants. It is astonishing to find that
the same former slaves, now free of their
chains, should clamour to be ruled by one
who not only turned their nation into a slave
plantation, but forbade them any discussion
of their condition.

Tai Solarin who stood at street corners,
fearlessly distributing leaflets that took up
the gauntlet where the media had dropped it
was incarcerated by that regime and denied
even the medication for his asthmatic
condition. Tai did not ask to be sent for
treatment overseas; all he asked was his
traditional medicine that had proved so
effective after years of struggle with asthma!
Shehu Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria
had already run out of steam and was near
universally detested except of course by the
handful that still benefited from that regime
of profligacy and rabid fascism.

Responsibility for the national condition lay
squarely at the door of the ruling party,
obviously, but against whom was Buhari’s
coup staged? Judging by the conduct of that
regime, it was not against Shagari’s
government but against the opposition.

The head of government, on whom primary
responsibility lay, was Shehu Shagari. Yet
that individual was kept in cozy house
detention in Ikoyi while his powerless
deputy, Alex Ekwueme, was locked up in
Kirikiri prisons. Such was the Gen. Buhari
notion of equitable allotment of guilt and
responsibility.

Shall we revisit the tragicomic series of trials
that landed several politicians several
lifetimes in prison? You may recall the
judicial processes undergone by the
septuagenarian Chief Adekunle Ajasin. He
was arraigned and tried before Gen. Buhari’s
punitive tribunal but acquitted. Frustrated,
Buhari ordered his re-trial. Again, the
Tribunal could not find Chief Ajasin guilty of
a single crime, so once again he was
returned for trial, only to be acquitted of all
charges of corruption or abuse of office.

Was Chief Ajasin thereby released? No! He
was ordered detained indefinitely, simply for
the crime of winning an election.

The conduct of the Gen. Buhari regime after
his coup was not merely one of double,
triple, multiple standards but a cynical
travesty of justice. Audu Ogbeh, former PDP
Chairman was one of the few figures of
morality within the NPN. Just as he has done
in recent times with the PDP, he played the
role of an internal critic and reformer,
warning, dissenting, and setting an example
of probity within his ministry.

For that crime he spent months in unjust
incarceration; guilty by association? Well, if
that was the motivating yardstick of the
administration of the Gen. Buhari justice,
then it was most selectively applied.

The utmost severity of the Buhari-Idiagbon
justice was especially reserved either for the
opposition in general, or for those within the
ruling party who had showed the sheerest
sense of responsibility and patriotism.

Do we need to remind the Nation of Buhari’s
deliberate humiliating treatment of the Emir
of Kano and the Oni of Ife over their visit to
the state of Israel? I hold no brief for
traditional rulers and their relationship with
governments, but insist on regarding them as
entitled to all the rights, privileges and
responsibilities of any Nigerian citizen. This
royal duo went to Israel on their private
steam and private business.

Simply because the Gen. Buhari regime was
pursuing some antagonistic foreign policy
towards Israel, a policy of which these
traditional rulers were not a part, they were
subjected on their return to an unjust
treatment. Since when, may one ask, did a
free citizen of the Nigerian nation require
the permission of a Head of State to visit a
foreign nation that was willing to offer that
tourist a visa?

One is only too aware that some Nigerians
love to point to Buhari’s agenda of discipline
as the shining jewel in his scrap-iron crown.
To inculcate discipline however, one must
lead by example, obeying laws set down as
guides to public probity.

Example speaks louder than declarations, and
rulers cannot exempt themselves from the
disciplinary structures imposed on the overall
polity, especially on any issue that seeks to
establish a policy for public well-being.

On the theme of double, triple, multiple
standards in the enforcement of the law, and
indeed of the Decrees passed by the Gen.

Buhari regime at the time, let us recall the
notorious case of Triple Alhaji Alhaji Alhaji,
then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Finance. Who was caught, literally, with his
pants down in distant Austria. That was not
the crime however, and private conduct
should always remain restricted to the
domain of private censure.

There was no Decree against civil servants
proving just as hormone driven as anyone
else, especially outside the nation’s borders.
However, there was a clear Decree against
the keeping of foreign accounts, and this was
what emerged from the Austrian escapade.

Alhaji Alhaji kept, not one, but several
undeclared foreign accounts, and he had no
business being in possession of the large
amount of foreign currency of which he was
robbed by his overnight companion. The
media screamed for an even application of
the law, but Gen. Buhari had turned
suddenly deaf.

By contrast, Fela Anikulapo languished in jail
for years, sentenced under that very
draconian decree. His crime was being in
possession of foreign exchange that he had
legitimately received for the immediate
upkeep of his band as they set off for an
international engagement. A vicious sentence
was slapped down on Fela by a judge who
later became so remorse stricken at least
after Gen. Buhari’s overthrow that he went
to the King of Afro-beat and apologized.

These were not exceptional but mere sample
cases from among hundreds of others,
victims of a Decree that was selectively
applied, a Decree that routinely penalized
innocents and ruined the careers and
businesses of many.

What precisely was Ebenezer Babatope’s
crime that he should have spent the entire
tenure of Gen. Buhari in detention? Nothing
beyond the fact that he once warned in the
media that Gen. Buhari was an ambitious
soldier who would bear watching through the
lenses of a coup-detat. Babatope’s father died
while he was in Gen. Buhari’s custody, the
dictator remained deaf to every plea that he
be at least released to attend his father’s
funeral, even under guard.

But then, speaking the truth was not what
Gen. Buhari, as a self-imposed leader, was
especially captivated of enquire of Tunde
Thompson and Nduka Irabor both of whom,
faithful to their journalistic calling,
published nothing but the truth, yet ended
up sentenced under Gen. Buhari’s Decree.

Jonathan promises to involve more youths in governance, if re-elected

President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to
get more Nigerian youth involved in governance if
re-elected.

The President also said that he would be driving
‘Made in Nigeria cars’ very soon and would have
them as part of his convoy to demonstrate
confidence in the growth of automobile industry in
the country under his administration.

NAN reports that the Jonathan gave the assurance
at an interactive session with a across section of
Nigerian youth in Lagos.

The event “Meet The President”, was organised by
a group called the Participate, Vote for Your Choice
Candidate (PVC) and was held at the Eko Hotel and
Suites, Lagos.

Responding to some of the questions, the Jonathan
said that his administration had involved many
young Nigerians at all levels of governance and
would involve more in his second tenure.

“We have had different programmes for the
Nigerian youths including job creation, employment
and scholarships.

“We have been working with a number of young
people from grass root to the national level and will
get more young people involved.”

The President expressed appreciation for the
opportunity to hear directly from the youth.
“I intend to make this kind of interaction a part of
our administration by going round the six geo political
zones for town hall meetings with the youth.

“If the President will get this kind of for a regularly
it will help in understanding the youth and their
desires” he said.

Jonathan explained that it had not been easy to
hold such interactive sessions in the past due to
time constrains.

“Governance is a serious business. I know many will
wonder why this is holding now that elections are
near. It is because when elections are getting close
the president spends time going round.

“After the President is inaugurated, much of the
time is spent working on issues that will benefit the
country.

“But we will find time in our busy schedule to make
this more regular in coming year” he added.

He also explained that his visits to Baga, Mubi and
other North Eastern states few days ago were not
as a result of the imminent elections.

“As the Commander In Chief, I rely on intelligence
reports to make such moves.”

Special Report - How President Jonathan and PDP plan to rig election

It shouldn't be any surprise, but the presidential election is shaping up as a case study in how to manipulate the democratic process. That President Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are hell bent to rig the March 28 presidential elections is a forgone conclusion. It's not even a fit subject for intelligent debate any more.

Election rigging is a little more sophisticated now than in the days of the Old Republic. Under the Jonathan administration, the practice of election rigging is alive and well and more pervasive than ever. The evidence is everywhere if we choose to look.

Why do you think there is so much push to send INEC
Chairman Attahiru Jega to Siberia? By the time you're
reading this piece, Jega would have been history! Why do you think Attorney General and Minister of Justice Adoke filed and later withdrew affidavit against the use of updated electronic voters register and permanent voters’ card? Why do you think the election was postponed? Why do you think Mr. Jonathan obstinately refused to investigate the Ekitigate
video on how PDP used the military and the police to rig the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State despite the fact that he was implicated by Musiliu Obanikoro?

Why do you think despite the damaging Ekitigate video that exposed Obanikoro as the principal agent of the President Jonathan saying the president sent him, Jonathan still nominate him as defense minister? Why do you think Jonathan has illegally federated all the 36 states with an army of occupation? Why do you think Jonathan wants to use the military during elections?

