APC: A BUNCH OF CONVERTED DEMOCRATS - ONYEKABA CHIOMA R.

Nigerians kept quiet when Buhari ruled them with disgust and hatred especially the South East. They played along with his game and yet made sure that after that tenure that he never saw the throne again as the President of Nigeria until 2011 when he was even forced to shed tears publicly. For me, these acts were mere punishments for all he did to innocent people during his regime. I thought that by now Buhari would have simply retired to avoid another shameless event but I see he enjoys being ridiculed because his egocentric nature will never let him think twice.

Unfortunately for the APC, Nigerians are fully aware of the stuff Buhari is truly made of and so are now laying his wickedness out in plain sight. Come rain, come shine, a General tilling the soil on the surface will forever remain better than the General underground making manure for peasants. DR. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN AND GEN. MOHAMMADU BUHARI are totally incomparable.

 Buhari wishes to rule Nigerians yet he runs to London claiming he was there to gain Relative Peace and not medical care. It wouldn’t have bothered me if he had actually gone there for something else asides relative peace. Come to think of it, please tell me, what type of relative peace does a man struggling to rule over a developing Country run off to seek in a foreign nation at this crucial moment? Is he trying to teach Nigerians to run to other Country’s in search of relaxation and peace when he should be trying to teach us to love our country and fight for its betterment? Is he encouraging Nigerians to run off to foreign countries at every given time instead of helping us stabilize ours? Is Buhari really healthy and yet unable to talk for more than 5minutes?

APC at this crucial point is also facing series of troubling issues which is why they are almost becoming quiet. They are forcing themselves so hard to fit into this democratic society which they certainly are not used to and that is why they are doing all that is in their power to prove that they are patriotic.

Well, I will keep my fingers crossed and await the next move from this bunch of converted democrats! I wish you luck in 2019 because you certainly missed 2015. Maybe by then you will get a new name and party slogan better than change.

UK THINK-TANK LINK APC WITH BOKO HARAM, WARNS USA - JACOB ZEN

– A conservative think-tank based in the United Kingdom has published a potentially explosive report in which it says that Nigerian opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has members linked with Boko Haram operations in the Nigeria.

Bow Group presents a report titled ‘Exposing and Defeating Boko Haram’ and published on its website. The brain-trust asserts, “An early investigation into the backers of Boko Haram and their links to the APC, followed by potential sanctions designed to prevent Nigeria becoming a future safe-haven for terrorists, and threat to UK citizens at home and abroad, therefore seems an appropriate and important strategy to prevent future terrorist threats before they take hold.”

The report which is authored by Jacob Zen, a research analyst who has written extensively about Boko Haram and Northern Nigeria, also warns the United States of America on meddling in the politics of Nigeria. “The US is playing a dangerous game,” it says.

“There are concerns in the international community and Nigeria that the U.S. Democratic Party or its advisers may be associating themselves with northern Nigerian politicians, despite reported links to Boko Haram.

“Any political pact between US officials and the APC carries risks – the US must adopt a neutral approach to the Nigerian elections and political landscape,” the report says.

The group also calls for the immediate commission of an international investigation that can bring sanctions against political and business leaders in Nigeria and abroad who are financing Boko Haram.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES - ONYEKABA CHIOMA

Africa has been my life and the Success of Nigeria has been my priority which is one of the reasons why I try hard to lead my fellow youths by good examples. But I still can’t help but wonder why our past leaders are finding it hard to follow these footsteps.

 Most times, we end up finding it extremely hard to explain a complex and multi-layered continent to those who wish to probe beyond the headlines and the reason I believe is because we have been thought to always look at the physical and never beyond it.

There is absolutely more to this new Nigeria that is about to emerge than that which meets the eyes. It is better we all begin to pray for our country more immensely than we ever did rather than remain on-lookers because we cannot continue to feed on news of wars and disasters any longer. Even though at this point it looks like not all Nigerians are fighting or been abducted since the terrorists have chosen the North East as their ancestral base; yet it doesn’t mean that we all are not part of those suffering in fear of the unknown. Many are facing psychological illnesses all because of the dent terrorism has left on us while many are gladly sponsoring and enjoying the pain of those who suffer. What a world?!

A certain party suddenly woke up from their slumber and began to sing the song of change- a change they know nothing about, a change they cannot even implement as they seem to be clearly finding it difficult to change the reality (BOKO HARAM). They busy themselves trying to change the image(Our President)  and not the nation.

Earlier on, Atiku, a member of this aggrieved party, APC, told Nigerians that ‘If positive change becomes unacceptable then violent change becomes inevitable’. And true to his words, their violently trained supporters who seemed to have been awaiting this pronouncement began to destroy things and hurt PDP supporters. They even took to the streets; burning buses and pulling down posters of the ruling party members.

 Are you still looking at headlines only? This party who claim they will flush out terror should by now have been able to do so to enable us vote them into power but ‘’NO’’ they won’t! They are waiting to be crowned before they perform the act of stopping this terrorist group that they master-minded from the onset. To crown it all, they are finding it very difficult applauding the President and the Military on the good job done so far because they are simply taken aback by their achievements so far, given the simple fact that the issue of insecurity and corruption which has been their major topics of ridicule against Mr. President so far, happens to be coming to an end. As such they are very frustrated at this moment because once PDP wins this war then their story becomes history.

I even noticed that some of their members are beginning to have a rethink. Anyway, how can one be happy when he/she is been related to a party known for its numerous failures and violent acts? Come to think of it, how can Buhari, who claims to be the wisest of all yet without a certificate, refuse to accept common failure? Doesn’t this show you clearly that this man is out for trouble? This is one reason why I love Mr. President. When asked what he will do if he looses the election, he simply said he would gladly step down. But for Buhari, he insists he will win. This means something is giving them courage and confidence .But let me remind the APC that ‘Pride cometh before a fall’. Over-confident people always fail even the simplest mathematics in a course they are upheld to be the best in. A real and true leader does not and should not totally rule out failure because no one is perfect. He should rather make room for alternative measures to be taken should things work against him and favor his opponent. That is what makes a leader!

Nigerians are tired of hearing the APC saying things they will do if elected into power. If you truly love Nigerians and you know what to do to stop this terrorists, you would have done so. The truth is you know nothing about securing lives because you derive joy in taken them. No more talks, we want action. Start doing it, Stop saying it. Nigerians are wiser now!

 

 

THE MAN FEMI FANI KAYODE

A lot of people are wondering and even asking who this man, FEMI FANI KAYODE, populary called FFK truly is? In fact, a friend once said to me ‘Rose, I can’t help but wonder. What manner of man made FFK? He is just too brilliant and ever-ready for the APC to handle. But come oh, why did that man abandon APC self. What example is he even teaching Nigerians…?’’.

 After listening to these statements from her, I just laughed and said, ‘’The same God that created all men, created him but you see, FFK is a man of wisdom and conscience.  Having  tested the two major  parties he has ended up leading the people of Nigeria by example. You may ask me how? But I will tell you. He saw evil in APC and ran away from them because, like he always states; he tries to always please God and his conscience unlike many politicians. He made the best choice (PDP) and rather than criticize him I think Nigerians should learn from him. It is better to learn from other people’s experience than to learn by personal experience which is the hardest teacher’’.