Of course there is a script being authored, auditioned, and choreographed by Vice-President Sambo, Femi Fani-Kayode, Ayodele Fayose, and other PDP criminals and experts in election rigging. But these are rather insignificant compared to the big picture that is being planned for the D-Day March 28.

When elements – Doyin Okupe, Ayodele Fayose, and Femi Fani-Kayode - in Jonathan's administration vowed General Muhammadu Buhari will never become president, do not think they were bluffing. They are working day and night to make this a reality. They have devised several plans which have been neutralized in the past. Thanks to the proactive
measures of SaharaReporters and some patriotic citizens.

It should be emphasized that Jonathan and other criminals in the PDP led government who are determined to bring Nigeria to its knees, have not relented. New plans are being devised, developed, and perfected on a daily basis. There are plans in the offing to impeach Governor Rotimi Amaechi by hook or
crook in few days. This is to implicate him in many
ramifications and as the campaign director of Buhari
Campaign Organization destabilize Buhari campaign in
general.

Suspects in prison for the murder of Funsho Williams are being primed to confess they were sent by Bola Tinubu. They have been promised heaven on earth even in prison if they can implicate him. The plan is to blackmail Tinubu into submission or at the very least distract him with a nauseous court case. It has been alleged Jonathan met with Tinubu in Badagry during one of Jonathan's numerous visits to Lagos
and tried to convince Tinubu to back out from supporting Buhari.

Jonathan told Tinubu he (Tinubu) is number one on the list compiled by Buhari of those to be probed once he becomes president. Let it be known to all that Jagaban is under intense pressure at the moment to betray Buhari. To be fair to him, Tinubu has not succumbed. It is no secret that Nigeria at the moment is prostrate in a cesspit of corruption dug by a few. It is so humongous Nigerians will shudder when they
know the full details. And Jonathan has been taken hostage by the monstrous clique of corrupt people responsible for his mess.

Ordinarily, Jonathan is willing to relinquish power if he loses. But these corrupt people have planted fear in him that Buhari will send him to jail once he becomes president and discovers the level of rot in the system. That's why he's fighting tooth and nail to remain president. This much has been alluded to
by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The Jonathan government is capable of anything to sustain the status quo.

They have the resources and evil minded people to
accomplish much. The fake Shekau option has not been discarded because it was leaked last week. The Ekitigate style is still very much on the table. You can see how it was tactically nipped in the bud at the House of Reps sitting last week. There is still
about four weeks to go before the elections. If one hour is a long time in politics, you can imagine what four weeks will be.

The “election will never hold” plan is still alive depending on the success of their plans to weaken Buhari's campaign and decimate his support base in the coming weeks. If the plans succeed, elections may hold. If it does not, the Interim National Government (ING) contraption may be employed.

There are many, many, other facets to this election rigging plan. I have only scratched the surface. As the election draws closer and closer, I will make other Jonathan and PDP rigging plans known to the whole world.

The March 28 presidential election is a struggle to install freedom, liberty, prosperity and the people's will. Nigerians have resolved not to be cast into the dim past of corruption, poverty, and oppression. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. All eyes must be on Jonathan's government andeven on some APC members.

Jonathan challenges Buhari to a debate at Chatham House

President Goodluck Jonathan has challenged the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress in the March 28 election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to a public debate at Chatam House in United Kingdom saying it would deepen democracy.

According to him, the debate calls to question "your refusal to accede to requests for a Presidential Debate here at home in Nigeria."Jonathan threw the challenge in an open letter to Buhari by the National Coordinator of Wind of Hope, his personal NGO,Mr. Onoriode Akpeh, and obtained by journalists in Abuja.

The organization said it would "fully sponsor" such a forum,adding "all we ask is that you state your preferred date andtime."The letter reads: "Your Excellency, We wish to congratulate you on your recent visit to the United Kingdom where you
delivered a speech at Chatham House, London on Thursday February 26 2015. Your speech at the event is clearly a source of motivation for your supporters who in recent times seem to have lost steam in their aggressive marketing of your candidacy for the office of President.

"The author of the said speech must be commended because your presentation finally acknowledged the achievements of the present government in growing our economy to be the largest in Africa with a GDP of $510 Billion and maintaining a single digit inflation regime.

"However, your action, or may we say your party’s action with regards to the entire concept and aim of the forum,calls to question, your refusal to accede to requests for a Presidential Debate here at home in Nigeria."In our quest to deepen democracy which thrives on robust and constructive deliberations that aids the electorate in making informed decisions, Wind of Hope hereby offers you a platform to debate with the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan before the forthcoming elections at Chatham House where you were so obviously at ease before your supporters
and the international media.

"We wish to state further, our readiness to FULLY SPONSOR such a forum. All we ask is that you state your preferred date and time."Again, we wish to reiterate the import of such a debate in this election which you appropriately described as “Nigeria’s
landmark election” in your speech at Chatham House.

"In closing, we would like to wish Your Excellency well in all your endeavors and do so with the hope that you see our request as a call to duty. Where the future of our country is at stake, no inconvenience is too great to bear. Please accept the assurance of our best regards."

OPEN LETTER TO GENERAL MOHAMMADU BUHARI:

28th February, 2015

His Excellency,

General Mohammadu Buhari,

Presidential Candidate of the APC,

Buhari Campaign Organization,

Area 11, Garki, Abuja.

Your Excellency,
OFFER OF SPONSORSHIP OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AT
CHATAM HOUSE,UNITED KINGDOM.
We wish to congratulate you on your recent visit to the
United Kingdom where you delivered a speech at Chatham House, London on Thursday 26th February, 2015. Your speech at the event is clearly a source of motivation for your supporters who in recent times seem to have lost steam in their aggressive marketing of your candidacy for the office of President.

The author of the said speech must be commended because your presentation finally acknowledged the achievements of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in growing our economy to be the largest in Africa with a GDP of $510 Billion and maintaining a single digit inflation regime.

However, your actions or party’s actions with regards to the entire concept and aim of the forum calls to question your refusal to accede to requests by your supporters and other teaming Nigerians for a Presidential Debate here at home in Nigeria.

In our quest to deepen democracy which thrives on robust and constructive deliberations that aids the electorate in making informed decisions, Wind of Hope hereby offers you a a platform to debate with the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan before the forthcoming elections at Chatam House where you were so obviously at ease before your supporters
and the international media.

Again, we wish to reiterate the import of such a debate in this election which you appropriately described as “Nigeria’s landmark election” in your speech at Chatham House.

We wish to state further, our readiness to FULLY SPONSOR such a forum. All we ask is that you state your preferreddate and time.

We wish Your Excellency well in all your endeavors and do so with the hope that you see our request as a call to duty where the future of our country is at stake, no inconvenience is too great to bear.

Please accept the assurance of our best regards,

ONORIODE AKPE

NATIONAL COORDINATOR

WIND OF HOPE

N175 billion Fraud: 'Imo 'll Repay Okorocha's Financial Recklessness by Voting Him Out'

Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP Gubernatorial candidate in Imo State,Chief Emeka Ihedioha has restated that the state Governor,Rochas Okorocha misappropriated N175 billion fund belonging to the local governments in the state and as such Imo people have rejected him for a second term in office.

Speaking to Imo indigenes in Onitsha, Anambra State,
Ihedioha pointed out that investigation discovered that the outgoing governor of Imo State had collected from the Federation Account over N175 billion council funds from May2011 to December 2014 which the APC administration cannot account for.

He said that there has not been any clear explanation from the state government as to how the funds were expended,adding that the governor has a case to answer over the misappropriated funds. “We have asked them what they used the money to do, they told us that they have used the money of the local government system collected between May 2011
and December 2014 to build 305 schools in Imo State, they told us that they used the money to build 27 hospitals in Imo State.We know that these projects have not been completed.

“We asked them how much did they use to build each of them.They also said that they used the proceeds from Ada Palm about N4billion as concessioned to Roche to build the 305 primary schools and the same 27 hospitals. They also told us that they used part of the N18.5 billion bond they collected from Ikedi Ohakim’s administration to also build the same
primary schools and hospitals.”

According to the governorship hopeful, “to utilise funds
belonging to local governments to other purposes other than the development of the council areas is breach of the constitution and breach of the will of the people and that offence is punishable. The way to punish that offence is to vote that government of Rochas out.”

He however assured that when by the Grace of God he
becomes the governor of the state he would govern the state by the rule of law, adding that Imo government would be a government of collectivity.

The deputy speaker assured the mammoth crowd: “when you elect me governor your labour will never be in vain and I know how to say thank you because I am a grateful man, I shall always show graditude and the way to show graditude is to give you good goverance which you shall not regret.”

While acknowleding the support given to him outside the state, he promised also to rule the state with the fear of God by the strength that would be given to him by Imo people through their votes.
Ihedioha who also visited the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka and former governor of Anambra State Peter Obi,promised to restore the dignity of Imo man, give education the pride of place, to restore the dignity of labour, to enter into partnership with the youths, to provide enabling environment for industries, to restore the 10,000 jobs disbanded by Okorocha, to restore the santity of local government administration and development centres in the state.

Also speaking, former governor of Anambra State Peter Obi while calling on the people to vote for Ihedioha and President Goodluck Jonathan accused Governor Okorocha of huge debt burden, regretting that Imo State “is now indebted to the tune of N30billion.”

He also expressed regret over the fallen standard of
education in Imo State, adding that the state which used to be the pride of South East in the time past is today at the bottom of ladder in examinations .

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri who presented the President urged the people to vote massively for President Jonathan and PDP candidates, adding that what the president has done for Nigerians he deserves to be returned to continue with his good works.

Also the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh
urged the people to ensure that they vote for the government at the centre, adding that the development in Anambra State was because the immediate past administration keyed into the Federal Government.

Others present at the event held at Holiday Resort, Onitsha include Senators Jerry Alagbaoso, Joy Emordi, PDP National Woman leader, Ambassador Kema Chikwe, House of Representatves members and top businessmen and women.

Group Confirms Tinubu's Secret Plot against Buhari

Ahead of the 2015 presidential elections, the group, Northern Youths under the aegis of Arewa Youth Integrity Forum,have confirmed secret plot by Bola Tinubu and his cronies to tactically move power to the West, citing the health condition of Buhari whom some consider may not be strong enough to survive the four years of presidency.

The group is lending credence to the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is critically ill and unfit to be president.

According to a statement signed by the president of the group, Mal. Ibrahim Abubakar, the northern youths have aligned to the allegation that the fronting of Buhari by Bola Tinubu and his cronies is an attempt to tactically move power to the West over the health condition of its presidential candidate, General Buhari.

It said the alliance of Tinubu and Olusegun Obasanjo is
similar to what happened in 2006 when the north was
tactically denied presidency by fostering it on a sick Umar Yar’adua who died to bequeath the seat to a Southerner.

“We strongly believe this to be another scheme by the
Tinubu/Obasanjo alliance which does not like the north, to deny the north of the presidency. It smacks of the same scheme employed by Obasanjo in 2006 when he presented a sick Yar’adua as the North’s candidate amidst many healthy and vibrant aspirant knowing full well that the latter's health condition will not allow for him to live through the tenure. We strongly refuse this tactic in 2015". It read in part.

Accusing Tinubu of trying to usurp the presidency, the group also queried the reason why the person chosen to be Vice-President to the ailing Buhari whom they allege will be the defacto president perchance the APC wins, is Tinubu ' s aide which will give him the opportunity to loot. Proving their allegation, they queried why it was Tinubu who is in charge of receiving donations for the campaign and logistics.

The statement also called on all well-meaning northerners to queue behind Goodluck Jonathan in the forthcoming polls as the best option for the north so that power will return to it after four years rather than allow those described as haters of the north to tactically cause power to evade the north for
another eight years.

Meanwhile the group has also prayed for the safe recovery of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari who they believe is alleged to be critically ill and under intensive care in a Florida hospital in America. They however advice the former head of state to give his ambition a serious think while in America so as to save from soiling his name and return to the position of statesmanship he truly deserves.

Senate to pass N4.357 trillion 2015 budget before general elections

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation,
Sen. Ahmed Maccido, has expressed optimism that
the Senate would pass the N4.357 trillion 2015
Appropriation Bill before the general elections.

Maccido told newsmen on Sunday in Abuja that the
Senate had set a two-week deadline to pass the
budget.

He said that the Senate decided to peg the oil
benchmark at 52 dollars per barrel in view of the
dwindling oil price, preparatory to the passage of
the Bill.

He added that the Senate took the initiative as
against 65 dollars per barrel as proposed by the
Executive in the Medium Term Expenditure
Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper
(FSP).

He explained that “we always have pre-budget
meetings; the legislature and the executive. We
have been having these series of meetings even
before the budget was brought to us.

“This is a forum where we iron out certain issues
which could hinder the passage of the budget.

“We had a meeting where certain parameters were
agreed upon but this particular one, I assure you,
we didn’t agree on the 65 dollars per barrel of oil
proposed by the executive.

“This is purely the initiative of the Senate, having
seen how the economy is going and we believe that
the 52-dollar oil benchmark is the most realistic for
the 2015 budget.

“Nigeria is not broke, we are expecting the passage
of the 2015 budget as soon as in the next two
weeks,” he said.

Speaking on implementation of projects before the
expiration of the present administration, Maccido
said the National Assembly was more concerned
with completion of ongoing capital projects than
initiating new ones.

He said the National Assembly always emphasised
on completion of projects rather than embarking on
new ones.

He added that “considering the shortage in
revenues, I believe the executive finds it expedient
not to begin new capital expenditure but to
complete ongoing ones.

“We have been asking the executive to initiate
meaningful projects and try as much as possible to
avoid bringing up new ones except if absolutely
necessary.”

NAN reports that Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) have commenced budget defence
before relevant standing committees of the Senate.
The budget defence was preparatory to the
passage of the 2015 Appropriation Bill.

A MUST READ!!!! WHAT THE NEWSPAPERS FORGOT TO PUBLISH ABOUT GOV. FASHOLA!

Fashola claims he spent the sum of N1.5Billion of un appropriated funds, without approval in demolishing and planting grass at Oshodi. No newspaper reported this.Between January and June 2009, Fashola’s Chief of Staff and PAs spent N290 million in sending TEXT Messages and making phone CALLS on their lines.
Of course, no newspaper reported this.

P.S: Please, someone, kindly remind me – what did Stella Oduah do again? SMH.Now, permit me to introduce Dr. Tunji Olowolafe. He is the owner of DEUX PROJECT LIMITED. He is Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola’s crony. He is also their biggest proxy.
Most contracts that Fashola awards to himself are done using DEUX PROJECT LIMITED. For instance, between January and August 2009, 11 out of 19 contracts in the Lagos State Ministry of health were awarded to this company. Out of N5.6Billion contract in the Ministry of Health, Olowolafe alone collected N5.1Billion worth and was paid 70 percent upfront in cash.No newspaper or other news media reported this.
For a State that earns averagely N360Billion, annually,
from taxes, isn’t it befuddling that its state-own
University, LASU, cannot boast of a hostel facility? Yet,Fashola had the temerity to increase school fees from N25k to N250K.

No newspaper has ever written a report or editorial
about this.

Remember the Bank of Industry (BOI) building at Lagos
Island that partially collapsed in March, 2006?
On the 21st of September, 2008 the building was
eventually demolished. Now guess how much Fashola spent to demolish it? A whooping N1.5Billion! Please, be reminded that this amount is just to demolish a building. Not to build one. Anyway, that isn’t the end of the story. The government of Lagos, a.k.a Fashola administration, later acquired the land (Layeni’s compound) adjacent to the demolished building in the “public interest”. He later resold it to his proxy Tunji Olowolafe.

No newspaper has ever reported this.

During the Bola Tinubu administration, he awarded the
construction of City Hall for N2.3Billion. When Fashola
later came on board, he increased the contract sum to
N5.2Billion. This project was increased by 126%. The only input he eventually made to City Hall was to change the floor tiles to marble tiles.
The news media conveniently missed this news item.
The SSA (Media) to Fashola spends approximately
N200million quarterly on press coverage and on news
media editors. In other words, it is from this money that news media editors are paid to gag them from reporting anything unsavoury about Fashola or his administration.

Note that this fund is outside the approved budget, but
funded directly from the Governor’s Office. Now, you know why no news media outlets broadcast or publish anything negative about Fashola and his administration. Also,propaganda against their political adversaries is fuelled by this largesse to the media authorities.Of course, this is not the sort of news that Sahara Reporters report about.

The Critical Care unit at the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, built and equipped with state funds, is now owned personally by Fashola’s god-father, BolaTinubu. He put one Dr. Sikiru Tinubu, (a supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is run as a private unit and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit charges its users exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its high charges. Most of the revenue
is derived from fees paid by the State Government for
patients referred there by its General Hospitals.
Oddly, this news item evaded all news media.