While Nigerians look at the surface most times, I tend to look beyond the physical. You see, my dear friend, while I was watching FFK on Channels TV on Sunday with Chamberlain, I was extremely impressed. I was not just impressed with the fact that he was bold enough to challenge whoever dared to challenge him and PDP but mostly because he was able to teach Nigerians the true value of friendship. 

FFK is a true friend, who never forgets his little beginnings. Didn’t you notice that even when everyone criticized OBASANJO, FFK and DR GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN still maintained that he(Obasanjo) would always remain their GODFATHER? How would people ever learn from that? All they care about is what is said not the lesson it teaches.

FFK has thought Nigerians the true meaning of FRIENDSHIP and LOYALTY. We all should emulate him. He and the President has shown us the true Value of RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTY MEMBERS.

MY PEOPLE, despite your friend’s shortcomings learn to stand by them always. PDP LEADS BY EXAMPLE! VOTE WISELY!

NO CORRUPTION IN THE CIVIL SOCIETY UNIT OF THE PDP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN - ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

On the 24th of February, 2015, it was rumored that Prof. Nick Ezeh, The Director Civil Society Groups PDP Presidential Organization, who has been diligently carrying out his responsibility of mobilizing support groups for the President, has been involved in some sort of fabricated corruption scandal by the APC.

According to the group of hoodlums and traitors being mentored and sponsored by the All Problematic Candidates (APC), they have accused this gentle man of cornering the Kick-off Funds received from the Presidency for the campaign, abandoning his office, insulting committee members and Coordinators of Support Groups, Paying them stipends of 3,000 naira, Buying a new Bullet Proof Prado SUV, Sending some vehicles released for the Campaign to his Village and Claiming that the President now has to reach out to the Support Groups himself while the Director rests in his bedroom.

How ridiculous people can be. They even had to pose as aggrieved Support Group members of the PDP, just to make the story very interesting and to Paralyze the Operations of the Jonathan Campaign Organization. Well, this is a failed mission for the APC as they have rather shown us with this act of fear, trial and error, that they are desperate power seekers scared of loosing.

Ever since their attacks on Mr. President yielded no fruitful result, they have been trying in so many ways to paint the ruling party black.It is indeed pathetic to hear that this type of accusations could come from the APC. They even had to draft a false, unsigned letter without a common letter-headed paper, to that effect. This is totally a sign of sheer jealousy for the massive turn outs of supporters and the great number of support Groups clamoring for the President's re-election voluntarily.

How can a man who was said to have left his office to run his job from his bedroom be able to organize the whole support groups that showed up at the PDP rallies? The vehicles they are even talking about were vehicles sent down to Enugu for the PDP rally at Enugu. The APC must be funny oh! Why didn't they also mention that vehicles were deployed to other parts of the country where the campaigns were held? My people, did any of you see the President come out himself to organize support Groups??? Haba! I believe the APC now knows that they are never getting close to the throne of Power which is why they are leasing out attacks on pivotal body's of the PDP Campaign Organization.

As a matter of fact, it is already too late to try. PDP Campaign Organization has no issues amongst themselves and if at all there be any, they are peaceful people and they know how to handle their family issues. We do not need busy bodies, who threaten people and apply Sharia Law Tactics to achieve their goals, to advice us or even manipulate people against us. The APC should rather face their numerous problems than try to solve that of others.

I for one, run an NGO that supports the President and as part of that 7,000 Support Groups, I say PROF. NICK EZEH is doing his job very well and has never insulted anybody or even mentioned being a close pal of the President to anybody. He is a very quiet but hardworking man who has the good of the people of Nigeria at heart. Furthermore, he talks less and would never boast about his personality. As a witness to his numerous good works, I hereby state that  ''every corruption scandal against him and PDP stands null and void''.

The singular fact that the spokesperson for the Campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, did not answer or return calls seeking his comments for their story, should tell Nigerians that this story against the Director Civil Society Group is fake and full of lies.

PDP REMAINS UNITED WHETHER OR NOT THE APC LIKES IT! VOTE WISELY NIGERIANS!!!!

FG APPROVES 9 NEW UNIVERSITIES

The Federal Executive Council at its usual Wednesday meetings approved the issuance of operating licenses to nine new private universities in Nigeria.

The meeting was chaired by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

Once the operating licenses are issued, there will be 60 private universities in Nigeria.

The Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, addressing journalists after the council meeting listed the new private universities as Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, Ogun State; Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun State; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Orode, Delta State; Mountain Top University, Ogun State, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State and Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.

Speaking on the exorbitant tuition fees of private universities, the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, said it is not the responsibility of the federal government to regulate fees charged since private universities are run like other private organisations.

He said the Federal Government would only ensure that the standard of education in private schools are of minimum standards.

“As far as government is concerned, all Federal Government universities are tuition-free. Whatever the universities are charging are so minimal for some day-to-day activities: games fees, union fees and some other fees.

“Of recent, I had cause to ask the NUC to regulate a kind of minimum (fee) because there is a university that charged as low as N20,000, N15,000. Some charge N30,000 to N80,000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees. But basically, no university owned by government is charging tuition fee.

“But the private universities are like any other private institutions. All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained.

“We are to ensure that they are operating within the minimum required standard, and that is the responsibility of the NUC in terms of their facilities, staffing and so on,” said Mr. Shekarau

'SAINT' BUHARI AND THE NEED FOR JUDICIAL REVIVAL - ONyekaba Chioma

 It is indeed alarming and heart-breaking to deduce that in a civilized and developing Country like Nigeria, some people who believe that they own the estate called Nigeria do not actually practice what they preach even as the worrisome part  is that, the Nigerian Judicial system, whose job is to interpret by calling on Nigerians who derail from the path of justice, seem to have closed their eyes as though it does not affect them. Whether we like it or not, it has been often said and believed that the Judiciary is the hope of the common man. But my dear people, is it so in practice? The Judiciary as the second arm of government has enormous but fundamental roles to play if it wants to contribute its quota in redefining our democratic tenets as a country.

With the recent 'hide and seek' games played by the All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential flag bearer, General Muhammad Buhari owing to his academic  certificate which is one of his major requirements for qualification as an aspirant for the country's number one plum job clearly indicates that indeed the Nigerian law is strictly for some people while some few are confidently above the Law and stands tall amongst law breakers in the land. So does it mean that the judiciary is trying to tell Nigerians that some people are just clearly above the law and therefore stand uncorrectable?

With this development, the 'saintly branded General' and his refusal to display or rather attach his original School Leaving Certificate to his nomination form, has simply told Nigerians the real stuff he is made of. What then is BUHARI teaching  the Nigerian youths who are observing with uncommon passion? What sort of mentor is he?

Even after the Abuja Peace Accord where major political gladiators signed for the promotion of peace in this unique election time of our history, well meaning Nigerians also witnessed with dismay, pockets of violence in some parts of the country resulting in the unwanton killings of innocent Nigerians  and destruction of lives and properties. 

Let me clearly state that the callous burning of PDP branded campaign Vehicles in Jos; master-minding the attack on the President’s Convoy in Katsina, Bauchi and other northern states; alleged attempt by the opposition to hack the electoral body's data base; tearing of PDP’S Presidential Candidates Posters is one of too many atrocities committed after the said peace pact. Yet BUHARI and APC stands above the law. Why can't this problematic candidates be brought to book?

It is also pertinent however, to emphasize that the APC as an opposition party threw caution to the wind when they made jest of the security of Nigerians rather than help provide solutions to see to the end of insurgency. What manner of man will say he will provide Nigerians security only when he is put into power? Only comic characters I guess. You have to start acting before people can recognize your good deeds and deem you fit for the position you seek not otherwise.

In this time of unwarranted terror against Nigeria, the opposition is still in heavy support of the decree of the court concerning the deployment of the military during election. Doesn't this clearly show what kind of people they are? Is it that they have consciously failed to understand that the absence of soldiers to protect citizens during and after elections would have given insurgents a field day to carry out their dastardly and cowardice acts? No I think that they are the master minders of this particular terrorist group and so they do not care about what happens to Nigerians on the day of elections. They are just scared of been wiped out by the military and so donot want evidences to arise.

Painfully, the Sharia law was recently visited on an undisclosed PDP Supporter in Kaduna when his hand was wickedly amputated, yet the APC believed it has won the elections even before it is been conduct. As if it is not enough, they still threaten Nigerians claiming that if they don't win, 'heavens will let loose'

In sane societies like the one we live in today, Buhari is certainly not supposed to run for this Presidential election considering the fact that he has broken so many rules and is still willing to break more. 

Despite the signing of the Peace Accord, APC has since then broken all the rules applicable to the signing of the peace accord and yet they move around freely holding their shoulders high as though they have won a lottery.

 

Without mincing words, The APC clearly sees this battle as a do or die affair which ought not to be. On this grounds, I therefore, urge the Judiciary to keenly observe developments in the polity and act accordingly when the time comes. 

The judiciary is expected to rekindle the confidence reposed in them by the common and great people Nigeria and give us justice, fairness and equity. May God Bless Nigeria.

 

BUHARI’S CERTIFICATE SAGA: JUDICIARY OWE NIGERIANS JUSTICE – ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

 It is indeed alarming and heart-breaking to note that in a civilized Country like Nigeria, people do not practice what they preach. The worrisome part of it is that, the Judiciary, whose job is to call every Nigerian to order whenever they seem to be going astray, seems not exist to actually right these wrongs anymore as they leave Nigerians with a lot of doubts about their credibility.

How can we boldly say that ‘Nobody is above the Law’ when today some people are just clearly above the law and therefore stand uncorrectable? These people who pose themselves around as All Problematic Candidates (APC) have so far shown Nigerians clearly what stuff they are truly made of by  few of these acts:

-Burning of PDP branded Vehicles

-Master-minding the attack on the President’s Convoy

- Penetrating INEC’S Database by Hacking

- Tearing of PDP’S Presidential Candidates Posters

- Supporting the non-deployment of Soldiers for Elections (Because they aren’t happy about the single fact that the war against Boko Haram is becoming successful. They are also clearly planning to rig elections).

-Implementing the Sharia Law on PDP Supporters (eg. Cutting off the hand of a PDP supporter in Kaduna)

-Refusing to present his (Buhari) Certificate at the appropriate time and even up till date after releasing a fake one to Nigerians.

These and lots more are what have come to play out in this upcoming election just because APC Candidates believe in winning elections before it is conducted, which is one of the reasons why they and their supporters constitute public nuisance by saying that if they do not win heaven will let loose.

Buhari is certainly not supposed to run this Presidential election considering the fact that he has broken so many rules and is still willing to break more. Despite the signing of the Peace Accord, APC has since then broken all the rules applicable to the signing of the peace accord and yet they move around freely holding their shoulders high as though they have won a lottery.

The APC clearly sees this battle as a do or die affair which is not supposed to be. I therefore, urge the Judiciary to do what is right on the 19^TH OF MARCH, 2015 and damn the consequences.

Rekindle the confidence of Nigerians in you and give us Justice.

DOES NIGERIA TRULY NEED CHANGE OR CONTINUITY? – ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

 

What is the real problem with Nigeria? Is it Culture, Religion, or Total IGNORANCE of what the right policies are? Well, I think it’s simply knowing what to do and not knowing how to go about it. Otherwise how can you explain what Nigeria has turned out to be while conducting its 2015 election?

Nigerians really need to be educated on the true meaning of the current so-called change that a few of them seek. By now people should know that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success or lack of it and not Supernatural beings.

In just less than Six years, Nigeria has become the Largest Economy in Africa and yet the fastest growing economy till date, yet the people of Nigeria have refused to see the truth for what it is. No Spirit made it possible; rather man did by the help of wisdom and God. Simply put, it was made possible because Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan knew what to do and How to do it in order to give Nigerians the desired results.

I have sat down to wonder what the so-called Change the APC preach will do to this growing economy and how they intend to even start their Change plans and till date I have received no reasonable answer on that.

How can a Political Party filled with hard-core Criminals, traitors, Violence, desperate people with bad temperaments and all forms of Corruption, face the people they humiliate every day and say that they stand for ‘PEACE’? I bet they think Nigerians are new born babies.

No one can claim to be a true Christian if he does not wish his brother whatever good he wishes himself. So it’s not about going to collect Chieftaincy title and abandoning the mosque for the church. A leopard can never change the color of its skin so Nigerians had better woken up to reality.

 ‘’I WILL TRY AND I WILL DO’ ARE NOT THE SAME OH! A CIVILIAN IS ALWAYS A nCIVILIAN. GIVE NO ROOM FOR INTERIM GOVERNMENT IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY WE’VE SPENT SO MUCH TIME BUILDING. VOTE WISELY!’’

 

 

THE ONLY MAN THE CAP FITS - ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

NO TO INTERIM GOVERNMENT SAYS JONATHAN - ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that everything will remain stable after the general elections and that Nigerians should desist from the call for Interim Government, which he strongly insisted to be unconstitutional and treasonable.

 

'The UN will not accept it, ECOWAS will not accept it, AU will not accept it...INTERIM GOVERNMENT is treasonable. Above all, the elections will still hold as scheduled by INEC" Says the President.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN: THE BEACON OF HOPE FOR A NEW NIGERIA

Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with character, temperament and intelligence. Like firemen, cops, doctors or soldiers, most presidents perform best under pressure and crisis situations. However, most often than not, calculated effort at overcoming such challenges are usually taken for granted, and therefore, not appreciated by all.Goodluck Jonathan in the history of Nigeria is the first President, PHD holder and of course, the second fully fit university graduate to preside over the affairs of Africa’s most populous nation. His personal character and intellectual capabilities is also solid gold. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took the oath of office on 29th May, 2011 amidst thunderous expectations of a new dawn, given the mountain of problems that characterized the nation.

NSE plans initiatives to maintain Africa’s investment destination

 

The Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, has expressed it readiness to introduce initiatives that will help position it as attractive listing and investment destination in Africa.