Fashola’s god-father, Bola Tinubu, converted all the plots of land where Lagos Polytechnic was located at Ikosi, near the old toll gate. He chased away the Polytechnic in 2006 and went ahead to allocate the choice plots to himself. The headquarters of Television Continental (TVC) and Radio Continental, which is owned by him, is currently located there. He deprived the youths of Lagos of decent education because of his primitive desire to acquire every real estate that he can lay his hands on in Lagos. As to be expected,Television Continental (TVC) and Radio Continental did not report this. Lagos State generates an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of an average of N25Billion to N30Billion Monthly (At least, that is what they declare. It could be more). The company that is contracted to collect IGR is Alpha Beta Consultants (ABC). The company is owned by Bola Ahmed
Tinubu. The company collects 10% commission of taxes
collected in Lagos. This amounts to between N2.5Billion to N3Billion monthly. On what basis is this 10% commission when the same work can be done by the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue?

No newspaper has ever written a report or editorial
about this.

Fashola administration once spent N1Billion Naira on
“bangers” and fireworks during the New Year Crossover Night. This is a state that its university – Lagos State University (LASU) – cannot boast of a hostel facility.

No newspaper reported this.

Between January and June 2009, now guess how much Fashola claimed to have used to fuel the fleet of vehicles attached to his office alone?
Please, brace up for the figure.N135 million!
This amounts to about N800, 000 per day. Interestingly,this was at a time that petrol was sold for N65 per litre,and we all know that government always gets it cheaper.

But Fashola claimed to have bought it at N85 per litre.
This particular revelation surfaced at a time when members of the Lagos State House of Assembly were looking for a reason to impeach him in 2010. These “Honourables”, led by the Speaker of the house – Adeyemi Ikuforiji, are loyal to Bola Tinubu. They were angry with Fashola for daring to suggest a downward review of the 10% that their god-father, Tinubu, earns from all collected taxes in Lagos.

Thus, this revelation came to light. However, when the rift between Tinubu and his prodigal god-son, Fashola, was settled, the case was magically swept under the rug.Of course, this news never made the press.
During the Bola Tinubu administration, the LASU IBA road was awarded for N6.2Billion. In less than two weeks when Fashola came on board, the amount was jerked up to N10 Billion. The reason for this reckless increase was never stated.

No newspaper reported this.

Fashola awarded the contract for the reconstruction of part of Western Avenue (Funsho Williams Road). The road is a two kilometers road (between Abalti Barracks and Costain). The project was carried out by Julius Berger. This 2 KM road costs a staggering N7.7 Billion. Mind you, the contract didn’t include the construction of any bridge.

No newspaper reported this.

The prime land of 157 hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic
beachfront valued at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities of Siriwon, Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Mr. Ibukun Fakeye (his crony) to build a golf course and luxury villa with little or no compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu paid $20million (N4billion) out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to commence the project in late 2006.Fashola has since released additional funding for this project, which is not owned by the state government.
TVC and Radio Continental will never report this.
Fashola’s wife travels abroad at least once in two months.Whenever she travels, she takes N30million per trip fromthe State coffers, apart from her monthly running cost.

No newspaper would report this.

What is the status of the Bus Assembly Company-a joint venture between the Lagos State Government and
Marcopolo Bus Company of Brazil of which about N2Billion was paid to a foreign consultant and a Nigerian friend of Bola Tinubu in 2006? The objective of the project was to build a bus maintenance facility at the old LMTS yard at Cappa, Oshodi of which nothing has been done till date? Gov Fashola should update the public on this. No newspaper has reported this. Fashola awarded a contract to construct a road and drainage inside Gbagada General Hospital. Of course, the contract was awarded to his usual proxy, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe’s company (DEUX Projects Limited). Now, guess the contract amount? Over N1.8 billion!
No newspaper editorial was ever written about this.
The Fashola administration boasts of restoring safety and security to Lagos State. However, what is their
justification for the Fashola administration, within 6
months (January to June 2009) spending N420million on hiring private security to guard him despite his heavy investment in the Police Force through the State Security Trust Fund.

No newspaper would report this.

Over 70% of Lagos State Government contracts are
concentrated in the hands of his proxy – Dr. Tunji
Olowolafe. However, this is the clearest indication of the betrayal of trust by Governor Fashola. This is against the Oath of Office he swore to. It is a violation of Sections 14(4), 15(5) and 17(2a) of the 1999 Constitution on which social objective of a just, free and equitable social order is founded.

No newspaper would report this.

Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, is a road of about 1KM. The contract for the supply of dissel for the generators that power the street lights was awarded to a Bale (community ruler). The Bale is a very close ally of Fashola and Bola Tinubu. The Bale is paid N16m monthly.

No newspaper reported this.

In a State where pipe-borne water is almost non-existent, Fashola spent over N13Billion on planting grass and flowers in just a few places that constitute less than 1% of Lagos land mass. According to them, most of the money was spent in importing palm trees from Niger Republic, a sahel region belt, when Lagos is in the rain forest. This explains why most of the trees have dried up.The news media conveniently didn’t get a hint of this news item. The INDICATOR magazine, a magazine that focuses on the activities of the Lagos State government, is falsely passed off to the public as a private magazine. It is not. It is actually co-ordinated and published by Tunji Olowolafe and
Hakeem Bello, SSA (Media) to BRF with government
money.Of course, no newspaper would report this.
Fashola’s god-father, Bola Tinubu, while he was the
governor, allocated to himself the former Strabag yard that is located beside the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa,Ikeja. The land has now been developed to bear one of his investments – The Ikeja Shopping Mall (Ikeja Shoprite).

No newspaper would report this.

In six months (between January and June 2009) Fashola spent money on several faceless organizations in the form of subventions, grants and donations, A total of N2 billion was given out in the process.

No newspaper would report this.

The 14-hectare Parkview Ikoyi Estate foreshore land
reclaimed by Lagos State Government is now owned by
Bola Tinubu.

No newspaper has reported this.

The contract for the installation of CCTVs on the street of Lagos was awarded to one of Fashola’s relatives. The relative claimed to be acting for CISCO. The contract was awarded for $62 million dollars, while the rejected quotation for the contract was $30 million. It is important to note that this was only a pilot scheme.

No newspaper reported this.

Prince Dipo Eludoyin is a personal friend and proxy for ex-Gov Tinubu and Gov. Fashola. They had arrangements with him (Eludoyin) for some prime lands in Lagos to be sold to him. These lands were eventually sold to him at ridiculously low prices. Some of the lands include: : The 3.8-hectare of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI (beside the Institute of Oceanography), the fishery landing jetty at Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen were to be relocated);
the entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for a low-cost housing scheme; the Ilubinrin housing estate (which used to house Lagos state civil servants and judges up till 2007); the former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan,Epe.

No newspaper would report this.

The entire maintenance contract and management of
hospital equipment at the LASUTH was solely concessioned to Olowolafe’s company by the Tinubu administration at an annual payment of N850m paid upfront. The Fashola’s government retains this arrangement

No newspaper would report this.

Billions of naira have been paid not once, not twice for the development of Oyingbo market for which no appreciable level of work has been done? Oyingbo market is still in the same state that it has always been. The evidence is there for the public to see.

No newspaper would report this.

Fashola lambasts the federal government, consistently, for its failure to provide steady power supply.
No newspaper editorial has ever been written to ask him why he has failed, in 8 years, to provide Lagosians with pipe-borne water. In a State where children are sitting on the floor in classrooms, where unemployment is rampant and poverty
pervasive, Fashola paid the wife of a controversial pastor over N600 million, in two years, for Xmas Decorations for about six streets in Lagos.

No newspaper reported this.

A 250-hectare of land valued at about N35billion and
strategically located adjacent to the Ajah-Badore junctionon Lekki-Epe road. It was original earmarked to build a general hospital to serve the people of Eti-Osa. However, it was stolen by Tinubu and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd – a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu. Today,that property has been developed to become what is today known as the Royal Garden Housing Estate. All these at
the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.

No news media ever reported this.

Bola Tinubu appropriated to himself a choice public property situated along the Lekki-Epe expressway. It was on this land that he built and part-owns the multi-billion Naira “Oriental Hotels” at the “Admiralty Circle” Maroko.Media houses conveniently turned a blind eye to this news item.
In 2005-2006, the Cook County Hospital in Chicago,
Illinois, USA donated a set of medical equipment to the
Lagos State government free-of-charge. This was when
Bola Tinubu was still the governor of Lagos State. Yet,
records showed that a company belonging to Tunji
Olowolafe was paid for it by way of Letters of Credit for the same equipment. The payment was made during
Fashola’s administration.

No newspaper editorial was written about this.