Unlike the Stock market, Forex trading is Online

This, according to the NSE Chief Executive, Mr. Oscar Onyema, is in keeping with its unwavering commitment to solidify its leadership position as Africa’s foremost securities exchange.
Addressing journalists in a press conference, Onyema said the Exchange will focus on delivering several initiatives in support of its revised strategy within the year.
He listed some of the initiatives to include promotion of Nigerian capital market as an African hub for growth companies, attracting more domestic flows into the market; implementation of a more competitive price structure in conjunction with the regulator and other market participants; and intensifying its efforts towards developing a more sustainable market.
Speaking on the bearish trend that prevailed in the market in 2014, the NSE boss said: “The Nigerian capital market and the business of the stock exchange will always be impacted by shiÀÛLÝing economic trends and investor demands, however, achieving success through growth that creates value will increase the bourse’s ability to operate efficiently and profitably in the transient-advantage economy that has unfolded in Nigeria and around the world.
“The effect of disruptive short-term market cycles can be reduced with the right market structure, a diverse set of products that perform well in different market conditions, and enabling policy that provides stability to the marketplace, and gives confidence to issuers and investors. Therefore, this will be the focus of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2015.”

I UNDERESTIMATED BOKO HARAM-GOODLUCK JONATHAN

President Goodluck Jonathan said he underestimated Boko Haram Islamists who have overrun swathes of the country’s northeast and defended an election postponement in an interview published Sunday.

President Jonathan

Jonathan, facing a tight re-election bid against ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has faced criticism over the vote delay, which critics argue was designed to give him time to shore up his campaign.
The military pushed for the six-week delay eventually granted by the electoral commission to allow it to secure the country for the vote, though Boko Haram’s insurgency has raged for six years.
Presidential and parliamentary elections are now set for March 28.
“Probably at the beginning, we, and I mean myself and the team, we underrated the capacity of Boko Haram,” Jonathan said in an interview with influential newspaper ThisDay.
He said that the military has recently acquired more arms and ammunition to do battle with the Islamists, vowing that their suppression and the capture of the group’s leader were near.
“God willing, we will catch (Abubakar) Shekau before the elections,” he said.
Asked why six more weeks would make a difference in the years-long conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people, Jonathan said the military could make reasonable progress in that time.
“We are not saying we must finish Boko Haram to conduct elections, but we should get to a point where they will not cause havoc if they make an attempt,” he said in the interview.
“My belief is that by 28th of next month, when the elections will be conducted, Boko Haram may not even be in a position to attack any town, God willing.”
Nigeria‘s military authorities on Saturday claimed to have recaptured the fishing town of Baga from the Islamists, more than a month after it was overrun in what is feared to be the worst massacre of the six-year insurgency.
There was no independent corroboration of the claim, as thousands of Baga residents had fled the town after Boko Haram attacked on January 3 and hundreds, if not more, were killed in the following days.
Over one million people have been left homeless since 2009 as the rebels try to carve out an Islamic state in northeasternNigeria.
The Islamists have recently extended their violent campaign into nations neighbouring Nigeria‘s northeast as regional forces pursue them.

OBJ:THE POLITHIEFTIAN

I heard the BIGGEST "playing-to-the-gallery" news of my life.

...that an Ota grand father who from prison to
Presidency, and had the chance of fixing this
great country for a whole 8 years tore his
membership card to a certain political party;

And I ask these questions;

If OBJ is such a nice man he's making
us believe now.. who has suddenly made
the interest of Nigeria his priority...


- Why didn't he tear the membership
card when he was enjoying Nigeria's
loot for 8 whole years?


- Why didn't he tear his ownership
documents for multi million naira
projects financed from the nation's
treasury - Bells University, Olusegun
Obasanjo Presidential Library, Obasanjo's
farm etc?


And above all for you that still take
these poliTHIEFian serious... I pity you oh.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO RUBBISH-NPP

Good riddance as Obasanjo dumps PDP, says group

The Nigeria posterity project (NPP) describes the exit of the former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) as good riddance to bad rubbish.
For a man who ran the PDP as his personal estate during his tenure as
president, a man who brooked no opposition and was intolerant of
opposing views, his unquenchable desire to control the apparatus of
the PDP even after he had left office is legendary.
Chief Obasanjo has by his self-conceited nature displayed his lack of
decorum by publicly tearing his PDP membership card; an act we
consider childish, dishonourable and portrays him as someone who
subscribes to the principle of pull him down syndrome if he doesn’t
have his way.
A man with an over-bloated ego who behaves very much like a cry baby,
he has displayed his crude antecedents through his unrelenting
scathing criticism of every administration, including that of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
Obasanjo is a man without scruples because the same people he
considered unfit for any elective office in the recent past under his
watch are the same people he is ironically working hard to install
into power.
Nigerians still remember vividly how he employed uncouth language in
responding to perceived political opponents and those opposed to his
style of leadership.
We are of the view that apart from lacking in electoral value, as he
has been known to have lost election in his own polling since 1999,
Obasanjo in our opinion has become a distraction to the present
administration.
We warn Chief Obasanjo not to choose a destructive part by undermining
the nation’s democratic journey, knowing fully well that the country
is greater than anybody or group of persons.

While we wish him good luck in his new political journey, we however,
admonish the PDP and the President Jonathan administration not to
allow Obasanjo’s departure distract their focus or dampen their morale
and commitment to the enormous task ahead in the rescheduled
presidential/National Assembly poll of March 28 and the
governorship/state Houses of Assembly elections on April 11.

FIGHTING TERRORISM

APC: CHAIRMEN OF RIGGING COMMITTEE - ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

How come a pot is calling a stove 'Black'? Wonders shall never end oh!

Already thumb-printed ballot papers for APC found in Niger State...

 Jesus Christ!!! How can this people do this and be screaming for change? What other proof does Nigerians need to clearly know that these people mean no good for us? Their Change is negative and full of blood shed. Imagine burning down Chisco Transport Buses because they saw GEJ's poster there. Why are they scared of living GEJ'S posters if not because they know that they are already failures.

 They are not yet in power and we are experiencing all these, so just imagine what their tenure would be. Anyway no need imagining it because they will never smell Aso Rock again!

God forbid that Buhari becomes the next President.........! God Forbid that APC gets as much as half of Nigerian Voters support.

REVEALED: OBASANJO AND BUHARI MORE CORRUPT THAN JONATHAN

According to Transparency International data from 1979 till date, Both General Buhari and Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure were more corrupt than President Goodluck Jonathan;s tenure.

The data also showed that GEJ period has the best corruption perception index since 1979. This is in complete contrast to what the opposition including Obasanjo, has been saying in the media about corruption during the last 5 years,
Shockingly, according to the TI data, Obasanjo’s first tenure had the worst corruption during the 35 year period.
Here is a graph showing the corruption perception index for the 35 year period

The TI corruption perception index is a rating of countries from 1 to 100 showing their corruption scale. A rating of 1 is the worst and and rating of 100 means a country is completely free of corruption. 50 is the pass mark and any country below 50 is considered a corrupt country.