Mrs. Animashahun heads the Lagos State Building Control Agency. She is a relative of the governor. Also, one Dr.Mrs. Adesina who calls the shots as the Special Adviser to the Governor is equally a relative of the Governor. One Ms.Azeez, a sister to the closest friend of the Governor,Demola Azeez, heads the EKO Project and directly reports to him. There is hardly any Agency in the State today that the Fashola family or Animashaun Family does not prominently feature. This is aside from the in-laws and many relatives of the Governor who returned from the United Kingdom to populate most Lagos State agencies.

No newspaper would report this.

In 2009, Fashola claimed to have bought two helicopters for an unbelievable N5Billion. It was purchased without a transparent bidding process. They also claimed that the helicopter was built for emergency evacuation, rescue or to even combat urban fire. This was a blatant lie. The
helicopters were of generic design. Before public attention was brought to this grand heist by the Fashola administration, the seal of Lagos State was not on it. It wasn’t even in Lagos, but in the Niger-Delta making money for some private people in government. The fraudulent purported acquisition of 2 Bell 412 EP Series Helicopters from a Canadian firm constitute a flagrant violation of Section 123(1) and (2) and Section 120(4) of the 1999 Constitution.
Only ThisDay Newspaper reported this (See ThisDay
December 19, 2009). However, the consequence of daring to report this, is the reason why the beautiful and imposing “ThisDay Dome”, an exquisite event place, situated along the Lekki Epe Expressway, Lekki, is no more there. Emperor Fashola literarily harassed them out of the state.The Mayegun Scheme was sold to Olowolafe and otherfriends and cronies of Fashola against public interestwithout any independent valuation by relevant agency of
government? Why is the size of the scheme shielded in
secrecy? Why was N5.2 billion for which the land was sold untraceable? Where is the over N2 billion loan borrowed to sand-fill the place? What is the fate of the Tourism and Art-craft sellers chased away from the place?

No newspaper reported this.

Former Gov Tinubu gave away Hectares of land belonging to several communities-Sirinwon, Igbekodo, Apakin etc in Ibeju Lekki local government to his crony, one Ibukun Fakeye to develop a golf course and housing estate with no regard for the right of the community? In addition, why did the Lagos State Government pay a whopping sum of N5billion for the take-off of the project which today is being singularly handled by Ibukun Fakeye as a private project at the exclusion of any Lagos State Government official? Was this project ever approved by the Lagos
State House of Assembly or the amount appropriated in the 2006 or 2007 budgets?

No newspaper would report this.

Ms. Yinka Fashola is the immediate elder sister of the Gov. Fashola. She is the one superintending over the on-going Lagos State Residents Registration exercise. Nothing less than 7 Billion Naira has been expended on the exercise thus far. Unfortunately, more than a year since the commencement of the programme, they have only succeeded in registering 164,000 people. Mathematically, it translates to N42,682, 926.82 to register one person. Pure waste of tax payers funds.

No newspaper would report this.

The entire Ogudu Foreshore scheme initially earmarked for low cost housing scheme sold to a company belonging to Prince Dipo Eludoyin – a crony of Bola Tinubu? How much was this piece of real estate sold? And where did the money end up in?

No newspaper would report this.

Bola Tinubu’s wife, Remi Tinubu, built the massive New Era Foundation youth camp at the junction of Eleko, off the Lekki-Epe express road, with Lagos State funds. Today,the project is now her personal property.

No newspaper would report this.

Fashola during his electioneering campaign of 2011, in no uncertain terms, promised that he would build the 4th Mainland Bridge. Today, there are no signs of the project kicking off. No newspaper editorial reminded him of this campaign promise.
The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion
located at Lakowe near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local
Government and given to Lekki Concession Company (LCC). It is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola. It has been been developed into a golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd (ARM) as ADIVA project. We are still waiting for a newspaper to do an editorial on this. Fashola built a bridge to connect Lekki to Ikoyi. The bridge,the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge, is described as a “suspended bridge”. The bridge is by no means a suspended bridge. Most Lagosians are clueless of what a suspended bridge is.
However, they accept it as that. The bridge costs the State a staggering N38 Billion ( they creatively skimmed off N2b from N40B, to make it N38Billion, in order to give the project amount some decency). The House of Assembly’s verification exercise rated the bridge as being not worth more than N7 billion. Whatever happened to N31Billion is best left to the imagination of the tax payers.

No newspaper has reported this.

Still on the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge. The Lekki-Ikoyi “suspended” bridge is a 1.8km bridge. It is built on low-tide (shallow) waters. It was built at an incredible cost of N38Billion.That is over $250m dollar for a 1.8km bridge!Mathematically, that translates to about N18million permeter length (over $120k per length). In other words,N420, 200 per inch ($40, 0000 per inch). Perhaps, the bridge was built with gold-plated gravel and steel.However, this leaves one wondering how much it would then take Fashola to build the fabled 4TH Mainland bridge,a bridge that is expected to span 15km.

Nigerians Decides - JONATHAN VS THE GENERALS

In the now brazen, even indecent, effort to bully President Goodluck Jonathan out of office, strange, unseemly things have been happening. Reputations are being blown up,principles are being twisted, people are being told to act on faith and ignore the facts, and those peddling change are hiding the contents of the vessel.

For the reputations, the first casualty, to me, is that of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Attahiru Jega, a man I could have trusted with my choice belongings. But w hen h e repeatedly stated that the INEC was ready to conduct the presidential elections on 14th February 2015 when every fact contradicted him, he lost me,perhaps, forever.

Second is Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. It is not that he had much of a reputation to begin with. I was an undergraduate in 1978 during the “Ali Must Go” students’ protests. H e lost m e then, and I would never have voted for him as a civilian president because I know he has not changed and will never change.

What he was in 1978 is what he is today. I have had occasions to admire his courage. But he was Nigeria’s President, with all the prestige t he title confers. He cannot be ignored; he must be respected in spite of himself.

Early in the week, Gen. Obasanjo made a little spectacle of tearing his membership card of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party in Nigeria, which provided him the ladder to be Nigeria’s President, not once but twice. After the ritual, he declared to the audience that he has now become a statesman; confirming my point that he has not changed and cannot change. Given all the education he received and the exposure he has had he was still ‘clueless’ about the word “statesman.” He seems unaware t hat it is not a nickname. It is not a title you can stick to yourself at your choosing. ‘A statesman’ is a title others give you in appreciation of extraordinary service in the service of your country, for your statesmanship. O n t he contrary, Burke must have had Obasanjo in mind when he wrote that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

In January 2009 the whole world watched President George W.Bush leave office, handing over to Mr. Barack Obama who had embarrassed the Republicans by defeating their Vietnam War hero John McCain in a landslide. At the inauguration cer­emonies, everyone could see Obama in his humane, humble naturalness (Jonathan has a similar disposition, by the way)treat the Bushes with utmost respect, walking them the whole distance to the helicopter and bidding them farewell on their departure from the White House.

The Obamas returned for the swearing-in, watched by an enrap­tured world and a disbelieving, almost shell-shocked
Republicans, some say, racist, America. The next day, the Re­publican hailstorm on the Obama presidency began. It got worse by the day. It was unrelenting. Then in April, the Tea Party, which was the modern version of the Ku Klux Klan without the burning cross, was born.

President Obama could not get a single Republican vote for anything from the Economic Recovery Act to the Affordable Healthcare Act. But as Republicans piled on Obama, for over two years, not one uncomplimentary word came from George W. Bush. They had blamed him for their defeat, now he was further alienated by the Republican Party for not joining in attacking the Obama administration. Not Bush Jr. He refused to attack Obama, no matter what his party thought or said.I’m not so sure of the event where President Bush had to speak with the Press and he had to answer questions. Soon, the inevitable question was posed: Why has he never uttered a word against President Obama. Bush is a good natured man. He chuckled, shook his head and said, “Being President of the United States is difficult enough, without the added pressure of criticisms from a former President.” He didn’t add to it.

In contrast, Gen. Obasanjo has since 2013 kept President Jonathan under withering criticism, none of it supported by facts or any shred of evidence. His grouse: he wanted to anoint another candidate for president, and Jonathan seeking a second term was complicating his game plan.

One of the most sensational of his allegations against
President Jonathan was contained in the 18-page open letter of 2nd December 2013: “Allegations of keeping 1,000 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, cannot augur well for the initiator, the government and the people of Nigeria.”

Obasanjo was accusing a sitting Nigerian president of
conspiracy to murder. “Corruption has reached the level of impunity. And if you are not ready to name, shame, prosecute and stoutly fight against corruption, whatever you do will be hollow. It will be a laughing matter,” Obasanjo wrote.

The above were in addition to scores of other deadly
accusations each of which is capable of sinking any regime if it were factual or provable. Indeed, in Jonathan’s brief response in which he denied all the accusations, he challenged Obasanjo to prove even a single allegation of corruption: “I urge you to furnish me with the name, facts and figures of a single
verifiable case of high corruption which you say stinks all around my administration and see whether the corrective action you advocate does not follow promptly.” Obasanjo never picked up the challenge.

Obasanjo’s malice does not bother about f acts o r p roof. Knowing t hat Nigerians want to believe the worst, it was enough for his purpose to invent the accusations and let it circulate among Nigerians who are most likely to  believe them as gospel truths.

As every Nigerian could see, Obasanjo could not be converted into a democrat even after he was practically bribed with the presidency. As president, he was the same dictator he was during the military era. Governors who crossed him, were impeached; those he disliked, were jailed.

Obasanjo and Gen. Buhari are two sides of the same coin. Like Obasanjo, Buhari cannot change. It was the same mistake Nigerians made in permitting the generals to appropriate their democracy in 1999 by drafting Obasanjo whose primary mission was to cover up for the generals – the only mission he truly accomplished. In other countries of the world, these gener­als would be in prison for corruption and gross human rights abuses as happened in South Korea, Chile and Argentina. A hundred cases of gross abuse of human rights can be proved in court against General Buhari by a pupil lawyer.

The manifest conspiracy of the generals against Jonathan, who is a natural democrat, ought to raise an alarm inside any Nigerian who values democracy. The generals do not un­derstand democracy even when they are bribed to lead it. It cannot now be inserted in their DNA. It is too late. In Buhari’s particular case, he is even less disposed toward democracy than Obasanjo whose raw survival instinct could force to accommodate the legislature. Buhari never accepted that he lost in any of his last three elections. He always felt he had been defrauded. When he loses in court, it is the judges’ fault, not the law. H e has no patience f or due process. The Igbos say you can’t learn to be left-handed (leftie) at old age.

All the efforts to manipulate Nigerians into thinking of a different Buhari without any sign or proof is simply what it is– an effort to win an election by exploiting the credulity of Nigerians a s happened in 1999. History is about to repeat itself.

INEC Claims To Have Distributed 1.4 million Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) In Plateau State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) said it had distributed more than 1.4 million
Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Plateau out of 1.7
million, representing 96.9 per cent.

The Head, Voter Education and Publicity of INEC,
Mr Imahiyereobo Osaretin, told NAN on Sunday in
Jos that voters registered in 2011 and November,
2015 had received their PVCs.

“In general, we collected 1,671,038 PVCs meant for
Plateau from our headquarters and we have so far
distributed 1,429,692, which represents 96.9 per
cent.

“The PVCs now being distributed are for those who
registered during the first registration in 2011 as
well as those who registered in November 2014,”
he said.

He further explained that the distribution is ongoing
at the various registration centres to enable every
registered voter to get their cards before the
upcoming elections.

Osaretin the assured electorate that the collection
of PVCs would last till the period of elections,
rather than March 8 earlier slated by the
commission.

The spokesman warned against collection of the
PVCs by proxy, saying the registered voters must
obtain their cards by themselves and urged them to
get their cards before the election date.

He emphasised that only voters with PVCs would
be accredited to vote on the election date.

Osaretin urged those yet to collect their PVCs to be
patient as the commission was working hard to
ensure they get them.

However, he noted that there were PVCs piled up in
various INEC offices that were yet to collected by
the original owners.

“I know that people of Kanke, Lantang North and
South, and Jos South local government areas have
not gotten their PVCs yet due to some exigencies,
but I want to assure them that we will make it
available soon.

“But again, there are a lot of PVCs lying at our
various local government offices because people
have refused to come for them.

“18,000 PVCs have not been collected and this has
become a source of worry to us,” said Osaretin.

He, therefore, called on the general public especially
those who are yet to collect their PVCs to use the
existing period for the extension to enable them
discharge their civic right.

Ribadu visits Mubi, hails Jonathan, Military over recent successes against Boko Haram

The PDP Gubernatorial Candidate in Adamawa,
Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has hailed President Goodluck
Jonathan for the successes recorded against Boko
Haram.

Ribadu, former chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), made the
commendation in Mubi on Sunday when he visited
three of the liberated local government areas of the
state.

The visit was to commiserate with the people
affected by the insurgents’ occupation, NAN
reports.

The three local government areas visited included
Mubi North, Mubi South and Maiha.

According to him, the Federal Government and the
military deserve votes of confidence from Nigerians
for reclaiming territories previously occupied by the
insurgents.

He urged Nigerians to return President Goodluck
Jonathan to maintain the tide against insurgency.
“Political stability is key to peace and security,
more so at a time of instability like what we are
witnessing today.

“We cannot afford to disrupt this operation
midstream. This tide should be allowed to continue,”
Ribadu said.

According to him, terrorism is a global phenomenon
which is difficult to purge, adding that no country
has succeeded in eliminating terrorism completely
and within a short time.

“I have worked in many crisis zones, including
Afghanistan; I know what insurgency is all about.

“It is unfortunate that at a time the country should
unite for action against the insurgents we were
busy apportioning blame.

“That is why I refrained from any comment about
this all these while and the victory may not be
total and immediate. It is a gradual process” said
the flag bearer.

He expressed sadness that politics was brought
into issue of insecurity and the war against
insurgency.

Ribadu, however, advised those making unguided
comments to repent and see reasons for the
betterment of Nigeria.

“Our people have suffered for too long, those
hauling words from their comfort zones should
please shut up and give us chance to confront
what directly affects us,” he said.
Ribadu also thanked those he called the real heroes
of the war against the insurgency.

“The military and our gallant members of the
vigilante who sacrificed a lot and even lost their
lives, I am proud to associate with you,” he said.
He said that the president was a careful leader
who quietly does not want to see large number of
collateral damage.

“The President took his time to build this strong
coalition of bringing together our neighbouring
countries,” he said.

According to Ribadu, the result is for everyone to
see, adding that the table is now turned against
the terrorists, and they are on the run.

He said that what only remain was how to
consolidate the success recorded so far and how to
restore life and stability in the affected
communities.

He thanked the president for his foresight for the
establishment of
“Victims Support Fund” and other marshal plans
meant to consolidate on military successes.
“President Goodluck Jonathan is a very
compassionate and kind-hearted person but it is
being misunderstood to mean something else.

“But to me, it is an attribute of a good leader. We
have seen the President demonstrating compassion
in a number of ways.”

Ribadu also commended Gov. Bala Ngillari of the
state for his strong leadership exhibited in the fight
against insurgency.

Nigeria Decides - TAKING ON THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE.

The youths constitute critical elements in societal development.
Whatever the human and material resource endowments of any
geo-political entity, no serious Government can afford to
neglect or overlook the youths, who indeed are the foundation
for the future.

For a long period in the Nigerian experience, the youths [18-35
years age bracket] did not receive a fair deal in the
developmental scheme of things. From acts of omission and
commission, they suffered neglect, marginalization,
discrimination and even persecution.

This sorry state of our youths clearly poses threats to national
security, stability and sustainable development, which no
leadership worth its salt would treat with levity. In deference
to these realities, the Jonathan administration incorporated
that critical element into its programme of action.

The [Nigerian] National Policy on Youth conforms to the United
Nations’ guidelines and extends to Nigerian youths in the
Diaspora. It succinctly rates the youth among “the greatest
assets that any nation can have … They serve as a good
measure of the extent to which a country can reproduce as well
as sustain itself …”.
Under the present dispensation, quite a number of initiatives
and activities have come on-stream towards giving Nigerian
youths deserved places in the economy, polity and society.

The National Youth Employment Action Plan [NYEAP] is
anchored on diversification of the nation’s economic base
[particularly into agriculture and agro-business]; operation of
vocational/entrepreneurial/skills development centres for
tertiary level students and youth service members by the State
and FCT administrations; audit-evaluation/restructuring/
strengthening of such job creation agencies as the National
Directorate of Employment, National Poverty Eradication
Programme and Industrial Training Fund; and enhancing the
enabling environment for enterprise development.

Entrepreneurship Development Centres [EDCs] have been set
up in the six geo-political zones of the Federation to bridge
gaps in various elements of youth entrepreneurship
development. To date, over 200,000 youths have benefited
from the programme. The Federal Government is also setting up
Comprehensive Youth Centres in those zones to be operated
and managed under Public Private Partnership [PPP]
arrangements. Included in their schedules are demonstration
farms; standardized vocational training programmes; small
business bureaux for entrepreneurship training; referral and
counselling programmes for youth in conflict situations, those
afflicted with disease and the traumatized; and sporting &
leisure facilities. Such is the attractiveness of the youth centre
initiative that some of the State Governments are setting up
similar facilities to engage their youths constructively.

The Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme
[SURE-P] was inaugurated in the wake of the Federal
Government’s partial removal of oil subsidy in early 2012. Co-
ordinated by the Federal Ministry of Finance and managed by a
team of proven integrity, SURE-P is complementing other
development programmes of the three tiers of governance.

For Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises [MSMEs], a N200
billion Fund is operational to offer inexpensive, long-term
support for youth and women entrepreneurs; with foci on
credit, insurance, capacity building and interest draw-back.

The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria [You WIN]
programme of the present dispensation provides one-time
equity grants of N1 million–N10 million to each of 1,200
selected aspiring entrepreneurs to start/expand their business
concepts and cushion start-up risks. The facilities are further
expected to generate some 110,000 new jobs for unemployed
Nigerian youths over a three-year period. There is also
provision for training 6,000 aspiring youth entrepreneurs as
well as business expansion, specialization& spin-offs, and
exposure to professional networks.

The administration remains committed to the Niger-Delta
Amnesty/Post-Amnesty programmes. Aside from investments
in the training of affected youths in various institutes across
the world, over 5,000 others are enrolled in formal
educational institutions and vocational centres locally and
abroad.

The NYSC Venture Price competition [operated by the Central
Bank of Nigeria] promotes the entrepreneurship spirit and
expertise in national youth service members; to encourage them
pursue self-employment options. Their exposure includes
rudiments of investment/feasibility reports, business start-
ups and expansion.

Even as the youth development programmes and activities of
the Jonathan administration are yielding positive outcomes,
there are challenges ahead. The populations of the unemployed
and unengaged youths are teeming, what with accumulated
neglect over the decades and increasing number of products
from the nation’s educational institutions.

Youth development in Nigeria poses a collective responsibility.
Governments at all tiers, their institutions, the private sector,
civil society organizations, donor agencies and endowed
individuals are all stakeholders. Youths are not some strange
elements in our midst, but catalysts for meaningful &
sustainable development and an assured future.

By Peter Obi.

Nigerians Decides - THE END OF APC'S FABRICATED MOMENTUM.

I HAVE news for APC stalwarts. You don’t win an election in
Nigeria by being the champion of social media. You don’t win by
renting crowds to fill up your rallies. You don’t win by putting
up your billboards everywhere while tearing down those of your
opponents. You don’t win by master-minding in the media a
false sense of the inevitability of your victory. When you do all
this successfully, you simply end up deceiving yourself.
You win elections by mounting an effective ground-game at the
grassroots level; designed to bring out the people on Election
Day to vote for you. Instead, APC strategy was to stampede
the electorate into victory. The design was to proclaim victory
even before the election, laying grounds for protests and
acrimony in event of defeat.

Attempted coup d’état

The APC blueprint is see-through. Present a new refurbished,
suit-wearing and church-visiting Buhari to the electorate
chanting a mantra of “change.” Give him a Teflon-coated
Redeemed pastor as vice-presidential running-mate. Shield him
from public scrutiny and debates to hide his weaknesses and
absent-mindedness. Gloss over his objectionable past and
pedigree. Mount an aggressive image-laundering social media
campaign.
So doing, before the PDP and the public would be up to your
game, the election would be over. Nigerians would wake up on
February 15th to discover to our cost that we had been
hoodwinked into handing over power to Buhari and the Tinubu
cabal.

The APC mechanism for perfecting this plan entailed bullying
the PDP into defeat. In the North, PDP supporters were
threatened and harassed. Some quickly packed their bag and
baggage and left town. Even Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy was
stoned by APC “democrats.” In Gombe, a suicide bomber paid a
courtesy call on the president’s campaign rally.
But the killer-punch was to be the disenfranchisement of
literally millions of PDP voters. With the complicity of Jega’s
INEC, APC strongholds were supplied with PVCs: while PDP
strongholds were denied them. Ghost-voters came out of the
woodwork by their hundreds of thousands in unlikely places
like the war-torn North-east to collect their PVCs. However, in
peaceful higher-population places like Lagos and Kano, non-
indigenes were denied their PVCs, suspected of being likely
PDP supporters.

It is telling that, in all the ensuing brouhaha over 23 million
people not yet receiving their PVCs seven days to D-Day, APC
remained resolute that the election should go ahead
nevertheless. This indicates that it knew the missing PVCs
belonged disproportionately to PDP supporters.
The denouement
However, the entire strategy of the APC met its Waterloo with
the postponement of the election. With the postponement, the
Buhari election-train came to a screeching halt. Some have
argued that the postponement was a military coup by Jonathan
and the PDP. However, a more truthful assessment is that the
postponement scuttled the APC plan to win the election by
subterfuge.

APC blundered because it refused to entertain the possibility
that the election could actually be postponed. As a result, it
did not plan for that eventuality. In this gaffe, it was carried
away by its own hyperbole. APC big-guns shouted themselves
hoarse warning all and sundry that the election must not be
postponed, or else. Worse still, they believed their own
rhetoric.
APC is used to making threatening noises. It is all stuff and
bluster. If it loses, the dogs and the baboons would be soaked
in blood. If it loses it would form a parallel government. If the
election is postponed, Nigerians would not stand for it.
Therefore, it expended all its political and financial capital on a
14th February election. When it finally dawned on it that the
election might be postponed, Buhari made an unusual visit to
the Council of State to mount a pathetic eleventh-hour
resistance.
But alas, the APC was completely outplayed. INEC succumbed
to the inevitable and the election was postponed, and for six
weeks no less. As a result, the APC stampede came to an end.

The orchestrated Buhari momentum came to a screeching halt.
Since then, APC pundits have been in shock; scratching their
heads because, in all their impetuosity, they had no Plan B.
The APC was banking on the element of surprise. That is now
gone with the postponement. It was hoping to win the election
by disenfranchising PDP voters. That is no longer possible. It is
now confronted with fighting an election it always knew it
cannot win because it does not have the appropriate structure
on the ground at the grassroots level.

PDP fight back

Sixteen years in power had made the PDP over-confident. It
seemed to have been caught unawares by the scripted APC
nomination of Buhari and the gimmickry of choosing a
Redeemed pastor as his running-mate. As a result, an election
that should have been a cake-walk for it suddenly turned into
a tight race. Part of this was self-inflicted. PDP had a bad set
of primaries; creating considerable dissension within its ranks.
Moreover, the PDP was bested in the public relations
department; allowing the APC to define the narrative of the
election on social media.

Had the election gone on as scheduled on 14th February, it
would have been close but Jonathan would still have won. But
with six weeks delay, the election will not even be close. Even
though it was ebbing discernibly, APC had momentum for the
14th February election. By 28th March, that momentum would
have dissipated and disappeared. Even now, the momentum is
no longer there. Buhari is in London on a dubious visit. APC has
run out of breath.

Make no mistake about it; the six week postponement of the
election has effectively crippled the APC. It is no wonder then
that the party has been grumbling non-stop. In the meantime,
PDP has been able to get a full measure of the APC. Putting all
its eggs in the 14th February date, which it insisted cannot and
must not be changed; the APC played all its cards. It put all its
eggs in one basket. However, PDP held some in reserve,
banking on the postponement of the election.

APC’s confusion

What happens now? APC is confused. It is stretched for funds.
It has lost its mojo, scrambling in panic mode to raise
additional 50 billion naira from donors. Speaking to APC
stakeholders at the party secretariat in Lagos, Bola Tinubu
said: “We have to re-strategise; all of you should go back to
your various constituencies starting from tomorrow.” This is a
belated acknowledgment that the party now likely to win the
election is the one best able to mount an aggressive and
effective nationwide grassroots campaign.

In that department, the APC is clearly second-best. The party
best positioned to mount an effective ground-game and
mobilize votes at the grassroots level is the PDP. It has been
around for 16 years. PDP local government councilors account
for nearly 70 per cent of all councilors in Nigeria, comprising
6,521 members, making it a truly grassroots-based political
party. The APC, on the other hand, does not have the
nationwide political structure to win the coming election. To
date, it is a newspaper and television political party. It has yet
to build a formidable grassroots support. It is a JJC party, a
little over a year old.
With all the noise about Buhari, it should not be forgotten that
the man chronically lacks skills at building political party
structures. In the APC presidential primaries, Northern
delegates did not even vote for him; preferring instead
Kwankwaso and Atiku. He was elected primarily on the
strength of ACN votes. PDP strength on the ground
everywhere in Nigeria explains why Jonathan was able to win
37% of the vote even in Buhari’s home-state of Katsina in the
2011 election.