FG Proposes New Laws on Agric, Road

The Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, has approved eight draft bills on agriculture, transport and roads to be sent to the National Assembly.
This is part of efforts to continue to boost the capacity of major sectors of the economy and keep Nigeria moving forward.
The Federal Executive Council discussed three major issues in its second meeting of the year today: the approval of the report of the cabinet committee on the transport sector reform draft bill; the approval of the draft for the establishment of the national agency for the great green wall; and the approval of the draft national policy on staple crops processing zones.
These major bills according to Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, constituted a major breakthrough in the efforts by the administration to continue to strengthen the various sectors of the economy.
Abati who briefed alongside the Minister of Trade and Investment, Segun Aganga, the Minister of the Environment, Laurencia Laraba Malam, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwunmi Adeshina, the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar and the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, said the draft bills are to be forwarded with immediate effect to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
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‎The transport sector bills are ‎the National Transport Commission Bill (2015); ‎National Roads Fund Bill; ‎and the Federal ‎Roads Authority Bill‎.
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The rest are Nigeria Ports and Harbour Authority Bill (2015); ‎National Inland Waterways Authority Bill (2015); and Nigeria Railway Authority Bill (2015) as well as the ‎Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill‎.
The Nigerian economy has recorded significant growth and become the largest in Africa under President Jonathan, moving the country forward.

Jonathan Addressing Barriers to MSMEs Growth

As part of efforts to enhance an inclusive economic growth, President Goodluck Jonathan is addressing the seven key identified barriers to the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
Minister of Industry, Trade Investment Olusegun Aganga spoke at a Fidelity Bank SME Forum in Lagos saying, “For the first time in the history of this country, we have a government that is taking the MSME as one of the most important sectors of this economy; we are treating this area as a sector. We have a new programme called the National Enterprise Development Programme, which aims to remove all the barriers and work on what will enable businesses to grow."

“We have raised it to the highest level; we have an MSME national council that is chaired by the vice president and has state governors, ministers and agencies. The whole idea is to accelerate the development of this sector, harmonise and have better coordination and institutionalise the support we give to the sector. For the first time in the history of the country, we now have states’ MSME council addressing those issues.

“The seven issues are access to finance, access to market, linking innovation and technology to the SMEs in the country and industrial skill development. Again for the first time, we are now addressing each one of them and making life easier for the sector. So, we have a programme and if we are allowed to continue and finish the work, in four years time, there will be a complete change. That is what we need to do to have inclusive economic growth. That is what we must do to create jobs.”
According to the minister, President Jonathan has reduced the cost of registering the SMEs by 60 per cent, a situation that has led to an increase of 52 per cent in the MSMEs moving from informal to formal sector.
President Jonathan is moving Nigeria forward

THREE WICKED AIRLINE STAFF CAUGHT IN LAGOS

In the continued bid to fight corruption and security breaches at the nation's airport results are beginning to emerge our daily security report which revealed the following:

On 15th February, 2015, at about 02:55hrs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,(MMIA), Lagos, the sustained security patrol and surveillance operations across the nation's airports, by the aviation security staff, yielded a good result that led to the apprehension of the following three(3) Arik staff namely;

i Blessing DUGBE
Ii Samuel ASUQUO and
iii Isaac AJAKAIYE

They were caught siphoning jet A1 fuel from Arik airplane, registration number 5N-MID, into six(6) jerry cans for possible sales, at cheaper price to other airlines.

A development that has capacity, to threaten safety and security of airplanes. Meanwhile, the three(3) suspects were handed over to the Crime Investigation Bureau(CIB), AVSEC MMIA for further action.

Considering the magnitude of this crime and the attendant consequences, the act is likely to portend to safety and security of Arik airplanes and other aircrafts parked at the MMIA apron, the Chief Security Officer(CSO), MMIA, Lagos, had been requested to ensure that the suspects are handed over to the airport police for adequate prosecution, to serve as a deterrent to others

IGNORE OBASANJO AND MOVE ON- BOZIMO

WARRI—FORMER Minister of Police Affairs in the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to ignore his former boss and focus on educating the electorate on the developmental strides of the Jonathan administration.

Bozimo, in Warri, Delta State, weekend, during a chat with Vanguard at his waterfront country home, said: “Obasanjo’s attacks on Jonathan don’t worry me. As you know, Obasanjo remains my boss. He is a friend and I respect him a lot. We worked well together but you know, Obasanjo the politician is not Obasanjo the friend that I know. “So, in politics you don’t have permanent friends, you only have permanent interests. It doesn’t worry me because I remain totally loyal to the Jonathan Presidency and I believe that, because President Jonathan is not a do or die president. “I believe that we should be patient. Like I said before, we will be surprised at what will happen on election day once the process is free and fair. It is not by how many bigwigs who are throwing their weights behind them. “Eventually, the Nigerian electorate must decide the outcome of this election and I would advise the President to go on patiently, reminding Nigerians and the world of his achievements. “The PDP should go into the social media. That is where the opposition seems to be making all the noise from. PDP should go to the social media and meet them word for word, project for project and I believe that the superior argument will prevail, more so when there are hard facts of Jonathan’s achievements.”

INEC COMMISIONER OYO STATE SET TO PROSECUTE FAKE VOTERS

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State,Amb. Rufus Akeju, says any voter caught with fake Permanent Voter Card (PVC) during the general elections will be prosecuted.

Akeju, who spoke to some newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday, vowed that INEC would not allow any form of rigging during the elections. “Any voter who is thinking of voting with a fake PVC during the general elections should shelve the idea now because doing so would land them in jail,’’ he said.

The presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on March 28 while those of governorship and state Houses of Assembly had been slated for April 11. The INEC boss also said mechanisms had been put in place by the commission to check rigging and ensure credible elections. “For example, it impossible for anybody to steal ballot papers in the name of rigging because there cannot be more than 750 ballot papers in any polling unit,” he said. Akeju also said that a total of 1,563,800 PVCs had been distributed by INEC in the state.

WAR IN NLC

The 11th National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress was on Thursday abruptly disrupted as aggrieved parties hijack, and smash ballot boxes being used to elect incoming leaders of the organisation, the News Agency of Nigeria is reporting.
The International Conference Centre’s venue of the conference was thrown into confusion as delegates ran for dear lives after some aggrieved contestants and their supporters suddenly became violent, hijacking and destroying ballot boxes even while voting was still underway.
The Conference, which began Tuesday, was organised to elect new leaders for the country’s central labour union following the expiration of tenure of the current executives.
It is not clear yet how the event, which had been peaceful since it began suddenly descended into crisis, but the election for the President of the Union had created tension among delegates and split them along partisan lines.
After the disruption, the police took over the venue and delegates were sent away, ostensibly to protect the facility from being vandalised.
Labour leaders have now reconvened at the NLC headquarters in the Central Business District of Abuja for a meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m., aimed at resolving the logjam.
Meanwhile, the outgoing leadership of the congress which was not dissolved before the commencement of the voting process, has called for an emergency meeting of the National Administrative Council, to deliberate on the crisis and resolve it.
Peter Ozo-Eson, the General Secretary of the NLC and convener of the NAC meeting, told NAN that issues arising from the inconclusive election would be discussed.
As at the time of filling this report, the NAC meeting is still ongoing at the NLC headquarters
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC would also hold immediately after the NAC meeting with a view to implementing the decisions reached.
Three candidates had put themselves forward to be elected as President Waheed Omar’s successor.
They are the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Joe Ajaero; the National President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Igwe Achese; and National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria Ayuba Wabba.
For the three deputy president positions, the Non Academic Staff Union is putting forward its General Secretary, Peter Adeyemi, while the General Secretary, National Union of Textiles, Issa Aremu, is contesting unopposed, along with the National President, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Kiri Mohammed.

JONATHAN CLEARS AIR ON JEGA‘S REPLACEMENT-ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

Yesterday the President held a Presidential Media Chat where he dealt with all the questions bugging the minds of Nigerians. Amongst the answers he provided was the answer regarding PROF. ATTAHIRU JEGA'S REPLACEMENT.
The President stated thus, "I elected the INEC CHAIRMAN and I believe he is competent enough to deliver a free and fair election..."
He made it clear that JEGA will usher in the next government of Nigeria as the law demands and that he will only leave office in June when that duty is completed and his term in office has expired.

Court affirms Jonathan’s eligibility for 2015 election

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking the disqualification of President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2015 presidential election.

The suit was based on the argument that Mr. Jonathan had taken the oath of office twice, and was by law ineligible for a third, should he win.

Mr. Jonathan took the oath as president when he took over from the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010, and again when he won his election in 2011.

In a ruling Wednesday, the court quashed the case and awarded N50,000 cost to the president, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

A QUESTION FOR PROFESSOR OSIBANJO

Curiously, I ask our learned professor of law and a man who stands on the temple of God to preach the truth and the good news, Professor Yemi Osinbajo would you work under a man who as it were not qualified to be your student? Would you have admitted GMB with a questionable secondary school certificate? Prof, think, integrity, honesty and reputation at stake. Nigerians are waiting.

APC THREATENS DAAR COMMUNICATIONS

DAAR Communication PLC, Owners of AIT and RayPower FM has received a threat letter from a group called Coalition of Northern Nigerian Muslim Youths.

In the letter the group threatened to attack DAAR’s Investment in Northern Nigeria. The Group says DAAR Communication Staff and Investment will face violent and drastic extinction if Gen. Buhari looses the postponed general elections.

Do we all remember how BOKO HARAM started? it was from threats like this.... APC is gradually showing their real colour. God help Nigeria! Why is it that Buhari can't be patient? He wins a battle before the shots are called and that's why he resorts to violence when the outcome states differently.... Having crowds at rallies do not win elections please be wise! Not up to 10% of those people that clamour around on the day of rallies often come out to vote>>>>STOP THREATENING NIGERIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOMBSHELL: Buhari Forgets What INEC Stands For And the Meaning Of APC

Following the postponement of the February general elections, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari had an interview with Aljazeera on the 8th of February 2015.During the interview, Buhari talked about the postponed elections, corruption in Nigeria, Boko Haram and a whole lot.Asked his reaction to the shift in the elections date by six weeks, the former Head of state he was extremely disappointed.Buhari made a mistake when he referred to INEC as the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission.

See this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3md94JAFyM

He said: "My reaction is that of extreme disappointment because at the National Council of State, the chairman of INEC, the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission gave a detailed brief of their activities from 2011, that's from the last election. He said they are ready to hold the election."Buhari explained that the Nigerian military cannot win the war against insurgency because the government is not ready to fight Boko Haram.When asked that nobody has come out to endorse him as the right and perfect man to be the president of Nigeria, he replied:He said: "If people don't like Buhari's face for what he did as a military Head of State, let them join the ruling party or any of the other mushroom parties and vote against him and convince his constituency to vote against me."Buhari also made a major slip during the interview when he referred to his party as the "All Progressives Confidence".Asked about accusations that he is only popular in the North and not respecting the diversity of Nigeria, he said:"The merger we have been able to consolidate of All Progressives Confidence I think ought to disabuse the minds of those skeptics because this comprises of the main opposition parties which came from across the whole country and has succeeded now to be recognized here and abroad and is a real counter force to the ruling part."So the question of I not being accepted in some parts of the country has been disproved by how I win my party's nomination as presidential candidate…"

2015 ELECTIONS: CRITICAL COMPETENCES FOR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

 In a couple of weeks now, we shall be required to make choices concerning Nigerian Political leadership at the Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial, National and State Representative levels. It is going to be a major exercise that will affect the destiny of our Country, States and legislative constituences. For me it is a sacred duty that must not be treated with levity.
Right now, there is a lot of misinformation in the air and too much emotion being let loose. Let me reiterate that choosing our Political leaders at all levels of governance must be based on verifiable and measurable criteria not on sentiments.

That we have had poor political leadership for most of our post-independence years across all strata of governance is evident and it is clear that if we have the right leadership with the appropriate competences, our lot will continue to improve. Whereas good manifestos are important in helping guide our choices, the more critical matter is the leadership competences or skills that our political leaders possess. That was why I identified 22 key Leadership competences that any one aspiring to political leadership must have in my 2010 book- NIGERIA @ 50: TIME FOR THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW NATION which was revised in 2013 with some amendment to its title.

My contention then and which remains valid today is that before we make our choices, we must measure the competing candidates against these competences and be certain to choose the candidates which best approximate the ideal.

1. SOUND EDUCATION

Education opens the mind of the individual and gives him the tools to seek for solutions. It enables us to learn how to ask questions and how to process information and interpret data. Education cultures the man and makes him more amenable to tolerating differences and disagreements,always conscious that a man's knowledge is limited. To provide effective leadership at any level, we must know how to seek, collate and interpret data, which are always needed to take informed decisions in order to solve problems. In the 21st Century Nigeria, there should not be any place for illiterate and uninformed leadership. Those who say that Education is not important in political leadership must be seriously mistaken or they are supporters of Boko haram terrorists who have declared openly that 'Book is evil'

2. CAPABILITY TO ENVISION

Every Leader that will inspire must be visionary. Any man or woman who cannot dream of a desirable future for his or her constituency, State or Nation is not worthy to lead a people. Leadership essentially involves taking followers to a desired destination. Visioning is required to anticipate the future and allows the leader to see the end from the beginning. The importance of visionary leadership is emphasized by the biblical saying that 'Where there is no Vision, the People perish'.We need leaders who look forward and not back wards.

3. ABILITY FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

A taciturn can not lead effectively. If we develop a vision, we need to effectively communicate the vision in a way to elicit 'buy in'. Political leadership involves representing and leading a people and therefore ability to communicate effectively is critical for carrying the People along and ensuring that their views and desires are harnessed in the contemplation, design and articulation of policies and programmes. Here, sound education becomes helpful as well.

4. VISIBLE DEMOCRATIC INCLINATION

The pain of current democratic experience is that we have democracy with few democrats. For many Nigerian political leaders, democracy is expressing your view and insisting that it is the only valid viewpoint. Tolerance for opposing or counter views is very limited. Many Politicians are prepared to force their whims and caprices by all means, including subterfuge and violence. They threaten to destroy, disrupt peace or set up parallel governments if they lose elections without recourse to the constitutional provisions for seeking redress if our rights are abridged. So we need genuine democrats who must insist on free and fair elections and who must adopt the attitude of learned hospitality to opposing views and understand that they are subordinates of the electorate and not masters and must not ride roughshod on the people.