While APC was busy stoking up the press to create its air of
inevitable victory, PDP was busy mobilizing its local
government councilors. Its Presidential Campaign Organisation
brought all its elected and appointed councilors from all over
Nigeria to Abuja to mobilize them to secure victory for the
party at the grassroots level. In what was captioned
“Operation Deliver Your Ward,” Professor Jerry Gana re-
fashioned them as political foot-soldiers and grassroots
mobilisers for the PDP, split into six groups according to their
geopolitical zones.

Resurgent PDP

Since the postponement, Jonathan is no longer the issue. It is
once again Buhari; the coup-plotting former dictator and
alleged ethnic and religious jingoist. Thanks to the
postponement, Nigerians can no longer be panicked into voting
for Buhari. We now have enough time to appreciate that he is
old, and completely bereft of ideas as to what to do when in
power. It is not enough to shout “change, change.” The
question is: change to what? To this question, Buhari provides
a deafening silence.

In the meantime, the true message of Jonathan’s considerable
achievements in office is now resonating. With the
commissioning of new power-plants, we are now generating
5,500 megawatts of electricity: a new Nigerian record. We now
know from PricewaterhouseCoopers that the allegation that
$20 billion is missing from NNPC accounts is one big fat APC
lie. The army is now fully-equipped for battle. For the first time
in a long time, the Nigerian air force has come into the fray.

The Boko Haram is being bombed to smithereens up North.
There is even talk of capturing Abubakar Shekau alive.
Within the next six weeks, all that is left is for the PDP to put
its house in order and APC will be toast. Since Buhari has
whipped up himself and his supporters into an unrealistic
psychological frenzy in this election cycle, it is certain he will
end up at the tribunal, when it finally dawns on him that, in
spite of all the bluster, he has lost again. The fate awaiting
Buhari brings to mind that of Mitt Romney who was so
deceived into believing he would be elected America’s next
president in 2012, he had only a victory speech on election
night when he was roundly defeated.

When the history of the 2015 presidential election is finally
written, it will be recalled that the postponement of the
election for six weeks was the final nail in the coffin of the

By Femi Aribisala.

Nigerians decides - Why Jonathan wins

I’m just as mad as the next man about the failings of the
Jonathan administration. Many a Nigerian has wondered how
he hired some of those people who work for him and why they
serve him so poorly and, worse, why no one does anything
about it when they fail him.

The job of the President carries strict liability. He must accept
responsibility for all happenings. When bad things happen, we
know it is because of the reign of a bad king, the President.
Rarely do good things occur, or they happen so grudgingly,
they are so few and far between.
In an era of ‘Ghana must go’ wallets, there is so much envy of
the rich. You can feel it. And the trouble with the Nigerian rich
is that they are mostly men and women who made hay while
the sun shone, which makes the envy worse. And all this envy
is taken out on the one man who is the symbol of everything,
good or bad, the President.

People sometimes look at me reproachfully when I publicly con­
fess that I am a fan of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the
Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance.
I quickly try to explain that she is one person among the high
and the mighty who speaks naturally and frequently about
income inequality in Nigeria, and the dangers of widening the
gap between the rich and the poor.

A fortnight ago she was speaking about how corruption
subsists and will fester because Nigeria does not yet have
adequate tools to fight it. H ow I wished t he A ll Progressive
Congress (APC) had drafted her or someone like her for
President. This campaign would have been a truly ‘change’ cam­
paign, a “change you can believe in” as Mr. Barack Obama pro­
claimed in 2008. But I digress.

The Jonathan administration can be infuriating sometimes. Its
first action which truly rattled me was the seizure of
newspapers and the prevention of the circulation of the papers
in several cities by military personnel. It went on for a few
days and, mercifully, stopped.

The military people said they were searching for terrorists’
bombs in the newspaper vans. The Presidency people said they
have nothing to say about it because it was a “security issue.”

For a newspaper man who experienced government
suppression of the Press first hand and in all its forms in the
triple tyrannies of Buhari, Babangida and Abacha I was about
to exclaim “there we go again.”

Now, an ‘O’ level student of Government doesn’t need to think
twice to know that what the military was doing was brazenly
unconstitutional. So, where was President Jonathan’s domestic
policy adviser, or his State House Counsel or, for that matter,
the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to order the
soldiers to “cease and desist” on the very first day.

I had hoped the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria
NPAN) would send a hefty bill to the Aso Villa for those
violations with an ultimatum, hoping the government would
ignore it so the NPAN can go to court to ask for declarations
and punitive damages for violations of Press freedom. I imagine
it all ended in a friendly ‘ol boy’ phone call to forgive and
forget. This kind of violation would be inconceivable in the
United States where respect for the Constitution is the
beginning of governmental wisdom.

Then there was the $9.3 million cash in the suitcase in the
plane from Abuja seized in South Africa. Had the South African
Customs not found and seized the cash what evidence was
there that the money wouldn’t have disappeared? The Ministry
of Finance didn’t know about the money, neither did Defense,
nor Foreign Affairs nor Department of State Security. Using
the office of the National Security Adviser to buy arms is a
double edged sword.
Trundling cash around the continent is not just illegal but
smelly. Whoever was responsible for that transaction made the
Jonathan administration look queer, inept if not corrupt. The
Igbos have a saying that if you are not a thief, never step on
the footprints left by a thief.

The phantom ceasefire with Boko Haram was the saddest of all
Jonathan Administration’s bunglings.It made many Nigerians
miserable. It was inexcusable. It marked the lowest point. The
Federal Republic of Nigeria, a victim of 419? Tell it not in Jos.
Publish it not in the streets of Ado Ekiti.

The above are the few that stick out with me above others.
Each is scandalous. None can happen in the United State where
there are layers of checks and balances to preclude their
happening. But if any of that happened, there would be hell to
pay.

The virtue of Jonathan is not that he is perfect. It is that he
knows that he is imperfect. So, he is bound to work harder,
read more, study issues more and be better informed. Because
he got there by fortunate occurrences, he wouldn’t have ar­
rived with a g rand vision. So, he would be open to whatever
works. Because he is an intellectual, he won’t be averse to
theories about anything. He wouldn’t have inferiority or Mr.

Know-All complex, or the Obasanjo complex also known as the
Messiah complex. He is not afraid of talented, accomplished
women as everyone can see.

He is a builder – 12 universities, 120 Al-Majiri schools. He plans
to build speed trains after reviving the snail trains and added
some standard gauge lines. How many power plants has he
built? Dozens. But certainly with the huge Gembu hydro under
construction, four coal plants being planned, and all the
integrated Independent Power Plants built and ready to go,
Goodluck Jonathan finally slew the power dragon, the
nightmare that had defied all administrations before his. Two
outstanding problems remain – gas and transmission. When
those are tied up Nigeria’s power problems would be history.

Jonathan’s body language is not that of a greedy, corrupt man.
Corruption in Nigeria is structural and, pessimists say,
Sisyphean. To make a dent on it, a sovereign national
conference needs to be convened. Nibbling at the edges is still
okay which is what the EFCC and ICPC do. The ICT tools like
IPPIS, electronic wallet to enable farmers access fertilizer
directly are all great. But as Chief Philip Asiodu, the ‘super
permanent secretary’ and statesman said a few weeks ago,
when a Nigerian senator earns four times the pay of an
American President, a clear case of unjust enrichment, how is a
president going to start a fight which would end with his
impeachment? Unjust enrichment is the beginning of all
corruption. Why has Gen. Buhari been quiet about the pay of
the National Assembly?

That Jonathan is a patient man is fairly obvious. He is
deliberative. He doesn’t rush to judgment. He doesn’t force the
process. He sometimes exhibits strength of character. He
defied the doubting Thomases and convened the National
Conference, one of the most momentous events of Nigerian his­
tory, in which thorny national issues were discussed candidly
in an atmosphere of freedom.

But above all, Jonathan wins because he has a democratic
temperament, a genial, non-threatening personality and a
sportsman-like spirit which made APC possible and created an
atmosphere of freedom and liberty unprecedented in Nigerian
history. He could have destroyed APC and squashed the party
if he were a typical Nigerian politician. But he is of a different
make-up.

The Action Group in the 60’s and the Peoples Redemption
Party in the 80’s were victims of political malevolence and ill
will. The APC would not have survived an Obasanjo regime,
much less threaten it. Jonathan guarantees democracy, his
opponent imperils it.

By Lewis Obi