5. A PALPABLE LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE

There must be few valid reasons for one to leave the comfort of his private life and move to the public domain to take on leadership role and in the process, abridge his personal liberties and assume the burden for the common good. The overriding reason must be love for the People and so he can not be a sadist. He must be one who is genuinely concerned about the welfare, happiness and the comfort of the people. He can not be a terror or terrorist.

6. EXPERIENCE IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Leadership is about people and more so in the political arena. A deep understanding of the diversity of human Behaviour and the factors that motivate Behaviour is critical in leadership. Development of a positive interpersonal relationship with associates and constituents is necessary for the establishment of a productive relationship. An abrasive or coercive leader will often cause the development of friction and resistance amongst the followers,both of which will slow down the achievement of lasting goals as much valuable time will be spent resolving quarrels. We need team players and not Lone Rangers or hermits as leaders.

7. HIGH LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT ( IQ)

Leadership is a tasking Responsibility. In political leadership, every word and every action of the leader is brought to judgement , both by admirers and more so by the opposition. Many times, the leader is confronted with complex problems and the followers always expect him to provide answers and solutions swiftly. A high dose of intelligence is therefore called for in the political leaders we must choose.

8. HUMILITY OF SPIRIT

Political leaders unlike corporate leaders are appointed by the People. Therefore the voters are the bosses and deserve  the respect of their appointees. Any political leader who feels superior to the people who elected him, looks down or talks down on the electorate would soon lose their love and loyalty. Political leadership is about service and what is called for is SERVANT Leadership, a leadership that recognizes that it is a privilege and not a right to be elected or appointed to a political office.

9. ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO MAKE SACRIFICES

It is not often realized that another word for leadership is sacrifice. That is why true leaders do not rush into positions of leadership, nor do they see winning elections as do or die pursuit, because they realize that it will involve so much sacrifice. Sacrifice of personal liberty, sacrifice of personal income, sacrifice of family companionship and comfort. They realize that the reward for public service is the Honour of the opportunity and the legacy of accomplishment.

10. INHERENT ABILITY  TO INFLUENCE OUTCOMES

The true essence of leadership is influence. The Political leader we seek is the one that will continuously influence positive outcomes. He must have the capacity for Hard work over long hours. He must be a role model who walks the talk and brings influence to bear on the regular and efficient discharge of his functions. He can not be laid back or a laggard. He must not be one that shies from taking actions and accepting the responsibility for the outcomes.

11. HIGH LEVEL OF INTEGRITY

All men are expected to live lives of integrity but for the leader, it is imperative if he must win the respect, loyalty and support of followers or constituents. Integrity involves saying a thing and meaning it. It involves being principled and standing for your principles. It incorporates honesty and a life free from deceit and corruption. We can not admit felons and perverts into political leadership.

12. KNOWN ABILITY TO ACCEPT MISTAKES AND FAULTS

Only GOD is infallible. All men are prone to making mistakes. Some mistakes come from ignorance, some from lack of wisdom and tact, some unconscious and some deliberate. Man's knowledge is limited. The leaders we are seeking should be those who understand that they have weaknesses as well as strengths, that they are only human and can make mistakes or misjudge issues.  But they must exude enough self-confidence and humility to accept their failings and mistakes. While leaders must make strenuous efforts to overcome their weaknesses, they should show the required strength by accepting their mistakes and apologizing without waiting to be goaded or compelled. It is even worse when leaders in the face of patent failings, mistakes or misdeamenours, announce gleefully that they have no regrets or apologies to offer. Such is a frank demonstration of arrogance and patently poor leadership.

13. A KEEN DEMONSTRATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Political and other public office holders hold office in trust for the people. So it behoves them to be accountable to the people and to those who appointed them into office. The same way subordinates write reports to their superiors in business establishments, the same way, the board of Directors of companies account to the shareholders on a regular basis, must be the same way, that public office holders and leaders need to account to the people on whose behalf they act. Any leader who disdains any summons to account for his doings as happened at the Oputa Panel for example, has leadership challenges and must not be given new opportunities to do what they like with power.

14. A DEMONSTRABLE UNDERSTANDING OF PROFIT & LOSS STATEMENT AND THE ABILITY TO INTERPRET A BALANCE SHEET

 I believe that one reason, this Country has not received the true value for the money she invested in infrastructure development and provision of services over many years is that we do not view Government business as real business . In the Public sector, money is appropriated and disbursed. Some times we measure outcomes but hardly output impact. Time value of money is hardly understood and inefficient utilization is rampant. People who are familiar with Profit and loss statement are focused at creating value that exceeds cost, they evaluate the returns on every investment or expenditure and they realize the opportunity cost of every action. More importantly, the P&L mentality focuses on result and accountability while an ability to interpret the balance sheet shows a focus on growing assets or National Wealth. Another way of looking at this prescribed leadership quality is to find out what businesses our  competing Political leaders have done in the past. If a man has not borrowed money from a bank and paid back with interest, he has not learnt how to manage financial resources. Let us have political leaders who have business sense and can show what they accomplished with their own funds before we commit our State or National income to their charge.

15.TRUE FEAR OF GOD

"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". We need leaders with 'Solomonic' wisdom, and this can only come from the Almighty God . It is only the true fear of God that can keep leaders in check even when Men apparently can do them nothing or bring their iniquity to public attention.The endemic corruption in our Country especially among the political class is clear evidence that many do not truly fear God. Leaders who incite violence and condone wanton destruction of lives and property can not be God fearing indeed. So we need leaders who truly fear God and keep His commandments . This is the only constant for successful political leadership in our Country.

16. OTHERS

Please see the revised edition of my book, NIGERIA: NEED FOR THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW NATION to get the rest of the competences that we need in our political leaders . Then match the candidates against all the competences. Then go and vote for the one that approximates best to the ideal Political leader. That way, I believe we shall be making choices based on verifiable criteria that will result in producing the best Political leaders for the next four years. May God grant us the wisdom.

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa OFR

TRANSFORMATION IN FCT - ONYEKABA CHIOMA ROSEMARY

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has clearly undergone a lot of changes under the Administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, but the biggest news is that what you have seen is just a tip of an iceberg because this administration is clearly willing to do more and so deserves another chance to complete their work.

To get to this present level, the FG had to start what is called 'Institutional Firming Up'. Due to the efforts put in by the same administration, we have today deviated from the era when governance was personalized , done unilaterally and casually. Today, we are doing things through the institutions , building the bureaucracy and deepening it for sustainability.

The FG also created a private sector initiative to maintain and sustain the Abuja Master Plan without violation and to make sure that we improve the quality of life by building a middle class that can afford whatever is being brought in to the territory. It is also making sure that we bring affordable and social housing that was completely absent in previous dispensations.

Initially, the satellite towns were  not given due attention but now through the support of President Goodluck Jonathan it has been recreated. These and lots more are what they want to offer Nigerians. Why not give them a chance to complete this job they started? Vote PDP 2015.

INEC'S DECISION DISCLOSED

STATEMENT ON THE TIMETABLE FOR 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS BY THE CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC), PROFESSOR ATTAHIRU M. JEGA, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY 7^th, 2015

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Introduction

We invited you here today to make known the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the timetable for the 2015 general elections. Let me state from the outset that the Commission’s position was reached after carefully weighing the suggestions from briefings held with different stakeholders in the electoral process.

 

The conduct of elections in a country like Nigeria is invariably a collective venture that involves not just the Election Management Body (EMB), but also a diverse range of stakeholders, notably security agencies, political parties and their candidates, voters, as well as interest groups, such as the civil society organizations and the media. To guarantee successful conduct of elections, there are things that are wholly the responsibility of the EMB. But there are other things critical for the success of elections, which fall outside the control of the EMB.

 

In other words, while INEC must work hard to perfect its systems and processes for conducting elections, and take responsibility for any imperfections thereof, whatever the Commission does may not by itself be sufficient to guarantee the success of elections. There are a number of issues in the preparation and conduct of an election, the most critical of which is security, which is not under the control of INEC.

 

Current State of INEC’s Preparedness

On Thursday, February 5, 2015, I was invited to brief the National Council of State, which is the highest advisory to the President comprising past and present leaders in Nigeria, on the level of preparedness of INEC to conduct the 2015 general elections. I made a presentation to the Council titled ‘Preparations for the 2015 General Elections: Progress Report,’ in which I gave a detailed account of what the Commission has been doing in readiness for the national elections (National Assembly and Presidential) scheduled for February 14^th, and the state elections (Governorship and State Assembly) scheduled for February 28^th, 2015.

 

The summary of my presentation to the National Council of State meeting is that, for matters under its control,  INEC is substantially ready for the general elections as scheduled, despite discernible challenges being encountered with some of its processes like the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by registered members of the public.

  

In addition, INEC has been doing everything it can to facilitate the collection of the PVCs by registered members of the public. As at 5^th February 2015, the total number of PVCs collected was 45, 829, 808, representing 66.58% of the total number of registered voters.

 

In the delivery and deployment of electoral materials, INEC is also at a comfort level in its readiness for the general elections as scheduled (see the presentation to the Council of State). The Commission’s preparations are not yet perfect or fully accomplished. But our level of preparedness, despite a few challenges, is sufficient to conduct free, fair and credible elections as scheduled on February 14^th and February 28^th. Compared with 2011 when, within a short time, we conducted general elections that were universally adjudged free, fair and credible and the best in Nigeria’s recent electoral history, our processes are today better refined, more robust and therefore capable of delivering even better elections.

 

 

Other Variables

But as I mentioned earlier, there are some other variables equally crucial for successful conduct of the 2015 general elections that are outside the control of INEC. One important variable is security for the elections.

 

While the Commission has a very good working relationship with all security agencies, especially on the platform of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) since its inception in 2010, it has become pertinent for it to seriously consider the security advisory presented to it by the Security and Intelligence Services. I would like to reiterate here that INEC is an EMB and not a security agency. It relies on the security services to provide a safe environment for personnel, voters, election observers and election materials to conduct elections wherever it deploys. Where the security services strongly advise otherwise, it would be unconscionable of the Commission to deploy personnel and call voters out in such a situation. 

 

Last Wednesday, which was a day before the Council of State meeting, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) wrote a letter to the Commission, drawing attention to recent developments in four Northeast states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe currently experiencing the challenge of insurgency. The letter stated that security could not be guaranteed during the proposed period in February for the general elections.  

 

This advisory was reinforced at the Council of State meeting on Thursday where the NSA and all the Armed Services and Intelligence Chiefs unanimously reiterated that the safety and security of our operations cannot be guaranteed, and that the Security Services needed at least six weeks within which to conclude a major military operation against the insurgency in the Northeast; and that during this operation, the military will be concentrating its attention in the theatre of operations such that they may not be able to provide the traditional support they render to the Police and other agencies during elections.  

 

INEC’s Decision

We have done wide ranging consultation to enable us have as much input as is necessary before taking an informed decision. In the series of consultations that we held with stakeholders, the questions consistently posed to them for consideration are:

(i)                In view of the latest development, should INEC proceed with the conduct of the general elections as scheduled in spite of this strong advice; and if so, what alternative security arrangements are available to be put in place?

(ii)               Or, should INEC take the advice and adjust the schedules of the general elections within the framework of Constitutional provisions?

 

The Commission held a meeting after the consultations, and decided to take the advice of the Security Chiefs and adjust the dates of the elections. We have done this relying on Section 26(1) of the Electoral 2010 (As Amended), which states thus: “Where a date has been appointed for the holding of an election, and there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely to occur if the election is proceeded with on that date or it is impossible to conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies, the Commission may postpone the election and shall in respect of the area, or areas concerned, appoint another date for the holding of the postponed election, provided that such reason for the postponement is cogent and verifiable”.

 

INEC not being a security agency that could by itself guarantee protection for personnel and materials, as well as voters during elections, the Commission cannot lightly wave off the advice by the nation’s Security Chiefs. The Commission is specifically concerned about the security of our ad hoc staff who constitute at least 600,000 young men and women, together with our regular staff, voters, election observers as well as election materials painstakingly acquired over the last one and half years. This concern is limited not just to the areas in the North-eastern part of Nigeria experiencing insurgency; the risk of deploying young men and women and calling people to exercise their democratic rights in a situation where their security cannot be guaranteed is a most onerous responsibility. Under such circumstances, few EMBs across the world, if any, would contemplate proceeding with the elections as scheduled. No matter the extent of INEC’s preparedness, therefore, if the security of personnel, voters, election observers and election materials cannot be guaranteed, the life of innocent young men and women as well the prospects of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections would be greatly jeopardised.

Consequently, the Commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general elections thus: the national elections (i.e. Presidential and National Assembly) are now to hold on March 28^th, 2015; while the state elections (Governorship and State Assembly) are to hold on April 11^th, 2015. It should be noted that this rescheduling falls within the constitutional framework for the conduct of the elections, notably, Sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2) and 178(2). See also Section 25 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended).

 

For the avoidance of doubt, we will under no circumstances approve an arrangement that is not in line with the provisions of our laws. Our hope is that with this rescheduling, the security services will do their best to ensure that the security environment needed for safe and peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections is rapidly put in place.

 

We in INEC reassure all Nigerians and indeed the international community of our commitment to do everything within the law and to conduct free, fair, credible and peaceful elections. We call on the security agencies to honour their commitment to restore sufficient normalcy for elections to take place within the period of extension. We also call on Nigerians, political parties, candidates and all other stakeholders to accept this decision in good faith and ensure the maintenance of peace.

 

As for us in INEC we’ll endeavour to use the period of the extension to keep on perfecting our systems and processes for conducting the best elections in Nigeria’s history. In particular, we believe that we would resolve all outstanding issues related to non-collection of PVCs, which agitate the minds of many Nigerians.

 

Finally, we wish to call on all Nigerians to accept our decision, which is taken in good faith and the best interest of deepening democracy ion our country.

 

Thank you.

 

Professor Attahiru M. Jega, OFR

Chairman,INEC